"\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=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b45e5bc5a60c4fff93f06e44fe9e6dfd\u0022\u003ETUESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2018\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d09de0360a8a488fbf06f7ca9c8f67c0\u0022\u003ETUESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2018\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00226e32a3ffb69e4165b47aa99ca4b2a886\u0022\u003EVisitors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ff6ed11e7ea64febb096b913b1167071\u0022\u003EEuropean Parliament\u2014Delegation for Relations with Australia and New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002294aa992293d840a8b207f4bd592ee256\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002294aa992293d840a8b207f4bd592ee256\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am sure members would wish to welcome the European Parliament\u2019s Delegation for Relations with Australia and New Zealand, led by the Chairperson, Ms Ulricke M\u00FCller, who is present in the gallery.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E[Applause]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d44cf3f0b8924235b4c06f89f45c6b07\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a0e9c1b8004a442cb84e3bb0d09310cc\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224806c24461bb40ffa22724005347a364\u0022\u003ECharter Schools\u2014Closures and Reintegration into State System\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022 data-id=\u0022a9fb3eacb8ae457c99a1eb67137dd3ad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bb158206-360b-4757-8d72-f7d0994e1fb3\u0022\u003E1. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader\u2014National) on behalf of \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a9fb3eacb8ae457c99a1eb67137dd3ad\u0022\u003ERt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government\u2019s policies?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb6af903f4a14be88bddee9f526aa195\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb6af903f4a14be88bddee9f526aa195\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Acknowledging that this question is in the name of the Rt Hon Bill English, can I start by acknowledging the extraordinary contribution that he has made to this House over many years, and share this side of the House\u2019s best wishes for him and his family. And to answer the question: yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b4205d37c1d6459aad53c21a7c3a26a0\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Government going to close charter schools or insist that they must become special character schools?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220cf41017fd134dbdbc1d642b937f09af\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As we\u2019ve long outlined, yes, it is our intention to put through legislation before the House that stops any future charter schools from opening. Currently, we\u2019re working with existing ones to transition them to a model that sits within our current parameters, and that means focusing on having registered teachers teaching within the curriculum, and also under the budgets that our State schools expect as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230b468a29729493b97aadc1eacb9d9de\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: How does she reconcile her statements that the Government will act in \u201Cgood faith\u201D regarding closing charter schools, when her Minister of Education said, \u201CMy preferred option is to explore early termination of contracts\u201D, and that if they don\u2019t agree, then he reserves his right to issue a termination notice to existing contracts by the middle of May 2018?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207dabd87237742ea9ee04f9d5b91d669\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister has continually said that his ambition and hope in going into negotiations with the schools is to transition them. That\u2019s exactly what he\u2019s doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b85593ba2cda41d1aa75fbb30815ff1a\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Prime Minister see value in someone teaching at a school that has, perhaps, special Te Reo experience to give to those young people but may not have an education qualification, and does she see the value in them actually being in charter schools and able to teach?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283f617791462412c84e9680ff930f74e\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I absolutely see the value of more Te Reo in schools, which is why we\u2019re focused on making sure that we have greater teacher supply in that area, because at the moment we\u2019re significantly under-resourced and we need a lot of investment to make up for the deficit from the last nine years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df95116e19de458ab692bc7a0adfbd60\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to parents of children at charter schools that say, \u201CSadly, my experience of State schools here in Aotearoa is one where the word \u2018inclusive\u2019 does not always apply to children with special needs and that charter schools are literally the only option for them.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253306350096f4ba3955300363772a79f\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: One of the points that we have acknowledged is that what this whole process has shown us is that, actually, we do need to make it easier for special character schools to establish themselves. That has been a learning. So we\u2019re focused, as I said, on transitioning those schools but, also, at the same time, making sure in the future, where there are particular needs that we could meet through a school of special character, that they\u2019re able to establish themselves a little more easily.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f7268a753b844f21ba4f601d67e69764\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: How does she reconcile keeping a school in Wairarapa open that has no children in it at all with closing schools that have over 1,000 children at them for little other reason than it appeases the education union?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022596df54951e64b1696eea98de495113f\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Our rationale has been very clear. We have a real focus on quality education, and all children, regardless of whether it\u2019s 1,000 children or 800,000 children, deserve a quality education with registered teachers, with our expansive curriculum, with all the opportunity it provides, and with the same funding that goes to State schools and the majority of children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ac70f91cfd6346fa8b2e3da81e7b41d7\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Where is the manaakitanga in closing He Puna M\u0101rama Trust, which has two highly successful kaupapa M\u0101ori kura who \u201Chave no desire to return to a mainstream model that has continued to fail a large percentage of our students,\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022329ba8110e9047c8ba3477c5b435cd20\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: To have a member stand up and make that claim does no justice to that school when the member sitting right next to me has been engaging directly with that school. We are working constructively to make sure that we get continuity for those kids, not putting fear out there, like the Opposition is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226764c4bcf7094646a260899d826085bb\u0022\u003ECyclone Gita\u2014Assistance and Risk Reduction of Severe Weather Events\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002236c8c596-d890-4cca-9767-1eeb5c9ce710\u0022 data-id=\u00227167375eee164b90a018f41cc2fd19a1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002236c8c596-d890-4cca-9767-1eeb5c9ce710\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227167375eee164b90a018f41cc2fd19a1\u0022\u003EDARROCH BALL (NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What actions has the Government taken to assist Tonga and Samoa in the wake of Cyclone Gita?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022731daa51f5954ebfb8da72d363370ce8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022731daa51f5954ebfb8da72d363370ce8\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E New Zealand has already taken action to support both countries in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Gita, and we are standing by to do more if requested. We\u2019ve just approved the deployment of an RNZAF C-130 Hercules, after a verbal request from the Tongan Government, to help the 5,700 people seeking shelter in evacuation centres. Furthermore, I\u2019ve approved an initial package of $750,000 to support relief efforts in Tonga. It will enable the Government of Tonga to help meet immediate needs, such as emergency shelter, water, and sanitation. With respect to Samoa, we have already approved $50,000 in emergency funds for the New Zealand High Commission in Apia. The high commission can use this funding to support Samoan efforts, and, as we get a clearer picture of demand, we\u2019ll be ready to answer and respond.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002236c8c596-d890-4cca-9767-1eeb5c9ce710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eaf291cb877846a4bdb498cb41f7c810\u0022\u003EDarroch Ball\u003C/span\u003E: What other support might New Zealand provide?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225a3de78afa8d4f6c8f63c35cdb355ccd\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: As the situation on the ground becomes clearer, we\u2019ll support Governments with longer-term recovery and reconstruction. Following previous events, New Zealand has, for example, helped get the power network back up and running, repaired schools and other Government infrastructure, and ensured clean water is available.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002236c8c596-d890-4cca-9767-1eeb5c9ce710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c503c31d998849b496957d5bb344e285\u0022\u003EDarroch Ball\u003C/span\u003E: The Pacific is increasingly vulnerable to severe weather events like this. What will the Government do to help our neighbours to be better able to withstand events of this nature in the future?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d58a588818f4f0e9698a7b8732439ee\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is clear that climate change is driving an increase in severe weather events globally. This phenomenon is especially serious in the Pacific, which is increasingly vulnerable to tropical cyclones as well as rain events. This Government will increase its efforts to invest in risk reduction in climate change adaptation in the Pacific to improve the resilience of the region to natural disasters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002282d8a16e9daa41bd8ece94cefe32446a\u0022\u003ESchools\u2014M\u0101ori-medium Education and M\u0101ori Charter Schools\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u0022003f0460605e48359fef7f754d2f284d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022003f0460605e48359fef7f754d2f284d\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader\u2014National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Education (M\u0101ori Education): How will he ensure that children and young people remain engaged in M\u0101ori-medium education throughout their entire learning pathway and succeed as M\u0101ori?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022 data-id=\u002293da297b4dd140e697e6112da0c5a148\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002293da297b4dd140e697e6112da0c5a148\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS (Associate Minister of Education (M\u0101ori Education)):\u003C/span\u003E Through a number of initiatives, which include strengthening the supply of M\u0101ori language teachers, particularly those with higher language proficiency required for M\u0101ori-medium education. And, as the Prime Minister has just alluded to, we\u2019re dealing with a large hole left by the previous Government in terms of both teacher supply and, in particular, M\u0101ori language teacher supply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ca09dcc27f649d6bc9e29a4dbb03e65\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: How does he reconcile his ministerial responsibility to ensure young people engaged in M\u0101ori-medium education succeed as M\u0101ori with his failure to stand up for rangatahi at partnership schools like Te Kura Hourua o Whangarei Terenga Par\u0101oa, who are succeeding as M\u0101ori?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb49821bb0004e12b1a087a2499cedf7\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s wrong in her premise. I am standing up for M\u0101ori students, and, in fact, I\u2019ve been on the phone regularly with both the senior manager of Te K\u0101pehu Whet\u016B and the CEO of He Puna M\u0101rama Trust. We\u2019re very hopeful of an outcome of successfully transitioning from the current status through to whichever of the three options they decide to take up, and we hope to do it sooner than anticipated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a66da93d37fe49fe84f73216faf5cfc6\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: So what does the Minister think is wrong with charter schools?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae98c216e53b495eb819342f3343a43a\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: They didn\u2019t provide a level playing field, and, in fact, the paper that was produced\u2014[Interruption]\u2014taihoa! [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2c818c67a014227916500c8ca17fd1e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. I think it would be good if at least I could hear, and I\u2019m sure that no members of the Opposition would be able to hear. Sorry, before you go, I do want to particularly ask members in the second row of the National Party to be a little bit less regular in their interjections. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fffbc65e0e9d42df8bf2cdeca008f274\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The paper that the Minister of Education proactively released outlined the differences between the charter schools and State schools. Namely, the issues are around governance, they\u2019re around property, and they\u2019re around teacher registration\u2014nothing at all to do with education, nothing at all to do with student achievement, and nothing at all to do with pedagogy. Those people over there are worried more about the adults in the system than the children in the system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cce4fb8112dd4a3fa00596210647cb66\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: So does his level playing field actually apply to those young people who have been failed in mainstream schools and have found a home and an education that means they can succeed in these charter schools that his Government now wants to close?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022afb11e705aa24240a8b9ee85ae0f2a01\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: The member obviously didn\u2019t listen to the last answer. This has nothing to do with pedagogy and curriculum. That\u2019s what we\u2019re about. There\u2019s nothing to stop those same schools doing exactly what they\u2019ve done, in terms of teaching and learning, and what they\u2019re doing now. These people on the other side of the House obviously do not know what\u2019s going on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc6caa872c014ff0839147ac5352f1d2\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Does he see value in a kuia who may be teaching Te Reo at one of the schools but does not have an education qualification, yet is able to teach those young people in a way that has real value, and will that be lost if there can no longer be charter schools?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eef93fbe3f1e4451ace91d48414a554a\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: This gives us an opportunity to highlight our one-year free tertiary education policy. I would recommend that that kuia\u2014and can I just correct her on her pronunciation; it is not \u201Ckoo-eeya\u201D, it\u2019s \u201Ckwee-a\u201D\u2014will be able to participate in tertiary education and retrain as a teacher. That will mean that she will actually get higher pay. She can also operate with a limited authority to teach (LAT) at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225491eb27a0aa4077a1d17983979ad114\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with Willie Jackson, who said, on the subject of mainstream schools, \u201CWhy would you want to carry on funding a model which continues to marginalise those tamariki\u2014admittedly, mostly M\u0101ori\u2014who don\u2019t fit in?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bf3cd4e56334969b86379f1e233ad58\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is now so far away from the original question that it\u2019s not an acceptable supplementary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022afbeeb89483c4b3eb640c65c6f383589\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s about M\u0101ori education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b439a1e5854488ea57e7b6841c992c1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, it\u2019s not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b62283b787854e9a8e5feda13d98d60f\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240578cf6493f470f91dc1cf0b8291967\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary\u2014Tracey Martin. We\u2019ll give the member a chance to ask it again in a minute, but we\u2019ll have Tracey Martin\u2019s supplementary while she works on it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226cd0b7fecef49578e729f987421545b\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Can he confirm that under the statutory authority to teach provisions in the Education Act 1989, prior to amendments that opened charter schools, kuia and others with special character skills could already teach inside any public school in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c3985398a093467f87e0d90d392f79a6\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: In my 20 years in education, we regularly had members of the community come in and assist with teaching, be it kapa haka, be it Te Reo M\u0101ori classes. It\u2019s obvious that that Opposition over there just aren\u2019t in touch with this subject and don\u2019t really know what\u2019s going on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b99ed05ee0dc48e583e282fa410ce0aa\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister stand by his previous statement and resign if charter schools are closed?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022802874a3-deca-48b7-9d33-9087058892f5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c652a7c30394277bb4a2df92d604667\u0022\u003EHon KELVIN DAVIS\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019ll be absolutely no need for me to resign. In this context, I did speak about the two charter schools up North, and, as I\u2019ve said, I\u2019ve been in close contact with the charter schools up North, and we hope to have an outcome very shortly. The other thing is it\u2019s the model that\u2019s going to close; it\u2019s not the schools that are going to close. But they won\u2019t let the facts get in the way of scaremongering.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222c4e1445e467410594ad43f3935fbc5a\u0022\u003EEconomy\u2014Public Debt\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u00224a4c139613e2478585f07457213d52e3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224a4c139613e2478585f07457213d52e3\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his reported quote of 7 February 2018, \u201CNew Zealand is a country that always has to be aware of global shocks. It\u2019s why we keep our public debt lower than other countries\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u002247bc2375d5f74fa78d9072623bf9ad39\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002247bc2375d5f74fa78d9072623bf9ad39\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E I stand by my actual statement, which is just slightly different. It is, \u201CNew Zealand is a country that always has to be aware of external shocks. It\u2019s why we keep our public debt lower than a lot of other countries.\u201D That is why the Government is committed to reducing net core Crown debt to 20 percent of GDP by 2022 in line with our Budget responsibility rules.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287f11915538a492eb0b46e060687b07d\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Does the finance Minister agree with these statements, and I quote, \u201Cfuture generations of New Zealanders are again being saddled by a National Government with huge levels of debt\u201D, and, and I quote, \u201CDebt has skyrocketed under National\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220f32c9592c4c464dbd5b0b5df76efce0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Neither of those are areas of the Minister\u2019s responsibility.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222edc3909de024a4a849175ccd23e2310\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I just asked the Minister if he agreed with those particular statements, and he is welcome to agree or disagree with them as the Minister of Finance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221c96bdf7f97a4538b3c31b4193fd65f5\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, he might agree or he might not agree and he might even want to answer the question, but he does not have responsibility for it. Responsibility for ballooning net debt levels under National, as the member quoted, is certainly not an area that this Minister of Finance has responsibility for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae6ae094cb504e39950e3637250a4c79\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a new point of order about the same question, and that is in relation to whether members are accountable once they become Ministers for what they have said in Hansard when they were previously members of Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002285cedd9b1337482b8f1e3f94cc28796a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The answer to that is no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022504ad5361ced45ce88cefc5025d669f1\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Why is he intending to increase our Government debt to $70 billion instead of reducing it to $56 billion, given his statement that the low level of public debt is a really important part of the New Zealand economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bff13ab929954325a04d4e3e9160576d\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: What we are doing is measuring debt the same way that the previous Government did, and we\u2019re actually reducing that as a percentage of GDP over the five years we are in office. We have a slower debt repayment track, because we have to address the failures of the previous Government to invest in critical infrastructure and social services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a11cf7f48579449685395213af415837\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Can I ask the finance Minister whether he or his Government have any intention of exploding the debt by 800 percent, as happened the last time the Government changed?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022599b25c36de64aff98d35bc8b8a0f19b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! What I\u2019m going to do is I\u2019m going to help the member by deleting the last phrase, which would make it a question within order, and asking the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225bc7043958404a098f7c991bd0f5deaf\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll rephrase it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022808513d88b0a45f69d1711885e9ec984\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. I think we\u2019re safer going this way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002271ac9d7d16224638a779cfe698b1e40d\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely not. This Government is committed to a responsible debt repayment track. What we are not going to do is see debt grow by $50 billion while we ended up, as a country, with the worst homelessness in the OECD.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222740f8106c1b4aa497c69919655301db\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: With the introduction by the Deputy Prime Minister of the previous Government\u2019s record, can the member confirm that the statements he made\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1fc62435b0741c1b988e6bf02961165\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No! Order! I very specifically ruled that out. I think the member heard me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002258686c61a23f4c5da72da198dfa27ffd\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: A different supplementary then, Mr Speaker. Does he stand by his statement, \u201CWhen you look at the fundamentals of global economic growth, and indeed of the New Zealand economy, I am reasonably reassured by that. Essentially, the low level of public debt is a really important part of it.\u201D, and can he reconcile that statement last week with the statements just made by both himself and the Deputy Prime Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b22f3346276648288c2714b3d189481f\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I can very easily reconcile that. We have a debt repayment track that is responsible but also allows us to finally get on with building some houses, addressing the housing crisis, and dealing with the liabilities that that Minister left the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274653200144649cbb8b3c104a5d1e7e9\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Can he confirm that just a few months ago, he used to think debt was too high, and now he thinks our debt is low and that\u2019s a positive thing, and he\u2019s still going to increase debt anyway; and because of his three changing positions on debt, does he wonder why people are learning not to take him seriously?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229a73d32184ed479eae2f47a18da68802\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I know that member is distracted today by his own ambition, but what I can say to him is that since March last year, I have consistently been talking about reducing debt as a percentage of GDP, the same measure that member used, and, in the meantime, this Government won\u2019t let social services run down, won\u2019t create an infrastructure deficit, and we\u2019ll actually use that debt to build some houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022667325f23a834541836b1b303289d629\u0022\u003EEconomy\u2014Inherited Economic Position and Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00229cdc7979138b487380e6ea055aa5f6f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229cdc7979138b487380e6ea055aa5f6f3\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he received on the Government\u2019s financial statements?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022aaf16c626ee14854ab1a8714b5eaa73d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aaf16c626ee14854ab1a8714b5eaa73d\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Today, Treasury released the financial statements for the Government for the six months to 31 December. They showed core Crown tax revenue was $597 million higher than forecast, at $40.4 billion; expenses were $166 million above forecast, at $39.6 billion; and that the operating balance before gains and losses was $779 million above forecast, at $1.1 billion. Meanwhile, core Crown net debt was 23.2 percent of GDP at the end of December, slightly lower than the 23.4 percent forecast in the half-yearly update.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8b1f6d6ce154a29852591705a3bac39\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What were the drivers for revenue coming in higher than expected?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270576dafe84e43e9b2aa6f21bcbbd0f2\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Treasury\u2019s analysis indicates that greater than expected employment growth at the end of the year contributed to source deductions coming in at $245 million higher than they expected in their PAYE forecast released in December.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b7018e71e0f64626a8a69df0d08b3911\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: What confident businesses!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a05f1d527714421a3b72eed20ed4f02\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right, Mr Parker. Treasury noted that they expect some of this variance to be permanent, and they will incorporate this positive variance into their Budget 2018 fiscal forecasts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a4d01e0eeee450989640d9a0ac823ce\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: How do the December statements fit with wider economic indicators?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c208007c2734500bbfa934fc5bb0c36\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The trends seen in the financial statements fit with other recent indicators of economic activity. Unemployment fell to its lowest level in nine years in December, and the ANZ Job Ads series for January rose by the most in three years. Meanwhile, the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index rose in January at the highest rate in three years, and employee confidence measured by the Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index is at its highest level in nearly a decade. Business confidence in their own activity, which is most closely related with economic growth, remains positive. It\u2019s early days, but the sun is shining, and Mr Joyce should cheer up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022189c6d2f47bf4f6abd4f8b5fb6d7fb51\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Does this mean that the finance Minister now accepts that he possibly inherited a good economic record\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223effae8e69d743f49823864e3dceb5ab\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Let\u2019s start addressing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224281c937b3ae4f8b8ab3686b256d2afc\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I just like to address the whole\u2014does the finance Minister now accept that he\u2019s inherited a very good economic performance in New Zealand from the previous Government, and the only statistics he forgot to mention in his recent spiel was about business confidence, which is down, and does he accept he will have to do something about that to maintain that good economic track record?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022277e5f0edb734fd6a4b41f1165e07145\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am going to let the Minister answer the question, but I am going to counsel the finance spokesman for the National Party to restrict the length of his questions\u2014succinct. One supplementary, succinct\u2014not three or four and long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002220d41bb9a6b847e7a054e6fb33d10ffb\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The member is clearly distracted today, because I did mention business confidence levels in my answer that I gave just now. The issue that the member needs to concern himself with is confidence levels in the National backbench.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226eb194dc32bd478690dd3c19283753e5\u0022\u003EAustralia\u2014Deportation of New Zealand Citizens, Rights of New Zealanders in Australia, and Trans-Tasman Relationship\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002202dfcc27328f42c4b341b44af39c65ed\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202dfcc27328f42c4b341b44af39c65ed\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National\u2014Ilam)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What are his three greatest priorities for the Foreign Affairs portfolio?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022ad001e0b5657422888d8ac06888410f0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ad001e0b5657422888d8ac06888410f0\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E One, restoring the ministry\u2019s capabilities after nine years of woeful neglect; two, restoring official development assistance capacity from the malignant path of neglect and decline that the Government inherited; and, three, improving the character and quality of the foreign policy engagement of our country, to promote the prosperity and security of all New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002285b496fedef44db591bad1835c7737e7\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: What particular areas of the trans-Tasman relationship did he and the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop discuss in Auckland last week?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cef0bbe09b55466f9eca91e43d481589\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Basically, how we could dramatically improve our engagement and relationship as two countries that desperately need each other, more so than ever since 1946. The Foreign Minister of Australia understands that, and that\u2019s the beginning of a new pathway forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220983926bcb4d4e469a5e110c0d7790c8\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Did he raise with the Australian Foreign Minister his often stated concerns about the way in which New Zealand citizens have been treated by Australians when they are living in Australia?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220448d1b1f0e24fe0aa02b8f3469887ef\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: I can say that, generically, with respect to two aspects of that, the answer is yes, and we formed the basis of a future discussion based on fundamental principles and law, with which she herself was very familiar.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e1f29aded6a46e68e9ed8fda44273a9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Does he expect that as a result of his discussions Australia will stop sending criminals who have committed their crimes in Australia back to New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d90bc2327c3645c49f53a23c6ab5c6bb\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: We made it very clear that the situation that we inherited from the previous New Zealand Government, which was unattended, despite all of those statements of a marvellous buddy relationship between the two Prime Ministers at the time, was not going to be the destiny that we were going to accept, and we have sought to have a positive, agreed way forward. That begins when the Prime Minister meets Prime Minister Turnbull in Australia next month.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9098df6b6a640a7a849c7f3301190e9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Then what does he expect that will mean with regards to the repatriation of Australian criminals to New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220db6e4db0507404783f845b9f2fb0708\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, we\u2019re ambitious for enlightened improvement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220cfdce9fda0947c5b7ea20535068c880\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just suggest that the Minister has on a number of occasions counselled people that words matter, so on this occasion, relating to\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b4e5acceb2f4cf0a990c2ba06760715\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, is this a point of order or a question?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1b13fb287f741ddbbb2be6761e0d5be\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: No, it\u2019s a question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218198f4b50f34442bf7001cbcc2c016d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: OK. All right. It\u2019s just\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef5eaa221b6545cea6299bfe555634b7\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Eh? Look, you\u2019re very good at analysing everybody else\u2019s questions; stay with me. The\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201ea00560360411e8bae09499fe35329\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no. I do want to make it clear that the member has had some experience in asking them in the distant past, whereas not all of his colleagues have, in that way. So take the advice that I gave to his colleague.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253372ce1f042443aa26ef4d540cd0888\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: In this circumstance relating to this issue, what will be the enlightened result he\u2019s looking for?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022000e1e86cbf64b549197e3cffcfb61b3\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The enlightened result that we are looking forward to is an improvement in our relations so that some of the events that have caused great anxiety to New Zealanders, both in Australia and back home, do not occur in the future, and they start with the Australian political dichotomy of understanding how critical a country called New Zealand is out here in the Pacific, with all these major challenges we face. And that\u2019s why we\u2019re getting our funding up to do our role.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221019277832a1456096aed7b5bd38cc94\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Does that mean that post the Prime Minister\u2019s discussions, the Australians will stop sending their criminals who have New Zealand citizenship back to New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296715c9b61a74e6684b593306fcf1858\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: When you have a situation that you inherited, which is one of grave neglect\u2014from the point of view of years of New Zealand neglect\u2014it\u2019s a bit rich to expect us in a matter of days to fix it. But what I am very confident about, because of the way both the Prime Minister, my senior colleagues, and I intend to engage with the Australian political system, is that there\u2019s going to be a serious improvement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e5cc6330741344f3a8b06839a31bf64a\u0022\u003EHousing\u2014KiwiBuild Official Advice and Supply\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u0022a8d8f87d15114fb9913943ea1b998e0e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a8d8f87d15114fb9913943ea1b998e0e\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: Does he agree with all official advice provided to him on the KiwiBuild programme; if not, what advice does he disagree with?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3c0326ea34f4f5798168c9d5d1536ef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3c0326ea34f4f5798168c9d5d1536ef\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I receive a variety of advice on KiwiBuild, some of which I agree with and some of which I don\u2019t agree with. It\u2019s important that there\u2019s a flow of free and frank advice from officials as the Government develops its plans to develop affordable housing for young Kiwi families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f876c6a9d8a64d3e9f840a351dedf36e\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: In that case, does he disagree with the advice provided to him by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) that KiwiBuild, despite his modest projections of 16,000 over the next three years, will at best only deliver 8,000 and Treasury\u2019s advice that half of that would come from the existing pipeline?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224738298b636e4b418353f5e2f0e84e41\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I do disagree with that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f37313cc058f48b0834d323f0c8b2315\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Minister so sure that the development sector will be able to respond to his projections of 16,000 houses in the next three years when Treasury, the Reserve Bank, MBIE, and a number of independent bank economists can find nothing in Government policies to suggest that that goal is even remotely achievable?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261b80024e141450eb1e20d18ec73ef41\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I have been open that initial advice from Treasury and MBIE didn\u2019t tally. I got officials into my office and went through the details of the policy, and, as a result of that, Treasury reported in its half-yearly update a $5.4 billion cumulative investment in residential building over and above the normal investment by the private sector. A programme that is as large and ambitious as KiwiBuild places inevitable pressures on the Public Service and I\u2019m comfortable in allowing them the time necessary to get up to speed with our ambition.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223cef840ba72c4e00aaa3703ce700dcba\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Was that the same update wherein Treasury said that the ramp-up of construction of 10,000 houses per annum will be slower than signalled by Government, and the net increase in 2022 will be only 4,500, because 2,700 were already factored in with the Crown building programme and 2,800 will be purchased from existing private sector development?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022578c134e7f1a42859632858f8025ef72\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I disagreed with Treasury\u2019s earlier advice that KiwiBuild would deliver only half the number of houses projected in the early years due to offsetting against the private sector because of industry constraints. I don\u2019t believe that Treasury at that point adequately took into account our policies designed to alleviate those constraints, but by the time of the half-year update, Treasury noted in the update that there were policies designed to alleviate those constraints that would include construction work visas to increase labour supply, infrastructure funding, prefabricated and modular housing designed to increase productivity potentially through the addition of foreign construction firms, and buying off the plan to alleviate finance access issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4b86bb30a1c4384b14d490a66c89d61\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Did those discussions with officials include the Minister\u2019s promised 12 to 15 developments the size of Hobsonville that will be simultaneously constructed, and where and when will those developments take place?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002211cc9d764a5648929570c867a08acbb8\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: That will take a little longer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e177772183b24680a59e5bf47e164962\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table two documents\u2014I can do them together or separately. One is an Official Information Act (OIA) response dated 29 January to the National leader\u2019s office from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on KiwiBuild numbers, and an OIA request response to the National leader\u2019s office from Treasury dated 30 January 2018.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c9a04b3e0174123b2e13693edae0b82\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just before I seek the leave, I want to check with the Minister whether those papers have followed the proactive approach of release that his colleagues are following. No, they haven\u2019t. Is there any objection to them being tabled? There appears to be no objection. They can be tabled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EDocuments, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229fed54d95aef420abdaff1af63fd2b56\u0022\u003EHousing\u2014Ownership, Policies, and Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022 data-id=\u0022e3e4836ed9524f14b146e31f9b93d77d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e3e4836ed9524f14b146e31f9b93d77d\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE (Labour\u2014Rongotai)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: What reports has he received on the housing crisis?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022e094758c2ae9473c9a45e273f54f29b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e094758c2ae9473c9a45e273f54f29b8\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development):\u003C/span\u003E The stocktake of New Zealand\u2019s housing, prepared by three independent experts\u2014Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Alan Johnson of the Salvation Army, and economist Shamubeel Eaqub\u2014released yesterday makes sobering reading and shows the national housing crisis is deeper and more entrenched than previously thought. Homelessness, transience, and substandard housing are having a lasting and sometimes even deadly effect on our youngest and our oldest. The report is a shocking indictment on the failure of the past Government to deal with the national housing crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f6ed1c7082549a0bb31fd8db22fe8b2\u0022\u003EPaul Eagle\u003C/span\u003E: What does the stocktake report say about homeownership?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfa0880503ca4da5a2bf747b192289f9\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the stocktake report warns that New Zealand is quickly becoming a society divided by the ownership of housing and its related wealth. It highlights the increasing number of elderly facing housing-related poverty because fewer and fewer are mortgage free, and some are renting on superannuation alone. Homeownership rates have fallen to the lowest levels in 60 years with M\u0101ori homeownership declining to only 28 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022087c99398c274cf18ef3ac82a0d3e241\u0022\u003EPaul Eagle\u003C/span\u003E: What is the Government doing to fix the national housing crisis? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022170a560912d243abbabefb8cb693ecab\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Government has an extensive reform agenda that includes KiwiBuild building 100,000 affordable homes, changes to the tenancy laws to provide security of tenure, urban development to encourage residential developments at scale and pace, the building of thousands of extra State houses, and an end to the past Government\u2019s mass sell-off of State housing. We\u2019re working on reforming the financing of infrastructure for new urban development and reforming the planning system\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c8a0f2378a6d44bc9b79c4a0b73373d8\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210841dc4566b476597f3c4aa65fac0e5\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014to allow our cities\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002258de4044dce64b7eaa1e3d96a3a4b359\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! That\u2019s enough. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022aa0d2a188aac49af8cb6c7176b136be2\u0022\u003EHealth Services\u2014Mental Health Services, National Bowel Screening, and Targets\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022 data-id=\u0022367ed9d02f3e41f1a1f1f13d50379816\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022367ed9d02f3e41f1a1f1f13d50379816\u0022\u003EHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National\u2014Northcote)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: What are his priorities in the Health portfolio?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u0022d98dc87c43bd4f4a9d7aadb9ba4a6b9e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d98dc87c43bd4f4a9d7aadb9ba4a6b9e\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Better health for New Zealanders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229a6cd9dba93436fa1cc17e42b5fedc9\u0022\u003EHon Dr Jonathan Coleman\u003C/span\u003E: Which district health boards are having the roll-out of the National Bowel Screening Programme delayed? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cdd2af17d3e3431f814585a569b9427f\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: I have announced today a review of the bowel screening programme, and that is in order to seek assurance that New Zealanders can expect the bowel screening programme to roll out as it has previously been announced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286edf77a079d414fbb4ee9f210fc95af\u0022\u003EHon Dr Jonathan Coleman\u003C/span\u003E: Why did the Taranaki Daily News of 18 January report him as saying that the national bowel\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d50b1082a223406583a0f2cf73c72383\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! The member can start again and start with an area for which he is responsible. Why a newspaper reports him saying something is not his responsibility. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c0cb0068650542b4b189b2076de9984a\u0022\u003EHon Dr Jonathan Coleman\u003C/span\u003E: OK. Why has he said, as reported in the Taranaki Daily News on 18 January, that there is a delay to the national bowel screening roll-out nationally because \u201Cof insufficient funds to run the programme\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d49f8672da54a508fbbffe6d3e83ca7\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m advised that they have printed a retraction because they misquoted me. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002271bf0669daf0437bb91b4d4ab4fab12d\u0022\u003EMatt Doocey\u003C/span\u003E: Why will he not start accessing the $100 million contingency fund for mental health, given that he campaigned on more funding and the results of his mental health inquiry won\u2019t be available until the end of the year? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002288bbf19e7f4242c983d320390a1d4fbe\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: As I have previously made clear to this House, in the Budget documents that the previous Government passed shortly before it left office, not a single dollar was appropriated in the health portfolio for mental health initiatives. This Government believes that mental health is a priority. It will not take us nine years to make mental health a priority. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226285ad1b024f468fbb70feb76f2b179d\u0022\u003EMatt Doocey\u003C/span\u003E: In light of those nine years, why, after so long in Opposition to prepare a plan for mental health, does he not have initiatives and a plan ready to roll out now? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4ca2c7f0fde4c9ab2c2026f68bc9165\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: I will educate the member. We have announced already that we will fund primary healthcare better, so that people can have affordable access to care earlier for mild to moderate mental health conditions. We have announced that we will do nurses in schools to make sure that people have access to mental health support, and we have announced also that we will launch an inquiry into mental health services that will report back with further initiatives. We\u2019re well ahead of where they were after nine long, long years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274291eac005c4f56b19d0cf301e943f7\u0022\u003EHon Dr Jonathan Coleman\u003C/span\u003E: What specific instructions has he given to the district health boards to improve access to elective surgery or to decrease emergency department waiting times or to ensure progress against the national cancer treatment target\u2014what specific instructions? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae9cc23a6811428daba0ccb653699df6\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: That sounds more like a leadership speech than a question. But I have been very clear, and I expect to be very clear in the letter in expectations that I write, as to what I expect from district health boards to deliver. I have inherited from the previous Minister a number of documents that went unsigned during his tenure. At least now we have some expectations in place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022603ae58e-47c4-46f9-bfc8-8355a48988ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227169dc8cf2d469c9166e82162c94b97\u0022\u003EHon Dr Jonathan Coleman\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. A very straightforward question\u2014I asked him what specific instructions had he issued. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022983145c6983e4b58ad8f39251cc585b9\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I think you got an answer, which included none. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002214f8ed17682c4239b8298eae7d341949\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m happy to clarify that answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0a9b3e7bb404ba18371828dc5eed0ab\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002244719d9b1e8d4297bd848706c836e4ce\u0022\u003EJob Creation and Unemployment\u2014Inequality, Unemployment Rate, and Young People Not in Employment, Education, or Training\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022 data-id=\u002265658e49be014b26a3d0bb9fc8b92e35\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002265658e49be014b26a3d0bb9fc8b92e35\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Employment: Does he stand by all of his statements?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u0022023b3a82d6ba4ee2a49f2eb6e25d84ea\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022023b3a82d6ba4ee2a49f2eb6e25d84ea\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, generally, and in the context that they\u2019ve been made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022377ad94ef034403cb4a9c3ec253f3e26\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: What did he mean by his statement in the Manukau Courier yesterday, \u201CFor me, the real indicator of how successful we will be in helping New Zealanders get into work isn\u2019t the unemployment rate\u2014it\u2019s actually the inequality rate.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4bd712316304e0c9c42950d7f32a841\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I think that\u2019s pretty self-explanatory and I can\u2019t help it if the member of Parliament on the other side doesn\u2019t understand the article. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ba37f63501394f589094044bc3e680a4\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is this a supplementary?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022587b84e7edbd4523b8e1428c2a980f71\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: No\u2014well, I was pausing before raising a point of order, while you were thinking.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d77c4f5f3be642eeb0700ed0248852e7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I\u2019m not going to react to the five or six interjections. I was trying to decide whether the question had been addressed, and it certainly had.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022150dee7e9493429b908496c958cb983c\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Can he tell House why he thinks New Zealand has the lowest unemployment rate in 10 years?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf0923afe3464342a60c0579d2201e61\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, this Government has done really well in the last few months. And, in the last three months, this Government has been able to achieve what that Government couldn\u2019t do in nine years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246f289520476442885edf6607b480f47\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his statement on Newstalk ZB regarding youth not in education, employment, or training: \u201CThese young people are tarred, because some of them, you know\u2014their fathers are not in education, employment, and training. They need to get a bit of work to start off. Some of them are not ready for work. We give them pastoral care, we give assistance, and we do wrap-around programmes. They may need three to six months of training. They might do a job and leave the following week, or a few days\u2014not good just starting on a job; they finish the next week or they start missing days.\u201D; if so, why is he supporting the removal of 90-day trials, which have encouraged employers to take a chance on exactly these people?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234a07aa3ec9d4f0f953bf347ee2d48a2\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I know the member doesn\u2019t have any chance in terms of the future National Party leadership, but, the reality is, I stand by all the comments I made on Newstalk ZB. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c91ae04e581411c8aebda8f297104b6\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Can I ask the Minister, when he focused on the issue of employment being more an equity issue, does that mean that this Government is against the slave-trafficking and cheap wages and Third World conditions that the previous Government was condoning?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220fa4e31e9ed24f03b6dcb09caaa18954\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I absolutely concur with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This Government is determined to address the inequities that the last Government left, and we\u2019ll look after the regions, we\u2019ll look after M\u0101ori, we\u2019ll look after women. We\u2019re happy with 4.5 percent, but we can do a lot better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227af6232ed7ad40588f0f96c6f199b0bf\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I just ask that you might have a look at that supplementary question asked by the Rt Hon Winston Peters. If that was set down as a primary question it couldn\u2019t stand because it can\u2019t be, in any way, substantiated whatsoever. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd674910c0824bc39138d18f195d2a49\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222458a21223544efa8060bf7cf2b8b0a9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: No, I\u2019m still speaking. We have a question being asked that is purely speculative, but then a Government Minister is allowed to respond on it when there was no responsibility that could be attributed to the Government Minister in this case. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291d2d9c0716a4b3da95b463ccd71a256\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: There was a report out, just days old now, talking about the people-trafficking in this country where employment was concerned. I would have thought every responsible New Zealander would have been alarmed by it, but, apparently, it\u2019s only on this side of the House that that\u2019s happening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022572a369b9f5b4daf955f415dc0686f03\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just say to Mr Brownlee\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b35a17f5a3a44a58befa085d11aa4a4f\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Just, no\u2014I would like to speak to the point of order because a serious allegation has been made. The reality is that there would be no knowledge of that particularly unsavoury practice if in fact it were not reported and dealt with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd340a486bf843bca19fce280114b9c4\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think, going to the original point of order, one of the problems for any side of the House with a question that says, \u201CDoes he stand by all of his statements?\u201D, for the very reasons that the Opposition has asked it\u2014because they want it to be wide and ask anything\u2014it does leave the ability, on a supplementary, for Government members to do the same. I think that\u2019s what the right honourable Deputy Prime Minister was doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c8c07d107ad047b583e81d6cc59ea0a2\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I go back to what I asked for in the first place, which was that you have a look at it, because\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc9d2a6d1b824667acb3c603cc96d0c2\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I certainly will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3e5a2535c5743b2939494344ab319ad\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: He did not ask a question in relation to the Minister\u2019s statements; he presented the Minister with a statement and asked for a comment\u2014quite a different thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7f43dabc52e46baa5a29e728b67d0a8\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I will look at it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294f5bbabcde44852bc2beaf5569f3056\u0022\u003EAngie Warren-Clark\u003C/span\u003E: What is the Minister doing to address the needs of young people who are not in employment, education, or training?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e53c995b659d428b832a0f7f7ee4c20b\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Rangatahi unemployment is a key focus for this Government. I announced a few weeks ago the allocation of $13.27 million, under the He Poutama Rangatahi initiative, to support communities within four regions\u2014Te Tai Tokerau, Eastern Bay of Plenty, Tai R\u0101whiti, and Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2014to help connect young people to real jobs: jobs with dignity, identified by employers and those communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a034bdfcc29488cb6bfc58cc8795713\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Regarding young people not in employment, education, or training, is it still his view that mainstream schools have been failing M\u0101ori students, and \u201CWhy would you not want an alternative that can support and help our children fulfil their own dreams and aspirations?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e4d2354e8bf4a1395115984e45ac674\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s no doubt that a few mainstream schools have failed our students, but in the main we\u2019re doing a pretty good job out there. This Government is prepared to hear the concerns of our people out there, but, first and foremost, prioritise tamariki\u2014children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a41712e095ee41dfa9c22ef0f3905490\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Regarding young people not in employment, education, or training, is it still his view that we need to innovate in education, both in schools and at the tertiary level; and if so, why is he supporting shutting down charter schools?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232cee0b715584022b4dbe8ad8b50e904\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I support the Government and our education initiatives. I\u2019m a person who\u2019s been intimately involved in charter schools, and I\u2019ve seen the strengths, and sadly there\u2019s a few weaknesses that we have to address. When schools have to come up with a million dollars and become entrepreneurs and businessmen, they\u2019re not the types of schools that this Government will support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e66a8e9babc248f6b10fc91934dee14a\u0022\u003EFamilies Package\u2014Effect on Working Families and Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022 data-id=\u0022c9a2013c992b4643b16d9bd18c2edd8c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c9a2013c992b4643b16d9bd18c2edd8c\u0022\u003EANAHILA KANONGATA\u2019A-SUISUIKI (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development: Will the Families Package support working families; if so, how?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u002215dc5d5c7fd84c27845f1f17e5e95ed1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002215dc5d5c7fd84c27845f1f17e5e95ed1\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E Absolutely. It\u2019s not just families out of work or on a benefit who are struggling. We recognise that there are also a large number of New Zealanders who are trying to balance low-paid work with raising a family, and are finding it hard. Action this Government is taking under the Families Package will reduce inequality and put more money in the pockets of thousands of hard-working Kiwi families by boosting Working for Families, family tax credit payments, increasing the accommodation supplement, introducing a Best Start payment that gives families with a baby born or due on or after 1 July 2018 $60 a week until their first birthday and up to age three for lower-income families, and increasing paid parental leave to 26 weeks by 2020, which will provide greater financial certainty and confidence for working families. The Families Package enables\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f90e37a64974c66af5b661f12ab0633\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! This is question time, not speech time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c1cc97f27da4854b9af156f20b43952\u0022\u003EAnahila Kanongata\u2019a-Suisuiki\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has the Minister received to indicate that poverty amongst those in work is an issue for New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b1474126422442da6119d0b5371672e\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: The Household Incomes in New Zealand report is clear that after housing costs are taken into account, around 40 percent of poor children are from low-income families where there is at least one adult in full-time employment. The figures are very similar for families in material hardship. Around 40 to 50 percent have at least one adult in full-time employment. The working poor is now a common issue facing Governments in most OECD countries. While paid employment is the way out of poverty and hardship for most families, it needs to be sustainable. For many, a small change in income or an unexpected bill can be disastrous. That is why the Families Package is so important. It will increase the incomes of many low-income families with children by meaningful amounts and help these families thrive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236d4c876f44a4b69bda139cfac704143\u0022\u003EAnahila Kanongata\u2019a-Suisuiki\u003C/span\u003E: In real terms, what will the Families Package deliver for working families?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4fbad8910d44a979fe85b8e368bdca3\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: As part of the Families Package, the Working for Families abatement threshold is increasing from $36,350 to $42,700. These changes mean that around 26,000 more families are eligible for Working for Families tax credits in 2018-19. As a result of the Best Start tax credit, families will receive $60 per week in the first year of a child\u2019s life. For those on lower incomes, those payments will continue until their child turns three. These changes are expected to benefit around 65,000 children born each year. Due to changes being made to the accommodation supplement, around 135,000 families will gain an average of $35,000 per week. Three hundred and eighty-four thousand New Zealand families are going to be better off with our Families Package. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c25d7a6588d34e2a9924cb15e1591d80\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: How will giving $35,000 to someone earning $160,000 a year\u2014say, an MP, for example\u2014through their families and education policy help lift children out of poverty?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0d6c16ffa33477a96d100772700854b\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: This Families Package is about New Zealand families\u2014low- to middle-income New Zealand families; 384,000 families will benefit from this package, many of them low-income families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022444ea9eab53748fc9995e13684577a47\u0022\u003EDigital Services\u2014Recruitment of Chief Technology Officer\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u0022045f4f345e9d4b4585d7f9ffde9cb9fe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022045f4f345e9d4b4585d7f9ffde9cb9fe\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media: Why has she decided to widen the search for New Zealand\u2019s first Chief Technology Officer, and what will that mean in practice?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022 data-id=\u0022f4df1a86ec304affbfc66df502c91607\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f4df1a86ec304affbfc66df502c91607\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN (Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media):\u003C/span\u003E The candidates who applied have an impressive range of skills and backgrounds, but no one person had all the attributes that we want. I will be seeking more input from the sector and perspectives from a new digital advisory group, which is being set up. The Chief Technology Officer is a vital role, and, as a responsible Government, we know we need to get this appointment right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286f4480f26474427815ac1da43a98ee2\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: So what steps did she or officials undertake prior to the opening of applications for the Chief Technology Officer role to determine that there were people in New Zealand who were both capable and interested in the role?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cbf35646dd984a4ab9e6deebca61ee46\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN\u003C/span\u003E: A recruitment process was undertaken. We are in the middle of that recruitment process. We have come to a decision that we need to widen that search. There were terms of reference established. There has been a search undertaken. We have decided to widen that search. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c8d3825097324c568d182bd300f3ce85\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was quite specific about actions undertaken before that role was put out to the public. The Minister hasn\u2019t\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002200498e390ec4400492bd93d789f6db0a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Ask the question again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246726345c6e94468a5c33adfaee220bf\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What steps did she or officials undertake prior to the opening of applications for the Chief Technology Officer role to determine that there were people in New Zealand who were both capable and interested in the role?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b7f8578136241f2bfd4dea3131acf77\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN\u003C/span\u003E: The position of the Chief Technology Officer has been widely canvassed for a number of years in public discussion, including in the policy of the Labour Party. There has been ongoing determination. As with any high-profile position, one doesn\u2019t know what the outcome is going to be, and it is not predetermined. It was not a predetermined position. We want the right person for the job. This is a responsible Government, and we are undertaking a responsible process. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa8478d4b7064b71920438817b030fcb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f6f3d5f05ca849c497e375dd831b261c\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: What confidence can the public have that the Government Chief Technology Officer role is anything more than sloganeering policy, given the Minister undertook so little testing on the availability of suitable candidates prior to commencing the establishment of the role?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5cdce96b9c44ef5bed3987e4737249f\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN\u003C/span\u003E: A high degree of confidence that this Government is a responsible Government undertaking a responsible process about a position that has been widely canvassed, and we want the right person for the job, as does the rest of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022945947b6a57740879bc6785d3568806d\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: What message does it send to the information and communications technology sector about her confidence in its capability, given she has decided that none of the more than 60 applicants are suitable for the Chief Technology Officer role?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0d04f63a4cd4f1291a84d6cea3e1b25\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN\u003C/span\u003E: If the member was listening to my answer to his primary question, he would have heard that I am seeking more input from the sector and perspectives from a new digital advisory group, which is being set up as we speak. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257055af64c57481cb1a68540884ff775\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: What does it say about the role she has established that no one who the Minister deemed suitable for the job wants it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220795cefbad16403180e6f877aefa319c\u0022\u003EHon CLARE CURRAN\u003C/span\u003E: This Government wants the right person for the job. We are in the middle of a recruitment process for it. We are ambitious for New Zealand. We are ambitious for this position. We are undertaking a responsible process, and I think New Zealand can be reassured about that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022006c7de97f164fb08bade38e5af640ae\u0022\u003EUrgent Debates Declined\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022582c3c7c9fd64efc9a1a84f9c674d1a0\u0022\u003ECharter Schools\u2014Announcement of Closure by Minister of Education\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022375dc82551f74be3b934b8e3c5f91a9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022375dc82551f74be3b934b8e3c5f91a9b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received a letter from David Seymour seeking to debate, under Standing Order 389, the announcement by the Minister of Education that charter schools will be ended. This is a particular case of recent occurrence; the Minister\u2019s announcement was made on the day he introduced legislation to give effect to it, which was 8 February this year. It is clearly a matter for which there is ministerial responsibility. Changes to the education system are significant matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EWhen considering whether a matter requires the urgent attention of the House, the Speaker considers whether there is another parliamentary means of debating it, such as legislation\u2014Speakers\u2019 rulings 197(3) and 199(1). In this case, the Education Amendment Bill, which gives effect to the Minister\u2019s announcement, is on the Order Paper and will soon be available for its first reading. The ending of charter schools will be subject to debate in the House and to select committee scrutiny. In light of that fact, I\u2019m not convinced that the matter warrants a setting aside of the business of the House today. The application is therefore declined.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002272025a9e6427457eb76ef5749108fce9\u0022\u003EChild Poverty Reduction Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002224ed3899fbcc47498928c57c5aab147e\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u0022072e7136612c4a32bc580242f3bd6282\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022072e7136612c4a32bc580242f3bd6282\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Minister for Child Poverty Reduction):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Child Poverty Reduction Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EIt is both my honour and also, I believe, my duty to present this bill to the House today. I\u2019m on record as having stated that child poverty and child poverty reduction is one of the reasons that I was motivated to get into politics and, ultimately, into this House, and my view on that issue remains absolutely undiminished to this day. It is why, as Prime Minister, I also hold the role of Minister for Child Poverty Reduction\u2014that is how strongly I feel about this issue. It is why we initially proposed this legislation and why we prioritised it. We want to make sure that we make significant, substantial, and sustained action to reduce child poverty and hardship in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003ENow, I don\u2019t believe that I need to recount the many images and stories that exist that anecdotally have quantified child poverty in this country for some time. They\u2019re in the images of the empty lunch boxes, of the child doing homework by torchlight. I\u2019m confident that those images have spoken to each and every member of this House and that we don\u2019t question the existence of poverty in New Zealand\u2014because it is real and it is debilitating.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EAs the Children\u2019s Commissioner\u2019s expert advisory group reported, \u201CIt means, for instance, a much higher chance of having insufficient nutritious food, going to school hungry, wearing worn-out shoes or going barefoot, having inadequate clothing, living in a cold, damp house and sleeping in a shared bed.\u201D No matter what numbers we talk about, that is ultimately the face of poverty in Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EYet I know, and many of us believe, this is not what parents want for their children. Many sacrifice every cent they have to try and give the best future to their kids possible. So long as families and wh\u0101nau live with inadequate income, this cannot be a debate in this House about blame, but is instead one that starts to talk about fixing the issue and ensuring that families finally get their dignity back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003ENow, every Government, present and future, should be absolutely dedicated to the notion that children should get the very best start in life, free of poverty and hardship. I believe that that sentiment actually has long been shared in this Parliament, because there shouldn\u2019t be politics in child poverty reduction. I believe that we are better than that, and the public, ultimately, has the right to expect better than that of us. Parties across this House have already pledged to act on child poverty in different forms, something that, ultimately, we should all celebrate, but that is why I am seeking cross-party support of this bill today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EThe essence of this bill is to try and build enduring political accountability, consensus, and action on the issue of child poverty and to reduce it. It sets out in law a range of widely accepted income and hardship benchmarks for which we can be measured against and will report on; a requirement for successive Governments to, themselves, set targets around those measures; and, ultimately, a requirement to produce a strategy\u2014the piece that actually details what a Government will do to take action on child poverty but also on child well-being more generally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003ENow, all of this closely matches the member\u2019s bill I had in my name in 2012, which was all about establishing measures so Governments could be held to account. Measurement will always be an important starting point. It\u2019s not the whole picture, but it\u2019s an important part of it. Currently, we do see debate around child poverty rates. They\u2019re often contested by policy makers and commentators, citing different measures and often assuming that they\u2019re directly comparable. Confusion over measurement can undermine public confidence. It diminishes the understanding of the issue, diminishes public accountability and debate. It ultimately doesn\u2019t get us anywhere. That\u2019s why this bill addresses to resolve that issue by setting four primary measures and six supplementary measures against which our performance\u2014a Government\u2019s performance\u2014can then be judged.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EThe measures that are in this bill accord with international standards and scorecards, and they\u2019ll be familiar to anyone, for instance, who is familiar with the Child Poverty Monitor or, for instance, the Ministry of Social Development\u2019s detailed income reports. The bill includes both income and hardship primary measures, and I\u2019ll detail them quickly now. The first is low income at less than 50 percent of the median disposable household income, without deducting housing costs. The second is the same 50 percent income measure, but this time after deducting housing costs, and against a fixed reference year. That enables us to unambiguously show how incomes have changed year to year, but, importantly, also to show the impact of housing costs, which is a particular issue for New Zealand at present. The third measure is material hardship\u2014that tells us about whether or not a child\u2019s basic needs are being met within their household\u2014and the fourth measure is persistent low income or hardship. That one is an entirely new measure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003ENow, taken together, they give us a good insight into the experiences of Kiwi households, families, and their children, but also give us a good way of determining what policies will make a difference to those families. Successive Governments will then be required to set both long-term and short-term targets so they can be held to account. The persistence measure, the new one I mentioned, that\u2019s going to be particularly important, because we know now, through good work like the Dunedin study, the harmful and sometimes long-term impact of being exposed to child poverty, particularly in the early years. This risks cycles of poverty becoming repeated through generations. That\u2019s why it is so important that we get that persistent poverty measure right and we target our Government policies where they\u2019re needed, to try to address that generational impact. Sadly, we don\u2019t currently have a suitable database and benchmarks, and that\u2019s why this bill actually requires the Government Statistician to create one. Targets will then be set against those once that information is available.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EBut that\u2019s not all. We\u2019ve also put in place supplementary low-income and material hardship benchmarks. The reason we have those additional elements is they\u2019ll help us better measure our progress against other countries. It recognises that, actually, different groups, experts, and future Governments will have their own view on what constitutes child poverty, and it gives us a more rounded picture of what\u2019s going on in New Zealand as a whole.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003ENow, why does all of this matter? It matters because we all want to know, I believe, what is happening for our most disadvantaged children, so that we get our policies right. Governments present and future, though, will not be required to set particular targets. That\u2019s based on a view that there will be legitimately different views around what is ambitious and what is not. Targets themselves are purposely, therefore, not included, to maintain that neutrality. The Government Statistician, however, must, independently of Ministers and Government, report annually on the rates of child poverty against the primary and supplementary measures.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EI do want to flag here that, currently, the start dates for the bill are based on when we\u2019ll have some of that initial income reporting available. My preference is that we actually bring our start dates forward from where the bill currently has them. I seek the view of the select committee and the public on that preference, given it\u2019s not currently in the bill. Of course, we\u2019ve also put in a requirement that the Public Finance Act will be the mechanism at each Budget by which we will be required to report on our progress in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003EWhat I want to acknowledge is that although we will make sure targets are available for the public to comment on, the targets set by this Government are the most ambitious targets we have seen any Government set for poverty. A 5 percent rate has not been achieved by New Zealand that I can see in the records ever\u2014ever. If the last Government believes that they can achieve that, then please, by all means, vote for this bill and support those targets, because the honest truth is we\u2019ve never achieved them before, and if we do we\u2019ll be amongst the best in the world. Finally, the well-being strategy is a requirement because we acknowledge this bill itself doesn\u2019t change anything except our political accountability and the public\u2019s ability to hold us to account. The strategy makes all of the difference. I commend this bill to the House, I commend it to the Opposition, and I ask for your support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022 data-id=\u00220f70cadab358400991bed49ead630801\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f70cadab358400991bed49ead630801\u0022\u003EHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Speaker, thank you, and thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. Forgive me if I stand here first off and say how ironic I find it that the Prime Minister stands up and lectures us about taking the politics out of child poverty, when one of the first things she did was remove the Better Public Services targets, which actually got to the heart of the causes of some child poverty and child deprivation, and didn\u2019t have anything to replace them with. She said, \u201CWe will one day.\u201D, but actually, politically, had to take them out and take them away, let alone let them continue to run until she could actually replace them with her own ideas. So she didn\u2019t have ideas. They were very, very clear and specific targets that went to the heart of\u2014for those that are in the first trimester of being pregnant, setting a target that 90 percent of them would actually be with a lead maternity caregiver. I would have thought that was something well worth backing, well worth getting behind. If the Prime Minister didn\u2019t actually think that was something that would help children, then perhaps she could have let it go until she came up with some of her own ideas, but she couldn\u2019t do it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EExcuse me if I find it a bit rich to be told that this is the, kind of, panacea and that some Governments will be more ambitious than others, like the feeling we got from her own would be\u2014when, actually, it was the National Party that was more ambitious in the number of children that we could remove out of child poverty. We proved you could do it, by seeing 85,000 fewer children in poverty, and yet all we\u2019ve got so far is bluster, blunder, and the talk of what might happen, not the actual evidence behind it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe have an opportunity; it is right to do it right. We have an opportunity to make some significant changes, as we constantly should be as a Parliament, as we have an obligation to be doing as members of Parliament, for the children of this country. But this is a bill that has significant risk and has significant opportunity. The risk is that if this bill is enacted as it currently stands, it will do nothing and it will help no one. It will do nothing and it will help no one. It will simply be another well-intentioned piece of legislation that has absolutely zero impact on the families who are genuinely struggling every day. I\u2019m sure the Prime Minister does not want to play the political spin game with the most vulnerable children in New Zealand, and I\u2019m sure that she has good intentions, but one thing we know after nine years of working on these problems in Government is that good intentions count for very little for those children that are actually in their homes; it is your actions that will actually count.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EAt the moment, this bill is an empty symbol of this Government\u2019s need to show how caring they are, but it achieves very little. On one level it sets targets for child poverty reduction, but my colleagues here in the National Party believe they are too low. Where is the ambition for our children? Where is this new ambitious Government that told us it was all going to be so much bigger? That is why the National Opposition plan to support this bill to the first reading but make absolutely no obligations of supporting it to a second reading. We have some key amendments that we will be putting forward and that we feel will dramatically strengthen it and really change the lives of New Zealand\u2019s most vulnerable.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EThe first thing is the targets. The targets are too low. To go out there and say that it\u2019s something like 70,000 over 10 years to be doing the\u2014and we might get to 50,000; it\u2019s too low. It\u2019s just simply not ambitious enough. Work out your priorities. Work out what needs to be done in your next Budget. Put that into place. Look at your debt levels. Look at what needs to be done. Follow a great example, actually, of two previous finance Ministers under National and know that you actually can put more money genuinely into tens of thousands of New Zealanders\u2019 homes that need it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EBut poverty is just one problem that these children face. They face such a range of issues that have often been intergenerational and over a long period of time\u2014and this bill does nothing to address the needs of those children in that way\u2014family violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems, untreated health problems, and poor housing, to name a few. We had a plan in place addressing those very issues. We had targets that the Public Service had to measure themselves against. We pumped literally hundreds of millions into them. We saw crime coming down, fewer on benefit, and, actually, things improving. Now we see the eye off that ball and, instead, a lofty bill full of good intentions but with no actions or no substance actually behind it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe want to see Better Public Services targets introduced into this bill, and we will be presenting a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) along that line. We want to see that we get into the heart of things, like pregnant women getting access to the health outcomes and support that they really and truly need, that there is better housing, and that there are fewer people on welfare and living in decades of deprivation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe want to support place-based initiatives. If we are serious about making change in those families\u2019 lives, who are most vulnerable, we have to devolve power\u2014which means money\u2014back into our communities so that they can be self-determining on how that actually is spent, what programmes work the best, and put the most money into that and over a much longer period of time. To do that, you need social investment. Forgive me if I sound like I don\u2019t quite believe all of the words that the Prime Minister was saying around taking the spin, politically, out of this stuff, when, actually, we can\u2019t see the evidence behind the initiatives that she wants to run. We can\u2019t see the backing on what actually, really, we do know will work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe haven\u2019t heard that support for social investment, which literally means that you\u2019re getting the right funding into the right organisation that gets to the right people that gets into the heart of what the issues really are over a much longer period of time and can prove to those that are paying their taxes and working hard that the money is well spent and when it is actually able to present the evidence that it is not quickly enough, you can change and move another way. This bill does nothing for those children that are living in Kaikohe at the moment, actually getting support from a place-based initiative and worried whether or not that will still be run or will it go, like charter schools.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EExcuse me if I find it just a little bit rich from a Prime Minister that tells me, \u201CPut children first.\u201D in the same week she is telling us that charter schools have got to go. So the kids that they care about need to be put first but not the children, actually, that are in charter schools and are, for the first time for many of them, getting an education that they can relate to at a place that they want to be every day, and are achieving at levels that they and their family hadn\u2019t seen before. So to stand here now and say to take the politics out of what\u2019s happening around children, I think, just speaks volumes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe will be putting forward three different SOPs, one around actually setting some real targets that go into the heart of the Public Service and to those families that most need that support, and really get into that deprivation stuff. We will be putting forward an SOP around social investment, because, as the Prime Minister said, if you can\u2019t measure it, you can\u2019t measure whether it\u2019s working right\u2014you can get in there sooner and you can make a genuine difference, and that\u2019s what the social investment approach actually believes in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003EWe will also be saying that the targets that the Labour - New Zealand First - Green Government are setting here are simply not ambitious enough. This can\u2019t be as good as it gets for the kids that need us most, and, quite frankly, I am quite disappointed at the lack of ambition by this Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003ESo, as I say, we\u2019ll see it to the first reading. We want to work with this. Let\u2019s take the politics out and work together to improve this bill for the good of all of our children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022d31ff110780641e48ed60625c91c3241\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d31ff110780641e48ed60625c91c3241\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E I wish to welcome the introduction of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill and the vision it embodies for the future of New Zealand. I just want to refer to some of the comments made by the previous speaker, Paula Bennett, and remind the House that that previous speaker was once the Minister for Social Development and, under her watch, child poverty skyrocketed to 220,000 children. Under her watch, 220,000 children were living in poverty. So when that member says, \u201CThis can\u2019t be as good as it gets.\u201D, I have to sit here shaking my head at that member, because we have to remind her that it was much, much worse under her watch. At least we are aspirational for New Zealand. We actually have a strategy and a plan for addressing the very urgent issue of child poverty in this country, unlike that Opposition, who sat on their hands for nine years and did nothing to help those children\u2014nothing, member Louise Upston, who\u2019s shaking her head.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EWe are all devastated in this House at the sight of children without their lunch, to see them throughout the day walking to school in the rain without a coat, or living in cold, damp houses. We are all devastated in this House by the number of children every winter that get admitted into our hospitals, into our emergency wards, with respiratory problems due to the conditions of the housing that they\u2019re living in. Not only do we rightly find it unacceptable that some of our children live in households that can\u2019t afford adequate food, clothing, secure housing, dental and medical care, and more; we don\u2019t recognise it as the New Zealand we have come to believe in. So many New Zealanders say that they do not recognise the country that they are living in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EWe see our country as somewhere that everybody gets a fair go, where there is equal opportunity, but we know that it\u2019s not always so and that children often bear the brunt of it. The reality is that there are families living lives of quiet desperation, where losing a shift at work, an unexpected bill, or an illness can spell the difference between being able to feed your children or not. These families are often stressed, strung out, and ashamed of not being able to properly provide for their families, and we\u2019ve all had examples of that in our own electorates whilst we\u2019ve been out and about as members of Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EI want to refer to one, and that\u2019s an example that I used whilst in Opposition. The father in the family lost his job due to a workplace injury. Within a couple of weeks, they could no longer afford to pay their rent. At that point, they were evicted. They ended up\u2014the mother, the father, and two children\u2014living under a tarpaulin at the back of somebody\u2019s house, and that was because they were on the brink of poverty that whole time. It only takes one bill\u2014all of a sudden, you\u2019ve lost your job, through no fault of your own, and you are, all of a sudden, in that desperate situation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThe experience of poverty in childhood goes much wider than the here and now. The impacts of persistent low income and material hardship are pervasive and cumulative, and for some groups of people, it\u2019s also inescapable. Evidence suggests that a substantial number do not move out of the low-income zone over a seven-year period. There may be other reasons why children don\u2019t thrive, but childhood poverty is, undoubtedly, one that matters, especially when the experience is severe and persistent, and the working poor form part of this picture. While adults in employment in households reduces the chances of poverty for children, it\u2019s not a cure at all, and we know this is the case because around 40 percent of children living in poverty are living in households where there is at least one adult in full-time employment or self-employed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EChild poverty rates, after taking housing costs into account, are much higher now than they were in the 1980s. Most low-income households with children are now no better off or even worse off than their counterparts in the 1980s. We also know that M\u0101ori and Pasifika children are overrepresented in poverty statistics. Just under half of children in poverty are M\u0101ori or Pasifika, and rates of poverty and persistent poverty for M\u0101ori and Pasifika children are around double the rates of P\u0101keh\u0101, and I certainly see that in my own electorate, where we have a population of 24 percent Pacific, 14 percent M\u0101ori, and there is a higher number of children living in poverty, more households with three or more families living in that one household, and a higher proportion of sole-parent households. We see poverty in electorates like the one I am the MP for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ESo what\u2019s to be done? We all want answers, but when people\u2019s lives are financially fragile and sometimes unstable or transient, answers can be elusive. So what to do about children living in poverty is the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e22fbf0d65764de192e2a297efcf6863\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Could I ask the member, please, to come to the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9fca5b9e4134f06b804ab9b39edd218\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m here to tell you that this bill forms a good deal of the answer. The legislation outlined in this bill will establish long-term targets to encourage Governments to have aspirational goals and to take actions that have both short-term and longer-term effects. At the same time, it will ensure milestones are put in place that build over time. This is critical to ensuring momentum in the fight to better children\u2019s lives. In real terms, that means putting goals in place that ensure a long-term, sustained effort to address child poverty while taking action in the now to alleviate children\u2019s suffering. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EEach measure in the suite of measures is an important lens on the issue of child poverty. Setting them in primary legislation will help ensure that the actions of successive Governments can be better and more consistently judged. By setting goals for each of the four measures, the Government will make progress on several fronts for New Zealand children, and reaching and maintaining those long-term targets would place New Zealand alongside those countries who currently have the lowest rates of child poverty and material hardship. New Zealand has the opportunity and the moral obligation to ensure children are free from the burden of poverty. The Child Poverty Reduction Bill will drive a significant and sustained reduction in child poverty that lasts beyond successive Governments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EAlongside this, we have to look at other measures that we are putting in place to address the issue of child poverty in this country, and this Government has been proactive on that front. The Families Package will mean an increase\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aef54a931a664bfc85d742de0c5ba48b\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that\u2019s very interesting to the member, but a large part of the speech has not focused on the bill. So I ask the member, please, to keep it tight and focused on the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002297be4f1c271543eca42cad90d1f768f0\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Madam Deputy Speaker, this bill will take this country a long way to addressing the very urgent issue of child poverty. I encourage all of the political parties in the House to do the right thing, to support this legislation, and to work with us to be able to adequately, effectively address the issues of poverty that New Zealanders are facing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u002210f16e87abdb42aaa5766d83a14652ce\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210f16e87abdb42aaa5766d83a14652ce\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. At the start of my intervention, and with your indulgence, I want to reflect on the news today of the retirement of the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Bill English, who, I have no doubt, history will judge as one of the country\u2019s great parliamentarians. Now, his legacy will very much be the steady financial acumen with which he steered this country through the global financial crisis and the Canterbury earthquakes, but my abiding memory of Mr English will be his passionate, unequivocal, energetic support for social investment and the families who would benefit from it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EThis is very relevant to the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. If there is any regret that Mr English might have, it would be, I think, that the social investment programme wasn\u2019t given three more years to really, really bed in. I think that the intervention from the Minister for Social Development and her comments in November, December last year indicate to me that she just does not understand social investment. She announced that it would be repackaged, retrenched back into the Ministry of Social Development, and that it would undergo significant changes. The Prime Minister herself, when looking at some of the Better Public Services (BPS) targets that the previous Government had, using rheumatic fever as an example, I think also shows how lacking in understanding the Government is about the need for agencies to work across silos in order to solve entrenched problems\u2014the symptom, much less the cause, of which is child poverty. I think the more one drills into the issue of child poverty the more it\u2019s clear that financial poverty is both a cause of dysfunction and a symptom of it. And if it were as simple as pouring more money into those families and then leaving them alone, we wouldn\u2019t be here debating this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ERheumatic fever is, I think, a very important barometer. Prior to social investment it was not unusual for hospitals to simply treat the pathology, discharge the child, and send them back into the very conditions that led them to those poor health outcomes. I sat around the table, watching as agencies were shoehorned out of their silo mentality and, through those targets, forced into directly addressing the causes of poverty and ill-health. Rheumatic fever was a really good example. It wasn\u2019t simply OK for the hospital to send that child back into the cold, damp mouldy house from which he or she came. There was an obligation, because of the targets and the expectations the previous Government had, that they would be fixed so that that child would not come back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EThe significant improvement, I think, we were starting to make and the transformative actions that Government departments were going through, in order to work collaboratively to reduce both the symptoms and causes of child poverty, were very, very promising. We will support this bill, but we do so with the condition that there will be a very serious look at the way in which those BPS targets\u2014those social investment targets that were becoming so effective\u2014were going to be addressed by the Government. I look forward to the repackaging, but I counsel the Minister that there was much good that was going on and it would be a terrible shame if, on a blind ideology, they were lost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EI want to just make two points about the bill. Firstly, the Prime Minister appears to have had something of a road to Damascus experience. I don\u2019t know how many times I sat in this House when, in Opposition, Jacinda Ardern grilled the Minister for Social Development, the Hon Anne Tolley, on her refusal to be boxed into a corner and to say, \u201CThere is one single definition of child poverty.\u201D, and the previous Minister was right. Now the Prime Minister agrees with her. We see in the explanatory note of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill, under \u201CMeasures\u201D, and I quote, \u201Cmaterial disadvantage is multi-dimensional and therefore more than 1 measure is needed to properly assess trends and understand which groups are over-represented.\u201D It further says \u201C\u2014as noted, the level of poverty is a contestable notion and different views can reasonably be held:\u201D. Well, if that\u2019s not a road to Damascus experience for the Prime Minister, I don\u2019t know what is, and I actually applaud her for backing down off the high horse she rode for years in Opposition, to come to the sensible conclusion that there is no one measure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EBut the other particular feature of this bill, which we will support because it does no harm\u2014but doesn\u2019t do much\u2014is the lack of ambition from the Government in actually solving child poverty. The previous Government took 85,000 children out of poverty. Its Family Incomes Package, passed in Budget 2017, which was mostly repealed by this present Government, in order that they can give my children completely free first-year tertiary education, is an example of both misguided targeting and a lack of ambition. The previous Government committed to taking 100,000 children out of poverty in this term of Parliament, and now we have a target that says that if they\u2019re lucky, with a fair wind, and they don\u2019t completely muck up the economy the way business is concerned they might do, that target is going to be 100,000 children out of poverty in 10 years. So tens of thousands of children are going to have to wait longer and longer for the Government to assist them into independence from the State, and, for their families, self-determination and a life better lived, because the Government wants to give my children free tertiary education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EWell, I\u2019m sorry, but this bill lacks ambition. This bill grossly lacks ambition. I think what we heard from the Minister for Social Development is that knowing the data\u2014knowing the numbers\u2014is an important prerequisite to solving child poverty, but actions speak louder than words. Data will not change lives; policies and actions will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220be4e3e7d3504d5f81f8f8a59ca28b07\u0022\u003EHon Clare Curran\u003C/span\u003E: Nine years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d741366153a4447bf95652760129afb\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, there were nine years, and in nine years a far greater number of children were lifted out of poverty than at any time in this country\u2019s history, and the previous Government was the first\u2014it supported those families through a significant recession and then it raised benefit levels for the first time in 42 years. So I\u2019ll stand very proudly on that record, Ms Curran\u2014very proudly on that record\u2014and I challenge the Government to change its targets, to at least match what the previous Government was prepared to do and had a plan to do, because data is not a plan. Knowing the target is not getting to the target, and all we have heard is rhetoric and numbers and good wishes, but no plan\u2014in fact, a plan to unwind the very vehicle that the previous Government used to be able to lift those children out of poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ESo we will support this bill. We will support it, but it is caveated by that very clear expectation that numbers are not enough. Actions are what are going to lift children out of poverty, and we will be holding this Government very strongly to account for their success or failure. I would love to be able to stand up in this House at the end of this Parliament and say they exceeded their own modest expectations, they did better than we thought they would\u2014than they thought they would\u2014but, unfortunately, I can\u2019t see any reason why I would be able to do that in the future. I hope I\u2019m wrong. I hope we can achieve the previous projections of child poverty reduction because we owe it to our children to do just that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c98ad63586a748c0aa65b6d2f0d823b1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c98ad63586a748c0aa65b6d2f0d823b1\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Deputy Speaker. Thank you very much. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill and I am going to try and stay apolitical, because what we have seen from the Opposition to date\u2014and unfortunately from all members that have spoken\u2014is a level of politics that has been interjected into this discussion. Considering that it appears that both sides of the House believe that this is worthy, believe that our children are worth it, believe that we need to work together to set this vision in place for our nation and then hold ourselves accountable regardless of who becomes a Government in the future, then let\u2019s stick with that sort of wording. So I\u2019m going to try. I mean I\u2019m a political animal by nature but I am going to try.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003EThere are things inside this bill that have yet to be mentioned and I want to talk about Part 3, \u201CAmendments to Vulnerable Children Act 2014\u201D. This bill actually makes amendments to change the title of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 to the Children\u2019s Act. I\u2019m pleased to see it. As I have spoken in this House on many occasions since becoming the Minister for Children\u2014and I acknowledge you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as previously the Minister for Social Development who implemented and created Oranga Tamariki\u2014in my view, this is the first piece of legislation that starts to set us on that pathway that creates the vision for our children. All of us in New Zealand, raised here, understand and have heard often the statement that says that this is the best place to bring up kids\u2014and, considering what many other nations are like, that is very true, for many other nations. But it\u2019s not what it was, and we need to reassess and we need to hold ourselves accountable across this House and across whoever is in Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003EThis is only the beginning of a pathway. What there is in Part 1\u2014Part 1 is being replaced inside that Act by this piece of legislation and the Government strategy for improving children\u2019s well-being and the Oranga Tamariki action plan. So those are all pieces that are going to fall out of this initial step. So not only does it put in place and finally into legislation\u2014regardless of whose targets are whose targets, we finally now have in a piece of legislation at least something that we will be held to account on, and that\u2019s an enormous step.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve sat for years in this House arguing and debating on bills about whether we should feed our children. I\u2019ve sat in this House and heard argument after argument about whether the State should provide meals for children at school. I acknowledge the previous Government put into place, through charities predominantly, a delivery of food in schools with the help of Fonterra and Sanitarium. We need to acknowledge those organisations, but it behoves us to continue to have that argument. Are they not our children? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003EI want to be clear, though, too, that by changing the name of the Act, Part 3 does not remove Oranga Tamariki\u2019s focus on the 5,600-odd children who are in our care, nor does it change the focus of Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry for Children on the 92,000 children who have many of the indicators that we know mean that they are on the cusp of falling into our care. We need to concentrate on prevention and early intervention for those children. Part of this legislation, by making sure that we hold ourselves accountable, will go towards us making sure that none of those 92,000 fall over into that 5,600 that we currently must take from their wh\u0101nau and family and actually hold the care in our possession as we work to bring them back into that safe and committed environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003ESo nothing about the change of the name changes that, but what it does do is it stretches what is the focus of a Government\u2014this Government, any Government\u2014to all the children of New Zealand. We need to set\u2014and it will be set through those other pieces of work that I\u2019m talking about: the child\u2019s well-being strategy, and the Oranga Tamariki action plan\u2014a baseline that we will not allow our children to fall below. To do that we need to support their families, and I\u2019ve heard exactly the same words from the Opposition today. I\u2019ve heard exactly the same words when the members of the Opposition were Ministers. We know that children do not live in isolation. We know that we must support those who are vulnerable. We also know that many are vulnerable tomorrow who may not be vulnerable today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003EThe flexibility that we must have, the way that we see our citizens and our responsibility towards them\u2014this is the first step on a different pathway, in my view. It says that the State must take responsibility for the people who placed us here and use their dollars to support them to make sure that they do not fall below a line that we will not accept that our citizens will live below: living in a car, living in a garage, living in mouldy bedrooms, not being able to afford to go to the doctor, not being able to afford to give lunch at school, not being able to do so many things that we know are the minimum we would expect for our citizens. This is the first step on that pathway, I believe, and I\u2019m thrilled that the Opposition is joining with the Government to\u2014and I acknowledge that they say that there is no guarantee, that this is the first step, that this is the first reading, and that they will work, I hope, constructively at select committee. If the targets are too low\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228a1cb04e-8a86-44d1-9004-6e158e220339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002219919728f10b44ec8262acfebd460bd8\u0022\u003EHon Tim Macindoe\u003C/span\u003E: Of course, we will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d1adb2404a44ea2bdff7b2a10ab5288\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Macindoe, that\u2019s great. If the targets are too low, then absolutely let\u2019s have a talk about that, because regardless of who sits on this side of the House, they will be held accountable for those targets. So if the Opposition believes that the aspiration is too low and they want to set the aspiration higher, then let\u2019s have that conversation, and then let\u2019s have the conversation at the same time about how we\u2019ll work together to make sure as a nation we reach those aspirations. How about we work together to try and figure out that in 2020 this won\u2019t be a political issue either, that from this moment forward while we might talk about trade deals in 2020 and while we might talk about immigration and so on, let\u2019s not make this the issue of the election campaign in 2020. Let\u2019s say from this moment forward this is an apolitical conversation. We will all hold ourselves to account. We all care. We are all going to work towards it. Kia ora, Madam Deputy Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022 data-id=\u0022003b130e0eb34d2b9c097d7cb0e2b477\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022003b130e0eb34d2b9c097d7cb0e2b477\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON (National\u2014Taup\u014D):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to start my contribution in what, of course, is an important conversation for New Zealand. The Prime Minister has said that her intention is to have legislation that\u2019s supported through the Parliament by all parties, so it\u2019s a fairly bittersweet day on this side of the House as we acknowledge the resignation of our leader, Bill English, because I see that, of anyone in this Parliament based on their record and their results, he is the single most effective MP in terms of actually delivering results for the very children that we\u2019ve been talking about today. You cannot deliver for the very vulnerable children we\u2019re talking about unless you have an economy that\u2019s growing, unless there is employment, and unless there are opportunities. And the guts of this, if we are serious about improving the lives and changing the lives of children living in poverty, is that social investment is the only path to do that. So I do want to just put on record my thanks to the Rt Hon Bill English for his leadership in this work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EMy request to the Labour Prime Minister is to engage fully with this side of the House on the \u201Chow\u201D. It\u2019s all very well to set targets. I don\u2019t think anyone would disagree that targets aren\u2019t a good idea, which is why, as a Government, we set Better Public Services targets to focus results.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EOur support beyond the first reading is conditional on three significant areas. I want to talk about those three significant areas, because there is no one out there who listens to the Prime Minister speaking about lifting children out of poverty that would disagree, but what everybody wants to know is how. How is the current Labour - New Zealand First - Green Government going to do it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019ve seen, if we look at results and if we look at what has been achieved, is that 85,000 children have been lifted out of poverty in the last five years. So what the New Zealand public want to know is is the new Government paying attention to what worked, or is the new Government going to be ideologically driven and just abandon anything that the previous Government had in place that worked? That\u2019s my challenge to that side of the House today\u2014if that side of the House is authentic about solving the very challenges for families up and down this country, or is that side of the House going to abandon the very things that worked? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EI want to give the House an example, because it actually speaks to the three areas that our deputy leader, Paula Bennett, spoke about in her letter. It\u2019s about Better Public Services targets. It\u2019s about actually being ambitious, and not just saying you want to achieve less than what was achieved in the last five years. I think that\u2019s outrageous. I actually think it\u2019s outrageous for a leader of a party whose supposed top priority is child poverty\u2014but then, actually, housing is the top priority, and something else as well, so I\u2019ve kind of lost track. It\u2019s about how. It\u2019s about how the Government will do it, and it becomes even more of a challenge to get the results that that side of the House is suggesting if you abandon what worked. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003ELet me give you an example of a place-based initiative. Yes, the Prime Minister was in Northland for five days. I\u2019ve not heard that the Prime Minister visited the place-based initiatives in \u014Ct\u0101ngarei, in Kait\u0101ia, or in Kaikohe, because when you meet with the families, the very families that this bill purports to work for\u2014I want to know how many of the Ministers opposite have sat in front of those very families and their children to understand the challenges they face. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003ESo if you look at the challenges, gosh, it\u2019s kind of interesting. Look at the Better Public Services targets that we were measuring ourselves on: reducing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5c8f39133454285a1b2f6e22b78d317\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Wow! Come to my neighbourhood. Talk to the people in my street and give that speech. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1131fae27294cf5b66f8191dc913a87\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Did you visit them in Northland? Did the Prime Minister meet\u2014well, I haven\u2019t had a yes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003ESo look at reducing long-term welfare dependence, look at healthy mums and babies, look at keeping kids healthy, look at safer kids, improving\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222aa0b524-c38d-45aa-bd5b-99c5927085f4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002231e7180afb2a4048a774805ab8a70e0b\u0022\u003EHon Clare Curran\u003C/span\u003E: How many State houses have you visited? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bbe981313047427a803e772ed721fba2\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, they just don\u2019t like to hear. The pathway to lifting children out of poverty is these very complex areas of dysfunction, and I can tell that side of the House that the problems will not be solved by writing a target and a number on the wall of your office. You\u2019ve got to get out there. You\u2019ve got to look at innovation and do things differently from how things have been done before. That is the reality. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EAnother part of it is it\u2019s not just accountability and targets on politicians\u2014what about on the Government departments? It\u2019s disappointing, but it will make it challenging for the Government to not have a mechanism that forces Government departments to work together. I\u2019m concerned we\u2019ll see a withdrawal back into silos, and instead of focusing on the very children this bill is meant to serve, Government departments will retreat into silos because, all of a sudden, they are not having to deal with the complex issues. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve had members opposite say, \u201CWell, of course we know what\u2019s happening in our community.\u201D, and I was talking about Northland. So one of the things that Better Public Services targets enables you as a local advocate, as a member of Parliament, to do is to actually talk to the Government departments, talk to iwi, and talk to the community organisations, and ask them, \u201CWhat are you doing differently about this particular issue?\u201D So I\u2019m concerned, and this side of the House is concerned, that the current Government is removing, because of ideology, the very things that worked. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003ESo let me tell you about social investment. Let me tell you\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0b58817bcae43e7821e4beb4ff210f2\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, I\u2019d really like you to relate it to the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022addec42db18e489e9222ddf4766f02cb\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: In terms of the bill, our support is conditional on three things. Our support for this bill, past the first reading, is conditional on the continuation of Better Public Services targets, being more aspirational in terms of the targets you\u2019ve set. Because this side of the House doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s good enough, when we\u2019ve actually achieved more in the last five years. So we\u2019re challenging the current Government to lift your level of aspiration for the very children we\u2019re talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EAlso, our support past the first reading is conditional on social investment. If that side of the House is serious about changing the lives of these children, we\u2019re not just talking about financial poverty. We\u2019re talking about poverty of health and we\u2019re talking about poverty of opportunity. So in order to do that, you need to use information and data about them. These are real people in real need, and the invitation is to deliver the services much closer. In order to achieve the targets\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bcf4cacdb5a74e33b55a6da07caa92b9\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: I thought the other guy said data wasn\u2019t enough. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022396ab9afc92447ee8ba6181e5557a36a\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: In terms of achieving the targets that the Government is setting\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230f48b4ecdda4532a5feaafaced14add\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: Which one is it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f08279a293a437b8a6814258bb920b4\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, your Minister for Social Development isn\u2019t sure that she wants to support social investment via data. So if you talk to the very families that I\u2019m talking about, the more you know about them the more you can deliver what they need. And it is interesting, going back to the place-based initiatives, that a very high proportion of the one in Northland is M\u0101ori, and yet your Minister of Finance is talking about removing\u2014removing\u2014funding for those programmes and initiatives that are focused on M\u0101ori. It\u2019s no surprise, also, that this is the week that you\u2019ve killed the schools that are delivering for M\u0101ori and Pacific Island students. So that side of the House is providing mixed messages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003EI want to close by saying that this is about real people with real needs, and what this side of the House is looking for is real answers and real plans for how the Government intends to do it, because we\u2019ve heard nothing. We\u2019ve heard nothing. We\u2019ve heard nothing about your plans for how. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003ESo I think that if this Parliament is to support a bill unanimously through all stages, the New Zealand public is owed an explanation of the how. You can talk in fluff and you can talk in convoluted statements, but, at the end of the day, if you want to change lives, you\u2019ve got to show us a plan. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u002288d1969496e9484eb63666d353e718df\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002288d1969496e9484eb63666d353e718df\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Actually, if I\u2019m really honest, I rise with quite mixed feelings to speak to this bill. I support this bill in its entirety, but I\u2019m really conscious of the reason that it\u2019s required, which is entrenched, persistent poverty in our communities that has been going on and has just sky-rocketed from the 1980s and not been addressed since.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThere are kids dying every year in this country because of low-income related diseases. We know that the hospitalisation rates are huge and that kids are struggling at school, or not being able to get to school because of that poverty; that they\u2019re stressed and worried because of the stress that they\u2019re seeing their parents under, trying to cope with just putting food on the table; and that kids are coming home after school to nothing in the fridge, and no heating in winter. We know that we can do better. And I know that for all of those people, this bill is going to feel odd. It\u2019s going to feel like we\u2019re accepting a degree of poverty in this country. And that\u2019s uncomfortable, but the political reality is that we clearly need a set of measures to focus our efforts, to make sure that we are tracking in the right direction. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI do want to particularly acknowledge the work that has been going on for a really long time, calling this House to introduce legislation of this type. I think the work was started by Every Child Counts, and then was picked up by the Office for the Commissioner for Children and the expert advisory group, and then Tick for Kids in successive elections. All those advocates for our children have been asking us in this House to do this because they wanted some measure and some surety and some accountability around our commitment and our fine, fine words about how much it means to all of us to end poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI do want to point to some of the debate that we\u2019ve heard this afternoon. I don\u2019t want to make this political, and I do want there to be unanimity in this House about moving forward based on what the experts have been telling us. But I do have to say that some of the stories I\u2019ve heard from the Opposition today have really indicated to me the need for this bill and for having the four primary measures and the six supplementary measures. We\u2019ve been hearing that the last National Government did really, really well on addressing child poverty. I\u2019ve heard the figure\u2014around 85,000 children lifted out of poverty under their time\u2014and the suggestion that we\u2019re not being ambitious enough, because, goodness me, they did so well! That is all in the face of the very real evidence of people queuing for food banks halfway down the street in Auckland, our food banks being overwhelmed and overrun, the continued hospitalisation rate, and the other statistics.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003ELooking at that one measure over a different time period tells us a very, very different picture about the success of that last Government\u2019s approach to child poverty. When they chose that figure of 85,000, it was taking the number of children in poverty from the peak of the global financial crisis to now. Of course there was a reduced number. You would\u2019ve had to be doing something so much worse wrong than what you were, for that number not to have gone down. Actually, your measure should have been from when you came into Government\u2013sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. That Opposition\u2019s measure should have been from when they came into Government to the end, and they should have been looking across different measures, like this bill will set up, because if they had and were completely honest about what had happened, then they would have admitted that the latest household income survey showed that the number of children living beneath 60 percent of the median wage after housing costs, which is the relative income poverty line, is now 290,000\u201430,000 more than in 2008. Most importantly, between 2008 and 2016, the number of children experiencing the most severe poverty rose from 105,000 to 140,000. So the point of this bill is to have a suite of measures\u2014a comprehensive look at how we are doing, to stop Governments cherry-picking numbers that put rhetoric and their own political ambition ahead of the well-being of our children. Enough. We need to put our children first.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWe hear from that side that we need to be saying that actions are more important than the measures\u2014absolutely. Absolutely\u2014that is going be the test. But we need to make sure that we put in the measures around the political accountability, and the measures to drive public service action and involve our community, so that we are all part of the solution. That is another thing that this bill does. It provides for a legislative mandate for a strategy to focus on the well-being of our children. That will have focus areas around education and housing, and more wider well-being measures, so that we can get beyond just looking at what\u2019s wrong, to looking at what is possible for our children. They deserve us as a country to be focusing on the best outcomes for them, and that does go beyond even the targets that will be enabled by this bill, of reducing poverty. Ultimately, we don\u2019t want any poverty in this country; we want all of our children\u2019s families to have enough to sustain themselves and for their children and everyone in our society to thrive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI do, again, want to acknowledge all of those people who are impatient for change. I\u2019m also impatient for change. It\u2019s not good enough, and when I hear from other members about how things have improved, I think about the conversations I have with people in my street about how they are doing just everything they can to be able to get work and juggle studying, to be able to put food on the table and put the heat pump on in winter, and they just can\u2019t manage it. They are going without food themselves, struggling to pay attention in their courses, to be able to give their kids just something to eat. That is not good enough, and that is no measure of success, and I am just embarrassed to have heard suggestions from previous speakers that we should be following in the footsteps of some system that produced that outcome. We want better for our kids. This bill, in itself, isn\u2019t going to do it, but it\u2019s going to create the framework and the accountability to make sure we\u2019ve got a chance of doing it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EFinally, I also do want to acknowledge my previous colleague Metiria Turei, who a couple of years ago now introduced a bill very, very similar to this. She was listening to those experts in our community and introduced a bill that had a range of different measures and indicators and a set-up for a target and a strategy and child impact assessments. This is not dissimilar to what we introduced, we are pleased to see it, and we will be pursuing the actions associated with it with vigour. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022 data-id=\u0022f5fc8c5b4bcc4d3099301616251f2c58\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f5fc8c5b4bcc4d3099301616251f2c58\u0022\u003EHon ALFRED NGARO (National):\u003C/span\u003E One of my favourite All Black captains is Tana Umaga. He is a famous Cook Islander\u2014actually, he was Samoan, but that\u2019s beside the point. He made this comment when he was confronted by the media. They had been talking about how rough the game was getting. They said we wanted to make the game a little bit more PC, a little bit more soft and cuddly, and here\u2019s his famous words: \u201CThis is not tiddlywinks.\u201D\u2014this is not tiddlywinks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ESo now we are here, in Parliament, where we are debating the issues, and the Government of the day, who were the Opposition of yesterday, who would hold us to account many different times, want us to play tiddlywinks. Well, I\u2019m sorry but it\u2019s not tiddlywinks. Be prepared, when you are the Government of today, to be held accountable. That\u2019s absolutely what there is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d05da53952c47d4a8c108d10b0f1057\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: Argh!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a000e3c53eda48289d7138791d50ac4a\u0022\u003EHon ALFRED NGARO\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Kris Faafoi, when he was on the other side, he was giving it to us. He was holding us to account, and so he should. So for the Government of today to expect us to just give you a free ride\u2014I\u2019m sorry. No free passes. Here we go. This is not tiddlywinks. This is the real deal. Let\u2019s hold each other to account. There\u2019ll be no soft and cuddlies; there\u2019ll be no marshmallows. This is where, if you\u2019ve got the ideas, if you think you\u2019re just as good\u2014in fact, here\u2019s the thing that concerns me. The Prime Minister today stood up and said, \u201CLet\u2019s all be bipartisan. Let\u2019s hold hands. Let\u2019s sing \u2018Kumbaya\u2019, and somehow we\u2019ll make child poverty disappear. Somehow we\u2019ll make it all look good and rosy.\u201D But we won\u2019t. Why? Because the reality is you have to work hard. You are in that position today. You may not be there tomorrow, but you\u2019re in that position today, so you\u2019ll be held to account, and that\u2019s what you will deserve and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll demand of you as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ESince we\u2019ve been talking about this bill, the first thing I want to say is, \u201CWhat\u2019s in a name?\u201D Part 3 of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill talks about removing the name \u201Cvulnerable children\u201D. We know that the Hon Tracey Martin had also been talking about this. She talked passionately about it in her speech, about the importance of why the name had to be removed. The reason why the name had to be removed was simply this: the stigma that it would give to children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EWhen the Government of today was the Opposition of yesterday, they would say to us, \u201CHow dare you name this bill \u2018Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki\u2019?\u201D The stigma that it will give to children\u2014why should children be called vulnerable? Why should children be treated in this way? There were many speeches and debates in this House, and now you\u2019re going to remove \u201Cvulnerable children\u201D but you\u2019re going to put \u201Cchild poverty\u201D. So, what\u2019s in a name? You\u2019re going to remove the vulnerability but you\u2019re going to keep the name \u201Cchild poverty\u201D. In other words, you\u2019re going to say this. You\u2019re going to say there are some children in our nation that are impoverished.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ELook, I don\u2019t resile from the fact there are children who are impoverished. But if you\u2019re going to take the name \u201Cvulnerable children\u201D but keep the name \u201Cchild poverty\u201D, well, I\u2019ll tell you this: isn\u2019t it interesting that you are doing this? It\u2019s hypocritical to be able to talk about it in this way, because now you\u2019re going to put a stigma on children. But, so be it. Now you\u2019re deciding this. And yet, it was under this party\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f74db0d6f3274164a5ac7d0a9af2976f\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I just remind the member not to bring the Speaker into the debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272e604f017314e73a49ba6471037d3e5\u0022\u003EHon ALFRED NGARO\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I do apologise for bringing you into the debate. The issue, though, is that the fact of the change in Part 3 of the bill\u2014the changing of the name \u201Cvulnerable children\u201D, removing that, to now become the Children\u2019s Act, as part of the omnibus process of this bill, but we\u2019re going to leave the name \u201Cchild poverty\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI will tell you the reasons why. Of the 230 that they\u2019ve measured, the children that are impoverished, over 130 are M\u0101ori tamariki. They\u2019re M\u0101ori tamariki. What we\u2019re going to be saying is this: we\u2019ll say those children are impoverished children. I know that the honourable matua Shane Jones and the Hon Kris Faafoi, we grew up in homes that probably today would be measured as being impoverished. I can remember the late Parekura Horomia standing up in this House, giving speeches about his times in Ruat\u014Dria, when there were dirt floors. The people of today would have judged that as being impoverished and incapable and unable. But they never chose to do that. Why? Because they believed in themselves that they had opportunity and they had aspiration.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EMy concern with this bill is that it will send a message out there. It will create a stigma, and that these children are now going to be labelled. Our children are going to be labelled. What it\u2019s going to say is, \u201CWho are the poor kids, and who are the kids that are the rich kids or the good kids that are doing well?\u201D We will start to measure them and start to look at what they are doing. That\u2019s what my concern is. We\u2019re going to take the name \u201Cvulnerable\u201D and leave the name \u201Cpoverty\u201D. We\u2019re still keeping that name that will create a stigma. I think that\u2019s going to be an interesting challenge as we go forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s talk about the targets in this bill and what it\u2019s proposing to put into place. And yet, many speakers have talked about this, about Better Public Services (BPS). I have spoken to people and they have said to me, \u201CWhat does BPS mean, Better Public Services?\u201D I acknowledge the Rt Hon Bill English because, actually, it was under his leadership that he said this, \u201CBefore we go out and ask anything of our communities, as a Government department, as a Government institution, let\u2019s hold the mirror to ourselves. Let\u2019s hold us to account.\u201D That\u2019s what Better Public Services is about. Then, when Better Public Services came to social investment, it was also saying, \u201CSo, here\u2019s the how.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003ESo the mirror then turned around and said, \u201CAre we doing a good job? Are we more of the problem, rather than the solution to the challenges and the issues\u2014yes of poverty, yes of health, yes of education?\u201D That\u2019s what the BPS target was all about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThen it went on to social investment. Social investment was simply this: when you look at the forecasting of the predictions and when we see this in the bill, when it talks about the growth, potentially, of those children that are in poverty\u2014social investment took an approach as to how we would address these very issues that are actually trying to be addressed in this bill. It talked about this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a0c6ca8574c4d2ab452a7ec1d539d31\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Can I just remind the member that we are talking about this particular bill, and not previous policy. I don\u2019t see anywhere in this bill where those two elements are part of the bill. So would you come back to the substance of the bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226231f913e8284108a3b5513b4a12e699\u0022\u003EHon ALFRED NGARO\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Can I just say that it\u2019s the linking of the how\u2014talking about the targets that are actually inside this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd475f80237745e8b4429c68e21db798\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: I have been watching this debate, and this has been raised as an issue with other speakers. I think we need to move on from that point, and talk about the content of the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ed9c202d6fe2455eb943ebb014abf49a\u0022\u003EHon ALFRED NGARO\u003C/span\u003E: The content of the bill talks about targets. In those targets, it sets out so-called ambitious targets of reducing child poverty by 100,000 over 10 years. Now, the challenge that we have for this bill is talking about the how, inside of those targets. So the challenge, in my debate over here, is how will this Government\u2014it\u2019s already taken away the targets. It\u2019s going to remove the Better Public Services. We don\u2019t know what it\u2019s going to be doing in regard to social investment. It\u2019s an institution. It\u2019s there, in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EI would encourage the Government of today to look at that social investment that\u2019s actually been agreed upon by Treasury and other Government departments as a way of looking forward. What the social investment strategy does, in regard to targets like this, where those departments that will be impacted and be initiating the legislation of these targets\u2014it says to them, this: when we\u2019re forecasting what the growth may be, and in this case the target is around the reduction of children in poverty, in low-income households, then the how is where the social investment will do that. It will tell you how.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EFirst of all, it asks this question. We can do that by raising taxes. Secondly, we can do that by increasing debt. By the way, the current Government is doing both. Thirdly, we can find a new way. Social investment then finds a new way, simply by doing this. In the targets that it\u2019s producing inside this bill, I hope that it will talk about the data that becomes important, to ask the right question in regard to the fact: where can we invest early to create the greater income in the long-term approach?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThose are the things that I think are really important. I want to challenge this process. I\u2019m actually on the Social Services and Community Committee, and we\u2019re looking forward to this bill coming in. We look forward to the submissions and the debates that will talk about this. Again, in my speech, it\u2019s the issue around the stigma that that may be creating. I hope that this doesn\u2019t create a stigma. Under the National Government, we started removing the stigmatisation. Part 3 talks about the name \u201Cvulnerable children\u201D, and there were some debates about that\u2014whether we should still keep that. But it went with \u201Coranga tamariki\u201D. I would say, use the same principle around child poverty, because you can also find another name, rather than stigmatising children, to say that actually you\u2019re poor children so we\u2019re going to help you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThe thing that concerns me a lot about this bill is the fact that it\u2019s removing the power of communities, and now it\u2019s saying that actually the power is in the hands of the Government to make the changes. We heard some other speeches from the other side talking about the fact that we can surrogate this. Could it be lunches in schools that are mandatory, universal, throughout all schools, and so forth?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EThat, again, concerns me. If we\u2019re thinking about the factors, that does not help communities that are wanting to find a way to better their outcomes, to better their situations, to be aspirational if we keep surrogating. I\u2019m concerned, on this side, that what we\u2019re going to have is a Government machinery that\u2019s going to continue to grow, rather than devolving the opportunities for communities to become self-sustaining, self-determining, and taking their responsibilities for their wh\u0101nau and their families. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022695678cf-542a-4616-9e0a-86990caec192\u0022\u003EWe look forward to this bill coming in. We will be supporting it. We will be holding the Government to account. As I said before, at the beginning of my speech, this is not tiddlywinks. It is going to be a game that will be played hard. We will be holding you to account and challenging the very issues and the parts of this bill. There are parts that are good, that we support. There are other parts that we will challenge in our Supplementary Order Papers. I commend and commit this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u00220e1bc9c1e1ad453b89ce215875ba88d5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220e1bc9c1e1ad453b89ce215875ba88d5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: I understand the next call is a split call. Greg O\u2019Connor has five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022b5f1d5a5d79b4ad494d425999da80f53\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b5f1d5a5d79b4ad494d425999da80f53\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I rise to support this bill. This is a bill that I, and I\u2019m sure many here, when they contemplated coming to this place\u2014this is the type of legislation that we believed we\u2019d be here passing: meaningful, life-changing legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s quite interesting how the debate has gone to Better Public Services. In fact, while we\u2019re talking about Better Public Services, the very difference with the way this bill is formulated is that it\u2019s making us account, here, as to how this will be achieved. Better Public Services, of course, is about us imposing what we believe should be done\u2014prescribing to public servants what should be done. Of course, those of us with a knowledge of the public sector know that you will get exactly what you want, and we\u2019re very conscious that over the next several years the gaps\u2014as public servants gave Government what they wanted and were forced to ignore the important long-term strategies, then those things that were ignored are the very things that are going to bite us on our proverbial backsides over the next few years. So what this bill does is introduce targets. It is a broad target that we here now, through the Budget, through the processes, will be forced to look at, in terms of how what we\u2019re doing is going to impact on those most vulnerable in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EIn my maiden speech, I spoke of being an undercover police officer and being introduced to a side of society\u2014I hope this is not unparliamentary, Madam Assistant Speaker: I regard myself as very much a \u201Clucky sperma\u201D. That\u2019s someone who was born into a loving home; someone who had warmth, safety, and education; and someone who was well fed. When I met people who didn\u2019t have those things\u2014people who were born without those advantages who were smarter than me, who were cleverer than me\u2014what I understood was they were never going to be in a position to achieve what I achieved, for that very reason. So when I look at this bill, what I look at is that by ensuring that we all understand what the end result is\u2014as we spell it out in the bill, what we want is to ensure that we know what we are looking at. So when we ask, for example, that a budgetary statement be made, that it be mentioned, and that those who are going to be overseeing this are required to account on a broad measure, we understand what will succeed and what success will look like.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EOne of the issues in the past, when we sought to define what poverty is\u2014I remember a lawyer who said in court, when the question of poverty came up, \u201CWell, poverty is crooked teeth and no musical instrument.\u201D I think we\u2019ve gone a little bit beyond that. I think we need to understand just what poverty is, and poverty is\u2014as I went back\u2014a lack of those things; a lack of ability to see your way out of the circumstances of your birth. I go back to that term I used\u2014that our \u201Clucky sperm\u201D puts us in a situation that means that we are more likely to be a successful member of our society than those others who don\u2019t have that same luck.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo I commend this bill. I believe that it is a change in that whole focus that we, as a House\u2014this is forcing us to be accountable ourselves for what we achieve, so I commend this bill. Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u0022be4d19718cd04643b84884bacdc1783c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022be4d19718cd04643b84884bacdc1783c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Denise Lee\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022 data-id=\u0022b71b3b3bcc0b4d73ba79c273ecf3a977\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b71b3b3bcc0b4d73ba79c273ecf3a977\u0022\u003EDENISE LEE (National\u2014Maungakiekie):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I\u2019m happy to take a call on this, the first reading. The country has proved that we care about this topic and we have a heart and we want to do right together as a nation. Anyone can talk about being ambitious but the proof is always, of course, in the pudding. But let\u2019s not break out the pavlova just yet. The details are where this bill falls just a little flat, so we\u2019re going to be putting up some amendments with some incredible detail in order to beef up the bill. Those amendments are conditional on our further support of the passage of this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EThe first reading today has some coincidental timing for the team on this side of the House. We all know of Bill English\u2019s announcement today. He is the architect and the champion of the social investment approach\u2014a key and personal pillar for him and his personal journey, and now that of the National Party. I\u2019ve been in live debates where senior members of the Government sitting across the House from me today have decried social investment as bad targeting, bullying, punitive, and overreaching. Well, do you know what\u2019s overreaching? Letting families slip by because the Government wants a one-size-fits-all approach, throwing up new targets while at the same time getting all the good ones gone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EOur amendments to this bill will restore frameworks that are not overreaching; they are reaching out to specific families in a compassionate and in a careful, targeted way. Will the Government argue with our amendments setting targets that require increased attendance of children at early childhood centres and at school\u2014is there a problem with that? A substantial reduction in the number of children being physically and sexually abused\u2014a problem with that? Getting to 100 percent of pregnant women registered with a lead maternity carer in their first trimester\u2014yes, that\u2019s right, none of these are in the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EThe opening statement of this bill says, and I quote, \u201CMeasurement is an important starting point.\u201D We have a responsibility to act. Governments\u2014successive Governments\u2014need to make a commitment. Well, that was in place. Our team had committed to 100,000 kids being lifted out of poverty. We\u2019re not in Government but we still stand by that. And how long for our team to get there? Three years. How long for this Government to get there? Ten years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EFinally, the purpose of this legislation is to achieve significant and sustained reduction in child poverty. You can read that in the bill. Well then\u2014grow the economy. Targets are good, but the chequebook says all: $2.8 billion on free fees; winter payments to couples who will go on holiday to Aussie with them\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d30c7c349aa546f182451fee0648fedb\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: A billion trees.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d1ca8145df9d40fc97c39893d07d615e\u0022\u003EDENISE LEE\u003C/span\u003E: A billion trees slush fund. We call on the Government to accept our amendments, reprioritise the spending, and get on with the actual detail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u00221f5538f4fd4a47db9e891a238c927bdd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221f5538f4fd4a47db9e891a238c927bdd\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u2014you have five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022 data-id=\u00224d9b21b778c048c8bad9926888db4730\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d9b21b778c048c8bad9926888db4730\u0022\u003EPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I am absolutely delighted to stand up and take a call on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill, and I\u2019m going to begin with a quote by Nelson Mandela: \u201CThere can be no keener revelation of a society\u2019s soul than the way in which it treats its children.\u201D Well, I\u2019m actually really proud that, thanks to this Government\u2019s leadership on this bill, our society\u2019s soul is back on track.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EThis Government is ambitious; we\u2019re ambitious for New Zealand, and it\u2019s actually been quite heartbreaking to stand here and listen to members opposite talk about how disappointed they are in this bill, how it falls flat, and how we need to lift levels of aspiration, when they had nine years to do just that and didn\u2019t. What we\u2019re seeing now, the reason that the need for this bill is actually so dire, is an increase in homelessness. We\u2019ve seen the gap between the rich and the poor widen\u2014it\u2019s the widest that it\u2019s ever been. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We\u2019ve seen the crises: the mental health crisis and the housing crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EAs I reflect on what this bill will achieve, I think back to what I\u2019ve seen in the Maungakiekie electorate where I\u2019ve been based. I\u2019ve seen the impact of transient housing, of substandard housing\u2014the impact that those things have on health, on educational achievement, on employment; not just the number of jobs that have been created, but the quality of jobs that people have, and the impact that that has on the children who live there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EI think back to specific children I\u2019ve met and talked to: a nine-year-old boy at a school that I visited who had been through subsequent or successive foster homes, who had been subjected to horrific levels of sexual abuse, who didn\u2019t have shoes to go to school. That\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about; that\u2019s the face of child poverty. It\u2019s a phrase that hides immense pain, struggle, and suffering. Members on this side of the House have gone into what that looks like; what that looks like for families who live in that poverty\u2014entrenched, intergenerational poverty, where children are living without hope. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud of the ambitions of this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003ENow, members opposite have brought up social investment as well. Let me tell you why we think that is so lacking in ambition\u2014it\u2019s all about limiting liabilities; it\u2019s about cost-cutting. It\u2019s not about what we can do as a Government to ensure that our children thrive and that New Zealand is the best place to be a child.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s what this bill will do. This bill will encourage successive Governments to focus on child poverty reduction. It actually is an invitation to New Zealand to hold us to account. It\u2019s about political accountability. It\u2019s about published targets. It\u2019s about setting measures, targets, and a strategy that will reduce child poverty. This Government is ambitious for our environment and our people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EManaaki whenua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EManaaki t\u0101ngata.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EManaaki w\u0101hine.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EManaaki tamariki.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003EHaere whakamua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003ECare for the land, care for the people, care for the women and the children, and together we will go forward. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022 data-id=\u00222225fd599b164370ae2e2d857bd86663\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222225fd599b164370ae2e2d857bd86663\u0022\u003EDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. If only we could make the world a better place simply by having good intentions, then this Labour Government would have solved all of our problems. That was a beautiful speech with beautiful intent by the member who has just resumed her seat, Priyanca Radhakrishnan. Yet, sadly, it will do nothing to lift any child out of poverty\u2014unless, of course, they are suffering from a poverty of nice words, in which case we\u2019ve just seen the fix; it is in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe fact of the matter is that measuring poverty and inequality\u2014Madam Assistant Speaker, I\u2019m sure you won\u2019t be surprised to know\u2014is actually quite an interesting field. You can divide poverty and inequality measures up into measures that are relative and measures that are absolute\u2014that is, measures that try to compare the incomes of different households, and measures that try to compare the incomes of different households against some absolute baseline.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe problem with the measures in this bill is that, with the possible exception of the absolute material hardship, they are all based on relative measures. In other words, they say, \u201CIs a particular household under 50 percent of the median?\u201D or \u201CIs it under 60 percent of the median before or after housing costs?\u201D Well, that\u2019s great, but the difficulty with that is even if everybody gets richer, we end up with the same level of poverty. There have been times in history\u2014examples of this in Ireland and in Hungary, are set out excellently in the National Business Review by Lindsay Mitchell this week\u2014where countries have gotten poorer, but, because the income distribution closed up, their measures told us there was less poverty. So let\u2019s be clear. This is based on relative measures of poverty, and it does not tell us what the real material hardship faced by children is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe second way you can divide up income and poverty measures is that you can divide them up by whether they are based on incomes or expenditures. What\u2019s interesting is that you can have households with relatively low incomes that nevertheless are consuming: they are spending on the right things and avoiding poverty. You can have households\u2014and I might have lived in a few like this during university\u2014that are OK for income but, because of very poor spending decisions, do not provide the necessaries that are required to live a prosperous life.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThat is the reality. We are measuring relative incomes of different households, but this bill does not tell us anything about the actual levels of consumption. Are the kids getting enough food? Are their teeth being brushed? Are they getting to school at the right time? Are they consuming housing of a particular standard that allows them to live healthy lives? This bill won\u2019t answer any of these questions, and it\u2019s worse than doing nothing, because it brings us the distraction that as long as the chief statistician tells us that at least the family could have afforded to do that\u2014or, actually, not even that: at least the family had enough income relative to other families to do those things\u2014then they\u2019re fine. It is worse than doing nothing, because it is a distraction from the real deprivation, the real neglect of children, that is harrowing in this country and damaging New Zealand\u2019s future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EIf the bill had said the following, \u201CWe will instruct the chief statistician to replicate the Dunedin study on a smaller scale every year; we will go and test, in randomly selected households, how many children are getting the basic necessities of life.\u201D, then I would have supported this bill. The ACT Party would support a bill that targeted real children\u2019s welfare, not the statistical incomes that their parents are said to have relative to other parents in the neighbourhood.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003ESadly, the bill does not do that, but if it did, the Government would have to face up to some hard facts. They\u2019d have to fix the housing market\u2014that\u2019s why we have deprivation. They\u2019d have to fix education\u2014that\u2019s why we have deprivation. They\u2019d have to fix welfare dependency\u2014that\u2019s why we have poverty and deprivation. But they\u2019ve taken a soft option. They\u2019ve distracted the country with relative income measures rather than measuring the real things that matter: how are children looked after; are they neglected; what do they consume; and do they have a real future in this country. The ACT Party will stand alone in Parliament opposing this bill, because it\u2019s worse than nothing. It\u2019s a crock.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022 data-id=\u0022e08f216ddf104024a531a7c43ff02945\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e08f216ddf104024a531a7c43ff02945\u0022\u003EJO HAYES (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I stand to take a call on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. I agree with everything that this side has said about this particular bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264cb36f44bae4573bfe2e6870a3a1106\u0022\u003EDavid Seymour\u003C/span\u003E: Including me?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245f851ea5e6d4fa6a36add9e7b14dade\u0022\u003EJO HAYES\u003C/span\u003E: It will go nowhere\u2014including Mr Seymour over there. It will go nowhere because it is about Government working with Government agencies telling people what to do and trying to measure that. You won\u2019t actually get to measure anything, because one of the things\u2014when I\u2019ve worked with wh\u0101nau, out there in their communities\u2014is it is always policies and bills and pieces of legislation like this that come over the top of wh\u0101nau and bash them over the head with it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThey\u2019re saying this is an ambitious bill. I can tell you right now, the Government wouldn\u2019t know ambition if it punched them in the face\u2014I can tell you right now. They wouldn\u2019t know it, because they have never listened to the people that are on the ground.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003ENow, let\u2019s take a look at Wh\u0101nau Ora. I haven\u2019t heard anything from the Government about Wh\u0101nau Ora, yet this particular bill actually targets\u2014the target population for child poverty is located within the M\u0101ori populations, yet we have a number of really good initiatives that are actually making headway amongst wh\u0101nau under the Wh\u0101nau Ora framework.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EWhen I look at clause 45 in Part 3 of this particular bill, replacement Part 1 of the Vulnerable Children Act, I look at it and I think, \u201CGovernment strategy for improving children\u2019s well-being and oranga tamariki action plan.\u201D So \u201Coranga tamariki\u201D\u2014going to work with the chief executive, going to work with ministries, and Government agencies to make sure that they\u2019re achieving the measures that Government and the agencies are putting together. I look at it and I think \u201Coranga tamariki\u201D\u2014\u201Coranga tamariki\u201D\u2014where are the children in this bill? Where are the children advisers in this bill? The Minister\u2019s going to talk to the agencies, but where is the voice of youth in this bill? There is no voice of youth in this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EI am not going to repeat everything that everybody else has said that\u2019s wrong with this bill, because at the end of the day this is a bill about children, for children, yet children aren\u2019t even in it. They\u2019re going to get dealt to. Agencies are going to go into communities\u2014and I know; I\u2019ve worked in communities where Government policy has stood over the top and bashed us around the head.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022daeea21f1b1549dcbc0bafef31ad59c9\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: Did you read the bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238457adea89441c59609d269433cb767\u0022\u003EJO HAYES\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I have read the bill. I have looked at the bill, and I was thinking, now, what good things would come out of this bill for wh\u0101nau\u2014for wh\u0101nau? What are the good things that are going to come out\u2014what are the good things that are going to come out for children? I can see that there is going to be absolutely nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EJust recently, when the Government took away the Better Public Services targets\u2014and I think, why would you do that, when you had no targets for this particular bill anyway? When we start to look at National\u2019s Better Public Services targets, it is a big and multifaceted way of actually addressing poverty within communities. It is like reducing long-term welfare dependency. As David Seymour said in his speech, it is about getting people into jobs. Why isn\u2019t this Government actually targeting to get people into jobs? Why isn\u2019t that one of the targets\u2014reducing welfare dependency? We all know that welfare dependency actually gets families for generations and generations on welfare benefits, and we\u2019ve got to get them off welfare benefits. So what is wrong with that particular target?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003ESupporting vulnerable children\u2014OK, so we change a name, but where will this bill actually support vulnerable children through Oranga Tamariki? It\u2019s not going to, because they\u2019re too busy measuring stuff. There is no one piece of policy or clause in this bill that actually does something for our children on the ground, in wh\u0101nau, in communities. What on earth is going on with that Government? I can tell you right now\u2014not a hell of a lot of thinking has gone into actually developing this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThe other side is boosting skills and employment. Well, you boost skills, people get employed, we reduce people off the benefits, and what do we get? We get very strong wh\u0101nau. The Government needs to go and take on board the work that Sir Mason Durie has done around Wh\u0101nau Ora and the targets that they set within Wh\u0101nau Ora around the framework. [Interruption] You can yell and you can shout and you can carry on\u2014the Government can do all that\u2014but at the end of the day, this bill\u2019s going to go nowhere. It\u2019s not going to help anybody, any family, and it will not reduce child poverty. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268bc1c826399474bb5f392b3101ffead\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Members, I\u2019m having trouble hearing the member deliver her speech, thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220b13023a1b564c74a193c532a64580bf\u0022\u003EJO HAYES\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThe fourth side of the targets that National had\u2014these are all targets that can be picked up and put into this bill\u2014was reducing crime and reoffending. We know that when people get jobs, when people are well-educated or get an opportunity to be well-educated, offending and crime actually drop in a community, and these are key to actually growing wh\u0101nau and the abilities of wh\u0101nau. Why\u2014why\u2014is this Government not actually looking at that? Why, again, are they implementing measures that actually can\u2019t be measured? Why? Why\u2014why? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThe last thing was around improving interaction with Government. Well, actually, there is nothing in that bill where it says it\u2019s improving interaction with Government. What it\u2019s doing is Government\u2019s talking to Government agencies, and then Government agencies are going to be doing all of this work about people, rather than with people\u2014with families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EThis is a very bad bill, but it can be improved. I\u2019m not saying\u2014I\u2019m not saying to the Government\u2014that your time this time can actually come forward and the bill can be made really, really good. What I\u2019m saying is look at the Better Public Services targets that National had put together in the last Government. Look at all of the things around the Families Package that National had put in place in the run-up to the election. Take some of those things. Don\u2019t be pigheaded or blindfolded or blinkered because all Government wants to do is just shut everything out. Cherry-pick the good stuff, and we had many good things for improving and reducing\u2014improving children\u2019s well-being and reducing child poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003EIn one of the contributions I heard today, just before I stood up, from the Government, I heard one of them talking a little bit about children not going to school with shoes and all of those things that they need. Now, in Christchurch East I met up with some people that live in one of our low socio-economic areas. She works with a number of children, and one of the things that she said is some of those things like giving children shoes, clothing, etc.\u2014even some food\u2014sometimes didn\u2019t actually help those children. Sometimes the parents wouldn\u2019t actually use all of the material they were given for their children. At times they would find them hidden in a wardrobe in the house. The money through benefits that this particular family got went on alcohol every fortnight. So really, at the end of the day, when you start to look at reducing child poverty, you need to look at a broad spectrum of all of the great programmes that are out there on the ground that are actually working to improve the well-being of all wh\u0101nau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003ENow, Mason Durie once said if you improve the M\u0101ori nation you improve the whole nation. That\u2019s what he said, and what he meant by that is that because M\u0101ori have got the highest statistics in this particular area that this bill is targeting, one of the things that the Government needs to look at is how on earth they are going to be accountable to M\u0101ori wh\u0101nau if they start tinkering around with things like Wh\u0101nau Ora. Even Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori Bill has been taken off the list. It has been taken off because the Government is saying they\u2019re going to have another look at it. Well, get it back into the House and start to move it forward, because that particular bill will actually help to advance the economy and well-being of iwi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003ETalking about iwi, iwi are not in this bill. Consultation with iwi is not in this bill. I\u2019ve looked in it and tried to find where iwi consultation is. There is no iwi consultation in this bill. There is no youth consultation in this bill. It is about Government talking to ministries\u2014that\u2019s what it\u2019s about\u2014and ministries reporting back to Government. Why would you do that? Why not bring in everybody that\u2019s working on the ground with our wh\u0101nau?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c1166c97b6b4cefb7a40b72ff3da92a\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: He waiata.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022758dcaf3-9976-43ac-8593-79f66ee4da22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2523353c7b943fb90fc9572760fa469\u0022\u003EJO HAYES\u003C/span\u003E: We can talk about trees\u2014well, actually, we can\u2019t talk about trees, because you\u2019re not going to hit your targets. The Government will not hit their targets, even if they ask the forestry industry to keep growing and expanding. I want to see this bill go to first reading, and let\u2019s have a look at it. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022 data-id=\u002255d520b54fb145aaa1998d87f9979746\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002255d520b54fb145aaa1998d87f9979746\u0022\u003EWILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E He kaupapa taimaha t\u0113nei hei k\u014Drerotanga m\u0101ku, n\u0101 te mea e k\u014Drero ana e p\u0101 ana ki \u014D t\u0101tou tamariki, he taonga tuku iho r\u0101tou. He k\u014Drero t\u014Drangap\u016B kei roto i t\u0113nei Whare e p\u0101 ana ki \u014D t\u0101tou tamariki. Kua h\u014Dh\u0101 au ki \u0113tahi o ng\u0101 k\u014Drero, engari kua t\u016B au ki te tautoko i t\u0113nei pire i t\u0113nei r\u0101. He uri ahau n\u014D Te Tai Tokerau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E[This is a difficult issue for me to talk about, because it is about our children, who are after all precious beyond words. People are playing politics in this House and it is our children who are at the centre of it. While I get fed up with some of the talk, I stand here today to support this bill. I am a child of the North.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI am a child of Te Tai Tokerau, born and raised in Northland. It is my t\u016Brangawaewae\u2014home for my wh\u0101nau. Northland is where 49 percent of our children were identified as being born in the bottom two most deprived deciles\u2014the highest child poverty rate in the country. Northland is where families are, and have been for a long time, struggling, living in real poverty, in severe poverty. So when I hear challenges from the other side of the House to go and spend some time in Northland, I\u2019d like to remind that side of the House that I live in Northland. I see poverty every day. I am from Moerewa. I recently visited Kaikohe\u2014last Thursday, in fact\u2014where we were running a stall on the street to fund-raise for the distribution of menstrual cups, because my community has period poverty. We are experiencing real poverty. I\u2019m glad the other side of the Whare has finally acknowledged that poverty is a real thing, and that they are all of a sudden so committed to addressing poverty. I welcome them to work with us to eradicate child poverty in our country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI struggle as I stand here today and I think about my communities in Northland who are currently flooded-in in their homes with the severe weather, and I\u2019m reminded of a story by my local GP, where he has seen on numerous occasions the same baby being brought into his clinic because that baby has been bitten by rats. When the floodwaters rise on both sides of the township of Moerewa, the rats come up on to the land. They crawl up through our substandard housing and they bite the babies during the night. This family cannot afford rat bait. It is over $100 for a bucket of rat bait from our local stores. These families cannot help themselves. They simply do not have the money. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI talked about period poverty. It is something that came up in the election. I was visiting a local school. I was made aware that girls are missing school because their families cannot afford the sanitary products to manage their periods every month. I was shocked. I could not believe this level of poverty. We immediately started doing something about it by partnering with My Cup NZ, a social enterprise to distribute cups into our local community. Our girls are missing school. The number one reason why they are truant is because their families cannot afford sanitary products. They are now failing at school.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThese absences from school are resulting in failure. I saw the statistic that there are over 300 young people in Kaikohe, which was mentioned earlier, who are \u201Cneets\u201D. This is hard work for our Government to now deal with\u2014to alleviate poverty, to alleviate the deprivation in Northland. I look forward to the work that all of the Ministers are doing, and that is going to go into developing a strategy to promote the overall well-being of children, which will include a particular focus on the reduction of child poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s what is in this bill. That is the work that we are going to do. And I hope that it does also address that we are the rheumatic fever capital of New Zealand. These are Third World diseases in our country. I challenge the voters in Northland. What will it take\u2014pussy eyes and distended stomachs?\u2014before we stop playing politics with our children and we do something about this?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EWe are resilient, but do not use that to justify doing nothing. M\u0101ori and Pasifika are overrepresented in the poverty statistics. Just under half of the children in poverty are M\u0101ori or Pasifika, and rates of poverty and persistent and sustained poverty for M\u0101ori and Pasifika children are around double the rates for P\u0101keh\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI support the purpose of this bill. I encourage everybody in the House\u2014the descendant of T\u0101reha who is no longer here\u2014to support this bill. The purpose of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill is to encourage a focus by successive Governments and society as a whole on child poverty reduction, to facilitate political accountability against published targets, to require transparent reporting on levels of child poverty, and to create a greater commitment to the action on the part of the Government to addressing the well-being of all children and the particular needs of children in poverty and those at greater risk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EWe are going to do that through this bill by requiring Governments to set 10-year targets on a defined set of measures of child poverty and periodically setting and publishing three-year targets and, importantly, developing and reporting on a strategy to promote the overall well-being of our children, which will include a particular focus on reducing child poverty. And, importantly, we\u2019re going to include this in the Finance Act so that on Budget day we have a report on how the Budget will reduce child poverty and how the Government is progressing towards its target. To increase accountability and independence from the politics, the bill is also going to require the Government Statistician to report, independently from the Government, trends in the range of measures specified in the bill. We are challenging the public to hold us accountable to this very ambitious piece of legislation and our very ambitious goal of reducing child poverty in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EIn my maiden speech, I referred to the words of Dame Whina Cooper, where she said, \u201CTake care of our children, take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.\u201D\u2014for how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI campaigned on the belief that not one more child should live in poverty, not one more family without a home, and not one more young New Zealander without a dream. There shouldn\u2019t be politics in child poverty reduction. I thank the Prime Minister for her leadership on this issue. I thank this Government for being ambitious in setting ourselves targets, setting ourselves a framework in which we will be held accountable by the public of New Zealand. And with that, I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EBill read a first time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EBill referred to the Social Services and Community Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00225d97f601406741e290f7b3ce71136866\u0022\u003EUrgency\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d22c146814564724b5211e16f1135220\u0022\u003EUrgency\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u002211c2158aa1c64a50bf77322e8eb224f9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002211c2158aa1c64a50bf77322e8eb224f9\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That urgency be accorded the passing through all stages of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No\u00A02). The Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) is a very short, eight-clause bill that does one thing. It prevents the expiry of key provisions in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001, which supports the efficiency and contestability in one of New Zealand\u2019s most significant industries, the dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EWithout this bill, these provisions, as they affect the South Island, will expire on 31 May this year. The bill needs to be passed as soon as possible to give South Island farmers, dairy businesses, and the wider dairy industry certainty about the regulatory environment that will apply to them in the coming dairy season, which begins on 1 June. In particular, it needs to be passed under urgency to provide certainty for dairy farmers prior to the closure of the Fonterra shareholder application period on 28 February 2018.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI note the provisions of this bill were originally contained within the larger Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill introduced to the House by the previous Minister in March 2017 but not progressed any further. The bill removes any additional provisions that were contained in the original bill and simply strips the bill down to only continuing the status quo while further consideration is given to other matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc9c3de7a96c44deb17449d0494e8acc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc9c3de7a96c44deb17449d0494e8acc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just remind members that the moving of an urgency motion is, effectively, a point of order, and not subject to interjection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022f4b6bac48c9e4faaa4a6ecb7cebe224d\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That urgency be accorded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 56.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f001407c16c348338dde5d9200952308\u0022\u003EDairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002210e1c782f0cc4d4d89753448a64ed00e\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u0022f6e67a4d260b4e65965bff7944325e9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f6e67a4d260b4e65965bff7944325e9c\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe bill deals with an important and urgent matter\u2014to prevent the expiry of certain key provisions in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001, or the DIRA, as I\u2019ll refer to it, from expiring in the South Island on 31 May 2018. The Government recognises that the dairy industry is important to the economy and to the well-being of New Zealanders. The dairy industry is New Zealand\u2019s largest export earner and it is essential that it performs well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EIt generated $14.6 billion in export revenue for the year ended June 2017. This is expected to increase to $16.8 billion for the year ending June 2018. The dairy industry is also a significant employer and contributor to regional economies. It employs over 50,000 people\u201437,000 on farms and over 14,000 in processing and marketing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe DIRA was passed in 2001 to enable the formation of Fonterra. At that time, Fonterra had a dominant market share\u201496 percent of the traded milk in this country. Given Fonterra\u2019s dominance, the DIRA was put in place to ensure that the New Zealand dairy industry remained contestable and that Fonterra performed efficiently for the benefit of consumers and farmers. The DIRA provides disciplines on Fonterra to perform efficiently in the absence of strong competitive pressures. The DIRA contains automatic expiry provisions that were triggered in 2015 when dairy processors other than Fonterra collected more than 20 percent of milk solids in the South Island. At that point, the DIRA required a review of the state of competition, which was conducted by the Commerce Commission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe DIRA also required an active Government decision as to whether to allow the DIRA to expire in the South Island or to remain in place. Key provisions in the DIRA will no longer apply to the South Island by 31 May this year if the DIRA is not amended. Firstly, open exit and open entry provisions: Fonterra must accept an application to become a shareholding supplier to Fonterra, except in limited circumstances where the milk might be too expensive to collect. Fonterra must also allow any farmer choosing to supply another company for any reason to exit and take their invested capital. These open entry and exit provisions are a key element to ensure that Fonterra is both fair and efficient.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ESecondly, in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2), this milk price monitoring regime\u2014the Commerce Commission must each year review the calculation of Fonterra\u2019s farm-gate milk price for the dairy season that has just concluded. The commission must also review Fonterra\u2019s farm-gate milk price manual. Fonterra\u2019s manual sets out its methodology for calculating its farm-gate milk price for the season. The milk price monitoring regime is intended to promote greater transparency of Fonterra\u2019s farm-gate milk price setting processes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThirdly, there is the 20 percent rule by which Fonterra suppliers are permitted to sell 20 percent of their season\u2019s milk production to another processor. This provision primarily ensures that smaller specialist producers of dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt are assured of milk supply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EIn December last year, I announced my intent to undertake a comprehensive review of the DIRA as a matter of priority and committed to consulting fully with the dairy sector on further policy decisions in this year, 2018. I want to ensure that the regulatory sittings around the dairy industry support a high-performing, innovative, and sustainable sector that meets the Government\u2019s strategic objectives for the sector. Passing this bill under urgency will allow a major review of the DIRA to be conducted this year. The review will give the public and industry players the opportunity to give us their views in a substantive and meaningful way. Those submissions will guide the Government\u2019s considered and strategic approach to the changing needs of the dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be4dadf81e48457f8ee9918fb553ec4b\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: How long will it take?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b128cee2551644feb921f81c5ab0360b\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: I believe it is important to give industry certainty while this review is undertaken, particularly for South Island dairy farmers and dairy processors who need to know what regulatory environment will apply to them in the coming dairy season when they make decisions on who to supply or who to buy their milk from. I therefore do not believe that allowing these key DIRA provisions to expire now in the South Island would be in the best interests of the farmers, the dairy processors, the consumers, or the wider economy. That is why this bill needs to amend the existing DIRA legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EIn 2016, the Commerce Commission review looked closely at the DIRA regime and found that competition was not yet sufficient to warrant the removal of the DIRA provisions. The Government considers that the DIRA provisions should be retained pending further comprehensive review. For this reason, I\u2019m satisfied that it is appropriate to retain the existing provisions while the Government considers the DIRA and other strategic dairy industry issues during the upcoming review, which we hope\u2014for the member\u2019s question\u2014will be conducted in 12 months. In short, this bill prevents the DIRA from expiring so that the Government can undertake a comprehensive review of the DIRA legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll now turn to the key provisions in the bill\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd28f32148f1457785fe16b28413348c\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s only one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d8baa0bfb3e4b97b60596e656f02387\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014as explained briefly by the Minister in the House. In technical terms\u2014and I think at this point some may go to sleep\u2014it repeals sections 147 to 150 of the DIRA, which set out the triggers and process for expiry of the key DIRA provisions, in either the North or South Island, or both. Second point: it repeals provisions relating to further review of the DIRA given that I have already committed to a comprehensive review of the legislation. Thirdly, it makes consequential changes to other sections in the DIRA. Fourthly, it revokes the Order in Council that would otherwise effect expiry in the South Island on 31 May 2018\u2014this year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe bill does not make any other changes to regulatory settings. In effect, it just stops the countdown to expiry in the South Island so that the dairy industry can have certainty and so that the Government can undertake a considered review with full opportunity for consultation with, and input from, all interested parties. I therefore consider that this bill should be passed as quickly as possible to enable certainty for the dairy industry and for the Government, and to conduct the DIRA review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the coalition partners who we\u2019ve worked with to ensure the smooth passage of this legislation. Can I acknowledge the Opposition parties\u2014generally speaking, dairy industry legislation has been non-partisan. There has been a unity of purpose and, ultimately, a unity in passing legislation through the House, so I\u2019m hoping that the National Party will see the wisdom to support this legislation through under urgency so that we can ensure that Fonterra and the dairy industry is stable while enabling us to have a comprehensive review that acknowledges the significant challenges facing not just Fonterra but all the other dairy companies in the country and, in fact, the farmers who participate in the dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThis is a very important piece of legislation. We believe its passage through urgency will enable certainty to remain in the industry and open the door for a useful and worthwhile and necessary discussion around the dairy industry over the next 12 months. At this stage, in one year\u2019s time we\u2019ll be back in here to make any necessary changes to legislation to improve the further and future opportunities of dairy farmers and their industry. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022 data-id=\u0022d127c120fdd74d7ba467f99ff3b11123\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d127c120fdd74d7ba467f99ff3b11123\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY (National\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for an opportunity to address what is a very important issue in the primary sector of New Zealand, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act. We\u2019ve heard from the Leader of the House why this needs to be heard under urgency. Personally, I don\u2019t agree. I find it disappointing that only one aspect of this bill hasn\u2019t been sent to the Primary Production Committee, which it should have been. OK, I get the fact that there is an expiry date at the end of May and farmers and industry want some certainty, but even if it was a truncated select committee process, the size of the industry\u2014and also this particular issue affects all South Island farmers and processors. Surely, the Government, who stand up in this House talking about openness and honesty and transparency, would want to hear from those farmers and industry representatives of the South Island. Instead, we are here under urgency debating an issue that is really important\u2014the future of the primary sector and growing exports, underpinned by the New Zealand dairy industry. Instead, we\u2019re going to be debating it over the next hour or three\u2014or, perhaps, into tomorrow, because it is worthy of decent consideration.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat I\u2019m also really disappointed about is there\u2019s been a huge amount of effort put in over the last two years to get the National Party\u2019s Government bill on the table, and, yes, we didn\u2019t have enough time to get it through last year, but, effectively, the Minister has gutted that bill. He\u2019s going to go back out and consult and probably get 105 submissions, which we received in Government. The Commerce Commission did a huge amount of work; a very detailed report. Ministry for Primary Industries officials\u2014when I was the Minister, they went out and had a whole lot of meetings up and down the country. We heard from industry, we heard from farmers, and now this open and new and transparent Government want to ram this very small piece of legislation\u2014but important\u2014through under urgency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224cc543ac39544136bc536708497fc2db\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Minor detail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cabcffc2a5c945b2a2063b944b5e13c9\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: And what we\u2014that\u2019s what Shane Jones talks about, all the rhetoric, and we wait for his $1 billion fund. And it\u2019s all going to be about the minor detail because\u2014maybe at some stage the detail will turn up. It will be a bit like the trees: no trees planted and we wait and we wait and we wait.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd9ebe2d3e604c2b930d49c920765bba\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Water storage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222589cabc15b04ae4a5b107ed619b924d\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, well, we look forward to hearing about water storage in the South Island too, Mr Jones. It\u2019s great that you\u2019re going to stand up to the greenies and to Labour on that one, but once again that\u2019s your rhetoric and we want to see the detail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EGetting back to the importance of this bill and what the Minister has decided to do; that is, to kick off anything that is contentious to a review. Finally, we heard from Minister O\u2019Connor that it\u2019s going to be a 12-month review period. But what we don\u2019t know is what are the terms of reference for the review. Is it going to have a look at foreign ownership, because we know that New Zealand First and Shane Jones are against foreign investment into New Zealand. The Overseas Investment Office has made changes, so what\u2019s going to happen to those that want to invest in New Zealand? Is that going to be included in the terms of reference? Also what is going to happen to other aspects in the terms of reference about the Dairy Core Database that LIC and Dairy New Zealand are very interested in? Also, what about the domestic raw milk processors? In the previous bill, it talked about farm gate and factory gate. No doubt that will need to be included in the terms of reference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat about environmental considerations? I bet the Greens\u2019 tentacles want to get right into that and move this review scope way broader than what it should be. And those in the dairy industry will remember back: it was only a few months ago that Labour and the Greens used the New Zealand dairy industry as a whipping boy in the election campaign. So I will be very mindful of that fact if the terms of reference have the breadth where it gets way out into environmental issues beyond the scope of this bill that we are debating in urgency today. I guess they\u2019ll also want to get into climate change, which will be another ongoing issue that the Greens in this new Government are keen to see more happening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat about value and volume? If you think about value, the previous National Government backed the New Zealand dairy industry through the Primary Growth Partnership to ensure that more commodities went into the value-add processing stream. We need to just think about down at Clandeboye in the South Island, where Fonterra has made a massive investment into mozzarella cheese. It used to take months to process; now it takes hours and it\u2019s into the market. This is where the National Government invested and partnered with industry to ensure that the dairy industry could move out of commodities into value-add. So I would expect, Mr O\u2019Connor, that the terms of reference would have a look at value and volume.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWill it indeed have a look at export markets? You had to drag your coalition\u2014[Interruption] Not you, Madam Assistant Speaker; the Minister. The Minister had to drag his coalition partner, New Zealand First\u2014and I look forward to Mark Patterson\u2019s contribution. About the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, he had to drag them across the line to actually support it. So we\u2019d be keen to see about export markets. Are they going to be included? This review could indeed be bigger than Ben-Hur. The reason I raise it is that we just don\u2019t know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWho is going to lead the review? Is it going to be the hundreds of officials that want to roll their sleeves up, in the Ministry for Primary Industries, and get stuck in? What about the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment? Will they be getting their tentacles in? What about Treasury? Then, of course, the people that matter are the industry and the farmers. Will they be consulted through this review? Will they, Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228910ce581fc34d1a875f8752bd392c4a\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022233d4edf30d44fc0839aad9c4fc8d648\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. That\u2019s good\u2014that\u2019s good. That\u2019s a good commitment from the Minister today that they will be consulted. I guess they already have been, but this review\u2014I\u2019m worried, in indicating that it could indeed be a very wide review. Who actually is going to lead it? That\u2019s what we want to hear. Do we know, Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4973bc001874caa833b79a418b58e90\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Watch this space.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022681430d1412f4a83a845919fdbc73687\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: There we go\u2014yet another review. I think we\u2019re up to number 12 or 13 in this new Government\u2014might be approaching 20 shortly. Surely they\u2019d want to get some independence into this review. They might want to go and get a figurehead so that it\u2019s not just done by officialdom, because the fear out there in industry is they\u2019re going to get dealt to by Labour and the Greens through this process, and that is a big fear with this review. So we, on this side of the House, the loyal Opposition, will be very focused on the fact that there\u2019s not enough detail on the terms of reference. The other very, very interesting fact is open entry/exit. That\u2019s going to be an issue that has to be covered in this review. So I look forward to more detail on this review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWe shouldn\u2019t forget that when the dairy industry is going well, so is the New Zealand economy. Fifty thousand jobs, depending on what year it\u2019s counted, depending on the payout. Whether it\u2019s six bucks, four dollars, or potentially eight dollars depends on the significance of the export returns into New Zealand. It could be $18 billion. It could be $14 billion. It is significant: 50,000 jobs. And these aren\u2019t just farmers and their workers; these are processing jobs as well. These are scientists. These are people that are helping innovation and growing our exports into these very important international markets. So the fear out there amongst those 50,000 employees is: where is this review going to end up? I support the concerns that I hear from them. That\u2019s why over this period of the next few hours, potentially into tomorrow, we will explore through the Minister and try and understand more about these terms of reference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EAlso, what will be very interesting to note is: will speakers in the Parliament today get up and acknowledge that over the last 15 years our dairy farmers have done a huge amount to support environmental responsibility and sustainability? Excluding dairy cattle from waterways over 24,000 kilometres\u2014it might be 26,000 kilometres\u2014gets you from Wellington to Chicago and back again on a plane. That\u2019s the investment that the New Zealand dairy industry has made, and I\u2019m sure speakers from other political parties standing on the opposite side of me this evening won\u2019t even take a moment to acknowledge that the New Zealand dairy industry\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u0022e87bbae82eb841a385f21b3aaf122480\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e87bbae82eb841a385f21b3aaf122480\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise to the member. Your time has expired. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u002229abb322d2d348a483cec1daf9b13077\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002229abb322d2d348a483cec1daf9b13077\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Associate Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Assistant Speaker. Otir\u0101, e ng\u0101 mema o Te Whare nei. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. It\u2019s a bit rich for the member Nathan Guy, who\u2019s just taken his seat, because when they had their time in bat, they didn\u2019t do anything with this bill. Now, we\u2019ve got a change of Government, and we\u2019re doing something to acknowledge the dairy farmers\u2014particularly in the South Island\u2014with this bill. We believe their contribution to the primary industry sector is important. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI want to commend the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, for bringing this bill to the House under urgency simply because of the 31 May expiry date. It\u2019s to do with assuring clarity for our South Island dairy farmers that this Government is prepared not only to ensure they\u2019ve got clarity going forward but we\u2019re going to undertake this very comprehensive review that the Minister spoke about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) attempts to amend the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) 2001 to prevent the expiry of certain provisions relating to the South Island in May 2018. It\u2019s rich, as I started to say, because in 2015, the Opposition asked the Commerce Commission to investigate whether the state of competition in the New Zealand dairy industry was sufficient to allow parts of the DIRA regulatory regime to expire in the South Island. I notice that the Commerce Commission\u2019s report found that the competition was not yet sufficient to warrant deregulation. So that side had every opportunity to address this issue. They didn\u2019t while they were in Government, and, like I said, this side has taken the very important role of bringing this bill to the House to give clarity to farmers in the South Island. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EI just want to pick up on some of the comments that that previous speaker alluded to\u2014that is, what are the terms of reference for this comprehensive review that the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor is going to take? He actually outlined them himself. It may be an opportunity to look at the environmental issues\u2014for example, the land use. He also talked about the economic value that dairy farmers contribute to this nation. These are all very good terms, which I\u2019m pretty sure the Minister will take on board when he does do this comprehensive review. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIt is important that we give assurances to all dairy farmers in this bill, not just in the South Island but throughout the country, so I wanted to respond to that previous speaker. The terms of reference, I\u2019m pretty sure, will be comprehensive because it\u2019s a comprehensive review. In terms of the work that the Opposition, when they were last in Government, did with dairy farmers up and down the country, I\u2019m sure that the review that Minister O\u2019Connor\u2019s going to undertake will give those very farmers and key stakeholders in the dairy industry every opportunity to contribute to that review so that we get the system right. I\u2019ve got no concerns that that\u2019s exactly what Minister O\u2019Connor will do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe bill, as he has mentioned, is a very short bill. There are only eight clauses in it. The key topic that he has indicated is really to ensure that the expiry provisions in the Act remain, and I want to just, for the purpose of the House, reiterate what the expiry date means for major players like Fonterra and Fonterra farmers. I just note that preventing the expiry of the DIRA in the South Island will mean that the current regulatory regime continues in place. The key provisions that will be maintained will be open entry and exit, and Fonterra must accept any application. What does that mean? It means Fonterra must accept any application to become a shareholding farmer in Fonterra and it must accept supply of milk from that shareholder. Also, there is a milk-pricing monitoring regime that will be maintained as a result of the passage of this particular bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe concerns of the previous speaker are unfounded. This is a commitment from this side of the House to ensure that we are giving certainty to dairy farmers but also ensuring that the entire dairy industry system is robust, is fit for service, and is fit for purpose and that, as we go forward over the next term and beyond, we have got a very robust dairy industry system. I commend Minister O\u2019Connor for the action that he\u2019s taken, and we will be working alongside him to ensure that the terms of reference and the leadership on this review will ensure that we meet that aim. I commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u0022c4a0167f664d4ffda1026924d109d91f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c4a0167f664d4ffda1026924d109d91f\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National\u2014Hamilton East):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Dairy farmers be warned: your worst nightmare is happening in front of you today in this House. There is no need for this bill to go to urgency; therefore, you have to ask your question: why would the Government want to take this bill to urgency? The reason is because they are going to have a full-scale attack on the dairy industry, and by doing this they take away any option for the industry and farmers to have any say in what\u2019s happening to their companies, their industry, their milk, and their land over the next few years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis will be a \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D review. We have heard that from the Minister and the Labour Government spokesperson in this area. If you look at the press release, it said: \u201Cenvironmental issues, land use and how to achieve the best outcomes for farmers, consumers and the New Zealand economy.\u201D \u201CEnvironmental issues, land use\u201D\u2014they have nothing to do with the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA). The DIRA is set up around milk supply issues, around Fonterra when it was created. It is not meant to be an investigation into land use, environmental issues. Every dairy farmer out there that is milking cows now, listen to the radio because in the next few days you will see that the dairy industry will now be subject to a review that will be set up by the Labour Government, will be backed up by the Green Party, and will have New Zealand First in there, and that review will bring environmental and land use changes to your properties and to your farms. It\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happened in the Waikato with the regional council up there and will be the next stage of what that Minister of Agriculture wants to do, and those environmental and land-use changes will reflect in the industry going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EI bet that one of the things that will come out of this will be a stocking rate cap on New Zealand dairy farmers. That will happen as a result of this review. That\u2019s what the Greens want. They\u2019ve always wanted that. They\u2019ve wanted to stop dairying in New Zealand. This is their chance. They\u2019re laughing, licking their lips, because they know they\u2019ve got their opportunity, and in the darkness of night they\u2019re putting this through Parliament to make sure dairy farmers don\u2019t have any say and then are going to attack the guts out of that industry going forward. That\u2019s what Labour are up to here today. Don\u2019t dress it up in any way, talking about dates for May and the South Island industry; this is an attack on all New Zealand dairy farmers and it is about environmental and land use, and it is a disgrace for the Labour Government to do this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c5f3b186c5a441aa4c028ab17dc3d4e\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Scam.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225fe613c8c4234dacb92415fb1612abb9\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: It is a scam. I ask this question: if it is so important and there are so many issues there, why didn\u2019t the Labour Government pass what had been introduced into this House some time ago? Not only was that South Island component in there but there were three other major components that were in the bill that was introduced originally. The first was open entry and exit. Now, the Green Party is against conversions of dairy farm land in New Zealand. The open entry and exit provisions that were in the original bill would have enabled Fonterra to say no to new conversions. Why aren\u2019t the Green Party supporting that, because there\u2019s going to be the potential now for new conversions to go ahead that the dairy bill would have stopped. The Green Party actually knows that it can let that go, because it\u2019s got a wider agenda, and that\u2019s around land use and environmental change that this bill will enable them to follow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EI want to look at the effect that another party in this Parliament said, and that\u2019s the Rt Hon Winston Peters on 16 June. He said, \u201CLook at the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act. Instead of triggering \u2018sunset clauses\u2019 with Fonterra\u2019s South Island market share meeting the Act\u2019s 80 per cent threshold, National wants to revise it lower to 75 per cent in both islands. That only benefits \u2026 foreign processors.\u201D That was New Zealand First, and then they\u2019re doing it again here today. So I want to see what New Zealand First have said, but there is help on its way, because they said that \u201CNew Zealand First is now working on legislation to amend the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act.\u201D That was Winston Peters on 23 March. Well, if he\u2019s worked on it, he\u2019s had a year, and he\u2019s done nothing. It should be here today, and where is the New Zealand First Party when it comes to their chance to put it in front?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EI guess there\u2019s some other issues. The second issue was about regulating large-scale processors. This is a really important submission from Fonterra, because there are some large-scale processors that get regulated milk from Fonterra, and they no longer wish to do that in some cases because these companies are now able to sustain operations on their own two feet. I ask the New Zealand First Party: how can you, in good conscience, take away that provision that will enable companies like Synlait, Open Country Dairy, Yashili, Oceania Dairy, which are foreign-owned, to now have that regulated milker application still apply to them, because that bill was taking away the ability for those companies to have regulated milk for ever and a day at a certain price, and the New Zealand First Party has taken away that opportunity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s another great quote I see from New Zealand First, and this was Winston Peters in the Waikato Times on 6 March. He said, \u201CNew Zealand First will not be so craven. Our policy recognises that regulated milk is an asset to this country \u2026 While it is positive Fonterra will \u2026 get control of its burgeoning milk pool in 2018 \u2026 with discretion over taking milk from new dairy conversions, we would ensure that \u2018regulated milk\u2019 only goes to New Zealand-owned processors.\u201D Where is New Zealand First making sure that that happens in this bill today, because they are taking out the very regulation, by not enabling the full bill that was proposed earlier, to come into fruition today, and that means that foreign-owned processors will have their chance to take milk out of the New Zealand economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis bill is an attack on dairy farmers. Farmers need to be worried. Can they trust a Minister that has let a disease go through this whole country now\u2014that started in the South Island\u2014a Minister sitting over there that has had responsibility and has let it spread through this country? Can they trust a Minister that has stripped irrigation proposals from dairy farmers and other farmers going ahead in this country? Can we have a Minister that backtracked on m\u0101nuka honey when he found that he\u2019d gone too far and had to change his mind?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWe cannot trust Labour and the Green Party and the New Zealand First Party to dictate the future of New Zealand\u2019s biggest industry. This bill is an attack on that industry and is just a method for them to go out and review everything in the dairy sector. It is a blatant attack on farmers and their businesses. There is no way that farmers should trust the Green Party to be involved in their future, there is no way that they should trust the Labour Government to be involved in their future, and there is no way they should trust the New Zealand First Party to be involved in their future. All those parties have indicated a preference to hurt dairying and New Zealand agricultural production, and this bill is an attempt by them to cover that up. It is part of the plan to take away any ability for New Zealand\u2019s biggest industry to have a voice in the legislation that governs them, and, secondly, it is an attempt to extend the rules of the DIRA away from what it was set up to do, which was to look at the percentages of milk that would flow to certain companies and look at how milk supply would be picked up by Fonterra and other companies, and now it is being used as the proxy for an attack on environmental and land use changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThat is the true agenda of the Labour Government that is being seen here today. That is why they are going into urgency. The only reason the Labour Government is going into urgency is because they know that this is bad for our biggest industry. They can go through a normal process, and if they really want to support the dairy industry, why don\u2019t they do the other parts of the bill that were originally part of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act? They will not do that, because they are not supporting dairying.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis is an attack on dairy farmers, this is an attack on land use, and don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to stop at dairy farmers. Once they set these rules around land use, that applies to horticulture. It applies to other landowners throughout the country, as you\u2019ve seen in the Waikato example. This is an attack on property rights. This is an attack on the ability of people to actually own and run their own businesses. This is a blatant attack by the urban elite on the rural communities that actually make this country go forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis bill should not pass in the Parliament. If it does, then that party has set up the agenda to take away the rights of New Zealanders, and that just fits in with their complete agenda, as we\u2019ve seen in the last few months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022 data-id=\u0022f6749720bd9c41d291fdc72ac044fb43\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f6749720bd9c41d291fdc72ac044fb43\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E It\u2019s with great pleasure that I rise to speak to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) on behalf of New Zealand First. I must have read a different bill, because I heard David Bennett, the member opposite, misrepresent completely\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229682bddf59844dae80ab35b683a6bc2b\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I take offence at that\u2014the misrepresentation comment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229bab55bedae542659d41522721c8e6a2\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: The member has taken offence. I would ask the member to withdraw and apologise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f11b494d21324fe79822c55805d8fc07\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d2f2cb684cc48caa980e7ac3f23839b\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ba6298b633584b0b98aa5bf99c9215cc\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and I apologise to the member. Right, the aim of this is, as we have heard, to prevent the expiry provisions on 31 March as the threshold of under 80 percent is breached in the South Island. But dairy farmers, who may be alarmed after that presentation, can rest assured tonight because the cavalry has arrived in the form of New Zealand First. But we do support this bill. We do so strictly on the proviso and the understanding and the goodwill of Minister Damien O\u2019Connor that there will be a thorough and comprehensive review of this bill. We know that the terms of reference will be such that it will be of benefit to this very important industry. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe did have concerns that this is a bit of kicking the can down the road, but when we looked at the previous legislation that was put up by the National Party, it was half measures. It was full of half measures, and it is time that we took a proper and comprehensive look at this legislation. I think, when you look at the 12 months that the Minister has given us assurance that it will be carried out within, that is a blink of an eye. We are talking about multigenerational businesses. It\u2019s really important that we get this legislation right and future-focused, and not half measures to get through before 31 March. That will be a thorough review, I\u2019m sure, and that will give the industry certainty. It might not be exactly what they want at this time, but it is certainty, and we, of course, are a Government that is looking to provide business with confidence and certainty. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThe Commerce Commission report, of course, contended that there was not enough competition. I think the review will challenge that assertion, and we will see where that takes us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThe background of this, of course, is that Fonterra was formed out of farmer recognition of the importance of the Dairy Board and the single-desk seller and the merits of sticking together, and when that National Government\u2014the previous one before the last one\u2014looked to strip that away and open it up in a neo-liberal way to open competition, the dairy farmers pushed back. Great leaders in that industry, the Sir Henry van der Heydens, the John Roadleys, and the Greg Gents would not take that. They led their co-ops towards a merger. The Clark Labour Government listened to their request and pulled Fonterra together, and this enabling legislation allowed a monopoly of 96 percent. Now, that is a pretty extraordinary development in itself in a free market. It was a big step for that previous Clark Government to take. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWhen you think about it, there would be no country in the OECD that has a company as significant to their economy as Fonterra is to ours. This is a major company. It is a behemoth\u2014$19.2 billion worth of turnover last year. It dwarfs any company on the NZX. We do not want to rush through this legislation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ace8fd06cfb242dc8e23b7dad7ab926c\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: But you are tonight.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296bb952353f74f3ba027ae55e58d24ff\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014this review, in haste. Well, the previous Government was able to live with this quite comfortably over the last nine years, so what\u2019s the panic just at the moment? Just going back to the significance of this company, this is over 30 percent of the world\u2019s tradable dairy products. This is significant in the sense that it has been compared to the OPEC of milk. So it is important we get this right, and we do a thorough review and we don\u2019t rush this through. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ed615b80aee4798b8daeb38409084e7\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: You are rushing it through. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ae4912c29bd4d29b6d7f94a9264d7b7\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: We are not rushing through a proper review, as is being misrepresented here at the moment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThe 10,600 shareholders in Fonterra are owed the courtesy of us doing this properly. These people are national heroes. They each have, on average, over $1 million worth of shares. How many urban people are prepared to hold that level of investment within their business, investing in the value chain? It is an incredibly important investment and we much cherish that, because the other end of that is foreign ownership and being at the end of a supply chain controlled by foreign multinationals, and that\u2019s where this is heading if we don\u2019t get this right. So it\u2019s pertinent that we do take a little bit of time on this issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe have to look at the cooperative model and why it is so important. It is the only model that is set up to maximise returns to its suppliers. Private companies have a raw material that they are looking to get for the cheapest-possible price so that they can return to their shareholders. Dairy farmers, on the whole, know the benefit of the cooperative, and that\u2019s why they have stuck with it through thick and thin. Even though their market share is down, I might say that, certainly, their kilograms of milksolids have gone up significantly. They\u2019re now at $1.25 billion, up from $1.2 billion when it first emerged. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve seen the value of the cooperative shown in other ways, too. When the commodity prices fell a couple of years ago, Fonterra stumped up with a 50c a kilogram advance payment, interest-free. They mined their own balance sheet for those family farms that support them through the good times. That is why we must get this legislation right, to protect this valuable institution and business.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s worth noting that Fonterra also sets the benchmark. You know, there\u2019s a lot of talk about some of these foreign companies, and they come in and they\u2019re adding value here and adding there, but they don\u2019t pay any more than Fonterra\u2014Fonterra sets the benchmark. So if we weaken Fonterra, we weaken the whole industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThis is quite significant for me personally because my pathway to this House came through trying to set reform for the meat industry. I have seen this movie before. I have seen what foreign ownership and lack of control of supply chains can do. There is destructive competition, companies trading off against each other to the detriment of their suppliers, and you end up as price-takers at the end of supply chains.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003ENow, we\u2019re looking here at some of the provisions: the open entry provision\u2014I think we are going to have to have a look at that. Fonterra are required to take milk wherever it comes from. That is unsustainable. It has led to a situation where they have had to take a wall of milk coming at them when all those dairy conversions\u2014they had to put up those dryers. They have been locked into a commodity track because they have had to do it, basically\u2014they have had to accept that milk. They have made great strides and I acknowledge the Hon Nathan Guy. He mentioned a very good example at Clandeboye with the mozzarella, but I believe they\u2019ve been held up by this open-entry provision that has seen them have no control over the amount of milk that they\u2019ve got to provide.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThe provision of raw milk to foreign-owned companies, as raised by the Hon David Bennett\u2014totally agree with that; that has to end, and that must be part of that provision. Fonterra at this stage has got its hands tied behind its back, and that is not the place where we want it to be. I note that Federated Farmers have lobbied in that direction as well, so that will certainly be part of the view. New Zealand First will be asking plenty of questions on that particular issue, which is, of course, fundamental to our core philosophy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003ESo we look forward to a new Fonterra after the review is concerned. A higher performing, innovative, and value-adding Fonterra, as the Minister pointed out in his opening address. We will get there. It\u2019s important we get this review right, that\u2019s why we have to roll this legislation over in the short term. We support that, but only under the provision of this comprehensive review. So thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for your time. Cheers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u0022e251c88f6b144c62be43ea614b7b6a93\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e251c88f6b144c62be43ea614b7b6a93\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER (National\u2014Taranaki - King Country):\u003C/span\u003E There were more oxymorons in that last speech than there are between the parties that currently make up the Government at the moment. That speaker actually stood up and he, basically, said, \u201CWe\u2019re not going to rush this.\u201D He hasn\u2019t actually noticed that we\u2019re in urgency. I also noticed that the Minister was sitting there, actually, really, really finding it difficult not to shake his head through some of that commentary, particularly when that member got up and said, \u201CRest assured the cavalry\u2019s here. We\u2019re going to look after it. We\u2019re going to make sure that these guys don\u2019t do anything that we didn\u2019t want them to.\u201D So I\u2019d be really interested when you get up to make your next speech on this bill, Mr Patterson, if you would like to elaborate on that and just exactly what it is the cavalry\u2019s saving.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EOur speaker before you, David Bennett, has alluded to a few things that he sees that are likely to be dropped into these terms of reference that we don\u2019t know about. So I would really love you to elaborate on what it was that the cavalry was coming to save that the Minister had on the table; so we would appreciate that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThere are a few other things that you talked about. You talked about farmers being the heroes, and you talked about the commodity trap.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264a9026471674be292910185d66c516c\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I didn\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022492ba4d724744f0fab10d5dc23c43222\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. The member talked about our farmers being heroes, and the member talked about foreign companies coming in and making the farmers be price-takers. So I\u2019ve actually just got a little quote here that I\u2019d like to put across. I put a question in recently to the Minister, Damien O\u2019Connor, and I said, \u201CFurther to question 8923, why is it that the Minister has not been able to provide Cabinet with any briefings in respect of his Rural Communities portfolio?\u201D He came back, the Minister, saying, \u201CThe Government has prioritised policies that were included in its 100-day plan. Many of these policies, including the families package and restrictions on foreign buyers, help rural communities.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m actually having trouble understanding how we are trying to protect these heroes who are New Zealand farmers, which you said in your speech. We know that New Zealand First and the Government\u2019s policies are totally anti - foreign investment. We know that many of these companies that are coming in and setting up in competition with Fonterra\u2014a lot of it is driven by foreign investment, so there\u2019s going to be a lot of explaining to do when we get further down the track with this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EBut this bill really is a band-aid. It\u2019s a band-aid for changing the date of the expiry for the South Island. But what I\u2019m hearing a lot out in our communities is that this Government, apart from this whole change of Government scenario, now thinks they have to change everything. And there\u2019s nothing worse than change for the sake of change, because every time the Government says they\u2019re going to change something, everybody goes, \u201CTo what?\u201D, and we go, \u201CWe don\u2019t know; they won\u2019t tell us.\u201D Where are the terms of reference?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThe member over there was talking before about David Bennett being right off track. Well, tell us what is on track. Tell us what is in these terms of reference, because when the last Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (DIRA) consultation went on, the Commerce Commission made a finding, and it recommended, at that stage, that the DIRA regulations stay in place. So they did a finding, they did a review. They did it and put out the findings. That\u2019s only, literally, two years\u2019 ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EFollowing on from that, the Ministry for Primary Industries sent people out into the field. They had various meetings, they had consultation processes going on, they had 105 submissions going in\u2014what does this Government think is going to be any different, or who are these people going to be that are going to submit anything different to what they did before? You\u2019ve already got access to the submissions. You\u2019ve already got access to everything that was said before. You\u2019ve already got the Commerce Commission\u2019s report, so if you\u2019re looking at something that\u2019s not in these reports, then it is very fair for David Bennett to be asking the questioners, \u201CWhat are you going to add?\u201D Is the member going to find something else? Is the Minister going to find out\u2014sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. So it is the same group of farmers out there, and you talked about them being heroes but I get the same suspicion right now that this bill is going to throw up something in those terms of reference that is unexpected. Because if those terms of reference were going to be straightforward, then why is this bill being rushed under urgency? And why can\u2019t we have an idea of what is going to be in those terms of reference before it comes along?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EWe don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to lead this review. We don\u2019t know what industry involvement there will be, and I know that after this debate today\u2014we\u2019ve already been asked these questions that the shareholders and farmers in Fonterra are going to come and ask us, \u201CWhat does this mean?\u201D We have no indication about anything around the time frames\u2014the costs. You know, everything that happened in the first 100 days of this Government, the majority of it was, \u201CLook, let\u2019s just go and get another review.\u201D It\u2019s more money. It\u2019s more cost. It\u2019s actually people out there asking, \u201CWhy can\u2019t decisions be made on information that\u2019s already been provided? Why do we have to do another review?\u201D So I think the onus is on the Minister and on the members of the Minister\u2019s Government to explain why there\u2019s going to be another review when there was a review done under the previous Minister recently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EI also understand that, yes, there\u2019s a 31 May date coming up, and I do understand that there\u2019s a time frame running. But actually, if this Government was serious about making some change, there\u2019s been plenty of time to make some change. There have been a number of years where the Minister has been involved in going through some of these processes as well. Were there not any ideas on that other side of the House before actually going through this process? And if there were other ideas on the other side of the House, we want to know what they are. It is just diabolical that we could have this put up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThe member talked about Federated Farmers lobbying. Now, if you were up with the play you might realise that Federated Farmers did do a lot of lobbying and there were some concerns within Federated Farmers for a period of time. But then, more recently, as we got through this process, Federated Farmers came to some arrangement with Fonterra whereby they had actually sat down, as a group of people, and figured out some spaces where they could stay on the same page. They had worked out that if they followed a specific time frame, then that could be acceptable to all parties.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m just trying to work out who all the different players are that are expected to come into this review. The only reason I think there would be different players coming into this review would be if there were different terms of reference that were wider and broader than the terms of reference that were given for the last review, and went wider than the Commerce Commission and started to bring all sorts of other things into the review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo the onus really\u2014I\u2019m looking for some answers from the speakers on the other side of the House. We want some reassurance. We want some reassurance on behalf of our farmers that this bill that you\u2019re wanting to pass through the House this afternoon is not just a cover sheet for a whole lot of other stuff that lies underneath it. We want to make sure that this Government is on level pegging with farmers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EWe all know that we go back to the formation of Fonterra, and we do hear that from time to time it was the Labour Government that played a part in that. I think it would be an appalling day in this Parliament if something went by in this piece of legislation that was unknown to the farmers and the good heroes of Fonterra, as Mr Patterson described them. I think it\u2019s time to be up front. It\u2019s time to tell us what these terms of reference are. It\u2019s time to tell us what this review is really about. If you want to save some money, go back to the review that was just done and do some thinking and some work yourselves, and let us know what that\u2019s going to be. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022 data-id=\u002260b515cc1a6e4b7c97439569b8794886\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002260b515cc1a6e4b7c97439569b8794886\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Deputy Speaker. Ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koutou, kia ora. I think people in our rural communities call speeches like that \u201Cbulldust\u201D. What we heard was petty politics\u2014scaremongering coming from the National benches. Just revel in the irony of it. Here\u2019s the National Party, which for nine years was prepared to ram through, under urgency, all sorts of things: unethical Acts, where it comes to criminalising protest activity at sea\u2014the so-called Anadarko amendment passed under urgency at Easter\u2014and criminalising people for the Skynet laws, where it came to kicking people off their computers. This is the party that in their nine years literally sacked the democratically elected Environment Canterbury commissioners because they were doing too good a job of cleaning up water quality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EOh, the irony of the National Party, which for nine years presided over a skyrocketing growth that hit \u201Cpeak cow\u201D, that saw massive subsidies going to agricultural intensification and massive subsidies for irrigation. The irony of the National Party, which presided over such a decline of our water quality; a National Party that saw, by the end of its terms, two-thirds of our kids getting sick when they swam in our rivers. What we don\u2019t need is more scaremongering, more petty politics, over an entirely reasonable use of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe irony, of course, is that had the existing legislation gone through, the public wouldn\u2019t have had a say, the farmers wouldn\u2019t have had a say and the people involved in the business wouldn\u2019t have had a say. What you\u2019re railing against is the chance to have a 12-month review, to get everyone around the table. For too long what we saw was those incredibly important issues like water quality swept under the carpet. When we saw fundamental issues facing our sector\u2014like value-add, innovation, and how we\u2019re selling our agricultural products overseas\u2014we didn\u2019t get everyone around the table and come up with real solutions. In fact, we saw mock talk shops, where an agenda was rammed through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWhat we do know is there\u2019s a limit to how many cows we can cram on to a paddock. Equally so, there\u2019s a limit to how many people we can cram down in Fiordland. There\u2019s no limit to the export of smart intellectual property, services, software, and value-added dairy products.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s important we get this right. Dairy is 40 percent of our primary industries\u2019 market. It\u2019s important we get it right. What National would have you do is go into the old legislation and make a simple change to the open entry and exit and the milk price monitoring regime because the Commerce Commission found that the threshold had been met in the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWhat the National Party wouldn\u2019t have the industry, the farmers, environmentalists, iwi, and hap\u016B do, is have a proper review. I\u2019d acknowledge the Minister, Damien O\u2019Connor, because he\u2019s doing the right thing. He\u2019s giving people a chance to have a say on one of the most fundamental questions facing us: what is our economy going to look like over the next decade? What\u2019s our environment going to look like? Are we going to have swimmable rivers? I\u2019d give him full credit, because in that review there is going to be a look at organic farming, which we know is more valuable for the farmers, higher-value export industries. It\u2019s a good thing for our environment. We also know that there\u2019s going to be a look at how we encourage value-add into the environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ECritically, though, for the state of our environment, where we have hit \u201Cpeak cow\u201D, there\u2019s going to be a review into how we have the automatic entry and the automatic pick-ups. It\u2019s critically important that we can have these conversations nationally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThis is, I guess, the sad irony. National is simply being oppositional for oppositional sake. They could get involved. They could have a say. They could partake in it. I know the Minister wants to have all conversations represented. Instead, what we\u2019re seeing is opposition for opposition\u2019s sake.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EWe think this review is reasonable. We think the time frame of 12 months is eminently sensible. What we want to see is a sensible, long-term, pragmatic solution that everybody can get behind. What we\u2019ve seen for too long is things swept under the carpet, the very serious problems, solutions rammed through without getting those buy-ins. Let\u2019s get around the table together. Let\u2019s find those solutions together. Let\u2019s find those long-term, cross-party solutions, which mean everyone can have certainty. I guess our vision\u2014right\u2014is that we can have sustainable farming industry for the long term, where there is community buy-in and community support, there is a social licence to operate and where our rivers are swimmable once again. That\u2019s the vision for New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI look forward to making further contributions in this debate, but it\u2019s eminently reasonable and eminently sensible. That\u2019s why the Green Party is supporting it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022a99211da2b4242839967ff5244d4cc95\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a99211da2b4242839967ff5244d4cc95\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER (National):\u003C/span\u003E First of all, can I comment on the speech from the Green member Gareth Hughes. There is no need for urgency for this legislation. I am one of those who remember the late Rod Donald calling urgency \u201Cconstitutionally outrageous\u201D whenever the then National Government attempted to use it. I think there\u2019s a word beginning with \u201Ch\u201D and ending with \u201Cy\u201D, and I wouldn\u2019t dare use it. I wouldn\u2019t dare use it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c46ea2728d674ad1928552a0d4ff7eb8\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019re hypocrites\u2014that\u2019s all they are. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022044774e549444c14b7f75895f98e9bed\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: No, I said I wouldn\u2019t use it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EI know why we\u2019re here in urgency, and it\u2019s because this bill is not a good look for the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor. Can you imagine how dreadful he feels today, after spending nine long years in Opposition, as he finally achieves his lifelong ambition to be the Minister of Agriculture and he comes forward with all these wonderful ideas about what he\u2019s going to do for the primary sector of New Zealand, and his first brainwave is a two-page piece of legislation\u2014approximately 60 words. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EI say to the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor that it is a disgrace to have spent nine long years in Opposition and this is the very best that the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor can do. If he had been organised and if he had read the briefing to incoming Ministers in October when he became the Minister, he would know that on the agenda was this issue to deal with, and to deal with it before 31 May. But we\u2019ve had nine months of a Labour - New Zealand First Government\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfea67ac12074f88afb926c0b436d9c2\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Nine months? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022486e640d67264956864082b08cf88e7b\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, five months. It seems like longer, I do agree. It seems like a hell of a long time, but it\u2019s five months during which we\u2019ve sat in this House, day after day after day, passing legislation promoted by the former National-led Government because the Damien O\u2019Connors of this Cabinet haven\u2019t been prepared to get cracking and get their own legislation before this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003ESo here we are, in urgency, passing a two-page bill\u2014a two-page bill that, if it had been introduced at the right time, could have gone to a select committee. We could have let those 4,000 South Island dairy farmers have a say and could have let those six or eight processors in the South Island have a say on this legislation. But, no, the arrogance of this Government has started early, where they know best. They\u2019ll rush it through in urgency because they don\u2019t want the record of the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor examined with any scrutiny at all, because this is a disgrace. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f25313d4bec4e81a561f8da9441dc0a\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: No, it\u2019s good. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022483e4b3532244f6eba90670208157193\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: This\u2014well, the Hon Willie Jackson says it\u2019s good, just because the Hon Willie Jackson couldn\u2019t come up with anything better himself. That\u2019s the reason he says it\u2019s good. I think it\u2019s a disgrace. I think it\u2019s a disgrace that the primary industry of New Zealand waits so long to see the foresight and the vision that the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor has for his industry, and all it is is 50 or 60 words. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EI do want to talk about Fonterra, because I\u2019m one of those that thinks Fonterra is a great company. It\u2019s a huge company. It\u2019s New Zealand\u2019s biggest company, and I say to Willie Jackson\u2014I say to Willie Jackson\u2014that his standard of living and the standard of living of every constituent here in New Zealand depends on how this company performs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EI noted the folklore of Mark Patterson in his contribution, when he said the Labour Government brought Fonterra together in 2001. Well, that short-changes the history of the formation of Fonterra, because I was involved. I was an Associate Minister at the time. The debate that led into the formation of Fonterra was very long-winded. It took a long time and a lot of effort, led by those wonderful people like the Hon Sir William Birch, who put his intellectual grunt into putting something together that did allow a massive amalgamation and potential competition industries to the dairy industry of New Zealand. Yes, there was a change of Government, and finally the legislation was passed in 2001, but don\u2019t ever argue\u2014don\u2019t ever argue\u2014that it was solely the work of the then Labour Government, because it was not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003ENow the other thing I\u2019d say about the formation of Fonterra is\u2014acknowledging that it\u2019s a great company\u2014it has not lived up to the expectations that were raised at the time we agreed to its formation. It was going to perform substantially better than it has, and I look forward to the day when it does. But I can say to members of this House that as I\u2019ve had the privilege of travelling overseas and of talking to farmers elsewhere in the world and talking to trade representatives elsewhere in world, this is a model that I think is almost held in jealousy by many other dairy farmers around the world. It is a good model, but competition is essential to make sure that Fonterra works well. When you sit in overseas fora\u2014and, often, the language may not be my language\u2014you\u2019ll hear the word \u201CFonterra\u201D offered in speeches because it is respected. It is respected as an industry leader throughout the world, but that doesn\u2019t mean to say that we can\u2019t do better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EBut I\u2019m concerned that we\u2019re seeing this piece of legislation gutted by the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor because he hasn\u2019t had the resources. He hasn\u2019t, possibly, had the intellectual grunt to think about the real issues that face and challenge this industry. So he has gutted out the difficult issues and left this, very simplistically, just around the issue of the South Island quota. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EI understand that of the milk now collected in the South Island, probably about 24 percent is processed by other than Fonterra. That\u2019s competition working. We shouldn\u2019t be too worried about that. But what I\u2019d say to the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor is that for him to announce tonight in the House that we\u2019re going to have a review, and then, when we ask about the terms of reference, we\u2019re told by the Hon Meka Whaitiri that they will be comprehensive and wide ranging, it should put fear into every dairy farmer in New Zealand listening to this debate tonight. When, I ask the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, will you tell us those terms of reference? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EWhen are we going to be talking about the terms of reference for this comprehensive review, which could dramatically affect the ability to operate of not only Fonterra but great companies like Synlait, established not far from where I live in Canterbury. What a remarkable success story that has been. I take my hat off to Dr John Penno for the work he\u2019s done previously as the general manager, and he is perhaps soon to be the chair of that company. It\u2019s a remarkable success story, the way that company was able to set up and operate in Dunsandel. It managed to get under way only because of the way National and Labour put the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act together in the first place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EFonterra should not be scared of competition. Fonterra should relish the opportunity to have competition in the dairy industry because competition will also make them sharper. But I still object to the issue of urgency. I see no reason at all why we have to be here rushing this through over the next 24 hours and not letting farmers have a say. There are possibly two or three reasons, the main one being that the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor didn\u2019t read his briefing for incoming Ministers and notice the risk that was ahead of him. He sat around for five months and didn\u2019t bring it to the Cabinet committee responsible for legislation, and now, at the last minute, we\u2019re doing a rush to fix up a mistake. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003ESo I say to the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, I know a lot of people who may not be supporters of the Labour Party and who may not be enthralled that there\u2019s now no longer a National Government, but they actually think that this guy Damien O\u2019Connor, the dairy farmer from the West Coast, is not a bad guy. But they\u2019re looking for him to be inspirational\u2014inspirational\u2014Damien O\u2019Connor, for our industry. We want you to come forward with some real gravitas\u2014gravitas. Well, he should know the meaning of the word. He went through a good school, this boy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EIt is time to really tackle the issues that matter, and I say to him, as he puts those terms of reference together for the comprehensive review that\u2019s going to occur: beware, Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, that you don\u2019t get led by the nose like a bull at a good A and P show by the Greens and New Zealand First, because neither of those two parties have shown any empathy at all for New Zealand farming. They\u2019ve shown no empathy at all for the New Zealand dairy industry\u2014the industry that leads the exports of this country. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u002211957c5cc47242cfaafb93660fc9f2d8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002211957c5cc47242cfaafb93660fc9f2d8\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The next call is a split call\u2014five minutes each, and a bell at one minute. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u00221d5c3246b769460c91fae6bac5260e9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221d5c3246b769460c91fae6bac5260e9c\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Deputy Speaker, can I assure those on the opposite benches who are doubting the bona fides of the Minister around his dairy-farming background that I have milked in his father\u2019s cowshed. He has milked in my father\u2019s cowshed, as we were young men growing up together, and has learnt the niceties of milking in a West Coast spring. So you can be reassured he has. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EOn the question of having a choice of pick up, I would have chosen a provider who stopped picking up just before the May holidays started and started picking up just after the August holidays, to avoid having to milk through those holidays. However, we didn\u2019t have that choice. Perhaps, fortunately, as a result of this legislation, that choice may remain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EBut look, can I just say, listening to the Opposition, the scaremongering that\u2019s going on, particularly from the member Mr Bennett\u2014that is the same scaremongering that we saw in Morrinsville prior to the election, where there was an attempt to turn country against city, to try and leverage, for some cheap political points, to have some ignoramus stand up in Morrinsville and actually backfire badly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EThere is some very good work going on in farming\u2014some very good work around the ecology and around the environment. However, the ability for us to see that work is being clouded by this absolutely ridiculous attempt to leverage against city and farm. So can I say, have a look at this. Look at the legislation for what it is. It is going to be a review that is going to enable and ensure that a few facts come into this, not the stupid emotion that was leveraged and fortunately didn\u2019t work in the last election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EThis is an absolutely necessary piece of legislation. I know of farmers in the South Island now who are extremely afraid that they are not going to get their milk picked up because they are on the extremities of the current milking, and those people are extremely worried. This will give an opportunity for an industry that is changing very quickly, as the member very well knows, to ensure they have some certainty, at least for the next 12 months. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c0a140bd36141aa9e8ef97895f8e97d\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Madam Assistant Speaker, thank you for the invitation to speak again on this bill. Yes, just as I finished, I was advising my colleagues across the House against their policy of dividing city and country in the manner in which they have been doing\u2014for very cheap political gains, which, fortunately, didn\u2019t work for them\u2014and to cease and desist their practice of trying to score cheap political points by continuing on this urban - rural divide, which will not work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EJust, finally, I speak on the matter of the advantage of having competition in the dairy industry. I think every New Zealander who goes to Europe finds it very attractive to go around the small villages of the Alps and other parts of Europe and see each village having its own little cheese, its own dairy products. That\u2019s the sort of industry that we can develop when we get good competition into the sector. So I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022 data-id=\u0022395fe59f449f4204817cb46a5e880ea6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022395fe59f449f4204817cb46a5e880ea6\u0022\u003EANDREW FALLOON (National\u2014Rangitata):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to be taking a call on the first reading of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2). But before I do, I\u2019d just like to join some of my other colleagues this evening and pay tribute to our leader, Bill English, who has announced he\u2019s stepping down. Bill has made a remarkable contribution to our Parliament and to our country, and I thank him very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003ECanterbury accounts for around one-fifth of our nation\u2019s dairy herd, and I\u2019m very proud to come from the electorate of Rangitata and represent them in this Parliament. It is one of the premier dairy regions of New Zealand, and they contribute a huge amount to our local economy, both in mid-Canterbury and in South Canterbury.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EIn South Canterbury, in particular, we have the Fonterra Clandeboye plant, which will be directly affected by this bill by being a Fonterra asset. They employ about 1,000 staff in my electorate, and have just increased their staffing by around 100 with a huge expansion of their mozzarella plant. It\u2019s exactly what some other speakers have been talking about tonight in terms of that value-add. It\u2019s taking that raw product and turning it into a highly valuable and highly marketable product internationally. It\u2019s the third expansion in just a few short years, and it means that Fonterra mozzarella now accounts for just less than half, I think, of the mozzarella on pizzas in China. I am a reasonably regular visitor to their plant. Unfortunately, as members can tell, I\u2019m also a relatively regular consumer of their product.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EI do want to turn directly to the bill, though, and, I guess, more directly, to what\u2019s not in the bill. The Minister has made reference several times to a review, as have other members, which is going to kick this, or any meaningful reform, down the road by around 12 months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EThe other aspect that\u2019s not in this bill\u2014and that will probably come up because the Minister, I think, himself has referred to the need for environmental aspects to be included in that review\u2014is what happened during the election campaign just last year, when you had David Parker, then just a humble Labour MP, come to my electorate to discuss water issues, and, particularly, water issues as they pertained to the dairy industry. So he came along to a meeting in Ashburton, which was attended by a large number of dairy farmers. I, unfortunately, didn\u2019t go to that meeting, but I\u2019ve heard a huge number of reports of how he behaved at that meeting. He was pressed on what value or what price the water tax that Labour were proposing would be. At the time he wasn\u2019t willing to give a figure, but he responded by saying, \u201CDon\u2019t push me or I\u2019ll double it.\u201D Unfortunately, that is something that this review that the Minister is kicking off will probably cover, by covering the environmental aspects and, more specifically, issues around water. That\u2019s what will be included, unfortunately, if Labour, and particularly the Greens, have their way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EI want to speak more broadly, I guess, on the environment, and particularly as it pertains to this bill and the review that will be kicked off by this bill. I don\u2019t think members opposite give farmers nearly enough credit, and my colleague Nathan Guy touched on this before. Actually, farmers have done a huge amount over the last few years in improving the environment around them by things like riparian planting, by a huge amount of fencing of waterways, and then also, backed by the Government, through things like the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management and Plan Change 5 in Canterbury\u2014that\u2019s put on strict nutrient limits, and I hope the Government continues to work with farmers on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EI want to, before I end, just cover off a comment that was made by Mark Patterson, from New Zealand First, earlier. He mentioned that 12 months in terms of the review is the blink of an eye. Well, actually, it\u2019s 12 months that doesn\u2019t need to happen, because we did that review\u2014we\u2019ve been out and consulted with farmers and the industry on what needs to happen with this legislation. So it staggers me that the Minister feels the need to go off and start another 12-month process when, as my colleagues have said, all he needs to do is go back and read those submissions and talk to those same people, and chances are he\u2019ll come to the same position that we did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m genuinely surprised that Mark Patterson, who I understand is a dairy farmer, is defending that position. Certainly, what I hear down my way in Rangitata is that people want to know what\u2019s going to happen. They want certainty, and that\u2019s what, if we were in Government, we would deliver. Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022 data-id=\u00224123e217f918428ab2e0df2e25dbe280\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224123e217f918428ab2e0df2e25dbe280\u0022\u003EJO LUXTON (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No\u00A02). As the Hon Nathan Guy alluded to earlier, this is a very important issue, and, as the previous speaker, Andrew Falloon, mentioned, Rangitata is one of the premier dairying areas in New Zealand, and that is why this bill is so important to dairy farmers in that region, to provide certainty going forward. It is intended to amend the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 to prevent efficiency and contestability provisions from expiring in the South Island in May 2018.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003EThe Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 originated to allow for the creation of Fonterra. In its infancy at the time, Fonterra collected approximately 96 percent of New Zealand\u2019s milk production. There was concern, and rightly so, around a cooperative having such a dominant market position. It could potentially lock in its suppliers by declining applications for new supply or by paying higher milk prices to existing suppliers. As a way to address these concerns, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act placed regulatory requirements on Fonterra through Subparts 5 and 5A of Part 2. Subpart 5 of Part 2 of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act ensures that the activities of Fonterra are regulated, and thus promotes the efficient operation of dairy markets in New Zealand. Subpart 5A provides for the monitoring of Fonterra\u2019s Farmgate Milk Price, and this is a way of managing Fonterra\u2019s dominant position within dairy markets, until more competitors were on the scene.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003EBecause Fonterra has now reduced their market share in the South Island, the automatic expiry provisions in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act were triggered in 2015. When this triggered, it also meant that there was a review of the state of competition in dairy markets done by the Commerce Commission. The commerce report was completed in March of 2016, and the findings of the review by the Commerce Commission were that there was simply not enough, or not sufficient, competition within the industry to let the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act expire in the South Island. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003EThis Government also believes that the market conditions have not changed significantly enough since the Commerce Commission\u2019s review, and, therefore, that expiry be prevented at this time. This bill moves to remove or repeal the provisions that provide for the expiry of Subparts 5 and 5A of Part 2. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003EAs mentioned earlier, the default expiry of efficiency and contestability provisions was triggered, and that was because of the fact that 22 percent of milk solids were collected by independent processors in the South Island in the 2014-15 season. Therefore, based on the findings of the Commerce Commission, that there is insufficient competition to allow expiry provision regulations to be enacted and that the markets are currently more efficient with the regulations in place, an amendment to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act is certainly required. This is the bill we have before us in the House today, in the name of the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, and I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022 data-id=\u0022b05119a43b264b9195f874193baea974\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b05119a43b264b9195f874193baea974\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN (National\u2014Waikato):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Look, this is interesting. We are discussing the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2), and, as we\u2019ve heard already, this bill\u2014a previous version, a much more robust and detailed version of this bill\u2014was put forward by the previous Government. However, it wasn\u2019t debated, due to the fine level of other projects that were being progressed through the Government at that time. So what we\u2019ve seen now, though, is a total revision of that bill. It\u2019s been pulled to pieces and we\u2019ve just had a couple of little bits chucked forward as a suggestion of something we might like to tweak, with actually no real detail in behind it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s very light in substance. Right\u2014we\u2019re repealing sections 147 to 150, removing Subparts 5 and 5A. Great\u2014and then what? What are we replacing it with? That\u2019s what we don\u2019t have the detail on here. We have no idea what\u2019s coming next. Yes, we hit the 20 percent target in the South Island in the 2014-15 season. Great\u2014triggered the review. The Commerce Commission stepped in and did a fantastic report on that. We consulted widely across the country following that. Submissions were received\u2014105 of them. We\u2019ve got good feedback around the proposals that were part of the former bill that was announced by the previous Minister, the Hon Nathan Guy. And now we\u2019re hearing we need to go back to the drawing board and have a full review on it all. What\u2019s that going to achieve? It\u2019s wasting time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EEventually we were given a time frame, after it being asked for many times from this side of the House. The Minister announced that we would have a review completed this calendar year, 2018. As we\u2019ve heard a few more speeches from the Government benches, that\u2019s extended to 12 months from now, and then it\u2019s extended to 31 March. So over the course of this evening\u2019s debate, we\u2019ve already had a 30 percent blowout in the time frame they\u2019re proposing for this review that hasn\u2019t yet commenced. And we still don\u2019t know the terms of reference of this bill. When are we going to see the detail? All we\u2019re hearing is smoke and mirrors. The dairy sector deserves better. It\u2019s a major part of our economy; we need to understand what\u2019s happening in that sector. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EI am proud to represent the Waikato electorate, the dairy heartland of New Zealand. We are very much invested in this piece of legislation. We need to know what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s not just the farmers, of course; it\u2019s the processors, as well. Fonterra, our largest company\u2014when are they going to be given some clarity around what this looks like and what the future may hold for them? We still have no idea, no answers, no terms of reference, and all we\u2019re seeing is ducking and diving and failure to answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003ESo what\u2019s going to be in this review? Is it comparing the farm gate to the factory gate, getting those markets established, as was previously suggested? Or are we delving into the environmental part, going totally away from dairying? We\u2019ve already heard about that a bit from our Green Party representative, Gareth Hughes, earlier, who, interestingly, noted through most of his speech that we just need to improve water quality, and if only farmers would fix it we\u2019d be all right. There was no mention in there about anyone else having any influence on the water quality in this country. Well, I can assure you that there is so much impact on our water quality from all contributors. We all have a part to play in this. Agriculture is part of that, and they\u2019ve done a fantastic job over many years now improving their farming practices. We\u2019ve seen a significant investment in improved irrigation systems, fencing off of waterways\u2014over 20,000 kilometres\u2019 worth. We\u2019re seeing a massive investment here. Let\u2019s see an equal investment in the urban centres if we really want to have that green focus on water quality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EBut what\u2019s been interesting for me is that coming from the Government benches we\u2019ve had a range of different perspectives, and whilst we had a reasonably informed and at least partly agriculturally based initial speech, I\u2019ve struggled to see much credibility from an agricultural perspective represented in the other speeches from the Government benches. We heard Mark Patterson talking about Fonterra\u2019s formation, when it was producing 1 billion milk solids, and how now it\u2019s risen to 1.3 billion, and that\u2019s great. Well, actually, we\u2019re now at 1.8 billion milk solids, well ahead of that. Out of touch\u2014that\u2019s what we\u2019re hearing from the Government benches. They don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening. And we saw that during the campaign last year, as well. They\u2019re not connecting with rural New Zealand. The Prime Minister said she wanted to be in touch with all 10,000 farmers in New Zealand; there\u2019s over 50,000 farmers in New Zealand. These are some of the things that demonstrate to rural New Zealand that there is a real disconnect from the Government. They don\u2019t understand our sector and haven\u2019t given us confidence that they have our best interests at heart.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re seeing a disorganised approach from a Government that\u2019s uninformed, and we\u2019re seeing no unity within their parties. Look at water storage, for example. There\u2019s so much potential for water storage projects in New Zealand, and we\u2019re hearing that\u2019s been pulled apart. One document allegedly says there\u2019s going to be no more. Another says they\u2019re winding back, but then we have the Minister for Regional Economic Development, with his billion-dollar fund, who says he will be funding localised storage projects, and those localised storage projects are most of the water projects that are currently under consideration. This is another example of where the Government\u2019s not supporting the primary sectors within New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EThis bill we\u2019re debating tonight is in exactly the same vein. We don\u2019t know what we\u2019re up against here. We still haven\u2019t heard what sorts of things are going to be included, and that\u2019s the biggest risk for us. The value of the sector is so important to New Zealand we can\u2019t afford to have this uncertainty. We\u2019re already seeing it in the business space. Business confidence has dropped significantly since the change in Government, and now we\u2019re hearing from one of the previous speakers, Greg O\u2019Connor, that it\u2019s our fault, and we\u2019re promoting a growing divide between rural and urban New Zealand. That\u2019s ridiculous\u2014absolutely outrageous\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fab32735a3ca435e876ac5cbbc3dbd9d\u0022\u003EGreg O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Morrinsville.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b6dba2b3bc1c4a6bbf762695a27ca09e\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and Morrinsville is exactly the example of the divide that the Labour Party has created through that campaign. They\u2019ve manufactured spin. They\u2019ve created all sorts of ridiculous proposals about taxes that are going to come in\u2014they will do this to agriculture, they will do that to agriculture. Where\u2019s the actual effort to incorporate rural New Zealand into a progressive framework, from that Government? We don\u2019t see it at all. It\u2019s extremely disappointing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EMorrinsville is a town in my electorate. I\u2019m proud to have that town, and they are constantly concerned around how their interests are being represented. They just don\u2019t know what it looks like, and what we\u2019re hearing now is that a major review is going to come. After this flimsy piece of legislation is enacted, we\u2019re going to have a thorough review. That could take 12 months. Maybe it\u2019ll be done by this year, maybe it\u2019ll be some time in March, or maybe it\u2019ll be even longer\u2014we just don\u2019t know. And what\u2019s going to be in that? We\u2019ve heard nothing around the sorts of things that will be covered. We heard earlier that the Hon Shane Jones actually wants this review to take even longer. So what\u2019s it going to be? When are we going to have some clarity? Why do we have to wait? Why can\u2019t our primary sector get on with confidence and do what they do well?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022911ede20fce949b0a47e31a1fbf23651\u0022\u003ESimeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Because they don\u2019t trust them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284c6204949bc49dfa0d2ca7049727f0d\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN\u003C/span\u003E: I suspect that may well be right. There\u2019s a lack of trust from the Government for what our primary sector does, and I would really encourage them to engage more widely with the sector. I would be more than happy to host them, in Morrinsville perhaps, or at Matamata\u2014any of our strong rural Waikato areas, where farming is so well represented. There you will be able to see\u2014you\u2019ll get an insight into what happens on a farm and how it works, what it means to be a part of the primary sector. It\u2019s different, and I would really encourage you to take up that opportunity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EWe need to be internationally competitive, and whilst I acknowledge there are some aspects within this bill that will look to amend the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, part of that requires us to remain internationally competitive, and, of course, we\u2019re focused on doing that. We\u2019re a major trade nation. Export is a massive part of what we do as New Zealanders. We\u2019ve got to have clarity about this, and, at this stage, we have none. I would encourage the Minister to share his terms of reference proposed under his review with us, to outline what it\u2019s going to take, who he\u2019s going to be consulting with, who\u2019s going to be doing the work\u2014because, actually, we heard earlier it was going to be Ministry for Primary Industries doing this. But hang on. We\u2019ve also been told there is not going to be a Ministry for Primary Industries shortly. It\u2019s going to be smashed apart into all these different ministries. So who is going to be doing the work? They\u2019re going to be so internally focused that it won\u2019t happen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EI\u2019d encourage them to share with us what\u2019s happening, and how the rural sector can get on with confidence so that we can have clarity. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u00228628f60a536043c6b684265defe6a05e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228628f60a536043c6b684265defe6a05e\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Well, I\u2019ve had the absolute delight of sitting here for the last, I don\u2019t know, hour and a half, two hours, listening to my colleagues on the Opposition benches espousing and waxing lyrical about how they have been the champions for the dairy industry and they\u2019re out there for rural communities. Well, you know, the funny thing is\u2014and I commend the member Mr van de Molen, and the Hon, the former Hon\u2014the Hon?\u2014David Bennett, who are both from the Waikato.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ENow, when I have a look at this, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2)\u2014blah, blah, blah, blah, blah\u2014it is about making amendments for the dairy industry to provide certainty for the South Island. Now, I know that the poor little $750 million industry down there in the South Island merely pales in comparison to the $2.2 billion contribution that the Waikato dairy industry contributes to GDP, but I can see how these little guys down the South Island got missed off the little agenda. So we can sit here and wax lyrical.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThen we get to hear the Hon David Bennett talk about how there\u2019s all these urban liberals on this side of the House who wouldn\u2019t have a clue about what\u2019s going on out there in the dairy sector. Well, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Te Puke A \u0026amp; P show in the weekend, and it was fantastic to see members from that side of the House in their brand new, sparkling Red Bands with their brand new, sparkling blue jackets and their brand new\u2014it looked fantastic. But the reality is that those gumboots were about as close as most of those members have been to touching a spade, turning over a piece of sod, because all they\u2019ve done for the last nine years is show up, cut pretty ribbons, and really have become absolutely disconnected from our dairy industries, which is why these plethora of farmers\u2014actually, some of your 50,000 that you\u2019re talking about\u2014are coming back to this side of the House because we actually go in to bat for the little guys, the farmers who\u2019re actually struggling all over the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ESo look, you guys talked about, as well, Fonterra\u2014the most successful co-operative in the world. And then we heard from the Hon Mr Carter that it wasn\u2019t the Labour Party that set it up, it was National. I don\u2019t know if my history\u2019s wrong, but that occurred under Labour. That occurred under Labour. It absolutely did\u2014under Labour, 2001. You know it; we know it. We have been consistently, for a very long time, swinging a pretty big bat to make sure that the largest export industry from our country is well and truly protected. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ENow, all this bill does is it fixes up a mess that the former Government couldn\u2019t deal with. Now, you guys had, for how long\u2014how long did you have the former Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment (DIRA) Bill sitting on the Order Paper and not get it into the select committee? How long? Months and months and months and months. You didn\u2019t care that the expiration for these guys\u2014it was triggered in 2015. The time frame expires in May of this year. You knew that that was an impending time frame for these guys, but you also knew that the bill that you were proposing was so challenging for the industry that you were too scared to put it up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0ee68a2a7ed4ec282e6b0c52d405508\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Don\u2019t bring me into the debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a689a04626894f158dd83974f3c5b17f\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, Madam Assistant Speaker\u2014my colleagues from the other side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThe independent dairy consultants that reviewed your bill at that time of the year\u2014they said that they were absolutely terrified by the proposition of that former DIRA bill. So, to the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor, who has had to cut through and tidy up the mess that was left by the former Government, I absolutely commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EBill read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b4564ea5874d420e9d6a29c6ad07e191\u0022\u003ESecond Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u0022a97c6fadcab947e0a2d5c29825250273\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a97c6fadcab947e0a2d5c29825250273\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a second time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe Dairy Industry Restructuring Act\u2019s automatic expiry provisions were triggered in 2015, as we\u2019ve heard in this House\u2014and dairy processes other than Fonterra, where they have collected more than 20 percent of the milk solids in the South Island. I think this House has heard some interesting questions, put down on the table by both the Opposition and by the Government themselves. These are questions that are, for the most part, legitimate. There are a few extreme ones that probably don\u2019t bear any consideration. But they are questions that will be thoroughly canvassed through the review process that will be conducted over the next 12 months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI have to say that it would\u2019ve been good to bring the terms of reference for the review to this House. The reality is that all those in the Ministry for Primary Industries committed to the dairy industry and knowledge of it are basically focused on the control of Mycoplasma bovis, and that\u2019s where they should be focused.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EWe will arrive at a position very soon. We will have the terms of reference out. It will be more far-reaching than that of just a simple Commerce Commission review, and it will ensure that the industry that we are legislating for and making amendments for is the one that is fit for purpose moving into the future. And that is the objective of this Government. This is our biggest and best company\u2014bar none\u2014and we need to ensure that it can operate efficiently, effectively, and in a fair way for its shareholding suppliers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI applaud the members in the House who have raised legitimate issues and, as I say, they will be addressed. The necessity to pass this bill through under urgency is to give effect to the protection for Fonterra that would otherwise go at the end of May. And so we were unable to do that\u2014that is, to protect Fonterra and have a comprehensive hearing through the select committee process, because we would\u2019ve simply run out of time. And I know there will be\u2014whether it\u2019s a small piece of legislation or a comprehensive review\u2014many people in this country and in the industry who will want to come and have their point of view heard. So that is what we are, effectively, laying the groundwork for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe Labour Government put in place the legislation to set up Fonterra. We are passionate about its success. There have been minor adjustments. There is another roll-over provision in this bill that then allows us to look at the more significant issues surrounding not just Fonterra but the dairy industry. I, therefore, commend this bill to make progress as quickly as possible through this House. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u0022ee4d691ca9dc4614b138bfef3d13f25d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ee4d691ca9dc4614b138bfef3d13f25d\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National\u2014Hamilton East):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Dairy farmers, do not listen to a word from that member, Damien O\u2019Connor. That is simply not the intention of what we are seeing here in this House tonight. This is an attack on dairying, it is an attack on the values of private enterprise, and it is an attempt by the Labour and Green parties, and New Zealand First, to strip that industry of its economic potential.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard today from that Minister\u2014and his very words were\u2014that the Labour members will determine the industry fit for purpose for the future. That was his line from his last speech. That was your exact line. Why would an industry\u2014New Zealand\u2019s biggest industry\u2014trust a group of failed Labour academics to determine how a New Zealand industry should actually work itself out? It is up to the New Zealand dairy industry, it is up to Fonterra, to work out its future. It is not up to those failed academics over there to actually tell New Zealand\u2019s biggest industry how it should operate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWe know they\u2019re going to set up a committee, and it will be a committee set up of their own stooges, and it will be a committee that\u2019s given the intention and told what to do, and we have been told what they are going to do. We have been given a broad outline of those terms of reference. And we go back to that quotation from the Minister\u2014the very Minister sitting here today\u2014that said it\u2019s about environmental issues, land use, and the industry in general. And he nods now, because the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) was never set up for any of those things. DIRA was set up after the formation of Fonterra to deal with some milk supply issues. It was never set up to determine the future look of what Fonterra or any other company will provide, it was never set up to determine the environmental outcomes of the New Zealand dairy industry, and it was never set up to actually look at land-use change. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis Government is being disingenuous in the way they\u2019re using the DIRA legislation to set up a whole review of New Zealand primary industry. That is what they are actually doing, and the Greens are loving every moment of this, because this gives them the opportunity to put all those crazy ideas that they want to apply to the New Zealand dairy industry in place, and the Labour Party are letting it happen, because the Labour Party are greener than the Greens. The leader of the Labour Party should be in the Green Party. This is what you are seeing here now with Labour and the Greens, and New Zealand First have got as much backbone as you would expect from a party that swivels around in the political landscape looking for the net to be held by\u2014they will not put up a decent fight against this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis is Labour accommodating the Greens\u2019 wishes. This will be part of the agenda that those political parties set out. They\u2019re looking for a way that they can attack New Zealand dairy farmers, and what better way than to go through the DIRA legislation and create a review. Look, there\u2019s no reason that the member and the Minister opposite didn\u2019t follow through with the legislation that National had put through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EIf we look at some of the things that were in that legislation: first of all, exit and entry\u2014exit and entry. You\u2019ve taken that section out, that exit and entry. The Green Party, if anything, should be supporting that, because it says no to new conversions that Fonterra can say no to increasing supply from. That would be what you\u2019d expect the Green Party to support. The Green Party have said that they will let that section be taken out. They know that they\u2019ve got a bigger angle coming. They know that the entry and exit\u2019s only a small thing to give up now, because they\u2019re going to bring in land-use change legislation as a result of the new DIRA reforms.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe second thing that was in that legislation that\u2019s been taken out\u2014and this is where New Zealand First has failed, again, to commit to the New Zealand public\u2014is that where there is regulated milk, Fonterra has to sell to new processors. The legislation that we introduced would have taken that away and would have meant that they wouldn\u2019t have to do it. The New Zealand First Party had quote after quote saying, from their leader, that they don\u2019t believe New Zealand milk should go to foreign-owned companies\u2014foreign-owned companies that dominate the supply of New Zealand milk\u2014apart from Fonterra. Open Country Dairy, Oceania Dairy, Yashili New Zealand Dairy, you name it\u2014foreign ownership in them. The New Zealand First Party is not standing firm with the words that they said to farmers before the election. They are not standing up for the words that they put out to the New Zealand public.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ESo this legislation is not going to be dressed up as some kind of South Island process that is part of the dairy industry that needs to be sorted out before May. This is a blatant attack on New Zealand dairy farmers, and New Zealand dairy farmers need to wake up and stop it. The reason they\u2019re doing it in urgency is to not give New Zealand dairy farmers that opportunity. That is the whole purpose they are doing it for, because they know they don\u2019t want to give people the chance to protest, like in Morrinsville, where people actually had their say in a democratic country, unlike the democracy over the other side that they want to impose on New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EBut there\u2019s more. This will affect not only New Zealand dairy farmers, because when they are talking about land-use change, that will affect all New Zealand agriculture and horticulture. This will not stop at dairy farmers. Once the Labour-Green review comes into place\u2014and they are talking about land-use change\u2014and they come and put down rules, such as the Waikato Regional Council has put down around land-use change, it cannot apply just to dairy farmers. It has to apply to all agriculture and horticulture to be effective, and this will, effectively, constrain the future of New Zealand\u2019s growth industries, because a lot of those horticulture and agricultural industries that could take off actually have a higher nitrogen use than dairy. You see that in the Waikato with that land-use change where there\u2019s not allowed to be that change into dairying and there\u2019s not allowed to be that change into cropping. This will come to all New Zealand landowners. This is an attack on the property rights of those people that run the businesses that keep this country going, and this is what this whole bill is about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe other thing that will happen in this case is that the Greens will use this opportunity to put in some of the content that they\u2019ve always wanted to do to New Zealand dairy farming, and that is to limit the number of stock in New Zealand. They have been wanting for years to stop the dairy industry, and this gives them the opportunity to put the parts into the legislation, such as a limit on the number of cows per hectare. That will definitely constrain the New Zealand dairy industry, because what\u2019s going to happen under this review is that a group of Labour and Green MPs will determine the future of the New Zealand dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThat is not what happened in Fonterra. In Fonterra, the two main companies came together and asked the Government of the day to support that process through legislation to make it a reality. This is not the same case. The New Zealand dairy farmers have not come and asked Labour and the Green Party to do a review and tell us what we need to do on farm to make our businesses better. No, this is a mandate that the Greens and the Labour Party have been wanting to do for a long time, and New Zealand dairy farmers need to wake up and smell the roses, because this will directly affect their ability to do business going forward. It\u2019s not a commercial decision that their cooperatives have made; it will be a political decision made by a group of people that have no interest, no understanding, and no comprehension of what the agricultural sector makes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe worst part of it, apart from the Labour and the Green Party doing something that is their ideology, is a New Zealand First Party that tries to go around saying they represent regional New Zealand when they are actually supportive of the biggest attack on regional New Zealand that we will see in the next three years. This is a deliberate ploy from the Government parties to attack rural New Zealand. They couldn\u2019t do it any other way. They made a deliberate attempt at this stage to use DIRA for that attack, and we need to be upfront and aware of that. We don\u2019t have to wait for the terms of reference; they\u2019ve told us what they will be: environmental, land use, and whatever else they think. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThese are not terms of reference that we need to wait and see about. We know that they are beyond what DIRA intended in the first instance, and this is purely an attempt by those parties to dictate to the rural sector their values of how farming should operate, their impression of how farming should operate, and their expectation of what farmers will do. And that will be a disaster for New Zealand, because those people have never run a business, they never will run a business, and it is up to the commercial people in those areas to make those decisions and not that pack of left academics that are tired and finished.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u00221b62af61456b4dd58a4232eba383f032\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b62af61456b4dd58a4232eba383f032\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Assistant Speaker. Such negativity. I\u2019ve sat here for about, well, since dinnertime, and all I\u2019ve heard is a whole lot of really negative stuff. Phil Twyford, were we like that nine years ago when we were in Opposition?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c63f13f5df0e403cacc32faa5faae5dc\u0022\u003EHon Phil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: No, we were constructive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d3d1584a12d488d92b3d28ad55e4e49\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Goodness me! If you want to be part of the conversation, if you want to be part of the solution, then be constructive. You don\u2019t get it, do you? You haven\u2019t figured it out\u2014that the reason why Jacinda Ardern is so popular is because she\u2019s positive. She\u2019s offering solutions, and all you can do is attack. I haven\u2019t been called a failed, left-wing academic for a long, long time ago. There you go, eh. There we go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThis bill is about doing the right thing\u2014there\u2019s no doubt about that\u2014in terms of preventing the expiry of certain provisions in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001. And there\u2019s the first great irony: 2001\u2014the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001. As Miss Allan stated, it was the Labour Government that actually gave rise to Fonterra, that had the foresight\u2014that had the foresight\u2014to create Fonterra. It wasn\u2019t the National Party; it was the Labour Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EIt wasn\u2019t a farmer Government from the rural electorates but a pragmatic, progressive Government that understood business and global markets\u2014hence Fonterra. Farmers on that side have had nine years to sort this mess out, nine years to address the issues. I don\u2019t know what Mr Bennett has been doing for nine years, as a dairy farmer himself. You would have thought that if he believed that there was something wrong in the industry, he would have stood up and advocated, but I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s been doing, and after nine years it will take, yet again, Minister Damien O\u2019Connor and a Labour Government to sort this out and make some changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI\u2019m really looking forward, actually, to a comprehensive review of Fonterra. And isn\u2019t it about time! As the Minister for Small Business, I\u2019ll tell you, I\u2019ll be watching very, very closely how Fonterra\u2019s monopoly position in certain communities will be managed. Let me just give you one short example, and that\u2019s payment terms: 61 days from the end of the month that an invoice is sent\u2014it\u2019s up to 90 days. Australia\u2019s Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, singled out the cooperative for, and I quote, \u201Cextortion-like behaviour\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224fb0f728408a43ce8171bf6ae3052689\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Stick to DIRA.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd0878c1204143c0926148b6b737763c\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Bennett talked about economic potential. What about the thousands of small suppliers to Fonterra that are having cash flow problems because Fonterra is using a monopoly position in the market to treat them like a bank? That\u2019s what economic potential is. That is why this Labour - New Zealand First Government is the party for rural and provincial New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e180ae005714e09ac6b5999295cc7f0\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, there\u2019s no way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ccf52715fc841fc9bd45efadd41f84d\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: And Mr Bennett knows it\u2014and he knows it. Look, let\u2019s be honest about one thing. Fonterra is a hugely valuable company for New Zealand\u2019s economy and for various rural, provincial, and city communities, but it is now time, 17 years later, after that original Act was passed by a Labour Government, for a review, and I welcome it. I\u2019ll certainly be supporting this legislation, and I\u2019m assuming Mr Bennett will as well. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022a10dc723485345b9af89e524df1c307b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a10dc723485345b9af89e524df1c307b\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER (National):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Assistant Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make a second contribution to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Bill (No 2). First of all, can I say, on the contribution we\u2019ve just received from Stuart Nash, that we\u2019re not here debating Fonterra\u2019s monopoly position, as he said. We\u2019re actually here debating the fact that there is now so much competition in the South Island market particularly\u2014in fact, 24 percent of the farmers now supply a company other than Fonterra\u2014and that is the reason this legislation has to be before the House today. There is no monopoly for Fonterra. There was at the time that the legislation was first passed, when they collected 96 percent of the milk that was produced within New Zealand. Those days are gone, Mr Nash, and that\u2019s a good thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EWhile Mr Nash claims full credit for the Labour Government for passing the legislation in 2001, as I pointed out in an earlier contribution I made, the work was actually done for a long period of time by the former Government, which was then not re-elected at the end of 1999. The process of the amalgamation of two major co-ops took probably four or five years. So, yes, Labour can claim that they finally passed the legislation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb4144f3b93141acacac5ab933ad5367\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: National didn\u2019t want to do it, though.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a23ba48443424b2d8a28178cec18bb8b\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, Damien O\u2019Connor interjects that National didn\u2019t want to do it. I sat with the likes of John Roadley and with Henry van der Heyden on numerous meetings that went on for many, many hours, chaired by the Rt Hon Bill Birch, who did a stunning job in doing the initial work to get this to conception. For Labour to deny the history of this, repeatedly, is just wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fbe6cbb4c9f441bc9e6d8963cb46a0e8\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s why you didn\u2019t do it, because you couldn\u2019t work it out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022baf07b1756da466985f6b3e954694aeb\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor says we couldn\u2019t do it because we couldn\u2019t work it out. It was handed to them on a platter. The only thing that hasn\u2019t been worked out by the Labour Government is the mess we find ourselves in tonight, when that Minister of Agriculture has sat on this issue since he became the Minister in October last year, five months ago\u2014hasn\u2019t been prepared to do anything about it until he finally finds he\u2019s embarrassed by an expiry date, which means he\u2019s got to bring this to the House and put the House into urgency. That urgency was supported tonight by the Green Party, and when the great late Rod Donald sat in this House as the, sort of, first member of the Green Party, he used to talk and rail against the use of urgency. It shouldn\u2019t be happening. The farmers of the South Island have a right to have a say on this piece of legislation by going to a select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223e00e7c132604402a1d67f9a53f944ec\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: And they will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228daeb867ffca459b938712989c9cae78\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Damien O\u2019Connor just interjected and said, \u201CThey will.\u201D Well, I need to point out to Damien O\u2019Connor that we\u2019re doing the first reading, the second reading, the committee stage, and then the third reading. There is no chance\u2014no chance\u2014Damien O\u2019Connor, and I would have thought, for a person that\u2019s been around this House for so long, he\u2019d actually understand the legislative process. Now, I know he took the first contribution for the second reading debate and he lasted about two minutes and 15 seconds, with his contribution. It may be because he doesn\u2019t understand the significance of this legislation, and if that is the case, he should stand by and let somebody else attempt to represent the primary sector of New Zealand\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253d8b2bad77f4f60856405d61ad9b299\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Stuart Nash did longer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cacf3022eb764796a026f2c261560606\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014because I\u2014well, I\u2019m not sure that Stuart Nash has had a charming record either, to be honest. But, listen, the point I want to make is we had a Labour Government that\u2019s been talking about honest and transparent Government. It sounded great. I remember the Prime Minister - elect talking about how this Government will be open and transparent. So what the Minister has done is he\u2019s rushing this legislation through as quickly as he can, evidenced by his two-minute, 15-second call earlier in the second reading, and then he talks about a review of the dairy industry. Well, if he\u2019s going to have a review of the dairy industry, give us tonight the terms of reference, because the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor has been absolutely silent tonight on the terms of reference. Now, the Hon Meka Whaitiri got a bit more loose with her tongue and said it would be comprehensive. So that\u2019s all we know, and I suspect that my colleague the Hon David Bennett is absolutely right that in the terms of reference we\u2019re going to see the chance of the Green influence on the Labour - Green - New Zealand First Government, and they\u2019re going to move this into environmental issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022225fbcdff104432bbef33b4028f0e7ac\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s here\u2014it\u2019s written.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210bf6da0cbc642ccbaedb6f0e41737b9\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: David Bennett says it\u2019s already written down on paper. I haven\u2019t seen that yet, but I think if that\u2019s the case, then Damien O\u2019Connor has the opportunity to stand in this House and tell this House what\u2019s going on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EAs I said earlier, I think Fonterra is a great company. I\u2019m fully supportive of Fonterra. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s performed to the expectations they said they would when they were first put together. They gave us a significant outlook on where the company could take the New Zealand dairy industry to. They\u2019ve got part-way there. They haven\u2019t done it perfectly, but, as I said in my first reading contribution, they are the envy of many of the dairy producers around the world for the way they operate. They haven\u2019t done it perfectly, but they\u2019ve done it pretty well. And now, if the Labour - Green - New Zealand First Government proposes a review, then why can\u2019t we know what that review will encompass? It\u2019s a simple question\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf5595d6f9284c17bb4dcf2659ab9e81\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: New Zealand First selling out farmers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286972f2375d34e3c87553f07a797a9c9\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I don\u2019t rely on New Zealand First. They went round the election campaign saying they were the friends of the farmers, representing rural New Zealand, and then the first thing they did in the coalition discussions was they signed up with the Greens\u2014yeah? So what New Zealand farmer has any trust at all in the Rt Hon Winston Peters and the New Zealand First Party? Now, Mr Patterson over there is dumbfounded. He\u2019s silent, and I\u2019m not the least bit surprised, because I listened to his contribution earlier, and he made that man Richard Prosser look good. I can tell Mr Patterson, having watched the way the New Zealand First Party operates, that he\u2019ll have to lift his game, otherwise he\u2019ll get a call from the leader in the not too distant future, and it will be a \u201CDCM\u201D\u2014don\u2019t come Monday\u2014because that\u2019s the way the New Zealand First leader operates, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve got that waka-jumping bill before the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re here today because when Fonterra was established, we wanted to make sure that we had competition in the industry. At the time it was established, 96 percent of all milk collected in this country went to one company, and that worried me because if it became a fat, inefficient organisation, certainly the dairy farmers of New Zealand\u2014and at that stage there were about 12,000\u2014suffered, but it was far more important than that. This is our biggest export-earning industry in this country. So we set up an arrangement in the DIRA legislation, Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, which ensured that competition developed, to the extent that we\u2019re here in urgency tonight because the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor has ignored the fact that we\u2019ve now triggered the limits put in for the South Island level of competition.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EAround 24 percent of all milk collected in the South Island doesn\u2019t go to Fonterra, and that, Mr O\u2019Connor, is a choice the producers make. They look at the likes of Synlait, they look at Oceania Dairy, they look at Westland Cooperative Dairy, and a number of others, and they decide that they\u2019ll send their milk somewhere else for various reasons. Now, it may be around the capital structure of Fonterra, it may be around the price for milk solids, but what this legislation did\u2014which I had a significant involvement, as a junior Associate Minister in the late 90s, in bringing together and introducing to this House\u2014was a complete transformation of the dairy industry where we set up an industry that was competitive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EThe reason we are here tonight is because that competition threshold for the South Island has now been met. So I say to Mr O\u2019Connor, if you\u2019re going to have a review, because you\u2019ve spent the last nine years dreaming about the future of the industry rather than getting anything concrete, tell us tonight the terms of reference of that proposed review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022 data-id=\u002257357c2f126141d9bdcb648db64a4a0d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002257357c2f126141d9bdcb648db64a4a0d\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E The second reading of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2)\u2014New Zealand First rise to support this, as well, despite the melodramatics that we hear across the floor. This is indeed a functionary bill. We\u2019re looking to roll over legislation that has been in play for the nine years that that previous Government was in office, and, as my colleague Kiritapu Allan pointed out, this provision in the South Island was triggered in 2015, so all of a sudden they seem to care a little bit about the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA), belatedly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe have a clear alternative. We have the alternative that was put up by the National Party, which was a series of half-measures, and, as Mr Bennett pointed out, some of those were perfectly good provisions. The foreign ownership one was one of them, and I\u2019m sure that that will come under scrutiny and that will be a thing of the past. But it is time for a thorough review, and we totally agree with that\u2014a root and branch review. I think that what we\u2019ve heard from contributions over that side of the House is like listening to dinosaurs. You\u2019re talking volume mentality. We\u2019ve got to start adding value.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be14d99b802a496dae517192abac33ab\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: This is just a value-add.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225104a445485a4c16a0ba0e592441f52c\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ve got this freight train of synthetic proteins coming up. If you don\u2019t want to have those conversations, Mr Bennett, they\u2019re coming at us anyway. We have to have those conversations, and we have to make sure that we give Fonterra the right tools to adapt to that environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe need to foster New Zealand competitors, and that will be something that we will have to look at. That will all be part of this review, but we cannot just carry on doing what we\u2019ve done in the past. That commodity mentality is where we got, and I hate to be lectured by the National Party about proactivity in this space. I came here time after time lobbying the National Party to take some interest in the meat industry and they were nowhere to be seen, and that is why I stand here\u2014nowhere to be seen. So we need to get this right. We need to get this right. This is our most important company. It needs the tools for the future. We will give them some certainty by rolling over the existing legislation for the next 12 months, but after that\u2014after this thorough review\u2014we will have a company that\u2019s fit for purpose well into the 21st century.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003ESo this is the sort of contribution we can expect from the National Party. If they are just going to sit in the past and expect to do what we\u2019ve done, it\u2019s not going to work. It is absolutely not going to work, and you\u2019re going to have to lift your game over there if you want to continue to pretend that you\u2019re representing the best interests of farmers, because from what I\u2019ve heard tonight you have got no idea what\u2019s coming down the pipeline at you. On this side of the House, at least we\u2019re prepared to address those issues. We are going to address those issues and we are going to see some future-focused legislation come out of this and not a half-measure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u0022f0b0b035ee044a579d8bb12cdcbf7384\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f0b0b035ee044a579d8bb12cdcbf7384\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER (National\u2014Taranaki - King Country):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. One of the strengths of the dairy industry over the years has been their effort to get consolidated and find answers to problems, and it really isn\u2019t appropriate that you stand there and go, \u201CWe\u2019re going to do it for them.\u201D, because there\u2019s all these things coming down the track\u2014sorry, Madam Assistant Speaker. The previous speaker\u2014MP, over there\u2014talked about solving all the problems of the dairy industry. Well, it\u2019s really interesting that this is going ahead tonight under urgency and you haven\u2019t had any\u2014sorry, apologies. The members and the Government have not given the farmers any opportunity to go through a submission process with this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThis is a band-aid to get this piece of legislation through the House, so, all of a sudden, these terms of reference can come out and we know\u2014we\u2019ve heard about the terms of reference today, including, for example, environmental issues, land use, and how to achieve the best outcomes for farmers, consumers, and the New Zealand economy. Look, it\u2019s a conversation that all of us have to have, but we in here are not the people that know all the answers, so I think it\u2019s really important that a submission process should have been taken with this. There has been a review. There is a lot of information out there from that review. All of this has just been ignored. We\u2019re going to start over again and we\u2019re going to do another review, but at what cost? So a lot of information is already accessible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EI think the other thing that\u2019s really interesting is the targets that are coming back to this side of the House. We heard it from, not Minister O\u2019Connor but Greg O\u2019Connor before, actually, about this side of the House and the Morrinsville protest, and the divide between rural and urban. Well, I tell you what: it became a very big issue during the process of the election and it wasn\u2019t coming from this side of the House. And guess who had the biggest bus at the protest? So New Zealand First was very\u2014so don\u2019t sit here, Mr Patterson, and tell this side of the House that we were engaged in inciting rural-urban divide, because one of the reasons you stood up\u2014[Interruption] No, look, we actually want to put this rural-urban divide together.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EOne thing I do say\u2014I want to issue a challenge to Gareth Hughes. I want to issue a challenge to Gareth Hughes to be as proactive as his leader James Shaw, because I know that James Shaw does go out and he does go on farms and he does talk to people. When Gareth Hughes stood up before, he talked about all this bulldust, about what the farmers would be thinking about what we were saying. I haven\u2019t seen Gareth Hughes out and about on any farms. So, Mr Patterson, you might have been but I\u2019ve never seen Gareth Hughes out there, and I know that James Shaw does. I hope he listens, because he\u2019s going to get a barrelling from this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo you talked\u2014sorry, Madam Assistant Speaker. Mr Patterson, you talked before about the commodity trap, so then this Government is wanting to delay this process for another year, leave people out there with uncertainty about where it\u2019s going to end, and then talked again about foreign owners that come in and turn farmers into price-takers. So tell me where the nexus is between that? You\u2019ve got a cooperative that wants to\u2014we\u2019ve got a cooperative that wants to collect farmers\u2019 milk, it wants to add value to farmers\u2019 milk, and it\u2019s processing and adding value to a lot of milk. Up until now it\u2019s been coming at it faster than it could process it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThings are going to change. There are limits; I\u2019m not stupid. We know there\u2019s going to be limits, but the industry is working those things out and with a bit of conversation we can work it out. But the problem is we have a piece of legislation up here. It\u2019s two pages, it\u2019s a band-aid, and it\u2019s designed just to hold the process until we have another one of these inquiries that this Government is getting well known for. We don\u2019t need change for change\u2019s sake. Why can\u2019t we just pick up what we already have and go for it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThere were a couple of other concerns that came up before. I can\u2019t remember who the member was, but I can go back and look at the Hansard and find out. It was that the far-reaching shareholders of Fonterra had to be protected. Now Fonterra have already said that they would not be seeing their cooperative members put to one side and that anybody that was in the cooperative would remain in the cooperative, because they had signed up to the process and they were all in it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo I think it\u2019s really important to realise that Fonterra\u2019s got no intention of actually getting rid of its own shareholders just to achieve a purpose. I\u2019m sure that if you have the conversation\u2014and I imagine that Minister O\u2019Connor has had heaps of conversations with Fonterra. I\u2019m not sure that many others have, and I\u2019m just mystified as to why this Government calls itself open and transparent, and then won\u2019t give us the terms of reference but will write things in a press release that are going to put the wind up farmers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo look, we\u2019ve got a hundred submissions that came in, in a prior review. They\u2019re the same people that will still put the submissions in. But I can tell you what, if you go around this and try to add things to it that simply aren\u2019t related in the first place, you are going to get your\u2014sorry, Madam Assistant Speaker, again. This Government\u2019s going to get itself into some strife, because I know that in the conversations we\u2019ve had, farmers say, \u201CWe signed up to this thing. We\u2019ve met the criteria. We made criteria that fitted for the South Island and for the North Island.\u201D They feel that they\u2019ve done the deal, they\u2019ve gone through the process, they\u2019ve met all of the criteria that they signed up for, and they understand that there has to be a process to work out whether the commercial realities are in the right place. They\u2019re going to be really disappointed when they find out that what\u2019s being reviewed around these commercial realities is actually opening up to a whole lot of things. They\u2019re going to say, \u201CThe ballpark has changed and the goalposts have been shifted.\u201D, and they\u2019re going to be very, very disappointed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThey are not shying away from their responsibilities, but they\u2019ve got a piece of legislation that they agreed to. Minister O\u2019Connor, you can argue all night\u2014we\u2019ve heard lots of debate over there about which Government actually did it, and I know there was a huge amount of work that went into it\u2014but I do know that there are farmers out there that know that it was the Labour Government that signed the dotted line. That was the agreement with farmers that said, \u201CWhen you get to this point, you reach this level, and then we will free Fonterra up.\u201D, and I know we\u2019ve got to make sure we\u2019ve got all the right settings around that. But they\u2019re going to turn round and they\u2019re going to tell this Government that this Government has shifted the goalposts. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s a very, very disappointing day today in that we have not been able to have a select committee process, where we would be able to have farmers put submissions in and we would be able to have producers put submissions in. We would have had submissions coming in from the processes from both sides of the fence, because we know that some agree and some don\u2019t agree, but I don\u2019t know why this Government is so scared to put the terms of reference on the table so that everyone in the dairy industry in this country knows what they\u2019re dealing with and so that people can have some input. Communities and industries\u2014surprise, surprise to this Government\u2014have a huge amount of knowledge about their own patches, their own industries, and they would dearly relish the chance to come and talk to this Government about what their hopes and dreams are for the future of this industry. So\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc6d65db514348d886f8dc4b3fe3f9bb\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: The microphone is working. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd6468d820dc4ca4ba395b9b1f67e73b\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, well, we\u2019re wound up over here, and I have actually been listening to some of the debate. People have been wound up\u2014and it hasn\u2019t been only on this side of the House\u2014because I think it\u2019s about a fairness of process. This process is flawed. No one minds having the discussion. We don\u2019t mind having the discussion, but we do object to working with flawed process, and I know that people around our dairy industry and our rural communities are going to be feeling pretty aggrieved at not having the chance to come in and go through a submission process. So I hope that in the course of the committee stage, the Minister for this open and transparent Government will put some terms of reference on the table so we can understand what it\u2019s all about, and then we can start having the real discussion about where this piece of legislation needs to go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo, thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I apologise for bringing you into the debate more than once, but I thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate that. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022 data-id=\u0022bf8af38c131041adba5aa4bb2a542108\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bf8af38c131041adba5aa4bb2a542108\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW (Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak on this bill. While, as the Rt Hon David Carter said earlier, the Green Party generally objects to the use of urgency, one of the upsides of urgency is that you actually have a proper debate. You get to respond to each other. You get to pick up points that each other make and respond to them. So, given that this is the second reading, I will do so, because that is one of the great pleasures of this part of the process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EFirst of all, there have been some strong contributions. I would like to start with the Rt Hon David Carter, because that was a thoughtful contribution and deeply knowledgable about the sector from someone who has had a long history both in this sector and also, obviously, in Parliament and as a Minister in this sector, and I think he was displaying that. It was a pleasure, actually, to see him freed from the constraints of being Speaker, so that he could really let rip and make some good points, some of which were about the terms of reference, some of which were about the process, and so on. So I take those points on board. He did make one error. I\u2019m kind of hesitant to correct the former Speaker on this, but, of course, dairy is not actually the leading export earner in New Zealand\u2014tourism is at the moment\u2014so we\u2019ve got to have a bit of context around this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EBarbara Kuriger, of course, is also similarly deeply rooted in the sector. Like the Rt Hon David Carter, she is someone who knows the industry and is from the industry and who makes some very good points about the industry, about the effect of the legislation, and about the process\u2014all of which I think are relevant, and we should pay heed to those.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EMark Patterson from New Zealand First, of course, is someone who is a strong advocate for the sector\u2014someone who truly understands that what New Zealand needs to do is to move up the value chain. He is someone who is concerned about countries like Ireland, with their Origin Green programme, who are getting ahead of us and saying, \u201CActually, the way to extract more value from this industry worldwide is to focus on the \u2018clean, green\u2019 brand to really capture the value that we have available at our fingertips.\u201D That is why he\u2019s such a strong advocate for this sector, and it is good to have him in the House to do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003ENow, this, of course, brings me to the great pleasure of this evening: David Bennett. David Bennett, \u201Cthe Accountant\u201D, referred to this legislation as \u201Cthe biggest attack on [the agricultural sector] in the next three years.\u201D\u2014the biggest attack on this sector in the next three years\u2014and yet, at the end of the first reading, when it came to votes against, I didn\u2019t hear his voice. I didn\u2019t hear anyone voting against it, and yet, for the biggest attack on this sector in the next three years, he voted for it. I find that extraordinary. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EThe biggest attack on the sector in the next three years, which you\u2014I beg your pardon, Madam Assistant Speaker. If Mr Bennett honestly believes\u2014and I know that he doesn\u2019t\u2014that this is the biggest attack on this sector in the lifetime of this Parliament, then surely, surely, he would vote against it. If I thought that a sector that I was seeking to represent in this Parliament was under the kind of sustained, existential attack that he spent his contribution referring to\u2014the end of the industry; the absolute collapse of dairy in New Zealand!\u2014then, surely, I would vote against that bill because it was such an existential crisis, and yet he failed to do so, and I noticed that no one in the National Party voted against this bill on the first reading. So I have to take his words with a grain of salt. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EBarbara Kuriger referred to the urban-rural divide in her speech, and I do want to take a moment to acknowledge this, because one of the things I personally am most worried about for the future of this country, present and in the near-term, is the notion and, actually, the very real possibility that we will have a true urban-rural divide. I am absolutely committed that we do not\u2014that we do not\u2014have such as divide. I have to say that the kind of language that David Bennett was using in his contribution earlier on in this debate fanned up that possibility. I know it may be great for recruitment; it may be fantastic when you stick it up on your social media pages and you say, \u201CLook, here is what I\u2019m doing heroically to defend the sector from the greatest threat in the lifetime of this Parliament.\u201D without actually voting against. That kind of language, that creates the urban-rural divide. That\u2019s what creates it, Mr Bennett, and you should be ashamed of yourself. I dare Mr Bennett, if this is the fatal dagger in the heart of the dairy industry, to vote against it. I bet that he won\u2019t do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EI have to say that this has been an entertaining debate, and there has been, you know, a great deal of, I think, completely over the top contributions. There have been some very thoughtful contributions made, as I said, from the Rt Hon David Carter and Barbara Kuriger, and I think that we should take those things on board. One of the things that, I think it was, the Rt Hon David Carter said earlier in the debate\u2014and I might have the speaker wrong, but somebody on the National side\u2014was that the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) wasn\u2019t set up to look at things like land use and it wasn\u2019t set up to look at things like the effect on the environment and so on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e9273fd8b36642c5b59e2d9dddfc538e\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: That was me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa04d6ecd67e4397836af07ee442a6e6\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: That is correct. It\u2019s correct. So I will acknowledge that amongst all of the other points that he made, the one point of substance that David Bennett had was that: that DIRA was not set up to look at things like land use or the effect of the industry on the environment and so on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s correct, but it has an effect\u2014it has an effect. It wasn\u2019t set up to deal with those things, but the system that is set up inside the Act has an effect on land use and the environment and a whole series of other things, and that is why it is worth taking a bigger-picture view, stepping back, having a broader term of reference, and saying, \u201CLet\u2019s take a look at this sector.\u201D and taking a look at those things. In fact, this happens a lot in politics: we set up a piece of regulation, and we take a narrow view of it, and we say, \u201CThat look goods for that,\u201D, but, actually, it also has wider effects on the system, and we don\u2019t take account of those externalities. Then we end up in a problem, and we\u2019ve got to go back and fix it, and that is the position that this Government finds itself in. And so, while that point is correct, Mr Bennett, actually, what we need to do is to take a look at it and say, \u201CWell, what are the effects on the broader system\u2014not just inside the industry and its economics, but what are the broader effects and the externalities of the way that that legislation is designed?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EThat is why it is worth having a review. That is why the Green Party supports this piece of legislation. That is why, also, I absolutely cannot take seriously this notion that this is a fatal dagger in the heart of the dairy industry, that it is communism by stealth. That was actually one part of Mr Bennett\u2019s speech that I desperately miss, because in virtually every other speech that David Bennett has ever had, in which he\u2019s referred to the Green Party, he\u2019s referred to communism by stealth. I missed that in this part. But you\u2019ll have another shot. He\u2019ll have another shot in the third reading, and it\u2019ll be good to hear those words, because I\u2019ve missed those words from David Bennett.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003EI do say that everybody understands the need for sustainable food production in this country. We do look at countries like Ireland who are moving ahead of the pack with things like their Origin Green branding. I have to say that ethical food production, sustainable food production, is one of the most noble pursuits there is. That is what this country has to aim for. That is where the value is for this country. We have some of the best farmers in the world\u2014some of the most productive, some of the most responsive, farmers in the world\u2014and what we need to do is to maintain our leadership position. That is what the Minister is attempting to do by calling for a review. That is why this particular piece of legislation is significant, and any talk from the Opposition about what a fatal piece of legislation this is, I think, should be backed up with action. I think that they need to vote against this bill if they truly believe what they are talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022 data-id=\u002210c49dfc167f4586b98b575aa927bb63\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210c49dfc167f4586b98b575aa927bb63\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY (National\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E Well, that was a riveting address there from James Shaw; enlightening\u2014enlightening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s interesting, I follow rural media clippings very, very closely as the Opposition spokesperson for the primary sector, and guess who I saw on a farm in the last week or so? Go on, have a guess\u2014have a guess. His first visit ever to a dairy farm. Come on, who\u2019ve we got? Have a guess. No, it wasn\u2019t Metiria Turei, she\u2019s gone. No. It was James Shaw. I scrolled down the photo to have a look at the gumboots he had on\u2014Wairarapa\u2019s been pretty dry, it\u2019s almost in a drought\u2014and there they were, shiny, brand new gumboots, never been on a farm before. But I acknowledge James Shaw for getting out on a farm. He made some\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f418bd5bc3f44b8289c39ea29b613a2a\u0022\u003EHon James Shaw\u003C/span\u003E: Biosecurity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229916ed8089104f438ce922e5ed4642eb\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, yeah, that\u2019s right\u2014that\u2019s right. He talked about biosecurity, clean gumboots, well done. But it would pay that he gets on a few more farms as Minister for Climate Change. Because farmers are focused on environmental sustainability but they\u2019re also very mindful of the fact of this review that is proposed following this very truncated bill that we are debating under urgency this evening at 8.45. I can\u2019t believe, as I said in the first reading\u2014there\u2019s no reason that I can fathom that this bill couldn\u2019t have gone to the Primary Production Committee for even a truncated select committee period. I get the fact that the date in the South Island is going to expire 31 May 2018, but you would\u2019ve thought that there was an opportunity for the Parliament to get going on this a bit quicker. It wasn\u2019t part of the 100-day programme because Labour and the Greens don\u2019t care about the primary sector, we\u2019re still trying to work out whether New Zealand First does. So here we are now debating under urgency; no select committee process. And people on the other side of the House used to rail against a National Government whenever we put the House into urgency, and we\u2019re not hearing that tonight; they\u2019re saying, \u201CJust put it through.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EBut getting back to the point of why James Shaw went on a farm, he went on a farm so that the Green Party tentacles could reach inside this review. He\u2019s already concluded rightly that the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) doesn\u2019t have anything to do with the environment. Yes, dairy farming, we acknowledge, does have an impact on the environment, just like humans do, just like buildings in metropolitan areas, but the reason that James Shaw went on a farm was so that he\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022077278ac3c414b0ca32a36014e363204\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Come back to the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251036e9a997047f3bfd14415fe927365\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014I am\u2014so that he could understand this bill this evening and the importance of the dairy industry to New Zealand but also so that when the review comes through the Cabinet process he knows what he\u2019s talking about. And so that that review, instead of being tight and considered and concise, to do with export markets, open entry and exit provisions, raw milk regulations, farm gate, factory gate\u2014all of those things are logical in a review\u2014but what we are going to see is that this review is going to be broadened out so that the Green Party can have their way and get their tentacles into it. So it\u2019s going to be a broader review than just the state of the New Zealand dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat was also telling this evening in the second reading of this bill was when the Minister stood up and said, \u201COh, yeah, I should\u2019ve brought the terms of reference down to the House but my officials have been too busy dealing with Mycoplasma bovis.\u201D I know that that is a very significant issue not just for the dairy industry but for the beef industry, but for the Minister to come down to the House when he has got 2,500 officials working in the Ministry for Primary Industries and say, \u201COh, we couldn\u2019t get round to doing the terms of reference, getting them through a Cabinet process, and bringing them to the House so that we could all understand them because they\u2019re just too busy on M. bovis.\u201D, well, that is so disappointing to hear from the new Minister when he\u2019s got all these officials queued up at his door, writing down every \u201Cum\u201D and \u201Cah\u201D that he stutters when he\u2019s talking about the New Zealand dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat we also haven\u2019t heard about from him\u2014we\u2019ve heard the rhetoric about a primary industries advisory council. What would happen if they advised the Minister that there should be changes made to this bill this evening? Wouldn\u2019t that be kind of interesting? He\u2019s also talking about something a bit like Sir Peter Gluckman, a science adviser but having something for agriculture. I think that could actually be quite a good idea. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EBut what is not acknowledged in this bill tonight, and, hopefully, will be acknowledged in the review, is how the dairy industry is moving out of commodities and into value-add\u2014nutraceutical products. It\u2019s not just whole-milk powder; mozzarella cheese, which I\u2019ve already talked about. Fantastic innovation coming out of Palmerston North\u2014Fonterra\u2019s innovation centre is massive and doing really well. That is not acknowledged by anyone on the other side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EHere we are this evening debating under urgency a bill that is affecting just the seller, and that is still significant by itself. You would think we would hear acknowledgment from the other side of the House about how important the New Zealand dairy industry is to the overall New Zealand economy. You can bet your bottom dollar that Grant Robertson is up there with his Treasury officials, hoping like hell that the Fonterra milk price stays up where it is, because if it drops, and it may well do in the future, at some stage in the next season or two, then it\u2019s going to make it very difficult for the Government to balance its books with its spending priorities that it faces in front of itself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EAnyway, to conclude, really where I started. This bill should be going to a select committee, and there\u2019s no reason why it can\u2019t. I\u2019m disappointed that the Minister has chosen to put the House into urgency for this. The second part is that it\u2019s great that James Shaw has been on a farm for the first time. Well done! He needs to get on farms more often and understand what farmers are doing in terms of environmental sustainability, excluding dairy stock from waterways. I know the reason he did that, and that\u2019s so he can understand the terms of reference. It\u2019s going to take 12 months and it\u2019ll be really costly. We still don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to drive it. Is it the Ministry for Primary Industries, is it the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is it Treasury, is it an external lead person? We still don\u2019t understand about the submission process on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EAlso, I\u2019m very disappointed in the fact that in the campaign we saw the arrogance from Labour and the Greens using the dairy industry as a bit of a whipping boy. As a result of what they did and proposed to do with the irrigation tax, farmers rallied and met in Morrinsville. That was a massive rally. It was as big as the one that I saw on the steps of Parliament, with the tractor that Shane Ardern drove up the steps.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0d7c3306e6847ea9cc482cbcab38cd6\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Winston Peters was there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022917c69ad7456469a961eb233ba9220f5\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: So I say to Barbara Stewart, who keeps chipping away and trying to interject\u2014well, they\u2019re not very funny, and they\u2019re not rare, and they\u2019re not reasonable. So I\u2019m just ignoring her. But I say to her that it\u2019s kind of interesting, when we read Winston Peters\u2019 press releases, leading into the campaign, about the DIRA, and now they are supporting it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003ESo we will watch this space with a great amount of interest. We look forward to our questions that we are going to propose to the Minister when he\u2019s in the chair in the committee part. We have got numerous questions, and we look forward to ongoing discussion and debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u00229eedcc6741b34e9888f465265c236e58\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229eedcc6741b34e9888f465265c236e58\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Dr Liz Craig\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022 data-id=\u002289ce23c5d9154a09ae7b64eff3af80cb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002289ce23c5d9154a09ae7b64eff3af80cb\u0022\u003EDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s a real pleasure to take a call on this bill. I think the problem is, sitting here listening to the intensity of the debate across the other side, I\u2019m almost forgetting why we\u2019re here. Why we\u2019re here, under urgency, is actually for a very, very simple thing. It\u2019s actually because what we\u2019re trying to do is to prevent some of the provisions of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) from expiring for us in the South Island. It\u2019s actually very, very simple. What we\u2019re trying to do is provide some certainty for our farmers that Fonterra is going to continue to take their milk in 2018.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EI live in Southland, and in Southland a lot of our farmers have been doing it really tough of late. We\u2019ve had the drought just declared, we\u2019ve got Mycoplasma bovis, and over the last couple of years the dairy prices have been up and down, and a lot of our farmers are under a heck of a lot of stress. The problem is that this afternoon\u2019s scaremongering by members across this House is going to do very little to alleviate that situation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019re actually wanting to do here is just retain the status quo until we can get a more comprehensive review of DIRA and take that uncertainty off the table. In the medium term, though, we shouldn\u2019t step back from that broader debate, because we do need to think about what the future is for our dairy industry. I think our Minister signalled that he\u2019s going to do just that. He\u2019s going to take some time to think about our broader strategic direction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ETo do that, though, is going to take time. I\u2019m hearing, on one hand, members across the House decrying the fact that we\u2019re not going to select committee, and yet, on the other, they\u2019re saying it\u2019s going to take so long to have some consultation. But to get this right, we do need to have some decent consultation. We need to talk to farmers, milk processors, industry leaders, and communities. So we\u2019ve got to have that and get it right, for the futureproofing of our dairy sector moving forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t think we should step back from that broader debate about the environment, about land use, and about how we do achieve those best outcomes for farmers and consumers and for our country. What we\u2019re talking about is thinking about the future of our dairy industry. The problem is that we\u2019re now marketing into a world market where we\u2019ve got increasingly discerning consumers, and they will care about our economic bottom line and how we\u2019re managing our environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EBut coming back to this bill, all it does is it just buys us time so that we can have a broader review that does the due process. It means that we can have that without a whole lot of the instability that would ensue if we suddenly lost the DIRA provisions in the South Island. If we do nothing, we get a whole lot of problems. But preserving the status quo\u2014what it means for our farmers is that Fonterra still has to take their milk. What that means is that they can continue to have that certainty in terms of their future planning. It also means that they can still continue to exit, should they want to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EThe other thing that this preserves in the meantime is our current milk price monitoring regime. What that means is the Commerce Commission will still have to review how Fonterra is calculating its farm-gate milk prices. In the meantime, we can have that transparency and that confidence in how Fonterra is setting its prices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EThe other thing with this bill is that it lines up with what the Commerce Commission was saying in 2016. They were saying that there still wasn\u2019t enough competition within the sector and that we needed to maintain things until we could have that broader review. So this bill just buys us time and it creates that stability so we can have a broader debate. I therefore commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022c944854c75cf455bb8f735547a4e2ff5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c944854c75cf455bb8f735547a4e2ff5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Andrew Falloon\u2014five minute call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022 data-id=\u002246f4c57df83f4b238cf2a369dd79ca0c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002246f4c57df83f4b238cf2a369dd79ca0c\u0022\u003EANDREW FALLOON (National\u2014Rangitata):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to take my second call tonight on the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2). Since I last contributed to this debate, I\u2019ve had a couple of emails from dairy farmers in Canterbury. Both of them are quite confused as to why there is a need for a review. Isn\u2019t that an excellent question?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that for nine years railed against nearly everything that the National Party did in the primary sector when we were in Government. So now that they finally have the chance to correct everything that we did, all the things that we apparently got wrong, the first legislation that they bring to this House to affect the dairy industry is the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2).\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EWhat does it do? It amends the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act to prevent the expiry of certain provisions in May 2018. So their big plan in this piece of legislation is continuing with the status quo, but with a review. And doesn\u2019t this Government love reviews? They\u2019ve set up reviews for all sorts of things, and where they haven\u2019t, they\u2019ve set up committees and quangos. This Government\u2019s big plan for the dairy industry, for tax, for climate change, for anything of any importance, is to kick it down the road, to set up a review, a committee, or a quango.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EIt shows that they\u2019ve already run out of ideas, if they ever had any to begin with. I equate it with a dog chasing a car. The car has stopped, they\u2019re looking at each other, and they don\u2019t quite know what to do next.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003ESo instead of making changes, like with this Act, they\u2019re setting up reviews and committees and quangos. And who are they getting to run those reviews and committees and quangos? Seasoned, experienced Labour politicians like Michael Cullen and Pete Hodgson? So it raises the question: who will run this review? My colleague David Bennett has already made, I think, a very worthwhile suggestion, which is Sue Moroney. Can I also throw into the mix Dianne Yates or Barbara Stewart\u2014both former members of this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003EI want to end by noting the struggles that the industry is currently going through at the moment with Mycoplasma bovis. We\u2019ve heard today that it\u2019s now expanded to 23 properties across New Zealand, with new cases in Waitaki and in Southland, and there are a further 38 properties that are under Restricted Place Notices. Mycoplasma bovis has had a dramatic effect already in my area, both for the dairy industry and also for the beef sector. I\u2019ve spoken to a number of farmers in my electorate who have been directly and indirectly affected by Mycoplasma bovis. All of them feel incredibly guilty and devastated, and, in terms of the guilt, wrongly, in my view, because there\u2019s nothing that they could have done to prevent the situation that\u2019s happened to them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2de46a-9047-4bfe-92c8-5f14fd415dfb\u0022\u003ESo I do rise to speak in favour of this bill, despite what I\u2019ve been contributing so far. We will vote for it, but we do question the need for a review. It\u2019s not needed. We\u2019ve been there and done that. All the Government needs to do is go back and look at what was done previously. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u0022b840dd249c14473a9e9f2136977fad53\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b840dd249c14473a9e9f2136977fad53\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s with alarm that I sit here and listen to the members for the other side missing the point entirely. They\u2019re talking entirely outside of the scope of the bill. I heard David Bennett say that this was an attack on private property; in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a bill that will protect private property. A short lesson in economics might help the member\u2014perhaps that wasn\u2019t included in his little commerce degree. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWhat we need to think about here is that we have a massive monopsonist\u2014a monopoly buyer\u2014and we cannot simply unleash it on the market. The Dairy Industry Restructuring Act was set up to put in place protections so that the dairy industry would both be internationally competitive and be able to grow internal competition. We don\u2019t want to see that go by the wayside. Fonterra is still, for all its merits, a wildly monopolistic player in the New Zealand market, and, like any business, it needs discipline. There is no such thing as a free market; there\u2019s just a market that some people prefer over others, as I\u2019ve said in this House before. We need rules here for discipline.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EOnly recently\u2014last year\u2014the Supreme Court found that Fonterra had abused its position and had not treated farmers fairly when they were entering into the milk supply programme. It goes to show that without scrutiny, without examination, Fonterra will break the rules. It goes without saying, as night follows day, that if someone is dominant in the market place they will use that dominance. A provider who takes the vast majority\u201480 percent of the milk\u2014will necessarily use that position to enhance its profits and, more importantly, to squeeze out other competition\u2014competition that is critical for a vibrant and growing dairy industry, one that is based not on size and power but on innovation, on nimbleness, and on new ideas. That\u2019s the dairy industry we want to see: one that recognises the importance of sustainability, one that recognises the importance of value added and innovation. Whilst we see Fonterra doing great things in that area, it won\u2019t do them continually without a reason, without a competitor to keep up with, and that\u2019s why we need competition in the market. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ESo for the other side of this House to tell us the scaremongering that they\u2019ve been engaging in, the absolute misrepresentation of what this bill is about, the drawing of attention away from the substance of this bill to a review that may or may not happen\u2014that is exactly what we don\u2019t need in this House. We need these highly skilled academics\u2014these people who are at the height of their academic career, who left academia to benefit this House with their knowledge\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c76faa76337e4b669df69ada901f37bf\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Like a loser like yourself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289465004de5849e8a933fa0d1da317ec\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: Not like a failed accountant over there that keeps yapping away.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ENow look, what we need is discipline, in fact, and that\u2019s why we have the open entry and exit\u2014so that people can move into the Fonterra scheme when they want to, and when they want to move to a different company, a more innovative company, or a company that might be growing better, might have better ideas, or might just be doing things differently, they can do that. That flexibility is critical, and if we were to do away with that, if this bill were not to be passed\u2014as our friends on the other side know full well, which is why they\u2019re supporting this\u2014that would be placed at risk. In fact, New Zealand\u2019s place on the world stage as a premier supplier of milk\u2014of which we\u2019re rightly proud\u2014would also be placed at risk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s why this bill must be passed. That is why this is a great piece of legislation, and the other side should have got it under way a lot earlier while the clock was ticking. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here today, that\u2019s why we\u2019re debating this bill under urgency: because it is urgent that we protect our dairy industry, we protect all players and not just one, and we have a great, innovative, competitive dairy industry. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022 data-id=\u0022a10c5a0d4e4e43e4a9d9ec0b82292a31\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a10c5a0d4e4e43e4a9d9ec0b82292a31\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN (National\u2014Waikato):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s great to be talking on this second reading of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2). It\u2019s a shame, of course, that we\u2019re not going through a select committee process right now, but instead having the second reading under urgency when there\u2019s no need for it. It\u2019s a shame because there are so many aspects that could have been discussed through the select committee process. As a member of the Primary Production Committee, I would have welcomed that opportunity to open it to the broader public to give their perspective, rather than what we heard from two former speakers on the Government side tonight highlighting the arrogance on that side of the House to suggest that they know better\u2014that they know better than the public of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EWe heard it from James Shaw, suggesting that the reason we go into urgency is so that we can have great debates and hear from these amazing speakers in the Government. Well, that is ridiculous, to suggest that they know better than the people in the industry, immersed in this industry daily. That is an outrageous claim, and we\u2019ve just heard it again along with some ridiculous and ongoing economic terms around the need to continue to hear from the amazing speakers in this House rather than actually getting out there with the grassroots people in the industry and understanding what needs to happen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s no listening from the Government, and we\u2019ve seen that again simply by being in urgency again. As they did last year with the parental leave bill, they\u2019ve assumed that they know better than everybody else, and we don\u2019t need to open it up to the select committee process\u2014let\u2019s just make all the rules ourselves! What we saw then, as again now, is that they are missing the point. Things are falling through the gaps. They haven\u2019t got their head around it. And look, they can\u2019t expect to know everything\u2014I accept that. That\u2019s why we have this process. Use it. Don\u2019t try and overrun this system with ridiculous urgency motions when they\u2019re not needed. And the Green Party sit quietly every time one\u2019s proposed\u2014the party who have been so against urgency every time it was used previously, and now it\u2019s a great tool, a great part of this new Government! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EThis is ridiculous, and what we\u2019re seeing as well with this move to the review\u2014I would suggest that because of the nature of what we\u2019re hearing from the Government, we\u2019ve seen very short calls on this, the second reading. Why aren\u2019t they standing a little longer, sharing some more of their insight? Is it (1) because they simply don\u2019t understand the industry and can\u2019t talk any longer on it, or is it (2) because, actually, this bill is not the purpose\u2014it\u2019s all smoke and mirrors to get to the real crux of it, which is their review of the entire dairy sector. That\u2019s what\u2019s really going on here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re seeing a broad-brush approach being taken to an overview, a total review, of the sector. We don\u2019t know what the terms of reference are yet\u2014we haven\u2019t heard that, other than that it will be comprehensive. But I well suspect it will include an assessment and, I guess, new take on what the environmental aspects are. We certainly accept that dairy farming has an environmental impact, as do any number of other industries, as do the urban centres. We all need to contribute to improving that, as I\u2019ve mentioned previously. But what we don\u2019t need to do is have this ridiculous focus on blaming farmers, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen through the campaign.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard it from New Zealand First; we\u2019ve heard it from the Labour Party\u2014about how we\u2019re trying to drive this wedge on this side of the House, which is absolutely ridiculous. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279fc0ee19bad4671a713332ddd9dec2d\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, come on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d0186baa58642f798a071741fa67b24\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019ve mentioned it again and again through the campaign\u2014Barbara Stewart might suggest that\u2019s not the case, but we\u2019re hearing that again and again. The protest in Morrinsville was another fine example of that, where New Zealand First turned up, pretending to be friends of the farmers, and the Rt Hon Winston Peters was booed off the stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eba6d17561d94fb59f53a0a381f7529c\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, was he?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7a8ae3e9901440e9383a55cc1e8ef68\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN\u003C/span\u003E: He certainly was. They had no time for him there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223a2e5c1f023479c9934009903cee944\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will resume his seat. I\u2019m going to remind the member. I, unfortunately, have not been monitoring the debate throughout and have just recently come in, and I\u2019m not sure what the precedent has been tonight. But I have been in the Chair now for three minutes, and the member has not come close to mentioning the bill. While the second reading is quite a broad debate, the member has to at least circuit around the bill and come back to it\u2014and pretty soon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225850d9cbb6194f98a99c95a908c5e312\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I was just about to get there. Can I assure you that my contribution has been much more restrained than some we\u2019ve heard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003ENow, with regards to the bill in particular, there are some elements in there that we really need to see raised, and we\u2019re not seeing that detail in here at the moment. We\u2019re seeing a very narrow lack of detail around trying to allow the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) to continue functioning as it has, but in reality this was triggered two years ago. The Minister\u2019s had months now to make a call on it if he wanted to, and yet all we\u2019re hearing is \u201CLet\u2019s repeal Subparts 5 and 5A of Part 2 to make some changes so we can carry on at 31 May and continue with our broader review.\u201D What we need to see is an inclusion, or an assessment, an understanding, and some more consultation around some of those other aspects that we\u2019re hearing are a major concern for the Government but, in reality, aren\u2019t actually up for debate\u2014areas such as farmers being concerned about not being able to supply any more\u2014well, that\u2019s just simply not the case. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EThe previous Government\u2019s proposed bill did not suggest that would be happening at all. It wouldn\u2019t be taking away the right for people to supply Fonterra. Any existing supplier can continue to supply. And I would encourage the Government to actually read the detail to understand that. Again, we\u2019re seeing a complete lack of understanding from the Government speakers on this bill around how the agricultural sector operates. We hear about how they don\u2019t want foreign-owned businesses, and yet there\u2019s no sign of a clause to constrain the foreign-owned processors in the dairy sector. So where is that? Why aren\u2019t we seeing those sorts of items included in this? There\u2019s such a lack of detail; a flimsy couple of pages is all we have. If we\u2019d gone to select committee process, we would have had the opportunity to discuss this in a lot more detail, to review some of those aspects that had already been assessed through the Commerce Commission\u2019s report, and to get a clear plan forward that was best for the industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003ESo what I would say is that it is extremely disappointing that all the hard work that was done by the previous Government\u2014it was triggered in 2015; we passed that 20 percent threshold in the South Island for milk supply, which required the Minister to go out to seek consultation, a report on the state of the industry. We received that from the Commerce Commission, which had a number of recommendations. Submissions were made; 105 were received. We\u2019ve seen a lot of work go into this, and that\u2019s all been scrapped now. We\u2019re back to the drawing board. This new bill suggests that we actually need to go back and just put in whatever rules we like, because we\u2019re not going to follow the process. We\u2019ll go through urgency and just talk as we see fit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EThe review is a concern for me, and I believe that is the crux of what we\u2019re really discussing here today. There are some underlying issues that this Government is going to be stirring up around land-use change that will stifle innovation. We hear so much in the speakers\u2019 contributions tonight about how the Government is trying to give the industry certainty, give them confidence that they can go forward. We\u2019re seeing none of that. All this does is hang a great big cloud over the heads of Fonterra and all the dairy farmers in New Zealand with this massive review with no detail around the terms of reference. How can they have confidence to invest in the industry, to continue to grow their export markets, to expand and benefit the economy of New Zealand when there is so much uncertainty around what is happening in this review and, indeed, the time line? Is it the end of this year; is it 12 months; is it 31 March? These are some of the questions that we need to see answered by the Minister, and I\u2019d certainly encourage him to clarify that for the sake of our industry, so that they can have confidence going forward from this point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003ENow, there was a comment earlier on around the water-quality aspect. For me, that is an area that is not covered by DIRA whatsoever. It should not come into this review. I suspect it may well do; we heard a lot through the campaign around taxes and water-quality issues and, indeed, cow numbers. So are we expecting to see a capping on the stocking rate on dairy farms off the back of this review as well?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003EAt the end of the day, we don\u2019t have detail. We don\u2019t have confidence, the industry doesn\u2019t have confidence, and farmers can\u2019t have confidence without that clarity. We hear, already, the dropping confidence in the business sector, and, if this continues, we\u2019ll be seeing that happening in the rural sector as well. So I would urge the Government to give us some confidence, some clarity, around what this review\u2019s going to include, so that the industry can move forward with a clear plan in place. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u0022a3f3e9ca3f274198a11027bf39535000\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a3f3e9ca3f274198a11027bf39535000\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m very pleased to make a contribution to round off the second reading of this bill. As the only member of this House whose electorate spans the entire South Island, I believe I have some interest in this legislation and I do commend Minister O\u2019Connor for bringing this to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard a range of wild contributions from the other side right throughout this debate. I know we\u2019re under urgency, and I guess there is leeway, but the bulk of the contributions from the other side are concerning a comprehensive review, which we will be undertaking, but that review has absolutely nothing to do with this bill. There is not one word in the bill under consideration that actually mentions anything about a review. So I do want to acknowledge my colleagues Dr Webb and Dr Liz Craig, who actually were bringing this debate back to what we are supposed to be doing, which is actually considering the bill at hand\u2014and that is we are preventing the expiry of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) provisions across the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThat is a major and urgent piece of action that\u2019s required, because had we let these provisions lapse, it would just place the whole dairy sector in the South Island into disarray. That is why the members opposite are supporting this legislation, because they know that it\u2019s required. They know that it\u2019s required, so all the talk, all the bluster about a so-called review, and all the scaremongering that\u2019s been going on is totally irrelevant to the bill at hand. So I do support this bill because what we are doing is providing certainty for the dairy farmers and dairy processors right across the South Island that the DIRA regulation will continue. That is vitally important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EYes, we know that there are many farmers in the South Island. I know, going up and down my electorate, the importance of the dairy industry and the dairy sector to the people of not only the South but Aotearoa. But we\u2019ve also seen the emergence of new processors, as well, whether it\u2019s Synlait in Canterbury, Oceania, Open Country, Westland\u2014we\u2019ve got a lot of new processors that have entered the game, all as a result of DIRA regulation. And so that is a good thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EAnd then we\u2019ve also got the dominant, monopolistic, major player\u2014three-quarters of the milk supply in the South\u2014in Fonterra. So, yes, there are going to be some difficult and some complex issues that we will be talking to the industry about to progressively chart the way forward for the industry right across Aotearoa. All we are doing now with this bill is we are keeping the status quo. We are letting farmers know that, hey, we\u2019re not changing anything; things will continue as they are. We will still have open entry and exit. We\u2019ll still have milk price monitoring. There\u2019ll still be the 20 percent rule for farmers in terms of their supply to other processors. Nothing is going to change. That will continue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EAnd why are we doing this? Well, because the Commerce Commission in its report, in looking at the competitiveness of the industry, said that it\u2019s not required. They wanted to raise the threshold to 30 percent. Sure, it\u2019s about 24 percent now in terms of the milk supply that is going to other processors, but they thought that 30 percent is a fair threshold. So what we are doing now under this legislation is we\u2019re just getting rid of all of the triggers that were activated under this legislation. We have to pass this legislation under urgency so we can put a stop to all of those triggers. This is a very sensible way forward, and we\u2019re using urgency to make sure that we can get it through in an expeditious manner so we can provide that certainty for the farmers and for the processors, particularly in the South Island, so they know what arrangements they are going to be operating under for the coming season. I do commend Minister O\u2019Connor for his\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d881fa00a12412198bd86fe9bf67f91\u0022\u003EHon Meka Whaitiri\u003C/span\u003E: Leadership. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229811c2343eba4dafb768a34d13830b9b\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014leadership, yes, in bringing this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI know that we\u2019ve heard talk about going on to farms. M\u0101ori are big players in dairy in the South\u2014or emerging, I should say. Ng\u0101i Tahu farms in Eyrewell have got mighty big operations there, which I\u2019ve had a good look around over the years. Likewise, my own wh\u0101nau over in Mawhera, on the West Coast, have got our little operations happening over there. And, you know, if we look up in the North Island we\u2019ve got Miraka, just in terms of a new processor that\u2019s doing some outstanding things. [Mr Speaker holds up bill] I\u2019m just saying, sir, that this legislation is very important to the industry as a whole. It\u2019s providing certainty. It\u2019s providing certainty that that Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) regulation will remain in place, because the Commerce Commission also said that taking away that deregulation far outweighs leaving that regulation in place. I think we need to take heed of what the Commerce Commission has been saying. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EWe also know that the next phase from here in is to undertake a comprehensive review to look at all of the issues and give a proper consideration with all stakeholders to ensure that there is a pathway forward, whether it means that regulation will stay in place or whether it will mean that there is a pathway to deregulation. And I think that\u2019s what we\u2019re looking at. We\u2019re looking at a pathway to deregulation to ensure that processors, the dairy sector, and dairy farmers in general have some certainty as to how they will conduct their operations and how they will be able to make their investments, make their business decisions, to ensure that they can get an optimal return from their assets, from their businesses. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s all this legislation does. It\u2019s very straightforward. All this talk about moving goalposts, scaremongering, and goodness knows what other concerns have been raised on the other side, they\u2019re totally unjustified\u2014totally unjustified. When looking at this bill in itself, it\u2019s very, very simple, it\u2019s very, very clear, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EBill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022745dc0ffaccc4fc6b4f40257f7ab1a59\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002258ee5149ddfd426ca9dbf7a62e7e1071\u0022\u003EPart 1  Repeal of provisions that provide for expiry of subparts 5 and 5A of Part 2\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022ff7445ca7ce14c52ae86c6cef3e2fc9f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ff7445ca7ce14c52ae86c6cef3e2fc9f\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chairman, and as we move to the committee stage can I just say that I hope we see a Minister regularly on his feet answering the questions that I\u2019m going to raise, because that will certainly mean that we get more value out of this inquiry. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003ELet me start with the three questions I need to ask. The first question is, why the rush\u2014why are we here in urgency? The second question I want to ask is, noting Rino Tirikatene\u2019s comments\u2014\u201C[this] review has \u2026 nothing to do with [the] bill.\u201D, were the words he said\u2014I want to know the relationship between this bill and a bill introduced in the latter stages of the National-led Government. And the final question I want Minister O\u2019Connor to answer is, I want an assurance around the procedures that he\u2019s followed to make sure that we\u2019re putting into place legislation that will work, that is accurate, because, of course, we\u2019re not seeing the luxury of the select committee having a look at it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003ESo let me deal with the first one: why the rush? I\u2019ve listened to the contributions from both sides of the House. They\u2019ve certainly been more meaningful and had far more content from this side of the House than from the other side, but accepting that point\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b02c20510c154094b609e23ae1f00cf1\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002263387dee6caf4d1a908697ebe114f4e6\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER\u003C/span\u003E: I note the Hon Tracey Martin immediately agrees with that, because she\u2019s been shrieking for the last hour or so\u2014been away for a long lunch, no doubt. But I don\u2019t understand the reason for the rush, because as I read the legislation there is a requirement that these competition safeguards around Fonterra\u2019s share will breach on 31 May this year, and here we are in urgency on 13 February. So I see no reason at all why normal procedure couldn\u2019t have been followed, with this legislation introduced and sent to the select committee. It\u2019s about a 70-word bill, so we could have had a fairly truncated process at the select committee, but that way 4,000 South Island dairy farmers would have had a chance to make a contribution and to scrutinise the legislation. So my first question, and I hope the Minister will take the opportunity of rising to his feet, is why the rush? Why can\u2019t it go before a select committee?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EMy second question, then, was picking up on the very concrete and eloquent contribution from Rino Tirikatene. He talked about the fact that we\u2019re acknowledging there\u2019s a review. We\u2019re in the dark as to the terms of reference of that review, but there has to be, I consider, a relationship between this bill and the one introduced by the former Minister the Hon Nathan Guy. I know that in that particular piece of legislation the issue about open entry and exit was going to be dealt with. It\u2019s not an easy issue. I accept it\u2019s a complicated issue, and I think the fact that the Minister\u2019s shirked his responsibility by simply taking it out of the bill and saying that it will form part of the review still to be announced and still to be progressed\u2014we need to know tonight the relationship between this bill and the former bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EAnd then the final point I want to make is around this legislation being rushed through in urgency. I\u2019ve acknowledged many times it\u2019s about 70 words. It should be accurate, but this is complicated stuff that we\u2019re dealing with. And I know the Minister in the chair, Damien O\u2019Connor, was well educated at a Christchurch school. I know that he will have studied each word in detail, but I want to be absolutely assured. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EWe know we\u2019ve seen embarrassing situations from both Governments in the time that I\u2019ve been in this House, where Governments have chosen to rush stuff through with urgency, absolutely confident that the work\u2019s been done and the wording from the Parliamentary Counsel Office has been adequately addressed and, lo and behold, within a few weeks of it being passed we find out it hasn\u2019t been done accurately. So I just want the Minister\u2014and if he\u2019d rise to his feet and answer those three simple questions, I think we could curtail this committee stage and maybe minimise it for two or three hours, knowing that the bill hasn\u2019t had the opportunity to be scrutinised by a select committee. So I\u2019d be very, very grateful to see the Minister immediately on his feet, in cooperation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00223a02ace615514ccc9080fee04ed84a16\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223a02ace615514ccc9080fee04ed84a16\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E Look, thank you very much, Mr Chairman. I\u2019m very happy to answer the Rt Hon David Carter\u2019s questions. If I can start with the first one, why the rush? On 31 May, the legislation that governs Fonterra for South Islanders will, effectively, become defunct. It won\u2019t operate in the way that farmers and all the processors and everyone have expected and have utilised over the last 10 years or so. So there is some urgency, and, in fact, it is the same urgency that was there when, from 2015, the trigger point for that legislation was met. It was 2015; it\u2019s now 2018. Who was in Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f82c1250827d4ce5b38d7c9da335da9a\u0022\u003EHon Tracey Martin\u003C/span\u003E: National Party!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8606a6b61014fa18ebf6d9d17c26f67\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Oh! It was indeed the National Party and the National Minister. Now, to be fair to the Minister, he then conducted a review. The review was conducted, and then a piece of legislation was drafted up, and, actually, there was plenty of time from the drafting of the legislation before the election to pass that. And if the National Government had been determined to pass it and protect the dairy industry\u2014if it was its true friend\u2014it would\u2019ve done so. But the reason the National Minister and Government didn\u2019t want to was they didn\u2019t want to have a scrap among their friends. And the bottom line is that within the dairy industry and the farming sector, there\u2019s still a lot of division about some of the core provisions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EIn fact, the open entry, open exit provision was a debate between Fonterra and Federated Farmers. They announced\u2014I\u2019m sure at the encouragement of the Minister\u2014a compromise situation that, effectively, said, \u201CWell, Feds, we do kind of support open entry and open exit.\u201D, but they didn\u2019t, really. It was a temporary fix to what is a major component of a piece of legislation. And because of that debate, the Minister, to be fair to his colleagues, didn\u2019t want to have his constituency\u2014the dairy industry\u2014up in arms and arguing with the Government in the lead-up to the election. That\u2019s why they didn\u2019t do anything about this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI understand, and the Government understands, the need to pass this prior to 31 May. So we had a look at the situation, and so, in moving into the new year, had a decision to make. We could have taken the existing or the proposed piece of legislation, put it into the select committee, and then had an extensive\u2014because it is an important issue\u2014submission process and run out of time before the deadline. So my decision was to separate out the rollover provisions that protect the dairy industry and leave in place the existing legislation. It is a minor, technical amendment, actually, in truth. All it does is take out a couple of provisions that would trigger provisions that, effectively, did away with the legislation, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act. It\u2019s taken them out and said that things can continue\u2014a minor technical amendment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ESo the urgency is necessary, but the review is an opportunity. And let me get on to the second point\u2014the question. Because the bill is necessary, and we can pass that now, the opportunity then is to go back and open up for wider discussion and honest discussion, with plenty of time to look at the key issues that drive the dairy industry, and the requirements around competition, and fair access for consumer products, and the issues of protecting what is our single biggest and best company, bar none. New Zealanders still own this. It\u2019s a cooperative, and all the points raised in the House by passionate farmers, for the most part, are right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ECan I just go back, though, because in talking about the review\u2014because it won\u2019t be easy; because, actually, I have to challenge the person who questioned me on these issues. In a similar way to the dilemma the Labour Government faces now, back in 1999, when we came into Government, in fact the National Party was caught up in an internal debate between those in the caucus and the Government that wanted one company, like Fonterra, and those that wanted open competition for the dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c2c19583cc14503b5e8296a5c1bae78\u0022\u003ERt Hon David Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, rubbish!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddc0fde92ca34165ad5dde9bd6ca7b4d\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely\u2014absolutely true. And so, once again, the National Government, back in 1999, sat on its hands and did nothing. And so it was up to the incoming Labour Government to pick up the mantle and to proceed and to put in place legislation that gave us Fonterra, and I\u2019m proud of being part of a Labour Government that did that. Once again, we\u2019ve come into Government with a similar kind of dilemma, and we will not be rushed into processing a piece of legislation that was a compromise piece of legislation by the National Government, expecting us to just roll it on through. No. We want the best outcome for the dairy industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EAnd the issues raised by my coalition colleagues are legitimate issues. Some of the issues raised by the Opposition are legitimate. And so we will\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000752\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f0818a04258c4b3da3ca83c3e5d15912\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Name one. Name one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000753\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b5a288ac49743e5aea6d809b1a0fedc\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: A few. I\u2019m being very, very generous. That is, they have said that the dairy industry is important. I agree with that. They have said that Fonterra is a very important part of our economy. I accept that and agree with that, as well. But there\u2019s a lot of other things, actually, that somewhat contradict one another. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000754\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EI\u2019m confident that the coalition partners in the Labour-led Government have the best interest of Fonterra and the dairy industry and the dairy farmers at heart\u2014absolutely. And the things that are coming at us internationally\u2014like the ones of artificial milk, like the ones of increasing environmental scrutiny, of increasing scrutiny around our labour laws and provisions in the industry\u2014are things that our customers are absolutely demanding, and be it blockchain or traceability or whatever, we will have to meet the highest standards internationally to continue to sell high-value products into those best markets.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000755\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThe review is an opportunity\u2014and I acknowledge that the National Party, I think, deep down, see the wisdom in this\u2014and we should embrace the opportunity and go through in a very careful way, with the right people, and come up with the right outcome. And it won\u2019t be a bunch of Tory lackeys, which is what that Government did every time it had a review. It will be people who have an understanding of the future, of future needs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000756\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220ee558d6ece64f468b37ebda9ca16d57\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: Who? Who?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000757\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1b6f1ece3584b9194858af4a74fdff7\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Well, we haven\u2019t decided. If the member has some people he thinks should be put forward, I\u2019d welcome him nominating some. But I\u2019ll tell you what: they\u2019ll be on the committee because of their wisdom and vision, not because of their political alliances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000758\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ECan I say, to the third point around urgency, there are\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000759\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022187155ae72ff4b919635e2dc6015af49\u0022\u003ERt Hon David Carter\u003C/span\u003E: That was the first point, actually.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000760\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ad44de759954b1281ab9aca3be3a7ff\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right. There have been people making submissions on the dairy industry review. I accept that, and I\u2019m guessing that the same people will make submissions to this, and there may be some more, because the industry has moved forward quite a long way in 12 months, in fact\u2014quite a long way. So there are now issues and perspectives that I think have changed since they last made submissions, and I welcome their submissions back into this process. They don\u2019t want to make submissions two or three times. This urgency legislation is a technical bill to just roll things over and allow those people to put their time and effort into and focus on to a substantive submission that will come in to the substantive review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000761\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ESo I think I\u2019ve answered all three questions. I may not answer every question quite so substantively, because I think therein lies\u2014and respecting the questions asked by the member here, the Rt Hon David Carter; because he comes from a good school, he\u2019s asked smart questions. Can I say that it\u2019s fair enough that I\u2019ve answered him and, I hope, assured the House and the dairy industry that the coalition Government, in proceeding with this legislation and a review, has at heart the absolute best long-term interests of Fonterra, dairy farmers, and the dairy industry and the New Zealand economy that does depend upon it so much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u00221dacf133bc9b4181bf37625421fceb5b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221dacf133bc9b4181bf37625421fceb5b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National\u2014Hamilton East):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. When we look at Part 1 of the bill, it repeals the provisions that, basically, relate to the South Island provision in the legislation that was triggered in 2015, as a number of speakers have said, because the South Island milk flow was over 20 percent that went to non-Fonterra factories, so the 80 per cent threshold was met and, therefore, that triggered the ability for the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act regulations not to apply in the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000763\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, this bill, in Part 1, talks about how it intends to enable those provisions to still apply even though the legislation has triggered itself in the original Dairy Industry Restructuring Act. Now, the original Act the Labour Party has taken a lot of credit for tonight, saying that they did that a number of years ago. That is true and we acknowledge that, but at that time, they set a threshold for the South Island. That is a threshold that has been met, and now they are trying to change the threshold that they set earlier. If they were so right in what they did many years ago, why do they need to change it again now? That is something I\u2019d like the Minister to answer as to why they actually need to change that threshold now. If that is because they don\u2019t believe there is enough competition in the South Island, then I need the Minister to say that, because some of his colleagues have said to that effect, and their words were: \u201Cwildly monopolistic player\u201D that \u201Cneeds discipline\u201D. The member from Christchurch, the new member, said that about Fonterra, that it was a \u201Cwildly monopolistic player\u201D and needed discipline. So that side of the House, obviously, has it in for Fonterra. That was that member\u2019s exact words. He saw this legislation and the review that will accompany it as a direct attempt to attack Fonterra. If you ever needed proof of that, just ask that member who said those comments on the Labour side.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000764\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, there are some parts of the legislation that have been removed from the original Act that was taken to this House some time ago, and one of those was the ability to take milk from new conversions. That was something that had been agreed upon between the parties involved, and I want to hear from the Minister why he decided that clause had to be removed from this bill. What was so offensive to the current Minister that he felt that he couldn\u2019t have that in this bill now? That clause, effectively, enabled Fonterra to say no to new conversions that would increase their requirement to have stainless steel provision at a time when they didn\u2019t actually need to do it, and it would actually mean that you would achieve the opposite goal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000765\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019ve heard from the Labour, Green and New Zealand First members tonight is they\u2019re talking about trying to build a value-add industry. That is the whole mantra that we have heard tonight. The provision of extra stainless steel for anybody that decides they want to do a new conversion and join Fonterra means that Fonterra actually has to provide a lot more infrastructure, especially in a fast-growing area like the South Island, than it actually needs for the production of its product. So, naturally, that means that that extra infrastructure goes into very commodity-type products like milk powder, rather than the value-add products that the Minister has said he wants to see happen in the industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000766\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ESo I want to know from the Minister why he took that clause out, because that clause actually would include an incentive for Fonterra to actually work on the value-add and not provide more provision for stainless steel just as a backup. And if you want to get that in the terminology of Fonterra shareholders, for example, if you look at Fonterra Shareholders\u2019 Council chairman Duncan Coull, he has said this about open entry, \u201COpen entry leaves Fonterra and its farmers as guarantors for the industry, underwriting risk for competitors, forcing us to potentially build more capacity than needed and making it harder for us to invest in the highest returning manufacturing assets.\u201D Those are the direct words of the Fonterra Shareholders\u2019 Council chair. That open-entry policy, which the Minister has taken out of this bill, directly conflicts with his desire to see a more value-added industry. The problem Fonterra finds is that because it has to be open to any potential milk supply, especially in the South, then it has to provide a lot more plant, and that plant is traditionally commodity-based rather than the value-added that we all in this House seek to see from the industry. So I just can\u2019t understand why the Minister has taken that clause out, when it actually and effectively achieves the purpose he seeks to see in the industry going forward. There\u2019s no reason why he would take it out. It\u2019s not something that needs to be debated in this House. He\u2019s made it very clear to the House that that is his goal, and there would be no opposition from this side of House to that goal being achieved either, because everybody wants to see a higher value-add to Fonterra in its distribution of the products that it makes it. Fonterra itself wants that as well, and Fonterra has made those kinds of commitments in its investments in recent years where it can, but it is also hamstrung by that need to provide that stainless steel and to provide that capacity because of that open-entry clause.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000767\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EIn the South Island there is significant competition. The original threshold that was set of the 80 percent has been met and there is competition beyond that point. There are new companies starting up in that area all the time. There\u2019s a new company starting in the North Island. For example, if you look at \u014Ctorohanga, it recently had an announcement of a new company there. There is a very competitive milk market out there and Fonterra is being hamstrung by this legislation. The Minister had an opportunity to do two or three things that were in the legislation that the previous Minister had put forward that would enable us to achieve some of those value-added processes, and he has declined to do that. So I want the Minister to explain why he is taking that out, why he doesn\u2019t believe that leaving that in there would assist in the value-add process that he has come to this House to seek.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000768\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EIf we look at Fonterra itself, their response to the Commerce Commission\u2019s review said, \u201CThe requirement to accept all milk acts as a disincentive to Fonterra to invest in the right kind of assets and undermines the industry\u2019s ability to grow value-add business and maximise returns to NZ farmers, as we are all committed to do.\u201D Why then does the Minister take that clause out? If he genuinely wanted to see a value-add industry, the industry itself has met the threshold test that was set to it a number of years ago. The industry itself has said that it is willing to invest in that kind of infrastructure, and yet this Minister feels that he can make an executive decision that is bigger than the industry. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000769\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s the danger that we will find in this review. We\u2019ve heard it from the people in the Opposition in this Chamber here tonight. They all believe that they know better for Fonterra and for New Zealand farmers than what Fonterra itself knows. They all say that. The Greens are saying, \u201CWe want water quality. We want to look at environmental land use.\u201D The Labour Party is looking at exactly the same. They want labour rights. They\u2019re looking at the contracting provisions of Fonterra in regard to supplies. Those parties are dictating to New Zealand\u2019s business the very decisions that a business makes. I don\u2019t see any of them being qualified to be the CEO of Fonterra. I don\u2019t see any of them being qualified to be elected to the board of Fonterra. All I see is a group of Labour - Green - New Zealand First politicians that want to go after that industry, and this is their mechanism to do it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000770\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245139023135d4ba6a4130de218b56766\u0022\u003EHon Dr David Clark\u003C/span\u003E: What a load of rubbish!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000771\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224947b03e53ea40b4876a01a5295e3870\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: That member over there says \u201Cload of rubbish\u201D. This is true. This is what is happening in this room here tonight, because otherwise you would just pass the legislation as it is, otherwise there\u2019s no point in going into urgency, otherwise there\u2019s no point in going to a review. Why do you want to do the review? It is because it has to be a wider purpose. [Bell rung] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u0022594962bd44bd4328b4a2c62344e85e3b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022594962bd44bd4328b4a2c62344e85e3b\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Associate Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I\u2019m going to take a small contribution to the Minister\u2019s explanation in terms of answering some of the questions from the Opposition side around the urgency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000773\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022229638a072b04d0fabde4b8c730d2848\u0022\u003ERt Hon David Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Great, because the Minister didn\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265fb4ae8dd6849d5901ee6f6907265ae\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI\u003C/span\u003E: Well, look, it\u2019s very clear that the Minister explained the urgency. You know, we\u2019ve got a deadline for 31 May. I also know that the former Minister talked about going to select committee, and, let\u2019s be honest, select committee is about a six-week process and I think the Minister in the chair, the Minister of Agriculture, has made it really clear that the reason why we\u2019re having urgency is because we have got farmers waiting for clarity, which unfortunately that side of the House didn\u2019t provide them when they were in power. So here we have a Minister doing the right thing by bringing this bill in for urgency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000775\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EBut there is a question I did want to ask the Minister and that\u2019s, I guess, in response to some of the comments made from across the Chamber, and that\u2019s in relation to this: if we weren\u2019t presenting this piece of legislation in the House, what would be the actual risk to the Southland farmers, for example? I also want to make comment that you\u2019ve prefaced your introduction of this bill, Minister, by the fact that this very wide-ranging review is going to take place. You\u2019ve made comments, I\u2019ve heard in this House, around the ever-changing international markets around dairy products, around technology, around products\u2019 origin, and, of course, around food safety, and taking a strategic review of the dairy industry I think is the right thing to do. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve heard you say in this House, Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000776\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EWhat I haven\u2019t heard from those on that side of the Chamber is the risk and the long-term vision of our dairy sector going forward. I\u2019ve heard a lot of complaints around the rush; you\u2019ve more than ably explained that, Minister. But, I guess, I again look to you in terms of the leadership that you\u2019re providing in the urgency of this bill, which, coupled with the strategic review that you have promised that you\u2019re going to undertake, for me talks about the sort of long-range vision that you have for the dairy industry. Here, for this particular bill, we\u2019re talking for South Island farmers, but clearly players like Fonterra will be looking very closely under your leadership as we look more strategically at the dairy industry, and I think that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019ve promised in this House, and I commend you for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000777\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ESo my questions were a couple of things, Minister. What is the risk to us not proceeding with this bill under urgency? What\u2019s the risk particularly to the South Island farmers that are looking for the leadership and clarity that you\u2019re providing through this bill? The second one is about the commitment to the wide-ranging review that you\u2019re going to undertake and the risk to the nation and the dairy industry if you don\u2019t take that strategic review. Those are two questions that I\u2019m really keen to hear from you. A third one, if I may, in the time that\u2019s provided is in support of my colleague Rino Tirikatene and to acknowledge the very strong M\u0101ori interests in dairy across the nation, and to ensure that obviously under your leadership, Minister, we will ensure that emerging farmers, particularly in the M\u0101ori agri-business sector around dairy farmers, will also be part and parcel of your review. I do hope that you take that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000778\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022752cb1e606bb42768ba8af2168582b44\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, Miraka.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000779\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022feaa740a551d467a89c9544446585cf2\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI\u003C/span\u003E: Well, Miraka\u2019s one over in the Taup\u014D area, and you know they\u2019re doing some really innovative things there. But if we\u2019re talking about the wider dairy industry, Minister, I do encourage us to take that wider, innovative, and diverse view on our industry, the dairy industry, as we go forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000780\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ESo, Minister, there are three questions there: the risk to us of not presenting this bill in the way we\u2019re doing it; the wider risk to the industry if we\u2019re not taking a review as you promised; and, thirdly, ensuring that M\u0101ori dairy farmers\u2019 perspectives are also taken into consideration as we undertake this review. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022ba9cdf0c18ef4357a06652bfbd1fc9b7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000781\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ba9cdf0c18ef4357a06652bfbd1fc9b7\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the committee report progress. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022d7cd6f4fc2ad45ca869fcf603c75edfc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000782\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d7cd6f4fc2ad45ca869fcf603c75edfc\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000783\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b0b008b7ae88426eb54c3ebe7cdc65ca\u0022\u003EHon Chris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: No, it\u2019s a vote. I\u2019ve moved it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000784\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec545464581a46ea9c7af4432d963aaa\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Chair, I seek the call. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000785\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bbe79e4a2a124488933fa40bd6725737\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Can you wait a minute? I am seeking advice on this. My mistake\u2014there is a vote. Leave is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000786\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c657c3c33d54abb8255b2b265e67a79\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. There hasn\u2019t been enough time to debate this part of the bill. The member sought leave for a vote. I stood up and sought leave to make a call before you had made any decision. There had been no vote accepted. I seek leave for another call on this part. We\u2019ve had only a very small number of calls. Until that motion is accepted, it is still open for somebody to seek the call. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000787\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228918f6130bc24533bfd5f3c907daf3dd\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: No, my ruling is that there will be a vote on this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u0022b608368ded6844d0a8da5c777ddaa11c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000788\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b608368ded6844d0a8da5c777ddaa11c\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER (National):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. There\u2019s another issue that I think Mr Chairman needs to seriously consider. A call was made to report progress. There\u2019s been some discussion, and I note now that it\u2019s 4 minutes to 10. By convention in this House, when we\u2019re in the committee stage we always then report progress to Mr Speaker at 5 minutes to 10, so I think we\u2019ve gone beyond the time to do so. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u002237216308343a485a9184c872c93615c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000789\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002237216308343a485a9184c872c93615c1\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: I thank the member for his contribution, but, as members have been calling out on the other side, we are in urgency and the vote will be put. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022935e4bfc1f224d00a9215a920201acb1\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the committee report progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 63\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 56\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 56.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000790\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022acf0b2cdc78841388106d4b319696106\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EProgress reported.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000791\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u002261e9808a8aaa498fb87056548db407c8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000792\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261e9808a8aaa498fb87056548db407c8\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Government has indicated that it does not wish to continue urgency, so the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill (No 2) is set down for further consideration in committee next sitting day. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000793\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 9.59 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180213272792f78e1c4838afbbc09e67f12868000794\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"