"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a694cdbfedc84c5ea2ea8bd23ae59e5d\u0022\u003EThursday, 18 April 2013\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022805f123dfab84f06bbb0364928e176db\u0022\u003EThursday, 18 April 2013\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000002\u0022\u003EMr Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00225c455648387a4b529bdd71dd273ad8bd\u0022\u003EVisitors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002228656a370bd14cc6b70677157a11279c\u0022\u003EPacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum\u2014Delegates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u00227e9d6be4561b42a5a957ec9358808bcf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227e9d6be4561b42a5a957ec9358808bcf\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Honourable members, I have much pleasure in informing the House that participants of the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum are present in the gallery. I am sure that members would wish that they be welcomed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002229301b4cd6ff4734aadca9d57fd9ff0a\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd4e3fc0549d467287a31816a2cee1a3\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u0022617337e9c01d405db0dc3112961b86d7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022617337e9c01d405db0dc3112961b86d7\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Next week the House is in a 2-week adjournment. When the House resumes on Tuesday, 7 May the Government will look to progress the Legal Assistance Amendment Bill, the Education Amendment Bill, the Land Transport Management Amendment Bill, and the Prisoners\u2019 and Victims\u2019 Claims (Continuation and Reform) Amendment Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00225eed692ec669438280c852e2affc777a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225eed692ec669438280c852e2affc777a\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E I just check with the Deputy Leader of the House that there are no plans for urgency before the Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u002279d5df58342d445cafeab0b407de2114\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002279d5df58342d445cafeab0b407de2114\u0022\u003EHon ANNE TOLLEY (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I can assure the member that any of those suggestions will be well canvassed at the Business Committee when the House resumes on 7 May.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022842f9325fced4f308149468dbabe9d5a\u0022\u003EQuestions for Oral Answer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cb619450835f4d1b9f9f01f881371c89\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022241a7d37dfd24294b43d2a94fe8c0ba5\u0022\u003EPower Prices\u2014Electricity Market and Alternative Policies\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022ad7195366d484c5e9797eac795c732f8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ad7195366d484c5e9797eac795c732f8\u0022\u003EGRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Has he been advised whether the Prime Minister agrees with the Deputy Prime Minister that \u201Ca lot of us don\u2019t like the power bills that we get\u201D and if so, has he been advised what action the Prime Minister proposes to take to reduce New Zealanders\u2019 power bills?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u0022a12bad93868c49a0ad0d91110ae93ccb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a12bad93868c49a0ad0d91110ae93ccb\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, I have been advised that the Prime Minister agrees with the Deputy Prime Minister\u2019s actual comment, as I do, which was: \u201CA lot of us don\u2019t like the power bills we get, but the one thing that will be worse and more wasteful will be politicians running the electricity system. And that will look cheap for a while, and then you\u2019ll find that the technology hasn\u2019t been upgraded, that the new generation that we need hasn\u2019t actually turned up, and then there\u2019ll be a big spend by the Government to subsidise something and the prices will go up.\u201D I knew that the Deputy Prime Minister was a religious man; I did not know he prophesied Labour-Green policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b457590726dc430eb35d2742b069af61\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Have the Max Bradford reforms delivered cheaper electricity to New Zealanders, as the National Party promised; if not, why is he so ideologically blinkered that he is tied to a policy that will not lower power prices?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022832480c3c55a428ea55ab935d7f60c72\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, given that I was about 12 at the time, it is hard to recall. But I can say yes\u2014yes, I think they did. Unfortunately, though, what happened was a Labour Government where power prices went up by 72 percent, so it is hard to disagree with what Rob Hosking said in the National Business Review this morning, which was that the Labour Party was full of power price gouges that took place between 2002 and 2008.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f881acfbc564677b5cb25667512703e\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Minister so ideologically blinkered that he is tied to an electricity system that means New Zealand consumers pay the second-highest residential power prices in the OECD, despite two-thirds of our power being generated from cheap hydro, and where prices have risen at double the rate of inflation? Why is he so tied to that system?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e1ef3a5595f4770a778fd82d271bfb7\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: It is hard to take being called ideologically blinkered from a party that wants to\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022639af20bb1cf4514ae30115247c546bb\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Down this end of the House we could not hear half of that question, because of the raucous noise from the shameful person saying \u201CWhat a shame.\u201D and others. So perhaps we could hear it again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228e74b75103f4284a3030affdf465fef\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am going to invite the member Grant Robertson to repeat his question. This time there was so much noise that I had trouble hearing the last part of the question myself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229052de056d214ce686058c2be75b1730\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Minister so ideologically blinkered that he is tied to an electricity system that means New Zealand consumers pay the second-highest residential power prices relative to industry in the OECD, despite two-thirds of our power being generated from cheap hydro power, and where prices have risen at double the rate of inflation since the Bradford reforms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2f96d1f03ad486e94215adeb5c53ef1\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it is hard to take criticism at being ideologically blinkered from a party that wants to renationalise the electricity system. But be that as it may, we have a very competitive system, where actually in Christchurch right now, by switching from the most expensive to the least expensive retailer, one can save nearly $600 per annum. That is more than that party\u2019s new policy would save.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bb9a1dae7443428788caf33a1166ed22\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister realise that there are 30 states in the United States of America that use a similar single-buyer model to the one proposed by the Labour Party, and when will he be auditioning for Fox News, given his views?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002298c87788dba34fa9982e038d907f8b88\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: No, and as I have said, if the party opposite wants to reintroduce some kind of Albanian energy policy, that is good for it, but this side of this Parliament does not want that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a597e82551e642abb54165d54a397207\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Has he taken the Prime Minister to task for failing to deliver on his promise to Grey Power in 2009 that his policies would \u201Chelp constrain electricity prices\u201D, when power prices rose by at least five times the rate of inflation over the last year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224aee303cd04f4ab6aeb6e98c6e74a4a5\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: How can I take the Prime Minister to task when he has, in fact, met that quotation, given that under that Government prices went up 72 percent and under us they have been much more constrained, going up by only 20 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ede07feef174fe2a7f086ce5770a68f\u0022\u003ETe Ururoa Flavell\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. Is the Minister aware of the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s policy to enact an annual power rebate for low-income wh\u0101nau, installation of low-cost heating, and insulating 10,000 low-income homes per year, including rental properties, and does he agree that the Government needs to look seriously at addressing the quality of life for low-income families?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022baef1ea8c1c04c519ef6f8f3e83c01e6\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I was not aware of that policy. It sounds intriguing. Can I say to the member that I think the best thing we can do is to continue with our pro-competitive drive that we started in 2010. The Electricity Authority is leading that, and we are seeing real competition all throughout New Zealand, where nearly 700,000 people have switched from more expensive to less expensive retailers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d600598717ea4c6897199253af7c61e0\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: What does the Minister think of the M\u0101ori Party\u2019s policy of piloting insulation in homes in Ngati Porou and Ng\u0101puhi, two of the warmest areas where M\u0101ori live, and how practical is that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022409d5fcddc3d4cb89835635589df6716\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: It sounds like good policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227604c3ca09244538a522611f8819cef7\u0022\u003ETe Ururoa Flavell\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is very fortunate, or some might say unfortunate, that the Minister does not have any responsibility for M\u0101ori Party policy, so I think that question is out of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002292eb2f8dbcdc42f7b640e586331a3a45\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: He was talking about the M\u0101ori Party policy before to the Minister in a question. The Minister answered it even though he had no responsibility, and so he has allowed in my question on the same basis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a807fed776c44bda66df940952afb2e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: And on that basis too I think the Minister is quite capable of answering the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277ed641b35b041028d446ac57dc7662d\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: It sounds like very good policy and I think that the M\u0101ori Party can share in the credit where this Government has now insulated nearly 230,000 homes, and will do by September of this year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c6e4b3e31804e459dbd8e74881b7b6a\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister realise that there is no functioning electricity market in New Zealand under his Government\u2019s policy and that Labour\u2019s plan will see incentives for new players to enter the generation and retail market and ensure that New Zealanders will save at least 10 percent on their power bills? Why does he not want New Zealanders to save 10 percent on their power bills?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022194799e08a304cb39b8b49a0decb710c\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: As I have said, the member opposite shows some sort of Albanian economics understanding there. The fact of the matter is that under this Government we have a very competitive system. There are 15 independent retailers at work in this country competing against each other, and we have seen that with 700,000 different consumers changing from one to another.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227648eb777ccc41e29eb71ed74f838864\u0022\u003EBrendan Horan\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister aware that his own Government\u2019s figures show that average household power prices have soared in Tauranga at a rate 15 percent greater than the rest of New Zealand, and what action does the Minister propose to take for the people of Tauranga?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022797da6ea84ef4580b02ad134f6c133fa\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I think the people in Tauranga are exceptionally satisfied with the political representation they get and the kind of quality electricity system they get.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002221b9d8beb90e406f83c4594b687c958f\u0022\u003EBrendan Horan\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. How was that answering the question?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203cf3bd1a692474d936e7ed471fc6bd0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The question was adequately addressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a536d3c2-6293-4216-b0bd-dfec1bd6f40c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ffd93119aea44c090351c8ec89268d2\u0022\u003EAndrew Williams\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Government considered New Zealand First\u2019s proposal to introduce a 10 percent discount subsidy from State-owned enterprise power companies for SuperGold Card holders and pensioners who are struggling to meet winter power bills; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcf10a23985b4be881175a96566540a1\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: No. In fact, I met with Grey Power this week and we talked through some of its concerns. I have explained, I think, the system that we have and why it is becoming more competitive every day. I have considered New Zealand First policy, and, frankly, it is almost as loony as the Labour Party\u2019s policy. What they are effectively saying also is they want to see the power generators back in Government hands, and I just think that is bad policy all round.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226dc93641b0e54ed88b21f3dc0b7efcea\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Further to the Minister\u2019s previous answers, if the electricity market is working so well under the Bradford model, which he favours, why have electricity prices continued to rise and rise over the last decade?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284a2e1cb2695476ea6446a94c51caf7a\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, there are probably many reasons, and I do not accept the basic proposition in the question. But one reason would be the way the last Government took so many dividends from the power companies, and that is why it is now belatedly trying to apologise to the people of New Zealand with, admittedly, some \u201Cloony tunes\u201D policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ef5bc6f31e44c8b8843a3d0cf797d77\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Are New Zealand residential consumers paying too much for their power?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002290271e1b0d6845bb9f0e0ad025a50cb4\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, every consumer thinks they are paying too much for power, Mr Robertson. But the fact of the matter is that at the moment we have a competitive system where there are options and where we have real security of supply\u2014something actually we could not have taken for granted under the last Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3327e7cadac44a7a94187b5d5813bfd\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Although the Minister went in the direction of that question, it was a straightforward question. It was not whether New Zealanders thought they were paying too much for their power; it was whether the Minister thought they were paying too much for their power. He said that New Zealanders did think they were paying too much, but he did not include himself in that group.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213c86301440b460fabcdc997444bee39\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Let us have the question again and the Minister can re-answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022011aa9c1ade1418395f9fb3f16550ea9\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Are New Zealand residential consumers paying too much for their power?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fab39e23389944b6bacf59a55bdc4432\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, with respect, the question is ill-conceived because it is not a question of the price but whether it is competitive, and the system today is much more competitive than it was under the Labour Government. Since 2010, when we implemented our reforms, we have seen it become more pro-competitive. It has still got some way to go and I think, as the Electricity Authority made clear yesterday, it is getting better and better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022076342a5707e4232b7b40cc8fd707e73\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: On what basis does the Minister claim that the market is competitive when the same five companies control 93 percent of the generating and 95 percent of the retail market?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203a4454c8f9247288e175e26384ad9cc\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, of the many bases, how about this one? In Auckland at the moment, if you switch from the most to the least expensive retailer, you can save $312; in Wellington, $212; in Christchurch, $595; and in Balclutha, $419. That is competition by anyone\u2019s measure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2a34fe1ef8c406a941a96e7a29a11b6\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: So is the Minister telling us that he is comfortable with a market in which five companies\u2014the same five companies\u2014control 93 percent of the generating market and 95 percent of the retail market?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d5dd723f398640af82bf139a1255a8fa\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, because what the member seems to ignore is that there are, from there, six other players that, yes, are smaller, but are offering sharp deals\u2014like \u014Cpunake Hydro\u2014and a number of other ones all around this country. We have low barriers to entry and, frankly, I understand there is something like four power players at the moment that are looking at coming in. So it is a very sharp, competitive system that, yes, could do better, but is getting better day by day.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ba5c11a765ea457b807bc867a8abae5b\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Well, if this market is so sharp and so competitive, then how come since National gained office, when demand has been flat, the price of electricity to residential consumers has increased by 19 percent?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022624262367ac74a8484b05c56c1c4a0e3\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: There are a number of reasons. One is transmission costs and the hundreds, perhaps small number of billions, of dollars that it is reasonable to pass on. The fact of the matter is that under Labour-Greens policy we would not see another dollar invested in transmission or generation by the private sector, because of the economic lunacy of that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d434217fde3422583c84cace6b5adbd\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister is required to answer the question he was asked, not to give us his views of other political parties\u2019 policies. He is well into his answer and half of it has now been devoted to criticism of the questioner, and that is not satisfactory.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221874bdb1ef53461ca2abb10d47922a62\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, the Minister was addressing the question quite satisfactorily, with some connotation. Has the Minister now finished his answer?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa5fc870b8dd49448527eae32f27555b\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002230f5ee6caeaf473b9db5a51b2c232d08\u0022\u003EWork Visas\u2014Checkout Operators\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7cfa658883142bebf38d1ffb8515f24\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7cfa658883142bebf38d1ffb8515f24\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR (NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Immigration: How many temporary work visas were issued for checkout operators in 2012?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u002275153a1ac8954c33be2a81c8d8eeb22d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002275153a1ac8954c33be2a81c8d8eeb22d\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Immigration):\u003C/span\u003E I am advised that there were 49 occupational-specific temporary work visas issued in the occupational category of checkout operator in 2012. Of the number that can be identified by region, more than 86 percent of them went to Otago\u2014most likely to the Queenstown Lakes district\u2014and one was issued for the Auckland region.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b7d5343833ab4f2f9c5ea17fae053bda\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor\u003C/span\u003E: Were those visas subject to approvals in principle; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e461ca4b419b4a2b9020f921aabfbd1a\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: I understand that the answer to that question is no, and the reason is that the occupation of checkout operator is not on any of the skills in demand lists that Immigration New Zealand would use to get agreements in principle prior to somebody seeking employment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1f52b7309f140b6b004b661b4f57e68\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor\u003C/span\u003E: Given that 2,500 Kiwis queued for 7 hours to apply for a mere 150 jobs at the Manukau Countdown in January, how can the Minister justify the issuing of temporary work visas for checkout operators, and can he explain why Kiwis could not do these jobs?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223e96ddcce03e4fb6aa570c31545e01d1\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, 2,500 is certainly a much larger number than one, which is the number of checkout operator visas issued last year in Auckland. What that says to me is that Kiwis are lining up, they are looking for work, and they are being successful in getting it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299ce824e3d824af4a93d17c743df6ab4\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor\u003C/span\u003E: How can he justify 138,000 temporary migrants\u2019 work visas for jobs like checkout operators when there were 162,000 Kiwis on the unemployment benefit last year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdd80c373a8a470094b3f924801fe69c\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: Very good. Well, the significant minority of those visas were issued to international students who have work rights. As the member may be aware, that industry is our second-largest service export earner behind tourism. More than $2 billion a year is generated in this country from export education. And it is the case that a good number are also working holiday scheme visa holders. That is a reciprocal arrangement that we have with a number of countries around the world. That enables our Kiwis to see the world and to contribute to the richness of this nation, and I think that is perfectly justified.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022aa843c2af78142949470a61d98e346cf\u0022\u003ECost of Living\u2014Consumers Price Index and Power Prices\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u00229187896104ab40f382ae955ae51522f1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229187896104ab40f382ae955ae51522f1\u0022\u003ETODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What have been the recent trends in the cost of living for New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u0022552bf1e97377442a96022419765e84da\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022552bf1e97377442a96022419765e84da\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Finance: I can report some very encouraging progress, particularly with consumer price inflation, food price inflation, and in electricity prices. That progress is particularly stark when you compare the current situation with the first decade of the century in the 9 years to 2008. Statistics New Zealand yesterday reported the CPI for the year to March increased by just 0.9 percent. That was the fourth consecutive quarter that annual consumer inflation has been 1 percent or less. This is a considerable improvement on consumer price inflation of more than 5 percent in late 2008, just before this Government first took office. Combined with interest rates at 50-year lows, this low inflation is delivering considerable benefits to households and businesses across New Zealand in terms of their standard of living.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022199aa4ab63cc44c99739d7d863b3d408\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: What have been the main factors contributing to annual inflation remaining low at around 1 percent?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022faaa7049fbcd419e8d9affcf6fc11d0e\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: The consumer price index showed that in the past year the price of telecommunication services fell 7.2 percent, audiovisual and computing equipment fell 12 percent, domestic airfares fell 9.9 percent, and fresh milk was down 7.7 percent. Electricity prices did rise 5.2 percent during the year. Most of that is due to a one-off increase in the cost of transmission prices of getting the electricity to households around New Zealand. In any event it is substantially less than the 8 percent average\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7ad0726ce234541ba7e04ae5e7b2d2a\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Who believes the member? Who believes him?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb8291bbe876467d87a11741daa9099f\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014year-on-year increases in the 9 years to 2008 when people like Trevor Mallard were in charge. In addition, the food price index fell 0.4 percent in the year to March. This was led by a 2.6 percent fall in grocery prices. Cheese was down 9.1 percent and butter fell 22 percent. It is interesting to note that all of these commodities are priced in a competitive market, and the Government did not control any price setting in any of them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d16a8bbc3e4344cfb0b69688bbfe2ca7\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on the price of electricity paid by hard-working New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d53188490944c0489920c07468541d8\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: The Electricity Authority yesterday released its review of the electricity market in 2012. The report showed 18 percent of customers, around 32,000 people a month, voted with their feet by switching electricity providers in 2012, presumably for lower prices. For the benefit of the Opposition, that is called \u201Ccompetition\u201D. Since November 2008 annual electricity price increases have halved from the 8 percent year-on-year increases suffered by hard-working New Zealanders during the previous 9 years. This follows a number of pro-competitive reforms by this Government, which apparently the Opposition is not aware of. We have reconfigured State-owned enterprise assets to increase competition, created the Electricity Authority and made it responsible for promoting competition, allowed line businesses to compete in the retail space, and funded promotion of consumer switching through the What\u2019s My Number campaign.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229571f6945fe24b70a1c7235de461977a\u0022\u003ETodd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Minister seen any other proposals to try to lower electricity prices?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5ae4563a2eb4523914abf3b1d2388c4\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, weirdly, yes, I have. Just before lunch today I received one report, which I believe came from the \u201CNorth Korean School of Economics\u201D. Apparently, the suggestion there was that nationalising the entire electricity industry would somehow lead to lower power prices. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260e791b7932c4c6eaf4b735fe4d64b59\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Surely it occurred to you that a Minister cannot knowingly mislead the House. You and I know that he did not receive anything from the \u201CNorth Korean School of Economics\u201D, and yet the Minister got up and he said that he did. Perhaps you would like to bring him back to order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd9ea10cadaf4f0aaf5c7869d3ba8780\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do not accept that point of order. Would the Minister continue with his answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280a50e8e8f314340a8a3be1f337c47d4\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: If I could perhaps clarify my answer, I should clarify that I received a report from the local branch of the \u201CNorth Korean School of Economics\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a753351a4e6c4d12ab4b0867db38852b\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You know full well that there is no local branch, and\u2014[Interruption] No, no, no. The members can treat it with levity, but he is knowingly misleading the House. Please do your job.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e0dbb5cb8e6461dbfa4591eb5139065\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The Minister is entirely responsible for the content of his answer. If the member thinks that there has been a misleading of the House, there is an appropriate way to raise that matter, and the member knows that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022092400e6cb4143e9b41a17af22feb6a9\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In fact, I have two. The first is a relatively simple one. You let the Government members barrack during the right honourable member\u2019s point of order. In fact, you almost looked like you were going to do it yourself, from the way that you were laughing. Can I ask you to treat this House\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd902555206d429b9ef85972d0d43faf\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member is now ruining a perfectly fair point of order. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022296c24f50b644bf1bb2942d926ff8a1f\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014with impartiality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c40fc1e2d2fd453c921b96c466817092\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: And the second point?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279acc6100af24d56a64ccd4a956a0e2b\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The second point of order is that you have already ruled that you do not accept letters about matters of privilege dealing with supplementary answers. That was a supplementary answer. Are you changing that rule?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eee3a80109674029bb84eaed3271031f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. With regard to the first question, the member is absolutely right. Points of order should be heard in silence, and I certainly do not encourage barracking from either side during a point of order. With regard to the second point of order, I make a decision on each alleged breach of privilege on a case by case basis. Further supplementary questions\u2014has the Minister finished his answer? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224679d75949964fd29c6581d8e69b10d4\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: He sat down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb17c4248db64441acbea174b02dafe4\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, he was interrupted with a point of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201660123a64b457aada9fb2d7d661d6d\u0022\u003EGrant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: No, he sat down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272a9eac9ae0c4a329068619daed714e5\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The Minister was interrupted with a point of order. He has every right to complete his answer and will do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299acabd5f71645d0b7fd5e03f8322011\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just to accept the right honourable member\u2019s point, it certainly appeared to be the local branch of the \u201CNorth Korean School of Economics\u201D, but I accept his assurance that perhaps it was not what it appeared. Anyway, the suggestion was that nationalising the entire electricity industry would somehow lead to lower power prices. In fact, as we have seen historically the world over, it would simply lead to blackouts, higher prices, and considerably higher costs on taxpayers. That is the \u201Cback to the 1970s Government\u201D proposal by the Labour-Greens coalition for running the electricity industry in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223e8b8cd0b01b4c71b8ef14a2a6cc891e\u0022\u003ECost of Living\u2014Impact of Price Increases and Access to Budgeting Services\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022 data-id=\u00223ab1ed546904411198a8f20f609d4465\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223ab1ed546904411198a8f20f609d4465\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a WILLIAM SIO (Labour\u2014M\u0101ngere)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development: Does she agree with the CEO of Mangere Budgeting and Family Support Services that \u201CIncreased private rental charges, higher power and energy prices, higher costs for food and dairy, higher road user charges and increased petrol costs etc\u2026without putting up wages\u2026means that we are effectively making our people poorer and ultimately it is costing the nation millions in welfare dollars\u201D; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u00220b1209401cd343d4ba785bfed74cb5ce\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220b1209401cd343d4ba785bfed74cb5ce\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E I have got huge respect for the work that Darryl Evans and his team do on the front line, and I have no doubt that the impact of the recession is ongoing and still having an effect for many. But I also agree with this statement in the Otago Daily Times editorial from Tuesday: \u201CNew Zealand has grasped the seriousness of a growing welfare class, and is mostly composed about changes being made to encourage a hand-up, not a hand-out,\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228483f122f20e41e08c7c44ccf5337813\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a William Sio\u003C/span\u003E: Why does she believe that Work and Income grants to pay for electricity and for gas tripled in a 2-year period, and what plans does her Government have to address this significant increase?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022614a70a047dc4e8386a31525ffe4c57f\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: We have seen hardship grants actually come down over the last 2 years, and quite considerably\u2014by about 33 percent. What is interesting, though, is that what we have is that in 2009, 8 percent of all hardship applications were declined, and in October 2012 this proportion fluctuated between 8 or 9 percent. So it is not that more are being declined, it is that we are not taking as many. We do, as you can see, actually accept more than we decline, certainly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221922ccc1287c4a259c29a0fdcb8f88cc\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My colleague clearly asked the Minister why she believed that electricity and gas grants had tripled in a 2-year period. The Minister did not address that question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b0fbb118169e42088f83d7d7a584d26f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is absolutely a fair comment. If the Minister would like, I can have the question restated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a97d717abea8481ea3a4adce0ea81932\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, Mr Speaker, I can be more specific if you like. They obviously are paid out via hardship grants. What I have said is that overall they have come down. What we are seeing, though, is that people need assistance. That 2-year period was through the recession and through the effects of that, and I am proud that this Government has stood up and made sure that people can get the level of assistance that they need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e966822ba5d42d49bd74163f7012bfe\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a William Sio\u003C/span\u003E: Is she aware that some families, according to budget advice services, are forgoing food in order to be able to pay for power bills and are relying on food parcels as a consequence; if so, what is her Government doing to address this?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f4cddf8678b48e284f1558586f097a0\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What I can say is that in 2008 under the previous Government these budgeting services and organisations were receiving just $4.3 million. Under this Government they are receiving a total of $13 million, so we are very committed about giving them that level of support, and recognising how they can budget. They do have access to hardship grants, and we are providing them with services and support wherever we can.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a055fe0bf9a34b8996a52ce7e7f54c8d\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: Can she assure the House that no budget advisers will be lost as a result of the Community Response Fund coming to an end, given that budget advice is now a prerequisite to accessing some Work and Income grants?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7ebf03772f04bed85f041e757200050\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What we can see is that this Government has more than doubled the funding going to budgeting services over the last few years. This financial year these budgeting services will receive $13 million. That is an increase on what they received last year. We are very cognisant of the fact that they have pressure on them, and, as a consequence, we are working closely with them to see how we can work our way through it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022449da306a4664f4cadc51a1948343d1e\u0022\u003EJacinda Ardern\u003C/span\u003E: Can she guarantee to this House that budget advice services will continue to be funded at the same level they have been in past years, including the Community Response Fund?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aaf94636626345ef868481b31e90e60f\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What I can guarantee them is they are getting significantly more than they did under Labour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251f705c0f8e045be84bfc3b84c4ff2e5\u0022\u003ECarol Beaumont\u003C/span\u003E: What impacts have the Responsible Lending Guidelines, a joint venture between the Ministry of Social Development and the Financial Services Federation, had on protecting vulnerable consumers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233ce53bec3a04ddd9504d126b3acfcc6\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What it has done is set up a way forward for working with those who are lending inappropriately, and, like others, we have huge concerns about that. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is working on some pretty serious work around what we can do to alleviate some of the concerns we have about loan sharks who are really inappropriately lending to our most vulnerable.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223facbb72-b3b0-464b-b24d-e6de0616f323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022071599f954764940b74198f7ad7be283\u0022\u003ECarol Beaumont\u003C/span\u003E: What efforts has the Minister made to stop harm caused by loan sharks preying on the poor given the significant delay in introducing legislation supposedly getting tough on loan sharks, which was announced by the Prime Minister before the last election?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022468c1d5b575b4c44a86f181fc6416ee2\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: What we have done is make sure that they have access to hardship assistance through Work and Income. For that they do not actually have to pay any interest on either the advances they can get on benefit or the extra funding they can get through hardship. That is also available for those who are not just on benefit but outside of it. What you have also seen is a more than doubling of funding going to budgeting services, to wrap that kind of support around and to make sure that they are getting the support that they need, amongst many other initiatives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225f8d6a8463304e72b85cf0d8035060a6\u0022\u003EElectricity Market\u2014Household Prices over Last 20 Years\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022 data-id=\u0022ff3c40bdd006499e80d4e2e7e8a33cf9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ff3c40bdd006499e80d4e2e7e8a33cf9\u0022\u003EDr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader\u2014Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does he believe that the electricity reforms of the late 1990s delivered lower electricity prices; if so, what has happened to household electricity prices over the last 20 years?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u00222889e2f95d9246f6aed6ae92ed0ab3f5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222889e2f95d9246f6aed6ae92ed0ab3f5\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, those reforms were on the right track. But as a newspaper column said this morning, the largest sustained household price increases for a generation or more happened between the end of 2001 and the end of 2008. That is the difficulty, as the column says, for David Shearer and Russel Norman. So if Mr Norman wants to apologise now, I am happy to accept that apology.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255045466386443faa40d267e602ea2ba\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This was a question on notice. It had two parts. The Minister vaguely addressed the first one, I suppose, but he completely failed to address the second part of the question. It is very specific.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eef43111a805438e8dc189f5ed9579ea\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I thought he addressed it very specifically.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283f3469c64844234a47e88d637ff49e0\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Well, Mr Speaker, \u201C20 years\u201D\u2014we are now in 2013, so we are talking from 1993 to 2013. He did not address that period. He talked about 2001, but\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c8bef5342b345209ea414bc739768c2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: He addressed a portion within that period of 20 years, without a doubt. The member has further supplementary questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280c02cadad1b4f689f5cc37aeae68463\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question is very specific. It is on notice. It is about 20 years. You cannot cherry-pick a period within the 20 years and say you have answered the question. He did not answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e18924dc98449a48b8eb2207dbe3a0a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think the Minister has adequately addressed the question that you put down. The member has further supplementary questions if he wants to use them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c7468cb22a04e778dca32b6921dbc4c\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: That is ridiculous. That is ridiculous.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022950f27b360bf429f8cd0710f5a1f5c81\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8c89b72e181404e804d9e43e4a789a7\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228298809e9cfc4e57bcb65bc226616e69\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will withdraw that remark.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4a7db1b3f07446db0dca6d08960cf87\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw. Supplementary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022590ff9345f0c48179125b41689ac3919\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A supplementary question, Dr Russel Norman.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022223843cf5fd84c1d910e02f7a25c704e\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is it not a simple\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240c4446971614a308d9ee0d6400a3d6b\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! Settle down. The member has a right to ask a supplementary question. Dr Russel Norman.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ba6524d5d1943949bed2758dcecc469\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is it not a simple fact that the actual answer to the question that was put on notice, which the Minister should have given an answer to, is that electricity prices for households rose 70 percent above inflation over the 20 years since his party introduced its ridiculous grab for electricity reforms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a972d9a06c7b4347aa28ee449ae09182\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: The simple fact is those reforms did not have a chance to bed in and that power prices shot up under the Labour-Greens. But I will give the member\u2014[Interruption] But I will give the member another simple fact\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7fdad938b344f7ab590773941c62a8e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I want to hear the rest of the answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b71d722a87d545388bde422ae77503e9\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We did not hear the beginning of the answer, and we would like to hear it, on the basis of \u201CGive a man enough rope\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ee79810d8694e62a8148d45eb49a5b0\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister can continue with his answer. [Interruption] A further supplementary question, Dr Russel Norman.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022991fe5c04af44a62bb2641f04236acda\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is it not a simple fact that the answer to the question of how much did household power prices increase over 20 years\u2014the question that is on notice\u2014is that prices increased by 70 percent above inflation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232010556cc1140ff878518c77ed31949\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: No, I do not think that is a simple fact. I think what is a simple fact is that since the Labour-Greens announced their policy Contact Energy\u2019s share price has fallen by almost 3 percent. I know that member is probably proud of that, but on this side of the House we actually believe in shareholders\u2019 value.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213b7d8def22e4c10bede23f070c0f3f8\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Seeing that the Minister seems completely unaware of what has happened to\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8dd30080aa34615b6fd175ff414c599\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will ask the question within the Standing Orders, without that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7f913a5ebab4c64806617d3030f38ec\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Standing Orders require that Ministers address questions that have been put down on notice. The Minister failed to do that, and now you are saying\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d37932325a24c5dab896b1df673bd1a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member is now trifling with a ruling I gave earlier. I have ruled\u2014[Interruption] Order! I had ruled that that answer addressed the question. I then gave the member the ability to ask supplementary questions, and in asking supplementary questions it is inappropriate to start with a reflection \u201CSeeing that the Minister is unaware\u201D. The member can simply ask his supplementary\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e235157dc6d4e138693fb4e0cbf0aa4\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234e394de35ee4a049cfbaad2e244392a\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I am dealing with a point of order. The member can continue to ask his supplementary question but he does not need to reflect that way on the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220927d8f3a76243928c0430831cb733f2\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask you to reflect further on that ruling, not necessarily now, because previous Speakers\u2014well, the previous Speaker certainly has indicated that where members are dissatisfied with the quality of an answer, the supplementary question is in fact the way that a member can follow that up. If you are saying that a member cannot reflect on the quality of an answer in a subsequent supplementary question, then that makes the whole process a total farce.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261167e331f004d2cb08153057f09002f\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, I am saying that the member has every ability to then ask supplementary questions to delve in and get better answers. He does not need to address it in that way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022946e64fd5f7c437283d902a2b5c0f9bf\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is as clear as daylight to anyone watching this House, or listening, that a 20-year period oversight was asked for. Eleven years were left out, and after two times surely the questioner was entitled to assume that the Minister knew nothing of those 11 years and was unaware of them. That is the point that is being made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224db2f19e8b84256b7c492a43850bb47\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Now the member is also questioning a ruling I made earlier. I made a ruling that the question was adequately addressed, and left it for Dr Russel Norman to ask further supplementary questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8bd7145ea4e4b9fb478a85536d7d3fb\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f6338aeb3a3a41b1bd61e0612d40c6b8\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is it a fresh point of order, or is it continuing to question a ruling I made earlier?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270d5a71088f94c7a85241c50571915ea\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: It is to try to establish\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227577937d12bd47a6b5287e3e1b678e40\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Is it a fresh point of order?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221fe08613a20f4c8db0c39a35ce765cad\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: It is related to your ruling. It is trying to establish\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224dd1e3521e945dda08ad6cb794e7253\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. Order! I have ruled on that question. If the member wishes to raise a fresh point of order, I will entertain it. But if it is continuing to question my ruling, then I will take that quite seriously.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fed3240f585a4c2c850581fbfcd9d3cb\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: Is it not time to admit the truth, for once, on behalf of the Minister or the National Party\u2014the truth, just for once, from the National Party; that is what I would like to hear\u2014that the reforms in the 1990s have failed to deliver a competitive electricity market and that is why prices have risen 70 percent above inflation over those 20 years, and that in the period since this Government has been in place, over 4 years, power prices have risen by 19 percent in spite of the fact that demand is flat; the market has failed?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228445b6de2fce4ca196bc93e3db15f586\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I thank the member for that speech. The simple facts of the matter are these. In the 1990s power prices did rise. They then shot up markedly under the Labour Government. We were so concerned when we came into Government that we set up a review. We set about implementing reforms, including the Electricity Authority, and the rate of increase has gone from 8 percent to some 4.5 percent. Well, that is success.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022209597dacc754f659941aa4d67fdd829\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Have power prices increased by 70 percent more than the rate of inflation in the last 20 years?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb4ff580413c432d82170b51ef98dd76\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I am not certain of that fact, but what I do know is that the sharpest rise was under the 9 years of Labour, when that guy was\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb49ee66-7ca7-472d-a4a1-b099fd594dfa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210268c17c3b44abaac8ae5ba331fdf52\u0022\u003EDr Russel Norman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister has answered the question. He does not need to go on attacking any other\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c47442e9a89441079fec10cb1bb66b47\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! That sort of point of order clearly leads to more disorder. It is not an adequate point of order. The Minister has the ability to answer the question and to elaborate, provided he does not go on for too long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002243a2d2d5ad5f41d0841d2a60520d9cdc\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. That question is the core of the primary question. For a Minister to say that he does not know cannot be true.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ee4927a4cdda4d37bc5979f65a55d8dd\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! It is a substantially different question from what was asked in the primary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f9c512a8-d532-4ef9-ad51-0fe8d752a893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220dd4e7d9c10d42d5a464dbef43e0bd28\u0022\u003EHon Clayton Cosgrove\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Could I ask you, and it may not be the appropriate time to make a ruling here, but is it your ruling that where a member sets down a primary question on notice that deals with a specific time period, a Minister now may be required to provide information for only a small part of that specific time period, rather than the entire time period specified?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d22860e80e574a9a925fa79fd011dec4\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think that is a valid point of order. It would be dependent on the question that is asked and the answer that is given. But, again, I will reflect when I have read the Hansard and I will have a look at it, but I thought, as I have said, that the Minister adequately addressed the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221472ff33aba945aba22da0c2c29d7814\u0022\u003EBetter Public Services Targets\u2014Pasifika Student Achievement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022 data-id=\u002285c21b6703a3477cb56d029d03da2f0a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002285c21b6703a3477cb56d029d03da2f0a\u0022\u003EALFRED NGARO (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Pacific Island Affairs: What reports has she received on raising achievement amongst Pasifika students?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022 data-id=\u0022008afcffdf6b492580e94336e0ffa4c9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022008afcffdf6b492580e94336e0ffa4c9\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA (Minister for Pacific Island Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E Kia orana, Mr Speaker. Today I have welcomed figures that show that there was a 3\u00BD percent increase in 16-year-old Pasifika young people achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 last year. That means that of the 3,054 young Pasifika students who gained NCEA level 2, there were 252 more than in 2011. Last week I also announced provisional data that 6,737 Pasifika kids started school having participated in early childhood education. That is 284 more new entrants than at the same time last year. This is good news and a credit to all the aiga, early learning places, and schools that have played a role in this increase, and there is more to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022efb5b66a0173471185e4a43b9f0338b2\u0022\u003EAlfred Ngaro\u003C/span\u003E: What else is the Government doing to raise achievement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c4a84e734384f518a39121c1b410aac\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: Through working to achieve our Better Public Services targets, we are focusing on every stage of the education pipeline, from early learning through to schooling and on to brighter futures. For example, many children in Porirua East\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283a50570ddd84fc79f4a44494b98aa1e\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: She doesn\u2019t care.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269e8a795c57a484d800441871dc57447\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: They do not care, obviously, but many children in Porirua East were missing out on early learning. With transport\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b2567d3e-a09c-47b4-bd50-2f5bb4049762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226cb2b757dfe4eefa8568eb688040ae2\u0022\u003ESue Moroney\u003C/span\u003E: Blah, blah, blah.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d076a3d882af47f0ae241e1951706137\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: Well, no, it is not blah, blah, blah. It is transport costs and cultural barriers, which this Government cares about but members on those benches do not, that have made it difficult for many families. Through the early childhood education participation programme we have supported the licensing of two Pasifika home-based networks in Porirua, which has increased the capacity for early learning opportunities for up to 160 children, whom we care about, even if that side does not. In addition, through this network\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229691ae90a887452e8a870d58a98e2399\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Would the Minister please complete her answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fec725e5433844cf9b71a49a13f6ec85\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: In addition, through this network 40 Pasifika educators have been trained to deliver high quality, culturally responsive early learning.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022752426ef381742059aa3685de3829318\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Well done!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273e246bbf4644527a00d2d6e42e8b1c3\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ca59ba7300c4d6f866bcce122c4ee22\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a William Sio\u003C/span\u003E: Does she consider that the use of Pasifika bilingual education can help raise Pasifika students\u2019 academic achievement; if so, why has this Government continually under-resourced bilingual Pasifika education, and why is bilingual education not mentioned anywhere in the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002220c60eab9a1343cc8c89091e54d7660b\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: It has long been the policy, in education, of our Government that language, identity, and culture do form the context within which educational success can occur. So we have focused through the Pasifika Education Plan on early learning and on supporting community-led initiatives to preserve and promote the heritage languages of those communities so that their children will go on to school with a better chance of success.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e53fd5f491d44382957da4ef53e41920\u0022\u003EForestry\u2014Government Support\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022 data-id=\u00220ebe966d3a174cd6b822abb8177dab75\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220ebe966d3a174cd6b822abb8177dab75\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister for Primary Industries: Has she seen the Manley Report which found that large forest owners intend to deforest 39,000 hectares between now and 2020 and what action will she take to promote policy that encourages forestry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u002272c9bb873c534da98304a72f4f1e243c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002272c9bb873c534da98304a72f4f1e243c\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister for Primary Industries):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, I have seen this report. To put the finding into perspective, the intended deforestation accounts for less than 0.5 percent per annum of the total planted forest area of 1.7 million hectares. However, deforestation intentions need to be looked at with an understanding of the factors that can influence the final result. These include changes in the carbon price over time, perceptions around land use economics, and access to water. In terms of actions to promote forestry, this Government has a strong focus on improving the business and regulatory environment to support economic growth of all businesses, including those in the primary sector.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a114842478d466ba6b4bb3b80e85e57\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Given that answer, what steps has she taken to enable forest product exporters to realise the $12 billion 10-year figure, when they are reporting that New Zealand exports are encountering barriers because overseas purchasers want to know that the source of the timber is not illegal?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d596cfd5a6814eee90f84d2df8276dc8\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: I can assure the member that we have taken many steps. We have, for instance, introduced a permitting system to allow longer and heavier trucks, reducing transport costs, which improves the profitability of forest growing. I can assure the member that the Ministry for Primary Industries is currently working with the sector on the issue of illegal logging. I can assure the member that we are improving the Resource Management Act, speeding up the process, and reducing costs and uncertainty. We are making investment\u2014significant investment\u2014in infrastructure, including roads. Those are my assurances to the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254ca0ef0a9524466a1dbba65ad261463\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was directed at impediments that exporters in the forestry sector are encountering that they are unable to assure overseas purchasers about the illegality of the timber\u2014not bridges, definitely, or roads. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a5646dd5593b4288beacc68d57f8e301\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: And within that quite lengthy answer, I recall some mention of working internationally with regard to illegality. The question was addressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c6fc3f85b0f47118424871046399c6c\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: What actions is the Minister taking to assist small-scale forest owners to become better coordinated and organised to fully realise the economic potential of their 500,000 hectares of timber, given they say they cannot even get a meeting with the Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d7b49196c1843b1956f486e60436a05\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I will begin with the latter part of the question. I am unaware of anyone having been refused the opportunity to meet with me, and I have met with many groups from the sector since becoming the responsible Minister. In fact, I have come to understand what an extremely diverse sector it is. I have come to understand that not only are there the very large forest owners, or those owners who have large areas under their ownership, but also in this diverse sector there are many, many tens of thousands of owners who own a small amount of land. I can assure you that I have met and discussed the industry\u2019s ideas for working to make a more coordinated approach. All of this Government\u2019s intentions around making the Business Growth Agenda will certainly be assisting all of the forestry owners, be they large or small.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002209df4d047972416099f0880e571c56cf\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Given that there are 18,000 jobs at stake in the forestry sector, what policies is she promoting to enable New Zealand - based manufacturers to continue in business, given that they are being priced out of the market by foreign-owned log sellers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9a669c2de214a7184a433aac729891b\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: I have already outlined to the member the many changes that we intend to make in the business and regulatory environment. However, this Government has no intentions of interfering with market forces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229b17466a857b44a19fc27c414a27f31c\u0022\u003EElectricity Market\u2014Performance and Prices\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022 data-id=\u00227484d690a6974c758d81c397e18258bf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227484d690a6974c758d81c397e18258bf\u0022\u003EJONATHAN YOUNG (National\u2014New Plymouth)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What recent reports has he received on electricity market performance?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u002290351aaca9654502a2c1781ab7e99568\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002290351aaca9654502a2c1781ab7e99568\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources):\u003C/span\u003E I have received the Electricity Authority\u2019s review of 2012, released publicly yesterday, which outlines three extremely positive developments: increased competition in the retail market, increased activity on the futures market, and improved hydro management in response to a dry year. This is further evidence that the Government\u2019s 2010 electricity market reforms are bedding in well and delivering greater competition and improved security of supply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b62c9370d0d485492fc86c6a7c8a588\u0022\u003EJonathan Young\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister seen on the numbers of consumers taking advantage of greater competition in the electricity market?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6d23d27d25646378cf4599d9c891aa8\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: The member will be pleased to know New Zealanders are increasingly switching companies for a better deal. Since the What\u2019s My Number campaign began in May 2011, nearly 700,000 consumer switches have been recorded. Latest figures show that 2013 is off to a great start in terms of electricity switching, which is yet more evidence of consumers understanding they have options and switching to achieve the best plan for themselves.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc9c47c0-4409-44ca-ad2f-498707f27d69\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b70ace52bce34106a9b8cd32a3318866\u0022\u003EJonathan Young\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister seen on trends in electricity prices in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fef008638e6649dcbcd2d4f065b6aaf6\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: I have seen figures that show prices rose by 72 percent under the last Labour Government, or 8 percent year on year. Figures also show that this Government has slowed that growth to under 5 percent a year. If the public had had the ability to switch retailers as easily as they do now, I think we would have seen millions switching under Labour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a089210f55c4b2cb2b7b26f9f940d9d\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: Have power prices increased by 70 percent more than the rate of inflation in the last 20 years, and at nearly six times the rate of inflation in the latest year to 31 March?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b989feb953814d84a8fcbebcdb8aa6bf\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: As I have already said, I cannot specifically answer whether that precise figure is correct. What is very clear is that the figures showed a sharp rise of over 70 percent when he was a Minister and collected all the dividends. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bb043e9a023249afae438e38ea3cb158\u0022\u003EChris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The answer the Minister gave is simply impossible to believe given his answers to the supplementary questions from Jonathan Young, because he actually quoted many of the figures in answer to a patsy question from one of his own members. There is simply no way he can credibly claim he does not know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c201ef8279914941a290ffc1f81629e4\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that is over to the Minister to decide, and for the Minister to make that statement that he does not know is enough\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d3941563d344e51bc47467710cf4cce\u0022\u003EHon Anne Tolley\u003C/span\u003E: If the Opposition members had allowed the Minister to finish any of the answers to the supplementary questions, they may well have got some of the information he has now spoken.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268d9d3b41a8549a58e080e2d21082c47\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: We have had a problem this week with the Prime Minister\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226afd46d47f624354860c78aa5544cc88\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! This is a point of order. It will be heard in silence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2b008534569449b867970a8fc25a3f9\u0022\u003EHon Trevor Mallard\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014remembering between one supplementary question and another and what an answer was, but this is even worse. We have a Minister who is forgetting the answer that he gave for a prior supplementary question from less than 30 seconds earlier. You cannot believe that a Minister forgets over that period.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb5acdcccf374e9c843e023d24eb8493\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have listened very carefully to questions and answers through the day. The Minister is quite entitled to stand and say that he cannot confirm the particular information that was outlined in the member\u2019s question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002296651244ccb7483aa15aff5c73100444\u0022\u003EClimate Change\u2014Displacement of Pacific Island Citizens\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022 data-id=\u0022ed93689a4c4b4461b7e796f06378f330\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ed93689a4c4b4461b7e796f06378f330\u0022\u003EDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Will he commit his Government to accept citizens of Pacific Island countries displaced by sea level rise as a result of climate change?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u0022b2585255b85e474d9d0e6296326c6bfc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b2585255b85e474d9d0e6296326c6bfc\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: New Zealand has strong relationships with many Pacific Island countries. If rising sea levels caused by climate change were to threaten their long-term survival, which, it is important to understand, would likely be some way in the future, it would be my expectation that future New Zealand Governments would look very sympathetically on their position.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239cceb00db16479d99fca13caf178c48\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: In light of the response, what is the Prime Minister\u2019s response to President Anote Tong of Kiribati, who said this week that \u201CFor our people to survive, then they will have to migrate. Either we can wait for the time when we have to move people en masse or we can prepare them\u2014beginning from now \u2026\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d8d099cd7744097b996bec147afe63e\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: Obviously I am aware that the three countries with the largest potential exposure to sea-level rises are Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Tokelau. As the Prime Minister said back in 2009, New Zealand, of course, has a strong relationship with all three of those countries and would be working closely with them, and, in fact, continues to work closely with them on matters like climate change and a whole range of matters that are very important to them and other Pacific countries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc3a40ee63ed4b579b3fac7f49ce321b\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: Given that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that for some Pacific nations sea-level rise poses risks \u201Cto their sovereignty or existence\u201D, will he accept that a specific plan needs to be developed now?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d42433355cfb4b3a8c5664029158c063\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: No, not at this time, but, as I said in the answer to the first question, it is my expectation that Governments will continue to work closely with the potentially affected countries and would look very sympathetically on their position should the need for such an approach arise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022612be72158eb4d3facad044ad7f2db47\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It has been established, I think, in the context of my questioning and certainly from World Bank and UN documents that the need is recognised internationally as now. The Minister has responded that it would be at some future time. I put it to you that the time is now, which is what I have tried to get across to the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236184e5c04b64e21a3b3e258fdaa9a07\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That point is certainly open to debate. The Minister adequately addressed the question that was asked by the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002298ffe14f3c7f401ab80c18e76dfc03be\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: Working on the assumption that the time is now, even if that is a debatable point, will his Government propose at the Pacific Islands Forum this year that a regional relocation plan be drawn up\u2014and if it is a contingency plan, so be it\u2014to address the needs of Pacific Island States and investigate the capacity of Australia, New Zealand, and other recipient countries to take displaced people from Pacific Island States?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252f995ace9f649b8bb01436f0b9d6ef8\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE\u003C/span\u003E: We will, of course, be continuing dialogue not just with the Pacific Island countries and not just at the Pacific Islands Forum but also with our Australian colleagues in relation to the issue that the member raises. It may be helpful for him to know that, I understand, the Refugee Council of Australia is proposing something similar at this point in time. We do not know yet whether that is something that the Australian Government will consider, but New Zealand and Australia have a close relationship on these matters and we continue to discuss them at the appropriate times.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225af77b373dae4609b180d601b2ed9b3b\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table three documents, if I may. The first is a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees document dated May 2011, headed \u201CClimate Change and the Risk of Statelessness; the Situation of Low-lying\u201D\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228eb9c0e5cfa845adaebb39207909df66\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Is that publicly available off the web?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225500db2959d04771a21d1f45ae91e3dd\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: It may be on the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is a UN document.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022030e1c8405104ca096ca0693227d9a36\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think it is relatively easy for members to access if they so want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a27501f640dc495fb08843ad496caa6b\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: The second is a speech by the President of Kiribati dated 27 February 2013 headed \u201CGlobal Collective Action Needed\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9b986c730564482b53b8e20ce4361bb\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is that readily available to members? I suspect it\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226c1058a76e3495c9883c307107ffabc\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: I do not believe it is readily available.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1df004ef7224ec6a49f6041dee64e82\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Let us put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular speech. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d34de262bcf74b1b910635a8f40f5b20\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: The final one is, in fact, an article responding to the Minister\u2019s point about Australia being urged to recognise\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a111d2d81122413fa32e457692e527c1\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: If it is an article, I take it to be press article?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022985865eafa894d8e8c46aeb19993bec1\u0022\u003EDr Kennedy Graham\u003C/span\u003E: It is a UK Guardian article.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b5528075f70b4315bc5180cb35c81736\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is available to members who want to seek it. It will not be tabled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227a6f4db99f2244d283dc554d2f859f0d\u0022\u003ETelecommunications Security\u2014Legislative Reform\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022 data-id=\u0022ede59dc8ea6a431ea4a5cadf60e2e953\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ede59dc8ea6a431ea4a5cadf60e2e953\u0022\u003EMARK MITCHELL (National\u2014Rodney)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: How is the Government ensuring telecommunications security legislation remains effective in a rapidly changing telecommunications environment?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u0022af5f203cd07f46d89ddac3b1ef924fac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022af5f203cd07f46d89ddac3b1ef924fac\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (Minister for Communications and Information Technology):\u003C/span\u003E Yesterday I announced plans to modernise the Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Act 2004. The proposed changes relate to obligations for telecommunications companies and have two parts, one focused on modernising the existing interception capability regime, and the second introducing a formal and transparent framework for network security. The interception changes will continue to require police or agencies to first obtain lawful authorisation to conduct surveillance, as they currently must, and do not in any way change the scope of what they are lawfully able to intercept. New Zealanders who understand the importance of cyber security know that it is essential that our regime keeps pace in a rapidly changing environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b1c11b02b9e40c2ab1f4d346bedd1f7\u0022\u003EMark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: Why are changes needed to interception capability and network security?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228bf86ea6a33f4f87acab72ab4b9b8e6c\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS\u003C/span\u003E: New Zealand\u2019s telecommunications market has changed significantly since the Act was passed in 2004. The changes proposed will make it easier for telecommunications companies to understand and comply with their existing interception capability obligations as these will be clearer and better targeted. Secondly, although our network security regime has worked to date on the basis where companies have worked cooperatively with the Government, the increasing importance of cyber-protection and the growing numbers of companies involved mean that it is now appropriate to move to a transparent and formalised regime.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fa7f691e8e7c480eac497bfe13bf0d6b\u0022\u003EChristchurch, Recovery\u2014Housing Availability\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022ae79348a964145df81b782bdfe72a94d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ae79348a964145df81b782bdfe72a94d\u0022\u003EPHIL TWYFORD (Labour\u2014Te Atat\u016B)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: Does he stand by the Prime Minister\u2019s statement that he\u2019s not \u201Cpromising that the Government\u2019s going to go and build a whole lot of houses\u201D, if so, how does he plan to resolve the rental housing crisis in Christchurch?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u00223e5b78620ec24fb49e18b74510d28cf7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223e5b78620ec24fb49e18b74510d28cf7\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E Housing in Christchurch is a challenge, but it is not a crisis. [Interruption] Well, average rents have gone up 10 percent, but are less than they are in either Auckland or Wellington. Housing New Zealand waiting lists for the highest need, A and B clients are currently 252\u2014fewer than there were prior to the earthquakes and actually half what there were under the previous Labour Government. I also notice that the numbers on the Christchurch City Council\u2019s waiting lists are fewer than they were prior to the earthquakes. We have over a dozen specific initiatives under way to address Christchurch\u2019s housing challenges, but these, as the Prime Minister said, do not include nationalising housing. The bulk of the new houses will be built by the private sector, as can be see by the massive increase in the number of building consents being issued in Christchurch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222150f92ff0794725a8509d61598a49f8\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: Given that response, why did he say recently that 40 new homes being constructed by the Government was \u201Cstepping up\u201D its Christchurch housing response; and does he really think that building 40 new homes amounts to \u201Cstepping up\u201D given that his own officials say that up to 7,400 Cantabrians are homeless?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229cb1bb6b7164690a613ce1c935870c9\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The first thing I find amusing, having been lectured for the last 4 months that as a South Island MP I should not be commenting on Auckland housing issues, is that Mr Twyford now thinks he is an expert\u2014and I am not sure why\u2014on Christchurch housing issues. I detect a double standard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022141d0b3cb6fb40858a17a891d26293de\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not threatening to legislate to override the Christchurch City Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3eb5873d6e342c2b12ba0e9e7df472b\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is not a point of order. Has the Minister finished his answer?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299e598d5d38e450b9321de1b8b5f1a0b\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government, as I announced last week, has settled with the insurance company. We are going to be spending over $1 billion on Housing New Zealand homes in that city. We have got temporary housing initiatives of the sort that have been commented on. We have established temporary accommodation services to assist with householders. It is a big challenge, but we are making great progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272f99348e0654d0bb2f605234bc2d472\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: What is he going to do to accommodate the people who will need to move out of the 80,000 homes that are yet to be repaired, the 15,000 to 20,000 construction workers expected over the next 2 years, and the 8,000 new homes needed to cope with population increase; and does he really think that 40 new homes is an adequate response to that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022908ba7f013674669b20b101e2fcca5df\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: I never said that the 40 new homes being built at Rangers Park were a complete solution. You need to see them alongside the other three villages that we have created for temporary accommodation. There are also the 5,000 State houses that we are fixing at pace. I note that the Labour Party opposes the settlement with the insurance company that will actually enable us to get on and fix those State houses. We have got a request for a proposal out right now in respect of worker accommodation. We have helped thousands of families with extra grants through the temporary accommodation assistance. There are over a dozen separate initiatives that this Government has given to assist in housing in Christchurch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222205bf1b5e0644d1a9f9ed3fed87386d\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: What does he say to the thousands of Cantabrians facing another winter sleeping in uninsulated sleepouts and sleeping in cars, and to families squashed into someone else\u2019s spare room or paying hundreds of dollars to live in a caravan; and does he really think that having 7,400 homeless people in Christchurch is a challenge and not a crisis?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b7df927d9d7c4f02bd2630fef30023e5\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: I noted the editorial in the Christchurch Press, which, in its analysis of the housing issues in Christchurch, said that it was challenging but not a crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f31714d19f841a0830984d55ddaa512\u0022\u003EPhil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister what he thought, not what the Christchurch Press thought.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220faf7a984d8a4898a852f8394fd790a2\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member asked two questions in his supplementary question. The Minister is now attempting to answer either one of those. He had hardly started his answer before the member got to his feet. Would the Minister please continue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eacaf2c8540f4848835f3fc40d414a51\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The consistent feedback I get from the people of Christchurch on housing issues in the days that I have been down there\u2014and they are many\u2014is that they are saying: \u201CThank God it\u2019s a National Government.\u201D, which is focused on the issue, rather than playing politics with their tragedy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022447a0deb23fa41c9b9d351ad7f450864\u0022\u003EBetter Public Services Targets\u2014Immunisation Health Report and Rates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022 data-id=\u002250f55157994e4fa0b7afb5298b553639\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002250f55157994e4fa0b7afb5298b553639\u0022\u003EDr JACKIE BLUE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: What reports has he received on the Government\u2019s better public service target for immunisation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u0022b93f88e1e96047118eb104503b62e371\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b93f88e1e96047118eb104503b62e371\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister of Health)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Health: Only 5 years ago New Zealand had one of the lowest immunisation rates in the developed world. Today I have seen reports that 17 district health boards have achieved the 85 percent immunisation target for 8-month-olds. This reflects the hard work of front-line immunisation teams. This means we have again exceeded the national health target for immunisation and are well on our way to achieving the 95 percent target by December 2014. This is a great achievement for the children of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f99bcf9e-1ad4-4ed4-9a97-1cccb5b1e11a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022086f7812f78544caa444502afb22abd8\u0022\u003EDr Jackie Blue\u003C/span\u003E: What will World Immunization Week initiatives contribute to achieving this national health target?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b88679fc15247319077f01fdd34eaf6\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW\u003C/span\u003E: Last night, in preparation for World Health Organization World Immunization Week, which begins next Monday, the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, launched the Immunisation Health Report here in Parliament in association with the Meningitis Foundation and Pfizer New Zealand. The report is designed to be a handy guide for parents and anyone interested in the immunisation of our children. Improving immunisation rates to reduce the exposure for the most vulnerable members of our population is a priority for this Government and requires a coordinated effort from the Government, parents, health professionals, and community organisations, and I would recommend this booklet to every member of this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002233958b2a01fe46b49f24473a98d628af\u0022\u003EPoints of Order\u2014Tabling of Documents\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022 data-id=\u0022b98b62b9293340f7895cacd2b7f3d609\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e959f20f-3de7-4f54-8577-8ea78d72c3dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b98b62b9293340f7895cacd2b7f3d609\u0022\u003EDAVID CLENDON (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wonder whether I could ask you, not at this time but over the next little while, to reflect on your ruling regarding my colleague\u2019s application to table a specific document. More generally, it seems that over the last few weeks\u2014we entirely understand, of course, that you do not want the House\u2019s time taken up tabling extracts from the New Zealand Herald, the Dominion Post, and so on\u2014it almost seems to be that if a document is available on the internet, it is deemed not able to be tabled. Just for your information, this United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees document, I have actually done quite an extensive search in the time I have had and I cannot locate that document. More generally, it is a very specific research paper. It is complex; it will add value to the comments that my colleague was making. I would just ask you to consider where the appropriate line is on that ruling you have made. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u00226f8d9e4c6a0846a785dca8827f92836c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226f8d9e4c6a0846a785dca8827f92836c\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I will certainly do that for the benefit of the member. The member might also like to look at quite a substantive ruling I gave in regard to the tabling of documents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00227346b499c5ed48f0942f73ee965cb633\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227346b499c5ed48f0942f73ee965cb633\u0022\u003EHon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. While you are examining that matter, could you also look at, and rule on, whether items that are beyond pay walls should be able to be tabled when they have been printed off. I think that there are an increasing number of media organisations that are putting material beyond pay walls. There are, obviously, a few questions of copyright, but I think members having access to that material through tabling would be good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022265417daeeb146b59ddc3da21f1b3483\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022265417daeeb146b59ddc3da21f1b3483\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I will certainly do that. I thank Mr Mallard for his point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220030d334364c4dd7b05142ceecbf1243\u0022\u003EDebate On Pacific Issues\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220d80e3136af6447ca14353503111c224\u0022\u003EDebate On Pacific Issues\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022 data-id=\u0022969c3cf3ae624a94af77ed3469cbefd7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022969c3cf3ae624a94af77ed3469cbefd7\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA (Minister for Pacific Island Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the House note the Pacific Parliamentary Forum being held this week at Parliament and that it acknowledge the needs and aspirations of all Pacific peoples, and the contribution New Zealand can make as an integral part of the Pacific region, to enhance its relationship with all Pacific people. We are joined today in the House by a number of special guests and delegates\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d83d77ac8f594133b38081fce7d8099e\u0022\u003EMr SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am sorry to interrupt the Minister, but we are joined today by a number of very important guests, so for those members who are leaving the Chamber, I ask them to do so as quietly as possible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d0600986e8047009265fe97fc1928a9\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA\u003C/span\u003E: We are joined today in the House by a number of special guests, the delegates attending the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. I would like to extend a very warm Aotearoa New Zealand welcome to each of them. In particular, I welcome the Pacific Ministers here with us today. With your busy schedules and various domestic pressures, it is a great honour for New Zealand to host you, as your cousins in the Pacific. I also acknowledge the other members of the delegation. You represent the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow. It is a privilege to have you here, and I look forward, together with all members of our Parliament, to meeting many of you over the coming days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E I would like to acknowledge the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee that in 2010 unanimously recommended to the House this interaction between our Pacific parliaments. I would like to congratulate my colleague John Hayes MP, as chair of the committee, on the work he has led to bring the original recommendation to fruition. To all those who have helped: ng\u0101 mihi nui. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues across the House who are of Pacific descent, and whose presence here adds richness not only to their respective parties and communities but to our Parliament as a whole. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EThe Pacific is a key priority for the National-led Government, as it has been for successive New Zealand Governments over many decades. We are a Pacific nation. First and foremost, we are united by the great ocean Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, which joins us, and that is central to our understanding of our history, culture, and world view. Culturally, New Zealand owes much to other Pacific nations. Around 7 percent of New Zealanders are of Pasifika origin. At the time of the 2006 census New Zealand\u2019s population included some 58,000 Cook Islanders, 22,500 Niueans, 6,900 Tokelauans, 131,000 Samoans, 50,000 Tongans, 9,900 Fijians, and 8,900 other Pacific peoples. In the case of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau, with whom we share particular constitutional relationships, the New Zealand - based populations are significantly higher than those based in their home countries. All of these Pacific peoples add to the social and economic fabric of this great country, and we are richer for their presence. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EThe many ties that link New Zealand across the Pacific make the fate of Pacific Island countries a matter of personal interest to many New Zealanders, not least because of the significant contributions that Pasifika people make, whether Pacific or New Zealand - born, to the strength of our economy, the dynamism of our communities, and the richness of our culture. Pacific Island nations have gifted us and pushed out boundaries in art, literature, dance, music, film, fashion; with experts in health, education, finance, and the economy; leaders and politicians at community, local, and central government; and, of course, sport in every arena. New Zealand\u2019s universities, hospitals, art galleries, Government agencies, schools, businesses, and Parliament have much to be thankful for in terms of the contributions made by our Pacific communities, all wrapped and delivered through language, identity, and culture, and long may it continue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EEconomically, our exports to Pacific Island countries total nearly $1 billion. The region, considered in its entirety, represents New Zealand\u2019s seventh-largest export market and twentieth-largest trading bloc. Trade with the region has grown more than 30 percent in the last 10 years, and our exports have grown by 50 percent. New Zealand industry is working hard to provide the goods and services the economies of the Pacific need. At the same time, demand in New Zealand for Pacific goods, and particularly Pacific agricultural products, is on the rise too. Imports in this sector have nearly doubled since 2000 and are expanding to include a greater range of quality products. Moving forward, Pacific engagement in PACER-Plus negotiations will strengthen economic relationships and enhance regional capacity for trade. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EThis Government has an absolute focus on, and commitment to, supporting Pacific countries and New Zealand\u2019s Pacific communities in achieving their developmental aspirations. Not only are we committed to working with our Pacific partners to achieve success, our results tell us we are making a real and meaningful difference in people\u2019s lives. The most readily visible demonstration of this Government\u2019s commitment to the Pacific is that we spend more than half of our annual overseas development budget, more than $250 million, in the Pacific. Every day, staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working alongside their Pacific counterparts to deliver programmes that will assist Pacific countries to improve their economic performance and support them to achieve sustainable economic growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EKey recent successes that serve as examples of the progress being achieved by our Government include renewable energy. The Pacific Energy Summit, held in Auckland last month, underlined the commitment New Zealand has made to working with the Pacific to assist in channelling international funding to areas of greatest need. Over 600 delegates attended the summit, including eight Prime Ministers, three Presidents, and 75 chief executive officers. A key outcome of the summit included securing donor commitments of $635 million to advance renewable energy projects across the Pacific. In addition to working with developed partners to secure and channel development assistance, New Zealand announced $65 million of funding to assist Pacific Islands to realise their renewable energy and energy-efficiency plans. Support was announced for the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EIn fisheries, the Pacific tuna stock represents the Pacific region\u2019s greatest shared resource. It continues to be a main source of income in the Pacific, contributing US$260 million to combined gross domestic product and providing over 13,000 jobs to Pacific Island people. During the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister Key announced New Zealand would invest additional funding into fisheries support programmes, bringing our total commitment over the next 4 years to $50 million. Our support is aimed at upgrading the Pacific\u2019s fisheries training institutions, fostering seafood business enterprise development, helping people in the industry gain formal, globally recognised qualifications, and upskilling fisheries officials in areas like international commerce and investment appraisal. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EThe Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme helps to address seasonal labour and skill shortages in the horticulture and viticulture industries that cannot be filled from the available New Zealand labour pool. For the last 3 years between 6,000 and 7,000 Recognised Seasonal Employer workers have arrived in New Zealand annually. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EBecause I am running out of time because there is so much to say, I want to quickly flip to the end of my prepared speech and talk about how important it is that this inaugural parliamentary and political leaders meeting is occurring. I want to touch briefly on the issue of democracy, a key theme of the upcoming Pacific Forum. One of the values we share with our Pacific neighbours is a commitment to parliamentary democracy. In the Pacific context, different States have devised their own ways to shape and scale the democratic model and style to suit their situation. New Zealand is proud to stand by our Pacific partners and actively support the functioning of democracy in the Pacific. New Zealand is and will remain a committed supporter of the Pacific\u2019s democratic traditions, and I have no doubt that we will remain ready to support Pacific countries as and when our assistance is requested. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EFinally, it would be unconscionable not to raise the issue of the low representation of Pacific women in their Parliaments. Just as ours in New Zealand has been the better for the strong participation by women members of Parliament, so too will be the parliaments of the Pacific Island nations. We should all work towards that goal. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EI would again like to thank our distinguished guests for their attendance at the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. We want you to know that we are committed to working with you as our Pacific partners to improve the lives of people throughout the Pacific. We are also committed to working to improve the lives of members of our Pacific community in New Zealand. The Government is mindful of New Zealand\u2019s place as a Pacific country. We are honouring that by working to build a brighter Pacific future in which all Pacific people can share. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022 data-id=\u002219360da6eab2441c9dc9cef6e44b35f6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002219360da6eab2441c9dc9cef6e44b35f6\u0022\u003EDAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition):\u003C/span\u003E Talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, taloha ni, bula vinaka. I could go on and on, because there are 22 different greetings that I could give today. I just want to say warm Pacific greetings to you all. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. I hope you are enjoying the Wellington weather. If you think this is bad, you should see it on a really bad day. This is my Wellington compatriot Grant Robertson here beside me. It is wonderful to have you here with us today. As I say, there are 70 different delegates from 22 different nations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EAotearoa New Zealand is a Pacific nation. It is geographically where we live. More than 20 percent of our population is Polynesian\u2014either M\u0101ori or Pacific migrants. They are descendants particularly from Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau, with which New Zealand has very close relationships. Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world. The gateway to Auckland is guarded by Su\u2019a William Sio, the member for M\u0101ngere, who says that he will be staying there for a long time. The gateway to Wellington is guarded by Kris Faafoi. If you are going through Mana, that is his patch. So two of our Pacific MPs guard the entrance to two of our biggest cities. Pacific nations are\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224fd9c981fae847fda73cd9a0a46695b7\u0022\u003EPeseta Sam Lotu-Iiga\u003C/span\u003E: What about us?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222fbe966a837945dd9a99396410f7169f\u0022\u003EDAVID SHEARER\u003C/span\u003E: And over there\u2014Sam, you are sort of in the middle. You pass through Sam\u2019s electorate when you are going somewhere else.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002270fa4cbd-9380-4916-9f2a-78da059d220e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226cfb817d695b49b789c222addd837a0f\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member must use the member\u2019s full name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226a835b0813346a89c68f7f4f70330c9\u0022\u003EDAVID SHEARER\u003C/span\u003E: The Pacific nations are our neighbours in the Pacific region, but they are also our neighbours in our streets\u2014and in my street, in particular\u2014so it is quite a unique relationship that we have. Pasifika people are overrepresented in our teams, particularly our rugby teams and our rugby league teams. One of the great problems about the emigration to Australia is that we are losing some of our best talent, which we would rather have here, and giving it to our Australian opponents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EAlthough much in our culture and heritage has come from our European ancestry and we are an increasingly multicultural country, Pacific influences have shaped the unique character of us as New Zealanders. We are part of the Pacific, and as a small country we look as a priority to making a contribution in the neighbourhood in which we live. We are committed to working with our neighbours to realise the vision set out by the Pacific Islands Forum leaders that our region should be one of peace, harmony, security, and economic prosperity. It makes sense for our elected representatives and leaders to come together to discuss the issues and challenges that confront our region, and to work together to enhance the lives of all our peoples. One outcome will be that we get to know each other better and develop habits of cooperating and collaborating on a much more regular basis. The Pacific Islands Forum, as you know, is now in its 40th year, and it provides an opportunity for Prime Ministers, leaders, and Foreign Ministers to get together for talks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EThis forum today is the initiative of our Parliament, and I recognise the role that has been played by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, by its chairperson, John Hayes, and by the other members of that team to bring together and enhance the cooperation between parliaments and between parliamentarians. Once again I say that it is a great pleasure and an honour to welcome you here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EDemocracy is a common feature in our region. We know that democracy is a fragile thing, and one of the goals of this conference is to discuss how we can make democracy and the effectiveness and responsiveness of our parliaments that much better. Democracy needs a free media. It needs an independent and strong judiciary. It needs institutions that guarantee and protect human rights. It requires openness and transparency. All of those things help to protect the rights of people. It also needs properly functioning political parties to help bring order, efficiency, and predictability to the way our political system operates. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EI hope you were not put off too much by our question time. That is what we call robustness of debate and holding the Government to account. It is going to be so much better when we are on that side of the House and we have to answer the questions, rather than on this side, where we have to ask them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002209a5b71a-ca7e-4e7c-9e09-f9e63f18aa12\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc4315665bde49a0b4bc3568f50f329c\u0022\u003EHon Annette King\u003C/span\u003E: It won\u2019t be long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226def5bb98aae4596bf54a92063e6ddb6\u0022\u003EDAVID SHEARER\u003C/span\u003E: It will not be long. We are counting down the days. I have got a calendar on my wall, and I am just ticking them off. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EGood governance, in turn, helps us to achieve economic development and the social services that people need in order to lead secure and fulfilling lives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003E The global financial crisis, as we know, revealed just how fragile the economies of many countries in our region actually are. Export levels and growth have fallen. Some countries have had to face real debt problems. We know others have vast natural resources, and yet others are less well-endowed. We need to focus on how we develop the strengths of our regions\u2014through fisheries, through our tropical agriculture, and through tourism\u2014and reduce the dependence on imported fossil fuels. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EWe also need to help build infrastructure and develop our human resources. We need to create decent transport and communication links. I, for one, would like to see better links around the Pacific so our relatives can get to family weddings and to funerals. I am actually reminded, as I say that, of The Laughing Samoans, whom many of you might know, who do travel around the Pacific every year. They make money out of making people laugh, which I have to say must be a great occupation. Some people say that politicians are a bit like that, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EEconomic development must be sustainable. It must benefit all of the people in a country, not just its elite. Most particularly, we know that our environment is fragile, and that our economic development must be environmentally sound. The Pacific is a beautiful region, but the reality is that the region is not as picture postcard - like underneath as it might seem. We have some real challenges, certainly socially and economically. We are well off-track with the UN Millennium Development Goals, for example. So there are big challenges, and we need to work together to try to resolve them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EIt is appropriate, therefore, that half of our development assistance is directed at the Pacific, something that actually was not the case for quite a long time until the Labour Government, and I am pleased that the National Government has continued the trend\u2014I mean that sincerely\u2014to focus assistance in that direction. But achieving better results for the Pacific also requires old and new donor nations to work together and support each other. It is important to work with not just countries like Australia, Japan, and the EU but also China, which is on-track to become the world\u2019s largest economy. We have to work cooperatively with all of those partners. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EFinally, there are other areas where New Zealand can continue to play a key role and support. In particular, what we call our Project Protector created significant new resources in our navy. We have a small but perfectly formed Defence Force, which actually is getting smaller by the day under this Government. Nevertheless, we have as part of those resources a multi-role vessel, and inshore and offshore patrol vessels, which can help with search and rescue, with fisheries protection, and with dealing with the impacts of natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis. Those assets were purchased with the primary focus being to work more positively in the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dfa851f0-ef7b-4834-bc41-1b3b645a3495\u0022\u003EThis conference is not about, obviously, telling Pacific countries what they want or what they should do. It is about working together as the neighbours that we are, learning together, and collaborating to find solutions to the problems and challenges that we face. I hope that the conference is not just a one-off event\u2014once again, I congratulate the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee for its foresight\u2014but rather is a first step in a parliamentary dialogue and decision-making process that can be expanded, and that can be, therefore, a foundation for further and ongoing parliamentary cooperation. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022 data-id=\u00226434fe98bacb4f64a11b3c0f483572d8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226434fe98bacb4f64a11b3c0f483572d8\u0022\u003EMETIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa ng\u0101 rangatira o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. Aotearoa New Zealand is still in the early stages of its identity as a 21st century Pacific nation. For M\u0101ori, of course\u2014ng\u0101 iwi M\u0101ori\u2014we are ng\u0101 uri o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa; we always have been, and we always will be. We are not Europe; we are the Pacific. But in more recent times since colonisation that identity, that sense of place and belonging, has been a bit of a struggle, and that identity struggle has meant that New Zealand\u2019s actions in the Pacific have been at times honourable and at times deeply wrong. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EOur honourable moments have included joining in the fight to stop French testing of nuclear bombs in Pacific waters, and a rapid and compassionate response to the natural disasters that afflict Pacific nations. Our questionable actions have included, for example, New Zealand\u2019s neglect on climate change, and to that end the Greens believe that New Zealand should increase our commitment to climate financing for the Pacific, and my colleague Kennedy Graham\u2014responsible for global affairs\u2014will address that issue later in the debate. Other questionable actions by New Zealand over the years include the dawn raids; the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act, which took away from Samoan citizens here their right to that citizenship; and, of course, the continuing poverty that is suffered by Pasifika children here in Aotearoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003ESo as we welcome representatives from our tu\u0101kana sovereign Pacific nations, we should reflect on how we as a nation treat their citizens in our own country. My priority, of course, is the well-being of New Zealand\u2019s children, from all cultures. It is with some shame that we reflect on the situation of Pasifika children living here. As a Pacific country, we have a blood obligation to our Pacific wh\u0101nau, and yet we have failed in that duty\u201440 percent of Pasifika children live in poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand. A similar percentage of young Pasifika are without work in Aotearoa New Zealand. We continue to harass and deport the parents of Pasifika children, who are themselves New Zealand citizens but their parents are not. We fail to ensure that the economy works to provide decent jobs at decent pay so that, for example, Jaine Ikurere, a Pasifika woman who cleans John Key\u2019s office here at Parliament, does not earn just above the minimum wage but has a living wage, which she can use to provide properly for her children and her grandchildren. This is what a decent country does, what a decent community does, for its wh\u0101nau. We are whanaunga to the Pacific iwi whom we welcome today, and we must express that whanaungatanga in all policy and decisions that we make as a Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003E The Greens have long advocated for human rights issues in the Pacific, and good governance as well, starting, of course, with Fiji. We are also particularly concerned with human rights abuses that result from the colonisation that has occurred in the Pacific and continues to occur in the Pacific. My colleague Catherine Delahunty has been very involved in the human rights issues concerning West Papua, and recently, along with others, supported the New Zealand tour of Benny Wenda, a West Papuan freedom fighter. Unfortunately, Benny Wenda was refused the courtesy of holding a meeting here in Parliament to talk to members of this Parliament about the human rights issues facing his people. These are the experiences that we as parliamentarians in Aotearoa need to understand. The first step to that understanding is being prepared to listen to Pacific peoples tell their stories to us face to face, kanohi ki te kanohi. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EThe Green Party urges our Government and all other Pacific Governments to provide leadership on the issue of West Papuan independence and human rights. This can be done by offering to mediate peace between Indonesia and West Papua leaders, and supporting West Papua becoming a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and of the Pacific Islands Forum. The State-sanctioned violence and human rights abuses against West Papuans requires all the Pacific neighbours to support an end to the ban against independent journalists reporting on West Papua and, of course, to have the courage of our convictions on the sad and sorry secret of the Pacific region. We are our brothers\u2019 and our sisters\u2019 keepers, after all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EThis is why the Greens have also been such strong advocates of gender balance and women\u2019s representation in Pacific parliaments, including our own. There is no better advocate for women than women themselves, who have lived the same lives as their constituents and understand both the needs and the strengths of women. To this end, we have worked with others to support Pacific women standing for election in many different Pacific countries. The gender balance in Pacific Island parliaments is certainly improving, but there is still a long way to go. Here, MMP has significantly increased the representation of M\u0101ori women as well as Pasifika women and other women of ethnicity. Structural changes to electoral systems are necessary to combat entrenched gender inequity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EOverall, the numbers of Pacific women MPs across the region are growing, and there are some strong strategies for continuing this trend. One option is to implement electoral quotas, so that members are elected by proportional representation. France, apparently, implemented a statutory requirement for parties to alternate candidates based on gender, and these zipper lists have contributed to a high number of women in the French Polynesian and New Caledonian parliaments. Another option could be reserve seats, and I understand Bougainville currently has those. Reserve seats can help change attitudes, increase acceptance of women in public leadership roles, and ensure that their voices are heard. There is currently a bill before the Samoan Parliament, I understand, that would guarantee that at least 10 percent of seats would be held by women. I will be very keen to see how this progresses, and whether we can offer any assistance to women in Samoa around this issue. Each nation will, of course, develop different systems to assist with gender balance in its Parliament, according to the way that it operates. We certainly look forward to working more closely with Pasifika women\u2019s organisations to help progress gender equity in Parliaments. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003ETe Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the ocean, sustains the Pacific. The Pacific\u2019s fisheries have been described as being as important to the region as oil is to the Middle East. New Zealand has a supporting role in the issues surrounding Pacific fisheries. There is significant worth in strengthening the management of Pacific fisheries in order to safeguard their value and maximise the economic and social benefits of fisheries to Pacific Island countries. One issue of particular relevance here is the conservation of tuna stocks and protection against overfishing\u2014although there are the eels, the \u201Ctuna\u201D, which also deserve to be protected and which have a life cycle that takes them from Aotearoa waters out to the Tonga Trench\u2014so tuna and \u201Ctuna\u201D. Sorry, that was a distraction\u2014my apologies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EOne issue of particular relevance here is the conservation of tuna stocks and the protection against overfishing. Tuna stocks in other parts of the world have been severely depleted by overfishing, and this serves as a cautionary tale, of course, for the Pacific, as we all know. The key Pacific tuna stocks are now approaching their sustainable limits. We must take action to maintain the productivity of this valuable resource. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention is the regional fisheries management organisation charged with the conservation and management of this highly migratory fish stock. Close cooperation between all the Pacific nations, including Aotearoa New Zealand, is necessary, so that we speak with a united and clear voice about the need to promote and conserve this resource. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fc8ab326-1806-41d3-8c41-cd58c95dcb45\u0022\u003EFinally, there are many issues for the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum to discuss, not least of which is how we in Aotearoa New Zealand intend to address our own attitude to the tu\u0101kana whom we welcome today. Aotearoa New Zealand is teina to the Pacific, to those in the Pacific who have been sovereign in their lands for centuries longer than the modern New Zealand has been around. Remembering this, we can demonstrate our respect to our tu\u0101kana, to our elders; re-establish our wh\u0101nau connection with them; and meet our obligations proudly as uri o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022123e90ae9fc14f878fef850e05a575fe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022123e90ae9fc14f878fef850e05a575fe\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa, and warm Pacific greetings. It is a privilege to welcome our esteemed guests to this significant event and meeting. It is hoped that by this we will strengthen New Zealand\u2019s relationship with the Pacific region and the countries and peoples within it. The populated Pacific region is extraordinarily large, encompassing about one quarter of the world\u2019s surface. The populations may be low, but they are high in resources. It is, after all, our backyard and our neighbourhood. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EYour presence here today is a timely reminder that one value we share as a region is a commitment to democratic values. It might be painful and difficult, but we do believe that we should elect the people who represent us. The record is not perfect and the failures stand out, but today provides us all with a chance to look past the failings, discuss what went wrong, and plan for the future. On behalf of New Zealand First\u2014that is the people\u2019s party, by the way, in this country\u2014and my colleague Asenati Lole-Taylor, welcome to you all and thank you for coming. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EThis region is one of rich culture, landscapes, and natural wealth. It is a region known for its striking artworks and its strong, proud people. It is a region of great potential. These resources held here hold the promise to generate adequate sources of income for the Pacific if they are handled right, whether that be in relation to agriculture, horticulture, tourism, or critical areas such as fishing and the fishing resource. Pacific countries and people in the Pacific realise and recognise this fact. In acting to secure their people a prosperous future in the 21st century, this region is fast becoming a platform for other small island States around the world to learn from. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EWe play an important role in the Pacific region. We have of late, I am very pleased to say, over the last 10 years, realised that we should be spending far more of our foreign aid in our area where we know the people than in far-flung areas where we have got no idea where it is going. I think we are probably all united on that. We have about 300,000 Pacific people in this country, and New Zealand needs to play its part to ensure that Pacific people receive the means to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. Aid should be seen as an investment. We recognise that our Pacific neighbours are proud people, and we recognise that aid is not a handout; it is a hand up. And above all, my party for one recognises that when dealing with the Pacific you are dealing with people who are in every way your equal, and many have been here for millennia. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EIt is in New Zealand\u2019s interest to see a flourishing Pacific region. We understand that poverty and social ills lead towards political and social unrest. We want a stable region that is prosperous, with strong trade links and a strong diffusion of ideas. If someone suggests to you that the aid thing is not quite right, remember the fact is that for every $10 that we export, $1 is coming back. The ratio, with regard to your people, is 10:1, and we have no trading relationship that has that percentage of benefit for this country as it is with the Pacific people. If we had that ratio around the rest of the world, we would be enormously rich, and we need to address that when we are explaining why aid is important in this part of the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EIn a geopolitical sense the Pacific region is fast becoming an area of competing influence, and it is a sense of disquiet that one has. This is due in part to the region\u2019s proximity to Asia, natural resources, and a number of votes in the United Nations. We all know how seductive it is to be taken down the main drag in China, with motorbikes all in front and motorbikes all behind, and treated like you are a god. But that reminds me of the old saying that new Caesars used to be told when they were appointed in the old Roman days. There was always a person deputed to run by their side and every now and again say: \u201CRemember, you\u2019re only a man\u2014remember, you\u2019re only a man.\u201D That seductive experience in the Pacific with Asia has to be carefully, carefully handled. Do not worry. I have got colleagues like that myself who get totally carried away when they go overseas and forget that their roots lie in their own country. Can I just say\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240eae0c07fce4a2ea68ce0930e6825cc\u0022\u003EJohn Hayes\u003C/span\u003E: What about a mirror?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287d74d489b4446a5a45ca55dd65582e4\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, no, no, no. I am a Pacific person. Our roots here go back a thousand years\u2014just in case any of you were not certain of that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EThe issues facing countries in the Pacific might be similar, whether they be climate change, the retention of resources, or pollution and environmental degradation. It is up to New Zealand to ensure that we undertake aid assistance and that development does not come at the expense of local people, customs, and culture. There is a Pacific way, and it is not wrong. It should be defended. One of those things about the Pacific way is that their institutions need to be recognised. I have always, for example, believed in the Great Council of Chiefs in Fiji. They should not be set aside. They should not be, as any wise nation would understand, and that goes for the rest of the Solomons, Vanuatu, and other places where there is a chiefly role that the people do respect, and we should seek to modernise our constitutional approach to understand that. We must look to uphold and respect the cultural as well as the political boundaries of our neighbours. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EThere is just one thing I want to say, and that is this: there is a need all over the world, and that is including in New Zealand, for politicians to be seen to be accountable and transparent. No one is immune from this. I can remember being offshore with a foreign Minister\u2014I will not say of which country, but it was in the Solomon Islands. He was berating the local administration. I said to him: \u201CLook, I don\u2019t want to be in the same room if you\u2019ve forgotten your own history. Don\u2019t you remember the State Bank of South Australia, Rothwells Bank, or that three Premiers in Western Australia got done over under WA Inc.? Do not preach to these people who know about your history. And I don\u2019t want to be in the room, representing my country, when you do that.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EBack to my point, we need to understand that accountability and transparency are in everyone\u2019s interests. I know that there is a Pacific feeling, because it is very endemic in M\u0101oridom too. It goes like this: if you cannot help your own, then who can you help? And that is the seed of so much nepotism and corruption, but it is a very, very understandable cultural phenomenon that we have to, in the interests of the people who represent us, fight against. It is extraordinarily difficult, because your people expect you to have some understanding of the saying \u201CBlood is thicker than water\u201D, but, that said, it is Government and it is an issue of privilege, and we need to strive against it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EI want to say that increased dialogue between our countries is of benefit to all. Two of us were recently at an Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees meeting in Australia last week. We found it enormously beneficial that Pacific countries were there and some African countries were there, but many of us from Australia and New Zealand had plenty to learn ourselves. Gathering with representatives from across the Pacific not only allows for the bettering of relationships and the sharing of ideas but it also allows for greater scrutiny of how we are progressing together. For my part, the New Zealand First Party seriously believes in the Pacific relationship. We believe that is a special relationship with a capital \u201CS\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EWhile you are here, you are going to meet all your relations, and many are going to say to you \u201CWhich party should we vote for?\u201D. I suggest you say to them: \u201CWell, first of all, get on the roll, and then vote for the one party that understands Pacific people\u2014that party being New Zealand First.\u201D And I can promise you, without any fear of contradiction, that if you all do that, we will all be better off very soon. Kia ora t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022 data-id=\u00221f664d0e81134285ae9620404678a5fb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221f664d0e81134285ae9620404678a5fb\u0022\u003EJOHN HAYES (National\u2014Wairarapa):\u003C/span\u003E I know that Pacific people will judge people by their actions, not their talk. Some years ago I was standing close to a chain mesh fence at about 10,000 feet in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The fence separated people on the outside, who had lived as hunters, gatherers, and gardeners for more than 5,000 years on that spot. Inside the fence there were fly-in, fly-out foreigners developing the Porgera Gold Mine, a mine that cost $300 million to develop and in the first 12 months had generated $380 million of income. On one side of the fence were men, local men, clad in bilums and \u201Carse grass\u201D. Miners inside the fence were keeping the peace, posting 2 kina notes through the holes in the chain mesh. A miner who had been murdered a week before had caught it on the wrong side of the fence. I overheard the villagers asking the miners who had given them permission to sit on their land. \u201CThe Government in Port Moresby.\u201D, a miner replied. \u201CWanem disella Govmen e stap long Moresby?\u201D\u2014\u201CWhat is this Government in Port Moresby?\u201D That was quite a fair question in a very remote part of Papua New Guinea without schools, health centres, electricity, and, in fact, no sign of any Government at all. I could easily understand why the villagers in this remote setting had no concept of what Papua New Guinea\u2019s Parliament was at that time. I am sure things have changed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EIn Honiara, at 2 o\u2019clock in the morning, I was involved in extracting a former student of Victoria University, Prime Minister Bart Ulufa\u2019alu, from his office in Parliament, where he was being held by Malaitans wanting to overthrow his Government. We nervously drove him to the house of an expatriate priest for safe keeping, so that at least he could get a decent night\u2019s sleep and a shower. I was astonished a couple of days later in a meeting with the overthrowers to be given a faxed letter from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association commending the actions of the MPs involved in the situation. That was the beginning of the conflict that saw the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) intervention, consuming millions of dollars that might otherwise have been used for core services, which those who elected politicians expected Parliament to provide. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EThe underlying dispute between the people of Malaita and Guadalcanal is land. It continues to simmer. Solomon Islanders picking apples in my village of Greytown tell me that the conflict will erupt again as soon as RAMSI departs, and that will not help anybody. Land ownership was central to the problem on Bougainville. It took 10 years to resolve, but it took us 8 years to learn that we needed to stop trying to take responsibility for others\u2019 problems and to instead support communities to take responsibility for resolving their own disputes. Although rarely acknowledged, M\u0101ori process was critical to the resolution of the issue between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. That took place mainly on Matakana Island. The people of the Solomon Islands may yet find those lessons learnt in Bougainville to be useful. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003ECohesion across the Pacific Islands Forum members has loosened since leaders around that time of decolonisation\u2014the great t\u014Dtara trees Ratu Mara, Albert Henry, Michael Somare, Robert Rex, Bob Hawke, and Hammer DeRoburt\u2014worked together to unite the region. Since their time we have, perhaps unwittingly, devolved leaderships to public servants. I think of last year\u2019s Forum Economic Ministers\u2019 Meeting, which I went to. There were about 10 Ministers there, with at least 70 officials in attendance. The officials spent 2 days before we arrived, and the whole time we were there, meeting and constructing an 84-paragraph communiqu\u00E9, which no one has read since. That is not leadership. I hope that any record of this meeting will be no longer than two sides of one A4 page. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003ETime pressures and fast planes have reduced the time that leaders spend together, reducing their engagement with each other. We do not know each other as well as we used to. This meeting is trying to help overcome this sort of problem with the next generation of leaders sitting in our gallery. This meeting, I hope, will help us to get to know each other much better, because it is much easier to work with people you know and understand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003ERecent months have seen the emergence of new entities like the Melanesian spearhead group based in Vanuatu, the Micronesian leaders\u2019 forum based in Guam, and the beginning of a Polynesian leaders\u2019 group coalescing around Samoa. Participants from 22 countries were invited to this forum. Never before has this Parliament House seen the sort of group we have in it today. Never in the history of our region have so many politicians and leaders gathered under one roof in the Pacific to meet, share ideas, and get to know one another. My committee, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, hopes that this gathering will rejuvenate our ability to work together as brothers and sisters bound together by our great Pacific Ocean. We hope that working more closely together will help our region to work more collaboratively for the betterment of those we represent. The ocean that touches all of your shores encircles our country too. Irrespective of our language or our culture, we are all Pacific people in this House today. The future well-being of your community is tied to mine. We are joined together like a plaited rope. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EMeetings like this do not happen by accident, and a huge number of people have worked for this outcome. My one-time boss and hugely supportive friend Mike Moore championed the idea of a Pacific leadership congress in his book A Pacific Parliament. We would not be gathered here without the support of Prime Minister Key. I bring greetings from our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, and I want to thank him because it was his involvement and support that provided the help for us to be here today. He has asked me to convey his greetings to you from Africa, where he is on a 2-week assignment lobbying hard for New Zealand\u2019s bid for the seat on the United Nations Security Council. I have to say to the House that we actually had one hell of an argument before he took off because he really wanted to be here, but we could not slot this meeting in between the energy conference and other things going on in the region. So in the finish he lost, and I am grateful to him for doing that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EI want to thank David Carter, our Speaker; Mary Harris, Clerk of the Parliament; and Lesley Ferguson and her team for the huge support. And thank you to each one of our parliamentary colleagues for the support you have extended. Of course, none of us would be here without my girls: Emily Taylforth and Morag Santini. They have worked huge hours. They are just magnificent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EIt is New Zealand\u2019s responsibility to work collaboratively with each of you as neighbours and friends. Understanding each other and working together is essential to the growth and development of the communities we represent. Any instability in our neighbourhood has consequences for us all. Stable and affordable governance is an essential precondition for economic growth. New Zealand is smaller than Sydney, and Sydney does not maintain an army, a navy, an air force, and 50 diplomatic officers offshore. We all struggle to maintain an affordable Government. The bigger it is, the more constraints there are on those who are in our business sector creating jobs. Keeping bureaucracy at a size our communities can afford is critical to sustainable growth and creating jobs for our young people. Our geography dictates a high level of interdependence logistically and economically in this region. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EFinally, I would like to welcome especially our friends from the North-west Pacific\u2014Guam, Palau, the Marshalls, American Samoa, the Marianas, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Pacific people contribute to New Zealand at every level\u2014in our universities, in our Parliament, in our factories, and in our Government departments. We are a South Pacific nation. This is deep in our DNA. New Zealand politicians no longer visit the Pacific only on the way to London. Our strategic ambitions are transparent. We want to see the island countries of the North-west Pacific integrated into the institutions of the South Pacific, because it makes sense and because it makes us stronger. That is why our Minister of Foreign Affairs made great efforts to encourage you all to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum, the premier political meeting in our region. That is why our Minister has visited the Marshall Islands, which will host the next forum. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ae94eea7-ba5f-4303-bf71-49e708bc9888\u0022\u003EWe have common problems. We can, therefore, have common solutions. This is what this historic assembly is about. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022 data-id=\u0022aef9fc00ae124540a095d3fe0a74d3ee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aef9fc00ae124540a095d3fe0a74d3ee\u0022\u003EHon PHIL GOFF (Labour\u2014Mt Roskill):\u003C/span\u003E To the delegates who are gathered here, from more than 18 countries across the Pacific, a warm welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand. The waters of the Pacific lap the shores of all of our countries and bring together our peoples from diverse ethnicities, cultures, and languages. All of us, with the exception of maybe the big island to the west of New Zealand, are small island States facing the challenges of remoteness and a lack of economies of scale. We know that we can better meet those challenges working together rather than as separate countries, and that is why we are gathered here this weekend to look at those challenges, to work together, to learn from each other, to talk together, and to find solutions that will make life better for all of the peoples of the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EOur countries share not only our Pacific location but also the bonds of history, of culture, of family, and of trade. You have already heard that this country was first shaped by people from the Pacific a millennium ago\u2014the tangata whenua of this country, the M\u0101ori people. Then it was shaped by the Europeans, from whom we gained many of our institutions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EWe are being influenced today by other diverse ethnicities from Asia, but I want to pay particular tribute to those who came to our country from the Pacific 50 and 60 years ago and ever since, because it is the migration from the Pacific that has helped shaped the identity that we have as New Zealanders, which is different from other countries from which we draw our heritage. I want to thank the peoples of the Pacific for the hard work that they put into building our country and our economy, and for the huge contribution that they make on the sporting fields of New Zealand and to the culture of this country that enriches us and makes us stronger. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EThe Pacific is the area where New Zealand, as a small country, can make the greatest difference, and where we can make the greatest contribution. That is why I am pleased that well over half of the development assistance that we can provide goes directly to the Pacific. But there are other things that we can do, as well. One of the initiatives that we worked on when I was in Government was the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, a scheme that is of real benefit to New Zealand but also to the people from your countries because it provides work and it provides resources that they can take back to their families and their communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EBut there are other things, as well, and I want to pay special tribute to our Defence Force and our police force. In both of those forces, we see the marked influence of M\u0101ori members and Pasifika members. Those forces have helped at times of natural disasters, such as the tsunami and the cyclones. They have helped to protect our resources, the fishery resources\u2014and I say \u201Cour\u201D, meaning the resources of the Pacific\u2014from those from other countries who would plunder it. They have helped in search and rescue, and I want to pay particular credit to them for the work that they have done in places like the Solomons and in Tonga, and in Timor-Leste\u2014if I class that as part of the Pacific\u2014in peacekeeping. The particular tribute I pay to our forces is that they regard themselves as equals with the people where they serve overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003E I want to make another special tribute, and that is to the defence force that we used, as a Government, from the 1970s to run our flag up and protest against the people from the United States, from Britain, from France, and elsewhere who tested their dirty nuclear weapons in our Pacific Ocean. We have fought together, alongside each other, as Pacific nations to bring a Pacific that is finally free of nuclear weapon testing but, sadly, not free of the consequences, the pollution, that those things caused. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EThe Pacific faces huge challenges\u2014economically, socially, environmentally, and politically. But we should not be daunted by our problems; we should be inspired and motivated by what we can make of the Pacific, as the most beautiful region in the world. In 2011 when the forum leaders met in Auckland, they talked about their vision for the Pacific\u2014the Pacific as a region of peace and harmony, security, and economic prosperity, the Pacific where people could lead free and worthwhile lives, a place where we could celebrate together our diversity, and value the cultures, the traditions, and the religious beliefs of all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EThe forum sets some ambitions for us in the Pacific, that we should become a region respected for the quality of our governance, where we should be respected for the sustainable management of our resources and our environment, where we should fully observe democratic values and be respected for the defence and promotion of human rights. We fall short of that vision, but we should be inspired and we should be motivated in the days ahead to work out ways to make that vision the reality for our place in the Pacific, to create an environment that is sound and sustainable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003ETwo of the areas where we have the greatest comparative advantage are in fisheries and in tourism. Both rely on the proper management of our environment. I am also conscious that it is the small islands of the Pacific that do little to cause the problem of global warming but, as countries, will be the first victims of that process. I have been in Tuvalu and I have been in the Marshall Islands where the leaders of those countries have said to me \u201CFrankly, our people could become the first environmental refugees in the world.\u201D It is beholden on countries like New Zealand and Australia to not oppose the stand that the Pacific takes to stop the process of global warming but to get alongside the Pacific to work with and support the Pacific in those objectives. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EI want to talk also about development in the Pacific that benefits not simply the elite but all of the people. Our goal in development assistance as a Government was to eliminate poverty. It covered many areas. The Government today talks about sustainable economic development. That is an important goal, but it is not the only goal, and we need to ensure that in the process of supporting sustainable economic development, the benefits of that development go to the people as a whole and not simply to those who already control wealth and power. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EI want to talk about trading relationships, because I have worked on deals for the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement and the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, and I want to make this commitment. They are trading arrangements that must work for mutual benefit and must also address the huge imbalances in trade between our countries. We must give back to the Pacific, because we take so much from it in terms of trade. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EI want to talk, finally, about the role that strong democracy and good governance can play. We need not necessarily a Westminster model\u2014that might not be the particular model of democracy for the Pacific. It may be something that embeds better in your local culture and traditions. But whatever model is used, the basic foundation stones of democracy must be supported and enhanced\u2014openness and transparency\u2014because that is how you deal with the problems of corruption. We need honesty. We need integrity. We do not need self-serving corruption. We need a free media in every one of our countries\u2014not media subject to censorship. We need the rule of law\u2014where no New Zealander and no person in the Pacific is above the law. In our country a Prime Minister was taken to task for speeding in a police convoy. Many people in the world regard that as odd, but it was a sign that New Zealanders say that everybody is under the law regardless of the circumstances. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EWe also need to acknowledge the role of political parties not set out in constitutions, which is that they are the glue that holds the system together to make it work properly, and also the legitimate role of opposition. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c699e7c6-53b9-470c-a14a-378cb6fc8a04\u0022\u003EThere is much that we will talk about in the coming days. Once again, welcome to our country. It is good to have you here. You are our closest friends and we look forward to working together with you. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022 data-id=\u00221f4dff357d5e43a1afdbf29ce4acacb7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221f4dff357d5e43a1afdbf29ce4acacb7\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Fa\u2018afetai lava. Fakauelahi. Meitaki maata. Fa\u2018atalofa atu, malo le soifua ma le lagi e mama I le pa\u2018ia ma le mamalu o le maota fono aemaise le au-vala\u2018aulia. Kia orana. Ia orana. Talofa koutou. Taloha ni. Malo ni. Fakaalofa lahi atu. Kam na Mauri. Alo. Halo ola keta. Kia ora t\u0101tou katoa. And, of course, warm Pacific greetings. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003ELife is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool\u2014and there are many of them in some parts of the House\u2014a comedy for the rich, and a tragedy for the poor, who are struggling with the unemployment rates in our country right now. It is wonderful to have our families, our friends, and our people from the Pacific here today. Afio mai, maliu mai, welcome.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E Let me start by saying that parliamentarians in the Pacific region must ensure that their policy machinery is going to benefit the local communities\u2014the ones who matter, the people. The Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum, which New Zealand is hosting this weekend, is a perfect platform for us to exchange experiences and learn from each other. It is also a chance where we can exchange expert knowledge that will assist in eliminating barriers that continue to prevent leadership in the Pacific region from making progress. Good leadership, governance, and democracy are essential for enabling people to live enjoyable lives in the Pacific. There is a need\u2014not a want\u2014to emphasise the importance of participative democracy and how this will contribute to the strengthening of our economic, social, and political development. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003ERegional development, benefiting from the Pacific plan and strategies, will require a more inclusive network that is well informed and open to different viewpoints that traditionally might have been ignored. There needs to be a shift in our mentality from leadership that is biased and tainted by exclusionary norms. Civil society has a vital role to play in ensuring that political leadership and credibility are held accountable for the policies and strategies that are put in place. People in local communities need to be kept in the know and also afforded the platform to engage in dialogue and discussions on matters that affect them. The Pacific plan is everyone\u2019s business and it is paramount that all stakeholders concerned\u2014that is, all of us\u2014are able to voice their concerns and add more value and weight to the issues that directly affect them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003EAs people of the Pacific we realise that our mistrust of the future makes it hard to give up the past. As Pacific people, history has taught us many lessons that we will not forget. In some respects we have been more fortunate than others. Many Pacific Islands were colonised in a time when the \u201Cgreat powers\u201D realised that they had a responsibility not only to take but also to give back. I look at my own country of origin and the periods of colonisation, firstly, under Germany, and then under the New Zealand administration. Inevitably, these administrations brought misery and hardship to many Samoans. However, they also brought infrastructure, roads, schools, power, hospitals, transportation, telecommunication, trade, and more. It enabled many of our people to step into the global village with some confidence, as our forefathers looked beyond the shores of our many islands, as they saw at that time an opportunity to better themselves and their children. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003EMost Pacific people understand that their special relationships with both New Zealand and Australia are something that should be valued and maintained. We have seen the economic expansion and influence of our Asian neighbours. We can only look on in awe in recent years as these economic giants spread their hands across the Pacific. Successive New Zealand Governments are beginning to understand that they can no longer take their nearest neighbours for granted if we are to maintain our unique strategic, economic, and cultural ties. I fully understand why France and the United States take their Pacific protectorates very, very seriously. In a modern world the islands of the Pacific have a unique opportunity to supply not only, as in the past, New Zealand and Australia with the labour force, but also a nearby warm and welcoming holiday destination. Our Pacific neighbours are in a special position that gives the opportunity to take the best of the West and the East and maintain the unique friendships and relationships that have developed over many years. If New Zealand fails to recognise and support the importance of their position in our world, then we undoubtedly lose much of the unique character that makes our New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours a special, unique, place in our global village. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003EOne of the main issues that is confronting the Pacific region is equality. Participative democracy and women go hand in hand with governance, and, given that I am the only Pacific Island woman in Parliament this term and also the first woman MP born outside of New Zealand, I think I have every right to advocate for this particular topic to be discussed in this House. [Interruption] I hear that Michael Woodward would like to correct something that I have said.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a2671797d1545dbbe4a7bda65dd6a3f\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, my name: Woodhouse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b8ecdae31814809a46df2d0219057ef\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR\u003C/span\u003E: Woodhouse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293658f7431e0446d83bd79ca50e29833\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: But, also, Melissa Lee was born outside New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d00171bbb3d741c2acf9d4d71b751df6\u0022\u003ELe\u2019aufa\u2019amulia ASENATI LOLE-TAYLOR\u003C/span\u003E: I happen to be referring to the Pacific, Michael Woodhouse. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293e842da-b06b-4f08-88ce-cb568739e1b1\u0022\u003EIt allows the process of democracy to fully capture a nation\u2019s development needs and solutions to these needs. For years now women have been left firmly at the margins and have been excluded from sitting in on decision-making processes. Or, if they are, they have little room to manoeuvre themselves because political authority is still very much a man\u2019s world. We fail to realise that women make up half of the Pacific population. This is why their perspective and active participation is essential for good governance and for the process of democracy. Collectively, women make up 12 percent of the parliamentary seats in the Pacific Islands, and if we exclude the French territories, that figure would fall to a mere 5 percent. New Zealand has a responsibility to play a role in this area, although it does not help that there are budget cuts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the moment. Participation should be viewed as a measure by which we can assess good governance. This will ensure that the process of democracy is not tainted and that political credibility is, in fact, credible. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022 data-id=\u002290866fd94fe1436999498de04593c954\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002290866fd94fe1436999498de04593c954\u0022\u003EALFRED NGARO (National):\u003C/span\u003E Kia orana tatou katoatoa e te aroa matua o te atua matou. Greetings to everyone here. Kia orana tatou katoatoa te moana nui a kiwa. Greetings to all our Pasifika visitors and guests who are here today. You have travelled from far away to be with us at this inaugural parliamentary forum and to listen to and observe this historic debate of 3 hours. It is the first one that has ever been held in the House to discuss our Pacific issues. Not only is it historic but your presence here is historic, as well. So we do look forward to the next 3 days and spending time to debate and to discuss important issues, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI want to just reflect on a story that I once heard. There was a young Pasifika man and a young European man\u2014a Palagi, a Papa\u2019a\u2014and together they were friends. They decided to go off, and they wanted to go camping. So they went camping. They did not have a tent, but what they did have was a blue tarpaulin from The Warehouse. So they put the blue tarpaulin up over the top. They put this tarpaulin up and said: \u201CThat will be our tent.\u201D They went out and they played for some time, and eventually they stopped and had something to eat. They had some povi masima, some corned beef, which is very healthy for you. They had some kalo and then had some breadfruit. They sat and they ate, and they told all the stories about how their parents would be really annoyed that they had spent this night out in the tent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EAnyway, they went to sleep, and in the middle of the night, the Palagi\u2014the young Papa\u2019a man\u2014sort of motioned to the young Pasifika man and he said: \u201CHey, hey, hey, get up.\u201D The young Pasifika man said: \u201CWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201D, and the young Palagi man said: \u201CLook up. Look up, and what do you see?\u201D. Then the young Pasifika man said: \u201CWhat do you mean?\u201D, and the Palagi said: \u201CWell, what I see when I look up is that I think about astrological. That means that I learnt at school about the wonderful things about the stars and the Milky Way, and isn\u2019t it wonderful?\u201D. And the Pasifika man said: \u201CWhen I look up I think about astronomical, as well\u201D\u2014oh, I have got them mixed up, actually. Astrological is about magazines and reading about your horoscopes, and astronomical is about the Milky Way and the stars. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThen the young Pasifika man wanted to say something, but that is not all because the Palagi boy was on a roll, you see. He was bright; he was intelligent. He said: \u201CI think about theological, and I think about when we went to church and they taught us about how God had created this wonderful universe and this world.\u201D Then he said: \u201CBut that\u2019s not all. I think about meteorological, and I think about the fact that I look up and I see those stars, and their movement is telling me that tomorrow is going to be a fine day.\u201D With that he had finished. Then he motioned to his young Pasifika friend and he said: \u201CSo what do you see when you look up?\u201D. The young Pasifika man looked up and looked to his Palagi friend and said: \u201CSomeone stole our tent.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EHere is a very simple analogy and a very interesting story. In other words, you can have a world of intelligence, you can have development, you can have economic, social, and cultural development, but at the same time too, if we are not careful, we can miss the very thing that is important to us. So can I encourage all of us, both the politicians here and the political leaders who are here today, to sometimes stop for a moment to look up and see and have a little common sense. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThat is what the debates over the next 2 to 3 days are actually going to be about. You see, we can be intelligent, we can have research, we can have evidence\u2014and those things are absolutely important\u2014but you and I know that in the communities that we live in, whether here in Aotearoa New Zealand or back home in your communities, sometimes the issues are actually about having some common sense. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI believe that what our communities are looking for is leaders who have a little common sense and who speak in a language that they understand, that they can connect with, and with whom they can communicate back to you and me. That is what they are looking for and that is the confidence that they are asking for in us, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI want to add a simple little story about taxi drivers. Taxis are wonderful things\u2014we politicians over here in New Zealand travel in taxis all the time. I was travelling over to Wellington Airport on my way up to the promised land of Auckland, and, as I was doing that, I had a conversation with the taxi driver, and this is what he said. He said to me: \u201CSo how\u2019s it been going? Going well?\u201D. I said: \u201CThere are some difficult issues in New Zealand that we are having to deal with.\u201D He was an Englishman, and he simply said this to me: \u201CDo you guys realise that you are just a pimple on the backside of the world?\u201D. I said: \u201CWhat! What do you mean, a pimple on the backside\u2014how long have you been here?\u201D, and I ardently advocated and spoke very strongly about how wonderful New Zealand is. After about 5 minutes he then said: \u201CSorry, sorry, I stand corrected. You are a very nice pimple on the backside of the world.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EIt is really interesting, because in one sense, even though this was a funny sort of story, there was some truth, in a sense, about the size and scale of who we are and to whom we belong. See, in one sense, to the bigger parts of the world we are simply smaller than the rest of the other parts of the world. Why would anyone be interested in who we are or in what we have to contribute? That is a very interesting question we need to ask, but at the same time too, they are still knocking on our doors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI wanted to say that, because I think that is one of the things that we have to contend with in our discussions and in our debate. Despite the size and the scale of who we are, we have to ask the question: what is our point of difference that we have to offer, both here in New Zealand and also out in the region? When we know what our point of difference is, then that is what we take to the bargaining table of trade agreements and of economic development out there in the rest of the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EYou see, the old man who was interviewed by a reporter was asked this: \u201CYou come from the smallest nation in the world?\u201D, and his reply was this: \u201CNo, sir, I come from the biggest ocean in the world.\u201D What a confident reply, only because of this: he knew who he was. He knew what he was contributing and he knew where he came from. Can I say to us and to our Pasifika people that we have to absolutely know not only who we are and to whom we belong but also what it is that we contribute to the rest of the world. We need to be confident\u2014as the old man said: \u201CI come from the biggest ocean in the world.\u201D Why? Because there was once a history that was told about us that said that we were idle navigators\u2014we were the people who somehow idled around the world and found these little islands in the vastness of the Pacific\u2014and yet that has now been proven to be wrong in that we were conscious, we were confident, and we were capable travellers and navigators of the whole of the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E We were navigators for the rest of the world. We inhabited the very islands that people had written about. So when the people from Europe, when the people from England, and the people from other places came, whom did they find? They found Polynesian Pasifika people inhabiting those islands with a civilisation and with the confidence of who they were and what they could contribute. We need to have that confidence. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ECan I say to us this: we are political navigators. Our people and our community need us. They need us to be conscious of the currents of the world that are around us. We need to know what political opinion is around, but at the same time too we need to know the mood of our people. How well do we know our communities? How well do we connect with our people? You see, it is very easy for us in a position of power and of influence to sometimes be in a place of an ivory tower. In other words, we can become disconnected\u2014we can become disconnected. So these are the things that are absolutely important to who we are as leaders and as political navigators. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThat is the task that you have. That is the task that I have. You and I are similar in a number of senses. I am a new MP. I am the first Kiwi of Cook Island descent to be here in this New Zealand Parliament. I am only here today because I had my grandmother and I had my family and the people around me who supported me to be here. Because of that I have a sense of accountability and responsibility back to them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EToday I do not want to talk rhetoric about the amount of contribution that we have to make, because others will talk about that. I want to make a passionate plea to you who are here today, and to me, for this one thing\u2014we will debate for 3 days about the issues. For the first time we are doing this. We are stopping and we are saying this is our space. Sometimes we need the Palagis and the Papa\u2019as to be outside the room. No, they will not be, because they will actually be inside here with us, but sometimes we need to have the outsiders out of the room. And here is the reason why. It is because we need to discuss our issues. What we also need to say is this: what are we going to take responsibility for? Yes, we have had aid for many years. Yes, we have had people supporting our development, but when are we going to take responsibility? When are we going to find our own sustainability? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThere comes a time when we need to say, both domestically here in New Zealand and to our own Pasifika communities, that we are outraged when people use our communities to stroke a charitable ego and when they refer to the poverty of our nations. We came here. Our people know what poverty smells like, tastes like, and they have lived it. But, guess what? We do not see it as poverty. Let us turn what other people see as a negative into a positive about what we have as a people. We have so much to contribute to this nation. We have so much to contribute in our passion. We are more than just sporting people. We are more than just performers and dancers on a stage. We have intelligence. Let us call back the intelligence that comes from the navigators of the past. Let us stand confidently and contribute not only to New Zealand but to the Pacific and to whoever else comes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI am proud to be in this place today to speak to the leaders that are here today and to our Pasifika community. We have a pride of place in this country, in this region, and today is our day. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022 data-id=\u0022aabb49b7e21a4bc68b826871b6bc33cd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aabb49b7e21a4bc68b826871b6bc33cd\u0022\u003ESu\u2019a WILLIAM SIO (Labour\u2014M\u0101ngere):\u003C/span\u003E May I quickly acknowledge our many distinguished visitors, parliamentarians, and political leaders of the South Pacific Island countries who are present today. Ou te fa\u2018apoipoi lili\u2018a fa\u2018aalofisa o tupu nai le Malae o Vavau ma o\u2018u fa\u2018atulouna le paia maualuga ua aofaga potopoto, tulou, tulou, tulouna ia.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the participants from American Samoa, Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Welcome, once again, to all the participants from these countries to New Zealand\u2019s House of Representatives. I feel that this is a momentous occasion, especially for those of us in this Parliament who have strong Pacific Island links back to the homeland, and there are also members of Parliament here who represent pockets of the Pacific community who live here in Aotearoa New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EIt feels, with the presence of so many from the Pacific Island nations, that, truly, the Pacific is in the House. Who would have thought that such a thing would be possible when our Pacific parents, some of the first arrivals, came to New Zealand all those years ago? Who would have thought that for the first time in the history of our nations, such a diverse group of political leaders from the Pacific outside the Pacific Island Forum would sit shoulder to shoulder with New Zealand members of Parliament? It will be the first time that such a large and diverse group of foreign parliamentarians will have the opportunity, as they will have today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, to be able to speak in the debating chamber of New Zealand\u2019s Parliament. That is usually reserved and extended only to visiting leaders of significance, and I acknowledge each and every one of you as leaders of significance. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EFor myself, and I suspect the feeling will be shared by all members of this House, our gathering in the next few days, from a New Zealand perspective, is a big deal. For me, as a Labour MP, it was a big deal when the Labour Government initiated the Inquiry into New Zealand\u2019s relationship with South Pacific countries. From that inquiry emerged the idea for this forum. I acknowledge my former parliamentary colleagues who are no longer with us in this House, the Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban and the Hon Vui Mark Gosche, who were part of the Labour Government that initiated this inquiry in 2006. I also acknowledge and thank the National Government, which picked up this inquiry and completed the work in December 2010. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EI acknowledge and pay tribute to the multipartisan way in which all parties from across the political spectrum of this House have put their shoulder behind making this forum a reality. I want to thank, in particular, Mr John Hayes, the chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, for his efforts and drive. I suspect that he, most of all of the committee members today, cannot wait for this forum to be over. I want to thank also the many members of that committee, past and present, for their work and commitment to the Pacific region and for bringing everybody together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EIn the next few days the Pacific leaders and members in this House will debate a range of issues, and these issues, which I will raise briefly, are the issues that the members or the delegates themselves have forwarded. They include gender equality. There is a strong debate throughout New Zealand about having more women representatives in this particular House. I note also that that is the challenge facing many throughout the Pacific countries. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThe media\u2014like it or not, sometimes we crave media attention, and then there are other times when we wish we did not have so much media attention. Like it or not, in the work we are involved with, the media, as far as New Zealand is concerned, have a critical role to play in our democracy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThe environment and climate change\u2014I agree, it is an issue that has an impact, and I have seen the impact of rising sea water levels. As a member of the committee, and as a representative of the Labour Party, I have had the privilege of visiting, with many of our other colleagues, some of our Pacific Islands. I am saddened when I see some islands, where I think to myself that perhaps it might take only a wave to sweep over them and there would be no more island. So I think that that is a critical issue in our debates. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EDelivering for local communities is not only an issue that you face but we certainly have our own challenges here. Health care is a big one, because that has to do with the health and safety of the next generation. Business development and job creation\u2014you will have noted some of the debates in the last few days about our call for better-quality jobs and high-paying jobs. Then there is the global economic outlook and opportunities for this region. I suppose, for the sins of the committee, we have also included discussions around sports and rugby. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThe report of the 2006 inquiry reflected the strong feeling that most Kiwis have that New Zealand has a special relationship with the people of the Pacific, both in New Zealand and in the South Pacific region. Our ties to the Pacific are many and varied. I think that Samoa\u2019s head of State, His Highness Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, summed this feeling up best for me when he thanked New Zealand for supporting Samoa after the 2009 tsunami. He said: \u201CHe who comes to my aid is kin.\u201D This feeling of kinship and connectedness with the Pacific is a good foundation for further strengthening New Zealand\u2019s relationships with those of you who are, and who will become, future leaders of your parliaments in the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EThis forum expands our relations with the Pacific leaders by setting aside a week of the New Zealand Parliament\u2019s time to host and focus not only on issues of concern to the domestic, Pacific neighbourhood but also on issues of common regional interest. Members of the New Zealand public who had the opportunity to make submissions on the 2006 inquiry also saw scope for New Zealand to make better use of the knowledge and expertise of Pacific people residing in New Zealand, particularly regarding the provision of services to Pacific people and the aid programme. Many Pacific people living in New Zealand have strong links with, and an understanding of, the culture, values, and aspirations of Pacific communities. They represent an underutilised asset on which New Zealand could capitalise. For this reason, the committee has organised many of the events and seminars to include as much as possible of the talents and expertise that is available within our Pacific region.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EEarlier\u2014I will finish this off, as time is running out\u2014the Minister for Pacific Island Affairs made reference to the growing Pacific population here in Aotearoa New Zealand. I suspect, however, that the basis for that reference was the 2006 census, and we have not had another census recently, not until last month. So I think the figure for the Pacific population may be smaller\u2014some of us will have had more children between 2006 and the census last month. That proposes some exciting elements for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand, because we have not only one of the fastest-growing populations but also one of the youngest populations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EI continually promote that population as young, beautiful, and gifted, and I use that statement to challenge them to look to the future of Aotearoa New Zealand and to plant their feet firmly here, as this is their home. But by giving them that challenge, that also offers up challenges for the Pacific Island region. The longer we are here, the firmer our feet are planted in Aotearoa New Zealand and the weaker the links are back to our homelands, and that also will have ramifications for those countries that are reliant on the remittances that come from Aotearoa New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b398827c-6bf5-403e-90dc-ff03205302a5\u0022\u003EMay I conclude by saying that my colleagues have raised many other issues. In addition to the issues that are on our programme, I would hope that we also explore the opportunities to find the space to look at other issues that we can talk about, in the hope that we will develop a greater and better vision for the future. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022 data-id=\u00229181bf0ade7d4d0c855124c67ac3c935\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229181bf0ade7d4d0c855124c67ac3c935\u0022\u003EPeseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National\u2014Maungakiekie):\u003C/span\u003E Ou te fa\u2019atulou atu i le paia o le fono fai tulafono. Le Palemene o le malo o Niu Sila. Le paia maualuga le afio o le Kovaga sili. Le afio le afioga le Palemia. Le mamalu le Kapeneta. Le afio lau afioga le Fofoga Fetalai. Le paia tele o sui usufono mai malo eseese. Le Pasefika ae tainane. Le paia maualuga le sui usufono o le Palemene o Aotearoa, Niu Sila. Tulou, Tulou, Tulou lava. O le a ou tautala i le gagana e fa\u2019asino i ai lenei aso.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EMr Assistant Speaker, I have greeted you in my native tongue of Samoan, and I greet members of this House, members of Cabinet, of course, and the Prime Minister, and I want to especially welcome the delegates to the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. Delegates, I want to thank you personally for venturing here for a week from your valuable family time, work commitments, and other duties and obligations. It is an honour to speak in this debate, firstly, as a Pacific person representing the many Pacific people in this Parliament and across this country, as well as the fine people of Maungakiekie in Auckland; and, secondly, as a Pacific person born in Samoa whose family came here seeking a better life. Like many of you in the gallery, we came as migrants here many years ago. My parents wanted a better life for my siblings and me\u2014a better education, well-paying jobs, to ultimately serve our families and our communities. Finally, I am honoured to be a member of this John Key - led National Government, and we are committed to the plight of not just Pacific people here in Aotearoa New Zealand but also our Pacific brothers and sisters who are scattered across the many Pacific Islands across the Pacific Ocean. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EI, like my colleagues, would like to thank the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee for bringing about this forum. This forum is a consequence of its report to Parliament in 2010. I commend the leadership of John Hayes and the recommendation to foster better relationships with parliamentarians across the Pacific. This was something that was shared with me in my experiences when I visited the Pacific on the many Pacific missions that we go on as parliamentarians here in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EI think it is significant that New Zealand is hosting this forum, and it demonstrates New Zealand\u2019s leading role in the Pacific, in which we punch well above our weight in terms of contributions that we make to our Pacific nations. To that end, we have heard how we spend over $250 million annually in aid to the Pacific. Of course, that is more than half of our aid budget, and I would like to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon Murray McCully, who is not here, because he steadfastly increased our commitment of these resources so that we may improve the plight of Pacific people in the Pacific. Of course, this aid includes $145 million in funding towards a joint venture with Australia, and that will provide over half a million children with education across the Pacific. We have heard domestically that we are assisting Pacific workers with the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. This provides $25 million in take-home pay, much of which is returned to the Pacific.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EIndeed, only last month, we have heard, we hosted in Auckland the Pacific Energy Summit, where we managed to secure donor commitments of $635 million. These funds are to advance renewable energy projects and energy efficiency plans. All these projects do not even go towards some of the other areas that have been mentioned already, and they include New Zealand aid projects that focus on non-communicable diseases and sexual and reproductive health, as well as strengthening national health systems, which we will be hearing about later in our forum. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EOf course, relationships are not just about aid funding. We are here to build on relationships, foster cooperation, and promote political cohesion across our Pacific boundaries. We will be discussing issues such as health, climate change, and gender issues. However, there is little time and much to discuss, so my hope is that other items may find themselves on the agenda during the breaks, during the rugby, and during the barbecue tonight at Premier House. Some of these subjects include education, economic development, infrastructure, and employment matters. I believe that these matters are interconnected, and that education still remains\u2014we have the education Minister, Hekia Parata, here with us today\u2014the key to unlocking the potential of our Pacific peoples, both here in New Zealand and across the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EThese are some of the issues that I have been pushing for Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, these are the issues I am interested in hearing from you, our delegates, about. I know how much we have to learn from your experiences in the Pacific, your unique Pacific knowledge and wisdom, and how we can apply those experiences to Aotearoa New Zealand. I know that sustainable economic development cannot happen in an environment where basic education is weak, so I would hope that discussions include how we can assist in building models for infrastructure and education. What are effective ways of providing education services and developing a modern workforce to sustain those higher standards in the Pacific? What is the role of the internet in leveraging the learning of kids in the Pacific? As you can see, delegates, I have more questions than answers for you, but I am certainly here to listen and learn from your experiences in the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EI would like to use a local example of a project called Manaiakalani. This project has assisted young Pacific and M\u0101ori children through wireless networks and affordable netbooks. I know those types of learning models are possible\u2014in fact, they are probably happening in the Pacific\u2014and I would like to hear from you, delegates, during the weekend on this. In terms of infrastructure\u2014apart from the constraints around funding, which we all debate and we all disagree upon across this House\u2014we must ask how a project is delivered such that it is sensitive to Pacific cultural values, our traditions, and our norms, while creating opportunities for employment and wealth creation. Those are just some of the things that we grapple with here, and I would like to hear from you, delegates, as to how you deal with them in your nations. May I say that we need to hear your voices in this engagement so that we may better understand how we can engage with you, our Pacific neighbours, and how we can improve the lives of your people as you can do for the lives of our people here in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EWhen we consider issues of economic development, we need to assess issues of trade. The Pacific, of course, has offered much in the way of trade to New Zealand. We have nearly $1 billion annually and it is New Zealand\u2019s seventh-largest export market and our 20th-largest trading market. Herein lies the interesting issue, because although we benefit greatly from exports to the Pacific, the surplus does not necessarily benefit our Pacific neighbours. Although we all accept that volume of trade is important because it raises all our standards of living, we know only too well that extremely large balance of trade deficits can be crippling to countries, leading to high levels of Government debt and/or the sale of domestic assets. That is something for you to ponder this weekend, and I again urge you to give us some feedback on that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003ESo the question is how we can foster domestic industries that lead to greater exports, not just to New Zealand but more global markets. To that end I have raised in select committee financial reviews here in New Zealand how we can assist you with those markets. What can New Zealand Trade and Enterprise do to assist in those markets with introductions to buyers of your goods and services? For the delegates, please assist us in how we can address what I believe is a precarious anomaly. But trade is about relationships in foreign lands, and can prove expensive, distant, and out of reach for Pacific traders. Again, delegates, I challenge you that intra-Pacific trade, between your countries, as well as between New Zealand and your countries, is particularly important. I also urge you to think about markets of value that many of your nations have strong links to\u2014for example, the United States, Australia, and, of course, of late, China. We have also had the Pacific Cooperation Foundation in New Zealand, which is a public-private organisation that leverages a lot of those promotions to trade. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003EFinally, may I commend to you the work of the annual Pacific Islands Forum, which brings together leaders from 15 Pacific nations. This forum, I believe, complements that work. I look forward to working with you in this forum to support our already strong relationships between our nations. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022 data-id=\u00221d89b2ab09624607a1eb13914e9238b9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f4112fc5-c53f-4aa9-bf6d-5a05ce6252cf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221d89b2ab09624607a1eb13914e9238b9\u0022\u003EMr DEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This is a split call of 5 minutes, Kris Faafoi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u002234355c8a71ba408b8726ff33d25b83e0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002234355c8a71ba408b8726ff33d25b83e0\u0022\u003EKRIS FAAFOI (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, and I will be sharing it with my Fijian brother Rajen Prasad. Mr Deputy Speaker, taloha ni, and to the delegation from the Pacific, taloha ni. It is a privilege to speak in this debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EAs one of the five Pacific members of this Parliament, this House of Representatives welcomes you. This forum will begin and strengthen strong personal and national links. As Labour leader, David Shearer, put it, we will get to know each other better. I would like to acknowledge my fellow Pacific MPs in this House: my colleague Su\u2019a William Sio, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Alfred Ngaro, and Asenati Lole-Taylor. As you will see, our Pacific representation is pan-political. We are diverse not only in our nationality but in our opinions. I think you have already seen this in this debate today, but I think I can assure you that, despite some fundamental philosophical differences, I believe all Pacific MPs work for the better of our community. We have Alfred Ngaro and Sam Lotu-Iiga, leaders in their communities, on the other side of the House. I do honestly believe their plans are to lift their communities in their regions and the Pacific. The problem is, we just disagree how we go about it. That is the beauty of the democracy that we live in, and that we as Pasifika are participating in it is a sign that Pasifika are well and truly a force\u2014a growing force\u2014in politics here in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ECan I also acknowledge the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, led by John Hayes, for organising this forum and this event over the weekend. I know it has been an interesting task. The programme for the weekend and the 3 or 4 days ahead looks great, and I look forward to hosting you all in Porirua on Sunday evening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5361f3d2bc446ff9ab4df9fd46bf54f\u0022\u003EHon Hekia Parata\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2014we.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022acf4ee13e71446f6a3c4375955e7fdc8\u0022\u003EKRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: We look forward to it\u2014pan-political. To the 70 members of the delegation from the 22 Pacific nations, taloha ni and t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. I look forward to the next 4 days as we in New Zealand discuss and, as Sam Lotu-Iiga said, hear from you about the issues that are important to the Pacific. I would in particular like to acknowledge Margaret Pedro and Tavita Pue from Tokelau, malo ni. As a proud Tokelauan, it is great to have two young leaders from Nukunonu and Fakaofo here to ensure there is a strong Pacific voice from Tokelau. For those who are at home watching or listening, Tokelau is a proud small nation of three atolls, Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EIt is an interesting time to be a Pacific MP. As I said, we are now well entrenched on the political stage, but as we move towards a Pasifika community that is becoming more New Zealand - born, new opportunities and challenges emerge. Attitudes are changing, but it is important that our values do not. Many of you may have seen that last night in a debate in our Parliament on the issue of marriage equality. I felt compelled to ensure the diversity of views in the Pacific community were represented, but in doing that I needed to respect the view of others, although I disagreed. That is one of the challenges. I know we can overcome it. That is, ensuring that our youth can live in the two worlds they live in\u2014and some live in three or more\u2014in its simplest form: living in New Zealand, with Kiwi expectations, and living in our Pacific community, with Pacific expectations. It is not easy, but I look around our communities and this House and I know it can happen. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EBut enough about us. Let us look at you. In David Shearer\u2019s speech he pointed out the importance of democracy. He said that democracy needs a free media. Before I entered this House my background was with the media, and I agree with David Shearer 100 percent. We may not like it all the time in New Zealand, but our media have freedoms, are fearless, and, most of the time, focus on issues that matter to New Zealanders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI know that in some places in the Pacific the freedom of the media is not so entrenched. The media in its purest form is the conduit of the people to hold people like us to account. I believe we in New Zealand can do much more to ensure there are free and skilled media in the Pacific. Tales of torture of the media, muzzling of the media, and limited control of the media do nothing to advance democracy. I am not saying that we know better; I am saying that we can help to ensure that the right questions are asked in the pursuit of fair, honest, and accountable representation that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. I look forward to discussing that tomorrow afternoon. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI would like to pay tribute to our pioneers, those grandparents and parents, many of whom came to New Zealand, to a new land, many of them at a young age, to get, as Sam Lotu-Iiga said, a better life for their families. Someone told me very early on in my political career to drop the grateful migrant story, but never, never, never will I do that. I thank them for making the journey to this land and giving us the opportunity to live better lives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022 data-id=\u0022acd2046f75b4434eb889214f9829a3be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022acd2046f75b4434eb889214f9829a3be\u0022\u003EDr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E E ng\u0101 rangatira katoa o Pasifika, ka nui te mihi ki a koutou, n\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. It is a pleasure for me to take a call in what is a historic debate in this Chamber in the presence of our Pacific politicians, participants, and political leaders. It is especially significant for me, as a Pacific-born Indian, as a Fijian person who lived there, grew up there, received the wisdom of the people of Fiji, and being from a family with a long history and tradition in Fiji. That is what I brought to New Zealand years ago and it is what sustains me here. Those of us who are from the Pacific can never be from anywhere else. So for that reason it is a special pleasure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge all of you who are here, welcome you warmly, and add my weight to others who have already welcomed you. In particular, however, I want to acknowledge the five participants from Fiji. These are young people and they represent the future of Fiji. They will be the new leaders, and I know your task is more difficult than those whom you sit alongside at the moment, but know that you, in this Parliament and in the time you are here, are warmly welcome and will be as warmly supported as you need to be. I know that you will pick up much to take back to our homeland and contribute to what needs to be done there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EI also acknowledge all those who have worked hard to make this particular forum possible\u2014those who started in 2006, and those, like John Hayes and the present Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, who have made this possible, together with the officials who have made it possible as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EWhat I value most as a member of Parliament and as a New Zealander is the ability of citizens to decide who is going to govern them, and then to change them if they are not performing. Sometimes that is called democracy. But it is the ability of people who are ruled to decide who is going to be their Government. I have heard it said sometimes that democracies are a Western concept, designed for a different environment, and not relevant everywhere. I do refute that. The system of people deciding who will rule them and when to throw them out belongs to the people. There is much more that goes alongside a democracy. When a democratic system does not work, we try to find out what the reasons are for it not working, and change them. We do not change the system. There is no other system that I know of that produces the kinds of results that democracies produce that enable people to access their rights, etc. So for that reason I support democracies and I support a system where people rule. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003ESome democracies are confused with the workings of Government. The workings of Government are not necessarily equal to democracies. They are quite different concepts. If Governments do not work, then change the Government. It does not mean that democracies have not worked. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003EDemocracy represents many things, but certainly it is the sum total of all the institutions that have been developed to enable the people to choose a Government on the basis of the policies and manifestos they have put forward. It includes a clean electoral system, a system of voting where all votes are equal, a predictable transition when Governments change, a free media, an independent judiciary, proper separation of powers, a military that is totally subject to the will of Parliament, effective agencies to provide public services, and a system for people to access their rights. Those are the tools, and when these things work together, which is the case in New Zealand, then in this Chamber we can debate any issue. We can argue with each other, and we can go out and still be friends, but knowing that the Government is being held accountable. The Opposition has a role. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225db0a23e-1579-44c6-9194-76e34cf5ae99\u0022\u003ESo the gift of democracy is a huge one, and if there is a gift that New Zealand has to offer, it is to demonstrate this democracy. And today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday that is what we will be doing\u2014demonstrating our democracy to you. What I regret is that the county of my birth is still struggling with this\u2014not through the actions of the people who elect Governments, nor\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022019dc16956444e9b8afe76e462a33cf2\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022 data-id=\u0022efe1d021dd0e4efda55e3bcaa213dfcd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022efe1d021dd0e4efda55e3bcaa213dfcd\u0022\u003ETE URUROA FLAVELL (M\u0101ori Party\u2014Waiariki):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora t\u0101tau katoa ng\u0101 whanaunga i haere mai i tawhiti. E Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, haere mai, e rarau ki roto i te Whare nei. Ahakoa t\u014Dna \u0101hua, he \u0101hua P\u0101keh\u0101 nei i t\u014Dna mutunga an\u0101, kua noho nei m\u0101tau te iwi M\u0101ori ki konei ki te kawe i ng\u0101 wawata o Te Ao M\u0101ori. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai r\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Speaker. Salutations to you all, the relatives who have come here from afar. Welcome to you, the great ocean of Kiwa, settle into this House. Even though this setting is somewhat European-like, we the M\u0101ori members have eventually become part of this scene to bear the aspirations of M\u0101oridom. Acknowledgments to you collectively, welcome, welcome, and welcome indeed.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003EWhen the M\u0101ori Party acknowledged the relationship between tangata whenua and the people, our brothers and sisters of the Pacific, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, and as we travelled from Hawaiki we shared an ancient knowledge of the stars and the oceans. That knowledge is passed down to us, to this day, in our tukutuku panels that adorn the walls of our carved whare throughout the motu. Today, in this place, we pay tribute to the rich oral traditions of our ancient navigators who guided us from the past to this future. From our whakapapa connections, our genealogical connections, we have an obligation to support the well-being of our brothers and sisters in the Pacific as M\u0101ori. As our closest neighbours, our security, stability, and prosperity are closely linked. On a personal level our people interact every day and must unite to face the challenges that we all experience. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003EWe say that the strength of M\u0101ori and Pasifika peoples lies in our \u0101inga, our wh\u0101nau, our communities who pull together to bring change for ourselves. Our key priority, wh\u0101nau ora, has been described by our Pasifika relations, our Pasifika whanaunga, as restoring the role of the village. We stand together in the pursuit of mana motuhake. We support Pasifika nations in growing their own local accountability and success, rather than foisting a system of private enterprise upon them that may not fit either the culture or the people. Our view in the M\u0101ori Party is that we should assist rather than dominate development. We support Pasifika nations in their journey to realise their own modern aspirations on their own land, in line with their own tikanga and their own traditions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003EHere in Aotearoa we have provided a place to live for many people who call the Pacific home. Just as in M\u0101ori communities where young people leave their papak\u0101inga for urban areas, those left at home feel the loss of their most talented and those who have left feel a loss of connection. We must support our Pasifika relations to remain connected to their homelands, maintaining the essence of who they are. We call this rangatiratanga; others might say mana motuhake\u2014the ability to be strong in your own identity, language, and culture. We think the key for any peoples lies in developing their own solutions as a more effective, efficient, and enduring response. We believe in greater community development, and less governmental bureaucracy. The focus of the M\u0101ori Party is to bring to fruition the aspirations of New Zealanders through self-determination, kaupapa tuku iho, and a commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. In the Pacific we would expect the same\u2014that your own forms of business and governance, which were in place many years prior to the arrival of the Palagi European colonisation, will stand you in good stead for the generations to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003E It is wonderful to have you all here\u2014our relations\u2014and I want to finish by paying tribute to all of the Pasifika brothers and sisters who have stood by M\u0101ori in the Land March of 1975, in the h\u012Bkoi of 2004, and in our mutual desire to honour the Treaty of Waitangi. Likewise, we have stood by our Pasifika communities throughout the traumatic history of the dawn raids in the 1970s, and in confronting and addressing so many of the educational, economic, and social yardsticks by which our peoples are measured. Tangata Pasifika and tangata whenua have always shared a common bond in our connections through our ancestry, our culture, and our customs. We both understand implicitly concepts that run to the core of our being. Our land, our whenua, is the central link to our genealogical connections, as an enduring umbilical cord, pito, between yesteryear and tomorrow. I wish all of you delegates who are with us today all the very best. I look forward to the continuing dialogue that is so vital to our ongoing relationships with one another. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ec266512-9fe8-47da-883e-48f046ee5059\u0022\u003EIn closing, I say that I listened earlier and noted that some of the parties have been pitching to you as our visitors for your vote. I will not do that myself. Suffice to say, which of these words sounds sweeter to you, my Pacific brothers and sisters? Which word sounds sweeter, looks sweeter, and may be even smells sweeter: New Zealand First, Labour, National, or M\u0101ori? Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022 data-id=\u00222cb4cd3a0926454692cc8a4ea705e651\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222cb4cd3a0926454692cc8a4ea705e651\u0022\u003EHon JOHN BANKS (Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Much of this debate has been about New Zealand\u2019s relationship with our Pacific neighbours, and so it should have been. The ACT Party acknowledges the importance of these relationships. We celebrate the contribution that Pasifika communities have made to New Zealand. They have enriched our society and added to our cultural vibrancy. As Mayor of Auckland for two terms I had the pleasure of working with, and getting to know and respecting greatly, the Pacific community of that wonderful multicultural city from where I hail. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003EIn my contribution I want to focus on the obligation we have to our Pacific neighbours and our Pacific families in our local communities and across this country\u2014in particular, in the education system. Every New Zealand child deserves a world-class education. There is not much more we can give a young child than unconditional love in the home and the family, and a world-class education, and I know that Pacific families are signed up to that proposition. We have much to do to make this a reality for all our young people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003ESo, first, the good news is Pasifika education outcomes have improved in all parts of the education system across this country. The latest data shows that the number of 2-year-old to 4-year-old Pasifika enrolments in early childhood education increased by 15.5 percent between 2009 and 2011. The proportion of all Pasifika learners achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 2 qualifications or equivalent increased from 55 percent in 2009 to 63 percent in 2011. Pasifika learner take-up of the Youth Guarantee initiative was 20 percent of all young people participating. Pasifika learners with New Zealand Qualifications Framework level 5 qualification increased from 18 percent to 28 percent in 2011. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of this National-led Government and, in particular, the Minister of Education for her efforts in raising achievement for Pasifika learners. She is committed to that cause. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of our teachers and the wider Pasifika community for their efforts in helping to raise learner achievements amongst Pasifika kids. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003ENow for the bad news: despite all these improvements, significant challenges remain. Although New Zealand performs well on the average in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment study, we rate poorly on equity. We are 24th in the world, equal with the US. If we were to take the results for Pasifika on their own, we would be 35th in the world. Although Pasifika participation in early childhood education has increased, it is still the lowest for all population groups. Significant disparities remain, evidenced in literacy and numeracy achievements. Disparity in achievement levels for Pasifika students are significant at the NCEA level and widen further at the higher qualification level. There is much work to be done and we need to embrace this challenge. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003EThere is a wonderful saying that high tides rise all boats. We know that when Pasifika communities are doing well, then the education system in this country is going to do even better. We know that when Pasifika kids do well in Auckland, Pasifika kids are going to do well across the nation, and when they are doing well across the nation, the high tide will lift the boats across the Pacific countries that you represent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b53f8451-a5f8-4e92-851f-9ca381f19343\u0022\u003ECan I turn to further good news. Partnership schools are coming, and they can innovate. We have had very good interest from Pasifika groups around partnership schools. They can focus on creating a learning environment where every Pasifika child learns to succeed. They can employ teaching staff who understand and embrace cultural difference, and cultural difference is critical to this multicultural society. In short, they can make a real difference to Pasifika learners. I would like to thank the partnership schools working group and, in particular, Dr Margaret Southwick, a significant Pasifika educationalist for her great contribution in this policy design. This Government is absolutely committed to accelerating achievement for Pasifika learners through the partnership schools initiative and the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017. I am absolutely committed to making sure that every young child, including\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022 data-id=\u00226382721d86314015ad8c4a1392f5961a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226382721d86314015ad8c4a1392f5961a\u0022\u003EHon PETER DUNNE (Leader\u2014United Future):\u003C/span\u003E Can I join with others on behalf of United Future to welcome our visitors to this Parliament for this important forum. I have been a member here for nearly 29 years and I am embarrassed to say that this is the first occasion that I can recall in that time where such a gathering as this has taken place. It is long overdue and I hope we do not have to wait another 29 or 30 years for it to be repeated. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003E Can I welcome you for the nations that you represent, the diversity of your cultures and your backgrounds, and say how well that sits alongside the diverse nature of our society in New Zealand. For my part I am a third-generation Irish New Zealander. My wife is a direct descendant of New Zealand\u2019s recognised first European family, a granddaughter some seven generations down the line. The thing we all have in common, whatever our background, whatever our cultural roots, whatever our heritage, is that we live in this part of the world. The issues that confront this part of the world\u2014be they related to climate change, be they related to the movement of people, be they related to economic development\u2014are issues for all of us, and the solutions are ones that we all have to engage in. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003EI do not subscribe to the view that New Zealand is some big sugar daddy on the edge of the Pacific. I think that is a very patronising and a very old-fashioned view, and I think we have to work much more collaboratively on the things we have in common, sharing the strengths that we have\u2014and they will be different from nation to nation\u2014and the capacities that we have, and they will differ, as well, to assist each one of our nations to achieve their full potential. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003EWe say that often in respect of our attitude towards young New Zealand children. We want them all to have the opportunity to reach their full potential in life. So it is with our relationships with our neighbours. I do not think that it is for New Zealand or for any individual member of the Pacific family to presume a view in respect of other members of the family. What we need to do is work together to ensure that all of us are capable of achieving the goals that we want, and they will differ. And in some senses New Zealand will be the provider of educational opportunity, of employment, of technology, of various other forms of assistance. But in other senses it is very much a two-way street, and we have to recognise the strengths of our Pacific family as we move forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003EOne of the things that I think that leads to in a very immediate sense is the capacity to assist each other in times of stress. It may be physical stress brought on by adverse climatic events such as cyclones or storms or whatever, or the mounting threat of climate change. It may also be unrest brought on by political or other means. We need to stand by to help. I think from New Zealand\u2019s point of view we have to be very careful that we do not interpret such situations as ones where we effectively ration our assistance\u2014not in financial terms so much, but in terms of things like temporary immigration, in terms of things like family reunification, where we sometimes take, in my view, too rigid a position in respect of the nations of the Pacific. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003EWe are all in this part of the world together, and the opportunity that we have may be on a smaller scale, but it is no different from the opportunity that the Europeans have developed over the last 50 or 60 years. It is about the capacity to build a unique community where we work together collaboratively, respecting the identity and the integrity of the member nations, but where we speak with a much more unified and connected voice about the issues that concern us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f555a23a-d230-4f03-80ba-a44e6ec8bd29\u0022\u003EI welcome this forum taking place in this Chamber and elsewhere over the coming weekend. I think it is a very important development. It is one that is long overdue. I acknowledge the work of colleagues in this House and elsewhere who have helped to bring it together. But the real challenge and the real test of its achievement will be what flows from this\u2014that is, what procedures, protocols, and forms of assistance are put in place that mean that the goal of a broad Pacific family, which we often talk about in a loose-lipped way, can be a goal that is actually achieved in practice. I believe there is sufficient goodwill on all sides for that to happen, and I look forward to the deliberations. I encourage the delegates to participate fully. I give you a very warm welcome to this country. Have a great weekend. It is wonderful to have you here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022 data-id=\u0022db28e1b413d54e329779edfcb6e91237\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022db28e1b413d54e329779edfcb6e91237\u0022\u003EBRENDAN HORAN (Independent):\u003C/span\u003E Welcome to our Pacific neighbours and dear friends. I have to say that I am looking forward to going to the rugby with you tomorrow night. We will be watching a New Zealand team dish it out to those Aussies. But it would be great if, instead of a Super 15, it was a Super 17 with at least two Pacific Island teams. I look forward to the time when I can go and visit the islands and be there to watch a Super 17 rugby game. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003EToday I will cover three topics, three challenges for all Pacific nations: one, have we preserved and enhanced our heritage; two, have we cared for and protected our environment, our countries; and, three, have we respected, loved, and cared for our children? Here in New Zealand we face challenges in honouring our obligations to our children. Some of those challenges include social instability, resulting from a breakdown of family standards and values, personal unrest, and alienation that comes from a lack of purpose or ideals. Another challenge we have in New Zealand is some of the things that we see, and I see too much of our land, technology, and industry being sold to foreign powers. I see pathways opening for our mineral wealth, onshore and offshore, to be exploited by overseas interests, and throughout the Pacific we share a common concern in the plundering of fishing stock by foreign fishing powers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003EEarlier today a New Zealand First member spoke of political seduction, and it is a very real threat. New Zealanders only need look back at the news last week, where we saw our Prime Minister meeting the Chinese Premier with the army out there and parades and everything. So political seduction is real, but there is a solution, and I believe our saving grace is our children. I would implore that the core aim for this forum is the future well-being of our children\u2014to the children of New Zealand, to the children of the Pacific. Here in New Zealand we have more children than ever before living in poverty. But what is far worse than poverty is poverty of spirit. The challenge for all of us here today and this weekend is to raise that spirit, that cultural identity, within each child of New Zealand and the wider Pacific. The great challenge, therefore, is to increase the cultural wealth of each child and each and every family. Therefore, the goal, or aspiration, must surely be to be aspirational, positive family role models\u2014to have children say \u201CHow do you do that?\u201D, and to live lives where children say \u201CI want to be able to do that. I want to be like that.\u201D My mother and my father\u2014positive role models. And so are my older brother and my older sister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002243684a4d-fb40-469a-8e63-cdd1e354b387\u0022\u003E The pathway for cultural wealth is surely education\u2014education of culture and identity. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Spirituality\u2014in New Zealand we call it wairua. Heritage in spirit, our children\u2019s thoughts and feelings, their behaviour, awareness of health and of self, and social interaction with families, friends, and strangers. Personal understanding, knowledge, and awareness. This is cultural wealth\u2014essential ingredients for every family throughout the Pacific. With major advances in technology in areas of broadband-enabled devices, such as smartphones and tablets, the opportunity to educate our families becomes more viable, and also the opportunity for us as nations to collaborate and communicate more readily, and to share our knowledge and our technology. For there is a synergy that binds us, above even our precious Pacific locations, and that is our love\u2014our love for our children and our families. And let that synergy that binds us be honoured by our commitment this weekend to preserving our resources and environment for our tamariki, our children\u2014t\u0101tou t\u0101tou; us and us. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022 data-id=\u0022882c6f7cb93544e4adb98fad3349e9d4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022882c6f7cb93544e4adb98fad3349e9d4\u0022\u003EDr PAUL HUTCHISON (National\u2014Hunua):\u003C/span\u003E I warmly greet and salute our visitors from around the Pacific. Thank you very much for coming this way. You show great stamina here this afternoon. The genesis of today\u2019s debate has come from a variety of individuals and from the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee inquiry into New Zealand\u2019s relationship with the South Pacific. May I acknowledge the drive that John Hayes, chair of that select committee, has put in to make this event possible. In the most admirable way he can accurately be accused of borderline belligerence, bullying, badgering, and bulldozing the select committee members, and a few others. However, he deserves our heartfelt thanks. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EAs a fifth-generation New Zealander of Scottish, Irish, and English descent, I can speak only as a relative newcomer to this region, since about 1831. But like many New Zealand families, we have intermarried and are proudly multicultural. My brother\u2019s wife, Kuinimeri Aiono Ma\u2019ia\u2019i, from Samoa, has always claimed that the Garden of Eden was close to Apia, and that the rest of us have a great deal to be thankful for. Kuinimeri\u2019s brother Dr Semisi Ma\u2019ia\u2019i not only is a fine and distinguished physician but also wrote the first New Zealand - Samoan dictionary, an extraordinary piece of scholarship and hugely important for our mutual understanding. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003ELike many other Kiwis, I have had the chance to explore, holiday, live, and work in the wider Pacific. As a young medical student, I had the adventure of my life in Papua New Guinea, prior to its independence in 1968, where we set off to go crocodile hunting, but due to several hiccups in the planning, I ended up carrying out immunisation patrols in the central Papuan mountains along the Kokoda Trail\u2014the very track on which thousands of young Americans and Australians lost their lives to prevent invasion by the Japanese beyond Port Moresby and on to Australia and New Zealand. If they had not been successful, the whole Pacific might be very different today. It has been indelibly imprinted on me how hard-won our freedom and democracy are and how potentially fragile they can be. All of us will hope that Fiji can be restored to democracy as soon as possible, and the intentions of the superpowers in our region are for stability, peace, and prosperity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EI have also had the good fortune to work as a locum specialist for Dr Toia Alama at the National Hospital of Samoa in the 1980s. We got to know each other as trainees at the National Women\u2019s Hospital in New Zealand, where doctors all over the Pacific do postgraduate work and then return to their homes. The strength of that professional network is inestimable. I have no doubt that we in the Pacific should continue to mutually foster the educational and cultural ties that bind us as a region, be they in medicine, law, business, music, literature, sport, or, of course, politics. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EBy the way, Wesley College just happens to be in the Hunua electorate, which I am privileged to represent. We have had some stunning rugby players from that extraordinary institution. I will never forget Joeli Vidiri on one wing and Jonah Lomu on the other, fresh out of school, playing for Counties and smashing the Blues. Thank you, Fiji. Thank you, Tonga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfdabe42-521a-4dca-afab-3e781731a130\u0022\u003EThe inaugural Pacific forum ahead of us will be exciting and worthwhile. It will act as a conduit to progress our mutual challenges and aspirations, and remind us that we are guardians of our environment, that we have led the way in a South Pacific nuclear-weapon-free zone, and that we must strive for democracy, choice, prosperity, peace, and true friendship for what my sister-in-law refers to as one great Pacific Garden of Eden. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022 data-id=\u0022d0c20422109a41ecb17757cdeaaaafbc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d0c20422109a41ecb17757cdeaaaafbc\u0022\u003EDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I rise to address the issue of perhaps greatest concern of all to humanity. The onset of climate change, on current emission trends, is likely to prove dangerous and, according to the World Bank, possibly cataclysmic in the course of the 21st century. We have acknowledged the magnitude of future climate change for about two decades now. What has caught us unawares is its imminence. Climate change is here. Its effects are seen around us as we speak. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EClimate change is now seen as a threat to national security and, as the United Nations Security Council has acknowledged, a potential threat to international peace and security\u2014a risk multiplier. Nowhere is this more starkly portrayed than in the Pacific. For our visitors here in this gallery the risk is existential. The international community has, to put it simply, failed to solve climate change. It might be argued that an international community of 193 sovereign States, each pursuing competitive national advantage, cannot solve a global problem. Not only do we have a global ecological crisis but we have a global governance crisis as well. We approach climate like trade negotiations: punching above our weight, as we heard earlier. In the presence of our Pacific neighbours in this House today I apologise for the failure of New Zealand to act as a responsible global citizen in the matter of climate change. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EAmong developed countries New Zealand has the worst track record of net emissions over 20 years\u2014an extraordinary rise of 83 percent from 1990 to 2011. We have tried but so far have failed. Among developed counties we stand alone in not having entered a formal commitment to the UN for reductions by 2020. Our informal pledge of 10 to 20 percent conditional is derisory, when the UN had identified 25 to 40 percent and the Alliance of Small Island States 45 percent. New Zealand sees domestic reductions as an economic option involving the least cost abatement. Pacific countries see it as a moral imperative involving national survival. Small island States have special needs of relocation. Kiribati has issued a clear appeal to relocate, as may be required, to Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand has failed to respond adequately. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EIn 2009 I asked a question of the Prime Minister in this House about his Government\u2019s plans to receive environmental refugees from low-lying Pacific Island States. The Prime Minister responded as follows: \u201CIf one was to look at the Pacific one would see that the three countries that have the largest potential exposure to climate change are Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Tokelau. From New Zealand\u2019s perspective it has a strong relationship with those countries. Although we will not be setting out exactly what support we would provide those countries if\u201D\u2014if\u2014\u201Ca situation of climate change threatened their long-term survival, I think those countries could rely on the fact that New Zealand has a long history with them, would support them, and already has quite a number of residents from those countries calling New Zealand home.\u201D He continued: \u201CIf that situation occurred\u2014which, it is important to understand, is likely to be a long way in the future\u2014it would be my expectation that future New Zealand Governments would look very sympathetically on that position.\u201D Translation: \u201CI trust that the need does not come up on my watch, and I am sure Kiwis will prove to be decent if and when the time comes.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EThat was 2009. Today I got precisely the same response from the Prime Minister virtually word for word. For our national leader, nothing has changed in 4 years. This was from a Prime Minister who as recently as 2005 has said that he had his suspicions about global warming 13 years after all Governments had acknowledged it as a fact in the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292557bd5-0e66-473c-a6df-7d108e7822e3\u0022\u003EI say to the Pacific delegations here today \u201CWelcome to our shores.\u201D Feel free to urge our country to make it clear today, not in 2050 or even 2020, that we shall receive you as migrants displaced by climate change, and that we stand ready to discuss with you now\u2014now\u2014plans to that end.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c0b4a6da593644af8c18f90914874a24\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c0b4a6da593644af8c18f90914874a24\u0022\u003EHon TAU HENARE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Can I start by saying welcome. Secondly, can I mention three names that have not been mentioned in this House so far today. One is Arthur Anae, a former member of Parliament of Samoan descent, and a member of the National Party for some time, who served in this House. Taito Phillip Field, who unfortunately went off the rails, was another member of Samoan descent, and, in fact, made a pretty big contribution while he was here. In fact, he came in with me 20 years ago this year. The other one is my brother-in-law Tukoroirangi Morgan. Half of him is from the Cook Islands. We think of him as being only the M\u0101ori MP, the Western M\u0101ori MP, the Te Tai Hau\u0101uru MP, and the king\u2019s spokesperson, but his other half, his father, was from the Cooks. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EI was born and bred in \u014Ctara, in \u201CO-town 274\u201D. Let me tell you the names of some of the families whom I grew up with. I am very proud to have been able to go into each of their homes and be looked after by the mothers and fathers of my friends. The Kaleta family\u2014rest in peace, my brother, Kaleta Kaleta, who died some years ago. There were the Jackson wh\u0101nau, the Iosefa wh\u0101nau, and the Tafa family\u2014the Tafa family whose father played a game of cricket with us in \u014Ctara. He was a stand-in, he was a ring-in, he smashed Howick, Pakuranga all over the field, and I still remember the cries of despair from the other team. There were the Tuai family, the Papali\u2019i family, the Tofilau family, and the Collins family. They were all people I grew up with, and I consider myself to be a true Pacific Islander. This is a Pacific Island nation; we just have not thought about it yet. So I am hopeful that one day in my lifetime we will all call ourselves Pacific Islanders, just not in the way that we think of our brothers and sisters in the Pacific Islands. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori made the long journey to these shores over 1,000 years ago. Why they left is beyond me. Who would want to leave an idyllic neighbourhood such as the Pacific to come down here to the South Pacific? Maybe it was overcrowding, maybe it was for the adventure of a lifetime, or maybe it was the real Kiwi attitude of wanting to know what was on the other side of the fence. Auckland has the biggest concentration of Pacific Island people in the world. You know, that is one of the things that we should keep in the back of our minds every day. It is time New Zealand realised that its true place in the Pacific is, as I said, as a Pacific Island nation. We need to assist our brothers and sisters in the Pacific to be part of the international organisations such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002251dfea20-2244-4fc7-bd7d-ebf7a98580e1\u0022\u003EI have come to despair over the last couple of years that our Pacific Island brothers and sisters cannot even afford to be members of these international organisations. I want to float some ideas in the last minute or so. Maybe the Pacific Island people can piggyback on some of our free-trade agreements. Maybe it is time for a Pacific Parliament, \u00E0 la the Rt Hon Mike Moore\u2019s suggestion 20-odd years ago. We have common borders. We have citizenship. We have issues like citizenship. There are three issues that I get in my office every week: immigration, residency, and citizenship, mainly from the Pacific Islands. It is about time we started treating the Pacific Islands like our back lawn, with our wh\u0101nau in it, and offer them more than just a few immigration schemes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022 data-id=\u00227d28e5a0ad5b4bd4b56b4a3b3e983d23\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227d28e5a0ad5b4bd4b56b4a3b3e983d23\u0022\u003EHon MARYAN STREET (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora koutou katoa, t\u0113nei te mihi nui ki a koutou. It is a very great pleasure to stand and speak in Parliament on this historic occasion. This is a unique event, and I hope it will not be the last one of its kind. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EI was a member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee at the time that we did our report into the relationship between New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours, and I want to recognise John Hayes and his work as chair of that committee. Yes, there might have been all of that bulldozing and bullying and stuff that went on, but the result was good and it was very well worth it. So I do acknowledge him and other members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee at that time. We are now beginning to reap the benefits of that report, and this is one of those moments that have come out of the report. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EI recently had the great good fortune and the great honour of visiting the Solomon Islands. My colleague Dr Cam Calder and I visited the Solomon Islands to talk with members of Parliament there about the implementation of a report\u2014again, another report\u2014that came out of an open forum held last year on Pacific adolescent sexual reproduction and health rights. That report had a number of recommendations in it, and one of them was that members of the New Zealand Parliamentarians\u2019 Group on Population and Development, which is a cross-party group, go and talk with members of Parliament around the Pacific, because this was a Pacific report. People had come from Tuvalu, from Papua New Guinea, from Kiribati, and from around the Pacific to contribute to that open forum. We heard from members of Parliament but we also heard at that time from NGOs\u2014those non-governmental organisations that work in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly with young people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003ESo I was able at that time to not only advance the agenda that came out of that combined report with Dr Cam Calder from the National Party but also I had the privilege of visiting a part just out of Honiara that is called the New Zealand Camp and saw the places where my father served as a member of the New Zealand Air Force in World War II. My father never talked about that experience very much. He was one of that generation who did not discuss what happened in the war much, but I remember very well having Solomon Islands visitors come to our house, not in a steady stream, but visitors who arrived at our house in New Plymouth for years and years and years afterwards, because my father had known their fathers. My father had known their parents and their families through his posting to the Solomon Islands at that time. It was a very moving moment for me, and I want to acknowledge the contribution that, jointly, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand forces played at that time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227df975cd-93d2-4f55-9bc5-d2790e28e043\u0022\u003EMy particular brief is around overseas development assistance, and I have that responsibility in shadow terms as associate foreign affairs spokesperson. I have always been concerned about our ability to assist our Pacific neighbours to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. We have not engaged sufficiently, I think, in the achievement of those goals. I hope in the course of these few days that we will be able to discuss such things as overseas development assistance so that we understand exactly what the needs are, so that this is not seen as the distribution of largesse from a country that is better off but as an engagement in partnership to ensure that the peoples of the Pacific are educated, are healthy, and are well-equipped to make their own decisions for their own futures. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u002243839c6401214d959e0dd33db41b6017\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243839c6401214d959e0dd33db41b6017\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Very, very warm Pacific greetings to my fellow Pacific parliamentarians, whom I cannot really see, but I am assuming you are up there in the gallery, and I am feeling your beautiful faces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219bcf2ff-a193-4361-9072-813a4e36683c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224c87ee6108c48ce92f0d87f2cad8db9\u0022\u003EPeseta Sam Lotu-Iiga\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll wave for you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e712aebe1bc94dd0b0c424fd759cfab6\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you\u2014thanks, Sam. I am really pleased to take this call for the Green Party as our women\u2019s spokesperson and as our Pasifika, our overseas development aid, and our human rights spokesperson. For me, all of those things go quite nicely together. It is wonderful to be able to talk to you today on some of those themes. This is my first time of experiencing\u2014I grew up in a little town down south that most people think of as quite Palagi, a place called Invercargill. But actually, at the time I grew up it had the second-highest Polynesian population, after Auckland, in the world. So you have been part of my growing up. It is really wonderful to have you here in the House today to give us that sense of the Pacific here in this House. It is all too rare an occasion. I hear that some of you were a little shocked by our question time. I also share that shock every day, so I understand. I would also like to offer my thanks to the Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee for hosting this event and promoting this dialogue between us today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThere is so much I could say, because, of course, our relationship is long and deep and there are many things to talk about. But I would like to start by acknowledging that New Zealand\u2019s past relationship in the Pacific has been a dual one. It has been at once an imperialistic and exploitative role, and at the same time many iwi and the K\u012Bngitanga movement have had really strong relationships with many Pacific people. So we have had these two relationships of solidarity and imperialism happening at the same time. I think we are still sometimes fighting between those two tensions in our relationships. As an example, New Zealand is still earning more now from the exporting of products that contribute really strongly to non-communicable diseases in your countries than we are putting into the health budget through official development assistance. I think that in this discussion we need to be acknowledging some of those tensions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EAs the women\u2019s spokesperson, though, I really do want to focus on some of the issues that we share, all of us in the Pacific. One of those really important issues is violence against women. Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have the highest levels\u2014reported levels at least\u2014in the world. We see that in Australia 20 percent of women experience sexual abuse. In Fiji 66 percent of women are physically abused by their partners, in Kiribati 68 percent, in the Marshall Islands 30 percent, and in New Zealand, depending on your figures, between 15 and 30 percent. In Palau and Papua New Guinea 70 percent of women have experienced gender-based violence, in Samoa it is 48 percent of women, and in the Solomons it is 64 percent. In Tonga 23 women a month are victims of physical assault, in Tuvalu it is one-third of women, and in Vanuatu there have been 3,600 cases reported between 1993 and 2000. Sadly, we do not even have the data for the Cook Islands, Niue, or the Federated States of Micronesia. This is a shared problem. We are all struggling with this. If we put some focus on it, it is something we could make a real difference about. It would pay off for all of us in terms of our well-being, our health, and our economic benefits. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI am a member, along with some of my colleagues here, of the New Zealand Parliamentarians\u2019 Group on Population and Development. We have recognised that economic development is intrinsically and reciprocally linked with sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health. We have asked our Government to make a commitment to ring-fencing 15 percent of our overseas development assistance specifically for sexual and reproductive health. Part of that is a link to the connection to the violence against women, because if we cannot control our bodies, we cannot control our destiny. That is around violence, and it is about sexual and reproductive health. There is a huge difference that all of us could make on this issue. I am really looking forward to having a good dialogue with all of you this weekend on those issues. Kia ora koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022 data-id=\u002227b62475f38d4215b12a125924a35ae3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002227b62475f38d4215b12a125924a35ae3\u0022\u003EHon JO GOODHEW (Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E Warm greetings to our Pacific colleagues. Welcome to the first ever Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum. Welcome to New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EMy background is that I am an elected member for an electorate called Rangitata on the east coast of the South Island. I think it would be fair to say that there is no other part of New Zealand that has so few Pacific people amongst its population, but the number is growing. The economy of my electorate benefits from the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, and I thank the Pacific Islands for sending people to work in my electorate. I hope that the work they are doing in New Zealand is indeed enriching their lives and assisting their families, as it is our economy and our lives. In fact, I want to say to you that as the number of Pacific peoples in my electorate increases, so too is my community enriched.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EAs Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs, I am delighted that I can welcome to this forum over these days the 16 female political leaders who come from Pacific Island nations. I want to acknowledge the fact that prior to me speaking there were two other female politicians from New Zealand\u2014one from Labour; one from the Greens. I know that our Minister for Pacific Island Affairs is going to wind up our debate here this afternoon\u2014again, one of our female politicians. So although we are some, I think, 31 or 32 percent of this Parliament, we are finishing in style with the women\u2019s voice of this Parliament. I know that increasing women\u2019s participation in the Pacific legislatures is a challenge. I acknowledge that challenge. I wish you well in the different way that each nation is addressing that challenge. I also wish you success.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EI would like to congratulate the Pacific on bringing gender to the forefront. For example, the 2012 Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration renewed the Pacific\u2019s commitment to improving the lives of women and girls. The Pacific Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012-15 was the first of its kind in the Pacific. It enhances women\u2019s security in conflict situations and women\u2019s leadership in conflict prevention and peace building. In March this year I was absolutely delighted to see the Pacific play such an active role in the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. It was noted that the Pacific Islands were playing an increased role, a very much increased role. I was delighted to be there in amongst it. I would also like to commend Samoa for leading the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group. The gender plan of action is the framework through which the Commonwealth contributes to the advancement of gender equality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EThe Pacific\u2019s performance on gender equality in education also deserves specific mention. Literacy rates are very high, and significant gains have been made in girls accessing primary and secondary education in most areas of the Pacific. Congratulations on your progress in this respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003ENew Zealand is a supportive partner for gender equality in the Pacific. In health and education we work very closely with our development partners to improve access to education for girls and to strengthen services in maternal and family reproductive health, and through our aid programme we offer scholarships to assist women into tertiary education. Improved infrastructure\u2014primarily transport, energy, water, and telecommunications\u2014also contributes to economic development and women\u2019s economic empowerment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EWe recently extended the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme to 2016. This is a successful partnership between NZAID, the New Zealand Police, and the Pacific Islands chiefs of police. It aims to reduce violence against women and provide better access to justice for women victims and survivors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EAlong with Australia and the US, New Zealand is supporting the Emerging Pacific Women\u2019s Leadership Programme. Women leaders from the 12 Pacific countries are implementing projects that promote young women leaders and advance women\u2019s economic opportunities. Women\u2019s economic empowerment may be enhanced by improving women\u2019s rights to land ownership, secure employment, and fair and equal pay.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EAs my colleagues before me have acknowledged, eliminating violence against women is a struggle we face nationwide. We join with you in attempting to address that struggle here in New Zealand as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002260200136-9d63-4a82-b4f5-c00411adb1fd\u0022\u003EI close by once again saluting the 16 women leaders\u2014political leaders\u2014who have come to this forum. In fact, I salute all of the political leaders who have come to this forum, for improving the lives of women and girls can be done only with our menfolk helping us. Please enjoy your time in New Zealand. It is wonderful having you here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022 data-id=\u002282c89210ab3e488f851d99b40a757545\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002282c89210ab3e488f851d99b40a757545\u0022\u003EHon HEKIA PARATA (Minister for Pacific Island Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te Mana Whakahaere, otir\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou huri noa i t\u014D t\u0101tou Whare. Kei ng\u0101 rangatira o ng\u0101 motu o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou ng\u0101 waka katoa e tau mai nei ki Aotearoa ahakoa n\u014D t\u0113hea o ng\u0101 motu o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003E[Salutations to you, Mr Speaker, and indeed to us throughout our House. Good afternoon to you, the leaders of the islands of the great sea of Kiwa, acknowledgments and greetings to you all. I salute you all, the canoes that have arrived here in New Zealand, regardless which of the islands in the Pacific you have come from.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EGood afternoon once more, and thank you very much. Can I acknowledge, as previous speakers have done, your stamina and resilience for the 4 hours that you have sat there this afternoon watching the debate that has gone on in the House, itching to be participants in the debate yourselves, which we look forward to occurring from tomorrow on. Many speakers before me have already commented on how important it is that this occasion is occurring, how long it has actually taken for it occur, and how we must look forward to continuing this process in the years ahead of us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EEvery speaker in this House, no matter which party they have come from, has participated in the celebration of democracy; of the diversity of our country Aotearoa New Zealand; and of the direct links between members of Parliament on all sides of the House who are of Pacific descent, all of us who are of Polynesian descent, and all of us who are descendants of navigators and adventurers, who set out from other parts of the world with a clear conviction that there was something better for them and their families and their descendants, as you too reflect in your own parts of the Pacific. We are gathered here in our unity of being sons and daughters of the Pacific, committed to creating a better legacy for those who will follow us. We join, despite our differences, whatever those may be, in our commitment to creating a better world. I thank you for your participation this afternoon and look forward to it over the next 2 days. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e1ead03-bf7f-496a-a02f-ce52859c58c1\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223e406a3e52b544e8be8a467f4f02ec64\u0022\u003ESittings of the House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022794e188622234032bada072f8e27f559\u0022\u003ESittings of the House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022 data-id=\u002289224bdbcbf74a6784dc9ed0dc9d87ed\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002289224bdbcbf74a6784dc9ed0dc9d87ed\u0022\u003ELOUISE UPSTON (Senior Whip\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E Given the progress in the Pasifika debate, I seek leave for the House to rise early, and I wish our Pacific colleagues a successful weekend.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022 data-id=\u002225a9cf510404422bb62a7feb0bf1995e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002225a9cf510404422bb62a7feb0bf1995e\u0022\u003EThe ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003ECan I just welcome our guests from overseas. I look forward, over the next 4 days, to your participation. From tomorrow it will be your turn to be down here, debating those issues of interest to you, and we look forward to your participation during the next 4 days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 5.58 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2013041898fd74e543ac458e934112d9d20fbecb000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022893adc11-ce4e-419c-a079-08f04b3d75f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"