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Speech to Stewart Island Public Meeting

Speech to Stewart Island Public Meeting


Speech by New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland, Rt Hon Winston Peters

7pm, 21st April, 2015

A Special Place

It is a delight to be visiting Stewart Island with my parliamentary colleague the New Zealand First Spokesperson on Labour and Industrial Relations, Clayton Mitchell MP and to have this chance to speak to you.

We are here to meet local people – hear local concerns and share ideas that New Zealand First considers will help Stewart Island and the regions to prosper.

And we are here to meet the Stewart Island community on the important issue of permitting Great White Shark Cage Diving operations at Stewart Island.

Those of you who live here on Stewart Island and others in remote areas of New Zealand have become forgotten people to Wellington and its law makers.

If you are of the view that Wellington gives little or no priority to areas such as Stewart Island you would be entirely correct.

National is flooding the country with immigrants – net immigration is now running at 55,000 annually – an incredible number – with most going to Auckland - so they have no interest in the small populations of remote settlements and other regions.

The regions are not on the National Government’s radar.

You are part of Southland, with a small population of about 3% of New Zealand, yet your contribution to New Zealand exports is five to six times your population percentage. So you are creating the wealth but are average personal incomes here a reflection of that?

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The answer is a resounding NO! and it’s been that way now for over three decades. The question is whether you’ve had enough - and are you going to do something about it?

This issue of a fair return for wealth creation by the regions came up in the recent by-election in Northland. The voters of Northland sent a clear and unequivocal message to the Government.

The people of Northland said: “We’ve had enough! We are tired of being forgotten – overlooked and marginalised.”

And they voted overwhelmingly for the one party - New Zealand First – that is a voice for the regions.

New Zealand First stands for putting the interests of New Zealand and ordinary New Zealanders first. That’s what nationalism means – putting one’s own country first!

In contrast to National’s indifference and neglect New Zealand First has a strong commitment to regional development.

Our view has always been that New Zealand as a whole is more prosperous when the regions are thriving.

And that is why New First’s economic policy is designed so that all New Zealanders have a share in a well-balanced and growing economy.

And that begins with something that impacts regional New Zealand directly – the exchange rate.

Everyone agrees the New Zealand dollar is seriously overvalued. However, many refuse to admit that it is crippling our international competitiveness.

Our export industries and other sectors, all vital to Stewart Island, are being deeply damaged by the current exchange rate policy. This policy is designed for foreign-owned banks, foreign-owned insurance companies and currency speculators. An overvalued dollar engorges them and it cripples you.

We say that must end.

So we have prepared legislation to give the Reserve Bank the flexibility it needs to manage the exchange rate to support growth, jobs and a broadly based and prosperous export-led economy.

Why should Stewart Island and the rest of New Zealand have to suffer the costs and consequences of the Auckland housing bubble?

A housing bubble directly attributable to National’s open door immigration and the free for all to foreign speculators to buy Auckland property without restriction.

In contrast to National, New Zealand’s First has a common sense immigration policy – we will restrict immigration to those who bring essential skills to New Zealand and in numbers that can be absorbed without creating pressure for housing, health and other areas.

And we will curb non-residents and non-citizens from buying land and housing – in the same way that many other countries do.

Today I want to reaffirm New Zealand First’s commitment to Stewart Island and the other forgotten regions of New Zealand

New Zealand First has policies for investing in balanced growth throughout the country – instead of the lion’s share of New Zealand’s resources all being poured into Auckland to try and deal up there with the overload on hospitals, schools and transport.

New Zealand First’s policies are inclusive and aimed at delivering a broadly based prosperity and a secure and stable society for ALL New Zealand.

Turning now to the issue of Great White Shark Cage Diving operations!

Stewart Island is very special place – by world standards – and it has unique issues that need to be considered carefully and prudently.

Presumably that is the reason why Prince Harry is coming here, although he is not the first royal to visit these islands. Prince Phillip was.

We know that the impact of shark cage diving regulations has been of great concern to Stewart Islanders. And on this issue New Zealand First considers that the views of the Stewart Island community itself must be given full weight.

That is why two of my parliamentary colleagues, Clayton Mitchell and Fletcher Tabuteau visited Stewart Island earlier this year to meet the local community and learn directly about the issue.

As you may be aware New Zealand First is calling for a moratorium on these shark diving operations off Stewart Island to allow research to be done on potential dangers to all segments of the community.

We do not claim we have all the answers. But on this and others issues New Zealand First will keep listening and keep involved in what matters to the Stewart Island community.

Since my colleagues Clayton Mitchell and Fletcher Tabuteau came here in January they have done the following:

• Written and spoken to the Minister of Conservation Maggie Barry on two occasions – she offered no support, and said that she will assess the situation in two years’ time.

• Written and spoken to the elected member for Invercargill Sarah Dowie – she offered no support.

• Clayton Mitchell has helped locals create media awareness around this issue and has kept Stewart Islands residents abreast of these developments.

This meeting will be of serious use to this island if we can resolve a plan to ensure the Minister and Wellington now start listening to your voice.

ENDS


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