KEY POINTS:
The private sector will be used more for delivery of services - including the use of private hospitals and financing new infrastructure projects - under a "blueprint for change" National Party leader John Key outlined yesterday.
He and other MPs also hammered a theme of cutting bureaucracy.
Mr Key identified his top 10 policies in his speech to the party conference in Wellington.
While none of the policies was a surprise, they had not been ranked as the top priorities before.
Mr Key sent a strong signal that there would be greater private sector involvement in delivery of services and infrastructure under National.
"We will do what works ... That includes inviting the private sector back to the table," he said.
National would dispense with Labour's "blind ideology" that had locked the private sector out of Government services and ideas for so long.
"National will do what it takes to deliver more chances and better-quality services to Kiwis from all walks of life."
Mr Key expanded on the private sector theme in terms of funding the new infrastructure projects.
He said new financing and asset management techniques would open up infrastructure to "a wide range of financial investors", using techniques that were prevalent in Australia, Britain, France and the United States.
"We'll do what it takes to get this country moving again," Mr Key said - a variation on the slogan of his detractors that he "will say whatever it takes to win power".
The theme of private sector involvement was repeated in speeches by health spokesman Tony Ryall and justice spokesman Simon Power. They are the two top performers on the front bench outside the leadership team and were given prime speaking slots.
Mr Ryall said the greatest concern about the health system today was how long patients had to wait.
"National believes a large part of the solution lies in a smarter use of GP clinics and private hospitals."
More of the tests and outpatient services at present carried out in hospital would be provided in GP clinics. For example, hand-held technology now allowed a cardiologist to do in a GP's clinic or community centre some tests that previously had to be done in hospitals.
Mr Power said a National government would again allow tendering for management of prisons by non-government providers, a policy seized on by Corrections Minister PhilGoff.
Mr Goff said private management of the Auckland Central Remand Prison had resulted in a higher operating budget for remand prisoners of $42,000 a year each, compared with the public sector costs of $36,000 a year.
"As a matter of principle Labour believes that imprisonment involving deprivation of individuals' freedom for criminal acts is a core public sector function, not one for a commercial, profit-driven private company," Mr Goff said.
In other policy statements, Mr Key said a National government would introduce an emissions trading scheme within nine months.
He repeated his promise to resign from Parliament if National under his leadership broke its commitment to retain the present entitlements to superannuation and its adjustments.
And he said the referendum on MMP National was promising in 2011 would be binding - though such a promise could be guaranteed only with a majority of seats in the House.
Mr Power said he would abolish the Sentencing Council that is being established to give judges guidelines on how offenders should be sentenced.
"There is no need for an extra layer of bureaucracy," he said.
"National believes that we already have a body that tells judges how offenders should be sentenced. It's called Parliament."
Mr Ryall argued for less bureaucracy and greater input in decision-making by doctors and nurse.
"The health system needs a bureaucratic bonfire," he said.
He also said more patients had said "they'd like to bring back matron".
Officials said the conference "focused on what matters" and 700 people were there.
A small group of Labour-leaning activists demonstrated outside the venue, the Wellington Town Hall, conducting a mock auction of state assets.
POLICY TOP 10
1. Tax cuts.
2. Disciplined Government spending.
3. Stop growth of public service.
4. Attack on criminal gangs and "P".
5. Reform the Resource Management Act.
6. Greater use of of private sector.
7. Raise standards in education.
8. Retain super entitlements and adjustments.
9. Reform Electoral Finance Act.
10. Binding referendum on MMP.
