"\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=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002243c7f4d6497c4fbba0bafa091e36da66\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2018\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223d45f6f3cc054957963ac6e98c927bb0\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2018\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000004\u0022\u003EPrayers.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220d41c791f04f4566a555621f5de0791e\u0022\u003EObituaries\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a885a407cc6342b5ac22f1bb691ef15a\u0022\u003EHon Noel Scott QSO\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00225dbb621d6f4d4e1c8bb964acba3c22e0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225dbb621d6f4d4e1c8bb964acba3c22e0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I regret to inform the House of the death on 25 February 2018 of the Hon Noel Scott QSO, who represented the electorate of Tongariro from 1984 to 1990. He was a Minister Without Portfolio, Minister of Recreation and Sport, Associate Minister of Education, and Associate Minister of Employment from 1989 to 1990.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EI desire, on behalf of this House, to express our sense of the loss we have sustained and our sympathy with the relatives of the late former member. I now ask members to stand with me and observe a period of silence as a mark of respect for his memory.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EHonourable members stood as a mark of respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1c18d127a7d4fb2a131aab77303f152\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220755e1d032ff44ae9808886014f72d5e\u0022\u003EPoints of Order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002228d90d40d2b44860acc32e8a3e21afdb\u0022\u003EMembers\u2014Conduct in Chamber, Moving About the Chamber\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022 data-id=\u00228028f7d2ce95446f903007a1b8a838dd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228028f7d2ce95446f903007a1b8a838dd\u0022\u003ERt Hon DAVID CARTER (National):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I want to raise with you a matter of inconsistency, which I would be grateful if you would give a considered ruling on, because I think it could lead to a matter of disorder. On 15 February, the Leader of the House, the Hon Chris Hipkins, raised with the House the issue of me taking a copy of a bill to a member who was having trouble with a debate. I did so to help the situation. You, in your ruling that day, suggested I was not being helpful. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e4b09a29-dfd3-42c0-8585-11463bd6077b\u0022\u003EThe reason I raise this is that exactly the same incident happened last night. In the House, during the education amendment bill, the Hon Tracey Martin was delivering a speech and realised that she was speaking to the wrong bill, and immediately, to be absolutely helpful, the Hon Jenny Salesa took her a copy of the bill so she could continue her contribution. Incidentally, the Hon Chris Hipkins was just sitting immediately next to the Hon Tracey Martin and raised no objection to it. So I just wonder whether you could give some further thought to whether such an action is disorderly, because it was clearly of concern\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002270906d0aa86c47eba834f94a5efd7542\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002270906d0aa86c47eba834f94a5efd7542\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Right. I want to thank the member for his intervention. I will consider it carefully, as the member would have, himself. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e0828701e79149dd98e309128bb58794\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229937e928fc1146218b05c188e8620c5c\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e96a3287cf944985ad2e9beba5b7f9b5\u0022\u003EProvincial Growth Fund\u2014Decision Making and Probity Checks\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc112fc25e4540b8ae1576f5d0cbeef0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc112fc25e4540b8ae1576f5d0cbeef0\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement, \u201CWe have a high standard of expectation for our Ministers\u201D, and does she believe her Government is adhering to these high standards?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u002241c5aff53b7649a5a844c6362d991769\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002241c5aff53b7649a5a844c6362d991769\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, and yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220652ecf1e6ac4dbe95ffecd735b03e90\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: What probity checks were carried out on all the Provincial Growth Fund projects announced last Friday in order to maintain her Government\u2019s high standards?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299fa39e86189411fb2e2b4dca6b93ef0\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I mentioned yesterday in this House, many of those came from regional growth initiatives that were pitched locally and went through a process via officials and then a group of Ministers. I know the member will be referring to a very specific project that\u2019s been raised in the media. Minister Jones has made it clear he was not aware of the issue relating to one of the shareholders\u2014as, I have to say, it was clear that Minister Bridges himself would not, at that time, have been aware when he and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) gave money to the exact same project.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234702f73a2db46b0b37622d9a04253b7\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: What specific advice did her Government receive from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) or any other officials prior to confirming the grant from the Provincial Growth Fund for a waste-to-energy plant on the West Coast?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2f27802ed85414a87a09a5ea3e14599\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Obviously, advice that deemed it ready for a feasibility project on whether it warranted further investment. But, as I have to point out again, as MBIE officials did not unearth the issue with the shareholder\u2014in fact, can I say, no money has come from this Government, but the last Government gave them plenty, even after the allegations and investigation had begun.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df8db61687aa4b2782b2f6fec2fb5ab2\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Prime Minister saying that Mr Bridges\u2019 DNA and handprints and fingerprints are all over the West Coast project, about which he now presently complains?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203d3e244f11440408edf43b92ac81af6\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: According to advice I\u2019ve received, that very much depends on how well briefed and involved he was within NZTE\u2019s dealings, but, yes, NZTE definitely, as far as I\u2019m advised, provided funding to this group.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f877a87e9b644cc0b187b0b9b805e6c7\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Prime Minister table that evidence in relation to NZTE?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d6a1ee0fa75407aa5fbb324180c3d22\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I do have specific figures. I\u2019m sure that I could source the original document for the member if he needs something to jog his memory.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232491ca835e149a8890621cbae199bf3\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Was she aware the recipients of a grant for the proposed $250 million waste-to-energy plant on the West Coast were previously the subject of a public sector conflict of interest investigation and that RNZ was reporting this morning that one is still under serious fraud investigation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd4aa99ebddb471982ebbfc9fd5036c0\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I mentioned, those investigations were under way at the time that NZTE also engaged with this group, so it\u2019s fair to say that, probably, it was unknown. But that would be a question, ultimately, for the Minister and MBIE, who were involved in that process. Look, I think it\u2019s fair to point out that of course this is not a situation this Government wants to see for its Provincial Growth Fund, which is why the Minister has acted to stop the process and make sure it\u2019s fully investigated, and no money has changed hands, unlike what happened under the last Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb8771f4a639464b9b7dec215f04b613\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, does she believe\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268f12c47c3334d11bf5c3ffff81badbc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! No, no. Mr Brownlee, I think, is going to\u2014does he need to be told, or is he going to withdraw and apologise?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb05e42e5d424408a32b14bdf2c0a6c5\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was asked of the Prime Minister about whether she would table information to back up the claim she is making that these projects, or part of this particular project was part-funded by a previous Government. I think until that\u2019s done, given that we don\u2019t think it was, don\u2019t believe it was, it\u2019s unreasonable for her to pursue this line of questioning. It\u2019s actually\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc002ac832f543e2b47eab4c7c793a6d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, she\u2019s answering, not questioning\u2014[Interruption] Sorry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bfffe6278a5e4f2482d1c15b3b6a8178\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. A previous ruling you gave a few weeks ago was in response to me trying to ascertain about documents and whether or not they were\u2014and you said, actually, I couldn\u2019t do that any further because it hadn\u2019t been ascertained whether or not those documents were real. Well, I would argue that we\u2019re in the same situation now, where we haven\u2019t got evidence that those documents are there\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a9fc1afb7ec048d2a0c6dc093b43cf22\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The Hon Simon Bridges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022db150bf0196d4ab1bfb3079c6f503eed\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Are you not going to rule on that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022513fa3fb419645e0bad97a6251037456\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t need to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002263776108-58dc-4cab-baf1-95282c61d0de\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cbffd04d298f4b5bb0a85929ae29b9b1\u0022\u003EHon Paula Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f6443c34a2b54e37803e86ee17ed277f\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Because you\u2019re right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e375eaa09aa427b97148f4faaf05d38\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022666e03b12d2c4da3b76847790322e0bc\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: In terms of the high standards the Prime Minister sets for her Ministers, does she believe, even if officials didn\u2019t say about this probity issue, that Ministers should make inquiries in relation to projects such as this in regard to probity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b45eeca605643ee84ad202dfd5be53f\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I think it\u2019s fair to assume that all Ministers expect, and hope, that there aren\u2019t these kinds of disparities when it comes to the projects they\u2019re discussing, and have an expectation that officials, where it\u2019s known, would raise it with them. The point I\u2019m trying to make here is that this is a situation that, of course, this Government is not happy to be in. It\u2019s working to resolve it. I would expect a previous Minister from the other side of the House, given his past circumstance, would recognise that from to time, very unfortunately, these situations arise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a929656870a24052892e4e8497335b23\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: In light of either the officials or the Minister not knowing what\u2019s going on here, could it be that there are probity issues in relation to the other projects announced in relation to this Provincial Growth Fund?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f4778af94024c56b9a9661db21d0369\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Given that yesterday that member claimed responsibility for all of them, he\u2019d better hope not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d93757af2b64a64b7e47e7706e49665\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Could I ask the Prime Minister as to whether she has seen a chronological record of Mr Simon Bridges\u2019 involvement since he became the Minister on 19 December 2016, and does it have his DNA all over the prior transactions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4d8a176f4ed4458a4f5c517829e6634\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I referenced in one of my previous answers, yes, I have been given advice and a time line. But what the member was asking was with primary documentation. If he\u2019d like me to undertake to go away and look further at some of that, I\u2019m happy to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226dc99848b345421da9b7917c6e7cb721\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: In light, on the face of it, of the clear probity issues in relation to this waste-to-energy project, will the cheque on it be cancelled?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f3669295d94f4497af4590cd718645a5\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I outlined in my previous answer, we\u2019ve put a hold on the funding of what was a feasibility study, I should point out, until we get to the bottom of this issue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276667c97a47848d99e02e13b112dceca\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with her Minister for Regional Economic Development that the cloud now hanging over her $3 billion flagship policy, \u201CI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a train wreck. If anything, it\u2019s a mild form of road kill.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf41d139b5c3402ba6b9802a5d2f201d\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: That sounds about right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002215041fea0ced4aa192753a98c0a6b735\u0022\u003ETertiary Education\u2014Funding of Regional Institutions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022 data-id=\u002234bef8df0742424ead79d95395719a34\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002234bef8df0742424ead79d95395719a34\u0022\u003EANAHILA KANONGATA\u2019A-SUISUIKI (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Education: What action has the Government taken to preserve tertiary education in the regions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u00225b21fcdd35ce41969bb1a3bd19f114e3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225b21fcdd35ce41969bb1a3bd19f114e3\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E This morning, I announced an $8.5 million cash injection for the troubled Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) on the South Island\u2019s West Coast, so that it can continue operating over the coming year. This funding boost is needed to keep the polytechnic running and to improve quality, pending some wider sector changes. The extra funding is a strong demonstration of this Government\u2019s commitment to tertiary education delivery on the West Coast. The Tertiary Education Commission has also agreed to write off $25 million of debt for under-delivery owed by TPP, as it simply will not be able to repay that amount.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223da5b6eae8074f1db97640a2208ba2bb\u0022\u003EAnahila Kanongata\u2019a-Suisuiki\u003C/span\u003E: Is Tai Poutini unique in facing these sorts of challenges?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022803d1f1408664283b61aca5713642e02\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Regrettably, no. There are a group of institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITP) that, like TPP, are facing immediate and pressing challenges to their financial viability and sustainability, unable to modernise their teaching and learning to better meet the needs of learners and employers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff8e9bcdb654464593af8f42570dc003\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: No, actually. How many of them have actually not been delivering courses, like TPP?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267ea5fc3f8f14a3c9a87c4cfba4871ed\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Joyce pipes up. Of course, this is all his doing. We have inherited from the previous Government a polytechnic and ITP sector that, frankly, is nearing being a basket case.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e3343fbf92754020abfc42958664e466\u0022\u003EAnahila Kanongata\u2019a-Suisuiki\u003C/span\u003E: Why has the situation for institutes of technology and polytechnics deteriorated to this extent?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa5777d3e0e046c7826a418958703120\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: There are a variety of causes\u2014one of which, of course, is the funding pressures that they were placed under by the previous Government. We\u2019ve also seen plunging participation in polytechnic-level training under the previous Government, and the running down of regional education provision under the previous Government. This Government is committed to addressing all of those things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ee1f30021f7a4519a63da52582f7c06f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I thought Mr Joyce\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225153d4c79dca447d9e41fd9f9feebf51\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve changed my mind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220f457adc5d794555ae8c63d2b7374803\u0022\u003EPrisons\u2014Prison Population, Bail Legislation, and Crime Rates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u0022bbb989aab1a9472591cc98279e785ce7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bbb989aab1a9472591cc98279e785ce7\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government\u2019s policies and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u0022ffd04b01d1fe41938ac5cb52b999ba1b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ffd04b01d1fe41938ac5cb52b999ba1b\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294a9732a4907494e8f5d03a5eeceabed\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: What specific reversals to the Bail Amendment Act is her Government advocating for, in light of her Minister of Justice\u2019s comments over the weekend?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022011abf3fbff04fbba59a3856905ad52e\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I think it\u2019s fair to say that when you look at the documents that were tabled at the time that the last Government made changes to the Bail Act, they significantly under-projected the impact that it would have, which suggests that it even outstripped their expectations of how it would operate. I think it\u2019s only fair, given what we are facing as a Government, that we would look across the board at some of those initiatives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc0e09ff48444591a4722eca20829529\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I\u2019ll ask again: what specific reversals to the Bail Amendment Act is her Government advocating for, in light of her Minister of Justice\u2019s comments over the weekend?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224745f2a4d47e48bf8cc1678801d04c9b\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I\u2019ve said, when the last Government implemented their Bail Amendment Act, the implementation has been quite different to the reality that they projected. This is a piece of work that we\u2019re undertaking, because, ultimately, we\u2019ve been left with a prison population that is soaring, and on current projections, because of the last Government, we\u2019ll be building another prison every three to five years. That is not acceptable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fafbdb5a31e44c42b66b3bd30439ec8d\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, given the Bail Amendment Act 2013 made it harder for murderers, serious sexual and violent offenders, and users and traffickers of class A drugs to get bail, what exactly does her Government intend to reverse from those changes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da577d82345c48a6ae54e135a1910896\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: As I have just pointed out, based on the regulatory impact statement and the projections from that last Government, what\u2019s happening in reality has far outstripped that, which is suggesting it\u2019s doing more than what even they intended it would.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222671f84b29fc4f02922b11db50ae224c\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree that the likes of William Bell, Clayton Weatherston, and Graeme Burton should all serve their entire sentences for the crimes that they commit; and if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213f5d1af98a94b95868fd7d40cfcb09c\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: At this point, this is going well beyond what the member was asking in his primary question. Does this Government want people to be safe? Yes. Do we want to see the crime rate continuing to decline? Yes. Do we want the imprisonment rate to increase despite a declining crime rate? No. There is more that this Government is committed to doing, because the last Government did not plan properly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002217774d981a1546ebad120d9cb9e9d0bc\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in light of the discussion of all the advice that\u2019s been received, what is the latest advice she has received regarding the number of people in jail for possession of cannabis, and can she confirm that the number still sits at around 10 people?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bcde08dc68754d4999a2155029d0be15\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I haven\u2019t asked for those figures in recent weeks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022891f569bf0de41f1ad31e8e772c6eded\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Can she confirm that her Government has received advice from justice sector agencies that show police proceedings for offences with six-month penalties have rapidly decreased over the last nine years, and offences with maximum penalties of three to 14 years have rapidly increased over the same period; and does she think that might have an impact on the prison population?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224bd0f16b98b141f1b478ea76c8a446db\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I can tell the House that the most recent advice I\u2019ve received from the justice sector is that despite, in some cases, a declining or static crime rate, we have an exponential increase in imprisonment that that Government did nothing about, which means that we now are looking at a bill of a new prison every two to three years, and we\u2019re looking at being a country up with the likes of the United States in terms of our imprisonment rate. He may be proud of it; this Government is not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022045a857f25804f3c946c5765ea9d352e\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, given she\u2019s so worried about the prison population, who of the serious recidivist offenders who commit murder, serious sexual and violent offences, or who traffic or take class A drugs\u2014spending longer in prison\u2014will she let out first?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239b46df3dc4e4fe29b36176f336c329c\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: A completely irrational question. And I would point out that his own last leader and last Prime Minister pointed out that continually building prisons is both a moral and fiscal failure, and this Government would agree with that sentiment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b404a34ce55a45ca8410dba02fb72089\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Well, if the advice she is receiving from her officials is that there are more serious recidivist offenders serving more of their sentences, will she ensure her Government\u2019s policy of reducing the prison population by 30 percent will not harm public safety?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223f0e9b5dbff43c693eabb86e234fda3\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Of course this Government is focused on public safety.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222f663e8055824281bf167a7107fdaa30\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Bill of Rights Act\u2014Proposed Changes\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u0022b58634eb6f4c48d4b64fea685f8e05d0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b58634eb6f4c48d4b64fea685f8e05d0\u0022\u003EVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E To the Minister of Justice, what announcements has the Government made regarding the Bill of Rights Act 1990?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221239741f3452494db398e4dcc7799658\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Have one more go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u002295118cb162c24c81be0edc7237c73b9d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002295118cb162c24c81be0edc7237c73b9d\u0022\u003EVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Justice: What announcements has the Government made regarding the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u00223e1f0511a2444104b5eb63d513afa01f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223e1f0511a2444104b5eb63d513afa01f\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E On Monday, the Prime Minister, the Attorney-General, and I announced that Cabinet had approved, in principle, to amend the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to provide a statutory power for the senior courts to make declarations of inconsistency under that Act, as well as a requirement that Parliament respond to those declarations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a34a6fdb9ae547c2b7743640378ed1b8\u0022\u003EVirginia Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: What significance does this decision have, in principle, on human rights in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7bfb838238e4475afcb734d599ba958\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Cabinet\u2019s decision in principle is an important step in upholding human rights in New Zealand whilst recognising the sovereignty of Parliament. New Zealand is unusual in the Westminster system in that we have a unicameral Parliament, and this will provide an additional check on the actions of Parliament. There is still further work to be done in consultation with other parties, and, indeed, with Parliament\u2019s Privileges Committee, which is yet to be concluded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274d999eab54a40408d3333bbe447f69f\u0022\u003EVirginia Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Will this allow courts to strike down legislation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1e80299224f42e2976f16f1038fda91\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: No, absolutely not. We have been quite clear that the purpose of this decision is to put forward a process that requires Parliament to respond to a declaration, because, after all, it is possible for Parliament, in its collective wisdom, to get things wrong on rare occasions. This upholds the sovereignty of Parliament completely\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dea3b207aaca4937819502788bcb4dc6\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: Getting the courts to decide\u2014no courage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022efe65e9d0b494050b0081c745fb1fe8a\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014despite what Judith Collins might say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f99d8b92c3d47f4904214d6d1470644\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: In light of the Attorney-General having confirmed that the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill limits the right to freedom of expression as set out in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, can the Minister confirm that this is just the sort of legislation that would be challenged by the senior courts and referred back to Parliament for consideration for breaching the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dfe4bd48eb7d4f2699d1491f1183f2bb\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill, as it works its way through Parliament, has not had a negative Attorney-General vet under section 7 of the Act. If that member wants to race off to the senior courts to challenge it, she is more than welcome to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226f6490947cf2430cade733d03036d8f0\u0022\u003EBudget 2018\u2014Funding Announcements\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u002212c4cad329b24e3baf6af43229a5920f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002212c4cad329b24e3baf6af43229a5920f\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What funds has the Government publicly announced in the last week that have been allocated from between-budget contingencies or from pre-commitments against Budget 2018\u2019s operating and capital allowances, broken down by description and amounts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b3b4999757c497da28bba56b3fae047\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I should warn the House that I have been pre-warned that this may be an answer that\u2019s longer than usual.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u00225d75b818fb334efd97af6f85992045af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225d75b818fb334efd97af6f85992045af\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Acting Minister of Finance)\u003C/span\u003E: Improving mental health services for children in Canterbury and Kaik\u014Dura\u2014this is to provide additional mental health support services in earthquake-affected schools from the contingency identified for mental health, enabling an announcement of the Government\u2019s mental health response in Canterbury on 22 February 2018. This was for an amount of $28 million. Funding for Tai Poutini Polytechnic, ahead of wide sector change\u2014$8.5 million will go to the troubled Tai Poutini Polytechnic, so it can continue to operate over the coming year. Funding for a four-member ministerial advisory group to investigate the establishment of a public media funding commission\u2014$1.381 million. On Friday, the Minister for Regional Economic Development also made a number of funding announcements. The proportion of new funding allocation versus spending from existing moneys is Budget-sensitive, and the member will have to wait and see\u2014only 77 sleeps to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c9d03b89a614d4fb46bb7fd0f6f6153\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In relation to the last part of the Minister\u2019s answer, the question was very clear about the amounts of money that had been allocated. It\u2019s hard to see how that amount is Budget-sensitive, when it was announced by the Minister for Regional Economic Development last Friday. Perhaps the Minister can revise his answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224045f36e7aa743f696db31d5690f3218\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think if the member had listened really carefully to the answer, he would have heard that the answer did quite properly indicate that some of it had come from arrangements to which the member referred and others are coming from new money. But he\u2019s not declared which, because that\u2019s Budget-sensitive. And that\u2019s absolutely right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf4f40cfba2d4ab68e68a8abb56aa2ec\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: It can\u2019t be Budget-sensitive if it has been announced publicly. I know the Minister\u2019s probably embarrassed about\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1186c710e8843f1ab183da755b93423\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will resume his seat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c177b0797f04ce591895955fd954cc6\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265a7aaeff743455a925e64b26e4dc932\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. The member has lost his chance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d15190dc04a48d89b294aeb28d20bdc\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: I said supplementary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddedffb772e94d1a8b247bc85b7084ca\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, supplementary. Fair enough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e515bfb13f04e7da6d37bbaf2c55267\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister please tell the House how much of the $61.7 million in provincial growth funding announced last Friday was new money under Budget 2018?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277953b0fdf194ee09d5199218b27d04c\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223314868f3da940e78c7c999a6e2bf097\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: How can the Minister explain that the Government announced with great fanfare that $61.7 million in new funding would be made available for the first projects from the Provincial Growth Fund, and then the Minister of Finance is too embarrassed to admit how much new funding actually exists in this House a few days later?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022903b3f707f874130afc8bde388dfac00\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: The only one who needs to be embarrassed about provincial growth and the lack of investment is the member opposite, who previously held the portfolio. But I can assure the member that the lion\u2019s share of the projects announced to date are, in fact, new money.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254ff42af0d3e4e44a74f4809dc921e3e\u0022\u003EHon Steven Joyce\u003C/span\u003E: Then can the Minister confirm the content of paragraph 75 of the Cabinet paper released last Friday that said, and I quote, \u201CThe funds that are to count against the Fund have existing decision making arrangements that reflect the particular nature of [their] funds.\u201D, and can he confirm, therefore, that actually no new money was set aside in the announcement last Friday, because of the comments made in paragraph 75?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f56dd2fdb8eb4f918a8095dd0477a7fe\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: I can\u2019t confirm that for the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd7f4185ea454ff1a7d5de1aaf46b113\u0022\u003EProvincial Growth Fund\u2014Westport Waste to Energy Project\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022ff00ad3111c04305ad3c75a94cbe041b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ff00ad3111c04305ad3c75a94cbe041b\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National\u2014Ilam)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: Does his ministry consult with other ministries in preparing recommendations on projects to be funded from his $1 billion Provincial Growth Fund?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022 data-id=\u0022c2e8f4172b3d4f4fa95eaa9edd43b3c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c2e8f4172b3d4f4fa95eaa9edd43b3c1\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES (Minister for Regional Economic Development):\u003C/span\u003E To the best of my knowledge, yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc50f41c050a47e8813c0e54b4d09bc1\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Did he receive the same advice from officials on the proposed $250 million waste to energy plant on the West Coast as the previous Government did; if not, what was different?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfa009f8151a40bc954d394367182689\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: Obviously, a review is being held, but I can assure the House that the advice that I have received points out that the last Government, under the Leader of the Opposition, allocated money after an active investigation was initiated against the person we are all talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ea63cf2691de4563b310897dcfd8a0fa\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: If his claim is correct, then why did he need to add $350,000 in funding for the feasibility study announced last week?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291768503725f4a5d89d46e886ef41fb2\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: Results to date show approximately $50,000 has already been allocated under the watch of the current Leader of the Opposition. Money that was approved last week is currently on ice until a review has been held, but unfortunately that taxpayer dough handed over in 2017 has gone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ef8230073364a85b9c5d5676d683b32\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister confirm that, in fact, the money he talks of in 2017 was paid to the local authority\u2014I can\u2019t recall the proper name of the development arrangements out at Westport\u2014and the new money, however, that was to accompany that has hooked itself on to the local authority and has now been funded, when previously they had been rejected (1) because the project doesn\u2019t stack up, and (2) because of the concern over the people who were behind that project?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aecf4bf30f074e2c9c06f6d03a220e3b\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: I can confirm that money was definitely handed over, and it was handed over by the last Government after an investigation was initiated against the person in question. The answer to that question lies to the member\u2019s side, in the last Minister, who obviously tried to get away with it or was not in charge of his portfolio.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad62f7084f0843829d883a732503fe35\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was asking the Minister to confirm that the money that he speaks of was paid to a West Coast local authority development agency, not to the company that has now been provided with the grant that he announced last Friday. Further, I\u2019d make the point, Mr Speaker, that if he is saying that the investigation is ongoing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002219eef81a35084cfb9121b32a8bfe8954\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284ce3d30fb794c3fa22213678e5da9ba\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Well, he may be misleading the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e55e9d5ea2d49e18144faa1d8cf1dca\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the member knows how to take that up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ba00e0a216847a985fa7fdd1055ab7d\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I realise that, but in the first instance, we bring it up with you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0a9f8ecfe674838ab8fe695c8883447\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, you don\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b57e5fd8add416d92e7c9b76fd60ad9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, yes, you do. You\u2019re very good at this judicial stuff.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8a6f227222a4e6ea3fe71e8d489fc7a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Because if you do, Mr Brownlee, you can\u2019t bring it up the other way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293219676cfee4baf9806bd4010894f7f\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that might be just as well, too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002290c161e655c447419caeff092f940bbc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, I think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220300279a83fc4c2bbe36a5e7975b0ba9\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: So can I say, simply\u2014simply say\u2014that if the investigation was concluded, why is the Serious Fraud Office still investigating?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0a62682c06d496593debdcd72183e60\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: OK. The essence of the member\u2019s question, I think, was whether the question that he asked was addressed, and I\u2019m ruling that it was.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6ab7a3397424b359840be8366f5b4c5\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Could I ask the Minister as to whether, with his extensive political and ministerial experience, or that of his colleagues, he has ever seen the culprit of a fiscal misadventure pot himself?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220939bbfa4dc84ed9a667b8dc519b1d56\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ed208eac66824073b50afcaa6c0496fb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, I don\u2019t\u2014no, no, no. [Interruption] Sit down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299a278ad4982477ab4b912518f88d08e\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister have confidence in the capability of his officials to access proper credentials of applicants against their ability to deliver on projects funded from his $1 billion Provincial Growth Fund, and can he point to one commercial venture in the world similar to the one proposed for Westport?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022189fb8bec57f42fca3b2e61586f41103\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: There are many questions tied up there. Obviously, we have a governance structure that I have absolute confidence in, but I have to say, in April 2017, money was paid by the last regime to the company, not local government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7ddcc83bd6c4a7d98e14c2357bb8c9d\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Show us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dbc879c423aa4b60970998b606f8a8a8\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: Rest assured, I\u2019ll do more than show you, buddy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221f4c796a7f654b5e8d9310f556ddd29f\u0022\u003EEnvironmental Protection\u2014Single-use Plastic Bags\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022 data-id=\u002295ec8083eb7740e9b69b8e78edaa5999\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002295ec8083eb7740e9b69b8e78edaa5999\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister for the Environment: What action is she taking in response to yesterday\u2019s Greenpeace petition from over 65,000 New Zealanders calling for an end to plastic bags?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u0022ec53a53e11e0455ba9555fb8588620b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ec53a53e11e0455ba9555fb8588620b8\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Associate Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019ve been struck by the number of New Zealanders who really care about the harmful impacts of single-use plastic bags, so I have asked Ministry for the Environment officials to report back on options for taking action on these bags.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf6b124f6f804349842ae06f8291f54e\u0022\u003EMarama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: What can be done about this?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220eb9f241e5e84c878f47a9c1e0c8c9d1\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE\u003C/span\u003E: Officials will look at a range of options, including a ban or a levy. More than 30 countries have legislated on single-use plastic bags. New Zealand has been lagging behind and, unlike the former Government, this Government will take action.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a0256185a15435e99cf003445ef6916\u0022\u003EMarama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: What is already happening to reduce the use of plastic bags?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f59f8d00a8bb4a4fa3353065430b7fcd\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE\u003C/span\u003E: Retailers including Countdown, New World, Z Energy, and Mitre 10 have pledged to phase out the use of single-use plastic bags by the end of next year. Bunnings Warehouse got rid of them years ago, and Pak \u2019N Save has charged for them for some time, but that deals with only 75 percent of the bags being used. We need to take action on the remainder.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b4ebbfd548e4c28917cf6b9b831e530\u0022\u003EMarama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Why is this important environmentally?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdcac3e5ca714fdea46f88bbea5d5d17\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE\u003C/span\u003E: Because unlike under the previous Government, we recognise that producing these bags\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022060977c2698c4e6596e95872ddea7d0d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Bayly, Order! Sorry. Mr Bayly, you\u2019re quite close to the Minister who\u2019s answering the question, and, unfortunately, the way the microphone system works here, we\u2019re hearing you more than her.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022694516a4bc48403dbad8e29f2179fdec\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. They\u2019re important environmentally because oil is used to produce them and they create waste. They may be a convenient habit, but they end up in the ocean and then seabirds, fish, and turtles choke on them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022931517d9c1194d6da4f1000a144016fb\u0022\u003EMinimum Wage\u2014Effect of Increase\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u0022e224e30e3bd94cc195a59ea6c8fce766\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e224e30e3bd94cc195a59ea6c8fce766\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (National\u2014Selwyn)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does he have confidence in the advice he receives from officials?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u002281d887e389d44feea6b8e6e1d640d499\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002281d887e389d44feea6b8e6e1d640d499\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety):\u003C/span\u003E I do have confidence in the advice provided by officials. However, it will not surprise the member that I do not always agree with that advice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002205bcd9656d9848f2bc995c96d807c1aa\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the advice from Treasury that states that young and vulnerable workers are particularly impacted by minimum wage increases, and that no youth rates would significantly increase the job losses; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f0655f4f98d467e85a88e18d567cca8\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: I am aware of a two-sentence suggestion amongst a 12-page report on the minimum wage that suggests that retaining youth rates would be a safety valve. Unfortunately, Treasury don\u2019t provide any evidence for that assertion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b16f720a8914d16ae16403364e135ff\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Does he have confidence, then, in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment - modelled impacts on increasing the minimum wage to $20 an hour, that it would lower employment by 28,000 jobs, and that is before including the effect of abolishing the starting-out wage?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d998b1a09ece4767a3c4495f62d87505\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the situation that we have right now is that we\u2019ve got a proliferation of low-paying jobs. What we need to do in this country is improve the quality of jobs that are available, particularly for young people. I find it amusing that we have, on the one hand, the Leader of the Opposition running around saying that we\u2019re not going to have enough people for the jobs that are out there and, on the other hand, we have the member saying that we\u2019re not going to have enough jobs for people. Which is it, National? Get your story straight.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022552b2e247e354460a8fe14e9f1c9d9dd\u0022\u003ERino Tirikatene\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree with advice from officials that the announced employment relations changes are likely to lead to higher wages, more engaged employees, and greater labour productivity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4c2e594bf03490089e5384293b762ae\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I do, and I note that we have inherited a low-wage economy and a productivity recession from the previous Government. We can, and we will, do better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bda2fdefe6244e029dbe252b14e4187f\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: In light of the clear and unequivocal advice that he has received, why is the Minister pressing ahead with making the minimum wage $20 an hour, scrapping 90-day trials in more than 70 percent of jobs, and abolishing the starting-out wage when all of these will badly hurt the prospects of young and vulnerable workers who just want to get a job?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f00b6cb8374444528b9abc0420900401\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I totally disagree with the premise of the member\u2019s question, and I do agree with the advice that I have received that the changes we propose will lead to higher wages, more engaged employees, and greater labour productivity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a66b7b2a4cc349258df30cf83104b71b\u0022\u003EFamilies Package\u2014Effect on M\u0101ori and Pacific People\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022 data-id=\u00229b0fc4c5863749f5ba2fc0c2804d8982\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229b0fc4c5863749f5ba2fc0c2804d8982\u0022\u003ETAMATI COFFEY (Labour\u2014Waiariki)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development: Will the Families Package benefit M\u0101ori and Pacific people; 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=\u0022537a6fd6fe44450b8649ff7b5755764b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022537a6fd6fe44450b8649ff7b5755764b\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development):\u003C/span\u003E Absolutely. This Government recognises that M\u0101ori and Pacific are our youngest population groups, with great potential, but we also recognise that M\u0101ori and Pacific disproportionately experience persistently low incomes when compared to the general population. Under the Families Package, low and medium income households will benefit by a winter energy payment to help heat their homes over winter, a Best Start payment for families with a baby, a boost in Working for Families family tax credit payments, and increases to the accommodation supplement and accommodation benefit. Action this Government is taking will help lift M\u0101ori and Pacific households out of poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f030d4288dde4c82a25c3f97c17ffb66\u0022\u003ETamati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: Why is it important that the Government support M\u0101ori and Pacific through its Families Package?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228406ace5fd4249ddabbcc3230fe7e00e\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: As I previously alluded to, M\u0101ori and Pacific people in New Zealand are much younger. The median age for M\u0101ori and Pacific is 23.9 and 22.1 respectively, compared to 38 for New Zealand overall. We also know that M\u0101ori and Pacific have higher birth rates, particularly in urban centres. M\u0101ori and Pacific will make up a huge part of our future workforce. Ensuring that they have the best start to life and can meet rising living costs is important for all New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fe8b5606a9424cc08992fcdc6ba7403d\u0022\u003ETamati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: How will support for M\u0101ori and Pacific families support the Government\u2019s goal of reducing child poverty?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274e48b95d50e49af851fd2900647c5db\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: We know that around half of children in low-income households are M\u0101ori and Pacific. Putting more money into these households will support the Government with reducing child poverty. M\u0101ori and Pacific households will benefit from all of the measures introduced through the Families Package. If M\u0101ori and Pacific are better off, so is New Zealand. This Government wants all New Zealanders to get the very best start possible and is absolutely committed to reducing child poverty in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002272750697b06b44aeb7e087c3f25f1dc0\u0022\u003EPublic Transport, Auckland\u2014Industrial Action\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u002219a8cb22f38c41a18b4cfe643d2bf8c5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002219a8cb22f38c41a18b4cfe643d2bf8c5\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (National\u2014Papakura)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: Is the current industrial action by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union in Auckland assisting the Government\u2019s efforts to encourage greater public transport use?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u00222b699db2106a4145941d701002ba8ffe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222b699db2106a4145941d701002ba8ffe\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E First, may I add my congratulations to the new Opposition leader, Simon Bridges, former transport Minister, and thank him for his support of public transport in Auckland, particularly signing off the City Rail Link, the selection of light rail for rapid transit\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221c3e4747daa846a8843857389505b824\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will now start addressing the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1a0fe60a0c845278581fe9f9805cf84\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: In relation to the industrial action, it is never a good look to have disruption to public transport schedules that so many people rely on and plan their lives around. I\u2019m advised that today the parties are in discussion, and we\u2019re hopeful of them arriving at a sensible and equitable solution.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e9ca42b8fdce4cacae2922cc90104582\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: What action is the Government taking today to ensure that Aucklanders can get to work or study on time, given the ongoing strikes by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, which are disrupting thousands of commuters?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022146ecd666fbe4742aa7b172f6685e503\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, the parties are in discussion today. I\u2019m hopeful that they will come to a sensible resolution of the issue. This Government aims to lift wages and conditions after years of stagnation. Collective bargaining is one of the most effective ways of doing this, and as transport Minister I can say that my colleague the Hon Iain Lees-Galloway has my full support in this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022260a363d838740cd9807bf2da67aab1f\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: How can he consider train transport reliable when today\u2019s meeting between the rail union and the train operator had to be delayed because even the mediator\u2019s train was late?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228dda6e4543ae4a3ab2dae4778c35ce73\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m advised that Auckland Transport and Transdev, the operator, have developed a temporary timetable to minimise disruption and provide consistent rail services on these lines. Customers can expect the southern, western, and eastern lines\u2019 weekday peak services at 20 minute intervals with inter-peak and off-peak services running as normal. Many trains on these services will run with six cars, which can hold 900 passengers, to help reduce the impact.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224f2bd7efff094d1f8b93e0e03aac3695\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: Why should New Zealanders have any confidence that there will not be more train strikes with him in charge, when there have been four train strikes in four months under his watch and there were none in the nine years before that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a79219a3035049339e2a7ba2b98abbb1\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Our Government believes that collective bargaining is an important way that both wages and conditions can be dealt with, but also that safety is an issue that can be dealt with through collective bargaining. We will uphold the rights of the parties to negotiate under the law in a sensible way to resolve these disputes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bb1cbce774f248eca54450789d1db21e\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister support this strike?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275a59c790b7d4b4e957b3330532646d8\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: The New Zealand Transport Agency is the transport regulator, which is in charge as an independent rail regulator. They have the statutory responsibility to make a judgment about the safety issue that these parties are in dispute over. As transport Minister, I\u2019m going to leave them to do their job.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f9bfc33ed90547b78fc0c42631702d86\u0022\u003EDefence Force\u2014Allegations in Hit \u0026amp; Run\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022 data-id=\u00227c28ed40cdbc4a9ba290c5962329d22e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227c28ed40cdbc4a9ba290c5962329d22e\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL (National\u2014Rodney)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Defence: Does he stand by his statement, \u201CI\u2019ve always said that we have utmost confidence in the culture and professionalism in our Defence Force personnel that we deploy internationally\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u002244e469324d5c41cfbccff26d0155d149\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002244e469324d5c41cfbccff26d0155d149\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E I do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228cf673d45aac492c9bc9bbcb41dded0c\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister feel that our New Zealand Defence Force have withheld information from him, or has he seen anything that suggests that the Defence Force acted with anything other than the highest professional standards during Operation Burnham?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254e48d67520242eb823953b664090442\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: I do not believe they\u2019ve withheld any information from me. I believe the briefings I\u2019ve received have been very professionally presented and very thorough. And the second part of your question is true.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c59c8572367479fbb6e0061c9e905d2\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: So then why, in relation to Operation Burnham, hasn\u2019t the Minister come out in support of our New Zealand Defence Force?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281046b50de8b4955be19f2882e4b1fbb\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: I think I have consistently and repeatedly said that I have the utmost confidence in the men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force, both their professionalism and the way in which they interact with people around the world where they are deployed. I can\u2019t do more than that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f55b59f9ccd642ad9533b1b9fd5cac5f\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: So have you rejected the allegations made against our New Zealand Defence Force in the book Hit \u0026amp; Run?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226fe060fc95724d03bfce37c9a5eb8fda\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: The matters to which the member\u2019s referring are currently in the hands of the Attorney-General, who\u2019s been tasked by the Prime Minister to examine all of the evidence. I\u2019ll await the decision of the Attorney-General, and there\u2019ll be conversations after that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ea5ce396e8a40699676e43dd60d4d30\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: So in light of that, has the Minister given any advice to either the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, or Cabinet that in his view an inquiry is not required into the allegations contained in the book Hit \u0026amp; Run?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246fa38ef56454510a1ae28c18335485b\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: There have not been any discussions on those matters at those levels. At the moment, the process that\u2019s been followed is that I have asked for and received a full and comprehensive briefing. The Attorney-General has been asked to examine the matter and the evidence, and is currently doing that. Once that process is concluded\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260521700077e4bc287ec06266f876083\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister have no view?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022573552dae0d34046b359bb9a6346237f\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and the Attorney-General has given his decision, Mr Smith, then there will be conversations around those matters, and, I have no doubt, at the Cabinet table.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002266fa9db13f2e483090d8b51b23244c04\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: So you\u2019re telling me in the House today\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a09ec9cc212145a9b6e0c4d88a705913\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I\u2019m not telling the member anything.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269963c7709b44c2f8f432ebfc9d230e2\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re right. Sorry, Mr Speaker. So is the Minister telling me in the House today that as Minister of Defence you have had no conversation with either the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, or Cabinet about the allegations made against our New Zealand Defence Force in the book Hit \u0026amp; Run?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eca6f55403a44505bc71aadf3ee1e8ac\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: It is fair to say I have had conversations with the Deputy Prime Minister on the matter, but most of those conversations are around process, an agreed process, and we\u2019ll follow that process right through to the end.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c11bd08d232e4d6e9dff6fc7f5695412\u0022\u003EState Sector Health and Safety\u2014Government Initiatives\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022 data-id=\u002288340d5410be485c9c5f040e0e2c099a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002288340d5410be485c9c5f040e0e2c099a\u0022\u003EMARJA LUBECK (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What action is the Government taking to improve health and safety in the State sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u002264086e7fada04f51bf90c447f9d61ce7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002264086e7fada04f51bf90c447f9d61ce7\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety):\u003C/span\u003E The Government Health and Safety Lead was established late last year to lift the State sector\u2019s game in health and safety. The team is led by Ray Smith from corrections, and he has assembled an excellent team of experts. As part of the work of the Government Health and Safety Lead, I was pleased to host an event at Parliament on 14 February for 35 State sector chief executives to pledge their commitment to health and safety and to join the Business Leaders\u2019 Health and Safety Forum.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b48ee4c142204d9da3bad0546859e851\u0022\u003EMarja Lubeck\u003C/span\u003E: What are the Minister\u2019s priorities in relation to State sector health and safety?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4da9593da7b4870b907460b1cc16702\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: The plan of the Health and Safety Lead is to lift the Government\u2019s game in relation to leadership and worker engagement. I\u2019m also interested in how we can leverage the power of the State in relation to procurement. Almost 20 percent of New Zealand\u2019s GDP is State procurement and this could be an important lever to lead us towards good health and safety practice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022541becb0e78043c7b4e0fde2f1d7d911\u0022\u003EMarja Lubeck\u003C/span\u003E: Why is health and safety important to this Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae6189935d5a4d72bdd118e52eed92e4\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, we are making good progress in relation to health and safety, but my ambition is that we\u2019re amongst the best in the world at keeping people safe. The Government believes that the Public Service should be an exemplar that walks the talk on health and safety.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d15429b2db3147fcbaf77c3db01edde3\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister\u2019s concern for health and safety extend to ensuring that State sector agencies don\u2019t contract with law firms who can\u2019t protect their young female staff from sexual assault?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd814363b2cf4ffc9ed0af82be0692ec\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d certainly be interested in looking into that issue. It\u2019s an issue that\u2019s been around for a very long time\u2014probably for the entire nine years that that member was in Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e3d2a509c26849d3aaae8c4478dce06b\u0022\u003EQuestions to Members\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227a7de244d8cf49478b14bcdc8aa1c631\u0022\u003ENewborn Enrolment with General Practice Bill\u2014Health Committee Progress\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258eae615-ef83-4df5-bace-6749bdd312a8\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022514d351176ed40aab54fbfb2cc87fad1\u0022\u003EDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Chairperson of the Health Committee: What progress can she report on the Newborn Enrolment with General Practice Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00225a79026b47de4ca0a3004d2ddc72ed28\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225a79026b47de4ca0a3004d2ddc72ed28\u0022\u003ELOUISA WALL (Deputy Chairperson of the Health Committee):\u003C/span\u003E The Newborn Enrolment with General Practice Bill was referred to the Health Committee on 13 December 2017, submissions closed on 16 February 2018, and the committee received 25 submissions. The committee has been briefed by the member in charge of the bill and began hearing from submitters on the bill today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258eae615-ef83-4df5-bace-6749bdd312a8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248bf0859c2324648b8595f599bc6895d\u0022\u003EDr Parmjeet Parmar\u003C/span\u003E: Does she anticipate a swift report back to the House; and, if so, when does she think it will return for further consideration by members, given broad support for the bill at first reading because its implementation will significantly improve health and social outcomes for children?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6808496c37c4094a765f73d251ebc76\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am going to allow the member to answer the question because we are in relatively new territory for some members as to questions for members, but, in future, the only supplementaries that will be allowed are matters that are the absolute responsibility of the chair. The time of the report back, the chair\u2019s anticipation of what\u2019s heard, or the matter of broad support are not the chair\u2019s responsibility. Louisa Wall\u2014a very short answer, addressing the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1fa29f61d264c1699ab53fd15a960e7\u0022\u003ELOUISA WALL\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The date by which the committee must report back to the House is 13 June 2018. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022aaabb3e243c046989980a8cb5a99d3ca\u0022\u003EDebate on Budget Policy Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a7a32fe29870401ea8fe8dd9d6634076\u0022\u003EDebate on Budget Policy Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022a5fde195881946c39c43841d1f4bda05\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a5fde195881946c39c43841d1f4bda05\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOOD (Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the House take note of the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Budget Policy Statement 2018. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI am delighted to present the Finance and Expenditure Committee\u2019s report on the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) 2018. That committee worked extremely hard on the report, and I want to acknowledge my fellow members. It is the hardest-working and most dynamic select committee of this Parliament, I am quite convinced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe reason that this is an important debate is that Budgets are not simply dry, textual bits of parchment. Budgets are\u2014as one of my favourite theologians, Jim Wallis, says\u2014moral documents. You see, when this House approves a Budget\u2014and we\u2019ll get to that a bit later on in this year\u2014it\u2019s not just a bunch of numbers and text on a bit of paper. Budgets are documents that shape real people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s Budgets that ultimately determine whether our people do or don\u2019t have jobs. It\u2019s Budgets that determine whether they have decent and dignified housing, whether our people have the healthcare that they need when infirmity strikes, and whether our kids and our young people have the education that they need to reach their very fullest potential in life. This Budget Policy Statement is a document that this new Government is very proud of, because it points to a new Government that is energised, that is ready to lead, and that is determined to turn around the social and the infrastructure deficits that have arisen over the last nine years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI want to refer to the Salvation Army\u2019s recent state of the nation report, and it describes this very well. It says this: \u201Cit is clear that the benefits of this recent strong economic growth have not been shared across the board, or trickled down, as the theory would have it.\u201D What that tells us is that it is perfectly possible\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228daf5eb8c84443d0ba45c5a484b5c50f\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s no such theory. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5ec2f75c7554e909f8c144f02e9f960\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014to have economic growth and it is perfectly possible to have fiscal surpluses, and let me just put on the record, for the benefit of Mr Bishop, that those things are good things. We can acknowledge that by the end of its term, the previous Government, having piled up record debt, did achieve those things. Well done\u2014good work. But it\u2019s of no benefit to the kids who are living in cars; it\u2019s of no benefit to the 75,000 young people not in education, employment, or training; it\u2019s of no benefit to the people who can\u2019t get the healthcare they need; and it\u2019s of no benefit to the people who are battling away on minimum wage and simply can\u2019t see a way out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ESo this is a Government that does aspire to having good fiscal surpluses. This is a Government that does aspire to having good economic growth, but we aspire to so much more. We aspire to dignity and respect and a good standard of living for all of our people, and that is exactly what this Budget Policy Statement\u2014which precedes the Budget later in this year\u2014points to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s just speak a little bit more about some of those deficits\u2014those social and those infrastructure deficits that have arisen and that were highlighted through the Budget Policy Statement process. Well, the very first one, I believe, is housing, because no society can be said to be successful when its people want for one of the most very basic human needs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EWhat do we need as human beings? What are the most basic things we need? We need food. We need clothing. We need shelter. But right at this moment, we have 40,000 people who don\u2019t have decent and stable housing in this country\u201440,000 people who are homeless or who have insecure housing. They don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going to sleep next week. That is not the mark of a successful society, and that is something that this Government will turn around. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EIs it a successful society when we have a health system that is so overstretched that last winter, Middlemore Hospital had to put a sign out the front saying, \u201CSorry, we\u2019re closed. Don\u2019t come in if you\u2019re sick.\u201D? Is it a successful society when we have the principals in Auckland telling us that because of the low pay rates and because of the housing crisis, we\u2019re going to be short of something like 3,000 teachers in the years to come? That is not the mark of a successful society, and that is something that this Government will turn around and that we have talked about in the Budget Policy Statement. And, perhaps most seriously of all, can it be said to be a successful society when we have our children\u2014the most vulnerable members of our society and the source of our greatest potential as well\u2014living in poverty in our communities, in every single community up and down this country? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI put it to this House that this is a wealthy country. This is a country of limitless potential, and we do not need to accept any of those things, as that last Government did over the past nine years. This Budget Policy Statement talks about a different and better way of doing things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ELet me refer to one of the very good submissions given to the Finance and Expenditure Committee around the Budget Policy Statement. It was from the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. They said this: \u201CWe see the core role of any representative Government is to foster the common good of a \u2018fair go\u2019 society rather than encourage exploitative personal gain. To this end we welcome the Government\u2019s intention to ensure every family has a warm home, good health care, education opportunity and an adequate family income.\u201D Those are the things that we are absolutely focused on. I\u2019m pleased to report that in the Budget Policy Statement and in the report from the Finance and Expenditure Committee, those are exactly the things that this Government is very busy implementing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EBut here\u2019s the good news: this is also a Government that is focused on those fiscal bottom-line issues. We say that we can balance the two. We can balance the books, and we can have a strong economy at the same time as making sure that people have dignity, respect, and hope. In fact, I would say that those two things are interlinked, because when we give people opportunity, when we give our kids good education, and when they have stable housing, then we will be a more prosperous country. A child that is brought up with good education and stable housing is more likely to succeed, is more likely to go into the workforce, is more likely to start a business, and is more likely to contribute to the future economic success of this country. Those things are not indivisible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ESo the good news is that, as reported in the Budget Policy Statement, and also the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), I might mention, the Government\u2019s books are in good order and the Government\u2019s Budget responsibility rules, which are confirmed in this statement are very, very clear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that is going to reduce net Crown debt to 20 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022133d2db1c8ad454c9bc2326b96a8c992\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: After you put on another $10 billion of debt.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e159f184518d4ed78ad1f98e9916619e\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: This is a Government that is going to prioritise\u2014oh, here we go, Mr Bayly. Here we go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022629b8cdd40404ed984692ea5da709e7b\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: $59 to $69 billion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c575584869bc4a3ba03c124c205dcca5\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Bayly\u2019s getting very excited. He is the Scotch terrier of the New Zealand Parliament. He\u2019s so excited\u2014it\u2019s like a van has just pulled up on the driveway outside the ranchslider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that is committed to fiscal responsibility. We\u2019re going to get net Crown debt down to below 20 percent. This is a Government that is going to manage those books very prudently. What we hear in the HYEFU is that growth is projected to carry on at around about 3 percent over the coming years. Wages are forecast to grow at over 3 percent on average over the next five years, and that is good news for the workers of New Zealand, who, for so many years, have been struggling under that previous Government, which held wages down as much as it could.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe news is good, and I want to finish by going back to those original points made by a number of submitters\u2014that we have got to have a focus. We\u2019ve got to have a focus on the well-being of all New Zealanders. The Salvation Army said this in their submission: \u201CIn particular we support the commitment to put child wellbeing at the heart of what we do, and to lift the wellbeing of all New Zealanders and our environment. We are encouraged that Treasury\u201D\u2014and you might say the Government\u2014\u201Cis developing a holistic living standards and well-being framework\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EAnd that is probably the most significant shift that is referred to in this Budget Policy Statement. This Government is going to set clear goals, not just for the fiscal bottom line, but for child poverty. And you know what we\u2019re going to do? We\u2019re not just going to talk about it; we\u2019re going to embed those targets in the Budget. We\u2019re going to say that the state of living of our children is just as important as those figures on a piece of paper.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that is going to develop and embed a living standards framework so that we\u2019re measuring our natural capital, because we say that every New Zealander should be able to swim in their local stream or river. We\u2019re going to measure ourselves against our success with human capital. We\u2019re going to measure the skills, knowledge, and physical and mental health in our community, because those things are just as important as a fiscal surplus or deficit. We\u2019re going to measure our social capital\u2014that is, the connectedness of our people, the success and the vibrancy of our communities\u2014because those are the things that make life worth living. And we are going to measure our fiscal and physical capital.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EAnd, I might say on that\u2014and it\u2019s mentioned in the BPS report\u2014that we\u2019re going to invest in New Zealand\u2019s infrastructure. I am very proud to stand here, as a Government member, with a Budget Policy Statement that commits to lifting our infrastructure investment from $32 billion to $42 billion over the next four years. A lot of that investment is going to go where it is really needed\u2014to our neglected provinces, which are crying out for a Government that will listen to them and invest in that infrastructure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI tell you what\u2014and I\u2019m proud of this as well, Mrs Collins. We\u2019re going to invest in a First World public transport network for Auckland, because that is what a growing, successful, and dynamic city needs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa687ec3ecc94d8b9d5bc88fda35cb66\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: Great! Is it going to work?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221855d3aac4ac4d40a56df66e2f436fec\u0022\u003EMICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, Mrs Collins, Mr Bridges was very quiet when you were slagging off the public transport before. I think we\u2019ve got a note of tension there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI am proud to stand up and present this Budget Policy Statement to the House. I very much look forward to whichever National Party front-bencher stands up to respond. I\u2019m not sure who it will be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022 data-id=\u00224c469e92da8d46e8b39d256ec4988252\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224c469e92da8d46e8b39d256ec4988252\u0022\u003EHon STEVEN JOYCE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019d like to thank Michael Wood, the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC), for his comments there. He makes a good point\u2014the importance of reducing child poverty. The Budget Policy Statement talks about that. It talks a little bit less about how we\u2019ve been able to reduce child poverty so far, by the growth of the New Zealand economy and the announcements made in Budget 2017, prior to the election, that were largely picked up by the new Government, with a couple of changes. They were mostly set up by the previous Government, once it had done the work of getting the fiscal books back in surplus, so it could take the initiatives required to support those children and their families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EWhat worries this side of the House about the Budget Policy Statement is some of the opaqueness in the statement, which was discussed at the select committee. One of the areas of\u2014and I worry about it because in order to keep making the progress that the previous Government made and to keep building on that, the new Government needs to be clearly honest with itself about its fiscal position and manage its fiscal position.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EWhat worries us, the National members of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, is a lack of clarity, a lack of openness, about the costs of some of the Government\u2019s expenditure plans. We had this very interesting situation where the Budget Policy Statement contained reference to the Government\u2019s 100-day plan but nothing beyond that, despite the fact that those things had already been discussed, with some precise numbers around them, in the case of things such as the Regional Development (Provincial Growth) Fund.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EIn fact, we had the, I think, very unusual situation at the select committee where we were comparing two documents, the Budget Policy Statement and the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update, and the Government was talking about the $1 billion a year Provincial Growth Fund in one document and wasn\u2019t mentioning it in the half-yearly fiscal update. So Treasury presented a set of books that had no funding in them for the Provincial Growth Fund.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EMembers of the committee asked Treasury why this was the case. Treasury said, \u201CBecause we\u2019ve been focused on the 100-day promises of the Government.\u201D We said to Treasury, \u201CThere is a whole lot of other stuff that needs to be costed into the forward fiscal projections.\u201D Treasury said, \u201COf course, and we\u2019ve noted 29 separate new fiscal risks, as an alternative to putting some of the money in the Government\u2019s accounts.\u201D The Secretary to the Treasury also said that he has accepted the Government\u2019s assurance that it will be able to meet all its spending commitments within its projected Budget operating and capital allowances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EI think it\u2019s important to refer this to the House, because the Secretary to the Treasury sounded a warning. He sounded a warning to the Government, and said, \u201CI\u2019ve made this clear to my chief executive colleagues, that they\u2019re going to have to continue to run their departments extremely efficiently and extremely well, and they\u2019re going to have to be ready, whether it\u2019s to prioritise or support Ministers\u2019 reprioritisation decisions and to make sure evaluations of policy proposals\u201D, and so on, and so forth. And then he finished: \u201CThere\u2019s no reason for me to doubt that it will, but it will have to make some very tough choices.\u201D\u2014very tough choices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EThe Government actually hasn\u2019t shared that with anybody. In fact, even the chair of the committee popped his head up and talked about all the things that he wanted to see money spent on, which, incidentally, weren\u2019t in the Budget Policy Statement. So we have a Government that is building up every day, whether it\u2019s the finance Minister, the chair of FEC, other Government Ministers\u2014building up expectations of expenditure of this Government. That\u2019s not surprising, because the one thing the three partners in the Government can agree on is spending more money.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EBut if we\u2019re going to make real progress in things like child poverty, we will need money set aside for that. This Government is not heading down that path, partly because of this transparency issue. I want to raise that again, in relation to the Provincial Growth Fund, which was discussed at length in the committee. We tried to get Treasury and the Minister of Finance to tell us how the money was going to be allocated. We asked something simple, to start with. We said, \u201CWhat will be the allocation between operating and capital, of the billion dollars?\u201D They didn\u2019t know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EWe thought, \u201COK\u201D, and we asked when it would be known. The answer was, \u201CEarly next year.\u201D Well, here we are. Last week, the Government released a Cabinet paper that pointed out that in December they\u2019d made a decision to actually allocate the balance of operating and capital by February of this year. Today is 28 February, and there is no allocation\u2014no allocation whatsoever. In fact, the Government now says it won\u2019t be known until the Budget in May, having said in December that it would be available in February.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EThe other thing that was really interesting about this paper about the Provincial Growth Fund, which was talked about so much at FEC, is that all the money amounts were blacked out. They were all redacted. The Government had announced that it was spending $61 million, as a sort of down payment on the Provincial Growth Fund. Not a very big down payment, but nevertheless, it said it had made a down payment of $61 million, and said it with much fanfare. And then we have the spectacle of the Acting Minister of Finance, in the House this afternoon, unwilling to reveal how much money was actually new money\u2014actually how much money was new money. If you go through the documentation with the Provincial Growth Fund, and you have to go through it carefully because, as I say, a lot of it\u2019s been redacted, that actually points out that the money that was allocated is already subject to existing decision processes because it comes from existing funds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003ESo now we have a situation where the Provincial Growth Fund is not only opaque but, quite possibly, none of the money is new money, and this is despite the Government itself saying that the Provincial Growth Fund will not fund any projects that would have actually been funded anyway. It\u2019s in the list of things to the Provincial Growth Fund: it will not have money spent on it that was already going to be spent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EAnd that\u2019s interesting too, because the big project so far announced in the Provincial Growth Fund, which was discussed so much at the committee, and which the Government could say nothing about, is, in fact, a roundabout in Northland that, incidentally, was already being funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency through the National Land Transport Programme. It\u2019s number five on the list of projects for construction over the next three years in a report that was released before the election. And now, it is the big new thing in the new Government\u2019s opaque, not so transparent Provincial Growth Fund, which is largely smoke and mirrors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003ESo perhaps that\u2019s how they\u2019re going to balance the Budget. Perhaps, that\u2019s actually how they\u2019re going to\u2014they perhaps played one of those shell games with their coalition partner New Zealand First, when the money is, in fact, imaginary, where we\u2019re adding up existing transport money, existing irrigation money, existing broadband money, and pretending it\u2019s a billion-dollars-a-year Provincial Growth Fund. Well, we will find out, no doubt, in the fullness of time, exactly what\u2019s going on, but what we do know is that the projects announced so far are projects that are from money that was already allocated and that the biggest project was already going to be funded over the next three years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a244152-977c-48d2-bf53-4f3a369a27a9\u0022\u003EAnd that\u2019s the problem with this Government: they put out the Budget Policy Statement that doesn\u2019t have any of their policies in it, even though we know how much actually needs to be allocated. In health and education, we were told exactly how much needs allocated, and yet none of it is in the Budget Policy Statement. The Provincial Growth Fund, despite being mentioned in the policy statement, has not actually been allocated for the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update. I come back to my first point: if the Government is not going to be honest with itself, how can it possibly make sure that it has the funding available to reduce child poverty further, as done by the previous Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u00221c0d9e46aa214ae0a1c9a5cae79ebd60\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221c0d9e46aa214ae0a1c9a5cae79ebd60\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Acting Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Well, I think the interesting thing about that: that was a lecture on clarity and transparency by National\u2019s \u201C11.7 billion dollar man\u201D. Once again, I think Mr Joyce has revealed in the last 48 hours that he\u2019s not so hot on the numbers. That speech, I can assure you, was watched very, very closely by the other speakers from National in this debate: Judith Collins and Amy Adams\u2014the other people auditioning today for his job, for the finance spokesperson\u2019s job. That\u2019s what\u2019s going on here today. Everyone in this House knows it. There\u2019s the three contenders for the finance spokesperson\u2019s job, and I\u2019m afraid that for Mr Joyce, while today he was aiming for comedy, unfortunately, he only achieved tragedy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe Budget Policy Statement (BPS) was released on 14 December 2017, and it confirmed the Government\u2019s Budget priorities and fiscal strategy for Budget 2018, which will occur on 17 May. The new Government has signalled a desire for an economy that is fair and inclusive. We\u2019ve talked about a shared prosperity. We want an economy that is beneficial for all New Zealanders. Too many of our people have missed out on the recent benefits of growth, and, as the previous Government has failed to make the necessary investments in public services and infrastructure to keep living standards high, as Kiwis expect, we are signalling a different direction in that respect. We will begin to address the social and infrastructure deficits that have built up over nine years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe Budget Policy Statement shows that Budget 2018 will make progress towards remedying these deficits through a clearly laid out set of priorities, and these include: building quality public services for New Zealanders and improving access to core services, taking action on child poverty and homelessness, supporting families to get ahead and sharing the wealth generated by our economy with a wide range of New Zealanders, sustainable economic development and supporting the regions, and managing our natural resources and taking action against environmental challenges, such as climate change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe Speech from the Throne, which incorporated the coalition and confidence and supply agreements, indicated the policy programme required to deliver on these priorities. The BPS outlines how Budget 2018 will secure the funding to allow for such a robust and ambitious programme. This Government takes seriously the need to invest in social and infrastructure projects to clear that deficit left by the previous Government, but we\u2019ve also committed to governing fiscally responsibly within a set of Budget responsibility rules. Within those rules, we will deliver a sustainable operating surplus across an economic cycle. We will reduce the level of net core Crown debt to 20 percent of GDP within five years of taking office. We will prioritise investments to address the long-term financial and sustainability challenges facing New Zealand. The Government will maintain its expenditure to within the recent historical range of spending to GDP ratio. We will ensure a progressive taxation system that is fair, balanced, and promotes the long-term sustainability and productivity of the economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003ETreasury\u2019s Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update was also released on 14 December 2017, and it showed that we are on track to meet the Government\u2019s Budget responsibility rules. The HYEFU, as it\u2019s known, had a few highlights that I\u2019d like to share with the House. The highlights are that the economy is growing at a solid rate, with growth expected to peak at 3.6 percent in 2018-19. Growth is slightly lower than forecast in 2017-18 and 2018-19 while we transition to a more sustainable, productive, and inclusive economy, but then forecasts beyond that are looking incredibly strong, and rating agencies have seen fit to comment on this. The Government\u2019s package of investment in social and infrastructure programmes\u2014this signal direction is one that gives rating agencies confidence that this Government is going to see a growing economy strengthening further over time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EUnemployment is expected to fall to 4 percent in late 2020\u2014it\u2019s lower than the forecast 4.3 percent in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU). There is a lot of good news here. I am really, really going to watch closely to see just how\u2014how, if in any way\u2014the Opposition can manage to talk the economy down from here, when the news is so good. Wages are forecast to grow at just over 3 percent on average over the next five years, reaching 3.5 percent growth in 2021-22, around half a percent higher than average in the PREFU, and underpinned by a tightening labour market, building inflationary pressures, and recovery in labour productivity growth. Lifting the minimum wage will further support this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EOperating balance before gains and losses surpluses are forecast to rise, reaching $8.8 billion in 2021-22. Net core Crown debt is forecast to decline, down to 19.3 percent of GDP in 2021-22 within five years of office. This is a strong coalition Government that is delivering a strong programme for the economy and lowering debt at the same time\u2014slightly slower than forecast in the PREFU, but that\u2019s to make allowances for investment, to start to address the social and infrastructure deficits that we inherited from nine long years of neglect under the previous Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EIt is important that surpluses are maintained to allow us to meet the need for new capital investments, and no one in this House\u2014no one in this House\u2014will dispute that. But nine years of under-investment by the previous Government will see the need for increasing investment in housing, hospitals, schools, and roads. That is something this Government is committed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also resumed contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, so that our retirements can be sustainable. This is a responsible Government that is investing for future generations. More good news\u2014watch them try to talk this down and audition for finance spokesperson at the same time. They\u2019ve got their work cut out, those two women opposite.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003ECapital investment is expected to total $42 billion over the next five years, significantly higher than the previous Government\u2019s plans, because we are committed to addressing those deficits. By reversing the previous Government\u2019s tax cuts for the wealthy, we can afford to make major investments in health, education,\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad6dab8aa167475d95a3b1efef524057\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Are you reading that speech? How pathetic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022787c5600a54743e28df4a4b23fda6938\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and infrastructure while paying down debt, Ms Adams.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe Budget Policy Statement outlines the operating and capital allowances for the next five years, and these allowances provide the fiscal room to make the investments that are needed after that neglect. And they will be made. There are also extra free allowances beyond that\u2014more free allowances, because our allowances overall are larger than previous Governments. We make no apology for that, because we are going to address those deficits, as I\u2019ve outlined.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EI want to speak also, briefly, about the 100-day plan, because there\u2019s not much time left\u2014not because there\u2019s not a lot to say about it. This Government has achieved much in its first 100 days, and let\u2019s not forget that investment. Let\u2019s not forget what Treasury\u2014somebody at Treasury let slip to me the other the day that they thought it was the biggest redistributive package since 1991, to make sure that families are well supported. And, of course, in 1991 redistribution was happening in the opposite direction. We\u2019re looking for a fair society.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EHa, ha! The Deputy Prime Minister\u2019s passed me a note, just reminding me that they\u2019re sitting together across there because \u201Cmisery loves company\u201D. I think he\u2019s hit the nail on the head. Perhaps a little unkind but woefully accurate, I have to say, Deputy Prime Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThis Government is determined to invest for the good of New Zealanders. New Zealand may have experienced strong growth during the previous Government as house prices rose uncontrollably and as population growth inflated the figures, but this headline growth came at a time of rising homelessness, inequality, a housing crisis, regional deprivation, and the opening of an infrastructure deficit that will take years to fix.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EGrowth is one thing, but shared growth is what we aspire to. The Budget Policy Statement delivered by this Government on 14 December is the starting point in our plan to deliver sustainable, productive, and inclusive growth for all New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022 data-id=\u00222ed7ddd314b44951a731477fe9214040\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222ed7ddd314b44951a731477fe9214040\u0022\u003EHon AMY ADAMS (National\u2014Selwyn):\u003C/span\u003E Well, thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m very pleased to take a call on this Budget Policy Statement (BPS) debate\u2014well, actually, technically the debate on the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee. I do want to acknowledge Michael Wood, the chairman of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, who introduced the debate. I do think it\u2019s a shame, I must say, that Labour have never managed to have a female chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee. You know, for all their grand talk about supporting women and equality, never once have they managed to have a women in that position. Of course, National have had two, but there you go. That\u2019s just because we actually walk the talk. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EWe just heard a very\u2014well, I was going to say \u201Cvery interesting\u201D, but it was actually a kind of boring speech from the Minister of Health. But the one thing that I took from it, other than the fact that he can\u2019t give a speech without reading it, is that this is a Labour Government that has learnt nothing from their previous terms in Government\u2014they still believe that their success will be measured by how much money they can spend. Dr Clark\u2014sorry, I was about to call him \u201CMr Clark\u201D\u2014stood there and told us, or read through, a laundry list of all of the spending they were going to do, as if somehow that meant that they would be a good Government. Well, actually, Dr Clark, the Budget Policy Statement is about holding the Government to account on how it is blending fiscal constraint with its policy objectives. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EOf course, when the BPS was presented to the House last year and we had the urgent debate on it, it was presented alongside the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). Mr Joyce has already made a number of very strong points in his contribution about the lack of any detail in the HYEFU about the very policies and promises that were being made in this document, and I want to reflect on that in the context of core Crown debt because, actually, core Crown debt is something that is incredibly important to New Zealanders and their fiscal long-term stability and security. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ENow what we know from these documents that we\u2019re debating today is that this is a Labour Government that already is projecting to take core Crown debt from $56 billion to $70 billion. So for all the big talk, what we\u2019re actually seeing is a Government that knows how to do nothing but spend and throw money around, and they\u2019re quite happy to put it on the plastic. So while National had a strong trajectory of debt falling, Labour already have got core Crown debt increasing from $56 billion to $70 billion. But\u2014just like the infomercials\u2014wait, there\u2019s more, because that increase to $70 billion is before they count the cost of any of those large spending promises that Mr Joyce ran through, and they are not included in the HYEFU numbers at all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ESo, as soon as you start looking at the reality of this, we\u2019re already moving it up to $70 billion, and now, of course, we know we\u2019re going to have to add in the $15 billion that Mr Twyford wants to spend on a light rail set in Auckland. The $1 billion, or however much of that is new money, because they can\u2019t seem to actually figure that out and tell us\u2014none of that from the regional growth fund is included in these numbers. Now all of this will go straight to debt because it is quite clear that any money that they had available has all been blown through in the 100-day plan with the fees-free policy for tertiary, which we know is not increasing university enrolments by a single student, it appears, and we know is widely likely to be rorted. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EAll the money has been spent already, so every single extra spending commitment that we know they have made\u2014that they have committed to making; that they\u2019ve talked about in this House\u2014goes straight into debt. It goes straight on to the future stability of all of our children and grandchildren, and it just adds to that $70 billion they\u2019re already planning to increase it to. So this shows us that it\u2019s a Government that, once more, has gone straight back to the \u201Cjust keeping spending, and let future generations worry about the impact of that debt\u201D approach. Well, actually, any family and any business knows that if you just keep running up debt, eventually the bough breaks\u2014you cannot keep doing it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ESo I talked about those two commitments. What about the impact of wage rounds? None of that has been included in this, and we know that the policies that Mr Lees-Galloway wants to bring in, where we move to centralised, industry-level, union-controlled wage bargaining\u2014we know that is going to lead to significant additional fiscal costs on the Government. None of that has been included in these documents, none of it has been costed, and it is just another example of the Government firing from the hip without a clue what the fiscal cost of that is. That is just not prudent, responsible governing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EDr Clark has talked often\u2014and voluminously, and not that interestingly or intelligibly\u2014about the $8 billion extra he wants to put into health. Well, where is that in these numbers? Where is it? How does that get paid for? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EI would like the Government Ministers to stand up and not spout off about how much money they\u2019re going to spend, because spending is easy. I\u2019ve been a Minister in very hard, challenging portfolios, and I can tell this House that spending is the easiest part of being a Minister. It is the easiest thing to do. What is hard is balancing careful control of the money that taxpayers send here with our objectives and our desire to make New Zealand better. That\u2019s what National focused on when we were in Government, and this Government already has shown us they have no idea what their policies will cost them, they have no idea how they\u2019re going to pay for it, and they\u2019re not being up front when they put out these documents about what\u2019s coming down the pipeline and what it\u2019s going to cost. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve got those 34 pages in the BPS\u201434 pages of uncosted fiscal risks. Treasury said, \u201CWell, we can\u2019t say nothing about them, so we\u2019ll just go on through 34 pages of areas where we know that there\u2019s extra pressure.\u201D, and all of that goes straight to debt. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003ELook for a moment at the issue of the 1,800 extra police. Now the various members of the Government talked about this as, what, \u201CForty million dollars maybe, or $50 million. You know, it could be $80 million.\u201D Well, last week in select committee, the Commissioner of Police made it quite clear we\u2019re looking at more than $300 million of cost for that, and yet none of that is included in these numbers. Is it because the Government didn\u2019t know\u2014they just made the policy commitment without any idea of the cost on New Zealand\u2014or is it because they just didn\u2019t want to tell us? Either one of those is a completely unacceptable outcome. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EAnother example. A few weeks ago we had Dr Clark again announcing the extension of the pay equity deal to mental health workers and addiction workers\u2014a decision that had clearly been in the pipeline for some time\u2014and yet nowhere was it included in these documents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EI find it quite extraordinary that a Government that stood up and told us\u2014and, in this House, repeated\u2014that their intention was to be the most transparent Government ever have started, in the most critical of accountability documents to the public and to this House, by failing to cost their policies. They have failed to understand the impact of those policies and have failed to be open with New Zealand about what that\u2019s going to mean. I will tell this House what it\u2019s going to mean: it is going to mean that debt level goes even higher. It\u2019s not going to be just going from $56 billion to $70 billion; it is going to be going considerably north of that, and that is a real concern for the future prospects of New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EI want to touch on one final comment, and that is looking at the impact of the industrial relations changes that the Government is proposing\u2014which I\u2019ve talked about in question time\u2014on the economic trajectory of this country. When you harm the economy and job creation and the businesses that actually create jobs, you harm tax revenues and you make this imbalance between spending and income even worse. So, even with everything I\u2019ve already said, you have to allow even more debt to come through, because we\u2019re going to see fewer jobs and we\u2019re going to see fewer businesses wanting to invest and to grow, and that not only hurts the workers who miss out, but it hurts the tax revenues and the ability of the Government to make their numbers add up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThere is no doubt that the Government has been talking ad nauseam about higher wages. Higher wages help no one if they can\u2019t get a job. We\u2019ve already seen Treasury saying that just one of the Government\u2019s changes is going to mean 28,000 fewer jobs and, actually\u2014even worse than that\u2014for the jobs that are there, it is the young and the vulnerable workers who will miss out on the chance of getting them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThe BPS alone tells us very clearly that we\u2019re going to go from employment growth in this country that was in excess of 5 percent a year under National, to almost zero. That is what Treasury has said in this BPS. Because of the actions of this Government, employment growth, which is the chance for New Zealanders to get a job, will go from 5 percent\u2014or, actually, more than 5 percent under National, where we were creating 10,000 new jobs a month\u2014to almost zero. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that in their first 100 days have managed to completely destroy the creation of new jobs in this country. They are running up debt in a way that is unsustainable and that will hurt future generations, and it is not a good start for New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022 data-id=\u002240bc4e3aa7df4d5a8128464f520f2627\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002240bc4e3aa7df4d5a8128464f520f2627\u0022\u003EFLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, sir. It\u2019s a pleasure to rise on behalf of this fantastic Government. I do have to say, I was ready and willing to listen to the member Amy Adams and her audition for the finance spokesperson\u2019s role, but I actually stopped\u2014I stopped listening because, actually, I took umbrage. She was somehow offended at the composition of the Finance and Expenditure (F \u0026amp; E) Committee. I have been a member of that committee\u2014privileged to be a member\u2014in the last term and this, and there could not be a greater contrast in the composition of that committee. On that side of the House, that committee membership was pale, male, and stale, and they made no attempt themselves. And yet, the contrast today, on this side of the committee\u2019s composition\u2014more females, more M\u0101ori participation. The contrast couldn\u2019t be more stark, and so I stopped listening\u2014I stopped listening, but then I heard the words about debt, and she made some obscure references to the debate that we\u2019re having today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003ECould I first touch on wages, which the member raised. This Government is committed to raising wages amongst New Zealanders. We want to incentivise a highly productive, contributive economy, and this is what has been outlined in this report from F \u0026amp; E. What the member opposite may not realise is that in doing that and saying somehow it will be bad for the economy, she has discounted the nature of a circular economy\u2014the very nature of those increases in wages and what that will do to aggregate demand. Those increases in wages are a good thing for New Zealand in so many ways\u2014retaining and attracting skilled employment\u2014but in stimulating economic growth, actually, they are a good thing and I am proud to be in a Government that is part of that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EI speak to the audition, or the contribution, from Mr Joyce, and I say to Mr Joyce\u2014he spoke about how that previous Government brought the Government\u2019s books into surplus. For seven long years, year after year after year after year, they were never able to achieve that. The unbelievable nature of not having achieved that was that at the same time, whilst we are actually spending money on growing infrastructure in health and education, that party over there, while they could never get to a surplus for seven years, froze the police budget, cut tertiary education budgets, cut the health budget, managed to cut back on the conservation budget so severely\u2014in all that time, they could not reach a surplus.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EI put it to the House that while those members opposite grinned about achieving that near 3 percent\u2014[Interruption] Oh, yes, Mr Speaker. Yes, Mr Speaker, I will come to the matter for the debate. Well, OK, let\u2019s put it in this context: we are forecasting just under 3 percent growth for the economy in this half-yearly report, and I have no doubt the Budget will confirm that. In contrast to that, Mr Joyce, in his time as the Minister of Finance, spoke about his 3 percent in GDP growth. He never spoke about the nominal growth rate that discounted the impact that that growth was having on individuals, which was negligible\u2014nothing to negligible\u2014and he never spoke about investment in the New Zealand economy, because that Government was too afraid and unwilling to spend a dollar on New Zealand business to generate and grow our regions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EBy contrast, I\u2019m proud to speak to the Budget Policy Statement today, which very much speaks about a Government that is willing and able to contribute to growing New Zealand business. Yes, our focus is in the regions, because we all know that the regions have been neglected for nine years\u2014nine years of neglect\u2014and it is only now that a Government is willing to stand up, take stock, and rejuvenate what, I put to this House, is the heart of this country. We are a Government that has stood up and, in this report, has put forward our commitment to the well-being of children in this country, because this is a Government that says that is at the heart of the decision-making process that we undergo on this side of the House. We believe that in doing that, we are looking at the well-being of all New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EThis Budget Policy Statement kind of had a past and future focus. What we\u2019re talking about when I say that is that we are about addressing the issues, because now we need to build better-quality public services and improve access to core services like health and education. The contrast could not be more stark. The members opposite spoke about 3 percent GDP growth rate with that grin on their face for so many years when they were in Government, but, at the same time\u2014I put it to the House\u2014they wore like a badge of honour the fact that people were living in cars and cardboard boxes because that was simply symptomatic of their financial success. We do not accept that on this side of the House. We cannot accept that that is a measure of economic success, and so this Budget Policy Statement commits to building better-quality public services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EWe had a contribution from this side of the House that spoke about the shortage of teachers\u20143,000, I believe, is projected in the not too distant future. In fact\u2014Mr Hipkins, correct me if I\u2019m wrong\u2014I think we\u2019re talking within the next financial year. So we have issues to deal with there because of chronic underfunding to our education system. We know that New Zealanders have been missing out on their access to doctors, nurses, and medical experts because of chronic underfunding from the other side of the House, and so now this Government must address that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EThe other issue that we must address\u2014and we cannot and we will not look past this\u2014is poverty and homelessness. This is the core, the heart, of this Budget Policy Statement. So we must be about supporting families and sharing the wealth generated by the economy with, hopefully, all New Zealanders\u2014those who want to engage, those who want to be part of it, those who want to work hard and earn a fair day\u2019s pay for a fair day\u2019s work. We want to reward them for that, and we want to encourage New Zealanders to be a part of it\u2014to say to you, no, a job is not one hour a week. A job, to this Government, is a full-time job where you can be proud because you can look after your children, you can look after your family, and you can enjoy yourself in the weekend\u2014have a beer, or if you don\u2019t want to do that, have a Fanta, and enjoy yourself and reap the rewards of your effort. We say that everyone must enjoy that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EI spoke to the other part of this report from the select committee. We are proud to say that this Government is absolutely focused on sustainable economic development and supporting regional New Zealand. I couldn\u2019t be more proud to have been part of the group of Ministers that travelled to Gisborne on Friday. I was there to share in the announcements from the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Minister for Regional Economic Development. In Gisborne, every person in that hall\u2014and that hall was packed\u2014had a smile on their face because, finally, they had a Government that was committed to supporting good people with good ideas, good economic plans, and a commitment to make it work for this country. What they needed, and what they need still, is just that little bit more of that support, and this report talks proudly and speaks proudly to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e11a5f05-1940-41b2-8f1e-911dba7a43a5\u0022\u003EI suppose I must finish by saying that we have made a commitment to managing New Zealand\u2019s natural resources and taking action against environmental challenges like climate change, and I\u2019m very proud to say that that is our mandate forward, too. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u00227ce228c8c7294ea1836c51cd42aaf5f6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227ce228c8c7294ea1836c51cd42aaf5f6\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (National\u2014Papakura):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I just start by congratulating the member who\u2019s resumed his seat, Fletcher Tabuteau, on his recent elevation to the role of deputy leader of New Zealand First. He\u2019s the third one with whom I\u2019ve always had quite good chats. The first was the Hon Tracey Martin, followed by the Hon Ron Mark, and now himself. So congratulations, Mr Tabuteau. I hope you last longer than the previous ones. I think it\u2019s always good to see young blood coming through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EI think, on the other side\u2014I\u2019ve heard some great speeches today on this side of the House and on the other side, but the best on the other side has actually been from Michael Wood, MP for Mt Roskill\u2014socialist though it was. But I thought it was a good speech, and I thought Michael Wood should be teaching some of the current Ministers how to give a speech. He\u2019s referred to various things, but I thought one that I have to pull him up on is that he did refer to a comment that\u2014he\u2019s made some sort of comment about how Budgets create jobs. Well, only if one is still in printing, actually, because Budgets don\u2019t create jobs. What creates jobs is business. Business creates jobs, and it is business that must not be destroyed by any Budget statement or any Budget or any Government. It\u2019s business that actually creates the jobs, and it\u2019s the workers who help to create that business.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EBut also what\u2019s needed in that business is capital, and we have a Government at the moment whose Budget Policy Statement is very focused\u2014is very focused\u2014on how to take more money off people who earn their money and save their money: more taxes. We just have to look at some of the statements in this Budget Policy Statement. There\u2019s a statement along here that the Government will \u201CEnsure a progressive taxation system that is fair, balanced and promotes the long-term sustainability and productivity of the economy.\u201D Well, then it goes on: \u201CTaxation is an important tool for rebalancing the economy\u201D. Well, we know what that means. That means not rebalancing; that means ripping the guts out of small business, day in, day out, until they become even smaller business\u2014microbusiness\u2014and they\u2019re out the door. That\u2019s what that means.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EWe see a statement here: \u201CThe Government believes that we need a better balance in our tax system to support the productive sector and ensure all taxpayers are paying their fair share.\u201D Well, who would argue with that, except what that really means\u2014what that really means\u2014is ripping the guts out of business, ripping the guts out of mum and dad business owners, and making sure that they don\u2019t just pay their fair share but they pay for all of the rubbish that this particular Government wants to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EThey\u2019ve made some big promises\u2014big promises\u2014about what they\u2019re going to do; they\u2019ve been very quiet about how they\u2019re going to fund it. So, instead, what we see here is a statement where\u2014and I\u2019m quoting\u2014\u201CRecent transport investment has been overly focused on a handful of expensive roading projects selected for political reasons, rather than on improving the whole transport system as an integrated, multimode network.\u201D Well, could they just please stop using stupid words like \u201Cmultimode\u201D or \u201Cintegrated\u201D? Why don\u2019t we just have \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D and \u201Cprogressive\u201D all at the same time, because you have to have \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D and \u201Cprogressive\u201D and \u201Cmultimode\u201D and then, all of a sudden, it\u2019s going to work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EWell, how about this: who\u2019s paying for those roads? I can tell you. It\u2019s not coming out of Budgets; it\u2019s coming out of the National Land Transport Fund, which is funded by the petrol taxes on the petrol that we buy to put in our cars and it\u2019s funded by the road-user charges where the diesel users on the roads\u2014they\u2019re paying for that. They\u2019re specifically paying into what always has been a hypothecated fund specifically to fund those roads, and yet we\u2019ve got a Government here that\u2019s trying to talk in its Budget Policy Statement not about what it\u2019s going to do with the Budget but what it\u2019s going to do with the normal taxation funds, but what it\u2019s going to do with the money specifically paid for and taxed on constituents in Papakura and constituents in Albany and constituents who are paying, day in, day out, for this particular fund, the National Land Transport Fund.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EAnd where is that money going? Well, remember there\u2019s an accusation that there have been expensive roading projects selected for \u201Cpolitical reasons\u201D. Well, we know where it\u2019s going, don\u2019t we? They\u2019re going to rip off the New Zealand road users to pay for a dopey trolley up the electorate of the Prime Minister. So don\u2019t talk to me about political decisions\u2014that was entirely a political decision.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s have a look at one of these so-called political roading decisions that the Government wants to talk about. Just let\u2019s talk\u2014shall we talk about the extra lanes on the Southern Motorway from Manukau, from Hill Road through to Papakura. Is that a political decision? Ooh, I don\u2019t think so. I think the people who are coming up that road going to the airport or the people coming down to work for Manukau or the people going the other way\u2014I don\u2019t think they think it\u2019s a political decision, stuck in the two lanes each way on a road that is one of the major arterial routes of our particular transport system. I don\u2019t think they think that\u2019s political; they think it\u2019s, strangely enough, necessary\u2014necessary, needed. I often thought, what would happen to these poor people caught in this traffic, in this gridlock\u2014what if someone was trying to have a baby in the back of an ambulance or in a car, would that be a political decision? Would that be a political decision? Would it? No, I don\u2019t think so. That would be called a necessity. Would it be, in fact, something that\u2019s just for that? No, it\u2019s not political.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EAnd how about Mill Road\u2014how about Mill Road? Yes, it does go through my electorate, but, actually, it is, again, the only way through other than the Southern Motorway. So if there\u2019s a crash on the Southern Motorway at the moment, through Hill Road, through to Papakura or Drury, it\u2019s two lanes each way\u2014that\u2019s all it is. If you get a crash on that, if you get something overturned, all of a sudden everything blocks up and the only other way through is Mill Road, and yet it\u2019s referred to in this Budget Policy Statement as a political decision\u2014no, \u201Cpolitical reasons\u201D, paid for, by the way, not by Budgets but by the hypothecated fund specifically taken off of users of petrol and diesel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s have another little look in this Budget Policy Statement. I was looking for anything here that was going to deal with child poverty\u2014not a dicky-bird, other than to say that they\u2019d look at child poverty. I\u2019m not quite sure how they\u2019ll look at it\u2014what, through a lens, through a window, through something else\u2014but what it won\u2019t be doing with child poverty\u2014what it won\u2019t be doing with child poverty\u2014is, actually, a damn thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228bd1d3ee43104bf2a726c50c154f2ada\u0022\u003EHon Damien O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: You should have been leader. Why didn\u2019t they pick you? Why didn\u2019t they pick you, Judith? They should have picked you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022179c7906b00143ee96d121142b39e823\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS\u003C/span\u003E: And it\u2019s great to hear the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor finally speak. I thought he\u2019d like to speak about what they\u2019re doing to the mining industry on the West Coast. I thought they\u2019d like to talk about Te Kuha mine where the metallurgical coal is. I wonder if he wants to talk about that\u2014nothing in here about what they\u2019re doing for the people of the West Coast. Not a dicky-bird in here about the West Coast, and should there be anything about the West Coast? Well, I would have thought so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EWhat I can tell that member from the West Coast, though\u2014I can give him some good news: the West Coast will very soon have an excellent MP. Maureen Pugh is coming back, and Maureen Pugh knows who puts her into Parliament: it\u2019s the people on the West Coast, not the Hon Damien O\u2019Connor.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003EComing back to this Budget Policy Statement yet again, can I say, \u201CWhere\u2019s the money in here for law and order?\u201D No, no, we know who\u2019s going to be paying for all these dopey schemes from the other side. It\u2019s actually, the victims of family violence, the victims of serious crime, because this Government has spent already\u2014before it\u2019s even had its hand in the till, it\u2019s already spent the money that should be going to keep in prison the worst recidivist violent and sexual offenders and methamphetamine sellers that this country has seen. Instead, that Government wants to let them out nice and early\u201430 percent early. It\u2019s an utter disgrace. Instead, they just want to buy votes, use other people\u2019s money, and rip off our road taxes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022 data-id=\u00226ceb03167feb43578e11175b79698935\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226ceb03167feb43578e11175b79698935\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON (Green):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m going to have to start off my contribution to this Budget Policy Statement (BPS) debate by picking up exactly where the previous Government and its members have taken up today. I want to pick up some of the terminology, some of the words that they used to make it sound like they left this country\u2019s economy in good shape. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo they go on a lot\u2014I think it was the Hon Amy Adams. She was going on a bit about the future stability of our grandchildren. She talked about having to make very tough choices\u2014and also, I think, the Hon Steven Joyce. They talked about: are we just going to have to spend more money? They talked about making sure that we can carefully balance the control of the money. Did they know, in their planning of their amazing rock star economy, that they were going to end up with children visiting hospitals 42,000 times a year because of preventable illnesses from cold and damp homes? Did they carefully balance the future sustainability of our grandchildren when they thought about restricting and not making sure that all our homes are safe and warm\u2014did they know? Did they know that they would end up spending $100,000 day on motels because of the homelessness levels that are facing our country in this so-called rock star economy? Did they know? Did they carefully plan and carefully spend so that that\u2019s where we arrived at as a country today? Did they know? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThey talk about being honest. They talk about making sure that a Government can be honest about where it puts its money, that a Government can be honest about the figures. Are we honest when we restrict our unemployment figures to just unemployment figures, or can we be a bit more honest and take into account the full labour market and take into account those people who are employed in jobs and are still living in cars? Can they be that honest with themselves? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a53b79afbfdd4769affb279f5aac1202\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022157482b14a684e8aa5cdffe1017e2a28\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON\u003C/span\u003E: Come back?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eba0bcdca94d423a8a879c7c71b2c25b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just leave the \u201Chonesty\u201D word out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022117b86cbde8e4aef9531c7ab2285e24d\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON\u003C/span\u003E: Sure. Fair enough\u2014well, it was raised by the previous benches. So I understand, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c9ad51815a3480794a0a68790ed68ca\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s got a higher standard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c269cb4ae62454fb6bdfed266f082bb\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Why don\u2019t you talk about the BPS?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c1215909af1d4600adfcd670b8317616\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON\u003C/span\u003E: So we\u2019ve got a bit of a clean-up to do, and that brings me to\u2014thank you, my colleague over here, Mr Bishop. That brings me to the Budget Policy Statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a bit of a mess to clean up, and we know that communities in Aotearoa have been degraded economically, socially, and environmentally for quite some time with incredible underfunding to essential departments and organisations that help us to make sure that we\u2019ve got all our things in a row\u2014socially, economically, and environmentally. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo the Budget Policy Statement talks about a fiscal management that we need to be looking at now that goes beyond just measuring deficits or surpluses, that goes beyond just wanting to keep the debt to GDP ratio under a certain percentage. The Budget Policy Statement that we are putting up now introduces a far more sustainable way of planning our future together. This Government understands that fiscal management is also the responsibility of a Government to maximise real outcomes for actual people, not just on a spreadsheet. Real outcomes like, you know, full employment and better-paid employment and more permanent employment. Real outcomes like making sure that people\u2019s living standards are, at the least, decent in this country\u2014in this country, where we have enough\u2014making sure that we are building warm, affordable homes that aren\u2019t going to send our kids to hospital and that aren\u2019t going to get people evicted because the rents are rising and the wages are stagnating. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThis fiscal management that we are putting up is starting to understand that having a world-class health system, education system, and justice system is also about how we balance our books, because what are the costs\u2014what are the costs\u2014when we fail in that fiscal management? And, alongside all of this, we absolutely can keep our inflation stable. Things aren\u2019t going to be stable when you\u2019ve got people in employment still struggling to pay the rent, still struggling to buy healthy food, still having to take time off work because their children are sick constantly. Those 42,000 visits a year to hospital, they were repeat visits because the kids had to keep going back to the same cold house. What sort of fiscal management do we call that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo, I\u2019m really proud that we are going to have legislation to put more money into families\u2019 pockets\u2014an average of $75 a week with the Families Package, and that\u2019s going to help around 384,000 families. And what I like about that is the way we did that. We\u2019re getting rid of National\u2019s tax cuts, which kept the majority of the wealth in the hands of a few. That\u2019s not how we design an economy. No matter what we produce, it has to be shared equally in a way that\u2019s going to matter, in a way that\u2019s going to keep our communities cohesive, in a way that we can continue to protect our environment and our communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI am especially pleased and proud of our Healthy Homes Guarantee Act, where landlords now know and understand that properties have to be warm and insulated and have a way of being kept warm. These are basic things. These are basic things that are going to insist that we are stable in the long run. I am especially pleased about the extension of paid parental leave\u2014which I\u2019ve had to call on myself\u2014starting with pushing it out to 22 weeks, currently I think it\u2019s 18, and then eventually to 26 weeks. These are the things that will make our economy and our communities strong. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI wanted to, particularly, pick up on the fact that we know that the way that we measure well-being has long had to change, and I\u2019m particularly pleased because the Green Party has understood this. We\u2019ve understood that there is a connection between our economic, environmental, and social outcomes. They are not isolated. They depend on each other for our whole well-being to go ahead. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI have to quote the incredible previous Green Party female co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, who said, \u201CIf we value only what can be priced then of course we will pursue economic growth right to the point where the collapse of our life support system destroys us all. If we instead value our families, friends, community and human relationships, our natural environment and time to enjoy them, quality rather than just quantity, we will measure our success with a Genuine Progress Indicator rather than by the sheer size of economic output.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI\u2019m most proud of the work we are starting, and of my Minister James Shaw in particular, for pushing through indicators that tell the actual truth. You cannot just say you left the books in good shape when you\u2019ve still got families living in cars or even just in rentals that are insecure\u2014in rental properties that are going to finish in three or six months. You cannot say you left the books in good shape and ignore all of the downfall and all the hangover around those books. We are not going to do that any longer. We understand that we have to measure all of the well-being indicators. I am proud to stand up and speak in support of the Budget Policy Statement. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u00225ca94de750554e29a531a4923bedcfbd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225ca94de750554e29a531a4923bedcfbd\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s wonderful to take a contribution in this, the debate on the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Budget Policy Statement. Regrettably, though, although the committee is hard working and has fine contributions from members on this side of the House, this report and indeed the Budget Policy Statement are just something that this side cannot possibly support, not necessarily because of what the report says in its entirety but pretty much because of what it doesn\u2019t say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ESo this Government, when they took office, came in and talked up a big game of all of the things it was going to do to help New Zealanders. They talked about a billion dollars a year in regional development expenditure. They talked about billions of dollars of investment in health and education. And, lo, here we have a Budget Policy Statement, following the half-year update, and it is conspicuous for the absence of any of those things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EThe Government has tried to put forward a rosy picture of life under them\u2014particularly, they\u2019re trying to paint a picture of sound or good fiscal management. But what do they do, though, really? They leave out the big-ticket items. They, quite frankly, think they can fool New Zealanders into believing they\u2019ve got it all under control, but, really, they\u2019re hiding it. The ultimate in shell games and politics, they\u2019re trying to keep the public guessing, to have them believe they\u2019re doing a good job. This shouldn\u2019t be called a Budget Policy Statement; it should be called a \u201CBudget Policy Snow Job\u201D, because that\u2019s exactly what they\u2019re trying to do to the public. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ELook at the actual evidence they have to deal with that they\u2019ve tried to hide. You have a case where 29 new fiscal risks are identified in the half-year update and the Government just tries to pretend they\u2019re not there. Then, when you get the Opposition raising them for their attention in committee, seeking to get this stuff into the report, and seeking to debate it in this House, they try to make out that the risks aren\u2019t that severe. But the threshold for a risk to be noted in that update is the risk has to have a value of $100 million or greater. So what we\u2019re really talking about here is billions of dollars of risk identified by Treasury in the economic management of this new Government and they\u2019re trying to paint some rosy picture of sound fiscal management. Well, as I\u2019ve said, it\u2019s actually a case of a new Government just wanting to try to pull the wool over New Zealanders\u2019 eyes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EWell, actually, New Zealanders are a lot smarter than that. They can see through these smart games. They can see through, quite frankly, the duplicity inherent in the statements the Government\u2019s trying to put out. They can see through the snow job that this policy statement represents, and we reject a rush makeover snow job on this House and on New Zealand. We simply can\u2019t support this report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u002226a127445619499ca65a620c6445c10a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002226a127445619499ca65a620c6445c10a\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: I call the Hon Willie Jackson\u2014a five-minute call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u002239823204853e4cd79ccc67e2c8c69bf3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002239823204853e4cd79ccc67e2c8c69bf3\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this debate on the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, which was released on 14 December. Can I also take the opportunity to pay tribute to this Government for the Budget Policy Statement and the seamless way in which it has happened as part of the first 100 days on the Treasury benches. So I\u2019d just like to applaud ourselves for the work we\u2019ve done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EBut, first of all, I really need to give my condolences to Mark Mitchell over there. Mark, you were our choice. You were our choice because\u2014Mark Mitchell, one of the good guys on the other side, did the numbers\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022496e828b0b6645f082d43672694368c5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Jackson\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238ae20ad63144916b6cad9bf20c5959b\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I\u2019m coming back to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b2509724a744935a1c297aa7cf26871\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, you come to it now\u2014right now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207ddda5831004dad9152e8ceb1c54e9e\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Hang on. Sir, it\u2019s only right that I pay my condolences to Mark and to Jami-Lee Ross, because he missed out\u2014the other two M\u0101oris beat him.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022550187b4864a48f5ac534644a2a6c341\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Try speaking to the Budget Policy Statement\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a318d8153364543a075dcded2802a08\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I\u2019m speaking to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b5414b7725a1414bb816318b2839c482\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014while you\u2019re doing it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b616b1813254f0a8b37bf6ab264ec0c\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m speaking to it, because these people are the same people who have been saying\u2014and I was really offended in the last hour with the rubbish I kept hearing, for instance, about jobs, and the waffle about how things were tracking so well in terms of the National Party and the way that the stats have come down. We\u2019re very proud of the way the stats are coming down, too, but you can\u2019t pat yourself on the back, as Mark Mitchell and Jami-Lee Ross have been doing, when you\u2019ve got statistics within statistics\u2014when you have M\u0101ori struggling at double the rate of the general unemployment figures, at 9 percent; when you have jobs being advertised that \u201Ca job\u2019s a job\u201D, when you do one hour a week. And we had the Hon Judith Collins waffling on about how well the previous Government has done\u2014that\u2019s not reality, that\u2019s just nonsense. That\u2019s just nonsense.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThis Government is into investing into real jobs and into the people. We\u2019re not into investing into our mates. That\u2019s the difference with this Government. We\u2019re not going to give tax cuts to our mates to avoid investment in health. It\u2019s clear. The statement is clear: we\u2019re going to actually invest in the people. So I\u2019m pleased with where we\u2019re going on this. I think we\u2019re on track in terms of building an economy where everyone can benefit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EMarama Davidson from the Greens mentioned a couple of areas, I think, that our Budget Policy Statement talks about, particularly in the Healthy Homes Guarantee Act that was passed in November, which sets minimum standards for rentals. M\u0101ori, in particular, are going to benefit in that. No longer are we going to have the types of sicknesses that we\u2019re getting in some of our kids, and that, in South Auckland. We\u2019re actually going to invest in healthy homes. I mean, it\u2019s fantastic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EOther features of our plan, which have been coming out, are restarting contributions to the Superannuation Fund, a ban on overseas speculators buying existing homes, the Tax Working Group, student allowances and living costs to be increased by $50, a directive to Housing New Zealand to stop the sale of State houses\u2014it goes on and on; you know, this has all been happening in the 100 days\u2014the Pike River Recovery Agency, the inquiry into abuse of children in State care. You know, this is what this country wanted. We didn\u2019t just want waffle; we wanted investment in terms of our people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221763fb0626c14c71b1bc19478d4aa7aa\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re the Crown prince of waffling.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255baf4444e6c4961abe803f2c7547c4b\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: That member over there, he knows what I\u2019m saying\u2014that this is a Government that will invest in families. Families. The Families Package is something that\u2019s outstanding; something that that member and his mates forgot about in the previous nine years. So I\u2019m proud of the package. I\u2019m proud that the package provides a significant boost to the incomes of low and middle income families. Many have been struggling under a National Government who was fixated\u2014fixated\u2014on investing into their mates. The sad part of that is that data tells us that the richest 1 percent of New Zealand own 30 percent of the country. Meanwhile, the poorest 30 percent own only 1 percent. That\u2019s data that the previous Government should be ashamed of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAnd we\u2019re going to change things. We\u2019re going to try and set up a more equitable society for everyone, where we\u2019re not just going to look at the stats, at 4.5 percent; we\u2019re going to look at equity and equality for women, for M\u0101ori, for disabled, for people right across the spectrum. So today, I\u2019m proud to stand up and support our Government who are absolutely on track at the moment. Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022 data-id=\u002297d0ac51d94946398b11b8dcef2fbafe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002297d0ac51d94946398b11b8dcef2fbafe\u0022\u003EDENISE LEE (National\u2014Maungakiekie):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. There\u2019s a theme whereby the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, points out that his updates are truly just the starting point. Well, this is the starting point of my parliamentary career. I\u2019ve started other roles before, and I\u2019ve reasonable expectations of the environment that I normally come into. The expectations\u2014they\u2019re not unrealistic or onerous; they\u2019re reasonable and they\u2019re sensible. Who wants to sign on to something that doesn\u2019t create a good future?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EOn election night, the country overwhelmingly chose the National Party. The majority of New Zealand expected the National Party to retain the Treasury benches. Why? So that we could continue certainty and we could carry on with the growth that earned us the lion\u2019s share of support in the first place. Some liked our ability to create 10,000 a jobs a month for the prior 18 months or achieve 4.5 percent unemployment rates in December 2017, a nine-year low. Some liked our 21st century economy where the IT industry grew 9 percent per year since 2007. The total value of $3.6 billion to the economy in 2015, that\u2019s massive, and some, put simply, felt quite safe knowing that we\u2019d achieved 3.5 percent general economic growth over the past three years\u2014higher than anyone thought.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EThat was my starting point, and I wanted to know that I was getting good governance, clarity of direction, wise spending, and avoiding debt. I also wanted honesty about where the risks are, to avoid them and to gauge where they are. Well, the post-election period kicked up something different, and that\u2019s what we have here today: a Budget Policy Statement that reads not at all what I would call a decent starting point. Instead of certainty, risk mitigation, we have a Budget Policy Statement that promotes uncertainty and a small taste of the new Government\u2019s spending appetite. Do you know what certainty would have been? It would have been if the Government had fully costed up their full policy programme. Instead, the pre-Christmas half-yearly update contained only items in the 100-day plan. Where\u2019s the rest?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a huge number of election commitments yet to be included in the Government accounts. Where are they? What\u2019s happening is cost cutting in some very regrettable areas to support the incredibly expensive 100-day plan\u2014for example, Aspire Scholarships for disadvantaged students and a fund for rare diseases. Infrastructure spending is up in the air, and we\u2019ve got road projects in uncertainty all around the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EIf you think I\u2019m nit-picking, let\u2019s see where the benchmark lies. Let\u2019s take Treasury\u2019s own technical thresholds for what it considers to be a specific risk. It\u2019s $100 million. Does that sound like small bickies? Does that sound like pocket money? How many specific risks do you think the new Government has clocked up with Treasury? Benchmark\u2014it has to be a minimum of $100 million. Twenty-nine specific risks. That\u2019s right\u201429, with a minimum level of $100 million each. Do the math\u2014that\u2019s some serious uncertainty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EIf one\u2019s not concerned about the Budget Policy Statement at this point, then let\u2019s add my final kicker. I said at the start that my starting point for any role was good governance, wise spending, and avoidance of debt. You build debt only when you need to, at the times when it\u2019s required\u2014let\u2019s say, a couple of catastrophic natural events or a global financial crisis\u2014but when it\u2019s good times, you do what? You pay it down, until now. Debt has been dropping down under the previous National Government, and now, in just four years\u2019 time, the current Minister of Finance plans for debt to be at $70 billion. That\u2019s on top of the 29 specific Treasury risks, at $100 million each minimum.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EFinally, when I survey this Budget Policy Statement, I think it\u2019s plainly obvious the Government have not prepared themselves for any future risks. We\u2019re in uncharted territory here. They\u2019re walking on a tightrope, and we need only a small bit of wind to blow them off.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u0022a7cb395988a342119446ffffe2af5bc2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a7cb395988a342119446ffffe2af5bc2\u0022\u003EVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this debate on the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee that was released on 14 December 2017. A big part of this report\u2014this Budget Policy Statement we have here\u2014is about improving the living standards and well-being of New Zealanders, and a big part of how that\u2019s going to be done and continued to be measured is the living standards framework, which is the crucial start of how that\u2019s going to happen. That will be how we create future Budgets, and it will be how we measure success of our work going forwards. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ELet me quote\u2014and this is a long one; we\u2019ll unpack it\u2014\u201CThe [Living Standards Framework] is based on an OECD framework that organises indicators of \u2026 intergenerational wellbeing.\u201D Well, what does that mean? That means to the average New Zealander that this Government is measuring more than just money. It\u2019s moving far beyond the narrow indicators that we\u2019ve been stuck with in the past, and it\u2019s looking at how we gauge the success of people and families that live here in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIf we take the average New Zealand family and look at how we measure whether they\u2019re healthy and happy and successful and how this country is operating, it\u2019s got to go a bit further than how much they\u2019re earning, how much the mortgage is being repaid, or how much bills are being paid. It\u2019s also about their health, about their community, and about their well-being. I\u2019m proud to see a Labour-led Government start setting up indicators in a framework that now allows us a far more comprehensive way of measuring the success of our country, and that is where this Government is different to the previous one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re looking in terms of health, mental health, and connections between people and their community. What\u2019s the point of being ultra-productive\u2014of going faster to the point where the people are broken? That\u2019s exactly what New Zealand has seen over the past nine years. Families and mums and dads work longer hours for lower wages to pay higher rents and higher food costs to spend less time with their children and put them in after-hours care, so the next generation of New Zealanders have far more problems than the previous generation, and that\u2019s what we are here to put a stop to. We want our families to be strong and resilient, to have high-quality healthcare, mental health services when people need it, education services that are world class, and homes that are warm and dry. That is how we will be measuring the success of this country going forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EOver the past nine years, we have seen, not investment in New Zealand, but running it down. Things have been run down to a point where they are breaking. That is going to take a long time to fix, and we know that. It\u2019s going to take a long time to fix, because the people that have borne the brunt of the running down of those resources are New Zealanders. They are the people in Hutt South that have not been able to get mental health services when there are immediate suicide risks in their family. Those are the people that don\u2019t know where to turn or to go to because the basic rights they need as New Zealanders have not being delivered to them, and this is a cycle that will require investment\u2014investment and building up the strength of our country\u2014not milking it and letting it run down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ESo of the four capitals in the list\u2014the four main capitals that we\u2019ll be looking at in this area\u2014number one is natural capital: aspects of our natural environment. Making sure that we can swim in our rivers\u2014that is a measure of how healthy our country is. Social capital, number two, is how our Crown-M\u0101ori relationships are working, that our Treaty relationship is healthy and functioning, and that the connections we have between people and our communities are working well. Number three, human capital: the skills, knowledge, and mental health of our people are well. That we enable people to participate and fully partake of society is a measure. Number four, financial and physical capital: that we have houses, roads, buildings, hospitals, and factories\u2014a direct role in supporting the incomes of New Zealanders. These things are being measured, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIn the past, the previous Government created surpluses by running down expenditure in key areas and then crowing about their success. This is not sustainable. This is not sustainable for the long-term development of our country, and those people\u2014as I\u2019ve already said\u2014who wore it, through the lack of housing, through the lack of health services, and through the running down of education and other services, were New Zealanders. This Government is about investing in our strengths, investing in our people, and investing in our services and about strengthening New Zealand for future generations to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIn our first 100-day plan, we have set out bold targets. Those have been completed, and they pave the way for good work to continue to come. The first one, which I\u2019m really proud of seeing, is the fees-free programme for post-secondary education and training, and after two years\u2019 time, there will be two years\u2019 free in 2021, and three years\u2019 free by 2024\u2014planning for a future workforce that has strong skills, whether it be trade training, university, or polytech, and giving employers the ability to offer the right types of jobs to keep our young people here in New Zealand and not going offshore. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ERestarting contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund\u2014there\u2019s a good one. We just let those go for nine years\u2014the first thing they did when they got in, under the National Government. We need to help protect the Government\u2019s ability to pay super from the age of 65, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve done. It is irresponsible to cut payments and to bury your head in the sand and think that those things won\u2019t come in the long term. It\u2019s important to restart those contributions, like we have, so that we look after those people when they retire. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EThree, banning overseas speculators from buying existing houses\u2014this is a good one. While the housing crisis spiralled out of control, we still saw people from overseas with the ability to buy a residential property here in New Zealand, and the only action that was taken was the limp-wristed two-year brightline test that\u2019s been put into place, which has since been extended to five years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EWe want to see foreign investment where it adds to our country and where it adds to our economy, not where it stops the average Kiwi family from owning a home and not when it drives up rent prices to the point where no one can afford to pay for their groceries because all the money\u2019s gone on rent. That\u2019s where we\u2019ve seen real issues going, and by having a KiwiBuild policy and having a commitment to building 100,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years, we have a clear plan of how we want to turn that around and how we want to make New Zealand families the priority and give those families the basics in life to get on and take full advantage of the benefits that this country offers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EThe last one I would like to touch on is what we\u2019ve done for those families with kids\u2014those families who have a hard time, whether they be working or in the middle. It\u2019s very hard having children when you\u2019re trying to go back to work and pay the bills. By extending paid parental leave\u2014the first piece of legislation that was passed through this House\u2014we saw that 22 weeks of paid parental leave were made available. That will soon increase to 26 weeks\u2019 paid parental leave.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EAs a mum\u2014a working mum\u2014that works very well with 20 hours\u2019 free early childhood, a previous Labour policy. That enables mums and dads to go back to work at a number of hours per week and add an additional salary to that income to make life a lot easier for those in the middle. That is in addition to the Working for Families package, which is targeted at that middle-income family area to make life easier for New Zealanders, to make sure that they can give their kids the best start in life, and to make sure that they have a real chance of trying to save enough of a deposit to buy their own home, which is what this Government is about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EI am very proud to stand by this Budget Policy Statement because of what it provides to do, but also because of the fact that it looks deeper than just the two-dimensional view we\u2019ve seen in the past. We want to measure more than just money, more than just GDP\u2014we want to look at the whole well-being of our country, and that means putting our children first. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c196d066bd8147f7a3a619a73cab556f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c196d066bd8147f7a3a619a73cab556f\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER (National\u2014Taranaki - King Country):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to take a call on this topic this afternoon around the Budget Policy Statement. Now, we\u2019ve just heard from the previous speaker, Ginny Andersen, about measuring it and measuring everything. It\u2019s all very well to talk about measuring it, but when we ask \u201CWhat are you going to do? How you going to measure it? What are the details?\u201D, we\u2019re never getting told what they are. We don\u2019t actually know how you\u2019re going to measure it because you haven\u2019t actually said. This Government doesn\u2019t like targets.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EI also have a statement for the last speaker, which is: a Budget is not what the Government has done. The last speaker kept referring to what the Government has done. What the Government has done has referred to it in a Budget Policy Statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261ce5c6b45534629b7274c7dac000fa4\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: [Holds up Budget Policy Statement] This is what we\u2019re discussing, not the Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287be843ce93c42abb05d2984be364cc9\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER\u003C/span\u003E: No, but the Budget Policy Statement\u2014the last speaker was talking about what this Government has done. The Government has put a Budget Policy Statement in place, and it\u2019s full of opaqueness. I also heard a colleague of mine, my colleague next to me here, Denise Lee, talking about the serious uncertainty. I can tell you that what you\u2019ve got on the piece of paper that was just held up, Kieran McAnulty, is a statement, but the public are not buying that statement because there is serious uncertainty and there is opaqueness in it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo that statement came out on 14 December\u2014that was over two months ago. So, yes, we can have Christmas and we can have New Year, and this Government is up to its 100 days. In fact, it\u2019s 28 days, almost\u2014not quite, but almost\u2014past its 100 days. So do we have to wait for Easter before we get any\u2014you know, we\u2019ve had Christmas, New Year; do we have to wait for Easter? We want the \u201Chow\u201D. We don\u2019t know how we can measure stuff when this Government\u2019s not prepared to set targets.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EAnd we\u2019re already aware that Treasury\u2019s got 29 fiscal bombs waiting to happen\u2014time bombs\u2014within this statement, Mr McAnulty. There\u2019s major policies\u2014like the Provincial Growth Fund, extra Department of Conservation funding, justice policies, primary healthcare policies, new rail links, and all this talk about employment relations and increasing the minimum wage, and the population\u2019s out there going, \u201CHow on earth is this Government going to be able to afford all the things that they\u2019ve promised in this Budget Policy Statement?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThis Government\u2019s convincing themselves. They haven\u2019t yet convinced Treasury, and Treasury\u2019s got serious concerns about this. So it\u2019s ambitious. Why is it ambitious? Because this Government has no idea how it\u2019s going to achieve its wish list. There are a whole host of committees that have been put in place to try and discover how this Government is going to achieve its wish lists, and now we\u2019re seeing reports of putting an inquiry and a committee in to make an inquiry into the committees that have been set up. It\u2019s like the song that never ends.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo, yes, it does identify in this statement\u2014as some of the members have rightly talked about\u2014the tertiary education package. Well, the tertiary education package is being put in place. Half the surplus that was around at that time has been allocated to this tertiary education package. We\u2019re hearing that it\u2019s having very little impact on the number of students, so there\u2019s going to be a target and a measure. That\u2019s a target\u2014that\u2019s a target that we\u2019ve got on this side of the House, because we\u2019re very happy to measure the targets so that we know at least the quantum of the amount of money that\u2019s being spent. We are going to be watching to see how many dollars per extra student is going to be achieved in year one from this money that\u2019s being put out for the students.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo beyond that, it\u2019s very squishy indeed. I mean, there\u2019s been the Family Incomes Package, and yes, we want money to go to the families as well, and we had a pretty impressive tax package that actually was giving tax cuts to hard-working New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224322f1108b794cc1957bb54a6cddf52c\u0022\u003EDenise Lee\u003C/span\u003E: Gone now\u2014gone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e9b0259cae3b4ec39a9920379affed06\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER\u003C/span\u003E: So I\u2019m really concerned about these hard-working\u2014yeah, it\u2019s all gone. It\u2019s all been spent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThere are also no numbers around this Regional Development (Provincial Growth) Fund. So we keep hearing lots of promises. We keep hearing about the quantum of the fund. We\u2019re still not sure how some of this is going to be applied, and we\u2019re still not sure that some of what had already been committed to is not in this Provincial Growth Fund. So I have some serious questions, because when the National Party was in Government, we had a whole string of towns that had been promised ultra-fast broadband. We also had a rural broadband initiative in place, and I\u2019ve got a string of towns in my electorate, as will other people, where this rural broadband was going to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThe Hon Clare Curran was often in the House getting up going, \u201CHow you going to do it? Too slow\u2014too slow. It\u2019s not coming. It\u2019s not happening.\u201D Now, we\u2019ve actually got the Hon Clare Curran up there still waiting to appoint a group\u2014you know, there\u2019s groups and more groups and more inquiries. I\u2019ve got questions. In fact, I\u2019ve written letters to that Minister from some of my communities asking when that rural broadband initiative is going to be put in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also been told that there will be extra police numbers. We\u2019ve been told that there will be rural constabularies established. Now, as a rural MP, I would be really happy if rural security was beefed up. But, again, in all of these things\u2014no reference in this document to these commitments, in terms of additional money. So we would really like to know how much\u2014how it\u2019s going to happen. It\u2019s all very well to make these promises. As I said before, the last speaker talked about what they\u2019ve done; so far, this Government has done nothing other than make a few promises. There\u2019s three things that they\u2019ve committed to that they\u2019ve actually physically done something about, and one of them is going to result in no extra result.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EThe other thing that I\u2019m quite interested in is that the agriculture Minister has said that he\u2019s going to look at the splitting up of the Ministry for Primary Industries. I\u2019ve seen some figures on what that might cost, depending on options and ways and things to do that. I would suggest, instead of looking at putting stickers on doors and that type of operation, perhaps some of that money would be better spent on getting rid of the stink bug. We have got farmers down in Southland who are screaming out at our local member of Parliament for Clutha-Southland down there, Hamish Walker, every day. They have uncertainty about whether it\u2019s eradication or whether it\u2019s containment. They have uncertainty about whether they\u2019re going to get some compensation, and, for the amount of questions we ask, we are certainly not getting any answers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EAnd the other thing I\u2019d like this Government to commit to is\u2014I\u2019ve heard a lot of things in this House this afternoon about swimmable water, and whenever we talk about swimmable water, we set those targets back on our rural communities. I\u2019m going to say, right here and now: that is not only a rural community issue. While Christmas and New Year might have gone by in this whole 100-day process, and we\u2019re not getting many answers, there were a lot of noticeable things around the cities\u2014and particularly around the city of Auckland\u2014over that Christmas period around water.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EI\u2019m not pointing any fingers here, and I\u2019m not making any accusations in terms of any particular people. But we have an issue in this country of New Zealand that we have to tackle. I\u2019m just wondering where in this Budget Policy Statement\u2014when everyone on that side of the House is getting up and talking about swimmable water, how are we going to measure that? How are we going to get swimmable water on our beaches in Auckland? How much is that going to cost?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s not talk about what we\u2019ve done and what this Government\u2019s done in this Budget Policy Statement because, to date, very little has been done. There are still 29 risks that we\u2019re waiting to see the Government overcome. I would suggest that some of those environmental issues that have been brought up today are going to be some of the most difficult ones to cover off. I would like to see some more targets, measures, and certainty as to how we do that as a whole country, all together. With that, I would like to say that it\u2019s my pleasure to speak on this statement. I\u2019m very pleased to be opposing it today. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u00220956c293be6f405d821af89ded2ab56e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220956c293be6f405d821af89ded2ab56e\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E It\u2019s an absolute pleasure to follow the member for Taranaki - King Country, Barbara Kuriger. I have to say that we may not agree on many things but I will take the opportunity to say that she is a good woman with a good heart, and she does a lot for her constituency. She gave that speech her all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EBut I cannot say the same for the previous speakers from the other side of the House. We had Amy Adams and what was a terrible audition to be finance spokesperson for the National Party. If that was her best, then I would say the new leader Simon Bridges should be very, very worried. In her scaremongering, Ms Adams pointed everyone to the back pages of the half-year update, to the net debts forecast released by Treasury. She said\u2014and I\u2019ve written it down\u2014that it would get worse than this. She said that all of the policies that the coalition Government talks about in the Budget Policy Statement will have to be paid for with borrowings, on top of these net debt figures. She could not have been more wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EMs Adams failed to realise that the operating and capital allowances, which the Government has set aside to pay for our policy package, and more, are already incorporated into the half-year update. This is, quite frankly, very disturbing to see such an experienced former associate finance Minister get it so wrong. I would go as far as to say that perhaps Steven Joyce, who is desperate to keep his position as finance spokesperson, slipped her the wrong data. Only then would it explain why she, with so much experience, could get something so simple so wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EBut, after that, we also got to Judith Collins, or contestant number 3, as she presented herself. When she was not standing in that seat and looking at herself in that screen up there, she was getting some pretty simple things wrong, as well. It was very clear that she had read this document only five minutes before entering into this House. I wonder why that could be. What could have distracted the National Party members over the last few days that meant that they didn\u2019t have the opportunity to read the Budget Policy Statement? But I do feel sorry for the Hon Judith Collins, because she missed an opportunity. She missed an opportunity to present what the other side of the House has as an alternative vision, or lack thereof, to what this Government is proposing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThere was no vision for the future. All we heard was roads, roads, tax, and roads. That side of the House are still fighting the last election. This side, however, has presented a vision for this country and it is outlined in this Budget Policy Statement. It is emphasised fully in our 100-day plan. We\u2019ve got to look at the bigger picture. What is the measure of success in a country\u2019s economy? Is it figures, or is it actually how well off the people are in this country? What good is an economy, if a growing share are missing out on prosperity? What good is a strong economy, if people are sleeping in cars and children are going to school hungry or without shoes on their feet?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EWhen that side of the House wishes that we were doing tax cuts, this Government is actually, through this Budget Policy Statement and the 100-day plan, committing to things that matter to this country and matter to the people that live here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EEarlier speakers from this Government touched on legislation to give impact to the Families Package. How is it that in 2017 and 2018, leading up to this last election anyway, there were families who were working for a living and going without the basic necessities of life? Parents and families were working full-time\u201440, 50, 60 hours a week\u2014and struggling to feed their kids and make ends meet. That is not a strong economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EYou can take the view that the other side of the House wishes to take\u2014that the market will deliver. We\u2019ve had nine years of that ideology, and the market has delivered inequality and poverty. This Labour-led Government has had to come in and bring in measures to try and address that. We had people, leading up to the last election, living in damp, cold homes. So this Government has introduced the Healthy Homes Guarantee Act. If they were living in damp, cold homes, it also meant that they couldn\u2019t afford their own homes. So we\u2019ve clamped down on speculators, particularly those from overseas, to ensure that homes\u2014something that was a right almost in this country not long ago and is now out of reach for so many of our people here in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EBut it\u2019s not just those that are working that are struggling to make ends meet. It\u2019s those that are working but are struggling to keep their jobs, because of insecure conditions, low wages, and the insecurity that is brought about because they do not have the right to be able to negotiate collectively, as a group. They are on individual employment agreements. They do not have the confidence to be able to fight and negotiate for good, decent terms, because they know there are 10 people around the corner waiting to take their low-paying job at any rate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003ESo in our 100-day plan, which is outlined in the Budget Policy Statement, it clearly says that this Government has legislation to provide greater fairness in the workplace. Perhaps there is no greater example of this than the 90-day legislation. The previous National Government said it was fair to bring in a rule that said that after 90 days someone who is on this trial probationary period could be dismissed without any decent reason. No reflection of dignity, no reflection of the work that they\u2019ve done. They\u2019re down the road. We\u2019ve always said that was wrong, and I\u2019m proud to be part of a Government that has got rid of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272ab9059eef84f469b90fad7caa8b46f\u0022\u003EAlastair Scott\u003C/span\u003E: No, you haven\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e9a5be21e3ae433e9f6a26d815244ce2\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: Except for the small businesses, of course, which was the original rule\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e31a0b5a9fd4429a8246ed5ccde2068\u0022\u003EAlastair Scott\u003C/span\u003E: You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da59ffde774e4bf1a0856798b8dc17a7\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve been accused by the member for Wairarapa, Alastair Scott, of not knowing what I\u2019m talking about. That is the \u201CEverywhere Man\u201D. They call him the \u201CEverywhere Man\u201D in Wairarapa because he\u2019s everywhere but Wairarapa. That is the Wairarapa MP who never turns up. No wonder his majority was reduced by 5,000 last election. I look forward to reducing it even more in 2020.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThe fact is that you should never be able to be dismissed from a job\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224600b8a9d2db418d8e80d4a3480a924e\u0022\u003EAlastair Scott\u003C/span\u003E: Where were you on the weekend, McAnulty? Didn\u2019t see you on Sunday; didn\u2019t see you on Saturday. Sitting on your arse at home, McAnulty. You do nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab221570d8634aa49ec80fede4d7aa65\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: I think I\u2019ve touched a nerve. He hasn\u2019t stopped barracking since I made that point that really hurt him. The thing is, he\u2019s not happy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s move on to the minimum wage. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ebd8aee2bca84e32b8667ba21897e911\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Please don\u2019t bring me into this debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224d18577686842878dab9bbf99b595b8\u0022\u003EAlastair Scott\u003C/span\u003E: McAnulty, your party still hurts the most.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022322281955fd24be3a173384062167dbc\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, Mr Assistant Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022681517ea1eb345d988ddc584a87f019d\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! There\u2019s a correct way to address members, and that\u2019s not it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223646afd70b2e420eb763ba6e64b9aaba\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, sir. Let\u2019s move on to the minimum wage, shall we? The fact is that it is an absolute disgrace in this country, when people that work full-time\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc0c2bd9f0da4e77b7dceeef4f600a7d\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re getting to him.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a92866045c4b48fa9732eaa1a0384419\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: I think I am getting to him, Carmel. I think I am getting to Alastair Scott. I think I\u2019ve touched a nerve; I really do. But let\u2019s get back on to this, shall I? Give him a breather.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThe fact is that the minimum wage, if not increased\u2014people do struggle to make ends meet. They do struggle to feed their families, and there once was a principle in this country that if you did a fair day\u2019s work, you got a fair day\u2019s pay. Over time, when workers have been absolutely undermined, their capacity to negotiate collectively and keep the rights that many have fought for over generations\u2014this is why this Labour-led Government had to come in in this Budget Policy Statement, in our first 100 days, and actually deliver for the working people of this country. And I know, coming from a regional area that has a large number of small businesses that depend on people\u2019s capacity to spend, that when workers have money, when working families have money to spend, small businesses do well. That is how you are measuring the success of an economy\u2014not for some figures, not how the top, 10, 5, 2, and 1 percent are doing; it\u2019s how we are all doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EIf the working family is doing well, the whole country is doing well. In the last nine years, we\u2019ve seen conditions not just in the workplace but in the home eroded by loopholes in the law that allowed people to take advantage and exploit. I\u2019m proud to be part of a Government that has indicated through this Budget Policy Statement and in our 100 days that we\u2019re on the side of the everyday New Zealander, and we\u2019re going to deliver for this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022956097dc42274e4bbde0dcbc44014e91\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 House take note of the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Budget Policy Statement 2018.\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 id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c6ebfb93323e401a92f98e8f4993c1cd\u0022\u003ETabling of Documents\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ada74457433f42a8b9a864f31638e0a5\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u2014Requested Documents\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u002264b81e1f87e84b96ad0a750ee9ad1f1d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002264b81e1f87e84b96ad0a750ee9ad1f1d\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Attorney-General):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to table documents referred to by the Prime Minister in question time today that the Opposition requested be tabled. There are four of them, and if I may describe them, it might be easier to take them as one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022715e4be40c854ffd830060299d9fa289\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: No. We\u2019ve got the description. We\u2019ve got the description.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220fa255b1ba3949cc9e0a8d6a9558163b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, we haven\u2019t. I have not yet described the documents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022511e7853e3324597bc9e7f5a9c2a8c84\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, right, can we hear this in silence, please.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b7768f2311774fd8b21131a526eb1e2e\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Well, no, because you\u2019ve got to follow the Standing Orders\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8ce9611efa44743b35b74989ccf7ea0\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: No. This is a point of order, and I\u2019d like to hear\u2014[Interruption] Mr Brownlee, kia tau!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223287a1ea7f984368a576e15ac30d89c6\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: The first document is an invoice payment approval form, dated 14 January, for $21,143.67. The second document is the payment advice, dated 28 February 2018, in respect of the same payment. The other two documents are a payment approval document, dated 3 April 2017, for $24,281.33, together with the payment advice in respect of that same payment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u00223587d5ccf19743c2bb35106bc8d82b50\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223587d5ccf19743c2bb35106bc8d82b50\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EDocuments, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002201b0650b3dbe40bb983d75141e1a8b46\u0022\u003EMotions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c5a7e86e9aab4abb8e97a5877c4f0898\u0022\u003EComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership\u2014Release of Text\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u0022c3094ad325af4e2aa4fc3db11f4421e9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c3094ad325af4e2aa4fc3db11f4421e9\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Trade and Export Growth):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That this House note that the text of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership has been released, and will be signed on 8 March 2013.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c301ffbc1d8240bcb033e14373dd6d18\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! On what date?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c8152cfa5cc14e61a2e05cf488f20e75\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: 8 March 2018.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223aa4d309c43740eabd565c9a967561c6\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. You said 2013.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002241d380b292be4d7db550fb488f2d73b7\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, I\u2019m sorry, sir. Mr Assistant Speaker, thank you for that correction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI want to, in my 10 minutes, refer first to the transparency with which the Government is trying to approach the signature of this agreement, and the engagement that we are already having up and down the country, before moving to some of the issues around trade that this agreement is relevant to. I want to cover the bottom lines that the Labour Party expounded before the election, and how we have, to the best of our ability, met them, and also respond to some of the accusations that are being made that the Government has been hypocritical somehow, backing this new Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (CPTPP).\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EFirst of all, I would say that since it became clear that we were making progress in the issues that were important to the Government at Vietnam last year, even before we came close to finalisation, we have been consulting with the public. We\u2019ve had meetings up and down the country. We\u2019ve had information about the increasing number of suspensions to the agreement that were agreed up on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. As soon as we reached finalisation of the agreement in Japan about a month ago, we sought early release of the final text. That text had to be legally verified then translated, then translated back from Spanish and French into English, just to make sure that we didn\u2019t have different versions of the agreement in different languages, which is the problem that we have with the Treaty of Waitangi versions in M\u0101ori and English. As soon as that was completed, New Zealand was at the forefront of calling for its early release, and it was then released. At the same time as we released that text, we released, in advance of signature, the national interest analysis, which is a long document that describes the effect of the agreement and the benefits and risks that are inherent in it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn addition to that, we\u2019ve had numerous outreach meetings. I\u2019ve been involved in a number up and down the country. My officials have been in a lot more. They\u2019re open to anyone. People who are in favour of or against the agreement are welcome to come along, and we seek to explain to people the effect of the agreement and address questions that are asked. This is a level of transparency and engagement that I think, if I could say of the last Minister, he also began with after he became trade Minister. I think he recognised that the Minister before him hadn\u2019t been as open with the public, and one of the reasons why there has been this sort of increasing suspicion of trade agreements in society is that lack of engagement. I thank him for those efforts, and I would assure the public that we\u2019re open to doing the same thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn addition, I\u2019ve asked critics of the agreement to give us specifics, give us specific questions that they have about the agreement, and we\u2019ve had lists of those questions that have been sent in by groups of civil society who are worried about the agreement, and we\u2019ve endeavoured to give written answers to the questions. Where those written answers have been insufficient for those critics\u2014they say, \u201CLook, there\u2019s another angle that we want you to address on this.\u201D; we\u2019ve expressed willingness to do that as well. There is a point beyond which we can\u2019t go. We can\u2019t do this forever, but we\u2019re doing our utmost to address the issues that are raised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of trade, I think everyone in New Zealand knows that we are a small country that will never produce cars or computers or mobile phones or medicines. You know, we might produce the parts for magnetic resonance\u2014we\u2019ll never produce all of the medical equipment, even if we produce components for it. Therefore, we need to sell to the rest of the world things that we need to have a decent standard of living in New Zealand. I\u2019ve made the point that trade agreements aren\u2019t the be-all and end-all of that. We\u2019ve got fantastic trade agreements already with our two largest trading partners, China and Australia\u2014free-trade agreements that have been in place for a while now\u2014and, despite that, exports in the last 10 years dropped from 30 percent of GDP to 27 percent of the GDP, to be contrasted by the last Government\u2019s ambition to lift them from 30 to 40 percent of GDP. That proves that trade agreements are not the only thing that\u2019s important to trade, and there are other settings in the economy, like research and development incentives and the tax signal that encourages people to invest in productive enterprise, which grows new points of comparative advantage, rather than bidding up house prices by investing ever-higher proportions of our investment capital and residential rental investments in Auckland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn terms of the five points that we made clear before the election that we wanted to see were properly protected, the first I\u2019ll mention is the Treaty clause. We\u2019ve got fantastic Treaty protection clauses in all of our free-trade agreements. It\u2019s the same clause as previously. It\u2019s been to the Waitangi Tribunal. They gave it a very good pass. They said it protects the interests of the Government and M\u0101oridom to do anything that\u2019s necessary in the name of the Treaty. They said you could tickle it in one or two ways and make it even better, but our negotiators made the point that if we did that, we would reopen the text of that and we\u2019d likely go backwards in respect of our Treaty clause rather than forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of Pharmac, we said we wanted that better protected. It\u2019s true that the prior agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), protected the form of Pharmac; it did, though, impose additional costs on Pharmac, being the cost of medicines on patent longer, particularly biologic drugs, and also some transparency costs. Those are fixed in CPTPP and no longer apply. In respect of the right to regulate, there is no doubt that New Zealand can regulate for public health, environment, we can run a public education system, we can fund our State-owned enterprises, and we can have appropriate environmental regulation or safety regulation. There is nowhere that the Government is prevented from properly regulating, whether it\u2019s for plain packaging of cigarettes or it\u2019s for climate change reasons.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of land, which was our next provision, the last Government was saying that we had to choose between either controlling who owns New Zealand\u2019s houses or trade agreements. They said you can\u2019t have both. They said that to ban foreign buyers of our houses would breach lots of our free-trade agreements, and they said that that would cause tens of thousands of job losses. They were wrong\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f7dbaf47ab7411ab4ef6394ff368eeb\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Tell us about Singapore.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f127886941094596ad3cc9f0d94fc616\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and we\u2019ve shown how you can do that, and we\u2019ve got legislation that, if passed before the CPTPP comes into effect, protects New Zealand\u2019s interest in that regard. We were told that the alternative was that you could do stamp duty by the Government and therefore we shouldn\u2019t be worried about it. They were wrong on that too, because that would have breached the South Korean free-trade agreement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e614a27cda1c47caa08e3891c763fd51\u0022\u003EHon Phil Twyford\u003C/span\u003E: How could they have got it so wrong?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd7a9c91e0bf4cf589198cce0ebdff3a\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: How could they have got it so wrong? I do not know. It\u2019s either incompetence or disingenuousness\u2014maybe both. It was election time, and we\u2019ve now shown those claims to be incorrect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of the one complication that we do have in earlier trade agreements, the interjection came in, \u201CWhat about Singapore?\u201D It is true that that issue remains unresolved, but we are in negotiations with Singapore in an endeavour to reach an acceptable conclusion there. So that leaves, in respect of all the issues that we raised, including at the protest meetings\u2014I think I went to either one or two. The Opposition accuse me of hypocrisy for now voting for this vastly different agreement. I have to say, even when I went to those meetings and I read out the Labour Party\u2019s five conditions, which are similar to those that are recommended by other parties, I was booed by some of the crowds because they didn\u2019t think that I was tough enough for them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIt is my opinion that we have largely protected the sovereignty risk to New Zealand. The one area that we haven\u2019t succeeded completely in is investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses. The new Government agrees that these international dispute tribunals are undesirable. We don\u2019t think that a multinational should have a greater right to sue the New Zealand Government than a New Zealand company investing in New Zealand. We\u2019ve moderated the effect of ISDS clauses in a number of ways. We\u2019ve excluded commercial contracts with the Government, so multinational builds: the Waterview tunnel\u2014previously, under the TPP agreement, they could have sued the New Zealand Government; under CPTPP they can\u2019t. In respect of investment screening, they can\u2019t bring claims either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of who can sue, we\u2019ve got carve-outs with side agreements. We have a new side agreement with Australia. It\u2019s similar to the one we had last time in respect of TPP, and that carves 80 percent of foreign direct investment into New Zealand from CPTPP countries so they can\u2019t use those tribunals. We\u2019ve got side letters with other countries that will become clear on 8 March.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThere are trade benefits. The most obvious trade benefits are in respect of beef. We had no other route to a trade agreement with Japan\u2014a free-trade agreement. Since Australia had their earlier free-trade agreement with Japan a couple of years ago, and they have a lower tariff rate for their beef exports into Japan, New Zealand\u2019s beef exports have dropped 38 percent\u201438 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThis is a much better agreement. We have preserved the sovereignty of the New Zealand Parliament to act in the best interests of our people going further, whilst getting the trade benefits that were on offer. This is more important than it was before the World Trade Organization was under attack, and I\u2019m proud to support this motion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u00220a9419720dc04efb8de21e15b26bebc8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220a9419720dc04efb8de21e15b26bebc8\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Assistant Speaker, thank you. I want to congratulate the Minister for Trade and Export Growth for delivering, almost word for word, an identical speech to the one I gave in this House for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) just two years ago. The reason for that is that I agree with him. This is a high-quality agreement that is good for New Zealand. I agree with him absolutely. Where he waivers, however, from that great speech that was delivered to this House some time ago is on the significance of the changes that he says his Government and New Zealand First have delivered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EHe sits there with a smile, but he knows, actually, the changes are nowhere near as significant as he suggests. We, too, will take a little bit of time talking about that. But, certainly, the reason that the Labour and New Zealand First Government feel anxious about this is that there are pictures of them up and down the country over a long period of time campaigning, protesting, against an agreement of 6,000 pages, and they turn up in this House today saying that they\u2019ve fixed it, with about two pages\u2019 worth of changes. The Minister knows that so very, very well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EBut I will give credit where it is due. If you take the coalition agreement that was signed between New Zealand First and the Greens and you add to the front of that the words \u201CComprehensive and Progressive Agreement\u201D, would it be a different agreement at all? Because, substantially, all that\u2019s happened\u2014at the behest of Canada, not this Government\u2014is they have changed the name and so very, very little else. For New Zealanders who rely upon trade for their jobs, who have businesses that trade, who send things overseas, or who are productive, it\u2019s very important that this Government didn\u2019t change it very much, because it was a good trade agreement when it was called TPP and it remains a good trade agreement now that it\u2019s called the revised TPP\u2014or they\u2019ve made it \u201CComprehensive and Progressive\u201D by just adding those three words to the beginning of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EThe reason they\u2019re so sensitive in many of these areas is that New Zealanders believed them when they were opposed to this. They didn\u2019t see through the facade of the politics of Opposition\u2014and I guess loud voices in Opposition often become quieter in Government. I do want to give the two Government coalition parties credit. They are doing what\u2019s right for New Zealand\u2014no question there. But there are so many tens of thousands of New Zealanders that are losing faith with them, because they believed them when they said, \u201CSend us to Wellington, to that Parliament, and we will be one more vote against the TPP.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s look at a few of the things that they\u2019ve said are important. We\u2019ve had the Prime Minister, within a couple of weeks in the job, with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Export Growth in Vietnam proclaiming a deal that has the highest environmental and labour standards of any deal New Zealand has ever done and that protects the rights of M\u0101ori\u2014the Government can still meet its obligation through the Treaty of Waitangi. So I challenge the Minister to tell us exactly what he did to change the labour provisions chapter of the TPP. If you go on the website and you download the labour chapter, it is 4,034 words long; go to the revised agreement\u2014it\u2019s 4,034 words long. To the Minister: can he explain to us, if it has changed significantly so that New Zealand workers are better protected, why does the revised agreement\u2014the revised agreement that\u2019s \u201CComprehensive and Progressive\u201D\u2014still talk about America? Why does it still talk about America, if they\u2019re no longer members?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003ENow, of course, we\u2019ve heard a lot about the Treaty of Waitangi clause, and there are members on the other side of this House\u2014including Mr Tabuteau from Rotorua\u2014who said M\u0101ori weren\u2019t protected, they were being sold out. The text in the TPP agreement and the revised agreement for the Treaty of Waitangi exemption is word-for-word identical. But it\u2019s \u201CComprehensive and Progressive\u201D because they added it to the name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EThere are members on the other side of this House in New Zealand First and in Labour and in the Greens who said the tariff gains for New Zealand were not good enough\u2014we didn\u2019t go far enough. Andrew Little, as the leader, said that it does nothing for dairy, it\u2019s not good enough, it\u2019s a failure. \u201CWe should vote against it,\u201D they said in Opposition. Go and have a look at the revised agreement and compare it to the tariff schedules in the TPP agreement\u2014word-for-word identical. Word-for-word identical except America is not in it, but in other parts of the agreement it still talks about America. When the current Minister for Trade and Export Growth and his colleagues said, at the time of the TPP, \u201CIt would only add 1 percent to New Zealand GDP, it\u2019s not worth it; they haven\u2019t done well enough.\u201D, he goes off and claims to have fixed the TPP by making it \u201CComprehensive and Progressive\u201D, and he\u2019s come back with a 0.3 percent gain of GDP. And 0.3 percent is still important, because it levels the playing field and allows us to get in there, but somehow it\u2019s comprehensive, it\u2019s progressive, and it\u2019s better, yet there are so very few changes to it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003ENow I want to deal with the issue of the housing ban that they\u2019ve spoken so very much about, because, of course, it\u2019s not a ban that they\u2019ve put in place. It\u2019s more bureaucracy and it\u2019s a process. So, yes, what they\u2019ve done is they\u2019ve said every single house in New Zealand is now a sensitive asset, and if a foreigner wants to come and can fit within the rules they get to buy that. But otherwise, as with every other process of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO), every single house that a foreigner may want to purchase\u2014except, of course, for Australia, and except, of course, for Singapore; for everybody else, the British, for instance, the Minister will have to make the decision, because, finally, when an OIO decision is made, it\u2019s not rubber-stamped. Just as in the case where, when we were in Government, we turned down the sale of Lochinver Station, in this case every single house sale to a foreigner will go to the Minister. That\u2019s not a ban.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EBut, of course, go and have a look at the revised TPP and go and have a look at the original TPP and have a look and see how it\u2019s changed around the housing ban. Where has this Government gone and put in there that they have the right to ban house sales? There\u2019s not a single word of difference there. What they have is a workaround. I will give the Minister credit\u2014it\u2019s very smart, albeit very bureaucratic, and you wait and see the size of the holes in that legislation they\u2019ll have to go and fix. And, by the way, go and talk to Singapore about what they\u2019re doing to that relationship. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EAnd then we have the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS). We have members in this House who have stood up against that, day in and day out. Those horrible, nasty corporations from overseas were coming to make the New Zealand Government do things it didn\u2019t want to. And we\u2019ve heard that they tried very hard and they carved out 80 percent of all foreign investment under the TPP and this agreement\u2014by signing the very same side letter on the website that I signed two years ago in Auckland. So they gained nothing there at all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EThe one area that I do give them credit for is they have carved out the ability for foreign companies to sue the New Zealand Government when the New Zealand Government is the contractor issuing a contract particularly overpriced. So when the Minister says we could have been sued by the people doing the Waterview tunnel, who were overseas, over a contract dispute\u2014you could no longer do that. But any other legislation that\u2019s passed that actually could call into question the commitment of the Government when it comes to the trade agreement, a foreign corporation can sue them. So when David Parker, Jacinda Ardern, and members of the New Zealand First Party stand up and say, \u201CWe\u2019ve fixed this.\u201D, what they actually said in this House is, \u201CWe don\u2019t believe we will be sued successfully.\u201D And guess what? Go and have a look at the notes that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade gave me to read out as the Minister of Trade on the TPP\u2014word for word, the same. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EForeign national companies can still sue the New Zealand Government, even though New Zealand First gave promises to the New Zealand taxpayer that they would stop that. They\u2019ll say they didn\u2019t have enough time because we didn\u2019t start the work. That Minister knows his officials said in committee a few weeks ago the work on changes to ISDS started in May of last year, long before the New Zealand election\u2014in May of last year. All of these changes that they are taking credit for started long before they got there, and were worked on by this Opposition in Government because they were in the best interests of New Zealand. They are so very, very sensitive to claims that it\u2019s not a different agreement, that it\u2019s substantially the same, because they are worried that New Zealanders will see through the facade of the protest that they gave over all of those years the TPP was there, and now they have seen the light when they are in Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EI do want to finish on a positive note. There are so very many people who have worked hard on the TPP agreement and the revised TPP agreement, from some of the best negotiators in the world, who are our officials. There have been thousands of New Zealanders who have had input and have worked hard to make sure this deal was delivered. It is not in New Zealand\u2019s best interests that America has pulled out; it absolutely is in New Zealand\u2019s best interests that the TPP, as a revised deal, is going ahead. I do congratulate the Government for deciding they will put the best interests of New Zealand ahead of the politics of a number of years, and I am glad that New Zealand is signing this deal. New Zealanders will have more jobs as a result of it. It is the same deal as was negotiated by the National Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022de25c269bb984aa38108255a648b588f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022de25c269bb984aa38108255a648b588f\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader\u2014NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E New Zealanders will know that that speech, by the Hon Todd McClay, was both new and true. Sadly, that which was true was not new, and that which was new was definitely not true. For example, in February of 2016 at a casino in Auckland there was a sign-up by the United States. They left, didn\u2019t they? Now they want back in. Why? Because we inherited an ugly duckling, and thanks to my colleague David Parker we\u2019ve turned it into an elegant trading swan. That\u2019s the difference. They say, for example, they stopped Lochinver. Right? Yes, that\u2019s true. Did they stop 22 Crafar farm sales? No\u201422 Crafar farm sales off to a foreign company with no knowledge at all about farming, and they did absolutely nothing. So don\u2019t come here and tell us this is the same deal they signed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EI can tell you, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade\u2019s going through a renaissance of understanding. They\u2019ve yet to realise, like around the rest of the world, that capitalism can have a human face. It can stand up for everybody in society, not just the few and very few. They know in foreign affairs now that we believe in promoting policies that help every New Zealander, not just some party\u2019s rich mates that put a whole lot of money into their accounts when it comes to the election. We all know what\u2019s happened in the past, and they have the audacity to tell me that the Americans who left left for no reason at all. Why did the Americans leave? Bernie Sanders wanted out, and even Hillary Clinton, who began by saying it was a gold standard deal, herself campaigned against it, because she was surrounded on the left and the right by Donald Trump and all who saw that this was a massive challenge to the sovereignty of the United States, as we, who were criticised at the time, said it was to us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EAnd we have turned it around. There have been 22 changes, and they are massively fundamental. I can say this: if we\u2019d had people campaigning for us as a country before we got there, this deal could have been even better. But we\u2019ve saved every part we possibly could, and this country owes a huge debt to David Parker and the insight of his colleagues as to why and how this had to change. So let\u2019s not have any more humbug about that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ccc40f9f2ff640df95301d91f4bdc074\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Hey, Deputy Fletch, when are you taking Ron\u2019s seat?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221f933aaedc064d8e842c866de1065ba7\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: When am I taking Ron\u2019s seat?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022543de0d128964b699ac2768ac47a7131\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m just talking to Deputy Fletch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022712ba0bdf5ad46ce9fcbc1bcb92e3420\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, no. Unlike your party, we are the image of serene stability. We don\u2019t go out there against the grindstone every night. I know they\u2019ve been in a turmoil of anger and fury because they stand for nothing but their own personal promotion. I should have begun this speech by saying I want to congratulate Simon Bridges for becoming the leader of the National Party and the Leader of the Opposition, and I wish him a long, happy time in that job\u2014a long, happy time in that job. And given who\u2019s backing him, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s going to happen. But we saw all the conniving fighting going on. Not in the national interest, not in the provincial interest\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226371ed46cf484d6f99267da931d97140\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: It was the backstabbing of Ron Mark.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bee3a035293f42798bfed83c287335c7\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014not in the farming interest\u2014no, all a part of a massive ego programme best evinced by that member over there who\u2019s shouting out. Can\u2019t win a seat\u2014can\u2019t win a seat any time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dec0a4dc67574b73aacd9f6c69200482\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s rich, coming from Winston Peters, who just got chucked out of Northland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a2f416dea934a408c12b6298becf3c6\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Could I encourage the member\u2014[Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! Could I encourage you to come back to the motion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a80816994ea41efb8d2522a90157b44\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. I shall remind him that I do hold the record for the highest majority in this country\u2019s history\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224e4ad9a8fddf421fa81c555cb0428882\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: And Simon Bridges kicked you out of Tauranga, too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223646c82e63f4588a927a5f19611083e\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: \u201490.28 percent\u2014beat that. Beat that and open your mouth; otherwise keep quiet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd732273eff24bb68d4202f696cbc7a5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Please come back to the substance of the motion, please.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022093db5eebe2f4376a5008e1a71a113ce\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Look, I don\u2019t want to be arguing with a junior like that member. Next election he\u2019ll probably be gone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EPharmac was jeopardised. Our economy was threatened. New Zealand\u2019s ability to control and monitor its very land and housing was put in the control of international interests. Look, when we got there we were shocked to find out from negotiators that it had never even been raised. Don\u2019t blame them. They offered on instructions, but you had people in this Parliament, and the previous Minister as well, telling everybody, like Groser, that we couldn\u2019t do it\u2014giving that view on high that it couldn\u2019t be done\u2014and we found out they\u2019d never even raised a finger for their country or their countrymen and women. It\u2019s a shame, it\u2019s a disgrace, and I hope that this debate finishes now, because the next person needs to explain why we were sold down the drain.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EThe indications are that prominent critics of the former agreement, including the current administration in Washington, are considering bids to re-enter in light of these improvements. We picked up a non-progressive, non-comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership of what was 12 and then became 11, and we fixed it up, and I hope New Zealanders are for ever grateful. You\u2019ll still get the critics, because they will listen to the merchants of misery from that side of the House running around saying that somehow we have sold them out. Oh, no, you don\u2019t\u2014quite the contrary. We went into battle for them in the most difficult and trying circumstances\u2014a small country, out here in the South Pacific, of 4.8 million people\u2014and we have been marvellously, unbelievably successful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EGo and ask the people offshore whether they think that or not. You\u2019ve got other people replicating and duplicating our language now, talking about values, talking about the need to enhance the whole population. Where\u2019d that language come from? The citadel of common sense, the coalition Government in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022746d9866502548eebf1ca30faf14fe57\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: From Canada.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260e0d4156aba4b5e860bed7358f84df5\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s where it comes from\u2014oh no it does not. Oh no it does not. No, no\u2014I\u2019ve read articles in the UK, all sorts of newspapers writing about the change in New Zealand. They can celebrate change because they realise it may be the harbinger for change in their country as well, and they hope for it around Europe at the same time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ECan I just say we have a comprehensive, progressive agreement that maximises New Zealand\u2019s export opportunities. Over \u215B of the world\u2019s GDP will be opened up to New Zealand exporters. Now our beef farmers will have a chance in Japan. What chance did they have under that Government? What chance did they have, for example, when they went to Korea and they signed a trade deal with a 173 percent tariff? That\u2019s their idea of success. No, no\u2014we are a bit more hungry for change than that, and we\u2019re a bit more demanding in terms of the people we represent. If we couldn\u2019t get the best for the New Zealand people, we wouldn\u2019t have signed up, unlike them\u2014sell out at every point in time because there\u2019s some magical mystery.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EThey are globalists; they\u2019re the National Party with a small \u201Cn\u201D, and it gets smaller as they start feuding and fighting, and as they fall below 40 percent, and then 35 percent. That\u2019s why Judith Collins thought, \u201CI know what I\u2019ll do, I\u2019ll guarantee that I can get 35 percent.\u201D And the \u201CCrusher\u201D is not mad. The \u201CCrusher\u201D can see what\u2019s happening, so she decided to give a benchmark that she knew in short time he could not achieve. And guess why? Because more and more New Zealanders are getting to understand the background of the National Party, which, as I say, was prepared to be globalist in their intent\u2014to be the harbinger of so-called change that people didn\u2019t want\u2014and that\u2019s what this election, after all, coming up in 2020 will be all about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EWe have preserved the rules-based international order, we\u2019ve got meaningful gains for exporters, we\u2019ve got boosts for the economy, and guess what? More importantly, all those cheerleaders and clarion call merchants of the previous Government are celebrating the achievement of this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6ab564ec8b04c3da86ee74eb2a351b8\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: Same deal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ef1d9d874294d2799367da033b81dc5\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh no, it\u2019s not the same deal. If it\u2019s the same deal\u2014can I speak to some common, ordinary, sensible, sane people? If it\u2019s the same deal, why did the US leave? Slowly now\u2014why did the US leave if it was the same deal?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022836a17fa9b814af0a6c88a06f63b0991\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Why does it want to come back?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b123f1b9ee6452fa2ab23c9f24806d5\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Because it was not. \u201CWhy does it want to come back?\u201D\u2014marvellous question, Mr Brownlee; I couldn\u2019t have put it better myself. They want to come back because it\u2019s not the same deal; it\u2019s a massively improved deal that protects the rights of the American voters to determine their future, just like it protects ours. It\u2019s a marvellous deal, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m very proud to be part of the arrangements led by David Parker, who went in to bat in the most trying circumstances\u2014long hours in the morning, unlike these guys. Not out at the restaurant celebrating at half-past eight; no, going home at half-past three, four o\u2019clock in the morning\u2014because we\u2019re used to it\u2014and making sure that when we got on the plane to come home, we had something to come home with.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022021c3811b2014474a834ef1e34fe296d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022021c3811b2014474a834ef1e34fe296d\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National\u2014Ilam):\u003C/span\u003E The only thing that Minister, the Rt Hon Winston Peters, came home with when he had been to Vietnam and apparently convinced them that this wonderful deal, which David Parker, just a few weeks ago, was touting in the House as being exactly the same text as the 2016 text\u2014Hansard will record that. The footage from the House will record him standing there holding up the document saying, \u201CThis is it, the text. Nothing\u2019s changed, apart from these 26 suspensions that are in it.\u201D Of course, when you read those 26, they are minor, small things. They are not major. When you, as my colleague said, take two pages out of over 4,500 pages, you could hardly say that this was major. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019ve got here\u2014and we just heard it from the Rt Hon Winston Peters\u2014is an absolute verbal contortion of the worst kind. Firstly, I congratulate them for twisting themselves into this position, because it will be good for New Zealand\u2014no question about that. But I would say to the Hon David Parker that when his Government does not have the capacity to pass legislation to give effect to this bill, he might want to think just a little bit before he puts around some of his propagandist nonsense about how well he\u2019s done in changing this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s just look at a few of the aspects of it\u2014first of all, the idea that somehow he, as a sole genius in the Government, has come up with a way to prevent foreigners from buying land in New Zealand. Well, first, one fact: the churn of land sold to foreigners in New Zealand means that it\u2019s about 0.5 of 1 percent of our land mass a year\u2014an infinitesimal amount. But when those sales occur, it\u2019s New Zealand owners who largely benefit from that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe second point I\u2019d make is that this proposal to have the Overseas Investment Office Act altered so it becomes harder is a bit like expecting New Zealanders to believe that if you could take a colander, you could store water in it\u2014completely impossible. There are three tracts in that bill that allow people to buy land in New Zealand, and all they have to do is satisfy the criteria and they\u2019re through the gate. The criteria themselves are very light. The criteria themselves simply say things like \u201Ccan create more jobs\u201D. Well, the Rt Hon Winston Peters mentioned Crafar farms\u2014Crafar farms were in a dreadful state. You had animal welfare crawling all over them because of the state of the stock, and I will bet dollars for doughnuts that there are many times more the number of workers on that farming operation these days than was the case before. So they would get through the gate straight away\u2014first up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThen, of course, apart from the other two tracts\u2014which I may come back to\u2014is the extraordinary situation for Mr Peters and his party to be supporting, which allows foreign investors in New Zealand to buy up to $200 million worth of assets here without going through any process, as he would say, whatsoever. Let\u2019s just take, for example, a struggling building products firm\u2014a firm that might employ thousands of New Zealanders directly and indirectly. They put themselves or part of their operation up for sale so they get themselves out of a big hole, because they\u2019ve had a little bit of a financial hard time and a few bad business decisions. Well, that transaction, if it\u2019s below $200 million\u2014or any multiple of it\u2014does not need to go to the Overseas Investment Office; they simply are able to purchase it. And even if they did, the national interest test would say, \u201CWell, this saves X hundreds or thousands of jobs\u2014tick, they\u2019re through the box.\u201D So there is a whole lot of deception being talked across the other side of the House. This agreement is largely as it always has been.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EWe hear today the Rt Hon Winston Peters saying, \u201CWhat happened? The United States pulled out because they didn\u2019t like the agreement.\u201D Everyone knows that the politics of the United States are very, very different at the present time, but if the Rt Hon Winston Peters is saying that his foreign policy is now modelled on Donald Trump\u2019s view of the world, then this country is in some severe trouble. The United States is making noises at the moment about possibly reconsidering their position on this comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership, but they will require all of those 26 suspensions to be unsuspended. Those 26 suspensions will not be enshrined in New Zealand law; they will be able to be traded away, changed, or they will be simply wiped aside and reinstituted by a majority of the parties to this agreement. So the claim that is being made is nothing short of deception and, as I said before, is sort of a contortionist\u2019s view of how you present a policy\u2014and, particularly, a policy change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe other issue is this investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) situation. David Parker is right to say that\u2014while Mr Peters might be out there saying \u201CWe\u2019re protecting New Zealand from being sued by foreign Governments and foreign business entities.\u201D, Mr Parker knows that that is not, strictly speaking, the full case. But the other side of it is that New Zealand is a trading nation, and, increasingly, we trade in services and in skills that are provided largely without any particular product that you can hang your hat on, in many other countries. Engineering skills, geotechnical skills, legal skills\u2014on and on we can go, and often those contractors will be engaged with foreign Governments. So this provision, as Mr Peters now touts it as being good for New Zealand, exposes those companies in other jurisdictions, reduces the amount of cover that they might have had by the law, and somehow that\u2019s waved around as being something good for this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThere are so many aspects of this bill that the current Government have claimed success on that are simply not a change at all, and while we are very pleased to be supporting the bill, it\u2019s becoming increasingly irksome that a Government cannot among its own members, its own contributors, get the numbers to pass the bill. It\u2019s somehow being thrown back in our face that there was failure on our part, but we are still expected to create a situation where they can go around the countryside telling their mistruths\u2014frankly, lies\u2014about what they\u2019ve achieved in the preparation of this document.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe idea that this is somehow bipartisan, which I\u2019ve heard David Parker mention a number of times, and that there is a bit of cross-party work going on here is plain wrong. What happened is that over a period of years, a National Government did negotiate the vast majority\u2014the overwhelming majority\u2014of this text with other countries. Of course, when the United States pulled out, there was another negotiation, and then when there were 11, there were further negotiations\u2014that\u2019s obvious that that was going to happen. Most of it took place under a National Government. The last little bit was the trip to Vietnam, where the Canadians stopped stomping their feet and finally came to the party, albeit that they had to have some different name to satisfy their domestic politics. And it would have been, I think, fitting had Mr Parker reached across the House and said, \u201CWell, why don\u2019t the National Party send their trade representative to the signing on 8 March?\u201D It might have been just a little bit of insurance so that over on this side of the House there\u2019s no exercise of the contortions we are seeing over there to find a reason not to vote for it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThis is an extremely good arrangement, an extremely good trading deal, for New Zealand, and I have no doubt that the New Zealanders who now, apparently, are patting Mr Peters on the back are actually just patting him on the back saying, \u201CThank God for you coming to your senses\u201D\u2014oh, sorry, for Mr Peters coming to his senses and not sending their business down the tube. And of course we support them in that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s be very clear: the changes the Government are claiming are not substantial. The legislation they\u2019re making around landownership is so broad you could drive a bus through those regulations, and, frankly, that\u2019s what will continue to happen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022ebc59356771d41a2984b169de0df7f9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ebc59356771d41a2984b169de0df7f9c\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Assistant Speaker. Isn\u2019t it fantastic the way that Mr Brownlee tends to rewrite history? Well, unfortunately, the facts get in the way of the sort of subjective nonsense that Mr Brownlee talks about. This actually started out under Phil Goff as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement. It started out as a Labour initiative under the last Government, and I think it\u2019s incredibly fitting that our trade negotiations Minister, David Parker, is going to end up signing it off on behalf of the New Zealand Government, because this is where it started, Mr Brownlee, and you know that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing that really sticks in the craw of Mr Brownlee is that when they were Government they said, \u201CCan\u2019t protect our land. It can\u2019t be done. No\u2014not up for negotiation.\u201D Well, we did it within the first hundred days. Mr Parker sorted it out within the first hundred days, and the bottom line is Mr Brownlee talks about 0.5 of 1 percent of all land\u2014well, he includes the national parks and all this sort of stuff. The bottom line is\u2014and the thing I really like about the Overseas Investment Act is it talks about the fact that owning land in New Zealand is a privilege. It\u2019s a privilege\u2014it is not a right; it\u2019s a privilege, and we need to protect that privilege. What was happening under that Government was New Zealanders were shut out of their own country, and that is wrong. In fact, Mr Peters needs to take a lot of credit for this. He pushed back against the excesses of global capitalism, and it has been noted\u2014it has been noted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ELike every Labour Government that comes in, we are the Government of, sort of, economic and social evolution, revolution\u2014these guys come in and slowly manage it down, and then it takes a Labour Government and, yet again, we change the way things are done, for the betterment of the New Zealand economy and the New Zealand people. This is what this is about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ENow, one thing I will agree with Mr Brownlee on\u2014and I know this is surprising\u2014is we are a trading nation. We know this. We\u2019re a country of 4.8 million people. If we\u2019re going to grow, if we\u2019re going to create sustainable wealth and well-being for our citizens, for our companies, and for our country, we need to trade. We\u2019ve always needed to trade, and we\u2019ve always recognised this. In fact, it was Phil Goff who signed the first free-trade agreement with China, and it\u2019s worked incredibly well for us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut the thing about New Zealand is we are viewed overseas as a country of principle\u2014we really are. I\u2019ve just been to Mexico last week. They look up to us because we do things well. Yet again, I believe, just last week we have been named the most transparent country in the world. Now, you don\u2019t get that by being lucky; you get that by being principled and doing things incredibly well. So while we are a trading nation, while this started out under Phil Goff, we believe, under the terms that were being negotiated by that Government, we were actually compromising our principles to the point where we just couldn\u2019t go there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo what happened is Mr Parker took it over, and, once again, our principles came to the fore, and with these 22 changes, these 22 change clauses\u2014it\u2019s not many Mr Brownlee; I\u2019ll admit that, but they\u2019re the really important ones that define New Zealand as a country\u2014the really important ones.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1a13cf5624e4777a84ba46380ac771b\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Tell us about five of them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b8c735f1ce64ade81b2d4649a05470b\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll tell you about them\u2014I\u2019ll tell you about them. Let me tell you about investor-State dispute settlement clauses (ISDS): we wanted these removed, actually. In fact, they\u2019re a little bit of an anachronism these days, and if you read the international literature on these, there\u2019s a growing voice of concern about how these are being implemented, and the reason for that is they\u2019re done behind closed doors, no one can see the rulings, there is inconsistency, and it does take away the sovereign right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWe all know the case that causes a whole lot of problems, and that is Philip Morris suing the Government of Australia\u2014and they lost. They went through the whole court system\u2014in fact, Philip Morris moved its headquarters from Australia to Hong Kong where they had ISDS clauses. They went through the whole Australian court system and they lost, so they took it to arbitration\u2014ISDS. What the literature is now saying is Philip Morris knew they were going to lose this, but it gave them two more years. It gave them two more years to do what they felt they needed to do, and that is wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThat is why Mr Parker has worked incredibly hard to actually ensure that we are not going to be sued when we make important decisions that affect the health and well-being of our countries. That is why Mr Parker has worked incredibly hard to have side letters with a lot of countries to ensure that this is very, very narrow in its scope. I suspect that, if not in the next trade agreement then in the one after, ISDS clauses will be removed\u2014actually, from probably all global investment and trade deals\u2014because people recognise there are better ways to do this\u2014there are better ways to do this. But we have certainly mitigated the worst excesses of ISDS, and that Government had not done that in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). We have in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and I think that is a major win. It\u2019s one of the main reasons why I stand up and I support the agreement as it stands, and one of the main reasons I had major reservations for it, how it was being negotiated under that Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe sovereignty issues\u2014we can make our own decisions in the best interests of Kiwis, which is what it has got to be about, Mr Brownlee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f425557db84545ae9745a4947f5fc7e5\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Always good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223c5ba193da04dd2b88faaf2d0ac2cbb\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s fantastic, isn\u2019t it? Now, let\u2019s talk about Pharmac\u2014let\u2019s talk about Pharmac. Maurice Williamson set up Pharmac\u2014am I right in saying that? I\u2019m not too sure, but it is a fantastic thing. It is a really good model, and it actually saves us from some of the excesses that are going on in the States at the moment. You go to the United States and what they have on all the TV ads\u2014\u201CIf you\u2019ve got indigestion or if you\u2019ve got heartburn or diabetes, recommend this drug to your doctor.\u201D, and then at the end of that, it says, \u201CIf you\u2019re suffering from hypertension or liver disease or anything like this, then be very careful.\u201D The bottom line is our doctors are not subject to the worst excesses of the pharmaceutical industry that exist in a lot of places.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWell, this agreement protects Pharmac\u2014it protects Pharmac\u2014and I think that is absolutely vital. This may be a bit of a long bow, but it may actually save us from some of the excess that we\u2019re seeing in fentanyl, and that sort of thing at the moment, because we haven\u2019t got big pharma in here really screwing things down and acting in a way that is not in the best interests of Kiwis. Implementing these changes was expected to cost New Zealand an initial $4.5 million and $2.2 million per year thereafter with Pharmac. These costs are eliminated under the CPTPP. Congratulations, Mr Parker. Well done on that one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ENow, the thing is, around 8,500 New Zealanders are employed for every billion dollars of exports. But we need to grow this. We need to get better at the way we do this. And as Minister for Small Business, one of the things that I\u2019m going to be looking at is how we use this agreement to increase the percentage of GDP of the small-business sector to our country and how we can use these agreements with these countries to actually export a hell of a lot more and engage in a way that we haven\u2019t done in the past. And it\u2019s not just goods. Mr Brownlee, you were dead right. Services are becoming a really important part of our economy and what we can offer overseas. These are things that can\u2019t be replicated in the back streets of Mumbai or the office blocks of Shanghai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225de2648c37be4735bb6f0be35d1678d0\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: Xero.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddfe7f49f9874a4891269a5a28e9d40c\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Xero. These are the things that provide us with a real competitive advantage. When I say that when we go overseas and we are held up\u2014no, not held up; we are acknowledged as the most transparent country in the world. When we are acknowledged as the best place to do business in the world, people look at New Zealand and go, \u201CHow do you do it as a country of 4.8 million people? We want to work with you guys because we know you\u2019re not corrupt. We know you do things well. You bat above your weight.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThis will help us achieve our goals in a way that we couldn\u2019t beforehand. This is a really important agreement in a way that will help us grow our economy and the wealth and well-being and the jobs of our communities and our economy. But it wasn\u2019t an agreement based on the fundamental principles that guide us before; the way that Mr Parker has taken this and modified the really important clauses, it now is. Now, it\u2019s not perfect. It is not perfect but we all know in every single negotiation you give a little to get a little\u2014you give a little to get a little\u2014but what we are told in the national interest analysis is it will boost the size of our economy by up to 1 percent of GDP. Now, that\u2019s a significant amount of money. And what I expect to see is that, in fact, that will increase. I think this is conservative. And seeing what I\u2019ve seen, hearing what I\u2019m hearing, it is opening up markets that in the past just haven\u2019t really been in the view of New Zealand exporters; they are now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThis is an important agreement. I congratulate Mr Parker and I congratulate the Rt Hon Winston Peters in the way they\u2019ve taken something that was not really aligned to our principles and brought it up from the TPP to the CPTPP. Congratulations. Onwards and upwards. Thank goodness it is Labour that\u2019s going to sign this agreement. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022 data-id=\u0022167503f9aaab46e58249e7bd75e14c89\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022167503f9aaab46e58249e7bd75e14c89\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL (National\u2014Rodney):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I find it ironic that we have the Minister for Small Business standing in this House telling us how important 1 percent of GDP is\u2014which I agree with you\u2014when during the debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when we were in Government, your caucus colleagues were standing up and saying, \u201COne percent of GDP is insignificant and, actually, we want to get rid of this agreement. It\u2019s no good\u20141 percent of GDP.\u201D So it\u2019s amazing how things have changed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, I went back and\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7dc6c1dd44a430aab75fbd754e8c70e\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: Mark, Mark\u2014\u201CMadam\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002241eb32b4d4a8452c819b70b3e42eb40a\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014sorry, Madam Assistant Speaker\u2014had a look at some of the Hansards from the debates during the debate on the TPP. It was a bit of a wander down memory lane, because at that time I was chairing the committee that heard these submissions and I was locked in a debate at the time with Mr Grant Robertson. In his view\u2014and it\u2019s very important that we remember this. I want to acknowledge the Rt Hon Bill English and also the Hon Todd McClay, because all of you will remember\u2014and Stuart Nash, the previous speaker, acknowledged the Hon Phil Goff in terms of, actually, it was the Labour Party that first got this agreement started, right? So, in light of that, I want to acknowledge the Rt Hon Bill English and the Hon Todd McClay, who got this agreement started again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EDuring the debate in this House and during the public debates that I had out there with Grant Robertson\u2014when the Americans withdrew from the agreement, there was a great celebration that went on from the now Government parties that the agreement had fallen over and that it was no longer in existence. I had to stand up, and Grant Robertson and the people in the room enjoyed ridiculing me about the fact that I said, \u201CActually, as a Government, we believe that we can get this thing back on track. We believe that we can still deliver a comprehensive trade agreement for New Zealand with the other 11 partners in that TPP.\u201D Well, now it\u2019s comprehensive and progressive, and I have to acknowledge Mr Parker. He\u2019s been working hard the last three months. He\u2019s been burning the midnight oil. You know, he\u2019s been all over the world and he\u2019s come back and he\u2019s delivered two new pages to the TPP. So I have to acknowledge that: two more pages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s have a look at some of Grant Robertson\u2019s comments. Just\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd50e26912224ecaafce5c2c6e8cc416\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: All tradeable.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca4db61e0a424ae2bb20c98f2956f766\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: All tradeable\u2014all tradeable. I\u2019ll just put a line under this this. This is what Grant Robertson said in the House when he was talking about the TPP in one of our debates: \u201CIn the years following my time at university, I used to have what I guess would be called [anxiety dreams]. I would dream that I had not studied for a really important exam that was about to take place and I did not know what the date was, and I would get very stressed about this. I think others in the House may at times in their lives have had similar kinds of anxiety dreams. Of course, then I would wake up and realise that in actual fact there was no exam for me to study for and it was all unnecessary anxiety.\u201D He was talking about the failure of the TPP. He wanted it to fail. He wanted it to go away. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EThen he had this to say in the debate: \u201CBut, instead, the National Party continues to live in a state of denial. So, once and for all, for the National Party\u2019s benefit, it is over, it is finished, move on, find something new. That is the truth. It is not a matter of political cynicism, Mr Mitchell, it is the reality. What New Zealanders need is a Government that actually gets alongside them and does not put its faith in one single thing\u2014does not put its eggs or its cows, or whatever it is, into one basket\u2014because that is what, unfortunately, the National Government has done when it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226011bd3583cb4569a916a884a4d1aacf\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: Thank God he didn\u2019t become Minister of Finance! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225455980c25f542fc968062f848e135d5\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right. So I just want to acknowledge the Rt Hon Bill English, who went to Japan and met with their Prime Minister. Together, they made a commitment that they would get the TPP back on track. It was revived, and we\u2019re able to stand in the House today and we\u2019re actually able to have this debate. I agree with the comments that were made too that, actually, when it comes to trade, there should be bipartisan support and agreement in relation to those trade agreements. Unfortunately, when we were in Government and when I was chairing the committee, we didn\u2019t have that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI remember hearing submissions from Professor Jane Kelsey, and I remember in the committee having discussions around how much time we should give her at the committee, because, as you know, she\u2019s taken a firm position against the TPP. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa8200050a654eb5871c0361fe05cbb4\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ll give her a lot of time this time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf798ca50326437eaae6e2f440b1ea58\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: Look, I remember\u2014that\u2019s right. I remember the Opposition members lobbying me hard\u2014\u201CWe have to give her an hour. You know, other people only get 15 minutes.\u201D\u2014and I agreed to it. Then she\u2019d turn up, and she was very good to work with and she was very respectful of the committee and the committee of her. But she would turn up to the committee and she\u2019d be met by a Labour member and she\u2019d be ushered in\u2014a cup of tea and a sandwich\u2014and she\u2019d be well-looked-after. They\u2019d sit there and she\u2019d be like a rock star, and the Opposition members would be rushing to the mosh pit to listen to her. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ENow, I see that she\u2019s come out and said, \u201CFundamentally, there\u2019s no change to this agreement. This is the same agreement. There\u2019s no real change.\u201D So are the Government listening to her? No, they\u2019ve put her on a train to Siberia. There\u2019s no more cups of tea. There\u2019s no more cucumber sandwiches. She\u2019s on the train to Siberia\u2014they don\u2019t want to listen to her. But she\u2019s absolutely right. Fundamentally, there\u2019s no change to this agreement. It\u2019s a good agreement, but there are no changes to this agreement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EFinally, I just want to say that in terms of consultation, actually, for the Government to pass this legislation, they need the support of the National Party. They need our support. So you\u2019d think that they\u2019d want to reach out across the aisle and they\u2019d want to consult. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EIn all fairness, can I acknowledge the Hon David Parker when he acknowledged Todd McClay in saying that when he was Minister, he went out and he did an exhaustive process in terms of public consultation. It actually brought a lot of New Zealanders with it, which was an outstanding process, and it achieved great things. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EIn his time as Minister, let me give you some examples: a trip to Tonga to sign the PACER-Plus\u2014cross-party involvement. Fletcher Tabuteau went, and Annette King, and Barry Coates from the Green Party, who was very actively involved in the trade argument. When he went on a trade mission to the eurozone, he took the Rt Hon Winston Peters with him. When he went on a trade mission to Iran, he took the Hon David Clark with him. He reached out across the aisle and he made sure that the other parties were included, because he recognised that, actually, when it comes to trade, that, fundamentally, is very important. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ESo the one thing that I\u2019d ask you and the one thing that I\u2019d say to you is, please make sure there\u2019s consultation with us. Please make sure that we\u2019re engaged. Please take us with you. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022 data-id=\u0022423dfdd8f7f348a786ef87247db9a531\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022423dfdd8f7f348a786ef87247db9a531\u0022\u003EGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Assistant Speaker, I stand today in support of this motion, that the House recognise that the text of the newly named Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has been released, some two weeks before it\u2019s set to be signed with no more opportunity for amendments or input. This deal undermines our democracy in a multitude of ways, and not least of all through this secret negotiation process; lack of consultation, certainly before the text was properly released; and signing at a time when 75 percent of New Zealanders would like to see some independent analysis of the newly negotiated text. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EWe were promised a transformed deal. We were told over and over again by the coalition that the risks\u2014the grave risk, to our democracy, our human rights, our workers\u2019 rights, our environmental protection, and our Treaty of Waitangi\u2014have now vanished. It turns out that was mostly spin, and it is profoundly disappointing to know that the coalition used fairly minor changes to justify its total reversal of position on this deal so soon after the election. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EIt turns out that was spin and even the most grave risks to our democracy, the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses\u2014the clauses that say that multinational corporations, foreign investors can sue our Government for law change\u2014remain the same. The ISDS clauses remain. Now, we are a small nation. We need trade, and the Green Party is for trade\u2014trade that benefits New Zealand and helps us to address the global problems facing our planet today. We are not for a deal that marries us to a failed global economic model that Kiwis voted against at the election. So our democracy is under threat\u2014our ability to adopt transformative change that helps us to face threats like climate change and record inequality, and to honour our founding constitutional document. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s good reason we do not give Kiwi businesses the right to sue the Government for law change\u2014because the Government should look out for the interests of everybody. Health policy, education policy, and environmental policy should be all about providing schools, better hospitals, protecting the natural environment, not the profits of a few elite. But that is exactly what we\u2019re about to give away to foreign businesses. They can hold these privileges over our Government\u2014this one and future Governments\u2014in a system that sits above our law, above our courts, above our democracy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s important when it comes to the ISDS clauses to note that we\u2019re not actually talking about contract breaches. Supporters of this deal keep saying that foreign corporates, investors, now have to sue for contract breaches in our courts. Well, that was never the key concern. The key concern was the investment chapter, which creates robust privileges, minimum standards of treatment for foreign investors that ordinary Kiwis do not have. It\u2019s the investment chapter that they can use to sue us using the ISDS clauses. We don\u2019t have to have entered into a contract with them at all. It\u2019s enough that in March 2018 we are entering this agreement. From then on, they can use these privileges that we are about to give away to them to unduly influence our elected officials\u2014a right that ordinary Kiwis don\u2019t have.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EThe only real change to the ISDS regime in this agreement is the side deals or the side letters. One of them is with Australia, and the supporters of this deal point out that that\u2019s 80 percent of our trade. It\u2019s a big trading partner. It is a big trading partner, Australia, but we all know that corporates can base themselves anywhere. So once we enter this deal, corporates, even Australian-based businesses, can register a base in any one of the signing nations and use that base to sue us using the ISDS clauses. It\u2019s no protection at all. As Greens, what\u2019s particularly chilling to us is that we know that elsewhere in the world where ISDS clauses have been accessed to sue Governments, corporates have used them to stop environmental protection. When Indonesia tried to stop particularly damaging types of mining happening in its native forests, it had to exclude foreign investors because it couldn\u2019t afford the compensation. It had entered into a similar agreement with the UK and Australia, and just the mere threat of access to ISDS clauses was enough. The Indonesian environmental Minister had to admit, \u201CIf we shut them down, they will need compensation and Indonesia can\u2019t afford it.\u201D That is chilling.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EAt this moment in global history, can we really afford to give primacy to the profits of multinational corporations over the threat of climate change? Is that what Kiwis voted for at the election? Most of us voted for transformative, progressive change\u2014a change in approach even on trade. In fact, this agreement is blatantly not all that much about trade at all. Most of the thousands of pages are about giving special privileges to multinationals to be free from Government regulation. Most Kiwis would be horrified to find that its e-commerce chapter effectively prevents public oversight of this century\u2019s data-driven economy. It allows these foreign investors to base their data elsewhere, bypassing our Privacy Act. It guarantees that New Zealand will abstain from regulating future unknown technologies. Who does that benefit and what does it have to do with trade?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003ESo instead of the progressive promise of its new name, we have before us the text of an archaic kind of agreement, which is just the kind that formed the backbone of the corrupt neo-liberal regime that caused the devastation of the latest global financial crisis. The environmental and labour protections that are constantly invoked to show the progressive nature of this deal are, essentially, lip-service. Actually, climate change isn\u2019t even mentioned at all, and our obligations pursuant to the Paris Agreement aren\u2019t considerations here. In fact, any mention of labour or environmental protections are not all that enforceable in law. They\u2019re outlined with very little specificity. The environmental chapter says, \u201CTransition to a low-emission economy requires collective action.\u201D Great\u2014it does. What does that mean in law?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EParties also agree to cooperate on matters of joint interest, including things like developing low-emission technologies. Again, these are soft, unenforceable acknowledgments in law. Compare that to the incredibly detailed, biting, and binding language of the investment chapter. Actually, we know that similarly worded protections have failed to stand up against corporates elsewhere in the world. In 48 percent of cases where these types of protections and similar deals have been invoked by Government, only four have been successful. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003ESo instead of installing a transition to an innovative and sustainable economy, which New Zealanders voted for, this deal will actually make it far harder and far more expensive for us to implement things like the zero-carbon Act. That is exactly why the narrative of consensus around this kind of deal is all but illusory now. Mass protests across the world\u2014I was at the one in Auckland when the previous deal was put up. The city shut down. The EU will no longer enter this kind of agreement. Its human rights regime and climate change obligations sit above this kind of trade deal. New Zealand should be placing ourselves among the nations that are changing trade, that want to find ways to make trade fair. Our hope and intention is that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the last of this kind of deal. I want to work towards introducing change that will require us to make trade fair, to make negotiations like this democratically processed, transparent. These trade agreements should be contingent on our human rights, our Treaty of Waitangi obligations, our need for environmental protection, and our obligations to tangata whenua, with no more clauses. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EWe need to make trade fair and fit to serve our needs in the 21st century, with all the lessons of the failed neo-liberal regime. Instead, on 8 March, we will not be entering a fair or free trade agreement at all. We will be ceding sovereignty to foreign investors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022 data-id=\u0022d4638f3d5d774d8f8d6368a9419eca85\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d4638f3d5d774d8f8d6368a9419eca85\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY (National\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E Well, that was a very interesting call from the Green member Golriz Ghahraman. She has just been saying things that Labour used to say. Only a matter of months ago, we would have heard the same content of speech by David Parker and others on that side of the House. He\u2019s shaking his head, but we know that we would\u2019ve heard the same rhetoric from Labour in the election campaign, and, indeed, we did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve got to hand it to the Greens because it\u2019s not often that I agree with much that they say, but we\u2019ve heard from that member this evening a speech that hasn\u2019t changed in their rhetoric about trade, even though I don\u2019t agree with it. On this side of the House, we don\u2019t agree with what the previous speaker just said, but they have spoken with a degree of principle, and they haven\u2019t shifted their stance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019ve seen in the last couple of months is a real shift. It\u2019s almost like liquefaction over the other side of the House. Liquefaction has crept through their toes, they\u2019ve sunk down a bit, and they\u2019ve realised that this trade agreement is really important for New Zealand, it\u2019s important for job growth, it\u2019s important for reducing costs, and, fundamentally, the New Zealand economy needs this agreement. So off David Parker and Winston Peters and the Prime Minister went to try and sort out what they thought were issues with this deal, and they\u2019ve come back and they\u2019ve put \u201CCP\u201D at the front of \u201CTPP\u201D. Now, they stand up in the House and say, \u201CWe\u2019ve got these amazing changes. They\u2019re comprehensive\u201428 of them.\u201D But when you delve down into the detail, it\u2019s really very much window dressing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat I\u2019m really keen to hear in this debate this evening is about the approach that the Government takes to trade overall, because this is just one agreement. This is a really important one. It\u2019s taken a long time to get here this evening, but we\u2019re not hearing from the Government what their plan is on the New Zealand - EU free trade agreement. We\u2019ve spent a huge amount of time\u2014and I acknowledge Todd McClay and Gerry Brownlee and the work that they did, and before that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221bcbbab1127149c78821478a0e3d6b6a\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, Todd more than me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d24e3c013034af39afca84b1b299df9\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, you\u2019re right. Yeah, Todd did a huge amount of work. Of course, what I\u2019m hearing from this Government is that the Prime Minister is not going to travel very much, obviously: pregnant, baby coming on board\u2014that\u2019s great. Fantastic news\u2014congratulations. So the Prime Minister won\u2019t be leading big trade delegations. She\u2019ll go to the Pacific shortly, and then she\u2019ll go to Europe and the UK and have her photograph with the Queen\u2014fantastic\u2014and that\u2019ll be it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat I\u2019m also hearing is that the Minister of Foreign Affairs won\u2019t be doing a lot of travelling. He\u2019ll put Fletcher Tabuteau on a plane and try and get a trade delegation together, and businesses in New Zealand will go, \u201CWho? Who is this guy? Who is he? Oh, that\u2019s right. He\u2019s the new deputy leader of New Zealand First.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EAnd David Parker won\u2019t be doing much travelling. He\u2019s the Minister for Economic Development and quite a few other things as well. He should be leading trade delegations around the world, but he won\u2019t because he\u2019s got to keep an eye on Shane Jones\u2019 provincial fund as the Minister. And, of course, we\u2019ve already seen the first real blooper under that new fund. Sixty-one million dollars announced last week, and already we are seeing that fund hit liquefaction as well\u2014probity issues. So, getting back to the issue\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223467ab1f9d6942a6a93e2356e21cc433\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aede9cea0ee74c39b35c32f64616225f\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014David Parker is not going to travel, as well. So businesses are coming to the National Party, worried about the overall focus and the trade agenda of this new Government because their senior leadership team aren\u2019t going to travel. It\u2019s going to be left to Fletcher Tabuteau and Damien O\u2019Connor.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s fine having a debate about trade, but they\u2019ve just concluded their 100-day programme. It\u2019s been a real shocker for the primary sector. They don\u2019t support irrigation. Now, irrigation helps us grow our exports. It helps our farmers and processors put more products into market. It creates jobs. Unfortunately, the coalition Government\u2014and we know the Greens don\u2019t support irrigation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got issues in biosecurity, which is a real trade issue as well, because if you don\u2019t get on top of biosecurity issues, that impacts what we can do in the trade space. Also, we have got numerous other issues in their 100-day programme that they haven\u2019t addressed. The other one is that they\u2019re not getting on top of Mycoplasma bovis, a massive cattle disease.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EFortunately, farmers can still find a market and get those into export. And the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will help, particularly our beef farmers, into the lucrative Japanese market.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EThis Government is raiding from the research and development fund, the Primary Growth Partnership. Under the Ministry for Primary Industries, they\u2019re raiding that to do a rebranding exercise. That\u2019s not going to grow exports for our CPTPP market.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201d56dce954d4eee8c579512973b5728\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: You are straying a little way outside of the motion, so I\u2019d encourage you to come back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283f595d9d18f47f68e186940fadb0dbb\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I am coming back to it all the time, Madam Assistant Speaker, because it\u2019s really important. When you think about the primary sector and you think about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with \u201CCP\u201D in front of it, it\u2019s really important that this Government supports our primary producers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EI acknowledge them in that they are supporting the CPTPP\u2014that\u2019s fantastic. But we\u2019re unsure, and we\u2019re not hearing enough from them, about their broader trade agreement, because they\u2019re not prepared to travel the world and open up new market opportunities. That\u2019s really disappointing for our exporters to get pretty clear indication that this Government is more about domestic politics than about looking at a full international approach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003ESo, in summary, what we\u2019ve heard this evening is that Labour and New Zealand First were lions in Opposition and, now, they\u2019re mere lambs, and I\u2019ll leave everyone to think about that. We heard all the rhetoric in the campaign and how terrible Trans-Pacific Partnership was. So they went off to the meeting, came back with \u201CCP\u201D, bolted it on the front, and it\u2019s pretty much the same agreement. We should get on with dealing constructively across the Parliament on these trade issues, and it would have been great\u2014if they hadn\u2019t been drumming up votes, or trying to, from the greenies and the lefties\u2014if they\u2019d supported a broad trade agreement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003ESo my challenge back to David Parker and other senior economic-facing Ministers is, please, get out there and lead some trade delegations, because you can\u2019t leave it to junior Ministers to open the doors that we need to see for our exporters to reach into these very lucrative international markets. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u00226735e17aaeb94bdbbe3c5db22a12504a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226735e17aaeb94bdbbe3c5db22a12504a\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams)\u003C/span\u003E: Split call\u2014this is five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022 data-id=\u002247a3d3f2eac34a1abaa70d4f42b0be46\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002247a3d3f2eac34a1abaa70d4f42b0be46\u0022\u003EJAN TINETTI (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I\u2019m delighted to have the opportunity to stand here today and join in this debate to talk about the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and it\u2019s been very interesting listening to an Opposition that is trying to minimise the work that has happened in this agreement. This Government has actually progressed this agreement and made it into the strong agreement that it is now. In that, I\u2019d like to say congratulations to the Hon David Parker and the Rt Hon Winston Peters on the work that they have done to bring it to the stage that it\u2019s in. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard here this afternoon about the transparency that has been involved recently around the early release of the text, and I\u2019m delighted about that. Just in the last two weeks, I\u2019ve had people asking, prior to the release last week, \u201CWhen\u2019s it coming out?\u201D, but since then people have been saying, \u201CWell done. Well done on actually getting this out.\u201D Well done to Mr Parker for getting this text to release to this point. So the transparency goes along with this country not compromising our principles, and this is where this agreement is making the biggest difference. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EThis is where we have not compromised on our principles, and that is where the CPTPP is significantly different from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA). It can\u2019t be any surprise to the Opposition that these differences are in there. They\u2019re minimising them, but it can\u2019t be a surprise to them because the two parties that talked about this actually campaigned on these. They talked about protecting Pharmac. They talked about something that is really important to this country: upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That is so important. We managed to get that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022578f2e431cad4e779c5570faa61410ae\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e Te Whare. The House is resumed. Before the dinner break, we were debating Government motion No. 1. Jan Tinetti had the call, and she has two minutes and 51 seconds remaining if she wishes to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd9ed2841c104288baa62fa35aa921e3\u0022\u003EJAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b6c5020df464f77bec31c004e92e3ef\u0022\u003EHon Ruth Dyson\u003C/span\u003E: I hope she does.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cb50ae9f762459f9f1170b96fde6d23\u0022\u003EJAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Right when the dinner break started, I was talking about the transparency and the early release of the text of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (CPTPPA), how wonderful that has been, and the people that have contacted me to say that they\u2019re very pleased to have read that text. What I have been encouraging those people to do, though, is to also go and read the national interest analysis of the agreement that has been released alongside this, because I think that that document is another way that we\u2019re showing the openness and the honesty around the agreement. People have really appreciated the fact that they have been pointed in that direction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EThat particular document is a document that reflects the important changes to how the agreement affects New Zealand\u2019s intellectual property law, Pharmac, and whether overseas investors can make claims against the Government. People that have talked to me about that and about that document, after I\u2019ve pointed them in that direction, have said that that has been very helpful. So I would encourage anyone to go and have a look at that. That document was written by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the analysis concludes that it would be in New Zealand\u2019s interests to enter the CPTPPA. As I said, it also outlines the differences in this agreement from the original agreement that we can see.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003ENow the part of the agreement, in my final part here, that I would like to talk about is the most important part in the changes that I see from the TPPA to the CPTTPA, and that\u2019s the changes in the house-buying ban. This Government thinks that it\u2019s the birthright of New Zealanders to own our houses as well as our farms, so it is something that New Zealanders aspire to. It is something that, for many New Zealanders, has become unattainable to them. So this was one area that is a major change. It was something that we were told may not be able to happen. We were told we would possibly have to look at renegotiating our trade agreements, and yet that was proven not to be the case. So I was very happy around that. I\u2019m very happy to talk on this here tonight. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022 data-id=\u00224e69f54aedfb4411a1c3663d51a32c88\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224e69f54aedfb4411a1c3663d51a32c88\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Gerry Brownlee said it best earlier this afternoon when he said that this agreement, and in particular the performance of this Government on this issue, is political deception of the highest order. If you listen to the way this debate has unfolded, when they have positioned trade\u2014trade, of all things; the lifeblood of this country, trade that, essentially, underpins the livelihoods of all our communities, that they passionately say they represent\u2014when they talk to this agreement and position it as something materially different to what this Parliament had debated and supported, that they voted against, is, in my view\u2014I agree with Mr Brownlee\u2014political deception in the highest order. This was politics at its most cynical.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EIt was a party that was under pressure in the polls and an issue that has always been bipartisan. For the last 30 years, it has been bipartisan, but this Government, the Labour Party, decided they were so desperate they would turn it into a partisan issue. They said the deal was being done in secret, until the full 6,000-page document was released for all to see. They said it was being done without public consultation, until the public consultation started. They said it was going to breach the Treaty of Waitangi, until the Waitangi Tribunal ruled that it didn\u2019t. They said it would ruin Pharmac, despite specific clauses in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) that protected it. They protested on the steps of Parliament. They went and got a hundred thousand signatures. They said it would restrict and restrain our sovereignty, except there are explicit clauses in the TPPA that prevented that from happening and never in any way restrained our ability to regulate for the national interest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EDavid Parker stood up and said it is, and I quote, \u201Can affront to democracy.\u201D Andrew Little stood up and said, \u201CThis deal is hopeless. The dairy deal is hopeless. Meat is hardly better and the rest amounts to not much.\u201D They, the Labour Party and the Labour Party leader, were talking to the market access provisions in the TPPA. The whole purpose of the deal is to open up market provisions and opportunities for our exporters. They were describing those provisions that had been negotiated as hopeless. Those same people stand in the House tonight and laud the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership as a great revelation, as an achievement amongst all achievements. They can barely look down the camera without looking away. They barely can control their cynical smirks as they realise, \u201CWell actually, look what we\u2019ve managed to get through here.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EThe public of New Zealand know, the exporters of New Zealand know, that the deal is a good deal. The deal was negotiated by the last Government for market access to a huge, huge set of markets around the world. We stood beside our exporters. We said that these market access provisions were superb and should be celebrated. That side said they were hopeless. How can they stand here tonight and look at New Zealand and say, \u201CActually, we think this deal now is superb.\u201D It talks to integrity\u2014it talks to integrity. That\u2019s why they struggle to look down the camera tonight and say, \u201CWe have delivered a deal that is fundamentally different and better.\u201D, because they haven\u2019t. Two pages of text out of 6,000 is not a revised, refreshed deal; it is the same deal with a couple of minor changes. They know it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EI tell you the people of Tauranga, the exporters of Tauranga, the kiwifruit industry that has $26 million worth of benefit that was negotiated over the last two years, they know it. They know a political deceit when they see it, and they see it here tonight. But we will not do what the Government benches have done and play politics with this. This is a good deal for this country, and despite the political deceit we therefore support it, because we always have supported and we always will support the exporters of this country. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to be a National Party member. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u00220f524311b46e4bc78888fcaed60e42ef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f524311b46e4bc78888fcaed60e42ef\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: This is a split call. I call the Hon Nanaia Mahuta.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022 data-id=\u00228c10be0482c94830bb009b33602bfa7c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228c10be0482c94830bb009b33602bfa7c\u0022\u003EHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for M\u0101ori Development):\u003C/span\u003E I take just a brief opportunity to offer a few comments on the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Reflecting on the comments of the previous speaker, Todd Muller, can I simply say this: 22 changes were achieved by this Government to assure New Zealanders of the things that were uppermost in their minds when the previous Government failed to recognise the issues that we were bringing to the House and why we contested that agreement\u201422 changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EWe argued that the role of Pharmac in purchasing medicines should be protected, and that has been strengthened in one of those changes. Upholding the Treaty of Waitangi, I agree, was a very hotly contested point. I went to the Waitangi Tribunal and heard the debate as it progressed alongside. We\u2019ve been assured by the Waitangi Tribunal that the Treaty exception clause is sufficient, and we acknowledge that there is more work to do as we work towards a more progressive trade agenda. There will be meaningful gains to exporters in the reduction of tariffs and in some key industries, like kiwifruit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EIt will do the thing that I think most New Zealanders were most concerned about, which is restricting the sale of houses and farms to overseas buyers. This issue alone actually occupied the minds of many New Zealanders who were very concerned that a carte blanche approach to enabling foreign investors to buy houses in New Zealand artificially inflated the price of houses. What that meant for the domestic homebuyer was that owning a home became so out of reach it was ridiculous, so we\u2019ve strengthened that. Narrowing the investor-State dispute settlement clauses, again, is another positive advantage to New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EBut, all in all, it was the way in which this trade agreement was being negotiated by the previous Government. I\u2019m really pleased that the Minister for Trade and Export Growth and the Minister of Foreign Affairs accepted that early exposure of the draft, prior to signing, and the national interest test become publicly available so that people could see these changes that we can now sign up to but, also, so that it would be a part of an open and transparent approach to negotiating trade deals that deliver the greatest advantage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EThis is why it is an opportunity to not only say to New Zealanders\u2014having stood up and said we were concerned about some really important things that affected New Zealanders on a day-to-day basis and secured the 22 changes, and now being able to re-present the text and have the national interest test conducted in a way that gives all New Zealanders a greater assurance that this Parliament will hold itself to account, and the way in which the Government secured better interests through their negotiations, is something I think many New Zealanders will be very, very pleased about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EIt does signal a new approach. The Minister for Trade and Export Growth, in going forward, has recognised that yes, more can be done as we continue, as a coalition Government, to advance in the free-trade area. So I\u2019m really optimistic about the new progressive trade agenda that will be led by our Government, which will start to flesh out how we can secure more advantage. I attended several business summits over the last couple of weeks. Small to medium sized enterprises are saying, \u201CLook, it\u2019s time now that we look to secure advantage for a sector that contributes greatly to our domestic economy and is starting to make some inroads into some high-value niche markets overseas.\u201D They want to see some opportunity in the way in which this Government negotiates trade deals to advantage their interests.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220e7e8da2-a6a1-41bb-aeb0-a49be255a293\u0022\u003EAlso, in the space of women and on an indigenous platform, there are so many more opportunities. So it is heartening to see that we have a coalition Government that is putting people back in the centre of trade agreements, to derive value to our export sector but also to ensure, backing that up, we are keeping some of the principles about what makes New Zealand a great country to live in still great. If anything else, the fact that we\u2019ve moved early to ban the sale of houses and farms to foreign buyers\u2014I think that alone sends a very clear signal to many New Zealanders. We are very serious about a trade agenda that works for everybody.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022 data-id=\u00228b29edf7f2844e9d8f432c7244e7c0c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228b29edf7f2844e9d8f432c7244e7c0c1\u0022\u003EDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Assistant Speaker, thank you. I couldn\u2019t help but think, when the previous speaker, Nanaia Mahuta, resumed her seat, you can understand why she is such a long-experienced member of this Parliament. She\u2019s just shown the ability to fill in five minutes of Parliament\u2019s time without saying anything.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI will give you an example. She said that this Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) puts people back at the centre of trade. Well, who else would be trading with each other, other than people? The fact of the matter is that this is a bill that the Labour Party, despite its long, liberal, internationalist history, opposed because they thought it was politically convenient. And then, upon assuming Government, they recognised a few truths. First of all, New Zealand is a nation of traders. We are a nation of people who have come here from the Pacific Islands, from Hawaiki, from England, from Europe, and from Asia because we wanted a better life. When we arrived here, four million or five million of us, at the edge of the Earth, did we say that we wanted no further links with the rest of the world from whence we came? Of course we didn\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EOnly the Labour Party and their new-found small-mindedness would have suggested that New Zealanders wanted to shut themselves off from the rest of the world. As their former leader Helen Clark said, the TPP was one of those times when you realised that New Zealand was in danger of missing out completely. So it\u2019s no surprise that the Labour Party, despite all their rhetoric, despite all their grand talk of difference and being a different party and having a different position on trade, are here tonight, in the Parliament, signing off a Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership that constitutes the following, and this is really important. Stuart Nash knows. He\u2019s smiling; he knows.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EIt is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to which the Labour Party and their props in New Zealand First were so opposed, plus a four-page cover letter that removes a few conditions in order that if the United States wishes to come back to the table, we have a negotiating position. So people who supported the Labour Party and New Zealand First\u2014I\u2019d say to them they were wrong to oppose trade for New Zealand, but they should also be under no illusion that their parties have just signed up to the TPP with a four-page cover letter. You see, the text is exactly the same. It\u2019s a four-page cover letter that sets out some negotiating positions for when the United States decides to re-enter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EOn behalf of the ACT Party, who understands the origin of this country, who understands that we are a nation of immigrants, people who sought a better life at the edge of the Earth but did not want to sever our ties with the countries from whence we came\u2014in this case, around the Pacific\u2014we understand that our global links are critical. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe want to commend this Government, even though they\u2019ve come to it in a sort of confused, denialist sort of way, for agreeing that the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as it was originally written, should be passed in this Parliament and passed by this Government and signed by our Minister of Foreign Affairs, in such a way that we maintain a country with global links, that trades value for value with the rest of the world, that stands proudly in the world, that is not afraid of the rest of the world, and that, heaven forbid, is not xenophobic, as the Labour Party has sadly, and recently in its history, become.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe commend the Government for swallowing its pride and signing the TPP so that Aotearoa New Zealand can remain a country that is a strong, capitalist, global system that trades value for value, and gets stronger together with our cousins from around the world, of whatever nationality. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022 data-id=\u002228c294e9160f47a3847d90edfb597543\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002228c294e9160f47a3847d90edfb597543\u0022\u003ESIMON O\u2019CONNOR (National\u2014T\u0101maki):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Assistant Speaker. I find it remarkable, at one level, that we\u2019re continuing to have a debate on this, now called, Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. I certainly am one who thinks that this trade agreement is immensely important, but why I find it odd is probably twofold.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EOne is, of course, when you have a new Government you expect a whole lot of legislation to come before the House and not actually be discussing topics like this. The second, of course, is that we have gone through this before. I think we\u2019ve been hearing this from a number of colleagues over the last few debates\u2014that we\u2019ve actually gone through this many times, and very little has changed. In many ways, tonight we are here to celebrate, from the Government\u2019s point of view, the insertion of the letters \u201CC\u201D and \u201CP\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s almost the end of it. It\u2019s becoming sort of\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014a fairly standard approach these days to whip out words like \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D and \u201Cprogressive\u201D, because it gives that sort of warm, fuzzy feeling. Of course, when you start to dig into anything that it is \u201Cprogressive\u201D in this world, it\u2019s always found wanting, and \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D is something that is always sort of a contradiction. And of course I\u2019m slightly joking when I say we\u2019re here to celebrate only the letters C and P, but actually, basically, to use the vernacular, bugger all has changed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s been celebration tonight from the Government side that they\u2019re tabling this document as if it\u2019s something remarkable, open, and transparent. Well, it might come as a surprise to them but months ago, actually, we tabled the same 6,000 page document. It\u2019s the same document. The only thing that\u2019s changed are two pieces of paper\u2014nothing has changed. I\u2019m no mathematician, but two pieces of paper over 6,000 means a 0.00003 percent change. It is nothing. It is an absolute minimal change. The Labour Party has effectively buckled to reality, and what we\u2019re seeing here is just classic spin.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EWe know that a number of those members on the other side\u2014and the Minister himself, the Hon David Parker\u2014were at the vanguard of protests screaming and yelling, saying this was a terrible, terrible agreement and an affront to democracy and every other sort of dramatic spin that they could put on it, and now that they\u2019ve made basically no change and are on the Government benches, they\u2019re trumpeting it. The only way that they\u2019re able to attempt to justify it\u2014partly to themselves; partly to the colleagues and to the public\u2014is to try and say there\u2019s been enormous, enormous change. And you know that it\u2019s false, because, objectively, again, compare the previous 6,000 pages with the new 6,002 pages. But also, as you listen to the speeches tonight from the other side, some of the members are talking about 22 changes; others are talking about 32 changes. So I\u2019d really encourage the Labour Government and their coalition partners to get together and try to synchronise that up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EThey\u2019ve made a big talk about the Treaty of Waitangi, because, of course, that\u2019s one of those things, a bit like the words \u201Cprogressive\u201D and \u201Ccomprehensive\u201D\u2014everyone goes, \u201COh my gosh, the Treaty, yes.\u201D Well, actually, nothing\u2019s changed there whatsoever. There\u2019s big talk about Pharmac, and having been the former chair of the Health Committee, it\u2019s something I\u2019ve followed closely\u2014nothing has changed around Pharmac. The protections of Pharmac were already in the original agreement. When we used to actually have a bipartisan approach to trade, no side of this House was going to sell out the Treaty nor Pharmac nor the country. Nothing has changed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s big talk about the investor-State dispute settlements. You always know when people don\u2019t really know what they want to talk about but they want to scaremonger, they use the acronyms\u2014the investor-State dispute settlements and that \u201COh, we\u2019ve made massive changes there.\u201D Actually, the change has been so minor that it\u2019s almost not worth mentioning. The fact that we can no longer sue\u2014or rather, an outside party can no longer sue for contractual disputes, OK; I acknowledge that\u2019s a sort of win. The fact, of course, that other things outside contractual disputes, and particularly if it relates to New Zealanders\u2014if properties or businesses are taken off them as particular Governments nationalise or the like. But the other thing that they don\u2019t talk about, and it\u2019s one word, actually, that hasn\u2019t been used tonight. It\u2019s about successfully suing\u2014successfully suing. The thing is, of course, there is nothing in this agreement that has been lauded to stop another nation suing us. They just can\u2019t do it successfully. So what does that mean? It means that we can still\u2014in this amazing extra two-page agreement\u2014be sued, as I understand things. They can still take us to the courts and cost time and money. It just can\u2019t be successful, and that\u2019s a really important point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003ESo a lot of noise has been made by the other side, but I just encourage New Zealanders, particularly those who are on the more extreme anti side, to make sure they get the emails of this coalition Government. I\u2019d encourage Jane Kelsey and others to remind them, to say, \u201CHey mates, where were you a few months ago, standing beside me? Nothing\u2019s changed. Get in touch.\u201D I\u2019d also encourage New Zealanders to get on to Google or Bing or whatever you use, look up \u201CLabour\u201D and \u201CTPP\u201D and look at what they opposed. Look at the faces leading the protests\u2014or if you\u2019re an Aucklander, like myself\u2014who basically stuffed up the traffic for hours. Nothing has changed in this agreement whatsoever. It\u2019s incredibly disappointing that the wool is being pulled over people\u2019s eyes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225b6b1d74-9e5e-42ba-a922-85b0ea7f5ab6\u0022\u003EI want to finish by just saying a little bit of what other colleagues have noted too: the concern around the lack of trade policy and direction in this Government. We have opportunities, particularly in Europe, particularly with the United Kingdom. We also have opportunities around the PACER-Plus agreement; that\u2019s in the Pacific, which I suspect most people on that side don\u2019t know of. But, actually, there\u2019s a lot more work that needs to be done there, and I encourage this Government to more properly engage with this side of the House, learn a thing or two about how to pull these agreements together, and perhaps return to a proper bipartisan\u2014comprehensive, if you will\u2014approach to trade, which restores a little bit of mana and dignity to how we conduct our foreign affairs overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u0022d01d56aa9c1e497889e793393a31b6dc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d01d56aa9c1e497889e793393a31b6dc\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, for allowing me to take a call in respect of this Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (CPTPPA). Before I commenced my remarks in the House tonight, I had the privilege of sitting through only the last few speakers from the Opposition, but what I have taken away is that there\u2019s a lot of conjecture and hyperbolic statements that are used to describe the contents of this agreement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI think it would be remiss, as the final speaker on behalf of the Government, if I didn\u2019t just make some remarks about the journey by which the CPTPPA has come into this House, and make a few comments in respect of its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA). But, in particular, I really rise to speak to the implications of this agreement in respect of my region, the East Coast, the Eastern Bay of Plenty, the impacts that trade agreements such as the CPTPPA will have on our region\u2019s development, and, specifically\u2014through an industry that is close to my heart\u2014the kiwifruit industry. Finally, I want to make a few remarks in respect of the implications of this agreement on Crown and M\u0101ori relationships and the implications of Te Tiriti\u2014the Treaty\u2014and this agreement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EBut before I commence my remarks in that respect, I do want to make a number of acknowledgments. I want to acknowledge the fact that these types of agreements\u2014one, they are extremely complex, nuanced, and go through years of negotiations to get to a final end point. In the process of those negotiations, I want to acknowledge the fact that so many New Zealanders from all walks of life have stood in support of, and in opposition to, the various iterations of this agreement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI note the comments from one of my colleagues from across the Chamber, who discussed how there were members from this side that spoke at protests, and other such things, against the former agreement that didn\u2019t get over the line, the TPPA. I myself didn\u2019t attend any of those protests, but what I can say to those that did: good on them. Good on them for being passionate enough about our country to make a stand in respect of things that are important to them. And good on my colleagues who spoke out against the previous TPPA that was insufficient for our country and did not reach the objectives that the current CPTPPA has achieved for our country, and, in particular, the lynch point that the Opposition said that they could not achieve\u2014that foreign investors could not be banned from speculating in our country. Well, that has to be a victory for this brand new Government, and I want to commend the efforts of our Minister for Trade and Export Growth, the Hon David Parker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EIn hindsight, thinking about why people become so impassioned about these types of agreements\u2014and, actually, I draw on the previous remarks of my colleague David Seymour\u2014we are a small trading nation at the bottom of the South Pacific, but we\u2019re also a very proud country. We\u2019re an extremely proud country about the way in which \u201CBrand New Zealand\u201D\u2014Brand Aotearoa\u2014is projected to the world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI remember, prior to my role in this House, when I was a lawyer, I wasn\u2019t sure. I remember there were people who were in extreme opposition and people in extreme support in my close circles of confidants. I said to myself, \u201CWell, I can\u2019t really just go off what anybody else says.\u201D So for two weeks, my household shut its windows and we went through thousands and thousands of pages of papers to go through the exact detail of the prior TPPA, to form our own views. Again, when the text of this agreement, the CPTPPA, was released last week, we did the same. We shut up house and we went through the details, in order to form our own views.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ELook, I admire people immeasurably on both sides of the debate, but where I\u2019ve landed\u2014I\u2019m proud to stand on this side of the House, in light of the significant traction that has been made over the past four months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ESeventy percent of New Zealand\u2019s trade flows through the Asia-Pacific region. We\u2019re no longer an island in the middle of the South Pacific but, rather, we\u2019re a dynamic economy that is integrated into a globally connected world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c465394341404cbf9bebee21a8b3b599\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Well, who knew that!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c51dbda26b3e4ace913d4e94a46ae851\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: Since there was an interesting remark from over the other side there, I was noticing, you know, Peru is one of the eleven signatories to this agreement, and I was reflecting on the peruperu\u2014the potato. My t\u012Bpuna from mai r\u0101n\u014D actually were trading those peruperu\u2014native potatoes\u2014for generations and generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b45e59bf826f47e0bde421acbfc65174\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Put this in a book. Put it in a book.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7ab5ddb7ba846fbb96ba830e5d3a910\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: Put it in a book. Nah, how about I just keep on going?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThis side of the House managed to get things over the line that your Government couldn\u2019t. The simple fact is\u2014and when we actually go down the track: how many trade agreements have the Opposition gotten over the line? How many? How many? How many? How many? How many? How many? It\u2019s been this side of the House, every single time, that\u2019s had to seal the deal. The Opposition puts themselves out there as being the guys that are the champions of business. They\u2019re the champions of the regions. The champions, champions, champions\u2014but they can never get the deals over the line. Anyway, I digress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI really want to turn to the applications of this CPTPPA on our region\u2019s development. Before I came into this House, I\u2019ve been a proud product of the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The kiwifruit industry is one of the backbones of our regional economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225b9de5fdf054c739449385861a1dc55\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s very traditional.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275f4cc776fe6430991ae7520cfbda184\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: It is. It\u2019s a very traditional industry. My grandparents have been in it, and pretty much all of my family is. It\u2019s a fantastic industry. I had the opportunity to participate and be a part of greenfield developments all up the East Coast.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ENow, the thing is that the kiwifruit industry currently contributes $2.6 billion to New Zealand\u2019s GDP, and in the Bay of Plenty that\u2019s $867 million alone. Currently, the kiwifruit industry generates over 10,000 jobs in the Bay of Plenty, and approximately 2,500 of those jobs are held by M\u0101ori. The projections by 2030 are that our growth projections will be an additional 14,000 more jobs created in the Bay of Plenty, and M\u0101ori grower revenue is estimated to increase from $271 million to $638 million per year by 2030. Bay of Plenty M\u0101ori wages and salaries are set to double from $22.1 million to $52 million, an increase of approximately 135 percent. The CPTPPA will reduce tariffs by $26 million per annum. That has huge fiscal implications for our region that we share.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI briefly want to just pick up on some of the comments of the Hon Nanaia Mahuta in respect to Crown-M\u0101ori relations. There\u2019s been a lot of commentary that the CPTPPA will undermine the Crown\u2019s ability to give effect to its Treaty obligations. The Waitangi Tribunal, under urgency, found that the development of the Treaty exception clause, and its successful incorporation into the Singapore free-trade agreement and every free-trade agreement since, demonstrates leadership and is a credit to successive New Zealand Governments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThe issue before the tribunal was whether the Treaty exception clause was an effective protection, and their finding was that overall they concluded that the exception would be likely to operate in the prior TPPA substantially as intended. The exception, in the tribunal\u2019s view, could be said to offer a reasonable degree of protection to M\u0101ori interests affected by the TPPA. Does that mean it\u2019s perfect? No, it doesn\u2019t. But what this Government has undertaken to do is to work closely with M\u0101ori in the evolution of these Treaty exception clauses moving forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI\u2019m proud to be working with this Government, and I\u2019m proud of the achievements made under the leadership of the Hon David Parker. I am pleased to commend this agreement to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\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=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00228b442cd072fd450fa7328bfb584f8598\u0022\u003ECustoms and Excise Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220444c68a458848ea921e6b30344e6220\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000642\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 27 February.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e0297a6df48f4244b7ca5225139be928\u0022\u003EPowers and Obligations (continued)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u0022923632e662f14a71b472830d38a1de0d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022923632e662f14a71b472830d38a1de0d\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I\u2019m pleased to continue my contribution\u2014third time lucky\u2014on this committee stage of the Customs and Excise Bill. If you could indulge me while I sort of get back up to speed again, but this is a comprehensive bill whereby we are wanting to bring the New Zealand Customs Service up into the 21st century. It\u2019s about modernising and updating their processes and, obviously, the empowering legislation. In this debate, we are covering the theme of the powers and obligations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI was mentioning in my earlier sections to this contribution the powers that reside with the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Customs Service. I note that there is a continuation of the title for the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Customs Service being referred to as the Comptroller of Customs. As I understand, the title of comptroller goes all the way back to 1910, so we\u2019ve had over 108 years of the head of the New Zealand Customs Service being referred to as the comptroller. I guess my question to the Minister of Customs is: as we are modernising the New Zealand Customs Service through this legislation, why are we continuing with the term \u201Ccomptroller\u201D for the administrative head of the New Zealand Customs Service?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ERight throughout the legislation it\u2019s referred to as the chief executive, and, I guess, \u201Ccomptroller\u201D appears to me to be a very archaic term. It doesn\u2019t really align with hauling the New Zealand Customs Service into the 21st century. We know that chief executives have been established under the State Sector Act for a very long time and, I guess, I really want to go a bit deeper just to understand why we have the term \u201Ccomptroller\u201D. What\u2019s in a name? Are there any express or implied powers that reside in a comptroller, whether it be at law or however\u2014some sort of extra powers that derive under that title which are separate to the powers conferred under this bill? It is such a very historical and quite antiquated term, so I would just like some guidance, I guess, from the Minister as to why the chief executive still has to carry that name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EAnd I understand the current head of customs is again referred to\u2014I believe it\u2019s an acting chief executive at the moment. It may be because it\u2019s aligned with practice with other customs services around the world, I\u2019m not too sure, but it seems to me that if we are modernising, if the purpose is to modernise the New Zealand Customs Service, then surely that might be one of the changes\u2014yeah, those old titles that we can do away with and move into the 21st century and be proud to have the New Zealand Customs Service led by the chief executive. For instance, right throughout the legislation, all of the powers are conferred on the chief executive, and, I guess, why not go for consistency of language? Why not apply that consistency to the current head of customs? We can leave those old terms to history. Leave them to history, and let\u2019s step out boldly in the 21st century by making sure that we do have clarity\u2014clarity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s why I do want to go back to the point: are there any powers of a comptroller that are separate to the chief executive? I think that\u2019s a very important point, because if there are then it does lead to uncertainty. It seems like it might be some sort of officer, quasi-military title. I\u2019m not too sure. I\u2019m not an expert in that area, but \u201Ccomptroller\u201D seems like it is quite a hierarchical term. We have a deputy comptroller, we have officers, and it seems like it\u2019s a specialised term for a customs-type officer\u2014the head officer. And so I\u2019m interested in whether there is some sort of dual role that is played out by having that title in addition to being the chief executive. I think it\u2019s important because it goes to the delegations that flow from that title, and so I would seek Minister Whaitiri\u2019s clarification on that point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EAs I\u2019ve said, I think it\u2019s important that we do modernise the New Zealand Customs Service. It is a very high performing Government department. It does a lot of great work and we are definitely updating the powers that it does have through this piece of legislation, but I think it\u2019s very important that we make sure that comptroller and chief executive are not confused, and if there is confusion, I think we should remedy that confusion by just going with the current, modern-day term of chief executive. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229859ee4060ef47c88936e428899ba1ce\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002266d36a8821ec4890a34fab109f81e076\u0022\u003EHon Peeni Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022d99d097a139e47d7887e958d2057603d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d99d097a139e47d7887e958d2057603d\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: I call the Hon Andrew Little.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210b5ebc7b048494484583f886fa47fb7\u0022\u003EHon Peeni Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Aw!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022dd881e4e2d4147949b92b769b10ac181\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dd881e4e2d4147949b92b769b10ac181\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair, and I know my colleague Peeni Henare has a considerable contribution to make on this bill. I just thought it might be better if I make my more modest contribution and clear the way for him to take the time of Parliament to extemporise on the very important issues that I know he wishes to bring to the attention of this committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EAs I said last time I spoke on this bill, which doesn\u2019t seem that long ago but, actually, was at least a week ago, the power of the customs department is extensive, second only to the police. They are extensive powers of intrusion and coercion that our customs officers have. And, of course, because it\u2019s an important border control department and mechanism that we have, it\u2019s very important that those powers are clearly laid out and clearly spelled out, and there is no doubt or equivocation about them, about to whom they should apply or about what they are. It is interesting, throughout Part 3, and particularly in subpart 8, the extensive powers that are contained therein. They are some of the more intrusive powers that we would confer on any Government agent, but in particular customs officers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo we see the obligation that the customs officers have. Having seized goods and established that they are contraband, they are then forfeited to the State. We see that customs, nevertheless, before that forfeiture, are required to provide a notice to people with an interest in the goods, so that there is some sort of due process and natural justice followed. It\u2019s very important for the exercise of these extensive powers that that is there. So I acknowledge the Minister in charge of the bill, the Minister of Customs. I congratulate her on a bill that actually clearly lays that out\u2014clearly lays out those powers\u2014because if there is going to be a challenge to anything that our customs officials do, it will be in those more intrusive powers that they exercise: the right to stop at the border and the right to detain goods at the border and, where there is suspicion about the legality of their nature, then to seize those goods, with notice to those with an interest in it following.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EFor goods that have been improperly imported and for which no proper duty or excise has been paid, they can be seized, forfeited to the Crown, and then the Crown, in fact, has the right to sell those goods\u2014again, actually, quite an intrusive power into the private rights of the citizen, corporate or otherwise, who would otherwise be bringing those goods across the border for their merchanting and good health. And so it is important, as I said, when we are considering a piece of legislation that has powers that are that intrusive, that we take good time to consider them carefully, to understand them, and to explicate them, if not to the public at large then at least to ourselves, because that\u2019s what our job here is to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EI think the Minister is correct in showing some courage, frankly, in ensuring that these powers appear in this bill, that these powers continue to be exercised, because, in the end, for a small, isolated nation State like ours, surrounded by blue water, what we do at the border is absolutely integral to our ability to protect ourselves from undue incursions\u2014not necessarily of the biosecurity nature; that\u2019s the Ministry for Primary Industries\u2019 job, and we know that that department had an enormous struggle to do their job effectively, because of poor resourcing under the last Government. Customs at least, exercising its powers under this bill, will have a huge opportunity to continue to afford to this nation the protection that we expect of it: the protection of goods that would enter our market\u2014goods that can have an effect on people. It is important that when we are taking goods across the border, we have proper regulation and management of the passage of those goods. So I just say to the Minister: it is good to see that those powers have continued and have been replicated in this piece of legislation, as an outstanding act of courage from this outstanding Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u0022c1be91ccf355424ca9073f924c658f3c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c1be91ccf355424ca9073f924c658f3c\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Chair, and thank you for this opportunity. Can I make this introductory comment to the honourable Minister Whaitiri: it\u2019s no coincidence that the customs department have certainly cracked down on a heck of a lot of the goings on on the border since the Minister in the chair has taken over, and I congratulate her and, of course, this bill. There are some questions I have about this bill, and the other side, while they might laugh and say that we\u2019re filibustering, are going to actually pay a heck of a lot of attention to this particular bill and the clause I\u2019m about to speak to, because they now have a M\u0101ori leader.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e31f0da3cc6849d39dc0e039e124e5d5\u0022\u003EMatt Doocey\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022814060a11a514de68ccb9730a31e3226\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: What I want to talk about particularly is actually clause 205. The member Matt Doocey won\u2019t know what that clause is, but let me explain that to him.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c9b130b15284333aad4e6da3801c7e6\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Matt Doocey\u2019s forgotten more than you know, buddy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252444bb2970f4433b48b88766227128e\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Clause 205 is the \u201CUse of dogs and other aids\u201D, and while that might seem trivial to the former Minister of Justice, let me explain. Subclause 2 says here: \u201CHowever, neither a Customs officer nor any other person may use a dog or aid of the kind referred in subsection (1) in a private dwelling or marae\u201D. Remember that, please, on the other side. With a M\u0101ori leader, you\u2019ll be visiting a marae, no doubt soon. In this particular clause, it refers to a marae, and I want to take the line of questioning of my colleague here, Mr Rino Tirikatene. The reason is: define for me \u201Ca marae\u201D. Today I was in Tauranga and, in fact, visited the great people of Pirir\u0101kau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234a2fa8ab27e4ba79cfc5edc2271b5e5\u0022\u003EKiritapu Allan\u003C/span\u003E: Whoo!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022187b527f73bf4aa08db2f0c238f9c43c\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Pirir\u0101kau\u2014Kiritapu Allan, they spoke very highly of the work that you\u2019re doing in the rohe, and it was a pleasure to visit the people there. Now, to your common New Zealander, your normal person, your \u201CJoe Average\u201D on the street, a marae would be a carved meeting house. I think that\u2019s a relatively fair assumption to be made. But let me tell this committee: a marae can actually be a heck of a lot of things. Not all marae are carved. A marae is a home. A marae is a common place of gathering. In my particular electorate in T\u0101maki Makaurau, a marae is a church, and I refer to Te Unga Waka Marae, the Catholic marae in T\u0101maki-makau-rau, down on Manukau Road in the heart of Newmarket. Funnily enough, there is a marae there, for those of you who don\u2019t know. From the outside, it looks like a concrete building, but, in fact, it is a marae.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI want, in the scope of the contribution made by Mr Tirikatene, to talk about the definition of language there. I think it\u2019s an important thing, and I\u2019m going to go further into the use of sniffer dogs and other resources at the disposal of customs to conduct searches on a marae\u2014on a marae.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI want to continue on the definition of a marae. For most parts of Aotearoa, in particular the rural parts, a marae was simply a home\u2014simply a home; a home of gathering for common purpose, a gathering for community, a gathering to discuss many of the issues affecting that particular community. So if I can just put that question to the Minister around what a marae and its definition exactly is, in particular with respect to clause 205.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIn there, too, it says \u201Cin a private dwelling or marae except\u2014(a) with the consent of an occupier or owner of that dwelling or marae; or (b) under a warrant.\u201D Now, many of us\u2014in particular the M\u0101ori members of this House\u2014are affiliated to their marae. Some of us have served as trustees. We know that on our marae, there is not one individual owner\u2014not one individual owner. So if there is a group of trustees\u2014take myself, for example. In T\u0101maki-makau-rau, I\u2019m a good three-hour drive from my marae\u2014three-hour drive from my marae. How are we, as trustees, able to sit down and consider giving consent\u2014giving consent to customs to conduct searches and investigations on our marae? The trustees of my marae live scattered right across the country, and I wonder just about the practicalities of getting proper consent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll reiterate that point: there is not one owner of a marae\u2014not one owner. On some marae, there are pretenders. On some marae, they might argue that they\u2019re the owner of the marae, but I put to this committee and to the Minister that there is not one owner of a marae. That\u2019s going to cause some problems\u2014not just for pragmatic reasons, of course, as I mentioned, around customs trying to define who an owner is or how they might be able to contact them and how they might gain consent. I\u2019ll leave that in front of the Minister. The only other way is, of course, under a warrant, and that speaks to the language referred to by the member Mr Rino Tirikatene about \u201Ccontroller\u201D. The mere term used here, a \u201Cwarrant\u201D, implies something perhaps more controller-like in so far as a heavy-handed approach to gain access to a marae\u2014to gain access to a marae.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ESome of the other things\u2014and, like I said, this might seem trivial to the other side, but I know for a fact that on my marae, dogs aren\u2019t allowed\u2014dogs aren\u2019t allowed. In fact, on most marae around the country, dogs aren\u2019t allowed\u2014dogs aren\u2019t allowed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dc6c0f88-e781-476d-bca1-d1bf9b69302b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227aa5bb8b56934aa8af8819d391adb7f3\u0022\u003EHon Amy Adams\u003C/span\u003E: Which bill are you on?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eae5b17e89a543048fe8aefc9ad72ccc\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Clause 205, if the member cared to listen and follow the debate and actually contribute something. That side of the Chamber has been what we call in M\u0101oridom \u201Cwahang\u016B\u201D\u2014silent. In fact, some might argue they\u2019d be dead, they\u2019re that silent. Anyway, to the important point\u2014because this is important to M\u0101ori, and, in fact, with their new leader, it\u2019s quite clear that that member lost the leadership vote. The new M\u0101ori leader of the National Party, with his whakapapa, will take this seriously. To the point, sir\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5fce5ea2e3f4146a1aab561850ee240\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Come back to the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228edc37f1bcc2482b84003d97bfb0ccc3\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: On many marae, dogs are not allowed, and I wonder if this is another heavy-handed control by the Crown or by the customs department to actually force on to a marae the use of a dog. I also wonder to myself: why would customs be searching a marae? I go to marae right across the country, and I think to myself: why a marae specifically? Are we suggesting that illegal goods are being trafficked\u2014being brought into New Zealand and being stored at marae, being traded out of a marae? I\u2019m not too sure what this implies, and I\u2019ve got some concerns and, obviously, some questions for the Minister in this respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EWhat clause 205 also speaks to is the use of not only dogs but electronic X-ray machines. Are we suggesting that we\u2019re going to be setting up security checkpoints on marae? One of those marae is, of course, Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa, which is the closest marae to the airport. Are we suggesting that, perhaps, we set up some kind of a customs checkpoint on that marae? I\u2019ll leave those questions for the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ESo just to recap: (1) definition of marae; (2) actual dogs on marae; (3) the practicalities of defining ownership of a marae and whether or not you can get ownership consent to go on to a marae, or is it merely a case of a heavy-handed Government department\u2014in this case, customs\u2014going on to a marae exerting their control using the definition and the language of my colleague Mr Rino Tirikatene. What are we implying by simply stating only \u201Cmarae\u201D in here? Sure, it says \u201Cprivate dwelling\u201D\u2014that\u2019s relatively straightforward to me\u2014but it also specifically states \u201Cmarae\u201D. Why \u201Cmarae\u201D? I want to leave those questions on the table for the Minister to consider and for the committee to consider. K\u0101ti ki a t\u0101tau, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u0022a855e959f20946f086de2809083c77ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a855e959f20946f086de2809083c77ab\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I have to back up that magnificent speech there from my colleague Peeni Henare, particularly with his challenge to the other side, who are very silent tonight because they\u2019re still in deep depression after the M\u0101ori takeover of the National Party. I know it bothers them\u2014I know it bothers them\u2014and we can barely get a word out of them now, but we know that Simon will come to the aid of Peeni Henare after tonight\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e843872d51054509b434745448ac56e9\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: Simon Bridges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f17a210354a94836b7594f8a159db4b0\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Simon Bridges\u2014that\u2019s his name. I knew that. N\u014D Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto, too\u2014Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto are very proud. They\u2019ve said that they\u2019re backing him now, going into the future. Originally they disowned him, but they\u2019ll take a bet both ways.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI just want to compliment the Minister on her fantastic work. Finally, we\u2019re going to get some action in this area. In particular, I want to comment on clause 207, where we\u2019re looking at customs\u2014this clause restricts customs\u2019 power to search data in electronic devices, in comparison to the current Act. It\u2019s a very important clause, this, particularly if we\u2019re looking to increase customs officers\u2019 powers in terms of their powers of search. It goes to the line in terms of: are we breaching civil liberties? What sort of power do customs officers have? Will they just search National Party members as they come through the terminal, perhaps looking through their phones? They have this opportunity to access telephones, go through profiles, and so it goes to an area where many in the House have argued that customs officers and people at the airport\u2014they should not have that opportunity, that they should not have that option. It does this by setting out thresholds and other safeguards that are designed to protect privacy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ETonight I would ask the Minister: have we got the balance right? Have we got the balance right in terms of this clause and in terms of how far we go? Are we mindful of our people\u2019s rights, Kiwis\u2019 rights, New Zealanders\u2019 rights, with regards to their privacy, with regards to what they\u2019re doing in terms of their telephones? What is private and what is not? So the question is always: have we got the balance right? Are we giving too much power to some of the individuals? Will they bring their own political views to the line? There\u2019s always an opportunity there, and we have to question that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESo, in particular, it\u2019s a two-threshold test, they say, that would apply to the search of data in an electronic device by a customs officer. A test of reasonable cause to suspect relevant offending would be used for an initial search of a device\u2014so very important there. To carry out a full search\u2014that is, forensic search\u2014of a device, a customs officer must have reasonable cause to believe that the device contained evidential material relating to relevant offending. So, again, we ask of the Minister in the chair, Meka Whaitiri: have we got the balance right? Are our civil liberties being breached as New Zealanders? In this Chamber, it\u2019s only right we ask those questions of ourselves. We want to be security conscious\u2014we want to be security conscious\u2014but how far do we go in terms of exercising powers for our customs officers? How far do we want to reach, how much do want to accord our customs officers, how many rights do they have, and when do our rights start and finish?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESo I think New Zealanders out there would want to hear some assurances from our Minister in terms of the powers that are being exercised, in terms of the balance, in terms of bias, in terms of prejudice\u2014where are we going with this? We\u2019re a Labour Government who are concerned with the rights of all citizens\u2014of all New Zealand citizens\u2014unlike the National Party, who would just make a declaration. No, we\u2019ll go through a process\u2014a proper process\u2014where we\u2019ll look at the rights and the powers and the balance for all New Zealanders, and I think we\u2019re on the right track. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022 data-id=\u0022d86afac0c278465db159e03cc9743818\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d86afac0c278465db159e03cc9743818\u0022\u003EHon NICKY WAGNER (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Chair. I am delighted to be speaking on this Customs and Excise Bill. I\u2019m particularly pleased because back in 2014, when I first became the Minister of Customs, we started work on this bill, and it\u2019s taken all this time to get here. I\u2019m not surprised that it\u2019s taken all this time, because it is an extremely large and extremely complex bill, and the New Zealand Customs Service has done an enormous amount of work, working with stakeholders, working with the public, and really coming up with practical, sensible ways to reform the legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EIt is easy to forget that New Zealand customs is 178 years old. This bill that we are debating today updates the 1996 Act, but also it amends Acts that have been previous. Some parts of it are 50 years old, and some of it is even 100 years old. But the really interesting thing about this job is that although the new bill modernises and it streamlines process, it doesn\u2019t change the principles, the values, and the duties of the New Zealand Customs Department, and it doesn\u2019t change the powers and obligations. It does simplify, update, and modernise, and it tries to provide flexibility for future changes in technology and business practices and to also find tools to combat illegal activity, and that\u2019s the key issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EWillie Jackson, the speaker before me, was talking about balance. This is a balance about how we protect New Zealand and New Zealanders while preserving the privacy of travellers and businesses. So the whole key to this is to make the border processes as simple, easy, and cost-effective as possible for legal goods and passengers, while making it as difficult, as complex, and as expensive as possible for illegal operators, and the trick, of course\u2014and this is the hard thing for customs\u2014is to identify the difference between the two of them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EAs I\u2019ve said, New Zealand customs worked very closely with stakeholders and businesses. Really, this is about making the whole process of managing our borders more efficient and more effective because we know that that\u2019s important in terms of economic growth and in terms of trade. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003EBut one of the issues that we\u2019ve been discussing tonight, which I\u2019d just like to traverse, is the issue of e-devices. The vast majority of this bill is uncontroversial, but we did have a significant discussion about e-devices. Now the interesting thing about e-devices is that these are the things that we carry as passengers\u2014or they could actually be in cargo\u2014across the border. Customs powers in the past were that they could look at any bit of documentation and anything that you had in the baggage coming across the border, so, theoretically, they have the right, as of right, to look at an e-device. But this is why we had to look at this Act, because what people keep on their e-device is much more than what they might have carried in their suitcase. They could have carried documentation in their suitcase or they could have carried information in their suitcase, and in the past, the Customs Department would have rifled through that documentation, but an e-device has personal things as well as the information that might be relevant to customs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003ESo although under the past Act\u2014the 1996 Act\u2014New Zealand customs had the right to look at an e-device, in this bill we have actually put in two thresholds, and these thresholds are to protect the privacy of people for their own information that might be on their e-device. So the first threshold is that a customs officer must have \u201Creasonable cause to suspect\u201D\u2014reasonable cause to suspect\u2014that the passenger who\u2019s carrying the e-device has committed a relevant offence. It can\u2019t be any old offence. It has to be a relevant offence to what customs is looking for, so it will be export, import, child pornography\u2014some of the relevant offences that customs is responsible for. So the first level to make an initial look at an e-device is they must have a reasonable cause to suspect offending. If, when they go through that first look at the e-device, they find information that leads them to have \u201Creasonable cause to believe\u201D\u2014reasonable cause to believe\u2014that the passenger is actually offending, then they can do a full search. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003ESo what\u2019s actually happened in this stage\u2014[Bell rung] Mr Chair, just to finish this\u2014just to make it clear. So what\u2019s actually happened in this clause of the bill, and it\u2019s clause 207 of the bill, is that customs has actually given up some of its powers\u2014powers that it\u2019s had for 178 years\u2014and, to look at new technology, has put in a threshold to protect the legal traveller through our borders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002292824476-4e66-4052-8435-b049833d8b83\u0022\u003ESo I think this a good compromise. Customs has had to take a step back and put that threshold in, but I think it\u2019s a good compromise, and I support the option. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022 data-id=\u0022b594b3514d364f7db2a197ea4c7a3662\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b594b3514d364f7db2a197ea4c7a3662\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. It is a great pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First to talk on theme two, the powers and obligations, of this, the Customs and Excise Bill 2016. It is a piece of legislation that actually goes back to 1913, I believe. It was amended again in 1966, and, of course, for the last time in 1996, and that is a long time ago. Things have moved on a lot. I mean, back in 1996, Sean Fitzpatrick was captain of the All Blacks, Lee Germon was captain of the Black Caps\u2014a great Cantabrian. I don\u2019t know if Simeon Brown was born then, but probably around about that time. But it will be of great comfort to the nation that Winston Peters was Deputy Prime Minister and leader of New Zealand First then, as he is now, so those people watching at home, I\u2019m sure, sleep in their beds safe at night, under that safety blanket of the great Rt Hon Winston Peters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cf8cc0ed1b94d239a1cf2dab9b9611e\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe)\u003C/span\u003E: And now to the theme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283433d7bda5a48e6860188c1c897d37d\u0022\u003EMARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, so the 2016 bill\u2014and I will, now I\u2019ve got my list placing secured for the next election\u2014I will commend the Minister in the chair, Meka Whaitiri. This is a serious bill, and these are serious clauses. I will commend the Minister. Customs is a very important part of our economy. I see it as one of the three pillars, along with biosecurity and food safety, that underpin the economic growth and financial well-being of this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThis bill establishes some specific thresholds for the search of electronic devices, and I will pick up on that in a moment, but it does not change those core functions. Rino Tirikatene informed us in one of his previous contributions to this debate that it goes back to before the Treaty of Waitangi, which shows you that this is a longstanding, important part of our economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EThis bill also clarifies travellers\u2019 obligations. It protects privileged information as well. New Zealand First was pleased that within this process the Privacy Commissioner was heavily involved in the formulation of this bill. That gives us a lot of confidence. We\u2019ve heard tonight already all the speakers talking about the balance. If we\u2019re giving people powers of search over and above what they would normally have had, then that is something we have to take very seriously as legislators\u2014so to have that comfort blanket of the Privacy Commissioner endorsing these provisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EOf course it is a very different time now. We have 3.7 million international tourists coming through our borders every year. We also have, I think, a couple of million New Zealanders travelling overseas every year. We\u2019ve got record exports for the December quarter, under this Government. So for customs, it is very important that these provisions are up for review and are fit for purpose in the 21st century. The bill streamlines the processes for imposing controls on imported and exported goods.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to touch, a bit later, on the controlled deliveries provisions in this bill, which are long overdue. Clause 207 covers secure devices\u2014the power to seize devices, and the provisions around that, and the legal thresholds; these two threshold tests and the need for reasonable suspicion. An example of that, I understand, would be someone that may be coming in on a visitor visa whom customs may suspect is here to work illegally, under the table. This would give customs officers, under this threshold, the opportunity to look into this device, localised\u2014they can\u2019t go on the cloud and look at Facebook or social media; it can only be localised to what is contained on that device. Of course, beyond that, it also has that higher threshold where more serious criminal offending is suspected. The provisions within clause 207 obligate the travellers to supply passwords.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u00229a6a8b0a985043c3b94c3ab8864a4d9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229a6a8b0a985043c3b94c3ab8864a4d9b\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Chair. I\u2019m going to talk about clauses 22, 28, and 29. But before I do, quite integral to my contribution is the word \u201Ccraft\u201D, and I\u2019m going to just go through the definition of the word \u201Ccraft\u201D, as per the bill. It \u201Cincludes any aircraft, ship, or other machine or vessel, used or capable of being used for the transportation of goods or persons by air or \u2026 water.\u201D So I\u2019m going to talk about yachts, coming into New Zealand\u2014a lot of yachts. The reason I\u2019m going to talk about this is this is something very dear to my heart and also to the Minister\u2019s heart. It is the way that drugs are getting in and out of our country these days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EOne of the methods is the stuff is being dropped in the Islands. The meth is dropped in the Islands, picked up by yachts, and brought across to New Zealand. It\u2019s very hard to detect. But some of these clauses\u2014I have questions for the Minister, and she might know some of the answers to these. So if I look at clause 22, it\u2019s titled \u201CCraft that have arrived at place other than Customs place\u201D. So, as we know, all around New Zealand, dotted around New Zealand are a whole lot of areas that haven\u2019t got a customs office. These are places with jetties that yachts can arrive at, at any time. It states, \u201C(2) The same powers may be exercised, and the same obligations apply, under this Act \u2026 (a) \u2026 as if [a craft] arrived at a Customs place;\u201D My first question\u2014this is clause 22(2)\u2014why is that wording \u201CThe same powers may be exercised,\u201D? I would have thought that the same powers \u201Cmust\u201D be exercised, and the same obligations apply, under this Act\u2014as if the craft arrived at a Customs place. So I\u2019m wondering under what circumstances would they not apply? Hence the word \u201Cmay\u201D versus \u201Cmust\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI\u2019m going now to clause 22(3), and there\u2019s a bit of confusion here. It talks about, \u201CThe person in charge of the craft\u2014\u201D i.e., the skipper, in this example, \u201C(a) must \u2026 report to a Customs officer or to a constable;\u201D\u2014so this recognises that when there\u2019s not a customs office there could well be a police station, which is often the case now in places around\u2014but \u201C\u2026 (b) must not, without the consent of a Customs officer, allow (i) any goods to be unloaded from the craft;\u201D. I\u2019m not too sure how this might work. So they land at a place without a customs office. They find a police station. They go to the constable. But what it actually says here is they can\u2019t actually do anything without the direction of a customs officer. At what point do the roles and responsibilities of a constable transfer to a customs officer?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThat takes me to clause 28\u2014they link in\u2014and this is, \u201CPersons arriving in New Zealand to report to Customs officer or Police station\u201D. So again it goes to that theme where they\u2019ve landed in New Zealand, there\u2019s no Customs office, and they go to a police station. What it says here is that except as otherwise provided in the Act, they must immediately report to a customs officer or a police station. Then it says\u2014so we\u2019re in clause 28(b)\u2014\u201Cremain at the place where he or she reported to the Customs officer, or at the Police station, for any reasonable time that Customs requires to enable a Customs officer to carry out any function under this Act\u201D. I suppose my question is: what constitutes reasonable time?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo if they\u2019re landing in Ruat\u014Dria or somewhere where there is no customs office, they report to a police station, as per the Act, how long do they actually have to wait there before they can say, \u201CWell, this is a reasonable amount of time. I can reasonably be expected to go back to my yacht because a customs officer has not arrived.\u201D? Is it a day; is it is two days? I would have thought a reasonable amount of time would be three or four hours or as long as it takes a customs officer to drive from the nearest office to that police station. That may be impractical if all the officers are engaged in other activities, but I\u2019m just curious to know if the officials or the Minister have an idea around what constitutes reasonable time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EAgain, clause 29 here, \u201CDisembarkation\u201D, as well: it talks about, \u201C(3) Every person who has disembarked must, unless otherwise directed by Customs,\u2014(a) proceed to a Customs-controlled area;\u201D and they must remain there for what constitutes a reasonable time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EMaybe I\u2019m reading this wrong, but there seems to be a little bit of inconsistency there. So when they arrive in New Zealand they can go to a police station. But when they embark they must talk to a customs officer or follow the directions of a customs officer. This is a genuine question: can a police officer, a sworn officer, take over the responsibilities of a customs officer when there is no customs officer able to discharge their duties under the Act? Because, as we know, New Zealand has a lot of coastline. The Minister and I have great concerns about the use of yachts bringing in contraband.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd581ebcebbc4b31b850232473330bc2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd581ebcebbc4b31b850232473330bc2\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chairperson Tolley. I\u2019m pleased to make another contribution on the theme around powers and obligations. I want to talk to a clause that is quite dear to my heart at the moment, and that is clause 96. This clause confers on the Minister a power, by Order in Council, to prohibit the import and export of pounamu. This is a matter that was of great concern to Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, who are, by virtue of their settlement, the outright owners of all pounamu in Aotearoa, and we know that it\u2019s all in the South Island, in Te Wai Pounamu. So there is an existing prohibition on the export of pounamu, but what I want to speak to is, if we look at this clause, the Minister must recommend a prohibition by Order in Council, and that prohibition must be in the public interest. So there\u2019s a public interest test that applies in the granting of the export prohibition or import prohibition, as well. What Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu were wanting to advocate for in their submission was, would their established iwi interest that they have be a relevant interest, and that it should take precedence over and above the public interest test in the case of pounamu. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EWhat transpired, I guess, after consideration was that the select committee in its report said that the relevant iwi interest is also taken care of in the public interest test. So what I would want to ask the Minister is, if she could\u2014I guess I can see positives for M\u0101ori in general by the application of saying that an iwi interest is also in the public interest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EIf I look at other situations where customs have put export prohibitions in place, one issue that is also dear to my heart is the prohibition on the SILNA lands in the South Island. For those that don\u2019t know, the SILNA lands are the South Island Landless Native Act lands, and those lands were granted to landless natives of the South Island due to unfulfilled promises that took place, which is very historical but very relevant because those lands were in places like the bottom of Stewart Island\u2014far, remote places, far away from where M\u0101ori actually lived, where M\u0101ori weren\u2019t able to draw any compensation or any economic benefit from those lands because they were literally waste lands right at the bottom far-right far corner of the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m aware that customs has imposed export controls on the harvest of logs from the SILNA lands, and by looking at what\u2019s happened in the case with pounamu here, surely a relevant iwi interest could be argued and that the use of the sustainably logged harvest from those lands, which are compensation lands to the people of the South Island, surely that could also be in the public interest. And why wouldn\u2019t it be in the public interest? I\u2019m just wanting to use an example of where customs has actually imposed export prohibitions that have been to the detriment of M\u0101ori in trying to utilise or gain benefit from those lands. So it hasn\u2019t worked all the time, but I see a glimmer of hope that possibly\u2014and hopefully the Minister could clarify\u2014that an iwi interest is also in the public interest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EIn another case in point, I look at another iwi at the top of the South Island, Ng\u0101ti Kuia\u2014and they also call themselves Te Iwi Pakohe, which is the argillite, which is a stone\u2014[Time expired]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u00224b2bf61c11014086912aa9b7e45bcc36\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224b2bf61c11014086912aa9b7e45bcc36\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair Tolley, and can I please start by thanking all members of the committee for their great contribution and scrutiny of a bill that is very, very important. Can I also make amends in that I mistakenly acknowledged the wrong Minister who did begin this bill. So can I please correct the records and say the Hon Nicky Wagner started this bill and then it went to the Hon Tim Macindoe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a suite of questions that have been asked particularly on theme two that I\u2019m going to address in my contribution. The first one dates back to questions raised when this bill was debated on 14 February. There was a question asked by the member Virginia Andersen in relation to the retention of personal information, clause 51. Her question pertained to how long information that was gathered\u2014i.e., biometrics, faces, irises\u2014would stay on the record. So in response to that question raised by Virginia Andersen, clause 51 requires passenger name record data to be deleted or have its identifying particulars removed after three years, unless it is required for investigation, prosecution, or for border security. We also acknowledge that the Privacy Act 1993 applies, under which information must be deleted when the purpose for which it was obtained no longer applies, and it\u2019s customs\u2019 policy, to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act, that all biometric information collected from passengers at e-gates\u2014the automatic passenger processing system\u2014is deleted after three months, so hopefully that addresses that question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThen we moved on to Dr Duncan Webb, whose question related to condemnation of goods, new clause 166A proposed through Supplementary Order Paper 12. Dr Webb raised the issue around the ability of customs to seize goods and whether there ought to be some very careful discretion not to exercise it in all circumstances. For Dr Webb, the power to seize goods is discretionary. Customs officers have clear procedures to follow to guide them in using this power. The chief executive of customs also has the power to restore seized goods if she or he considers it equitable in the circumstances. A person can make their case as part of a formal review process at no cost. As a result, conditions can be set as part of restoring these seized goods to the person.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe Act at the moment does not address what happens if a person accepts the conditions but then fails to fulfil them. Instead, the Act implies that if this happens the goods will be condemned\u2014that is, become owned by the Crown. Clause 166A has been inserted to make it explicit how this works. An example\u2014and this might be of interest to the member who just contributed formerly, Rino Tirikatene\u2014of when this clause would engage is in relation to the exportation of pounamu, which is prohibited except with the consent of a Minister of Customs on the advice of Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu or the Mawhera Incorporation. Customs could restore seized pounamu conditional on the exporter obtaining the consent for the export from the Minister of Customs. This would need to be done within the time frame set out by the chief executive when the pounamu is restored.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe third question that was asked by Dr Duncan Webb was in relation to powers in the contiguous zone, clause 169, where Dr Webb pointed to the ability to seize illicit imports or exports in the contiguous zone\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd6a8db87e594dd5b01d8167be2a0f00\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Madam Chairperson. I am so sorry to interrupt the Minister, but I do believe it is inappropriate for a member to use a mobile phone in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5673fbe694e43db82be1005bc526aaa\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley)\u003C/span\u003E: It is, and the whips do have their phones, so I\u2019d ask the member to put the mobile phone away. But I do suggest to the member that he might want to wait until his Minister has finished speaking in future. It\u2019s career-enhancing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d8b2aa812c1d4988a5d8a2a10c697a5f\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Chair. So returning back to the question asked by Dr Duncan Webb in relation to powers in the contiguous zone, clause 169, he asked for an explanation as to how this clause is both consistent with good governance and with our international obligations. Both international convention and the current Customs and Excise Act 1996 provide that powers may be exercised in the contiguous zone by customs. This is necessary to prevent or enforce breaches of customs law that occur in our territorial waters. Powers are rarely exercised in this zone. The bill does not give customs additional powers here, but modernises the references to ensure clarity as to what powers are available. The power of seizure would not likely be exercised when customs is pursuing a craft from the territorial sea into the contiguous zone where goods are already forfeited.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ENow I return to the contribution by members tonight. I want to start with the member for Te Tai Tonga, Rino Tirikatene, who asked why we\u2019re using the word \u201Ccomptroller\u201D and whether we are being bold enough to modernise that to \u201Cthe chief executive\u201D, or asked questions why we don\u2019t just call the head of customs the chief executive. \u201CThe comptroller\u201D is the title given to the Chief Executive of the Customs Service, the title is historic, and has been in use since at least the early 20th century, if not earlier. The title of \u201Ccomptroller\u201D is generally used in relation to senior public sector or corporate officers who have financial oversight responsibilities. Its use by customs is historic and reflects the revenue collection responsibilities of the chief executive. It is part of the organisation\u2019s tradition and identity. The term of \u201Ccomptroller\u201D is also used by customs\u2019 administrations globally. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EAlso in response to the honourable member\u2019s question, there are no extra powers in having the term \u201Ccomptroller\u201D. Clause 248 states, \u201CThe chief executive of the New Zealand Customs Service continues to be known as the Comptroller of Customs.\u201D This clause is part of the debate for theme four, mechanics and miscellaneous. The comptroller has the same responsibility, functions, and obligations as any other chief executive under the State Sector Act 1988.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThen I want to move on to the Hon Peeni Henare, who made a contribution around clause 205 and marae. In response, can I just say to that member that by naming marae in clause 205, we are giving marae the same protection as private dwellings, but greater than other public or communal spaces. The definition of \u201Cmarae\u201D is in clause 5\u2014page 30, if the member wants to refer to it\u2014\u201Cthe area of land on which all buildings, such as \u2026 wharenui \u2026 wharekai \u2026 ablution blocks, and any other associated buildings, are situated\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIn terms of dogs on marae, customs would be sensitive to concerns about dogs coming on to the marae. Customs would consider using an alternative aid to dogs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EBut I think the big question the member, thankfully, asked is the identification of marae owners. Noting that we all come from marae\u2014many of us in this House\u2014there is no single owner. Like you rightly said, we have multiple owners\u2014some that live around the marae, some that live far from the marae, and some owners that live overseas\u2014and you asked what would customs do. I am assured, on asking officials to the Minister, that before we move into getting a warrant, to get to a warrant application, the person issuing the warrant\u2014for example, a judge\u2014must be satisfied that he or she reasonably believes that at the place there is evidence of the commission of an offence or evidence of the unlawful importation or exportation of goods\u2014for example, drugs\u2014or anything that is intended to be used to commit such an offence. So there is a threshold there, I say to Minister Peeni Henare, before we issue a warrant to go into our marae.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ELastly, I believe that there were three contributions in relation to clause 207, and that is around\u2014losing all these papers\u2014clause 207 in terms of the question that Minister Willie Jackson asked around whether we have got the balance right around electronic devices. Can I reassure him and also Mark Patterson and, I think, the Hon Nicky Wagner that there is a two-threshold test that is in train. One is around ensuring that the two-step train\u2014I knew I would do this: I would lose my notes amongst this sea of notes. But I want to assure the Minister that there is a two-threshold test before we actually enter. One is an initial search, on the belief that there is an offence, and then a more forensic test on ensuring that there is actually an offence that requires a search.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ESo, hopefully\u2014and it\u2019s also important to note to that member that the Privacy Commissioner also submitted at select committee that they were pleased to see that the provisions outlined in clause 207 reflect that advice that they gave to officials during the policy development process. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022650f462a197c4480a1c51fe9e636f665\u0022\u003ERevenue and Trade\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u00228c02b4e45bb9466395b09afca3689303\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228c02b4e45bb9466395b09afca3689303\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, it is my view that it is now reasonable to move on to the next theme, which is the debate on revenue and trade, comprising Part 2 and schedule 3; Part 3, Subparts 3, 5, 6, 7, and 7A, and schedule 4; and Part 5, Subparts 2, 3, 8, and 9, and schedules 6 and 7. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u002225f4d69090b647369bdc8052e2dd30a1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002225f4d69090b647369bdc8052e2dd30a1\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you. I\u2019m pleased to make a contribution under this new theme. We\u2019re talking about revenue, and obviously, a major part of customs is the collection of duty and excise through the importation of goods into New Zealand across our borders, and also from the manufacture of cigarettes, tobacco, and the like, which is collected by customs as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI guess in terms of the forgone revenue from excise, I wish to talk to the provisions around the exemptions that are granted for the manufacturing of beer for personal use. Now I include it in this theme because it\u2019s about the exemption from having to actually have a customs-controlled area in which beer is manufactured and from which revenue excise is derived. So I want to talk to this, because there are a lot of home brewers, craft brewers, around the country who enjoy their creations and who enjoy being able to enjoy their beer for personal use. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI wanted to just delve into the provision of clause 67(4)(b), which concerns the manufacture of beer, wine, or spirits in a private dwelling. If the individual manufactures that \u201Cexclusively for [their] personal use and not for sale or \u2026 disposition to any other person;\u201D, they are, effectively, granted that exemption from having to fall within the Customs and Excise Act and be liable for excise, and, therefore, the forgone revenue would be owing to the Crown. My question really relates to the situation where it\u2019s very common for home brewers to share and compare their creations with others in a non-commercial setting. It\u2019s all part of the enjoyment, I guess, of the creation of\u2014whether it\u2019s a home brew or a wine, or any other beverage. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ESo my reading of clause 67(4)(b) is that it is very narrow in terms of it being only for that individual\u2019s personal use and not for sale or disposition to any other person. In my mind, it\u2019s arguable whether the ability to share and compare your creations with other brewers\u2014other like-minded people\u2014would be actually covered by that exemption, because it seems very narrow: to the individual concerned and to their dwelling, in which they manufactured the beverage. So I\u2019d just like to seek clarification from the Minister of Customs, if she could explain how that scenario whereby the sharing and comparing of a personal home brew\u2014which has no economic or commercial payment attached to it\u2014falls within that exemption, because to me, it seems like this is very narrowly drafted, and if customs has to apply some sort of licence to sort of stretch the provision to suit a particular fact scenario, I guess it doesn\u2019t make for good lawmaking. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019m just hopeful we can get some guidance from the Minister on this particular point, because I\u2019m sure it\u2019s of great interest to the very many hundreds of home brewers and other people that are in their private dwellings\u2014in their man caves or sheds, or whatever it is\u2014making their particular home brew creations. So I\u2019d appreciate some clarification from the Minister on that particular point. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u0022b874087cab0c441a9b707269368e096b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b874087cab0c441a9b707269368e096b\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Chair\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2f31e9aabbb43f78f9538c3aa51610b\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Here we go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293143cdaaa1540fcab3df9aaf2703773\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, thank you, Kieran. I\u2019m just pleased to talk on this theme. I was taking a look at the bill and it leads me to understand that it continues to uphold the provisions contained in the current Act and, obviously, at the same time modernising the language.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EOne of the things that stands out in terms of this part is that business, particularly, is supporting the bill and its new provisions because it provides greater flexibility and certainty, and that\u2019s important, I think, for all businesses that are involved in the import industry. What\u2019s great about it also is that the importers will be able to declare provisional values if the value cannot be known at the time of import.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EFurthermore, the importers will be able to, under this bill, seek binding valuation rulings to get certainty about their duty liability before deciding to import. Keeping abreast of the technology available today, traders will be able to share business records in the cloud as well as offshore, enabling them to add greater efficiency in terms of cost and time to their business. Continuing with the efficiency trend, traders can opt for a simple and cheap internal process to review duty assessments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI think one of the other good things about this bill is the fact that customs are required to report annually on initiatives to reduce compliance costs\u2014in particular, for highly compliant traders. Just looking at the Act, under the current Act there\u2019s an unduly punitive additional duty regime that I think is unnecessary. I will be looking for some clarification from the Minister, particularly in this area, about this punitive side because it probably goes too far, and under the new provisions that have been proposed I wouldn\u2019t mind some clarification around that. Are they going to be replaced with fairer, more proportionate compensatory interests and a late penalty regime? I think that this is an area, a crucial part, for myself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIn terms of the clauses, it is important to acknowledge, I think, the work of the select committee with regard to the clauses they\u2019ve recommended, which clarify and strengthened the bill. In terms of clause 11, this looks like an amended clause that introduces and provides us a guide to schedule 3 of the bill, which levies excise and excise equivalent in respect of alcohol, tobacco, and fuel that is manufactured in or imported into New Zealand. It provides that excise and excise equivalent are levied when goods are manufactured or imported. I think the select committee, you can see, amended subclause (1) to clarify that excise duty and excise-equivalent duty are levied \u201Cwhen goods are manufactured or imported\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESchedule 3, clause 10, is another new clause and I can see that it restricts the discretion of the chief executive to allow dutiable motor spirits to be removed from a customs-controlled area without being removed for home consumption. The clause also preserves the existing excise point when fuel leaves the refinery and creates a new excise point at the tank farms. Regulations may be made to set a formula to determine the additional volume from blending at tank farms. It sets out rules relating to the removal of motor spirits from customs-controlled areas, and blending, making their purpose and operation clearer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EFinally, the clause by clause detail paid to the raft of provisions related to the bill is detailed and thorough, and I wish to commend the Minister of Customs, but particularly the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee which has worked on this. In doing so, the bill and its provisions are well-thought-out and, of course, I have no hesitation in commending this to the committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u0022cbc3abd941534d19ae11c79f40c0eed7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cbc3abd941534d19ae11c79f40c0eed7\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs):\u003C/span\u003E Just to put on record, this particular theme\u2014revenue and trade\u2014continues the provisions in the current Act, which were working really well. Just to remind members that customs collects duty on imports and excise on locally manufactured fuel, alcohol, and tobacco, and in 2016-17, customs collected $13.3 billion in Crown revenue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThis particular theme is where businesses came together with customs and ensured that we had a set of very flexible, business-orientated provisions. So I just want to acknowledge the many submitters that did this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThis bill supports business by creating greater flexibility and certainty. Importers, for example, will be able to declare provisional values if the value cannot be known at the time of import. Importers will be able to seek binding valuation rulings to get certainty about their duty liability before deciding to import. Traders will be able to store business records in the cloud and offshore, and traders can opt for a simpler, cheaper internal process to review duty assessments. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ECustoms must also report annually on initiatives to reduce compliance costs for highly compliant traders. The current, unduly punitive, additional duty regime will be replaced with a fairer, more proportionate compensatory interest and late payment regime. Administrator penalties have been extended to all exports, and accurate export information gives assurances to our trade partners and meets international obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EExcise taxes imposed on tobacco, fuel, and alcohol\u2014the excise system is robust, but greater certainty will help business, avoiding litigation and protecting Crown revenue. The bill creates a new collection point at tank farm gantries to collect excise on the increased volume of motor spirits created by blending. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022607062b0aab546529a858be4fed10fa2\u0022\u003EMechanics and Miscellaneous\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u00223bca2125204746d489b4477aca2c27b3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223bca2125204746d489b4477aca2c27b3\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley)\u003C/span\u003E: Right. Members, in the absence of any further debate, it\u2019s my view it\u2019s now reasonable to move on to the next debate, which is the debate on mechanics and miscellaneous, comprising Part 1 and schedules 1 and 2; Part 5, Subpart 1; and Part 6, Subparts 3, 4, and 5, and schedule 9. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022 data-id=\u002241b2beb69ee44d43b6e6878d6591b99e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002241b2beb69ee44d43b6e6878d6591b99e\u0022\u003ELOUISA WALL (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Chairperson Tolley. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on theme four: mechanics and miscellaneous. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve got two particular clauses that I\u2019d like to address in my contribution tonight. It really is the distinction between clause 250, which is an existing clause in the legislation, and the new clause 251. The emphasis on the new clause 251 is about authorising persons and specific class authorisations, and I particularly want to focus on the distinction between that clause and clause 250, which is about authorising individuals and authorising them for not more than three years. That is a very, I guess, strategic decision, and I see that a vocation that has been highlighted in that particular clause is a police officer, who actually may carry out the functions of a customs officer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003ESo I also thought it was interesting for the committee to actually look at the roles of the customs officer, and I\u2019ve managed to find six specific roles. The first is intercepting contraband\u2014so, illegal drugs\u2014checking travellers, their baggage, cargo, and mail; assessing and collecting customs duties, excise tax, and GST on imports; protecting New Zealand against illegal trade; enforcing import and export restrictions and prohibitions; and collecting accurate import and export data. In the new clause 251, it also is about carrying out the functions of a customs officer, but it makes a requirement about a circumstance necessitating such action within the next 30 days. So the authorisation must not be for more than 30 days. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000752\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003ESo I would like an explanation from the Minister about the differences between clause 250 and clause 251. I\u2019m particularly interested in clause 251, and interested in who, in what circumstances\u2014and, actually, why the 30 days? There must be a rationale, so it\u2019d be quite good to hear from the Minister about that specific clause in the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000753\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI\u2019m also really interested in clause 416A. Clause 416A is the work of the select committee, and it is about customs appreciating recognised trusted traders. So this new clause requires the Customs Service, in their annual report, to cover initiatives to reduce compliance costs for businesses with a strong compliance record. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000754\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EI find it really interesting that it\u2019s made its way into the bill, because I was looking at the New Zealand Customs Service, and apparently we\u2019re an incredibly efficient service. So, just for the committee\u2019s information, we manage to clear product within a matter of hours. We were actually sixth out of 138 countries in the efficiency of border administration in the World Economic Forum\u2019s enabling trade index 2014, we were sixth out of 160 countries for border facilitation in the World Bank\u2019s Logistics Performance Index 2014, and we were 27th out of 189 countries for trading across borders in the World Bank\u2019s Doing Business study in 2015. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000755\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003ESo it seems that we have an incredibly efficient Customs Service, but the whole purpose about a trusted trader scheme is about facilitating trade, and that leading to increased productivity. So, in looking specifically at clause 416A, which the select committee recommended be inserted, I found in the bill\u2019s commentary a reference to Australia, actually. It seems that the trusted trader scheme in Australia was reported, upon implementation, to increase productivity by $1.5 billion. So it would be quite good to know whether or not our Customs Service is anticipating increases in productivity and what the value of that productivity is, because I think then it will enable the House to understand why this clause has been added, and if it\u2019s not about facilitating trade, what are the benefits? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000756\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003EErnst \u0026amp; Young\u2019s Tax Watch article on 7 August 2015 stated that it was about compliant importers leading to some sort of self-accreditation process, where they, through this trusted trader scheme, could prove that they had the systems and processes that would then provide \u201CThe ability for importers to provide assurance to Customs regarding compliance and security of [their] supply chains\u201D. It was about an agreed audit programme, which meant there was less time spent by customs on those audits, which resulted in those particular products from those trusted traders having priority and being streamlined\u2014the whole relationship between these trusted traders and customs. I think, overall, the net benefit for New Zealand was then about enabling customs to focus its resources on high-risk areas. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000757\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b4a597dd-ed8b-42b8-975b-40c6e0cdaee1\u0022\u003ESo it would be nice to know whether there\u2019s been some economic modelling, and then what this freed-up resource will enable customs to do. But, overall, I think that this is an incredibly beneficial addition by the select committee, obviously supported by the officials. But it would be nice to hear from the Minister about her anticipated benefits and, possibly, the opportunities that now exist because of that specific clause. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022 data-id=\u0022fa581e66476b447f88e3339a6a9e8621\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000758\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fa581e66476b447f88e3339a6a9e8621\u0022\u003ERAYMOND HUO (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chairperson Tolley. Before I start, I trust that Madam Chair would be kind and generous enough to allow me to step outside of the scope of the bill just a little bit, by acknowledging the Chinese New Year celebrations at Parliament last night, hosted by the Minister for Ethnic Communities, the Hon Jenny Salesa. The Chinese community members told me that they were very impressed with the speech by our Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. Our Prime Minister emphasised that this is the House of Representatives, and this is our House. It is great for us to celebrate ethnic diversity and celebrate our multicultural New Zealand Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000759\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003EBack to this bill. Theme four is about mechanics and miscellaneous provisions. In terms of mechanics, the preliminary provisions include the definitions for the Act and its application to the mail and the military. It also provides for the transition between Acts. Part 6, Subpart 3, includes the general regulation- and rule-making powers, including the border processing levy, and provides for consequential repeals and amendments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000760\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003EClause 380 covers regulations generally. This clause provides a general regulation-making power for the purposes of this Act. It also informs the interpretation of this and other regulation-making powers and the generous scope of those regulations. On the recommendation of the Regulations Review Committee, the select committee amended the clause to reflect modern drafting practice. A second amendment confirms that fees and charges are recoverable in court, as they are under the current Act. Supplementary Order Paper 12 would clarify that regulations could prescribe how rates of interest are to be determined, as well as prescribing the rate itself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000761\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003EPart 5, Subpart 1 establishes the New Zealand Customs Service and stipulates who can exercise customs powers, and when. The Act will levy and enable the collection of duties and other revenue, and it will provide for border control, including setting out the obligations of travellers and traders and the powers of customs. I recall that as a young lawyer, or a younger lawyer\u2014that\u2019s before I entered into politics\u2014I once served as a customs lawyer, on a pro bono basis. That role was of an on-call nature, and most of the time was spent advising international travellers of their duties and obligations, and, equally, the duties and obligations and powers of the New Zealand Customs Service.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003EThe bill will facilitate the authorisation of classes of suitably trained people to exercise customs powers and functions in specific, limited circumstances. Currently, only specific people can be authorised. Also, certain clauses deal with the certificates of origin. Having said that, the bill clarifies that fish caught by a New Zealand - flag vessel outside of New Zealand\u2019s territorial waters are deemed to be the produce of New Zealand. Fish caught by foreign-flag vessels take the country of origin of the vessel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000763\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003EPart 6, Subpart 4, is a collection of disparate provisions that do not fit within any of the topic-based themes. Some deal with enforcement matters, such as giving notice and the burden of proof.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u002203a610c82bcd46b68939a0e0503bb53b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000764\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002203a610c82bcd46b68939a0e0503bb53b\u0022\u003EVIRGINIA ANDERSEN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you for the opportunity to stand and speak on theme four, regarding the Customs and Excise Bill\u2014theme four being the mechanics and miscellaneous. The preliminary provisions include definitions for the bill and its application to the mail and the military, and it also provides for the transitions between the Acts. In particular, Part 6, Subpart 3, includes general regulation- and rule-making powers, and that includes the very important border processing levy. Part 5, Subpart 1, establishes the New Zealand Customs Service and states who can exercise customs powers and when they can do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000765\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EI would like to look at, in particular, clause 250, which looks at \u201CAuthorised persons: individual authorisations\u201D as a part in there. So while the mechanics cover that wider part, we also have miscellaneous. It\u2019s always quite dangerous to give someone in this House the topic of miscellaneous to be able to speak to. So Part 6, Subpart 4, is a collection of disparate provisions that don\u2019t really fit anywhere\u2014there could be some strong correlation with some activities on the opposite side of the House, but we won\u2019t go there right now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000766\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002263679b72fe9f4ba4aa72bdd29ac5659b\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019re here tonight.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000767\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7145a13557c431cb13e24e351519ffd\u0022\u003EVIRGINIA ANDERSEN\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! So all the bits that don\u2019t really fit anywhere, that don\u2019t have any real theme, is what we get to speak to, under miscellaneous. Those pieces are laid out quite clearly, in terms of the regulations at the end.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000768\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EThe bill will facilitate the authorisation of classes of suitably trained people to exercise customs powers and functions in specific limited circumstances. This is quite interesting in relation to clause 250, which actually enables a police officer to have the authorisation to act as a customs officer in certain circumstances. I guess this would be a very useful thing\u2014having to act quickly and urgently if there are emergencies in terms of the contiguous zone\u2014that police have seagoing vessels and are able to attend some kind of incursion and be able to respond quickly. So I see that as being an important area to enable the New Zealand Customs Service to be more flexible in responding to issues as they arise. But I\u2019m interested to hear from the Minister in the chair, Meka Whaitiri, in terms of whether any additional training or requirements will be needed in order for that authorisation from the Comptroller of Customs to police officers acting in that capacity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000769\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s interesting to look at the powers in the contiguous zone. The bill allows customs to exercise certain powers beyond the territorial sea and up to the outer limits of New Zealand\u2019s contiguous zone, which is 12 to 24 nautical miles from the coast. It\u2019s an interesting area to see how New Zealand\u2019s powers are operating in that area in a time of increased international issues along the lines of methamphetamine and of bringing in contraband substances, and also in a time when we\u2019re seeing an increase in human trafficking happening around the world. So looking at how our services here in New Zealand are working together more comprehensively to make sure that our border is secure and protected, and that we are aware of any issues happening in that area, will be important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000770\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EI would like to speak in particular also to clause 251, and this is a new provision. I note that the chief executive may authorise specific classes of persons who are suitably qualified and trained to carry out any functions of a customs officer if they consider that that is required, and that is within a 30-day period. I\u2019m also interested to hear from the Minister if there\u2019s any particular reason why there\u2019s a 30-day cap on that. It would be interesting to know what the rationale was behind that particular period of time being tied in there. It says that the authorisation must specify that the incident and the relevant purposes and functions must not be, clearly, more than 30 days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000771\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ESo in terms of an overall bill that enables New Zealand\u2019s Customs Service to be modern, to be flexible, to move with the times, and to make sure that we know our border is special and that we are doing the best to protect New Zealand\u2019s economy from the range of issues that are continuing to be of risk to New Zealand\u2019s ongoing safety\u2014those I\u2019ve already outlined in terms of fishing, methamphetamine, and ongoing trade issues\u2014we have a piece of legislation that fully equips our country to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u0022f947b4b2713348cc9d575c0f62d29633\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f947b4b2713348cc9d575c0f62d29633\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chairperson Tolley. I just want to answer the two recent contributors in the debate, Virginia Andersen and Louisa Wall, particularly around clauses 250 and 251. Just in terms of clarification, clause 250 covers individuals who need long-term status\u2014for example, police constables on the Chatham Islands. Clause 251 has a 30-day limit to ensure the chief executive cannot authorise classes for extended periods; it is a safeguard against the power being used too freely. An example is a crew of a navy vessel helping with drug interdiction\u2014for example, boarding a craft. So, hopefully, that has addressed those two questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000773\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIn terms of the question Louisa Wall raised around clause 416(A), I can confirm to the member that there\u2019s no economic modelling being undertaken by the Customs Service at this point. However, customs is working with industry on initiatives to reduce compliance costs for them and, in particular, for compliant traders. A recent example is the excise regulations that came into effect in February 2017. These changes reduced compliance costs for alcohol manufacturers and were strongly supported by businesses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u0022934102c049af4d64949b0622e94ba9bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022934102c049af4d64949b0622e94ba9bc\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chairperson Tolley. This is just a short contribution. I\u2019ve got a couple of miscellaneous points that I wish to talk to. The first point relates to clause 3B of schedule 1, which is around the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000775\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e6b0d21766a4ee7bc6121f141c6e916\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Is that mechanical or miscellaneous?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000776\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5fc86aea5e745b9a1b24ae768aedc43\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014prohibition orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000777\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e30c456591e1470cb5c35c168472b41d\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Mechanical or miscellaneous?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000778\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7d469409c5048c798a753e473c116f4\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE\u003C/span\u003E: A bit of both. I just have a question for the Minister in the chair, Meka Whaitiri, because this relates to the continuation of prohibition orders that have been granted under the existing Act to continue in this bill. I just want to ask the Minister\u2014because this bill is taking quite a long time to progress through the House, I\u2019m interested in the prohibition orders that have lapsed while this bill has been on its way through the House, and what is the status of those prohibition orders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000779\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI would hope that they would have been automatically renewed, assuming that they are very important orders. But I\u2019m just curious, because this savings provision, or this one that carries them over under this new bill, only relates to those in force at the time that this bill is enacted, and so I just want to seek some clarity on that particular point. I understand that the prohibition that related to pounamu, which I was referring to earlier, actually expired last September, I believe. It begs the question: has that been continued pending the passing of this bill? If the Minister could clarify that, that would be much appreciated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000780\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThe other point I want to talk to is in relation to New Zealand - flag vessels fishing in international waters and that the catch of those vessels is then to be produce of New Zealand, which I think is commendable that we have New Zealand - flag vessels. I know this House did quite a lot of work in terms of stamping out the slavery practices that were being conducted by some appalling overseas operators that were operating in our waters. There has been a move to bring more operators under New Zealand flag conditions, so I do commend that, and I see the alignment between New Zealand - flag vessels fishing in international waters by claiming produce of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000781\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EMy question is in relation to the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources treaty, which allows New Zealand to participate in the fishing in Antarctic waters for Patagonian, or sub-Antarctic toothfish. My question relates to, is that convention area of fisheries subject to the provisions of this legislation\u2014i.e., will the catch from New Zealand operators that fish in those waters, that are granted rights to fish in that area, are they subject to the provisions here\u2014i.e., that the catch that is caught in those Antarctic waters is indeed defined to be produce of New Zealand? I\u2019d like, I guess, some elucidation to the committee on whether that convention area is caught or whether international fisheries areas and the convention area are two separate fisheries for the purposes of that particular provision. So some explanation would be much appreciated. 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=\u0022313094c841124c01811c8741b3c0d98e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000782\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022313094c841124c01811c8741b3c0d98e\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs):\u003C/span\u003E I just thank the learned member Rino Tirikatene for his very learned question. I think it\u2019s really important that we respond to his question around prohibition orders in schedule 1, clause 3B. I can confirm for that member that no order has lapsed\u2014the Customs Service is renewing orders under the existing Act. The pounamu order has been renewed and is located in the customs export prohibition order for 2017.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000783\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 12 in the name of the Hon Meka Whaitiri, and the following amendment in her name to schedule 9, be agreed to:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000784\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003Ereplace the items relating to regulations 19, 23, 27, and 33 of the United Nations Sanctions (Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2017 with:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000785\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003Ereplace regulation 21 with the following new regulation:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000786\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E21\tRestricted item: application of Customs and Excise Act 2016\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000787\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe provisions of the Customs and Excise Act 2016 (except sections 365 and 366) apply in relation to a restricted item as if the restricted item were goods the importation of which is prohibited under section 96 of that Act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000788\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003Ereplace regulation 34A with the following new regulation:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000789\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E34A\tSpecified petroleum product: application of Customs and Excise Act 2016\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000790\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EThe provisions of the Customs and Excise Act 2016 (except sections 365 and 366) apply in relation to a specified petroleum product as if the specified petroleum product were goods the exportation of which is prohibited under section 96 of that Act if the specified petroleum product is intended\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000791\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E(a)\tto be exported to DPRK; or\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000792\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E(b)\tfor use in DPRK; or\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000793\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E(c)\tfor the benefit of DPRK.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000794\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000795\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EParts 1 to 6, schedules 1 to 9, and clauses 1 and 2 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000796\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000797\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EBill reported with amendment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000798\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\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=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000799\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002201a8b08886ce43b3ac379e060f4e909e\u0022\u003EHealth (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000800\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002253d0d52d2fb4427ba45ea858f241c9fe\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022 data-id=\u0022cb05658e2d7343c48a053d14e0bf36e8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000801\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cb05658e2d7343c48a053d14e0bf36e8\u0022\u003EHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Health (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000802\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EI nominate the Health Committee to consider the bill. It gives me great pleasure to speak on the introduction of this bill, because it supports improvements to the National Cervical Screening Programme. In my view, the National Cervical Screening Programme does not receive sufficient recognition for the contribution that is made to the lives of New Zealand women, to their wh\u0101nau, and to the wider community. A significant number of New Zealand women have received follow-up treatment in response to abnormal smear tests, and, as a consequence, have enjoyed the significant benefit that earlier detection provides. I would like to acknowledge those who work, or who have worked, in the National Cervical Screening Programme for their contribution in this regard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000803\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EWe have a National Cervical Screening Programme because of the unfortunate experiment carried out on New Zealand women that resulted in the Cartwright inquiry. New Zealand women led the charge to better protect patient rights and to ensure we get the health services that we are entitled to. Cervical screening has a much higher degree of scrutiny than other programmes because of previous failings from Government and the medical profession. We, this Government, are committed to deliver and improve cervical-screening services in Aotearoa, and to honour the important legacy that feminist health activists have delivered, often at painstaking cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000804\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThis bill will enable immediate improvements to be made to the way access to the information on the national cervical screening register is authorised. The register holds clinical information on all women enrolled in the screening programme, and this clinical information is crucial for health providers to perform their work. The bill will also enable future upgrades to the information technology that supports the register and how it is used, as well as future improvements to the screening programme itself. To achieve this, this bill makes technical amendments to Part 4A of the Health Act 1956. This part of the Health Act governs the National Cervical Screening Programme and the register.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000805\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThe most significant amendment is the repeal and replacement of section 112J in Part 4A of the Act. The current scope of section 112J covers only the disclosure of information from the register. However, what the replacement section does do is that it now explicitly covers the activities of access to the register, the use of register information, the retention of information from the register, and the disclosure of information on the register. The replacement section retains the current general approach of prohibiting the disclosure of information from the register unless that disclosure is expressly authorised under this section.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000806\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EAlso, the replacement section 112J explicitly states to which people, and for what purpose, this section will apply. Therefore, the amendments ensure that the full range of activities that could be conducted in relation to the register, or any future upgrades to the register, are properly captured in legislation. In the amended section, people granted direct access to the register will be staff working in district health boards (DHBs) who undertake day-to-day administrative tasks associated with the register: smear takers, laboratory and colposcopy providers and associated administration staff, and screening support service providers. The ability to provide register information on a case by case basis is retained in the new legislation\u2014namely, for the purposes of research and statistics, to a screening programme evaluator or a review committee, and for the purposes of enabling results from the tests to be followed up and notices sent to women enrolled in the programme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000807\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThe current formulation of section 112J means that the express authorisation of the Director-General of Health under sections 112C and 112ZE of Part 4A of the Health Act can, in some cases, be a requirement for some people to perform their functions within the screening programme pathway. Therefore, directly authorising these people to perform their specified function in legislation will remove this inefficiency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000808\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThese amendments also capture the concept of direct access to the register. This concept has been introduced to explicitly cover the activity of making look-up access to the register available to a remote-site computer using a browser and a secure log-on. Using this type of information technology for this function is widespread in the health system and beyond. The National Cervical Screening Programme manager will still retain administrative control over secure log-on access, and access to the register will remain an auditable activity. The bill creates a distinction between having read-only direct access to the register and being able to amend information stored on the register. Amending information stored on the register will only be allowed under the express authorisation of the National Cervical Screening Programme manager. A new offence has been introduced for amending the register without this authorisation. The existing offence provisions under Part 4A of the Act will be amended to match the changes to section 112J.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000809\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003ESome minor and technical amendments are also being made to support the amendments. As I have already alluded to, these changes leave the original intent of section 112J intact, as well as leaving the rest of the strict controls outlined in Part 4A of the Health Act unaltered. The only existing regulations made under Part 4A of the Act, the Health (Cervical Screening (Kaitiaki)) Regulations 1995, are retained as a result of this bill, and their provisions will continue to apply. In addition to the controls I\u2019ve outlined, the people provided with direct access to information on the register would also remain subject to the Privacy Act 1993\u2014including the Health Information Privacy Code 1994\u2014relevant health professional regulatory constraints, and relevant employment and contract law.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000810\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThe work of screening support service providers is a good example of the benefits of providing direct look-up access to the register. Some of these providers are contracted to undertake outreach work to make contact with priority groups of women who are not responding to recall for breast or cervical screening or who are not attending colposcopy or mammography clinic appointments. Women referred to this type of support service include M\u0101ori, Pacific, and Asian women who may experience barriers to screening. Health workers in these services often work after hours to make contact with women, or hold cervical-screening clinics outside working hours to make the clinics more accessible. Look-up access to the register will provide these health workers with critical, on-the-spot clinical information about the women they are engaged with, as it is common for women to be unsure about their screening history or when they last had a cervical smear. For a screening support service provider, knowing when their last smear was taken is important to avoid women being over-screened. If this information is not on hand, the woman may be asked to come back and the opportunity for cervical screening is potentially lost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000811\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EI am also aware the planned upgrades to the register could allow direct look-up access to women\u2019s screening histories for smear takers in general practice. Currently, women\u2019s screening histories are faxed to general practices from DHB register staff because the current register does not allow for this type of direct access, and email is not considered a secure way to transfer confidential patient information. It is planned to build look-up access for general practice into the future development of a new register. This will be much more efficient for clinical users of register information.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000812\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EI alluded earlier to authorising people to amend information held on the register. This type of access is needed for a small number of DHB administration staff who are employed to undertake administrative tasks that support the National Cervical Screening Programme register for their DHB population. These people work on the register on a day-to-day basis and have permissions to amend demographic and other information on the register, such as updating contact details and amending their recall status.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000813\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EI\u2019m advised that some consultation was undertaken on the early policy related to this proposed amendment, and support for the changes was received. The bill has received the support of the Privacy Commissioner and other Government departments, subject to the ongoing adherence to existing privacy controls and practices. In addition, the Attorney-General has concluded that the bill appears to be consistent with the rights and freedoms affirmed in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. No regulatory impact statement was prepared for the early policy for this bill, as the bill is largely a reformulation of the existing law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000814\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EI am well aware that the previous Government approved the development of this bill, and I commend them for doing so. I consider that the bill retains the strong controls over the register and how it is used that were originally intended by the enactment of Part 4A of the Health Act. The National Cervical Screening Programme is a significant contributor to New Zealand and the lives of New Zealand women, and this bill will enable improved services to be provided for women participating in the National Cervical Screening Programme. For these reasons, I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000815\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000816\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a5dbbd3887494d9d9d7043ac0ae013c9\u0022\u003EPoints of Order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000817\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225a439f33481b4c81b45ee4075ef9de11\u0022\u003EChamber, Lobbies, and Galleries\u2014Photography\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u00226b6acc30ed8742cf8c970db9f8d67e8e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000818\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226b6acc30ed8742cf8c970db9f8d67e8e\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s been brought to my attention that a photograph has been posted on social media of the Chamber, which was taken by a stranger in the gallery and passed to the member the Hon Iain Lees-Galloway. This raises three points: firstly, there have been some very strict guidelines given about the appropriateness of taking photos in the Chamber; secondly, while the photo itself wasn\u2019t taken in the Chamber but from the gallery, that is also in breach of the rules of this House; and, thirdly, the specific purpose of the photo was to draw attention to the absence of members. Normally, Speakers\u2019 rulings would refer to the absence of individual members, but in this case it was to a group or class of members. So I would just ask you to consider these breaches, but also to remind the House of the very important reasons why that is inappropriate behaviour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u002239f96951646f4b0ba2b595555dd6576f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000819\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002239f96951646f4b0ba2b595555dd6576f\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. In fact, I correct the member\u2014they\u2019re not guidelines; they\u2019re actually Standing Orders. There are very strict rules: nobody takes photos without the permission of the Speaker. If that has happened and someone has used that in social media, my advice to them is that they delete that immediately, and we will refer this to the Speaker. But it is very clear, in Appendix D of the Standing Orders and then the Speakers\u2019 rulings, that the Speaker has to give permission for any photographs taken of this House in action.\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=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000820\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002259b7711c106747c78111ef3a7cd38c19\u0022\u003EHealth (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000821\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022eb1302c0d2a8489fbe8d2b3f62b33cb7\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000822\u0022\u003EDebate resumed.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u0022e33a81d7ec8b4ebeac8ddfd2bcf91d45\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000823\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e33a81d7ec8b4ebeac8ddfd2bcf91d45\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (National\u2014Whangarei):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to rise and speak on behalf of this bill and to speak in support of this bill, which effectively makes cervical screening and the register a better tool. Why does it do that? How does it that? It allows cervical smear takers to eventually take up electronic look-up and to access the cervical-screening register. Why is that important? Well, I think it\u2019s important if you can understand the workflow of what happens when you take a smear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000824\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EI think what\u2019s important here\u2014Minister Genter, when she first introduced it, said that the cervical-screening history was most important so that you didn\u2019t over-screen. I want to contest that\u2014that\u2019s not actually the most important reason. When a woman comes in for a smear, you want to know their cervical history beforehand, not so you don\u2019t over-screen them, but because it changes the way you do the smear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003ENow, most of the time, you\u2019d use a spatula, which is like a little sort of iceblock stick, if you like, but if a person has had an abnormal smear history, you actually are going to change it. You might still use a spatula, but you\u2019re actually going to also use a brush, which is sort of like a little toothbrush, if you like, because\u2014sorry to be so anatomical here, but it\u2019s important to note that the real part of the history, it changes what you do. It gives you a more effective result if you know that something was amiss.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000826\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EFurthermore, when you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re doing, sometimes you don\u2019t see what you expect to see and you think, \u201COh, goodness, this isn\u2019t so good. I need to do something urgent.\u201D\u2014for example, if there\u2019s scarring\u2014but if you know from their history that they\u2019ve had a colposcopy, it\u2019s totally explainable. That\u2019s why they\u2019ve got scarring, and you can proceed as normal. So I think it\u2019s very important to know that the reason that we want the cervical history is because it changes what you do in the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000827\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EOK, so how do you go about getting that history at the moment? Well, you call the local District Health Board (DHB) coordinator, and he or she then calls the coordinator and they look it up. I understand, as I\u2019ve been speaking with them over the past few days, they\u2019re happy, if you\u2019re authenticated, to give you a verbal result. That\u2019s a good thing\u2014one can proceed. If not, what they\u2019ll then do is fax it to you, as was mentioned. It\u2019s been explained to me that sometimes a cervical smear history can be 20 pages long, and they\u2019re doing dozens of these a day. You can see the cumbersome sort of process that this entails. When I spoke to the registry coordinator here in Wellington, she said that this is a common occurrence across a number of DHB cervical smear coordinators\u2014so clear efficiency gains here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000828\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EWhat\u2019s broken in the current Act? Section 112J is what\u2019s broken. It wasn\u2019t clear around disclosure in the Act when it was first created. This new legislation meets current privacy codes, it meets the Privacy Act 1993\u2014more specifically, it deals to access, it deals to use and retention, and it also deals to disclosure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000829\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003ENow, when we pass this bill, as has been noted, efficiency will improve, but the real efficiency is getting the electronic look-up for a smear taker\u2014to be able to go straight there without going through coordinators. Now, there are some problems associated with that at the moment, because the cervical smear register is an old register. It was actually formed in 1990, and if we go back as to why, as has already been mentioned, it comes out of the Cartwright inquiry of 1988, and the screening register was established in 1990. Why is that relevant? It is relevant because you can\u2019t do look-up today because it\u2019s old technology. From your GP desk, you can\u2019t do direct look-up into the cervical-screening register. Now, from what I understand, the hope is that the bowel-screening engine\u2014the platform to that\u2014is actually going to have the cervical-screening register embedded into it, so you will be able to do direct look-up, and then I think we\u2019ll have the maximum efficiencies that this Act is entailing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000830\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s a good Act. I\u2019m very pleased to support it. I think our colleagues who are smear takers will be very pleased with the efficiencies that this entails. It is primarily procedural. It\u2019s not clear to me why it\u2019s not in an omnibus bill, but maybe the Government can speak to that. Either way, it is a good piece of legislation, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u002222ee05a37e7540019f6e64afabb863a9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000831\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002222ee05a37e7540019f6e64afabb863a9\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to first put on record my appreciation of the technical knowledge of that member in his contribution to the House. I think it is actually really helpful to have, for those watching at home, a good explanation of the practice that is being supported here. It is an important contribution to our screening programme across New Zealand, which is vital in saving lives across a range of interventions, and it draws attention to the importance of a debate where you have people with expertise in different areas bringing different things to the conversation. So I just want to place on record my thanks to Dr Reti for that contribution. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000832\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe most significant amendment in this bill is the repeal and replacement of section 112J in Part 4A of the Health Act. Currently, section 112J covers only disclosure of information from the register. What the replacement section 112J does is that it explicitly covers the activities of the register\u2014so, the access to the register, the use of register information, the retention of information from the register, and the disclosure of information from the register. As the Hon Julie Anne Genter mentioned in her contribution, the Privacy Commissioner has given this sign off\u2014provided the existing set of criteria applied\u2014and the Attorney-General\u2019s New Zealand Bill of Rights Act check has been signed off as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000833\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003ESo those who will now be able to get direct access to the register will be the staff working in district health boards who undertake the day-to-day administrative tasks associated with the register\u2014the smear takers, laboratory and colposcopy providers and associated administrative staff, and screening support service providers. So this will, hopefully, provide for more timely result-sharing and will mean that the right people can get the results at the right time. It\u2019s about bringing the legislation up to date with\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022 data-id=\u0022bd49b56d4309431baf38d6a6ffbc9abb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000834\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bd49b56d4309431baf38d6a6ffbc9abb\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m sorry to interrupt the member\u2014and before I say anything further, can I apologise. I did hesitate because I wasn\u2019t sure whether you were the \u201CHon Dr\u201D, so I acknowledge your proper title. I\u2019m sorry to interrupt the member. The time has come for me to leave the Chair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000835\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20180228ea923b744bd74b98aceb7d69c5afe78a000836\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 10 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"