You Don’t Have to Take It Any More
new-zealand-first-party
Fri May 01 2015 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
You Don’t Have to Take It Any More
Friday, 1 May 2015, 1:38 pm
Speech: New Zealand First Party
Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
1 MAY 2015
Speech at Palmerston Public Meeting, Globe Theatre, 1pm
You Don’t Have to Take It Any More
It’s a pleasure to appear on stage at the Globe theatre today.
But we won’t be quoting the bard himself – the honour goes to Abraham Lincoln.
Who said: “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
That my friends goes to the heart of many of our problems.
New Zealand as an economy is living only for today like a junkie waiting for the next fix.
And the money for the next fix is coming from flogging off the family silver or borrowing heavily.
And when that the family, New Zealand, suffers.
And heartland New Zealand – the regions like Manawatu – are showing signs of serious trouble.
Look around you and the evidence is clear, no foresight – no vision – no plan.
Walk around Palmerston North’s streets and count the number of vacant shops and premises. It’s evidence of something of really amiss here.
You might recall a recent by-election in Northland.
Our team travelled many miles and spoke to many people in many communities.
We knew that things had gone from bad to worse through years of political neglect.
The Government is suffering from a disorder known as “AIOS” – AUCKLAND IMMIGRATION OBSESSION SYNDROME.
In 20 days’ time Bill English will deliver National’s 7th Budget.
It is time that, in the fiction of National’s economic competence will be exposed for what it is – a myth.
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The idea of the “rock star economy” was a sick joke for most Kiwis.
Under National:
• Manufacturing as percentage of GDP is down
• Exports as percentage of GDP is down
• Government borrowing is up over six times
This is the most rapid rise in our government debt in New Zealand’s history.
Just look at what National has delivered. Everywhere you look National has sold out.
New Zealand is still not paying its way in the world.
We owe the rest of the world $150 billion! And our government debt is heading towards $70 billion.
And what is National’s answer - just an open door policy for foreign speculators in New Zealand homes, land and businesses – And an open door immigration policy.
They have failed to strengthen and expand our economy and create the basis for long term and sustained prosperity.
New Zealand’s economic base is now narrower and less resilient – we still have shocks like the drop in dairy prices.
We still has one dominant export product – milk powder.
There is one dominant export company – Fonterra.
There is one dominant export market – China.
And one dominant import – people.
Immigration is running at a massive net inflow of 56,000 people.
The natural rate of population increase in New Zealand is about 26,000 – the excess of births over deaths – yet net immigration is now running at twice that rate.
All this at a time of excessive pressure on housing and other services especially in Auckland.
National pretends otherwise. You all know massive immigration creates impossible demands on all our services, like hospitals and schools, on housing and infrastructure and these costs have to be met by ordinary taxpayers.
The only reason for this rate of immigration is to artificially inflate, pump up and boost the nominal growth rate – while ignoring the real costs and the real damage to ordinary New Zealanders and to provincial New Zealand in particular.
Previous governments managed to achieve a budget surplus every year – for over 15 years!
All we have had from National is promises – that is why Key and Bill English have been softening up the public not to expect a budget surplus this year.
Certainly the Government has had to respond to the global financial crisis and Canterbury earthquakes but National squandered the opportunity of the dairy boom.
It sold off major state-owned assets at a discount.
It has failed to act on a chronically overvalued exchange rate that has undermined our export base and is hammering exporters and the provinces all around New Zealand.
And this has had flow-on effects for the worse right through the regions which have had social services cut back, police stations closing, transport links cut, no effective broadband, health services trimmed.
The list is endless.
Take state housing.
Houses are poorly maintained - many are cold and damp with no insulation.
Prepare for another winter with sick children suffering from throat and chest infections.
To solve the state house maintenance problem the Government has come up with the brilliant idea of palming the problem off to religious groups, community trusts and the like.
The Salvation Army – always to the forefront of trying to help people – declined because it could not cope with the extent of the state housing problems.
The push by the government to dump social problems on to other private groups is a dereliction of its duty of responsibility to all citizens.
Welfare is being privatised by stealth – our collection obligations are being passed on to groups to carry the burden but many are already hurting.
National has curbed health spending so the district health boards cut back on home help and respite care for the elderly.
Profit making ideology in all services means less support for those on low incomes.
Punishment of crime is a state responsibility but this government is hell bent on making it profit motivated penal industry run by the private sector.
It is madness and the madness has to stop.
Manawatu has long been a region creating wealth for New Zealand. You should have a say on what happens here and you need to be able to plan for the future.
Instead, areas like the Manawatu are being sucked dry by central government which does not have a clue about what’s happening more than 20 kilometres from Parliament.
Take the arterial route through the Manawatu Gorge.
When has central government seriously tried to fix up the problems of this road?
As for the Capital Connection this is a rail service that was a key infrastructural investment for this region. Its continuance is under threat and yet no one can tell you what the actual cost of this service is.
There is no rail service anywhere in the world where every route is run at a profit. But you need someone hounding KiwiRail and central government to give you a proper response.
When we asked just a few weeks ago the people of Northland to “send a message” to the Government they responded.
We also want you to stand up and say “we are not going to take it anymore!”
We need to fight for your region, your future and the future of your young people.
They should not have to go to Auckland or overseas to get a long term job.
We want you to demand that you be given a fair go.
Nothing will happen unless the government fears it will lose heartland electorates.
Remember – how many promises we got in a week on the Northland campaign.
Just think what we could do in two years for the Manawatu!
ENDS
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