BayBuzz - Be in the know

1. What is the most important perception – or misperception or baggage – your party needs to overcome to earn more votes in October?

In these difficult economic times, we need experience, we need a leader you can trust and a team with a record of delivering on their commitments. Some people think National will do what they say they will. John Key and National have flip-flopped whenever convenient – with their new position contradicted by their core beliefs – beliefs which Mr Key says he believes in. I’d hate for people to get a nasty shock.

[BayBuzz: Asked why shouldn't we trust National, Barker points out Bill English, Nick Smith and Lockwood Smith says: "It's the same crew as before. They haven't changed."]

2. Arguably, a government that has been in power for nine years needs to admit to voters that it has made mistakes, and has learnt from them. What are the 2-3 biggest mistakes Labour made in the last nine years, and what have you learned from them?

Overall, Labour takes pride in what it has achieved with and for New Zealanders. We’ve shown that we will take the hard decisions and that we will stand up for New Zealand’s interests at all times. Over nine years we have brought about a remarkable transformation for the better in New Zealand’s economy and society and boosted the pride and confidence we New Zealanders have in our nation.

3. Some charge that Labour has done “too little, too late” on the environment, moving too slowly and weakly in areas like water policy, coastal protection, and alternative energy. As a result, NZ’s “clean, green” reputation is less and less deserved. Has Labour done enough to protect the environment?

Labour is committed to protecting and enhancing our natural environment for present and future generations of New Zealanders. We’re implementing the Sustainable Water Programme of Action to improve the management of our fresh water resources and protect them into the future. We have set a bold target of 90 per cent renewable energy generation by 2025 and we are committed to the goal of protecting 10% of our marine environment by 2010. Labour believes in protecting are environment and will continue to provide leadership and roll out policies to deal with environment issues and the creation of a more sustainable future.

[BayBuzz: Pressed on whether Labour has done enough for the environment, Barker notes the difficulty of contending with and trying to resolve widely varying extremes of view within Parliament, for example, on global warming, where, he would argue, Labour has led the way in anticipating a problem … a much harder task than fixing an old problem.]

4. Some people believe local NZ governments lack both the expertise and the political will to staunchly protect the environment … do you agree? Do you believe central government should be more proactive in setting clear and strict national environmental standards? Should the RMA be changed to better protect the environment?

The RMA is the cornerstone of New Zealand’s environmental legislation. We’ve reformed the RMA to reduce delays and costs and we’re supporting local government and RMA practitioners to develop best practises and improve RMA implementation. Only 0.7% of consents are declined. Labour is committed to helping local government, practitioners, and stakeholders strike the right balance between using our environment and protecting it for future generations.

Labour has also introduced a national environmental standard for drinking water sources and has previously introduced 14 standards for air quality.

5. Labour has been running health care for 9 years now. Yet every week Kiwis can count on reading some horror story about the NZ health system. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is world-class, how would you rate the quality of health care most Kiwis receive? What are the most important improvements that still need to be made?

Our Labour team has achieved much in the health sector. We have made a significant investment in primary and preventative health, making healthcare affordable and accessible by bringing down the cost of doctors fees and medicines. Now over one million New Zealanders pay less than $16.00 to see the doctor. We’ve invested in frontline staff, with over 3000 extra nurses and over 1000 more doctors. The Health Targets released by the Ministry of Health recently show almost 12,000 more electives were completed in the past year and 97% of cancer patients start radiation treatment within 8 weeks. But we are not content to rest on our laurels and we are committing to continuing to maintain an effective and accessible public health system.

[BayBuzz: Barker staunchly defends the quality and accessibility of NZ health care … "Horror stories? What about 20 million Americans having no access to quality health care?!" But he cites a number of trends to emphasise that health care will be a major NZ challenge into the future - e.g., aging of the population, availability of more kinds of procedures and interventions, and the residual effects of unhealthy lifestyles. He cautions voters to be wary of any politicians offering quick fixes to health care. More health education is required … if people don't take personal responsibility for taking better care of themselves, the health system will be more stressed and face increasingly difficult choices.]

6. What is the single most important step required to ensure a vibrant NZ economy ten to twenty years into the future?

There are a range of important issues that Labour is tackling from climate change to infrastructure to child poverty. But certainly one of the most important is making it easier for you to save for your retirement and for your first home through KiwiSaver. More savings is not just good for individuals, but will take pressure off inflation and interest rates. It will also mean Kiwi businesses will rely less on foreign investment. Under New Zealand investment and ownership our profits can stay in NZ and create wealth and jobs for us not overseas investors. On Sunday the 12th, Helen Clark announced a comprehensive plan to manage through these difficult financial times. Labour has been decisive and acted to protect your savings.

[BayBuzz: Barker adds that a huge commitment is required to R&D in all areas, but especially emphasised R&D in NZ's land-based economy, which "will continue to be the mainstay" of our economy and must compete, as he put it, on the basis of "the best," not price or volume. "We must convert commodities into products," he says, and cited Labour's "FastForward" agricultural R&D initiative as an example of leadership in this respect.]

7. What are the three most important national infrastructure investments NZ needs to make over the next ten years?

Labour is committed to continuing the investment we have made in infrastructure projects. There are a number of important areas we must continue to invest in including energy, transport and communications.

8. Drinking legislation is now under special review. Most would expect some tightening of controls to occur. What further controls on alcohol sales or consumption do you support?
Recent crimes have highlighted the problems being caused to families as a result of young people’s drinking habits so legislation to address this is a high priority. However, enforcement of the law by itself will not solve the problem of under age and excessive drinking. We need to change the culture of teenage binge drinking, just as we have successfully changed the culture surrounding drink driving.
9. Would you advise Helen Clark to exclude Winston Peters from any Cabinet position should Labour from the next government? Should there be additional measures of the ethical standards another Labour-led government would meet?

I’m focused on the campaign first! As Helen has said, this election is about trust. It is about which leader and which major party we New Zealanders trust our families’ and our country’s future with. It is an election about who can be trusted to take our nation ahead to a prosperous and confident 21st century, where all our families and communities can thrive.

[BayBuzz: Like Fairbrother, a regrettable punt on Winston Peters.]

10. Whether or not you make the decisions on these matters, your views on high profile local and regional issues define you to voters in Hawke’s Bay. In just a sentence or two, tell us your position on:

Developing Ocean Beach, as proposed by Andy Lowe and Hill Country

My number one priority is the preservation of the beach, one of the last classic New Zealand beaches on this coast; it’s very special to the people here. Any development needs to be secondary to that objective. Profit from development should not be at the expense of our beach.

Building the Regional Sports Park

I want to see our young people engaged in sport and I am generally in favour of developing good sports facilities. We are pouring an awful lot of investment into bricks and mortar, we need to be asking if this is absolutely the most effective use of those resources. I also want to be convinced that that this facility will actually translate into more kids playing sport.

Extending the Napier Airport runway to accommodate jets

Although he has been accused of it, Trevor Mallard has not said the land is not available. What he has said is that there are alternatives for the land such as recreation and conservation, so if the land is to be made available, a case has to be made. A case to justify the land use has to also justify the investment by ratepayers. I want to see the figures that show that if the runway is extended the jets will come, not to build a runway and hope.

Reducing pollution from wood burners in Hawke’s Bay

If woodburners are putting pollution into the air and having a detrimental effect on people’s health then we need to be concerned. We already put too much carbon into the atmosphere, climate change is a reality. We need a good debate about both issues, health and the environmental effects should of woodburners and make decisions that protect both.

Banning pitbulls

If banning pitbulls would solve the problem of dangerous dogs it would have been done. There are two problems with such a ban. Recent dog attacks were by other breeds so the ban would not have prevented that. Banning them would be complicated to enforce because they are already here and as the pitbull is a cross it is hard to define. They have already been interbred so defining which dog was and wasn’t would be a legal nightmare. The problem here I think, is not ‘pitbulls’ it’s the attitudes of owners.

This government has already made significant changes to the laws and regulations for dog owners, for example now you have to provide open access to your front door, and we can require dogs to be muzzled or kept in certain ways. If there are further enhancements to the law that we can make, I support that. Ultimately though, people need to take more responsibility for the treatment and control of their animals.