Speech by New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters

The Manawatu Club
Church and Linton Streets
Palmerston North
6.30pm, Thursday, 7th July, 2016

“Near naked Emperor cloaked in PC secrecy”

Recent political events internationally resemble the equivalence of a number of earthquakes.

First, the US presidential campaigns in which the Republican candidate survives against all odds.

Second, the UK referendum - a seismic event for democratic politics, not just in Britain and Europe but throughout the world.

Something very profound happened there.

The British public sent an unmistakable message to the two major parties; the Conservatives and Labour

Third, last Saturday in Australia, against all the polls and predictions, the result was an election with no clear winner.
Many Australians sent the same message:

“We’ve had enough!”

In all three countries the message from a huge proportion of voters was the same:

“We Will be Heard!”

In the UK, USA and Australia the three words that the major parties were unable to say were:

“We hear you!”

In describing what has happened in the UK, USA and Australia words such as “mutiny” – “rebellion” – “uprising” come to mind.

What is behind the Donald Trump vote in the USA is the deep suspicion that US politics is rigged, fixed and corrupt.

What was behind the Brexit vote was a world of disenchantment, disgruntlement and a sense of disconnectedness experienced by a large swathe of the British people.

In Australia on the weekend politics resembled something like a banana republic.

And what has happened in these three countries has parallels elsewhere.

A number of issues were at play in the politics of all three countries including growing inequality and the loss of democracy but one issue was central.

Immigration

In the USA, immigration has made Trump the presumptive nominee.

In the USA both the Democrats and Republicans have had a covert agreement – talk about immigration but do nothing about it.

Likewise in the UK, both the major parties – the Conservatives and Labour have long had a hidden pact.

That pact was an agreement to ignore public opinion on immigration.

In Australia it was only Labour’s endorsement of the “no refugee boats” policy that gave them a chance in this election.

You don’t have to be a genius to see the parallels to New Zealand.

National, Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party and ACT have played the same game here.

None of these parties has accepted that New Zealanders are deeply concerned with the level of mass immigration and its consequences.

There is arrogance behind this – a presumption that the views of the general public are of no consequence and irrelevant on the issue.

The public are being talked down to and being told they should just be quiet, polite and deferential.

They are being fed a line that immigration is only to be talked about by the “grown ups” in a closed room that the public are not allowed into.

And the New Zealand mainstream media has played a big part by aiding and abetting the code of silence on immigration.

The truth of the matter is that the consequences of massive immigration fall on ordinary Kiwis and their families in their everyday lives.

Just to put the problem into perspective, New Zealand’s immigration is three times greater than Britain’s immigration intake per head of population.
In New Zealand we now have over 125,000 arriving annually and 69,000, the population of New Plymouth, staying every year.

Of course, among the migration flows there is a portion who are Kiwis returning home but the great majority are new migrants being given the right to permanent residence.

The consequences of this reckless and irresponsible flood of migrants are as plain as daylight to the public:

• Stagnant wages and job insecurity as cheap labour floods in;

• A chronic housing shortage that is locking a generation out of home ownership;

• Overcrowded schools;

• Extended waiting times to even get on a hospital waiting list for vital treatment and surgery;

• Overloaded infrastructure and congestion.

These are not imaginary concerns – they are real!

With immigration running at record levels there is a massive impact and it’s dishonest to suggest otherwise.

Those behind the cloak of secrecy which shrouds immigration say that immigration is good, but not one of them provide any evidence to support their claim.

No politician, no economist, no public commentator, no university expert has given us any economic evidence that it is good for NZ.

Other parties have treated talking about mass immigration as taboo because they all support it.

If you discuss and debate immigration you will be branded as racist - xenophobic – ignorant – bigoted.

This unofficial censorship must be met head on. If you talk about immigration you are actually someone who gives a damn about your country.

You are someone who cares about what sort of country we are building and what sort of a country our children and grandchildren will inherit.

That used to be called patriotism before the word was treated as politically incorrect by the media thought police who see themselves as gatekeepers of what can and cannot be said.

The word patriotism was banished because it runs counter to the globalisation agenda.

Well, at the risk of being branded unfashionable and untrendy, NZ First is proud to be patriotic.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to see rigorous control over who is given the privilege of gaining New Zealand residency and citizenship.

It is highly sensible and rational to tightly control the numbers who gain entry to our country – as most other countries do!

This is just common sense – or used to be before political correctness deemed that having a rigorous immigration policy was a crime against globalisation.

Political parties have treated the New Zealand public with utter contempt on this issue. At no time have any of the other parties sought to give a cogent and plausible explanation of their policy of flooding the country with new migrants.

What these parties do is resort to red herrings like saying: “Well, New Zealand is a nation of immigrants.” It’s a lie of course, which is probably why they repeat it.

An immigrant is someone living legally in a country not of his or her birth. Call someone “immigrant” in the Appalachian Mountains, or Darwin, or dare we say, Gore – and you are likely to get a bunch of fives in your face.

Yes it is true that most countries have some immigration – but unlike New Zealand the level is set on a rational basis such as meeting critical skill shortages.

The magnitude of what is happening in New Zealand given our population size is breath-taking.

And all the while the apologists constantly assert how beneficial immigration is yet produce no evidence of that.

With good reason – there is none!

The last thing these parties want is for the true costs that immigration imposes to be revealed.

Remember the last house price spike was in 2004 under Labour, similarly driven by immigration demand. That’s why Prime Minister Key keeps throwing Labour’s failed policy back at them whilst repeating it himself. It would be comedy if not so serious but every day in Parliament that’s what National is doing - which is why Labour is getting no traction on this issue whatsoever.

Let me be clear.

New Zealand First has no issue with immigrants – it’s the policy that is wrong.

We do not blame people for wanting to come to New Zealand.

We understand why people want to improve their lives.

But we say the housing, jobs, health care and education of New Zealanders comes first.

History provides many examples of what happens when people are not heard. Sooner or later they will take action, one way or another.

When the views of the general public are ignored – dismissed and brushed aside on fundamental issues like immigration the scene is set for deep fault lines to emerge in a society between the people and those who govern them.

Immigration and NZ First housing policy

New Zealand First has policies to tackle this housing crisis.

• First, put a lid on immigration-driven demand.

• Establish a Housing Commission to invest in the housing market.

The commission would develop a long term New Zealand housing strategy.
It would be government funded to establish a commercial entity, Kiwi Housing.
It would acquire land in areas of high demand for residential development and make use of prefabricated homes.

It would augment, rather than supplant, private housing development.
Kiwi Housing would sell residential sections and completed homes under long term agreements for sale and purchase to first home buyers with low interest rates and on terms to make home ownership affordable for the widest possible range of income groups.

It would also implement a range of options, including shared ownership models, to assist low-income people into their own homes.

It would be empowered to purchase land compulsorily where required for immediate housing development, particularly where speculators have been land banking.

Local councils would be required to work with it to ensure sufficient land was available without having to abandon urban boundaries.

• New Zealand First says territorial councils have a core responsibility for social housing.

The Commission would require them to prepare and implement a social housing plan for their districts, consistent with the New Zealand Housing Strategy to ensure an adequate supply of rental housing to meet local demand.

• Long term, low cost government loan finance would be available for council elderly persons housing and public rental housing, to be administered by local government owned and controlled housing enterprises, operating independently but accountable to the councils.

• Housing New Zealand would continue as New Zealand’s primary social housing provider.

• In the short term, overseas purchasers who are neither permanent residents nor citizens must be prevented from buying houses in New Zealand.
Any overseas purchaser would have to apply to the Housing Commission for a permit to own a house in New Zealand if a genuine need to do so could be demonstrated.

These are strong policies, gentlemen, that will attack and long term solve this housing crisis.

Conclusion

Next year New Zealanders will have their say - in the election.

New Zealand First is a party of moderation and inclusion.

We have never stopped listening to the New Zealand public; their concerns, their hopes and their aspirations.

So we are confident that our policies - on immigration and on other issues vital to our country – reflect the view of the public.

And New Zealand First looks forward to delivering on those policies to build a secure and prosperous future that serves the best interests of all New Zealanders.

ENDS

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