The National-led Government's Ministry will be focused on growth to deliver prosperity for all New Zealanders, says National Party Leader John Key.

Mr Key today announced the line-up of his new Ministry, which will be sworn in on Wednesday morning.

"The National-led Government takes office at a challenging time for the country. The growth outlook is weak, and international and domestic difficulties abound.

"This Government will concentrate on boosting economic growth because that is what will lead us out of these challenging times.

"Part of the right response is to tackle the infrastructure blockages. To that end, Bill English has been appointed Minister for Infrastructure, as well as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister.

"National's No. 3, Gerry Brownlee, will be Minister for Economic Development and Minister of Energy and Resources, as well as Leader of the House.

"And National's No. 4, Simon Power, has been given the State-Owned Enterprises, Commerce, and Associate Finance portfolios to go with Justice.

"As previously indicated, I have decided to take the Tourism portfolio, given its importance to the New Zealand economy.

"Steven Joyce will become Minister of Transport, Minister for Communications and Information Technology, and Associate Minister of Finance and Associate Minister for Infrastructure. Both he and Mr English will be responsible for driving our plan for the rollout of ultra-fast broadband.

"This cluster of Ministers and related portfolios demonstrate that getting the economy going will be front and centre of our priorities in office.

"I am also determined to drive improvements in the delivery of public health services and education standards.

"Tony Ryall will be Minister of Health as well as State Services, while Anne Tolley will be Minister of Education and Minister for Tertiary Education.

"National campaigned on improved efficiency and effectiveness of spending in the health portfolio, including boosting frontline resources.

"In education, National wants to set agreed national standards in literacy and numeracy as part of a crusade to improve literacy and numeracy standards.

"I am acutely aware that the economic challenges we face include forecasts which show rising unemployment. National wants to provide New Zealanders with some financial security in hard times. That is why we announced the transitional relief package during the election campaign to help those worst hit by redundancy, and why it will be implemented in government.

"The implementation of the package will be one of the tasks for the new Social Development and Employment Minister, Paula Bennett. She also picks up responsibility for Youth Affairs and Disability Issues. I have handed her a big responsibility, and have every confidence in her abilities.

"Christopher Finlayson will be the Minister Responsible for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and Attorney-General. He will be responsible for keeping up the pace of Treaty settlements which we have seen in recent times.

"Georgina te Heuheu will be Minister for Courts, Pacific Island Affairs, Disarmament and Arms Control, and Associate Minister of Maori Affairs.

"When Parliament meets in early December, one of the first items of business will be to elect a Speaker. National will be nominating Dr Lockwood Smith for the position.

"Today's announcement includes the full list of Ministers outside Cabinet, including the five MPs from the three support parties. I look forward to close co-operation between all Ministers in all relevant portfolios.

"New Zealanders should have confidence that the new government will be ready to embrace the challenges ahead.

"I am confident that the team I have announced today has the necessary skills, expertise, and determination to tackle the issues that matter to New Zealanders.

"Our government will be totally focused on that task over the next three years."

Click link to download the Ministerial List in PDF
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National Party Leader John Key today announced the details of the confidence and supply arrangement reached between the National and United Future parties.

"I welcome this agreement with United Future Leader Peter Dunne.

"United Future has agreed to provide confidence and supply support through this term of a National-led government."

The agreement provides for Mr Dunne to be appointed to ministerial posts outside Cabinet. Mr Dunne will be Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health.

In addition, National has agreed during this term of Parliament to adopt and implement a range of broad principles, policies and priorities advanced by United Future. These are detailed in the agreement (attached).

United Future has agreed to support the legislation needed for the initiatives identified in National's My key commitments to you and National's Post-Election Action Plan publications.

"I welcome Mr Dunne's support for a National-led Government, and look forward to a constructive working relationship," says Mr Key.


Click this link to download theAgreement in PDF: 
http://www.national.org.nz/files/agreements/National-UF_agreement.pdf

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National Party Leader John Key today announced the details of the confidence and supply arrangement reached between the National Party and Maori Party.

"We expect that this agreement will be a good basis for a constructive working relationship in government," Mr Key says.

"The agreement emphasises the importance of mana maintenance and enhancement for both parties, and that the relationship will be one of good faith, and no surprises."

The agreement includes the establishment of a group to consider constitutional issues including Maori representation. The National Party agrees it will not seek to remove the Maori seats without the consent of the Maori people. Accordingly, the Maori Party and National Party will not be pursuing the entrenchment of the Maori seats this parliamentary term.

On the foreshore and seabed legislation, National recognises the concerns of the Maori Party. The National-led government will in this term review the application of the legislation to ascertain whether it adequately maintains and enhances mana whenua. If repeal is necessary, the Government will ensure there is appropriate protection in place to ensure all New Zealanders enjoy access to the foreshore and seabed, through existing and potentially new legislation.

Maori Party co-Leader Dr Pita Sharples will be appointed Minister of Maori Affairs, Associate Minister of Education, and Associate Minister of Corrections. Hon Tariana Turia will be appointed Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Associate Minister of Health, and Associate Minister of Social Development and Employment.

"I welcome the conclusion of this agreement with the Maori Party, and look forward to working in a constructive way to build the relationship further," says Mr Key.


Click to download text ofAgreement in PDF:
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National Party Leader John Key today announced the details of the confidence and supply arrangement agreed between the National and ACT parties.

“As previously indicated, ACT has agreed to give the incoming National Government support on confidence and supply,” says Mr Key.

“National and ACT have many areas of common interest and both parties have shared goals, including wanting to see a more prosperous and cohesive country driven by initiative and hard work.

“There is a recognition from both sides that in order to promote strong growth in investment, employment and incomes, stable government and high levels of business confidence are required,” says Mr Key.

Highlights of the agreement include an advisory group to look at ways to meet the goal of closing the income gap with Australia by 2025, mechanisms to examine various approaches in several policy areas, establishment of taskforces to review government spending, and ministerial posts outside Cabinet for ACT Leader Rodney Hide and MP Heather Roy.

Mr Hide will be appointed Minister of Local Government, Minister for Regulatory Reform and Associate Minister of Commerce.

Mrs Roy will be appointed Minister of Consumer Affairs, Associate Minister of Defence and Associate Minister of Education.

“ACT has agreed to support the legislation required to implement National’s election promises outlined in the Post-Election Action Plan and the My key commitments to you card,” says Mr Key.

“I welcome ACT’s support to establish a National-led government. We look forward to working in a constructive way to advance the interests of New Zealand, for all New Zealanders.”


Click to download theAgreement in PDF:
http://www.national.org.nz/files/agreements/National-Act_Agreement.pdf

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Victory Speech
National Party Election Night Headquarters
Auckland


I can't tell you how good it is to be here.

Ladies and gentlemen – today New Zealand has spoken. In their hundreds of thousands across the country they have voted for change.

And I can tell you there will be a new National-led Government in New Zealand.

So let me start by thanking every New Zealander who has cast their vote for National today. Thank you for your support and thank you for your trust.

Because some of you have stuck with National through nine long years. And tonight your patience has been rewarded. For others, you have heard National's message that New Zealand can do better, and have come to share our beliefs.

So, to all of you, I simply say thank you.

Today across the country, New Zealanders have voted for a safer, more prosperous and more ambitious New Zealand. They voted for hope, they voted for action, and they voted for results. They voted for a better life for all New Zealanders.

In my first speech after becoming leader of the National Party, I talked about when I was a boy living in a state house, riding my bike past the homes of kids more fortunate than me.

What inspired me then, and still inspires me today, is a belief within ourselves that we have the ability to make our lives better.

And as it is for individuals so it is for our country – because New Zealand has so much more potential.

This is not as good as gets.

So yes, we face challenges. But we will rise to them, because as a country we have tremendous advantages.

Our capacity to produce food for the world, our landscapes, and scenery, and maybe most of all the incredible Kiwi ingenuity.

So we must make the most of our advantages. Because the state of the global economy and the global financial crisis means the road ahead may well be a rocky one.

Now, more than ever, New Zealand needs to be on top of its game.

What will determine success is the unity of purpose – a willingness to work together while recognising that our collective success rests on the success of individuals, and a willingness to use our smallness to our advantage, to be nimble, sure-footed and flexible.

We all bring our different perspectives, and we all have our political debates. And that is as it should be.

But now is a time for working together. Because we need everybody pulling in the same direction. If we do that, if we work hard, if we remain determined, we will make New Zealand as prosperous as we all know it can be.

So let me say this: whether you voted for National or not tonight, tonight you have my pledge.

I will lead a government that serves the interests of all New Zealanders. And it will be a government that values individual achievement and it will be a government that supports those who cannot support themselves. And it will be a government we can all be part of.

Tonight I want to thank Helen Clark.

A little earlier this evening I spoke to her and she was most gracious with her comments.

So it's fair to say that Helen and I have different views about what policies are best for New Zealand. But we share a love of this country. And I have always admired her dedication to her job, her ferocious work ethic, and her desire to make New Zealand a better country.

As Prime Minister of New Zealand she has always ensured our small voice was loudly heard on the international stage. So on behalf of you all, I say thank you.

Ladies and gentleman, earlier this evening I spoke to ACT Leader Rodney Hide and United Future Leader Peter Dunne. I rang to offer my congratulations.

And while the details of any formal agreement between National, ACT and United Future are yet to be resolved I can confirm their willingness to lend support to establishing a new government in New Zealand.

I also spoke to Maori Party Leader Tariana Turia, and I expressed my willingness to engage in dialogue with her and her party next week.

So to you, the National Party officials, the members, and the volunteers who have worked so tirelessly in every single electorate around the country, I say thank you very much. We owe it to you.

But there are some very special people I want to thank.

And the first of them is our president, Judy Kirk. And the second of them is a guy who is a long way south tonight – Bill English. He's in Gore and I know they know how to have a good time down there, don't worry about that. And I want to thank the man who ran the campaign, who rang me every morning at 6 o'clock, who was up at 4.30 in morning, who read every newspaper from cover to cover – Steven Joyce. You ran a great campaign, mate.

And I want to say to my caucus – it's just got a lot bigger. You've worked so hard for the last three years. It's my privilege to be your leader. Thank you very much for the support.

And to all National candidates, some of whom made the courageous and selfless decision to put their own careers on the line in order to do something they truly believed in, even when they were up against the odds – thank you very much.

And haven't we had some great results.

Auckland Central went blue. What a cracker. New Plymouth. Otaki – we always knew Nathan Guy could do it. Rotorua - Todd McClay. Taupo – Louise Upston. West Coast-Tasman went blue. Hamilton West. Maungakiekie. Waitakere – an amazing result.

You are tremendous.

There are some very special people I want to thank. When you're the leader of a party, you're around the country a lot. You're not always in your electorate every day. So I want to thank the great people of Helensville who chose me as their MP again. And I want to thank my staff – Genelle and Mel, who look after me so well, and Jenny who's come back from overseas.

And I want to thank my staff in Wellington. The demands on them have been unbelievable, the sacrifices have been incredible. They are an amazing group of individuals. But at the risk of leaving some of them out because they all just did a fantastic job – Emma, who works so hard in my office day after day, Wayne, Kevin, Grant , Nicola, Phil, Sarah, Rhiannon, Jason, Lesley, Dani, Helene, Brent, Willy, and Francis – get some sleep guys, you need it. Because I tell you what, we're going to be busy in the next few weeks.

No, you don't need sleep. Not on a night like tonight, you don't need sleep.

And I want to thank my sisters, Sue and Liz, and all of my family who have been so great.

Most of all I want to thank the most important people in my life. And that is Bronagh and Stephie and Max. But I've got a bit of bad news, guys. There is no puppy coming. Sorry.

I couldn't have done it without you.

Ok, maybe I'll reconsider the puppy. The cat won't like it but maybe we can work our way through it.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege to be here tonight. You have made this possible. It will be a night I'm sure none of us will ever forget. Tonight is a night of celebration.

And tomorrow, tomorrow the hard work begins.

Have a great evening. Thank you very much indeed.

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