Peters: New Zealand First Convention
new-zealand-first-party
Mon Nov 01 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Peters: New Zealand First Convention
Monday, 1 November 2010, 10:11 am
Speech: New Zealand First Party
EMBARGOED AGAINST DELIVERY
Rt. Hon Winston Peters
Leader NZ First
Address to: New Zealand First Convention
Latimer Hotel, Christchurch
Date: 31 October 2010 2.15 pm
“Putting New Zealand First”
It is great to be in Christchurch and in a very small way trying to support the local economy. It’s also great to be at the Latimer Hotel, 100% NZ owned and operated and where the profits stay here.
Within twelve months we will be fighting another bruising election campaign.
Word from around the country is that there is a groundswell of support for New Zealand First.
And with this support comes the need for a warning to our party workers, supporters, and candidates.
Take nothing for granted!
There are those in New Zealand who will do anything to keep New Zealand First out of Parliament. And they, as we all know, can turn nasty.
They do not want any challenge to the status quo.
A status quo that works for them – but not for most New Zealanders.
However, this time New Zealand First is in a strong position, and it's only a matter of time before we will be back helping steer our State to its “true course”.
It's that true course we need to speak about this afternoon – to close our successful convention – and to thank everyone who contributed their time, their talent and their effort to creating that success.
What Has This Government Achieved?
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
One year out from the election we have to ask some questions about the achievements so far of this National-led government. This rainbow coalition of the far left, the far right, and the philosophically confused.
Are we on the path of progress and prosperity?
Is this the Utopia that National promised before the last election?
Have we stopped the brain drain?
Are wages and pensions keeping up with the cost of living?
Are we closing the gap with Australia?
Are more jobs being created for school leavers and the unemployed?
Are exports increasing to end our balance of payments problems?
Are we investing seriously in infrastructure, such as better public transport in our major cities?
Has the anti smacking legislation had any effect on the brutalisation of many New Zealand children?
Would a wise government have open door entry for foreign students and yet a cap on entry for NZ students?
Are we becoming a more united country with widely shared values?
The answers to all these questions are obvious and identical - a resounding NO.
In fact there has not been a single really groundbreaking economic initiative from this government, and many of their social policies spell disaster.
You could actually write this government's real achievements on the back of a postage stamp.
The Economic Mess
The faltering economy will be at the core of the next election campaign.
Because this government, like others before it, has followed the same half baked economic theories based on a discredited, free market ideology.
If you look at countries with so-called free market economies, most are staggering under the weight of debt and retrenching at an alarming rate.
Others, with “mixed” market economies are thriving.
The sub-prime crisis which left the economies of free market countries in tatters has shattered the myth of the “wild west” free market and the virtues of unfettered capitalism.
The bankers and financial gurus who created the mess were motivated by greed and greed alone.
Governments around the globe have put their people into hock to bail out these gurus while ordinary people have suffered the devastating consequences.
Against this background, successive governments in New Zealand have for the past 26 years worshipped at this same altar of economic ruin.
It is long since time for a real change.
Unless we start planning our economy we face dire circumstances for generations ahead.
We cannot afford to keep sliding to the Third World.
The National government is trapped by its financial backers into doing nothing - or the wrong thing.
Let's face it – whatever this government is doing or not doing as the case may be – it's not working.
Government By Photo Opportunity
What we are witnessing, from the Beehive, is government by photo opportunity.
New Zealanders are being fed a diet of pictures and sound bites from heavily orchestrated media events - all focused on showing a certain smiley face.
You've got to hand it to them - it's a brilliant public relations stunt.
It creates the perception of a dynamic government purposely running the country for the good of the people.
In reality it is a media facade – a mask.
If you take away the pictures and the spin there is nothing left except a grubby coalition looking after its mates and to hell with the rest of us.
There are plenty of smiles but little of substance.
The only people benefiting from this Nero like government are those at the top and the people in foreign boardrooms (including those at Warner Brothers!) who tell National what to do.
National paints itself as a “centrist” party but there is only one centrist party in this country and its name is New Zealand First.
If you look back over the years since 1996 you will find that many of the moves to improve the lot of New Zealanders came from New Zealand First.
Remember who-
• Campaigned for economic policies that do work
• Pushed for compulsory savings and a personalised superannuation fund
• Opposed the transfer of our sharemarket to foreign ownership
• Lowered business taxes
• Got rid of the superannuation surtax,
• Lifted superannuation rates to 66 percent of the national average wage
• Introduced a SuperGold card for pensioners,
• Introduced free medical care for under sixes
• Secured extra funding for eldercare
• Increased the minimum youth wage
• Put a thousand more police into the fight against crime
• and wrote sensible solutions, like the foreshore and seabed legislation.
Foreshore and Seabed
And remember this about the foreshore and seabed legislation despite every parliamentary party now opposing it – it worked.
Despite all the hype and myths tossed around the media waves, Crown ownership meant that ALL New Zealanders owned the foreshore and seabed out to the 200 mile limit.
And, this is important, that same law recognised the special relationship between Maori and the coastline. It gave coastal Maori special rights where appropriate in terms of use and governance.
The law –still not repealed – actually works and the proposed legislation is a dangerous mish-mash of waffle, foolish intentions and a hypocritical sell out of those who voted National. As is the future impact of the Indigenous Rights Declaration on the foreshore and seabed legislation. It has the capacity to adversely change the face of New Zealand.
And for John Key to claim it's “aspirational” is naive at best, and at worst a cynical attempt to shore up support from the Maori Party in 2011.
Remember this declaration was never discussed publicly before someone sneaked off to the United Nations in the dead of night to sign it.
It was stated by former High Court judge (And Waitangi Tribunal chairman) Eddie Durie that "the declaration would have ramifications for the courts and the Waitangi tribunal".
In short the declaration will filter into policy and the law.
So, if the changes to the foreshore and seabed allow some to apply for title, will this declaration not ensure title is awarded?
We face decades of problems through this tampering and tinkering; with Iwi vs Iwi and Iwi vs Kiwi.
This is what the select committee replacement to Hone Harawira, Te Ururoa Flavell, said four days ago excusing the Maori Party support for repeal “ the same racist bill would still be in place and the confiscation of our land would have remained in place”.
There it is. The Foreshore and Seabed is Maori land.
Look, nothing in the appeal from the Marlborough case where all this began forms any basis for that argument.
Future generations will be saddled with a giant mess – unless New Zealand First gets back to clean it up.
And before our critics start accusing us of playing the race card let them look at our record.
We have always done the right thing by Maori and the number of Maori MP s produced by New Zealand First has always been more than representative.
Our achievements for Maori are too long to list.
Save to say this. We can go to any Marae and defend our record.
Let our opponents try and defend theirs. .
Born Again Socialists
An interesting political event of recent weeks was the startling Damascus Discovery by the Labour Party of what it came into existence for
They rediscovered it is called “Labour” for a reason and that it was set up to correct social and economic injustices.
It was established by trade unionists to improve the lot of ordinary people, the workers.
Now, nobody could accuse the Labour Party of being a workers' party.
In 1984 Labour aligned itself with the rich and the powerful.
In fact, the Labour Party leader Phil Goff was a cabinet colleague of people like Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble and the other right wingers of the Lange government.
Now, in a blinding flash of illumination Labour have decided they really are a workers' party after all.
And they've done almost as much as National to grind ordinary people’s faces into the mud of despair.
There is nothing quite like a born-again socialist!
And now Labour has a caucus full of them – trying to rebrand themselves as old Labour.
They must have read about it in a book somewhere.
For two years now National and Labour have attacked each other over the success of Australia and the failure of New Zealand. Curiously they are both right – because both parties’ policies over 26 years made that outcome a certainty.
To be fair not everything was tainted by the social and economic disease of the eighties and early nineties. Fortunately, New Zealand First managed to prod the two old parties into going in the right direction on some important issues. The trouble was we never had enough MPs to force National or Labour into a corner where they had to confront the folly of their policies.
The Hobbit
And speaking of policies, or the lack of them – an interesting situation has developed over the filming of the movie “The Hobbit”.
The government is changing the tax and investment rules and the labour laws to ensure that the filming takes place in New Zealand.
Some of the detail remains secret. Why? Shouldn’t you know?
But it all demonstrates how low our sovereignty has sunk.
We have again been hijacked from abroad.
First, we got dingoed by an Aussie actors union
Second, we sent ministerial cars to Wellington airport to transport to Premier House and then fete Hollywood wide boys as though they were state presidents.
Third, we again sold out to a foreign corporate.
John Key showed his nerves of steel and strong leadership when he took on Warners Brothers.
With the might of the National cabinet behind him he held out against the Hollywood moguls for at least ten minutes. How Mickey Mouse can you get?
The benefits of this, we are told, are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the New Zealand economy.
Which begs the question, why stop there?
If NZ companies or individuals come up with projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy why does the government not back them like it is prepared to help American film makers?
New Zealand First has no argument with government incentives that create wealth for New Zealand and New Zealanders. That has always been our policy. But it has never been theirs.
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
We simply suggest that the same incentives given to Hollywood film companies be extended to the New Zealand companies keeping us afloat in these parlous times.
Ladies and Gentlemen for years our critics have tried to dismiss our common sense policies with all sorts of epithets. They will say ”we’ve heard it all before”.
“Nostalgia”, “Racist” “Xenophobic” and the dozy of them all “Nationalistic”, all of course simply pathetic against the back drop of our recent history and economic and social decline.
To paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies “they would say that wouldn’t they”
We have been one of the few questioning voices struggling to be heard, all this time accused of scaremongering and negativity and doom saying when we have never failed to be realists - and NZ desperately needs realism in public debate today.
The Plan
New Zealand First has a plan to halt the slide and lead the country back to the path of prosperity.
First of all we have to acknowledge that we live or die by our exports.
Our currency must be managed within certain boundaries – just like Singapore and some of the other economic tigers of the east.
The endless gamble on the New Zealand dollar by currency speculators must stop.
Our currency has the widest fluctuations of any in the world.
It is all due to speculation.
That will end.
Under our plan so-called currency traders will become an endangered species.
The Reserve Bank Act must be changed to suit our economic and social interests and that means an end to our grossly inflated dollar and exorbitant interest rates.
It means an end to the Reserve Bank governor slamming his foot on the brakes with high interest rates the moment our economy gains any momentum.
The ‘stop’- ‘start’ jerks of a learner driver are understandable. In an economy it is inexcusable.
All through the credit crunch Singapore maintained its growth at around 15% - to the shame of our economic theorists.
Tax deductible incentives need to be introduced for developing export markets.
A concentrated effort must be made to increase research and development within our export industries.
The so-called Cullen pension fund should be expanded and these funds should be channelled into New Zealand industry and infrastructure that enhances exporting.
Why is it that the proportion of Australian Pension Funds in the Australian economy is the exact reverse of our pension funds in our economy?
They invest three to one in the Australian economy.
We invest three to one in foreign economies.
Our savings will be used to buy back successful NZ industries and enterprises under foreign control.
We will develop a substantial New Zealand-owned bank capable of providing the financial resources and expertise required by exporters and businesses.
The New Zealand banking system represents a haven of political neglect and irresponsibility.
It’s based on the belief that banks here operate best if they are self regulated.
Despite the collapse of our biggest and NZ owned bank in 1990 Parliament seemingly learnt nothing.
Proper prudential supervision was virtually ignored.
Who seriously believes greed can be self regulated. Thus a failed Pandora’s Box of toxic financial instruments now sees us borrowing $250 million every week to attempt to shore things up.
Let’s get rid of this rot.
And whilst we are at it why when we gave foreign trading banks in NZ a helping hand during the credit crisis are they allowed to go on screwing NZ businesses and consumers.
That very question was being asked in the Australian Parliament this week of their own banks, most particularly of the National Australia Bank enjoying record profits, and we sit back here and accept it from foreign banks.
NAB’s latest record profit was more than 50%. The largest bank in NZ, ANZ which owns the National Bank brand enjoyed a 40% increase to $882 million in annual profits.
Why is our government account with a foreign bank?
Why don’t we invest in our own bank and reap the profits ourselves?
Why not provide a substantial portfolio of cheap loans for first time home buyers.
We will never change the pattern of New Zealand pre occupation with real estate until we tidy up the jungle which is our share and financial markets.
Likewise we will attack speculation in our currency, now ridiculously the tenth most traded currency in the world. NZ should profit from its currency – not hordes of foreign speculators.
We will introduce media laws that require majority shareholdings be in the hands of New Zealand citizens and companies – just like America requires of its media ownership.
NZ First has always believed in the 24.9% foreign ownership rule jettisoned by Labour and National.
In just 25 years we’ve gone from owning 80% of our share market down to 30%.
Of course there will be squeals of outrage from certain sectors of the community.
But the truth is simple. We simply have to go back to owning and steering our own ship of state.
We cannot continue on a course that leads to other economies benefitting from our bountiful resources.
We Can Do It!
Let's face it. New Zealand really is “God's Own”.
We have a great growing climate and good land. We are the most efficient producers of food in the world.
Our seas, oceans, forests and land have good stocks of harvest – but only if we carefully husband our resources and develop more intense NZ added value to them.
We are clever innovative people. Our educational facilities are of good quality.
We have a rare record of democratic government that puts us among a small number of nations, nine in total, with an unbroken record of elections for over 150 years.
We have a lot going for us.
Now let's take back our country. Starting in 2011 let's start putting New Zealand and New Zealanders First.
Let's sideline the ideologues and the people who want to flog our country off to the highest bidder.
Let's retrain the currency speculators as factory hands or boners in a meat packing plant – after they've learned what it's like to live on the dole!
Let's control our own destiny – and not jump to demands from some foreign boardroom.
Let's pay a fair days pay for a fair days work – and let us get back First World health services.
Let's look after our senior citizens and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
And this means ensuring pension rates keep up with the REAL cost of living.
When we go home from this convention remember this.
Our mission – to put New Zealand on a true course
Our target – the 2011 General Election.
Our method - working together as a team to represent the hundreds of thousands of forgotten New Zealanders.
And our message - to all New Zealanders – do not give up.
New Zealand, our country, is worth fighting for!
Our campaign over the next 12 months is not primarily for a place in parliament but most importantly for the restoration of our country to its rightful place as an economic and social leader in the world.
Twice in our history that was our respected position.
We’ve done it before, and with the right policies we can and must do it again.
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand First Party on InfoPages.