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There are as many election issues as there are fingerprints – it is the electorate that sets the agenda and it is only the arrogant or the ignorant who forget that. I welcome the opportunity to be here tonight, because as an electorate MP privileged to represent the widest cultural canvas in New Zealand, it gives me a unique chance to listen and learn.

This election is about the kind of future each of us wants for our families, our communities, and our country. It is about who has the best policies for the future, and for building prosperity, opportunity, and security for New Zealanders.

Over the past five and a half years, Labour in government has built a strong platform for re-election. We’ve focused on the things that matter: growing the economy, creating more jobs, and investing as much as we can back into health and education and essential services.

The economy is now among the fastest growing in the Western world, and has performed better than those of our three biggest trading partners - Australia, the United States, and Japan.

The growth in jobs has been spectacular. More than a quarter of a million more people are in work and unemployment is half what it was before we were elected.

The economic success New Zealand has experienced has enabled us to make big investments in key services which were under great pressure after years of underfunding.

We’ve increased health spending over six years by more than sixty per cent. Already that’s meant that the recognised measure of hospital in-patient treatments has increased by more than 44,000 a year, and we are doing 27,500 more day-patient treatments a year as well.

Lower doctors’ fees and prescription charges funded by government through the Primary Health organisations have reached older New Zealanders and under eighteen year olds, and are now rolling out across the country to all age groups.

In education, we have funded many more kindergartens and early childhood education centres; employed 3040 more teachers in schools than mere roll growth would require; enrolled 7600 young people into the new Modern Apprenticeships, and almost doubled the numbers of people in work based training overall to nearly 140,000.

In housing we brought back income-related rents for state housing, and introduced mortgage insurance schemes to help low income people buy their own homes.

In 2000 we reversed cuts to New Zealand Superannuation, and then set up the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to guarantee superannuation for future generations. Already the Fund has more than $6 billion invested in it.

Police numbers have already increased by more than 1100, and another 245 are being funded in this year’s Budget. Crime is at its lowest rate in New Zealand for two decades.

Labour’s commitment for the next three years is to keep moving our country ahead in all the areas which matter to New Zealanders, as we have in our first two terms. As fast as we can grow the economy, we will invest back into health, education, support for our families and senior citizens, and basic infrastructure and services.

First and foremost, we will run a strong economy and strong budgets. Under Michael Cullen, the government’s net debt will fall to zero next year – for the first time in the history of New Zealand.

The opposition wants to go back to borrowing to help finance its tax cuts. That means New Zealand would slide back into debt – and mortgage interest rates would rise. That’s no help to homeowners and businesses. That's not even borrow and hope – it's borrow and despair, and a return to failure.

Our Budget this year makes big investments in growth. For a start there are $¼ billion of tax breaks in the first full year for business – aimed at getting more investment in modern plant and equipment, innovation, and productivity.

We’ve increased spending on apprenticeships and skills again – and we’ll keep doing that each year.

Huge investments are pouring into roading, public transport, and the rail track, so that New Zealand has the infrastructure it needs for a modern economy. Spending on science and research, already up 56 per cent over the last six budgets will keep growing, because that is critical for developing the new high value products and services which lift our living standards.

Second, we want the benefits of the growing economy to continue to be felt in every household across New Zealand. With over 260,000 more people in work and higher wages and salaries over the past five and a half years, New Zealanders are in the main better off. The numbers living in poverty have sharply decreased and they will fall further as the Working For Families policies are fully implemented over the next two years.

Working for Families puts money in the pockets of sixty per cent of all families with dependent children. From 1 April this year to 1 April 2007, families on $25,000 to $45,000 a year will be on average $95 to $100 a week better off – and that’s not counting the big increases in childcare and housing subsidies. Already this year most families entitled to Family Support have received an extra $25 a week for their first child, and $15 a week for each other child. Next year, working families will get extra assistance through a new in work payment and in 2007 Family Assistance will increase again.

Across the board tax cuts would be likely to replace the Working for Families policies, leaving these families worse off. As well, significant tax cuts mean cuts to health and education – and mortgage interest rate rises too because of the borrowing needed to finance the tax cuts.

Instead under your government, all New Zealanders will benefit from the growing economy, more jobs, more support for our families who need it most, and investments back into health, education, policing, and other basic services.

Looking to the future we are developing many new policies. We are setting up the new Kiwi Saver scheme, to make it as easy as possible for New Zealanders to save for their first home, and for income in retirement, a policy that came out of this electorate. When people sign on at a job, they’ll automatically be enrolled in a superannuation scheme, unless they opt out. The government will put $1,000 in to kick-start their savings. After three years, people can withdraw their savings for a deposit for a first home – and the government will put in $1,000 for each year’s savings, up to a maximum of $5,000 for five years. We are committed to helping more New Zealanders buy their first home. More people will be eligible for the Housing Corporation’s mortgage insurance scheme too.

Local body rates are always harder for homeowners on low and modest incomes to pay. Next year there will be a huge improvement in the rates rebate scheme. Up to 300,000 households will be eligible, and the maximum rebate will move from $200 to $500. A single superannuitant with no other income will be eligible for a $500 rebate if their rates are more than $1,000.

All these moves add up to significant support for home ownership, because we want more New Zealanders to have the firm stake in society which comes from owning a home.

To build prosperity and lift living standards at home, our government has worked hard to promote New Zealand’s interests overseas. Our work on trade agreements is opening doors for Kiwi exporters and lowering tariffs. This is critical for growing our economy. We want New Zealand to be well positioned in the fast growing markets of Asia, where there are increasing numbers of affluent people willing to pay both for our goods and services and for education and tourism in New Zealand.

New Zealand has been repositioned as clean and green – plus creative, innovative and dynamic – the kind of nation worth living in, investing in, doing business in, travelling and studying in, and buying from.

New Zealanders across all fields are making that possible: our innovative businesses, our high quality education and tourism, and our creative people through film, music, and the whole spectrum of arts and culture. Together we are working to take our nation ahead.

Togetherness will be a feature of how we operate at home too.

When Michael Campbell won the US Open – when the All blacks won the series against the British and Irish Lions – what a great period for Maori and all New Zealanders. Like Gandhi, I think we could all become colour-blind when it comes to race. Of course, there are always going to be political actors in election year who seek to divide and rule. John Howard won an election on a travesty over the Tampa refugees.

Our racial diversity is our richness. My electorate is the richest collection of cultures in the land, and we work hard to bring the best on ourselves and each other.

I believe one of the most fundamental duties of leadership is to draw people together – not drive them apart. I am glad to be a New Zealander, proud of all our peoples and all our successes. I want to see New Zealand do well, and I want to see all our communities sharing in our success.

Above all I want every person who lives in this country to be respected and valued for the contribution they make. Whatever our background, religion, culture, gender, or orientation, we can pull together to build a strong nation which is the envy of the world.

This election will be about whether we move forward together. Two votes for Labour will enable New Zealand to keep making steady progress towards higher living standards, more jobs, and better health and education services. The alternative is more division, growing poverty again, failing public services, and higher interest rates. That was the legacy of the 1990s. Labour was elected to take New Zealand on a new and better course. We have delivered, and with the electorate’s support we can continue to do so.

 

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