"\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=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221b58cb3ad94f4e56b3df82061412c908\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2020\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022359d459f6c9b430396b30fe8957b23bf\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2020\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000004\u0022\u003EKarakia.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a1cda637ad5b4d06b1c0b8a565786533\u0022\u003EVisitors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c7ee5701574f4cf39709126e8ac8de5e\u0022\u003EGermany\u2014Vice President of the Bundestag\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022ca300afe05654763a8f3f055ef295dfe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ca300afe05654763a8f3f055ef295dfe\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m sure that members would wish to welcome Wolfgang Kubicki, the Vice President of the German Bundestag, who is to my left. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EWolfgang Kubicki, accompanied by the Deputy Speaker, entered the Chamber and took a seat on the left of the Chair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E[Applause]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220f18a1ec4c8d44009e6ea0d6eed1aedf\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225dbeeaed51eb4307ac867e2c4651e3cd\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u00226e0db93ce3b947ccab781ef0e5aec8c4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226e0db93ce3b947ccab781ef0e5aec8c4\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Today, the House will adjourn until Tuesday, 3 March. The debate on the Prime Minister\u2019s statement will continue throughout that week, concluding in time for the first members\u2019 day of the year, to take place on Wednesday, 11 March. Other legislation to be considered in the next sitting week will include the remaining stages of the Arms Legislation Bill and the second readings of the Abortion Legislation Bill and the Taxation (KiwiSaver, Student Loans, and Remedial Matters) Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00223c2f7fd7bf1c47539b9db188695bc4b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223c2f7fd7bf1c47539b9db188695bc4b8\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National\u2014Ilam):\u003C/span\u003E To the Deputy Leader of the House, has there been consideration of perhaps extending the second reading of the Abortion Legislation Bill to allow more members to make a comment, if they should choose to do so, on what is, essentially, a conscience matter? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u0022e70be5ddab0b422aaa90d297f3a71a64\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e70be5ddab0b422aaa90d297f3a71a64\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m not aware that there has been any conversation about that, but the member is of course welcome to raise that at the Business Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002255202497498b43d5bdf5247da32e7acd\u0022\u003EMotions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c3a8fbe372094b5cb54aa4532506b588\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Defence Force\u2014Death of Second World War Pilot Jim Robinson\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022a365eba4d9ec471484a638534e71d2bb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a365eba4d9ec471484a638534e71d2bb\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E I seek leave to move a motion without notice and without debate to mark the passing of Jim Robinson, one of New Zealand\u2019s last Second World War Spitfire pilots. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ed16d0934ad4ea697c991dafc9dee67\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226beabb289a0a40a3a554f20f589375f2\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: I move, That the House express its condolences to the extended family and friends of Jim Robinson, one of New Zealand\u2019s last Spitfire pilots from the Second World War, who passed away at the age of 99; note that he was the last of four New Zealand members of the RAF Squadron 81, which spent a large amount of the Second World War operating as a fighter squadron throughout Europe, North Africa, and India; and acknowledge the bravery of our Defence Force, past and present, and the sacrifice they and their families have made defending the freedoms and liberties of all New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022162a3877743c40c4a5e182d21393fc4c\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002234d02251cf994bafbe4cadd3bec9785e\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225a3336b541d04356aaa695ed8909c9ba\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4 to Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022613ea04200c14c11977d92467ecee4b8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022613ea04200c14c11977d92467ecee4b8\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m asking you to have a look, before we get there, at question No. 4, and, in particular, as to what responsibilities does the Minister of Justice have for another Minister\u2019s opinion. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00222bbdd2ad8a5744f4a25cc4b27bafcb13\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222bbdd2ad8a5744f4a25cc4b27bafcb13\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It is a question which it will not surprise members to know that I looked at quite carefully. The member will be aware it is a question that has been adjusted somewhat from the way that it was originally presented to the Minister of Justice\u2019s office. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EWhere something is within a Minister\u2019s area of administrative responsibility, he can be asked whether he agrees or not with anyone\u2019s opinion. It might be a media commentator\u2019s opinion. It might be a fellow Minister\u2019s opinion. It might be the leader of a political party\u2019s opinion. It is, because of the independence of the Electoral Commission, something that I have considered very carefully, but my view is that the Minister does have responsibility in the area, and, if he does, he can be asked whether or not he agrees with opinions, even if he is not responsible for them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022bc26cc8f08f64da58d547c8accf55e31\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bc26cc8f08f64da58d547c8accf55e31\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. So if it should be, in the case of another political party, a matter of agreeing with the prosecution or the defence lawyers, which opinion is the Minister of Justice capable of saying he agrees with? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00221c8913aa262043028de696f80d910f55\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221c8913aa262043028de696f80d910f55\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think he\u2019s probably absolutely capable of saying that it\u2019s not something which he wants to opine on, as he can in this case if he wants to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022 data-id=\u002279ec1e0bb73a4b86ad5a397a8ada249e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002279ec1e0bb73a4b86ad5a397a8ada249e\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister for Children):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Just with regard to the same question, the Electoral Commission has in their statements\u2014and I\u2019ve seen the letters that have been sent back to parties that are involved\u2014said that they have formed a view, not that they have made a finding. A finding would suggest that there was an investigation, and the reason that the Electoral Commission has passed this on to the police is that they have no investigative powers. So I\u2019m just wondering around the wording of \u201Cfinding\u201D, when it is actually in writing\u2014and I could table the document, if it would help the House\u2014where they have formed a view. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00225c5f37c59d654bb1a51017d2626a3acd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225c5f37c59d654bb1a51017d2626a3acd\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think that is a very good point, and if that had been raised with me by any person at a point before 2 o\u2019clock, I would have had the opportunity to adjust the question in order to meet what is, in my opinion, a valid criticism of my approval of the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c9a30740e0d147f1a0859de79602f1ac\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c3af473e40004e2bb65f216db01bee0a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. There\u2019s currently no point of order. Is the member going to make a separate and new point of order? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022869340ccc77b42c0a3df4a368950e3ef\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: I was going to note the change that you have made in the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ea3e178a66f48338d8d3d25337aeaf1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. It\u2019s not your responsibility to raise that with the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257c9fc8a20994397a74a932c32bfa558\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: You seem to have a differing style to different members. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f48f5ffdfdcd4c3f9e9863211bb0bb67\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member will stand, withdraw, and apologise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224476662ec55143c1bc20bbfb181ae71c\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise. [Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f3ed1936e97498da030ea63118247eb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The person who made that comment will stand, withdraw and apologise. Well, I\u2019m not going to repeat it. It began with \u201Cs\u201D and ended in \u201Ce\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef04e9134c924b0698597171a7cf98dc\u0022\u003EHon Grant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8574c23592b49bb9b97d0417619a20b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s not helpful. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c272cbd1c32e48428eae7029f649fc66\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022 data-id=\u0022a199301af0e14142b985575ceec3286f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a199301af0e14142b985575ceec3286f\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his policies and statements? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022695b23d1cc2b42bea74d46751baee04a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022695b23d1cc2b42bea74d46751baee04a\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, in the context they were made and given. In particular, I stand by my statement yesterday where I stood by my statement from the day before about the situation this Government inherited, where \u201CWe had hospitals that had been run down, $2 billion not put into the health system that needed to be, kids being taught in school halls and libraries instead of classrooms, not enough teachers, and not enough police officers.\u201D, and that we\u2019re getting on with fixing that. For future reference, I will continue to stand by that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae0166ec8e75478d88ae0bf17eb373f8\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Regarding his statement yesterday \u201CWe are in a good position to respond to any impacts of the virus because our economy, ultimately, is in good shape.\u201D, how does he regard an economy that grew at just 1.6 percent last year, as estimated by the Reserve Bank, as being in good shape? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229fd88175fbd44e47a9360ce403f7b523\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I regard the New Zealand economy as being in good shape because we have net debt levels below what we inherited, because we continue to have economic growth that outperforms most of our trading partners, because we have run Budget surpluses, and because unemployment is down to record lows, at 4 percent. These are all indicators of the economy being in good shape. The member should just be a little bit less negative about New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022031b944dc7294369a48a194c59db95e2\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Does he accept that if the Government hadn\u2019t turned the surpluses it had inherited into a projected deficit within two years, New Zealand would be in a much stronger position to weather the economic impact of the coronavirus? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ffccdc38d26b47d1987b03848918cb36\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Not only do I not accept that; I don\u2019t accept the premise of the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002279e45977018d4c62ab87637cc52f58d7\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: What is his latest estimate of the economic cost to New Zealand of the response to COVID-19, and what is he doing to minimise those costs? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8a27724b89f4a388301cfd6d7b1387e\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: As we\u2019ve announced at the beginning of the week, we\u2019ve put in place an $11 million package to support Tourism New Zealand to be able to reorientate their marketing. The IRD and the Ministry of Social Development continue with the work that they do to support people on the ground who have been affected, either as workers or as employers, through the provision of support or the delaying of provisional tax returns. We continue to work closely with all industries that are affected. Minister Nash, as the Minister of Fisheries, has made some changes to support the rock lobster industry to be able to return some of their catch into the sea, and we continue to work on that. As the member is well aware, this is a very fluid and evolving situation. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve drawn together Government agencies led by Treasury, the Reserve Bank, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to do scenario planning if the situation continues, the virus spreads, or the spread goes on for longer. At the moment, as I said in the House yesterday, the best advice we have is that this will have a significant, but temporary, impact on the New Zealand economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228bd21f13b31c4d868864cad52ca59d06\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Minister of Finance got any reports from IMF, OECD, or, for that matter, credit agencies which point to their not sharing this miserable, petty view of the New Zealand economy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226fe47d7879544a09b94da6a107421133\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I have a number of reports in that regard. We\u2019ve had Fitch Ratings agency recently talk about the strength of the New Zealand economy and the IMF and OECD both projecting New Zealand\u2019s growth rate to continue the pattern of the last couple of years of exceeding that of countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UK, and the eurozone. The New Zealand economy is in good shape. \u201CNegative National\u201D might want to say otherwise, but we\u2019re getting on with the job. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225fe6ff1d4c364689a9c9a0e9f4d2c456\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Did he have National\u2019s desire to reduce taxes for middle-income earners in mind yesterday, when he dismissed our policies as \u201Cselfish individualism\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022877100a19e384d5fbe1f0a03c27c00a0\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I didn\u2019t have a particular National Party policy in mind when I described selfish individualism. I more had the record of nine years of ignoring the problems in our housing system, of ignoring the problems in our health system, of ignoring the problems in our education system, and of making decisions to give tax cuts that would have benefited members of this House by over $1,000 a year, rather than focusing on lifting the incomes of low and middle income New Zealanders, which I am pleased to say we turned around. I frequently have the member in my mind, but it\u2019s more in a sense of pity that he has such a negative view of the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ee90099a99845f493b2fda7eccb2e11\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Does he think Kiwis would be being selfish if they wanted some tax relief? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022894f85271cc6412980eaf47b72faaf6a\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m sure a lot of New Zealanders would like it if they were paying a little less tax, but what they know is that the taxes that we all collectively pay is what pays for the teachers in our schools and it\u2019s what pays for the nurses in our hospitals, and New Zealanders know that after nine years of his party running down New Zealand, we have to spend the money on our public services. So, you know, I\u2019m not saying that any New Zealander who\u2019s out there thinking \u201CWouldn\u2019t it be great to have a tax cut?\u201D is wrong; what I\u2019m saying is it\u2019s going to take a long time to make up for nine years of neglect by his party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3d8087eb91b4bc88dcd705270fbc8c3\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Is it selfish for Kiwis to baulk at higher fuel taxes? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220951d8bdf10d40768ea13b9eef570afd\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m not accusing any New Zealander who goes to the petrol pump and says \u201CWhy am I paying that price?\u201D of being selfish; what I am doing is I\u2019m accusing the National Party of having a focus on individualism at the expense of all New Zealanders doing well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002220872d7d20c8460c8de554ed061dcecd\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u002213d14f8d3fce41ed84c0a7f1846540b2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002213d14f8d3fce41ed84c0a7f1846540b2\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u002247ded8d90f124334821afc9ffa905d6a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002247ded8d90f124334821afc9ffa905d6a\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Last week, Xero released its Small Business Insights data for December, showing \u201Cthe decade finished strong for New Zealand small business \u2026 With 56.42 percent of small businesses cash flow positive, December recorded the third strongest month in the 2019 calendar year behind November and March. Compared to the cash flow numbers from December 2018, the data showed a solid year-on-year improvement of 1.13 percentage points.\u201D David Bell, director of business growth at Xero, said the data pointed \u201Ctowards a sector getting smarter around how they operate their businesses and use their capital.\u201D These results are yet more real data that demonstrate the strong recent performance of New Zealand small businesses and the solid underlying fundamentals of the economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c9c6bb9646d64dd7ab5fe9aca655ab59\u0022\u003EKiritapu Allan\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on the rural economy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb234a049a8a445fbd995c348af03cb1\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The rural economy continues to be strong. According to the latest Rural Economic Note, though, ASB has trimmed its milk price forecast for the 2019-20 season by 10c to $7.40 per kilo. They are clear that the disruptions from the coronavirus\u2014COVID-19\u2014outbreak have driven dairy auction prices slightly lower. However, the price fall was in line with expectations. What this does demonstrate is that the New Zealand economy is not immune to the impacts of global economic developments such as COVID-19, but we are well positioned to manage them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e18c7b8f7f174465ac3fdeabf357e671\u0022\u003EKiritapu Allan\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on the global economic context of the New Zealand economy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222403f812606f4f478684b6674a1632f8\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: In its latest Global Macro Outlook, Moody\u2019s has downgraded its expectations for global growth this year. While Moody\u2019s said it was too early to make a final assessment on the impact of COVID-19, it has downgraded the growth forecast for China, Australia, Japan, and Korea, in particular. Comparing Moody\u2019s revised forecasts with the consensus bank forecasts for New Zealand, New Zealand is still expected to outperform our counterparts, albeit in an environment of slower global growth. As I said yesterday, the Government remains vigilant on this issue. We are currently working through scenarios with Treasury, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Reserve Bank to ensure we are prepared if the virus outbreak is prolonged and the economic effects are sustained. That is not the advice we are receiving at the moment, but it is best to be prepared for all possible scenarios. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002223cc19080c73446195b23a7061068b7d\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022 data-id=\u0022da91bbfe318a445cb599581a8693da49\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022da91bbfe318a445cb599581a8693da49\u0022\u003EHon JUDITH COLLINS (National\u2014Papakura)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: Does she agree with the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development when he said, \u201CSo K\u0101inga Ora and the community housing sector are, as I said, being very careful not to displace people from the market\u2014that\u2019s the intention\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00229e62eb21124d45a08208856e816ee296\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229e62eb21124d45a08208856e816ee296\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, and, as I explained to the member on Tuesday, in 2018-19, just 22 percent of K\u0101inga Ora houses were buy-ins, down from the 62 percent high achieved under the previous Government. In the current year to date, the number of buy-ins is down to around 15 percent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de99c57661714981b57dcf1ee0da3bea\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: When she told Parliament on Tuesday that she had sought assurances that there was only one case of K\u0101inga Ora displacing first-home buyers, did she receive that assurance? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281782823927a465f94af9b8f2e9c9834\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: When I said I had sought assurances from officials, I had asked if there was any other situation similar to the Onehunga case, where first-home buyers were to have their contracts cancelled, as was the case in the Onehunga case. I have received some information from officials, and I will continue to discuss it with them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262cc75c2c43943b19963c2596ac10476\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: How does that answer reconcile with K\u0101inga Ora\u2019s statement to Parliament\u2019s Social Services and Community Committee yesterday that they could not provide any such guarantee? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2846dc25d894ef890b5e5266fffaa4a\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: What the chief executive and the chairman of K\u0101inga Ora said to the select committee, from my understanding, when they went there yesterday was that they certainly were doing everything that they could to reduce buy-ins, and the evidence is there that that is occurring. I go back to the fact that we\u2019re down from 62 percent buy-ins under the previous Government to 22 percent, and 15 percent respectively for this Government, and that they were ensuring to see that we could get that down even further. But there are occasionally times when K\u0101inga Ora has to go out and buy a very specific property to meet the needs of a referral through the Ministry of Social Development. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229e6bf8fcbeb4e1d973469a671235d78\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: How does her statement to Parliament on Tuesday that she had sought advice that there was only one case of displacement reconcile with her officials\u2019 admission yesterday that there were, in fact, eight such instances of gazumping of first-home buyers in one development alone\u2014people who had signed\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022904dc42c4fee4e9384162fa682f0c694\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f40c4170083c4b979bc5135a04dc0363\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: The member is conflating two very different things. I said that I had sought assurances from officials that there were not similar situations where first-home buyers had had contracts cancelled. That is an ongoing discussion that I am having with officials. But this is nothing new. I go back to a situation in 2013, and an article in the New Zealand Herald where a bidder at an auction said, \u201CThe Housing New Zealand rep was going up in $10,000 bids while other bids were going up in $2,000s. How many working families are missing out because they\u2019ll come along with big pockets and buy at auction?\u201D That, of course, was under the previous Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2cf8003fe874977854746cde24adaa5\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: So when the Minister wants to go to ancient history, is she also saying that Housing New Zealand actually had contracts cancelled for first-home buyers because they wanted to buy the property? Is that what she\u2019s now saying, because that\u2019s what\u2019s happening under her watch?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d88c81c9f7114fb18707ba3158e43906\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: We talked about on Tuesday in this House the situation in Onehunga and that I have talked to officials. Of course it is not our desire that first-home buyers have their contracts cancelled when looking to move into a house. K\u0101inga Ora will continue the practice that has operated for a number of years where sometimes developers or real estate agents come before any other efforts in the market have been made and offer those properties, and I also point the member to the fact that this is a practice that is declining under our Government. Under the previous Government, we reached highs of over 60 percent of those properties being buy-ins. We are building not only more houses but a lower proportion of them are buy-ins. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002285ec30d4-6394-433a-a12e-2c4def705dd0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7772e65a8914a8e8c5cbaf15208c0d1\u0022\u003EHon Judith Collins\u003C/span\u003E: When her ministry says that it is careful not to displace first-home buyers from properties that they have signed for\u2014contracted for\u2014then how can that be if they can\u2019t actually tell her how many people they\u2019ve done this to? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284766ef9005e4f3ea79533d44476a7a8\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I have had some initial conversations, but, of course, this is less than a week ago. It is a conversation I will continue to have with officials\u2014that is my job as the responsible Minister. But, again, I point the member to the fact that she is not coming from a strong position when her Government failed to build State houses and only went out and bought to the tune of over 60 percent on the open market. We are building more State houses than any Government in years, and we are buying in a far lower proportion\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022384aa00bb71c4b62a35c65632a5e1f65\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Stop making it up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de6bcfe7c9cc4973b9e34596804f1633\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014than the previous Government did. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e80b3078c1ce478e8dc3bad13291206b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Who made that interjection? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222dc81c9c00eb43efa11c1da42694f2c7\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I did. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d67db968ebce4d05baf4dea0922dd862\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Stand, withdraw, and apologise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f7255f34f7ce4d29bb23933a377960b8\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd99773ce1db49a7ac8a6773cf8c4914\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: If the Hon Judith Collins is finished, I am going to just make a brief comment. I have on occasions held her up as an exemplar for the asking of supplementary questions which are within the rules. I\u2019ve had on occasion criticism from both sides of the House for what people have described as excessive flexibility with the member, but, generally, she has been very good. On this occasion, I think she knows that on at least a couple of the supplementaries, she went further than she generally does, and I want to ask her to go back to her normal practice of obeying the rules. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d8109b4f5eb446ada5bb0122b9893147\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014Justice\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u002218318c303bc64d4da9a7b18a06655f2f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002218318c303bc64d4da9a7b18a06655f2f\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (National\u2014Nelson):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question as lodged has been changed, and I wish to\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=\u00223b5f97ded71a4d5291d2e2360e9a26ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223b5f97ded71a4d5291d2e2360e9a26ab\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, Dr Smith\u2014the member will resume his seat. Notice was given to the member\u2019s party that the question had been changed. The member has\u2014and I\u2019ve seen him being given\u2014the question as it was changed to. He will ask it in that form, and if he does not do that, we will go on to question No. 5. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00229c9f5dd6b0ed4db183338c5f229da53f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229c9f5dd6b0ed4db183338c5f229da53f\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National\u2014Ilam):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We certainly were not notified that the question was going to be changed. The sheet was simply distributed and put on to the members\u2019 desks. What I would take up with you, though, is that I didn\u2019t challenge anything that the Hon Tracey Martin had to say before because I felt that you had ruled that you had allowed the question to stand on the basis of information presented at the time, but you would have considered another argument. But in that effort, you would\u2019ve also considered what we would say about that, and it is an utter nonsense to suggest that someone makes a finding without investigating. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022d586c1a9d48f46f297caee28cf1c0d9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d586c1a9d48f46f297caee28cf1c0d9b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, we\u2019re not going down that track again, and I do want to make it absolutely clear to members that I have been advised that the appropriate people were informed of the change to this question before midday. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cd007b5110341c9a0f8b3134bd45c9b\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256f556e7a70045c3a1f881abd0462b7b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Now, if the member wants to ask the question, he will ask it as it is on the sheet now. If he wants to argue about it, we\u2019ll go to question No. 5. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002278bc247412c0443ab0da14b29022eab9\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Of course I want to ask my question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dcdc68bd99d445ab99e3b1bcdea9d280\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, ask it. Go ahead, then. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dcba5955d00642fb864c508fdc43ceb1\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Can you please explain why I\u2019m not allowed to raise a point of order? It\u2019s a practice that\u2014I\u2019ve seen many points of order raised in this House. It\u2019s an important one, and I should at least ask you to hear me out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f75947b1afd2478ba3ca9707ae2737a2\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I will hear the beginning of the member\u2019s point of order. If I consider it does not have merit\u2014and that is often the practice with this member\u2014it will be rapidly interrupted. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u0022ec44673198024b54a5b0483a7c63cf40\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ec44673198024b54a5b0483a7c63cf40\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (National\u2014Nelson):\u003C/span\u003E I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My point of order is that the verification I provided to the Clerk\u2019s Office referred to the Deputy Prime Minister. The Hansard of the Deputy Prime Minister speaking on this issue\u2014where he\u2019s speaking on the very issue of the question, the Hansard shows him listed as the Deputy Prime Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3dc8ea1dd1c40c0ac6c5b677a319639\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: OK. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d2ba0d3136343548c3f6d2793b100d4\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: And so my question\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=\u00228e11a3f5daf540469b621c50215b6a53\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228e11a3f5daf540469b621c50215b6a53\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. I looked at the authentication. It referred to both the Deputy Prime Minister and the leader of the New Zealand First Party. I made the ruling that in my opinion, the comments were made not as Deputy Prime Minister, because there were no deputy prime ministerial responsibilities for this. If the Deputy Prime Minister made comment in this House on that, he was not making it in his deputy prime ministerial role. So the member will either ask the question as it is there now, or we will go to question No. 5. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u00229b62935cf2fc4dab993468811f8ea5e6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229b62935cf2fc4dab993468811f8ea5e6\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (National\u2014Nelson)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Justice: Does he agree with the Leader of New Zealand First\u2019s description of the Electoral Commission\u2019s finding that, \u201Cthe New Zealand First Foundation has received donations which should have been treated as party donations for the New Zealand First Party. In the Commission\u2019s view, the donations were not properly transmitted to the Party and not disclosed as required by the Electoral Act 1993\u201D, when the Leader of New Zealand First said it\u2019s a \u201Cvery damning statement for the Electoral Commission because they\u2019ve passed a legal opinion without having the evidence or the proof\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022757fad939d494ab4b8ac46c9d6f6c136\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022757fad939d494ab4b8ac46c9d6f6c136\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E I do not agree with that member\u2019s supposition that the Electoral Commission makes findings. As the Electoral Commission itself notes in the very same statement that the member refers to, it \u201Cdoes not have the investigative powers to form a view.\u201D The Electoral Commission does not determine guilt or innocence of any breaches of the Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eef597738c254ac0a1fa530a866f1540\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with Mr Winston Peters that the Electoral Commission did not have any evidence or proof for making its statement that the donations were not disclosed as required under the Electoral Act? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d43f7332cd14446390de2aa4959792fb\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: I have no knowledge of the processes that the Electoral Commission goes into when it discharges its statutory power to make an inquiry. It has made an inquiry and it has passed matters on to the police, who have subsequently passed it on to the Serious Fraud Office. That is as far as it goes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a1728f68d564332bd4525e9210a936b\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Why will the Minister not back the Electoral Commission? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227541a5568b6a4406bd84f3ea23401674\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The member is being completely absurd. I have backed the Electoral Commission. I will back the Electoral Commission every day. They do a fantastic job. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022184beedd75b24fdf9ef459ef73f8ec33\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: On the question of disclosure and the mentioning of the questioner\u2019s electoral return just the other day in this House of over $25,000 from the National Party, which part of that $25,000 was disclosed in particularity and itemised to the Electoral Commission? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4b966707db4449f9893c85098b035cf\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! I think we\u2019ll put that one again in the category of a nice try. It does not flow from this question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224f9e8721c5da4024afd7275171c17d63\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister back the Electoral Commission in their statement that the New Zealand First Foundation has received donations which should have been treated as party donations and were not disclosed as required by the Electoral Act? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002288f0ce0fdc64486eadcc95e139ebce93\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: I go back to the answer I gave in my primary question, which is that the Electoral Commission, in fulfilment of its statutory power to make an inquiry, has made an inquiry. It does not make findings; it doesn\u2019t have the resources or the power to do so. But it is capable of referring matters to other authorities for investigation, and that\u2019s what it has done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb85a0d701644519946853eb57e9db96\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Is the reason he will not back the Electoral Commission\u2019s statement because hanging on to power is more important than doing what\u2019s right? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fff06d1ec2b642d085600666cc3efb47\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The reason I choose to answer these questions the way I do is that that member is consistently tricky, and I do not trust his questions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221df9dc9d9a164bebb6d1992603074bed\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Is it Government policy that political parties be able to form associated foundations as a mechanism to avoid disclosing significant donations? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221754c3ace7b34531bad4a1b5dcc78c60\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The House\u2019s proceedings are beginning to become absurd, because now we\u2019re asking the Minister of Justice to give us an opinion on an establishment which was made in the year 2010 by the then Government of the day\u2014the National Party, in control. Now, we\u2019re having a Minister being asked an absurd question, and he has no responsibilities for that. Mr Little was not the Minister in charge at the time, and he\u2019s still not responsible for that 2010 decision made by the National Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022447988e0468a46cf932f91b001b29c10\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8f464ae2d20445c98ba9548d6cb2286\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t need any help with this. The question was a pretty simple one. The original question referred to a foundation. The question of whether or not it\u2019s Government policy that such foundations can be formed is one this Minister can answer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfaf8d610cc54337bfe781fa9ac5838f\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: I know that the member asking the question is having difficulty progressing through their seven stages of grief after the 2017 election, but I make this point, and that is that the Electoral Commission provides some oversight of the way our electoral laws are complied with and are rolled out. It has expressed concern about a number of issues across more than one party, including that member\u2019s party. We have processes at the moment to deal with claimed breaches of the law, and we have a pledge from this side of the House following the next election\u2014if we\u2019re in a position to do so\u2014to do a full-scale review of our electoral laws to make sure they\u2019re fit for the 21st century and that New Zealanders can continue to have confidence in our processes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289dd78f920784733a7aed80546fab31f\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was: is it Government policy that political parties be able to form associated foundations? That was not addressed by the Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4b20efb405849ada00c3c5c5ac8b039\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Minister can have another go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227eb3469ed0c745cc88b418d9b2d8b285\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The Government\u2019s policy is to make sure that from time to time, we ensure our electoral laws and the institutions who are responsible for overseeing them and upholding them do their job have the means to do their job and do that job. They are, and I\u2019m very pleased about that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201b2878e625f495cbe4288f687e5f489\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the statement in Hansard by the Deputy Prime Minister, prior to the referral to the Serious Fraud Office, that the Electoral Commission is the appropriate expert body to determine whether the New Zealand First Party and foundation broke the law? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222752262f61804b068b1175233859edac\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: At the risk of indulging that member in his absurdity, the law is very clear about the power of the Electoral Commission. Its power runs to conducting inquiries. It is not an investigatory body. It\u2019s not a prosecuting body. It\u2019s made an inquiry in this and, no doubt, other circumstances, and where it has considered it appropriate to do so, it has passed matters on for further investigation and, potentially, subsequent prosecution, as they did in relation to the National Party\u2019s two dodgy donations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb73d821c8094055a87a1bed793b56c2\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. What are the consequences for a member of Parliament who asks a question based on what he says is a quote from another member of Parliament when he knows that that statement is not true? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cdd1f4f1c59046f084f687f7c609c364\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is not the appropriate way to raise it. If a member quotes from a document in a way which is deliberate and inaccurate, then that is potentially a breach of privilege and it should be dealt with in that way, either by letter to me or by a motion to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a264e0f7efea4e0a8404d801f0f6212e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014Workplace Relations and Safety\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u002256dea7a571e74f3e89bb1d4d10c3d616\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002256dea7a571e74f3e89bb1d4d10c3d616\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Will the Screen Industry Workers Bill restore rights that he says have been lost by people working in the film and television industry, including collective bargaining rights removed under the previous Government; if so, how? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022 data-id=\u0022015cf2decc7e40deb206e17795f66b39\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022015cf2decc7e40deb206e17795f66b39\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. The bill restores screen workers\u2019 right to bargain collectively, allowing workers and employers to negotiate binding terms and conditions across the industry and for individual productions. Alongside this, workers in the screen industry will be entitled to protections against bullying and harassment, unjust termination, and a dispute resolution system. Everyone deserves decent work conditions and fair compensation for their work, and this is just one more step in the Government\u2019s plan to build a productive, inclusive, and sustainable economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226a2dd4d992e4ff596159c2306dbe307\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: How did the process for developing this bill reflect this Government\u2019s commitment to involving unions and sector representatives in developing durable workplace protections? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d5fdcd52d0bb49f5b339fc5758e612bf\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: The bill will enact unanimous recommendations from the parties representing the major players in the screen industry, including unions, guilds, and producers. The parties worked together to create a tailored solution that worked for all participants. That is the way this Government works. There will always be a seat at the table for workers and businesses, and they will always be carefully listened to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ca6dc44062047ee824376d0c6bd6727\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with former Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly that \u201CIt was outrageous that the Government removed worker rights as it did\u201D, and does he believe that this bill honours her work and the thousands of workers who challenged the previous Government\u2019s \u201CHobbit law\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227307d5332d184547b8c28d82ad0853e4\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: I do agree with Helen Kelly. The passage of the \u201CHobbit law\u201D through all three stages under urgency on a single day in 2010 was a dark day for workers and for democracy. It was done to film industry workers with neither consultation nor care. In contrast, we have developed an enduring solution by working with workers and the industry. That is the kind of industrial relations that Helen Kelly promoted. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f511203f314540508a1c41c57b2c5836\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister guarantee that the law changes won\u2019t result in any workers losing their jobs in the film and television industry? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261c0880db5ec421999c5f1e2f946e30b\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: We live in a dynamic, open economy. I challenge that member to guarantee that anybody will keep or lose their job. Can he guarantee that Simon Bridges will still be the Leader of the Opposition next week? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e798cda485f4418c86c4edb7049563b2\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: How will the occupation-wide bargaining rights for film and TV contractors under this bill lay the foundation for better workplace conditions through fair pay agreements in other industries? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022553a6f9f6ce4436785bd760427e1f56e\u0022\u003EHon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY\u003C/span\u003E: When the participants in an industry sit down together to work things out, they can come to a much better solution than one that is imposed upon them. That is what this bill demonstrates, and it\u2019s exactly the framework that we intend to create with fair pay agreements. Everybody wins when we all work together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022208d6d89ff84421d8feab3eb4c0e98fa\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u2014Transport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022e95893414ca24701adb00860b68b104a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e95893414ca24701adb00860b68b104a\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National\u2014Hutt South)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by all his statements on NZ Infra\u2019s unsolicited bid for Auckland light rail? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u00220971a6c3b2154a60bc839402db5b1fd0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220971a6c3b2154a60bc839402db5b1fd0\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, in the context they were made. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3c5179f72944dd08ad328239a8ac23f\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: What is unique about the NZ Infra proposal for Auckland light rail, in comparison to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) proposal? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c844ebd39ebb4c0d9b0ed0f34f602b5c\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it\u2019s different to the NZTA proposal in that, first, it was unsolicited. Second, it\u2019s proposing that the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, in partnership with its Canadian partner, designs, builds, finances, owns, and operates the light rail line for a considerable period of time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226ece716197d49b082795587ee1c715d\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Has he ever received advice from officials that the NZ Infra proposal might not have met the Government guidelines for unsolicited bids? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e9423018a554b4a9b702f442cb338fa\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: To the best of my recollection, no. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224bcf38e726864fc9bf07b978c98d2b8c\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: How does NZ Infra\u2019s proposal meet the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment\u2019s procurement guidelines that such proposals \u201Care not advance proposals for a requirement that has already been identified, and perhaps socialised in the market\u201D, when the Auckland light rail project has been discussed between the council and the Government seriously since 2015? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022383aa872926f424d976462cce4b8cdb9\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that was one proposal and one solution that was developed by Auckland Transport and then worked on by the NZTA. The proposal by the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and its Canadian partners is quite different in many ways. The advice from Treasury and from the Ministry of Transport to Cabinet was that it was an unsolicited proposal and it should be dealt with in line with Government procurement rules. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aaf0668c450949468766738d064aa538\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: How does NZ Infra\u2019s proposal meet the procurement guidelines\u2014for example, proposals are not readily obtainable in the market place\u2014when there are numerous potential vendors for Auckland light rail? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7a30ec4ece7415db750f74c5b6e220b\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I think the answer is contained within the member\u2019s question. There are numerous potential suppliers and contractors that might contribute to the design, building, financing, and construction of the light rail line, but I\u2019m not aware of any other proposals for an entity like NZ Infra to design, build, finance, and own and operate in perpetuity the Auckland light rail project. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293ff926395314f08af4ba3081caf0ccd\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: How does NZ Infra\u2019s proposal meet the procurement guidelines that such proposals \u201Cinclude sufficient detail so \u2026 the government can assess whether it is worthwhile\u201D when his own talking point to Cabinet of December last year notes that there are significant unknowns and risks, and more needs to be done to test the offering? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221defdfdeea6347a9b7874b32e80242f8\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: The answer is that, obviously, there was sufficient detail for it to be considered on the advice of Treasury and the Ministry of Transport as an unsolicited bid that required serious examination, and more detail has been elicited through the twin-track process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c254fa1b6399450ab04090bccd303166\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Transport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022 data-id=\u0022ef1819721e304deca9488fd4f45d7b7e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ef1819721e304deca9488fd4f45d7b7e\u0022\u003ERAYMOND HUO (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: What recent actions has he taken to encourage more and safer walking and cycling? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u002206c85ffb7f2e4e109ac3483f8dc8c4a3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002206c85ffb7f2e4e109ac3483f8dc8c4a3\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E Last week, I kicked off construction of the Tamaki Drive cycleway, with Mayor Phil Goff. The project includes a 2.8-metre, dedicated off-road cycleway which will be separated from the existing shared pathway, meaning that both pedestrians and cyclists will be safer. Upgrading one of Auckland\u2019s busiest cycle routes makes sense. There\u2019s an average of more than 1,500 cycle trips on that route every day, and we expect even more people to use it once the upgrade is completed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc6a6d9a2a7042478f7925dba23e028c\u0022\u003ERaymond Huo\u003C/span\u003E: How does this cycleway help motorists on this key route? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b418358171e1477280fe9369c95e7095\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, every winter, during storms and king tides, Tamaki Drive is quite often underwater and impassable. The project will raise sections of Tamaki Drive by around half a metre to reduce the impacts of flooding, meaning that drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians will have a more reliable route. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248d9e7fe-3603-456c-bd32-c8d6177395fb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cda24f5b2fb64657b86728aac6b8b5e4\u0022\u003ERaymond Huo\u003C/span\u003E: What other recent announcement has he made about walking and cycling infrastructure? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226493a61c8feb4ce482f4bb451c804cbf\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: The recently announced New Zealand Upgrade Programme includes nearly 100 kilometres\u2014100 kilometres\u2014of shared paths across the country to give people real transport choices. The programme also fully funds SkyPath and SeaPath so that Aucklanders will finally get the ability to walk and cycle over the Harbour Bridge. Our Government is creating safer, healthier, and more accessible cities for people of all ages and abilities so that they can choose to bike every day. I want to acknowledge the Greens for their strong advocacy and role in this policy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cf77fdaceccf4194a1414e65fb54099f\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u2014Education\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022 data-id=\u0022f99be6366df748deaddef20dd780cdcb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f99be6366df748deaddef20dd780cdcb\u0022\u003EHon NIKKI KAYE (National\u2014Auckland Central)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Education: Is she confident she is delivering on her promises around additional learning support for children? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022 data-id=\u0022559044c648a548e1b7077db6ec483000\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022559044c648a548e1b7077db6ec483000\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN (Associate Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E I want to thank the member for asking this question today, because this morning I addressed the new learning support coordinators that are here in Wellington for the first of three induction forums. So far, 505 of the 623 learning support coordinators have registered to attend an induction forum, and they will begin work this term. This morning at the forum, I also had the pleasure of launching a new kete of resources to strengthen support for students with dyslexia, and improved and extra tools for the new learning support coordinators as they start in schools this year. Can I acknowledge Matt Strawbridge, from Dyslexia Potential, who created Dyslexia Potential to show our children with dyslexia that this is their superpower and not a negative. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225aecbf3dfd624ffaafba7932788605c4\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: Can she confirm that she has failed to deliver the 623 coordinators promised by the Prime Minister by the beginning of this year, in light of her answer? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224fee2b29f6284491832d06f7073ecc0f\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: What I can confirm is that at this stage, we have 505 of the 623 learning support coordinators registered for the forum. At this stage, because there has been only two weeks of the school year and we have not had any payroll data in, we can\u2019t say whether we have met the 623 or we are sitting at over the 80 percent mark. But what I can say to the member is that as soon as we have the payroll data and as soon as the schools that are still advertising for learning support coordinators get in contact with us, the Ministry of Education will move in and assist them as soon as possible to put learning support coordinators on to the ground. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a269a3418d304f3d9bba19488c36936b\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c87bf80bdab4ad88f480b096b42ce79\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Nikki Kaye\u2014she\u2019s allowed two, and then the member will have a turn. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c9d5939ab034b88b0c93d2578f7c73f\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: Can she confirm that 623 new learning support coordinators are in school, as per the Prime Minister\u2019s promise last year? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229a46ce2729524d89a2f92cff5613f8e4\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: As I just mentioned to the member, there\u2019s been only two weeks of the school year. Until the payroll data is in, I cannot confirm or deny whether there are 623 coordinators, but I can say to the member that 505 learning support coordinators\u2014experienced teachers\u2014are on the ground now. We have over 86 percent of our schools inside the new learning support delivery model. We\u2019ve put $133.5 million into Ongoing Resourcing Scheme funding. We are moving forward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2c8274ba3d04a5f9ff26fdfeeb11ae0\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: How many of those positions were filled before the present Government and the Minister came to power? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ad63dcecca949359235f3689c89753e\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: There were absolutely zero of these positions when this Government came into power, because the National Government at that time refused to accept this as a recommendation of the inquiry by the Education and Science Committee into dyslexia, dyspraxia, and children on the autism spectrum. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229a3d262b4ef54914a7afa6bcf32c957c\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: Does she take responsibility for the months of delay before schools knew what the allocation was, the inequity of the allocation, and the broken promise that the Prime Minister has made? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022740f9d370a1f4c69a7a058bf0ebae157\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: I reject all parts\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc67e9af3d0848bd854b3db5848193d6\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will resume her seat. The member will ask the question without the unauthenticated addition to it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca621bd5208d4c788c8e16f0dd96043b\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: Does she take responsibility for the months of delay before schools knew the allocation and the inequitable allocation that the Government provided? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269a5d7b65dd5428aaaf8e1c2d78f4083\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: I reject the basic premise of the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f012da066aa74dcbad4e759f4cc01bfc\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: How does she reconcile the Prime Minister\u2019s promise that every school should have one coordinator with statements by education officials in the last week that there is no work or time line on this? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f183600564834186ba44c24d3529ac80\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: When the first 623 learning support coordinators, which was an investment of $217 million into this area by this Government\u2014when they were first launched, I made it perfectly clear that for the first 623 we would be perfecting the job description, making sure that when we rolled out the rest of the learning support coordinators we would have it right, that we would have the job description right, and that we would have the delivery model right both for urban and rural, and M\u0101ori medium and English medium. So there is work going on. It\u2019s being done by the 505 learning support coordinators who are going to be on the ground, and then the rest of the learning support coordinators will be rolled out as we perfect the way to do it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286e8ed2b9c3e4d309e6d5f9521850822\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister\u2019s answer was just definitive around the 505. It sort of makes a mockery of all of the answers\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e77431089b82442197ef6402e13305fa\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I think that if the member had been listening to the previous answers, she indicated that there were 505 at some conference or briefing or something like that, but she was not aware of whether the others\u2014and she can\u2019t be aware until the payroll data is there. I was going to criticise the Minister, actually, for something else, and that is that her answers were going on for far too long. But it does require people to listen. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022406eae5d903d455a8e04f1cc209a29fa\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would ask you, Mr Speaker, to go back and listen very carefully and look at the transcript and look at the exact answer that the Minister made. The point the Minister was making was that it wasn\u2019t possible to confirm or deny definitively that number right throughout the question, and then, in the last question, she then chose to rely on that number, and I would ask you to reflect on that transcript. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224310edd57fcc4f3cbf64bf2ea6af9ede\u0022\u003EHon Grant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002235d746375b464250ac681da0a31985e7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no. I don\u2019t need any more. Look, as both members know, I have some experience in this area. I, roughly, know what people are talking about. I also have some experience with counting. I heard the Minister say there was at least X and it might be Y, but you won\u2019t know it\u2019s Y until such time as the payroll data is in, and to suggest that the Minister\u2019s misleading when she has oversupplied information which is actually consistent, I think, is unfair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002277feacde1e934d34b9f9975365bb66fb\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002220dcbeff2da145e3a1e00a04f061d938\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It better not be the same story again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022094f91da2a6e47748b26352ffd2ffff1\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to table the unpublished transcript by the Ministry of Education that has different figures to the Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223662cb65aa5a4ba787fb9b76d790c348\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: At the? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce03e86e498b42e98c2b947975bc8ef0\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: At the annual review, which has not been published yet. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f035643042264f7a90cd2c9d29fd868a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: When was the annual review? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ed2d10c1-43b7-41d9-9f5c-0c313f70e625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022253f2c74bde241538f3c1d49bcb83393\u0022\u003EHon Nikki Kaye\u003C/span\u003E: Last Wednesday. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254a742bf26784dd888e24827f3cc6eeb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection to that? There is none. It may be tabled. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4877b9b066e4719bdea4c3e7d3d3a65\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: On the question of counting, Minister, how many of the 623 coordinators did the Hon Nikki Kaye call for before they were established? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022530234c681d14862b8f00d5e6b4fd3ea\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: Zero. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229dcefaeb130d46428bcfe00c20b4acdf\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! No, there\u2019s not responsibility for that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd5e97d046284c068c58ce58472e7d6d\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Education\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022 data-id=\u0022812c5daf65b24bcfbc1f0eacfce234e9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022812c5daf65b24bcfbc1f0eacfce234e9\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Education: Can she confirm that children\u2019s average wait-times for early intervention services have increased from 74 days in May 2018 to 101 days; if so, does she take responsibility for this result? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022 data-id=\u00224c541f0f5f98450282c0c4427fda98ad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224c541f0f5f98450282c0c4427fda98ad\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN (Associate Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E In answer to the first part of the question, the ministry informs me that the member\u2019s figures are incorrect. As at 31 May 2018, the average waiting time for support from the early intervention services was 99.62 days. I can confirm, as at 31 January 2020, the average wait-time is 101 days. In answer to the second part of the question: yes, and that is why between 1 July 2018 and 31 January 2019 we have increased our overall specialist service workforce by 96 fulltime-equivalents. It will take time for this workforce to adjust. With this workforce investment and the new ways of working being trialled by the ministry specialists across the country as part of the learning support delivery model, I expect waiting times to continue to decrease over the next 12 months. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e965dd493eea4c37bbc1fb6cb1b6c4be\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We have a bit of a dilemma on our hands because, of course, this primary question was authenticated with the Clerks. Those facts were verified with evidence, and now the Minister\u2019s disputing them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261615c683ab04815a89c524a308f60ce\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s all right\u2014well, the Minister can say she doesn\u2019t agree with the question. That\u2019s a practice that\u2019s been going on at least since I started listening to Parliament in the 1970s. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b4ec157dc20a454fb7cb9be954ec702b\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Does she stand by her recent statements in Facebook videos that the use of the phrase \u201Cwait-time\u201D is misleading; if so, why? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a74cf19b6fe4ff18b430dfa7e82e0ee\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: Yes I do, and I would give you this response: when a student is on the wait-list, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are not being supported in any other way. Currently, the ministry\u2019s case management system only catches comprehensive data on individual supports for children while waiting for more tailored support. Most parents will have been offered some initial advice, guidance, and strategies to support their children. A number will have also attended group workshops for parents and children with similar needs\u2014e.g., a workshop on supporting language development or managing behaviour. Some parents may also have attended our Incredible Years Autism course, an intensive 14-week programme specifically designed for parents and teachers of children aged from two to five on the autism spectrum. Some children will be supported through a teacher-focused intervention in early learning services such as the Oral Language and Literacy Initiative. The ministry also provides resources to support teachers to better meet the needs of children who have been identified as needing additional support, including Much More than Words, which is a communication-focused programme, and other programmes around emotional competence, and so on. I seek leave to table the document that the member just spoke about in her last question, which outlines the process by which the wait-list is calculated and the actions taken while children are waiting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022699daa824e0f472c977689e884024662\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is that a document which is generally available? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfc4b6d2799348318f93db3c715e525c\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s been created by me. It is on my Facebook video, but I don\u2019t think\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002216f4040e9a1b4516be9188ecee19a831\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! There is a point of order and a response to me. I am going to put it because there is a question of general availability, and while some members might be friends with the member, I don\u2019t even think that I am. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is none. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EDocument, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1c8c04eea744cdbace224a7224fe496\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What phrase would she prefer that families used to describe the months of time they spend waiting for a specialist appointment from this Government\u2019s early intervention service? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221724740bd3ee444fa74a25f9ae6b4808\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. Under priority three of the Learning Support Action Plan, work is under way with the Ministry of Health to develop and test integrated approaches to improve seamless access to support for young children and their wh\u0101nau through the child development, and a number of local proposals are being developed within our regions. One of the areas that the Ministry of Education is looking at is actually changing the way that the wait times, as such, are identified and recognised\u2014because the member continues to suggest that nothing is happening for these children, and that is not true. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256d82b5a81bd40108c7bdfb8adcdf607\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Why was the phrase \u201Cwait-time\u201D appropriate when the Prime Minister promised to reduce them in 2018, and somehow not appropriate now that the Minister is failing to deliver the promised reduction? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002244bc24f28d8a4bec9129faac7c63b73d\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: The phrase \u201Cwait-time\u201D was actually created by the National Government when it decided to\u2014[Interruption] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d79c3064df014094a7d4e02de047378f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022530ce0c4-c977-40cb-90fb-754f54931ff1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022686d2d9c79f54ca1b907f512b2924ac7\u0022\u003EHon TRACEY MARTIN\u003C/span\u003E: I can\u2019t help the truth, Mr Speaker. That wait time\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022255f739d2b45489ba9bace99b6a2d2b0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member has finished. I mean, it\u2019s bad enough having it coming from one side but being chipped as part of an answer is not good either. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d21fc2f1b0714dedbf2425fcff8b59ff\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Greater Christchurch Regeneration\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00222e9df56f477844659d6710e9ecc9f5db\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222e9df56f477844659d6710e9ecc9f5db\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration: What action is the Government taking to speed up the return of Christchurch regeneration activities to local leadership? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00229c986317ec9e4c91bf06e0879fad991e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229c986317ec9e4c91bf06e0879fad991e\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration):\u003C/span\u003E Yesterday, I introduced the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Amendment Bill to speed up progress on return to local decision-making in Christchurch. The bill will support Christchurch to thrive by removing some of the Crown\u2019s extraordinary powers that are no longer required. It will also bring forward the planned disestablishment and transition of Regenerate Christchurch. As we approach the ninth anniversary of the 22 February quakes, the time is right to return responsibilities back where they belong: the local people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd59c6f51e774c7793a75b4f25f4d776\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What did last year\u2019s review of the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act find? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6217bf73d9d499aa12e2f78bd9500ff\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: The annual review of the Act undertaken by Liz Sinclair in September last year found that given the considerable progress on key regeneration milestones has been made, the city has reached a tipping point and it\u2019s time to amend the legislation to recognise the progress on shifting control back to local leadership in Greater Christchurch. This reflects the incredible work of stakeholders as well as local and central government officials to speed up progress, and I want to thank all of those who have worked so hard to get us to where we are today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec057bb9bbad4af59c5fd1213c00b0d1\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What other steps has the Government taken to accelerate progress in Christchurch? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246292fc8000d481781028a95f3c01d2b\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Over the last two years, we\u2019ve taken a number of steps to accelerate progress on the regeneration of the city. In February last year, we revoked the Canterbury Earthquake (Christchurch Replacement District Plan) Order 2014, which took effect from 18 March 2019. That order was due to expire in 2021, so bringing the restoration of district planning power back to the city was a significant achievement. Last year, we also made huge progress by concluding a global settlement with the council, marking a major milestone and getting the city back to full local leadership. Of course, we\u2019re also continuing to invest heavily in projects in Greater Christchurch, with $300 million set aside in the Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Facility for major projects. We\u2019re proud of the work we\u2019re doing and I look forward to announcing further progress in the coming months. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222d4dbaffce0c472daedcfcac3e7fc793\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Agriculture\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022 data-id=\u0022d45a176afbd34d4486c6025e01f45c48\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d45a176afbd34d4486c6025e01f45c48\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER (National\u2014Bay of Plenty)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Agriculture: When was he first informed of the regional outbreak of bovine TB in Hawke\u2019s Bay? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022 data-id=\u00223dbda312531942a29f385e13763e1910\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223dbda312531942a29f385e13763e1910\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES (Minister of Forestry)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture: I am informed that in early last October, the Minister was informed of a small increase in TB cases in the Hawke\u2019s Bay. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002205d6f2d5effe4dbcaf82dedd209ddb5d\u0022\u003ETodd Muller\u003C/span\u003E: If the Minister has known since last October, how has this gone from a first detection in April 2019 to the largest outbreak of TB in Hawke\u2019s Bay in the last 20 years? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224942541b3da145f895a3f83b4dce7491\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: That is an exaggeration. The Minister was further advised on 28 January that this increase was considered a very small cluster of bovine TB infection. It\u2019s important that scaremongering not be allowed to plague this House, as this is not considered as an outbreak. There is a small cluster of bovine infections, and Operational Solutions for Primary Industries New Zealand (OSPRI) is extending their TB-free programme to manage and return Hawke\u2019s Bay to TB-free status. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022710188ad74e143a9a1c599135898ca87\u0022\u003ELawrence Yule\u003C/span\u003E: Why is OSPRI waiting until 1 March to expand the livestock movement control area in Hawke\u2019s Bay to cover approximately a third of the Hawke\u2019s Bay region? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220ca4fcb15a3b4cb08dbb1d95dae3f035\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: I am advised that Hawke\u2019s Bay is a part of the country known already to have TB and OSPRI is working with the best-available information, and any suggestion that panic should set in is unworthy of contributions to this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f83c96c43e844b25a030a5c003a1a7ec\u0022\u003ELawrence Yule\u003C/span\u003E: Why did it take six months for OSPRI to arrange trapping and poisoning operations surrounding a property that had nine affected animals? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229e38e8decad4ef398772062c5856050\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, this is the not the case where we should allow scaremongering to inform these issues. Possum control operations have been brought forward and planned. Whether or not there were problems with access to adjoining blocks of land is not something unusual when the Crown, through the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), deals with the occasional outbreak of TB. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7d0036423d14420be627b1af48bb545\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister aware that despite the fact that since the early 2000s, cases of TB have gone down from 1,700 to 26 last year, there have been numerous clusters of infections over the last decade, all of which have been successfully managed? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a96363fdd4f475eb5e4dab392104229\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s a modest mop-up being addressed in the Hawke\u2019s Bay, but to suggest that things are worsening is, unfortunately, a lame attempt at scaremongering, and it will not succeed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022807c6db3dcae4e02913feec62b794644\u0022\u003ETodd Muller\u003C/span\u003E: How can he honestly stand in this House and say that first detection last April, six months of no poisoning, expanding to nine farms, and now, on 1 March, there\u2019s a no-movement zone across 500 properties in Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2014the largest in that region for 20 years\u2014is just minor and something we shouldn\u2019t be concerned about as a Parliament? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb368be5507b42d9ba65e5ca28da62a6\u0022\u003EHon SHANE JONES\u003C/span\u003E: This is not a situation\u2014although the member may resemble it\u2014of the pea weevil. This is a problem that is being dealt with in the context of MPI\u2019s services. Local farmers have been regularly updated, and it is quite unbecoming for members to try and generate political capital from scaremongering. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002239acd549ef3341f68f3c61bf5dd00072\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Police\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u0022c3f0b5b55e654532a6c6609d22b71900\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c3f0b5b55e654532a6c6609d22b71900\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Police: Will he consider supporting amendments to the Arms Legislation Bill; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u002283309e8c17d24d43ac120fa38d3eddb5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002283309e8c17d24d43ac120fa38d3eddb5\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Police: Yes, especially the 25 or more recommendations from the Finance and Expenditure Committee, who considered 3,527 written submissions, heard from 381 submitters in person, and sat for 41 hours on the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e11456a6a9e4d6fa850cb4d8101ff5a\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Will he support the amendment I have lodged to limit the compliance and burden on shooting clubs and ranges while still providing for public safety; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221cd7709eb0f04bccad7d2733f5c0b768\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The member is speaking in contradictions. The reason for the changes to the shooting clubs, the gun clubs, is to lift their safety performance and make sure that those who are using those facilities are as safe as possible. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd316a4ccef24a64999eb128e7cc734a\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Will he support my amendment to instate prohibited firearm exemptions for sport shooters, so that they can continue to compete in their sport; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bac53ae57899409fa6c07da67bd9786c\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: No. There is no intention to change the policy on that particular point at the moment. But, if that member has something constructive to add that\u2019s going to add to the safety regime around firearm ownership, then this Government is all ears. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d10d3e5af8de411c91167cf52ea83c00\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Will he support my amendment to provide for a more common-sense prohibited firearm exemption regime for farmers to control pests on their property themselves without having to form a separate company; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022042ab3a22a40499886d9505623dc7665\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: That question presupposes that that member represents common sense, and, if he\u2019s the author of a proposal, it\u2019s unlikely that it will be adopted by this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf6601b5551e423e8b0be6bc5b3655f3\u0022\u003EMichael Wood\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister continue to support rules around access to weapons referred to by the member in respect of pest control and access to sporting weapons, as passed through in phase one of the firearms reforms in this House unanimously a few months ago? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022078c07fc3dd14fcab3f792f9423ecc3c\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The member raises an important point, which is that this House has already considered those issues and exemptions were given for those conducting pest control operations, and those pest control operations are being conducted happily. Likewise, in relation to competitive shooters, exemptions were provided there. But that member asking the primary question and some supplementary questions continues to believe that there is a form of competitive shooting\u2014a three-gun shooting contest\u2014that is going to somehow take off worldwide. No other country wants it, and it\u2019s most unlikely to be a form of international competitive shooting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022852e6df9aa404b21a80d3e34b5e130e6\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Will he support the amendment lodged by me instating a prior recommendation from the Office of the Clerk to restrain regulation-making powers; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b5264e8a7d7453eab46bfd414b82556\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The member needs to keep up. The select committee recommended some changes in that respect. They were sensible changes. They reflected the purport of what the Clerk raised. There will be sensible changes that reflect those. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002267b905dd86be43aca146f65f6d8465e0\u0022\u003EDebate on Prime Minister\u2019s Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225e2c4641c4334155950661520d5d35f9\u0022\u003EDebate on Prime Minister\u2019s Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000243\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 19 February.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022cec0e517f5834f9097f37d2868176073\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cec0e517f5834f9097f37d2868176073\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister for Economic Development):\u003C/span\u003E I am very proud to be a member of the Jacinda Ardern - led Government of infrastructure. As the Prime Minister said last week, the claim that our Government is the Government of infrastructure is undeniable. It\u2019s interesting to wonder, colleagues, why, whenever we say that on this side of the House, that side of the House yowl like scalded cats.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EHere is the case. We\u2019ve established an infrastructure commission, Te Waihanga\u2014thank you, Shane Jones. We are giving the industry the long-term pipeline of work that they\u2019ve been asking for. The New Zealand Upgrade Programme has delivered a decade-long programme of infrastructure investment. We\u2019ve introduced the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill to allow long-term, private debt financing of the three waters and the roads, to enable urban development. We\u2019ve invested $2.5 billion into health, rebuilding mental health wards, child health services at Starship, maternity services, and a new hospital in Dunedin. We\u2019ve put $1.5 billion into schools, and that means 726 new classrooms from one end of this country to the other\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff298089f66e49b1aae50aa1626d66f5\u0022\u003EAngie Warren-Clark\u003C/span\u003E: How many? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d5917a332e44ce9a49b758ae4d22bbb\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014726 classrooms\u2014and for the first time ever, we have a fully funded plan to keep up school infrastructure with population growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve created more than 4,250 public housing places. That is State housing, community-provided housing\u2014an extra 4,250. We currently have 3,480 State and community houses under construction. Our Government is building more housing right now than any Government has since the mid-1970s, and I am proud to be part of a team of housing Ministers who are making that happen. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ENow, the icing on the cake was the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, a $12 billion, 10-year programme of infrastructure investments upgrading our roads, our rail, our hospitals, and our schools. Why is it that we can do this? The answer is that Grant Robertson\u2019s careful financial management has put the country in a position where we can make investments in productivity-enhancing infrastructure on a scale that has not been seen in many decades\u2014$6.8 billion of transport infrastructure that will speed up travel times and that will allow people to move around our cities with greater ease. It will help get trucks off the road and move more freight by rail. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ENow, contrast this with the record of the previous Government, who put out press releases promising to build a number of roads that they never designated, they never planned properly, and they certainly did not fund. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256d50694d58d465a9301e2eb0d90924e\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Ghost roads. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228fee87b3dbfa45718c03bdf4408a4170\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD\u003C/span\u003E: They were ghost roads. National said that they would do it and they could do it, but they didn\u2019t. It\u2019s a case of \u201Cwoulda, coulda, shoulda\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EFor example, take Mill Road in Auckland. National promised that they would build four lanes of highway on Mill Road, but they didn\u2019t do it, and what\u2019s worse is that their planning was faulty. They were planning on just building a road with four lanes of traffic. Everyone knows that those would have filled up with cars, magically, overnight. Cyclists would have been competing in the road corridor with trucks. Public transport would have been caught up in traffic jams with all the cars. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EBy contrast, our futureproofing approach to transport infrastructure has seen a new style of highways being put in place. There will be in all of the State highway projects that we announced in the New Zealand Upgrade Programme dedicated, separated walking and cycling pathways alongside those State highways, and, even more important than that, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will be putting in place what they call managed lanes in the United States, with dedicated lanes for freight, for high-occupancy vehicles, and for public transport. These are smart changes that will futureproof this hundred-year infrastructure for future generations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EBut, unfortunately, the National Party are stuck in the past. [Interruption] Their policy wants to take us back to the 1950s. In fact, the 1950s called the other day, Brett Hudson, and said \u201CWe want our transport policy back. Tell the National Party.\u201D Our Government is futureproofing New Zealand for the 21st century. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EUnder the last Government, they were spending, every year, 40 percent of the transport budget\u2014about $4 billion a year; 40 percent of that\u2014on a handful of hand-picked motorway projects, and the upshot of that was that every other part of the transport system, like road maintenance, was neglected. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve inherited so many potholes on the roads. The councils didn\u2019t have enough central government subsidy for local road improvements. Public transport stood still\u2014and, in fact, it went backwards in many areas\u2014under that Government, and, in KiwiRail\u2019s words, they were left in a state of \u201Cmanaged decline\u201D. The rest of the transport sector was allowed to wither on the vine. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EWe had to fight for five years to convince them to build the City Rail Link. If we\u2019d been elected five years earlier, the City Rail Link would probably be open now, and it would be transporting up to 54,000 people every hour, in and out of the central business district of Auckland. Imagine what that would have done to the productivity of our country\u2019s biggest city. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003ETheir policy would have led to a 50 percent blowout in deaths and serious injuries between 2013 and 2017-18\u2014a 50 percent increase in deaths and serious injuries\u2014because they poured all the money into a few gold-plated motorways, instead of investing in a balanced way across the transport system, and now they\u2019re saying they want to cancel Auckland light rail. A project that 91 percent of Automobile Association members\u201491 percent of motorists\u2014in Auckland want to see built, and National are saying that they will cancel it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EIn the 2\u00BD years that we\u2019ve been in office, we have added in Auckland $10 billion to the 10-year transport plan for Auckland. We inherited a plan from the National Government, from Simon Bridges, who was the Minister of Transport then. There was a $6 billion hole in it\u2014a $6 billion fiscal hole. We filled that hole and we\u2019ve added another $4 billion\u2014that\u2019s a 50 percent, $10 billion increase into solving Auckland\u2019s transport problems\u2014and because of the extra investment our Government\u2019s made, Auckland reached 3.77 million cycle trips last year. That\u2019s a 6.2 percent increase, year on year, in cycling in our biggest city. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EAuckland recently hit 102 million public transport journeys in the last 12 months\u2014102 million. That\u2019s the biggest number of public transport journeys Auckland\u2019s had since the early 1950s, when they tore up the tram tracks. NZTA expects, because of our Government\u2019s investment in public transport in our major cities, to see an 11 percent increase nationwide in public transport journeys. Not only that, we\u2019re investing in safety: $1.4 billion to upgrade 3,300 kilometres of local roads and State highways. It\u2019s projected to save 160 deaths and serious injuries every year. We are upgrading and making safe some of the most dangerous parts of the roading network right across New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got rail back on track. In two years, we\u2019ve made a $4 billion commitment to making our rail network the backbone of a sustainable 21st century transport system. It\u2019s how we\u2019re going to get trucks off the road and move freight more efficiently and sustainably. It\u2019s how we\u2019re going to move people more efficiently, with fewer vehicles in our cities, and it\u2019s how we are going to fight climate change. But the National Party, they just want to take us back to the bad old days. They\u2019ve got no new ideas. In fact, their transport policy was recently just to re-announce the ghost roads that they promised in 2017. That\u2019s their idea of a modern transport policy. They\u2019re just re-announcing ghost roads, and some of them have never even been NZTA projects\u2014they\u2019re just plucked out of the air. They have elevated pork barrel politics to an art form. They have no new ideas. This Government is the Government of infrastructure and we are taking New Zealand forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u002205ea4c2508a94761bea743093f8f956f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002205ea4c2508a94761bea743093f8f956f\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, I\u2019ll tell you what, when Phil Twyford stands up\u2014he\u2019s the architect of the single biggest public policy failure in New Zealand in decades: KiwiBuild\u2014and accuses anyone of delivering a ghost thing, that is the richest irony imaginable. But he can actually double down, and he did\u2014he did\u2014because he then told us that delivery, under him as transport Minister and under this Government, is announcing something. Apparently, it\u2019s something like $10 billion over an amount of years if they\u2019re able to hang around and still be Government. \u201CWe\u2019ll do something. Done.\u201D I\u2019ll tell you what, what he\u2019s really done is he\u2019s stolen\u2014which is really bad\u2014the brand slogan from UNISYS, and it perfectly captures his Government: \u201CImagine it. Done.\u201D \u201CImagine it. Done.\u201D\u2014that is this Government in a nutshell. We\u2019re going to announce something\u2014\u201CImagine it. Done. Imagine it. Done.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EI took the time to read through the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, and I just want to make it clear I\u2019m not angry; I\u2019m just very disappointed\u2014very disappointed that in two years, last year apparently being the year of delivery, we tried to imagine it done, but it wasn\u2019t. So last year, in these two years, we\u2019ve seen the economic growth recede from around 4 percent under National to about 2 percent under this Government. Job growth has reduced by around 70 percent from the highs under National of 10,000 net new jobs a month. The cost of living is up, driven in part by $60 a week average rent increases and, of course, the fuel excise taxes they\u2019ve put on. People in New Zealand are going backwards under this Government, and it\u2019s a terrible, terrible thing. They can\u2019t deliver their greatest public policy platform, KiwiBuild\u2014an abject failure, about 300 houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EBut I thought to myself, \u201CWell, how about in safety? Because the Prime Minister definitely mentioned that, and public safety.\u201D Well, there was supposedly a promise of 1,800 more police officers, and they were going to do this in their first term. We know that it was 1,800 additional police officers on the front line to when they took office, because both the Minister of Police and the Police Commissioner told parliamentary select committees that that was the measure. Aha! Unfortunately, they discovered in the latter part of last year that they had no chance of getting there, and the Minister of Police quickly made up this idea that there had always been two targets. Well, no one buys that. The Police Commissioner doesn\u2019t buy that. The Police Association doesn\u2019t buy that. The public of New Zealand don\u2019t buy that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ESo what have they actually delivered? Well, according to the Police Association, in January they had delivered 974 additional front-line police officers. Well, we at least congratulate them for being a little bit over halfway, but there\u2019s no way they\u2019re getting to 1,800. Well, that\u2019s a number. What\u2019s a number that we could contrast 974 additional front-line police officers against? Well, this is something this Government has delivered over the last two-and-a-bit years: almost 1,600 more gang members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022049e9bb40eb943bfa3cf79723729efce\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: How many?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022303285f6dd6d46cdb449a4d1adc650bb\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right\u2014almost 1,600 more gang members. Now, that\u2019s growth in gang members that is over 60 percent faster than the growth in front-line police officers to deal with them. That is delivery. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s the delivery that New Zealanders are looking for, but it is consistent with all of the other delivery failures that this Government is responsible for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EWhat do we see these gang members, these more than 6,000\u2014close to 7,000 now\u2014gang members, doing around our communities? Well, we\u2019ve had Te Mata Peak taken over by the Mongrel Mob so that locals and tourists are unable to use it. They took that over for a patching ceremony. They scared people away from a local cemetery in Hastings. They have since gone on something of a recent\u2014well, I think the public might call it a rampage. Ruat\u014Dria, the Napier medical centre, Taradale, Tauranga, Manawat\u016B\u2014what do those places have in common? Gang violence involving firearms, all in the first two months of this year. They are out of control. The Government can\u2019t deliver the police to deal with them, and the public are being caught in the crossfire. It is only a matter of time. It is only\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c33ae71e13bd489981b33bb4d6eda086\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: And the member wants to water down the penalties for people who abuse gun ownership.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022238acc0d33814eeeaa3c216b97df82b0\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014a matter of time. So there\u2019s a point from Mr Little, who doesn\u2019t understand the bill he\u2019s talking about, because the bill he\u2019s talking about does nothing about gang possession of firearms. Here\u2019s the fact, Mr Little\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229c8e75f012a492da91f3f53fe96e58f\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Why does he oppose penalties for unlawful gun owners? Why is he opposing this? Why is he opposing it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226772b08c5ab84054b370438f33d819f9\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014in the evidence from Australia in the select committee inquiry on 2016 and 2017\u2014shouting won\u2019t help you, Mr Little\u2014in the evidence on that inquiry, the evidence out of Australia was that almost 90 percent of firearms offences are committed by people who aren\u2019t licensed. So putting licensing conditions on gang members or anyone else is going to do nothing to solve this problem. This is a Government of talk and no real action, and that\u2019s the best way to describe that bill. Thank you, Mr Little, for raising it. It places all sorts of costs, regulation, and rules on people who follow the law, and it does nothing\u2014nothing\u2014about the people who are threats to public safety.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EWe were ready to go at the election with firearms prohibition orders which would keep guns out of criminal gang members\u2019 hands, institute a new set of offences with real tough penalties. I tell you, it was drawn from the ballot when Chris Bishop was our police spokesperson; that lot over there voted it down. Twice we sought leave to bring it up and prioritise it in this House, and they denied it. Now it has been drawn again in my name, and on the next members\u2019 day they should get a chance to have a go again. Unlike their bill, it actually does something about criminal gang use of firearms. Well, here\u2019s a spoiler alert, New Zealand\u2014here\u2019s a spoiler alert\u2014I\u2019ve got five quid that there\u2019s no way they\u2019ll vote for it. Why\u2014why? Because in their world, they prioritise more cost and regulation on people who follow the law. They\u2019ve been gazing at their navels on firearms prohibition orders for more than two years. More than two years, they\u2019ve done nothing, and I tell you what: they quite likely will do nothing. Know why? Because I think they think the rights of gang members are more important than keeping the public safe. It is a travesty, but something we can all be used to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ESo they\u2019re not combating the gang members; they\u2019re going crazy with firearms. By the way, those firearms include semi-automatic firearms. The buy-back was a failure. We knew the numbers were well lower than they should\u2019ve been because they ignored advice and instead went with an option that they were warned would have lower compliance. So they didn\u2019t get them all, and, in fact, there could be as many as 180,000 of these things still out there in the wild, so to speak. But we know some of them are in the hands of gang members because they\u2019ve been using them recently, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before a member or members of the public are truly caught up in that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EAt the same time, they\u2019re not dealing\u2014in fact, part of the reason because they can\u2019t deal with the gangs. We\u2019ve seen victimisations increase markedly\u2014markedly\u2014under this Government. In the data reported by the police for the end of November 2019, victimisations were almost 280,000\u2014almost 280,000\u2014in one year, a rise, an increase, of over 18,000, in fact over 18,400 additional victimisations in that 12-year period, because this lot are soft on crime. They\u2019re certainly soft on gangs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EAn increase of more than 13,000 victimisations to do with property theft\u2014in \u014Ch\u0101riu, a place that is truly dear to my heart, we\u2019ve got problems all of a sudden now, just in the last three months. Car conversions in Newlands\u2014I tell you, if you own a Mazda Demio in Newlands, keep it under lock and key, because they\u2019re going like wildfire, and not the way you want them to. A spate of break-ins and attempted burglaries around Khandallah. I see on community noticeboards in Churton Park that they\u2019re worried because of people they\u2019ve seen around. In Tawa, they stole a complete container load of building equipment and then, in broad daylight, tried to cut through the roller door at the local ITM hardware store to try to nick what they had upstairs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EThis is what happens under a Government that has this goal to get people out of prison with no plan to reduce crime, and going soft on actually taking care of people that break the law. When they do that, they put people\u2019s safety at risk. There\u2019s actual physical safety with this gang tension and firearms crime going around, but when someone is burgled or has an attempted burglary, particularly when they are at home, it absolutely undermines the feeling of their personal and family safety in their own home and in their communities. It is fundamentally the responsibility of any Government to ensure that its citizens are and feel safe in their homes and in their communities, and this lot won\u2019t do it because\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bdce33f7ac474310a269dea2125a490c\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Why didn\u2019t you do something about the deportees\u2014why didn\u2019t you do something about the deportees?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd74146da81f4d0980073aa87a9a1423\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON\u003C/span\u003E: He in particular is more worried about the rights of criminals than the rights of New Zealanders. They are a disgrace.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u00224552851266a046dfa005ffa558a17403\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224552851266a046dfa005ffa558a17403\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, it is actually with a great deal of pleasure that I rise to speak in reply to the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. It has been a very good couple of years, and particularly the last year has been very good for the New Zealand Defence Force. And, might I add, it has been very, very good for the nation as a whole\u2014in particular for our communities and for our nation because of the huge level of support that the Defence Force has been able to lend to communities at various times, when they have been under stress and when they have been suffering the effects of nature.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIt has been pleasing that we are finally able to respond in the way in which we have in support of other Government agencies, whether it\u2019s been the Department of Conservation and the sterling work they are doing down in the Antipodes and up at the Kermadecs; whether it\u2019s been in support of the Antarctic operations; whether it\u2019s been in support of the West Coasters, who have suffered pretty badly as a result of flooding; whether it\u2019s been in support of those people\u2014local government agencies, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for the Environment\u2014who were struggling with the clean-up as a result of the flooding that washed out the rubbish dump out on to the West Coast, around Franz Josef.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s been a very good year for the country, as the Defence Force was able to lean in and support police and, in fact, run a recovery operation at White Island to recover the bodies of the deceased who were caught in that volcanic eruption. It\u2019s been a very good year for our Pacific Island partners, whom we have deployed in support of. It\u2019s been a very good year for the Solomons, who have conducted an election and have been able to be supported by our Defence Force. It\u2019s been a very good year for a Government who\u2019s been able to draw on the support of our women and our men in uniform, of our Defence Force, to any number\u2014and I think there are 57 named operations in one year, and that is without mentioning the ongoing work at Taji in the \u201Cdefeat ISIS\u201D campaign globally, the work in South Sudan, supporting the United Nations in Korea and the Multinational Force \u0026amp; Observers in the Sinai, in support of the United Nations in Golan and the on-site operations, and I could name many, many more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EBut the reason that the Defence Force has been able to do these things is because of the unprecedented amount of support that\u2019s come from the coalition Government. I\u2019m going to acknowledge the Green Party here who are\u2014and I remember very clearly in the campaign in the Wairarapa when there were people saying things like, \u201CWell, you don\u2019t want to vote for New Zealand First because if you do that, you\u2019re going to get a three-headed monster and the Defence Force will never get any money.\u201D It might have been Alastair Scott but I won\u2019t say it was; Alastair Scott\u2019s right across the aisle from me having a chuckle right now. People were saying if New Zealand First gets into Government and if they form a coalition with Labour and if that involves the Green Party, that\u2019s it\u2014the New Zealand Defence Force won\u2019t get a brass razoo.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWell, my oh my oh my. Look at what has happened with the last two Budgets. We have seen, from this coalition Government and support from our confidence and supply partners, the greatest injection into the Defence Force in capital expenditure that people can remember or think of since possibly the 1960s when we deployed\u2014we won\u2019t get into that debate: whether it was right or wrong\u2014into Vietnam, the greatest injection of capital funding. We have made decisions that are intergenerational\u2014they are generational decisions, decisions that should have, one would have thought, been made by a conservative Government made up of the National Party and the ACT Party at some point in time over the last nine years or the previous nine years. Decisions weren\u2019t\u2014all but one, and I\u2019ll give the credit to the Hon Gerry Brownlee because he is the one National Party MP who held the position of Minister of Defence who actually did get some things done. And we will take receipt of HMNZS Aotearoa\u2014which was his work, getting it through Cabinet\u2014this year, and I will make sure that Mr Gerry Brownlee is there to see that ship when she arrives in Devonport. But other than that, it was a big fat nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis is the Government who has delivered the replacement for the P-3s\u2014aircraft that go back to the 1960s. This is the Government that is on track to deliver the replacement. In fact, we\u2019ve already announced we\u2019re going to the C-130 Super Hercs, the replacements for our 1960s era\u2014and they should be retired straight into the Museum of Transport and Technology, these aircraft, they\u2019re that old. They\u2019re the oldest H-model Hercules flying in the world and some parts are literally being held together with duct tape. But this is the Government that is making the decision to replace these aircraft. Nobody else. These aircraft should have been replaced 15 years ago. This Government has made that decision.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis is the Government that in 11 months flat delivered a hydro dive, hydro capability that wasn\u2019t on track to be delivered for another six years. This Government is committed to supporting the women and the men of our defence forces that they may be properly trained, properly staffed, properly equipped, that when they deploy internationally to undertake the missions that the Government gives them, they are able to do them successfully with distinction and come home to their families safely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis is the Government and this will be\u2014I have only two priorities this year in terms of capability. One is to get the Hercules done and dusted. We\u2019ll do that. The second is to get protected mobility for the army\u2014and we know what we need there. I tried desperately as an Opposition MP to stop the procurement of the light armoured vehicles. Now I have the unfortunate task of selling them because they are not fit for the purposes that we require of them in the modern battlefield context. They\u2019re not, and it\u2019s a sadness that we lost our air combat capability as a result of that rather stupid decision, but it wasn\u2019t my decision.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis is the Government that has delivered Network Enabled Army tranche 2. This is the Government that has delivered the NH90 simulator. This is the Government that signed up and delivered new King Airs and returned pilot training from Australia back to \u014Ch\u0101kea. This is the Government that\u2019s already committed about $3 billion of defence investment. And this is the Government that has invested in the P-8s, which will result in infrastructure in \u014Ch\u0101kea, delivering a build in infrastructure that will build or provide about a $400 million economic boost to the Manawat\u016B region as families from Whenuapai move down and occupy houses as the infrastructure to accommodate the P-8s is built, and that\u2019s under way right now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis is the Government that takes seriously a commitment to our youth in developing them and getting the very best out of our young people that we can. This is the Government that has reopened two Limited Service Volunteers facilities: one in Whenuapai and one in Trentham. This is the Government that has doubled the intake of Limited Service Volunteers and is producing outstanding results as we help these people reorientate themselves and prepare themselves for the work environment. It is this Government that is engaging with employers and getting them engaged with the Limited Service Volunteers scheme. And I\u2019m being well assisted\u2014and I thank her very much\u2014by the Hon Carmel Sepuloni through the Ministry of Social Development in that space right now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIt is this Government that is committed to a first principles review of the Defence Force real estate footprint. And we are looking out to 2030; we are actually looking out to 2070 as to what this nation needs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI think the one thing that we can say right now is that we have made some historical decisions in the Defence Force, and the Defence Force is the better for it. And I haven\u2019t even started on our veterans, and I have 24 seconds to go. The only thing I will say is that we are not finished. We have till September and there is more coming down the line. This is a Government of action, not talk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u0022a8d496eaf0ed45ff8c74dbdf1002c1e1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a8d496eaf0ed45ff8c74dbdf1002c1e1\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (National\u2014Whangarei):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise to speak in response to the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, and I want to talk to many topics that I will hold her and her Government accountable for in this response. She talked to health. She talked to having confidence in the Government. She talked to having trust. I will challenge all these points across three domains. The first will be health: infectious disease and vaccines; the second will be the reform of vocational education; and the third will be the Tuia 250 data breach. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003ENew Zealanders cannot have confidence or trust in this Government or the management of infectious diseases or of vaccines. This time last year in Northland, there was a meningitis outbreak. On behalf of Northland parents and children, I am holding Pharmac to account for playing God and not telling anyone there were enough vaccines. I need to indicate to David Clark and the Director-General of Health that I held them to account at the time. I said, \u201CWhy did you not tell anyone that there were enough vaccines?\u201D We now know the truth\u2014we now know the truth. I wonder why at the time they didn\u2019t say, \u201CWe didn\u2019t know.\u201D I wonder why they backed Pharmac. I wonder why it\u2019s taken so long to get to the truth. But at that point in time, I held them accountable. We now know that is not correct. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIt is now an unequivocal fact that Pharmac knew about 30,000 extra meningococcal vaccines\u2014enough vaccines for everyone\u2014and they told no one. We know that from the written parliamentary question this is what it looks like when Pharmac coughs up that, \u201CYes, we knew about the vaccines and we told no one.\u201D Why did Pharmac not convey the useful information around the 30,000 extra meningitis vaccines to the Ministry of Health before the Northland vaccination campaign was signed off on 22 November 2018? Pharmac\u2019s reply is, \u201CPharmac is a Crown agency and makes independent funding decisions.\u201D That is their reply. They told no one. They didn\u2019t tell the Ministry of Health about the extra vaccines. They didn\u2019t tell the Minister about the extra vaccines. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EPharmac actually met three times before the Northland campaign was signed off with the Ministry of Health people who were organising the meningococcal campaign in Northland. Three times, Pharmac officials sat in the room with the hard-working ministry people who were trying to figure out the best response for Northland, and they said nothing. They had the knowledge within them that there were enough vaccines for everyone. They said nothing. The first meeting, the second meeting, and the third meeting, Pharmac said nothing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s not my view; it\u2019s all in writing. Look through the parliamentary questions on three dates: Pharmac people who had knowledge of the extra vaccines sat in the same room with the Ministry of Health and said nothing. They let them try and figure their way through a campaign where they understood there were not enough vaccines, but Pharmac knew there were. Pharmac\u2019s reply to this, when they say in the written question, \u201CWe\u2019re a Crown agency and we make independent funding decisions.\u201D, is code for Pharmac is omnipotent. Pharmac is above everyone. Pharmac doesn\u2019t have to tell Ministers or director-generals. Pharmac played God, and that is not their role. The Minister herself put in writing that knowledge of those extra 30,000 vaccines was important and it was useful. Pharmac must be held accountable for this. We cannot let them keep important information secret from the ministry, secret from the Minister, from people who are forming a response to a really urgent infectious disease outbreak. An apology to Northland parents and some evidence of change would be a start.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThere is another sadness. There was no money for meningococcal vaccines for Northland children, but Winston Peters gave Papua New Guinea millions of dollars for vaccinations and, even worse, a meningitis vaccination campaign to Fiji. While Northland children were missing out on meningitis vaccines, Winston Peters gave millions of dollars to the Pacific. Northland parents will not forget that. Northland parents will not forget that\u2014in their moment of need, with an infectious disease outbreak\u2014Winston Peters gave money to the Pacific. And I do not decry their need, don\u2019t think that for a moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002292c1ddcdc0f04056b2288ac24a097a9d\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s about priorities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022faa6aa9802934d37994624d6e7e26cca\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI\u003C/span\u003E: But it wasn\u2019t much\u2014it\u2019s a priority\u2014for Northland children to have the vaccines that they needed. When he looked out his window, and he looked into his immediate neighbourhood, why did he not see the five- to 12-year-olds who needed the vaccines? That is a sadness.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EI want to talk to the measles outbreak at the end of the year. Thousands of cases of measles, and we ran out of vaccines. Minister Genter was wrong when she says it was a matter of distribution; it was a matter of supply. Every DHB who is replying to an annual review are giving the dates when they ran out of measles vaccine. There was a shortage of measles vaccines. Now, early in the piece, we came up with solutions. We recommended that pharmacists be authorised to vaccinate for measles. They already vaccinate for H flu; they are well capable, they are enthusiastic. A third of all pharmacists are already giving the flu vaccine. So, very early in the outbreak, as a party, we put forward this suggestion. In our hands, I would submit, we could make this change in about five days. It is simple. It is a small administrative change, that\u2019s all it is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe ministry, no, they delayed\u2014and delayed and delayed. It was months later before they found themselves coming to the House proudly saying, \u201CYes, we are now authorising pharmacists to give the measles vaccine.\u201D What has been the consequence of that delay? How many vaccines have pharmacists given for measles during the recently finished\u2014or soon to be finished\u2014measles outbreak? What was the consequence of that delay? What number would you guess that pharmacists have given of measles vaccine when they were authorised? I\u2019ll tell you that number, because I got it about two hours ago: 20. Twenty people had the benefit of pharmacists vaccinating for measles when we had thousands of people lining up for the measles vaccine, when we were needing thousands of vaccines. We needed these people to be vaccinating, authorised vaccinating, months before the ministry finally got around to it, and the sum total of people vaccinated for measles by pharmacists, as of two hours ago, is 20. It\u2019s appalling. That\u2019s a shocking delay. Way too late, way too little. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EI want to talk now to the Tuia 250 data breach: a data breach where the independent review was conveniently released late and close to the House rising last year, so we could not scrutinise it. And in this part, I want to speak directly to the Prime Minister, who, in her role as the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, has responsibility for the Tuia 250 data breach. It is a matter of fact that as a consequence of that data breach, she has data breached more young people than any other Minister in this Government has. Parliamentary Library have confirmed she has data breached more young people than any other Minister in this Government. She says she cares for young people, but she doesn\u2019t care for their data. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThis is not the first data breach Jacinda Ardern has had. In fact, there were two before Tuia 250. One of them was an email attachment that was sent to the wrong place. It was a sensitive email. It actually contained the list of titles of upcoming papers for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, sport and recreation\u2014it might have even been yours, Minister Faafoi\u2014and the broadcasting portfolios. So you make a mistake. You send an email to the wrong place. It\u2019s got sensitive data. What would you do? You fix up what you\u2019ve done at your end, but shouldn\u2019t we reach out and say, \u201CLook, I\u2019m really sorry, Minister Faafoi. I actually data breached some of your data. I think I\u2019ve fixed it at my end. Can you tidy up at your end?\u201D Wouldn\u2019t you reach out to sport and recreation, which I believe is Grant Robertson, and say, \u201CHey, Grant, just letting you know\u2014made a small mistake at our end. We\u2019ll fix our end, but can you make sure that your end is tight?\u201D? That\u2019s what a responsible person would do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EDid Jacinda Ardern do that? No, she did not. In written parliamentary question 39995, I asked her: did she communicate with the Ministers for broadcasting and sports and recreation that she had data breached their data? I\u2019m advised the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media was not notified by the ministry. I\u2019m sorry to be telling you this for the first time, so maybe there is some stuff at your end that you do need to tidy up. I would have thought a responsible person would have done that. The Prime Minister was not responsible. Jacinda Ardern breached data from other ministries. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003EThe independent review of Tuia 250, when it was released, had a key finding: a significant conflict of interest. So there was a member in her ministry who had a personal relationship with the website developer of Tuia 250, the website that eventually failed, and the legal team\u2014this is what the Official Information Act tells us\u2014eventually identified it with him or her and said, \u201CYou can\u2019t do that. You\u2019ve got a conflict of interest.\u201D What did that person do? Did they stop? No, they did not. They continued to provide information just to the successful tenderer. Wow, what an outrageous conflict of interest. Despite being warned by legal, \u201CYou have a conflict; you need to stop.\u201D, of the three tenders for this project, he or she continued to provide information just to that successful tenderer. That\u2019s a conflict of interest. We can have no trust that this Government or Jacinda Ardern can look after our data.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022a93b456e04de47edaeea1e5e1a431468\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a93b456e04de47edaeea1e5e1a431468\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That this debate be now adjourned. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00223df29da4f96948c0be6b201986b3ff8e\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 this debate be now adjourned.\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 of Aotearoa New Zealand 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 55; Ross.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c20fd990c33b435d823217d1169e3a04\u0022\u003EResidential Tenancies Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224921da46bca34c5c832ea619db05ad2d\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u0022bf4697304dac4446b9636638d2571452\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bf4697304dac4446b9636638d2571452\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time, I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 22 June 2020. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe Residential Tenancies Act 1986 came into force over 30 years ago to govern a rental market very different to that of what we see today. Since 1986, homeownership rates have declined and 609,700 New Zealand households now live in a rented property, which by last year was an estimated 32 percent of our population. More people, including families and older people, are renting for longer or even for life. The 1986 Residential Tenancies Act has not reflected this reality, and there are still issues with the stability and insecurity of rentals, which can have negative impacts on health, education, and employment. Through this bill, the Government is delivering on its promise to over 1 million New Zealanders who rent that we are making the rental market fairer and more secure. It sits alongside this Government\u2019s other improvements to renting, including the banning of letting fees and the healthy homes guarantee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EComprehensive public consultation from August to October 2018 helped shape this bill. There have been frank, robust, and at times difficult conversations with those representing property investors and landlords\u2019 advocacy groups, but what we are talking about in these reforms is not just much-needed protections and security of tenure for tenants but also clearer processes and certainty for landlords. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe views and perspectives of over 4,700 submissions from landlords, tenants, interest groups, and public or community housing providers have gone into shaping this legislation being introduced today. I would like to thank all of those who have contributed over that time and engaged in this important process. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThis bill recognises the balance between protecting a landlord\u2019s interest in their property and ensuring tenants receive fair rights for the rent that they are paying. This Government believes that every New Zealander, including renters, should have a safe, warm, and dry home to call their own. This Government appreciates the contribution that landlords make in providing these homes. These changes are designed to have the least possible impact on landlords. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThis bill will improve tenants\u2019 security by removing no-cause terminations to end a periodic tenancy agreement, but still recognises landlords\u2019 rights. For instance, under these reforms, landlords will still be able to terminate tenancies for a range of fair and justified reasons, such as antisocial behaviour, or someone who is at least three weeks behind in their rent. If they want to change the use of the premises or to redevelop it, that will also be a reason. If they want to prepare it for sale, or move themselves or a family member in, all of these reasons give a landlord justification to terminate a tenancy, but it is simply not appropriate in 2020 for a person to be required to leave their home without knowing why. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe bill mandates that fixed-term tenancy agreements must become periodic tenancy agreements upon expiry, unless both parties agree otherwise, or the justified reasons set out in the bill apply. This will flatten the inflated demand that has been created in some regions by tenancies all ending at the same time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe bill makes rental properties safer and more livable by setting out clear processes for tenants to make minor changes to their rental accommodation. These changes could be as simple as brackets to secure furniture and appliances against earthquake risk, baby-proofing the property, hanging pictures, or installing visual fire alarms and doorbells for hearing-impaired tenants. Landlords will be able to set reasonable conditions when agreeing to these minor changes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe bill also includes additional proposals to improve the process for the installation of fibre in rental properties. Where a tenancy or property does not already have ultra-fast broadband, and a tenant requests it, landlords will be required to permit and facilitate the installation of ultra-fast broadband unless any of a range of exemptions apply\u2014for instance, where fibre could compromise the structural integrity or weathertightness of the building, the landlord could decline the request. The costs of installation would be the tenants\u2019 responsibility, and not the landlord\u2019s. This amendment will help tenants obtain installation of fibre in reasonable circumstances, and will further the Government\u2019s roll-out of ultra-fast broadband. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe bill prohibits the solicitation of rental bids by landlords, and this includes the requirement that landlords must specify a rent amount when advertising a rental property. The bill also limits rent increases to once every 12 months, instead of the current provisions of six months in the Residential Tenancies Act as it stands. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EIn 2016, the tenancy compliance and investigations unit was established to enforce rental rules. This bill provides the regulator, which is the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in this case, with a suite of new tools to take direct action against parties who are not meeting their obligations. The bill also increases the existing financial penalties in the Residential Tenancies Act, and this package of amendments will improve compliance with the law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI\u2019m also aware of situations where tenants have a justifiable cause to go to the Tenancy Tribunal, but are unwilling to do so because they may be blacklisted by future landlords. For the tenancy system to work, people should feel confident that the Tenancy Tribunal can be used without being targeted. The bill clarifies the situations where identifying details and other sensitive information can be anonymised. This includes automatic anonymity for a party that has been wholly or substantially successful in taking a case to the tribunal. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EWe are mindful that these changes need to modernise the law and correct problems in a way which is proportionate and places reasonable requirements on landlords and tenants, and which will endure changing market characteristics. But these changes are needed because the reality of renting has changed over the past 30-plus years. We\u2019re talking change where, as I said at the start of the speech, the reality now is that around 32 percent of Kiwi households live in rental accommodation, whereas in 1986, it was 25 percent. We\u2019re talking about change where now around 43 percent of Kiwi children live in rental accommodation. Back in 1986, it was about 26 percent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI know there are opposing views on this proposed legislation, and I welcome those being discussed at the select committee process. But the changing nature of renting in New Zealand means our rental laws need to change as well. They complete the package of improvements of rental markets that were planned for this Government\u2019s first term, and which include the introduction of the healthy homes guarantee, to ensure that all rental accommodation is warm and dry. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI look forward to a time when, thanks to our reforms in this bill, renters in New Zealand can make a rental house truly a place to call their home. To finish up, I would like to thank both the New Zealand First Party and the Green Party for their discussions to the point to get to this first reading\u2014notably Marama Davidson and the Hon Ron Mark. I commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022 data-id=\u0022a6ce3267cc224a298824e32c3bcbbf55\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a6ce3267cc224a298824e32c3bcbbf55\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS (National\u2014Northcote):\u003C/span\u003E It\u2019s a pleasure to lead off the Opposition position in this debate on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill at its first reading, and I certainly want to preface that it\u2019s a pleasure to do this because this bill directly affects me as a renter. I am one of the only renters in this Parliament, so it gives me a special privilege to be able to give a perspective on how this legislation is going to impact renters as well as landlords. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ENow, this is yet another shot in the guts for landlords. At a time when we all know there are affordable housing challenges in New Zealand, this bill is going to pile on the costs for landlords and reduce the amount of available rental property available. We can already see that the KiwiBuild has been an absolute failure for this Government. We\u2019ve already seen that the Government, through K\u0101inga Ora, or Housing New Zealand, has started to buy up private developments; therefore, crowding out first-home buyers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EThis Government is now so bereft of ideas that their solution to this is simple: \u201CLet\u2019s pile on the costs for landlords, and keep renters in their homes.\u201D Well, the National Party disagrees with this approach, and we disagree on the simple basis of facts. Rents are up in Auckland by $50 since this Government came into office. Housing prices are still going through the roof. The social housing register\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022313fdc353adb4792821e5c8fbfeacd37\u0022\u003ELawrence Yule\u003C/span\u003E: 14,000. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c5eb120edb24974b0f0d671497377d1\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014has increased by 14,000, my colleague Lawrence Yule has just made me aware. So these proposed changes are going to do nothing for the housing affordability challenges. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ELet me run through these challenges for the people at home. So part of the proposed changes in the residential tenancies is going to be increased regulations around tenancies. It gives tenants the right to add fittings and change the household. It gives renters the ability to have a pet and, as a renter, I\u2019d certainly like that, but I think that this is a step too far. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EIt also beefs up the regulators to, in fact, intervene and fine and punish landlords who are not complying with the legislation. It also increases the penalties for landlords that breach the standards that are outlined in this law. It also restricts rental increases to a fixed amount, and also proposes changes to the Tenancy Tribunal as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ESo all of those changes\u2014when you add it up, what is this going to mean for your average mom and pop landlord? What it\u2019s going to do is it\u2019s going to pile on the costs. It\u2019s going to make it actually less worthwhile to lease or rent your house out, so it\u2019s going to reduce the supply of rental properties on this market. It\u2019s, in fact, not a carrot but much more a stick approach to landlords. It\u2019s going to raise the costs for renters like myself and the many thousands of Aucklanders who rent throughout this great nation, in not just Auckland but throughout New Zealand. It\u2019s going to raise the costs even more on those that rent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EDon\u2019t take my word for it; take the Real Estate Institute\u2019s perspective on this, who also says that this is going to pile on the costs, and for many landlords it\u2019s going to be too much. So what you\u2019re going to see, in fact, is landlords just say \u201CLook, I\u2019m going to give up. I\u2019m not going to rent my house out.\u201D, and that is the exact opposite of what we want in this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ESo National\u2019s position is, of course, that we strongly oppose this legislation. It is going to add on extra costs for landlords. It\u2019s going to reduce the supply of rental properties throughout New Zealand. These changes do nothing for the long-term challenges of housing affordability in this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EYou just cannot trust this Government when it comes to delivering on affordable housing. Two years ago, this Government said that they would build 10,000 homes a year. Well, how many homes have they built\u2014200, 300? You cannot trust this Government on housing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ESecond\u2014and I do want to raise this important point, and it\u2019s in relation to the process of which this bill is being put through Parliament. Now, the Minister in charge, Kris Faafoi, has just outlined a shortened select committee process, from six months to, I believe, four months and two days. We know that this is in a rush to get this bill into legislation before the next election. Maybe it is because they are, in fact, not confident that they are going to win the next election. Maybe it is because they want to demonstrate that they have done something in relation to housing affordability after sitting on their hands for the last 2\u00BD years and doing nothing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ESince I have been in this Parliament, I have witnessed attempts to curtail democracy for political gains. It is very important for the public of New Zealand that we have the rigorous process surrounding the way in which our legislation is scrutinised. So I would ask that, in fact, the Minister reconsiders the shortened select committee process\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd3114f0eaa041ca83523c646a35344b\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: Speak slower! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220162f3137e7f4fa9be2b71702879274f\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and take it back to six months. Let\u2019s analyse this, Duncan Webb. Let\u2019s analyse this in a select committee fashion. Let\u2019s get everybody who is affected by this bill, renters and landlords alike, to see what they have to say on this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ESo it is a pleasure to lead this debate, opposing these radical changes that are not necessary for New Zealanders that are going to pile on the extra costs for landlords. National will oppose this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022 data-id=\u0022f17b28c4afba45fe90fb68108bf0d2f2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f17b28c4afba45fe90fb68108bf0d2f2\u0022\u003EWILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to give a contribution in the first reading of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill. It\u2019s an absolute pleasure to stand this afternoon to talk about this bill, because the rental market has changed significantly, as we heard in the Minister Kris Faafoi\u2019s opening comments. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI know that the number of people renting in Northland has continued to increase. I was perplexed when a lady stopped me outside of the Kaikohe Warehouse and she said, \u201CWillow, I have had over 50 people apply to live in my one rental property in Kaikohe. How do I say no to all of these people? How do I even choose which needing and deserving family to give this one home to?\u201D So I know that more people in Northland are renters and not homeowners, and that is a real challenge for us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EAs a Government, we believe that everybody should have the access to a safe, warm, dry, and secure home. So this Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill is important for those families whose realities, whose situation, is that they are going to be or have been and potentially could be renters for life. So I\u2019m really pleased by the series of changes that this Government is making to make our rental accommodation safer, warmer, drier, and healthier, because that is lifesaving legislation that we\u2019ve introduced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EWhat this bill is proposing to do is to give people more security in their tenancy where their families are in the position of being renters, so I\u2019m really pleased to see that you can\u2019t terminate without good reason. I think this is important, especially when there is so much demand on rental properties now days; there\u2019s such a power imbalance between landlords\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab029eb0afd54ed088d3bc9228c5d354\u0022\u003EAngie Warren-Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Bidding war. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce82557930fe4de4a89560369222354e\u0022\u003EWILLOW-JEAN PRIME\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and renters. There\u2019s a bidding war. In fact, we\u2019re prohibiting the ability to auction off what price of rent it is that people are going to pay. So I think that these are really important safeguards that are being introduced in this legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI think about the over 43 percent of our children in Aotearoa who are living in these homes. It\u2019s really pleasing to see that families are going to be able to make minor changes to make their houses safer and more secure. In fact, one of the references that was made was to even being able to baby-proof a house. There are just some really practical suggestions to enable those who are in the renting situation to make this a home for them and their families in consultation and conversation with their landlords, so I think it\u2019s a very humanising aspect and wh\u0101nau-friendly aspect of the legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t want to take the full amount of time as there are others who are going to be speaking after me, but the thing that I wanted to conclude on\u2014and I found this quite interesting\u2014is keeping up with the advances in technology in the modern world and actually being able to install ultra-fast broadband into a lot of these properties. You know, when I looked at that, I hadn\u2019t realised that this has potentially been a problem. When I think about it in Northland, we\u2019re still receiving the roll-out of that up there. It\u2019s just a really practical thing that we can put in here that is going to give those families and those communities access to the best technology. So I think it\u2019s a very forward-thinking piece of legislation, as well. With that, I commend the bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022 data-id=\u002282d8266062344e0fa9f3708f65efa060\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002282d8266062344e0fa9f3708f65efa060\u0022\u003ELAWRENCE YULE (National\u2014Tukituki):\u003C/span\u003E There could be nothing more stark in the difference between the two main political parties than in this bill. I stand to speak to it on the basis that this is everything about regulating, taxing, piling on the costs, redistributing things\u2014it\u2019s all about that\u2014and it\u2019s got nothing to do with what actually works. We strongly oppose this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EI want to give this House some examples that I\u2019ve seen in my own electorate already. So as you push the costs up, landlord after landlord is exiting\u2014is exiting\u2014and selling their house. Sure, they\u2019re going to first-home buyers, but the net pool of rental accommodation in my electorate is, fundamentally, declining. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EYes, this Government is very proud of their meagre attempts in the housing market. They told us today in question time that no Government has built more State houses than they are. Great\u2014that\u2019s a laudable goal\u2014but when the market on the other side is simply declining and the private sector market provision is declining because of costs, because of compliance, and because of regulation, the net result is that we\u2019re going backwards. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EI listened to the last speaker, Willow-Jean Prime, talk about \u201CIt\u2019s going to be much harder to terminate tenancies.\u201D Anybody can go and talk to a landlord. That is such a turn-off for them\u2014that is another example of why they can\u2019t be bothered. If they have difficult tenants or they have a change in circumstance, all we\u2019re doing is making it harder for them to stay as landlords in the rental market. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EI give you examples in my own patch already. It was denied by the Minister of Housing in the House today, but I believe that her response was fundamentally wrong. In my electorate, Housing New Zealand is buying houses because they can\u2019t build them quick enough. They\u2019re buying them, often at above-the-odds market rates, and putting tenants in them who, in many cases, are then trashing the houses, destroying the neighbourhood, and, in many cases, have fundamental gang associations that mean that the whole neighbourhood has been transformed. Now, in that case, that is a rental market that is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022acd60a80d69b4969967edb1721e8b9b3\u0022\u003EAngie Warren-Clark\u003C/span\u003E: Scaremongering. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002206068184d70049c6a7285b0eb91b767f\u0022\u003ELAWRENCE YULE\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s not scaremongering. It\u2019s absolutely going on and true, and I have evidence of it. The net result is that because of that, even more people don\u2019t want to be landlords. They don\u2019t want to be landlords, they don\u2019t want to be caught up in it, and they don\u2019t want any part of it. So, on one hand, the Government has a laudable goal of trying to lift standards, of trying to improve quality, and of making things child-friendly. You can do that with your own houses, but the private sector will do what it wishes, based on where the market return is, where the money is, and where the risk profile is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EThe net result of this bill\u2014which is why this side of the House is so opposed\u2014is that you are going to, fundamentally, move private landlords out of the sector. They got scared enough when the capital gains tax was being considered. They\u2019ve hung in there, but this is just another kick. I have talked to many real estate agents\u2014many\u2014in this space who say, \u201CAll that will do is you\u2019ll shift landlords from out of the market.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EIn my own patch, we have never had so many people living in temporary accommodation. Over 450 are living in motels, some of them for over a year. In my own patch, the rental crisis has never been worse. The net result of that is that people are living in substandard conditions. What we need is a market that is prepared to provide long-term rental accommodation, and by regulations that are so rigid, so tight, and so difficult, the net result of it is that a large number of these landlords are going to leave. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EI do want to come to the shortened time for this bill to be considered: four months and two days. I understand that\u2019s a way of getting around the rules, but this is a big deal. This is a big deal where lots of people will want to have a say. Just because it\u2019s election year, I fail to see why we\u2019re going to constrain things to this degree, when the net result is, in my view, we\u2019ll look back in 10 or 15 years\u2019 time and say, \u201CThat was a complete market failure. The market has deserted us.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220c51564f-6c6e-45cc-adab-f15b6c831fce\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s more and more demand for rental accommodation and there are fewer and fewer houses because of this very bill. That\u2019s why this side of the House strongly opposes it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u002265b37467d3564566b0021cc864c01199\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002265b37467d3564566b0021cc864c01199\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s really interesting listening to the debates, and I guess that as this legislation makes its way through select committee, I fully anticipate that there\u2019ll be strong representation from those on both sides of the floor in this debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThere will be the property investors. I do have, and New Zealand First always has had, some sympathy for the plight of senior citizens who have taken it upon themselves to buy one home, as the renter is going to be their superannuation fund and is going to be the provider for them in their later years. Some of them are doing that because they\u2019ve seen the interest rates on their deposits in banks, where they have had that decline markedly over the last 10 years in particular. They see the real estate market as being a more attractive investment proposition to provide for them in their retirement, and are, quite obviously, taking the advantage of a capital gain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThe previous speaker, Lawrence Yule, is quite correct. From everything that I\u2019ve heard, there is a little bit of mild panic at the thought and suggestion that a capital gains tax might be implemented amongst those people, and those elderly investors in particular. There is a somewhat different view of those who have rental property portfolios more on a corporate level, because they tend to bring with them a corporate approach to the management of those tenancies. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWhat we do know is that the market has changed markedly since the Residential Tenancies Act was first implemented back in 1986, or something around that time. The Residential Tenancies Act created back in 1986 was one thing. We are now at 2020, and the market has shifted. There have been a number of things that have contributed to the changes we\u2019ve seen and the effects of them. One of them has been, quite clearly, the exiting of the market by Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThere used to be a time in this country when the Government was the predominant renter, when the Government provided State housing for New Zealanders at a time when the majority of New Zealanders owned their homes. That has changed quite substantively now, and given the market forces\u2014and I do remember the speeches from people, the neo-liberals, who believed that the market would determine the future and that it would all balance out and it would all come right and that Government needed to get out of owning houses and that the Government should not be in the business of owning and renting properties, and what have we seen? Well, we\u2019ve seen homelessness increase. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve seen people living in cars, and these are not people who are unemployed. We have seen families where mum and dad have both had jobs\u2014and, in fact, one of them has had two jobs\u2014who are living in vans. Everything has changed, and if people can\u2019t accept what they see with their own eyes, or what they are dealing with as members of Parliament in their own electorate offices, then I can only suggest they\u2019re asleep or they don\u2019t do any work in their electorate offices, because those of us who do go to our electorate offices and who do do this work see this problem every day. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI can say this. In the Wairarapa, and here is a classic example, we used to have hundreds and hundreds of State houses\u2014580-odd, actually. But a Government of the day decided to sell the whole batch to a private trust enterprise who promised\u2014who promised\u2014that they would meet the community housing needs of the Wairarapa, and what have we seen? They promised that they would maintain a housing stock to meet the community needs. They promised. And what did they get? Well, I\u2019ll tell you what they got. This is a real hell of a deal coming from a party who prides itself as being the great stewards of the economy, the great managers of the State\u2019s assets. They sold these 540-odd houses for $19,000 each\u2014$19,000. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis was the deal from heaven. In the very least, the capital gain that was achieved overnight was about a 400 percent return. In fact, some would suggest that when those houses were revalued the day after the deal was done, it was something like about an 800 percent return on investment. And that trust, called Trust House in Masterton\u2014[Interruption] Well, I\u2019m not going to go down that path, Dr Webb, but I would say this: there were some very strong connections between people who wanted this trust to get all of the houses, and I\u2019ll leave it at that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ESo they bought all of these houses for less than $20,000 each and promised to pick up the social obligation. Now what do we have in the Wairarapa? We have a housing problem. We have a problem where, one, there are no community houses; two, there are not enough houses to meet the growing population; and, three, people are unemployed\u2014that\u2019s why they can\u2019t get houses\u2014and Trust House has decided that it\u2019d rather invest its money in pubs and bars that can house pokie machines, which, ironically, take money off the same group of people who rely on community housing. But that\u2019s for Trust House to explain themselves, and I have been on the record as criticising that entity for not living up to its obligations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EBut therein lies the lesson. If the Government absolves itself of its responsibility to provide housing for the people, and if the Government of the day puts that responsibility in the hands of a private enterprise and the Government has no way of ensuring or guaranteeing that that private enterprise or that trust will actually do the work it promises to do and undertake and accept the responsibilities that it promised on the back of a sweetheart deal, then the Government is either foolish or the Government is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a89dda4ef6d47cf948e76f847da1b88\u0022\u003EMarama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Immoral. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d56323d836fe46f084a6c84d87d5d286\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014stupid\u2014I don\u2019t know. Or immoral\u2014I don\u2019t know. The net result is that we have a housing problem, and we have a totally different market, where tenants can be taken advantage of. We have a totally different market, where you end up with bidding wars, and it is the prospective tenant who\u2019s got the big chequebook who gets the house and other people end up homeless. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s interesting, and I\u2019m watching Alastair Scott, who\u2019s not going to be standing again this time. He understands very, very clearly what\u2019s happened in the Wairarapa, and I recognise him for that because he\u2019s been supportive of some of my criticisms and I know that. But look, we\u2019re in a different situation now. We have to look at the rules. I think we will be mindful of the comments that are made and submissions that are made as to how this might impact on the total housing pool. We will be mindful of the difficulties people face getting into housing. Those are the very reasons that this legislation has come before us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThere is a select committee process, and I will be encouraging the New Zealand First representatives and the Government representatives to listen closely. But the inescapable fact is we have a problem, and it\u2019s not going to go away by us continuing to do what we\u2019ve always done since 1986. Things are drastically different, and if I believe there\u2019s a problem in Masterton and Carterton and Greytown and Martinborough and Featherston, then I guess I\u2019d have to concede that our problems pale into insignificance with the problems that face people in Auckland and Christchurch and Wellington. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EThis bill seeks to give some strength to landlords. It does seek to make some adjustments\u2014so things that we never ever imagined back in 1986 like broadband, or the desire of people to connect up the rooms of their houses to broadband so the kids could come home and do their homework on their laptops and on their tablets. These things were never imagined back in 1986, but these are realities now, and to say that a tenant can\u2019t install broadband or can\u2019t have wireless connection to their house is a little bit silly, but, of course, there are some definitions and some criteria in this bill that specifically identify what is minor work and what is not. Of course, no one is going to be sanctioning a tenant knocking out a wall and putting in a new door or a new window, but there are some minor things like fixing your shelves to the walls so that they don\u2019t fall over in an earthquake\u2014something Wellington\u2019s a bit prone to\u2014that we believe are sensible and worth considering. That is why New Zealand First is supporting the first reading of this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022 data-id=\u002294d0b70d21fa466789ec3b65c1a69291\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002294d0b70d21fa466789ec3b65c1a69291\u0022\u003EDENISE LEE (National\u2014Maungakiekie):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill in its the first reading, here in the House. It is the bill that, quite simply, piles pressure on landlords. It does not give them strength, as the previous speaker Ron Mark just outrageously claimed; it piles pressure on landlords\u2014as simple as that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003ELike my previous colleague Lawrence Yule, I want to give some examples from a local context: Onehunga. Onehunga is a suburb in the electorate that I represent, the great Maungakiekie. First in Onehunga we had the KiwiBuild two-bedroom home that was too small for even KiwiBuild\u2019s rules. So we had Minister Phil Twyford get that wrong and they had to quickly go back and change the size of that apartment. Then in Onehunga, we had just recently a private buyer with a 10 percent deposit down on an apartment, and then Housing New Zealand, or K\u0101inga Ora, came in and gazumped her and undercut her and turfed her out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019ve had that in Onehunga, and now the Government\u2019s on to private landlords in that area. How are they doing that? Here\u2019s an example. I have had correspondence from someone as a constituent, and here\u2019s what Richard said to me: \u201CThis proposed bill\u201D\u2014the one that we\u2019re debating right now\u2014\u201Cundermines my rights as a property owner and prevents me from controlling who rents my property and how long they can rent it for.\u201D And here\u2019s the golden line: \u201CIt\u2019s just about the straw that breaks the camel\u2019s back as far as myself continuing to rent out my property.\u201D\u2014the straw that breaks the camel\u2019s back for someone who wants to continue to rent out their property. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003ENow, what\u2019s the answer to this? There isn\u2019t an answer from the other side of the House. How does any of their programme engender trust in getting housing going in my area and in New Zealand? It doesn\u2019t. The programme is unbelievably flawed. This Labour-led Government cannot be trusted to deliver for the housing market for tenants or landlords\u2014full stop. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EThere are failed programmes everywhere we look: KiwiBuild, rents going up all over New Zealand, and this is nothing short of an attack on property rights for good, well-meaning landlords around the country. What we\u2019ve got here is a bill that will give ability for tenants to modify their houses without permission of the owner, to have an indefinite length of tenancy, and also have pets without permission. All of these create a cauldron that makes it a lot tougher for landlords to want to stay in the market of renting out their homes. It will definitely encourage some landlords to sell up and create more pressure on the market. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003ENow, you wouldn\u2019t think that we on this side of the House would need to be this simple, but we\u2019re about to be this simple. It\u2019s a message for the Government: too much, too quickly on landlords without any incentives. As Dan Bidois said earlier, more stick than carrot without any incentives leaves fewer people wanting to be landlords. That\u2019s the simple message: too much, too quickly, fewer landlords\u2014that\u2019s what you will face, and you will face that very soon. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022943fd636-21ec-4442-9a72-68c49464776f\u0022\u003EI\u2019m going to finish back at Onehunga again. Emergency housing grants are up 70 percent\u201470 percent\u2014in Onehunga. We have now another addition to the perfect storm of bad policy, and what we need is much better weather. Bring on 19 September for a good, sunny day and a change of Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022 data-id=\u0022dba150af5ff14dfdb45ed4f114fcb7dd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dba150af5ff14dfdb45ed4f114fcb7dd\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Greens are proud to see the introduction of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, and I\u2019m very pleased to stand up and support the bill in the House today and commend Minister Faafoi for bringing it to our attention. We know that homes primarily are for living in, that everyone needs a home, and that that is the sole responsibility of what good Governments should do for people. It\u2019s to provide a sense of stability and calm and security which everybody should be entitled to\u2014stability and calm that every person deserves\u2014and that Aotearoa can most certainly provide, whether we rent or own our own home. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo we need to ensure that our rental laws are fit for purpose and that they recognise, first and foremost, that a home is a building block of our lives. We should be able to rely on this feeling and this sense of being able to put our roots down as we go about sending our children to our local schools, as we develop relationships and friendships in our local neighbourhood, and as we go about the ordinary living tasks of everyday life: our laughing, our cooking, our sleeping, and loving family. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo the problems here then have been obvious for far too long with the original renters\u2019 laws that were brought in back in 1986. What the reliance on that original legislation from the 1980s has meant is that previous Governments have been allowed to continue to see housing viewed as something left to the market, instead of a core public good. This legislation starts to correct the imbalance of power between tenants and landlords that has been having a harmful impact on communities and families, actually, for far too long\u2014for far too long. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESome speaking in opposition in this House to this legislation are hypothesizing a harmful impact on landlords and they\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252d36e82d13d434097cb63b616e2095d\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: Catastrophising. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad45f8d0b06542588cd5c49fa466bc37\u0022\u003EMARAMA DAVIDSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014catastrophising; absolutely, Dr Webb\u2014are not speaking into the decades of harmful impacts that relying on outdated legislation and market levers have caused to ordinary folk around our entire country. We don\u2019t expect the market to be able to provide for core public goods such as education and health and drinking water. In fact, even when we have tried to leave a little bit of the market to those services, that hasn\u2019t gone very well. So a market is designed by its nature for profit and not for people. We cannot expect it to be concerned with social or environmental outcomes. So this legislation is starting to correct that imbalance. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ENow, some of us in this House\u2014not all of us\u2014may remember cassette tapes, if I may, from the 1970s and 1980s. Not everyone will know what this is today. This is a cassette tape from the 1970s and 1980s. This is from the time when the legislation was first introduced, and it\u2019s also the last time that housing prices made any sense in this country. Many people do not know what a cassette tape is. Many people today do not know what sensible house prices are, either. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EBack then, when this legislation first came through, I think around 26 percent of children lived in rental homes. Now, 43 percent\u2014probably inching closer to 50 percent on more recent figures\u2014of our children, with their wh\u0101nau, live in a rental home. So it\u2019s time, long past time, that we responded. I wanted to mention that Leilani Farha, the sort of UN expert on the right to housing, called this not a housing crisis, but a human rights crisis, and that\u2019s exactly what this has been for people in our neighbourhoods for far too long. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWe are changing the fact, in this bill, that you can be removed from your home for no reason. So for those who are scaremongering and catastrophising that this will restrict landlords from having suitable tenants, that is not the case. That is not the case at all in this legislation. One is still able to maintain good cause and good reason with fair notice to be able to move tenants on through their tenancy, but what we can no longer put up with is tenants not knowing whether any minute now they can be served with a no-cause reason\u2014no reason\u2014just if someone feels like increasing the rent, for example. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThis is what I got told when I was in Dunedin this week. If they\u2019ve had a conversation with other investors and they\u2019ve agreed as investors \u201CLet\u2019s hike things up a little here Let\u2019s do it together.\u201D\u2014this is what I\u2019m being told when I\u2019m talking around the country. We are removing that ability to simply say, \u201COh, I feel like putting the rent up. We won\u2019t offer a reason for the tenants. We are just going to give notice and move them on.\u201D That, under this legislation, is actually unlawful now. That is now unlawful. It\u2019s not just not allowed; it is actually unlawful. So these are good things. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThese are significant steps, actually, in starting to correct the power imbalance that has caused harm\u2014never mind hypothetical harm\u2014that has already caused harm. So the reforms in this bill are necessary because things have changed, because more and more people are renting because less people are able to feel that they are living in a home where they have put down secure roots. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI\u2019m one of the few people who still rent a home, and, believe me, we are trying to change that\u2014it\u2019s rough out there. But I come with a status, a high income, and privilege. That means my landlord is quite understanding, and we have a good relationship because we are probably ideal tenants, if we think about it. But not everyone has this privilege. Not everyone is able to feel that they\u2019re pretty safe in the home that they\u2019re renting. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThis is a fundamental change that we are seeking in this legislation, and we have to do more. So the excuse coming from the Opposition to keep the massive imbalances in place is that landlords are going to exit out of the market. Well, that\u2019s because this bill on its own isn\u2019t what we are saying is the solution to supply and affordability, so that wipes that excuse for standing up for people who rent, right out of the water. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThese are important changes: extending notice periods for asking tenants with a good reason to move on, making sure that we can put up pictures. My mokopuna is about to start walking soon, so we\u2019re making sure that we can make some safety changes and minor changes around the house for those sorts of safety reasons\u2014you know, the things we\u2019re thinking about are like going to make our door so it\u2019s a little bit harder to just run out on to the front road. These are ordinary things that many, many landlords and tenants have already been able to establish, but we\u2019ve got it here and are recognising it in some legislation now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThis is why the Greens are really pleased to consider this legislation as part of the step. We need to go further and faster, and alongside reforming rental law, we have to keep increasing public and affordable housing and make sure that our rental homes are in good condition. I\u2019m very proud of having worked hard on this bill over the past year and a bit, and I am looking forward to seeing it progress through the House, because when we have a sense of feeling settled in our communities, we can better engage, we can better contribute, and we can feel like we have got a hopeful future. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022 data-id=\u00226713d3ce29a9444585937acbf92180a4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226713d3ce29a9444585937acbf92180a4\u0022\u003EALASTAIR SCOTT (National\u2014Wairarapa):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I don\u2019t agree very much at all with Marama Davidson, the previous speaker, generally, but, specifically, there is one thing I do agree with her on, and I\u2019d like to preface my next few minutes by saying that both sides of the House agree that we want safe, warm, and dry homes for our tenants. There\u2019s plenty of examples and plenty of legislation that this side of the House has done in the previous nine years to ensure that is the case. Some of that legislation is coming into force now. Interestingly, Housing New Zealand is exempt from a lot of that. It\u2019s quite ridiculous. So the largest landlord in the country is exempt from complying with the same laws that you or I might have to comply with if we are a landlord. It\u2019s ridiculous. Why isn\u2019t the largest landlord in the country complying with the same laws, same rules, as every other landlord? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EThe second point I would like to make is I wanted to talk about the cost of capital. So previous speakers on this side of the House have talked about why it is difficult for landlords to stay in the market. We talk about the last straw on the camel\u2019s back. I\u2019ve had landlords ring me up to say \u201CThis is it. I cannot get these tenants out. I can\u2019t even get on to the property. They will not see me. I\u2019ve given 48 hours. I\u2019ve got them in front of the Tenancy Tribunal.\u201D\u2014and that is clogged. The Tenancy Tribunal in the Wairarapa is clogged full because we\u2019ve got a situation where the Government is not allowing landlords to express their rights by removing bad tenants. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003ECost of capital\u2014this is the stuff that we need to build houses. This is the stuff that landlords provide to the market to enable houses to be built and tenants to be housed. Now, if the Government wants to put another cost on to the cost of the capital of the landlords, there\u2019s only one thing for it\u2014assuming they want to stay in and be bothered with dealing with it\u2014and that is to put the cost up. The revenue has to go up to match the costs on the other side. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s very simple. We\u2019ve already seen costs go up because of the brightline test extended by that Government. We\u2019ve seen costs go up because landlords have had properties ring-fenced. That increases the cost of capital. Therefore, the landlord is going to demand\u2014they\u2019re going to demand\u2014a higher return for that property because they\u2019ve got to pay the bank the mortgage and they\u2019ve got alternatives to put that capital in. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EIf they\u2019re not going to get the return on capital that they deserve, that they demand, and that the market allows them to do, they will simply move that capital to a different place. They\u2019ll just put it in the bank and forget about it. They\u2019ll put it in the sharemarket. They\u2019ll invest in the NZX or the New York Stock Exchange\u2014whatever it might be. But they will not choose to invest in the property market\u2014they will not choose to invest in the market to enable tenants, to provide homes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EIf they do, though, they need to get their return on that capital. As this Government puts in more regulations, more layers of costs, then the price of that capital goes up. This is just another cost of capital inflicted on landlords which will see rents rise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EOne of the points I would like to make, though, and I find it quite inconsistent, is that the Government\u2019s quite happy to allow foreign capital into the Auckland light railway project\u2014the Canadian money that\u2019s going to come along and partner with the New Zealand Superannuation Fund\u2014but they\u2019ve already banned foreign investment into property. There\u2019s some inconsistency here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EThe other inconsistency is that we\u2019re allowed to tender and allow auctioning on first homes for sale\u2014that\u2019s fine\u2014to see the highest price enabled for the seller of a property, but the landlord is no longer able to do that. If they choose to do that, they\u2019re no longer able to do that. So what\u2019s going to happen? The landlord will work a way around it if he wishes to play in the landlord game, and, as we\u2019ve heard, a lot of people are leaving. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EThe issue was that these guys banned the agency fees, so a landlord can\u2019t on-charge to a tenant a fee. There\u2019s another cost that\u2019s been put on the landlord and is, therefore, reflected straight away in the rent. The landlord must get a return on capital, and putting all these layers upon layer upon layer of costs only will always be reflected in the cost to the tenant. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EThe fact that rent prices might be high is to do with all those costs associated with this Government. The answer is, obviously, an increase in supply. That is the key to reducing the cost of housing and, therefore, the cost of rentals. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e6b7aaa-8157-4d5e-9940-1bdbcd61ae95\u0022\u003EThese guys are barking up the wrong tree, walking down the wrong track. They really need to rethink where they\u2019re coming from and consider the capital, where it\u2019s coming from, and the return that\u2019s required and demanded, because without that, the tenants are only and always going to suffer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u002275bd4dc0d46b4daeb3e66c626a8fed4d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002275bd4dc0d46b4daeb3e66c626a8fed4d\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson)\u003C/span\u003E: The next call\u2019s a split call\u2014five minutes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022 data-id=\u002279f52a470a7b40579a0aad4cdca16f8d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002279f52a470a7b40579a0aad4cdca16f8d\u0022\u003EANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Taking a quick call tonight on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, I just want to congratulate Kris Faafoi for bringing this bill to the House. I think it\u2019s exceptional. Tauranga City is the fifth-least affordable city in the world\u2014the fifth-least affordable city in the world\u2014so this is absolutely important for our city that we have some changes. We\u2019ve got over 600,000 households in this country who are renting. We\u2019ve got 43 percent of our children who are in rental properties. Household ownership for M\u0101ori is decreasing faster than in any other time in history\u201428 percent of M\u0101ori own their own homes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003EI am absolutely delighted to commend this bill to the House because we will be making a change for those people out there who are renting. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022 data-id=\u0022ec411e4278934b36aaf9f235b4fb847c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ec411e4278934b36aaf9f235b4fb847c\u0022\u003EBRETT HUDSON (National):\u003C/span\u003E Well, no one\u2019s property is safe with a Labour - New Zealand First - Greens Government. Fundamentally, that is what this Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill is\u2014it\u2019s an attack on private property rights. We ought to ask ourselves why has this come about\u2014why has this come about? Well, partly, because they\u2019re a bunch of socialists on that side. That much is pretty obvious. But the other reason why we have this right now is that the previous legislative change that this Government has made in this term of office has impacted rents by an average $60-a-week increase. Now, they\u2019re very upset about that because they, in their clouded, ideological minds, thought they could layer regulation on landlords and it wouldn\u2019t affect rents. They thought \u201CAh, no. It\u2019ll be fine. Landlords have got plenty of money. They make profit. They\u2019ll just swallow the extra cost.\u201D, but no, rents went up, and went up sharply. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ESo what have they done? What is the main measure of this bill? The main measure is to stop landlords increasing the rent, because they know their legislative change drives costs up for renters, and so they\u2019re going to legislate to prevent landlords from actually recovering and getting a proper return on their capital. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003ENot only are they dealing with landlords\u2019 return on capital, but they\u2019re, basically, saying the house you own as a landlord is no longer yours to decide what to do with it. By removing the right for a landlord to end a tenancy for any reason with 90 days\u2019 notice, they, in their clouded, ideological minds, think that the landlord\u2019s home is the renter\u2019s home. It is a home the renter gets to use for as long as the landlord wants to keep it on the market and they meet the terms of the tenancy agreement and the landlord wants to retain them. It is the landlord\u2019s house. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EThe results of this are going to be pretty simple. We started seeing it with the previous legislative changes. More and more landlords are simply going to take their tenanted properties off the rental market. Like a lot of things this Government does, it will have a perverse outcome, where it actually reduces the supply of rental properties. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EThey\u2019re so hopeless at building homes. How many is it\u2014330 KiwiBuild homes? It was supposed to be 100,000 in 10 years. We\u2019re two-and-a-bit years into it, and they\u2019ve done about 330 of them. They\u2019re not going to fix the supply issue, because they\u2019re absolutely incapable of doing it, and, at the same time, they\u2019re going to put measures in place that shrink the current supply of rental properties. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a bad bill. We oppose it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u00225377afdd57ac467fa705468c726b3276\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225377afdd57ac467fa705468c726b3276\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E I would invite members opposite, and most of them I\u2019ve spoken to have been to Europe\u2014most of them know people who live there. When they go and speak to people in Switzerland, France, and Germany, most people over there live in their rented properties, and they have incredible rights. People come back and say, \u201CWow. If only we could be like that.\u201D Could I invite those members opposite and those listening to think that this is a stepping stone to get to that very desirable situation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ECurrently, 43 percent of children in New Zealand live in rental homes. I invite those members opposite to think what proportion of children lived in rental properties when they were children or when they were 20 years old. It was a heck of a lot less than that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re in an evolving market, and what we have to do is we can do two things. We can sit and do what we\u2019re hearing opposite\u2014we can defend the status quo\u2014and remain in it and nothing changes, or we can prepare for the future that has already arrived, and this is legislation which is allowing us to do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EFor those that said over there that we\u2019re not allowed dogs, that\u2019s another absolute lie\u2014false news. We are allowed them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo can I invite the members opposite to get with the history\u2014the future that has already arrived. Thank you, Madam Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u002204aa397304c449ab93e3c7a4a093902b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002204aa397304c449ab93e3c7a4a093902b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National\u2014Hamilton East):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. This bill really epitomises what this Government is all about. It\u2019s about controlling people\u2019s personal property rights. It\u2019s all about the Government knowing best. But the Government doesn\u2019t know best, because none of these people on the other side have ever actually had to make a dollar in their life, and none of them understand what it is actually about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1e90ace6fc04eacb8afa170a2950ad0\u0022\u003EHon Ron Mark\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022862878594b424062b10b67e7c31e0ec2\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Mark is laughing because he knows his leader has sat in this building for 40-odd years and is now some economic guru, but the reality is they don\u2019t understand what a market operates like. If Government or any organisation goes into a market and then disrupts the ability of that market to operate, there are perverse effects, and we have seen that in the last two years under this Government. Rents have gone up because of the rules that this Government has put in place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, they may say \u201COh, we\u2019ve made these houses a house for life. We\u2019ve taken away a tenant\u2019s potential loss of the house.\u201D, but they\u2019ve increased the rent 60 bucks a week\u2014$60 a week. They\u2019re not getting that from the Government on the other side; they\u2019re paying that money out, and that means that people have to give up their rentals because they can\u2019t afford them. Then, they go on to the State housing waiting list, which has gone up by 10,000 under this Government, reflecting 10,000 people that have been thrown out of their houses because these people have increased the rents on them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWhat is that going to do for New Zealanders? If you\u2019re a landlord, what does a landlord do in this situation? Well, the landlord\u2019s got it so that once a year, they can increase their rents, so it won\u2019t be a $20 increase in rent; it\u2019ll be a $120 increase in rent. They will put the rents up 120 bucks. If they don\u2019t get someone that can pay that, they\u2019ll wait till the next person comes along, because they know that someone will come along and pay that at some point, and that will be the problem that will happen in this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThose landlords will still sit on their assets and they will still look for their capital gains, which we were told was going to stop under this Government, because they would do a capital gains tax to stop capital gains. Where did that go, Mr Mark? What happened to your party around that issue, with the great Labour leader and the vision of stopping the housing market in that regard? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EBut it is worse, because I\u2019ve got an example of something that\u2019s been happening in Hamilton that I think is just absolutely disgusting. What is happening in Hamilton is that Housing New Zealand is going out there and buying houses that are rentals to meet their targets of how many houses they need to have purchased in addition to the housing stock. Now, these are rental houses that have got tenants in that are law-abiding, paying tenants. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002258f67ca75d3e4d3bb7025e42285fa507\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Paying market rentals\u2014yeah. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd760b375abe400eaae0dd9a3602f441\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, and guess what happens? Housing New Zealand evicts them. Housing New Zealand sends these people out of their house\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfaf1cd747ee44079214c7d306309ce5\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: And they come to your doorstep. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a04cc4dabd344088d812f824ee9feef\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014yes\u2014and then they put in tenants from their waiting list. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e23886a8dc940c7a182ad1d661b2570\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: And are they paying market rent? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002237d5d81591f44c1088bce6470d428d17\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: No, they\u2019re not. They\u2019re paying $80 a week or $100 a week, instead of $400 a week. So what is actually happening now\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002203fd985b-4fb8-4111-ba38-5033a254d962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1b50e246b8346678ac04158a25c4f11\u0022\u003EBrett Hudson\u003C/span\u003E: Economic geniuses! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c19739534e44092a6ce895dd9ea4ba4\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014is we\u2019ve had to have the geniuses on the other side go into the market and buy up rentals to cover up the mistakes they\u2019re making around the market. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ESo this is another perverse entry into the market by the Labour Party, which understands how a market works. They\u2019re very quiet. Now, the reason they\u2019re quiet is because they know it\u2019s the truth\u2014they do not want to go out there and deliver anything. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EI had one group come to me. Fourteen houses were purchased by Housing New Zealand off this one group. All the tenants were told to leave, and they were all requested to leave so that they could put Housing New Zealand tenants in. So that\u2019s 14 renters that then had to go\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c770cd0685cb41e5a91492fd2b8c3900\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: 14 families. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1e841af50434d3dbc23b834538744b2\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Families that have to now go into the rental market just to meet their targets. No recognition of how hard it is for those families. No recognition that those families now have to move. They have to move schools, they have to go into a rental market, and they probably have to pay more for a new house now\u2014no recognition of that. But no, Housing New Zealand can say it\u2019s got another 14 houses in Hamilton. That\u2019s all they\u2019re after\u2014that statistic. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s all the Labour Party cared about. They didn\u2019t care about the people that they threw out of those houses in Hamilton, they don\u2019t care about the people that they\u2019ve put the rents up 60 bucks a week on, and what is actually even worse than that is that New Zealand is a country that needs entrepreneurship. We need people to take a risk and we need people to go out there and work hard. That is one of the fundamental things that build a country, and in New Zealand, a lot of people do that by owning a second rental house. That is their chance to have something other than just their wage or salary. That\u2019s their way of building a future for their family and doing what they want to do in the future. That now has been taken away from them, because they don\u2019t have control over that asset. They have to put somebody in there and keep them in there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EYou know, they are talking about the European model, where you can\u2019t have an empty house. You have to put somebody in it. That\u2019s the choice of the landlord, not the choice of Government. Then, they\u2019re saying that there cannot be any rental change for a year. That is the choice of the landlord, not the choice of Government. Then they\u2019re saying that the person cannot leave. That is the choice of the landlord and the tenant, not the choice of the Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019ve got hard-working people out there that go and invest in property as their major investment, and then these guys come and tell them what they can do with that investment. Well, that\u2019s going to last a long time, isn\u2019t it, because those people aren\u2019t silly. They have worked too hard to build the money up for that. They\u2019re not going to go out there and let a pack of people that have never made a dollar in their life and who have sat in cosy seats in here for 40 years and think they\u2019re economic gurus tell them what to do\u2014no way. They\u2019re going to smarten up, and there\u2019s not going to be any houses. Then, the Government\u2019s got to step in and find those houses, and we get a massive big increase in the problem that we\u2019re seeing in New Zealand around housing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThis is an economic policy that is doomed to failure. It is typical of what you get from a left-wing Government. It is something that fails on all accounts, whether it is economic, whether it is personal, or whether it is the attributes of what we want New Zealanders to aspire to be. It is a failure on all accounts, and they will dress it up and they will say that we are looking after a certain group of people. They\u2019re actually hurting that group of people more than anyone else. That group of people pays the higher rents. They missed out on the opportunities to get in a house, and\u2014and\u2014when they do get into a good rental, the State can take it off them. The State is doing that now, and we\u2019re seeing that, day in, day out, with examples of the State using its market power to take away individuals\u2019 ability to get a house. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThey may laugh, but they should come to Hamilton and tell those 14 families that were thrown out by the housing Minister that they care, that they want the best for them, and that they put people into those houses that haven\u2019t earned that ability as those other people had because they had paid that rent. They had paid to be there, and they didn\u2019t deserve to be thrown out by a Government that just intends to build dependency on the Government as its way to get people to vote for them at the next election. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u002229129e4c01924a3daaf839093e069d8b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002229129e4c01924a3daaf839093e069d8b\u0022\u003EKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Well, that side of the House is a little riled up, and I\u2019ve got a clue that it\u2019s got something to do with the numbers that they are seeing, because we know that that side\u2019s full of nothing but negativity\u2014nothing but negativity. I think it might have something to do with the ghost economic plan that came out by their leader, who\u2019s polling at abysmal rates, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019re all freaking out for their parliamentary careers\u2014their ghost economic plan, just like their ghost housing plan. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ENow, that side of the House, they pulled others down. That side of the House, they sold houses off. That side of the House said that there was no housing crisis. But this side of the House is committed to delivering a fairer and more secure rental market for renters, and I am extraordinarily proud to stand on this side of the House under the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern\u2019s leadership and with the vision that the Hon Kris Faafoi has for making residential tenancies safer for all New Zealanders. I\u2019m proud to support this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022 data-id=\u00223bde6cd809774bf3ad71e53fb60088be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002275a05f96-2474-4c90-a6ea-cf7b5798e03e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223bde6cd809774bf3ad71e53fb60088be\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson)\u003C/span\u003E: Could I just remind members that these little objects in front of us actually amplify your voice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00224c3a69cbad67448898849ded16d79174\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 Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill be now read a first time. \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 of Aotearoa New Zealand 8. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 57\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 55; ACT New Zealand 1; Ross. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBill read a first time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000449\u0022\u003EBill referred to the Social Services and Community Committee. \u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u00224daf2e45ccb045988d1186c9f810fadd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224daf2e45ccb045988d1186c9f810fadd\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE (Minister of Civil Defence) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): I move, That the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 22 June 2020. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022a01b31ad10d644d9bac77b77798817a5\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 motion be agreed to. \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 of Aotearoa New Zealand 8. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 57\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 55; ACT New Zealand 1; Ross. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f09d1b5e909f4d8e85b81d95767569b7\u0022\u003EElectoral Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224b8c49e704de450ca0c1062fe476fd87\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c1b1752d0d064778bf9a155a5c3d80ee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c1b1752d0d064778bf9a155a5c3d80ee\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Electoral Amendment Bill be now read a third time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIt is a great pleasure to be contributing to this, the third reading debate on this very important piece of legislation\u2014some small changes to our electoral laws but some very significant ones in terms of the impact on people\u2019s lives. The people I\u2019m thinking about in particular are the roughly 19,000 people who turned up to a polling booth in the 2017 election but, unlike many of their compadres and compatriots who had turned up to polling booths in the two weeks before, who could both enrol and cast a vote for the general election, those people couldn\u2019t. Those 19,000 people couldn\u2019t. Then I think of the thousands of others who turned up but whose electoral roll details were wrong\u2014the wrong address because they\u2019d moved several times, because the National Party left the housing market in such an abysmal state\u2014and their votes weren\u2019t counted at all. So this will restore the democratic right to those people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIt is interesting seeing the debate through this House, because I would have thought this would be something that every member of Parliament\u2014this, the crucible of our elected democracy, the place where people celebrate democracy\u2014that every member of the House would like to see democracy maximised and that every citizen get the benefit of their democratic rights, but it turns out that\u2019s not the case. There are some people here who think that New Zealand citizens of voting age should actually be denied the right to vote. The argument from members opposite seems to be \u201CLook, if people can\u2019t organise their lives,\u201D\u2014when it\u2019s in a complete shambles because of the housing market the National Party left us, and the labour market and all those other things\u2014\u201Cthen the response we should have to that is that they should be punished by not being allowed to vote.\u201D That\u2019s the National Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThere is a very strange sort of thread that runs through much of what the National Party stands for, and that is that they love punishing people. They love to punish people. Now, some would describe it as a fetish. I\u2019m not going that far at this point, but I do say it is a common and consistent characteristic of the sorts of arguments that the members opposite put up. They don\u2019t like some people having rights that they themselves and various other people in positions of privilege have. They love to punish people, so they think that it is right that the thousands of people who have not had their vote counted in the last election, and for whom we could make some minor corrections and some minor changes\u2014that they should continue to be punished. Well, that will not continue with the passage of this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo we will allow people who have not been able to organise themselves and sort themselves out but who turn up, willing to participate in our great democracy, on election day to a polling booth\u2014that they can both enrol and also cast a vote that will then be counted. Likewise, those who haven\u2019t been able to renew their details or update their details but who are otherwise on the roll\u2014they also will have their vote counted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EAs part of a general approach of trying to make it easier for citizens of voting age to vote, we\u2019re also allowing the Electoral Commission to determine that they can put polling booths in places like supermarkets and malls and what have you. Now, they can do that during the advance voting period\u2014nothing wrong with that\u2014but, on election day, the law as it currently is means that if it is a place that sells alcohol, a licensed premises, even if it\u2019s a place where alcohol is not consumed, the polling booth cannot be there. That will change so that polling booths can go into supermarkets. A consequent change is that the votes, at the conclusion of the voting day\u2014at 7 p.m., when the polling booth closes\u2014can then be carted off to somewhere, fully witnessed by the scrutineers from the various parties so that there\u2019s no hanky-panky or, you know, that sort of behaviour that the National Party clearly likes to indulge in. They will then be taken somewhere else in order for the votes to be counted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo these are all quite sensible things. Then, of course, because there is extra administrative work required in the days following an election, where a fair number of people\u201419,000 in the 2017 election\u2014will both enrol and cast a vote by way of special vote, a little bit of extra time is required to finalise the result. So the return of the writ, which I know exercises the Hon Nick Smith\u2014he\u2019s really exercised by this return of the writ period. No one in New Zealand\u2014no one in the history of New Zealand\u2014has lain awake at night during the days after a general election wondering how the return of the writ is going. I can say that as a matter of fact. I\u2019ve asked scholars from every university, \u201CCan you please find me the research into people who, in the days following an election, lay awake at night, were anxious about or spoke to radio talkback show hosts about the return of the writ and whether it is coming along nicely.\u201D No one could find anything\u2014no one could find anything. I asked friends to put up surveys on Facebook. I canvassed people, talked to people in my street, and no one\u2014no one\u2014could identify anybody who had a sense of anxiety about just how the return of the writ was going.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo we are extending the period by which the writ has to be returned. The interim result, which is largely known on election night, with the odd exception\u20141993, somebody recalled the other day. People know what the result is or where it\u2019s going, and so that will continue to happen. The world will continue to spin on its axis during that extra 10 days, and that\u2019s been guaranteed\u2014not in the bill, of course, but I\u2019ve had assurances from good authority that, in fact, that will happen. So that is also provided for in this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIn the end, these are good changes. The great thing is they will be put in place for the 2023 general election. I know Dr Nick Smith\u2014he gets into this high dudgeon and has faux constitutional concerns. He hasn\u2019t articulated a single credible, real constitutional principle, I think, in the two years since I\u2019ve been the Minister, but there we go. We will hear more this afternoon, and we\u2019ll all sit here entertained, because that\u2019s pretty much all you can be about it. But the good thing is the Electoral Commission, having said that they would prefer to implement these changes for 2023, when asked said, \u201CLook, this is actually quite important\u201419,000 people missed out in 2017. How many more thousands in 2020 before we implement for 2023?\u201D And they were happy to accept it. You know, we could do it, but we need to get the legislation passed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EOf course, it would have been nice to have passed this legislation earlier. In the end, because of the delay in the inquiry being conducted by the Justice Committee, I wrote to them at the end of 2018 and said, \u201CLook, you know, the Electoral Commission have done their report; they\u2019ve made these recommendations. Look, we\u2019re just going to proceed with these things. They\u2019re not actually controversial; they\u2019re actually good and sustain and support our democracy, so we\u2019re going to go through with this.\u201D Of course, there was no demur from the committee\u2014no demur from the committee. No member of the committee wrote to me and said, \u201COh, how dare you, Minister, writing and saying we\u2019re doing these things and we haven\u2019t even approved it.\u201D No one said that. No one said it\u2014that is, until the debate this week, and then Dr Nick Smith rewrote history and came up with a different account of events to say that he was opposed to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s the sad state of the National Party. They\u2019ve given up on democratic principle. They\u2019ve given up on democratic values. They don\u2019t care about a whole bunch of people, and that\u2019s very sad, but we care about people. We care about people being able to exercise their democratic rights. We care about people being able to exercise the full range of their citizenship, which means participating in our democracy, which means being able to vote. This bill paves the way\u2014just a little bit of extra help to get more people participating and exercising their vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThere is more to come in terms of electoral change, but what I really look forward to and really hope that we can cooperate on with members opposite is the ground-up rewrite of our electoral law. That is well overdue and well needed, and we should be able to have a discussion about the process with that, what that looks like, the sort of experts we want in place to do it, because that is much needed. But in the meantime, for the 2020 general election, a whole bunch of people now who previously would have had their vote discounted will have it counted, and that will be good for all of us. I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u00226d76efa5ee064e29b327faff2dba7532\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226d76efa5ee064e29b327faff2dba7532\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (National\u2014Nelson):\u003C/span\u003E The first concern that National has around this bill is it is the fourth time that the Government has advanced an electoral bill without any consultation with the Opposition.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8717555d84a4acfb2c4cca0f833f67e\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that\u2019s hopeless.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239110b6fd5614f9fbcca2fb0f62a5975\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: I agree with my colleague Nathan Guy. It\u2019s not just hopeless; it\u2019s actually quite serious in a country where we have no constitution. We do not have an Upper House like most democracies, and so it\u2019s been well accepted in this Parliament that electoral laws should be developed on a cross-party basis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7238792e910459c8ca9bc69ea409a03\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: The member knows that\u2019s not true. Prisoner voting\u2014prisoner voting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228c01a3543de46459b18eac5cefcdd19\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: I challenge Mr Little that the current Electoral Act, passed in the Parliament by 1993, was 400 clauses under a National Government in which there was a complete consensus of the Parliament. So it proves that, with goodwill and a competent Minister, you can get over 400 pieces of law agreed on a cross-party basis. In the last Government, the John Key - English Government, we had nine electoral bills from the Government. Every single one of them had cross-party support, and yet this is the fourth electoral bill from this Government being rammed through by a thin majority without any consultation, and that is a real black mark against Minister of Justice Andrew Little.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EBut here\u2019s the second part: there\u2019s been a very sound parliamentary convention around the Justice Committee inquiries. Actually, it started back in the 1940s after Labour cheated on the 1946 election. There\u2019s a huge controversy about the boundary changes in the law. So as it developed, after each election there would be an inquiry, work would occur in the Justice Committee on changes to electoral law, and a bill would be introduced.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EThe changes in this bill completely ran roughshod over that select committee process. The Justice Committee had a big discussion about issues of supermarket voting, about extending issues around overseas voters and making it more convenient. That wasn\u2019t good enough for the Minister. He simply said, \u201CI\u2019ll do what the hell I like. Our Cabinet will do what it likes. We\u2019ll just cut National and ACT out and introduce the bill.\u201D before that process was complete.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ENow, the Minister complains that the select committee process went for too long, and here I want to set out why it went for too long. The first thing was it was the latest select committee inquiry into an election to ever begin. They sat round for 10 months and did nothing. Now, that can only rest with the Government and the Labour chair of the committee that didn\u2019t get on with the business. Then, six months later, the Government and the Minister decided that he wanted to extend the terms of reference, and then we had the fiasco over Labour then not just blocking witnesses like Anne-Marie Brady, with whom I think many people will maybe agree or disagree, but they would not question her academic credentials. It was extraordinary that members opposite did not want to hear her evidence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EThen we had the extraordinary situation\u2014the biggest question over the election in 2017 is the New Zealand First Foundation. We received a letter from the president and the treasurer of New Zealand First, who wanted to be heard by the committee, and Labour members voted against them being heard. That was the very sad, disappointing, and delayed conduct of that select committee inquiry that rests entirely with Labour members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ENow, the most contentious issue in this bill is the issue of same-day enrolment and voting. National has repeatedly asked a question of the Government that they have not been able to answer, and it\u2019s this: why would anybody bother enrolling if you no longer have to enrol to be able to vote? The incentive that is being created is: don\u2019t bother enrolling. You can turn up any old time and vote and enrol at the same time. That\u2019s not just me raising that concern; the Electoral Commission has raised that concern, and their fear with this change in the law is that over time we\u2019ll get less and less people enrolling, and that, ultimately, will undermine the integrity of our electoral system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EThen the Minister completely dismisses the issue of the count of the vote, the writ on the final election result, being delayed by 10 days. He gave a rant a moment ago and says nobody sits up at night worrying about the writ. No, they don\u2019t, but I\u2019ll tell you what they do worry about: they worry about who\u2019s going to form the Government\u2014enormous media interest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EI remember watching for 100 days the nonsense that went on the last time New Zealand First controlled the balance of power. There was huge unease across New Zealand that the functioning of Government\u2014I\u2019ll tell you why it matters: the Government of New Zealand spends $1.3 billion every week, $1.3 billion every week, and that money belongs to New Zealanders. We think our job as Government and parliamentarians is to be on the job looking after the interests of New Zealanders, making sure we\u2019re getting value for money and being on the job. What the bill does is, by delaying the outcome of the election by 10 days, it means for another 10 days elected representatives are twiddling their thumbs, not getting on with the business of running the country, while we wait for an election outcome. We make no apologies for saying it is a detrimental measure that it is going to take an extra 10 days for a Government to be able to be formed and for we politicians to get on with the important business of running the country. There is no question that the 10-day extension to the election outcome is consequential to the Government\u2019s change to allow same-day voting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ENow, the Minister has tried to excuse all this behaviour and said, \u201CI wrote to the select committee last December saying that I wanted to introduce this bill.\u201D What he doesn\u2019t say is that there was no mention in that letter of the issue of same-day enrolment and voting, the most important provision in this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EHere\u2019s the second part\u2014and this is where the Minister\u2019s been sneaky\u2014when he issued the press release announcing this bill, there was no mention of the 10-day delay in the election outcome.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cfbc9f2479604ee7ac909547b1585df2\u0022\u003EHon Mark Mitchell\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, that\u2019s tricky.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236cd319ed326447f91b8088b2a9f2cd9\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s being tricky, eh? It\u2019s not telling the full story, not telling the trade-off, and nor has the Minister acknowledged the advice of the Electoral Commission right at the beginning of the select committee inquiry, where they advised against same-day enrolment and voting for the 2020 election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003EMembers have just got to say this: why do we think\u2014and I\u2019m one of those that\u2019s got huge respect for the Electoral Commission. I take real issue with the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand attacking the Electoral Commission and questioning their impartiality and their integrity. Having the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand doing that speaks volumes about New Zealand First and the Deputy Prime Minister, not about the integrity and good work of the Electoral Commission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ESo why is it that the Government is going against the advice of the Electoral Commission? It\u2019s very simple: they\u2019re trying to screw the scrum so they might get an electoral advantage. That is at the core. Well, why did Labour pass the bill taking away the right of members of Parliament to sit here without being fired by their leader, the waka-hopping legislation? Why did New Zealand First do that? It\u2019s because the New Zealand First Party is such a Mickey Mouse outfit that he\u2019s terrified his MPs will leave. He wants to have them in a straitjacket. If any one of them dared stand up\u2014it\u2019s just another example of bad electoral law being driven by narrow political interests rather than actually acting in the interests of improving our democracy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ENow, I\u2019m more than relaxed about the minor changes that we supported at select committee around the supermarket voting, around making it easy for our Defence Force personnel to be able to vote, making changes that will make sensible provisions in the event that we have a civil defence emergency in the middle of an election. They are all quite reasonable. I openly acknowledge this is not the most obnoxious of the electoral reform bills that has been passed by this Government, but I do say that our democracy is one of the most precious, important things that New Zealand has. It\u2019s what makes our country a cut above most in the world. We\u2019re very proud that we are the fourth-oldest continuous democracy in the world, and our view is that electoral law needs to be treated with far more respect and far more care than by this Minister and by this Government. I just say to the Minister\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=\u00228be16074b79d48c089df470cc888ed78\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228be16074b79d48c089df470cc888ed78\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s time has expired.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022496f9573c00b4d6fb1b98a073ff4a929\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022496f9573c00b4d6fb1b98a073ff4a929\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E Democracies around the world are lamenting the lack of participation, lamenting the poor voter turnouts. This Electoral Amendment Bill will allow 19,000 New Zealanders who weren\u2019t able to vote last year because they turned up a day later\u2014had they turned up any stage in the two-week pre-voting period, they would have been able to enrol, and vote on the day. This allows them to do just that. It means that we will have 19,000 more people\u2014or would have had 19,000 more people\u2014participating in the very democratic process that we are all intent on preserving. This is good, logical legislation. Those who passionately oppose it are really opposing improved democracy. I commend this to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022 data-id=\u00225182c03567a04aca937951427a3a4eeb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225182c03567a04aca937951427a3a4eeb\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL (National\u2014Rodney):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just want to follow up on some comments that were made by the previous speaker, the Hon Dr Nick Smith\u2014the Minister of Justice responded to some of the comments that he was making; I\u2019m not sure if the viewers at home could hear or anyone else in the House could hear\u2014and they were around the fact that when it comes to electoral legislation like this, there has been a convention in this Parliament, and that is that parties do work together because we don\u2019t have a constitution. And it has been observed, it has always been observed, and this actually is a major departure from that. The Minister called out when the Hon Dr Nick Smith was making that point. He called out and he referred to a piece of legislation that was brought to this House, I think, in the first term of the National Government, and it was a member\u2019s bill that was brought here and it took away the right of prisoners to vote. And he\u2019s correct. That\u2019s right. But it was a bill that affected only a very small part of our population. It affected\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022362ff5c0312e4c56a9e45f83934ae6ab\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, so that\u2019s OK then?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238a5c596bb284152803da1c032e5a0ff\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: Well, yeah. Most Kiwis actually feel it is OK. It affected a very small part of our population. And it was a member\u2019s bill. So what the Minister just did is that when he was challenged by the Hon Dr Nick Smith about the convention that we\u2019ve had in this House, in a country without a constitution, that we work across party when it comes to the important issues around our electoral system and the integrity of it, the only example that the Minister could actually put forward\u2014the only example that the Minister could put forward was the example of a member\u2019s bill that removed the right of prisoners to vote. That\u2019s something that we still in the National Party on this side of the House\u2014we still firmly support that. We still support that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EWe feel that if we have people in our society that offend against the laws that we pass in this House, if they offend against our communities and the offending is so serious and so bad that it means that they get a custodial sentence\u2014it\u2019s very hard to get a custodial sentence in New Zealand, to actually go to prison\u2014we feel that there\u2019s some rights that you give up, that you forfeit. You\u2019ll get those rights back when you return to the community\u2014hopefully, rehabilitated and ready to integrate and to make a proper and genuine contribution back in society. But one of those rights is the right to vote and it was brought to this House as a member\u2019s bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EThe House had the opportunity to debate it. It did go through a full select committee process and there was a majority in the House that voted for that bill. If that is the only example the Minister can give\u2014if that\u2019s the only example that the Minister can give of a departure from what has been a convention that\u2019s been recognised in this Parliament for decades, then it\u2019s a very weak and a very poor example to actually put up and shows just how weak the argument the Minister actually has in terms of what has been a massive departure in convention. And that is, fundamentally, one of the main reasons why we couldn\u2019t support this bill. It is that, combined with issues like\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022088b143ab2f548b7ac98d03d4cc8c9da\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: That is bollocks\u2014total bollocks. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f0ee2c0f2fa2404a9e2815639f703413\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014same-day enrolment, which again the previous speaker highlighted. Well, the Minister said \u201Ctotal bollocks\u201D. But, you know, I\u2019m not too sure if that\u2019s a nuanced argument or adding much to the debate\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002298240d3bb1de4b259654d893c2ae596b\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s not very parliamentary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d87e054786d4973bac96b74f02f7f6b\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: No, actually it\u2019s not, Minister. The other point that I want to make very quickly before I finish my contribution is the fact that he hasn\u2019t really thought through same-day enrolment other than the fact it means that on election day he can jump in the van and he can rush around and grab a whole lot of people that haven\u2019t enrolled, that haven\u2019t engaged, because I believe\u2014I do believe\u2014yes, our right to vote, our ability to vote is a right. I do believe that. It is a right that we\u2019ve had because we\u2019ve had generations of Kiwis that have gone offshore to defend and fight for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296841f08f0d1498a8f2312b08cdfe472\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: So you want to take it off criminals and you want to take it off the innocent, right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220834a33b0737463d9fbafb729fe6d99b\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: But it\u2019s also a privilege\u2014but it\u2019s also a privilege. They fought hard to give us that right, but it\u2019s also a privilege. And actually, if you want to take it seriously, if you want to take that vote seriously, make the effort to actually get up and enrol. Make the effort, the physical effort, to actually enrol and go out and vote. And what the Minister\u2019s saying is \u201CIf you haven\u2019t really given it much thought, if you\u2019re not really thinking too much about, if you haven\u2019t made that effort to enrol, don\u2019t worry. We\u2019ll rush around on election day\u201D\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291bbfb31509048b5b34cf8f2b2c2d624\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: How many of the 19,000 were those people? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f6af0f460474fb6a39b61b37fad4953\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014\u201Cand we\u2019ll pick you up and we\u2019ll rush you down to the polling booth so that you can enrol and you can vote.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022139bb8e95580444590faf7e6b9c2dd1d\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: So here\u2019s the prejudice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c62578919cc54539a9d09b09655e378b\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: And the issue that the Electoral Commission put up is: is that going to actually diminish\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c97f6c004654fb48639ba56d1e9b888\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just ask the Minister, who has had his 10-minute contribution, to just taihoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a756eebf530b4b9ab05f234dea5ab472\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I would actually like to hear what he was saying. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s adding much to the debate, but thank you, Madam Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ESo the reality is\u2014and the Electoral Commission highlighted it\u2014we should be proud of our democracy in New Zealand. We should be very proud of ourselves as a nation. We lead everyone in terms of transparency and lack of corruption, and we take a great pride in what we do. But I can tell you now that if you start making little incremental changes like this that start to erode the system, people slowly start to lose confidence in our democracy, then we start to move towards, in my mind, a very bad place. And I think that\u2019s why some of the decisions that have been made and some of the things that appear very self-serving by this Government and are being pushed through this bill are not good for us as a nation. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022 data-id=\u00228a87512f5f01490583627ef41f0f04bf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228a87512f5f01490583627ef41f0f04bf\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, I\u2019ll just take a short call. It\u2019s really interesting and I\u2019m absolutely sure that the public who are driving home from work today, having had a hard day at work on a Thursday at 25 past five are absolutely glued to their crystal sets listening to this debate, or maybe not. Maybe they\u2019ve flipped to Magic or maybe they\u2019ve flipped to Coast and are actually doing something sensible like listening to some good music.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EIf one was to just quickly analyse the speeches that have been given thus far, we know this: the National Party\u2019s opposing the bill because they weren\u2019t consulted in the writing of it. We know this\u2014that the National Party is in agreeance with the amendments that have been made during the select committee process, which they participated in, and they\u2019re happy for them to proceed, although they\u2019re going to vote against them, OK? We know that the National Party is opposing this bill because in their eyes, their thinking, they believe that this is potentially Labour rejigging to give themselves some sort of electoral advantage because it will allow people who haven\u2019t bothered to enrol to enrol on the last day. And it might allow Labour campaigners to rush around in a van, pick up all these people, and get them to the polling booth where they can enrol and vote. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI quite well imagine that National themselves will be doing the exact same thing, given it\u2019s National that\u2019s proffered that idea here on the floor this afternoon. So both National and Labour support the Defence Force having the enhanced ability to actually exercise their democratic right. And I do recall listening to a couple of speeches from the other side of the House where they made it very, very clear that those women and those men who wear our uniform and who ensure that we continue to live in a free and democratic society, a country where they have liberty, are forever guaranteed an ability to vote and that their opportunities are not denigrated through what could be described as incomplete legislation or legislation that doesn\u2019t offer a system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003ESo, in general, I can say listening to the debate that everybody actually agrees with what\u2019s happening here. There is a debate and discussion around same-day voting\u2014I get that. From the New Zealand First perspective, look, we would agree that the voting turnout in some parts of the country is terribly poor, and we would agree that some people have every opportunity to get themselves on to the jolly roll. They\u2019ve just got to get off their jolly backsides and jolly well do it. But there are those people who\u2014for a range of reasons\u2014do not get enrolled on time. Maybe they\u2019ve just returned from five or six years\u2019 OE and they\u2019ve come back, they haven\u2019t engaged, they\u2019ve forgotten to do it, polling day\u2019s upon them, they rush on down only to find that they\u2019re not on the electoral roll and they cannot vote. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWe will continue to support measures that enhance the opportunity for people to exercise their democratic right. We will support measures that enhance participation on election day. I mean, crikey, Madam Speaker, we all sit there and scratch our heads about what\u2019s going on in local government elections and the absolutely appalling\u2014I\u2019m looking at the former president of Local Government New Zealand, Lawrence Yule, and we\u2019ve had this discussion so many times. How do we get the citizens of this country to participate in local government elections at the same level that they participate in a general election? Maybe it\u2019s got something to do with postal voting. Maybe if we actually had one day where everybody fronted up at local government elections, and the day was considered so significant that they had to front up, people might do that. There\u2019s a novel idea, maybe we should vote in local government elections in the same way that we vote in central\u2014no, that would be too sensible, because that would be consistency, that would be easy. I don\u2019t understand why we\u2019re not doing it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EWhat is clear is we\u2019re not moving to electronic voting, and that\u2019s another message which highlights a contradiction between some thinking in local government and central government. We are all standing here today saying the same thing: we want to enhance participation; we want to make it easier. And I think, actually, one of the novel things is making more venues available to be used as polling booths\u2014one of them being sports clubs; it is a jolly good idea. Trusts, you know, the workingmen\u2019s club, what a great idea, actually, because on a Saturday\u2014I know this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EFor those of us who have been mums and dads and have been rushing round on a Saturday trying to get our daughter to the netball courts and our sons to the rugby\u2014or nowadays it\u2019s actually the daughters and sons to the rugby\u2014and we are so busy on a Saturday morning, fitting in getting to the school to go and vote is an exercise; you\u2019ve got to work around that. Imagine if all of the families who were going to the Carterton Rugby Football Club to watch the rugby could go there and cast their vote at the same time. I actually think that\u2019s pretty cool. That\u2019s pretty cool. So if these things are going to enhance, or make it easier, then that\u2019s a jolly good thing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI think the conversation that the Hon Nick Smith raised around 10 extra days of forming a Government being catastrophic and referring back to the time when New Zealand First was negotiating with National and Labour to form a Government in 1996 as being a reason why we shouldn\u2019t do this, because it took nine weeks, well, there was still a caretaker Government, Mr Smith. Actually, it was your Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f71f459cbbd944f2a715912d0f82d293\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: What was Parliament doing?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226fdd2d57ab0d42e8ac7d750914707d60\u0022\u003EHon RON MARK\u003C/span\u003E: Your Government, Mr Smith, continued to govern, and I think, Mr Smith, you were still a Minister governing at the time that you were also negotiating and, Mr Smith, you became the Government again. The sky didn\u2019t fall in, the waves didn\u2019t come crashing over the oceans and destroy the city, there wasn\u2019t pestilence. We carried on. Why? Because, in Dr Smith\u2019s own words, New Zealand has a proud record of undisturbed democracy and smooth transition of power after elections from one party to another, and we have become internationally renowned for the way in which we manage transfers of power and a change of Government. In fact, Mr Smith\u2019s own comments right at the end of his speech undermined some of this interesting argument in the middle of his speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003EI would conclude by saying this: there is much ado about nothing here today. Actually, by voting for the amendments and saying that they support them, the Opposition is signalling actually that it supports this legislation in the same way that New Zealand First does. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022 data-id=\u0022242594e15ae6480a96a434f6c123fe41\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022242594e15ae6480a96a434f6c123fe41\u0022\u003ECHRIS PENK (National\u2014Helensville):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Just reflecting on a couple of contributions, being concerned\u2014or not concerned\u2014about the transfer of power and negotiations that might take place following an election, of course, the safe thing to do is to party vote National so that it\u2019s a very straightforward equation after that. If enough people do that we can spare ourselves all of this. Just in case that should be construed as an election advertisement, I\u2019d like to say that this message is authorised by Chris Penk, and, if I\u2019ve got that right, the ticker along the bottom of the Parliament TV thing will have my name about here. [Indicates bottom of screen] So I\u2019ll say authorised by this\u2014of 365 Main Road, Huapai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EAnyway, the Electoral Amendment Bill has been discussed at some length in the last few days and at even greater length at the Justice Committee, of which I was privileged to be a member, and I use the word \u201Cprivileged\u201D a bit loosely, but it\u2019s Friday afternoon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be6de313ac0d40399d061fa592bb0668\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thursday.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d9032d2559a49209d86dff2be5bf877\u0022\u003ECHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: It will be tomorrow. Well, it\u2019s the last day of the Playschool week, Madam Speaker. I\u2019ll start again\u2014I\u2019ll start again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226143d60e04b34c7d8ddd4d8bbceb844f\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: He\u2019s only a new member and he\u2019s on a three-day week!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f6395aaaaa24e4aa6597a4f8d5d0d43\u0022\u003ECHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! That\u2019s right. Well, actually, it\u2019s funny\u2014I\u2019m being given grief about three-day weeks, but it\u2019s funny you should say that, Mr Bennett, because I\u2019m actually going to be speaking about a number of days. I\u2019ve made a few calculations and it\u2019s relevant to the question of how many opportunities a person has to get on to the electoral roll and being denied one day in a three-year cycle from doing so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s hope that my mathematics are better than my ability to read a calendar, and I\u2019ll say that in a three-year period\u2014roughly speaking, we have three years between elections, obviously; it can vary a bit, but let\u2019s take an average. There are 365 days a year. There are three years. We\u2019ll add one for a leap year; we\u2019ll round it up. Three out of every four years, that sort of seems reasonable to me. So that\u2019s 1,095 days in which one has the opportunity to enrol and only one day in which one does not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ESo 99.1 percent of the time one is able to get oneself on to the electoral roll and less than 0.1 percent of the time one is not, and this is the nut that\u2019s being cracked by the bill here today. So at least in statistical terms, and I think more generally than that as well, it\u2019s looking for a problem that is not particularly needing to be solved but one that the Government is sort of looking to go after in any case.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EActually, if you think about it as well, given that one only needs to enrol once, given that if one has enrolled in a previous three-year cycle, by the time the next election day comes around, if one is already enrolled then one doesn\u2019t need to do it again, then that means that given the average age of a New Zealander, according to no less an authority than the first webpage on the Google results list\u2014the average age of a New Zealander is 37 years. They can\u2019t enrol before they\u2019re 18, so that gives an average period of time of 19 years in which to get enrolled. Three hundred and sixty-five days in each of those years, except we\u2019ll add five leap years of one day extra each. So by my calculation\u2014if I can encourage you to wake up, it will be worth it, I can assure you\u20146,940 days the average voter has had the opportunity to enrol, minus the 12 days in those\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229684220b8b9748f393fafeeeb83ed774\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: How are you going with this, Greg?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc6826a72e254b14a39bffce86d46a0b\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Can you keep up, Greg?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265905ffb1e834bd8930326275097713c\u0022\u003ECHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: \u201419 years. Mr O\u2019Connor\u2019s got out the back of a fag packet to write all this down. Anyway, the long and short of it, to cut a long story short\u2014as a friend of mine would say, after doing anything but\u2014there are many opportunities that one has to get on the electoral roll. One day every three years that one is not able to do so because one is, in fact, doing something else very important in our democracy, namely voting, seems to me not an unreasonable thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EOther aspects of the bill have been canvassed pretty thoroughly. I would summarise the bill as good, bad, and ugly. I\u2019ve given you the bad bit, and that\u2019s just my speech\u2014no, that\u2019s sort of the unnecessariness of the statistical breakdown, really, the amount of opportunity that one has to get on the electoral roll versus what\u2019s now been added.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EThe good bits have also been covered a little bit, and I\u2019ll just touch on those briefly, namely the broadening of an ability to vote in different places that are currently subject to a blanket prohibition\u2014licensed premises and so on\u2014but with sensible restrictions on the way that would take place. The movement of ballot boxes, but again, in a pretty sensible, thorough way that\u2019s been canvassed. So that\u2019s the good. The bad, I\u2019ve already covered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EThe ugly, I suppose, is really just around that process with the Justice Committee inquiry taking so long\u2014about a year, I think. That was before my time on the select committee, but a very long time, even to get under way, which has left us squeezed for time, as we now are, such that we are legislating this in election year, which is unfortunate. So that brings my debate on the matter to an end and, like the rest of us on this side of the House, unable to support it, notwithstanding the good elements that are within it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022 data-id=\u002282fe352f4f4d44368db0af5b0b4e337a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002282fe352f4f4d44368db0af5b0b4e337a\u0022\u003EGARETH HUGHES (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Speaker. Ng\u0101 mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora. Last election, 19,000 people took time out of their busy lives, family, work, sports, life, to take the time to go down to their local polling booth to exercise their democratic right. And you know what happened? They were turned away at the ballot booth because they hadn\u2019t enrolled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI think that\u2019s a tragedy. In a democracy, in a country where a million people didn\u2019t vote at the last election, some members want to make it even harder for those people that do want to exercise their democratic right to have a say on their society, the way their country is run, and this party is actually happy for them not to have their say, not to exercise their democratic right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EFor me, it demonstrates the fallacy of their thinking. Now, there are countless reasons why people can\u2019t enrol. People have busy lives. They\u2019ve got families. They could be caring for a sick family member. They could be trying to navigate the bureaucracy and the complex information. Perhaps they\u2019re one of the hundreds of thousands of New Zealand households that still don\u2019t have internet access in this country. Perhaps English is a second language, and they had difficulties navigating it. There could be countless reasons.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ENow, the fallacy of their thinking is that that party over there thinks that all those barriers shouldn\u2019t count for anything and that, actually, what\u2019s more important is that the administration and the bureaucracy\u2014which that party seems to be prioritising above all else\u2014somehow is more paramount than their God-given democratic right to be able to cast a vote and have a say in their country. I think it\u2019s a fallacy. I think it\u2019s wrong. I think it\u2019s actually deeply distasteful and deeply damaging for democracy, because once upon a time in this country, if you didn\u2019t earn enough, you couldn\u2019t have your say, and you couldn\u2019t vote. Once upon a time in this country, if you were the wrong sex, you couldn\u2019t have your say and you couldn\u2019t vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EPeople put up all sorts of barriers to stop some people being able to vote. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re debating today\u2014whether it\u2019s more important to be able to have your say and to vote on election day, or whether you should have navigated all those hurdles and barriers to be able to enrol. Now, I urge people to enrol. It makes the system more efficient and easier, but I do not think that that should be a barrier to be able to exercise your vote. It\u2019s deeply distasteful. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EOverseas, people talk about voter suppression\u2014all the barriers that are put in place to stop people being able to exercise their rights. I urge members to look at what\u2019s happening right now in the US South, that has happened for countless decades, to stop some types of people being able to vote. It\u2019s called voter suppression. It\u2019s deeply egregious, and I don\u2019t want to see it happening in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ENow, what we\u2019ve seen is National bending over backwards to come up with intellectual excuses, mental gymnastics, to try and articulate why they\u2019re voting against it. I think it\u2019s a sad day that they\u2019re putting so-called process problems above the fundamentals and the principles, which is this House should be trying to enfranchise more people. This House should be making it easier for people to vote. In a country with such a democratic deficit, we should be making it easier for people to have their democratic say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ENow, I think it\u2019s deeply hypocritical, because it was the National Party and their members that actually stopped allowing prisoners to vote. Now, again, another example of putting up further barriers to stop people being able to vote. I\u2019m proud to be supporting this legislation, which is making it easier for people to vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EI want the next time that people take time out of their day, out of their busy lives, and they go down to the polling booth, maybe for the first time in their lives, they\u2019re nervous, they\u2019re worried what\u2019s going to happen. They\u2019re worried what\u2019s going to happen with their data if they put their name down on paper\u2014all sorts of very legitimate fears and concerns which don\u2019t just happen in the intellectual fantasy world of the members across. This is what happens in the real world. I want them, when they go into the booth, to be treated with a smile, to be treated with respect, to be given their ability to be able to vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003ENow, what the National Party has demonstrated is the problems of political point-scoring and political games when it comes to electoral law. What the Green Party wants to do is clean up our electoral law, particularly our donations, and make sure that we have a robust, transparent, and fair regime. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve articulated the policy of actually putting it out to the people. I think politicians have demonstrated that we shouldn\u2019t be the ones to actually make decisions that affect us. That\u2019s why we think we should go out to the citizens through a citizens\u2019 assembly\u2014which have happened overseas, including in Canada\u2014which have been so successful at finding solutions to intractable problems where you have some players with vested interests. So here is an example of the political game scoring, which does put people off politics. But here\u2019s a tangible, effective solution that the Parliament should adopt.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255bb390e-f6c3-498c-bbf6-ea1a8fc993c7\u0022\u003EThe Green Party is very proud to be supporting this legislation. We want to encourage more people to have their democratic say. It\u2019s wonderful that there are other changes, such as allowing supermarkets and sports clubs to be able to host polling booths. What we want to see on the next election day, no matter who they vote for\u2014and if you vote for National, congratulations, I celebrate your God-given democratic right to be able to exercise your say\u2014the key thing is that anyone who wants to vote for anyone should be able to, and today we\u2019re making it easier. Kia ora koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022 data-id=\u00220340dbb172dc47378e3bd68e859fe093\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220340dbb172dc47378e3bd68e859fe093\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to stand and oppose this Electoral Amendment Bill. The points which have been raised by the previous speakers\u2014I would like to touch upon one of the very crucial points, which is democracy and the right to vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EI come from a country which is one of the biggest democratic countries in the world; people queue up, up to a kilometre, to exercise their right to vote. Just now we heard from the member of the Green Party Gareth Hughes that we are trying to deny someone the right to vote. They could have registered; as the calculations were presented by my learned friend, there are more than 1,000 days available when that person could have gone and registered himself. We\u2019re not saying that it is wrong but we\u2019re saying that there is ample opportunity available for everyone to go and register themselves so that they can exercise their right to vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EWe went to see the chief election commissioner in Delhi, and Greg O\u2019Connor, my good friend, was with me. They told us how difficult it is to maintain that system when they go into the phases to let people come and exercise their vote. About 700 million people exercise their vote, and there are polling booths which are far flung, and people carry electronic voting machines on their backs to make sure that every person can have that right to exercise that vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EWhy can\u2019t we have people go and register themselves? There were many excuses given by the Green Party member. Yes, I agree that there are challenges, but they have time. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to register for their voting right and the enrolment roll. So those are lame excuses that the person can only register himself on the very last day of the election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EWhereas we have got a system\u2014we are very lucky to live in New Zealand\u2014where we have got a right to vote two weeks in advance. We can go and vote at any polling booth and register ourselves and exercise our right. But why on the last day?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf52a1fb4ac74205b855d0b77c985092\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222dae6fa9c51549cd89752d7acc145366\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI\u003C/span\u003E: Why? I\u2019m asking you why. You answer. No, why are you asking me? It is your bill\u2014it is your bill. I have given my logic that they have got 1,000 days to register themselves. Why don\u2019t they register on those 1,000 days; why on the last day? So these are the lame excuses being taken on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ea92d663031c4b1b9e6d56ffbe7ecfa7\u0022\u003EMarja Lubeck\u003C/span\u003E: Why not? No answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b82a12edf624edea0850f0cbc544f0f\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI\u003C/span\u003E: I have given you the reason. If you don\u2019t understand, it\u2019s your problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EThe Minister was saying that there has been a tradition over the years that the Government comes to the Opposition to discuss the Electoral Amendment Bill. But this time, in this term of the Parliament, this is the fourth bill where the Opposition was not consulted. Again, it is a denial of democracy and a denial to the Opposition to participate in such\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f3361f8503a64927b4a8f07123c7b4a4\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, rubbish!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002292c477c34d2546f6ab2116046138eb5b\u0022\u003EKANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014process. It is not rubbish. I think the Minister should have explained why he did not take that opportunity to come and talk to the Opposition, whereas when he was in Opposition he had all the opportunity when the Government of the day came to the Opposition to talk about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EThis bill has got some good things, which I did mention during the contribution of the committee of the whole House. The opportunity for people to have access in supermarkets is a great idea, and we should support it, and the National Party supports that. Another aspect which is part of this bill is that the Electoral Commission has got the right to make some decisions if there is a civil emergency, and it is very important that the Electoral Commission has got that right. As we have seen in the past, there could be a flood, there could be an earthquake, and those things we should keep in mind and give the opportunity to the Electoral Commission to make sure that people have got the right to exercise their vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226dc89bbf-c2ef-45c9-89e4-d2b5952d8d16\u0022\u003EI think there are, as Chris Penk mentioned, good things, bad things, and the ugly. So we are not able to support this bill at this stage. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u00226277635206c848438ef750d8fb8b31be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226277635206c848438ef750d8fb8b31be\u0022\u003EGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to speak, and the fact that 19,000 people, as we\u2019ve heard already, were denied the right to vote on election day and the National Party are strongly arguing that it should stay that way shows the deep internal contradictions and the actual underlying hypocrisy that we are faced with. There is no way you can stand up and say that this side of the House does not support democratic processes when voting against this bill does exactly that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3af7bbae5a0494286023a7fc52ae63a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3af7bbae5a0494286023a7fc52ae63a\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY (National\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E This Electoral Amendment Bill is a very interesting bill, and it reminded me about how I started my week down at Canterbury University at their O-Week. All the political parties were there, and that was democracy in action. I was engaging with a lot of these students, as all the political parties were there represented, and what I found really interesting was that the Electoral Commission was there and they were enrolling people. They had a steady flow of people that were coming into their tents and enrolling.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EI was heartened to see the Electoral Commission there, because that was the appropriate place for them to be represented, and all of these thousands of students that I witnessed coming through the Hub, it\u2019s called at Canterbury University, engaging with political parties, engaging with the Electoral Commission, popping into the Cannabis Society there and talking about the referendum that\u2019s coming up\u2014I just thought, well, there\u2019s ample opportunity for these 19,000 people that chose to try and enrol and vote on election day in 2017 to actually enrol prior to E-Day. And as Chris Penk rightly put out, and he did the arithmetic on a bit of an average, admittedly, but I thought the stats were quite compelling, voters have 1,095 days on average between elections to get themselves enrolled. Isn\u2019t that ample opportunity for New Zealanders who want to partake in our democracy to get their personal lives in order to go and enrol?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0be644497e8416a8d28e73aadd1bfe7\u0022\u003EHon Iain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s the problem, though?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229353bbb400064851af089d3d3224e07c\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the problem is, really, twofold, and Nick Smith did a fantastic job of outlining that this afternoon: that, actually, there was a massive review after the 2017 election and this bill wasn\u2019t part of that. We\u2019ve heard examples where Andrew Little put out a press release and said, \u201COh, we\u2019re going to do this Electoral Amendment Bill reform.\u201D But he didn\u2019t mention the fact that, actually, it\u2019s going to take another 10 days as a result of this for the Government to be formed, and that\u2019s called the writ. So when you consider that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022490ccdbf-7c22-4e12-98f2-f3aa08f8e676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d830332eb48842a593c850cda8beb062\u0022\u003EHon Iain Lees-Galloway\u003C/span\u003E: Nothing new there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cbed9518a0b24a41b701fa0d08abfead\u0022\u003EHon NATHAN GUY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, there is a caretaker Government in place, but New Zealanders want to get on and get their lives back to some form of normality and know who the hell the Government is going to be, and yet what we hear on the other side of the House, on the Government side, is that they think that it\u2019s no problem\u2014it\u2019s no problem to have an extra 10 days, to create all this uncertainty. Because, typically, what happens in an election campaign, houses don\u2019t get sold, people get nervous about tax rates, and spending reduces. So what we hear from the other side of the Government is they are prepared to allow that uncertainty to run on for another 10 days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EWhat is important in this bill that we are supporting: there are some good, practical changes, and I just want to go through some of those now. Allowing supermarket voting, because there was a concern in the past that you couldn\u2019t have a polling place in a supermarket because the supermarket also sells alcohol. So that has now been sorted through this process. That\u2019s important because we know there\u2019s a huge amount of activity that goes on in a supermarket\u2014typically in shopping malls. Having polling places in those busy areas makes good, practical, logical sense\u2014tick. Easier for the Defence Force to vote: yes. It\u2019s practical, makes sense, tick. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003EThen, of course, there\u2019s quite a section in the bill that talks about\u2014it could be a natural event, a disaster, it could be a terrorist attack, there\u2019s numerous examples in here in the bill whereby the Electoral Commission can make a decision to postpone the election or, indeed, the particular polling place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022 data-id=\u00226e9c32db4d8b4840a2478998413b6294\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226e9c32db4d8b4840a2478998413b6294\u0022\u003EPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. In his contribution, Mark Mitchell said that this bill shouldn\u2019t pass because it makes incremental change\u2014some sort of a slippery slope argument, but that\u2019s what we\u2019re here to do: to make change that is beneficial to New Zealanders. This bill will make it easier for people to enrol and vote. It enhances New Zealand\u2019s democracy. It\u2019s a good bill and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022 data-id=\u002288a03acfaebd4bd49cea77e214333573\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002288a03acfaebd4bd49cea77e214333573\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I appreciate the opportunity to stand and take a call on the Electoral Amendment Bill third reading and reflect on the contributions that have been made across the House, actually. It\u2019s interesting; this is a fundamental change to our electoral processes, particularly, of course, leading up to, and on, election day. What have we heard from the contributions from the Government side? They\u2019ve got their little talking points, they jump up, and they give 15 seconds\u2019 worth of unbridled resentment, and then quickly sit down and resort to Twitter and Facebook. But, actually, there are some fundamental issues that need to be addressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EI mean, I\u2019d like to take issue with the Hon Ron Mark, who says this is \u201CMuch ado about nothing\u201D. Actually, when he said that out loud, I thought that would be a good title for his autobiography when it appears in time. It will be a good read because I heard\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1d9d3f132464146b476f8fed84344c1\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: He\u2019s writing it down!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002219b758db87c843cb9358f3437fc59175\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER\u003C/span\u003E: He is writing it down, because, actually, when you\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002223de6bd3-0482-495d-88f4-7cc3f75d8442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022834d16d9fc4b4b4395565443808e9e26\u0022\u003EHon Nathan Guy\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019ll be a best seller in Carterton!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f70462623f0c4263a188d8c8c61aaaf5\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! Sorry, I\u2019m supposed to concentrate here but I\u2019ve got someone to my left\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002207dc4112-8a19-4dd6-a57c-878b47f8a9b6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d882e5e74eb9460ebd86000c587b1f1d\u0022\u003EHon Ron Mark\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll write a song about it!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fddfe38251c24e58bfa1ebaa28b12ee2\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, write a song about it. Actually, the member\u2019s contribution last week, when you reflected on some of your own political history and connection with the great, late, Rt Hon Mike Moore, suggests that when you do put pen to paper it may well be a book worth traversing for those who are waiting for political autobiographies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003ESo the issue that I want to touch on today is really just reflecting on the approach that the justice Minister has taken. Now, I have been in Parliament\u2014now, this is my second term. I can recall many times that he stood up as the Opposition justice spokesman on this side of the House, and he was always the first to stand up and talk about the importance of appropriate process, of respecting convention, of ensuring that the way we approach the issues that are\u2014everything that we debate in this House is, of course, some degree of seriousness and moment, but there are certain others that are more constitutional in nature and convention in nature that actually deserve considered reflection. The justice Minister, Andrew Little, would be the first, many times, to stand and hold the previous Government to a very high standard with respect to those principles, but here we have a bill that sits in his name where\u2014as you\u2019ve heard through the contributions from particularly the National Party side over the course of this whole debate, not just here in the third reading\u2014he has, in my view, deliberately distorted that process and ridden roughshod over a process which we have always followed, where the Justice Committee reflects on the outcomes, on the learnings, and the opportunities to improve\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=\u0022919b2853697942cfad34c2b23ab12630\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022919b2853697942cfad34c2b23ab12630\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am sorry to interrupt the member but the time has come to leave the Chair. This bill is set down for committee stage next sitting day. This debate is interrupted and the House stands adjourned\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002297799d25d0894687b2dc054e203a96c0\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s not committee stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb18d529a71d4b9f856bf51508cd38b7\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I beg your pardon. This debate is interrupted and set down for resumption next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 3\u00A0March 2020. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20200220c2da7de9d9e142b1bd6d7028803cf0d4000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022977cccaf-581d-4f48-924e-32bf6c54a93d\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 6 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"