"\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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f7f7957ffb3c441da05bc7e750369937\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2022\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e1dcefae72694e049c10a4e93487918e\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2022\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000002\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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229371b205a8e04214a5e12f634023d443\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022942558211dfd4f3b8ec587db9e4f8387\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=\u0022741dee29b7a4427dbc87e6b2ca478fce\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022741dee29b7a4427dbc87e6b2ca478fce\u0022\u003EHon JENNY SALESA (Assistant Speaker):\u003C/span\u003E Ke tau lotu. \u2018E \u2018Otua Mafimafi, kuo mau taa\u2018i m\u0101lie \u2018i ho\u2018o \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 \u2018emau fua fatongia \u2018i he Fale Ale\u00E1 \u2018aki \u2018a e poto Faka-\u2018Otua, \u2018ofa pea mo e \u2018ulungaanga mal\u016B, ko e \u2018uh\u00ED ko e mo\u2018ui mo e melino \u2018a e fonu\u00E1. \u2018Oku mau kole atu \u2018a e ngaahi me\u2018\u00E1 ni hono kotoa \u2018i he huafa ho \u2018alo ka 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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00228b4aedf7cf854ed8bf282ea9d0d9735f\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b83d114f42094952b5d7eb89f4ebf604\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=\u0022980a8a97472448d29f566810a05c438b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022980a8a97472448d29f566810a05c438b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No papers have been presented. No bills have been introduced. A petition has been delivered to Clerk for presentation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00221376fb9606ba4f1295e0b481ab362c7f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221376fb9606ba4f1295e0b481ab362c7f\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Petition of Save the Children New Zealand requesting that the House retain the Children\u2019s Commissioner as a named role with authority to report directly to the Prime Minister, and consult with children before progressing the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022d195115c7c004a05a109f4eb6981dcbe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d195115c7c004a05a109f4eb6981dcbe\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That petition stands referred to the Petitions Committee. Select 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=\u002236f96ee79698468c96201d4522a49870\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002236f96ee79698468c96201d4522a49870\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Reports of the Environment Committee:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003Eon the 2020/21 annual review of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003Eon the petition of Vandana Erin Ryder.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00222b16d9b18cab4106a37d46b98960c7f2\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ee6df489b0624427813c730a20aee0a7\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022720ef1dbc45d4adb8d07386ebc8383c7\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00225ed0b707751f448bbefaaa62b5ab2c2d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225ed0b707751f448bbefaaa62b5ab2c2d\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: On what date will Budget 2022 be delivered, and what will its priorities be?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022474096aebb5043cca6653cc230943498\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022474096aebb5043cca6653cc230943498\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m pleased to inform the House that Budget 2022 will be delivered on Thursday, 19 May. We will continue to progress the goals the Government set at the start of this parliamentary term to keep New Zealanders safe from COVID-19, accelerate the recovery, and rebuild from the impacts of COVID-19, and lay the foundations for the future, including addressing key issues such as our climate change response, housing affordability, and child poverty. Our investments in Budget 2022 will be guided by the enduring objectives that were set at the first Wellbeing Budget and are based on evidence, advice, data, and science as to the areas that New Zealand needs to focus on to meet the long-term opportunities and challenges that we have. The Budget will include a particular focus this year on the Government\u2019s health reforms and investing to meet our climate change goals.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5bb79bdf3ca4512ac2fdaa346cb03c8\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: How will health be addressed through Budget 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a89691882cf4e0cba8ca4e85663f569\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: COVID-19 has highlighted how vital a joined-up and prepared health system is for protecting New Zealanders. There is also longstanding evidence that our health system has not delivered equitable outcomes, particularly for M\u0101ori. Budget 2022 will make significant investments in establishing the new entities on a sustainable basis that will replace district health boards, and begin delivery of the health system shifts envisaged through reform. Managing rising healthcare costs will be a major challenge in the coming decades, and we need to ensure that the new entities have a solid base for tackling that challenge. The Budget will also begin a multi-year approach to funding the health sector. Initially, this will be a two-year funding path, and then, from 2024, we will move to three-year funding, in line with New Zealand\u2019s first health plan. This approach is essential to give certainty to the sector and to tackle our long-term health challenges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b05cbcf0170b43849e5d824cdd9cb1d0\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: How will climate change be addressed in Budget 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dbf7beffcf4742e8a6546a89db2351d6\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019re also investing in initiatives to reduce emissions and meet our climate goals. As we announced at the Budget Policy Statement on 15 December last year, the Climate Emergency Response Fund will hypothecate or recycle the revenue generated from the emissions trading scheme (ETS) into emissions reduction projects from 2022 on. This fund has been established with $4.5 billion from the ETS based on forecast proceeds over the next four years. This will ensure an enduring multi-year funding mechanism to support our transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient economy in a way that protects vulnerable families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002200b2b17362f149e6b6ef46979536a243\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What is the economic environment in which Budget 2022 will be delivered?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222984daa7e66041c386ff6b5c684124ec\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The economic conditions that we face are constantly evolving as a result of the Omicron outbreak and global supply constraints and other conditions. We face Omicron in a strong fiscal position, and we will continue to protect the lives and livelihoods of New Zealanders and address long-term challenges. The Government\u2019s books are forecast to return to surplus in 2023-24, three years earlier than forecast at the Budget in May. Our balanced approach has seen net debt forecast to peak at 40.1 percent of GDP, compared to 48 percent at Budget 2021. We will continue to take a balanced approach that prioritises important projects that need to be done, along with the ongoing need for fiscal sustainability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224e8c8cdb9928422389560e0d9444adbe\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Prime Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022 data-id=\u0022b78e9a7d909443d9bed4940030c092c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b78e9a7d909443d9bed4940030c092c1\u0022\u003ECHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022 data-id=\u00220f736c56702443be9413207608078d03\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f736c56702443be9413207608078d03\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. In particular, I continue to stand by our decision to increase the minimum wage to $21.20. This Government remains committed to supporting New Zealanders by raising their wages, and we continue to stand by this policy that will directly benefit approximately 300,000 workers\u2014many of whom who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. Our position has not changed; just as, I see, the member\u2019s position of not having a position has not changed either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225765bec4a74c477b9704616acfcf7bb6\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the Salvation Army, who said today that housing has become \u201Cmore than a crisis, it is a catastrophe.\u201D, and does she think rents going up $7,280 annually, under her Government, has made things better or worse for vulnerable New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eaedd0a1f4954e0e83610b8b821cd224\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I absolutely agree we have a housing crisis, and the member across the aisle belongs to a party that when in Government refused to acknowledge that, and that is why they did not build enough houses. It\u2019s absolutely clear that we continue to play catch-up, and the Salvation Army will know well the work that we are doing, given we have partnered with them in our building programmes\u2014many of which are innovative in the way that we are trying to partner together to grow supply. We have created over 8,000 housing places since we\u2019ve been in Government we will not stop there. I\u2019d be interested to hear what the member\u2019s plan is, because, so far, he\u2019s opposed every initiative to grow housing stock. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d53cd69070324d14b159a4bb4e3ec1a7\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Why should anyone believe this Government is serious about tackling benefit dependency and hardship, when there are 37,000 more children growing up in a benefit-dependent home than when she became Prime Minister? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ef833bedc7f49319f01ace20da929b3\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I have to say I am surprised, because I thought the member may actually move away from the tired old tropes of the National Party when it comes to Government support. I would like to reflect, also, so that we can actually make sure that we\u2019re dealing in the facts: if you look at a quarter-by-quarter analysis of this period post one of the biggest crises we\u2019ve had in a hundred years, we currently have, roughly, 11 percent of our population on main benefits versus post the global financial crisis (GFC) 13 percent. So, despite the fact this has been a huge crisis, on this side of the House we have supported people to get back into work and done so, some might argue, more successfully than even after the GFC.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220eb9d6032c624c53b788feacaa3b4f2c\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Is it her Government\u2019s approach simply to make poverty a slightly less miserable experience or does she agree the best approach to tackling hardship is to get people back into work and independence?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a0d3f94f71cd4ad0934418cc7db6796c\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Again, deep irony being asked in that question by the leader of a party who saw child poverty worsen; when, on this side of the House, we, against nine indicators of child poverty, have turned each of them around. Is there more work to do? Absolutely, which is why we have increased funding into the flexi-wage to support businesses to take on workers who may be receiving Government support; why we created Mana in Mahi, which has seen our young people into training and education; why we brought back the full training incentive allowance, which, of course, the National Party when in Government slashed. We have a record of moving people into work and we have done that; if you look at the National Party, sadly, they did the opposite.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254d7571454a64abba9bd8243267bf1f4\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she believe work is the fundamental source of people\u2019s dignity and that under her Government the number of Kiwis dependent upon a benefit, instead of being able to provide for themselves through work, has increased significantly?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224abe13ea0de4d5587ca7e6096358c9a\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I do believe that work is the source of dignity; I\u2019m the Leader of the Labour Party. I also believe that work should also be able to put food on the table, which is why I support an increase in the minimum wage, and, clearly, that member does not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ebfb03a2e8345f7855a022c36232b04\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: If she can\u2019t get people from welfare into work and independence now, at a time of low unemployment and widespread labour shortages, when will she?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022740adc6850434cc4b9a35fcddd077d2f\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d actually point out again, based on fact, that the Government has. Because of its investment in things like the wage subsidy and our programmes like the flexi-wage, Mana in Mahi, and our other investments, particularly in young people, we have 96,273 people less on the main benefits than Treasury forecast. Our efforts have actually outstripped the expectation that many had around the number of people who would require Government support during what has been a one-in-100-year economic crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc66b45e149349ad92f5ebe29fa29e30\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she accept that under Labour more Kiwis are getting trapped on a benefit for longer and more children are growing up in benefit-dependent homes because her Government can\u2019t get people from welfare into work?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022619f2e24fed74eb4a3ad2814a5d1be95\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Again, I utterly reject the member\u2019s assertion. I\u2019m going to come back again to the facts. If you compare the percentage of working-age population on a benefit in December 2021, it was 11.7 percent, compared to 13.1 percent in the December 2010 quarter, when the National Government was in and we\u2019d experienced the GFC. What we have just experienced was profoundly worse and yet we have done better than in the GFC. Also, the number of people on a benefit for one to two years who went into work in the last quarter increased by 96 percent; those on a benefit for two to four years saw the year-on-year exit into work rise by 129 percent. The member, I\u2019m afraid, is not looking at the facts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022638f735d207b440b9987105025298264\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Health\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228e5576ce-ac6e-42fa-8d46-bdec9ba3ec7c\u0022 data-id=\u0022e208590a74fd45318ae8e97465e87424\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e5576ce-ac6e-42fa-8d46-bdec9ba3ec7c\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e208590a74fd45318ae8e97465e87424\u0022\u003EDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour\u2014Takanini)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made about online mental health support for parents?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022f2798d731a2342ac8a9c847015e17a97\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f2798d731a2342ac8a9c847015e17a97\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E On Friday, I announced the Positive Parenting Programme\u2014Triple P\u2014and this suite of online programmes offers practical advice, easy-to-use resources, and strategies for parents to help their children and teens cope with life\u2019s ups and downs. Just as the vaccine programme has been key, supporting mental wellbeing has also been a vital part of this Government\u2019s response to COVID-19.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e5576ce-ac6e-42fa-8d46-bdec9ba3ec7c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a748be90a2fd4f429c740e8c511b58f9\u0022\u003EDr Anae Neru Leavasa\u003C/span\u003E: Who will be able to access the Triple P programme?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a94096305c1140bb828ae24014b3508d\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: During last year\u2019s Delta lockdown, the programmes were made available to parents in Auckland. We received very positive feedback from that, and now the programme will be available to parents anywhere in the country. We know COVID-19 has caused stress for many families, with worries about money, work, and schooling, and all of this affects people\u2019s mental health. This is about supporting parents and children to manage their wellbeing over the long term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228e5576ce-ac6e-42fa-8d46-bdec9ba3ec7c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227e1e9c0eb5a4a7794129b68318522c7\u0022\u003EDr Anae Neru Leavasa\u003C/span\u003E: What supports are available through the Triple P programme?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1cbd17332d34ee080e47abbea2348cb\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The free Triple P suite of online programmes that are available include Triple P online, teen Triple P online, and fear-less Triple P online. We know that this pandemic has been particularly tough on young people, and, for some, the return to school after an extended break may add to the stress. These programmes enable parents to help their children and teens get on top of anxiety and become more happy, confident, and resilient, and I would encourage anyone who wishes to access the programme to go to www.triplep-parenting.net.nz.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229c2392572fd54ad684a053ac64959ffd\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u002264406c7fd7a6431ab91b13a999d57e3d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002264406c7fd7a6431ab91b13a999d57e3d\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E Does he stand by all of his statements and actions on new spending in Budget 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022f7248e5c402a462fb22b58db46689e80\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f7248e5c402a462fb22b58db46689e80\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Have one more go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u00224051fa46378946fd86d3f2d24ff87bce\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224051fa46378946fd86d3f2d24ff87bce\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions on spending in Budget 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u00220541d27e8a304dffaaeaa99021ea96d8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220541d27e8a304dffaaeaa99021ea96d8\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, in the context in which they were made and undertaken.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a39f5a7a359a43a1a6d5ba4c11d3a228\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: In light of his statement to me last week that \u201Ca big chunk\u201D of his $6 billion of new spending in Budget 2022 is \u201Cmaking sure that we reform the health system\u201D, does he accept that this expensive Labour Government restructuring won\u2019t deliver a single new hip or cataract operation, won\u2019t speed up immunisation or emergency department waiting times, and won\u2019t deliver any more ICU beds, in and of itself?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec057b8523cb41e297ad67a68116fa96\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister can answer one or more of the four questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220af504fde9cf41168529960ae3328fa2\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: No, I do not accept that. What I do accept is that New Zealanders have learnt through the COVID-19 pandemic the importance of a well-funded, joined-up health system. That is what we will be delivering. We cannot go on with the things that have failed. The National Party, as ever, would like to do nothing, but, on this side of the House, we believe New Zealanders deserve better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a09c4b70e4d42bf9bbb66bd42351dc9\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: How could he tell me with a straight face last week that not spending billions on an expensive restructure is equivalent to \u201Chealth cuts\u201D, when the restructure itself won\u2019t deliver any more services or benefits, other than to highly paid Wellington consultants?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d81a2405aaff4557b422bc9ce33594e1\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The member is just plain wrong. On this side of the House, we know what it takes to invest in the health system, unlike the Opposition over there, and whatever spin Mr Bridges wants to put on it, a Government that invests in the healthcare system of New Zealand is one that is investing in the future of New Zealand. Every single New Zealander knows the National Party\u2019s record on health: cut, cut, cut.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e48866b501f4bcd882df281da0eb4ee\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Is he really saying that either everyone agrees with every last dollar of his $6 billion in new spending\u2014the biggest Budget spend ever\u2014or it\u2019s simply signing up for health cuts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022353911772459469082addff8aafc56bd\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: No. What I\u2019m saying is the National Party have a track record of heath cuts, and, on this side of the House, we know that the answer to delivering New Zealanders the health services that they deserve is not to do nothing; it\u2019s actually to get on with the job of supporting people. And I would add: if the Opposition say to us that there is no inequity in health, that we don\u2019t need to do more for M\u0101ori, and that we don\u2019t need to do more for rural New Zealand, well, that\u2019s fine, but that is not correct.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220b34b5928659486b9798a09eda4e0fa1\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: How about he actually just deliver more services rather than wasting a whole lot of money on fancily paid Wellington consultants?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d028402d41524725b607618a859c351a\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Over the last four years, I have been working hard with the Minister of Health and with the Ministry of Health to make up for the fact that the previous National Government had two years where they decided there needed to be no capital investment in health\u2014none; none whatsoever. That is the legacy of that side. On this side, we\u2019re going to get on with delivering to New Zealanders the health system that they deserve.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a709acc37c974de58852fecd7fa3997a\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Won\u2019t his \u201Cbig chunk\u201D of his unprecedented $6 billion spend-up, that\u2019s to be spent on health restructuring\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc1d7fc12a3d49af81ce82598d9d3721\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! Now, I have been pretty flexible with the member, and I think he knows that, but I am going to haul him back into asking straight questions. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a86f5e2fcbd4667baf3ae9408eb29af\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Won\u2019t his \u201Cbig chunk\u201D of his $6 billion in new spending, that\u2019s to be spent on health restructuring, simply result in uncertainty and disruption in our health system, and, on top of that, more inflationary pain for New Zealanders, so that the best thing to do is scrap that wasteful spending right now in advance of his Budget 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df5b049d0e114a8eb82d1fff07d9dd1c\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: No, and none of David Farrar\u2019s talking points are going to work, Mr Bridges, because New Zealanders want health spending that makes sure that they\u2019re able to live their lives well, that makes sure mental health services are available\u2014that\u2019s the commitment of this Government. The do-nothing, typical National Party approach is what put New Zealand\u2019s health services at risk. We\u2019ve been fixing it for four years; we\u2019re going to keep fixing it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246623e48c4354f119260013c8b7dc666\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s a lot of people who want to take calls from their seats, but I think we\u2019ll go on to question No. 5.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225ae75c2e16d94d768e6405d6bc3e5d77\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014Foreign Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u0022fe98c7ceac7047c5aa9a9eadd070a9fe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fe98c7ceac7047c5aa9a9eadd070a9fe\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Will Aotearoa New Zealand be supporting a target of protection for 30 percent of the world\u2019s oceans in negotiations on the Global Oceans Treaty at the United Nations in March; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u0022b54877e041d347d2834f71a28b3d753b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b54877e041d347d2834f71a28b3d753b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Attorney-General)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to seeking the conclusion of a new United Nations agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. The convention is needed to halt the ongoing decline that we see in these areas and to promote restoration as well as sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these areas beyond national jurisdiction\u2014the long title is sometimes shortened to BBNJ. We\u2019re seeking wording in both the BBNJ and the concurrent negotiations towards a new global biodiversity framework that reflects strong qualitative elements as well as an acknowledgment of indigenous rights. The 30 percent proposal is under consideration. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022790436aff2d24f16bd80a1d67c9a4509\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister recognise the value of marine protected areas on the high seas in protecting habitats and species, helping fish stocks recover, and providing resilience with a changing climate and rising sea surface temperatures, and, if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022976ee7109a30409e90d09bee94330cc8\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes\u2014absolutely. But we\u2019re advised, and we accept advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, that in order to have an effective convention, you need strong qualitative elements, not just targets. I\u2019m not decrying the importance of targets, but without qualitative elements to support outcomes that include ecological representation and connectivity and management effectiveness, the convention just would not work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d7b9ddaa3a1c4f059d4f8029b93f000b\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: What is the Minister\u2019s view on the commitment in the Carbis Bay communique from the G7 summit in Cornwall last June \u201Cto champion ambitious and effective \u2026 biodiversity targets, including \u2026 protecting \u2026 at least 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030.\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce838e5b339846c5be3b0d7a0caeeeab\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: As I\u2019m answering that on behalf of the Minister, I\u2019m not aware of that particular quote. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e231657a85540d1bcea2374ab2f32c2\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree that the Government has a strong public mandate to push for a target of 30 percent of the world\u2019s oceans being protected by 2030 after the delivery of a 60,000-signature petition in support to Parliament last week; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022252b8973c1a84416ab2a10a2f2ea1cec\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister: I was alongside the member when that petition was delivered to Parliament and valued the civil expression of civil society\u2019s support for doing more in that area, and we support that ambition. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022417e37e8c523438aadfde7a4c166f4ea\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. I think the Minister is mistaken. That was a bottom-trawling petition. There was another petition delivered to Minister Mahuta and myself and Golriz Ghahraman last week. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226cc4d695b5dc456990f22e4b9696f0fe\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, speaking to the point of order, that\u2019s exactly what I was referring to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb2371183d9b4289a38c0a97b7020635\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A further supplementary? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280b77d10c9f4448b9953339d200ed877\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: How does she respond\u2014how does he respond\u2014to the 2016 resolution of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature supporting a network of representative protected marine areas covering at least 30 percent of each marine habitat with \u201Cthe ultimate aim of creating a fully sustainable ocean, at least 30% of which has no extractive activities,\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e382a325490d42ecb1e06ddbee47b578\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister: as I\u2019ve previously said, it\u2019s important that this goal, which is the protection in areas beyond national jurisdiction, is achieved in a way that doesn\u2019t undermine existing rules and institutions, including the likes of the Antarctic Treaty, and that it properly factors in M\u0101ori interests and supports Pacific aspirations. That said, the current mandate does not explicitly refer to the 30 percent target, but Cabinet will be considering that before the next round of the negotiations in the next few months. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022526203d4c47e4adf8e77ae9f958a78f4\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: If Cabinet hasn\u2019t yet made a decision on the mandate for a 30 percent target, what does the Minister see as major requirements for a strong and effective global oceans treaty, and will it include provision for a robust process for environmental impact assessment of damaging human activities such as deep-sea mining; if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257fc8afd53604959922ace895b896123\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve already addressed parts of that question in a number of the supplementaries, and I would just emphasise that it\u2019s important that there are effective mechanisms sitting in the treaty to make sure that it\u2019s not just hot air. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022813f15f01fd34b67b8f484255aa25846\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u2014COVID-19 Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022 data-id=\u0022a18352f686434c4295027ba1b4cbd88b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a18352f686434c4295027ba1b4cbd88b\u0022\u003EBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Does he stand by all of the Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022 data-id=\u0022c7aa5a7d13d64fb18ea25a13ad37d194\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c7aa5a7d13d64fb18ea25a13ad37d194\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Associate Minister of Health)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Yes. In particular, this Government\u2019s overall response to COVID-19, which has put the safety and interest of all New Zealanders squarely at its centre, and has seen the historic delivery of over 10 million doses of the vaccine administered in a single year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcb7fadff082457385b6743e70b7d038\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: Why won\u2019t schools be eligible for the Close Contact Exemption Scheme, and can he assure parents that there\u2019s going to be enough teachers available to teach at the peak of the Omicron outbreak, given the seven-day isolation rules?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233bce564d87a4ce5810c4cb8ed92c7d0\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL\u003C/span\u003E: Schools are eligible for the Close Contact Exemption Scheme, and advice from the Ministry of Education to schools reflects precisely that circumstance, that the scheme is to be used in case there is a risk that staffing levels aren\u2019t adequate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022086affd6aca549cba51f62834d0d033c\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: Has he asked the Minister of Education how many teachers are likely to have to isolate as close contacts at the peak of the Omicron outbreak, and, if so, what was the outcome of that conversation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226aff7ca6c01f4483803d97d016349048\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL\u003C/span\u003E: This isn\u2019t quite as interesting as the question might have been had I also been answering on behalf of the Minister of Education. I am not aware of advice on that particular issue, but I am aware of estimates from overseas where, for example, the United Kingdom, that has very similar close-contact isolation requirements that we will at phase 3, has approximately 4 percent to 6 percent absentee rate due to self-isolation across a variety of sectors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f0c7f763b4954df29992c657b6bc870b\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: How bad will the shortages of teachers have to get before schools are allowed to become part of the Close Contact Exemption Scheme and not simply just in cases where critical workers\u2019 children are close contacts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022891b8f00c4f24e709117e56298d2f865\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL\u003C/span\u003E: I believe I have addressed that in my answer to the earlier supplementary, that in situations where attendance at school is compromised, then that will be situations where the scheme could be activated by a school.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ba0d4a223ec49a797dc2ab7bbe18246\u0022\u003EChris Baillie\u003C/span\u003E: How can he assure parents that their children will have teachers to teach, when nine teachers at a Nelson school are needing to self-isolate after one student tested positive?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2de0bc5afbd45748a6ca2bc66eb3edb\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m not aware of the particulars of that particular contact tracing exercise, but what I can say is that the definitions of contacts have changed now that we are in phase 2, and they will even further at phase 3. This is to enable important services to continue to operate. In addition, schools have access to the Close Contact Exemption Scheme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f5086187c5114da190e32f7343f4415e\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: Why does he not believe teachers are critical workers, and is it the case that schools are not part of the Close Contact Exemption Scheme, excluding simply in the case of critical workers\u2019 children, because the Government has created a shortage of rapid antigen tests?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aed260be-c954-464b-bb75-85579e53d05a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232c0edce674a4cc29035cf5cdca061bf\u0022\u003EHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL\u003C/span\u003E: I reject the premise of that question. There is a shortage of rapid antigen tests because the Omicron variant has created a worldwide shortage in the supply of them. I believe I have addressed the question about whether schools are critical workers three times in my preceding answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225f2477f4e26148bfbcaa3cb966121129\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Housing (Public Housing)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022 data-id=\u0022533c2dc92c7145e2b3c6e72aab6db815\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225a797c9e-cc29-454e-b348-6a415e930295\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022533c2dc92c7145e2b3c6e72aab6db815\u0022\u003ETERISA NGOBI (Labour\u2014\u014Ctaki)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): What recent announcements has she made regarding the regulation of property managers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u00227142c389d1654bff9008826261ff610d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227142c389d1654bff9008826261ff610d\u0022\u003EHon POTO WILLIAMS (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)):\u003C/span\u003E This Government is following through on its manifesto commitment to regulate residential property managers and provide greater security and certainty for both landlords and tenants. That\u2019s why today I announced the Government\u2019s detailed proposals to achieve this important piece of work. New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD that has an unregulated property management industry, which makes it difficult to calculate how many property managers currently operate in the market. Officials estimate there are between 2,000 and 7,000 property managers across the country. While many abide by appropriate professional standards, the sector as a whole is not required to meet minimum practice standards. These proposals will change that. The detailed proposals announced today are now open for public feedback until 19 April, and I would encourage everyone to have their say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262b6be8377774a4e976b3dbebf6ae9c5\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Why did the Government decide to limit regulation of the rental market operators to just property managers, when they manage a minority of rental properties compared to landlords, as outlined in that discussion document?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fe9dd20784264f06978f64d2870130fe\u0022\u003EHon POTO WILLIAMS\u003C/span\u003E: Property managers manage about 42 percent of the market. Currently, private landlords are covered by regulation within the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA); property managers are not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f70eb44153e245b189ffc0ff601844b8\u0022\u003ERachel Boyack\u003C/span\u003E: What are the proposals included in today\u2019s announcement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002295b3664242234e59b1c7006603147cc9\u0022\u003EHon POTO WILLIAMS\u003C/span\u003E: The proposed changes included in the discussion document released today are designed to promote public confidence in the delivery of residential property management services. This will be achieved by establishing professional entry standards, embedding a code of conduct, and providing accountability through an independent and transparent disciplinary and complaints resolution process. These changes will provide more certainty to the nearly one-third of New Zealand households who currently rent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022508a24263119489ead904f5e5dfa1f0c\u0022\u003ERachel Boyack\u003C/span\u003E: What will these changes mean for landlords and renters?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293c72a633c0a4eff9966597ba8f199d1\u0022\u003EHon POTO WILLIAMS\u003C/span\u003E: As the residential property market has grown, so too has the role of property managers within it. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment bond data suggests that property managers are responsible for managing around 42 percent of all rental properties. That\u2019s why there\u2019s a strong interest for both landlords and tenants to have confidence in the service provided by property managers. These changes will provide more security and certainty to both landlords and tenants by putting in place a regulatory system that will provide property managers with more guidance, as well as a robust process for tenants to raise their concerns.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022721e11261ab2429cb92ab1f5d756173b\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Just with regard to my question earlier, as outlined in the proposed discussion document from the Government and to the Minister\u2019s answer about landlords being covered by the RTA, property managers not\u2014this goes substantially further with regard to education and also the requirement of professional entry requirements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a90b1f8790f464ea7715f39f4ef6c65\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: So I\u2019m not sure what the member\u2019s point of order is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f92627de09f4db3aa6ff35868f9be93\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: That the Minister did not answer the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b295bd0ac52d476286658c28361a270d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Minister is not required to answer the question. The Minister addressed the question, and the other point, which I think the member should know now, is that we don\u2019t wind back the clock. Once we\u2019ve moved on to\u2014and I think we\u2019ve had two further supplementary questions after that. You don\u2019t, at that point, decide that there\u2019s a point of order; not that there was one anyway. [Interruption] Can I just say that commentary on Speaker\u2019s rulings\u2014I don\u2019t know which of the two members are being particularly noisy, the young men at the back\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ba8004d346934b0cac3c30fb530d01cd\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, me? You\u2019re talking about me?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad12c6d8e0484c8e8bfadbe774457566\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: It was this time\u2014but just if they could cut the commentary on Speaker\u2019s rulings, that would be helpful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229257bda679f54cebb53415cac9ffeaf1\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\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=\u00223359f2a1805b4857b55234f3caa7f883\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223359f2a1805b4857b55234f3caa7f883\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader\u2014National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: Did a Cabinet minute of 12 March 2021 note that policy proposals brought to Cabinet \u201Crisk leading to increased rents, which could have negative impacts on child wellbeing and child poverty\u201D, and how much, in dollar terms, have national median weekly rents increased since the Government\u2019s housing package was announced in March 2021?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00223b0660c5078c4f04ba73d1fa6aa47682\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223b0660c5078c4f04ba73d1fa6aa47682\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E The member\u2019s question is a cautionary tale in only reading the summary document\u2014or, in this case, the Cabinet minute. A read of the full Cabinet paper and its companion papers would clearly show the member the policy was refined, following officials\u2019 advice, to address the risk the member outlines. The Cabinet paper from which the minute is drawn explains that introducing the new-build exemption would mitigate the impacts on housing supply and rents. The new-build exemption would encourage investment in new builds to increase supply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c25f5bad74f54de4afa10a54a46f4ea7\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: How much?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002244d408ea36f64bbaa42fb8dade07ef8f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249e541cd595a4fe788afa6208e52e20a\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Increasing supply is the best way to address affordability. The final Cabinet paper also noted that the proposals could risk leading to increased rents. It also noted that the magnitude of any potential impact was uncertain, and we have no evidence to show the recent rent increases are driven by the housing policy proposals announced last year. I\u2019d also like to draw the member\u2019s attention to the other paper at the time, which made up the March housing package, which was aptly titled \u201CIncreasing housing supply and improving affordability for first home buyers and renters\u201D. The paper established our $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1f4889996904fc9a455fa31d775a34a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! The member will resume her seat. I\u2019m now going to ask the member to get on to addressing the second clause of the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0c0fbf6d72c451fb30fdf6a325a5229\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: OK. So, to answer the second part of the question, from March 2021 to December 2021, national median weekly rent has increased by $40, according to bond data from Tenancy Services. However, I would note that the national median price does not account for the changes in types and sizes of properties being rented at different times. And, as I mentioned in the House last week, the national median alone does not account for regional variation\u2014for example, in Auckland, where we have seen additional supply, the increase was limited to $20.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022de08d657e7ae45299195ad1a229dd499\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the Salvation Army, who say in their State of the Nation Report out today that soaring house prices and rental costs are putting a significant strain on families, with a ballooning State house waiting list, suggesting many are struggling?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222333d1ee87354beabd739310142c5138\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I agree with everything that is in the Salvation Army report. We as a Government acknowledge that we have a housing crisis, and it\u2019s why, while we have been in Government, t we\u2019ve turned around selling off and reducing the number of public houses that we have in this country to building more public houses than any Government has in a generation. I\u2019m still waiting to hear what the Opposition\u2019s plans are in order to increase public housing\u2014or will they sell them off like they did last time?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eba580fb6e6a483c804c29b6b3de799a\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister, in light of that, support my build-to-rent housing bill, provided to her in October, which would boost supply of high-quality rental housing; or do we have to wait\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d796c1cc3eb24e049a5fd9e984819e85\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Keep going, but the Leader of the Opposition needs to know that he cannot do his support while his deputy leader of the National Party is asking a question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a75108702c7c4b40919d046c291d974e\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, may I start again?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022549915fc5f904c69a694f0cddae9a85a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, you can pick up from where you were.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a21be3365024570bcf8bdd00b8b2bc6\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Or how much longer do we need to wait for action on build to rent?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225483dd0d48f4a879254208799afdc01\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I believe this is in the realm of a hypothetical question, because I understand the member hasn\u2019t actually lodged the bill in the members\u2019 ballot. But, no, from what I\u2019ve seen in the media about what the member has talked about her bill, no, we won\u2019t be supporting her on it, because we have been undertaking a programme of work since March of last year which will address the issues, unlike the bill the member has been talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264402e70f14b41b6b8f067199b81a2c7\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister consider that the Government\u2019s changes to the tax treatment of rental properties have contributed to the biggest ever annual increase in median rents, and, if she doesn\u2019t share that view, what is driving soaring rental costs?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab0faa9968ab4f249421f92527df01bb\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: There are a range of factors that are driving rental increases, and we can see this across a number of countries. If we look at countries that are also experiencing increases in inflation associated with COVID\u2014such as the UK, such as Canada\u2014their economists are also pointing to rent, along with fuel, being one of the drivers. It is a phenomena that we are seeing around the world. In terms of whether or not I sheet this back to the changes that we made back in our March package: no, I don\u2019t, because we are a Government that has put in place mitigations, namely exempting the interest deductibility from the rentals, and also the brightline exemption for those as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a98483405b64401c8ee621495a5c7635\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Was Cabinet advised that tax changes for landlords were \u201Clikely to result in increases in rent or the sale of properties by landlords, leading to displacement of renters\u201D, and can she tell the House how many additional families have been forced on to the State house waiting list since her housing package was announced?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293d3e54aa6724caf8c0830488ee5f1cc\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: In answer to the first part of the question, what Cabinet was advised, in both the paper that the member has referred to in the minute, and its companion paper that went the following week to Cabinet, the one that was entitled \u201CIncreasing housing supply and improving affordability for first home buyers and renters\u201D\u2014that Cabinet paper advised Cabinet that it was likely to positively impact those groups who are currently renting and/or unable to buy a home. This was, of course, the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund that we set up for infrastructure funding in order to increase supply. I point that member to the evidence. Where we are seeing increases in supply, we are seeing much more constrained increase in rental prices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a46e8e2aeb7943449d5c327a5c1acd04\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: How many additional houses have been built resulting from the fund she announced in March last year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4ad898f7857473c9193393a193706d3\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: The member will need to put that question in writing, but I can point the member to the fact that, if I take the announcement of eastern Porirua alone, the announcement that we\u2019ve made of around $156 million, off the top of my head, is going to result in an additional 2,000 houses. It shows the naivety of that member if she thinks that will have resulted in houses by now, and why she is part of a party that has never come up with a solution to the housing crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224d7e5e9aa4e64475a22a2b60ea823a25\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Economic and Regional Development\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022 data-id=\u0022f40f2c0358f749ecaac242ef9401ed91\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f40f2c0358f749ecaac242ef9401ed91\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Economic and Regional Development: What announcements has he recently made about supporting the events sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u002289f0feaa552f4461a399acdebd79b428\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002289f0feaa552f4461a399acdebd79b428\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister for Economic and Regional Development):\u003C/span\u003E On Saturday, I announced that the Events Transition Support Payment Scheme (ETSP) will be extended to 31 January 2023 and expanded to include business events, delivering certainty and support for the events sector. Extending the ETSP by expanding it to include eligible business events of at least 200 attendees will give much-needed certainty to this industry. These changes will provide confidence to those operating in these sectors so they can plan knowing that the Government will underwrite 90 percent of their unrecoverable costs from now until next summer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4a96873cdfb4937bd53634036b0a094\u0022\u003EHelen White\u003C/span\u003E: Why has the Government moved to provide additional support to the sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e5a12b9e4f649abbe855d2fc05992ab\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government moved quickly to provide support for event organisers due to the precarious nature of this industry in times of uncertainty. As a consequence, thousands of New Zealanders were able to enjoy large concerts and festivals over summer. But Omicron has changed the game and we have adapted our plan in response. We know that under the current Red settings, large events cannot proceed. This is devastating for event organisers, artists, and everyone associated with large-scale events, including attendees. The changes I announced last week will provide a degree of certainty so that event organisers can continue to plan despite the ongoing unpredictability due to COVID-19. Already, event organisers in Auckland and Mangawhai have received funds paid out of the scheme, 17 events have been delivered with our help, and we expect 53 still to proceed over the next few months.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b58c8aa3a575462bae8c57b28d5395d0\u0022\u003EHelen White\u003C/span\u003E: What feedback has he seen from the sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b3f29a0debc4df9b706a6aa9ac6b8fd\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: This announcement was welcome news for a sector that has been under considerable pressure since the start of this global pandemic. Business Events Industry Aotearoa\u2019s Lisa Hopkins said they were \u201Coverjoyed\u201D that the Government had acknowledged through the expanded scheme \u201Cthe key role business events will have in New Zealand\u2019s recovery\u201D. Wellington Homegrown event director, Andrew Tuck, said, \u201CIf it wasn\u2019t for the Government\u2019s scheme, we\u2019d probably be looking down the barrel of not being able to run again.\u201D And the organisers of WOMAD in Taranaki said that they acknowledge \u201Cthe Government\u2019s Events Transition Support Scheme recognising the important role our festival plays in the region of Taranaki and ensuring the future of the festival.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00228ba26763a08642d88336e811d2597ad5\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Immigration\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022 data-id=\u002294a187481e7e45e7809e913116d74e18\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002294a187481e7e45e7809e913116d74e18\u0022\u003EERICA STANFORD (National\u2014East Coast Bays)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his answers given in question time yesterday; if so, can he confirm the date the immigration instructions were amended to include the border exception for 200 rural contractors that was announced by Minister O\u2019Connor on 12 December last year?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u0022bc03f56b381e43e48fc9ab5886f1d383\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bc03f56b381e43e48fc9ab5886f1d383\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, particularly as the immigration system has supported the primary sector during the border closure, with over 6,000 workers brought in through the class-exemption process to support our economic recovery. These decisions have supported sectors and have helped to keep New Zealanders safe. With regard to the rural contractors\u2019 exception, the date the amended instruction was signed out by me was 19 January\u2014not the 21st, as the member said yesterday. That was two days after they were given to me, and in line with a Cabinet decision in December last year to implement in early 2022. This decision was made to manage significant pressure on managed isolation and quarantine over the summer break.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f74d110ea4545e9a00cb08cec3ecc90\u0022\u003EErica Stanford\u003C/span\u003E: How can he stand by his answer yesterday\u2014that he was told by Rural Contractors New Zealand that immigration instructions needed to be in place by February\u2014when an email sent to him by Rural Contractors New Zealand and copied to the National Party in December states, \u201CWhen will visa applications be open to contractors to ensure they are in the country as soon as possible in January?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002208c614367b9d4181aa246a8c0a4289cf\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: Because when we spoke to the rural contractors late last year and outlined the plan, February was the time frame which they could work with.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab9f71b19afb46a48aca1716f2474246\u0022\u003EErica Stanford\u003C/span\u003E: How can it be that when the Minister receives two emails from Rural Contractors New Zealand, dated 24 December and 7 January, it took him another\u2014maths\u2014couple of weeks to sign off instructions to allow those contractors to apply for visas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002225d4c4d59da44066881debed7efce7b3\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: The member should listen to the primary answer. Cabinet made a decision to implement in early 2022. That\u2019s exactly what we did. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be009bdd908f4d60a445495f0bdeaa96\u0022\u003EErica Stanford\u003C/span\u003E: What does the Minister say to farmers who were relying on those 200 rural contractors signed off on 12 December, who are now unable to harvest crops in February, because only 40 of those 200 rural contractors have continued with the process and none are due to arrive this month, despite urgent emails from rural contractors\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264be985922a24a45aeeddcbc015be4a5\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member asked the question some time ago. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ffefaa93dc9f4fecb835d604595693fd\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d also note to the member that I believe on 21 December last year, given a forecast for a potential Omicron outbreak, the Government had to change its plans to reopen the border. As the member or the Opposition may have noticed, we are still trying to deal with a global pandemic, and keeping New Zealanders safe and making sure we change some of our plans and do that in a safe way was done on 21 December.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022486fc63226474ca59dc25d35d020e935\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Internal Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022 data-id=\u00220badd988a68b4424beca768908f7958c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220badd988a68b4424beca768908f7958c\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour\u2014Northcote)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What progress has she seen on the Government\u2019s investment in protecting New Zealand\u2019s heritage and archival documents?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022 data-id=\u0022364d7a18b3974503a7cb47f86f789dd9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022364d7a18b3974503a7cb47f86f789dd9\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI (Minister of Internal Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E Recently, I was incredibly privileged to take part in the turning-of-the-sod ceremony at the Aitken Street site to mark the commencement of the building of our new archives building. This is a significant milestone in the Government\u2019s T\u0101huhu programme, a once-in-a-lifetime project to create a national documentary heritage campus for Archives New Zealand, the National Library, and Ng\u0101 Taonga Sound and Vision. When we came to office, it became clear that our archives building, where some of our most prized taonga treasures and our national story are kept\u2014it had been, frankly, neglected and was in a dire state needing repairs. Our archives building is at capacity and at the end of its economic life. Thanks to the funding allocated in Budget 2020, we are able to progress initial development of the project.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1dc0c1335524cdf8c094554c2074efe\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert\u003C/span\u003E: How will the new specialist buildings benefit New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259957888716a41608b078c3be799902d\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: Archives New Zealand has never had a national purpose-built facility before. We can say with confidence that best-practice standards have been applied to this specialist building. This new building will provide a state-of-the-art archives repository and specialist facilities. It\u2019s our aspiration that staff and visitors will feel a sense of pride and a place when they walk through the doors, knowing that our nation\u2019s taonga are being well cared for. The new building will be physically linked to the National Library, creating a new public record and documentary heritage campus for all New Zealanders to access our stories, taonga, and heritage, held on behalf of the nation by the three institutions. This is a substantial construction project that is expected to create around 500 construction jobs over the next three to four years and scheduled to be open to the New Zealand public in 2026.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022284055439f6d43dda5a6ceebcbcdbbcf\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert\u003C/span\u003E: How has the design of the buildings incorporated tangata whenua and Te Ao M\u0101ori world view?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d522c8ba2234cefb2112737008c2a99\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: The design process for these buildings is an example of Te Tiriti and the strong M\u0101ori Crown relationships in practice. Taranaki Wh\u0101nui Te Ati Awa representatives have worked in partnership to co-design this building with a Te Ao M\u0101ori world view, connecting the building with the celebrated k\u0101inga of Pipitea, the ancestral home of hap\u016B Taranaki Wh\u0101nui Te Ati Awa. It is vital that these buildings are a true reflection of our history, our t\u012Bpuna, and our tangata whenua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002287c18fd45fa34499b468c73ae1ce9807\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Local Government\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022 data-id=\u0022f4173d7f4a7e45e39edabcce20b0c17b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f4173d7f4a7e45e39edabcce20b0c17b\u0022\u003ESIMON WATTS (National\u2014North Shore)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Local Government: Does she stand by all her statements and actions in relation to Three Waters reform, and is she still committed to the legislated \u201Call in\u201D approach to Three Waters reform?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022172ae7884a8e4713bfd8f8f5ec05d3ec\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022172ae7884a8e4713bfd8f8f5ec05d3ec\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b9839ee34da1480e8dbcd6ecbe3ad737\u0022\u003ESimon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: Why did Cabinet agree to a legislated, all-in approach to three waters reform in June before the consultation period with local government even began, and what has she done since that revelation to ensure local government voices are heard in three waters reforms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230b2b0960428420e9208cc6d7c627095\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, in answer to the first part of the question, I reject the premise of the member\u2019s question. In answer to the second part of the question, the member will be well aware that the working group is currently taking a look at matters of representation, governance, and accountability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e1540e8a88849959a0e998f80e5ab69\u0022\u003ESimon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: So, in light of that answer, what does she say to the 27 member councils of Communities 4 Local Democracy, who say that\u2014and I quote\u2014\u201CThe Government has stymied opposition to its plans by effectively muzzling Local Government New Zealand and hand-picking representatives for the working group, rather than having wider consultation. This is not good faith consultation.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002208cf7fc463ac458182f5534a261e8677\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, with respect, I say that I do not agree to that and what I further say to those mayors is that this Government is committed to making sure that New Zealanders have safe drinking water, effectively and efficiently managed storm and waste water, and to making sure that we save money for ratepayers. I think all of us would agree that those are good aims. We will continue to work with councils on the final development of the proposal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236284f573b194a208ad9824b43785305\u0022\u003ESimon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: In light of the overwhelming opposition from local government and the New Zealand public, will she now admit that it is time to re-think her three waters reforms?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234e5f554906345c590762f600a313201\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, this Government is prepared to face up to a decades-long under-investment in our three waters infrastructure. We need to bring together entities that can borrow enough money to be able to make up for that under-investment. We\u2019re committed to making sure that these stay in public ownership. We\u2019re committed to making sure that New Zealanders have the highest-quality water services. There is an option here, which I know that National Party would prefer, as they would on everything we\u2019ve covered today: do nothing. That is not the option this side of the House favours.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022761a0b73d23f4bf0a3c106cdb866726a\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: I apologise for my confusion before, Mr Speaker and Minister Parker. But on this one: does she support any of the alternative options for three waters reform proposed by Communities 4 Local Democracy, and will she and officials seriously consider and engage on those options, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec81d05c9e904088a95b5e651a1b5e57\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister: the Minister has met with that group. She has encouraged that group to submit to the governance group and we will seriously consider all things that come from that group.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d17318b6b0f4453cbd4808bd79c1a34d\u0022\u003ESimon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: Just say no. You don\u2019t listen to anybody.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221be5652780ad489bb1d3f5c91698e13b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The trouble is that with my hearing aid in, I do listen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e1be1553318a40aebcb1743b62c43b26\u0022\u003EDebate on Prime Minister\u2019s Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229bf5bf5e2f8e443c949153046f199cdb\u0022\u003EDebate on Prime Minister\u2019s Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000169\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 15 February.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022c776449ca47a4a08ad06e4955f5beea0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c776449ca47a4a08ad06e4955f5beea0\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E In the Prime Minister\u2019s priorities speech, she covered six points across my portfolios that I am looking forward to discussing today. Last week, the Prime Minister outlined our Government\u2019s ambitious plans for the year. As has been the theme for our previous years in Government, there is a lot to do in lots of areas, not least of which social development, employment, ACC, disabled people, and arts and culture. We have some big changes planned this year and we are very well advanced in our work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EOne of the big changes will include the establishment of the long overdue and yet to be named Ministry for Disabled People. Last October, the Minister of Health and I announced major changes to the disability system. The current disability system is broken and there are many barriers in place which make it hard for disabled people and their wh\u0101nau to find and get the support needed to live their best lives. We, as a Government, want a true partnership between Government and the disability community, and that\u2019s why a new Ministry for Disabled People will be established on 1 July this year. The new ministry will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world, which is a massive achievement for disabled people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EIn her statement, the Prime Minister reaffirmed our commitment to build on previous work by the disabled community and roll out the Enabling Good Lives approach across the country. This will be a key role of the new ministry and will transform disability support services for over 43,000 disabled people, their families, wh\u0101nau, and communities. We\u2019ve learnt from the Enabling Good Lives demonstrations happening across the country that this approach creates more meaningful engagement, gives more voice, choice, control, and flexibility, and is reaching people who hadn\u2019t accessed disability support services before. It also ensures that support is reaching the most vulnerable parts of our disabled community. I\u2019ve been told that the MidCentral prototype has seen a 60 percent increase in tangata whaikaha M\u0101ori and Pacific disabled people connecting with the system. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ESetting up a new ministry doesn\u2019t mean that every other Government agency will not also have to have a focus on ensuring that they are providing for disabled people. The new ministry will be a leader, but other agencies will continue to be responsible for the way in which they serve disabled people as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThe Prime Minister also confirmed our commitment to introduce the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill to the House this year. The framework that will be set out in the bill has been developed in consultation with the Access Alliance and provides progressive approaches to identifying, preventing, and removing barriers to participation for disabled people and their families, tangata whaikaha M\u0101ori, and Pacific peoples. This will apply to a range of areas, including new or redeveloped buildings, transport, education, health, information, and events.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EI want to move to ACC. Fifty years after it was set up\u2014and it is 50 years old this year\u2014ACC remains a unique and world-leading scheme. It is an integral part of our social support system in New Zealand and has become part of the fabric of our country. As Minister for ACC, I want to make sure that this system assists all New Zealanders who have had an injury, and is fit for purpose for New Zealand in the 21st century. That means continuing to reverse the cruel cost-saving changes that National made to the Accident Compensation Act in 2010 which unfairly disadvantaged tens of thousands of New Zealand workers. It also means looking hard at the equity of the ACC scheme and whether it is serving women, M\u0101ori, Pacific peoples, other ethnic minorities, and disabled people in the way that New Zealanders would expect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ELast year, I requested data from my officials that showed that women made fewer claims to ACC than men and have fewer injuries covered by the scheme than men, and each woman\u2019s claim costs the scheme a third less than a man\u2019s, on average, in entitlements. These gender disparities are not surprising when you think about the fact that this scheme was set up to support the largely male New Zealand workforce back in the 1970s, but it is time for us to begin addressing them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThat is why the Government has taken the first step in this mahi by introducing a bill that will extend ACC cover to a list of maternal birth injuries. The extension of cover will benefit up to 18,000 more women per year who will be able to receive cover for maternal birth injuries. This change will make a massive difference for these women, but we know that there is more work to do to address inequities in the ACC scheme, and we, as a Government, are committed to doing that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s move to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). MSD will continue to prioritise our welfare reform work programme, but some of the key milestones we will see happen this year are the roll-out of our increases to main benefit and increases to Working for Families tax credits. The increases to main benefit levels represent the largest increases to main benefits in a decade and are a continuation of our commitment to address income adequacy. We know that addressing poverty in our nation is not just MSD\u2019s job; it is the job of multiple Government agencies, and our combined work programme this year will see us progress towards our ultimate goal of eliminating child poverty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EMSD will also continue its focus on employment. We\u2019ve invested heavily in work-focused, front-line case management. The specific actions we\u2019ve taken include 263 new front-line staff in Budget 2019 to help people into work. We\u2019ve invested $150 million in Budget 2020 to help people into work, invested a further $99 million in work-focused case management and services in Budget 2021, and invested $86 million to sustain the additional front-line work-focused staff we employed through COVID-19.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThe quarterly benefit figures show that our Government\u2019s investment is beginning to deliver results and meaningful outcomes. He Poutama Rangatahi has supported 7,047 at-risk rangatahi to overcome barriers to employment, education, or training. Mana in Mahi has supported 4,446 people into placements since 2018. There\u2019s been a total of 11,193 flexi-wage placements, and our Apprenticeship Boost scheme to help employers retain apprentices and encourage more people to take up apprenticeships has already benefited 40,314 apprentices. These are excellent results, but there is more to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ELast but not least, I\u2019d like to touch on the arts, culture and heritage portfolio. The Government\u2019s strong economic management and landmark $374 million investment in the arts and culture sector in response to COVID-19 has protected jobs, supported livelihoods, and cushioned the blow for the arts and culture sector. The COVID-19 cultural recovery package impact report on the initial impacts of the four-year Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme shows that up to June 2021, our Government\u2019s significant investment in this sector has created over 1,500 jobs, many of these in the arts and creative sector. I think I saw somewhere it had saved just under 3,000 jobs in the screen sector.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThere is no question that the Omicron phase of the pandemic poses fresh and serious challenges for the arts and cultural sector in 2022. It will not be an easy road. In early February, I announced $121 million in further support for the arts and culture sector to further cushion the blow and protect jobs, incomes, and livelihoods of those who make a living from delivering arts experiences and events, and we should not underestimate the important role that the arts and cultural sector has to play with regards to supporting the wellbeing of New Zealanders but also the economic contribution that the arts and cultural sector make to our country. We continue to listen closely and engage with the sector to ensure we pivot, where needed, to ensure the cultural sector continues to make a significant contribution to our economy and to our collective wellbeing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EThis Government is ambitious for New Zealand\u2019s future, and we are delivering. The work programme you will see coming out of my portfolios this year are ambitious, but will make a difference to the lives of many New Zealanders. I\u2019d like to thank all of the officials who are working on these incredibly important changes and all of the community organisations and iwi that are working alongside us. It is a programme of work that is well under way and I look forward to delivering it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022 data-id=\u0022004a255eb3984562a1765d24e0a24728\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022004a255eb3984562a1765d24e0a24728\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL (National\u2014Whangapar\u0101oa):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m going to speak about my portfolio areas that I asked our incoming leader, Christopher Luxon, for when he became our leader. The reason why I did that is because I\u2019m deeply passionate about them, with the first one being police, the second one being the counter-terrorism role, and the third one being the Serious Fraud Office.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EWhen I first became a proud member of this House back in 2011, I was also very proud of the fact that I had had a policing career myself. But I didn\u2019t seek any law and order - type portfolios because, number one, I was very conscious, coming into this House, that you can be labelled, and I didn\u2019t want to be labelled just as being focused on law and order. The second thing was that I was very fortunate to have had a decade with a business career overseas and I\u2019d become very passionate about trade and our economic future. So I stayed away from the law and order portfolios to a large extent, but the reason why I ask for the police portfolio now is because, certainly, at no time that I can remember, and, talking to a lot of my colleagues that are still either serving or have retired from the police, can we ever remember the situation in this country being so bad in terms of the growth of gang numbers, the proliferation of weapons and gang members willing to carry weapons, and the worst thing is they\u2019re willing to use them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI know for a fact that in my own community, my own electorate of Whangapar\u0101oa, we\u2019ve been very lucky to have been gang-free, and our local police have worked very hard at keeping the gangs out. We had the Comancheros, who tried to buy residential property in \u014Cmaha, and our sergeant up there was very effective in working with our local real estate agents in ensuring that they were blocked. We had the Mongrel Mob, who tried to buy a pad on the Hibiscus Coast, and, again, the police worked very proactively in ensuring that they were blocked and they didn\u2019t come into our community. But, unfortunately, two years ago, we had the Hell\u2019s Angels buy commercial property in Silverdale, and they\u2019ve set up a pad there, and then we had the Comancheros move in. In the last month, we\u2019ve had the Hell\u2019s Angels and the Mongols decide that it\u2019s cool to have a stand-off and violence, and to discharge weapons in the community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ENow, I\u2019m working at a local level with our other elected representatives\u2014our councillors, our local board\u2014and I meet every month with my police area commander. We\u2019ve just lost Mark Fergus\u2014I want to pay a tribute to him; he did an outstanding job for the last six years\u2014and we\u2019ve welcomed in our new area commander. We make it very clear to them that our community has an expectation that they will police professionally but they will use every tool available to them to put as much pressure on these gangs, and we will find ways of pushing them back out of the community and get rid of what they bring, and that is organised crime, recruitment of our young people, the peddling of drugs, and house burglaries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EBut the problem is I can do that and try to be as effective as I can in my own patch, but they\u2019re just going to move somewhere else. They\u2019ll move across the boundary. They\u2019ll go and set up somewhere else if we do that. We\u2019ve got a massive problem in this country with gangs and gang-related crime. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI was in Palmerston North last night. I had a public meeting in Palmerston North last night, and I had a young female police officer come along to that. She is completely, totally demoralised. They go out and they deal\u2014especially up there\u2014with these boy racers. They\u2019ll take action against them, they\u2019ll arrest them and they\u2019ll charge them, and the next day they\u2019ll be out dealing with the same offenders, and it\u2019s demoralising for them. They join the police, primarily, with one thing in mind, and that\u2019s keeping their communities safe. Of course, you will have seen in the media that there was a police officer in Palmerston North who was assaulted, who was attacked, by some brave boy racer that decided to come up and strike him from behind\u2014king-hit him; could have killed him\u2014and he\u2019s still in hospital recovering.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve had young Matthew Hunt and David Goldfinch. Matthew Hunt was gunned down by Eli Epiha in broad daylight on the streets of West Auckland\u2014a gang member that had easy access to high-powered, military-style rifles. We had David Goldfinch, a father of two young children, that through his own perseverance and his own quick thinking was able to actually extract himself and survive, although survive barely. He\u2019s got injuries that will follow him along for the rest of his life.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to have a debate in this country, and it\u2019s an important one, around the general arming of our police, and whether or not we think it\u2019s right to send them out to deal with armed gang members with firearms, and whether we think it\u2019s right that they can possibly be put in the same position as Matt or David. It\u2019s wrong. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI can tell you one thing: when I was in the police, I didn\u2019t care about politics. I was a young guy. I was motivated by the same things today that our own young police officers are out there doing\u2014that is, they want to be effective, they want to look after their community, and they want to know that they\u2019re backed. They want to know that the leadership is behind them and that when they go out and do their job, they don\u2019t have to be watching their own backs, because they know the bosses have got them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ENow, there\u2019s a quid pro quo, and that is that they have to act professionally and they always have to look at the least amount of force if they\u2019re having to use it, in terms of what they\u2019re trying to achieve. The police service is not perfect, like any organisation. But, in my experience, any rotten apples are identified and drummed out very quickly. We have got one of the most professional, world-class police services in the world, and I talk to that with some authority because I\u2019ve been lucky enough to have worked, trained, and watched other police forces around the world operate and I\u2019m extremely proud of the police service that we have here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EThis debacle out here at the front, they now have to try and clean up and deal with. That\u2019s not of their making. The making of that starts in here, because there wasn\u2019t proper communication and because we have Kiwis that are deeply affected and upset by vaccine passports and mandates. We supported those. We supported\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224960fa04773446ce8661108b1a5137c7\u0022\u003EHon Michael Wood\u003C/span\u003E: Right, you\u2019re going to defend the lawbreakers now? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022918378c864b7454c8ca80a42258d66d8\u0022\u003EHon MARK MITCHELL\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014no, I don\u2019t need an interjection from Wood\u2014a light touch on those, because we recognised the importance of them, but we were also very clear that they weren\u2019t to go too far and they were to be removed as soon as practicable, because we could see very clearly that it was divisive. Now, you\u2019ve got a big mess sitting on the lawn that you expect the very police force to deal with that you\u2019ll not support on a daily basis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI can tell you now\u2014and I\u2019ll come back to it\u2014when I was in the police, Mr Wood, I didn\u2019t care about politicians. I wasn\u2019t even that interested in who the Minister of Police was, but I can tell you right now that the young men and women that I talk to when I come into this precinct, out the back here, that stand out in the rain, that put up with the verbal abuse, that are there to protect us\u2014they\u2019ve got no faith in their police Minister. They don\u2019t believe in her. She might be a lovely woman and she came into this place, like we all do, with a passion for something. But I can tell you one thing: it\u2019s not a passion for our police force. It\u2019s not a passion for our men and women on the thin blue line. She\u2019s not behind them. She doesn\u2019t even understand what they do, let alone what they need, and when you pick up a portfolio and within the first two months you come out and you accuse the very service that you\u2019re meant to be supporting of being racist, then you\u2019re going to lose the support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EFor the first time that I\u2019ve ever seen in this country, police officers know who their police Minister is, OK? They\u2019ve got zero faith, and the best thing that this Government can do and the Prime Minister could do, if she wants to show some leadership on this matter\u2014because I acknowledge and respect the fact that she grew up in a police family. I have a lot of respect for her father, Ross Ardern. Make a positive move and change the police Minister, because I tell you what, our police service deserves much better leadership than what it\u2019s getting at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EI see shaking of the heads on the other side, so I take that to mean that the Labour Party think they are getting the support that they need and that they are getting the leadership that they need. Well, I tell you what, here\u2019s a good idea: go outside this building, walk out the back door there, go and talk to some of them and just thank them. Just say, \u201CThank you for being here. Thank you for doing what you\u2019re doing.\u201D They\u2019re under enormous pressure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003EThe other thing that you could do is the 1,800 police officers that were meant to be delivered in July of 2020: how about delivering them? You\u2019re 500 behind, and now you\u2019re saying July 2023. The best thing you can do for them is this: back them, support them unequivocally, and give them the number that they need. Actually, a bit more pay would be good too, instead of pay freezes, in terms of the job that they have to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002248a02a21-c1ac-4159-8789-485ad614bd01\u0022\u003ESo my message to the Labour Government and the Minister, quite simply, is this: get out and support your police service\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=\u0022bf44f98d8f6a46bc8c19e59c49b70578\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bf44f98d8f6a46bc8c19e59c49b70578\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member\u2019s time has expired. Rachel Brooking\u2014a five-minute call. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022 data-id=\u002283667055c4644e11bf9a56b4074dba00\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002283667055c4644e11bf9a56b4074dba00\u0022\u003ERACHEL BROOKING (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this opportunity to speak on the Prime Minister\u2019s statement and the year ahead. Before I get started into what I\u2019m really wanting to talk about, I would after that last speech like to acknowledge, as I have done over the past few days whenever encountering a police officer, and thank them for the great work that they are doing. In terms of the year ahead, hopefully we can focus on some other issues as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EFor me, I\u2019m excited. As somebody who is particularly interested in urban planning, biodiversity, housing, and climate change, this is going to be a big year. It\u2019s a big year for the environment. We have on the work plan the replacement RMA\u2014that\u2019s the Resource Management Act. That\u2019s with both the Natural and Built Environments Bill and the Strategic Planning Bill, eventually to become Acts. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EThis is a big deal\u2014reforming resource management. Resource management is intrinsically difficult. There are always trade-offs to make. There are always people who have the status quo on their side. They don\u2019t want to change the system. There are few incentives to protect the environment. There are lots of plans, there are complicated concepts\u2014often introduced by resource management lawyers in case law\u2014and, of course, the fault of this place is that the legislation has been amended frequently. There are many inefficiencies and perverse outcomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003ESo the changes need to be outcomes-focused and user-friendly, have environmental bottom lines, have explicit trade-offs, and enable councils to work together. In addition, there\u2019s also the need for strategic planning in the much longer term so that we can look across a region for the planning of infrastructure, growth areas, and climate adaptation, among other things. We\u2019ll hear more about this, in part, in a debate in I think our next sitting week, where we\u2019ll discuss the Natural and Built Environments Bill exposure draft. That was an interesting process that the Environment Committee has already gone through, and that\u2019s feeding into the legislation that will come into the House later this year. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EOne of those issues in terms of the spatial plans is looking at where growth should go, and we all know that housing is of great importance to the country. We have our $8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund in use. There\u2019s planned public housing of over 2,000 houses this year. There are programmes towards warmer homes, healthy homes initiatives, and there are commitments for Government buildings themselves, where they\u2019re over a certain value, to be certified as Green Star buildings. We\u2019ve also got the Commerce Commission looking into building supplies, and late last year, we passed the enabling housing legislation. This year, councils will be putting out their plans in August to enable more of those houses and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s also a lot going on in terms of climate mitigation. We have the first emissions reduction plan, providing many opportunities to New Zealanders and businesses, this year. There\u2019s a focus on innovation and clean technology and being at the heart of the transition to a low-emissions economy. We\u2019re going to have emissions budgets for the next 15 years, and it\u2019s important here to reiterate that decarbonisation is important not just for the international agreements that we\u2019ve signed up to\u2014both sides of the House\u2014but also for our trade and for our exporters, because the markets are changing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EOn that, I note that the Prime Minister will be undertaking some visits this year. She intends to go to Australia, Asia, the United States, and Europe. We know that there\u2019s already been very good progress on the UK free-trade agreement, and, hopefully, we\u2019ll get further with the European one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a lot of work going into decarbonisation, with support to move to clean industrial processes\u2014that\u2019s with the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund. There\u2019s a planned new national environmental standard prohibiting new low and medium temperature coal boilers and beginning the phase out of all of the existing ones.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003EThis Government is dealing with a range of very tricky and difficult issues. It\u2019s not putting its head in the sand and doing nothing. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u0022444c2dfd69de416e81c138b34b850eba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022444c2dfd69de416e81c138b34b850eba\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement and categorically do not support the amendments put forward, as it is clear those amendments are fundamentally wrong and miss the point. For example, on the other side of the House, perhaps the member Mark Mitchell, who said he knows the police portfolio, would have a look at the 2018 Budget and see that in 2018, New Zealand Police received the biggest investment it has ever had, of over $500 million. If he knew the portfolio, he would have a look at those papers, because this Government does deliver.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EAnother case in point: last year, our Prime Minister made it clear that one of our priorities was the vaccine, to ensure the vaccine was accessible to our communities to keep our people safe. That is still our priority in 2022. Keeping people safe and accessibility of vaccine is grounded in what this side of the House stands for. As articulated by a very good friend of mine and colleague, the Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, \u201CLabour is in the fight against COVID because we believe that people\u2019s lives are worthy of protection, because our old, young, or disabled are equally members of our community as the economically or politically empowered.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EAs the Deputy Prime Minister said earlier in this debate, \u201CThere are no easy decisions in COVID-19. At each and every stage we have been presented with difficult and worse options. We\u2019ve had to shift and adapt, but New Zealanders know that we have kept to our word that we would save lives and we would save livelihoods.\u201D This is what we have done, and this is what we will continue to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI remember standing here as the last speaker in 2021 in the adjournment debate, giving my thanks to the hard-working teams in our vaccination and health centres across the country for their work in administering what is now over 10 million doses. Today, my thanks remain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EAs the Prime Minister set out in her statement, our high vaccination rates have defied predictions of a summer surge and prevented the Delta destruction that health systems across the world have faced. We turn now our focus on ensuring our people are prepared to encounter Omicron, to face COVID-19 for the first time on a scale we have not yet experienced, as we see that today with record numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EOver this last week, while others were putting their energy to occupying the front lawns and surrounding streets of this House, principals, teachers, Tiaki\u2014which is our care and community lead in Mana\u2014health providers, Wh\u0101nau Ora providers, community leaders, our local supermarkets, and my electorate team were putting their energy into dealing with positive cases in our community, including in four of our schools in Porirua. Teachers were preparing for online learning and school packs to deliver to children who had to isolate so that they could still learn. Food packs and care packs were delivered to positive cases and those in isolation. Schools that were safe to remained open, and, like this Government, schools know that to close their doors is a decision that is finely balanced. When I spoke to these school principals, they were grateful for the support they were receiving from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. I thanked those leaders for the work and the energy they are pouring in to keep their doors open, to keep their schools safe, and provide assurances to their students and family.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI finish my contribution by going back to the case in point where this Government has delivered and it is keeping our people safe. Over the summer, I lost my 93-year-old grandmother. She was the last matriarch of her generation. My grandmother was born in the time when Samoa was recovering from the 1918 influenza pandemic that wiped out almost a quarter of their population. She was a survivor. She became a solo mother of 10, and was one of the hardest workers I know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EMy last thanks goes to the people of Aotearoa, especially of M\u0101ngere, South Auckland, where she lived for 30 years. Because you followed the rules over the last few years, it prevented the spread of COVID, and my grandmother got to live the last few years of her life in dignity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EBecause the majority of us had vaccines, we were able to hold her funeral under the COVID protection framework and have people visit our family at home and in church to pay their last respects. Although we didn\u2019t have all the grandchildren here in New Zealand, when the borders opened for a short period last year, my cousins were able to come over here and kiss their grandmother farewell. These are the freedoms that are afforded when we set policies to keep people safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ELabour is in the fight against COVID because we believe that people\u2019s lives are worthy of protection, because our old, our young, or disabled are equally members of our community as the economically or politically empowered. We on this side of the House will keep fighting for that, and we will never take people\u2019s lives for granted. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u0022cdc9458af20c415880e0b99d690af861\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cdc9458af20c415880e0b99d690af861\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. In \u014Ctautahi Christchurch, there\u2019s a plaque on a seat beside the \u014Ct\u0101karo Avon River, near the hospital. It remembers the 460 Christchurch victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918, half of whom died at Christchurch Hospital or nearby at the Royal Hotel. More than 9,000 New Zealanders died in that pandemic in a little over two months. I can\u2019t imagine a city where 460 people died from one event in two months. I can\u2019t imagine a country where 9,000 people died, and the impacts that this would have on families, on whakapapa, on our social and mental wellbeing\u2014the overwhelming grief that we would feel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve avoided that with COVID because the Government\u2019s strategy has been about \u201Cwe\u201D, not about \u201Cme\u201D. It\u2019s been about acting on behalf of all of us and protecting as many New Zealanders as possible from dying or getting seriously ill. That is the crucial role for any Government, and it\u2019s one that the Greens strongly support. So I, like many others in this House, am enormously grateful for the huge mobilisation of effort behind the vaccination programme, for getting 90 percent of New Zealanders who have had their two jabs and are now getting boosted, and for all of the preparation for the next stage, of Omicron.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EBut the need to tackle the climate crisis is as serious as outmanoeuvring the pandemic. Scientists predicted years ago that we\u2019d have with warming temperatures more intense weather events, as we had with the remnants of tropical cyclone Dovi last weekend\u2014huge anxiety and heartbreak, particularly to people in Westport, in Buller, and other areas in the North Island where there was extensive flooding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Prime Minister spoke about putting climate change at the heart of our economic strategy. That\u2019s really important because we need that substantive change to reshape our economy so that we can reduce our emissions, protect the climate, protect nature, and improve our wellbeing. For too long we\u2019ve seen the climate crisis and the nature crisis as things that are separate, in two silos. That\u2019s a recipe for failure. This year, next year, the year after that, and the year after that, we have to integrate the solutions to the climate crisis and the nature crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EWe had the $1.3 billion investment in Jobs for Nature as the centrepiece of COVID recovery last term. That\u2019s bringing a huge number of jobs and connection with Papat\u016B\u0101nuku through the programmes that Minister Allan is now rolling out. But we need much greater funding for nature and for the climate crisis, and we need major changes to policy and law to protect and restore our wetlands, to reduce the browsing pressure that deer and possums put on our forests, to protect soils and oceans, to sequester more carbon, and to protect the climate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EOne of those key areas is exotic forestry, and there needs to be major change there and a major overhaul in the role of forestry in the emissions trading scheme (ETS), and I note that today, Beef \u002B Lamb and Local Government New Zealand have come out with a discussion paper on that, calling for a much more strategic approach to forestry in the ETS. As the Climate Change Commission made really clear in In\u0101ia tonu nei, relying too much on forests will not lock us into net carbon zero. To achieve meaningful decarbonisation before 2050, we need to reduce emissions, not just try and offset them through extensive pine planting. Dame Anne Salmond has said really recently that\u2014and I quote\u2014\u201CThe ETS is a spreadsheet designed in a silo, and an ecologist\u2019s nightmare. It privileges the planting of monocultures of exotic conifers \u2026 while failing to assess their \u2026 impacts\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EWith the Government spending $100 million on wilding conifer control, the largely uncontrolled spread of exotics is meaning we\u2019re creating those problems for the future. One area that really needs change is the Overseas Investment Act: the way in which the special forestry test privileges overseas companies and individuals who want to come in and buy farmland for forestry. It means they don\u2019t have to prove that there\u2019s an identifiable benefit to New Zealanders. So, in 2021, we had the Overseas Investment Office approving 36 applications over 7,464 hectares. There is major concern in the Hawke\u2019s Bay about the Huiarua Station: 5,000 hectares there that are potentially going into overseas ownership and pine. We need major change around forestry for the climate response, for the emissions trading scheme, the privileges it gets under overseas investment, and much better regulation so that its impacts are managed. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022b9f848d045a94a5f9b73a4b5ffbc8902\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b9f848d045a94a5f9b73a4b5ffbc8902\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This is a split call, I presume.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u00224cacf7ad073943d3943c1cb727f853c8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224cacf7ad073943d3943c1cb727f853c8\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E This is a split call, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286af191db97e4f8c94429827aacbae78\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Jan Logie. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f8b342afb7964748974ec0071f60eb7a\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. This afternoon, I\u2019d like to speak primarily to one sentence in the Prime Minister\u2019s speech\u2014the only sentence where she mentioned child poverty\u2014and that sentence was: \u201CClimate change is a challenge we cannot and will not postpone\u201D\u2014yay! Just like child poverty, housing, and mental health, it sits firmly on this Government\u2019s agenda, just as it did before and during this pandemic. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003ENow, I\u2019ve got concerns about this sentence because, as a country and as a world, we need more climate action than what we\u2019ve seen on child poverty, housing, and mental health. Four years on from putting those things on the Government\u2019s agenda, we still have thousands of children in poverty: 25 percent of Pasifika children, about 20 percent of M\u0101ori tamariki, and disabled children. Basic needs are not being met in this country. The demand for food parcels recently has just skyrocketed, and this needs to be understood when we hear too that poor nutrition plays a role in two out of five deaths in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s been acknowledged today from the Salvation Army that we have a housing catastrophe and an entrenched, if not building, mental health crisis. This situation can on some measures, as we hear sometimes from the Government, be still technically described as progress\u2014and how grim is that?\u2014and the Government points proudly to all the actions they\u2019ve taken to increase benefits. Yes, that is so much better than nothing\u2014100 percent\u2014and the stop of the sale of State homes and the start of the rebuild of our housing stock\u2014yes, yes, yes. But this is not a world in balance. This is surely not what success looks like, and I am genuinely frustrated that this pace and this impact that we\u2019re seeing at the moment could represent the extent of the Government\u2019s ambition for our children. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003ESo we really need to do better on climate action than we are doing on this point, but we also need to do better on child poverty and the deeply interconnected issues of housing and mental health. When Dame Cindy Kiro, our now Governor-General and then chair of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG), said, on the launch of the WEAG report, \u201CWe can\u2019t just tinker with the so-called welfare system. It\u2019s just not going to cut the mustard.\u201D, child advocates agreed, and they still continue to express real frustration that they\u2019re not yet seeing anything that could be described as much more than tinkering.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003ENow, reportedly, only eight out of the 42 WEAG agreements have been partially implemented. Four years on, or however long it has been, none of them have been fully implemented, and the most recent changes to Working for Families, being possibly the worst example between the gap between possibility and this Government\u2019s action, is that the Government increased Working for Families by a small amount for the lowest-income earners, but paid for it by taking that money away from middle-income earners. The Prime Minister didn\u2019t mention any new initiatives to step this up, and I hope that she\u2019s just holding her powder dry and this is going to be a focus, because we need action and we need it urgently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThe last Budget injection did not finish the job. At the time, Max Rashbrooke commented that meeting the child poverty targets over seven years would require \u201Cnew spending on child poverty that is over a billion dollars a year, on top of previous spending\u201D. Last year\u2019s Budget announcement didn\u2019t even meet that threshold. We need more, and now is the time to act because this is part of the COVID response, this is part of COVID response recovery, and this is part of climate justice. We need the WEAG items ticked off. We need guaranteed, adequate incomes and fair pay agreements. We need rent control and we need more State housing, and we need it now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u002200aa213318c04dd28826bbe00d3f7a79\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002200aa213318c04dd28826bbe00d3f7a79\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I take a call in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement and in opposition to the amendment to the associated motion from the Opposition, it\u2019s quite pleasing to me as I\u2019ve listened to a number of contributions that there is widespread recognition that, as a country, we have done very, very well with what is the greatest challenge that we are currently facing, which is COVID. I think it\u2019s been an outstanding response from New Zealanders that has enabled that. Yes, it\u2019s been coordinated by the Government, but notwithstanding the protests from a very small proportion of our population that we see outside, there has been a unified response from the people of New Zealand that has enabled us to overcome the pandemic in the way that we have until now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EWe are now into the third year of the pandemic, and because of vaccination rates\u2014and, really, only because of vaccination rates\u2014we can now approach Omicron in a way that we couldn\u2019t previously. It is with some confidence that we approach the challenge of the Omicron wave that is building in our country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI think that New Zealanders, nervous though they are about Omicron, can take heart from the fact that the plan that the Government has adhered to with the support of New Zealanders has enabled us to have the best result in the OECD for two years in a row, and those are, of course, the two years that we have data for during the pandemic. We\u2019ve had the lowest hospitalisation rate, the lowest rate of confirmed cases, and the lowest death rate, and it\u2019s no coincidence\u2014that didn\u2019t happen by itself. It happened because of New Zealanders pulling together and doing the sensible things that we have done as a country. Yes, some of them have been hard. It\u2019s been hard for people who have been separated from their loved ones and the business consequences for some businesses have been very difficult. But with support from the Government through wage support schemes and by doing this in as compassionate a way as possible, we have got through, and what an amazing result in the last year to have had 10 million doses of the vaccine taken up by New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EI also know from my dealings with people that there is an enormous gratefulness on the part of the New Zealand population that for two years in a row, we have had a relatively normal summer, and we\u2019ve needed it. People have needed a break from the consequences of COVID, and we\u2019ve managed to deliver one. I think that\u2019s a fantastic thing that we should be celebrating as a country, and I know the vast majority of New Zealanders do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EOver Christmas, of course, we had to wind back slightly the relaxation of managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). I know that the Opposition was running a petition before Christmas saying, \u201CEnd MIQ now\u201D, which has since been changed to \u201CEnd MIQ\u201D because they\u2019ve realised that they were on the wrong side of that one, given that if we had reopened to Australia as was originally planned, we would not have had the largely COVID-free summer that we have had. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re one of the only countries in the world that beat Delta. We didn\u2019t completely stamp it out, but we bent the line down, and we haven\u2019t been overrun with Delta deaths in the way that other countries have.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn the meantime, of course, the other business of Government goes on, and I haven\u2019t got time to talk through in any detail the huge range of policy that we\u2019ve got improving the country and the new deliveries that we\u2019re doing across health, education, and climate. I note that the last contributions from the Green Party noted the importance of climate. Well, we actually have a Green climate Minister, and this year there\u2019s going to be a focus on climate mitigation in the Budget. In respect of child poverty, I do note\u2014and I didn\u2019t see this mentioned by the last speaker from the Greens\u2014that all nine indicators of child poverty, we\u2019ve got progress on. The Prime Minister said that in question time today, and that\u2019s something we\u2019re immensely proud of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of health, of course, we\u2019ve got the work that the Hon Andrew Little is leading to do away with health boards and to have a unified system. But in addition to that, we\u2019re rolling out new hospitals and mental health infrastructure, in contrast to the last two years of the National Government\u2019s Budgets, where there was no contribution to capital spending for health in the last two Budgets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022311605fcd57b4c63bd33ff8c127925ba\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: That is just not true.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264242ffe8c33442fb795e0f8c28ec4a3\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is true. There is some background capital expenditure, but in terms of contribution to capital spending from the Budget\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222cdfd8b88d274af4b2d703de92fc67d4\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: That is not true, either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228d2b3ee7bfb48c98e123dd6fe6aa61e\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, you can ask a question in the House on that, Mr Woodhouse, because we\u2019ve heard the Minister of Finance contrasting the contributions to capital spending from the health sector. Remember those hospitals that were so poorly maintained that they had sewage running down the walls? Remember that fact that there were very few new hospitals being built in the country? Remember the complaints about mental health inadequacies of spending that followed the reality that the last National Government removed the ring-fencing of mental health funding? Health boards that were under pressure took the money that was meant to be applied to mental health and applied it to other areas, and as a consequence we inherited the mental health problems that we have. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn education, we reformed trades training in the polytechnic sector in a way that it really is working. We\u2019ve got 100,000 extra people in trades training. One of the reasons why we\u2019re coming out of this post-COVID recession so much better than the last Government achieved in respect of the global financial crisis is that instead of cutting back on spending on training, we increased it, and therefore we\u2019re training the workforce that we need to, for example, build houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn my own responsibilities, having in recent years reformed the freshwater management in New Zealand, the big push this three-year term is to reform with the Natural and Built Environments Bill. We\u2019re already in the meantime reforming the Resource Management Act through its repeal and replacement with the Natural and Built Environments Act, implementing the Randerson report, which the Hon Tony Randerson QC chaired during the last term of Government. But in addition to that, of course, we\u2019re already adding to housing supply through the likes of the up-zoning legislation that we passed last year with the assistance of the National Party, and I thank the Hon Judith Collins in particular for that. I think that is something that history will thank the honourable member for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIn respect of the other big crisis that we inherited on housing, I do want to take the last 2\u00BD minutes to just list the huge array of efforts we have that are behind the near doubling of the number of houses that are being built in Auckland. There\u2019s a danger in this sort of speech of listing all of the things that have led to an outcome and then not leaving enough time for the outcome. In Auckland, from memory, the number of houses that was being built annually when we came into office was 10,000, whereas we\u2019ve got that up to 19,000 in the last year, which is an over 90 percent increase in the number of homes being built. New Zealand - wide, the number of houses being built has increased to around 44,000 to 47,000 a year\u201447,000 last year and 44,000 predicted for this year, and if last year is anything to go by, we\u2019ll probably beat those estimates as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s been an enormously complex range of levers pulled to achieve that. We\u2019ve had the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund to help councils build the infrastructure needed to enable houses to be built. We established the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. We\u2019ve developed our urban growth agenda to deal with land supply. We\u2019ve established K\u0101inga Ora. We\u2019ve passed the Urban Development Act and the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act, and we have the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, which we tweaked last year with the help of the National Party. We passed the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act. That has consented more than 3,400 residential units in the 2021 year. We\u2019ve established the Progressive Home Ownership Fund. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve changed the tax system. I know that the National Party hate this, but we actually have changed the tax signal in a country where we\u2019ve got a very distorted tax signal around the housing market. We\u2019ve done something to actually preference first-home buyers over investors, and it\u2019s working. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246f52c05f1a94df280de8363470ea407\u0022\u003EHon Michael Woodhouse\u003C/span\u003E: How\u2019s that going? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022254185555fbc4827a13ed102d1c8da93\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s working really well. It\u2019s working really well. We directed housing investment into the building of new homes rather than bidding up the prices of existing homes, and we see that in the way in which house price inflation is rapidly going down in Auckland. House price inflation has been rocketing for years in Auckland, and in the last quarter, it is getting closer and closer to zero in real terms inflation in the Auckland housing market, and that\u2019s a consequence of all of these measures. Of course, we\u2019ve exempted the builders of new homes from these changes to interest deductibility in the brightline test because we want new supply. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003EIt is working. We\u2019ve got a big work programme on outside of COVID, and we\u2019re proud of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u0022bfcab14660104b1f9491e45411a3329b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bfcab14660104b1f9491e45411a3329b\u0022\u003EHon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister of Conservation):\u003C/span\u003E Tuatahi m\u0101ku e tuku he mihi ki a koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare nei i raro i te taumahatanga o te \u0101hua kei waho r\u0101. \u0100, heoi an\u014D kei roto i t\u0113nei Whare kei te mihi ki a koutou ki a t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E[Firstly, I\u2019d like to send a greeting to you, to the Speaker, in consideration of the difficult circumstances outside. However, inside this House, I send my greetings to one and all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI stand here to unreservedly speak in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. I want to just commend our boss, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. At a personal level, I feel incredibly privileged to be standing on this side of this House, under the mantle of her leadership. She is a person that is a humble leader. She is a woman driven with a sense of compassion who has this innate wisdom and a very clear sense of purpose, which provides a sense of clarity for all of us on this side of the House as we navigate some of what have been the most tumultuous of waters, standing here amidst a global pandemic\u2014and we do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ERight now, we are living in a time of a global pandemic that is stretching out across the world and\u2014with my emergency management hat on\u2014we are also living in a time that we have seen some of the worst weather that has hit across regions, having absolutely gut-wrenching results up and down the country. We have people currently that have had their homes destroyed. Two states of emergency were declared down in the West Coast over the past three weeks. Up North, we have fires that have been tearing through the environment there for a month, and there\u2019s a sense of uncertainty that people are feeling that I don\u2019t think people have felt in quite some time. But what we have seen through it all is that our country, men, women\u2014people from across the isle\u2014have come together. We\u2019ve pulled together and we\u2019ve done our hardest, done our damnedest, to make the best of what has been thrown our way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EMinister Parker just left some encouraging words on the floor, and he stated it quite clearly: New Zealand has been one of the only countries, really, that did beat Delta. Yeah, we had incursions left, right, and centre, but nothing that was predicted. Here we are, standing at the forefront of this wave that is Omicron, and we saw some of the highest numbers come in this morning. But here we are with a population that is up in its mid - 90 percents for double vaccination, and getting boosted at a rate that is incredibly high per day. Our young children from the age of five and upwards have commenced their vaccination programme, and as far as a country could be prepared for this incursion that is Omicron, we could not have been better prepared.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022418656d535a243d88dfbe1edebf1a847\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, really?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022debcf8de34a04219b6ef753ccff4ac53\u0022\u003EHon KIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: And if anybody has any doubts across the other side of this House, I would love to have heard a single plan but for the one that they proposed. What was it\u2014what was it? It was \u201COpen up the borders.\u201D, \u201CShut the borders.\u201D, \u201COpen up the borders.\u201D, \u201CShut the borders.\u201D, \u201CGet rid of MIQ now\u2014I mean, not now. Maybe a little bit later\u2014no, no, just get rid of it altogether.\u201D, \u201COh, no, do it last year.\u201D\u2014I don\u2019t know. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve all been on a bit of a wave, a wave as they\u2019ve gone through their turbulent times with their leadership. We\u2019ve been on a wave as they\u2019ve gone through their turbulent reckons when it comes to this pandemic. Thank goodness they haven\u2019t been anywhere near the helm, and thank goodness they have not been anywhere near the purse strings of this country as we have weathered this storm, because it sounds like during the midst of a pandemic, all the folk on the other side of the House want to see costs cut, but they won\u2019t tell you what programmes they\u2019re going to cut\u2014no, no, no. Anyway, it\u2019s not about them. They can dither in their own whatnot.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EBut what I do also want to commend is our Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, Grant Robertson. Grant Robertson, the Minister of Finance\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229df02f1756924f38a05b1a9e86aded95\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: Top man.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b259e99f4034864b9da6c9dfce2f1c9\u0022\u003EHon KIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014is a top man, as Minister Faafoi says. He has ensured that our economy is positioned as being on track better than any other in the OECD, or is one of the few that is in the position that we are in, due to better than expected financial accounts and our record of incredibly low unemployment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve always said that whilst we\u2019ve been enduring the tides that are before us, we too have been just cracking on with the day-to-day business. For me, the thing that is bringing me joy at the moment is seeing how many New Zealanders are getting out there and protecting our environment. As our economy became afraid\u2014with the wisdom of the Cabinet prior\u2014they saw that we were going to have to offset some of the economic turbulence by creating programmes that would ensure that we could capture those that had been displaced as a consequence of COVID through programmes like Jobs for Nature. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EAs part of the Government\u2019s economic recovery, we continue to roll out the Jobs for Nature programme. For the Department of Conservation - led projects, Jobs for Nature has delivered nearly 2,700 jobs so far. More than 1 million hours have been worked up and down Aotearoa by young men and women and people who strap on their boots, day in and day out, to get out there and look after our environment. We\u2019re only 18 months into this programme, and there is plenty more to come. Under the Department of Conservation (DOC) mantle\u2014it\u2019s a three-tiered beast. But under the DOC component that I\u2019m responsible for, we have 200 projects on the books as we are rolling out into 2024.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EAlongside driving our economic recovery this year, we\u2019ll see a huge focus\u2014as has been stated across the House by Minister Parker just prior and others\u2014on climate change across all of our portfolios. While the climate crisis is well-known, something that many of us have been yelling for folks to hear too is that we also have a biodiversity crisis. That is often seen as a bit of a poorer cousin to climate change, but it is incredibly important to our country\u2019s values. I strongly believe that both of these crises are interlinked, and the more we can deliver nature-based solutions and protect and enhance biodiversity and reduce emissions, the better. A big part of my focus this year will be on implementing the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020, and we\u2019ll have more to say on that in coming months, including how our collective biodiversity response can help drive our emissions reduction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EIn December, I announced as well that we will be stepping up work to address longstanding problems in conservation law while laying the foundations for future law reform in conservation. Better legislation will equip us with the tools to deal with some of the biggest emerging threats to biodiversity today: invasive species, climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and the fragmentation of landscapes and ecosystems. We can start making improvements now to help relieve the pressure by tinkering with the way in which concessions work which are leading to unsatisfactory outcomes across the board, and that will be a part of the law reforms that we are tackling this year. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also launched a first-principles review of the Wildlife Act, which is over 60 years old and is often incredibly unclear, unfit for purpose, and incredibly difficult to implement. It doesn\u2019t do a good job when it comes to protecting some of our most endangered species and, to be honest, it doesn\u2019t really work well for anyone. Good progress has been made on a crucial stewardship land review and reclassification process, a task where far too little ground was made when DOC was established in 1987, and it was a promise that we undertook to do then. We\u2019ve kicked that up into full blow this year, and it\u2019s rendering some results.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EOver the last four years, Labour, in partnership with the Greens, has delivered the biggest ever investment in nature and biodiversity protection. Kiwis back us on this, up and down Aotearoa, as we traipse up and down the country. They know the value of our natural landscapes, both for our identity as people and for our economy and brand in the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ENational\u2019s track record for nature is poor: funding freezes and cuts to DOC, polluted rivers, opposition to any real action on climate change, and unrestrained and unplanned land use conversions. However, may I please just take this opportunity to thank the Greens for their constructive work alongside us, and, in particular, their conservation spokesperson, the Hon Eugenie Sage, for the work that we do together.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThis is an exciting time to be in Government, albeit sometimes a little challenging. But on this side of the House, we\u2019re up for the challenge, and I stand to speak and commend the Prime Minister\u2019s statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022c8bce448335648ee969e0e54254f4a9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c8bce448335648ee969e0e54254f4a9b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Before I call the Hon Michael Woodhouse, I\u2019d just like to ask the Hon Kris Faafoi to turn off the torch on his phone. When he moves it around, it\u2019s sort of getting me in the eyes. It\u2019s not as bad as the lasers that are coming in from our friends out the front, but it does hurt. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u002247ced94ab05348dba5ebf16ab6b662b3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002247ced94ab05348dba5ebf16ab6b662b3\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. That could be a member\u2019s bill. I am recalling Dr Cam Calder\u2019s laser bill. Perhaps we need a \u201CKris Faafoi Light Bill\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EHonestly, I think I\u2019m in some kind of hermetically sealed parallel universe, listening to the speeches\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb47df98795c41308f9410fb74d8fd1d\u0022\u003EHon Kris Faafoi\u003C/span\u003E: You are\u2014it\u2019s your caucus.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226442e27f4c034d0f940749c25bc5a2f1\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014that are coming from the other side\u2014and Mr Faafoi agrees with me\u2014because if there\u2019s anything that underscores how arrogant and out of touch this Government is, it\u2019s in the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. It was 23 pages of \u201CAren\u2019t we great and best in class, and oh what a great job we\u2019ve done with COVID.\u201D, and yet the reality is something very, very different. In my 40 years of adult life, I cannot remember a time where there has been more division, more despair, or more anxiety, anger, and frustration as there is right now, and I don\u2019t excuse the protesters who are outside this place, but on a level I can understand it. They want to know what this Government is going to do to restore their freedoms and to live their lives free of unnecessary interference from the State, and they\u2019re not getting those answers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve acknowledged year one, pretty solid\u2014not perfect by any means\u2014but year two and now we\u2019re into year three, things are falling apart, and I\u2019m not even sure what we\u2019re trying to do here. Who are we trying to protect? Are we trying to protect the vaccinated? No, they\u2019re vaccinated. The likelihood of them being seriously harmed by COVID is extremely low. Are we protected the unvaccinated? Well, remember the initial target was 70 to 75 percent. We\u2019re now at 94 percent, and those few New Zealanders who have chosen for their own reason to be unvaccinated don\u2019t want the Government\u2019s protection. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ESo here\u2019s what I think they\u2019re trying to protect: they are trying to protect the health system, and they\u2019re trying to protect a health system that they have failed to build capacity in. There is no extra capacity, no extra beds, no extra ICU places, no extra staff\u2014goodness knows, the Minister of Immigration couldn\u2019t get off his chair to get the doctors and nurses we need in, and, in fact, it\u2019s worse than that, because the ones we did have have left. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a scandalous reality that at Dunedin Hospital, a 12-bed extension to their ICU was completed nearly 3\u00BD years ago. How many patients have been in that unit? Zero. It\u2019s a Yes Minister moment. It\u2019s an ICU with no patients, because there are apparently problems with heating and ventilation. Well, I\u2019ve run a hospital. I know that is a complication, but in the UK, where some of those hospitals are 400 to 500 years old, those buildings, they\u2019re able to do it. Why can\u2019t we, in the middle of a pandemic, find a solution and get a unit that we have spent millions developing actually open so we can respond to a COVID outbreak if those beds are needed?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EI have been having a look at some of the data. I hear, and it\u2019s even in the Prime Minister\u2019s statement\u2014how many times have we heard this\u2014the best economic response is a strong health response. Well, I argue that even through the narrow lens of COVID, the health response has not been strong. But I also am very, very concerned that that lens is so narrow, because not a single member of this House has avoided the heartbreaking stories of the cancers that have gone undetected, of the heart disease\u2014of the heart attacks where people with chest pain have stayed at home because they\u2019re afraid to go to hospital, probably at a cost of their lives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ENow, researchers are able to equalise those impacts, and they can do analysis on what they call QALYs\u2014quality-adjusted life years\u2014or wellbeing years, and they can measure the costs and benefits of different interventions. We know a lot about the costs of COVID through the lockdowns, and the Government crows about how many lives they might have saved, but how many have been lost? How many life years have been lost by the heartbreaking stories of cancer and heart disease? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EYou know, we\u2019ve lost some older New Zealanders. How many New Zealanders have not been born because IVF treatments were stopped? There is the maternity care where the partner has to be prevented from going into the hospital and the self-harm that\u2019s gone up in our rangatahi\u2014about a third more self-harm in the last two years\u2014and how much of that is attributable? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EThe analysis that I have seen indicates that the non-COVID costs to our health and wellbeing may exceed the benefits of the COVID response by two and a half to five times. Now, that\u2019s got to be international research, because we, as far as I can tell, have not done that research. The lens is too narrow, and I think that\u2019s why countries like Sweden, Morocco, Israel, the UK, and the USA have said enough. It\u2019s not because they\u2019ve necessarily defeated COVID, but they know that the costs of carrying on the way they were are so much greater than that, and they\u2019re doing that at 73 to 74 percent vaccination rates, but they are opening up, they\u2019re dropping the restrictions, and they\u2019re flooding their countries with rapid antigen tests. That is a scandal in my view: the fact that we have had nearly no access to rapid antigen tests months after so many countries used them as a screening tool that would stop what\u2019s about to happen in Queenstown, where it\u2019s not hyperbole to say that that town could well collapse by the weekend because of the COVID outbreak and the requirements of staff to self-isolate, rather than actually get a rapid test that could conclude very quickly whether or not they and their clients and colleagues were at risk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EBut what about that economic response? I left a Government that grew wages at twice the rate of inflation. Now, we have inflation at twice the rate of wage growth\u2014that\u2019s a scandal. Inflation is now touching 6 percent. The Finance and Expenditure Committee was told this time last year that it was going to be temporary and would max out at 2.7 percent. Well, I think they were right based on the information they had, but they had no idea of the spending binge that this Government was going to go on in an overinflated economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EYou don\u2019t even need to know fourth form economics to know that when you pump that much money into an overcapacity economy, inflation will grow, and I predict it\u2019s going to keep growing. It\u2019s certainly hitting those people who are least able to afford that growth in wages the hardest. Food prices are out of control. Housing costs, which we\u2019ve talked about\u2014in Dunedin, it\u2019s gone up 40 percent under this Government. The average price of a house in Dunedin is now something like $731,000. Mr Parker goes, \u201COh, apparently it\u2019s flat-lined.\u201D\u2014no. It went up 20 percent last year in Dunedin, 27 percent across the country, and they still pour billions more into the economy. The people who are going to have to repay that debt have not even been born yet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003ESo when they say they\u2019re best in class, when they look at themselves in the mirror and say \u201CAren\u2019t we great?\u201D, look at the whole costs. Look at the non-COVID health costs, look at the future costs of the legacy that we are leaving for our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren, and then ask this: strong though that initial response was, for how long can we continue to do this? They say, \u201COh, we don\u2019t have a plan.\u201D Yes we do: flood the country with rapid antigen tests that are a reliable indicator of who might be at risk, protect the most vulnerable, maintain very strong constraints on those immuno-compromised and elderly New Zealanders who are most at risk even of Omicron even if they\u2019re vaccinated, and let the rest of the country get on with its life. We cannot continue to go on the way we are. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EThat protest out there is going to be a Moutoa Gardens\u201479 days that lasted. Well, what are we at\u2014day eight or nine? I think we\u2019re a long way away from, not moving them, but easing the anger, frustration, and anxiety that brought them here in the first place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s got to stop. This Government does not have a stated plan to get us out of the restrictions that they have put us in. They said they would govern for all New Zealanders. Well, most New Zealanders don\u2019t feel as though they\u2019re part of the team of 5 million any more, and this statement really smacks of the arrogant and out-of-touch Government that they are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u00220434a694d66e4306a96685d7cc6ac6c5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220434a694d66e4306a96685d7cc6ac6c5\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration):\u003C/span\u003E It is my privilege to rise and speak in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. Madam Speaker, just before you assumed the Chair, Speaker Mallard asked me to turn the light or the torch of my phone off. It was a mistake, but I\u2019m beginning to think I should have left it on and pointed it at the Opposition, because at the moment the Opposition is a very dark, dark place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EYou would think from the Opposition that the efforts of the entire country over the last two years to make sure we can get through a global pandemic have come to nothing. You would think from the words of the Opposition that everything that every individual has done here in New Zealand over the last two years\u2014to scan, to vaccinate, to boost\u2014has come to nothing. Well, I am very proud to stand on this side of the House and to support the Prime Minister\u2019s statement and the decisive leadership of the Government to make sure we have weathered, on the whole, better than any other country in the OECD. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI am proud of the decisions we\u2019ve made. As difficult as they have been, the New Zealand public have bought into it, because there are 4 million New Zealanders out there who got vaccinated. There are 1.2 million New Zealanders out there who have had their third booster shot, because they know that they are doing their part to keep following through on the efforts of the last two years to keep New Zealanders safe from the ravages of a global pandemic\u2014of a global pandemic\u2014something that the Opposition seems to be completely and utterly ignorant of. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI am proud of this Government and its actions because at every turn, we\u2019ve acted early and we\u2019ve acted decisively to prevent the worst impacts of the global pandemic. It is sad because some families in New Zealand have lost loved ones, and I want to acknowledge that. But the early and decisive action of this Government has made sure that on the whole, New Zealanders have been safe and are faring better than most other countries that we compare ourselves to. In terms of confirmed cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, we have been the lowest in the OECD for the last two years, and I want to take my hat off to not only the decisions that we have made but the officials who have helped us implement that, the health workers who have worked tirelessly, and our community workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and keep people alive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI heard a saying a couple of months ago that might work its way around public health circles: when public health actions work, nothing changes. You get to, relatively, live the life that you want. Now, obviously we haven\u2019t been able to do that, but the decisive public health measures that we have taken have kept us safe when other countries, both close and afar, have suffered a much higher incidence of COVID, much higher hospitalisation rates with COVID, and, unfortunately, much higher death rates because of COVID. I am proud that our Government over the last two years has acted decisively in the best interests of New Zealand to keep us safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThe measures that we have taken have saved lives. There are challenges still ahead of us. But also the work\u2014and I want to acknowledge the Minister of Finance here\u2014that we have undertaken over the last two years has protected jobs and businesses as well. I want to acknowledge\u2014because we can see the number of cases going up\u2014that we\u2019re not through all of those challenges, but we\u2019ve got to this point in better shape than most other countries, and the plan that we have followed has worked. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got a more immediate challenge, and in this part I\u2019m not talking to the people in this Chamber; I\u2019m talking to the people who are at home who maybe, for some strange reason, want to listen to my speech. We know the onset of Omicron has grown. We\u2019ve seen that from the cases that have happened or have been reported in the last two or three days. It\u2019s now really important that we support our friends and family to get ready for that, and to make sure\u2014importantly\u2014that if you can get a booster shot, you do it, because we know from some of the numbers we\u2019ve seen offshore that the rates of hospitalisations and death dramatically reduce if you have had your booster shot. So my main message to people who might be listening or watching is if you haven\u2019t got your booster and you\u2019re eligible to get your booster, please go out and get that done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThen each family\u2014and friends and neighbours\u2014needs to make sure that they\u2019ve got a plan to look after each other. I\u2019m nearly finished with my plan to make sure I\u2019ve got all the medication that I need, and I\u2019ve got a plan to make sure that someone is able to look after me or my loved ones if I am asked to self-isolate. But please, to those listening\u2014you might be driving; you might be heading home on the bus this afternoon\u2014make sure you are having those conversations so that you\u2019ve got the absolute basics if you need to self-isolate. It will help you and your family or your neighbours to make sure you can get through what is forecast to be an increase of Omicron. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ECan we also make sure that we\u2019re looking after our health workers. It\u2019s been two years and I have certainly heard of stories of the stress that they\u2019ve been under because of the heavy workload, and I want to acknowledge that, but also let\u2019s make sure we\u2019re looking after them in the way that we\u2019re dealing with them too, because I\u2019ve also heard stories of them being abused, etc., as well. So as we enter this next challenge, can I ask that we are kind to the people who are looking after us\u2014to those who work at supermarkets and to those who are making sure essential services continue to run but very much our health workers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ELook, our economy is in good shape considering the challenges that have been thrown at us. Record low unemployment: I want to take my hat off again to the Minister of Finance and all the support that he has given over the last two years in terms of supporting jobs\u2014so keeping people in their jobs to support family\u2014because that has meant a lot of New Zealanders have been able to stay in their jobs. Record numbers of New Zealanders are moving off main benefits and into work. Over 100,000 more people employed now than 12 months ago and some of our sectors are actually having a bit of a boom time in terms of export earnings, and I want to acknowledge that, because that has assisted us in terms of the economy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003ESpeaking as Minister of Immigration, we\u2019ve also set a path to reconnecting. A couple of weeks ago, I joined the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister in Auckland to announce our five-step plan to reconnecting. That begins later this month, to allow New Zealanders and those who are able to come to New Zealand from across the Tasman to come here. We open up again a month later to New Zealanders from around the world. Step three, by April: I think, importantly, it allows the likes of working holiday visa holders to come to New Zealand, and I think a lot of industries like tourism and the horticulture sector will welcome that. Then step four and five, which is from July or from October: we\u2019re able to increasingly allow more people into the country, especially visitors, and able to be fully open from October. I think that is both a very careful and considered and balanced approach to make sure we are managing the public health, economic, and social factors that we need to when we\u2019re opening the border. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI\u2019m also proud that we\u2019ve been able to get on with business, and this week I\u2019m especially proud of a piece of legislation that started out as an idea within our party. We went through it and it became a manifesto commitment at the last election and, last night, it became a piece of legislation around the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. I want to acknowledge all the hard work of Rainbow Labour caucus, Rainbow Labour, the policy committee, and all the advocates who were pushing to make sure that this was something that when we stand up in this House and this Parliament, it draws a ring around us, and all of us are supporting it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge the journey that we have had to get there, and also acknowledge the weight of support that that piece of legislation had in this House, with 112 members of this Parliament supporting it. I think that sends a very strong message out to the country that no one\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity is broken or is in need of fixing, and people who want to love the way they want to love have more protections and freedoms in that respect. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003EThat is the kind of thing that we\u2019re getting on with, as well as protecting the country over the last two years from a pandemic. We\u2019ve got to keep the course and decisive leadership will do that, and that\u2019s why I commend the Prime Minister\u2019s statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022342e646229d34a2eb633a2a7c39de3d4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022342e646229d34a2eb633a2a7c39de3d4\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister for Economic and Regional Development):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and we love you, Minister Faafoi, and the work you\u2019ve been doing. I was in a bottle store recently buying something for my wife, of course, and the guy there said, \u201CAre you Stuart Nash?\u201D\u2014I was all masked up, of course\u2014and I said, \u201CI am.\u201D He said, \u201CPlease say thank you to Minister Faafoi. I became a resident yesterday.\u201D Every single one of the MPs of both sides of the House have heard these stories, because we have made a real difference, Minister Faafoi, and thank you very much. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI have been in Cabinet ever since COVID reached our shores\u2014ever since we heard about COVID\u2014and one thing I will say is that every single decision that this Government has made and every single meeting that the Prime Minister has chaired where COVID has been brought forward has put the health and wellbeing of our communities at the very centre. Every single discussion we have is about how we can protect the health and wellbeing of our communities. You will have heard the Prime Minister say and you\u2019ll hear the Minister of Finance say that there is no global rulebook or playbook for managing a pandemic, and we acknowledge in hindsight that perhaps a couple of the decisions we made, we would have done things differently. But we went forward with a no-regrets policy, and I honestly believe that when the history of COVID is written, the Government led by our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and the economic response led by our Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, will be at the very top of performance around the world. As every single member has alluded to, we have the lowest death rate and the lowest hospitalisation rates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI used to do a show. I did it for five years\u2014it was on Mike Hosking\u2014and we kept talking about the Government\u2019s response. Mike Hosking is one of these guys who is always right in hindsight\u2014he is always right in hindsight. He kept going on about the Government\u2019s response, and I said to him, \u201CMike, we have the lowest death rate in the world.\u201D He said, \u201COh, well, that might be one measure.\u201D, and I said, \u201CWell, I think how many Kiwis have died is a pretty important measure.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EHe used to talk about Sweden\u2014\u201CWe need to follow Sweden.\u201D Well, what I can tell you is that in Stockholm, there are about 990,000 people. There are about 1.5 million people in Auckland. There have been about 4,500 deaths from COVID in Stockholm. Imagine the conversations we would be having in this House, let alone around the dinner tables and barbecues, if there\u2019d been 4,500 deaths in Auckland. They would be completely different to the conversations we have been having. We would not have had the summer we\u2019ve just had. If you have a look at the economic intelligence unit\u2019s report, we were number two in the world in terms of democratic institutions. I absolutely believe, as mentioned, that I think history will prove us right that our response has been at the very top.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe other thing I\u2019d say about Mike Hosking is I made a bet with my good friend but Opposition MP Mark Mitchell and Mike Hosking in September that we would reach 90 percent double-vaxxed by the end of the year. Mike said to me, \u201CNot a hope in hell. It\u2019s never been done anywhere around the world, and I\u2019ll take you up on that bet, but I hope I lose.\u201D\u2014those were pretty much his words. Well, he lost. He said, \u201CIt\u2019s impossible.\u201D We said that there\u2019s a difference between impossible and aspirational, and if there\u2019s one thing this Government is, it is aspirational, because we backed Kiwis. We knew we could get there, we knew the Kiwis would buy into the reason for getting vaccinated, and they did. I won that bet by about a month, and Mike Hosking still hasn\u2019t paid\u2014Mike, pay up, mate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut we won that bet. When Mike said, \u201CIt\u2019s never been done anywhere around the world.\u201D, well, Jacinda Ardern said, \u201CIt doesn\u2019t mean that we can\u2019t do it, and we\u2019re not going to say we won\u2019t do it because we know we can.\u201D, and Kiwis bought into it. As mentioned, every single decision that Jacinda has taken has put our best interests at heart.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe second thing I would say is that not every sector of our economy or our community has done particularly well. As the Minister for Tourism, I\u2019m in charge of a portfolio where there are many businesses that have done it really, really tough, and I would like to acknowledge the men and women who work in tourism\u2014the men and women who, pre-COVID, had a fantastic business model and were delivering a magic experience to all the international visitors who flocked to our wonderful country\u2014and they have done it tough. As the Minister for Tourism, I would have been down to Queenstown about six times. I\u2019ve been to every single district that we have identified had a reliance on international tourists and I\u2019ve heard the stories, and they are of men and woman, as mentioned, who could never foresee this. A number of them have managed to adapt their business model, but it is still tough. But the message I want to give to them is that we are nearly there. We have a plan in place and we are nearly there, so hang on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve already provided $600 million in direct support to tourism. We provided $600 million in resurgence support payments to tourist and hospitality businesses, so there has been an immense amount of support, and I know for a number of them it is still really tough. But I want to say to those businesses, thank you for the work that you have done, thank you for holding on, and thank you for believing in us. We believe in you and I back you 100 percent, and we will get there and, once again, deliver the tourism experience that meets or exceeds the expectation of every tourist who comes to this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EHowever, I have been very clear that tourism won\u2019t look the same as it did pre-COVID. Pre-COVID, there were 875,000 tourists in Milford Sound every year. That was not sustainable and we were losing the social licence with our communities. We need to take that back and we need to move from sustainable to regenerative tourism. Regenerative tourism is about tourism adding value to our communities, and we\u2019re working very closely with the sector to deliver on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESmall businesses: before COVID, I used to say that this will be the last generation of business owner that will survive, let alone thrive, without being digitally enabled, and the reason I said that was because, as the Minister of Revenue at the time, Inland Revenue were moving everything online. Every single initiative we were putting in place rested on a digital platform. But what\u2019s happened is that because of COVID, this whole digital transformation has been brought forward by a substantial amount. McKinsey \u0026amp; Co. believe that in the United States, about five years\u2019 worth of digital transformation took place in eight weeks, and I believe the same has happened here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut we recognise that for a number of businessmen and businesswomen, they were very good at what they did, but they weren\u2019t digitally capable in a way that we needed them to be. Hence, the reason why we put in Digital Boost. It\u2019s a free service. There are hundreds of videos so businessmen and businesswomen can start their digital journey right from the very beginning or jump in at any point in time. So far, there are 27,000 businesses that have taken up that challenge, and I think they\u2019ll be a lot better for it when we get out of this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI did hear a member talk about our police, and I do want to say that I was a very, very proud Minister of Police. I oversaw the investment of 1,800 graduates. We backed the police in a way that we have never done before. When I took over the police portfolio, I took over in a period where the numbers had dropped in the previous three years of the last Government\u2014and I can see one of the former members, Judith Collins, there. But the thing I\u2019ll say about her is I saw the Cabinet paper she put up and she was overruled when she wanted more numbers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EBut we oversaw that. I went to every single graduation, except one when I was in Mexico and another one when COVID hit\u2014they said, \u201CYou couldn\u2019t get back if you went to this.\u201D\u2014and, goodness me, I saw the fantastic men and woman who chose the New Zealand Police service as a career. I back them 100 percent. I think they do a magnificent job at keeping us safe, and the thing about our police service is that the vast majority of Kiwis just do not know what they do 24/7 to keep us safe. I\u2019m very proud of the way that we have really moved the police service into the 21st century. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EThe last thing I\u2019d like to say in the final couple of minutes is about economic development. This is very important in a post-COVID world, and the thing that will lead us out of this is our industry transformation plans. We understand that as a country, we have a number of global competitive advantages, a number of unique selling points. We can go out to the world and say, \u201CBuy New Zealand.\u201D They used to say that we can feed the world. We can\u2019t; we can feed about 50 million people. That\u2019s the figures, and Mr David Bennett knows this\u2014he\u2019s a dairy farmer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003ESo what we should be doing always is aiming at the ultra-premium end of the market, whether it\u2019s our food, whether it\u2019s our services, whatever we deliver, or whether it\u2019s tourism\u2014that ultra-premium end of the market\u2014because that\u2019s where we need to play, and that is where the industry transformation plans will take us. It\u2019s about looking at sectors\u2014advanced manufacturing, forestry and wood-processing, Minister Clark\u2019s leading IT, tourism, agritech, construction, food and beverage\u2014and saying, \u201CWhat do we need to do to encourage these industries and businesses that operate within these industries to be the absolute best?\u201D We recognise that the Government does have a really important role to play to work alongside these industry sectors to help them be the best they possibly can be. We don\u2019t tell them what to do; we ask them how we can help them be better. The process so far has been transformational, but we\u2019re just along that path at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003EI would just like to finish by saying I am incredibly proud to be a member of this Parliament, to be the MP for Napier, and to be a member of Cabinet as we have made what are, I believe, some of the toughest decisions any Cabinet has had to make for a generation. Thank you very much. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022 data-id=\u00226b4b3cfd9fb548abbe53d1fb338cb71a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226b4b3cfd9fb548abbe53d1fb338cb71a\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. That was Stuart Nash, the Minister for Economic and Regional Development. It took him to the last minute to actually talk about economic development, and there\u2019s a lesson there for Stuart that I think he needs to understand. It\u2019s not the Government that\u2019s actually going to make these\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e856701c1b74572b83f9e3dad584c67\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc68ca6e33e44b818c6555d7ce737936\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014businesses plans work. It\u2019s businesses\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022904bf3b64aa04d65803afe370c48cc69\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! The member will refer to other members in the House with their full name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221292992e2153414dbf26ce3fdf4dccbb\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister Stuart Nash. It\u2019s not Government that will determine the transformation of New Zealand business; it\u2019s actually businesses themselves, and if he doesn\u2019t understand that, he will never achieve anything in that portfolio. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWhen we look at his thing that he promoted at the last Budget, the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund, that was his big thing to take away and replace the Provincial Growth Fund with. That was $200 million that was to be spent in New Zealand regions for businesses. Guess how much he\u2019s spent!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf9b051baf2246fcbd4b15ac302f093c\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: How much?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd7e208b382b4eb5911efb541bb8659a\u0022\u003EHon DAVID BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Zero\u2014not one application has been approved by his mates in Cabinet. None of his applications have been approved. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, to Stuart Nash\u2019s credit, he, apparently, has taken something to Cabinet. He won\u2019t actually specify what he\u2019s taken to Cabinet. He\u2019s actually taken something there\u2014stay, Stuart Nash, stay\u2014but he\u2019s up to zero in his approvals. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ESo what does it matter? Where\u2019s this regional economic development? Where\u2019s the money when the country needs it most? This is a country in a very difficult part of its history. It needs the Government to actually fund and help businesses, if that\u2019s what they want to do. But there have been zero applications approved under the new regional fund, which was glorified in the Budget as the Labour Party\u2019s answer to the Provincial Growth Fund. The late\u2014well, the past Minister in that area, Winston Peters, would actually be turning in his, up in Auckland, thinking about what this actually means, if his great Provincial Growth Fund has been replaced by a fund that\u2019s had zero applications approved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, the last hours of this debate have been pretty sickening\u2014listening to Labour members singing the praises of the Prime Minister. They all must be wanting to get on that plane to go to that Harvard speech and to see the Prime Minister amongst all the other lefties of the world, talking about how they\u2019ve done so well, and \u201CPat me on the back.\u201D and \u201CPraise me.\u201D and \u201CHave I been the greatest Prime Minister?\u201D and \u201CHave I done this for New Zealand?\u201D\u2014all those things that the Labour members have been saying. But let\u2019s put some facts on the table: New Zealand is an isolated country at the bottom of the world, where it was always going to be difficult for COVID to get to New Zealand in the sense that we have seen it in places like Sweden, where they don\u2019t have the opportunity to do what we did. In Europe and America, they just didn\u2019t have the same scenario that we did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, the other Minister over there is shaking his head and saying no. Well, Australia was in exactly the same position as New Zealand\u2014probably even more connected in the world than we are\u2014and they got the same result. We\u2019re just a couple of months behind them. You know, Omicron\u2019s here, it\u2019s coming. It\u2019s here\u2014it\u2019s around. People will get it, just like you have seen in Australia, and the fortunate thing for New Zealand hasn\u2019t been the Government. The fortunate thing for New Zealand has been that vaccines have come along and the new strain, although easy to catch, hasn\u2019t had the same effect. That is the scenario in which the gods have looked after New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s nothing to do with a great Prime Minister that\u2019s actually done anything good; in fact, what we actually need to look at is how you utilise the scenario that we are in and make it the best it can actually be for this country. That is where a Government comes into play, and that\u2019s where this Government has fallen down consistently. They have stopped immigration. They have stopped international education. They have stopped tourism\u2014even if you were going for the high-level tourism that Stuart Nash talked about, you could still have done that. They have stopped the New Zealand economy in its tracks. They have used lockdown after lockdown. They have used red settings, which are, effectively, community-based lockdowns. They have taken this country to the slowest point they can do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ENow, some may say, and the Labour members will say, that this is in the best interests of New Zealand. It is not used in the best interests of New Zealand. This is a definite plan by the Labour Party to achieve its political purposes. It never wants to see migrants come into New Zealand, because it knows they\u2019re hard-working people that actually believe in the values of the National Party. It doesn\u2019t actually want to see New Zealand have international education in our schools, because it thinks that it can control our school network. It doesn\u2019t actually want to have tourism\u2014and we heard that from Stuart Nash then. They only want the elite German tourists to come here. They don\u2019t want people to come and see what New Zealand is like. That is what has happened under this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s look at the facts. They have used COVID. They have used it to create their own isolated, hermit kingdom, as some people have described it, but it is the true socialist idea, where you control the population, you limit a population\u2019s ability to understand what\u2019s going on in the real world, and then you actually control the decision making of people. That\u2019s the ultimate plan the Labour Party is engaged in. It is a plan that is doomed to failure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe public have seen through it. You\u2019re seeing it in the polls. The people have said no to that approach. They know it will never work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThey actually wanted a Government that utilised the strengths of New Zealand at the bottom of the world and when we had the opportunities out of COVID, but we would actually take that and make a stronger economy that actually delivers more for New Zealanders. The impact you\u2019ll see of the Government\u2019s policies is going to be very soon seen by New Zealanders in inflation and other economic tests, because by restricting the ability of people to come here and by restricting the goods that came into New Zealand, they have, effectively, bumped up the price of the cost of living for New Zealanders, and that is the impact that you see from silly economic policies on the other side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe question for New Zealand isn\u2019t whether we had the best COVID response in the world. We were always going to have a good COVID response, as Australia did. The question for New Zealand is whether we actually used that scenario that we are in as a country to create the best economic advantage going forward, and they have failed on that miserably. They have failed because they are led by ideology, because they actually wanted to achieve their political purposes at the same time. That is heart and soul of it. Kiwis are smart enough to see through this Government, and they see that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe other part that\u2019s the irony of it is that the people that actually saved them and actually spent the money was one of the groups they actually hated the most\u2014that\u2019s our farmers. They actually wanted to stop production in New Zealand, but they actually found that \u201COh, we need that cash coming in. We actually do need to have a dairy payout like that. We actually do need our farmers.\u201D They have hated them from day one and they have tried to attack them from day one, and they now need them like they\u2019ve never needed them before. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThey are paying the bills for this agenda that the Labour Party wish to pursue, but it\u2019s an agenda which will never go far because the worm has turned on that Government. They know it. The next Minister speaking\u2014he knows it. He\u2019s been around Parliament long enough. He\u2019s seen this happen before. They know what it actually means. Public opinion is now against them. The public have seen through the rhetoric and the sham that is this leadership in Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EThe public actually wanted a Government that utilised New Zealand\u2019s opportunities and that dealt with COVID appropriately but also meant that New Zealand could take advantage of our opportunities in the world going forward, and that\u2019s what they would have got out of a National Government. That\u2019s the difference between a National Government and a Labour-Greens Government, and that\u2019s what people know. They understand that, and they see that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003EWhatever rhetoric that will come out of that side and whatever Harvard speeches they may do, it\u2019s not going to save them from the inevitability of the public knowing that on that side of the House, they tried a failed plan that has failed throughout the history of mankind and will never work. We are just another example of how that experiment is a failure, and New Zealanders know better than the Government and the Labour-Green parties that think they know it all. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u00220304ca7a85c7494bbd92448e096f65bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220304ca7a85c7494bbd92448e096f65bc\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think we\u2019ve just had an illustration of the old saying that one should never let the facts get in the way of a good story. The member opposite talking about the economy\u2014such doom and gloom. I mean, you wouldn\u2019t think that New Zealand had had one of the highest growth rates in the OECD for the past year listening to that member speaking\u20144.9 percent growth over the past year, which isn\u2019t to say that some sectors haven\u2019t been doing it tough, because they have. Let\u2019s be honest, COVID has brought incredible challenges globally, but the New Zealand economy overall has proven more resilient than most, and I do want to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of our Prime Minister through this period in inspiring the confidence in our economy and of our Deputy Prime Minister, and finance Minister, Grant Robertson. The settings that they have led have ensured that we have had that economic growth, that we have been able to take advantage of the global opportunities presented to New Zealand with those record international commodity prices and so on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EBut, fundamentally, the success has lain in the collective effort of New Zealanders. The leadership which said the best health approach is the best economic approach has proven to be true, but New Zealanders have got behind it. Kiwis have said, \u201CWe will do our part. We will work together and we will look after each other.\u201D And that has put us in a position to respond so well to a one-in-100-year global pandemic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EIf we look at the facts we\u2019ll see that New Zealand, of course, has had the lowest hospitalisations and deaths in the OECD. The prior member will talk down that achievement. He will say it was inevitable, but there is nothing inevitable. We\u2019ve seen such differing responses around the world, and New Zealand has retained that health approach and, with it, the extraordinary growth, really, in the global conditions that we\u2019ve faced. We\u2019ve got record low unemployment\u2014record low unemployment. Again, that is all credit to the collective effort of New Zealanders who have worked together to make sure that we build back better, to make sure that we take advantage of the systems that have been set up to support businesses through the challenges that they\u2019ve faced in the lockdowns that we\u2019ve had.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003ESo I do want to also acknowledge that in the collective response that there\u2019s been, we now have 1.9 million New Zealanders who have received their COVID-19 booster. Every DHB has reached the target of 90 percent first doses for COVID protection. We\u2019ve had Pfizer vaccines to 95 percent of our population\u2014and double dose. We are better protected than others, and that has been through careful management and through New Zealanders stepping up to play their part in making sure that those around them are protected, those who are vulnerable are protected, by reducing the likelihood of transmission and severe illness, by keeping our hospital systems able to operate through a global pandemic that continues to go on. It\u2019s years long, and our hospital systems have continued to be able to operate, and the health workers I\u2019ve spoken to\u2014the doctors, the nurses and allied health workers\u2014have said how grateful they are to not be in hospital systems that have been overrun by COVID during the past few years. And that has all been deliberate on the part of New Zealanders choosing to be a part of a collective response to look after fellow citizens, to look after themselves, to make sure they are doing what they can do to keep us safe, and to provide the opportunity for us then to build our economy back in a way that we would want to see it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EWe do want to build our economy back in a way that positions New Zealand well for the future too, building a high-wage, low-carbon economy, making sure that we have a robust economy that is diversified and protects us in good times. I want to say a little bit about some of the work going on in the area I\u2019m responsible for with our digital technologies. We\u2019ve consulted on our plan to put together a digital economy plan, a strategy for the country, and we\u2019ve received feedback on that. Later this year, we will launch that digital strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand; again, something the Prime Minister saw as an opportunity, with the creation of a portfolio that brings together the digital economy and communications for the first time in order to position us well as a country to take advantage of the connectivity that we\u2019ve got. Now we\u2019re up to about 85 percent of New Zealand connected or able to connect to ultra-fast broadband (UFB). We are aiming to have 99.8 percent connected before too long to better services than they used to have. The rural broadband initiatives have made huge gains during our time in Government. We\u2019ve seen a huge uplift in the connectivity stats in New Zealand\u2014I\u2019ll come to them a little later on. But in laying out a strategy so that we have a coherent vision as a country to take advantage of the opportunities, we are looking at making sure we\u2019re doing inclusion well to make sure that we are building on our reputation as a trusted nation internationally. Our cyber-security companies do well internationally; overseas capital looks to buy them up because our brand as a country is so trusted. To make sure our own citizens trust technology and are able to leverage the benefits for them personally and to make sure we get the economic growth opportunities in a part of the economy that is growing at nearly twice the rate of the general economy\u2014that is the opportunity we have here: high-value jobs, sustainable jobs, low carbon footprint. We want more of these jobs. And toward the end of last year, I was able to announce a border class exception for 600 much-needed tech specialists because we want to grow our capability here. There are vacancies in that workforce and with those people able to come in they can support the tech development that we need also amongst our own citizens.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe tech sector itself, NZTech, I do want to take my hat off to them for their work on our industry transformation plan (ITP) and the leadership they\u2019re providing in building skills across New Zealand. They have said industry needs to play a greater role in making sure we\u2019ve got the right talent and skills coming through our school system, through our educational institutions, and their words around this are that New Zealand doesn\u2019t have a skills shortage, what it has is a skill mismatch, and we need a deliberate plan to build that back better. And Minister Nash spoke about the ITP that I\u2019m leading in this area, and I do want, as I say, to acknowledge the sector and the work that they have done, particularly in the education space and the steps that are moving forward there. There will be more announced around next steps on that to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003ESo that class border exception for specialist tech workers, further steps on that will be announced shortly if they haven\u2019t already by NZTech and the sector, making sure that those who are going to be brought in through that border exception have salary requirements met. They have to be good paying salaries. They have to be rare skills that we\u2019re bringing in. And then there is a pathway to bring more folk in through that channel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EAnd, of course, connectivity\u2014I mentioned that I did want to say a little bit more about connectivity. I had the privilege a couple of months ago to travel to the Chatham Islands and to see what a difference connectivity is making there. Their first cell tower with 4G has gone in there and it has been transformative. The mayor shared with me stories of people who had what seem to us commonplace stories now, you know; one story about somebody finding a phone on the beach and being able to ring up the person whose phone it was and tell them, \u201CI found your phone.\u201D Things that seem so intuitive to us now, but indeed, when you\u2019re first encountering that technology on a widespread basis, are fantastic. Another story of somebody phoning to check out the technology on Pitt Island and not being able to connect. And it turned out that the phone they had was from the mainland, what they call \u201CNew Zealand\u201D, and was very dated technology and obviously needed to be upgraded. But it\u2019s transformative over there, transformative round the country: 416 marae are now connected across the country to UFB as a part of an initiative led by this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThe increase in connectivity provides opportunities for our citizens, and that\u2019s what we want. We want to see more New Zealanders taking advantage of the jobs in this sector, and we think particularly of software as a service, which is being promoted as one of the big opportunities under our digital strategy\u2013cyber-security also, and the gaming sector, which has enjoyed some extraordinary growth in New Zealand due to some very committed Kiwis and some very successful firms that are selling their products to the world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003EThere is huge opportunity in this sector. I want to thank all of the workers who continue to bring the inspiration, develop the products, and make sure that we grow off that $6.6 billion base to continue to grow that sector, because the opportunity for weightless exports makes a big difference if you\u2019re a small, trading nation a long way from market\u2014high-value jobs that transform our sector and transform our country and boost our economy so we can continue to enjoy the kind of economic growth that has been made possible under Grant Robertson\u2019s leadership as our finance Minister. Kia ora koutou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u00221d8026239b4045cfb8a2fd30da268937\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221d8026239b4045cfb8a2fd30da268937\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m very pleased today to be able to stand and commend the Prime Minister\u2019s statement to the House in 2022. It was a statement that I think set out a clarity of leadership and hope in what are enormously challenging times here in Aotearoa New Zealand, but in every country around the world, as we continue to face the global pandemic. It is a pandemic that carries on, that continues to claim tens of thousands of lives around the world most days of the week. While most of us would like to be able to wish it away\u2014and, indeed, some who have spoken in this Chamber in this debate have acted as if we can do that\u2014we just can\u2019t. If we want to continue to keep our people safe, if we want to continue to maintain standards of living by having an economy that moves forward, if we want to look after the vulnerable people in our society who continue to be at the most risk, then we need to continue with our health- and people-focused approach to the management of COVID-19 and Omicron. The Prime Minister very eloquently set out the absolute determination of our Government to carry on with that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EBut what I really want to focus on in my opening comments is the clarity of vision that the Prime Minister set out in her speech. Clarity is really about knowing where you stand. It\u2019s not about being obstinate and saying that you won\u2019t pay account of changing conditions or facts on the ground\u2014any sensible Government will do that, and we have, as we\u2019ve dealt with this pandemic\u2014but it\u2019s knowing what you will stand for and it\u2019s being prepared to make the tough decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EIn dealing with a crisis like COVID, the biggest public health crisis in over 100 years, the biggest shock to the world economy since the Great Depression, a Government can\u2019t just make the easy decisions that make people happy or get the right headlines on any given day of the week, as are sometimes put to us from members opposite. A Government must sometimes make decisions that are tough, that will have tough outcomes for some people, but they\u2019re the right decisions for the country and for the common good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve had the debates in this Chamber about some of those tough decisions, about some of the tough public health measures we\u2019ve taken, about the alert levels, about our judicious use of lockdowns, about the way in which we\u2019ve evolved towards a traffic light system, about the way in which we have used managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) to keep the people of our country safe\u2014tough decisions and they sometimes carry costs. But we stand here confident and clear in knowing that every single one of those decisions has delivered the outcome that we have in New Zealand with one of the lowest death rates, one of the lowest rates of serious illness, one of the highest rates of economic growth and the lowest rates of unemployment in the world after two years of a global pandemic. We are very proud of that, and so proud of the leadership of our Prime Minister at the front of that effort.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI do have to contrast that clarity with the muddle that we hear from the Opposition benches over the course of this debate and in recent days. We\u2019ve heard it over mandates\u2014\u201CThey should end.\u201D \u201CThey shouldn\u2019t end.\u201D We\u2019ve heard it over MIQ\u2014\u201CThey should end now.\u201D \u201CMaybe they should end at some stage.\u201D \u201CWe didn\u2019t say they that.\u201D \u201COh, actually, we want them to end.\u201D You cannot lead a country during a global pandemic with that lack of clarity, that lack of precision in leadership that we see from the other side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve seen it in recent days over the minimum wage. I stand proud, as a Minister in a Government who\u2019s delivered increases in the minimum wage to our lowest paid workers\u2014those cleaners, those supermarket checkout workers, those retail workers, those hospo workers who have carried so much over the last few years. We would not stand there and see those people\u2019s living standards go backwards. So I\u2019m proud of the work that we\u2019ve done in that area. We\u2019ve shown that we can deliver sustainable, good increases to the minimum wage and still have the lowest rate of unemployment in over 30 years\u2014lower than that lot ever got it to. Three point two percent\u2014world leading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ESo I was very pleased over the weekend to see the deputy leader of the National Party, Nicola Willis, confirm the National Party\u2019s support for that minimum wage. I decided not to make a political point out of that, but just to acknowledge that and say it was good to hear that. But from Mr Luxon today, her leader, on Morning Report this morning, we couldn\u2019t get a straight word out of it. When asked time and time again what is his position and what is the position of the National Party on minimum wage, we couldn\u2019t get a straight answer, a yes or a no. Do you support that or do you not support that? He\u2019s entitled to take either view, of course, but he couldn\u2019t take a position. That is a failure of leadership. That is a contrast between that side of the House and this side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI want to talk about something else very serious in this respect. I\u2019ve been concerned by some of the drifting rhetoric I\u2019ve heard from members opposite in this House about the events in the occupation that we see out the front. The words I say now I say with some precision and I say really carefully, because I think we need to take great care with this. Out the front of this place, there are people who I think we all feel for. There are some people who are confused, there are some people who are scared, there are some people who have been manipulated by an avalanche of misinformation. There are some people who have been hurt over the past couple of years and they\u2019re lashing out. We feel for those people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EBut underneath all of that, there is a river of filth. There is a river of violence and menace. There is a river of anti-Semitism. There is a river of Islamophobia. There is a river of threats to people who work in this place and our staff. Those are things that we should not in any way be condoning, things that we should be apologists for, things that we should be overlooking with the rhetoric that it\u2019s all just good people and maybe we should talk about it and maybe we should put the mandates up for negotiation. I would say that there is a river of genuine fascism in parts of the event that we see out the front of this Parliament today. I just urge colleagues in this House\u2014decent and honourable members of the centre-right parliamentary parties in this Parliament\u2014that a lot is actually on them to not give succour and comfort to an emergent and dangerous far-right movement. I just ask those members to reflect upon that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EAs the Prime Minister said in her statement, COVID\u2019s not over. There\u2019s a lot of work for us to do to continue with our response of keeping Kiwis safe. But it\u2019s not just about that this year for us; it\u2019s about getting on with the agenda, those long-term challenges that have been forgotten about and ignored for so long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI was really pleased that the Prime Minister spoke about our plans for a true, linked-up rapid transit network for Auckland, plans that we announced last month and that have been received incredibly positively across all parts of Auckland. This issue has been kicked down the can for 50 years since Mayor Robbie first put forward his plans to link up our biggest city. Because of the failure of successive local and central government administrations, we have the problems we see in Auckland today\u2014chronic congestion, bad air quality, sprawling suburbs in which people have no choice but to use their cars for everything. That\u2019s not what people want. We\u2019re only going to fix those problems if we deliver that proper linked-up mass rapid transit system across Auckland in the way that all modern, successful growing big cities around the world have. We all see that when we travel. Why shouldn\u2019t we have them in our big cities, in Auckland? It\u2019s not easy stuff. It\u2019s not quick stuff. But we\u2019ve got to start, and this Government is grasping the nettle and getting on with that plan.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI put forward my comment again in this House: this is a long-term project for the benefit of our biggest city. When our biggest city does well, our country does well, I want to work with other parties across this House to move through the politics and to see if we can find some accord on that big long-term plan. The other thing I will say in this area is that it\u2019s not just about Auckland, it\u2019s not just about the light rail; it\u2019s about the alternative Waitemat\u0101 Harbour crossing and getting that public transport link to the North Shore, it\u2019s about the growing north-west, but it\u2019s about our other big cities as well. I expect later this year for us to be moving forward with plans for mass rapid transit here in Wellington, but also to be furthering that conversation in Christchurch, a city that has waited for too long and in which there was such a missed opportunity in the recovery from the earthquake.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EFinally, I was delighted that the Prime Minister also spoke about our plans to move forward with fair pay agreements in this parliamentary year. Over the last two years, I think Kiwis have been reminded about how much we rely on so many of our low-wage workers, and they\u2019ve been devalued for 30 years. How would we have got through COVID without the work of our cleaners, without the work of our bus drivers, without the people who pack up our groceries at the supermarket? But they\u2019ve been devalued and their work is so important. It\u2019s time for us to turn the tide on that 30-year experiment of a highly individualised labour market that has enriched a small number and has totally devalued the work of hundreds of thousands of hard-working Kiwis. It\u2019s not fair. It hasn\u2019t led to increased productivity, as we were promised back in 1991. This Government is going to move forward with a well-researched, well-thought-out, clear plan for fair pay agreements to stop the race from the bottom and to make sure that those working people have some justice and dignity, and that good employers up and down New Zealand aren\u2019t constantly undercut by someone coming in and getting a saving by paying their workers low wages and low conditions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EAs I said at the outset, I am so proud of the clarity of leadership, the future focus, and the hope that was inherent in the Prime Minister\u2019s statement to the House this year. I\u2019m proud of our response to COVID-19. There is more work to do, but there are so many other things that this Government will be getting on with this year to lead New Zealand into a place that is better and fairer for all of our people. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00227cc32cb9d51e4f38a226a558c54bcdca\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227cc32cb9d51e4f38a226a558c54bcdca\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Golriz Ghahraman\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022 data-id=\u00223ad3e4acb3814006b744d5de45b5a785\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223ad3e4acb3814006b744d5de45b5a785\u0022\u003EGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. As I rise, having heard much of this debate this week, I note that almost all of us are centring the global pandemic. It is, though, a global pandemic. It is a global shared common crisis and so I want to talk about global affairs\u2014foreign affairs and trade\u2014two of my favourite portfolios.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003ENew Zealand has done incredibly well. There is no doubt that in terms of our domestic response we should all be proud. We\u2019ve saved lives, we\u2019ve stood with our front-line people, we\u2019ve stood with the immunocompromised, of which I am a member, and we\u2019ve saved lives here. But being a global problem, the thing that this common crisis has shown us is that unless all of us are OK, none of us are going to be OK. So two major global issues still form the forefront of the Green concern that I think New Zealand can do a lot more about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EOne is what\u2019s been described now as the vaccine apartheid forming across the globe, and the other is the problem of Third World debt. The vaccine apartheid is something that was brought to our attention by two nations early in 2020, after the pandemic started to rage across the globe. And it became clear that our response in the global west, whatever that constitutes, was to self-isolate, to lock down, and, in terms of New Zealand, we came up with a progressive, transformative solution of actually upholding people\u2019s wages so that they could do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003EThe global south is less able to do that, and they told us almost immediately, via a call led by India and South Africa, that vaccines were what would save them but that the costs were too high. Now, New Zealand has stood with our Pacific neighbours. We have shared the vaccines that we\u2019ve bought with the Pacific, and that\u2019s great. That\u2019s charity. It\u2019s not transformative change. It\u2019s not systems change. It\u2019s not getting at the problem of global inequality and healthcare access. What India and South Africa were asking for is that we go to the World Trade Organization\u2014which is allowed; it\u2019s part of the rules at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)\u2014and we lift the intellectual property costs of the vaccines so they could be manufactured cheaper and made more accessible. New Zealand, shamefully, did not support that call until late last year. Both those countries have now been the forefront of new mutations of this virus: first Delta in India, then Omicron in South Africa. So we\u2019ve seen how global inequality in healthcare access has actually harmed us all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003ENew Zealand has come to the table now. We actually came to the table after the United States Government did in support of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights waiver, that old socialist institution that is the United States Government. But what are we doing about it? How are we using our trade connections, our allies? How are we actively working to make the vaccine more affordable to lift the intellectual property costs at the WTO? It is very unclear. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022abf27403-4392-47c9-9af0-6773753e95cb\u0022\u003ENext, there is the issue of debt. Cycles of debt lead as the cause of global inequality. Poverty rages through the Pacific worse than the virus. And as we all come out of this thing, this crisis across the globe, it\u2019s going to be that form of inequality that\u2019s going to keep the global south\u2014the Third World developing nations, whatever we\u2019re going to call them\u2014down. It\u2019s the cause of historic inequality, of colonisation, and that debt responsibility falls on us. We can use our voice, our much celebrated voice of principle and the global moral compass that we see ourselves as, to advocate for equality. The World Bank\u2014again, another little socialist entity\u2014called for debt alleviation and cancellation of Third World debt as part of the COVID response last month. So it\u2019s time that we lead by example, that we make global inequality in the COVID response the forefront of our work on the global stage. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002203ca0c8d95f646c8b87e35d12740dc87\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002203ca0c8d95f646c8b87e35d12740dc87\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Teanau Tuiono\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u0022038e378bc39946a1b4388aa60b710930\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022038e378bc39946a1b4388aa60b710930\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, this is not, as Shakespeare would put it, \u201Cthe winter of our discontent\u201D because it\u2019s the wrong season, but rather is \u201Cthe summer of misinformation\u201D. Misinformation has undermined our public health response, has undermined our response to the climate crisis, and undermined faith in the democratic process, and in some cases undermined belief in a common reality itself. I mean, how can you have a conversation with someone about maths if they don\u2019t believe in numbers? How do you tell someone that the YouTube videos and Facebook videos that they keep sending you are not a replacement for an in-person engagement with an expert in epidemiology or microbiology\u2014experts in real life?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve watched a YouTube video on how to fly a plane. However, I think it would be very unwise for Air New Zealand to let me fly a plane, even though I watched that video twice. So I am\u2014and I think we all should be\u2014perplexed in the situation that we have found ourselves in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273223555c2a2472496de4a19c79c66c9\u0022\u003ETodd Muller\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019d be a natural.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0e42b1a4a4940a39e35a564424d8afd\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d be a natural, Mr Todd Muller says. Citizens need timely and accurate information about their rights and responsibilities, knowledge of our political institutions, and an appreciation of each other\u2019s needs, interests, and aspirations. An independent media must rest on the foundation of a strong regulatory framework that reinforces responsible self-management. Of course, the media play a part in disseminating those ideas and information, and I reflect on a documentary I watched while I was flatting in Aro Valley in the 1990s, and it was by Noam Chomsky, which was about how corporate ownership can influence the framing of news stories. It was called Manufacturing Consent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHowever, I\u2019m not sure how much the corporate overlords have over the editorial decisions of the press gallery, but I felt an incredible sense of uncomfortable irony by some outside denouncing the corporate control of mainstream media while broadcasting those opinions through the corporate control social media. These people are telling us that these journalists are controlled by corporate media and, by the way, they\u2019re telling us that by another medium of corporate control media. For me, this is a contradiction in terms. I expect that there is an editorial process and decisions are made\u2014stories are aired\u2014by actual live people. I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m not a journalist. I\u2019m assuming this about them. But you don\u2019t have that in social media. Anyone with any crazy conspiracy theory which hits the algorithm and the engagement will get the likes and people become engaged in it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EBut how many people have disappeared down rabbit holes because of some absolute bollocks they\u2019ve seen on Facebook? I think what we are in the midst of is the undermining of the democratic institutions, and we\u2019ve seen that with what happened at Capitol Hill in the United States, currently what\u2019s happening at the US and Canada border, and also what\u2019s happened with religious and nationalist violence in India as well. And while mainstream media may have editors and directors who may or may not be under the persuasion of their corporate masters, their algorithm, the AI is not human and that is what has been driving social engagement on media because its primary motive is to make, in the case of Facebook, money. It determines that the thousands of contents that show up in our social media feeds are amongst the hundred things that you will engage with on that day or in that time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThe media wields significant social, cultural, and economic power, which must be used responsibly, and that, in my view, must include social media. The media should inform, educate, and entertain in a way that supports citizens to participate effectively in democracy, and we have seen that being hijacked by extremist right-wing elements. So for me, it\u2019s not just about the freedom of speech but also about the freedom of reach. No one should have the right to algorithmic amplification and this House needs to take responsibility for that. It\u2019s something that the Government must take grip of, but also us as parliamentarians around the House as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EWhen people talk to me about freedom, I say to them, \u201CIf your freedom ends and begins with your individuality, then you are being coerced and guided into more extreme right-wing fringe elements.\u201D and we\u2019ve seen that outside.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003ESo, for me, one of the ways that we can ensure that we can pull people out of the rabbit hole or to make sure that they don\u2019t go down the rabbit hole at all is to make sure that their surroundings are as stable as possible. So that it includes making sure that everybody has liveable incomes, warm housing; making sure they have access to essential services, free N95s\u2014these flash masks as well. All of these things combine to make people and families safe and secure. When they have that safety and security around them, they are less likely to tumble down into the rabbit hole. We\u2019ve got a lot of work ahead of us. It must be about regulating the big corporate social media giants, but also\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022f35b8a3d9e344168a60e8a82524e905c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f35b8a3d9e344168a60e8a82524e905c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Thank you. The member\u2019s time is up. The next call is a split call. Helen White\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022 data-id=\u0022b52a6b2e5071443e833a186db1f134bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b52a6b2e5071443e833a186db1f134bc\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, wholeheartedly. Earlier today, I heard David Bennett say that this Government is led by ideology\u2014as if that is a bad thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223cb6a5580be343179a6efd61e5f6ad1a\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: It is; you\u2019re socialists.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0111ec82513446ea4731687ae4172f0\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE\u003C/span\u003E: That is what leadership is, Mr Bennett. It is a way of making decisions that are actually comprehensive, that are cohesive, and that are driven by a set of values. Without this, you are left with negativity, no ideas, and no direction, and, unfortunately, that is the state your party is in at the moment. You are lost; you are in the weeds. The statement that the Prime Minister put to us the other day is one that is expressive of strong, clear direction and values at a time of great challenges. We face the pandemic, we face climate change, and this statement seeks to address those very real and critical things. I also would like to mention the Hon David Parker\u2019s speech because he was very interesting, and I\u2019m proud to be part of a Government of which he is part, because he talks about how well we have done, and he talks very compellingly and accurately about the things that have been done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI have the privilege in Auckland Central of seeing people doing that work, and they are doing it not for money but because they are actually well aware of their obligations to each other. The police force is one of those groups that I am very impressed by. They have been doing exemplary work, and they have been doing it alongside mental health workers and health workers, and the Ministry of Social Development, and they have been doing it alongside voluntary organisations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EThere is a group that I\u2019m involved with called the rough sleepers steering group, and all these groups come together and they talk about how they\u2019re going to cope with Omicron, and how they\u2019re going to look after people in community care. Body corporate groups have been busy contributing to make sure that the rules and the connections that are in place in our apartment blocks actually work and make people\u2019s lives better when they have Omicron. These are really important things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI want to mention our small businesses which are suffering under the current situation\u2014our hospitality and retail sector, our arts sector. These are the sectors that we will now need to focus on supporting. I would also like to mention those groups that I think really need a shout-out: one is our elderly. They are actually in a situation where there will be a lot of trepidation, there will be a lot of fear. I\u2019d also like to mention those people who got vaccinated despite hesitancy\u2014I have one of those in my own family, my mother. It took a lot of arguing to get her to take up the vaccinations, and it was a real lesson for us all in the fact that it didn\u2019t just matter to her, it mattered to us that she got that vaccination. It was such a great relief and, for me, it reinforced the fact that we are all connected. I am now relieved to say my mother has had her booster, and I thank her for doing that. And I thank all the people who may have been hesitant but they have stepped out of their comfort zone and they have adapted because they can see the connection between people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to talk about those greater connections because the connections that this Government has been making between transport and housing and wellbeing are very real, and they have directed the policies that will happen in the next year: things like, actually, light rail; things like intensification of housing; things like electric buses; things like the infrastructure that allows affordable housing. These are very, very real things that will connect us as a society.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EFinally, I\u2019d just like to talk about renting, for a minute. Today, there was an announcement that we would be looking at the regulation of property managers. Actually, affordable rent is an incredibly important thing but so is a rental situation where you\u2019re not subject to damp, where your children won\u2019t get rheumatic fever. These are important settings, and this is part of the puzzle. And so it\u2019s not just a case of the price of rental\u2014that is important\u2014but it\u2019s also the case of not turning our backs on that becoming an affordable and sensible choice, not only for our young people but also for our elderly, and for people who simply choose it because they want to. So I commend this Government, and I am very supportive of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022 data-id=\u00220fe07c8e12dc43dcb3ff1355a408bb61\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220fe07c8e12dc43dcb3ff1355a408bb61\u0022\u003EDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s an absolute pleasure to rise in support of the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. And I\u2019d like to spend a bit of time talking about our Government\u2019s proactive response to COVID-19. Looking back to my public health training, what we did as trainees is we needed to know about the New Zealand influenza pandemic action plan. This was something that we studied for our part two exams, and at the time it seemed quite theoretical. So it was something where the ministry ran these pandemic exercises preparing the health system we had to study. And looking through the documents there was talk about closing schools, it was talking about restricting public gatherings, there was talk about these things called CBACS, or community-based assessment centres, but they seemed quite theoretical, quite remote. And I think, looking back, basically, it didn\u2019t really prepare us for what we\u2019ve confronted today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EI think the other difference was we were preparing for a different virus. All the models were based on the fact that what they were thinking was we\u2019d get 40 percent of the population experiencing the virus over an eight-week period. So what they were expecting was that the rates would come and peak at about week three to week five. And so none of us really thought that we\u2019d be in the situation that we face today, where we\u2019re now entering our third year of a global pandemic, and we\u2019re actually sitting down now preparing for the Omicron wave.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ESo for me, thinking through, the other thing I never envisaged was that our Government had taken this very simple plan for another virus but adapted it using real-time data. And then they\u2019d use it to create a world-leading response to COVID-19, which has resulted in us having some of the lowest COVID-19 case rates, hospitalisations, and mortality in the world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ESo I think the other thing we\u2019ve thought through over the last two years is none of us ever envisaged that we\u2019d have to be creating this huge health infrastructure and we\u2019d be having to do it for such a significant period of time. Thinking through, we\u2019ve had to stand up fully functioning managed isolation and quarantine facilities and run them for a period of time, we\u2019ve had to upscale our COVID contact tracing, we\u2019ve had to upscale our testing capacities, and in the last year we\u2019ve had to run a full national vaccination campaign. Basically, we\u2019ve delivered whole other aspects: the wage subsidies, the business supports, making sure that our businesses can get through these very difficult times. And so as a result, as we await the Omicron wave rolling out across the country over the next few weeks and months, we\u2019re coming to it with very high vaccination rates by global standards, but also historically some of the lowest unemployment rates we\u2019ve seen as a country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EAnd in that, I\u2019d just like to acknowledge the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, I\u2019d like to acknowledge our Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, our Minister for COVID-19 Response, Chris Hipkins, our Minister of Health, and our Associate Ministers of Health for the huge, considerable role that they\u2019ve played in taking us through these difficult times. I\u2019d also like to acknowledge, though, the people I think about down where I am based in the South\u2014those that have got up every day and have gone out and run our testing centres, they\u2019ve run our vaccination campaigns, those that have been on the phone lines; basically, when people ring in, providing that support, providing that advice. I\u2019m thinking of our GPs, thinking of our pharmacists, and thinking about those working in our hospital system, and the huge role they\u2019ve played in keeping us all safe. And looking back over the last two years, just thinking about how many of us\u2014we never know whether it would have been us or not; the role they\u2019ve played in potentially saving our lives. And as we look back and as they look back on this time in years to come, I hope they\u2019re really, really proud of the role that they\u2019ve played in this pandemic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EBut looking ahead: I think many of the people I talk to down South, looking ahead as we face the Omicron outbreak, what they really, really want is for the next few months just to fast-forward. They want to be able to see Omicron in their rear-vision mirrors. And I think it\u2019s important to remember when we\u2019re looking ahead to the next few months that we do have a plan. We\u2019ve planned for this, we\u2019ve put the structures in place. And the majority of people who\u2019ve gone out and had their vaccination, have had their booster dose, if they encountered Omicron they\u2019re going to end up with a mild to moderate disease that they\u2019re going to be able to end up managing very well at home, but the hospital system will still be there for those who need that extra support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EBut I also think it\u2019s our role to look after each other, and that means getting out, getting vaccinated, and continuing to scan our COVID tracer apps so that if we do test positive, people can be notified very, very quickly. It means social distancing, it means mask wearing, as we\u2019re doing in the House today. So for me, I\u2019m really proud to be part of a Government that\u2019s led a world-leading COVID response, and it\u2019s something I never envisaged when I was reading those public health documents all those years ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u0022b0b5bb284f8f4bf6bbe57e93d1aaf4d8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b0b5bb284f8f4bf6bbe57e93d1aaf4d8\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Speaker. Thank you for that. Can I just say what a real pleasure it is to stand up here and have the opportunity to reflect on the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, and I would commend anyone to give it a really good read, not only because of the plan that it sets out but because of the values which underpin it. It\u2019s that consistency of values and of approach which has stood us in such good stead\u2014the idea that we put people first and that the wellbeing of our people across the board is the primary objective of the Government\u2014and the Prime Minister, in her speech and in the statement that\u2019s on the Table, makes that abundantly clear.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s always troubling to me when I hear other politicians in other parties say, \u201CTurn the spending taps off. It\u2019s all going to go terribly wrong.\u201D, and have these cries that come from decades ago, cries for austerity in a time of need. I think it\u2019s absolutely right that we should be looking now at the really significant challenges that face us\u2014the climate challenges, the health challenges, the infrastructure challenges\u2014and investing now because it\u2019s prudent to do so. Now, we know that debt is rising, but debt should rise. When your children are sick or when your roof is leaking, you do not stop spending. You fix what needs to be fixed so that you\u2019re strong and resilient for the future, and that\u2019s what we have ahead of us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EIf we look at what we\u2019re doing\u2014the focus on health, for example\u2014we inherited a health system where there had been no capital spending for years\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b308902f8564b8abfdeac9b62da6850\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, that\u2019s rubbish. What a lie.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fbc5364a180d445199c873bb97a0cd45\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and where DHBs had been underfunded year on year. Well, it\u2019s\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002254856599a3854fe0a227425331cba76e\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I\u2019m very sorry, and I apologise to my friend and colleague Duncan Webb, but there is one word that you cannot accuse a member in this House of being. The Hon David Bennett just used that word, and I will use it if I have to, but I think he should apologise. He cannot accuse another member of being that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f503338b2aba43449487fc1411aebc75\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: He didn\u2019t. He said it was rubbish.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dacbb3a6e233411492eace5717d549a7\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: He also said\u2014and I heard it\u2014that those are lies. So I will ask the Hon David Bennett to apologise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253892d8be6b8499ea790ec9f0dfb5168\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise, but note that the Waikato District Health Board was rebuilt under the National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a86e1da1cbf4cb389d9d3cf8e16fea8\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: I will ask the Hon David Bennett to withdraw and apologise, and leave it at that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225786d13682784d9994172d09b50bacf9\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220dd63b00fc494933a594978ff7e41b87\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The point being, of course, that the time for genuine investment in health is here and it\u2019s now, and the health restructure ahead of us is of pivotal importance so that we have an equitable and efficient health system, not the rundown, broken, and underfunded health system of prior years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Health Authority\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fdb01002-a7cf-4a77-8f05-678d24a36849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226aebad655f434a13b21e486d2473a5de\u0022\u003ETodd Muller\u003C/span\u003E: What nonsense.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022032ed16839ec4592a6bac0382f1dc30b\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014is a huge leap forward, and you, Mr Muller, may call it rubbish, but they\u2019re inequities that have been systemic. [Interruption] You can chip away, Mr Bennett, but only the other day I was reading, on an entirely different topic, Kemp\u2019s Deed, and do you know what that is? That\u2019s when Ng\u0101i Tahu had 13 million acres wrested from them on a promise of reserves being set aside and, what\u2019s more, hospitals and schools being built. They got a trivial 6,000 acres in reserves, and what did they get in terms of hospitals? Nothing, and that party over there would now chip away and say that we shouldn\u2019t address the systemic inequities of years that the Crown and the Government, year in, year out, have failed to address. So come to the table, and come and be constructive. Where is the proposition? Yes, you\u2019re in Opposition. You\u2019re going to be in Opposition for a long time if you take that attitude.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWhat\u2019s more, we need to invest in our climate infrastructure, as well. Year in, year out, we\u2019ve had the Opposition saying, \u201CNot now, it\u2019s too early. It would cost too much. Industry can\u2019t manage it.\u201D, but we know that if we take that approach, not only will it get harder but the catastrophe will be larger, and that\u2019s what we are going to address. So we\u2019ve got a $4.5 billion fund from the emissions trading scheme\u2014a scheme that they put on hold\u2014whilst we had to reinvigorate and redesign in the last term of Government so that can actually spend the money we need to get to a low-emission economy, and also address the adaptation issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002205678d4932d744e58b2ed4c2a8e5ecf2\u0022\u003EMaureen Pugh\u003C/span\u003E: Stop burning coal, then.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022035ef245d81e4ecda5813b910bc06842\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: You would do nothing, Maureen Pugh. We know your views on all kinds of things. You\u2019d be building new mines on the West Coast for a couple of votes. Well, good luck to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re here for a low-emissions economy, one which has clean energy, and absolutely investing in the New Zealand Battery Project. The idea that we\u2019re going to be innovative and try things and do things that that party on the other side never dreamt of doing. Absolutely, our Minister of energy is going to make all kinds of explorations because it\u2019s the right thing to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ELook, I\u2019m going to also talk about housing. We know there\u2019s a housing crisis, but I want to tell you the things not only that we\u2019ve done, and there are many, but all the things that we are also going to do, of which there are many. Do you know what? We are making real progress. A housing crisis that was nine years in the making, and we\u2019ve turned the corner. Only today\u2014only today\u2014figures have come out to show that not only have prices stabilised but there\u2019s been a small drop in prices across the country, and that is indicative of the progress that we have made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EHow many houses did that lot build when they were in Government? Well, they sold some, but I don\u2019t think they built any. This Government, in the four years it\u2019s been here, has built 8,000 new houses. We have turned the Housing Corporation into a renter, a property developer, and a responsible landlord\u20142,400 in the last year, and do you know what? The Prime Minister said in her statement that we would have 2,000 more built in the next year. We will absolutely address these issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EForty thousand building consents were issued in the last year. For the first time in a long time, we\u2019re building more houses than there are people needing them. The Resource Management Act (RMA) fast-tracking legislation is being able to open up whole new developments so that we can have more housing development, and, of course, the RMA reforms\u2014the Natural and Built Environments Bill\u2014is going to progress that. I give the party on the other side credit because they have come to the table and talked about housing intensification, and that\u2019s a good thing, because we need neighbourhoods which are compact, walkable, livable, and effective. So good on you for that. There\u2019s one little feather you can have in your cap there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EBuilding Act reforms: Poto Williams has pushed those Building Act reforms for new and innovative building materials. The M\u0101ori infrastructure fund, so that M\u0101ori can build papa k\u0101inga houses, and a whole lot are on track there\u2014thousands of houses there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EProgressive homeownership for people who might not otherwise be able to get together a deposit for a house. The ability to get into an ownership situation where you own a little bit of the house at the time, and there are up to 4,000 people who will be able to own their own homes when they wouldn\u2019t have previously been able to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWarmer homes, the idea that we need to go and make houses not only livable and warm but healthy as well, and our Residential Tenancies Act reforms and Healthy Homes reforms as well\u2014awesome. On top of that there\u2019s $3.8 billion set aside for infrastructure funding so that we can unlock the potential of areas of land to make new strong communities with housing for everyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that doesn\u2019t sit on its hands and say that the problem is difficult. It is difficult, but we will try everything we can because we know what\u2019s good for New Zealand. This is a wellness approach. It\u2019s an approach which puts equity first as well to make sure that everyone across the board is looked after.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ESo this is a Government which cares and which tries. I must say, listening to Michael Wood\u2019s speech was really good, because I was really proud of his approach to the Auckland light rail, seeing it not just as a big money spend but something which was about communities and also something that was part of a wider plan, a plan that wasn\u2019t just transport\u2014transport across the whole of Auckland, to North Auckland and West Auckland as well\u2014but also something which was about linking communities together and unlocking the potential of that great city that is Auckland. Of course, I was very excited to hear him talk about the Christchurch light rail as well. I know there are a lot of proposals there, and I\u2019ll be talking with him about that in the not too distant future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EBut on top of that, whilst we\u2019ve been doing all this, and whilst we\u2019ve got low unemployment and whilst we\u2019ve got one of the strongest economies in the world, we\u2019ve raised incomes. We\u2019ve raised incomes for those that need it most. So the benefits have been raised across the board: 109,000 families, our most needy families, now have $175 a week more, or at least they will on 1 April. That\u2019s a huge amount for a lot of people, and one of the net effects of that and a whole range of other initiatives is 43,000 children who have been lifted out of poverty\u201443,000 children. We are making real progress on child poverty. When the National Government was in place, it went backwards, it went behind\u2014200,000 students receiving school lunches.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI\u2019m so proud to stand up here and talk about what we\u2019ve done, what we\u2019re going to do, the values that underpin it, and the approach taken by the Prime Minister. Kia ora, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u00229932c32c2ac047b79a113472b652e177\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229932c32c2ac047b79a113472b652e177\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY (National\u2014Rotorua):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, thank you. He weaves a real web, that Duncan, the last speaker in the debate. Because, actually, if you just say you have a plan and everything is OK, the public will believe you! But that\u2019s actually not the case as we look around the country today. Mr Webb said they\u2019re not a Government that sits on their hands, but in housing, if they did just sit on their hands, actually, the country might be better off, because, rather than that, they\u2019re putting their hands up in auctions and buying houses from the private sector that mums and dads, those first-home buyers he was talking about, are not able to buy because they don\u2019t have\u2014it\u2019s not the taxpayer\u2019s cheque book behind them; it\u2019s actually the money the Government is borrowing that the taxpayer will have to pay for in the future to take houses out of supply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EHe also said\u2014and this is from his notes. He wasn\u2019t reading a speech, but it\u2019s from his notes. So this must be the lines that their research unit have given them after the Minister has signed off. He said, \u201CFor the time, we\u2019re building more houses than are needed.\u201D Well, hallelujah. The 45 motels in Rotorua that have people in are full of emergency housing. Those people that were promised a house and have been languishing day after day, week after week, year after year in those motels all of a sudden don\u2019t have to stay in the motels tonight, because the Government says they are building more houses that are needed. But here\u2019s the thing: they are not. They are buying more than they should; they are not building more than is needed. In fact, they are not building anywhere near enough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EThey talk very proudly of how they are helping people out of poverty. They talk about the minimum wage increase as if that is the panacea to fix everything. They don\u2019t say that, actually, rents have gone up $140 a week over the last 4\u00BD years, and they haven\u2019t scratched the surface with the minimum-wage increases. Those that have the least in New Zealand have even less because of the cost of living and how quickly it\u2019s escalating. And, actually, the costs they\u2019re placing on businesses make it harder\u2014harder\u2014for those businesses to survive. This isn\u2019t actually a debate about whether the minimum wage should go up or not; it\u2019s that Government action actually pushes prices up. And the $145 a week extra, when it comes to rents that people are paying around the country, is the reason that we have unprecedented numbers of people in motels, and the reason that there aren\u2019t enough houses is because the Government is then buying those houses because the individuals themselves cannot afford them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EWith the self-congratulations we\u2019ve heard from every single speaker in Government, behind that of the great job they\u2019ve done and how wonderful they are, and how lucky the country is, are at least 10 to 15 to 20 to hundreds of tourism businesses who are struggling to survive or who have closed. When the Prime Minister announced a few weeks ago\u2014just before one of the TV stations started polling\u2014that the border was opening, she forgot to say, \u201CThe border is opening for everybody except those who we actually need to get here safely.\u201D So, later this month or next month, Kiwis can return if they\u2019re double vaccinated, and they can go and stay at home for\u2014it was 10 days; it\u2019ll now be seven days. But, for the tourism sector, they are not expecting an influx of Kiwis from Australia to come and start doing tourism. When the Prime Minister says the border\u2019s open and there is help coming for the tourism sector, what she doesn\u2019t say is that the average Australian comes to New Zealand for a holiday for five days. If they have to come here and self-isolate in a hotel for seven days, as lovely as it is in Queenstown or Rotorua or the West Coast, they\u2019re not going to extend the average stay of their visit by two days to look out the window of that hotel or order Uber Eats. They are not coming.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EYet next week, in Australia, if you are double vaccinated from anywhere in the world and you travel to Australia and you\u2019ve passed a test before you leave and when you arrive to show you haven\u2019t got COVID, you are welcome. What the Prime Minister hasn\u2019t done is send a signal to the tourism sector in New Zealand about when the Government may consider similar rules here. All they\u2019ve said is October of this year, visitors will be welcome if they\u2019re double vaccinated, but they will have to go to a hotel to self-isolate for seven days. Guess what! They are not coming. That is not a lifeline for the tourism sector, who, today, across the board, are calling for help. Some of them are asking for Government money, but, actually, what they are really saying is, \u201CWe do need help. We need paying visitors. And if you can just, Prime Minister, for once tell us when this might happen.\u201D Not October, perhaps, maybe, we could change the rules, but they are going to have to sit in a hotel, when, actually, you may look to level the playing field with Australia. If it can\u2019t be today, when will it be? Explain why the Australians have different advice than you do, so they can start planning.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EIf I look at my home town of Rotorua and what\u2019s happening there, because tourism is a very important part of our economy, I am very sad to say that the Top 10 holiday park in the centre of the town, owned by the same family for 30 years, has had to close. That business supported a number of families, paid for the kids to go to school. It was their livelihood. It\u2019s the centre of town. It\u2019s heartbreaking that that family has had to make that decision. Why is that? Because they were told they would have a good summer and people would come, but it didn\u2019t happen. Actually, what happened for them and so many other tourism businesses in New Zealand, they either just broke even or didn\u2019t lose as much money as they had been. And you cannot run a tourism business on school holidays and the odd long weekend. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003ENow, that\u2019s a heartbreaking decision for that family to have to have made, but if they knew\u2014because they were actually reliant upon Australian visitors before COVID came and the Government closed the border\u2014that the Prime Minister would be looking to do the same thing in New Zealand as the Australian Government is doing just next week, and if they knew it was three months away or six months away, they could plan for that. Perhaps their bank would have said to them, \u201CYou know what? You had a great business before. We know Australians like to come here. The Prime Minister says they are going to come here in droves. We can get you through a few more months\u2014three or four more months.\u201D But the problem they\u2019ve had for the two years is \u201CWe might do it later on. We could do it later on.\u201D There has been no certainty. They haven\u2019t been able to plan, and they have pulled the pin. I hope desperately that they haven\u2019t made the wrong decision. I hope desperately that the Prime Minister doesn\u2019t announce in a few weeks\u2019 time, \u201CWe will be like Australia.\u201D Because this Government does show urgency only when they\u2019re forced to, and it\u2019s always too late. For that business and other businesses around the country, it is far, far too late already.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EI spoke about the cost of living earlier, and inflation and interest rates. We will hear from the Government again and again that it is happening everywhere in the world. Well, for hard-working Kiwis who have done everything asked of them over the last two years, who have sacrificed, who have taken on debt, who have paid others before themselves, who have gone through great uncertainty, the team of 5 million who have dug so very, very deep, they\u2019re not interested in what\u2019s happening around the rest of the world; they\u2019re interested in what\u2019s happening here. When the Government members stand up and read out a litany of things they believe they are doing well, well, I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s the case on the street, because, for every protestor who is here outside, there are hundreds and hundreds back in our electorates who are law-abiding, who have got their vaccines, who have done everything asked of them, and the contract was\u2014the deal was\u2014\u201CIf we just get to 90 percent vaccination rate, your life will go back to normal.\u201D Well, in the case of the tourism sector, it hasn\u2019t gone back to normal. And of the case of the people who are working in tourism still or in our restaurants and our bars, it hasn\u2019t got back to normal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EAround the country this month, the spend in restaurants and bars is down by 27 percent\u201432 percent down in Queenstown. They are now saying 70 percent of cafes and restaurants are saying they\u2019re looking to cut staff or reduce those hours. So how does it work when the Government says, \u201CEveryone is better off. We\u2019re better than the rest of the world.\u201D\u2014that there are still people losing their jobs, when the cost of living has gone up, and their petrol costs more, and their rent costs more, and their food costs more, and every single thing you can measure costs more? But members of this House opposite, in Government, stand up and say, \u201CActually, Kiwis are better off than their Australian neighbours.\u201D Well, whether that was the case or not, I don\u2019t think it works when you say, \u201CYou\u2019re feeling unhappy, you can\u2019t pay your bills, but you\u2019re not as bad as the guys over there, who can\u2019t pay their bills even worse.\u201D This Government has an absolute responsibility to the people of New Zealand not to congratulate themselves, not to say that they\u2019re sitting on their hands, but to actually get out there and make life better for everyday New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003EAnd whilst they may say, \u2018Well, businesses can afford everything.\u201D, this is a country that\u2019s built on the back of small-business people. Mums and dads who get out of bed, who take the risk, who have borrowed against their homes, who go to work every day\u2014they pay their bills and others before they pay themselves. It is their pride\u2014that small business that they run\u2014and they haven\u2019t had the help, actually, that they need, and they are certainly not getting the help that they need today. They need clarity. They need a decision that the Prime Minister will make\u2014decisions as we see in Australia\u2014but, more than that, a Prime Minister who will front up and explain to them exactly why it is she won\u2019t do\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00226f9963b9e0684ad9ac0531ecc6d17aab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226f9963b9e0684ad9ac0531ecc6d17aab\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! The member\u2019s time is up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022 data-id=\u00229593e80c16ff490a94139c9ecc9ec08d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229593e80c16ff490a94139c9ecc9ec08d\u0022\u003EWILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour\u2014Northland):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the debate on the Prime Minister\u2019s statement. Unfortunately, I haven\u2019t been able to sit through all the debates this afternoon, but I have been able to tune in and out of some of the contributions. I\u2019m not going to focus on any of the criticisms from the other side. I\u2019m going to focus on the job that we\u2019ve got ahead of us this year, and it is a big job. In fact, when I look at the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, it is 27 pages of jobs for us to do this year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI was reflecting back\u2014we usually start the beginning of our year with a caucus retreat, and the honourable member for New Plymouth, Glen Bennett, has just left the room, but we had our caucus retreat in New Plymouth under Maunga Taranaki. What a beautiful way to start the year with our wh\u0101nau there as well. The Prime Minister began by outlining for us, her Labour caucus, what was going to happen in the year ahead of us, what were the challenges, what was the job for us to do. I was asked, following that, what I thought this would be the \u201Cyear of\u201D\u2014the media were questioning us as we went out for morning tea. My immediate reaction from listening to the Prime Minister and thinking about that was: I think it\u2019s going to be the year of the booster. I kept thinking about that afterwards because I thought, \u201COh, that doesn\u2019t really sound that inspiring, \u2018year of the booster\u2019.\u201D, and I sort of thought, well, you know, maybe there was something more ambitious. But that is actually quite ambitious when I thought about it\u2014I don\u2019t step back from that. Actually, when I heard her describe the challenge with Omicron facing us, and the thing that we could do to protect ourselves the most\u2014it was the booster.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI think about my people of Northland, our vulnerable population, and I hope that the booster isn\u2019t the focus for us for the whole year, but it certainly is the focus for us in this first part of the year\u2014we are racing against a virus. This is actually the month of the booster. We are trying to encourage as many people as possible to do as much as possible to protect themselves from Omicron.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI\u2019m pleased that last year, the Prime Minister said this was the year of the vaccine, and I think that we actually did far better than many expected that we would. We\u2019ve had some difficult conversations. It\u2019s been challenging out there in our communities. Northland has just got to 90 percent first vaxxed. We are the last in the country, but I\u2019m so proud of Northland because every single one of those vaccines required wh\u0101nau encouraging each other, our providers being out there, making themselves available in the most remote parts of our community, and we got there. We\u2019re going to get there with the second dose, and we\u2019re going well on our boosters at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EWe can all do our bit to slow the spread and keep our communities safe, and that\u2019s what the Prime Minister said. Together, we have risen to the challenge of COVID-19. The pandemic has affected us all and some in very tragic circumstances, but it\u2019s also drawn us together. Yes, we have a protest outside at the moment, but I think about the more than 4 million people who have been vaccinated. And I just want to mihi to our team of 4 million that could get vaccinated, but also to our whole country for the efforts to date. It\u2019s been two long, hard years. I know everybody\u2019s h\u014Dh\u0101, I know everybody\u2019s over it, but guess what? COVID isn\u2019t going away. It\u2019s a virus, it keeps adapting and so too do we have to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI\u2019m really proud of my colleagues who are in Cabinet, who have had all of those conversations, difficult debates, and been put in a situation of making really difficult decisions but making the right decisions, because what they did was they prioritised people\u2019s health, their lives, and their livelihoods. I\u2019m really proud of what we have achieved, and the other side has criticised us for patting ourselves on the back over here. I don\u2019t take that credit just us as the Government\u2014that was the team of 5 million who has helped us achieve that so far, but we need to keep going. Kia kaha tonu t\u0101tou. He waka eke noa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E[We must stay strong. We\u2019re all in this together.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThe challenge is not over yet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m proud that we can report today that there are now over 2 million who have received their booster shots, over 46 percent of our tamariki receiving theirs as well, but there is more work to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThe other thing I wanted to pick up from in the Prime Minister\u2019s statement was the other work that that is going on. It\u2019s not just COVID that our Cabinet are focusing on. At the same time, they are continuing with major health reforms. They are working\u2014I\u2019m looking at two Ministers who are going to be making announcements shortly in the employment space. We heard the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Small Business, talking earlier; the Minister of Immigration, the Minister of Justice, talking on things that we have been progressing. Just this week, we passed our first piece of legislation, which came through the Justice Committee, to ban conversion practices. All of that mahi continues while we are managing a pandemic, while our economy is strong and we have the best results in the OECD and the world, We should all be proud of that, us as the Government, but also Aotearoa, because everybody has played their part in it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003ENow, what I wanted to pick up on is this plan for us, the 27-page work plan over here, and I know every member and every Minister has gone through it and picked out the things that have been specifically said that they have a responsibility for in their portfolio areas. One of my portfolio areas is I am a member of the Pae Ora Legislation Committee. I\u2019ve just come off the select committee to come in to do the speech this afternoon. On that committee, we have had five days of hearings. I think it was from 9 a.m. in the morning to 6 p.m. in the evening. Five days\u2014we received over 4,600 submissions on the Pae Ora Legislation Committee. Now, for those who maybe don\u2019t know what that is in the House or who are tuning in tonight\u2014that is for the reform of our health system. We are going to be disestablishing the DHBs, setting up a health authority, a public health unit, and, proudly, a M\u0101ori Health Authority.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EIt was a challenging five days of hearings, especially after a long summer break. It took a little bit of getting back into the swing of things. But what was particularly difficult for me, was that, unfortunately, the majority of the submissions from individuals were opposed to this bill and they were tending to be single-issue focused, and it will be no surprise to many in this House that the main thing that they were objecting to is the hauora M\u0101ori provisions, in principle. It was really sad to have to sit through those submissions and to hear that we still have people who do not understand and also do not accept that we have major inequities within our health system, and here we are trying to propose something because the status quo is unacceptable, and, unfortunately, we received this huge number of submissions in opposition. So we have our work cut out for us this year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI want to absolutely acknowledge the Prime Minister, who said that we are a united team, we are a focused team, and that we will continue to manage the pandemic, but we must also continue to do all of the other things in health\u2014as I just spoke about, and we\u2019re making good progress on that\u2014and in housing, and I do take issue with the comment made earlier criticising us for buying and building when all that side did was sell.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThere are a couple of other things that I\u2019m really excited about this year. We are\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d46e9c99612412f8d417a7fae729e4b\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s a killer line.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022466a4960dbcc41cfa43b8764547f7d08\u0022\u003EWILLOW-JEAN PRIME\u003C/span\u003E: Just, look\u2014sell, full stop. That\u2019s it, there\u2019s no more to say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThere are a few other things that I\u2019m excited about this year. This year, we will celebrate the first uniquely Aotearoa public holiday, and that is Matariki. So we will be celebrating that in June this year and I\u2019m really excited about that as people will get to have a day off and, hopefully, reflect on what Matariki means, learn about some of that m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori. It is also the year that schools are going to be receiving resources to teach New Zealand history in schools. I\u2019m really excited about our tamariki getting the opportunity to learn that history of Aotearoa New Zealand. I hope that with that, along with Matariki, we\u2019re going to see the next generation have the opportunity to learn more about our tangata whenua, about our unique place in the world as Aotearoa, and that everybody will have access to that. I really hope that by having that, we might see a different type of submission to our select committees in the future as we try and tackle issues that we are facing, where we try to reduce the inequalities, where we try to ensure that everybody has the best opportunity, their wellbeing is provided for to the greatest extent possible, and that we do that for one another, like we have our approach to COVID. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7e56759014942e6bdac8b0a5d49d46f\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The next call is the very last call in response to the Prime Minister\u2019s statement, and we only have five minutes left.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u0022c817be99ab4048cbb49b6b61aec9f890\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c817be99ab4048cbb49b6b61aec9f890\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY (Labour\u2014Wairarapa):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. If they just sat on their hands, the country would be better off.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad08c44ce8ea40ccb1477108cca8d374\u0022\u003EHon Todd McClay\u003C/span\u003E: Exactly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022363c98199ddf489fa5f551aa3fa1164c\u0022\u003EKIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s what Mr McClay said in his contribution, and now he is backing it up by saying \u201CExactly.\u201D Doesn\u2019t that sum the National Party up? If they just sat on their hands, the country would be better off. I think that absolutely sums up the do nothing, conservative, small Government, low taxes, low spending approach from the National Party. I ask this House, where did that get the country during the global financial crisis? Investment was cut, spending on health was cut, spending on education was cut, and when we came in in 2017 we had to clean it all up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EWhen you look at the problems that this country is facing in housing, if we just took our hands off, the country would be better off, they say. That\u2019s exactly the approach that that side took on housing. That\u2019s why the number of Government-provided social houses went down under their watch. That\u2019s why they sold every single house, every single social house, in Wairarapa in 1999. Throughout their nine years of Government, they didn\u2019t put a single social house in Wairarapa. And I\u2019m proud to say that this Government is finally building Government social houses in Wairarapa, yet again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EExactly the same with climate change. When they were in Government, they signed us up to all these accords and all these treaties, and then did absolutely nothing about it. Every single time we, as a Government, have put in measures that are actually going to help us meet the agreements that they signed us up to, they\u2019ve voted against them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThe minimum wage is exactly the same. When they were in Government, every single year they put the minimum wage up, and they waived their blue flag and they said \u201CLook at us. How great are we?\u201D And then whenever we do it, they say \u201CThat\u2019s a terrible idea. That\u2019s hurting business.\u201D What they fail to know is that New Zealanders can see through the politics. New Zealanders know that it is the minimum-wage workers that have worked the hardest, alongside our frontline health workers, that have got us to where we are now in this COVID response. They don\u2019t agree with it. Or do they? Who knows? The other day, I was sitting next to Nicola Willis doing our weekly radio slot with Newstalk ZB, and she said \u201CWe do not oppose raising the minimum wage.\u201D What does the leader say? I don\u2019t know, couldn\u2019t form a position. He didn\u2019t have the ability to stand up and say yes or no. He fluffed about. So we don\u2019t even know where they stand on the minimum wage. But here we are, as a Government, helping 300,000 workers, lifting their wages, and contributing to this economy. Because what that side knows but don\u2019t say, is that small to medium businesses, the ones that they\u2019ve spent most of their time talking about, their revenue is dependent on people\u2019s capacity to spend. If they don\u2019t raise minimum wages, like some of them are encouraging us to do, their ability to spend money goes down in real terms. Small to medium businesses miss out as a result.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThey haven\u2019t learnt a thing about the way in which this country has responded to COVID. It was the investment from this Government that kept people in jobs, that kept businesses going, and it is that spending that they now are criticising and saying that that\u2019s causing inflation, even though they know that this is an international phenomenon. When they are asked to give examples of the things that they would cut, they cannot give an example that would make any impact on inflation. The only examples they\u2019ve given has equated to 0.1 percent of Government spending. That is not going to make any difference to inflation. If they were upfront, they would say that yes, the way that they want to deal with inflation is to make cuts, and it\u2019s back where we started with these guys under the global financial crisis. It\u2019s cuts to health. It\u2019s cuts to education. It\u2019s not spending money on infrastructure. It\u2019s not putting the planning ahead that we need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThis is the Government that actually has a plan. We are the ones that are investing in a plan to increase primary exports by $40 billion. They oppose it. They just want to tread water. This is the Government that is actually putting the investment in to make sure that rural communities get the health they need and rural schools get the investments they need. And if you don\u2019t believe me, here\u2019s a question for you: how many times did Chris Luxon mention agriculture or farmers in his response to the Prime Minister\u2019s statement? None. Not one mention. They spend all the energy they like saying they care about farmers, they\u2019ve got the biggest platform of the year, and they say nothing. I am proud to support the Prime Minister\u2019s statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00229fc721a7417e42a3bc8c96ca2532f7f8\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That all the words after \u201CThat\u201D be deleted and replaced with, \u201Cthis House has no confidence in this Government that returns to Wellington at the start of each year with yet more promises it has no intention of keeping and fails to deliver.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022d1777f0b5be34d6cb431858d5ef1557d\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That this House express its confidence in the Government and commend its programme for 2022 as set out in the Prime Minister\u2019s statement (Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern) and the amendment proposed to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002288730913be17437cad0b03871a0c3e59\u0022\u003EIntelligence and Security Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c18b6bdd58594c3ab1668f3b9bde5b9d\u0022\u003EMembership\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u00228a6a00e04e02416dae8ac822904ec954\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228a6a00e04e02416dae8ac822904ec954\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: I move, That, under section 196 of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, this House endorse Nicola Willis as a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee, nominated by the Leader of the Opposition under section 195(1) of the Act, and in accordance with section 194(2)(c) of the Act, replacing Dr Shane Reti.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00228af862a86b4e430aab6666aeea93f178\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Orders\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224fb024012e7745d0bf9caa72d888a758\u0022\u003EApproval\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u00222a42521f187f44ae802ffd2c6eac1f9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222a42521f187f44ae802ffd2c6eac1f9c\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Minister for COVID-19 Response: I move on behalf of the Minister for COVID-19 Response, That this House approve the following orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Order 2021 \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 14) 2021 \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 6) 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Order 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Infringement Offences) Amendment Order 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Amendment Order 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Amendment Order 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 Public Health Response (Maritime Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 3) 2021.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003EOnce more we are asking the House to approve COVID-19 orders to ensure that they are not revoked within certain time frames. The House has considered a series of these motions over the past two years or so. The collection of orders before us today is perhaps the most significant so far. It demonstrates the necessity of a system that enables us to respond to the rapid pace of change that is characteristic of COVID-19 but that ensures that parliamentary debate and approval remains an essential part of the process. There are 10 orders in the motion before us today. The presentation of My Vaccine Passes has quickly become part of everyday life for the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders\u2014to be shown to be able to enter certain areas, places, or premises, or to receive some services. The system was established by the COVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Order 2021 and its subsequent amendment, both of which are in today\u2019s motion. They are a critical component of New Zealand\u2019s world-leading COVID 19 response.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022578e7b9eeda44e4f9d77f947bdc18a94\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Madam Speaker. We\u2019re in a slightly unusual situation here where we don\u2019t have the actual Minister for COVID-19 Response, or indeed the Associate Minister, moving the motion and I think I\u2019m right in saying that the Minister who is presumably acting on behalf of the Minister didn\u2019t actually move the motion on behalf of the Minister for COVID-19 Response\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f99b054b622c4ec787e46596d4820d84\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: She did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264c29b7729124694961fba0fbd810238\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: She did. You\u2019re too busy complaining to listen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220987d8ee809b4805a68c35ac1002c172\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, well where are they? She\u2019s here today, where is she?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022db36df024ec84d1c96fff97ceb3a7d22\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The member will take his seat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bc7f28a262e4172b13bfaaf30b4634b\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Just because the Government whip can\u2019t organise the House properly\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a7378ffaf35f4418929a3288ad262975\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will take his seat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cb51e145060943f292a245dfa78713c8\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, I just want to make the point that no member is allowed to point out the absence of another member and I feel that that was a deliberate attempt to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ea032c9fdd7d4de2ba0c8194c4c075f3\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: That is fair to say. I would like to call the Hon Carmel Sepuloni to continue with the speech and may I suggest, Chris Bishop, that if you are to listen carefully, you would have actually heard that she moved the motion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c4b93591d8b4e9291f0f5ea74b5f147\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: For the benefit of the members in the House\u2014and I do hope that they are listening now\u2014I thank the members of the Regulations Review Committee for their work in examining these orders. The committee\u2019s comments on successive orders have contributed significantly to improving the process ever since the passing of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022ed3ac2decb344f379205e172bcee013c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ed3ac2decb344f379205e172bcee013c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dddd06933675444f8bc2f0e48d7c941a\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, are we going to\u2014sorry, Madam Speaker. I intended to take a full call here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002295f9e13b73ce4480b66cf47d528fbc7f\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: He needs to sort himself out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022955db693772c435c8ce179eff989a4a8\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I\u2019m just making the point that I\u2019m intending to take a full call here. Do you want me to come back after the dinner break or start now, Madam Speaker?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022da0c331d81a34a498f358b98274a9f73\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022da0c331d81a34a498f358b98274a9f73\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re welcome to have a speech, Chris Bishop. It will only last a couple of minutes, though.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b9ee409b5f894d008019fcebb1897632\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: I think we\u2019ve changed the rules on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f00f6b5246b54fc798a61f33623401c7\u0022\u003EKieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I believe it\u2019s within the presiding officer\u2019s ability within five minutes of the dinner break to call it off, and I express no opposition to the member coming back and doing a speech in full after the dinner break.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ffdef153dcdf4a1f852f306a63f7aeb3\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ll resume the House after the dinner break, at 7 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022c2891b4c5eaa486490adf320b7af555d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c2891b4c5eaa486490adf320b7af555d\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The House has resumed. When the House broke for the dinner hour, the House was considering Government motion No 2. And I see Chris Bishop seeking the call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022e0828ef62028439aa8c41249b9b8cb46\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e0828ef62028439aa8c41249b9b8cb46\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I want to start by just apologising to the House for, I think it\u2019d be fair to say, an unseemly little spat just before the dinner break, which involved a bit of a t\u00EAte-\u00E0-t\u00EAte between myself and the chief Government whip and also the Minister moving the motion, Minister Sepuloni.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EI want to explain why I got a little bit perturbed by what the Government was doing, and that is that what the House is doing here is very important. We are approving far-ranging, significant orders under public health legislation that impose onerous duties on many New Zealanders. We only need to look at a couple of hundred metres from this House to see the level of upset that some people have with those duties, and it behoves the Parliament to take that job seriously. And unfortunately, we had a Minister moving the motion that has no relevant public health portfolio responsibility in the Parliament, nor was it the Minister for COVID-19 Response or indeed the Associate Minister or even the Minister of Health. I thought that was regrettable, because it\u2019s very important that Parliament give these issues due consideration. And, frankly, the speech from the Minister was cursory at best. I think we got 90 seconds, or potentially two minutes, in relation to what the House was being asked to approve. That was why I was annoyed, and\u2014I think I was annoyed, but I do want to apologise for the bit of a set-to with the chief Government whip.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EI do just want to start by making that point, that what Parliament is doing here is very important because the motions that we are being asked to consider are the first motions made under amendments to the public health COVID Act last year, which relate to, obviously, the traffic light framework and the various duties that come with vaccination and COVID vaccine certificates or vaccine passes under that Act. So it\u2019s very important. The Regulations Review Committee has done a very thorough job investigating that, and I want to echo the words of the Minister who moved the motion and say thank you to them for their hard work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EOne of the things that we said last year, in relation to the passing under urgency of the COVID public health Act amendments, was that there were mistakes that would be made, that legislating in such haste would present problems down the line that the Government would have to fix. And, unfortunately, that has proven to be exactly the case. I would draw the House\u2019s attention to the very thorough report of the Regulations Review Committee, which has examined the orders that the House is being asked to consider. There are four concerns that the committee had with the orders. I\u2019ll just read them out, because I think it\u2019s instructive as to the haste with which the Government both passed the Act and also promulgated the orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EThe committee says: \u201CWe have four concerns about this order \u2026 Unclear relationship between COVID-19 orders\u201D. Secondly, \u201CConsistency with the Act?\u201D Well, that\u2019s pretty big. Consistency with the Act\u2014that goes through the whole legality of the orders that have been promulgated. Consistency with the Act is pretty fundamental, actually. It goes to whether or not an order is vires the empowering legislation. Thirdly\u2014it gets worse\u2014\u201CNot in accordance with the objects and intentions of the empowering Act\u201D. So in other words, the Minister\u2014in this place, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, who I see is in the House\u2014has promulgated an order that is potentially not in accordance with the empowering Act. And, fourthly, \u201CDrafting error with significant consequences\u201D. A drafting era with significant consequences.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ENow, some of these things have been fixed through the process of the back and forth between the Regulations Review Committee and the Minister, and that\u2019s a good thing. That\u2019s a very good thing. But I think it speaks to the urgency and the hurry that the Government moved on all of this last year. But the Regulations Review Committee has done a good job.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EOne of the interesting things about these orders is\u2014and this speaks to the first point, which is the unclear relationship between the various orders. One of the points that some of us made during the debate on the empowering legislation or amendments last year was the high degree of confusion in relation to the various orders. Now, I accept that this is a technical and a complex area, but the Regulations Review Committee has echoed some of that criticism. So we\u2019ve ended up with a situation where there are two different orders that do slightly different things but had the same purpose. And the committee notes, \u201CWe are concerned that having two orders with the same purpose is unclear and confusing.\u201D One relates to public health rationale, and one relates to orders in the public interest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EThe other point is that, as the committee notes, \u201Cthe amendments made to the Act in 2021,\u201D\u2014these are the amendments in December\u2014\u201Cto provide for the making of section 11AB orders, may not be sufficiently clear as to the intended interrelationship between the orders made under sections 11 and 11AB\u201D. Now, the good news is the Regulations Review Committee is doing an inquiry into the regulation-making powers in the vaccinations legislation and the public health response order. And that\u2019s a good thing, because there is definitely an issue here that requires ventilation, and definitely an issue that requires the House\u2019s attention.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EWe will approve the orders made because, ultimately, the Government has made them and placed them before the House for the approval of the Parliament and we are satisfied that the committee has done a good job in tidying up some of the issues with them, as the committee always does. But I want to warn the Government that there is going to come a time when some of the various orders made pursuant to this legislation will have to expire. As I said to the House in December last year, the big issue in 2022 is going to be the temporal nature or otherwise of mandated professions, mandates generally, and the issue of vaccination passes. And that issue has only become more pressing as Omicron spreads throughout the community, and we can see the clear division in our society at the use of mandates and passes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ESo I said in December, and I repeat again, that we are going to have to have a thorough conversation as a community and as a society about those issues. It is not good enough, I believe, for the Prime Minister to simply say, \u201CYep, they\u2019re going to go at some point, but we won\u2019t tell you when and we won\u2019t tell you under what circumstances, and we won\u2019t tell you how.\u201D The House deserves more than that, and the House deserves a thorough and serious conversation around that. I said in December that that would be an issue this year; here we are in February, and it is definitely becoming an issue. And so we are going to have to have a look at that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EI note today that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) told the Governance and Administration Committee that there is a review pursuant to Cabinet direction under way as to the traffic light framework and how it works in light of Omicron. We welcome that review, because the thing about Omicron\u2014as we\u2019ve discovered from overseas, but also we\u2019re now experiencing here in New Zealand\u2014is it\u2019s highly infectious and busts through vaccination. And, actually, most of the cases, in the last two days, of people who have contracted Omicron\u2014or, we assume it\u2019s Omicron\u2014are vaccinated. Are fully vaccinated. And they\u2019re getting it in places where COVID vaccine passes are required\u2014cafes and other places.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EThat does raise serious issues around the utility of passes. Passes under Delta made sense, because the transmission effects were so significant. When the transmission benefits are much more diminished because of the infectiousness of Omicron, the utility does diminish, and we deserve a conversation around under what circumstances passes and mandates will be required and, indeed, where they\u2019re useful. I understand that the DPMC review that will be going to Cabinet will be looking at those issues. Those are not easy issues. The science and the evidence is emerging on that, and we can look overseas to some of that evidence and see what\u2019s going to happen in New Zealand, because our trajectory is not that much different to other countries in terms of case numbers. And so we\u2019ll look at that, and we welcome that review. That\u2019s an issue that the House is going to have to grapple with in 2022. Thanks, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022 data-id=\u00221c804fe7e4a34d96addb80d978c50b90\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221c804fe7e4a34d96addb80d978c50b90\u0022\u003EBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I\u2019ll keep my comments very brief, but I think I will echo what my National Party colleague has said in that there is a lot of law that comes through this Chamber that is done under the matter of urgency, and it leads to a lot of issues that we\u2019ve seen through the Regulations Review Committee. In particular, if I look at one of these, this is the COVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Order. The committee said, \u201CWe\u2019re concerned that the order gives an electronic system the power to make a decision without specifying who\u2019s actually accountable for those decisions\u201D. I mean, that\u2019s a pretty big oversight, and it\u2019s throughout a lot of these orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EYou can see another order that came through was the Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Order, and, in particular, the problems that the committee raised were ones that I was dealing with, with members of the public in the community who were in the middle of moving home. And this was a huge issue for a lot of people\u2014it created a lot of stress. In particular, one person said that they had sold their home within Auckland and were moving south to Hamilton but, because of the restrictions through the protection framework, they weren\u2019t legally allowed to move into their new home. But that created a huge challenge because they had settled on their home; somebody was expecting to come in and move into that home on the Thursday, and they had no legal right to leave Auckland. And then other people said, \u201CWell, why don\u2019t they move into a hotel or move with family?\u201D Well, should the Government be putting restrictions in place on people that actually costs them money? Not everybody has thousands of dollars to move all of their stuff into a hotel, let alone all of their goods into storage facilities, when there could have just been an easier solution: letting people, who are in the process of relocating, through the border.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EThese are issues that we see when we rush legislation through, and it imposes huge costs on people. We need to make sure that we\u2019re getting public policy right, and that we\u2019re doing these laws correctly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EAnother aspect that is increasing when we are passing these laws is clauses that are completely redundant. I see the committee also noted there were around 30 COVID-19 provisions in Part 2 of one of these orders that are currently redundant. What are they still there for? We are passing laws that are confusing for people to even read, because there are clauses in them that actually have no effect. People will be reading these orders, thinking that what they\u2019re reading is in fact the law when, in fact, it\u2019s not. How, at that point, can you trust what you are reading, that is passed by Parliament? We have a right and a duty to make sure that our laws\u2014and what restrictions we\u2019re putting on people\u2014are simple and easy to follow. And I think it\u2019s a real shame that people would mistakenly read our COVID orders, thinking they\u2019re doing the right thing, but they\u2019re so unsure that they actually are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to the Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order, I think we really do have to start having a conversation about whether we are going to see steps in the coming weeks and months that show when these orders are no longer needed, and when we can move on, and what the Prime Minister actually has in place for what we will move on to. The ACT Party has stressed, since last year, that we shouldn\u2019t in fact have heavy-handed vaccine mandates; we should have a vaccine or test requirement. There is an alternative that the ACT Party has been putting out there for months, and we would encourage Parliament to pick it up, because we are seeing a lot of division, and we are seeing a lot of people starting to ask the question: \u201CWell, when do we move on to something more?\u201D. When do we actually allow people to have some of their rights and freedoms back, because we are limiting people\u2019s rights and freedoms under the law, and there is a real need to show people a way forward\u2014a way forward of hope and unity rather than division\u2014and that\u2019s what the ACT Party stands in favour of.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EAnd so, Madam Speaker, the ACT Party is, quite frankly, getting sick of how many orders the Government puts through under urgency, and how shoddy that makes our legal regime. People have a right to know that the laws are written down in black and white, that they can trust what\u2019s in front of them, that there\u2019s been due diligence, that we\u2019re getting it right, and that we also have a path out of limiting people\u2019s right and freedoms. That\u2019s why the ACT Party is standing opposing these orders today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022 data-id=\u00225d34ffb75ba14ae58e34c993f2a07239\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225d34ffb75ba14ae58e34c993f2a07239\u0022\u003EDr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E: Aroha mai for before; I had a mask malfunction, so t\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EI rise on behalf of the Green Party to support these COVID orders that were presented to the House between 30 November and 9 December, are already in effect, and, as my colleague here as mentioned, have already been superseded. It\u2019s always interesting when we consider these motions, because we do them in blocks, because of how far we\u2019ve moved since those things happened. Alert levels seem like a distant memory when Omicron is setting new records every day and we have a super-spreader event happening on our front lawn.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EThe Green Party acknowledges the efforts of those keeping us safe: from contact tracers and border workers to researchers and vaccinators. We have always supported a response to COVID-19 that is equitable and keeps people safe. We\u2019re guided by our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and we recognise the importance of M\u0101ori-led strategies for M\u0101ori. We also acknowledge the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on Pasifika communities, especially in South Auckland. We support a Pacific-led response for their communities. Finally, we acknowledge the particular toll this pandemic has had on immunocompromised people and people with disabilities, who deserve the very best care we can give.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EThese orders include moving away from alert levels to the traffic light system. We were wary of this approach as we were staunch supporters of the elimination strategy, and we know our low rate of hospitalisations and deaths were absolutely because of it. But as the virus evolves, then so must we. We\u2019re still not big fans of the traffic light system. It might have worked well as a transition from the elimination, but even the red light has proved to be no match at all for Omicron. We\u2019re heavily relying on our vaccinations and boosters to see us through. That\u2019s a worry for some of our communities because still, unfortunately, only three out of 20 DHBs have got over 90 percent of double vaccinations for M\u0101ori. So the high rates of boosters that we\u2019re hoping to see are a very, very long way away.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EThe biggest risks remain in our communities for our children and for the many of us with underlying health conditions, so these orders also include the mandates that many New Zealanders have been concerned about. We recognise the inconsistencies for how these have been rolled out. There is huge confusion out there of what it means for marae, for businesses, for workplaces. You know, people think they\u2019re following the rules and at the last minute something changes. People think, \u201CCan I work here; can I not?\u201D People are finding out a week later they can go back to their jobs. It\u2019s really, really difficult. We fully support the science. We have always supported the health advice to vaccinate. We\u2019ve maintained, though, that those who are unvaccinated for whatever reason should not be second-class citizens in this country. But that is what we\u2019re seeing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EWe support widespread access to rapid antigen tests so people can work and attend events with a negative test, and free masks. The investment in prevention is always going to be worth it. And coming back to the orders, perhaps the Government might like to develop one to deal with violent protests triggered by COVID mirroring protests that we\u2019ve seen in other parts of the world, because yet again we see the double standards of the police response: a huge police presence at real occupations such as P\u016Btiki, where the protectors were dragged out and arrested, or at Ihum\u0101tao, where guardians were pulled from their beds, whereas here indecision reigns because the protesters wouldn\u2019t leave when they were asked to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EThe Greens are a party of activists and we support protests. We support people coming out and saying what they need to say. We believe in non-violent solutions. We do not want any violence happening out there. We want approaches that absolutely de-escalate any tension, but we\u2019d still like to see a solution, and we haven\u2019t got any clarity on what that might be, because we know that there are people out there with very legitimate concerns about mandates and what that actually means for them in their lives, in their wh\u0101nau, and in their work. I think if we are able to have a conversation we could come to some sort of solution.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EBut as someone who has been a lifelong activist myself and been involved in many, many protests, there\u2019s some tips I would like to offer. If someone wants to be heard, clarity of message is important. If they want to negotiate, leadership is important. If they want to be taken seriously, perhaps don\u2019t associate with right-wing extremists, white supremacists, and people threatening to execute MPs. If they want to call for freedom, awesome; do that. Perhaps don\u2019t trample on the freedom of someone else who wants to wear a mask; who wants to safely access their own workplace; who wants to catch public transport; who wants to safely walk to school without a security guard, which is what St Mary\u2019s, just up the road, has now had to do because their kids are not safe walking around this block; or to present a petition. Save the Children were forced to go to the back of Parliament House, not have their democratic right to come to their House of Representatives and present a petition to MPs. Our co-leader, the Hon Marama Davidson, Jan Logie, and our colleague Harete Hipango from National went to receive that petition at the back of the House. They were still interrupted. They were still yelled at. So, absolutely, call for freedom, but no one else\u2019s freedoms should be compromised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ec53e32-05ab-4c6b-a080-4024e72a9099\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s been all through this pandemic that we see this, this balance of freedoms. The freedom of health constricting our freedom of movement, requirements to wear masks\u2014all of those things. We\u2019re doing it in that bigger belief of our collective health and wellbeing, but people\u2019s patience is so strained. We look forward to the day when COVID does not govern every aspect of our life, when it\u2019s not in every conversation you can hear people talking about as you walk down the street. In the meantime, these orders are already there. I look forward to the time when we\u2019re just doing our normal legislation and we don\u2019t need to worry about urgency for how we deal with this pandemic. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022578b050acd1d4e5dab0b12f05c453fed\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That this House approve the following orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020: COVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 14) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 6) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Infringement Offences) Amendment Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Amendment Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021, and COVID-19 Public Health Response (COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate) Amendment Order 2021.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 108\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 10\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000535\u0022\u003EOrders approved.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00229e6a46d0f38f47a9a1337eb38842c298\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229e6a46d0f38f47a9a1337eb38842c298\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: I declare the House in committee for consideration of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill, the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill, the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill, and the Commerce Amendment Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223d0ad61750ff495aa1b8ff1c5d5d5029\u0022\u003EHouse in Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00228cc18fbb86234db48b1a45a150c76bd7\u0022\u003EHouse in Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00222c76423066ad49e9bfb3dc70197e07e6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222c76423066ad49e9bfb3dc70197e07e6\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: I call on Simeon Brown.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022e26edf7ca47a44ab8560d8a90a6aafc4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e26edf7ca47a44ab8560d8a90a6aafc4\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill. We were debating\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00224266d319f2ad4098b58cf51e816c02f5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224266d319f2ad4098b58cf51e816c02f5\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: May I ask the member to take a seat please. I\u2019m sorry, there is one motion that needs to put through. The House is in committee for further consideration of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill and the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill, for the consideration of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill, and for further consideration of the Commerce Amendment Bill.\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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002242c3a5403ce24f1884f90e79a51e0ca3\u0022\u003ELand Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d843cf6fcd314b569be87f8d0160716b\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000544\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 15 February.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f281055d1097485badf501ca7c345dcf\u0022\u003EPart 1  Amendments to Land Transport Act 1998 (continued)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00225b423bf15f9c4dd09524b2398b47e5e0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225b423bf15f9c4dd09524b2398b47e5e0\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we come first to the interrupted consideration of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill. When we were last considering this bill, Part 1 was being debated. The question is that Part 1 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u002230afa89d5fba486cb918bad84f58b8b2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002230afa89d5fba486cb918bad84f58b8b2\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to take another call on Part 1 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill. We were debating this piece of legislation and a number of tabled amendments last night, and so it\u2019s good to be back discussing this particular part of this legislation and trying to get from the Minister some answers to the questions that I think New Zealanders are wanting answers in regards to, and particularly around some of the very significant powers which this bill gives to the Minister in regards to the decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo we still have a number of questions that we are seeking answers from the Minister for. One of the issues that was debated at length last night was around excluded classes. We had a discussion around the exclusion of utes, and I think that issue was well traversed. We had a discussion around the issue of disability vehicles and we had an assurance from the Minister that there would be some form of exclusion for disability vehicles. My first question to the Minister is: what other classes of vehicles is the Minister seeking to exclude under regulations? Are there other classes that are being considered? My understanding, through written questions, is that the officials already have drafted regulations, and so I\u2019m assuming that that\u2019s an answer that the Minister will be able to answer quite quickly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe second question I\u2019ve got is in regards to clause 5, which inserts new section 167A(6)(b)(v). This is in regards to the issue, and I think we\u2019d just got to this point yesterday in regards to the overs and unders of the charges. It says here \u201Cthe imposition and level of fees or charges are appropriate, after considering\u2014whether the estimated revenue to be received from the charges is sufficient to meet the costs and expenses of the clean vehicle discount scheme funded under section 9(1E) and (1F) of the Land Transport Management Act\u201D. It would be good to get from the Minister an answer to the question about actually what is the cost and what is the expense of actually administering this scheme\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ba337282c1b4ae29c67fd7f9f118084\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: He didn\u2019t answer me that last night, Simeon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c653cdb75f7b4637bd59fb2d641f57ed\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212fb09e338fc4914bdd305e82dced65f\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: He wouldn\u2019t answer that last night.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225ee0b2c24c4d4e1d9dc32ad2c3a46e07\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: No. Well, I think it would be very helpful to actually get an understanding of what that actual cost is, because New Zealanders will be paying for this, effectively. The idea is that there\u2019ll be some overs and unders, and we sort of got some generality from the Minister yesterday. There\u2019ll be some overs and some unders, and it will generally sort of wash out in the end. But the question is: what is the cost of actually administering the scheme on a year-by-year basis? Because, ultimately, there will be a cost\u2014there will be an administrative cost for administering this scheme. There\u2019ll be officials at the New Zealand Transport Agency who\u2019ll be tasked with coming up with the systems to operate it and to make sure that car importers are abiding by the rules and regulations, that they\u2019re paying the appropriate fees, receiving the appropriate subsidies, etc. What is the cost that has been budgeted on an annual basis for that? Because that money, effectively, has to be taken off consumers. This is where the overs and unders, effectively, have to mean that you have to get extra money off New Zealanders to not only pay the subsidy but also to pay the administration cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019d be interesting to know from the Minister what it is going to look like and what sort of percentage of the overall costs that people will be paying. So if you do buy a higher emitting vehicle\u2014you may not have a choice, as we discussed last night, or you may choose to. Those people will, effectively, be paying the administration of this system. What is the percentage of the money raised which will be going towards administering the scheme?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s another question I\u2019d like to ask in regards to clause 5, which inserts new section 167C, \u201CRegulations for purposes of Part 13 (clean vehicle standard)\u201D. The question here is in regards to the issue of requiring vehicle importers to include among the vehicles they import in any given year a minimum proportion of vehicles with zero carbon dioxide emissions. This was another issue which was raised by a number of submitters. Some submitters requested the exclusion of this particular paragraph. So it\u2019d be good to get from the Minister some of the rationale as to why he is dismissing that request to remove this particular paragraph. Effectively, what this paragraph\u2014paragraph (m) in new section 167C(1)\u2014does is it says if you\u2019re importing vehicles, a certain proportion, and we don\u2019t know what that proportion might be, has to be zero carbon dioxide emission vehicles\u2014so, effectively, at this stage, an electric vehicle (EV) in the future, potentially using some form of other zero carbon emission type of fuel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EBut the question I\u2019ve got in regards to this particular subclause is, I guess, firstly, who this relates to. Is this relating to the car yard down the road who brings in a bunch of cars and goes to the auctions over in Japan or wherever they get their cars from and purchases vehicles, so they need to make sure that a certain proportion of those vehicles are that they bring in are zero carbon dioxide emissions? Or does it just relate to more of an importer, such as a brand, for example, Honda or Toyota, and that they are therefore required to bring in a minimum portion of vehicles with zero carbon dioxide emissions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI guess the following question from that is if it relates to a major brand and importer\u2014for example, one of those brands. The question is: if they don\u2019t currently produce EV vehicles or a zero carbon dioxide emission vehicle and so can\u2019t currently actually fulfil zero carbon dioxide emission vehicles into New Zealand, does that, effectively, mean they\u2019re unable to continue to import vehicles into the country until they\u2019re able to start manufacturing? As the Minister will be aware, if you\u2019re manufacturing vehicles, it takes time to investigate, to design, to build, and then, of course, test and then bring something to manufacturing. We know that the vast majority of manufacturers have already invested in this technology, but some have not. So therefore they will not potentially be able to meet this criteria in the short term, at least. So does that mean in the short term they won\u2019t be able to bring vehicles into the country under this particular subclause?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe following question, which I think is also deserving of some attention from the Minister is what is meant by a minimum proportion of vehicles? So the question is\u2014well, of course, the legislation doesn\u2019t actually describe what the minimum proportion of vehicles is. I assume that, again, is something which the Minister in his infinite wisdom will be able to decide. What criteria will he be looking at to decide? Is it going to be 5 percent, 10 percent, 15 percent? I mean, for some manufacturers, they\u2019ll be able to produce 100 percent. If you\u2019re Tesla, no problem; 100 percent straight away. So they don\u2019t care what that percentage is. They\u2019re very, very relaxed about it. But if you\u2019re a company which has just started producing electric vehicles, they may not be able to actually bring that many to the market, and they may already have commitments to other markets already. That\u2019s what we\u2019re seeing with supply chains around the world at the moment in the vehicle manufacturing space. Those supply chains are incredibly strained due to a number of reasons and therefore their ability to actually fulfil whatever that minimum proportion of vehicles is could be significantly challenging in the short term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo the question I\u2019ve got is has the Minister already decided what the minimum proportion is? What is it, if he has decided? What consultation has he had with the industry? Does he believe that the industry is going to be able to fulfil that? And if those particular manufacturers or importers are unable to bring in those proportions in the short term, what those consequences might be for them to be able to continue to import vehicles into New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI guess the other question which I\u2019d appreciate some clarification, but I did touch on it at the start, is if you are, for example, an importer, you bring in a bunch of vehicles, you\u2019re not attached to one of the main brands. What does that mean for someone who purchases cars, for instance, from Japan, and sells second-hand used vehicles? Will they also be caught by this? And will that mean that they will have to therefore bring in a proportion of zero carbon dioxide emissions? Noting that the Japanese market doesn\u2019t actually have significant numbers of zero carbon dioxide emissions\u2014they have a large proportion of hybrid vehicles\u2014and that zero carbon emission vehicles is something which is the Japanese market is still developing. So I look forward to some answers to a wide variety of questions on those issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022223de38d612e49c5aab08d564e7abf2f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022223de38d612e49c5aab08d564e7abf2f\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E Thanks, Madam Chair. Look, happy to provide a couple of responses. I do note that in a number of these areas we are not so much talking about the substance of the bill any more but what might happen as a result of the regulations, which are enabled by the bill, but none the less I\u2019m happy to be as helpful as I can in that area. That applies, for example, to certain categories that might be excluded under the legislation. That\u2019s not actually a matter that\u2019s set out in the bill. That is something that the Minister, through an Order in Council, can consider. I have signalled that we\u2019ll be doing that. Certainly we\u2019re considering that, subject to Cabinet decision making, in respect of disability vehicles, but also special interest vehicles, motor sport vehicles, and low-volume modified vehicles as well. They\u2019re the ones that we\u2019re considering, but, again, that\u2019s actually about what Cabinet now or in the future might determine is appropriate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe same applies to the member\u2019s other question about the cost of the scheme. It\u2019s not actually a matter that\u2019s in the bill, but the Government has provided adequate funding for the programme to move forward. The set-up costs are approximately $6 million and approximately $8 million ongoing; that\u2019s Crown funded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EIn respect of the member\u2019s other question about the\u2014again, these are empowering provisions, I\u2019d point out new section 167C sets up empowering provisions in the bill, and does provide the ability through an Order in Council process for a minimum required number of zero-emissions vehicles to be required. So that won\u2019t happen when the legislation comes in, but the Minister, through an Order in Council, can in the future choose to do that. We\u2019ve signalled pretty openly that we don\u2019t see that happening in the short term, but it\u2019s enabled under the bill. What would happen there would be that the provision would apply to the entity who is importing the vehicles, as defined in the underlying legislation. And in respect of any importer who was not able to source electric vehicles, it wouldn\u2019t be that they couldn\u2019t import any vehicles, but a charge would apply in that instance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u0022faac8c71cd324bff9d5493dfc4cd9e45\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022faac8c71cd324bff9d5493dfc4cd9e45\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. It\u2019s good to, again, pick up on the conversations that were commenced towards the end of the sitting day yesterday. We\u2019re still on Part 1 of this Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill. I\u2019ve got a couple of questions relating to the detail of the legislation proposed in the Minister\u2019s name. This is a piece of legislation that\u2019s actually quite complicated in terms of its implementation. So if we go to\u2014the area related to category 1 light vehicles in proposed new section 178, \u201CCategory 1 light vehicle importer may bank overachievement of carbon dioxide emissions\u201D and then go to proposed new section 179, \u201CCategory 1 light vehicle importer may defer obligation\u201D in both those sections there\u2019s a reasonably prescriptive and, some would say, complicated process by which both those objectives can be achieved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo, first, if we come to the issue relating to a category 1 light vehicle importer being able to bank overachievement of carbon dioxide emissions in terms of the target, the legislation states that \u201CIf the actual average vehicle carbon dioxide emissions across the fleet of vehicles imported by a category 1 light vehicle importer in an obligation year are less than the fleet target applicable to that importer, the excess reduction in emissions may be carried forward to the next obligation year (banked) in the vehicle importer\u2019s carbon dioxide account in accordance with the regulations.\u201D Now that creates, of itself, some issues that relate to accounting, recording, and stylistically for the vehicle importer. I asked some questions towards the end of the session last night about the definition of an importer, how many vehicles would be required each year to become an importer under the legislation, and I\u2019m still hopeful that the Minister might answer that question now we\u2019re into this continuation of the debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo going back to that part about being able to bank overachievement of carbon dioxide emission targets, I\u2019m keen to know what the rationale for that process is. Wouldn\u2019t it have been tidy and neat to have just had an annual process, and either the emissions targets were met or they weren\u2019t met? Simple, black and white kind of thing. But this process of being able to roll over to a second year seems to me to be a degree of complication that will cause some concern and angst in the sector. And then similarly, proposed new section 179 refers to the same category 1 light vehicle importer being able to defer an obligation. Now this section says \u201Capplies in relation to obligation years 2023, 2024, and 2025.\u201D, so it\u2019s limited in that aspect. But a \u201C vehicle importer may apply to the Director, in accordance with the regulations, to defer their obligation to meet the category 1 light vehicle importer fleet target for an applicable obligation year (year 1) until the following obligation year (year 2).\u201D, and so it goes on. This, again, formulaic, heavy on regulation approach seems to be fraught with difficulty from an administrative and logistics point of view. And so my question, really, to the Minister is: what is the rationale for both the ability to bank, and what is also the rationale for the ability to defer obligations as set out in this part of the legislation? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u002211ec42ab8a3444939ffa9547e7e00210\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002211ec42ab8a3444939ffa9547e7e00210\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u002243bad28deebf4c93b645ecdc755b41dc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243bad28deebf4c93b645ecdc755b41dc\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. There\u2019s still a range of areas in this Part which still need to be discussed in terms of the impact that this legislation has. I\u2019d like to ask a question of the Minister in relation to Subpart 2, which is regarding the \u201CClean vehicle standard\u201D and new sections 175 and 175A, inserted by clause 7.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo section 175 sets the targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and, again, this was another issue which was raised significantly by submitters in the select committee stage, with a number of submitters raising different points in relation to whether they were too fast or too slow in terms of reducing the emissions. But the question, I think, which was particularly raised was in regards to the emissions reductions set out in the 2026 and 2027 year, with a number of submitters raising the point that the drop between 2025 and 2026 was going to be challenging in terms of being able to meet those particular targets. I know the Minister\u2019s talked about how ambitious he is and how he is wanting to create change, and we wish him, you know, good luck if that\u2019s what he wishes to do with this piece of legislation. However, the reality is also the fact that the market needs to be able to actually deliver, and as we\u2019ve talked about before, the risk here is that the market is not able to deliver the number of vehicles and therefore, either people pay for higher emitting vehicles and pay the taxes and the charges or they simply hold on to existing vehicles for longer. That was something which I think is a significant risk of this piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo the issue that was raised in the departmental report from officials was the suggestion to actually amend the emissions target for 2026 from 84.5 grams for type A vehicles to 90 grams and for type B vehicles, from 116.3 grams to 139 grams. I\u2019d like to ask the Minister why it appears he\u2019s rejected that particular piece of advice or proposal from officials and also why he seems to have rejected the advice, which was for the 2027 year, to have those targets set by regulation instead of being put here in the primary legislation, which is currently where it is at.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo that brings me to the second question, to which, I guess, his response will be: \u201CWell, I\u2019ll be reviewing the targets anyway in June of 2024, and that\u2019s my opportunity to sort of deal with those particular issues.\u201D The question I\u2019ve got there in regards to this particular section is symbolic of the challenges in this legislation in that, effectively, again, it just gives the power to the Minister. So instead of the industry having certainty leading up to 2026, now the industry is going to have to wait to see what he or she\u2014whoever the Minister may be\u2014will decide at that point. But, again, the review has a number of criteria here in terms of what the review must take into account, but then it says, \u201CThe review may be undertaken by any method the Minister considers appropriate.\u201D\u2014any method. Effectively, the Minister could decide however he or she wishes for this particular review to take place. From my perspective, that doesn\u2019t sound very methodical when you\u2019re dealing with something which is actually\u2014these are big industry players having to plan ahead and the Minister, effectively, has the power to simply just decide how he or she wishes to undertake a review. So whilst a review sounds like a good idea\u2014particularly as the market changes and manufacturing and technology capability no doubt only improves\u2014the other point here is, actually, this just seems to be another power grab by the Minister to decide.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd the next subsection says: \u201CIn conducting the review, the Minister must consult such persons as the Minister considers appropriate.\u201D Again, the Minister can, effectively, decide who he or she decides to talk to. That\u2019s something which I think is a significant concern, and the fact that the industry is not even a required component of that review.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo I asked the Minister a number of questions there\u2014those proposals, those proposed changes, and then in regards to how this review is actually structured.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022b48ea86c1c8444f28c379854bee71a8d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b48ea86c1c8444f28c379854bee71a8d\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019ll respond to the questions from Mr Simpson and Mr Brown because they sort of go together. Mr Brown\u2019s raised questions about the targets, their level of ambition, and the review mechanism. The targets do represent a level of ambition, although I note that by 2027, they effectively take us through to what would be about that the mid-range of what comparable countries are looking to achieve by way of the targets that they have in place, noting that many of those countries are actually in the process of increasing the level of ambition that they have. So I\u2019m very comfortable with the way that they\u2019ve been set.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EBut the point I make here, this is coming to Mr Simpson\u2019s question, is that we\u2019ve built considerable flexibility into the scheme through the ability to defer and through the ability to bank and through the ability to transfer. That means, for example, if in years one, two, or three an importer is perhaps finding it a little bit difficult, and perhaps that is because they\u2019re waiting for a cleaner supply of vehicles to come on stream, they have the ability to defer any of their obligations to such a point where they might well be able to overachieve and balance it out. Similarly, the ability to transfer means that those firms who overachieve are able to transfer those credits to those in the industry who don\u2019t. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003ESo as I said it in the debate yesterday, when we were also traversing this territory, the scheme is designed to support importers to meet the targets, and those points that Mr Simpson raises\u2014the banking, the borrowing, the transferring\u2014are about effectively providing a market mechanism within the system\u2014common in virtually all the overseas schemes that we\u2019ve looked at, by the way\u2014to enable them to do that. And that to some degree\u2014in response to Mr Brown\u2019s question, even though the targets are ambitious; I agree\u2014will support importers to be able to do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also note that in 2021, after the implementation of stage one of the Clean Car Discount, within a few months we already at a national fleet level reached the 2023 targets, such was the positive effect of a Clean Car Discount in getting cleaner vehicles into New Zealand. So I\u2019m actually quite positive about the ability of our sector to adapt and to get the outcomes that everyone wants in this space.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EIn respect to the review mechanisms, I just note to Mr Brown that there has been a change to the legislation here to specifically set out the review and the things that must be taken into account as part of that. This is a pretty standard methodology within the legislation. We talked yesterday about the questions about whether particular organisations should be defined in the legislation. I gave my view that that\u2019s a little bit of a problem\u2014you don\u2019t necessarily know who the organisations might be in a few years\u2019 time\u2014and gave my commitment to make sure that we engage widely and in good faith. And, of course, any Minister who doesn\u2019t do that will potentially face a challenge in the making of those decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022 data-id=\u00223bb2c701addd4a45b1c28f5dc91efb2f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223bb2c701addd4a45b1c28f5dc91efb2f\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to ask the Minister whether\u2014and if not, why not\u2014there is not exemption for selected sectors until meaningful alternatives are available, particularly for the rural sector, for farmers, for contractors, etc. I note this is a matter that has been raised by Federated Farmers. I also note that Groundswell\u2014it\u2019s been one of the key issues that they\u2019ve raised as well and it\u2019s quite a sensible one because what they\u2019re saying is there aren\u2019t any alternatives available yet and so why not make an exemption for those sectors that do not have a realistic alternative until that alternative is available? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EFarmers and tradies say the Government\u2019s clean car package is an unfair tax on them because there are no realistic alternatives available at the present time. You know, without being too silly about it, they can\u2019t take a Tesla out the back of the farm, and a Nissan LEAF isn\u2019t going to cut it either. So there are electric utes in development overseas, and they look great, the farming sector tells me, but right now they\u2019re not here, they\u2019re not available, and they probably will be about $200,000\u2014throwing out a figure there\u2014when they do get here. So the rural sector can get behind this with a recognition that those utes aren\u2019t yet available so they can do their job and keep the economy going. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI note the comments by Central Otago beef and dairy farmer Ben Gillespie, who with his wife, Anna, last year won an environment award for the approach they take on their farm, when he said he was on board with the sector doing more to address its impact on climate change but this measure missed the mark. I\u2019ll just speak briefly about them. They were commended for preventing negative environmental impacts. Their farming operation includes buffer zones, precision irrigation, and a \u201Cright pasture, right time, right place\u201D philosophy. They\u2019ve established two new wetlands, an onsite nursery growing native plants for riparian planting\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0ee093144d8439b9425b34eec828d69\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m going to require the member to come more specifically back to Part 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d932fba429643659672c8fbf185aeb4\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY\u003C/span\u003E: So these are people are walking the talk to really ensure that they are addressing climate change. They\u2019re addressing the environmental impacts, they are addressing biodiversity on their farm. They are fully on board with this. They\u2019ve been recognised as regional supreme winners for their approach on-farm and they just saying, \u201CLook, can you just listen to us? We want to engage, we want to have electric vehicles, but the ones that we need are just unavailable yet.\u201D So why not have an exemption for selected sectors until meaningful alternatives are available?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002268a3f44e5f8e4e14bf262721c994bfe7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002268a3f44e5f8e4e14bf262721c994bfe7\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Before I take another call\u2014and I will take another call\u2014Part 1 is the substantive part of this bill; there are a number of technicalities and I am trying to follow closely as members speak. And there is a newly introduced Minister\u2019s tabled amendment, which brings the proposed amendments up to 10. So it is complex. But what I am looking for now is contributions and questions to the Minister in the chair that related directly to Part 1. I\u2019m not looking for a wider debate, which may well be more suited to what is going to be a subsequent third reading. So with those words I will accept a call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u00223a756bc66be44036a2e193d4d1f04101\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223a756bc66be44036a2e193d4d1f04101\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, for your guidance and advice. Just before I commence my contribution, at this point I just want to thank the Minister for his positive engagement to the questions that are being asked. It\u2019s appreciated on this side of the Chamber. This is technical, complicated legislation, and it is imposing a new regime on a sector that isn\u2019t used to such a thing. So they\u2019re coming to terms with it, just as members of this House are. I want to, in this contribution, speak to the provisions in section 177, and then 182, inserted by clause 7, which are kind of similar, except that the first one, section 177, relates to category 1 light vehicle importers, and section 182 relates to category 2 light vehicle importers. The questions I\u2019m particularly wanting the Minister to answer relate to the specifics of the dollar figures chosen for inclusion in what is black-letter law when this legislation will be passed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo section 177 creates, at subsection (2), the charges from 1 January 2023\u2014and this is for light vehicle importers. It will be $22.50 per gram of carbon dioxide in excess, multiplied by the number of used vehicles in the fleet, and $45 per gram of carbon dioxide in excess, multiplied by the number of new vehicles in the fleet. Then, from January 2025, it bumps up to $33.75, and then $67.50. So my first question is to the Minister: why and how were those figures determined? What was the rationale? What was the reasoning? What was the mathematics? What was the science, if you like, behind the selection of those very precise dollar amounts? And in a time when we have now rapid\u2014some would say out of control\u2014inflation and increasing concerns about the cost of living, is it appropriate and wise, in this legislation that has a limited time frame\u2014and we accept that on this side of the House\u2014to actually set the fees in the statute? Because changing them, if it\u2019s necessary, either up or down, will, I think, as I understand it, then require a change of legislation by way of amendment to be brought back through the House, to go through a process again. And that seems to me, on the face of it, to be something of a cumbersome exercise when, maybe, it could be that the dollar figures that are set out and calculated in both sections 182 and 177 could be achieved a different way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo my primary question to the Minister is: how and what was the rationale to land on those precise dollar amounts? And those are just a couple in the legislation. I\u2019m not going to waste the time of the committee in going through all the other parts of the legislation where there are specific and detailed mentions of precise dollars and cents terms. So if the Minister could answer those questions, I\u2019d appreciate it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022b73ac51b72d1465a9c1bcaef5c6f1355\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b73ac51b72d1465a9c1bcaef5c6f1355\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the opportunity to take another call. I\u2019d like to, in this instance, ask the Minister to answer a question in regards to what appears to be a tabled amendment that the Minister has recently hand written for us in regards to clause 11, new section 243(1B). It amends new section 243(1B) by saying replace \u201Cany charges prescribed\u201D with any fees or charges prescribed under section 167\u2014and I think that\u2019s 1J, or is it IJ; not quite sure by the handwriting there. But it\u2019d be helpful just to have the Minister answer exactly what the purpose of this tabled amendment that he\u2019s just written in and put on the Table actually will do, and why he has brought this tabled amendment so late to this debate. I think it was tabled at 7.40 p.m. tonight for consideration. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022 data-id=\u0022aec66a0bd6714090a99deb4aff334f2f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ff1ad5a3-e02a-4ffe-a961-ef69bdaee1c9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aec66a0bd6714090a99deb4aff334f2f\u0022\u003EDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I would just ask, is the Minister not concerned by comments by industry, or industry types, like the Motor Trade Association (MTA) that penalties will simply wind up being paid for by consumers, perhaps even on electric vehicles themselves, if they\u2019re trying to spread the costs out. I\u2019d also ask, and this relates to a Supplementary Order Paper as well, SOP 119, but, you know, adjusting it slightly, why wouldn\u2019t the Minister consider creating at least a stand-down period of, say, five years, for example, for the rural sector and for tradies, just to allow the manufacturing, allow the sector to actually create new vehicles and do a bit of catch up so this is actually a little bit more relevant. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u00229119d324f46a4047b41f43f4eee9ee95\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229119d324f46a4047b41f43f4eee9ee95\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E Just briefly, in response to a few of the questions that have been raised, the first from Mr Simpson questioning the levels of fees that are set out in the legislation. The fees were consulted on very widely, going back to 2019 when the previous Associate Minister first kicked off engagement around the clean car standard with the sector. They went through a very significant consultation exercise. They were roughly halved from the original proposals that were put forward in response to engagement with the sector, and they\u2019re designed\u2014as I said in comments yesterday\u2014to kind of get the tension right within the system. We don\u2019t want them to be so exorbitant that they do add significant cost into the sector but, also, they are designed to put some positive pressure on, within the system, to send the incentive to get stock of cleaner vehicles. I note, in response to another comment, by definition the scheme can\u2019t be inflationary because it basically nets out at zero in the end so, in as much as there are fees which are in the system, on the other side there are discounts within the system as well, so there is no overall impact there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EIn answer to Mr McDowall\u2019s question, there\u2019s no scenario under which a zero-emissions vehicle would end up attracting fees, under either the standard or the discount. In answer to Mr Brown\u2019s questions about the tabled amendment, this is a point that officials have picked up\u2014admittedly relatively late in the piece\u2014which is just about the consistency of language across the legislation, where fees and charges are referred to consistently across other parts of the legislation, and they weren\u2019t in those parts. There\u2019s no significant flow-on effect from that, but it was important to have consistency of language in the legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u002231b08d0a6f5442dcaa9663a2543fe266\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002231b08d0a6f5442dcaa9663a2543fe266\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00224e96ea59897c444394aaf1a4d48c6307\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224e96ea59897c444394aaf1a4d48c6307\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to take another call on Part 1 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to ask a question in regards to category 2 light vehicle importers. And this is where vehicles are imported vehicle by vehicle and where charges are placed upon those vehicles dependent upon their carbon dioxide emissions. My understanding of this is, effectively, that each of those cars gets treated as an individual car rather than the type category A light vehicle importers, which, effectively, are looking more of a fleet level in terms of what are the charges and the overs and unders. And the question I\u2019ve got in regards to the charges, it says in the new section 182(2), in clause 7, that \u201CThe charges are,\u2014from 1 January 2023,\u2014(i) $18.00 dollars per gram of carbon dioxide by which a used vehicle exceeds its target; and (ii) $36.00 per gram of carbon dioxide, by which a new imported vehicle exceeds its target;\u201D. My understanding of the difference there is that a used vehicle will come in later in its life, and therefore it has a shorter period of time. But the question I\u2019ve got in relation to these charges\u2014is there going to be a cap on the maximum amount that can be charged based upon these particular charges? And so if I was to import a used vehicle and it exceeded the target and I had to pay $18 per gram of carbon dioxide, what would be the maximum fee, if possible\u2014is there a maximum fee? It doesn\u2019t seem to be that there is any sense of maximums set out in the primary legislation, so I assume that is something which may be considered as part of the regulations. If it is part of the regulations, is that something that the Minister has determined, that it will be a maximum fee? Will that maximum fee therefore also be different between the two different types of vehicles? So if I have imported a used vehicle I would assume, therefore, that the maximum fee for a used vehicle would be about half that of what the maximum fee of an imported vehicle would be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd so I guess the issue which may become apparent here is that if those maximum fees were the same, then there\u2019s effectively a disincentive once the new vehicle exceeds a particular point; actually, you\u2019re effectively creating an opportunity to bring in more higher emitting vehicles without actually that continually\u2014costs just continuing to go up. So the question there is: is it just a raw \u201CThis will be how much you will pay if it exceeds the target for every single gram?\u201D And will there be a maximum fee? And if so, will those maximum fees differ between a used vehicle and a newly imported vehicle?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022214028d834694dd68c39cb02b460aea1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022214028d834694dd68c39cb02b460aea1\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E In answer to the member\u2019s question: there is not a maximum fee. It\u2019s not really possible to compare the way it plays out across used or individuals because, as the member notes, for the used vehicles the fee will apply on an individual basis. In respect of new importers, the clean car standard applies across the average of emissions imported by that importer over the case of a year, not to an individual vehicle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u002279f2e7d92ce4497488081bfb65582235\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002279f2e7d92ce4497488081bfb65582235\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Junior Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00222c74e4e3db90469db7b779bcfee604ad\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 77\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati M\u0101ori 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002265c3955bbc9d4f8baae69d99b50a5aef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002265c3955bbc9d4f8baae69d99b50a5aef\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Minister\u2019s amendment to clause 7 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 128 and the tabled amendment to clause 11 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00225378eff985a749f8a984929f4b5c95b9\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendments be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendments agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002210f66194f88d42d5b4604ef07ba38788\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210f66194f88d42d5b4604ef07ba38788\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 4 excluding utes from the definition of a light vehicle be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022b8455532a02e4cafa5db6498bbd342d9\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022520d782300fe4d7a8cf24e36257996be\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022520d782300fe4d7a8cf24e36257996be\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 4 excluding disability vehicles from the definition of a light vehicle be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022f18f92ec5e9e4268b620f48070b7be6a\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00220da4e93d66ce475e8a07beb7a9e9c7c9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220da4e93d66ce475e8a07beb7a9e9c7c9\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 5 replacing new section 167A(5A) be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00225a41f202f5b64ecaa592cb3428ffc6d5\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022feb829289563494f9ea1cdf9e7c693d2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022feb829289563494f9ea1cdf9e7c693d2\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 5 inserting a new section 167D be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022244d457fe3cd486e979d129d88929766\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002209e76dca1fb34309a5869e82126854a7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002209e76dca1fb34309a5869e82126854a7\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simon Court\u2019s amendment to clause 7 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 119 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022602ec9b750ff45b5900b798ec9643246\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022fde37839efc44aabaced962aa25618de\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fde37839efc44aabaced962aa25618de\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 7 amending new section 172 to exclude utes be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022d27a7ee8946a4b1a89a7b5d1c7dd979c\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00226c4ced1b45104bce95423e067423eb70\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226c4ced1b45104bce95423e067423eb70\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 7 amending new section 172 to exclude disability vehicles be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00224431fdef5c124895903912e5cf190097\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002224b19bb8c4074ca58ed63f50fd43caf6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002224b19bb8c4074ca58ed63f50fd43caf6\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 7 inserting a new section 172A be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022c3ff1a491d71480ca2f447a5fff45a9f\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002264a95b2dc27d4d78988c3a2cca0a9077\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That Part 1 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 77\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati M\u0101ori 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPart 1 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ba309df1fc254d77bd16ee4c95dd3e6c\u0022\u003EPart 2  Amendments to other enactments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00225981d1f92d19469e92a2ffb22d11e9ac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225981d1f92d19469e92a2ffb22d11e9ac\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to Part 2, and this is the debate on clauses 13 to 26, \u201CAmendments to other enactments\u201D. The question is that Part 2 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u0022a7ae2fe2b3654c849e87cb48790a451e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a7ae2fe2b3654c849e87cb48790a451e\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. As has been indicated, this Part 2 relates to the amendments to the principal Act, the Land Transport Management Act of 2003, and other enactments. There are a number of quite technical changes that need to be implemented to give the new legislation effect that will impact on other pieces of legislation. There are a couple of matters that I want to raise with the Minister and seek his guidance and clarification on, because that will not only, I think, help me understand the rationale for the changes that are required to the principal Act but also I think it will help the sector and people who have to deal with the new regime on a day-to-day basis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EI want to, first, turn to new section 9A, inserted by clause 16, which relates to \u201CAccounting for clean car vehicle discount\u201D. Now, this sets up a requirement for the agency in its annual report to, in the financial year to which it relates, contain the following information concerning the clean vehicle discount scheme. It will require the agency to report on \u201C(a) the revenue received from charges paid \u2026 (b) any positive amount from a previous year \u2026 (c) the expenses and capital expenditure for the purpose of administering the scheme, including\u2014(i) rebates provided \u2026 (ii) actual and reasonable costs incurred by the Agency in relation to the administration \u2026; and (iii) any funding provided to the Agency by the Crown for the purposes of the scheme and repayment of that funding.\u201D And it\u2019s to that last point that I want to particularly draw attention to: \u201Cany funding provided to the Agency by the Crown for the purposes of the scheme and repayment of that funding.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EOn my simple reading of it, it sounds like there is an expectation that, for a period of time, there will need to be a top-up provided by the Crown in order to make good the payments that have already been made in terms of people who have bought vehicles under the scheme, because the paying out of subsidies has already taken place. But what is not already taking place is the collection of revenue from people who, for instance, want to buy vehicles that are required for their work, for their farming, for their trade, or for their business. They can\u2019t buy a vehicle that is going to fit into the criteria that would warrant for them an option to receive a subsidy under the scheme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo my question is: what does the Minister anticipate the range and funding underwrite that will be required by the Crown? And when does he think that that will get into positive territory? What are the numbers? What is, essentially, the break-even point for the scheme in terms of the dollars and cents involved?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EI want to, also, speak to matters in new section 101A, inserted by clause 19, \u201CMonitoring matters relating to clean car vehicle discount scheme\u201D. It says that \u201C(1) The Secretary, for the purpose of evaluating the performance of the clean vehicle discount scheme, may monitor and review\u201D and then there are a range of things, including \u201C(a) the revenue used by the Agency for the purposes of administering the scheme; \u2026 (b) the number and nature of rebates provided in relation to the carbon dioxide emissions\u2026.\u201D, and then there are several others. It then in subsection (2) says, \u201CThe Secretary may, in writing, request the Agency to provide any information that is reasonably required and relevant to enable the Secretary to carry out the monitoring specified in subsection (1).\u201D So I\u2019m keen to know from the Minister, what will be, in his view, matters that may be reasonably required and relevant to enable the secretary to carry out the monitoring specified. It\u2019s been my experience over years, both in business and also in this House, that where the term \u201Creasonably\u201D is used in legislation or regulation that\u2019s open to a wide range of interpretation and what is reasonable to one person may be completely unreasonable to another.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EThen, the other quick matter that I want to raise is in relation to style, really, and maybe the Minister can seek some guidance from officials. I\u2019m referring to clause 23, which relates to section YA 1 amended, its definitions, and it says in section YA 1, \u201Cinsert in its appropriate alphabetical order: clean vehicle discount scheme means the clean vehicle discount scheme administered by the New Zealand Transport Agency\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ENow, members of the public and members of this House will know that a vast amount of taxpayer money has been spent on promoting and rebranding the New Zealand Transport Agency as Waka Kotahi, and, in fact, that is now their preferred terminology. And yet in the legislation, there appears to be no mention of the expensive and well-promoted new branding. I\u2019m wondering what the style guide\u2014and maybe the Minister has sought advice from Parliamentary Counsel as to what the style guide is. Are we in a situation where the new branding should be included in the regulations and legislation? Or, indeed, is that something that just applies to members of the public and to TV advertisements and radio advertisements and the comms team at the New Zealand Transport Agency, which is not small by any manner of means? So it\u2019s really a question about drafting style and what is the Minister\u2019s preference in that regard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00224bb0a266be4e4dcfafa72b2e09a985e7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224bb0a266be4e4dcfafa72b2e09a985e7\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on Part 2 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill, which is probably the least significant part, but also still very significant in that this amends other legislation, including the Land Transport Act. And, I guess, there\u2019s a number of questions I\u2019ve got, and the first one is in relation to clause 15, which amends section 9. In new section 9(1E) it says, \u201CThe Crown may, without further appropriation than this subsection, incur expenses or capital expenditure in a financial year up to an amount equal to the revenue for that financial year received from charges paid pursuant to regulations made under section 167(1)(j) of the Land Transport Act\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd so my question there is in regards to the overs and unders, which we\u2019ve had a number of discussions about, but the question I\u2019ve really got for the Minister is: are we here limiting the amounts that can be effectively paid out in a financial year in terms of subsidies or in terms of administering the scheme to the amount of revenue that has been received in that particular year to fund the clean vehicle discount scheme? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd, as my colleague Hon Scott Simpson was referring to, obviously there is Crown contributions which are thought of in part as the scheme is up and running. And my question is in relation to the timing of how long does the Minister expect this scheme to rely upon Crown contributions to continue to be able to operate? At what point does the scheme, effectively, pay for itself? And does this clause, effectively, require the scheme to be able to pay for itself?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd then the second question I\u2019ve got is actually in relation to the second tabled amendment which the Minister has brought to the House this evening, which amends clause 26. Again, I believe\u2014and please correct me if I\u2019m wrong\u2014that, effectively, this is about making sure that the language is consistent in that it did say in the current drafting \u201Cif the charges prescribed for the vehicle under section 167A of the Act have not been paid.\u201D, so it\u2019s referring to when the fees are paid, and it amends that to the \u201Cthe fees or charges prescribed for the vehicle under section 167A(1)(J) for the purpose of section 167\u201D. So my understanding\u2014and please correct me if I\u2019m wrong, Minister\u2014is the purpose is to make it consistent right through the Act. And does that consistency also include referring to fees or charges? Because that is what Part 1 refers to in the clause in new section 167, giving the Minister the ability to create regulations to authorise fees or charges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd the subsequent question from that is\u2014because if it is meant to be referring to fees or charges, then in clause 15 we\u2019ve got an instance here where it\u2019s only referring to charges. So it says here in new section 9(1E) \u201Crevenue for that financial year received from charges paid pursuant to regulations\u201D. So we\u2019ve got an instance here where the clause is referring to exactly the same empowering provision from Part 1, but it is only in this particular clause, in clause 15, only referring to charges and not fees. And so the question I\u2019ve got, and he may want to answer, is: whether this particular clause should also include reference to fees or charges, since the empowering provision actually allows the Minister to be able to actually charge a fee or a charge?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd, I guess, that brings me to the question of what\u2019s the difference between a fee or a charge? I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s actually defined in this particular piece of legislation. And then the question is whether that needs amending, because, I note, in clause 15, new section 9(1G), it refers to charges paid. So, again, does that need to refer to fees or charges? And if it doesn\u2019t need to refer to fees or charges in those particular clauses, why are we referring to fees or charges in some clauses and then in other clauses we\u2019re only referring to charges? And if that\u2019s something which the Minister is preparing tabled amendments to fix some particular clauses, does that mean that we may need to have other tabled amendments to fix those other clauses? I look forward to the Minister\u2019s response to those questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u00224239cf7f340c490baa62c1b73ced9596\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224239cf7f340c490baa62c1b73ced9596\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E Just in answer to the member\u2019s final set of questions around the fees and charging language, I can confirm that everything is accurate in terms of what has been described\u2014and the amendment, which I have tabled, some of this relates to the fact that, mostly in Part 1, we were dealing with provisions that related to both the standard and the discount, whereas in Part 2 we\u2019re primarily dealing with matters that relate to the discount scheme only where \u201Ccharges\u201D is the correct term. So everything is as it should be in that respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EI want to respond to questions from both Mr Simpson and Mr Brown that related to the funding of the scheme. And so just to confirm, this is a self-funding scheme that doesn\u2019t net out at any overall cost. It\u2019s funded by a repayable loan the Crown made in Budget 2021, of around about $300 million, and, over the course of the scheme, revenue coming in and money going out will balance up. So it\u2019s not envisaged that there\u2019ll be further Crown funding that needs to go into that and then that loan will be repaid within approximately a 10-year period.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe provisions that Mr Brown referred to are simply about ensuring that the boundaries of that are kept to and that the scheme can\u2019t pay out more than money is going in, to make sure that it keeps within that overall principle of fiscal neutrality. In respect of the role of the Secretary for Transport in monitoring the scheme, I wouldn\u2019t venture down too far into Mr Simpson\u2019s question about what might be reasonably required. The nature of the relationship here is quite important. Waka Kotahi is the Crown agency at, somewhat, arm\u2019s length from the Crown and the Minister. The Ministry of Transport is the Crown monitor that provides the Minister with advice to make sure that taxpayer funding is being used appropriately in accordance with legislation, and so that will be up to the secretary at the time to make sure that they are satisfied with the information that they receive in order to be able to advise the Minister. So that is a matter that I would leave to the judgment of the secretary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EFinally, I appreciate the Minister\u2019s interest in bilingual matters in this piece of legislation. It is important to note that across the\u2014of course, we\u2019re making amendments to a number of pieces of parent legislation, all of which currently refer to the New Zealand Transport Agency, and so to ensure that we have consistency and a lack of confusion, we\u2019ve kept the language consistent there with \u201CNew Zealand Transport Agency\u201D, but, yeah, possibly, at some point in the future, there could be an exercise to change all of those references to \u201CWaka Kotahi\u201D, but it wouldn\u2019t be good practice to have both names threaded through a piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022 data-id=\u00226d104c8730554676bcafa1eb3397af39\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226d104c8730554676bcafa1eb3397af39\u0022\u003EMARK CAMERON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019ll just ask this question of the Minister on behalf of my colleague Simon Court, who\u2019s currently absent. How much will be spent, he asks, on developing the scheme? What is the initial capital expenditure? What will be the annual operating expenses? And will the Minister consider outsourcing the admin, to, i.e., the private sector, considering such likes as VTNZ and the AA do warrants of fitness, and have them do their licensing for these vehicles?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u00224e5eb71bef304684b96bccb58b50d243\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224e5eb71bef304684b96bccb58b50d243\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I answered this in the previous part of the debate: approximately a $6 million capital set-up cost and approximately $8 million per annum ongoing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u00227d54cca4fd57445da96663e4060c976d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227d54cca4fd57445da96663e4060c976d\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. I\u2019ve got a question that relates to clause 21. That\u2019s a clause that seeks to amend the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000. And, specifically, it seeks to amend that legislation by, \u201Cprescribing requirements in relation to the labelling of vehicles in terms of their carbon dioxide emissions and any financial rebates receivable or charges payable relating to those emissions\u201D. And so my question is: what exactly does the Minister envisage that labelling to be, and in what form, shape, or format will that labelling take? Is this to be something as simple as, maybe, another line on the registration that sits in the little pocket inside your windscreen? Or is this a requirement that will see a vehicle actually having a sticker or a sign or a piece of sign writing added to it? And what form or shape will the labelling take? Will it be required to be waterproof, protected from ultraviolet degradation, robustness? How will it be affixed to the vehicle? All those sorts of questions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo my question, really, is: what is the intention relating to the prescription that requires vehicles to be labelled not only for their carbon dioxide emissions but the label that, it seems to me on the reading of this, will require details relating to the financial rebates receivable or chargeable on the vehicle. Will the label that will be affixed to the car in some way, shape, or form, be sort of like a mark of, \u201CThere goes a dirty car. There goes a good car.\u201D? Will the label, for instance, have, maybe, a thumbs up signal for cars that qualify and meet the standard? Or will it, perhaps, have a thumbs down for those dirty vehicles that don\u2019t? I\u2019m keen to know, if it is to be a thumbs up or a thumbs down, what colour will the thumbs be? There seems to be an increasing level of concern when you use thumbs up and thumbs down in social media about the cultural appropriateness of certain coloured thumbs up and thumbs down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m just concerned, and I don\u2019t want to make light of it unnecessarily, but I do think that this is another detail of practical application, that this legislation, it\u2019s seeking to amend legislation. We already have\u2014and I think it is the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority that, for instance, prescribes labelling to go on domestic appliances like fridges and washing machines, and dish driers, and things of that nature. Is that the kind of labelling that the Minister envisages will be appropriate under this new clause? And\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223edc43ca6fc4a068350a478890357b8\u0022\u003ESimeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Will it be made of plastic? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c6436405a5c472c84e419c4e52e7877\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014I\u2019m keen to know\u2014yeah, my colleague Simeon Brown asks a good question: will they be made of plastic, these labels? Will it actually be, sort of, a degree of \u201Cgreenwashing\u201D, and we\u2019ll be hailing with enthusiasm the cleanliness of the power train that is providing energy to propel the vehicle, but we\u2019ll be sticking horrible plastic labels on it somewhere, of an indeterminate size?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo, as I say, I don\u2019t want to unnecessarily make light of the situation, but I do think that the public and the sector and the potential purchasers of vehicles that will be captured under this legislation need to know what the labelling will look like, what form it will take, how it will be affixed, what size, and will it be multilingual, for instance? Following up on my previous question: will we have elements of te reo on the label? And so those are issues that I\u2019d like the Minister to address, please.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022 data-id=\u0022e57fa833613241559a0681a413b4ce62\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e57fa833613241559a0681a413b4ce62\u0022\u003EMARK CAMERON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a very quick question. Does the Minister accept, perhaps, that the ACT Party would have the correct labelling for the vehicles in question, and it could be issued as a legitimate ute driver sticker?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u00226ea2534803e34756817e3bad9d9edba1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226ea2534803e34756817e3bad9d9edba1\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I thank both members for their very earnest and deep consideration of this issue. I can confirm there\u2019ll be no eggplants or other emojis on the labels. But, beyond that, I think that the members will understand that we\u2019re not going to get in the business of designing label specifications in the committee stage of the House of the New Zealand Parliament. This is an empowering piece of legislation that sets up a regulation to enable the labels to be designed. That\u2019ll be done through the energy conservation Act legislation. As the member notes, this is how we organise energy-efficiency labels for other things that we regulate within New Zealand. The plain wording is pretty clear here: that the focus will simply be on the rebates receivable or the charges payable. That\u2019s the key information that the consumers need to know. The other details we won\u2019t be getting into in the legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022 data-id=\u0022d9902d5b0c2149a99b99d2470ce9d9f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d9902d5b0c2149a99b99d2470ce9d9f3\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY (National\u2014Waimakariri):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Just carrying on from that response\u2014and thank you, Minister, for that\u2014because I just want to drill down, I suppose, into the rebate. Under clause 15(1G), you\u2019ve got \u201Ca - b = c\u201D. And, you know, fair to say, with algebra, sometimes \u201Ca - b\u201D doesn\u2019t always equal \u201Cc\u201D. I was interested when you gave my colleague from ACT\u2014Mark Cameron\u2014those figures around\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f111423b9014ead8f90714ba30260c1\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Said like a real St Bede\u2019s boy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ed78a43278914ff8b317bf6cc2e631b2\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX). Sorry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ef8a0cc1de743ac905bfa7d137e9e59\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223b2434859ed8483bafa0c92ee3615dc3\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, OK. I thought my schooling was being called into question. Can you take an offence to your own side of the team, Madam Chair?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022997f64596cbf4046a3c95446606ef201\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Continue, Matt Doocey.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228cd2943248e94c50a5364e99e5982613\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: I must say, I\u2019m probably one of the only people in Parliament where I\u2019ve still got my school teacher in my caucus.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003ESo \u201Ca - b = c\u201D. Now, if \u201Ca\u201D is the revenue and \u201Cb\u201D, as you said, CAPEX and OPEX\u2014and I think you just told Mark Cameron that it was\u2014what was it?\u2014$8 million for CAPEX and $6 million for OPEX. That\u2019s $14 million. What we\u2019re probably missing is it needs to be divided by \u201Cd\u201D, which would be the number of cars for the rebate, which would give you then \u201Ce\u201D, which would be the rebate. My point is, to that formula, what if there is no money left after that equation\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022701ebe0b42594823bdc70f386668e3cd\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: What about the square root of the emissions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264f917c9b421472e99fdf56e0977ec90\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: Serious, serious\u2014with CAPEX and OPEX at $14 million? And what happens if you don\u2019t raise enough money through revenue to pay a rebate back in that formula? Thank you, Madam Chair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd95c170a2924ce6afbaedfc99049a25\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd95c170a2924ce6afbaedfc99049a25\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E The member misunderstands, so if I can clarify: the costs that I identified before relate to the administrative costs of running the overall Clean Car Discount and standard schemes. The provisions that the member is referring to relate to the confines that the legislation sets up for the actual Clean Car Discount scheme, which, as I identified before, is funded through a repayable $300 million loan. And the short answer to the main question that the member has is that that is the fund within which the scheme has to operate. It can\u2019t operate beyond that. And as we traversed in the debate on Part 1, the discounts and the fees have to be set in such a way that the scheme remains solvent. So it has to operate within that overall cap, and this formula is what ensures that happens.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00224b8e7bc7528743228b23aa558b22926e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224b8e7bc7528743228b23aa558b22926e\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. So, I guess, the question, following on from my colleague Matt Doocey\u2019s is whether, if the scheme, effectively, is charging a lot more than it\u2019s paying out, that will, effectively, mean that the charges will be reduced to match the discounts, or will the discounts be increased, and what periods will those be reviewed? This will be a question I\u2019m sure the public would be interested in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EMy question is relating to clause 19, around the monitoring matters relating to the Clean Car Discount scheme. My understanding of this particular new section 101A is that it allows the Secretary for Transport to evaluate the performance of the clean vehicle discount scheme, to monitor and review, and there\u2019s a range of different things that can be done. \u201C(a) the revenue used by the Agency for the purposes of administering the scheme\u201D\u2014I guess, the question there is: is that to try to understand whether the New Zealand Transport Agency is appropriately managing and being good stewards of the money, in terms of the administrative cost? Because I\u2019m sure that this could become quite administratively complex. \u201C(b) the number and nature of rebates provided in relation to the carbon dioxide emissions of vehicles; and (c) the expenses and capital expenditure for the purpose of administering the scheme; and (d) any funding provided by the Agency\u2026\u201D\u2014so there\u2019s a range of things that can be monitored and reviewed, but it doesn\u2019t seem to have much teeth, this particular clause. It, effectively, says that they may monitor, may review, and then, basically, may ask for some information. The only actual requirement in this clause is that, if some information is requested from the secretary, the agency must provide that information to the secretary. So, effectively, that\u2019s the only requirement; the rest is just \u201Cmay\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EBasically, it\u2019s setting up monitoring capability, which I don\u2019t think is a bad idea. Actually, monitoring the scheme\u2014is it working efficiently, is it actually achieving its purposes?\u2014those are all good questions which should be asked by the Government, because this is something which is very new. It\u2019s a very new scheme, and whilst the Minister might say, \u201CWell, there are similar schemes around the world.\u201D and all this other stuff, it\u2019s new to New Zealand. We have a different market in New Zealand from other countries, and we have different needs, in terms of what consumers require, in terms of the vehicles that they drive. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo why is the Minister not actually requiring the secretary to monitor and review this scheme, to review the revenue that\u2019s being used by the agency for administering it\u2014which I think, actually, is a very good thing. I mean, the reality is that the agency could, effectively, just decide, over time, that it\u2019s going to use more and more of the revenue and grow quite an empire to run this thing. There\u2019s no requirement for efficiency in this piece of legislation. Effectively, it\u2019s just telling the agency to administer it, but this is millions and millions of New Zealand\u2019s tax dollars which are being used to run this scheme\u2014millions of dollars being used to run this scheme\u2014and no requirement for efficiency, and, effectively, just saying to the secretary, \u201CWell, if you\u2019d like to monitor it and review it, you may.\u201D Why is that not a requirement to actually have that monitoring? I think New Zealanders want to see their dollars that they spend used efficiently and effectively. If we\u2019re going to have the scheme, then that should be the expectation that the Minister should be monitoring.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EAnd the second point is: if we\u2019re going to put this particular section in, why are we not asking for this to be done on a frequent, regular basis? At the moment, with the terminology being \u201Cmay\u201D, this could be done once a year; it could be done never. It could be done, for instance, in three years\u2019 time. Surely this would be something that should be monitored on a regular basis. And I know there are some reporting requirements, but reporting requirements are very different from the monitoring and reviewing requirement from the Ministry of Transport, which I would be suggesting would be an important amendment or change that the Minister may like to consider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe other point is in relation to the requirement to provide information. There\u2019s actually no requirement to provide that information in a timely fashion. It, effectively, says the secretary may request information and that the agency must provide the information, but it doesn\u2019t say the information needs to be provided in a timely fashion. It doesn\u2019t say it needs to be provided in 30 working days, or 21 working days, or whatever number of working days may be appropriate in this instance; it just says \u201Cmust provide the information\u201D. Effectively, that could be something which becomes quite complex when these reviews actually need to be undertaken. So a number of questions relating to this part, which I look forward to the Minister addressing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc3b18659e1c425d8acc09e01a700339\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc3b18659e1c425d8acc09e01a700339\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m happy to address the points raised by the member there. The first is, though, that I do note that in 9A there is a requirement for the agency, in its annual report every year, to be reporting on matters in relation to the Clean Car Discount scheme. So there is a direct requirement for the agency responsible not just to the Minister but actually back to the Parliament and to face select committee scrutiny, and, of course, the eyes of the Auditor-General, who will advise the select committee as a part of that process. So I\u2019m confident that there\u2019s a high degree of transparency about the scheme and a high degree of ability to scrutinise not just from a ministerial point of view but from a parliamentary point of view. And that is important, I agree with the member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe additional powers provided to the secretary here, we did rather traverse this in the previous discussion\u2014or outlined the role of the Crown agent and the ministry as the Crown monitor giving advice to the Minister. I think it is appropriate to set up that power so it\u2019s, effectively, at the discretion of the secretary to fulfil that function and to be able to inquire in a way that they need. I note that if we took up the member\u2019s suggestion and said it has to happen every 12 months or every two years, that would actually be restrictive. You know, obviously, there is an annual process, but I would think that if a matter came to the secretary\u2019s attention at any given point in time, we would want the secretary to be able to make those inquiries, to be able to require the information to be forthcoming, and for that information to be provided to the Minister to make decisions, or at least to be aware. What I would say beyond that is that certainly for my own part, I already receive very regular reporting on the operation of the scheme. I get good information from the agency, good support from the ministry, and I\u2019m sure that future Ministers will be keen to do that as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022 data-id=\u0022afe7f407942241f28c7270ecb8f81eb8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022afe7f407942241f28c7270ecb8f81eb8\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT (Labour\u2014New Plymouth):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022722c0e2018b44fc4907b868b9c0298bf\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the question be now put.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022b5baa55918454b41888d8fff9473b3a8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b5baa55918454b41888d8fff9473b3a8\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Minister\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 26 be agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022490ba95a348441faa88de7b6c7cfb4a2\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00220c5fb80c7b3645ea9be8fc8ae32a94fb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220c5fb80c7b3645ea9be8fc8ae32a94fb\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Part 2 as amended be agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00228a282ff4c760426882cd247e284379e0\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That Part 2 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 77\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati M\u0101ori 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPart 2 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022eaa483c476a24c5f83be9084e5e79afe\u0022\u003ESchedule\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u002291efa20eddeb42db863a547bcf4f7300\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002291efa20eddeb42db863a547bcf4f7300\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Schedule be agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022ac9717136dc240d4b8463c83fdcd1b0c\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the Schedule be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 77\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati M\u0101ori 2.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESchedule agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b572eccd7166499d98ea30b21a5b67c3\u0022\u003EClauses 1 and 2\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00229cb083bbe59244a5bafb46150751afaa\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229cb083bbe59244a5bafb46150751afaa\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to our final debate. This is the debate on clauses 1 and 2, the title and commencement debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022c83649a5eae443d89e6ffc844096dbbf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c83649a5eae443d89e6ffc844096dbbf\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to take a call on the title and commencement debate. I\u2019d like to offer to the Minister some new suggestions for this piece of legislation in terms of what it could be entitled, because I think this particular piece of legislation has not been titled correctly. Currently, it has the proposed title of Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Act 2021, and I would suggest to the member and to the House that, in fact, it should be called the \u201CLand Transport (Ute Tax) Amendment Act 2021\u201D. Because what we know from this piece of legislation is that this legislation is going to punish our farmers, it\u2019s going to punish our tradies, and it is going to increase the costs that they have to pay for their vehicles when they do not have an alternative for their vehicles. The reality is you can\u2019t take your tools on the train. You can\u2019t take your Tesla on the farm. The reality is some people actually need a ute.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe very clear evidence which came through from the select committee and from submitters, and from the manufacturers who actually make utes and make vehicles, is that they will not be able to provide electric utes to the market for a number of years in New Zealand. So, in the meantime, the only alternative is that these people who have to purchase a ute for their work, for their farm, have to pay the tax, and that will mean paying 15 to 20 percent more per vehicle instead as they are currently paying. Now, that is a tax. That is, effectively, a tax on hard-working New Zealanders who are trying to contribute to this economy, contribute to our country, and to make a positive difference. But the chardonnay socialists on the other side don\u2019t care; what they\u2019re looking for is who they can get some money off\u2014who can they get some money off so that they can subsidise the Teslas for their chardonnay socialist friends who can already afford to pay for those Teslas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThis bill is not about simply trying to provide clean vehicles; it is about transferring money from people who are working, working hard to pay for people who can already afford to pay and buy these electric vehicles. So I do suggest to the Minister that this bill should be retitled and renamed as the \u201CUte Tax Amendment Act 2021\u201D, because that is, effectively, what it is going to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EBut we know it\u2019s not just our farmers, it\u2019s not just our tradies who are going to be punished by this piece of legislation; we know it\u2019s people who can\u2019t afford to pay for the high cost of an electric vehicle who are going to be paying for those people who already can. And whether it\u2019s a young family trying to buy a slightly bigger car or it\u2019s the need to get a people mover, those people who don\u2019t have current choices in the market, they are going to be, effectively, paying.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EWe know what\u2019s going to happen. Effectively, what we\u2019re going to see is we\u2019re going to see people either hold on to the vehicles they already have\u2014they\u2019re going to hold on to them for longer, meaning that they hold on to the vehicle which is more likely to be dirtier, more likely to emit more, and they\u2019re going to hold on to that for longer. They will get it serviced. They\u2019ll do whatever it takes to hold on to that vehicle for as long as possible, meaning our fleet in New Zealand doesn\u2019t actually improve over time as it should. What this legislation will do is have those perverse incentives inbuilt for a long period of time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI do recommend to the committee that this piece of legislation is amended to ensure that it actually reflects the incorrect title.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThen, in terms of the commencement section, the feedback is very clear from the sector, in regards to whether this bill and the implementation is actually an appropriate time frame. So I have put a tabled amendment, effectively, saying it should be around six months from now to actually give officials and the industry time to be able to prepare for its implementation. The reality is that this Minister may be very ambitious but there\u2019s a whole lot of people out there who run companies, who bring vehicles into this country, who sell them, and who do a whole lot of other things, and these people aren\u2019t just sitting there just waiting for the next piece of regulation to sit into their computer system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3550b7292cf4466856cebe85dd92e18\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, they do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002257485466a12e402ca323e0d69e1208e6\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, well, according to Mr Bayly, they just sit around waiting for the Government to tell them what their next move is to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222bd9882ec9c647dab84567045bbad9d4\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Can\u2019t wait for Mr Wood to tell them what they\u2019re going to have to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff9cf38559834058ab825616df011362\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: They just can\u2019t wait for Mr Wood to tell them from his high office there in the Beehive to, \u201CJust please, please tell us what our next business decision is that we have to do.\u201D But that\u2019s not the real world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EOut there in the real world, people are actually working hard, trying to get ahead when this Government is simply bringing in place new regulations, new rules, and new taxes every other day of the week. So these people are busy; they\u2019re already busy. They\u2019re already trying to keep their business afloat during an incredibly challenging time. They\u2019re already trying to navigate the supply chain issues, which are impacting our supply chains, which are impacting so many industries, but, particularly, the importing car industry. It is also impacting the manufacturing of vehicles around the globe. These are very real issues. So the Minister should be open, at least if he\u2019s not open to renaming the bill, to at least providing a little bit of extra time for this piece of legislation to be implemented, to give those hard-working people who are trying to keep this industry going, trying to navigate the challenges of the supply chains, so that they can actually deliver on this new regulation that the Minister is forcing upon them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo I do commend my tabled amendment to the committee, I do ask that all parties, including the Minister, give very serious consideration to it, and I do ask the Minister to consider renaming this legislation as the \u201CLand Transport (Ute Tax) Amendment Act\u201D to actually reflect the taxes that it is putting on those people who are hard-working, who purchase utes for their businesses, for their farms, for their trading, and for the businesses that they do, making our economy what it is. So I ask for the Minister\u2019s consideration in support of those changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u002252f93caf37e0459a90059f350422d292\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002252f93caf37e0459a90059f350422d292\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Look, I want to support the comments of my friend and colleague Simeon Brown. I think he has very aptly and correctly given to the committee of the whole House a far better, more definitive proposed title for this piece of legislation than the Minister\u2019s suggested title. But that\u2019s not really the point that I want to make. The point I want to make here relates to commencement, and that is that, if members of the public and members of the Government look at clause 2, the commencement clause, it says, in subclause (1), \u201Csections 22 to 24 of this Act are deemed to have come into force on 1 July 2021\u201D. Now, I think today is 16 February 2022, so what we are, effectively, doing with this piece of legislation is giving effect to retrospectivity of subsidies on vehicles that have already been paid out before the legislation was passed and enacted in this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ENow, the Minister is of an age and a generation that won\u2019t recall the very key common law case that was taken in relation to a former Prime Minister\u2014Muldoon\u2014who, by fiat and declaration, back in the early days of his administration\u2014he\u2019d won the landslide election in 1975\u2014he just said, \u201CWell, look, people who are paying into the Labour Party\u2019s superannuation scheme can stop making payments, because I\u2019ve decreed it, I\u2019ve issued a fiat, I\u2019ve issued a press statement, and that\u2019s what they can do.\u201D And then there was a very prominent piece of case law that followed from that\u2014Fitzgerald v Muldoon\u2014which ruled in the court, in the judicial system of New Zealand, that that was actually illegal, that it was only the Parliament of New Zealand that can make decisions of the sort that the then Prime Minister Muldoon sought to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo why is that important to this legislation? Well, there are very similar parallels. This is a Government that is increasingly, day by day, acting like former Prime Minister Muldoon in almost every respect, particularly in relation to the economy. But here we have\u2014by governmental fiat, by proclamation from the Beehive, which is something that this Government likes to do at every possible opportunity. They\u2019ve just said, \u201CWell, we\u2019re going to put the subsidy component of this legislation into effect well before, and in advance, of the legislation itself having passed through the Parliament of New Zealand. Now, that\u2019s just not good policy, it\u2019s not good legislation, and I think it is fundamentally wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EWhy did they want to do it? They wanted to get some runs on the board. So the Minister announced, with a degree of fanfare that people who were buying cars\u2014eligible for taxpayer subsidy as a result of this piece of legislation\u2014could start receiving the money, the free money, the money that was being provided by the State from 1 July, but the actual legislation giving effect to that payment has yet to be passed by this Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EThat is a constitutional abomination, really, and I would have thought that\u2014notwithstanding their desire as a Government to emulate, in every possible way, the worst aspects of Robert Muldoon and his administration, particularly towards the end of that administration. Here they are adopting exactly the same kind of modus operandi that got him into trouble. It is potentially possible, I would imagine, with the passing of this legislation, that some bright-spark law student somewhere may want to dig out the judgment relating to Fitzgerald v Muldoon, and think to themselves, \u201CWell, actually, there are very similar parallels here\u201D. And perhaps a case could be brought in the judiciary to test out the legitimacy of this Government actually by fiat, by regulation, by proclamation saying, \u201COh, well, we\u2019re going to start paying out before the legislation is passed, and we\u2019ll worry about the detail, we\u2019ll worry about the mere passing of legislation in the Parliament of New Zealand\u2014that\u2019s a mere detail\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00222552eb2097414a06b6384a4f877f4c70\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222552eb2097414a06b6384a4f877f4c70\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member\u2019s time is up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb9ab4608caa4bdbae92c04730f974d7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb9ab4608caa4bdbae92c04730f974d7\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m bound by the long-standing conventions of this House to consider all other members of the House to be honourable members and to believe what they say when they say things in the House. And so I have to accept at his word, the member for Coromandel\u2019s comments just now\u2014that he actually believes what he has just said. And if it is the case that he does believe what he just said, and I accept that, then I can only conclude that he is either illiterate or incredibly lazy, because he simply hasn\u2019t read the piece of legislation that is in front of him or taken the most cursory efforts to understand how the Clean Car Discount scheme works.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003EThe Clean Car Discount scheme, as it kicked in from 1 July last year, required no legislation to give effect to the discounts\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e69b061f23b84a10a99d9c3d8c858650\u0022\u003ESimeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Why the date?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8681e9c56864dd4a4da0cf749125b5d\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014that were provided to people. Well, if the member reads clause 2(1), it refers to sections 22 to 24. Has the member looked at what\u2019s in sections 22 to 24? They\u2019re not the parts of the Act that enable the Government to be able to put in place a discount scheme; they\u2019re the relatively minor parts that relate to the Income Tax Act and the calculation of fringe benefit tax. Fitzgerald v Muldoon, this ain\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022 data-id=\u0022eea2a1fbaf894ff8b4a8c943eba62ab9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022eea2a1fbaf894ff8b4a8c943eba62ab9\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY (National\u2014Waimakariri):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I rise to support my learned colleague Simeon Brown\u2019s amendment for the title of this bill, to change it from the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill to the \u201CLand Transport (Ute Tax) Amendment Bill\u201D. It\u2019d be fair to say, to start off, as Labour MPs have outlined in the House, if you look at the legacy of the former National Government in incentivising the take-up of electric vehicles (EVs) that this is a space that, on this side of the House, we support. But the reason why this bill and the ute tax went down like a cup of cold sick in parts of New Zealand, like regional New Zealand, it\u2019s that saying, \u201CYou never, sort of, told anyone anything new; you just crystallised something in their mind they already knew.\u201D This bill fundamentally shows the divide between that side of the House and this side of the House: the principle of choice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EKiwis have an innate sense of fairness, and they know this carrot-and-stick approach is not fair. It is not fair that those people who may need to use a ute for their occupation are penalised, because they do not have a choice. And that is quite right why Simeon Brown has amended this title and moved that we would want it to represent the \u201CLand Transport (Ute Tax) Amendment Bill\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThe Government will talk a lot around equality and inequality when it suits them. But what about this bill and the inequities that this bill will drive, especially in areas like regional New Zealand, especially in the South Island? In the South Island, we pay high petrol tax, we pay our road-user charges, yet our land transport fund is constantly raided by this Government to pay for pet public transport projects in Auckland that provide the South Island with no benefit. Now through this bill, we will have hard-working people in the regions who need to use a ute who will be taxed for that under this bill. It does raise the question: why you would just not incentivise EVs and leave it there? Why the stick? Because the Government fundamentally believes that they know best. Where on this side of the House, we believe people know best. They will make the right decisions for them, and because of this ute tax\u2014as Simeon Brown clearly outlined\u2014some people will actually sit on their gas guzzlers a lot longer. They won\u2019t be moving to fuel-efficient vehicles, which will become counter-productive.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003ESo, ultimately, we\u2019ve got a bill that marginalises a certain group of New Zealanders, and this Government says, \u201CWe don\u2019t care about you.\u201D There was an ability and there is an ability in the bill for the Minister to carve out utes and other vehicles during the time that people have no other choice and then bring them in when they do have a choice, but this is fundamentalism. It\u2019s ideology. It\u2019s one-size-fits-all. \u201CWe\u2019ll run the country through the beltway of Wellington, we won\u2019t listen.\u201D There\u2019ll be many regional Labour MPs out there who will be feeling the pressure. Of course, when we ran the \u201Cute tax\u201D campaigns, it was fever pitch because New Zealanders didn\u2019t like it. The ute tax, three waters\u2014it all lines up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EYou\u2019d have to ask yourself why some members of New Zealand will be marginalised from this bill\u2014farmers, tradies. What about those who have big families that can\u2019t afford to buy an EV or actually need a large vehicle that is not an EV at the moment? Even the Minister\u2019s own words through this debate in the committee of the whole House, he mentioned it might take 12 to 24 months. That\u2019s why this bill should be rightly called a \u201Cute tax\u201D, because that group of New Zealanders could have got a carve-out until they had choice. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022a2d37d7e679743b69dd585a7d9a6aed2\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That clause 1 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EClause 1 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00226dded4a4376948d0b4d2722b31765297\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226dded4a4376948d0b4d2722b31765297\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Simeon Brown\u2019s tabled amendment to clause 2 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022e882adc2d5964efa9d3525df56efea7e\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022e9713ea8a1fb49b29382be342550b821\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That clause 2 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 75\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 43\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EClause 2 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000691\u0022\u003EBill to be reported with amendment.\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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002242c498da1d6640008bdcf720b9fcaf22\u0022\u003ELand Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002276d32ce23824443ba6ff3a325a95424e\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000694\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 9 February.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022dcd98a9950ec4f8f87639223cac0bffa\u0022\u003EPart 1 Amendments to Land Transport Act 1998\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00227676dab677494ebfbc1bcdfdd18766c5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227676dab677494ebfbc1bcdfdd18766c5\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now turn to the interrupted consideration in committee of the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill. When we were last considering this bill, Part 1 was being debated. The question is that Part 1 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00221123d8d78223450995524abd0eec79d1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221123d8d78223450995524abd0eec79d1\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to take a call on the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill. This is a bill which the National Party supports and we don\u2019t intend to spend too much time debating the various parts to this bill due to the fact that it is a piece of legislation, we believe, whose time has come. Actually, what we want to see is progress of this piece of legislation through Parliament in order to give the police the tools that they need to be able to undertake drug-driving tests on our roadsides as they do drink-driving tests. I do just want to acknowledge the fact that this piece of legislation has been a long time coming. I acknowledge former colleagues Alastair Scott and the Hon Nick Smith for their advocacy in bringing this bill to the House, but also the fact that it has taken quite some time to get to this stage where we are now debating it in the committee of the whole House. It has sat on the Order Paper for far too long. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe points that I wish to make really are the fact that this piece of legislation does make a positive difference in terms of providing, effectively, a regime whereby the police are able to undertake random roadside oral-fluid testing for drugs. There are, of course, then the infringement penalties and criminal penalties which are able to be put against people who are found to be in breach of those limits and then the subsequent consequences. Yes, it is a complex issue and I think that its complexities have been considered quite in depth when it went through the select committee stage where submitters were able to express their views and the bill has been improved. But the reality is now we\u2019re at a point where actually what is important is that this legislation is passed, that the police are able to have the tools that they need to be able to actually start implementing it. It has been far too long and so I don\u2019t want to spend too much time on this piece of legislation. From the National Party\u2019s perspective, what we actually want to get done is get this bill passed. We want to give police the tools and we want to ensure that the police have the opportunity to do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ENow I do know there\u2019s a couple of amendments from the Green Party. I think one is in relation to a review and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s necessarily a bad idea. But there\u2019s another Supplementary Order Paper there, which, effectively, says that the law expires\u2014so some sort of sunset clause. But I imagine we\u2019ll get to that when we get to the actual title and commencement and whether that\u2019s\u2014and, of course, we don\u2019t support having this piece of legislation automatically expire after five years. The reality is, unfortunately, that drugs are part of New Zealand\u2019s society and the reality is this type of legislation is going to be necessary for the foreseeable future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo I think it\u2019s incredibly naive of the Green Party to, effectively, say that in five years\u2019 time, this legislation won\u2019t be necessary because actually\u2014maybe in their dystopian world they live in maybe they\u2019ll be thinking that all drugs will be legal in five years\u2019 time and that we\u2019ll all be in our happy place and, actually, that driving down the road on a high is OK. Well, I\u2019m sorry. That\u2019s not the future I want for myself or my children. I actually want to know that when I\u2019m driving down the road or my children are driving down the road that actually they\u2019ll be safe from drug drivers and that there are penalties in place for people who do drive under the influence of drugs on our roads. I don\u2019t think we should be coming back as a Parliament in five years\u2019 time and, effectively, renegotiating whether that\u2019s actually something which should be OK or not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EActually, we need to have a regime which has a level of permanence, a level of consistency, and not one which is dreaming of some sort of world which actually is, unfortunately, not going to be a reality\u2014and actually a world which I don\u2019t actually want, which is a world where, effectively, we sort of tolerate anybody driving down the road with anything in their system. I actually don\u2019t tolerate that. And so, actually, I want this legislation to be implemented and I want it to stay because, actually, I want our roads to become safer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI think it\u2019s important to note that the instances of drugged driving\u2014and the Minister may correct me if I\u2019m wrong but my understanding is that there are now more instances of drugged driving causing death than drink driving causing death on our roads. That is something which I think is an incredibly serious point and which New Zealanders should be incredibly concerned about, particularly as that trend has rapidly increased in recent years and is something which needs to be urgently arrested. I think it\u2019s part of the reason why the road toll has increased in recent years, and it is something which needs to be looked at.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI see the Minister of Police, Hon Poto Williams, there on the other side and acknowledge her and the police in the work that they do, but there is a real issue around their implementation of the road safety work. I do note in last year\u2019s annual report for police, they only implemented half of the breath tests that they were required to do\u2014so they were required to do 3 million breath tests last year; only 1.5 million of those were actually completed. And so the reality is that the proof will be in the pudding and actually giving this legislation to the police and then making sure that there is the resource to actually deliver on it and that the Government actually delivers on it\u2014hopefully, finally, next year, actually delivers on its three-year promise of 1,800 new police, which was meant to be implemented by 2020, but of course, has fallen well behind. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo we look forward to supporting this piece of legislation. We look forward to it coming into effect and we look forward to the impact it\u2019s going to have on our roads.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022 data-id=\u00220f3e234f000d4bf4a2ab404a58253f91\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220f3e234f000d4bf4a2ab404a58253f91\u0022\u003EHon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Firstly, I\u2019d like to thank the Transport and Infrastructure Committee for the work they have done, and the officials for bringing this bill back to the House in such a way that we can be debating it with very little argument and large agreement across the House. I thank the members for their contributions, and I thank the members across the House for their support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003EI want to comment on a couple of issues that the previous speaker, Simeon Brown, raised. The purpose of this bill is to deal with the invidious dilemma we have before us, the rising numbers of people who are impacted by drugs who are driving on our roads. The member was correct to allude to the fact that increasingly drugs are having such an impact on our roads that they are causing more and more fatalities\u2014perhaps not as many as alcohol, but I know that in the last five or six years, the numbers impacted by drugs who are killed on our roads has increased to the point where we can no longer sit idle. We must act and provide the support to our police to enforce this, to keep our roads safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003EI just want to signal that in terms of the Supplementary Order Papers in the name of the Hon Julie Anne Genter, the review period that she has suggested we agree with; we think that is a useful mechanism for us to check in to know that the legislation is working well and also to make whatever decisions we may make about needing to make amendments to that. In terms of the sunset clause, that is not something we think is needed, given that we have a review period that we are going to support. I thank the members across the Chamber for their support of that review period.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003EI just want to say that it is an important piece of legislation that we\u2019re passing here today and it is about keeping us as safe as we can be on the road. So I\u2019m not going to prolong my discussion in this debate, just to thank those who have worked so hard on this bill. Hopefully we will pass it very quickly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022c50a2be0dbb74b24b9f32bf74ec56129\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c50a2be0dbb74b24b9f32bf74ec56129\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Hon Julie Anne Genter\u2019s amendment to delete the amendment to clause 39 in Supplementary Order Paper 96 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 97 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EAmendment agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00224089b93e9f5b40fa831376a4d61d6d64\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224089b93e9f5b40fa831376a4d61d6d64\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Minister\u2019s amendments to Part 1 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 96 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EAmendments as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EPart 1 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223d14c4eda3d649ba875ecb075c185460\u0022\u003EPart 2  Related and consequential amendments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022bbdb0d303cb04fde9da5aa4063575ff6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bbdb0d303cb04fde9da5aa4063575ff6\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to Part 2. This is the debate on clauses 41 to 43, \u201CRelated and consequential amendments\u201D. The question is that Part 2 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EPart 2 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00220e0b408e7f264abd8e65dd4aa107970e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220e0b408e7f264abd8e65dd4aa107970e\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Hon Julie Anne Genter\u2019s amendment to replace the amendment to Schedule 1 in Supplementary Order Paper 96, set out on Supplementary Order Paper 97, be agreed to. This is in relation to the schedule.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EAmendment agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00226eeb66d46a2b4026a4b45078862da809\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226eeb66d46a2b4026a4b45078862da809\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Minister\u2019s amendment to Schedule 1 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 96 as amended be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EAmendment as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u002231bd51eae6d948ddb722e507d1e220b9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002231bd51eae6d948ddb722e507d1e220b9\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Schedule 1 as amended stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003ESchedule 1 as amended agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022d19e26c1666548878c01c973d45dd2db\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d19e26c1666548878c01c973d45dd2db\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that Schedule 2 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003ESchedule 2 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u00224f038e77e1524f6aad3f643ba4f4ea96\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224f038e77e1524f6aad3f643ba4f4ea96\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to our final debate, which is on clauses 1 and 2, the title and commencement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002255a4374efe0944b698dd95883029b316\u0022\u003EClauses 1 and 2\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00222ebac64160154b83aacacf4c38c3b9a4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222ebac64160154b83aacacf4c38c3b9a4\u0022\u003ESIMEON BROWN (National\u2014Pakuranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to take a very brief call in regard to the title and commencement, and I note this is where the Supplementary Order Paper 84 from Julie Anne Genter which seeks to have, effectively, an expiry provision for this piece of legislation has been put on the Table. The National Party will not be supporting that Supplementary Order Paper because, actually, as I mentioned earlier, this is not an issue which is going to go away in five years\u2019 time. It\u2019s not like we\u2019re going to wake up in five years\u2019 time and either people have stopped using illicit substances, or we\u2019ve suddenly woken up and we\u2019re accepting of the fact that people just drive down the road in some sort of fairyland or in whatever type of high they want to and we accept the consequences of that. That is not the type of future I want, it\u2019s not the type of future I want for my children, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the type of future that New Zealanders want. So we will not be supporting that amendment to this piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EIn fact, we want to see this legislation in place for some time because, actually, it is important to give the police the tools they need to keep our roads safe and to be able to keep New Zealanders safe as they drive down the road. So we will not be supporting that piece of legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EWe support the bill, as I\u2019ve mentioned. It is a bill which has been coming for some time. It should have been passed when the National Party brought it in as a member\u2019s bill on a number of occasions, but the Government finally did pick it up before the last election, and, finally, we\u2019re at the final stages of this piece of legislation. I hope that we\u2019ll be able to give effect to it as soon as possible. Thank you, Madam Chair. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EClause 1 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EClause 2 agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022e9f45fd2c13545f0beaecddc3c8ebbae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e9f45fd2c13545f0beaecddc3c8ebbae\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the Hon Julie Anne Genter\u2019s amendment to insert new clause 2A set out on Supplementary Order Paper 84 be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022b6dbae9866be4ab98692befa64893a32\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 10\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGreen Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 108\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000733\u0022\u003EBill to be reported with amendment.\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=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002290e70f33eff048de9ed2970332208e3e\u0022\u003ECrown Pastoral Land Reform Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00228a55a367ea384b82a1deaf73ebe3e02d\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002277d1e108ecbc4a6287ce6c3fa8ef3e1b\u0022\u003EPart 1  Amendments to Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u002248dba1831d7844258accae29db5117c1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002248dba1831d7844258accae29db5117c1\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we turn now to the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill. We come first to Part 1. Part 1 of the debate on clauses 3 to 16 and Schedules 1 to 3, \u201CAmendments to Crown Pastoral Land Act 1988\u201D. The question is that Part 1 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u0022261e3b0bbfa045ba9011c022417e15da\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022261e3b0bbfa045ba9011c022417e15da\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Now, this is, I think, going to be a reasonably long session because there is much in this piece of legislation that is abhorrent and fundamentally objectionable to members on this side of the House. So we will want to prosecute the questioning of the Minister in the chair in some detail, and I am looking forward to him engaging in a positive and constructive way as we go through the various parts of this legislation and the detail of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EI might say, at the outset, that we on this side of the House fundamentally object to the intrusion of long-held and highly regarded property rights bestowed by the Crown to leaseholders in a way that is, actually, effectively throwing them in the rubbish tin and putting aside, in some cases, several generations of relationships with the Crown that have been effective, that have been good, and that have been good for not only New Zealand and New Zealanders, but for our natural environment as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve got a number of Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs) in my name and my colleagues, likewise, also have Supplementary Order Papers in their names. So it\u2019s my intention, certainly with regard to the Supplementary Order Papers in my name, to take a range of calls and go through them in detail. But at the outset, and for the record, it\u2019s important that members of the Government understand that at the first possible opportunity, a re-elected National-led Government will repeal this legislation, notwithstanding that this Government, based on its ideological agenda, has currently the numbers in the House to pass it. We want to flag that and make it very clear from the outset.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo I come to the SOP in my name, lettered \u201CH\u201D on the table, and it relates to the proposed new Schedule 1AB in Part 1, paragraph 14, page 43 of the bill. It is to effectively delete paragraph 14 as is presently numbered in the proposed Part 1 of the bill and replace it with these words: \u201CMaintaining existing seed sowing, including by way of direct drilling where direct drilling has been previously consented.\u201D Now, members opposite may think that, well, this is a fairly detailed piece of Supplementary Order Paper\u2014what is the purpose, why am I talking about this, what is the reason, what is the rationale? Well, the Minister will probably have a very good understanding of it because we know that he is a person who is famous for his attention to detail and his attention to matters that relate to his portfolio area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo, as reported back from select committee, paragraph 14, in terms of the permitted activities, does not acknowledge the property rights of leaseholders for their improvements. Now, this is actually quite fundamental, because a lease, of course, is not a freehold, but when a property is a lease property the leaseholder has ownership of the improvements to that property. They might not, in fact, own the land\u2014in terms of our legal system\u2014but they have a legally enforceable property right by way of lease and therefore have ownership of the improvements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ENow, pasture improvement on these leases, of which there are 170-something of them around the countryside, has for decades been a process undertaken\u2014well, actually, it goes back more than 100 years\u2014since the mid-1850s, if you please; well before any kind of consenting process was even thought of. Remembering that these original Crown leases were established in good faith, effectively, as a treaty between individual New Zealand citizens and the Crown. And we\u2019re familiar in this Parliament because we often talk about treaties and we often talk about the relationship that the Crown has to signatories of treaties, and yet, in this case, here is legislation that purports to just put aside, at the stroke of a legislative pen, the property rights of improvements to pasture that have been undertaken by leaseholders over several generations, dating back to the 1850s.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo the purpose of my Supplementary Order Paper \u201CH\u201D is to acknowledge that these improvements actually do belong to the leaseholders. They have a property right, they are an asset, and they have invested their time, energy, blood, sweat, and toil, and not insignificant financial resource in improving the lot of the land that they are leasing. And now by requiring consent to maintain all improvements by way of seed sowing, other than that which has been consented, this provides a platform for the Crown to, effectively, alienate the improvement by denial of consent to maintain that improvement. So what I\u2019m saying there is that if under this new regime consent is not granted for the continuation of pastoral investment and maintenance, then that is, effectively, stealing the property ownership of the pasture that has been invested since the 1850s.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo I think that the Minister needs to answer questions as to why that is not something that officials and he have taken into account, because what we are dealing with in this piece of legislation amounts to property rights\u2014property rights given and agreed in good faith between the Crown and the leaseholders. So that\u2019s the first question that I would have for the Minister: does he accept that pasture improvements belong to leaseholders? Does he accept that by this piece of legislation requiring consent to maintain all those improvements that if consent is not given then that is, effectively, stealing by the Crown by not granting consent to continue pastoral improvement, taking away a property asset and a right from those leaseholders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022 data-id=\u0022f1ce46db3ae64556b3bc97d161f7b414\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f1ce46db3ae64556b3bc97d161f7b414\u0022\u003EMARK CAMERON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. Minister, look anywhere in rural New Zealand, most people would take huge umbrage with this piece of legislation. It\u2019s nothing more than property theft, arguably\u2014you will probably take a different position on that. I see in here in part of the legislation, it talks about the meaning of inherent value. Well, Minister, whatever happened to inherent value of the way of life in rural New Zealand? It is inherent. It\u2019s generationally inherent. I\u2019m actually standing here quite sad that I\u2019m actually looking at this piece of legislation, and I think arguably most people on this side of the House would be. There\u2019s 150 years of inherent value.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll add to that Minister, if I may, with the greatest respect to you sir, every year in rural New Zealand we have another 5 percent of the country covered in wilding pines. And we\u2019ve got a Jobs for Nature programme that no one can seem to tell the side of the House what\u2019s being spent on that. And you\u2019re removing that opportunity from the very people that are mitigating this problem. I mean, 90,000 hectares Minister per year\u2014that\u2019s 5 percent extra every year. And these are the very people, and I maintain these words: this is a way of life for them. This is generationally inherent. So do you want to speak to the inherent value that apparently the new definition excludes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u00224be71ecf61294d04996639c5b8f5db9f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224be71ecf61294d04996639c5b8f5db9f\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. It is astonishing\u2014the two contributions we have just heard seem to believe that the Crown pastoral lands in the high country is owned, almost, by leaseholders. These are Crown lands. Anybody who has read any of the history of Crown pastoral lands and how there has been significant ecological loss on those Crown lands over decades will recognise that this bill is about ensuring that we have a land management regime which is much more one of partnership between the leaseholders, between the Crown, with much greater recognition of Ng\u0101i Tahu and iwi in Te Wai Pounamu values as well in implementing the Treaty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThat this concept of inherent values, which the last speaker, Mark Cameron, was objecting so truculently to is all about ensuring that the indigenous and landscape values of these Crown pastoral lands are maintained. Because simply cultivating them and converting them to ryegrass and clover destroys the tussock land, destroys the matagouri, destroys those natural nitrogen fixers, and completely changes the high country into the Canterbury Plains.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe member has talked about wilding conifer control. The member seems totally unaware of the $100 million that the Crown is investing in partnership with a lot of pastoral landholders, particularly in areas like the Mackenzie Basin and the Te Manahuna Aoraki Project, where lessees are working with the Crown to ensure that those wilding conifers are controlled. What this bill is about is modernising the Crown Pastoral Land Act; stopping tenure review and the privatisation of pastoral lease lands, which the National Government was happy to see continue; and ensuring that we manage those lands sustainably now and into the future in much more of a partnership model.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003ESo I would just ask the Minister if he could expand on the changes in his Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) that the Order Paper makes to the concept of inherent values, because that is new, and also to the changes that it is making around public access. Because the Environment Committee in submissions heard from members of the public, organisations like Federated Mountain Clubs, that many pastoral leaseholders are very happy to provide public access for recreational users, particularly those on foot. Sometimes they have a problem with those on four-wheel drives. The select committee ensured that there were changes to ensure that public access was considered at the time when a lease was transferred. If the Minister could just expand on the changes that his SOP is making and how it deals with that public access issue, and if he could outline what consultation and dialogue he\u2019s had about that with the High Country Accord and other representatives of leaseholders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00221cb3df45decd404e9ffce429237e1ead\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000752\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221cb3df45decd404e9ffce429237e1ead\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. I thought it was important that I come down through the middle and stick to the facts on this. There\u2019s enough misinformation outside of Parliament, and I think we should stick accurately to the information and the facts in here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000753\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThis piece of legislation\u2014and I\u2019ll acknowledge the good work done by the Environment Committee on this, and I acknowledge the previous Speaker, who introduced this. Tenure review was a process introduced in 1997, actually, early on, and then went through to a 1998 piece of legislation. I was actually here, which some might think is sad. I think it has some advantages, because I can recall the objectives of the tenure review legislation. But the Land Act 1948\u2014what that did was that land that actually wasn\u2019t wanted by many people and was being degraded, had been farmed by people who had no secure interest in the land. So the Government of the day gave perpetual rights to pasturage in the high country through these lease arrangements. They have been upheld through court challenges over the years, and I acknowledge that nothing in this legislation undermines their rights to continue to use this land for pastoral purposes, and it enables them to make changes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000754\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EWe then move on to the piece of legislation that went through in 1998, actually, and it made a few changes. It allowed discussion between the lessees and the Crown to work out what land might be freeholded and secured in their hands and what should go back to the Crown by way of, for the most part, conservation land. And that process has been under way since that time, and we\u2019ve moved through a large number of leases\u2014in fact, I should know the number; I don\u2019t\u2014and that freeholding has occurred. But it has become harder and harder as the lease arrangements, or the high country leases themselves, are more complex, and there\u2019s been more debate about how much should go into conservation and how much should be freeholded. To the point where the uncertainty hasn\u2019t helped the farmers on the land, and many have said, \u201CLook, we just want to get on with farming. We don\u2019t want the uncertainty and the cost of this ongoing process. So just, you know, let us get on with it.\u201D And some want to complete their tenure review processes, and some have, and some still will before the passage of this legislation. But, for those who remain on the land as lessees, they want certainty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000755\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EAnd so the piece of legislation has attempted to do that. One of the things was, in the 1998 legislation, that it firstly reinforced the fact that those lessees had rights to the land for pastoral purposes but didn\u2019t have any rights to the soil, which seems rather strange, but that was the reality. And it gave them exclusive rights to pasturage over the land but provides no right to the soil, which made it kind of complex when it came to farming\u2014digging a post hole, all of those things. So, at that time, the legislation passed by the then National Government made all those activities subject to a consent\u2014subject to a consent\u2014which meant that, actually, all of them would have had to have gone to the Commissioner of Crown Lands and asked if they wanted to dig a post hole or do other things like that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000756\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EWhat happened then was there was discussion between the lessees and the Department of Conversation at the time, and they agreed that, actually, they would write a letter\u2014and this is the letter. They\u2019d write a letter to all of the lessees and say, \u201CLook, we\u2019ve granted you consent for all these activities.\u201D It was a letter. There\u2019s nothing more. Just a letter from the Commissioner of Crown Lands. Not very secure, some might say, but robust at the time, and it remains robust. It was things like clearing of existing vehicle or stock tracks, digging in posts, anchors, piles. Indeed, it allowed some earth works, tree planting, tree felling, but within the area enclosed by the fence around the homestead located on pastoral lease\u2014the curtilage area; that\u2019s what it was. And I could go on and read all of the activities on farm that required a consent. And that was approved through one letter\u2014a little insecure, you might say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000757\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EWell, moving forward with the new piece of legislation that the previous speaker had put into the House, there was a view that the certainty was important. So clearly, all these minor activities that require the consent under the National Government\u2019s legislation in 1998 shouldn\u2019t remain like that. So indeed, we\u2019ve moved to have some permitted activities. It covers most of those things which most people would say are sensible. Then there are some other activities, and technology has allowed us\u2014with better bulldozers and with diggers and actually with things like centre pivot irrigators and things\u2014to get on and develop that land. So there\u2019s a view that in some places that\u2019s appropriate, but others it\u2019s not. So people should be required to apply to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for those permitted activities, but still subject to a consent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000758\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThen there are some activities that are prohibited, and those might have major impacts, they might affect the landscape values, or, indeed, be intensive farming in a very sensitive area that is deemed inappropriate. Most of those things are listed in the Schedules. Actually, most people think it\u2019s a pretty fair balance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000759\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ESo the things that will be permitted\u2014that is, don\u2019t require consent, which is progress for the high country lessees\u2014gives certainty for them. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing in this piece of legislation. All the rhetoric and the ranting from over there about stepping backwards\u2014actually, this is progress. The lessees did have some issues. They raised them and I have to say we listened and made adjustments to the legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000760\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EThen at the last minute\u2014and we\u2019ve tabled a Supplementary Order Paper\u2014we dealt with one of the remaining issues that was around access. These are sensitive pieces of land. They\u2019re also beautiful, and a lot of the public want access to get out there, and I don\u2019t blame them. I like that myself. As was stated, most of those lessees provide access for the public, subject to sensible behaviour, which is absolutely what they should expect. There have been a couple of cases\u2014not that many\u2014where access has been unreasonably withheld. So after some discussion between the High Country Accord and ourselves, we worked through to what was a fair balance between land that is owned by the taxpayer, owned by the Crown, leased in perpetuity for pastoral purposes by the lessees, how we could find the right balance to ensure that unreasonable access was not withheld. So we said at the time of the transfer of a lease if someone decides to sell it\u2014and, indeed, I hope we don\u2019t ever have another National Government, because I\u2019m suspecting that they will open the door. They will open the door once again to wholesale overseas purchase of farmland and most likely, because these are quite expensive properties, we will see what we had seen in under previous National Governments, a lot of these iconic properties went into foreigners\u2019 hands.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000761\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003ENow, a lot of them are managed really well. I\u2019m not saying that all foreign owners are bad owners. Some of them have invested huge amounts of money. But the issue of their values when it comes to privacy and access are sometimes different to those of Kiwis. In fact, we go back to Tommy Suharto, I think it was, and a property up at the top of Lake Tekap\u014D, where he just blocked access quite unreasonably. That sparked, I guess, some of the tension that still remains today between recreational users, people who enjoy the high country, and those who own the property. That was an unfortunate incident. The vast majority, and I say almost all New Zealand owners of these properties provide reasonable access. But if someone chooses not to, then we should have some leverage. We said at the point of transfer so as not to undermine the value or the property rights of the lessee, but to say to the new one coming in, \u201CThere was an issue with access here. We haven\u2019t been able to force access\u201D\u2014[Time expired]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022bac170f29c7c46fcb9a17e66e56cb1c9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bac170f29c7c46fcb9a17e66e56cb1c9\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I\u2019m sure the Minister will have ample time later on, but I had already extended. So I\u2019ll come back to you. Thank you, Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002293272d4e-6912-4148-8b35-c9622e18b814\u0022 data-id=\u00222c76050a1bee4145a3dd44d9658cc19a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000763\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293272d4e-6912-4148-8b35-c9622e18b814\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222c76050a1bee4145a3dd44d9658cc19a\u0022\u003ENICOLA GRIGG (National\u2014Selwyn):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Chair. And I thank the Minister for his comments and explanations. But the one point that the Minister didn\u2019t touch on was the points raised by my colleague Scott Simpson that this is a binding contractual arrangement\u2014some might call it a treaty\u2014that the Crown is prepared to renege on. So I would like to refer to the Environment Committee\u2019s report back and the National Party\u2019s differing view, because we would say that we would oppose this bill in its entirety.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000764\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293272d4e-6912-4148-8b35-c9622e18b814\u0022\u003EI would like to ask the Minister why end tenure review? It is a treaty that was entered into willingly by two different parties that recognised the rights for strategic pastoral farmland and the rights for strategic land to go into the conservation estate. So therefore, the major opposition to this bill has been the one-size-fits-all approach, the hammer to crack a nut. How, Minister, do you design a system to manage 1.2 million hectares of very diverse, at times very rugged, with diverse ecology, environments, weather systems, topographies. What, therefore Minister, is the review mechanism to address failures that will undoubtedly occur as a result of this legislation? How will you resolve inequities in this one-size-fits-all approach?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000765\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002293272d4e-6912-4148-8b35-c9622e18b814\u0022\u003EWe believe, and I would imagine 99 percent of the leaseholders would agree, the cumulative impact of this piece of legislation will work in direct opposition to the bill\u2019s objective. It will be a detriment to the high country\u2019s inherent values. Again, I refer to the National Party\u2019s minority view\u2014and I would expect the Minister\u2019s read it because it is very sensible. We agree with concerns raised by leaseholders that this will add layers and layers and layers of bureaucracy. It will largely duplicate regulation that has been foreshadowed in the likes of the national policy statement (NPS) on indigenous biodiversity and the NPS on freshwater. So, to the Minister, what work have you done to cross-reference? What work have you done, or have your officials done, to identify these double-ups and these crossovers? And what efforts, Minister, will you put in as the Minister of Agriculture to alleviate this burden on the sector that you represent?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u0022a0b5e3fdd9d643c6be7d48dc632ba45f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000766\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a0b5e3fdd9d643c6be7d48dc632ba45f\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: It is time for me to report progress on this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000767\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000768\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00227b2eac12335443c3aa9594852fd78041\u0022\u003EReport of Committee of the Whole House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000770\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002237b243c71277401ba26ce9ffe04e426a\u0022\u003EReport of Committee of the Whole House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022 data-id=\u002261e4be622bed4b31a55dde4f4b491aec\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000769\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261e4be622bed4b31a55dde4f4b491aec\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa)\u003C/span\u003E: Madam Speaker, the committee has further considered the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill and reports it with amendment. The committee has also further considered the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill and reports it with amendment. The committee has also considered the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill and reports progress. I move, That the report be adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000771\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d14b1afe-2069-41e4-96fa-c8dc81a991a4\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022412488a2382e4c01b41fc57af851a1cb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000773\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022412488a2382e4c01b41fc57af851a1cb\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill and the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill are set down for third reading next sitting day. The Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill and the Commerce Amendment Bill are set down for further consideration in committee next sitting day. Members, the House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow. Good evening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202202168b950dc47e1945c6b94713e4ef0538c9000774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 9.56 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"