Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
14 SEPTEMBER 2014

Speech in Invercargill
Invercargill Workingmen’s Club
2pm, 14 September, 2014

Truth, Honesty And Export Wealth

Southland is one of the primary wealth generators of New Zealand.

Southland, per capita, is New Zealand's greatest export province.

About 3% of our population generates nearly 18% of our exports, but if you look at the average incomes of the people of Southland, you get a shocking surprise.
Because Southland's wealth is simply not staying in Southland.
New Zealand is more prosperous when the regions are thriving and the Government grossly neglects and forgets the regions.
And, under National, Auckland has turned into a separate country

Auckland has become a place apart - detached from the rest of the New Zealand.

So we have the Reserve Bank running a monetary policy to manage Auckland and not New Zealand.

The Auckland house price bubble ends up with the rest of the country suffering.

Distortions caused by fixating on Auckland’s problems means the whole country suffers:
• doubling deposit rates
• and four interest rate rises this year

New Zealand First’s economic policy is that all New Zealanders should share in a well-balanced and thriving economy - and that no region should be left behind.

New Zealand First has a long standing “Royalties for Regions scheme” that will help the development of regional communities and economies.
Under this policy, twenty five per cent of the royalties paid on extraction of minerals or other resources – whether it be coal, limestone, lignite, gold or others, will be placed in a fund for use in development in the region of extraction.
So if there are significant oil and gas finds in this region –including in the southern ocean – Southland would reap a great bonanza – which we see as fair and reasonable.
With this policy, hundreds of millions that now go straight into central government coffers will stay in the regions to fund local infrastructure and build stronger communities.
An effective regional policy under NZ First also means that cities such as Invercargill will get their fair share of infrastructure investment.
That means well maintained state highways and a railway system that is supported instead of being run down and neglected.
The future of Tiwai Point Smelter
What we know is this:
Tiwai Point is of major economic significance to this region and New Zealand as a whole - in terms of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Its turnover is in the billions and it is a major export earner.
We also know it is one of world’s cleanest smelters, as power is from hydro sources and produces some of highest purity aluminium in world.

In short, it is a major New Zealand strategic asset and Government policy should reflect that.

Any decisions on the future of the smelter must take into account the full national interest and not be left to short term and narrow commercial interests
We cannot predict what may happen with the Tiwai Point Smelter.
But let us say this.

New Zealand First will not rule out direct Government investment in the smelter by way of New Zealand First’s own initiatives if that is in the national interest.

If gaining a shareholding in Tiwai Point retains worthwhile economic benefits for this region and New Zealand we are open to that.

We have already lost far too much of the manufacturing base under National, and that makes us more vulnerable to an economic shock.
That is why a bold new economic direction is needed

Everyone knows the Kiwi dollar is grossly overvalued, and the way it is eroding our manufacturing base, but the Government refuses to act.

New Zealand First is going to change the Reserve Bank Act to give the country a sane monetary policy.

Common Sense will return to economic policy.

And Common Sense will return to other areas that are important to New Zealanders

Immigration Policy

NZ First will implement an immigration policy that serves the interests of New Zealanders.

National’s policy of allowing record immigration is contrary to the interests of New Zealanders.

That means instead of having the doors wide open New Zealand First will limit the intake of migrants to levels that do not add to unemployment and do not exert a downward pressure on pay and wages.

New Zealand First policy is to take the skilled migrants we need – not record levels of immigrants.

Massive immigration is why the real average wage has been virtually static for years

If you one of the 140,000 unemployed New Zealanders then our immigration policy will help you get a job

Far too many of our new immigrants have been unskilled or older people – this brings no benefit to New Zealand. This must be stopped.

By cutting immigration New Zealand First will help housing, the health and education systems and our superannuation.

Foreign Ownership

We will also impose strict controls over foreign ownership in the areas of land, housing and strategic business assets.

That means New Zealand First will stop the losses and begin buying back our country.

We will reverse the wholesale sell off of our farms by implementing a buy-back programme using our own KiwiFund scheme.

We will collect comprehensive information on foreign ownership of land for the first time in New Zealand

National has deliberately avoided collecting data so they can mislead and confuse the public with their empty assertions that all is fine and dandy.

NZ Super

For over 630,000 Kiwis, National Super is very important – NZ Super is a cornerstone of a civilised society.

But take nothing for granted.

New Zealand First ill defend your New Zealand Super from the insidious campaign to weaken and undermine this fundamental plank of a decent society.

Another way we will protect your Super will be by putting an end to the foolish and utterly extravagant policy by which elderly migrants with no overseas pensions get full NZ Super after 10 years residency.

Cost of Living

You will have noticed there is much talk about poverty and inequality in New Zealand, but little action.

New Zealand First has common sense policy to actually make a difference and reduce poverty and inequality.

That is why we will take action to reduce the cost of living:

• By taking GST off food
• By taking GST off rates.

These important steps will significantly cut the cost of living for New Zealanders.
As I have outlined today, New Zealand First has a great policy platform for the 2014 Election that offer New Zealanders real benefits.

New dirty politics
Yesterday the Conservative Party, in a pamphlet being distributed around New Zealand, launched a personal attack.
It contains a number of deliberate lies and the timing of the distribution is the act of a desperate man, craving political influence and prepared to spend millions of dollars and lie to achieve it.
The politics Mr Craig is engaging in means that he is willing to behave in the same way outlined in thousands of emails in the book “Dirty Politics”.
You will recall that National Party operatives, all the way to the Prime Minister’s office, used taxpayers’ money to defame, character assassinate and entrap political opponents including myself.
Which begs the question, what does the Prime Minister think of a party that claims to support him as Prime Minister behaving in this dirty underhand way.
In 2011 Mr Craig claimed polls showed him winning the Rodney electorate.
That claim was not optimism, but sheer deceit.
Mr Craig claims that his candidate is winning in Napier.
That is a joke.
Mr Craig’s so-called stance on binding referendums were shot to pieces in an interview on TV One’s “Q&A” a week ago.
For the record, he claims to be against foreign ownership whilst earning substantial income from acting as the agent for foreign interests in real estate.
As for some of his candidates such as Christine Rankin - has everyone forgotten the cult of extravagance she promoted when she was in charge of WINZ and the circus of her past.
And Garth McVicar in Napier walked out on the Sensible Sentencing Trust without any consultation with them at all as to what that would mean for their hitherto expressed non-political position.
Mr Craig claims he is taking votes off New Zealand First. None of the New Zealand First voters think that vapour trails are poisoning the people or that the Americans didn't put a man on the moon, or that alleged promiscuity is all the fault of women. In short, none of the New Zealand First voters are bigoted wackos.
The Prime Minister
In the last two days there has been the revival of the issue of the Prime Minister’s knowledge of the operations of GCSB and the SIS.
What’s clear about the allegations is that Mr Key has in the past denied the surveillance of ordinary New Zealand citizens and institutions.
Clearly there is information which calls into question whether that is in fact true.
A majority of New Zealanders will be hoping the Prime Minister is telling the truth because if he is not then the very question of his Prime Ministership is now at issue.
Those observing the current debate will have seen that Mr Key is trying to shift the ground by using the phrase “no mass surveillance” as opposed to “no surveillance”, which was the phrase he has used up to now.
However, mass surveillance was never the allegation made against him so why is he seeking to change the charge and give himself wriggle room.
Either Mr Key is telling the truth to the best of his knowledge, or civil servants have been engaged in a serious abuse of the civil rights of New Zealanders and New Zealand institutions without his knowledge, and they have got away with it.
Either way, the Prime Minister is now in a very invidious position.

A vote for New Zealand First, among other matters, is a vote to ensure that power is not abused as demonstrated by recent revelations on the one hand, or extremist economic or separatist policies on the other.
Our policies will bring real benefit to New Zealand – they are all practical – affordable – worthwhile.

You know what to do in September!

It makes Common Sense!

ENDS

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