"\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=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022efbb0179d8f941a2b11f4234ef60a0b5\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 25 MARCH 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225f8f96f1e90a4a6199313bc4f86ed161\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 25 MARCH 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223f2a98a105184244b8da828bbb66ae92\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220d4a2af4b0684c0195b9e781c95cff5c\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u002263a3c3a2e85e4286b3382bdef8b831c0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002263a3c3a2e85e4286b3382bdef8b831c0\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Ke tau lotu. \u2018E \u2018Otua M\u0101fimafi, kuo mau taa\u2018i m\u0101lie \u2018i ho\u2019o \u2018of\u00E1 mo e ngaahi t\u0101puaki hono kotoa. \u2018Oku tuku homau lot\u00F3 ka mau h\u016B atu ke ke malu\u2018i ange mu\u2018a \u2018a e Kuin\u00ED, mo tataki ange \u2018emau fua fatongia \u2018i he Fale Ale\u00E1 \u2018aki \u2018a e poto Faka-e-\u2018Otua, \u2018ofa pea mo e \u2018ulungaanga mal\u016B, ko e \u2018uh\u00ED ko e mo\u2018ui mo e melino \u2018o e fonu\u00E1. \u2018Oku mau kole atu \u2018a e ngaahi me\u2018\u00E1 ni hono kotoa \u2018i he huafa ho \u2018al\u00F3 p\u0113 \u2018e taha ko S\u012Bs\u016B Kalaisi ko homau fakamo\u2018u\u00ED, \u2018Emeni.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022867096d01323431ab21d331c34cec6a7\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f2161cce617648bd895c5a1c81750150\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022040bd2d51bb549dc9488bd0468889825\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022040bd2d51bb549dc9488bd0468889825\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today the House adjourns until Tuesday, 6 April. Legislation to be considered in that week will include the first readings of the Incorporated Societies Bill, the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Amendment Bill, and the Social Security (Subsequent Child Policy Removal) Amendment Bill; the committee stage of the Financial Market Infrastructures Bill; and, on Tuesday, the remaining stages of the Ng\u0101ti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. Wednesday is scheduled to be a members\u2019 day.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u00222749959d897340b8a1a8e1f910418e81\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222749959d897340b8a1a8e1f910418e81\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National):\u003C/span\u003E Will the Government agree to set down members\u2019 notice of motion No. 8 as the first order of business for the next members\u2019 day?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022c1d686d81f3e42428618b5bf40ce44b2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c1d686d81f3e42428618b5bf40ce44b2\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Let me just check which one it is. No. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220096e06bdeef4a2e9eef3bb521824f78\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022931de203a3324dddb86724159d2ed8ee\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002254fdaf49654e456885b51a95a832e8fc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002254fdaf49654e456885b51a95a832e8fc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00226e13aa22101542028c097abd8e5bb0c2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226e13aa22101542028c097abd8e5bb0c2\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPetition of Kate Slankard-Stone requesting that the House urge the Government to use all available means to pressure the Israeli Government to end the detention of Palestinian children and ensure that Israel acts in accordance with international human rights standards\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethe petition of Bridget King requesting that the House initiate a select committee inquiry into the death of Bradley King\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethe petition of Sam Vincent requesting that the House recommend that the Government create a pathway for Uyghur refugees to resettle in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022be72c3fe569c45da86ded17344974613\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022be72c3fe569c45da86ded17344974613\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those petitions stand referred to the Petitions Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EMinisters have delivered papers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022b697ad46ec284914a656df8aacd14f30\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b697ad46ec284914a656df8aacd14f30\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Artificial Limb Service Statement of Performance Expectations 2020-21\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Blood Service Statement of Performance Expectations 2020-21 and Statement of Intent 2020-24\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKiwiRail Statement of Corporate Intent 2021-23\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereport of the Intelligence and Security Committee on the activities of the Intelligence and Security Committee in 2020\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2020 annual report of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethe Government response to the report of the Health Committee on the petition of Lucy McSweeney.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022b9a7a644ab814300ab5904a19eb457be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b9a7a644ab814300ab5904a19eb457be\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those papers are published under the authority of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003ESelect committee reports have been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022b45c58671e3d49898723b0338fa647ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b45c58671e3d49898723b0338fa647ab\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EReport of the Education and Workforce Committee on the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereports of the Intelligence and Security Committee on the:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2019/20 annual review of the Government Communications Security Bureau\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2019/20 annual review of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002247d521ccf9bc40bdbcb4dbb8b7058b9e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002247d521ccf9bc40bdbcb4dbb8b7058b9e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The bill is set down for second reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003EThe Clerk has been informed of the introduction of bills.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00229c9f1ceebdf143d6aa2f45da6d31abaf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229c9f1ceebdf143d6aa2f45da6d31abaf\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECrimes (Robbery) Amendment Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESynthetic Urine (Prohibition on Importation, Supply, and Acquisition to Pass a Workplace Drug Test) Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EBiosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Amendment Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESecondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers (Electronic Records) Amendment Bill, introduction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022e18a183c19854da893237a0bdf2db6dd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e18a183c19854da893237a0bdf2db6dd\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those bills are set down for first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022980a7c8a76094b9688ae99fd8aa705b1\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227a14ba3694b24c729cad933159efab65\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cfd54d0219fa4e1596021c07794b5d44\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u2014Tourism\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022 data-id=\u0022946e863a63cd4ff793606c456bbca1b1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022946e863a63cd4ff793606c456bbca1b1\u0022\u003EDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Tourism: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u002231d1ab0ea5a841b7bc1a93882cc3d016\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002231d1ab0ea5a841b7bc1a93882cc3d016\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister of Tourism):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, in the context they were given and undertaken.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238f386d00a784ea1a1c554ea59d8213f\u0022\u003EDr James McDowall\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his statement that, \u201CThere is scope for a fresh look at existing levies\u201D, and, if so, does this include the international visitor levy (IVL) and bed taxes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dec37eb742194d67931a2db119cc3ae6\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: Yes to the first question. To the second one: there\u2019s a whole lot of work going on in this space at this point in time which I\u2019m not prepared to divulge. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224111669ed08648d8b394f77fb04075a7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. Order! Order! I know the member cannot be required to do a yes/no answer, but I think there is an obligation for the Minister to answer in the House at least as well as he has on public radio. The member will answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5d8a0ba1b17461cbbbefcbc81b1d3d2\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: To the first part of the question: yes. To the second: I have on public radio noted the fact that I am looking at the IVL\u2014bed taxes, no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022378068507a634de68be5dfbb8ca24f76\u0022\u003EDr James McDowall\u003C/span\u003E: Does he believe that increasing tourism taxes or levies would result in more or fewer tourists coming to New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d8aff1674594e1eb0b322fb2f7ea57a\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: I think I\u2019ve been very clear in a number of places that there are some areas of this country where the social licence was being eroded due to the fact there were too many tourists.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c9c471bf700429baebfce08b28244fa\u0022\u003EDr James McDowall\u003C/span\u003E: Can he guarantee that any new bed taxes would not be paid for by New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f715eccb24ef4f18a59dc1560bcc3e77\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: As mentioned, I\u2019m not doing any work on the Government implementing bed taxes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c738bcf2a4634affbf3e67f23c0225a0\u0022\u003EDr James McDowall\u003C/span\u003E: Which does he think best helps the struggling tourism sector: more tourists or more taxes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255e7ef5306ea41bcaa1cdee2e3239807\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: If it was that simple, it would be a hell of a lot easier, but I have given a number of statements around how I see the tourism sector in a post-COVID world developing, and it is not more tourists; it is higher value tourists spending more money\u2014however, New Zealand delivering on an experience.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bd72472e948e4c84ac6e09954e2acee3\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022 data-id=\u0022535266fc4b0e4f1aba4e6cd127beae4e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022535266fc4b0e4f1aba4e6cd127beae4e\u0022\u003EARENA WILLIAMS (Labour\u2014Manurewa)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he seen of how the economy is performing a year on from the decision to move to alert level 4?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u002256809f699b664247aeba72d9e383a0af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002256809f699b664247aeba72d9e383a0af\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Today is the first anniversary of the move to alert level 4. At that time, there was significant concern about the long-term impact on the New Zealand economy. A year on, New Zealand\u2019s economic activity is in fact in line with pre-COVID levels and well ahead of forecasts in the Budget and the pre-election fiscal update. The economy is also continuing to hold up well compared to our international counterparts. In the December quarter, economic activity was only 0.9 percent below where it was a year ago, compared to 1.1 percent down in Australia, 3.2 percent down in Canada, 4.9 percent down across the euro area, and 7.8 percent down in the United Kingdom.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b79aa8ab0dd741afaf47c32c385b9e69\u0022\u003EArena Williams\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on New Zealand\u2019s economic performance since this time last year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ba3448bfa02476bb245e6b954f38223\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund released its latest report on New Zealand, praising the economic response from the Government in the past year. They specifically commented on the size and scope of our economic support and how it helped avert a much steeper decline in economic activity and employment. In New Zealand, our unemployment rate is currently below 5 percent, and a peak of only 5.3 percent today. It will bump around a bit, but it will be well below the near 10-plus percent levels we were being told about. I can also tell the House today that the number of people on a main benefit is continuing to drop. Our figures out today show 20,244 fewer people are on a main benefit compared to the start of the year, and in just the last week of numbers, 2,388 people left the jobseeker support payment to go into work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d71722b62ef4a879ce6602f97d6197e\u0022\u003EArena Williams\u003C/span\u003E: What has been the impact of Government support on economic activity in the past year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022648679c31f664325adc8da414f01876d\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: A report from Statistics New Zealand released today found that three out of four New Zealand firms had received COVID-19 - related financial support from the Government last year. The report said the assistance was one of the key things businesses used to help stay afloat last year. The delivery of that assistance in a timely manner ensured cash flow and confidence that was a real concern a year ago today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002252dd4042c55842fb8bf35c22311731b4\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Prime Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u0022fd784943a318433db20262f782edd4c6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fd784943a318433db20262f782edd4c6\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (Deputy Leader\u2014National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u00228e4bb3262f024227bd7a32a092e5d39b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228e4bb3262f024227bd7a32a092e5d39b\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Prime Minister)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes, particularly the Government\u2019s decision to incentivise investment into the construction of new homes and fund the vital infrastructure needed for new housing like pipes and transport links. New Zealand\u2019s housing crisis, as we\u2019ve said many times in this House and beyond, has been decades in the making and there is no quick fix. It\u2019s an issue that will take time to turn around, but our package of urgent but also long-term changes will increase housing supply, relieve pressure on the market, and, we hope, make it easier for first-home buyers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225edb8a453c8f4124b59bbf1c140d9028\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Under the housing policy she announced on Tuesday, if a New Zealander has a mortgage across two properties, one which is a new build and one which isn\u2019t, will their interest be tax deductible?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e76ed528b0ba44959c4e771c4ff3e957\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, can the member just ask that question again?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d96b8961d8ce4366b5684cd20228e373\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Sure. Under the housing policy she announced on Tuesday, if a New Zealander has a mortgage across two properties, one which is a new build and one which isn\u2019t, will their interest be tax deductible?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ffffcce5d5ba412282a9e792b71b40af\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On the matter of interest deductibility, the detail of the policy is now subject to the normal Inland Revenue tax consultation process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d4570834a10400d99cac0d916a00f75\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Has she, then, received a Cabinet paper providing detailed analysis on the impact of removing interest deductibility?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c42f0017de864bebb11ad2aa3b34eec8\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Prime Minister, I think that, if the member listened to the previous answer, what we have announced is the framework and the decisions that will guide interest deductibility being removed. We now get into the detail of that through a consultation process with people who\u2019re affected. This is, indeed, the normal way in which major changes to the tax system are made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275bf768a52b4416986c1eaab51317fe7\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Will she guarantee that no further business costs will be removed from standard expensing practices as this policy does?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022787f76d008104fc1a0aff150b2b0395f\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I can say this to the member: that the reason that this loophole was closed was in part because those people who are owner-occupiers cannot do what investors can do in the property market. There is no intention to do that in any other industry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022068b8608d2db4a48902518de85bdbea2\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: How does she respond to Business New Zealand\u2019s accusation that the Government are being misleading by characterising tax deductibility as a loophole and that there is no reason for this decision and that it will stall business investment\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022872dc21e08164400ac003ec7ed483e62\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b96f6f9fcb0497493ae4024c5642a44\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Prime Minister, I reject that assertion by Business New Zealand. What I would say is that this Government came in on a promise to New Zealanders to be able to fix the housing crisis. We have proposed solutions. We recognise that this is not an easy issue. It will take a long time to fix, but one of the things New Zealanders want is for first-home buyers to have a fair go. That means needing to make changes. The interest deductibility changes are part of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229de700c61c314a83a4da18706182bc20\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Can she name any one of the 17 child poverty measures of material hardship that she is targeting that is not directly affected by rising rents, and, if so, which one?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022908789aaa1ea47939b0099ef3708443c\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, obviously, issues of housing costs are essential when it comes to all of the measures of child poverty. That\u2019s why, when we look at the top three measures above the 17, they do before - housing costs and after - housing costs. Clearly, housing costs are a significant part of the income of families and, therefore, the support for children. Addressing child poverty, again, requires a number of different measures, some of which are about lifting incomes, some of which are about making sure more houses are built, which is part of the package announced the day before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c64f0125e42d45c7890978bbfed39adb\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Why then did she write, in answer to written questions, that none of the 17 indicators measuring material hardship are directly impacted by rising rents?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d5e7da16b80424cac4bfc431fddcb4a\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I just said to the member, housing costs are an important feature of addressing child poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a9b9d130bf404a3a81ce17e1e1130d06\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u0022e8a6958779454fba93e53b11121d4ba3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e8a6958779454fba93e53b11121d4ba3\u0022\u003EGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour\u2014Hutt South)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: What reaction has she seen to the new supply side measures announced as part of the Government\u2019s housing package on Tuesday?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u0022b5ad2b8b605044858f0a526d0a3193e4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b5ad2b8b605044858f0a526d0a3193e4\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019ve seen a range of comments about the Government\u2019s $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund, and other supply side measures announced on Tuesday, from a number of stakeholders, both in the media and to whom I have spoken directly. Shamubeel Eaqub said the acceleration fund and the K\u0101inga Ora land programme are \u201Cbig deals\u201D and that \u201Cthe infrastructure money will be welcome in many fast-growing or small communities that can\u2019t afford new infrastructure\u201D. Master Builders CEO, David Kelly, said, \u201CThe Government is [now] seeing housing as a key part of our critical infrastructure.\u201D, and \u201Cprovision for infrastructure funding to support \u2026 homes and developments is also a positive step.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002237b1ff7712014ad4ab0271e36ddc937a\u0022\u003EGinny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: What reaction has she seen from local government representatives?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224f097ae944b439199efcae0864602a9\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I saw a comment from the chair of Local Government New Zealand, Stuart Crosby, who welcomed the $3.8 billion fund and emphasised that infrastructure is key to releasing land for development. Mayors across the country have also been supportive. Auckland Mayor, Phil Goff, said that, \u201CThe cost of infrastructure, rather than the availability of land, is the major constraint Auckland faces in increasing home building\u201D, while Nelson Mayor, Rachel Reese, said the announcement was a game-changer, and there is now potential for a lasting solution.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002216f601d54c444246a976e0d2a82a2e0f\u0022\u003EGinny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: What reaction has she seen from developers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022629ee72f16d54f21afa986030454beb3\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Shane Brealey from NZ Living said that the acceleration fund will \u201CHelp move infrastructure along at a faster pace than otherwise, which is a good thing\u201D. I\u2019ve seen other comments from a developer saying the fund is a good start, but it needs to be coupled with work on planning constraints and land supply. I have good news\u2014the supply side package we announced will work to free up land, with K\u0101inga Ora having funding to undertake strategic land purchases, and by putting expectations on councils in return for funding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f3b7d4f4a34043dda24cf9fa9336d791\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014COVID-19 Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022704b174173854181a5cfd46e90604357\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022704b174173854181a5cfd46e90604357\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Is he satisfied with the management of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and will the Government set an official target of how many New Zealanders should get the COVID19 vaccine?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022fc55df0da4af4f46b61328977e39c254\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fc55df0da4af4f46b61328977e39c254\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response):\u003C/span\u003E Broadly speaking, yes. Yesterday, we recorded nearly 3,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being administered. That number continues to increase on a daily basis. The scale-up has continued this week\u201417 additional vaccine sites have come online. We expect to have around 50 vaccination sites operating across the country by early next week. Our plan at this point of the vaccine roll-out was to ensure that we were scaling up sustainably, and we are working carefully to make sure we don\u2019t run out of vaccines towards the middle of the year before we start to get the big deliveries of vaccines in the second part of the year. With regard to the second part of the question, the Government\u2019s goal is to ensure that all New Zealanders who can get a vaccine have access to that vaccine by the end of the year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267c96cfa860f43faa16ad72c178ec6b6\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Government set a formal target and a date to achieve that target for the percentage of the adult population to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, like 26 countries in the OECD have done, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bbd6506c63d4f0bab918b9b3527aa3e\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: No, not at this point. Our goal is to ensure that everybody who can have a vaccine\u2014and at this point, that\u2019s the adult population\u2014has access to a vaccine and gets a vaccine. We\u2019re working hard to ensure that they have good information so that when they are offered a vaccine, they take it. Our tier 1 vaccine experience indicates that the take-up rate is very high\u2014well over 95 percent at this point. If we continue to get that kind of take-up as we move through the rest of the sequencing framework, we\u2019ll be very, very happy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bf324c077a45433a873508313061e467\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in light of that answer, why did the Government set targets for the measles vaccine and the flu vaccine, and why won\u2019t it set a target for the COVID-19 vaccine?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022516002a5a44f44139b78053b31d035c1\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: One of the things that\u2019s better understood is around the efficacy of the measles vaccine; we know a bit more about what we\u2019re dealing with there. We know more around what\u2019s required to get herd immunity with the measles vaccination campaign. We don\u2019t yet know all of that information around COVID-19.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4f224e3e8f546f787d2a6f578ff545a\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Government not publishing daily updates of the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19, like other countries do, and will they begin to do so?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022caf6546ad5874ece82fc85f79c979d65\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, the plan is certainly\u2014in answer to the last part of the question\u2014to start releasing daily updates when we get to the point where the vaccine programme is scaled up. In the meantime, we continue to release regular updates on the number of vaccines that are being administered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c5a44339720458091bd7e0f0a315fd3\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Why does the latest available public information show that New Zealand has administered just 0.56 vaccinations per 100 people while Australia has administered 1.21 vaccines per 100 people?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220037c06022924a17ae0b1966f1e20d8e\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: The key point, and we\u2019ve always stressed this, is not when we start the vaccination campaign but when we finish it. We are scaling up our vaccination campaign in a way that ensures that it is sustainable, that we won\u2019t have people standing around because they\u2019ve run out of vaccines. We\u2019re making sure that people will be able to get their second dose of the vaccine three weeks after they get their first dose, and we\u2019re making sure we are doing this all safely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022837977fa03a74ea0bc82de39b5a59598\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Why has New Zealand administered only 41,500 vaccines when we have a supply, according to the Government, of over 300,000, and shouldn\u2019t New Zealand be going as hard as possible?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222296381ffbe14833916cab757dc4d5de\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: As I have indicated in my earlier answers, if the member had chosen to listen, we are making sure that we are administering the vaccines in a way that ensures that we don\u2019t run out of vaccines towards the middle of the year. We want to scale up sustainably so that we keep scaling up, so that we\u2019re reaching a peak vaccine delivery at the time when the large bulk of vaccines will start to arrive in the second half of the year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022498be8e1012b4ecd93ab947c8e7755a9\u0022\u003E Question No. 6\u2014COVID-19 Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c46de55f-b9e4-4c64-9ac6-877bd89c2fc5\u0022 data-id=\u00225b0c2eb0d0524fc1818b15dd000c2e4e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c46de55f-b9e4-4c64-9ac6-877bd89c2fc5\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225b0c2eb0d0524fc1818b15dd000c2e4e\u0022\u003EDr TRACEY McLELLAN (Labour\u2014Banks Peninsula)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: How have New Zealand\u2019s COVID-19 health protection measures improved over the past year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022e036b14732da47008371e98c2447ba17\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e036b14732da47008371e98c2447ba17\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response):\u003C/span\u003E It was a year ago today that New Zealand moved to COVID-19 alert level 4, where we would stay for five weeks in an attempt to eliminate the virus from our shores. A year on, we continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic, but our means of responding to the virus continue to be refined and improved over time. That\u2019s included a constant review of our testing strategy to make sure it\u2019s fit for purpose and to identify any risk and any cases swiftly and appropriately. We\u2019ve got thorough and ongoing expansion of our contact tracing system to ensure that we\u2019ve got the flexibility and the capacity to track cases and their associated contacts in a timely manner, and we\u2019ve got regular improvement of our infection prevention and control measures to restrict unwanted transmission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c46de55f-b9e4-4c64-9ac6-877bd89c2fc5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f56c85fc425f4ea2b3671eca51c0470e\u0022\u003EDr Tracey McLellan\u003C/span\u003E: What have been the key lessons learnt on improving our health measures?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a1c59432c9f47a08c0d6931dc463330\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: As we reflect over the last year, it\u2019s important to remember there was no rule book when we started this and a lot was not yet understood around the COVID-19 virus. So one of the key lessons for everybody involved is that we\u2019ve had to continue to be agile and responsive, open to learning new things, and honest when things haven\u2019t necessarily gone according to plan. We\u2019ve always been looking for ways to continue to improve, and that\u2019s what we will continue to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c46de55f-b9e4-4c64-9ac6-877bd89c2fc5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ad8849881024861b9b7b2f6e9239476\u0022\u003EDr Tracey McLellan\u003C/span\u003E: How has New Zealand\u2019s health system response to COVID-19 compared internationally?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb4ea5d292624cb7a4afbb8dc10517c6\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Anyone watching the news in the evening will know that the effect of COVID-19 around the world continues to be a devastating one, something that we have largely been able to avoid here in New Zealand, although, of course, we remember those who did lose their lives to the virus early on in the pandemic. Around the globe, we see the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and the very beneficial position that New Zealand has been placed in because of our elimination of the virus. Our response has been ranked as one of the best in the world by both Bloomberg and the Lowy Institute. On average last year, we had the fewest restrictions and the most freedoms of any country in the OECD.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c46de55f-b9e4-4c64-9ac6-877bd89c2fc5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002278a61dd85c59471285f087d8e047b4a4\u0022\u003EDr Tracey McLellan\u003C/span\u003E: How have these measures benefited New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022feee239fb0cd493e81819141f622789e\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: We see on a daily basis thousands of New Zealanders going about their day-to-day lives, engaging in the sorts of activities that other people around the world dream about: Homegrown, the America\u2019s Cup, a packed Hagley Oval to watch the Blackcaps. These are the sorts of events that other countries around the world simply can\u2019t enjoy at the moment that New Zealanders are able to enjoy. I do want to say these are not the result of good luck; these are the result of a very strong, dedicated team of public health people up and down the country, who are combining their collective efforts with those of the team of 5 million to keep COVID-19 out of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a67f50cc6cd1400782b323ce69fd0a86\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Agriculture\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u00220a3a3e2bc57a45499c66129653630a03\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220a3a3e2bc57a45499c66129653630a03\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by his comment in regards to horticulture worker shortages, \u201CThe Minister of Immigration has indicated \u2026 that at this stage there is no capacity to bring in any more RSE workers\u201D; if so, has he asked Cabinet colleagues what progress has been made on the Pacific COVID-safe travel zone?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00224482516a8ed9428a8d4ff7c7067caf00\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224482516a8ed9428a8d4ff7c7067caf00\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E In answer to the first part of the question: yes. In answer to the second part of the question: as agriculture Minister, I\u2019ve taken part in discussions about that in Cabinet. But, ultimately, the responsibility for the establishment of any Pacific bubble lies with the Minister for COVID-19 Response, the Honourable \u201CChippie\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ef0e437775a44beb1a0edce42f92a02\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think if I allow that, I\u2019m going to have to allow everyone to do it. So the Minister will correct himself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f813a56e714457d9d099d4ebc87b684\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry\u2014the Hon Chris Hipkins.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260f26ce798b343c8a945d8da65940603\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: If the Minister has had discussions in Cabinet, has he supported any Cabinet papers this year about a Pacific Island bubble?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a699bd91f1c94a8797c24dc8b0546f3e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, has he?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022233233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dfcc9f8108b642f197655e2618568beb\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Supported any Cabinet papers this year about a Pacific Island bubble.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9a8870eff524f1b9e26eef8b6f1c33b\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: I think everyone in Cabinet would like to see a bubble open as quickly as possible. But, as the Minister said in his previous question, our priority is to keep New Zealanders safe from COVID, which is arriving at our border every day, and we have a responsibility for that first and foremost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5ee815aa55043a6965ef585ad1e11e0\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a very simple question: has he supported any Cabinet papers this year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb7ad9ba70544da7abc5b52b0719fecb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, and the question was certainly addressed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9bde622d388463c82b0d19280efb178\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Why hasn\u2019t he prepared a Cabinet paper this year for a Pacific bubble, when the horticulture sector has been seeking such?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022092da2ca60f34930a003e2303e1a978d\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Because the horticulture sector doesn\u2019t have a responsibility to look after all New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5daa3e3913640ed99c3ddc093c91611\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Really? OK. What is the latest date that the Government will announce a Pacific bubble to give the necessary Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers, so that the horticulture sector can have confidence in planting crops and the process they will go through in the next year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226faaa63f5ec5469b8d8328f959b965da\u0022\u003EHon Grant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister being asked the question is not the main member responsible for matters of travel bubbles.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff3697729c5844ddb23e8b924ea7112c\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I can understand the point that the Deputy Prime Minister is making. I will, however, take some responsibility for shortening this question from one which was much longer, and, in doing that, I did give an undertaking that I would be liberal in my interpretation. Therefore, I\u2019ll ask the Minister to answer the question. Maybe ask it again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002244370b9ef2b145db9469dfe028fe3418\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: What is the latest date the Government will announce a travel bubble with the Pacific Islands, so that horticulturists can have security to know that they will have the staff for next season?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022999f047b9f0545e384d4b6b5f84cbfd8\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: That is for Cabinet to decide.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4b50133f73f4921a2931e590274999b\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: How will Cabinet decide, if the Minister won\u2019t advocate to his colleagues that there should be a Pacific bubble?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222dc737fcd7ff4ed0bc8a0331bbc59b57\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Right. Well, that question is out of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002219847faa14174f94969fb12ee7573648\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: When the Minister said, on 17 March, that \u201CWe\u2019re going to run a robust quarantine system in this country, regardless of where people are coming from, because the risks out there are [so] significant. The fact that we haven\u2019t been able to open \u2026 a bubble across the Tasman is because there\u2019s still uncertainty around the management of COVID in both our countries,\u201D, then, with recent announcements of an imminent trans-Tasman bubble, how has he advocated for consistency for RSE workers in a Pacific bubble to meet the shortage of workers in the horticulture sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f40462f2c1e64537ad288bede527e61f\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: I think Cabinet has been aware of the pressure in the horticulture sector. That is why they approved 2,000 workers into this country at a time when there was huge pressure on managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). Cabinet will make decisions around the trans-Tasman bubble. If there is any capacity at MIQ at that point, then I\u2019ll be advocating for some of those spaces to be available.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022036aa442662e4d4781a70733a590c75d\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u2014Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022 data-id=\u0022fac7113ef73d49648a7ff6839af111ba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fac7113ef73d49648a7ff6839af111ba\u0022\u003ERICARDO MEN\u00C9NDEZ MARCH (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is her response to the findings of MSD\u2019s Experiences of Money Management in the Youth Service report that payments are often inadequate, and that compulsory money management may lead to further debt, stigma, and hinders our young people?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022626122be509c4f46ac829b1d68111390\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022626122be509c4f46ac829b1d68111390\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I welcome the report. The report was commissioned following the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG)\u2014when they recommended abolishing compulsory money management for young people receiving a benefit aged 16 to 19. The report provides further information on what was detailed in the WEAG report and includes the perspectives of service providers and young people. The Ministry of Social Development is now looking at those findings and will provide me with additional advice on potential ways forward, including any operational and fiscal implications, and those will need to be worked through carefully. As indicated in the Welfare Expert Advisory Group report, or the Cabinet paper that followed the WEAG report, this is part of our medium- to long-term plan.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220890fe0f6e5b40cfaf00c300475aa161\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister believe rangatahi on the youth benefit have enough left on their payment card after living costs to cover basic expenses?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b147d2281d84a28859f34d7cb3a8c5b\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: I think that we\u2019ve been really clear that income adequacy in the welfare system is an issue across the board. What this report highlights is that the payment card doesn\u2019t necessarily work in the way that it was potentially intended, particularly for young people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222cc09f8871dc4c298945e34485e31d0c\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to the young people who are left disempowered and with as little as $7 in hand due to the universal compulsory nature of money management that comes from the youth payment card?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204bd148a64514c5fb02186d78c80a1df\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: That we are doing work on this; that we\u2019ve outlined a plan for addressing it. I will also note, though, that the report does say that for some young people, money management does work. The area that they were most concerned about was the payment card and the constraints of where and how they can use that. I think one of the groups in particular who were struggling with the practicalities of having a payment card were young people who live rurally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022247323a1f0e1435eb9618cc80ab537e3\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: What new actions in the short term will the Minister take to further lift the incomes of young people who face skyrocketing rents?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cce7913a224749bb8ebba05005d3ca6d\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: We did move quickly. Last year, we increased benefits. We have indexed them to wages, and so we will see another increase on 1 April. That is more than what it would have been if we were still set to the Consumers Price Index. We do still need to do more in the income adequacy space for those on welfare, and we\u2019re committed to doing that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022adaf61bfd67840e08fbe1693a31f035b\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Will she listen to the young people and researchers in the ministry\u2019s report who called for more control over their money?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223fa5d27da8e042e58f1a0669d377f0eb\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: I am certainly considering the findings of the report and look forward to further advice that I will receive from the Ministry of Social Development.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228636391f7a3f498cb5475dbdba4e5e84\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Will she direct her ministry to stop docking young people\u2019s benefits, as sanctions have been shown to be ineffective and harmful?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220db1cfde12f9434e915834b07a5b751f\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: We have addressed two of the sanctions. One that was discussed today was the subsequent child policy, and also the repeal of section 192. We are committed to reviewing excessive sanctions, and that is ongoing work. As I\u2019ve said, there are two that have already been addressed. That doesn\u2019t mean that there\u2019s not more to do in the welfare system to uphold the dignity of those who have to access welfare support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b43258661e934cc0b67855468651d250\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Revenue\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u0022795da865804b4f22962acc8ceea61e1c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022795da865804b4f22962acc8ceea61e1c\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS (Labour\u2014Mana)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Revenue: What reports has he seen about the proposed change to interest tax deductibility for existing residential rental properties?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u00229f867ef641264e91862a87f38e6c653d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229f867ef641264e91862a87f38e6c653d\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019ve seen a number of positive reports. Commentators and economists have recognised that removing interest deductibility for investors in existing rental properties will tilt the housing market in favour of first-home buyers, new housing, and the wider productive economy. Greg Ninness of Interest.co.nz said the response was \u201Cgutsy\u201D and the timing of making such a change is perfect, with interest rates at record lows. Making this change at this time will \u201Chelp ensure that those investors who remain in the market are better capitalised\u201D. The International Monetary Fund had warned about the risk of unsustainable house prices to our wider economy and recommended a response that differentiated between investors and first-home buyers. The ANZ have said they will now look at changing capital requirements for investors in existing homes. All of these reports give me confidence this change will result in more of our existing homes being bought by people who live in them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f78251a73cc84d2baaa5169969d5e46a\u0022\u003EBarbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he received from industry leaders on the change to interest deductibility rules for existing residential rental properties?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a39534be9b4486b908adf29e924169c\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received direct feedback from CEOs and chairs of a number of NZX-listed productive economy companies. They all congratulated the Government on this change. They think it\u2019s good for the economy, good for exports, and good for society. They think it will work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260c91f302af049ac8a17b63b1193ebc4\u0022\u003EBarbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: How will the proposed changes to interest deductibility rules for existing housing benefit the wider economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270b4256fac854529bd0d4c24c98d6a2f\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Stephen Bennie of Castle Point Funds was reported in the New Zealand Herald as saying that international investors were previously expecting interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank to calm the residential market. This change to deductibility rules is seen by the market as reducing the risk of interest rate hikes, which would have affected everyone, including homeowners\u2014all of them\u2014and exporters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b08d6a0224d94a0e8c8dcf8d30e4e715\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with reported comments from Findex senior partner Scott Mason, who said in the Otago Daily Times yesterday, \u201CRemoving interest deductibility for most landlords is a significant and unprincipled amendment to the tax system.\u201D, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286084dde42f7442bbc79b9a3190857e0\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. I think he\u2019s wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af215e1da8464ff8ac88177d2caa9f41\u0022\u003EBarbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he received on the proposed interest deductibility changes as part of the Government\u2019s response to the housing crisis?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c1991db206d943ad90dcea518c7be389\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: I saw reports this week saying the Government needed to act swiftly and decisively on the housing crisis, and I\u2019ve seen reports from the same people this week saying the Government\u2019s acted too swiftly and decisively on housing reports and that we should slow things down and keep them as they are. To do that would risk a housing bubble. The Government is on the side of renters, first-home buyers, owner-occupiers to investors in new builds. Some people say housing costs too much but then oppose every move to address it. It appears highly leveraged speculators have the Opposition on their side. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a35afdc91b4c4c3c91894787ab06eabb\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022 data-id=\u0022dfbf46487db0404e86d936f6924f0b54\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dfbf46487db0404e86d936f6924f0b54\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: Can she confirm that neither the final design nor the criteria for the Housing Acceleration Fund have been decided on by Cabinet, and by what date will that scheme result in a single new house being built? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd2e297c60fe43c5b7d8db94f074ba2e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd2e297c60fe43c5b7d8db94f074ba2e\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E With the announcement this week that we\u2019ve secured $3.8 billion for the Housing Acceleration Fund two months ahead of the Budget, we can begin engagement with stakeholders about the next steps, alongside working with K\u0101inga Ora on accelerating their large-scale projects. As I made clear to the member yesterday, I\u2019ll be taking the final design and criteria for the fund to Cabinet by the end of June, but in-principle decisions about the fund have already been made, and work is well under way to understand the pipeline of projects that could be funded. In answer to the second part of the question, as I also outlined to the member yesterday, the intent of the fund is to create build-ready land for new housing, and investments will begin to be made in the second half of this year. I expect to see new houses enabled by this infrastructure under construction in 2022. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f64ef3c47744088a0929cf8975fd2c0\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Why is it that despite having 2,367 Government housing officials working for her, she has failed to publish anything about how the fund will work beyond this one-sided piece of A4 paper? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224bfea11f46504aceb5ff88b1665001e3\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: All the documents that sit behind this, in a substantial body of work that sits behind this work, have been proactively released. I suggest the member reads them, because she\u2019s clearly confused. Meanwhile, on this side of the House, we\u2019re still waiting to see a single press release from the Opposition about it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233d6814692ba4540a2f5beb243cd681d\u0022\u003EHon Grant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: What lessons did the Minister learn from previous Government attempts to invest in the infrastructure side that underpins housing? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc2b7a7536eb4f4280d13f4a704abbe7\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: While we were doing the work to put together this fund, we certainly looked at previous infrastructure funding attempts. In particular, as a group of Ministers, we took good notice of the Housing Infrastructure Fund that was launched under the previous Government. It was around a quarter of the size. It was only going to be administered as repayable loans to councils who already were reaching their debt ceiling, but one of the things that we were most interested in about this, and we were keen not to replicate, was that this funding was never tied to any agreement by councils or developers to develop the land for housing. One of the things that we did note: this was launched in 2016, the first project for the fund was announced a year later, in July 2017, with the first funding approved another year later, in June 2018, and not a single project has been completed to date. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c32eb2d64c4843749c942dd8cb45b944\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Why does the Government need yet another three months to finalise this idea, yet it was able to progress 50 pages of new tax law within three days? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f4bd0e9601d46579069a6d063f81fc2\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Because we certainly don\u2019t want to replicate the debacle that the previous Government did with the Housing Infrastructure Fund\u2014not a single project completed to date. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222989a749f96e461e8c584b4e23e56131\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What is the basis of her claim on Monday that this scheme will result in 80,000 to 130,000 houses being built, and why is this any more believable than the Government\u2019s back-of-the-car promise to build 100,000 KiwiBuild homes? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221903ab3f43294762ab4d4b60eadc5af9\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I think, if the member does take the time to read the documentation that sits behind this, what she will see is that there is quite detailed modelling of the number of houses that may be enabled: 80,000 to 100,000. Furthermore, specifics are given around the large-scale project land that will be there in terms of the 18,000 of State-enabled houses, and a further 11,000 of market houses. And as for the swipe re KiwiBuild, as I say to that member frequently, we\u2019ll put our 794 houses against their 100 affordable houses over nine years any day of the week. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b83257d8143c476880f36fa2354b928f\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister understand there are shovel-ready community housing projects ready to go, up and down the country, and why won\u2019t she use Government money to get spades in the ground, building those houses tomorrow? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d037dcaeba646bf950640f1a77e1bd6\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: That member needs to decide: does she want buy-ins or does she not? She seems to criticise them when K\u0101inga Ora do them. I have outlined to that member on a number of occasions the programme of work we have under way with community housing providers. I am not prepared to see the 77 buy-in rate we have seen from community housing providers over the last two years. I know that member has an aversion to building houses, because that is the party that she belongs to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5a12665d7074cbda9df00726edb3b6f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! I\u2019m just going to caution the member about ascribing that sort of motive to a member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022baacb34fad4c4f3eba1dd7464d88e891\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave for the Minister to table the extensive documentation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246f8c43d35a5454f9fbe1936ba4173a4\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! [Interruption] Order! Order! Look, the member has been around these buildings for a very long time. I\u2019m considering whether I should\u2014[Interruption] Right, the Hon Simon Bridges\u2014it must be Thursday again, is it? [Interruption] Well, I\u2019m speaking. One of us speaks at a time, and when I\u2019m standing up, it\u2019s me. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218cb2460daee44f3a1ad122cc53cc8f5\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: I was having a chat\u2014I wanted a chat with my friend. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226523fac1a0a6428daef1a1bc7e2ba7c1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: You were speaking\u2014no, it might be my new hearing aid, but I can hear the member right up here. So he needs to learn\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229263cb04676440369c791022ef87ae1d\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Turf me, then. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222578428b58a34aeab02ff84e351c3677\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. I know the member wants to go\u2014that\u2019s the problem. He wants to go every Thursday, and I\u2019m just wondering whether I should reward him or not. I think I\u2019m going to punish him by making him stay here until the end of question time. Going back to Nicola Willis\u2019 point, I think she knows she\u2019s being disorderly. If she does it again, she will suffer the consequences. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c91ccfe9928d42c4b98c7ef37a93c971\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I think what my colleague was really asking was that if the Minister has relied on some documentation for the answer, and I think it may not have been worded in the way it should be. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022606b3b03b24e47f7afa27c89d0f29a04\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, if your colleague really thought that, she would have done it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aeb21cd2f02340e1ab4f7b7d9cba0380\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: Well, no\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f53d0ce822d4b44b7314ea3a023c8ec\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, she\u2019s been around a very long time, Mr Brownlee. She knows how to do it, and I think that when she asked for a big pile of documentation and she looks at what the Minister\u2019s quoting from, even that would be disorderly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221edf2c01fff24fbc92f8294cb3b458c2\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: You reckon so? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a8e2390e22b4d48b4a3b7caac5e19e1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022300e7c8657c643edbc748eb92bc48630\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: 386.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275aa135c325448bab3c0105a2f4e99fd\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Dr Smith, do you want to have a go?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e5356ce32144f919a7bcccb5067460a\u0022\u003EDr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: I seek under Standing Order\u2014I don\u2019t think you think that ministerial accountability is very important. The Minister has said that there is a heap of documents. Standing Order 386 says that where a Minister quotes documents relating to public affairs, a member may, by point of order, require the Minister to table the documents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bd3418168e94fc89849fffe78343e7d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: OK, the member will sit down. I saw the Minister with a very small number of sheets of paper in her hand. I think even the member\u2019s imagination wouldn\u2019t call that a heap of documents\u2014all right? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4cf0ac5d75c4d719922bb9a449df54e\u0022\u003EHon Dr Nick Smith\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s what she claimed\u2014that\u2019s what she said. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002255988a83bc7c420c821874150d986a56\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m going to ask the member: was she quoting from an official document? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8aaa98e6d0c490ebb64d98cd94ca1f9\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: No. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3a93371eb2a4b94800e4c28ee28a8c6\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that was pretty clear. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223cec5868ebc44641aa0454cf4ef30859\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Immigration\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022 data-id=\u0022eed36f62c1f24d34bed06a058aa16f5d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eed36f62c1f24d34bed06a058aa16f5d\u0022\u003EINGRID LEARY (Labour\u2014Taieri)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Immigration: What recent reports has he seen on the additional 2,000 Recognised Seasonal Employer workers brought in under a class border exception to support the horticulture and wine industries?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u002287433f74f7eb4d5ab39ea96a05abb5d9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002287433f74f7eb4d5ab39ea96a05abb5d9\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration):\u003C/span\u003E I am happy to report that 2,012 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers have entered New Zealand: 775 from Samoa, 70 from Fiji, and 1,167 from Vanuatu. As of Saturday, 20 March, the last 155 of these workers departed managed isolation and quarantine for their places of work in the horticulture and winemaking sectors. I would like to acknowledge the considerable efforts of the industry peak bodies who have worked alongside officials to successfully bring this group across the border in time for seasonal peaks. We acknowledge the difficulties the sectors continue to face, and we are in constant contact with them. The 2,012 RSE workers that have been brought into New Zealand is the largest group of economic exceptions allowed to enter New Zealand while our COVID-19 border restrictions are in place. The demand for RSE workers needs to be balanced with the demand from New Zealanders returning home and other border exception requests, but we are pleased the 2,000 workers approved in December are now working here in New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c1007c353fe44aa83652d0937dfaff2\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: How will these workers support our economic recovery from COVID-19?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ab7f962e42c4557829aa72d14c1202e\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: As I said in my primary answer, this is the single largest economic-based class border exception that the Government has been able to provide to date. This is in recognition of the horticulture and winemaking sectors being amongst our largest export sectors, with total exports valued at $6.5 billion in the last financial year. These sectors also employ around 38,000 New Zealanders, many in regional New Zealand. These seasonal workers will enable the work that New Zealanders continue in the sector. We thank the sector for their assistance in bringing these 2,012 workers in over a 3\u00BD month period, but we also acknowledge the difficulties that they face with labour limitations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002239589fbe35b748c380babc424d1ee370\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: What other economic exceptions to our closed border is the Minister aware of?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c423711b3e5f4afea4a1e48b59768e46\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: As of 17 March this year, 1,577 requests for other critical workers have been approved, representing close to 6,700 workers. Workers in the research and development sector top the list, with 1,920 approved workers, representing just under 30 percent of the total, while 1,348 approved workers in the primary industry sector make up just below 20 percent of the total. At the same time, 4,501 critical health workers and their dependants have had their requests approved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cff2a08daf0e45fe9dd38828603ac906\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Police\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022 data-id=\u0022ec50fcef85624ba2a21f075cb2c2fbd2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ec50fcef85624ba2a21f075cb2c2fbd2\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE (ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Police: What actions, if any, have been taken to speed up the process for the approximately 10,000 people caught in a firearm licence application backlog?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u00229afc133ae79147569a8e9172adb5115f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229afc133ae79147569a8e9172adb5115f\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Justice) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Minister of Police: Police issue online reminders to people to apply for their licence well ahead of time. Police currently have a number of licence applications to process due to both COVID-19 delays and new licensing reforms and processes. Police have brought on board more staff to help with the backlog, and they have been prioritising applications for those who need their licence for work and for renewals first. Duck season begins in May, and police are working hard to clear as many renewal applications as possible before this time. Those who do not have their licence before the season starts can still take part if they are supervised by a current licence holder.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204d365251a774936bb3efcc3104f38d4\u0022\u003ENicole McKee\u003C/span\u003E: Is she concerned that current Government processes are stopping firearm owners who are trying to become legally licensed from actually being legally licensed?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022352134e1bceb47efab4462c37f0165b0\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, as I said, there are COVID-19-related delays. Also, with a new regime that was introduced with the new legislation, a more rigorous test is taken by police to make sure that people are fit and proper people to have a firearms licence. As I said, more staff are being brought on to try and process the applications that are currently on hand, and we hope that we are able to clear that as fast as possible. As I say, if people are concerned about the upcoming duck-shooting season, they are able to continue to undertake that practice if they are supervised by a current licence holder.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a3cfdff9b7545148da7cc7d8b12fb7e\u0022\u003ENicole McKee\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister consider providing temporary extensions for delayed licence applications, similar to what was done in response to COVID-19, to assist processing licences and participation of law-abiding owners in the roar; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002237c1cdab2e764028991b7418b1dde91a\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, I believe that question may be based on some legal advice that the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners have had recently. I would say to the member, though, that that type of measure is not possible, because the types of action taken as a response to COVID were narrow and are not available to the Minister at this stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b75eb0f43a5433486119ecbe4e33d47\u0022\u003ESimeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: When the Minister says that licence holders should apply well in advance, does the Minister mean that those licence holders whose licences expire next year should reapply now so they can take part in next year\u2019s roar or duck-shooting season?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002245c37de4271643b8bf917e4513cdd013\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I understand that those people who have to have their licence renewed get about four months\u2019 warning that their licence is coming up and needs to be renewed in that time frame. I understand there are some delays which are a little beyond that, but if they do want to take part, as I said, in the upcoming shooting season, they\u2019re most welcome to continue to do that if they do that with friends with a licence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002296084b7ff2464b6c8c75b2c8199270f6\u0022\u003ESpecial Debates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f56882012e724bbcb84e5f59bbd2da0f\u0022\u003ELocal Issues\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002224476dcfccec43c887ddc41cc607e601\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002224476dcfccec43c887ddc41cc607e601\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to a debate about local issues arranged by the Business Committee under Standing Order 80. I just want to say to members that I have had some people who have approached me asking to split calls. This is, however, a one-hour debate with a maximum time of five minutes, and there is therefore no reason for calls to be split.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022 data-id=\u00222bd9deeffaa14c89838622b0d9a8df17\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222bd9deeffaa14c89838622b0d9a8df17\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH (National):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Speaker, I want to highlight the failure of the Government in respect of the issue of first-home owners in the Nelson community, because what was advanced by the Government this week, rather than helping first-home owners, has actually resulted in taking them nowhere. On Tuesday, in the Government\u2019s housing announcement\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220cf3acd96514436ca574c8bc17e78393\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I\u2019m going to interrupt the member now, and make it clear to him that what was agreed at the Business Committee was that this was to be a debate on local issues, not on the effect on a particular area of a general Government policy. This is the only warning that the member is getting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d71ba9076fc242c691bacda2c284dc3b\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0a53298d4f44d6981017f1b4da3fd3b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A point of order, Chris Bishop, remembering this comes out of the debate time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd43d9303a5343f8927dd0e2c0a0e29b\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ll just make the point and ask you, as the debate goes on, we\u2019ve got 12 calls on this. It is somewhat tricky for members to raise genuinely local issues that do not have some impact on the Government, and I think Dr Smith was well within the bounds of raising what was agreed at Business Committee, around raising genuinely local issues, and the reality is sometimes those local issues will have an impact on the Government, and oftentimes the local issue will be asking the Government to do something.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002288a43017d13f4651829674ec18f1eda7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve indicated what the story is, and if that\u2019s what Dr Smith does, that\u2019s fine. Dr Smith.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad4b4081d70742ea922f8fc88c1b1bbb\u0022\u003EHon Dr NICK SMITH\u003C/span\u003E: The biggest issue in my home community is in terms of housing. And what we have seen in the last 12 months is a collapse in the number of people being able to access support under the first-home scheme for first-home owners. Let me give a moment of the background to the issue and to why it is so important. When the scheme was introduced on 1 April 2015, over 400 people living in Nelson and Tasman each year were able to access assistance with a grant of up to $20,000 to be able to buy a home. Now in 2015, the average price of a home was $380,000 and the house price cap, at that time, was $500,000. The great concern I have is that while 2,500 people in Nelson and Tasman have been able to buy a first home with that scheme established by National in 2015, the numbers last year plummeted. Last year, we saw a 40 percent decline. We saw in the Budget the amount of money set aside for assisting first-home owners in Nelson and Tasman decline by 40 percent and by over half a million dollars.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e978865e-57e5-41d6-a7f6-b49daae78630\u0022\u003ENow, would any member of this House reasonably think that Government reducing support for first-home buyers at this time was a reasonable thing? What is blatantly obvious is that with the huge 20 percent increase this year, a 16 percent increase on the previous year in house prices, the fastest rise ever\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d6991e1635d42f4b56b334d2c378a20\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Right, Order! Order! The member will resume his seat. I made it clear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022 data-id=\u00222f13e67cc933416aa6d5d7c9c7abb32a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222f13e67cc933416aa6d5d7c9c7abb32a\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019d like to take this short call to talk about my area of Rongotai, which is also the eastern suburbs of Wellington. It spans Miramar, it spans Island Bay, even into areas of Brooklyn, and including the mighty Chatham Islands. But what I\u2019d like to speak about today is the roadworks that are occurring around the eastern suburbs at the moment. At the moment, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) have started a seven-week upgrade on Ruahine Street, which is the main arterial route, State Highway 1, out of the Mount Vic tunnel towards the airport. It\u2019s been, and can be, extended at very short notice, including any closures that they want to do, or, in fact, any extensions of time that they want to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003ENow, having been living in the Rongotai district for some period of time now, and having four children belonging to the Wellington rugby club, it\u2019s actually quite imperative that they do do something about Ruahine Street, because trying to get out of those rugby grounds on a Saturday afternoon is a bit of trouble. However, one would say if you want to actually not go down Ruahine Street, go around Evans Bay. But the problem is that around Evans Bay Parade, there\u2019s roadworks, and if you want to get to the airport, you can only take these two main arterial routes, unless you\u2019re willing enough to go up over Mount Vic. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003ENow, once you get to the intersection at St Patrick\u2019s College, you then have the roadworks on Cobham Drive to deal with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f2f9fa2ce7949ecb5c01b20875834a7\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Now this is a local debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d40b2d6c07f48019eda4eaa5dfd1b85\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE\u003C/span\u003E: This is a very local issue. The route to Parliament, via the airport, when it\u2019s finished, will look great, but I expect there\u2019ll be quite a few MPs that will be missing flights because they\u2019re going to struggle to get there. So my question is why do we have two main arterial routes being operated on at the same time? Is it because NZTA and Wellington City Council don\u2019t know how to confer with each other, or is it because we don\u2019t have that many tourists coming through to use our airports? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EAt the end of it all, it\u2019s going to look nice, it\u2019s going to look great, and it\u2019s going to keep people safe\u2014it\u2019s going to allow multi-modal transport options\u2014but the thing is, it\u2019s not actually addressing the real issue that we have in Rongotai. We need a second tunnel. We need four lanes. We actually need to make sure that we prioritise that our politicians can get to the airport and get back in time in order to be in the House, and we can do this as long as we have the roads. So while we have cycle lanes and we\u2019ve got walkways, those that turn up at Wellington Airport are unlikely to pack their suitcases on the back of an e-bike and try and get into town. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EIt is more important because we also have the K\u0101piti airport closing down soon, which means we\u2019re going to have more and more people coming through Wellington Airport trying to get their way through all of these roadworks to hit the city. What we\u2019re seeing is huge delays in trying to get out of the Rongotai area and getting into the city. In fact, last week it took me 45 minutes to go from Hataitai to the motorway, and that\u2019s no more than 7 kilometres to get there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EThere is a paper due\u2014there is hope, because there is a paper due\u2014about getting Wellington moving. It\u2019s due in May\u2014due in May this year. But I have a fear that when it comes out, we\u2019re going to be waiting 10 years for the council and the Government to say, actually, yes, we do need to do something about the transport problem, and, you know, in fact, we do want people coming to the capital and visiting our city and not spending all of their time sitting in a car at traffic lights or at roadworks. The Government actually needs to back getting Wellington moving now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EIf we are going to prepare for e-vehicles, a suggestion I have if we don\u2019t push through a second tunnel is that we put battery stations all the way along State Highway 1 and Ruahine Street, because they\u2019re going to run out of battery while they sit and wait in the roadworks. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u0022e687c1f6ed8f4aed94442a0f1f20d063\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e687c1f6ed8f4aed94442a0f1f20d063\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I know my colleague Julie Anne Genter would love to get up and respond to that, but, instead, I am going to talk about the place I live, which is Porirua, in the mighty rohe of the mighty Ng\u0101ti Toa. Our harbour is the shining jewel of the entire coast, I would say, and T\u012Btahi Bay a mecca of surf call for this entire region. It\u2019s a stunning place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EBut ever since I\u2019ve become an MP, or even before, the health of our harbour has been an absolutely hot topic. There are people who remember supplementing their daily food with kai moana from the harbour. But now we\u2019re seeing the silt rise before our eyes. We\u2019re seeing people in waka ama get rashes from the pollution in the harbour. We are very rarely hearing of anyone who would dare to collect food from the harbour and eat it, and it is causing pain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EIn most recent years, T\u012Btahi Bay has regularly been closed for swimming because of contamination. There was recently a little nipper surf lifesaving event that got shut down when parents noticed faecal matter in the water with their kids. We\u2019ve heard of used toilet paper turning up on the streets in Mana. These things are all connected, because our water system is not coping with the increase in development, and the development and the projects have not protected the waterway from the runoff of the land. Half of our waste-water pipes are in poor or very poor condition. Honestly, it\u2019s a tragic situation for the jewel in our coast. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EPeople in the community have been raising concerns about this for years. The estimated cost of upgrading it is $1.8 billion, for a community with only 57,000 ratepayers. It\u2019s well beyond, I think, the entire total of what Government\u2019s indicated it might put into the three waters project. There\u2019s a sense of urgency in our community about doing this. Now there\u2019s a plan for a new, fancy 2,000-house development on the hills opposite Plimmerton, on the doorstep of a wetland, connected to a wetland system, that the Minister recently signed off after an external hearing panel through the streamlined Resource Management Act process that doesn\u2019t have appeal rights passed to him. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EIwi and council, I acknowledge, supported this application. I\u2019ve got to say, councils\u2014it feels as if there\u2019s a bit of a conflict of interest here, because they\u2019re desperately looking to expand their rating base\u2014right?\u2014with these challenges in front of them, and housing provides that option. But our harbour and our wetlands and the health of our environment are at stake from these developments. Iwi and council both said they supported it on condition of the monitoring and expert processes to protect against runoff and to be protective of our environment. But I sat through some of the hearings on this proposal, and what I heard was example after example, in our area, of monitoring and enforcement not being done, and that resulting in the harm that we are seeing around us. There\u2019s a huge amount at stake here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThere was a group of volunteers who have been helping rebuild Taup\u014D Swamp catchment, a really stunning place. They put in hundreds of hours. They put in their proposal to the hearing, opposing it with really clear reasons of concerns, lack of infrastructure around the lack of protection and monitoring from the runoff from new developments, particularly the model that\u2019s being proposed, and it wasn\u2019t reflected in the report. They wrote to the Minister to ask to be heard, to give their side, so he would get full evidence, but he chose not to meet with them and approved this, because there\u2019s so much pressure to get more housing. But we cannot provide more housing if it\u2019s going to take away the ecosystem that keeps us all alive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022 data-id=\u002292d54d62a4594fdaa738336f4ffbe730\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002292d54d62a4594fdaa738336f4ffbe730\u0022\u003EINGRID LEARY (Labour\u2014Taieri):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019d like to talk about ambulance wait times, particularly in rural electorates. Emergency workers talk about the \u201Cgolden hour\u201D, which is the critical time between when someone has an accident or gets injured and when they can receive medical treatment, and that is the hour that makes the difference, often, between life or death. We\u2019ve had a lot of press lately in the Otago Daily Times, and I\u2019ve had people come to me, as their MP, saying that they\u2019ve had accidents, they\u2019ve been waiting for up to 2\u00BD hours, sometimes ambulances don\u2019t come, and in 2013, in my electorate of Taieri\u2014in Kaitangita, which is a rural area\u2014we had a 69-year-old woman who died waiting for an ambulance for more than an hour and a half for a 12-minute ride. So that\u2019s causing a great deal of anxiety in my electorate. It is characterised by the fact we have a lot of seniors and a lot of disabled people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EIn fact, the first petition that I received for this House was from a constituent from Mosgiel called Pauline Latta, and she had had it signed by more than 50,000 people calling for full funding for St John Ambulance. Now, I commended that petition to the House, not because I agree that St John should be fully funded\u2014I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the answer\u2014but I do think that it drew attention to the issue of rural ambulance services and wait times. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EThey\u2019re not isolated incidents; they\u2019re becoming more and more frequent. Just recently a 91-year-old Balclutha woman was left lying in her garden after she cut herself. After numerous calls to the emergency services, she ended up having the police come and take her to a medical centre. And so that\u2019s really stressful, not only for her but for others who might find themselves in the same situation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, some people are saying that double-crewing and changes to St John crewing is the problem. In fact, I agree with the double-crewing changes which mean that emergency workers go out in pairs. We\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s best practice and that it\u2019s needed for safety, but it does have implications, and it\u2019s a bit complicated when it comes to crewing because you\u2019ve got paid workers and you\u2019ve got volunteer workers, and now you\u2019ve got the requirement for double crews. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ETo cut a long story short, what that has meant in my electorate is changes to Milton, Balclutha, and Lawrence. The very small community of Lawrence is feeling really anxious and undervalued because it fears it may lose its station, Balclutha has got changes to crewing, and in Milton, the changes have led to a petition signed by about 3,500 people, which is a lot of people for a really small, rural town. The scenario that could play out is, for example, if the two Balclutha ambulances were tied up on other calls, it could conceivably mean a six-hour round trip to get someone, say, from a road accident to Dunedin Hospital, or it could be that a volunteer may not be able to administer pain relief\u2014although I know St John are working on upskilling their volunteers\u2014and, as I said, it could mean that small stations like Lawrence would close. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ESo the reason for this pressure is there are more calls on St John. I\u2019m told by St John that they dispatch 440,000 ambulances per year and that that is increasing 3 percent per year annually, and I think that those reasons are also because of the stress on our primary healthcare system. So what is happening\u2014and I\u2019ve spoken to ambulance officers about this\u2014is that sometimes they\u2019re tying up emergency services by sending ambulances to people who have not been able to get on to a waiting list to see a doctor or it\u2019s taking five or six weeks, and so they end up going in an ambulance to the emergency department. Or they\u2019ve had a condition which was not an emergency, it didn\u2019t get medical attention in time, it has become an emergency, and so they need to rush to hospital.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ESo what are the solutions? Well, I don\u2019t think full funding is a solution. I can say that we have already increased funding to St John. So they\u2019re paid 72 percent by the Ministry of Health and ACC, and that was increased in 2020 to $46.36 million over four years. But I do think there\u2019s an appetite out there for some more funding to assist to get more paid staff, and I certainly know that we discussed this at the Labour conference last year. What I would like to see, as the MP for a mixed rural and urban area, is a bigger nuance in how we deal with ambulance services and, in fact, all medical services for our rural areas. I\u2019m delighted that our Minister of Health is pushing forward urgently the health reforms, and I just want to make sure that those communities\u2014seniors, disabled, and rural communities\u2014get their voices heard in this debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022 data-id=\u002275219dea98f1435687a101ec3fcb1922\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002275219dea98f1435687a101ec3fcb1922\u0022\u003EDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader\u2014Te Paati M\u0101ori):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. An issue that\u2019s come to us in Te Tai Hau\u0101uru is Te Atawhai o Te Ao released the W\u2019akatika report, completed by a lot of our Awa Whanganui wh\u0101nau: Dr R\u0101wiri Tinirau, Dr Cherryl Smith, Sister Makareta, and a few others. A lot of the survey refers to the fact that 93 percent of M\u0101ori are receiving and are affected negatively by racism. This is in the backdrop of us receiving news today that 50 percent of what our counter-terrorism are dealing with is actually white supremacy. Where it comes to at a local level for us is that here we\u2019re imploring, and, in fact, lobbying, that \u201CWhere are we as part of helping our local communities that are dealing with racism?\u201D M\u0101ori wards we heard from this House referred to as apartheid. We actually heard other leaders here saying to stop talking about racism all the time, but for us locally as M\u0101ori, it\u2019s become a real issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EWe had recently a horrible example in K\u0101piti Coast District Council, where one of our kura from \u014Ctaki, Te Kura Kaupapa M\u0101ori o Te Rito, experienced some of the most horrific racism that children should never ever have to have. They were there enjoying and sharing their culture, their haka, and actually got put down by some of those who are well-known in the lobbying group for National Front white supremacists, saying, \u201CWhy do we have to listen to this monkey language?\u201D This is something that I bring to this House\u2014and you know how I feel about the monsters on the walls\u2014and that we on the floor have the opportunity to be part of resolving. What we have seen is in fact a disease of racism being spread to our tamariki that should never ever be spread to anyone generally. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EIn fact, what we are saying is, at a local level, if you read this report, they are talking about some of the solutions. One is acknowledging and not denying that this is something that we contend with\u2014certainly, leaders should never deny that in this House\u2014and also talking about some of our children that are experiencing the harmful brunt of racism at a young age and that all children should be learning about anti-racism\u2014in fact, some of our adults should be learning it as well\u2014at a young age, and what we can do in this House to de-weaponise racism and stop, effectively, what our children, who we\u2019ve been here to protect, in Aotearoa should not be contending with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EWhat we really want to do is highlight the aspects of the racism and where it comes from, and what we in Government can do to stop it, whether it be police profiling, whether it be spy agencies that are sitting there focusing on kaupapa that has suddenly become about M\u0101ori gangs where, effectively, the worst issue was with our white supremacy and our white gangs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c3d94ec3ea04913ada9cb0e62e164c6\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022968c7bbbcc8743269ec32f95a44a7871\u0022\u003EDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER\u003C/span\u003E: Look, the other part of it too\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249716a79a6b74514a830d3c887d4bb17\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I am now going to ask the member to narrow back to the local. She\u2019s made a couple of local references within a very general speech. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d4c2e31c4d04868a19ce539fb1257f9\u0022\u003EDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER\u003C/span\u003E: Sure. So one of the things that we have done, in talking to the school and talking to the kaiako and the rangatahi, is actually imploring to tono to them to come here and to meet some of us and to actually see what it is that we are doing in the House to actually stop racism, and how we work together. The other thing is we want to give them great experiences of leadership and show by example in this House. So we are imploring\u2014there is a local aspect to this, Mr Speaker\u2014that we in fact are seen as leading a different culture and, in fact, showing how we are all responsible for bringing about a better resolve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EThe other part of this, too, is being able to come across what the report\u2014and I do implore that everyone that hasn\u2019t got a copy of W\u2019akatika do get a copy of it. We have some in Te Paati M\u0101ori corridor. What I do want to be able to talk to, through you, Mr Speaker, is the fact that we are in an amazing time in 2021 where we can bring about some effective change, where we can be absolutely championing and be relevant to our rangatahi. I do ask that if there is anyone here that is part of the \u014Ctaki community, part of our Whanganui Awa community, part of our Taranaki community that are contending with the aftermath of the racism that they\u2019ve had to experience\u2014and that can be such as the Hobson\u2019s Pledge\u2014we actually work together to lead by example and show what we can do in this House. Kia ora koutou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022 data-id=\u0022615a68e6a462415898543abca595053e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022615a68e6a462415898543abca595053e\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. In 1995, when the Tauranga City population reached 80,000, the second emergency department was opened: Tauranga accident and emergency on Second Avenue. Fast forward to 2021, our population is 155,000; the population of P\u0101p\u0101moa, a critical, key part of my electorate, is close to 30,000; and Tauranga City still has their emergency department and one other accident and emergency centre. Hamilton City has 170,000 people, an emergency department and three other accident and emergency after-hour care facilities. Tauranga remains with its single one, despite the fact that the population of my city has almost doubled in that time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EWe have 5,000 local P\u0101p\u0101moa residents who have signed a petition asking for a new accident and emergency centre in P\u0101p\u0101moa. It is expected that the residential area of P\u0101p\u0101moa will become as large as the city of Nelson. It is seriously under-invested for people\u2014particularly older people, but also younger parents with young kids\u2014who, after 5 o\u2019clock at night, need to get to a doctor. In a P\u0101p\u0101moa context, they\u2019ve got to hop in the car and travel 45 minutes to get to the accident and emergency centre in Tauranga Hospital, and this is a community of 150,000 people in the wider city and over 30,000 people in P\u0101p\u0101moa. This is simply not good enough. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EThe community of P\u0101p\u0101moa deserves after-hours healthcare resources that can assist elderly people, younger people with families, and the community after 5 o\u2019clock at night. I think it is a fair request. It talks to a view that I have seen in this growing community that there\u2019s been a lot of focus from the local council to ensure that the houses get put up\u2014very much after the population turns up\u2014but there is very little amenity. Quite frankly, my community deserves more than this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003EIn the spirit of this debate, I will yield now for another 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=\u00229f9184bf23c7439ab451617cfb50f002\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229f9184bf23c7439ab451617cfb50f002\u0022\u003EGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s a great opportunity to be able to stand here as the elected member for Hutt South and fight for the Flyer. The Flyer, if you\u2019re not from the Hutt area, or even the Wellington region, is the incredibly valuable bus service that used to run from Lower Hutt out to the airport. Unfortunately, that service no longer exists. But due to a strong local campaign, over 2,100 submissions were provided, and I must say, too, both local MPs\u2014the list MP and the constituent MP\u2014have both been working very well together on this one because we recognise across the board, no matter what party you\u2019re from, that this is a good service to have. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a good service, and the people of the Hutt deserve this service because, through their rates, they pay for it. Through their rates, they pay each year for public transport. So I ask you, Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Hutt South, how is it fair if you pay your rates each year but only the Wellingtonians get to receive the benefit of an airport bus service. That does not seem fair to those people in the outer regions of the Wellington area. So that is why we need to have it funded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s also important for accessibility. So many times, if you\u2019re expected to travel from, say, Wainui\u014Dmata to the train station to catch the train into Wellington and then get a bus from the Wellington train station to the airport, that\u2019s four changes\u2014four changes. If you are someone with accessibility issues, if you are someone over 65, if you are a mum or a dad with a buggy and a couple of bags, that changeover each time is virtually impossible. So what has been made through this taking away of this service is the fact that it is making air travel less accessible to those people who cannot afford an Uber, who cannot afford a taxi, and so that is why we need it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s unpick this a little bit, because it\u2019s all very well and good to be the local MP and stand up and say that we want to fund a service, but when we unpick the reason why the Hutt Valley Airport Flyer is not operating, it actually goes right back to the bottom of PTOM, or what was introduced back in 2013 by the then National Government, which was the Public Transport Operating Model, and that model was actually to increase the commerciality and reduce the amount of Government spending in public transport. But in that model that was introduced, I think, by Steven Joyce back in the day, it actually had some unintended consequences, and one of those unintended consequences was to drive down wages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EFrom my point of view, part of the crisis that we saw in public transport\u2014particularly around bus drivers and their wages and conditions in the whole Wellington region over the last few years\u2014is a direct result of that PTOM, because what happens is it\u2019s a race to the bottom. It\u2019s a race to the bottom for contractors, who then cherry-pick the most economically viable routes, and guess what? The Flyer route from the Hutt Valley to the airport was not perceived as being as economically viable, and so that is the one where people are failing to get a public service. That is where we need to be looking at a better model for the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s heartening to see that Minister Wood, as the Minister of Transport now, has earlier this month indicated that he would look at changing that PTOM, and it\u2019s under review, as obviously\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=\u0022b3505a7c737e48ce829f84e311555520\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3505a7c737e48ce829f84e311555520\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! I\u2019m going to terminate the member\u2019s speech because she has recently gone well away from the local. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022 data-id=\u00223062b962faaa4b0da4d73151f6025fce\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223062b962faaa4b0da4d73151f6025fce\u0022\u003ESIMON WATTS (National\u2014North Shore):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I know that every member of the Parliament will be slightly biased, but I must say, as the member for North Shore, that it is a very beautiful and stunning place. Our beautiful beaches, our business community\u2014life is good but could be so much better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EToday, I\u2019d like to talk to you about Lake Road. Lake Road is a key arterial route in and out of Devonport peninsula. It is a road that is a key connection for the people of the North Shore to get into Auckland City and around the wider North Shore. Some 32,000 people every day use this road, so it is a road that is significant. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003ELook, congestion on this road is not unique to this road; it is an issue across Auckland. But particularly for the people that live on the North Shore, congestion on Lake Road is a significant factor. Auckland Transport has spent the last two years, and over $2 million, doing an assessment of options around solutions for this problem. However, what is frustrating is even though the solutions are available, the funding has not been made available to them. Some of the solutions that have been raised because of the lack of funding really only address the symptoms but not the true root cause of this problem. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EWhat I can say is that in terms of the solutions, we must deal with the growth that we are seeing across my electorate in the areas of Belmont, Bayswater, and Devonport, and therefore the solution needs to be sustainable and one that does consider and cater for future generations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThis project needs to be done once and done properly. We cannot afford to have band-aid solutions put in place in order to fix it, and the reason why I bring it to the House is because we need action and not more talk on this issue. Over the last year, and with all the particular lockdowns, our business community has struggled, as have many of our families, and I know more and more people are looking for opportunities to avoid the challenges that come with congestion. They don\u2019t want to be sitting in their cars for so much time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003ETragically, Lake Road is also a dangerous road. In the last fortnight, it was highlighted when we had the death of a cyclist who was actually cycling in the cycle lane. That tragic passing has spotlighted on us the importance of coming up with a solution. To that person\u2019s family, we grieve for the senseless loss of that man, and I know I speak for the whole of the North Shore when I raise that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThere have been 28 serious crashes in the last 10 years on that road, 10 of them involving pedestrians and cyclists. This road has got a number of dangerous areas. There are three major schools on this road, Takapuna Grammar, Belmont Intermediate, Belmont Primary. This affects the families of all the people who live in this part of the Shore, whether it\u2019s getting your kids to school, whether it\u2019s driving to or from work\u2014people are spending more time in this traffic and less time on the things that really matter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EWe have to get travel times down, and there\u2019s no longer time to wait. We need to get solutions in place to deal with this issue. We need to expand the capacity of Lake Road. We need to ensure that we can cater for high-capacity public transport, and we need to make sure that that is put in place fast. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThis is a road that has national significance, and deserves to be treated as such. Auckland Transport and local government alone do not have the resources that deal with this problem. We need intervention at central government on this issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe Hon Michael Wood, Minister of Transport, how about you come for a visit to the North Shore? You and I could go for a drive down Lake Road, and I can show you myself what the desperate problem is and the need that we have within our community. Now is the time for action. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022 data-id=\u0022b762b528e12f404f8a41d1a238416dd7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b762b528e12f404f8a41d1a238416dd7\u0022\u003EKAREN CHHOUR (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have major concern about the quality and safety and value for money in Auckland Transport (AT) road renewal works in the Upper Harbour - Unsworth Heights area. This work is delivered by Auckland Transport and their contractors, funded partly by ratepayers and partly by taxpayers via the New Zealand Transport Agency. Many residents believe the work is simply not necessary, as the existing asphalt surface is fine. Twenty years ago, when the housing area was developed, the developers were required to lay asphalt, but now AT are laying chip seal in these very lovely residential areas. It appears the work is done to a very poor standard and is already failing in many locations. AT have failed to manage quality and safety and have not delivered value for money with these works. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EIt has been brought to my attention over the last few months that many residents are not happy with AT\u2019s performance. In my area, it seems a very high percentage of roads have been selected for resealing, much to the confusion of the residents living in said streets, who don\u2019t see the need for the work. They are not happy with the safety issues from loose chip. They are not happy with the bitumen\u2014road tar, as I know it\u2014melting and being tracked into their homes, and they are not happy with the apparent waste of money. While this is not my area of expertise, I have listened to the residents\u2019 concerns and looked into the issue. I found that AT made a decision in 2014 that would adapt a policy to downgrade all suburban roads from asphalt to chip seal where they carry less than 10,000 vehicles a day. This would include most Auckland residential streets. This sounds good in theory because, as I\u2019ve been told, the chip seal is a quarter of the price of asphalt. But upon investigation, it appears the other costs may outweigh the savings. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve seen comments from multiple sources\u2014including media articles and social media, as well as in person\u2014where the people are expressing their concern from many angles. The roads are noisier. There seems to be loose chip for months and, in some cases, up to two years after the work is complete. There\u2019s injuries from slipping and falling on the loose stones. Cyclists have stated that it\u2019s dangerous, as stone chips are being flicked at them from passing cars. Stone chips collect on the side of the road, where they are trying to ride. Children can no longer play on their scooters and bikes and skateboards, as they come to abrupt stops when hitting the loose stone. Parents have noted that kids are getting hit by loose stone when walking to school. It gathers in driveways and in the grass. Mowing lawns is no longer safe, with reports of broken windows from flying stones. There are many complaints about chipped or broken windscreens and paint damage to cars. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EAnother common problem is stones getting stuck in the car disk brakes, scratching the disks, which means they have to be skimmed, at some cost. One expensive event of damage was a brake pad sensor, costing around $200 to repair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EIn a time when people are struggling to pay their bills and feed their children, the added pressure when these kinds of costs hit them are enormous and must not be swept under the carpet any longer. Residents are asking if this is safe for their environment when stones are being washed down the stormwater system. Will this cause issues in the winter months by clogging the pipes and causing flooding? How much of this is going out to sea? A petition has been started and has 1,600 signatures and climbing. I am asking for AT to look into the quality, safety, and value for money issues and report back to our community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u002225016f4eb82445fa8b413d64f566daa1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002225016f4eb82445fa8b413d64f566daa1\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019d just like to talk today about Te Ara Tupua. Now, this is something that actually every member in this House and anyone who works in Wellington is going to actually enjoy, even though it\u2019s highly pertinent to my \u014Ch\u0101riu electorate. Because my \u014Ch\u0101riu electorate, each of you here, if you come into Wellington you\u2019ll fly over it. You\u2019ll see the mighty Mount Kaukau reaching into the sky. On your left you\u2019ll see the mighty Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington Harbour. But if you look down, you\u2019ll see a piece of road between P\u0113tone and Ngauranga Gorge which is a very long neglected part of Wellington\u2014neglected, on behalf of my own electorate, because it means in an electorate that has 17 kilometres of coastline, there is actually no access for any of my electorate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo those who\u2019ve lived in Wellington a long time will be used to coming down Ngauranga Gorge. They\u2019ll remember the blood from the Ngauranga freezing works sort of delta\u2019ing out into the harbour. They reckon the eels there were so big at one stage that they made the Loch Ness monster look like a whitebait. But those days have gone as have the days of going out towards P\u0113tone, where even a heavy dew would bring a great swathe of dirt into the harbour\u2014again, greying the harbour. Those days have gone, but still, if you drive that stretch of road, it\u2019s, as we would say, a piece of coastline only a mother could love. The road is obscured from the sea where often there\u2019s fish out there, there\u2019s birdlife. Those on the rail line reading their papers can actually look out and get a good view, but nobody has access to what is actually a very nice piece of coastline.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019d like to speak about something very positive today, which is there\u2019s going to be actually a boardway access there that\u2019s going to be built. It\u2019s going to be multi-purpose. It\u2019s going to actually ensure that as global warming and rising sea levels affect us, there\u2019ll be a bigger barrier, which will save the rail, ensure that we have that rail access. Again, that piece of coastline\u2014in fact, in the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake it rose one metre. That could perhaps be why it\u2019s been ignored for so long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EBut we now have Te Ara Tupua, which is going to be a shared pathway, and it\u2019s going to be more than a cycleway, more than just somewhere where people can walk. It\u2019s actually going to give access to the harbour. There\u2019s going to be islands off there. It\u2019s going to be something that even those in the House here who maybe often enjoy Wellington Harbour on the rare time they\u2019re able to escape from this House\u2014it will actually increase access there, right around to P\u0113tone. And I know, Mr Speaker, you yourself are often a user of that route, and you may stop every so often and enjoy the ambience of that new route that will happen. So this is a joint initiative between Waka Kotahi, Hutt City Council, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, and the Taranaki Wh\u0101nui, and also, of course, KiwiRail. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve noticed with these speeches today that there\u2019s been a lot of negativity, a lot of those who are pointing out the terrible things about their electorates, their regional areas, but this is one here\u2014I\u2019d just like to brighten the debate perhaps on a Thursday afternoon and say, \u201CGood things can and are happening.\u201D, and that this is something that is a long neglected part of Wellington. It will actually join up\u2014and, again, it will benefit many around Wellington. For those who know Wellington, Red Rocks right through to Pencarrow there\u2019ll be a cycleway, and this will complete that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo again, as we found through COVID, look after the people, the health of the people, and everything else will follow. This is, again, something that at a time in Wellington is looking\u2014we\u2019ve heard those talking about \u201CLet\u2019s get Wellington moving\u201D\u2014a bit of negativity. This is something that is going to be very positive, something that certainly those in my electorate, those young people particularly who like to catch a fish, like to get out of the electorate, get down there and enjoy that magnificent Wellington Harbour will now have the opportunity to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019d just like, in the time left to me, just to reflect, on the joy of a Thursday afternoon, on behalf of the great \u014Ch\u0101riu electorate, that one thing that will result from this will be access to our waterfront at a time when the world is rediscovering its water. My fine \u014Ch\u0101riu electorate is now joining that trend. We\u2019re going to be able to discover our water and enjoy that magnificent piece of water out there\u2014Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington Harbour. So thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of my electorate here, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u0022156f0753525a4b7d96aad85ac68dc40f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022156f0753525a4b7d96aad85ac68dc40f\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Could I begin by wishing the member for Taieri all the best for solving the ambulance issue in South Otago, and I trust that she will join me in keeping the Government\u2019s feet to the flames on the issue that I want to talk about. Four years ago next month, the previous Government approved the indicative business plan for the complete rebuild of Dunedin Hospital. The options included renovating what was already there; we decided not do that, the best thing to do was to completely rebuild it. Our preference was for it to be in the centre of the city and near the University of Otago. I have to say that that decision was made under some pretty fierce pressure from locals led by Labour Party members like David Benson-Pope and the local MPs, David Clark and Clare Curran. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ENow, David Clark petitioned this House to get the previous Government to commence Dunedin Hospital by the time of the 2017 general election. I\u2019m paraphrasing but I recall Ms Leary\u2019s predecessor, Clare Curran, saying, \u201CWell, you know what? We have built quite a few hospitals in New Zealand. We know what we\u2019re doing. We should just get on with it.\u201D Well, four years later, the detailed business case still has not been approved by Cabinet. Four long years, and the good people of the South are still waiting to know when their hospital build is going to commence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ESix weeks before the last election, in 2020, Cabinet did an extraordinary thing. It approved the detailed business case for Dunedin Hospital in principle. Now, as far as I can tell, that is unprecedented, because a detailed business case in principle is called an indicative business case, and that had been approved four years earlier\u2014three and a half years earlier at that point. I\u2019m pretty sure that announcement was a way of inoculating the people of the South, keeping them quiet during the election campaign, and giving the impression that more progress was being made on Dunedin Hospital than what was actually being made. My sources are telling me that there is a huge battle going on in the background between Treasury, the Ministry of Health, and probably Cabinet on the scope, size, and cost of the rebuild of Dunedin Hospital. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EWe had public meetings, about 18 months ago, where the partnership chair for the rebuild, the Hon Pete Hodgson, talked about the number of beds in the hospital being more than we currently had, but not as much as what would be required if we simply extrapolated our population growth and ageing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EWell, I received some information from the Minister of Health yesterday, which talks about the proposed number of beds for the complete rebuild, and it makes for startling reading. Now, firstly, there are more intensive care and emergency department beds, and that will remove a bottleneck at the entry to the system, but the bottle itself isn\u2019t getting bigger. There are very few extra beds from what we currently have. And I know from experience that what we currently have is fewer than what we used to have. And in respect of the children\u2019s ward, the paediatric ward, it is going to be smaller, not bigger. None of this has been revealed to the people of the South, and I think they need to know that the hospital build is not going to be materially larger than what we need, and we already have significant capacity constraints in servicing the needs of the people from the Waitaki south.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EFrankly, I would have thought that in the face of that, the local MPs would have been banging on the door of the Minister of Health. Well, I now know, thanks to what Mr Little has told me, that Dr Clark, Ingrid Leary, Rachel Brooking, and Invercargill-based MP Liz Craig have not made a single approach to Andrew Little since he became Minister of Health.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221028983b53e64ac6a9e7390bad2567aa\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Not one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002216d6c57ef6c9435cbf76926453abde39\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: Not one. No meetings, no emails, no letters, and no correspondence into the Minister\u2019s office about this very important issue. Now, the Minister himself did spend a day on 11 December\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e21b184e68f24a0ea16cc2a2deee4433\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I have made submissions on the Dunedin Hospital; verbal submissions to the Minister of Health.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257391322298d481981beb4faba97058b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! The member will resume her seat. That is not quite a point of order. I know the member is a new member, but that is the sort of thing which could possibly be taken up in the debate or by way of a personal explanation. She has, I think, effectively, done that, albeit in an inappropriate way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a90d3eb43c8f495ca24985ec44bc66ec\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I look forward to Ingrid Leary and her Labour Party colleagues joining me in keeping this Government\u2019s feet to the flames and finding out when, how big, and how much Dunedin Hospital is going to be rebuilt by. Because I know that if this had been a National Government that had dragged the chain for three and a half years, the good people of the South would be being led by those Labour MPs into marching in the streets. That is exactly what they should be doing now and making sure that the Government does the right thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022 data-id=\u002272b87ef7091141e9a8971ccd92955f11\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002272b87ef7091141e9a8971ccd92955f11\u0022\u003ETERISA NGOBI (Labour\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is a real privilege and honour to take a call and be able to talanoa, talk about, the beautiful and mighty \u014Ctaki electorate, and while it\u2019s really hard to highlight just one positive thing\u2014because that\u2019s what we do in the \u014Ctaki electorate; we only do positive\u2014there are so many things. We\u2019ve got the Paraparaumu Kaibosh, which makes sure that food waste doesn\u2019t go into landfill. We\u2019ve got the Waikanae River, which is an iwi-led initiative thanks to the $8.5 million of the Jobs for Nature fund. We\u2019ve got the \u014Ctaki M\u0101oriland Film Festival, which is indigenous films and is happening right now, up until 28 March. So, if you haven\u2019t been along, please come along and have a look at one of those films in \u014Ctaki. And then, of course, there is the shovel-ready funding that allowed for the first phase of the Foxton River Loop Reserve. But today, Mr Speaker, I would like to talk to you and the House about the Free Tongan Church upgrade on Bruce Road in Levin.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003EThe Free Tongan Church was one of three churches that received\u2014altogether it was $1.5 million of the $9.5 million that the Minister for Pacific Peoples, the Hon Aupito William Sio, closely and very strongly supported by the Minister of Finance, the Hon Grant Robertson, initiated for 27 churches, and our \u014Ctaki electorate, in Levin, got three churches done from that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002295945ace-51e8-4dbc-a0e3-c19f4ed99ed9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e47d5b7834cf43c7b40fe01c87b5a5a9\u0022\u003EAnahila Kanongata\u2019a-Suisuiki\u003C/span\u003E: Malo \u014Ctaki.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225636e01965a4bd9ba346728db6b51c5\u0022\u003ETERISA NGOBI\u003C/span\u003E: Malo \u014Ctaki, yes. And those other churches, just to name them, were EFKS and also Samoan Methodist Church. So the Free Tongan Church received $461,000 of that, which they are really grateful for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003EI had the opportunity to go there on Monday with some of my parliamentary colleagues just to see what this church looked like to now. I\u2019ve been really honoured and privileged to also know Saane Tovo, who, along with her recently deceased husband, Laukau Pouli Tovo\u2014I hope that pronunciation is right\u2014over some 40 years ago founded the Free Tongan Church in Levin. I had seen what it looked like previously, about three or four years ago, and it was run down and you\u2019d need a few jackets to go in there. It was pretty, pretty poorly. We walked in to have a look, and the builders stopped and allowed us in\u2014so it\u2019s not quite finished\u2014but I can\u2019t put into words the emotion and mauri that you felt as soon as you walked in with that Tongan community, Saane Tovo and the rest of the congregation there. It was beautiful. It was emotional, and I can\u2019t, like I said, put it into words.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003EThere were kids running around so excited\u2014and, again, the church is not even finished. They were so excited that they were running around hugging everybody. They even hugged me and my parliamentary colleagues. They don\u2019t even know us but they were super-excited about being able to go into a really warm, dry church. Also there was a moment when I saw Saane hugging\u2014if I get that name right\u2014another leader in that area. There was just a moment where we all saw them come together and they hugged and they cried, and I can tell you there was not a dry eye in that church. Even the builders were there crying. It was absolutely beautiful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003ESo I just wanted to also say that this isn\u2019t about investing in a church or a building. This is more than that for that Tongan community. This is more than that for Saane Tovo and the Tongan community of that congregation. This is about having a warm, dry space for them to come together not just to worship but to educate their children, to make sure that their language stays alive, to make sure their traditions stay alive, to invite other people that are non-Tongan in as well to educate them around the Tongan community. So that $461,000 that was invested was not just invested into a building; it was invested into a community\u2014it was invested into a community outside of the cities, a community that\u2019s regional, that doesn\u2019t ask for a lot but are so grateful for that little bit that they got. So, again, thank you to the Ministers but to this Government for looking outside and making sure all diverse communities are included and accounted and supported. M\u0101l\u014D \u2018aupito.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022 data-id=\u00223d311959bc97413c9937e34798435ec3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223d311959bc97413c9937e34798435ec3\u0022\u003ECHL\u00D6E SWARBRICK (Green\u2014Auckland Central):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai, t\u0113n\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou e te Whare. I\u2019ve had the absolute privilege since this past election to represent my home of Auckland Central, and in this debate today, in my contribution, I want to discuss a really pertinent issue. People probably know that Auckland Central contains the city centre, the city. We\u2019re reaching out from Herne Bay across Ponsonby, we go all the way back up to Newton and Eden Terrace, stretching across Grafton, bordering on Parnell, close to my friends here in the ACT Party. But we also extend across the Waitemat\u0101, across to Waiheke and Aotea / Great Barrier, and a number of other amazing islands therein.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EThe thing that connects all of Auckland Central is that Waitemat\u0101, and I\u2019m sure you\u2019re probably aware that, over the past few months, the Waitemat\u0101 has played host to a big old boat race. Now, that big old boat race is something that has seen the engagement of the team of 5 million. It\u2019s seen an immense amount of skill on display with Peter Burling and the rest of Team New Zealand. We\u2019ve seen New Zealanders engaged by virtue of the investments of New Zealand On Air and obviously the Government making sure that this is free to air. We\u2019ve seen coordination from local and central Government to ensure that infrastructure was there for folks to be able to engage. And, if I may make the point, this big old boat race managed to engage people across demographics, even folks like a grizzled Greenpeace activist, who took me out on to T\u012Bkapa Moana to join a flotilla for Mauri o te Moana, who was telling me all about the wonders of the technological advancement that that investment in the America\u2019s Cup had provided. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ENow when it comes to the Waitemat\u0101, we saw what happens above the waves. We saw how beautiful it is across the Hauraki. But what we did not see on that televised, beautiful, and obviously incredibly successful race, was what happens below the waves, where we are seeing ecological collapse. I want to draw a parallel between what led to the success of Team New Zealand, because I\u2019m often thinking about the quote, \u201CLuck is what happens when preparation meets circumstance.\u201D In a situation like that race, it took all of that preparation, from the team, from Aucklanders, from the rest of New Zealand, from Auckland Council, from ATEED\u2014now Auckland Unlimited\u2014and all of that investment to create that preparation. But the circumstances could have changed with something as literal as the wind deciding to blow in a different direction. We could apply that same methodology of preparation being necessary to achieve success, to the ecosystem below those waves in T\u012Bkapa Moana. We\u2019ve had the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act for over 20 years in this country, and in the time that we have had the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act in place, we have seen only 0.3 percent of the Hauraki Gulf be protected. International experts\u2014and domestic experts and researchers as well\u2014alongside those engaged in m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori tell us that we need to protect at least 30 percent of that national taonga if we want to be climate resilient, but if we also want to make sure that that biodiversity is not lost for ever. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EIn line with other contributions from, particularly, the Government side of the House, I don\u2019t want to paint a picture that it\u2019s all doom and gloom, because there is, in fact, some immense leadership that is under way from those in the community. We have, for example, off the coast of Aotea some pretty nasty stuff happening in the form of dumping. But we\u2019ve seen local mana whenua\u2014particularly organised by Kelly Klink, who is a formidable force of a wahine toa\u2014standing up to take Auckland Council and Ports of Auckland through the legal system. We\u2019ve also seen Ng\u0101ti Paoa issue a r\u0101hui for one kilometre off of Waiheke Island to protect four taonga species, four signal species, for the health of T\u012Bkapa Moana. And what we have in all of this is a recipe to unstick the process that has seen us issue report after report after report and watch decline. That is the key to success in m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori. That is the key to success in planning and executing it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022124d5769b9374551a0299fea3c462dd1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022124d5769b9374551a0299fea3c462dd1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Simon Court\u2014a very short call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022 data-id=\u00222aaaabc3f81b4e95be35cf593e1517c7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222aaaabc3f81b4e95be35cf593e1517c7\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m here today to talk about water quality issues in Te Wai o Pareira / Henderson Creek in my home suburb of Te Atat\u016B, my electorate of Te Atat\u016B. This is an awa which is heavily used by recreational organisations: Multisport, Waka Ama, Waitemat\u0101 rowing, the Kenley Water Ski Club, Sea Scouts, and, just downstream, the Taikata Sailing Club. What I\u2019m asking for is urgent action from Auckland Council to monitor the water and measure the water quality right now, to put that data on their Auckland Council Safeswim website, and I\u2019m also asking Watercare, the council-controlled organisation that has responsibility for managing waste-water networks, to carry out urgent improvements to the waste-water network to fix these regular overflows from their network that make recreational use extremely dangerous for those users. There are very large diameter pipes that collect waste water on the transmission network from Upper Harbour and from other parts of West Auckland, and they all end up at a low point right by these clubs and the boat ramp at Taipari Strand. There are regular waste-water overflows. There are landfill discharges\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=\u00224fa1ed101cfc4f589b5ae156ee7b399d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224fa1ed101cfc4f589b5ae156ee7b399d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The time for this debate has expired.\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=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220b10a331838f4cd0996a1a3f3c887e31\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002259e8410eb6034248b0af8dc8fa31808b\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u00222aefe23c8f8a435b963517ae784a0178\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222aefe23c8f8a435b963517ae784a0178\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister for M\u0101ori Development) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I move the local government rating of whenua amendment bill now be read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202a610e6f89a47e5b96346e4bb2c9f95\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: All right. That\u2019s not quite what the drill sheet that I have says.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222587f663f5ea4a53856f7203300929af\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Apologies, Mr Speaker. I present a legislative statement on the Local Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a01c420dc6e14cdea1e50e85dd7c1c18\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022181fc33795cc4430894538978d3cc0fc\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I move, That the Local Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ETuatahi e tika ana ki te poroporoaki ki te wahine toa a Annie Aranui. N\u014D reira moe mai r\u0101 e te m\u0101reikura. Piki atu i te ara poutama ki waenganui i \u014D t\u012Bp\u016Bna okioki ai. N\u014D reira e te tuahine ahakoa kua haere koe, ka noho t\u0113tahi w\u0101hi \u014Du ki waenganui i a m\u0101tou. N\u014D reira e te tuatahi moe mai, moe mai, moe mai r\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E[Firstly, it is only correct that I farewell a strong woman, Annie Aranui. Rest in peace, oh noble woman. Ascend the stairway to heaven and rest amongst your ancestors. Thus, oh lady, leave us with the knowledge that a part of you will remain amongst us. So, you pioneer, rest, rest, rest in peace.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI pay tribute, first of all, to a lady who died earlier in the week, Annie Aranui, a huge supporter of this kaupapa and one of our regional commissioners for the Ministry of Social Development. She has played a part in advancing the kaupapa in terms of M\u0101ori in Kahungunu, particularly with this type of legislation, and supporting young M\u0101ori. Also today I speak on behalf of the local body Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, who has got business but asked me to support, and tautoko, and I\u2019m happy to do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI was shocked and surprised to find out that the law relating to rating M\u0101ori land is largely unchanged since 1924, apart from the prohibition on selling M\u0101ori land for unpaid rates, which was passed in 1968. Nothing has changed in almost 100 years, so change is long overdue. So I\u2019m proud that as a Government we\u2019ve been able to remedy the situation and bring the rating law for M\u0101ori back into the 21st century.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe bill sits in the wider context that this Government is enabling M\u0101ori land owners to develop and benefit from their land, where they wish to do so. I\u2019ve been involved myself in the ture whenua, and we have deliberately tried to open up access for M\u0101ori who have been at times crippled with all the different landowners in terms of M\u0101ori land. So the opening up, in terms of ture whenua, has been an integral part of the work that we are doing as M\u0101ori Ministers and in terms of opening up whenua. We\u2019ve previously legislated to improve the operation of the M\u0101ori Land Court, and this has certainly helped in terms of our M\u0101ori communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe bill is also very important in terms of local authorities. We are delighted that no local authorities have submitted against the bill. While, nationally, we\u2019ve been on a long journey to improve M\u0101ori Crown relations, local authorities are also walking their journey with iwi and hap\u016B, as we come together. This bill removes some of the obstacles so that we can enjoy that journey in terms of M\u0101ori and local authorities working together.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EFor too long, rates have framed M\u0101ori land as a problem for local authorities rather than an opportunity, and for too long, M\u0101ori attitudes to their local authority have been framed by pressures to pay rates on land, from which they derive no economic benefit. This has resulted in M\u0101ori keeping their distance from local authorities rather than engaging with local authorities to see what can be achieved in partnership with each other.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ENow, this bill removes a loophole which allows M\u0101ori land that was arbitrarily reclassified as general land in the late 1960s from being sold by local authority - abandoned land or rating sales. While the number of such sales are small, they continue to this day, and it\u2019s not acceptable in this era for this practice to continue. It also gives authority for chief executives to write off rates that in their opinion\u2014his or her opinion\u2014cannot reasonably be recovered. The Commissioner of Inland Revenue has long had this power in respect of Crown taxes, but for some reason, no similar power has been available in respect of rates. The lack of this power has led to the level of rates arrears on M\u0101ori land being substantially distorted in public reports. An original debt of $1,000 becomes $3,500 before it is statute barred for collection, under the rating Act, at which point local authorities then write the debt off.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EPublic reports of the level of rates outstanding on M\u0101ori land give quite a false impression of the amount of rates unpaid, because the majority of the outstanding amount is penalties, not the rates that have been originally assessed. Sensible use of this power by local authority chief executives can do much in terms of improving the relationships between M\u0101ori and authorities. We\u2019re looking forward to seeing how those relationships pan out, because there has been a level of resentment from M\u0101ori in this area, who have felt prejudiced by the different authorities. But we think that this bill opens up the opportunity for those relationships to become a lot healthier.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe bill makes unused M\u0101ori land non-rateable. Much M\u0101ori land is inaccessible, being entirely landlocked, as I said earlier, with no legal access at all, or with access either by sea only or by paper roads, that provide no practical access. So it\u2019s almost impossible for the owners of these properties to obtain any benefit from local authority services, and, of course, the resentment becomes major within M\u0101ori communities. For me, I think it\u2019s a great thing because we\u2019re going to see regional development at a different scale. We\u2019re going to see iwi development, and it complements this strategy that we\u2019re trying to roll through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227093dabd2aab4f42b7817b2e68702b32\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s optimistic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2c21b3e598c49e192e7409c8203fbd1\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I know that\u2019s hard for Mr Bridges to contemplate, having been exited from his iwi. They are, effectively, providing conservation estate to the nation; making this land non-rateable is the only fair thing to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f071463ff33746daad3d3765b01cc9d7\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019ve been telling me what you\u2019ve been saying.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f6c6448b9ff4841981ab3c0d2951465\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: The rates rebates scheme was designed in the 1970s, Mr Bridges, to provide financial assistance to low-income homeowners\u2014you know, those homeowners that you forgot about. Given that the Crown M\u0101ori relationship at the time, it\u2019s not surprising that it made no provision for the communal ownership of M\u0101ori land and the possibility of multiple homes being built on one block of M\u0101ori land. That was the sad part\u2014that there was no recognition of the M\u0101ori way of living at the time. This has meant many homeowners on M\u0101ori land are not able to access this assistance. However, it\u2019s not acceptable in this day and age that low-income homeowners on M\u0101ori land should be disadvantaged in accessing this entitlement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIn 2018, the House recognised the special circumstance of retirement village residents when it passed the Rates Rebate (Retirement Village Residents) Amendment Bill. And it\u2019s appropriate that having recognised the special circumstances of retirement village residents, this House also recognises the circumstances regarding the plight with regards to homeowners on M\u0101ori land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ELocal authorities and M\u0101ori should stand side by side. This has always been our hope as a M\u0101ori caucus and as a Labour Party\u2014that we will have authorities standing side by side, and this type of legislation adds to the legislation like the M\u0101ori wards legislation, in bringing a more democratic and a more fair society and councils that will operate for everyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI can think of no people who have greater interest in the success of local authorities than our people who hold mana whenua over the land and the local authorities in the district. They\u2019re the only people that are not able to up sticks and go elsewhere if they don\u2019t like what is happening in their community, so they\u2019re part and parcel, as mana whenua, of that rohe. So this really gives them this opportunity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe bill implements a number of pragmatic measures to resolve rating issues amongst M\u0101ori, which I\u2019m sure everyone in the House would resolve\u2014rating issues relating to whenua M\u0101ori. But it also tries to clear impediments to the relationship\u2014and this is particularly important\u2014between local authorities and M\u0101ori. In the long run, that may be its most important contribution to our future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m glad as a Minister, as part of a M\u0101ori caucus, that this sort of kaupapa has come through. I want to thank, on behalf of the Minister, the M\u0101ori caucus and, in fact, all Ministers, our Government, those who have contributed to the preparation and passage of this bill. We look forward to local authorities now working with M\u0101ori to successfully implement the bill for the benefit not just of M\u0101ori but of all our communities\u2014of landowners, of councils, Kiwis everywhere. It\u2019s something that we are so pleased to tautoko, and support, and I thank you for this opportunity and I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00226556d5cc46034fa9a9a6e32c44f71a0d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226556d5cc46034fa9a9a6e32c44f71a0d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022 data-id=\u0022a12acd84315e4b608820c576e1c0542a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a12acd84315e4b608820c576e1c0542a\u0022\u003ECHRISTOPHER LUXON (National\u2014Botany):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to talk on the Local Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill. I also just want to acknowledge Minister Mahuta for the way in which she did engage at the committee of the whole House stage and answered a lot of questions, and we had a good engagement as we went through that, and I really did appreciate that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENational fundamentally opposes this bill, and the reason for it is fairly straightforward. There\u2019s some merit in the bill when you actually go through the detail of it, but, frankly, when you get into it, not much. And that\u2019s what I really want to talk a bit about today, because there\u2019s not a lot of added value or real incremental benefit to what we\u2019re doing here over what can already be done. And I think it is a little bit about how more comprehensively could we solve the problem of productivity of land\u2014not just M\u0101ori but also general land across the whole country. And I do want to unpack that and put on record a little bit why we\u2019re opposing this bill. When you boil it down, there\u2019s sort of two big component parts to it. One is, really, how do we get more utilisation, occupation, and also development of M\u0101ori land? And the second part is how do we adjust some rating legislation that affects M\u0101ori land specifically?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EIf I just take the first one, and we talk about M\u0101ori land and productivity, that\u2019s actually a goal that we would support. But in the National Party, we support improving productivity across the whole of the country. We know that that\u2019s a big problem for us. We know that productivity is the single biggest thing that we can do to improve our collective standard of living. And, as a result, we\u2019re very supportive of that. And so anything that improves M\u0101ori land benefits and productivity and utilisation is good, but, equally, so is what can improve general land use as well. And I think that\u2019s the fundamental question we still don\u2019t understand after engaging with the Minister\u2014is, fundamentally, why does this just look through a M\u0101ori-only lens if it could be looked at through a local government or a national lens? Why wouldn\u2019t we want to talk about the impacts that sit with general landowners as well? We want, fundamentally, all unproductive land to be available, to be utilised, and to be productive\u2014it\u2019s important for everybody. It\u2019s not just M\u0101ori that have situations of unproductive land, who own land collectively, and who could benefit from rates remission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThere are farmers across the country\u2014we talked about it in the second reading and in the committee stage as well\u2014who are fundamentally invested in indigenous biodiversity, they\u2019ve taken waterways land, done riparian planting, there\u2019s lots of general land use for trees, there\u2019s large families with multiple dwellings on farms as well, and so the question, fundamentally, is why aren\u2019t the benefits and incentives that we\u2019re talking about in this bill being extended to everybody across this country? And I just still don\u2019t fundamentally understand why the Government comes at it through a much narrower lens of just looking at this through M\u0101ori land, rather than saying, actually, there\u2019s an opportunity to actually solve a problem across the whole of the country, so why don\u2019t we go do that? Why don\u2019t we fundamentally look at doing something bigger, bolder, and braver as a consequence? So we don\u2019t, fundamentally, I guess, understand why we can\u2019t move this across to all general land-owners. Why does it have to be specific to M\u0101ori land only?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESecond point is that when you look at the ratings legislative changes, a lot of it fundamentally can be done today. There are some good minor little tweaks in here around sort of land block origins\u2014certainly what the Minister just referenced around the sale of M\u0101ori land or inadvertent sale of M\u0101ori land to general land through the 1960s. There\u2019s rates remission at the beginning of a development and land being excluded if it\u2019s in an emissions trading scheme. But the two sort of major components are fundamentally the aggregation of multiple blocks into a single block so that there is lower uniform charges that can be applied to that land, and the second piece to link to that is also the separation of a block into dwellings so that rates rebates can be applied for, and that\u2019s a good thing, because a lot of people aren\u2019t really accessing the rates rebates programmes across the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd the other piece is that a CEO in a local council can actually write off those rates arrears. And they\u2019re the two big bits. But when you look into it, it turns out that the aggregation and the separation of blocks of land, the adjustment of uniform rates, and also the write-offs can all be done under existing legislation as it exists today. And there are good examples of councils and mayors that are doing it today. We had Lawrence Yule talk about it in the first reading. He says, \u201CI\u2019ve been a mayor where I\u2019ve remitted those rates, so I know it can be done. I\u2019ve been a mayor when we have put the uniform charges together on several properties, so the rates per property have been reduced. It can be done.\u201D And likewise, there was a quote from Maungakiekie-T\u0101maki Ward in Auckland, who just sort of said, \u201CNearly all the changes proposed are already delivered by Auckland Council through its rating policy and M\u0101ori land rates remission and postponement policy.\u201D And so that\u2019s the kind of question that we\u2019ve got as the second question: what is the fundamental added value or incremental benefit that we\u2019re getting from this piece of legislation? So that\u2019s kind of important, because what\u2019s the point of going through all this process if, at the end of it, we\u2019re delivering very little marginal benefit to actually get the goal that we\u2019re trying to create, which is greater productivity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThe third thing I sort of wanted to say is that we\u2019re essentially coming at it through a very, very narrow lens. We\u2019re looking at it just through the lens of rates write-offs and, fundamentally, aggregation or separation of blocks of land. Actually, when you dial it back and say, again, what\u2019s the problem that we\u2019re trying to fundamentally solve, which is about utilisation and productivity, you get back to root cause and you discover that there are a lot more legislative constraints and impediments that are getting in the way of that land being unlocked and unblocked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd it was interesting, when you go back through it\u2014there\u2019s real issues\u2014and you talk to a whole bunch of stakeholders about it. There are things like the definitions and meanings of owner and descent relationships, issues around collective ownership in wh\u0101nau trusts, issues around sale, gift exchange, and mortgage of individual freehold interests within landownership and the authorities who do the governance arrangements and the court jurisdictions that exist. These are also things that are contributing to that land fundamentally not being utilised as it should. Different governance bodies and the administration of estates, dispute resolutions, M\u0101ori Land Court, M\u0101ori Appellate Court\u2014there\u2019s a whole bunch of other issues that could be addressed that are constraining the ability of land. It\u2019s not just in rates remission that\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s causing that land not to be used to be productive. And I guess our thinking is why wouldn\u2019t you want to come back and dial it a step back and actually go back and do a repeal and a replace of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act to deal comprehensively with that fuller set of legislative constraints and impediments that are sitting there?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd I guess the final point for us is actually that we had a good exchange with the Minister about this, but essentially, there was no understanding or definition or work that had been done on what are the financial costs in an aggregate sense for the councils through this rates remission process. And that\u2019s important, because you sort of want to understand how much potential costs can be transferred from one set of ratepayers to another, because those costs are fixed in a council set-up and they have to be paid for by somebody, and they get paid for by other ratepayers. So, while excluding and remitting rates from one group, we end up transferring that cost through to others. And there was no real comprehensive thinking around that or decent answers that we seemed to get.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd I think, most worrying of all, we go through this whole process, introduce a very incremental bill that does very little, that\u2019s not much more than existing legislation, and there is no measures or targets of what we\u2019re shooting for as success, and there\u2019s no clarity on how we\u2019re actually going to measure whether this has been successful or not. And we had that question in conversation with the Minister, and there was really no answer for us there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo, fundamentally, we look at it and you go, yep, it looked promising as a set of goals, but, actually, there\u2019s very little incremental benefit here that we are looking at. And really, when you look at it, we\u2019re fundamentally unclear as to why can\u2019t we extend the provisions and the benefits and the incentives here that we\u2019re proposing for M\u0101ori land across general landowners, and why wouldn\u2019t we want to do that? I think the second big thing, as we talked about, is the ratings that can be done today. So what\u2019s the point of going through all of this stuff for a piece of incremental, very little added value legislation, when, if you were really bold, we could do something quite fundamental to remove all that legislative impediment and constraints that are actually sitting there. And again, on the cost side: why wasn\u2019t there any decision or any conversation about the costs? There was nothing in any of the regulatory impact statement, the departmental statements, or Cabinet papers\u2014there was no reference to cost, fundamentally, and there was no understanding of how that cost burden will be shifted between people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo, really, I mean, it seemed promising. We are very supportive of improving productivity in this party, but when we look at this bill on balance, it doesn\u2019t do anything over existing legislation. We know that councils and other mayors are doing it across the country. They can make it work\u2014the existing legislation\u2014to unlock those benefits. Why wouldn\u2019t we expand the brief and the remit of what we\u2019re doing here? So we continue to oppose this bill. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022 data-id=\u0022239704a6d3804ed5955c6dcd03cd157d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022239704a6d3804ed5955c6dcd03cd157d\u0022\u003ET\u0100MATI COFFEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is the third reading of a bill which has taken a long time to find passage through this House. Can I just refer to some things that the previous speaker, Chris Luxon, said, which is that there are some things in this bill which aren\u2019t as\u2014there\u2019s this narrative coming from the other side that, actually, councils already have this ability to be able to write off arrears, and for that, I just want to point out to those people that are listening, that, actually, that is done in an incredibly haphazard way all around the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ESome councils are incredibly on to it. They understand that, actually, this is a burdensome problem for M\u0101ori land owners, and they understand how big rates can get on land, and, actually, that there is no relief in sight\u2014it can be quite problematic, and, actually, a stumbling block to progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ESo while some councils\u2014and they should be congratulated for doing that\u2014have absolutely picked that up and run with it, there are some councils that don\u2019t do a very good job of it at all, and that is part of the reason why we\u2019re even standing here in this Parliament today debating this particular piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ECan I just take a moment also to talk about the importance of whenua M\u0101ori when we look back on the history, on the encyclopaedia of Aotearoa New Zealand, from the start to now. Actually, whenua M\u0101ori has gone through a very turbulent time: much land has been stolen, much land has been lost, and what that means for M\u0101ori land owners is that the remaining bits of land that we have left are incredibly special; they are a taonga and they connect us to our ancestors that have passed. So I want to acknowledge that, and probably also put it on the record that it\u2019s for that reason that we feel so passionate about this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe ratings of M\u0101ori land have been used, actually, by this House, by our Government, to smoothly transfer land from M\u0101ori hands into other hands. Actually, that\u2019s a problem, and for that reason, that\u2019s why we are so passionate about this. We want to see this go through, and we want to be able to unlock whenua M\u0101ori all across the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThere is a saying that we have in M\u0101ori: N\u0101 te whenua, n\u0101 te wahine, ka mate te tangata. It means that it is because of women and it is because of land that men die. And never was a truer word spoken: if we look back on the New Zealand Land Wars, a lot of that was because of the passion that M\u0101ori have for their whenua\u2014because of land, because of women, men die. There should be an addition to that, and I would propose that it should say, \u201CBecause of burdensome rates, M\u0101ori lose their land.\u201D, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve witnessed over successive Governments here in Aotearoa; our history is littered with examples of this. In the past, the Government has set the rules, as I\u2019ve said, which have smoothly facilitated the transfer of M\u0101ori land. Therefore, it\u2019s only right that this Government, in this day and age, here in 2020, reverse some of those past wrongs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019re going to do is we\u2019re going to allow chief executives to be able to write off rates arrears and free up M\u0101ori land owners to better utilise their land. And I did hear it from the other side when the member was talking about \u201CWhy can\u2019t we just do this for everybody?\u201D And that\u2019s a fair point: why can\u2019t we just do it for everybody? This particular bill wasn\u2019t brought in specifically for the everybodys; this was brought in in the previous term by the Minister for M\u0101ori Development, and, actually\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229a150e334d6e42eabaa949b8454a2e3e\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, so it\u2019s race-based? It\u2019s race-based law?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ffbc8dc0fed4848996741f71b0ce083\u0022\u003ET\u0100MATI COFFEY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it is; it is. And anybody that thinks that, actually, we shouldn\u2019t be having something like this is ignorant of that history of our country, and should probably pop along to a local school next year when we roll out history in schools, to try and learn about some of the history of this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ECan I talk about, since the member for Tauranga is speaking so loudly\u2014let\u2019s talk about what life is like back in the Bay of Plenty. Now, we have approximately 240,000 hectares of M\u0101ori land; it\u2019s the highest proportion in Aotearoa New Zealand. In Rotorua, 18.9 percent of our whenua is M\u0101ori land; in Tauranga, 11.8 percent; in Whakat\u0101ne, 16 percent; and in \u014Cp\u014Dtiki, 10 percent. Of approximately 5,378 M\u0101ori land blocks, more than half of those land blocks are ungoverned. There is no governance structure over the top of them. Therefore, it makes the land blocks underutilised and underdeveloped. This bill will help to unlock the land by removing the shackles of rates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI support this bill because I support it as part of the broader initiatives that we are moving through this House, in terms of the initiatives to support M\u0101ori land owners to be able to use, develop, live on their land, as well\u2014initiatives like the ones that were announced earlier this week\u2014to be able to assist M\u0101ori land owners with things like services, getting infrastructure, getting water, getting roads to our land blocks, so that, actually, M\u0101ori can be part of this conversation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EAs we talk about a housing crisis here in New Zealand, actually, I\u2019ll tell you where there is lots of land: M\u0101ori land. But, unfortunately, a lot of that land is burdened with rates, and this bill will look to turn that around. So for that reason, knowing that this is part of a broader suite of reforms that our Government is passionate about putting through, I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u00225c532a1c0f474d39b7bbd8972ba3204a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225c532a1c0f474d39b7bbd8972ba3204a\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E I spoke at the second reading and I said all that I wanted to say on this bill, and some more, frankly. I used every second of those 10 minutes. So I don\u2019t intend, necessarily\u2014unless the other side starts baiting me for more\u2014to use the full 10 minutes. I do, though, want to make three points.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EThe first one is really about what\u2019s in the bill, to the extent that there is much in it, because I agree with Christopher Luxon: there\u2019s really not much substance in this bill. I was thinking about it. It\u2019s like one of those sandwiches in the tuck shops, where they push all the meat to the front, but you get to about the second half of the sandwich and there\u2019s nothing in it, right? I mean, it\u2019s just Vogel\u2019s with a little bit of margarine and nothing\u2014it\u2019s a slogan. It\u2019s window dressing. It\u2019s the chance for people like T\u0101mati Coffey to get up and pretend that he\u2019s doing something in the Bay of Plenty, when the reality just isn\u2019t that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c489f04b57544e6d81c72ef0dce56966\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re not doing anything. What are you doing?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022360e24dc4b4e426692031c10d2b75c15\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it\u2019s a little bit hard in Opposition, but let\u2019s stick with this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ESo there\u2019s not much substance to this bill. It is in relation to non-rateable M\u0101ori land and the rates remission in it. But, you know, again, that lack of meat in the sandwich, when, again, it\u2019s been pointed out\u2014the likes of Lawrence Yule, a member of Parliament in the last Parliament\u2014you could already do it all. You could already do it all. So that\u2019s really just the first point here. This is a bill, for what it\u2019s worth, that\u2019s a slogan, that\u2019s a front, but, actually, behind it, you could already do it all. There\u2019s not a lot here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EExcept that I will acknowledge the extent that the T\u0101mati Coffeys of it\u2014because I presume, you know, in speaking, he\u2019s seeking, as is Willie Jackson, as is every other member of the Government who speaks to this bill, to try and say it does do something; there really is an engine in this car to get it moving. What it does do, in truth, is provide for different treatment between a M\u0101ori land owner and another landowner in precisely the same circumstances. Again, colleagues on this side have made the point that, actually, it\u2019s not just M\u0101ori land owners that have underutilised, underproductive land with ownership issues and governance problems and all the things that are the purported reason why we\u2019re giving\u2014I\u2019m sorry to say it\u2014special treatment to one category and not the other: M\u0101ori land owners over all other landowners. They\u2019re not going to today, to me, because they\u2019re probably getting ready to go home in 45 minutes, but so often on the other side of the House, what we hear when we say that sort of thing is, \u201CWell, that\u2019s racist. That\u2019s dog-whistle politics.\u201D\u2014all of these things. No, it\u2019s not. It\u2019s actually just pointing out that in this bill\u2014the extent that it does anything new is it\u2019s special, differential treatment for one group over others in exactly the same circumstances, and I don\u2019t like that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey made a couple of telling points\u2014I\u2019ll come back to the other one, but he made one very interesting point, and it\u2019s a point worth acknowledging. He ran through the numbers of M\u0101ori land proportionate to other land in the Bay of Plenty, and the one I jotted down, in Tauranga, the area, really, that Todd Muller and I both represent, 12 percent of land\u2014I think it\u2019s 11.8\u2014is M\u0101ori land. I accept his point. That\u2019s a lot of land that\u2019s M\u0101ori land in Tauranga. Yep, we all agree so far. But here\u2019s the thing that happens as a result of this bill, if this bill does any real work and is worth anything. Here\u2019s what\u2019ll happen: the M\u0101ori land owners no longer pay rates, and so the kiwifruit orchard next door ends up having to pay significantly higher rates. By the way, I know that\u2019s the process they\u2019re starting to go through at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as they consider some of these issues. And sorry\u2014call me old-fashioned; call me racist, even, if you want to; call me a dog whistler\u2014that\u2019s not right. So I kind of don\u2019t reckon this bill actually fixes much. To the extent it does, though\u2014I accept that this side\u2019s going to go out there and trumpet how amazing it is\u2014actually, it\u2019s wrong. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s the other point that I wanted to make, and that\u2019s that it doesn\u2019t do the hard mahi it should. It doesn\u2019t actually\u2014it\u2019s trite, isn\u2019t it, but it\u2019s the whole thing around \u201CGive someone a fish; feed them for a day. Show them how to fish; do it for a lifetime\u201D. This is kind of \u201Cgive a fish\u201D. Yeah, we\u2019ll get rid of your rates, but, actually they\u2019re not the driving\u2014that\u2019s not going to make land productive, when there\u2019s ownership and governance and complicated issues. Actually, what\u2019s required for that, to feed the village, to get them fishing over time, is more serious, considered, structural Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori land law reform. The reality of that, the tragedy of today, this bill that I accept the Parliament\u2019s going to pass because Labour alone has the numbers, is the missed opportunity of not doing what should be done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EWhat should be done is pick up the bill that I think has been in Chris Finlayson\u2019s, then Te Ururoa Flavell\u2019s, name, and now, in fact, is in the cake tin ballot in the name of Gerry Brownlee, Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori Bill, land reform bill, and pass that. Because that\u2019s not just pushing the meat to the front of the sandwich. That\u2019s not just mucking around and doing some of the easy stuff so that for a little while, T\u0101mati Coffey\u2019s\u2014well, he doesn\u2019t have any constituents, but those with constituents\u2014Rawiri Waititi\u2019s constituents feel good for a little while. Actually, we could do some stuff that made them more productive, more efficient. Utilise their land. Grow kiwifruit, do honey. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b78b4bf3291245bdae7bd9b6e54c6fb1\u0022\u003ETodd Muller\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022175f1d073619404389fe47438631cdf4\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES\u003C/span\u003E: Frankly, have\u2014I don\u2019t know about in Tauranga, Mr Muller, but\u2014space ships, or rockets, I should say, like they do in M\u0101hia, going up\u2014whatever they want, but which at the moment can\u2019t be done because the law is arcane and, actually, I accept, in many ways, through its function, oppressive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey said one other thing. He said that, well, you know, effectively, this Parliament\u2014I think was the claim; colonisation back at\u2014what was it now? My maths isn\u2019t very good. Let\u2019s go 1860s, 1870s. Well, it took the land, and that was one injustice, so let\u2019s, kind of, write that over, tip the seesaw this time, and make everything right. Well, you know, T\u0101mati Coffey, that\u2019s kind of not the way to go. That\u2019s, I think, very reductive thinking, regressive thinking, that ends up, in trying to fix things up, creating other injustices, a sense of unfairness amongst other New Zealanders who end up paying more rates, who end up seeing the special treatment that certain people, M\u0101ori land holders who know how to work the system, do better than others. Actually, what should happen, what I hope one day will happen, is we do real M\u0101ori land reform that actually really delivers productive, efficient landholdings around New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022 data-id=\u002276d2e64ddd8d4e42b08f692900bdd0df\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002276d2e64ddd8d4e42b08f692900bdd0df\u0022\u003EARENA WILLIAMS (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on a bill which would bring more M\u0101ori land owners to the table to be able to realise the potential of their land and not be hindered by substantive, historic ratings bills which were racked up over a long time and have held them back from coming to the table to create governance entities which would manage and own their land and allow those landowners to move forward and to create things on it for the benefit of themselves and further generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EI have three points that I want to talk about. The first is about reducing rating barriers for the owners of M\u0101ori land who want to use and develop their land as being something which actually allows councils to collect more rates in the future, because as it stands currently, when M\u0101ori landowners aren\u2019t able to come to the table and create these governance entities because of historic rating bills, they don\u2019t ever use land, and there\u2019s nothing for councils to be able to collect rates from. The second point I want to talk a little bit more about is why this is just M\u0101ori land\u2014and M\u0101ori land, for the purposes of this discussion, is that legal meaning of M\u0101ori land and general land, which are two very different creatures in our system of tenure. The third is about whether councils can do this already, and that\u2019s in reply to some of the contributions of the members opposite that this bill does not go far enough to addressing some of the concerns.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EBut first, in the face of criticism from the opposite members about this bill being haphazard and not going far enough, I want to acknowledge the contributions of two groups of people who have spent 30, 40 years advocating in this space for changes to M\u0101ori land and changes to allow local government to rate M\u0101ori land more effectively. The first is Kenneth Palmer. Professor Palmer retired in 2015 after 46 years as a barrister, academic, and writer. His books, Local Government Law in New Zealand, Environmental and Resource Management Law, and Local Authorities Law in New Zealand, have become the key texts for practitioners in local government in their respective fields. His work is respected at all universities in New Zealand, is regularly quoted by the bench in the Environment Court and High Court and the Court of Appeal in these matters. He is our leading light in this field, and he is someone who has dedicated significant time as a barrister and a volunteer in advocating for a more fair system of rating M\u0101ori land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s that honesty and integrity and selfless advocacy that the bench have recognised him for in 2015 when he retired, and they acknowledged his work when he took the case on behalf of the Mangat\u016B Incorporation in T\u016Branga, which succeeded in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. That case concerned the unfair rating of M\u0101ori land under the control of the Mangat\u016B Incorporation, and from those cases, the set of Mangat\u016B principles for fair valuation were created.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThe point here is that through volunteer advocacy in the work of lawyers who are taking a public interest case, we relied on our court systems to create principles that local government could rely on to fairly evaluate the value of M\u0101ori land for rating systems. Back then, it was groundbreaking that Mr Palmer took the view that M\u0101ori land should not have the same value for rating as general land due to the restrictions of sale. That\u2019s an important point here. The reason why M\u0101ori land has different rating systems as determined in our courts is that there are restrictions on who the land can be sold to and how it can be governed. If you are the owner of M\u0101ori land, you may be one of thousands, and you can only sell your interest, however small it may be, as a first resort to someone who shares whakapapa with you to that land, to its original owners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003ESo the potential for developing that land in a commercial way really comes down to agreement of those owners\u2014perhaps thousands, perhaps tens of thousands\u2014and the efficacy of the governance systems put in place by those owners. That\u2019s why our courts, over 20 years, have had to develop this law to ensure that there is fairness for the rating systems here, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud that on this side of the House, we\u2019ve come with a practical, sensible way to implement the recommendations of people like Kenneth Palmer, who have spent many years of their career advocating for such a solution, to allow M\u0101ori land owners something akin to fairness in the land ownership system and in our tenure system, which is in itself a colonial construct.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThe other people that I want to recognise in this debate are the Mangat\u016B Incorporations themselves. They are my family of T\u016Branga. They hold land holdings the size of Auckland. They have vineyards, sheep and beef farms, productive forest, and they hold the lands of significance to Te Aitanga-a-M\u0101haki and the many tens of thousands of descendants who whakapapa to that iwi. They have direct exporting relationships with a number of countries, and they have an innovative farm-to-plate system which allows them to export directly into economies like Canada. They are a significant player in our economies and our primary sector industry. They are also a group which has spent an incredible amount of time, effort, and money in clarifying the law in this area. The best we can do in this House is to acknowledge those 20 years of work from that business and the 20 years of work from the lawyers who have done it voluntarily by coming with a sensible and practical solution to those problems about how to rate M\u0101ori land fairly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll turn to my points about how councils might reasonably expect to be able to now collect more rates from M\u0101ori land under the present legislation which is proposed. The problem here is that M\u0101ori land, with no ownership structure, is not open to rates, that rates cannot be collected in those structures, and so what this bill does is provide a practical solution for M\u0101ori land owners to come together and say, \u201CWhat was in the past is done. We will now move forward. We will contribute in the way that all other landowners do.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EMy second point about why is this just M\u0101ori land: now, the member from Tauranga would have us believe that this is a race-based policy. Look, he\u2019s a lawyer. He understands that general land and M\u0101ori land are very different creatures in our legislation, that M\u0101ori land sets out specific criteria about who can own it, how it can be owned, and how it can be used. Those are the reasons why we need special rating laws which set out how local councils should grapple with that special nature of that land, not because it is owned by M\u0101ori. There\u2019s no suggestion on this side of the House that M\u0101ori land owners who own general land should have any special treatment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThe third point I want to make, just briefly, is whether councils can do this already. I want to quote the well-known Wellington lawyer who is an advocate for local authorities on rating issues here, Mr Jonathan Salter. He said, \u201Cthe general perception amongst local authorities about the rating of M\u0101ori land is that it is an issue which lives in the \u2018too hard\u2019 basket. Many local authorities now acknowledge the sensitivity of rating M\u0101ori land in the context of the Treaty of Waitangi but find the statutory provisions in Part xiii of the Rating Powers Act extremely difficult to implement in practice \u2026 the local authorities which appear to have achieved the greatest degree of success are those which have established sound liaison and goodwill with the M\u0101ori in their districts.\u201D I quote Mr Salter because this House needs to give clear direction for how local authorities are meant to implement those rules, and it\u2019s important for lawyers to be able to give clear advice, both to local authorities and to M\u0101ori land owners, about how those rates will be affected.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a mess now for local authority. We\u2019re doing no favours under the current system by providing so much discretion to local authorities that they simply do not know how to rate M\u0101ori land fairly and in a way which will allow them to collect more rates in future. That is why I\u2019m so proud to commend this bill to the House and to honour Professor Palmer and the work of the Mangat\u016B Incorporation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022 data-id=\u0022c6e3633755c945fb98a285d0960a86ef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c6e3633755c945fb98a285d0960a86ef\u0022\u003EDr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te rangatira, Nanaia Mahuta, m\u014D t\u014D mahi tipuna i t\u0113nei Whare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, esteemed woman Nanaia Mahuta, for your great achievement in this House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EI stand to take a short call, to note that the Greens support Te Pire Whakatikatika K\u0101wanatanga \u0101-Rohe (R\u0113titanga o te Whenua M\u0101ori) [the Local Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill]. I wish to note that Aotearoa is 268,000 square metres and all of it is M\u0101ori land\u2014all of it is whenua M\u0101ori. It was removed from us by a range of means, including theft\u2014as T\u0101mati Coffey pointed out\u2014and legislation, which systematically broke down communal ownership to individual title. One example is the Native Land Act 1924, upon which the Local Government (Rating of Whenua M\u0101ori) Amendment Bill is based.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EAs defined by Te Ture Whenua Maori Act, we have 5 percent of freehold M\u0101ori land left\u20145 percent of the whole country. So no amount of hiding behind the principles of partnership, participation, and protection can disguise the fact that this Government is clearly in breach of a Treaty that the Crown signed which gave us undisturbed possession of our lands. To add insult to injury, though, we got charged rates for keeping the little land we had left, and 30 percent of the M\u0101ori freehold land that exists is in Te Tai R\u0101whiti. So this has a particular impact on my wh\u0101nau, including those that Arena Williams pointed out. We\u2019re not talking, of course, about prime real estate. Much of it is inaccessible and unusable. Much of it is fragmented, and rates arrears are a barrier to wh\u0101nau consolidating the land back to larger blocks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EI look forward to a complete overhaul of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act and acknowledge that we will continue to go through incremental changes across multiple pieces of legislation until that is done. So, in the meantime, we welcome this bill that will remove rates as an impediment to the use and development of whenua M\u0101ori by its owners. Land blocks that are entirely unused will be made non-rateable, and existing rates arrears on those blocks will be written off. Our land which has been set aside under Ng\u0101 Whenua R\u0101hui kawenata will also be made non-rateable, and this has been a very long time coming.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EWe also support that the process of local authority chief executives granting rates remissions for the development of whenua M\u0101ori will be made consistent across the country, because, in the committee of the whole House, I identified my concerns about M\u0101ori engaging with their local councils. This is very inconsistent across the country. Iwi and hap\u016B organisations often struggle to make headway with them, let alone small groups of owners or even huge groups of owners who are scattered all across the country and around the world. We hope this bill does make it easier for the owners of whenua M\u0101ori to engage with their whenua and access the Whenua M\u0101ori Fund.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EWe hope that that will give life to the hopes and aspirations of their wh\u0101nau, hap\u016B, and iwi\u2014to call home wh\u0101nau from across the country and the world because they\u2019ve got land where they can build houses and develop their papak\u0101inga, to create economic independence and sustainability and, alongside our r\u016Bnanga, our iwi trusts, our kura, our marae, our organisations, providers, and our businesses, to contribute to the collective health and wellbeing of all M\u0101ori. N\u014D reira, I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022 data-id=\u00222922c80142b74f79850601dc9eeff8d0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222922c80142b74f79850601dc9eeff8d0\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. The ACT Party supports the development of M\u0101ori land, and we understand how complex it is when there are so many complex ownership arrangements. We also support the development of housing on M\u0101ori land and to modernise the rating legislation which affects M\u0101ori land in collective ownership, but this bill lacks ambition to solve the underlying problems. It is an inefficient way to regulate the issue that it\u2019s trying to solve and it will come at significant cost to local authorities. The reason that the ACT Party believes this bill lacks ambition is because it hasn\u2019t accurately and correctly defined the problem that needs to be solved and it hasn\u2019t addressed the underlying complex relationships between multiple landowners and their competing objectives, which is the main reason why this land has not been developed and has not become productive and is not returning any benefits to its owners.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EWhile this bill may go some way to relieving historical debts, which may seem difficult and very challenging to some groups and some extended families, particularly when some individuals have been prepared to play their part in paying but others haven\u2019t had the means, they\u2019re very complex interpersonal relationships which this type of legislation cannot hope to address and solve. So instead of that, it takes a much less ambitious approach. Rather than challenging the people who own the land to be a part of solving the problem, it says \u201CWe\u2019ll take this one issue away. We hope that makes you feel better, but you can keep your problem.\u201D That\u2019s from an outsider\u2019s perspective looking in, but that appears to be where this legislation has led us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s also very inefficient, because not only does it create a regulatory instrument just to deal with one group of landowners, that then forces local government to essentially set up their own internal regulatory and administrative process to engage with these landowners, understand what the criteria are for them to apply for an exemption or a remission of their rates, and then to work its way through council\u2019s own finance and administrative and governance process so that local councils and their ratepayers can at least have some smidgeon of confidence that there\u2019s been an adequate process around it, although the outcome is not in question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EThe Government intends that very large amounts\u2014although the Minister couldn\u2019t offer us an amount\u2014of outstanding rates are remitted. It\u2019s not giving local government any kind of out, and so, really, this will be yet another burden on local government administrators and managers and ratepayers to manage an administrative process which they didn\u2019t ask for, but, again, like so many things central government does, it doesn\u2019t just impose costs and regulatory burden on individuals and businesses; it always catches local government in its net.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EAnd then we come down to the costs, not just the costs of administering this legislation but also the opportunity cost, because this land which remains unproductive and which has incurred rates that are subject to the legislation that require a rates remission\u2014if you think about the huge infrastructure deficit which the Minister of Local Government has confirmed to us is somewhere in the region of $110 billion for three waters infrastructure alone over the next 30 years. We haven\u2019t had a stocktake of the roading and other connectivity infrastructure and what that deficit might be. That deficit is between the amount that central and local government has to spend, or has signalled it will spend, and actually the condition of their existing assets, which, in many cases, are so run down that they\u2019ll need to be replaced entirely\u2014but, if not, at least patched up for the interim. So that infrastructure deficit for water assets is $110 billion over 30 years. We can only imagine the deferred roading projects\u2014those wonderful projects, like roads of national significance, that the last Government gave us\u2014some of which are still under construction, but many, like the East-West Link, which was a fantastic project to unlock Auckland, supported by mana whenua groups because it was the one project that would solve some of the worst environmental problems in the south-east catchment of Onehunga\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225beeadeb860b4824965c6a6fc539dce0\u0022\u003EHon Julie Anne Genter\u003C/span\u003E: Zero evidence for that\u2014zero evidence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256cf784851db490d940c998c11f6a70c\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: And if you think about how much these projects cost\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d69f97659e8a463bb9d13a17071f81ce\u0022\u003EHon Julie Anne Genter\u003C/span\u003E: Benefits are lower than the cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ed135248a36f4d42bb0a03bc7f188670\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and what the benefits are to communities\u2014because some of those benefits are non-monetary, and I would have thought that the member here, the Green Party member to my left, understands that there are many benefits that are non-monetary: social, environmental, and community benefits.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226898a6e2926b473aac574c05f21f43c3\u0022\u003EHon Julie Anne Genter\u003C/span\u003E: You don\u2019t believe in economics now?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256cc8a9ae0cb4bc2a27d4ae87b71846e\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will not bring the Speaker into the debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022091558daa20746e9b6b8140be433913e\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, again, the costs and the opportunity costs from sacrificing these rates amounts which will be remitted, and what that means for local government and their ambitions for infrastructure to unlock development\u2014because it\u2019s no doubt that many of these titles in collective ownership will have, the people who have that ownership will have, ambitions for their land, but those ambitions can only be realised through better connectivity, better infrastructure, and so that is one of the reasons why we need this rates money. The Government, through the Minister, was not able to explain how they\u2019re going to make up not just the infrastructure deficit but this cash hole\u2014this cash hole. No doubt that burden will fall unfairly on many other ratepayers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EI want to reiterate: the ACT Party does support the development of M\u0101ori land by M\u0101ori and for M\u0101ori, including the development of housing on their land, whether it\u2019s in individual M\u0101ori ownership or collective ownership, and we do applaud the intention to modernise the rating legislation, but unfortunately it only applies to one group of ratepayers, not all of those long-suffering ratepayers around New Zealand, who now find the unfair burden of rates increases falling upon them because of the very poor decision-making in the past by local government officers and a wilful blindness from many in leadership roles in central government, with those responsibilities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo, in closing, what I\u2019d like to say is the ACT Party supports it, but we believe that property should be treated equally under the law, and this bill does not appear to treat the property of certain groups of people equally. In fact, it gives them unequal opportunity to avoid paying historical costs that other ratepayers have to pay. These rates fund local government infrastructure. Local government is going to miss out, and until the underlying issue of collective ownership and the stresses and strains between large groups of people, which, I can only reflect on, must be the most complex body corporate arrangement ever\u2014and we know how difficult it is to get bodies corporates in places where they have weathertightness issues and other issues around shared driveways. You know, one party won\u2019t agree to install the duct for the fibre up the driveway. I can only imagine how complex and difficult it is for land that\u2019s in shared ownership, in this context, to be advanced for development. I don\u2019t think this bill will do anything to advance that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo, for that reason, the ACT Party will not support this bill, but we do look forward to engaging further with the Government, with local government, and with other parties across the House on helping these landowners unlock their land for development, become more productive, and enjoy all the benefits of landownership and homeownership. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022 data-id=\u0022b73a1f304ef3415694bf70f675215d74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b73a1f304ef3415694bf70f675215d74\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE (Labour\u2014Rongotai):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is always a privilege to speak late on the last sitting day of the block. I always find myself in this slot, actually. [Interruption] And I always find myself battling the members of the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga; it is just a common occurrence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022faf8c623cd574b14b34d667b38c800b7\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: When you\u2019re not in the Chathams. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8e77fe5d87d486ea6552a770afa8758\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE\u003C/span\u003E: When I\u2019m not in the Chatham Islands, of course. But I\u2019m here\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bdfbfbfdefb4fbda45e7f2f15fa1670\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Some of us have got to hold up this Parliament, Paul.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002283be7c13efe14e0a9998cfd72c5880ae\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE\u003C/span\u003E: Someone has got to do the mahi, as they say, and not get the treats.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EBut we\u2019ve heard just a whole lot of stuff with a sinister undertone\u2014it is this race-based issue. No one wants to say it. I\u2019ve had to come in late in the piece and expose it, once again, to say that is what the other side are most concerned about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EBut, funnily enough, when we were talking only a couple of years ago about the Rates Rebate (Retirement Village Residents) Amendment Act 2018, no one had a problem with our seniors and oldies, but the minute\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aa5a160f5a5e48f19c062d87aa08de0a\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Aww.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229fdce0749c4a48e4b02d3f405ab93ccd\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, I know; I hate to bring it up. It is horrible when you bring things like that up, because suddenly there is some embarrassment. But that is my role: often I have to bring the hard news just before the time is up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard for everyone\u2014general law; conservation land; bigger, bolder, braver. We\u2019ve heard everything. I thought some people were going to break into another maiden speech for a minute there! But, no that is not the case, because this is really important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EI went through the various notes\u2014and they are good notes\u2014and you get all sorts of things, and I think, \u201CHow unfair.\u201D You know, the bill removes a loophole\u2014a loophole, da, da. I know on that side of the House, they are all about closing those loopholes, but here is one which allows M\u0101ori land that was arbitrarily reclassified as general land in the late 1960s from being sold by a local authority, abandoned land, or rating sale.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003ESo, there you go, there are so many examples here that I\u2019m not going to continue with, because I\u2019ve said enough. I can only but commend this bill 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=\u002291ce32a513a0492a8ed72a58539a2dc6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002291ce32a513a0492a8ed72a58539a2dc6\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Look, thank you. Well, that really was the highlight of the week, I think, listening to that succinct summary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022845d745ef56341fa98e7e2e78f48c377\u0022\u003EGreg O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: Until now!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233d88fca61ab472194a91c2459e0b812\u0022\u003ETODD MULLER\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re too kind, Mr O\u2019Connor! Look, I think the National Party have traversed the reasons for our opposition very effectively. Of course there is M\u0101ori land that is unproductive, as there is unproductive land elsewhere in the country, and of course it is challenging for M\u0101ori land owners to have rates applied when the land is unproductive. But we posed the question to the Minister through the committee of the whole House: what is the constraint of the current model? She couldn\u2019t answer it. We asked how many local r\u016Bnanga or hap\u016B have turned up to councils with a package saying, \u201CHey, could you give us rates relief and assist us as we aim to reset this land in a more productive way?\u201D She couldn\u2019t answer it. It is our view that this piece of legislation doesn\u2019t work, isn\u2019t needed, is preferential when it doesn\u2019t need to be, leaves other landowners that have unproductive land off the table, and is only going to add more division to what is already becoming quite a sensitive conversation in this country. We need to bring the best of ourselves to these conversations, not rush through poorly thought out law when, as we have all said in this House, the greater challenge to te Ture Whenua\u2014that is what should be front of mind, that should be where the work is, and it\u2019s a great disappointment that, yet again, the Government has chosen the easy, short, one-line win as opposed to the hard, comprehensive, and fundamentally changing solution.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019ve made that point very clearly\u2014very clearly\u2014very articulately, and in the context of Thursday afternoon following Paul Eagle\u2019s gargling of the antiseptic spray, it\u2019s probably time for us to step down from debate. We oppose it, and we\u2019ve opposed it all the way through, and the reasons are clear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u0022a330b92fd9004164b656ddf329cbaa73\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a330b92fd9004164b656ddf329cbaa73\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, e te Mana Whakaw\u0101. It\u2019s a pleasure to stand. I\u2019m very surprised the M\u0101ori Party chooses not to take a call on this piece of legislation, which directly affects the interests of M\u0101ori. But I\u2019m very happy that our members, our excellent M\u0101ori caucus, have spoken so well and so carefully and so comprehensively on this matter, and I commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022 data-id=\u0022208e7916223443c18458dd2a6f2413f2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022208e7916223443c18458dd2a6f2413f2\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour\u2014Northcote):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker, and what a wonderful Thursday afternoon. I hope that we leave at the end of this parliamentary set knowing that we have achieved something and that we\u2019ve made a difference in the lives of our people in Aotearoa. I\u2019m particularly proud to be a part of this Government. We\u2019ve heard this week about the massive investment in housing across the country, and I\u2019ve just finished an interview on Radio Waatea this week, a weekly slot that I have, where we talked that through and talked about the aspirations and ambitions\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221972336aef00465895098aed37c81489\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! Can I ask the member to address the bill that is before us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e8f2fb20ee64cce8ec03f88d96dce3b\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. What is important to understand is that by 2050, the population of M\u0101ori in this country will be 22 percent. We need to ensure that we are not in the same position as a community\u2014socially, economically\u2014as we currently are. It\u2019s to the benefit of our country that we address the disparity, and unlocking whenua M\u0101ori is an important part of doing this for our people, and this particular bill is another step in this Government\u2019s removing barriers for M\u0101ori to meet their aspirations and achieve the things that they want to. So without further ado, I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022 data-id=\u002224deb64b9b2444739e5497a783a74d82\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002224deb64b9b2444739e5497a783a74d82\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader\u2014Te Paati M\u0101ori):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, I seek leave to take a call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224875204fba6a4b9db14d9bb1d22c37f9\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Did the member call a point of order?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022faab6a5ca4f140ccb1c426a69c17b6f7\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, point of order, Madam Speaker. I seek leave\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f26bddffdc9f4b00bba2bc95e1de5f58\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ll just get it right. Rawiri Waititi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b16e752e31434e6dbf3b1f60148d7bfd\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. I seek leave to take a call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022abb9e2e1f175410fa8ef16095689b747\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave has been sought. Is there any objection? There is no objection. Rawiri Waititi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022 data-id=\u002291a364821c874652bdafc3924a94a08f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002291a364821c874652bdafc3924a94a08f\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader\u2014Te Paati M\u0101ori):\u003C/span\u003E Oh, what lovely people. Kia ora t\u0101tou. Kia ora t\u0101tou i t\u0113nei r\u0101. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou kua whakawh\u0101iti nei i runga i te \u0101huatanga o t\u0113nei o ng\u0101 pire. Kua rongo atu awahau i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o ng\u0101 taha e rua, \u0101, kua rongo atu an\u014D hoki i te nati o te kak\u012B o t\u0113r\u0101 o \u014D koutou t\u0101ngata i a au m\u014D te kore e haramai i te w\u0101 tika. Engari r\u0101, kei te tino tautoko m\u0101tou i t\u0113nei. Engari he mea iti noa t\u0113nei i runga i te huarahi tika m\u014D te whakat\u014Dp\u016B nei me te whakanui i ng\u0101 whenua M\u0101ori. Koinei hoki te hiahia a Te Ururoa Flavell i roto i \u014Dna r\u0101. Ko t\u014Dna hiahia m\u014D Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori, ko Reipa e aukatingia i a ia i t\u014Dna mahi engari kei te mihi atu r\u0101 m\u014D te iti nei o t\u0113nei o ng\u0101 pire kia whakatikatikahia i ng\u0101 reiti e ngaua kinotia i w\u0101 t\u0101tou whenua M\u0101ori i roto i ng\u0101 tau maha ki muri nei. Koin\u0101 hoki te take kei te t\u016B au.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EKei te t\u016B au, an\u014D hoki ki te k\u014Drero i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero tika, h\u0101ngai t\u014D, ki ng\u0101 mahi e reitingia e t\u0101kengia i w\u014D t\u0101tou whenua. I whakat\u016Bngia te K\u014Dti Whenua M\u0101ori i te tau 1865. Ko t\u014Dna mahi matua he whakahaere i ng\u0101 utu whenua M\u0101ori m\u014D te Karauna. I te 1882 ka ara mai te Native Lands Ratings Act ki runga whenua M\u0101ori, ka kitea i te rerek\u0113tanga a ng\u0101 reiti ki runga i ng\u0101 whenua M\u0101ori ki t\u0101 te whenua P\u0101keh\u0101. Toru rau paiheneti te kait\u0101 a ng\u0101 reiti ki runga whenua M\u0101ori, atu i ng\u0101 whenua P\u0101keh\u0101. Ka tiki ake awahau i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o taku tipuna a Tuta Nihoniho i roto i t\u014Dna haka i tuhingia i te tau 1870. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EP\u014D ng\u0101 r\u0101, p\u014D ng\u0101 r\u0101!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EKa tataki mai te Whare o ng\u0101 ture ka whiria.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ETe M\u0101ori ka whiria.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ENgau nei \u014Dna reiti, ngau nei \u014Dna t\u0101ke, \u0101haha.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ET\u0113 taea te ueue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E[Greetings, all; greetings on this day. Greetings to all gathered here for the purpose of this bill. I have heard the opinions of both sides, and have also heard the rebuke from your colleague for not arriving on time. However, we fully support this bill. But this is only a small step on the correct path for the consolidation and increasing of M\u0101ori land. This was the wish of Te Ururoa Flavell during his time. His aspiration for the M\u0101ori Land Act was thwarted by Labour at the time; however, I still acknowledge the small step forward in this bill which seeks to rectify rating issues that have badly affected our M\u0101ori lands in the past. This is the reason why I am standing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EI also stand to talk directly and specifically about the rating and taxing of our land. The M\u0101ori Land Court was established in 1865. Its main role was to organise payments with regards to M\u0101ori land on behalf of the Crown. In 1882, the Native Lands Ratings Act was passed, and it highlighted the difference in ratings of M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 land. M\u0101ori land rates were 300 percent higher than those of P\u0101keh\u0101 land. Now, let me refer to the message of my ancestor Tuta Nihoniho, delivered in the haka he composed in 1870.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe shadows fall, the shadows fall!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThere is chattering in Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd M\u0101ori are being plaited as a rope.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EIts rates and its taxes are biting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EIts teeth cannot be withdrawn.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EI did mention in the first reading of this particular bill that while the changes in this legislation present a huge step forward and will benefit many M\u0101ori land owners, we must not stop here. Te Paati M\u0101ori\u2019s vision is the reassertion of our mana motuhake and our tino rangatiratanga over our own affairs, our own people, and our own lands. This bill is a positive step forward, and put forward and championed by Te Ururoa Flavell and Te Paati M\u0101ori as part of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act reforms. And I do want to acknowledge at that particular time Labour\u2019s resistance to that particular bill. I also want to acknowledge though that this is a step forward, because this is actually a section of that particular bill that we are addressing today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd so I mentioned a haka that was written by my ancestor Tuta Nihoniho in 1870, where he talks about: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe shadows fall! The shadows fall!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThere is chattering in Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd M\u0101ori are being plaited as a rope.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EIts rates and its taxes are biting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EIts teeth cannot be withdrawn. Alas!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe land will be destroyed!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe laws are spread-eagled\u2014not Paul Eagle\u2014over it!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EN\u0101 ng\u0101 mema r\u0101 te k\u014Dhuru,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EN\u0101 te K\u0101wana te k\u014Dheriheri.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EKa raruraru ng\u0101 ture,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EKa raparapa ki te pua t\u014Drori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E[The members have done this black deed,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd the Governor has pulverised us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe laws of the land are confused,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EFor even the tobacco leaf is singled out!]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd that was written in 1870. And today we are able to address part of this Act that continues, or that continued, to steal lands from M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAnd so we do justice by our ancestors who signed the Treaty of Waitangi. We do justice by the many who shed blood over this land to hold on to it. So Te Paati M\u0101ori is proud to stand here today and support this bill, but we are expecting to go further than that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002215fa6871415b425983dcd1b439e0c49f\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\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=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022 data-id=\u0022d23e1a11a1494840870488e602ce937f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d23e1a11a1494840870488e602ce937f\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. We acknowledge that collecting rates on M\u0101ori land has been a longstanding challenge for both councils and kaitiaki of whenua M\u0101ori. However, this bill does not provide any new solutions for rating authorities; it sidesteps the fundamental issues of M\u0101ori land, which require reforming Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993, and the Government has never assessed the economic impact of this legislation before, during, and after introducing the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EAny council can already remit rates for any land they want, so long as they have a rates remission policy. The parts of this bill that relate to rates remissions are not easy. The bill ignores those councils that have already introduced respective rates reduction processes with the ability to write off historic rates and arrears. This, effectively, penalises councils who already have these systems in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ENational is worried that this bill would establish a rates remission regime favouring one group over another. While National is supportive of the bill\u2019s intent of turning unproductive M\u0101ori land into productive land, the communal ownership nature of M\u0101ori land remains an issue in itself that a rates remission regime may not remedy. National also has concerns over the discretionary powers introduced by the bill. These will allow council executives to write off historic rates and arrears, without any built-in accountability mechanisms to report on the processes and procedures required to exercise those powers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EOn the matter of writing off unrecoverable rates, I ask the Government for the benefit of their wisdom on this question: where a person has received an interest in the asset, is it not only reasonable that they also receive any liabilities associated with that asset? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EBeneficiaries of non-M\u0101ori land may also find that their estates are inherited with debts owning. As a matter of basic fairness, that is problematic. It also sidesteps the fundamental issues of M\u0101ori land which require reforming Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThe bill does some things that don\u2019t need doing, but doesn\u2019t do the hard things that redress the fundamentals of M\u0101ori land issues. The bill sidesteps those real issues. The Government needs to first settle M\u0101ori land tenure issues through Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 before addressing appropriated rates issues. The policy intent of this bill would be best served through a comprehensive rewrite of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993. This is because, as drafted, the bill fragments existing whenua M\u0101ori legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI note that Labour, the Greens, and New Zealand First opposed Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori Bill in 2017. \u201CThere has not been a case for change as to why the 1993 Act does not work because, as Meka Whaitiri said, there are any number of M\u0101ori trusts and incorporations that are doing perfectly fine. They are doing very well. We have got a $40 billion M\u0101ori economy under this Act,\u201D\u2014those were the words of Kelvin Davis at the first reading of the bill. Labour opposed Te Ture Whenua M\u0101ori Bill because they felt that it did not help small M\u0101ori land owners, but the new bill does not distinguish between small M\u0101ori land owners and large land owners. It gives a general rate exemption to all M\u0101ori land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThe Government has never addressed the economic impact of this legislation before, during, and after introducing the bill to the House. The Cabinet papers on the bill fail to quantify the value that writing off rates would give to local economies. Crucially, this bill falls short of creating effective initiatives for the development of M\u0101ori land. I find it troubling that the Government has not considered the economic impacts of this bill on local economies. It must also be remembered that it is not just M\u0101ori land owners who have unproductive land, who own land collectively, or who may benefit from rates remission. The present bill is a solution in search of a problem. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ENational acknowledges and supports the policy goal of unleashing the productive potential of M\u0101ori land. Whenua M\u0101ori lies at the heart of M\u0101ori communities and the M\u0101ori economy and it has the potential to create much more value. Therefore, I invite the Government to work with us on a bipartisan basis to amend Te Ture Whenua\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f2103fb728f4c06b63361abd7ad0f4b\u0022\u003ESimon Court\u003C/span\u003E: Multi-part\u2014multi-party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b791eb99d5a4428a47f5abb691b6cd8\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014multi-party, thank you for that contribution from the ACT Party\u2014because the multi-ownership nature of M\u0101ori land remains an issue that in itself a rates remission regime cannot remedy. Let us do the hard work in this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022 data-id=\u0022dcbf4a9a07374ffeb2e8636cb872dd28\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002226b88bf1-f634-40e7-8019-e75cc483ace7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dcbf4a9a07374ffeb2e8636cb872dd28\u0022\u003EJO LUXTON (Labour\u2014Rangitata):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Look, I\u2019m going to take a very short call, because everything that needs to be said has been said by my colleagues on this side of the House. I congratulate the Minister the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for bringing this to the House, and I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00221a8f18c0b5664524b2bfa4e5c1caaa55\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221a8f18c0b5664524b2bfa4e5c1caaa55\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Point of order, Madam Speaker. I seek leave of the House that the vote on this motion be put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00221b337c415d1d4a258d6d65807c595eda\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b337c415d1d4a258d6d65807c595eda\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Any objection to that course of action? There is objection. This debate is interrupted and set down for next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 6 April 2021. Good afternoon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202103259f1b83461e3546caaa3ca97cde388ac1000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 5.05 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"