Richard LEWIS - Pre-Election Speech (Full)

27th September 2008

Metro Theatre, Massey Road, Mangere

RICHARD LEWIS

Leader

Talofa, Malo e lelei, Kia orana, Bula vinaka, Kia ora and warm Pacific greetings,

Ladies and gentlemen, I am sincerely grateful and excited to bring the Family Party message to you this morning.

The Family Party has an all-consuming vision.

Our vision for New Zealand is inextricably linked to our vision for New Zealand families.

That we would be a nation where families are safe and grow from strength to strength from generation to generation.

New Zealand families have awesome potential.

And in that potential are the dreams and aspirations of our children and grandchildren.

If we are genuine in our desire for their success - then we must also be genuine in our desire for the success of New Zealand families.

THE POWER OF FAMILY

The family is a potent economy. It is the ultimate health and welfare unit.

It is police and justice wrapped up into one.

Home is the classroom of the next generation. Where values are caught without being taught. Home anchors their educational pathway through life.

Family drives our economy. After all, where do the innovators of business, commerce and industry come from? Family is also home to the workforce that makes their dreams a reality.

In good times and bad times, highs and lows, economic booms and recessions... if families are strong our nation endures.

What I'm trying to say is, in the end it all comes back to the family.

NEW ZEALAND TODAY

It is my sincere belief that society is a reflection of our homes: and that the social and economic health of our nation is effectively, the sum total of the families in it.

And if that is so, based on today's realities, New Zealand families aren't faring as well as they should be.

The rise in social dysfunction characterised by violence and crime, ill health, dependency, drug and alcohol abuse, the gang culture and abject poverty, correlates with the breakdown of families and the demise of traditional values. And when families get weaker, Government gets bigger.

It is no coincidence ladies and gentlemen that the public sector has boomed during Labours nine years in office.

In monetary terms, since taking office in 1999 Labour has spent $85 billion more than if core government spending had remained at 1999 levels. I ask you, do you believe we've got any value for our money? Because whether you like it or not, it's your money they've been spending.

The past season of strong economy has been squandered through an unrestrained spending binge whilst squeezing every last cent out of ordinary families.

During this time, government selfishly refused to adjust income tax thresholds to keep families abreast of inflation, which increased 25.7% under their watch.

And while families have suffered, politicians have treated themselves to regular pay rises and perks. They've created mountains of bureaucracy with only themselves in mind.

Now only weeks out from the Election, long awaited tax cuts are about to be delivered, enough to purchase that block of cheese. Believe me: they're not giving tax cuts because they want to. It's because they have to. Well I say it's too little, too late.

Turning now to the issues. We all know what they are. I don't need to bombard you with facts and figures. Although shortly we'll be steering one fact right in the face as the procession for the murdered policeman passes by this hall.

OUR GOAL

But what I want to tell you today is this. The Family Party solution to the root issues doesn't involve money. It involves a profound change of attitude by government towards the issues and our people. An attitude that understands families hold the key to our success, and that traditional family values will guide the way.

So our goal is to bring the cause of New Zealand families smack-bang into the centre of Parliament again.

With the time I have this morning, I don't want to waste it bagging other parties and politicians for what they have or have not done.

Personally, I've had a guts-full of the rubbish coming out of Parliament, which actually has very little to do with the important issues facing our nation.

Somewhere down the line politics has switched from being about the people to being about the politicians. God forbid the Family Party becomes part of that equation.

We know what the problems are in our communities. What New Zealand needs is real solutions aimed NOT at the symptoms, but the causes.

For example, when it comes to crime we urgently need more police on the frontlines with the tools to do the job. We need a robust justice system that gives confidence to the public. But unless we are prepared to rebuild a strong family culture where the disciplines of life are established, we will have to continue putting more cops out on the street and building bigger prisons. It's that simple.

That ladies and gentlemen, is why New Zealand needs the Family Party beyond 2008. Because we see the whole picture.

Let me make my point another way.

POVERTY IS NOT THE ROOT

I was recently invited to speak at a debate on family violence hosted by the Green Party. It was a surprise invitation and a lively event.

The general consensus amongst those in attendance was that family violence and societies ills were by in large, the outcomes of poverty.

I take issue with that. During my policing days I witnessed many poor families that weren't violent. I also witnessed extreme violence in wealthy families.

It's all too easy to sweep issues under a ‘rug' called poverty, or unemployment, or crime, or even treaty grievances. But that's the short-term reactionary response that we've become accustomed to. Set up a programme, give it a name and throw a heck of a lot of money at it and see what happens. The problem however still lurks under the rug, which just became more expensive.

What I really found incredible though ladies and gentlemen, was that here was a political party currently in Parliament talking about domestic violence and blaming it on poverty. The contradiction to me was that, if you're already in parliament why haven't you done anything about it? Why are you just talking about it when you have the power to change the situation?

When you boil it right down, the root issues ladies and gentlemen invariably come back to the family and the values that underpin it.

MISSION STATEMENT

Which is what defines the Family Party mission statement: to reinstate traditional family values and to put families first again.

Let me spell out the difference so you really understand. Other parties believe that a healthy economy is good for families. I take the opposite view. I say healthy families are good for the economy. Because without families, there is no economy!

THE IMPORTANCE OF VALUES

I now want to touch on the whole aspect of ‘values.'

It is something of a disaster that in 2008 we are forced to stand a Christian political vehicle to defend New Zealand's Christian founding values.

These are the values that derive family and moral responsibility. They underpin justice and social conscience: good from bad: right from wrong. They fiercely defend the freedoms of speech and choice.

It is a mystery to me why any responsible government would go out of its way to undermine these fundamental values. Yet that is exactly what Labour has done.

Last Saturday we launched our Manukau East candidate, Papali'i Poutoa Papal'i'. Otara is home to four generations of the Papali'i family. I was really moved by the words of a minister who spoke there. He said politically, he was tired of Pacific people being used and taken for granted by the ‘Palagi.'

I sought clarity on what he meant. He was distraught at the strange ideas coming out of government that undermined the very reasons why his family supported Labour in the first place. Not only that, the sheer frustration that people, to whom the Christian faith means so much, were unaware of this significant values-shift that had occurred right under their noses.

But there was also hope in his heart. Because he saw a new political vehicle and a candidate in Mr Papali'i, who will again carry the Christian values of his forebears with conviction.
You will be interested to know that it was Papali'i's direct ancestors who received the gospel to Samoa. And we are honoured to have their involvement with the Family Party today.

A HERITAGE WORTH DEFENDING

Our nation has surrendered a lot of ground in the name of diversity and political correctness.

New Zealand is multicultural and we celebrate that. But with the greatest respect to those who have brought other religions to our shores, we are inherently a Christian nation. And it is on that basis that we defend your right to believe whatever you choose.

Ironically, Labour's founders were strong Christians. Their first president was a Baptist Minister and many were active in Christian affairs. Yet it has been today's Labour that has driven a stake into the heart of our national identity by making an official statement that New Zealand has no established religion. (National Statement on Religious Diversity)

Despite the fact that as long as Parliament has existed it has opened with a prayer acknowledging Jesus Christ as the one true God.

I don't want to labour on the issue of religion because Paul Adams will deal with that soon. But it's the belief system that creates ideas that shape society. Which is why it is so important.
So as the leader of the Family Party I want to say that we are committed to protecting New Zealand's Christian heritage for future generations. If the Greens can stand up for environment. And the Maori Party for Maori issues. Then I should think a Christian party could stand up for Christian values and New Zealand families.

GOVERNMENT V PARENTS

The social experiment of the last nine years has damaged our foundations. The traditional concept of family is in tatters. Marriage is meaningless. Gender is optional. The notions of right and wrong are relative.

Government has assumed the role of parent and legislated distance between real parents and their children. Their status has been reduced to that of ‘caregiver' as opposed to being the legal custodians of their children. Well I tell you. I care for my son and daughter because they are mine!

Parents and children are being treated as separate entities, hence a separate Families and Children's Commission. The notion of ‘Child Poverty' has gained huge traction, as if somehow children have the ability to earn an income independent of their parents.

Our welfare system does away with dads.

Parents are disempowered in their own home. Kept in the dark if their child is pregnant and contemplating an abortion.

We're treated as criminals if we lay a hand on our children.

POLITICS ON SHAKY GROUND

This political environment has led to unforseen contradictions:

• Government wants us to create wealth but kills enthusiasm by heavily taxing us and overwhelming businesses with red tape
• It says it wants to reduce dependency but now has even working families on a benefit
• It wants achievement but legislates against taking risks
• It's against family violence but knowingly turns a blind eye to 18,300 aborted babies in the womb
• It will give your child a free education so long as you pay the fees
• It doesn't want kids getting into trouble but wont let parents set and enforce boundaries in their own homes
• Criminals have more rights than victims

The Prostitution Law Reform Act is a classic example of bad law that cuts right across societal conscience. Yet it was passed by a single vote. Now, today's prostitute is not only increasing in numbers on the street, but she is also underage: she is the police officer and the schoolteacher.

We can't keep heading down this path. Bad laws demand more laws to plug the holes, to the point where society will eventually suffocate under them.

Which is why people are already voting with their feet. Thousands of New Zealanders are leaving in search of more family-friendly shores.

In the year to August, 33,300 Kiwis left for Australia, the highest figure since 1989. That includes 2,900 in August alone. 86 percent were under the age of 45 and the majority are under the age of 30. That's a heck of a lot of social and economic capital that won't be invested in our own country.

But then look at the attitude of Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. He said, "If the churches are barred from participating in the great debates about the values that ultimately underpin our society, our economy and our polity, then we have reached a very strange place indeed."

Ladies and gentlemen. New Zealand is in a very strange place.

Our churches might be speaking but government's not listening. We will listen.

It's time to find our way back to familiar ground. It's time to regroup.

POLITICAL COMBINATIONS

We're a rugby mad nation. So I want to use rugby to illustrate my next point.

Whenever things get untidy and out of control, it's best to come back to the game plan and do the basics right.
At the General Election in exactly six weeks from today, we have a chance to do exactly that. We'll get a breather for a moment but then we'll have to put a team back out onto the field.

And here's where it gets exciting folks. You are the head coach and you get to pick the team. But just remember, you will be stuck with that team for the next three years. And there's no rotation policy.

So lets look at some options.

The Greens don't play rugby so they're out.

We can't put Labour back on the field because they're primarily responsible for the mess we're in, in the first place. They need a season on the bench to have a good hard look at their attitude.

Barring major injuries, National will more than likely take the field. But on their own they won't have the numbers for a full compliment. That is the political reality.

We're still uncertain about what game plan National has in mind, and whether it is really any different to Labours besides having different coloured jerseys. So we need an insurance policy.

Winston is out because National won't throw him the ball. And even if they did, he'd likely tuck it up his jersey and deny he received it in the first place.

Rodney will likely take the field and that's good because every team needs a right-winger: just not a whole team of them.

Peter Dunne will likely be there because he'll basically do whatever it takes just to be there.

The Maori Party is also an option. The problem for National however is the risk that the Maori Party will decide part way through that they want to play League instead. National won't play League.

FAMILY PARTY: THE ONLY OPTION

Now in all seriousness: can I put it to you today that there is simply only one realistic option to partner with National beyond 2008. And that is the Family Party and I'll give you four reasons why.

First, our game plan involves coming back to the basics. Get the foundation of family right and we're on our way.

Secondly, the Family Party can bridge the gap between National and Maori and Pacific people, who need to be around the table. In other words, we don't need Labour to advocate for us any more. We'll advocate for ourselves. And we've also got a wonderful Chinese candidate in Angela Xu who will effectively advocate for our Chinese brothers and sisters.

Thirdly, the Family Party has the social conscience and conservative instinct to keep National grounded.

And most importantly, the Family Party will ensure that New Zealand families become Parliaments forethought, not an afterthought.

Can I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, meaningful change begins with a change of attitude towards New Zealand families. And that's an attitude that only the Family Party can bring with strength to parliament.

And should Labour in some bizarre twist of fate become the majority government, then baton down the hatches. You'll need the Family Party in Parliament's trenches to defend the cause of families and family values.

The Family Party is the only option. We'd be good for National. And it would be wise for National's South Auckland and East Coast Bays members to get behind our candidates.

We have a fresh set of legs. We've got smart policies and smart people. And we've been hardened from playing in the real world as opposed to being wrapped in the silk blankets of parliament's bureaucracy.

TOP TEN PRIORITIES

I now want to outline 10 priorities that the Family Party will bring to Parliament in our first term in office:

1. MARRIAGE: To constitutionally strengthen the traditional family unit, we will protect the institution of marriage by legally defining it as being exclusively between one man and one woman, voluntarily entered into for life.

2. REPEAL THE ANTI SMACKING LAW: We will fix the flawed smacking law by reinstating section 59 of the Crimes Act to protect decent, law-abiding parents who responsibly smack their children.

3. REPEAL THE PROSTITUTION LAW REFORM ACT: We will repeal the Prostitution Law Reform Act to address underage, street, police and teacher prostitution. Moreover, this will enable us to remove the cover of brothels for organised crime.

4. REPEAL THE ELECTORAL FINANCE ACT: We will repeal the Electoral Finance Act to preserve open, fair and free democracy: a law that has muzzled free speech and capped our candidates election spending at $60 dollars per day while the political incumbents indulge in parliaments resources.

5. REPEAL THE EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME: We care deeply about our environment at home and particularly throughout the Pacific. However, we will repeal the hugely costly Emissions Trading Scheme in its entirety and seek a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the whole issue of global warming and what response, if any, is reasonable in our unique circumstances. To that end, we look forward to Samuel Dennis' speech on this issue later today.

6. HOUSEHOLD NECESSITIES AFFORDIBILITY: [In addition to favouring a lower and flatter tax structure to keep more money in the home], in order to alleviate financial pressures on all New Zealand families we will seek to remove GST off basic food groups, infant and elderly necessities, rates, household energy and the excise duty on fuel. We introduced this policy back in May and are glad to see the Maori Party adopt it as well as a petition created around it.

7. RIGHT TO LIFE & ENSURING PARENTAL NOTIFICATION: In pursuit of the right to life for the unborn child, we will demand an urgent and thorough review of the practice and procedure around abortions to ensure they comply with Parliament's original intent (The Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act). In addition, we will require parents to be notified and duly consulted in the event of a child pregnancy.

8. URGENTLY BOLSTER THE FRONTLINES: We will give urgent priority towards boosting frontline police numbers and resources, coupled with a strategy to target gangs, drug dealing and organised crime (As outlined in previous conference speech May 2008) In addition, we will review the feasibility of separating traditional policing from traffic enforcement.

9. HARSHER SENTENCING: Restoring confidence in our justice system is of utmost importance. We will support harsher sentencing for violent crimes and drug dealing, and stricter conditions around bail and parole.

10. PROTECT NEW ZEALANDS CHRISTIAN HERITAGE: In keeping with New Zealand's parliamentary prayer and established Christian-based constitutional arrangements, the Family Party will protect our Christian heritage for the benefit of future generations. Moreover, we will measure policy and legislation against our Christian founding values and the interests of New Zealand families.

Running parallel to these priorities will be a thorough review of historical legislative and political changes that have detrimentally impacted on New Zealand families. Our aim is to restore a marriage culture and build towards strong, enduring intergenerational families.

For more detail on our policies can I encourage you to visit www.familyparty.org.nz

FATHERS HOLD THE KEY

What I want to say next is not so much a policy as it is a plea. Fathers: we hold the key. The majority of prisoners, high school dropouts, youth gang members, young criminals and pregnant teenagers come from fatherless homes. If we took responsibility for our own children, we could dramatically reduce the rates of crime and drug and alcohol abuse overnight. Playing our part will keep our kids out of gangs.

God bless our mums. But as a society and government, we must encourage responsible and compassionate fathering in every way.

In closing I want to talk about how the Family Party will get into Parliament in six weeks time.

OUR WINNING STRATEGY

The Family Party has developed a workable MMP voting strategy to get our candidates into parliament.

Firstly, our strategy is focused on targeting 3 main electoral seats, which we believe are winnable.

1. Mangere through Galumalemana Jerry Filipaina

2. East Coast Bays through former MP Paul Adams

3. Manukau through Papali'i Poutoa Papali'i

Since October last year we have worked Mangere intensely to the point where the Family Party has visited every single household no less than four times. And we're not finished.

You would have noticed coming down Massey Road, that there are primarily two prominent hoardings. One is of Jerry Filipaina and one is of Sua William Sio.

• Jerry is from Mangere. Mr Sio is not.
• Jerry lives in Mangere. Until very recently, Mr Sio did not.
• Jerry has done the hard yards in Mangere. Mr Sio has not.

Now this is where the beauty of the MMP electoral system is. If Mangere votes strategically according to our plan, come Election Day on November 8th Mangere will have both of these men in parliament representing them.

How's that you ask. Well, Mr Sio ranks highly on the Labour Party List, meaning that will get into parliament with OR without the vote of Mangere.

A vote for Mr Sio is therefore a wasted vote.

But by giving your Electorate Vote to Jerry Filipaina, you can have two local MP's instead of one.

Based on the local issues, I'm sure you agree that Mangere could really do with two local MP's.

In fact, if Mr Sio really cared about the families of Mangere, he would also vote for Jerry Filipaina so Mangere families have two local MP's. It would be a selfish man who hogged the Electorate Vote knowing he doesn't need it, wouldn't it?

Paul Adams faces exactly the same scenario in East Coast Bays. His opponent ranks extremely high on National's party list. An electorate vote for Paul Adams will give the East Coast Bays electorate two local MP's, just like Mangere.

Papali'i Poutoa Papali'i represents a very large Pacific voter community in Manukau East. Four generations of the Papali'i family are the cornerstone of the Manukau electorate. With the added support of the Malietoa family, he and the Family Party make for a compelling choice for South Auckland's Christian and conservative voters.

Because of Mr Papali'i's outstanding reputation and his high standing in the Manukau community, I purposely vacated the Manukau East position to bring him through. This was an easy decision.

So the question has been where I should stand.

I have the pleasure of publicly announcing today, that with my policing background in mind, I will be putting my name forward for the Manurewa Electorate against the incumbent, George Hawkins.

Having policed the area and with a strong pro-family approach, I believe that I can make a unique and valuable contribution towards issues of crime and family breakdown within the communities of Manurewa.

Moving now to the very important issue of the party vote. Because of our strategy to target and win seats, every party vote New Zealand gives to the Family Party counts.

Because our 3-fold plan to win a seat removes the 5 percent threshold, meaning every percentage point LESS THAN 5 percent equates to extra Family Party candidates in parliament.

So it is imperative that values-voters give their party vote to the Family Party.

CONCLUDING

We have done the hard yards ladies and gentlemen.

We have worked real hard to earn your respect and I promise you if we are elected, we will do everything in our power to put your family first and to give you a genuine stakehold in the next government.

We have the people, policies and passion to do it. You have met some of our wonderful people this morning.

Our opening address on National Television will be up there with the rest, if not better. (Albeit 60 seconds)

Our major billboards around Auckland are up there with the rest. Dear I say, better!

Our online advertisements are just plain better.

We might be a party outside of Parliament. But we're punching above our weight. And that ladies and gentlemen is what makes Kiwi's so damn special.

Let me conclude by asking you this question: what's the most important thing in your life... and does your vote reflect that?

If it is your children and your family, then you simply must vote with them in mind.

Vote Family Party and the Family Party candidates.

Thank you and God bless!