BayBuzz - Be in the know

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

The biggest misconception we need to overcome is that Labour has been a good Government over the last 9 years through the best economic conditions of a generation. Early in their term they set a goal of moving New Zealand into the top 1/2 of the OECD, an admirable goal which would have improved wages and New Zealand’s ability to withstand the current economic downturn. They have totally failed, by undertaking the biggest Government spend-athon that this nation has ever seen. The result – New Zealand has moved down the OECD rankings by two places, with more New Zealanders than ever migrating overseas, and with the wage gap between ourselves and our closest trading partners continuing to balloon.

2. As the party out of power for nine years, arguably National needs to establish that it is trustworthy, and that the policies it advocates during the election are what voters should expect to see implemented … not, once elected, some more radical plan or “hidden agenda” to dismantle government. Why should National be trusted?

All parties have a range of opinions across their caucus on any particular issue. This is healthy but it does not mean there is a hidden agenda. Despite the difference of opinion on issues, our caucus reaches a consensus and that consensus on policy is the policy which we have taken to the election.

Hawke’s Bay people have chosen to elect Craig Foss and I to represent them in Parliament. They chose to do that on the basis of trust and I believe we have built on that reputation over the last three years. We have done what we have said we will do. Trust is something that is built over time and it is certainly something that I intend to continue to build upon.

[BayBuzz: When pressed on the “hidden agenda” question, both Tremain and Foss respond: “Trust me.” Both stake their personal reputations on the pledge that there will be “no surprises” post-election if National forms the next Government. Says Tremain: “It’s important to me that our party follow through on exactly what it says during the campaign.” Foss echoes this and points to National’s just-issued 11-point “key commitments,” where John Key “personally guarantees” that, among other reasonably specific pledges, National will not sell Kiwibank or any other state-owned company. Finally, both would contend that the Labour Government violated the public trust by withholding the true state of NZ’s fiscal situation – “a disaster” – until required by law to open the books on October 6th.]

3. What are the biggest threats you see to NZ’s “clean, green” image?

The biggest threat to NZ’s clean green image is continuing to promote a perception that we are greener than we actually are. Our record over the last 9 years has been appalling. In nearly all environmental issues we have gone backwards. Water quality has deteriorated, Green House Gas emissions have exploded, and we have deforested at a time when the planting of trees for the sequestration of carbon should be at an all time high. On environmental issues, the current Government have been an absolute disaster. Trying to create a perception which is contrary to this is a recipe for further environmental degradation.

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? How will National’s proposed RMA reforms better protect the environment?

I believe that if local Government are backed by Central Government politicians that they certainly have the expertise and political will to staunchly protect the environment.

National will set National Environmental Standards across all measurement criteria. However, we will allow local government and their communities to meet these standards with innovative and different solutions driven from the community and not necessarily by central government bureaucracy.

[BayBuzz: Pressed on the RMA issue, both Tremain and Foss contend that the changes contemplated are essentially to speed up the decision-making process on major infrastructure projects. In a follow-up to our interview, Tremain emailed: “Nick Smith advises that we will not be making any changes to the RMA that prevent submissions opposing development based on the effect on landscape.”]

5. 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 need to be made to improve that score?

I am not an expert in this field so I am not qualified to benchmark New Zealand against other Nations in any meaningful way.

What I do know is that we have doubled the health budget through the investment of an additional $6 billion in the last 9 years. I can tell you that inflation has not doubled over that period, meaning that there has been a genuine increase in investment into health. What has not occurred has been an increase in output and an improvement in health outcomes for New Zealanders. Hospital waiting lists have been manipulated and people are waiting longer for elective surgery. I can tell you that way too much money has been spent on bureaucracy and “feel good” health promotion programs when it should have been spent at the coal face on doctors, nurses and other health professionals who will and can produce genuine results for Kiwis.

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

Vote National on the 8th of November.

On the 6th of October the Government books were released to New Zealanders. They were and are a disaster with New Zealand looking down the barrel of 10 years of deficits under the current low growth – high spend policy framework.

What has Labour done about this? Nothing. They are like possums stuck in the headlights of an economic truck crash.

National have been prepared to make some tough calls. We understand that the economy needs a shot in the arm right now, not in 5 years time. We have a clear economic plan. Firstly, we have committed to tax cuts which will give the average wage earner close to $50 per week, with the first additional tranche on 01 April, 2009. Secondly, we have committed to accountability in expenditure forcing Government Departments to go line by line through their books to ensure, just like families, that every dollar spent represents value for money. Thirdly, we have made a commitment to stop the growth in bureaucracy and to make sure resources are focused on frontline services. Fourthly, we have committed to addressing the tail of underachievement in our education system. We will introduce National Standards in education to ensure that we lift the bar of achievement. And we have committed to significant additional investment in infrastructure such as broadband. This will provide jobs and ensure our economy gets a further shot in the arm.

To achieve these things we have had to make some tough choices. Labour have made no choices about improving the state of the deficit and have been silent about their vision for the future under the current financial meltdown.

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

Broadband – the roll out of extra fast broadband by way of investment in a nationwide fibre optic network. This has huge benefits for our nation by minimising the difficulty of distance from global markets that we experience as a nation being at the bottom of the South Pacific. Additional to this, the opportunities in education, health, and law and order are immense. Significantly, this investment can have a very real impact on our emissions of greenhouse gas by reducing the time we spend traveling and enhancing our overall efficiency.

Renewable Energy Supply – I am a huge advocate of moving towards the goal of 90% energy generation through renewable sources. It is indeed unfortunate that under this Government we have gone backwards in terms of this target. The canning of key renewable projects such as Dobson are case in point. Increased supply of renewable energy will play a huge part in delivering lower energy prices to consumers together with meeting the increased energy needs of our nation as we grow and as we move towards electric vehicles and heating.

Roading – I believe that roads, as opposed to rail, will continue to be the key means of transportation in New Zealand over the next 10 to 20 years. While rail will become an increasingly important means of freight transport, I believe that the small size of our cities, the short distance of commutes between these cities, and the demand for convenient and timely transport will ensure that personal vehicles remain the primary form of transport. There will be an important drive to hybrid and electric motor vehicles for both personal and public transport as we move towards a more sustainable energy economy away from fossil fuels. Roading within cities should increasingly cater for safe bicycle lanes to accommodate cycling as an important alternative to personal vehicles.

8. Drinking legislation is now under special review, and most would expect some tightening of controls to occur. What further controls on alcohol sales or consumption do you support?

I canvassed my community regarding the change to the drinking age. The majority of people wanted the age of purchase increased to 20. I voted for this change.

I believe the best alternative is to introduce a system whereby the age of purchase at off-licenses is increased to 20 while the age of purchase on-premise is retained at 18. On-license premises would ensure our young adults learn to drink in a responsible manner, while increasing the age to 20 will help to limit off-license consumption by our 13, 14 and 15 year olds.

9. John Key has said that Winston Peters, because of his ethics handicaps, will not be part of any potential governing coalition with National. But then Key trips over his own rail holdings. Does National have any concrete plans to improve ethical standards for MPs?

I have a personal objective of keeping high personal ethics and am prepared to be held accountable to this by the Hawke’s Bay community. Over the last three years, my opposition has attacked me, many times personally. Despite this, I have maintained a high level of integrity by not responding to these taunts and by focusing on the issues that matter to my constituents.

Additional to this my leader, John Key, sets high ethical standards for us as MPs. This has been clearly defined by the line in the sand he has drawn with Winston Peters. Personally, I expect to be held to a higher degree of accountability than Winston Peters has been leading into this election.

10. Whether or not you make the decisions on these matters, your views on high profile local and regional issues defines 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

I believe that development at Ocean Beach should be allowed on a limited scale. The fact is that development is currently allowed under the district plan by the subdivision of multiple lifestyle blocks across the face of the beach. Rather than allowing profligate development, I favour a managed development in one location at the southern end of the beach and on a scale which is empathetic to the unique environment. There are specialists who are far more experienced than I who can make assessments regarding the size of the development.

Building the Regional Sports Park

I favour the building of a regional sports park as long as it does not duplicate the fantastic facilities already available at Park Island, at McLean Park and at the Pettigrew Green Arena. The fact is that Hastings needs to invest in the Park to ensure that it provides enough sports facilities for the growth of its own population, for the replacement of Nelson Park and the replacement of the Windsor Park Netball facilities. Regional or national facilities which are built at the Park must stack up economically.

Extending the Napier Airport runway to accommodate jets

The important issue is ownership, not whether the runway should be extended. Current ownership includes the Government as 50% stakeholders. Central Government is beholden to a range of lobby groups not interested in the development and growth of the HB Regional Airport. Hawke’s Bay needs to be able to decide for itself whether to invest in the airport infrastructure without the negative influence of central government. National have agreed to allow a process of ownership transfer, by either sale, or progressive share transfer in lieu of investment. National are not prepared to invest money into the airport but are happy for the region to progress investment in the airport as it sees fit.

Reducing pollution from wood burners in Hawke’s Bay

The current policy of replacing all wood burners is ridiculously over bureaucratic, just like the current drive to limit the flow from showerheads. I do believe that Hawke’s Bay should have to meet national air quality standards, but we don’t need to ban all burners to reach the air quality standards required for just 9 days of the year. The cost is enormous and would have a huge impact on the lower socio-economic citizens of the Bay. I believe that a local solution to the problem can be found. This could entail a subsidy to encourage a transfer of homes to either cleaner burning wood burners or to heat pumps. This could be done voluntarily and would reach the necessary air quality standards over time and without the ridiculous position of banning all wood fires. I favour a local, community driven, and innovative solution to reach this national standard.

Banning pitbulls

I’d ban the breed.