"\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=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223d9478d78bf2485fa4abb222ed512135\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST 2022\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a758769771a64538a28149da5eb6aec6\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST 2022\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000002\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=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223f85a4aa2b464a4f9baa4e023174e1a7\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b810461e6add482987ec25b05914ed08\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u00227be28b49f16c4e9f9ebdcaf4d401197c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227be28b49f16c4e9f9ebdcaf4d401197c\u0022\u003EHon JACQUI DEAN (Assistant Speaker):\u003C/span\u003E Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the Queen and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d92ca57378a5471c8b56237170702e93\u0022\u003Epetitions, papers, select committee reports, and introduction of bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002251343e792ed643549d6efdb87dd76746\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=\u002215666d5a94c84530b0237b4f81da96ae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002215666d5a94c84530b0237b4f81da96ae\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No bills have been introduced. A petition has been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002223e20eda4e3a4a7db4566969ad1dda27\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002223e20eda4e3a4a7db4566969ad1dda27\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Petition of Marion Maw requesting that the House urge that people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder have timely and equitable access to effective therapy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00220d8a6aad44a74e5caa24efe9f52f2011\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220d8a6aad44a74e5caa24efe9f52f2011\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That petition stands referred to the Petitions Committee. Ministers have delivered papers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022ad9297a543484abcab9ff9f4e64b0148\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ad9297a543484abcab9ff9f4e64b0148\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EReal Estate Authority statement of performance expectations for the year ended 30 June, 2023.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereport of the Attorney-General under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 on the Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226801ef668914f0c9da6d40e05f34a1b\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022128496e623b546f1be990a53768a3859\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022128496e623b546f1be990a53768a3859\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am on my feet, Mr Bennett. Those papers are published under the authority of the House. A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022a9923453d43f48bd92208ec293564dbd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a9923453d43f48bd92208ec293564dbd\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Controller and Auditor-General, annual plan 2022/23.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00226cfb72643f424b03960f0690d99aa202\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226cfb72643f424b03960f0690d99aa202\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The annual plan of the Controller and Auditor-General is set down for consideration.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002269bb872121ca41f1aa3db4524ce01229\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002225889f9a26e94c57959bcc3e8db0a530\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002288f7a724af67411b887fc1453860716e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\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=\u0022a44583a6c8cd4846a8be85ef8736317d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a44583a6c8cd4846a8be85ef8736317d\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=\u00221db45f4c4cc047e9837f44f479ff4857\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221db45f4c4cc047e9837f44f479ff4857\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. In particular, I stand by my statements on health funding and this Government\u2019s record investment in health and education to deliver the public services New Zealanders depend on. Under this Government, we\u2019ve increased health funding by 44 percent since 2017, including an increase of over 10 percent in Budget 2022, to fund services in the most significant reform programme in health in a generation. We\u2019ve also increased the nursing workforce by 4,200 fulltime-equivalents (FTEs) and 1,700 FTEs in the doctor workforce since coming into office. We\u2019ve increased Pharmac\u2019s medicines budget to a record $1.235 billion per annum, and we\u2019ve established from scratch a primary-care mental health service that has delivered nearly half a million sessions through primary-care providers. We\u2019ve also committed $7 billion for infrastructure to modernise our hospitals. We\u2019ve put more into education since we\u2019ve been in Government than National did, including $3.6 billion since 2018 on improving school property, delivering over 1,300 more classrooms, supporting over 2,900 additional teachers, and providing over 58 million lunches to 947 schools and kura. The question for Kiwis is\u2014they can trust this Labour Government will continue to invest in health and education; the question is whether or not National will. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222260811e77cb48949c6f87a932a2d2a1\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Why did she agree to the cost of living payment, knowing that it would result in taxpayer money going to people living overseas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002282596aae8b574069b464b1f5b0c2d6ad\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: The member fails to acknowledge that the criteria explicitly says, of course, that it\u2019s for those earning $70,000 or less, over the age of 18, not receiving the winter energy payment, and, of course, resident in New Zealand. Of course, while individuals are not obliged to tell us if they are overseas, that was one of the criteria. We have some ability to determine if that is the case, but we also ask New Zealanders offshore that they update their IRD information. That, of course, will prevent them from receiving it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220cb982fe21594dc4a26015c2ddff6a0b\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: When will the Prime Minister be able to tell taxpayers exactly how much of their money has been sent to people living overseas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f52ffc460c74b068b2322a72730aeaf\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Again, as I set out, the criteria is very explicit. The payment is designed for those who are earning $70,000 or less and are resident in New Zealand. If someone is continuing to pay tax but is also offshore, we can only decipher that if they inform IRD. Again, IRD has created the opportunity for people to update their information or indeed opt out if they so choose. I would, however, contrast that the member\u2019s alternative is, for instance, a tax cut for those on $180,000 or less. I would rather a payment that 2.1 million Kiwis are eligible for, who are on low and middle incomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218e89db827ff4a6f96c38ff2a27af5d8\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Was Kiritapu Allan correct when she stated that the cost of living payment scheme had been developed \u201Cessentially overnight\u201D, and, if so, does this explain why it\u2019s resulted in so much taxpayer money being sent to people living overseas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cce71e2c3ef424a9dd98c796d75b07a\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: The vast majority of people receiving it, of course, are low and middle income earners in New Zealand, in contrast to the member\u2019s proposal to give a tax cut to those earning $180,000 or more through his tax policies, which would also be inflationary and make the cost of living worse for New Zealanders on low and middle incomes. What the Minister was referring to was that we have ensured that we\u2019ve had the increase in the family tax credit, the decrease in the cost of fuel at the pump, and, as we saw inflation increasing, we moved to provide this payment, because, of course, we wanted to ensure that we were responding to what Kiwis were seeing, because it is tough out there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc527fa158094539945a857004be26f1\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to New Zealanders who worked hard and paid their taxes, who are angry her Government has knowingly sent their money to expats and backpackers living overseas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cdd8ea72aa09451ea547987a2ebe26b0\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I totally reject the premise of that question. The criteria is very clear on who this is intended to go for, and the vast majority of people receiving it are exactly those individuals.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b6454c247204f87aac3bed35efcd95a\u0022\u003EHon Peeni Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, none in Hawaii!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb4b52062e534998b0d23cdd625ccd9c\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc151bcfd42847beaa895f40eb4063b0\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d430de6b64e46089bc9af84ab49f827\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Right. Who made the comment that caused the mirth? The member will withdraw and apologise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222baab91663e64deb8d97b68b7d386024\u0022\u003EHon Peeni Henare\u003C/span\u003E: I withdraw and apologise, sir.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229832660ba64d49e4b1b4e8602dfa30e8\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, who tweeted in 2017 that \u201Ckids living in cars and motels is not a sign of care\u201D, and, if so, why are there four times as many people living in cars today than when she became Prime Minister?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227102459aa3c04f1db1188993e29c9eb8\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I stand by that, as I do stand by, also, the focus this Government has on increasing wages and decreasing unemployment across this country. And it gives me the opportunity today to highlight that in the stats we have seen released today: M\u0101ori unemployment at 5.5 percent, Pacific unemployment at 5.4 percent, average ordinary time hourly earnings rose to 6.4 percent. I stand by the policies of this Government, which are focused on increasing the incomes of Kiwis and ensuring that they are in work. And when you think about the times we\u2019re in, those are remarkable statistics.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab9548408b8f4b1a8687a8ae61f1cc23\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree that prices outpacing wages for eight straight quarters, or two full years, means Kiwis are going backwards at a historic rate?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a01dcd9ac2db4a289cc68a188239db98\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: Again, as I have highlighted to the member time and time again, when you look across the course of the time that we have had in office, we have consistently seen wages outstrip the cost of living increase here in the year 2022 in New Zealand. As we are seeing around the world, we do have high rates of inflation. There are, of course, projections that that is set to improve over the course of this year, and we can anticipate a return once more to wages, under a Labour Government, once again outstripping the cost of living. I would highlight for the member that we did have consistent periods under the National Government when not only did we have inflation outstrip wages, we had very low wage growth rate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e10ec5086c464478b1f0f6ca72aae06c\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Isn\u2019t it embarrassing that a Government that claims to care about workers has delivered an economy where the cost of living has gone up faster than wages for the majority of the time it\u2019s been in power?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022aa2209f1-1889-4c24-b51d-cb2aedc7aa93\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221fde77b77acf4c88bf8b6625927a1b91\u0022\u003ERt Hon JACINDA ARDERN\u003C/span\u003E: I utterly reject the premise of that statement. As we\u2019ve said, wage growth has exceeded Consumers Price Index between the start of 2018 and 2021 with an average of 3.7 percent versus 2.2 percent. And, again, I stand here proud that in the worst economic crisis we have seen in our lifetimes, when they projected unemployment to be double digit and that we could have expected, as we saw in the global financial crisis, high rates of\u2014particularly of M\u0101ori and Pacific\u2014unemployment, we have some of the lowest rates we have ever seen. That is because this is a Labour Government focused on policies that support our people into work and into decent wages.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022da1ec61e65214758976e37c4ef413244\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022 data-id=\u002261e8140ce83f49b7ae7aba39a70ecac2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261e8140ce83f49b7ae7aba39a70ecac2\u0022\u003EDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: What action is the Government taking to increase the supply of housing outside the main urban centres?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00224ee7c09926b248ba84bff6a887da8401\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224ee7c09926b248ba84bff6a887da8401\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E Kia orana, Mr Speaker. As part of the Government\u2019s plan to tackle the national housing crisis, we\u2019re delivering more public homes outside New Zealand\u2019s main urban centres. The Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 focuses on building new public and transitional homes where they are most needed, including regional centres and towns where housing demand is growing fastest. This wasn\u2019t happening before. In order to do this, we\u2019re building effective collaborative partnerships between Government, iwi and M\u0101ori, community housing providers, local government, and the construction industry. We\u2019ve also changed the funding settings for community housing providers (CHPs) and K\u0101inga Ora, which has enabled them to claim a higher operating supplement to incentivise developments in priority locations. Changes to the rent maxima have also enabled CHPs to build outside of our main centres. There is no silver bullet to solving the national housing crisis that we inherited, and there is plenty more work to do. But our Government is continuing to invest to boost the supply of public homes in our regional towns and centres.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f69418c2daa486baf3956adde15df6f\u0022\u003ERachel Boyack\u003C/span\u003E: Have any of the Government\u2019s 10,000 new public homes been added in Nelson?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225bba03c454fd4025bb09bb3a353fe7da\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m proud to say that we\u2019ve added 158 public homes in Nelson since coming to Government, and have another 161 planned out to July 2025. This is a game-changer for Nelson, who between 2008 and 2017 saw a net loss of 16 public houses. We are also improving the current stock of Nelson with 18 of the homes in Nelson being upgraded through the retrofit programme. These are homes that will improve people\u2019s lives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229480b304d27e40eea3164601de3ff471\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: How many of the Government\u2019s 10,000 new public homes are in Rotorua?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227620aaff69e043d693891878f20597d1\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: We have made good progress in Rotorua with 209 additional public houses. This is starting to unwind the damage done by the previous National Government, who ended up with 44 fewer houses in Rotorua in 2017. There are also a further 300 public homes currently under construction in Rotorua. Rotorua is a priority for us for developing additional housing supply more broadly, and it\u2019s why we funded additional infrastructure through the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to enable over 3,000 additional homes in that area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bb1b8532e9946d8b87f7af7f76fbd4c\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Has she had any discussions with the Minister of Health, who\u2019s getting Shortland Street to help him recruit nurses, about utilising the TV programme The Block to actually help her build some houses?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220f980578e13743a5bec289165b74eb71\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: No, because we are a Government that actually\u2014[Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022187ca61b1e5045baa45d5570df2d2d55\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c2984e987b14cbfad372fb21bb0b990\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: No, because we\u2019re actually a Government that has policy on housing. I\u2019m yet to hear one from the National Opposition.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d1f4c9054ecf4b95b070f7c1a811d9a3\u0022\u003EAnna Lorck\u003C/span\u003E: Are any of the Government\u2019s 10,000 new public houses in Hastings?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002217debb322e3d4b88bd35092eebcf50e2\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Hastings is seeing an additional 157 public homes added under this Government. Unfortunately, there was a net loss of 192 public homes in Hastings between 2008 and 2017. The work this Government is doing is bringing and will continue to bring new public housing to the regions to undo the damage. I am also happy to report that another 133 public home builds are currently in progress and 75 more are in the planning stages.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022784229de66cf43f89998045ce5f5e928\u0022\u003EDr Emily Henderson\u003C/span\u003E: Have any of the Government\u2019s 10,000 new public homes been delivered in Whang\u0101rei? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250743904e6534b748e14dc0395ca37b8\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m happy to report that our Government has added 166 new public homes in Whang\u0101rei over the past five years, and there are over 500 in the pipeline for delivery by 2024/2025. This was an area that the previous Government did make some progress on; over nine years, they added five houses. We are proud of our record, but we know there is more to be done, and that\u2019s why we are making good progress on the Puriri Park development, which will bring 37 new homes to Whang\u0101rei by the end of this year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a423ce6e501a403c8e13263684937510\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022 data-id=\u00224c48c33ce223404eb207c5481834a4da\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224c48c33ce223404eb207c5481834a4da\u0022\u003EKAREN CHHOUR (ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the statement in yesterday\u2019s report on the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill by Jonathan Boston and David King that \u201Clocating the Monitor so close to the centre of power creates the risk of a vicious cycle of increasing levels of abuse and the potential for abuse to be swept under the carpet,\u201D or does she agree with Minister Davis\u2019 statement that for those who submitted against the bill, it was \u201Cjust another thing to grizzle about\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u002270c8c24bc13641398926ed46244b727d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002270c8c24bc13641398926ed46244b727d\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E In response to the first part of the question, I do not agree that the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill will risk increasing levels of abuse or the sweeping of abuse under the carpet. The bill includes specific provisions that set out a duty for the Monitor to act independently. The bill proposes a statutory officer model, statutory reporting requirements, power to require information, powers of entry, and a limit on Ministers\u2019 ability to direct the Monitor. The Monitor can escalate matters at their discretion to the entire Parliament, to Ministers, to the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission, and to the public. In response to the second part of the question, Minister Davis and I have both appreciated feedback from stakeholders on the bill itself, and this has informed a number of pivotal changes to the select committee process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c8d37742330416495a778cde5c6c121\u0022\u003EKaren Chhour\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister be showing up to the vigil for the survivors of State care outside her electorate office tomorrow to accept the petition asking her to pause the Oranga Tamariki oversight bill, and, if so, will she tell the survivors to their face that she knows better than them? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c72e0bdbaab64d58a40b2d0bdbd8079b\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: During this process, I have spoken to a number of stakeholders, including Voyce\u2014people that have been in care themselves. I am confident in what this bill is going to achieve. The Beattie Report that was released in 2018 said that we need to act with urgency. We need to make sure that we have the oversight system in place that ensures the protection of those that are in State care, and so we will not be pausing the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223627bfa99674c529ce5ff050250ab2d\u0022\u003EKaren Chhour\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister continue to ignore the opposition of vulnerable and care-experienced children, policy experts, advocacy groups, and all other political parties, and does she think it is appropriate that the Minister responsible for the Oranga Tamariki oversight bill seems determined not to listen to the children she is supposed to be protecting? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002247b6dafb945f4632ab5a043740763693\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, I have spoken to a number of stakeholders about the legislation, and, actually, the select committee did a very good job of listening to the submissions and made changes as a result of the submissions that were made and what was heard. This piece of legislation is incredibly important. I\u2019m really looking forward to the committee stages of this bill, where we can go through part by part to address some of the concerns that have been raised, to look at the language, and to have that debate so that we can provide assurance to the public that the bill achieves what it sets out to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228802206dcc1f441e8a2ac0ea6af74152\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: The Minister is reminded that in your maiden speech, of 16 December 2008\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bfb8b06029544dc88fa8d808731502b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member might want to go back and restart the question, because she was running into the risk of being out of order straight away.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228af461ef86a24401a1104d9ffcec2310\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister remember her maiden speech, given on 16 December 2008\u2014\u201CThe difference between this job and any others I have held is that I am privileged now to be at the ultimate of decision-making tables. Whilst at this table my commitment is to advocate for the vulnerable\u201D\u2014and why does the Minister now deliberately ignore the voice and views of the vulnerable, who themselves advocate against the oversight of the Oranga Tamariki systems bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223408eaaf256e40a0b7e6883b02652e12\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think we\u2019ll overlook the fact that the Minister didn\u2019t make the maiden speech, and let the Minister answer it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e93c1831c661418db38127d00e801b86\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: I am absolutely committed to ensuring that those kids who are in State care are provided with a system that works for them and protects them. My intent for being in this House has not changed from 2008. I also have a responsibility to traverse all of the information that is put in front of me, as well as to listen to the voices. We have listened to the voices, there have been changes that have been made to the bill, and, as I said, I am looking forward to the committee stage to be able to go through it part by part to address some of the concerns that are still being raised.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227435ca13cf044133910d6102cae0046c\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the analysis of the Auckland University Aotearoa New Zealand Centre for Indigenous Peoples and the Law report Time to Taihoa that found that the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill as returned from the committee was inconsistent with Te Tiriti and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in content and process; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291c50bd1452344379ca6168304da6ef2\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: No. The bill\u2019s Treaty provisions were carefully crafted with Te K\u0101hui, who supported the Ministry of Social Development\u2019s consultation with M\u0101ori across the country. The bill creates obligations on the oversight bodies to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The specific clause in the bill directly emerged from key M\u0101ori stakeholders who called for specific obligations to be placed on the oversight bodies rather than a broad Treaty of Waitangi clause which can be open to interpretation and run the risk of diluting the obligations on agencies. Also, in reference to UNDRIP, the draft declaration is still going through consultation. So it would not be appropriate to write into legislation now something that is still actively being considered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c540f6ce9d6d4ac68913b2b35763cbbd\u0022\u003EKaren Chhour\u003C/span\u003E: What would it take for the Minister to listen to the vulnerable children advocacy groups and policy experts who are crying out for her to pause this bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d0042d922a14cb7b028e1defc7935be\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Those children are front of mind for us as a Government, and that is why we will not be pausing the bill. They deserve to have an oversight system that is in place, that is robust, and we are doing that through this legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022546489e4efb149faabba83080fba0e5a\u0022\u003EKaren Chhour\u003C/span\u003E: Does she believe that the effective oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system is dependent on a high degree of public trust, and, if so, how does she reconcile this with a statement in the report that \u201CThe significant level of opposition to the Bill, especially from organisations working most directly with children and young people, along with all other [political] parties in Parliament, clearly demonstrates the Monitor does not enjoy the necessary level of trust.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e4ff791f10bd4dd7b82b9b4c30e4fc3e\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Again, this is why I am looking forward to the committee stage. I have been asked questions by the media and others that actually are not part of what is in this bill, questions like \u201CWhy are we dismantling the Children\u2019s Commission?\u201D when that is clearly not happening; questions like \u201CWhy are we moving the monitoring mechanism out of the Children\u2019s Commission and into ERO?\u201D when that\u2019s not happening, because the Independent Children\u2019s Monitor was established in the Ministry of Social Development and we\u2019re shifting that function to the Education Review Office from there. There are so many things that have been said about this bill that we need to be able to debate robustly in this House, and the committee stage will give us an opportunity to go through line by line and do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a6e0159029b1442dbf3019b18801bbc9\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225cf229a9-8722-46b2-a37e-b528e075be7d\u0022 data-id=\u002287ce070dfbdd4a8c9c162435e98aae22\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225cf229a9-8722-46b2-a37e-b528e075be7d\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002287ce070dfbdd4a8c9c162435e98aae22\u0022\u003EANGELA ROBERTS (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What progress has been made on supporting people into jobs in the regions? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022551245f206904b52a3dbb6a0922795c8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022551245f206904b52a3dbb6a0922795c8\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E In 2018, my colleague the Hon Willie Jackson proposed the establishment of regional skills leadership groups (RSLGs) to make Government more responsive to the workforce needs of our regions. The insights produced by the then interim RSLGs were critical to our COVID-19 response. They are one of the many reasons our economy has remained resilient, with unemployment continuing at near-record lows. The last month has seen many of the now permanent RSLGs release their regional workforce plans. Each plan is unique to its region and people, and reflects the sectors and opportunities that are important to them. The plans will be a catalyst for regions to build a shared vision for their labour markets and will influence regional decision-making to drive change that supports more New Zealanders into good jobs. I want to congratulate the RSLGs on progressing this critical kaupapa for our regions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225cf229a9-8722-46b2-a37e-b528e075be7d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287bd84d61fe94956b757624fba891c13\u0022\u003EAngela Roberts\u003C/span\u003E: What recent reports has the Minister seen on employment outcomes for New Zealanders in the regions? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224db40ad561744632a2716aafc866ea3d\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Today, the latest household labour force survey was released. It shows unemployment has remained at near-record lows, thanks to the Government\u2019s economic plan to support households and businesses through the challenging global environment, resulting in more people in work and wages rising. While we always have to be careful about the regional data in this survey due to low sample numbers, it was heartening to see these strong national numbers reflected in our regions. My original home region of Taranaki continued a trend of falling unemployment since December 2021, dropping to only 1.8 percent. This is the lowest unemployment rate in Taranaki since the survey began, and represents 1,600 less people unemployed than at this time last year. With New Plymouth seeing a 15 percent decrease in the number of people receiving jobseeker work-ready support in the year to June 2022, it is clear that this Government\u2019s focus on employment upskilling and training is paying off for Taranaki. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225cf229a9-8722-46b2-a37e-b528e075be7d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ad72cd2dec64adbb9a4d442b911bce4\u0022\u003EAngela Roberts\u003C/span\u003E: What other kaupapa is the Government continuing to support New Zealanders in our regions into good jobs? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022391df4336f294d8daa087f15f311b111\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Between June 2021 and April 2022, nearly 3,000 young people who were not in employment, education, or training were supported into permanent employment by the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs. The task force is a Ministry of Social Development partnership with Local Government New Zealand that supports New Zealanders in our regions, like Mitchell Boyce, an 18-year-old in Woodville. Mitchell not only gained an apprenticeship through the programme but also received support with tools and with obtaining his restricted driver licence. The Government has invested $14 million this year\u2014including $6 million in new funding\u2014in the task force to ensure 1,450 more New Zealanders like Mitchell can receive the localised, wraparound support they need to move into employment, education, or training. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ceaf688b6a504249be7d62cea9da1ee8\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014Revenue\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022 data-id=\u0022e71521d8f36d4efba64d05a477d8482b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e71521d8f36d4efba64d05a477d8482b\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader\u2014National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Revenue: Has Inland Revenue advised him why some people who haven\u2019t lived in New Zealand for several years have received the cost of living payment, and will Inland Revenue be investigating what specific errors have led to these payments being made?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u0022d608e47c701849098c3dbf1cf32ab0ee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d608e47c701849098c3dbf1cf32ab0ee\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Minister of Revenue):\u003C/span\u003E Yes, to the first part of the question, and to the second part of the question, no, because this cost of living payment is made on the basis of the best information that Inland Revenue hold. That is high quality data, but it is, and will always be, out of date at the margins. Inland Revenue are continually refining their data sets, including for this payment. Inland Revenue increasingly rely on sophisticated software to automate previously manual transactions. This saves the Government and taxpayers millions and millions of dollars every year on administration costs, with staff numbers at Inland Revenue down by around 2,000 people. Benefits to taxpayers include automated assessments, refunds, and other payments, worth hundreds of millions every year, and the use of automated data sets, which we strive to continue and improve, as well as it saves money and will continue to. People who know that the details held by Inland Revenue are out of date should update them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a6d5b5ea61d44c1888130f7cccddbbef\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Has the IRD advised him on how many non-eligible people have received the payment and, if so, what is that number?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fe85d73f9959452b8004053553f0c6d7\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: As I said yesterday, and the member quoted in her primary question, no, because you can\u2019t know, in a particular number sense, what you don\u2019t know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220cd674727b7b41feaab59107384b5056\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Oh. Old Rummy. Old Donald Rumsfeld\u2019s back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230a1e2b2dbae4419949a85909c2e7370\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: How can he be confident\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022485783fdf5614db2a8ae394530717dcb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! Mr Goldsmith, I\u2019ve been quite generous to the National Party today, as a result of an outburst from the other side. Does the member want that reversed? Nicola Willis, start again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f81de7787b9f4c5dbe2e67766c3ffa53\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: How can he be confident that these issues aren\u2019t more widespread when no investigations have taken place?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281d9e1cda632430a93edd63e9faae82b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Because I\u2019m confident that the Inland Revenue Department data sets are robust and are amongst the best data sets in the world. I also know that Cabinet considered and rejected the alternative, which would have cost a lot more money, which was to run an application process for the about 2 million people that are eligible, which would have cost a lot more than the money that would have saved and would have missed out a lot of eligible people. As the New Zealand Herald editorial today said, \u201CThe only practical solution \u2026 was a broad and largely unvetted package. \u2026 Anyone \u2018embarrassed\u2019 or \u2018outraged\u2019 by the over-reach of the scheme [can] return the payment or forward it to a charity\u2014and update their [IRD] records \u2026 As a former Inland Revenue deputy commissioner has pointed out, there were problems with all alternative approaches and the scheme, despite its flaws, was the most immediate. Something had to be done, and doing nothing would have been worse.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221f7ede2acf5d42b0b0751ac774211692\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Could the Minister explain the specific problems in the data sets which would have led to New Zealanders who have left the country five, six, or seven years ago receiving the cost of living payment?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220446a060a51d43849e8daffd1867ff64\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in that case, it must be that the Inland Revenue Department has a New Zealand address for that taxpayer rather than an overseas one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ebcdae029e9f424183a974af8ed0471b\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Are people living overseas who have received the cost of living payment required to pay it back?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a07661cd888d4c5dae53026cee4896ac\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: The payment is made on the basis of the automated data sets. We encourage people who think that they are not eligible to pay it back, but they\u2019re not obliged to pay it back because it\u2019s been legitimately paid to them. The cost of the alternative, which would have been an application-based process, would have been more than the cost savings made through that process and, as I said, wouldn\u2019t have got the payment out to the 1.3 million people who\u2019ve already received it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b01192a3fb2a433889203231fffeb8ea\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Minister saying people who received the payment in error aren\u2019t required to pay it back, when section 7AAA of the Taxation (Cost of Living Payments) Act says, as a matter of law, they are required to pay it back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e53e6361063489582ce8ab9344cabee\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s not the advice that I\u2019ve received. The advice that I\u2019ve received is if the payment was made legitimately on the basis of the screening that Inland Revenue have, there is no obligation on the tax department to chase it, nor the taxpayer to pay them back\u2014though we would encourage them to do it. If someone, of course, is aware that they were not entitled to it and in some ways encouraged the payment to be made, then that could amount to a fraud on the tax department. In that case, it would be theoretically payable back. Whether that would be practical if someone was overseas would be an issue for the commissioner to assess, and, of course, the commissioner takes those decisions independently of the Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022113da5bf208d406dad3b479d686fb9d4\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Can he confirm the Minister of Justice\u2019s statement this morning that the cost of living payment was designed \u201CEssentially overnight.\u201D, and is that the real explanation why this scheme is so riddled with errors and costing New Zealanders so much wasted money?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293c83c2cd9864663b570c34d6b505eb2\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: The system is not riddled with errors, and the cost of administration of running an application-based process would have cost more. I would again note that alternatives such as tax cuts that others have proposed\u2014that would give some people $2 a week, CEOs tens of thousands of dollars per annum, and overseas landlords thousands and thousands in tax cuts every year\u2014would have been far, far worse, and would not have provided as much to the middle-income people that this payment is directed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b04aa2df0fcb4cd19dd634cbc1f73cb7\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u2014Trade and Export Growth\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226e419a18-df21-483e-9650-2aaee4e06211\u0022 data-id=\u002259e1c5da34554618936e0f218988d208\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e419a18-df21-483e-9650-2aaee4e06211\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002259e1c5da34554618936e0f218988d208\u0022\u003EIBRAHIM OMER (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: What progress has the Government made on the Trade for All agenda?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d6bdab75ec648f9aba7e4639547c6fc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Damien O\u2019Connor. I can see he\u2019s got a novel in front of him.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022 data-id=\u00221b9e0ca9bde143fbb91d1ab42b98f81a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b9e0ca9bde143fbb91d1ab42b98f81a\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR (Minister for Trade and Export Growth):\u003C/span\u003E Oh. No, that\u2019s not mine, actually. No. I could pick my box up, though, if you want. This Government\u2019s Trade for All agenda continues to deliver meaningful commercial outcomes for our exporters. It is rebuilding the public\u2019s trust in Government trade policy, and it is making sure that trade delivers for all New Zealanders. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus, and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership have all entered into force since we took office, covering 26 economies across the Indo-Pacific region. We\u2019ve also concluded negotiations with the UK and the EU which are projected to increase GDP by up to $2.2 billion once fully implemented.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s not just the number of agreements we\u2019ve concluded, but the quality of these agreements that matters. They have not only opened up more opportunities for our exporters; they set rules and establish dialogue on issues including labour, environment, and animal welfare. They also provide opportunities for M\u0101ori to cooperate and collaborate with our trade partners and push forward with our ambition to improve women\u2019s participation in the export economy. I want to credit my friend and colleague David Parker for setting us on this path in 2017, and I\u2019m proud to continue on with this work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e419a18-df21-483e-9650-2aaee4e06211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7b563f4ea864c6d841ee71cfa765815\u0022\u003EIbrahim Omer\u003C/span\u003E: Has pursuing the Trade for All agenda had a negative impact on New Zealand\u2019s exports and trade relations?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022923b71bf8ddf4c1ea6842c306b4f7105\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: No, not at all. The Trade for All agenda has not only led to an improvement in the quality of our trade policy, but it has seen growth every year in our goods exports since this Government came to office in 2017\u2014from $53.6 billion in 2017 to over $63 billion at the end of last year. This growth has come at one of the most challenging times for global trade, with the pandemic and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine snarling up supply chains and many Governments retrenching into more protectionist policies. I\u2019m also heartened by the interest that many countries express in New Zealand\u2019s Trade for All agenda as they grapple with similar issues that we confronted prior to 2017 about public confidence and buy-in for trade policy. Trade for All has not only produced positive outcomes for New Zealanders, but it provides an example for others in how a trade policy can be pursued that not only provides economic growth and security but has the confidence and the support of the broader public.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226e419a18-df21-483e-9650-2aaee4e06211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc5bf57a546c49cd917b2f4aa2531ea8\u0022\u003EIbrahim Omer\u003C/span\u003E: What agreements is this Government currently pursuing under the Trade for All agenda?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022471dee54-f59e-4497-b3d3-c39044ce7169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c76c392232f4deeafd5193e01b9fed4\u0022\u003EHon DAMIEN O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: We have a large work programme that we are pursuing under our Trade for All agenda. We continue to lead the negotiations on the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade, and Sustainability, or ACCTS, with Fiji, Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland\u2014a first-of-its-kind agreement to bring together some of the interrelated elements of the climate change, trade, and sustainable development agendas. We\u2019re also continuing negotiation with the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Pacific Alliance, in which we are pursuing Trade for All - related outcomes. We also continue to seek an expansion of the Global Trade and Gender Agreement, GTAGA; and the Inclusive Trade Action Group, ITAG; and the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement, IPETCA. We have also joined the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, which brings together 14 countries from across the Indo-Pacific region to focus on some of the most important future-focused economic issues facing our region and the world, including harnessing our digital economy, decarbonising our economies, and making our supply chains more resilient. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022554dd723af23456cbc36093c8087c15c\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Health\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022 data-id=\u0022e88a30336a6b4fa683bdf131b3fee5cd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e88a30336a6b4fa683bdf131b3fee5cd\u0022\u003EDr SHANE RETI (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements and actions around the health workforce?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022449425c62b6347fa8945bd785ddd1c01\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022449425c62b6347fa8945bd785ddd1c01\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213dbae70e5a24a28af192588d00fb285\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Why did his announcement this week on the health workforce not include an increase in the number of new medical school places available for home-grown doctors?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022318318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022803b9e85d1704609a8f45111d4c0bb37\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The announcements I made this week were matters that Te Whatu Ora\u2014Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health are investing in. Matters of entrance to medical schools are a combination of health investment and education investment, largely through the Tertiary Education Commission. This Government remains focused on doing what we can to increase medical students in our medical schools, but we don\u2019t have any particular announcement to make on that at this point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aaafd074e5ab49fe92ead5823adb605b\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Can he confirm that it will take months before a single new migrant nurse is added to the health workforce as a result of his announcements this week, and isn\u2019t that far too slow when there are reports today of an elderly woman who was left lying in a hospital ward in her own urine for 14 hours?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca2629b1ec6e4137ac3ed0f24bb0a030\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just say, in relation to the story of the woman in the hospital who was treated in that way, that I was horrified to hear that anybody in a New Zealand hospital would be treated in that sort of way. Although as Minister I can\u2019t get into the specific details of an individual case, I would urge that patient and her family and wh\u0101nau to take those issues up with the hospital, and if they\u2019re not satisfied, to go to the Health and Disability Commissioner. In relation to the recruitment of nurses, the member might be interested to know that right now we have 7,000 overseas qualified health professionals who have registered their interest in wanting to come to work in New Zealand, including 3,200 nurses. I don\u2019t anticipate we\u2019ll have any difficulty in getting through the recruitment process to get nurses in place in New Zealand just as quickly as possible. I might say there are still some barriers that we have to deal with, but they are largely around the regulatory authorities such as the Nursing Council of New Zealand, but I can say the Nursing Council has written to me recently saying they wish to be part of a solution to make it easier for overseas nurses to get their registration.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002220a1791b2db247e5a197d503c0868bde\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: How then will he explain to the woman\u2019s family and the reportedly understaffed hospital team that his health workforce announcements this week did not put migrant nurses on the immediate fast-track pathway to residency?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022897d66896f584099ad7d8f5f9cd8515a\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: What I would say to anybody is that nurses are now on the green list, and they have an ease of access to New Zealand that they have never had before. I only have to look at the number of those who are registering their interest to work in New Zealand: 3,200 nurses, overseas qualified, ready to work in New Zealand, and they will now be chased up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281e247d1f3b34d208cfd192626c1814b\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: When he said in his health workforce announcements this week that he would be collaborating on nursing matters with Shortland Street, does he really think Shortland Street represents the nursing workforce?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4418531ac2c4ac2a5622c06b08fcad6\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The member must have misheard what I said. The collaboration is between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Ministry of Health. The recruitment campaign, which is badged Real Nurses, is a collaborative effort between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, who actually came up with the idea and started the development of much of the collateral, and the ministry. The Nurses Organisation came to me in about the middle of last year and said, \u201CLook, they\u2019ve got this nub of an idea. They\u2019ve started it, but they don\u2019t have the means to carry on. Could we work together on it?\u201D I spoke to ministry officials. They checked it out. They thought it was fantastic. I looked at the material. I thought it was fantastic. The Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, working together, have produced an amazing product right throughout the development of it, and New Zealand Nurses Organisation representatives have been sitting on the steering group. They came up with the idea of engaging with Shortland Street to make sure that story gets to a group of people who probably, apart from today, don\u2019t engage much with Parliament, for example, or the political process, but will want to, at an age when they are starting to make decisions about their future, engage with what future health careers look like. I\u2019d urge those who are fans of Shortland Street to continue watching. There\u2019s more to come.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022861a1798-a396-4a6c-b9e2-7d2f15d4a001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022beb9f596b6bc4d11acb1f95bc7f19254\u0022\u003EDr Shane Reti\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Shortland Street material he just stated he has looked at include a plotline with ballooning waiting lists and people waiting in leaky tents?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ac4b12838204f209171315ac27aa01c\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Once again, the member has misheard me. I talked about the Real Nurses material that has been developed. It is on the realnurses.co.nz website, which has some great information for those who are interested in a career in the health workforce, and I hope that there are many who are, because we need you. But it\u2019s a good time now, if you\u2019re a youngster, to be thinking about what you want to do. A health career is a great opportunity. Go to realnurses.co.nz. Carry on watching Shortland Street. You\u2019ll find out a lot more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bede3025f5214b7b9288b6901550e063\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u2014Economic and Regional Development\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022 data-id=\u00226cbb41b0bbf744a39a4d465f3a28f1af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226cbb41b0bbf744a39a4d465f3a28f1af\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK (Labour\u2014Tukituki)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Economic and Regional Development: What recent announcements has he made on Government support for the regional economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022 data-id=\u0022bd29f4dcdbac49b6ae86cbaad131e8cf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bd29f4dcdbac49b6ae86cbaad131e8cf\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH (Minister for Economic and Regional Development):\u003C/span\u003E During the recess, I had the very great pleasure to announce several new initiatives supporting the regional economies all across New Zealand. I announced the fourth, fifth, and sixth investments of the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund as well as a major investment from the Major Events Fund. The investments from the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund were a $6 million loan to a Southland-based oat milk producer, Functional Foods; a $1.75 million loan to a Levin-based sustainable timber manufacturer, Techlam; and $2 million investment of either a loan or equity stake in Rangit\u012Bkei-based sustainable plastic product manufacturer Plentyful. The investment from the Major Events Fund was an $8.1 million grant to support the delivery of six Crankworx Rotorua mountain bike events. It will also secure the future of up to 24 summer series events hosted across the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d635c4ea16644167b9a0ae0612760f77\u0022\u003EAnna Lorck\u003C/span\u003E: What are the benefits of investments from the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022002280e0e25941fdb2c11f6d31ff44c6\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: The Government set up the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to build more productive, resilient, and sustainable regional economies. For Functional Foods, we know we grow oats well in Southland, and their being low in water use, land use, and emissions means they are an excellent raw ingredient for an environmentally sustainable alternative milk option. Producing oat milk locally is a lucrative way to diversify our strength as a quality-food producer. Both Techlam and Plentyful are paving the way for sustainability in the high-tech industry. With their cutting-edge, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, from framing for houses to paper packaging for pies, there are many products that can be made more sustainably and with a better fit for the circular economy, and these companies are at the forefront of this sector-wide shift.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022501b4c7c29b4466ca050d11ffa9cef64\u0022\u003EAnna Lorck\u003C/span\u003E: What are the benefits of investment in the Major Events Fund?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bbded2ec-ac25-4a73-a380-3f4d87693084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a7f3ca409284d38a508cdc662bfe8d5\u0022\u003EHon STUART NASH\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ve held Crankworx events in New Zealand for the past seven years, and they have all been highly successful. The cumulative economic impact of the 2015-2021 events has been independently assessed at over $25.9 million, which doesn\u2019t include the ongoing economic benefit of international visitors who spend on travel beyond the event. This funding will also support extended summer series events, which will help distribute social and economic benefits across our South Island communities\u2014in particular, to Central Otago, Queenstown, and Wanaka. You\u2019re welcome, Joseph Mooney, and I\u2019ll see you there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022edc80b8bbf424c8182760fe35f6b632b\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022 data-id=\u0022fb6c8b23adbc47fbbfec64ed0ed59fb4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fb6c8b23adbc47fbbfec64ed0ed59fb4\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON (National\u2014Taup\u014D)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the Prime Minister that \u201Cit does matter to us as a Labour Government that we have people in the dignity of work\u201D; if so, why are 55 percent more people receiving jobseeker support for longer than one year as at the June 2022 quarter compared to the September 2017 quarter?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022ea9eb786baeb4e8fad27633d1cc508ad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ea9eb786baeb4e8fad27633d1cc508ad\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment):\u003C/span\u003E I do agree with the Prime Minister. This is why we worked quickly to enact the wage subsidy when hit with a once-in-a-generation pandemic. This quick action protected jobs and stopped New Zealand from reaching the number of unemployed predicted by Treasury. We\u2019re making good progress, with record numbers of people moving into work over the past 12 months. In the year ending June 2022, 30,200 people on jobseeker who had been receiving a main benefit for more than a year found work. This included 6,600 people who had been receiving support for three years or more. In 2017, these numbers were 14,500 and 3,960 respectively, showing our investment into front-line case management is working. Recently, I saw a news article where the Child Poverty Action Group said that our Government was too focused on getting people into work, and not on to child poverty reduction. We do not see those things as mutually exclusive. I acknowledge there is more to do, but we are certainly on the right track.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022299cef6f0d034ae9832f01b8386a2210\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Can she explain why, when businesses across the country are desperate for staff, 50,000 more people are on the jobseeker benefit than when you came into office?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ab187e3b7224143acdbac63690e5742\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: There are a number of reasons. I will say that, originally, Treasury had forecast we would have 487,000 people on benefit, and we certainly didn\u2019t come close to that. In particular areas around the country, I do note that they have pointed out that there is difficulty in getting the staff they need. I was recently in Queenstown, and saw that that was certainly the case for the tourism and hospitality region. There are other contributing factors like, for instance, in that region, the ability to be able to access housing for those that might want to work there, and so that is one. There are other reasons as well, like the fact that we need to equip people with the right skills and training to be able to take up the employment that is available. I\u2019m very proud of us as a Government because we have made those investments, and it will set us in good stead moving forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d094281e8f249728df5fdeeed940e87\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Why are more people on benefit for longer under her watch, despite Government spending on employment support doubling since 2017-18?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f04ddfd205a4fb88490a439552b3049\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: Despite the fact that we made the substantial investments through the wage subsidy, there were still a number of people that lost their job at the time. That did result in more people coming on to benefit and then needing to seek out support through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the case managers to be able to be redeployed or to find employment as quickly as possible. We worked with more numbers than we have had for quite a period of time due to the significant event that we\u2019ve been faced with, but I\u2019m very relieved with the fact that 2\u00BD years after the pandemic hit, we are currently in a situation where we have 11 percent of our working-age population on benefit, when that compares to 13.2 or 13.5 percent 2\u00BD years after the global financial crisis hit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229cbe518f5ce643bcbfff27e582b0e6ad\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: What factors caused the increase in people on the jobseeker benefit in 2018 and 2019?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229bd47af102d94fc09e25bd57697aaf5a\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s a very good question. What I found when I came into this role as the Minister for Social Development and Employment is that under the previous Government, there had been a steady decline\u2014quite a significant decline\u2014in the resource put into work-focused case management through MSD. Hardship had increased, but the Government had not funded the work focus required on the front line to be able to support unemployed New Zealanders into employment. We\u2019ve rectified that. Year on year, we have continued to invest in work-focused case management on the front line, and we\u2019re certainly seeing the results with that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002278efce64394945ce8c05f327ffd7bb2b\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree, at a time when many vacancies can be filled by on-the-job training, too many young New Zealanders are stuck on a benefit, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286ad75f0de454f9fbb52353be9fdd031\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: This Government has been considerably focused on young people and making sure that we provide them with the opportunities to take up employment. We see that with programmes like Mana in Mahi. We see that with programmes like Flexi-wage. We see that with our significant investment in apprenticeships, which has seen significant numbers of people take up apprenticeships. I\u2019m also very heartened to see with the recent unemployment figures and employment figures that we now see M\u0101ori unemployment drop to record lows of about 5.5 percent, and for Pacific that\u2019s 5.4 percent. We are certainly on the right track and focused on doing the mahi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd3dd7006f2048ccabb9c2b0fd8e41a6\u0022\u003EHon Louise Upston\u003C/span\u003E: Why has the number of sanctions applied in the June quarter this year been at 50 percent lower than the same period in 2019, despite the number of job seekers being significantly higher?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022460578a8ac344855ab7d9ead7d1beb28\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI\u003C/span\u003E: We take a different approach to the previous Government. We are not punitive for the sake of being punitive. I was very clear from the outset when I took on the role of Minister for Social Development and Employment that culture change would be a priority; that when it comes to applying sanctions, they are applied carefully; that my expectation would be that front-line social development staff would actually make honest attempts to contact clients before applying sanctions, and traverse the reasons for why they may have done something like missed an appointment, because let\u2019s keep in mind that that\u2019s often why they are applied. I don\u2019t apologise for the Ministry of Social Development making and taking a much more careful approach before taking the stick out and applying it to beneficiaries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022262412d8906f403fa4b971c23e70fd4e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Oceans and Fisheries\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u00223852c651a9874d0aa82d3378ddbeb0bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223852c651a9874d0aa82d3378ddbeb0bc\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Will he commit to further action in New Zealand\u2019s exclusive economic zone to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as seamounts, in light of the United Nations workshop under way in New York and relevant United Nations resolutions, including 64\\72, 66\\68 and 71\\123?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022 data-id=\u0022c6ecb66ad858491896993858419d9813\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c6ecb66ad858491896993858419d9813\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries):\u003C/span\u003E The purpose of the UN workshop is for States to have a technical discussion on approaches to bottom fishing and marine management. Here, Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation have established a multi-stakeholder forum on managing the effects of trawling on the benthic environment and New Zealand\u2019s exclusive economic zone. Impacts on seamounts and seamount-like features are being considered as part of the forum deliberations. Following the forum and public consultation, the Government will consider whether to impose additional restrictions on bottom trawling in New Zealand waters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1ef2cce773448dc8389a72aa2618b3f\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Is he satisfied with progress made in protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems, when fisheries observers reported that commercial fishing vessels dragged up 29 different species and 8.9 tonnes of coral in their nets in the 2018-19 fishing year, which is likely to represent the destruction of much more coral on the seabed, and, if he is satisfied, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a5d7f0e5d19e4c558309a130fd1f72ea\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: There is no doubt that bottom trawling has adverse effects on benthic environments. We should be always striving to do better and we should be always doing better, and we should be doing all we can to both minimise the level of impact and to limit the geographic extent of it. That said, trawling is an integral part of fishing, not just in New Zealand but in many, many other countries around the world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a52ee564273453093b0c71e7e1997ab\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree that New Zealand\u2019s approach of using a spatial model to manage bottom trawling effectively allows the fishing industry to smash and destroy unique assemblages of species and habitats on individual seamounts as long as there are other seamounts in the vicinity which aren\u2019t trawled, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228c530706b0c4279833e6acda9f7df70\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m not going to get into my opinion on the detail of that, because, as I\u2019ve said in my primary answer, there is a multi-stakeholder process occurring around bottom trawling and seamounts, and I\u2019m not going to prejudge the outcome before it\u2019s concluded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a247c5242254ee08737eceacf0b8ffc\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the statement in the 14 July 2020 report of the United Nations Secretary-General that \u201CGiven the importance of habitat-forming species and the high biodiversity associated with vulnerable marine ecosystems, it is likely that all VMEs contribute in some way to a range of important ecological functions in the deep sea, at least when assessed on a local scale.\u201D, and, if so, why is his Government allowing deep-sea trawlers to smash and destroy corals and other marine life on some seamounts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227389a7845e8f4525a4fd0c9e44ad5573\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I would need to consider that quote in a bit more detail. But at first blush, in respect of there being clearly local impacts of local trawling, that would seem to be axiomatic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a883999bd4e94014b93705172a48f775\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: Is he concerned by the statement by the Prime Minister\u2019s Chief Science Advisor in her February 2021 report on commercial fishing that \u201CEven decades after bottom trawling has been halted, there can be little to no recovery in a benthic community.\u201D, and, if he is concerned, why has he failed to protect more seamounts and features in New Zealand\u2019s exclusive economic zone?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002295e85fa1eeae4100ab4a5c404364f8f2\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: I did read that report. I have explained the work that we have going with a stakeholder grouping. I would also note that terrestrial environments are not totally protected either, and I don\u2019t think it will ever be the case that all marine environments are protected either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227b088123535c4706b28be2c953fd7978\u0022\u003EHon Eugenie Sage\u003C/span\u003E: If he doesn\u2019t think that all marine environments should be protected, does he agree with Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who likens New Zealand\u2019s position of allowing some seamounts to be damaged or destroyed by bottom trawling to allowing T\u0101ne Mahuta and Waipoua Forest to be bulldozed because there are other kauri forests left elsewhere, and, if not, what is the difference?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022626fc25a895b4ade96fa8f0957379f13\u0022\u003EHon DAVID PARKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, I don\u2019t, and I certainly believe that protecting some seamounts from bottom trawling is better than not protecting them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002239c2334e55ad4e0d8eb3d875c3e72a7e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Health (M\u0101ori Health)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022 data-id=\u0022c4abd5a28ad2458dbf67cd5f8e133582\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c4abd5a28ad2458dbf67cd5f8e133582\u0022\u003ET\u0100MATI COFFEY (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Health (M\u0101ori Health): What recent announcements has he made regarding the roll-out of Kaupapa M\u0101ori primary mental health and addiction services?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u002274bc25f4b7c749578d469adc2c438118\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002274bc25f4b7c749578d469adc2c438118\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE (Associate Minister of Health (M\u0101ori Health)):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. This morning, I was on Hongoeka Marae with health provider Ora Toa to recognise their new kaupapa M\u0101ori primary mental health and addiction service, Ng\u0101 Kete Aronui. This is a fantastic example of the value of by M\u0101ori, for M\u0101ori health services, delivering effective mental health and addiction support to wh\u0101nau who need it, in a culturally competent way. We know that when these services are delivered in a way underpinned by m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori, many wh\u0101nau are more likely to reach out for support and have a positive experience in doing so. Ng\u0101 Kete Aronui is one of 29 new or recently established kaupapa M\u0101ori primary mental health and addiction services across Aotearoa, funded as a result of the Government\u2019s groundbreaking Access and Choice programme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224967d62fae9b4aedab61cd066cb89290\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: How is the roll-out of these services progressing on a nationwide level?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265849e7eed4c4550972505b726681c09\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Over the past few weeks, I visited 13 of these new services rolling out across the North Island, Te Ika-a-M\u0101ui. From Waitemat\u0101 to Wellington, Tai R\u0101whiti to T\u0101neatua, it is a heartening experience seeing tailored, culturally competent wellbeing services being delivered by M\u0101ori, for M\u0101ori, and making a real difference. As I have said, we have now reached a total of 29 new services across Aotearoa since our commitment to taking mental health seriously in Budget 2019. From early 2020 until May this year, these growing kaupapa M\u0101ori primary mental health and addiction services have delivered more than 20,000 sessions for those with mild to moderate mental health and addiction issues. We know that M\u0101ori have struggled over the years to get meaningful, equitable support for their mental wellbeing, which is why we committed to funding these new by M\u0101ori, for kaupapa M\u0101ori mental health services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab28a514f6b74cde8e34843d25fb9d35\u0022\u003ET\u0101mati Coffey\u003C/span\u003E: What reactions has he seen to these new services?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d1b3347a8c0a4425b62ad94a978dcb06\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Recently, I visited the Poutiri Trust\u2019s chief executive, Kirsty Maxwell-Crawford, and she said that the new Mataora service in the Bay of Plenty is a significant boost for supporting its work in the area of mental wellbeing. I quote: \u201CIt means we can respond to wh\u0101nau in need, who have taken the brave step of reaching out for help. We have increasing numbers of wh\u0101nau contacting us in times of stress, wh\u0101nau wanting counselling or to access a M\u0101ori therapeutic service. Mataora allows us to be responsive to their needs\u201D. Te Tihi o Ruahine chief executive Materoa Mar said that the new Te Ara T\u014Dtika service in the central North Island helps \u201Cdevelop more connected pathways for wh\u0101nau and stronger relationships between service providers\u201D and the service is \u201Ca wrap around one connecting people with education, social, health, and wellbeing\u201D. Nothing is compared to hearing the voices of those who have engaged with these services. Their stories are about getting support when they really needed it, and have been truly moving. I would encourage anyone listening out there to reach out for help to one of these services when they require it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002236c6913054c84497bb7e6cbe80e2221c\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Environment (Biodiversity)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022 data-id=\u00221288c942023242cfa5f8902f2ffa69c7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221288c942023242cfa5f8902f2ffa69c7\u0022\u003EMARK CAMERON (ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity): Does he stand by the exposure draft of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity that objectives, policies, and methods developed under it \u201Cmust, to the extent practicable: enable new occupation, use and development of M\u0101ori Lands\u201D; if so, will he extend the same criteria to all New Zealanders with significant natural areas on their land?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022 data-id=\u00224d4e657eb1a34c2886da128c2984dc83\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d4e657eb1a34c2886da128c2984dc83\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW (Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity)):\u003C/span\u003E In response to the first part of the question, yes. In response to the second part of the question, there are a number of variances in the Draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for geothermal land, pastoral farming, forestry, and M\u0101ori land. The Government has not yet released the final National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB). \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224a7ef305e4524cfe92b9f1947f2ed9ac\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister agree that local authorities will be required to \u201Capply options for offsetting and compensation\u201D for M\u0101ori lands identified as significant natural areas? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2317acf2e7f4e7593e44f137fb0a041\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: As I just said in the answer to the primary question, the Government has not yet released the final National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229e2ec4282b4041dfb84bdbc3ee272210\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: Will the Minister require local authorities to apply for options for offsetting and compensation to all New Zealanders with significant natural areas on their lands, and, if not, why not? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0b8df22ecfe498d85d9fa9f01d2b177\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Crown has acknowledged responsibility for land dispossession through the Treaty settlements process, and I understand, actually, that the ACT Party has endorsed this process as it relates to the violation of property rights and the attendant economic impact of M\u0101ori who have been dispossessed of their lands. I am fascinated to find that the member is less frightened of variances in the NPSIB for geothermal purposes than he is for M\u0101ori purposes, and I wonder why could that be. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1ee082557b644d6b06f72ecb42bf7ab\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister stand by the statement made on his behalf in this House on 30 June that \u201Cexisting land use will continue under these proposals.\u201D, and can he give a guarantee to landowners that this will be the case?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e330a47dbf4f409197951ea09a99d7f8\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, and yes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022489d736b-2629-4bc7-8d38-6319c7797a33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002203ec82e731124c6e880ac79970c49913\u0022\u003EMark Cameron\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister accept that parts of the Draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity give different rights to different groups of people, and when will his Government start putting the people and environment of New Zealand before its ideology? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a7d7c8b241a4319a86fb52aafa7b1e1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b6019cc46184266ba2bd93ef19a8e58\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, there are\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f18d95076fb0433f8aae03823bb14526\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, no. Just\u2014I am going to let the member answer the question, but I think fairly soon, a few members, and not only newer members, are going to need a bit of a seminar on supplementary question drafting. There might be a semi-employed backbencher soon who can give them a hand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227c215736-b512-41de-8f0c-6c5543fcfce7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c96e8d3727634f6fae2fcd420edab918\u0022\u003EHon JAMES SHAW\u003C/span\u003E: As I said earlier, there are a number variances in the Draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity relating to geothermal land, pastoral farming\u2014which I would imagine that that member is quite interested in the variances for, as well\u2014forestry, and for M\u0101ori land, and there are a number of very good reasons for that, which were outlined when we first consulted on this in the summer of 2019-20, and then again on second draft more recently. \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=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022392ef32a1fa545478c432068429f603e\u0022\u003ECanterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002233d42fd5868a4d72b0bde5014e3689cf\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u002202a17e8bc9bc46ae953d14078fd982f4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202a17e8bc9bc46ae953d14078fd982f4\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill be now read a third time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ETihei-w\u0101 mauriora. Ki te whaiao ki te ao m\u0101rama. Ko te maunga Aoraki t\u0101t\u0101rehua e mihi ana ki te rangi, e mihi ana ki te whenua, e mihi ana ki ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata. T\u016B winiwini, t\u016B wanawana kia puta ki te whaiao ki te ao m\u0101rama. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou \u014Dku rangatira. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou ng\u0101 tini whanaunga, ng\u0101 Papatipu R\u016Bnanga, ng\u0101 hap\u016B maha, ng\u0101 hap\u016B rongonui, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, nau mai, nau mai whakatau mai, nau mai hoki mai ki te Whare P\u0101remata e takat\u016B nei. He h\u014Dnore nui t\u0113nei m\u0101ku e whakat\u016B ki te tautoko ki te h\u0113paratia t\u0113nei pire i t\u0113nei p\u0101nuitanga tuatoru.E mihi ana au ki te Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou e te kaunihera. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou m\u014D te mahi tahi me Ng\u0101i Tahu i t\u0113nei pire. He r\u0101 nui whakahirahira t\u0113nei. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou e ng\u0101 mate huhua o te w\u0101 e hinga atu r\u0101 e ninga mai nei kua whet\u016Brangitia koutou. Hoki mai ki a t\u0101tou te kanohi ora e pae nei. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou e ng\u0101 kaum\u0101tua e ng\u0101 p\u014Dua me ng\u0101 t\u014Dua. Ki a koe te rangatira e T\u0101, T\u0101 T\u012Bpene, e mihi kau ana ki a koe e te rangatira, e te p\u0101p\u0101. Koutou e ng\u0101 Papatipu Runanga e tautoko nei i t\u0113nei pire, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E[The breath, the energy of life. To the dawnlight, to the world of light. The misty mountain Aoraki greets the sky, the land and the people. Fearsome and formidable, to come forth to the dawnlight, to the world of light. Greetings, my chiefs. Greetings to the wider Ng\u0101i Tahu. Greetings to my many relatives, to the local assemblies, to the many sub-tribes, to the well-known sub-tribes, greetings, greetings, welcome, welcome to the House of Parliament that is prepared for you. It is a great honour for me to stand in support and to shepherd this bill in its third reading. I acknowledge Environment Canterbury, greetings to the council. Thank you for your collaboration with Ng\u0101i Tahi on this bill. This is a very important day. I acknowledge the many deceased of this time, you who have become stars in the heavens. Returning now to the living seated here. Greetings to the male and female elders. To you, Sir, to the chief Sir T\u012Bpene, this is my greeting you, the patriarch. To you in the Papatipu R\u016Bnanga who are supporting this bill, greetings to you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EAs the member in charge, I am delighted to speak at the third reading of the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill, te Pire Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha (Whakakanohitanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu). This bill is an historic bill. This bill is about the evolution of our Treaty partnership and representation of M\u0101ori, of iwi, at the local government level. I want to commend Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha Environment Canterbury, for their boldness in bringing this bill to the House. This bill has been a long time in the making.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge both the present council and the previous council for their work with Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu in bringing this second iteration of this bill through to this House, and I\u2019m absolutely honoured as the member in charge to now be at the third reading, right on the cusp of it being passed into law by this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI want to mihi to all my relations who have travelled from the great southern islands Te Wai Pounamu to be here to tautoko this significant occasion. In particular, I want to acknowledge T\u0101 Tipene O\u2019Regan, who is gracing us with his presence; our rangatira who has lead our great tribe and is now here to tautoko this significant development in that new age of cooperation that the Crown committed to with Ng\u0101i Tahu through the Ng\u0101i Tahu Settlement. So I mihi to T\u0101 Tipene and I mihi to our Papatipu R\u016Bnanga\u2014the faces of Ng\u0101i Tahu that make up the mana whenua that will be represented on te kaunihera on the Environment Canterbury Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EBecause it is the hapu\u2014it is the Papatipu R\u016Bnanga\u2014that hold up the great iwi of Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, and they are all represented here today in the Canterbury region.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge all of those Ng\u0101 Paptipu R\u016Bnanga, and they are Te R\u016Bnanga o Kaik\u014Dura, Te R\u016Bnanga o Ngai T\u016B\u0101huriri, Te R\u016Bnanga o \u014Cnuku, Te R\u016Bnanga o Koukour\u0101rata, Te R\u016Bnanga o Raiwera, Te R\u016Bnanga o Taumutu, Te Hap\u016B o Ng\u0101ti Wheke\u2014R\u0101paki\u2014Te R\u016Bnanga o Arowhenua, Te R\u016Bnanga o Waihao, and Te R\u016Bnanga o Moeraki.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EOur Ng\u0101 Papatipu R\u016Bnanga, who have been working in a tuia partnership for many years with Environment Canterbury are now taking the next level through the enshrinement in this legislation to have their representation right around the table at the regional council level. I want to mihi to all of their participation throughout the years and also their support for this legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI do want to acknowledge the regional council especially, and that goes right from the chair, Jenny Hughey, and her team of councillors. I thank them for their tautoko. Right through all of the staff and members that have been working very, very closely through the passage of this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll get to acknowledge them later on, but this is a really significant piece of legislation because it reinstates Ng\u0101i Tahu mana whenua representation at the regional council level. This is a unique piece of legislation; it\u2019s bespoke to the Canterbury region. It recognises the vast takiw\u0101 of the Canterbury region from north of Kaik\u014Dura, south to the Waitaki River, from the Banks Peninsula all the way through to our mighty maunga, Aoraki. It\u2019s a vast 44,500-square-kilometre area\u2014the largest in the country\u2014and also a population of 600,000 throughout that takiw\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThroughout that massive takiw\u0101, there is one mana whenua; there is one recognised iwi, and that is Ng\u0101i Tahu, represented through Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu. This bill is about ensuring that there is direct Ng\u0101i Tahu representation at the regional council level; it recognises the Treaty partnership; it recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ENg\u0101i Tahu are entitled to this representation. They\u2019re entitled to this representation because that is the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and this is a modern-day expression of that promise. That\u2019s what this bill provides: it provides for Ng\u0101i Tahu through recognising their mana, recognising their rangatiratanga to have their ability to appoint two representatives to the regional council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a big regional council; the good citizens and ratepayers of the Canterbury region will still get 14 elected members from that vast takiw\u0101 area; they will still have those members. But there will be the addition of two Ng\u0101i Tahu councillors who will be at the table to provide enhanced decision-making and to provide that important mana whenua perspective into those decisions, because that is very important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003ESo this is a positive move and I commend Environment Canterbury for their forthrightness in bringing this bill to the House. It\u2019s been an absolute pleasure shepherding it through thus far.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019m not going to entertain the debates from the other side, because this is a time of celebrating the passage of this bill. In 2019, when we failed to pass an earlier iteration of this bill, I remember saying at that time that we will be back. I remember saying that our great maunga\u2014our sacred maunga, Aoraki\u2014is patient and is watchful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019m so delighted that we waited our turn and we have come back to this House. We have come back with this legislation and we have the numbers to pass it into law. I know those on the other side may be wanting to take us back; they want to take us back and put us in a box. But this is about the evolution of Aotearoa and the representation of M\u0101ori at council level.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI want to thank all the people that have been involved: David Perenara-O\u2019Connell, Julian Phillips, Catherine Schache, David Cochrane\u2014who was the solicitor draft person, all of my whanaunga from Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, Lisa Tumahai, and all of the Ng\u0101 Papatipu R\u016Bnanga, for the mahi tahi that has taken place in the culmination of this historic legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019m delighted that it will pass. I\u2019m delighted that I\u2019ve had the opportunity to shepherd it through. I commend this bill to the House, m\u014D t\u0101tou, \u0101, m\u014D k\u0101 uri \u0101 muri ake nei [for us and our children after us]. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227778775a4891419a85e702d4106f7a04\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022 data-id=\u0022c2106fa2752a44a182b2e77cd9f0e507\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c2106fa2752a44a182b2e77cd9f0e507\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I do want to acknowledge the presence of the good people of Canterbury and Ng\u0101i Tahu for the third reading of this bill, the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill. I\u2019m afraid to say that the National Party will not be voting for this piece of legislation, and we do not support it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EWhat does it do? This legislation allows for 14 councillors in Canterbury to be elected by everyone\u2014M\u0101ori included\u2014everybody in the community, and then after those 14 councillors are elected, Ng\u0101i Tahu will appoint two more. So this is not a question of M\u0101ori wards in Canterbury, proportional to the population and democratically elected. It is about the appointments of two councillors on top of what has been a one person, one vote election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003ENow, why are we worried about that? Why do we care? Because it goes against two principles that have been important to our democracy. The first is equal suffrage, which is enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act\u2014equal suffrage, which is equal voting rights for all New Zealanders\u2014and also in the Human Rights Act around discrimination on ethnic grounds. The second principle that we\u2019re concerned about is electoral accountability, because one of the things that keeps all of us in Parliament on the straight and narrow is we know that, if we get it wrong, we will be thrown out at the next election\u2014which is what is going to happen to this Government, I predict. But under this bill, there is no such accountability because Ng\u0101i Tahu get to appoint those two councillors for ever and a day; they cannot be thrown out, and there is no direct accountability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EI can\u2019t believe that I\u2019m standing here in this Parliament making this argument\u2014defending equal suffrage and accountability at the ballot box. It astounds me that I\u2019m having to make this argument, and frankly, it\u2019s been very difficult to get the message across. I\u2019m not going to criticise media generally, but I do want to make the point in regards to the Christchurch Press: you point blank refused to publish an article I wrote on this topic outlining our view, saying that they wouldn\u2019t publish it because they needed to have a balanced article written by somebody else, which didn\u2019t strike me as difficult to arrange. But lo and behold, this morning they do publish an article supportive of the bill and refuse to publish mine. And so it\u2019s been very difficult to have a decent debate about what is an important issue. This is not just a matter for Canterbury; it\u2019s a matter for the whole country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003ENow, there\u2019s two points. We don\u2019t agree with the change. Why is equal suffrage important? I mean, why did Kate Sheppard, 100 years ago, argue for equal suffrage? Why is it an assumption that people are abasing? I would say it was pretty obvious: most people living in a democracy expect to have an equal say about who governs them and the decisions affecting their lives. If you look around the world, it is something that many people aspire to and don\u2019t have access to right now. There are many countries in the world where people don\u2019t have an equal say in who governs them, and they are worse for it. And they look to democracies like ours and they wish they could have it. Why is accountability important? Well, again, please show me a country in the world where the rulers of a country are not accountable at the ballot box which works well. Please show me an example, and I will be interested to see it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EBut secondly, as well as why we don\u2019t agree with the change, we don\u2019t agree with the way that it is being done because, as the introducer said, this is an historic bill, an evolution of Aotearoa. And it will set a precedent\u2014there\u2019s no question about that across local government. Some argue that it\u2019s unique to Canterbury. I can\u2019t understand how you would say this is a modern expression of the Treaty, but it only applies in Canterbury. I\u2019m sure there will be many other councils to which this logic will flow to, and then potentially to central government. But the thing that offends me is that, given this is a historic change that is being perpetrated, we have not heard once from the Prime Minister on the topic. In fact, for most of the debate, Ministers have refused to answer any questions about this bill. They\u2019ve said, \u201CIt\u2019s nothing to do with us. It\u2019s a local bill; nothing to do with us.\u201D But the Labour Party is voting it and making it pass. I still haven\u2019t heard a word on the subject apart from some flummery in the House yesterday from the Minister of Justice. We haven\u2019t heard Ministers actually defending the logic of this bill. No case has been mounted. It\u2019s been carried through in a local bill, and so that\u2019s where we\u2019re at.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EAnd then they say, \u201CWell, the council asked for it.\u201D Well, that\u2019s good. I\u2019m glad that the council asked for it, but we do note that the council made a deliberate decision, clearly, which I\u2019ve got here, not to consult with their community and the public on this issue. So the public are the ones who haven\u2019t had the opportunity to have a say. And so why are we worried about this? We\u2019re worried because we\u2019ve heard broader discussions and arguments put forward by Willie Jackson, who has told us that the nature of democracy in this country has changed, and so the nature has changed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228dd85f6a8b30422185483b93208c501a\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: How did you get in?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229eb75987d3d64453b60e6586cd3f8b69\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! I\u2019d just say to the Minister: I listened pretty carefully, and the member got in the same way that I did. But, if he means the member and not me, he should say, \u201Cthe member\u201D and not \u201Cyou\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e15506ad322487dac5f2fce4fcb30d2\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Minister Willie Jackson said the nature of democracy has changed. And I suppose the question is: \u201CTo what?\u201D When did we decide, as a country, that the nature of our democracy has changed? I don\u2019t recall going along to a constituent assembly where we all decided that the nature of our democracy had changed. I don\u2019t recall a referendum where we decided, and I don\u2019t recall the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, going to the people at the 2020 election saying, \u201CBy the way, I\u2019m going to change the nature of our democracy.\u201D What mandate have they got for it, and what does it mean?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EThe suggestion is that the Treaty of Waitangi demands this. Well, it is our view, on this side of the House, that the Treaty of Waitangi does not trump democracy, and the country hasn\u2019t decided that, and so, ultimately, what is being pushed here is, I think, a very divisive agenda which is pitting one group of New Zealanders against the others. They\u2019ll say we\u2019re being divisive by opposing it. This is not something that we have put forward; it is something that the Government has put forward. They haven\u2019t argued for it, and they haven\u2019t made a case for it. They are making a significant change to our democracy without asking New Zealanders first.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003ENow, there\u2019s a couple of red herrings that have gone around about this. They said, \u201CWell, National did it, earlier.\u201D National appointed commissioners when the Canterbury Regional Council failed beforehand, and we included Ng\u0101i Tahu representation in that. That is a very different thing, for a duly elected Government of the day, which is accountable to the people of New Zealand, making an appointment in a particular set of circumstances and being accountable. If people don\u2019t like it\u2014if the population didn\u2019t like it\u2014they could throw us out. And arguably they did, not just for this, but for other issues. So that\u2019s very different to changing the law to give a permanent, unelected right by Ng\u0101i Tahu to appoint two councillors\u2014a very different thing, where the accountability won\u2019t apply. So there is no comparison between those two things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003ESecondly, we have a Michael Wood \u201Cspecial\u201D saying, \u201COh, because people who own property in different council areas get to vote in each, one person, one vote doesn\u2019t apply.\u201D The silly and irrelevant discussion, which is New Zealanders only get one vote per election and if anybody, including Ng\u0101i Tahu members who might own multiple properties\u2014all get access to vote in different elections. That law applies to everybody in this country, and that is the point. So we give clear warning.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002268635c63a48f4c13a1ffbe9296d4961d\u0022\u003EDebbie Ngarewa-Packer\u003C/span\u003E: Have you seen who owns houses?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ee4f37c2b2e4ec59b78bcc3cd0c1d0b\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. Thank you very much for the commentary. We give clear warning that this bill is being passed against the strong opposition of the National Party. We will repeal this Act if we are lucky to be elected at the next election. We assert two principles that are important to our democracy. That is, equal voting rights for all New Zealanders, and accountability at the ballot box. We think they are important. They are part of what makes this country precious. They are part of what makes this a successful modern economy, and those two principles are important. And if we get a chance to repeal it, some will complain that we are taking something away from somebody when we repeal this legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003EI want it on the record that this bill was passed against the will of the Opposition. A change with widespread implications for democracy that has been pushed through without any attempt whatsoever to bring widespread acceptance across the House. It has been done on crude majority numbers and, as such, it will be repealed if we get the opportunity at the next election. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u00222b6fb273c1e64b25b8e8d9a508a4ba7d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222b6fb273c1e64b25b8e8d9a508a4ba7d\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister for M\u0101ori Development):\u003C/span\u003E Tuatahi e mihi ana ki a koutou Ng\u0101i Tahu kua tae mai nei i t\u0113nei w\u0101 ki te tautoko i tenei pire. E mihi ana ki a koutou e whakarangatira te kaupapa i t\u0113nei w\u0101. N\u014D reira, ki a koe e te p\u0101p\u0101, T\u0101 T\u012Bpene, ng\u0101 mihi ki a koe e te p\u0101p\u0101. M\u014D t\u014D kaha ki te k\u014Dkiri te kaupapa, ki te whawhai m\u014D te kaupapa i tahuri t\u014D korowai rangatiratanga i runga i a t\u0101tou i t\u0113nei w\u0101 t\u0113nei te mihi ki a koe e te p\u0101p\u0101, koutou katoa, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 an\u014D t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E[Firstly, I would like to acknowledge you of Ng\u0101i Tahu who have gathered here today to support this bill. Thank you for honouring this issue today. So, to the patriarch, Sir T\u012Bpene, I acknowledge you. For your energy in championing this cause and fighting for this cause, we are honoured by your chiefly presence today, greetings oh patriarch, and everybody, greetings, greetings, greetings one and all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ET\u0101 Tipene graces us with his presence. He must have had a good laugh at that last k\u014Drero when we had someone talking about democracy who is a product of the new democracy with his dirty, rotten, filthy deal in Epsom. He\u2019s forgotten about the new democracy, where his leader did a deal with the ACT Party and put him in on the list. Oh, no, democracy doesn\u2019t count there because that\u2019s a dirty, rotten, filthy deal between the National Party and the ACT Party. Oh, no we\u2019ll forget about that\u2014the rorting of democracy only applies to M\u0101ori! So shame on you, Mr Goldsmith.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI am proud to tautoko this bill, proud to support this bill. This is about the promise of the Treaty coming to fruition, and that\u2019s what my good friend and colleague Rino Tirikatene has said. It\u2019s taken too long for M\u0101ori to get the most basic of representation at local and regional level. I salute all our wh\u0101nau who\u2019ve come in from Ng\u0101i Tahu for your absolute commitment to this kaupapa. What makes the struggle for equality under the Treaty so much more difficult is when our colleagues on the right pull political stunts to manipulate Kiwis\u2019 ignorance of our past by weaponising the one person, one vote principle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIt is a disgrace that the right would use such spiteful dog-whistles\u2014I was going to say \u201Cracist\u201D and I think I can say that with right-wingers, can\u2019t I, Mr Speaker; I\u2019m not talking about anyone in particular\u2014by claiming that the honouring of the Treaty amounts to a desecration of the one person, one vote democratic value when there are multiple examples from the very democratic tradition that they pretend to care about that shows that one person, one vote is but one value within the democracy, not the only value.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, the House of Lords\u2014I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve been there\u2014is not one person, one vote. The Electoral College is not one person, one vote. The Senate is not one person, one vote. In New Zealand, our own very country, with MMP it\u2019s not one person, one vote. It\u2019s one person, two votes. Why are M\u0101ori having to explain democracy to those who claim to protect it? The right would not for one moment claim that America or the UK were not democracies, yet we in New Zealand, a country that has \u201Cone person, two votes\u201D extends the universal suffrage of representation promised to us as M\u0101ori. We have Chris Luxon and David Seymour up in arms. Give us a break. We all watched the 6 o\u2019clock news last night. Nicola Willis was squirming, and that was a story highlighting how multiple property owners can vote in multiple local body elections, giving landowners more power than the poor. I was watching Nicola struggle to answer why one person, one vote suddenly doesn\u2019t apply to rich landowners. I kept watching it all night. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe question is: how many votes is the leader of the National Party going to get in the local elections? Seven? This is democracy\u2014this is the wonderful democracy. This is a group of people who refuse to accept new democracy\u2019s change in 1996 when Winston Peters chose them as a Government. That\u2019s not a new democracy. It\u2019s not a new democracy when you have four women in Parliament. It\u2019s not a new democracy when you have more M\u0101ori in Parliament. It\u2019s not a new democracy when you have more Pasifika in Parliament. Oh, no, that\u2019s not a new democracy. It\u2019s only a new democracy when M\u0101ori start working the system, and it\u2019s a wrong democracy! It\u2019s disgraceful the way this lot have carried on, the way they have manipulated the situation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThis Government is an example of the new democracy. We got 37 percent, they got 44 percent. We became the Government\u2014that couldn\u2019t have happened; under MMP, that\u2019s the new democracy. What does the Opposition not understand about a new democracy? The representation of Ng\u0101i Tahu on the Canterbury Regional Council for some reason scares them. It scares their friend Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB so much, but Mike doesn\u2019t need to be frightened by M\u0101ori gaining what\u2019s been promised to them under the Treaty. We live in a democracy with one another and seek genuine engagement to build bridges, not walls. Unfortunately, the right refuse to accept this. This is a maturing of our democracy. We seek to frame co-governance as a positive way forward. The right frames it as a racist evil by manufacturing \u201Cone person, one vote\u201D outrage, when the very democratic system they claim to defend allows for many values that go beyond that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI do think, as I\u2019ve said, that the greatest hypocrisy in the right\u2019s position against co-governance is that we are using the co-governance architecture that was built by the National Party and the ACT Party. Whether they want to admit it or not, that\u2019s just a fact, and that\u2019s why I say it\u2019s incredible when we look back\u2014and I was just given a note\u2014and see that there are at least a dozen Treaty settlements that support co-governance brought in by the Hon Chris Finlayson. A dozen. And as I said also\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222eec6712d4444273afcd46a803efecab\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s he got to say about this?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228e58b48718c4fcb8b1cdd9c11560411\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: He supports us, actually. He\u2019s a supporter. He says co-governance can work, not just in the natural resource area. It doesn\u2019t just have to be about the lakes, and the sky, and the sea, and stars. It can be about Te Ao M\u0101ori in a modern context. So it\u2019s just an outrage the way the right wing have been carrying on in terms of this bill. This has been such a wish of our people from Ng\u0101i Tahu who come here. The way that things have been manipulated is almost beyond belief. This is not some M\u0101ori takeover. This is not about the Mahuta/Jackson quest for power, as the right wing and the National Party and the ACT Party have been trying to frame this for the last couple of years. There\u2019s no takeover. This is about partnership. This is a partnership that is working. This is a partnership that is in the Treaty. This is a partnership that judges have talked about for the last 35 years\u2014that apparently David Seymour knows more about than our very learned judges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EWhen we get things right, when we have the law in our favour, we\u2019re opposed by the right wing absolutely. It is a disgrace, and this is a disgrace, and it\u2019s a shame that our very learned knight and leader T\u0101 Tipene has to witness this given all the history and experience he has had with the National Party. In fact\u2014I\u2019m not sure if he was part of it now. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll tell me later. But I know that with his history and his experience and the work he has done with the Hon Doug Graham and Jim Bolger he\u2019ll be shaking his head thinking, \u201CWhat happened to the National Party? What happened to that commitment?\u201D When you look at what\u2019s happened in Te Uruwera, when you look at what\u2019s happened in Auckland, when you look at what\u2019s happened with the Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua settlement\u2014settlements everywhere\u2014you see co-governance working, everyone working in tandem, and yet the National Party are so opposed to this and are framing this in the most irresponsible and disgraceful way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThe Government embraces cooperation, embraces co-governance, and embraces representation. We see it as not only fulfilling this nation\u2019s obligations under the Treaty; we also see it as the best way forward for our society, and I\u2019m proud that we\u2019ve been able to support these two new M\u0101ori seats for Ng\u0101i Tahu. Kia ora an\u014D t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022 data-id=\u0022a4f761660c374fb39a4128f520dd8e58\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a4f761660c374fb39a4128f520dd8e58\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the National Party to speak on the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill at its third reading. Before I begin, I just want to acknowledge the members of Canterbury and Ng\u0101i Tahu who are in the gallery, and T\u0101 Tipene O\u2019Regan. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll just touch on, briefly, the history. The National Party has had a proud history of developing its relationship with M\u0101ori, developing its relationship with Ng\u0101i Tahu. I think about the negotiations between the Treaty Minister Doug Graham, who was the Treaty Minister in the National Government who negotiated with T\u0101 Tipene O\u2019Regan and Ng\u0101i Tahu to have this settlement, the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement, which was signed in 1996. The National Party celebrates, acknowledges, and is proud for Ng\u0101i Tahu and of Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2014the incredible efforts that Ng\u0101i Tahu has made since then in developing their rohe, developing their wellbeing and the wellbeing of their people. It\u2019s recognised throughout New Zealand and overseas, the extraordinary efforts they have made since then to develop their people and their area, and their business acumen is celebrated. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThe unfortunate thing is this bill has got it wrong. I\u2019ve heard the Hon Willie Jackson make a number of interesting comments, which I\u2019ll touch on, which may indicate why there is some confusion that has led to where we are here. For example, he talked about MMP, and he said democracy changed. An interesting thing is that democracy changed in MMP when New Zealanders got a chance to vote on it in a referendum. When there is electoral change to the way that we operate and govern our country, we have a constitutional convention of having a referendum so the people of New Zealand can make a decision about how they want to be represented and how they want to be governed. That has not happened here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EWe heard from the Hon Paul Goldsmith before, who said that the regional council didn\u2019t even consult with their ratepayers. That is unfortunate. We have come to a place here where the regional council has sent a bill to Parliament and said to Parliament, \u201CYou sort it out.\u201D, and we\u2019ve just gone through a fairly truncated process, and we are here now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThis bill has a fundamental flaw in it from a constitutional perspective: it appoints two members to a body which is going to make the decisions for all of the people in its community. This undermines the constitutional convention of universal suffrage, which has been a defining point of New Zealand for 129 years. New Zealand is one of the youngest countries in the world. We have one of the oldest democracies in the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EFor 129 years we\u2019ve had this convention that we have one person, one vote. I heard Minister Willie Jackson, again, say, \u201COh, it\u2019s not one person\u2014it\u2019s one person, two votes.\u201D Well, the point is that everyone gets to make the vote for the electorate MP, the person who represents them in the region, and one vote for the party they want to represent them. Someone can, for example, think that their local member of Parliament, who may belong to, say, the Labour Party, is doing a good job for them, but they think that the National Party, by way of example, would be better in terms of their values at a national level. So each person has a choice to make about the party and about the actual local representative for them. Everyone has that right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThis bill undermines that principle of universal suffrage\u2014that\u2019s everyone having one person, one vote. Not only that, but it actually undermines the principle of voting, because these will be two members who are appointed to the regional council. Let\u2019s just be clear: this is local government. Local government is government, and under our constitutional conventions we have this principle of universal suffrage. But it\u2019s not just a New Zealand principle. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThe United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified in 1948, born out of the experiences of countries around the world with regimes that did not honour the principle of voting for people who govern them. There was an agreement to have this Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and article 21 made it very clear. It said, \u201CEveryone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives\u201D\u2014not appointed representatives. It went on to say, \u201CThe will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall \u2026 be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.\u201D So there is an international agreement that the will of the Government and the basis of the authority of the Government is expressed in genuine and free elections, which are through universal suffrage. This bill undermines that principle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI would also note that the Attorney-General\u2019s opinion on this, in my view, has unfortunately not delved into this in any great detail. It\u2019s just said that \u201CThe Treaty of Waitangi settlement agreed between Ng\u0101i Tahu and the Crown in November 1997 acknowledged the rangatiratanga and mana of Ng\u0101i Tahu over their lands \u2026 and affirmed their \u2018special association\u2019 with the natural environment in a number of areas.\u201D It said, \u201COn the basis of this, the Settlement awarded Ng\u0101i Tahu positions of input into environmental management bodies throughout the South Island/Te Wai Pounamu. This included establishing a Ng\u0101i Tahu statutory adviser position to the Department of Conservation and awarding dedicated seats to appointees of Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu on the New Zealand Conservation Authority and on Conservation Boards within the Ng\u0101i Tahu Claim Area.\u201D It goes on to say that it thinks that although this could ostensibly be seen as discriminating against others because they can\u2019t be appointed unless they\u2019re Ng\u0101i Tahu, they think because of the special relationship, this bill is justified. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EIt doesn\u2019t address that issue of universal suffrage. It does not address another key point. These bodies, the New Zealand Conservation Authority, the Department of Conservation, are responsible to bodies which are politically accountable. That\u2019s an important point, because people have a right to be governed by those over whom they have the right to have a say in whether they are appointed to their position of governance and a say in whether they are removed from their position of governance if they don\u2019t think they\u2019re doing a good job. This bill, unfortunately, undermines that key principle and undermines that fundamental democratic electoral accountability, which has been key to balancing the different dynamics in our communities for 129 years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThat is the point of democratic electoral accountability\u2014that we have a lot of different opinions in our communities, we have a lot of different views in our communities, and we need to find ways to balance them; and that everyone has the view that they have at least had an opportunity to have an input into those decisions. This bill, unfortunately, undermines that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s just be clear. There wouldn\u2019t be too many people in New Zealand who don\u2019t think that the Treaty process has been a good one overall in terms of addressing historical grievances and in terms of making them right to a degree\u2014certainly by no means perfect, but making steps to acknowledge wrongs that\u2019ve been done in the past and to make right those wrongs as far as has been possible through this democratic process. The important thing is that New Zealand has accepted that under our political system, under a system in which each person has the right to participate in voting for those who make those decisions. That\u2019s a really key, fundamental point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ESo I do, unfortunately, have to stand to oppose this bill and to say that it is unfortunate that we are undermining 129 years of universal suffrage in New Zealand. We are undermining the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If I look at the Treaty of Waitangi, we have article 1, which is k\u0101wanatanga, governorship, and there\u2019s different views on this. There\u2019s article 2, which is rangatiratanga\u2014rangatiratanga over taonga, over lands, and other treasures which M\u0101ori have and had at the time of signing the Treaty of Waitangi. Then there\u2019s article 3, which is equal rights of citizens of these lands. I do not see how this opinion from the Attorney-General has adequately connected those three critical principles in the Treaty of Waitangi with this bill. So it is with regret that I do have to rise to oppose this bill. I would stress that the National Party and myself are strong supporters of Ng\u0101i Tahu and we wish their continued success into the future. But this bill is not a good one, so I cannot commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022 data-id=\u002251074dd00d6346758691aa50fb67fdc1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002251074dd00d6346758691aa50fb67fdc1\u0022\u003ET\u0100MATI COFFEY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E If ever there was a reason to stop voting National, today is the day. I grew up in a horse racing family, and my dad taught me about the importance of having \u201CA dollar each way, son\u2014have a dollar each way.\u201D Every time that I heard that previous contributor, Joseph Mooney, talk about how supportive he was of Ng\u0101i Tahu and your journey, and then he put in there, \u201COh, but, unfortunately, I\u2019m not going to be able to support it today.\u201D\u2014I heard a person that was putting a dollar each way. Why? Because he knows that there\u2019s an election coming up next year, and he knows that he\u2019s going to have to defend it in the electorate that he comes from, Southland. I hope\u2014I hope\u2014that your r\u016Bnanga holds him to account.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EDitto all of the National Party MPs who have stood here today, and their party, who have said that they will repeal your legislation in this House. They\u2019ve said it blatantly, it\u2019s all over their social media. They have drawn a line in the sand and they said that they are going to absolutely repeal this bill. They need to be held accountable for that. That\u2019s a very bold statement, but even bolder when you\u2019re sitting here in front of the iwi themselves. I\u2019m glad that they\u2019ve got their masks on because, if they didn\u2019t, you\u2019d probably be able to see the grimacing and maybe some of the underhanded words that should go with the opposition that you\u2019re putting up towards this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ETuatahi ake, he mihi t\u0113nei ki a koutou o Ng\u0101i Tahu, ng\u0101 p\u014Dua ng\u0101 t\u0101ua kua huihui mai nei i t\u0113nei r\u0101 ki te h\u0101pai i t\u0113nei kaupapa. Mai i t\u0113nei t\u0113tahi o ng\u0101 kaihoe o Te Arawa waka mai i Maket\u016B ki Tongariro, he mihi t\u0113nei ki a koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E[First and foremost, this is my acknowledgment to you, Ng\u0101i Tahu, to the male and female elders who have gathered here today to carry this issue. From me, one of the paddlers of the Arawa canoe, this is my greeting to you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EOne of the amazing things that you get to experience when you sit on M\u0101ori Affairs Committee is the submissions that come in from Ng\u0101i Tahu. Whenever they put in a submission to the committee, to this House, they preface it with the apology that was set down in their settlement that they signed back in 1996, that was enacted in 1997. Unfortunately, the wash of MPs in this House is such that so many forget it. They forget the apology. They forget what was signed up to. They look to the past and they have this political amnesia that takes place, and it needs to be addressed. So I thank you and I implore you and I encourage you to continue to put that apology at the start of all of your submissions so that whichever MP is looking over your submission in whatever context, whatever bill, whatever legislation you\u2019re talking about, they are reminded of that apology. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EFor that context, I want to read some of that apology today because I think it\u2019s incredibly apt. Section 6 of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Claims Settlement Act\u2014this is the text in English of the apology\u2014it says in subsection (4), \u201CThe Crown recognises that it has failed to act towards Ng\u0101i Tahu reasonably and with the utmost good faith in a manner consistent with the honour of the Crown. That failure is referred to in the Ng\u0101i Tahu saying \u2018Te Hapa o Niu Tireni!\u2019\u201D\u2014which translates to\u2014\u201C(\u2018The unfulfilled promise of New Zealand\u2019). The Crown further recognises that its failure always to act in good faith deprived Ng\u0101i Tahu of the opportunity to develop and kept the tribe for several generations in a state of poverty, a state referred to in the proverb \u2018Te mate o te iwi\u2019 (\u2018The malaise of the tribe\u2019).\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EIn subsection (6), it says, \u201CThe Crown expresses its profound regret and apologises unreservedly to all members of Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui for the suffering and [the] hardship caused to Ng\u0101i Tahu, and for the harmful effects which resulted to the welfare, economy and development of Ng\u0101i Tahu as a tribe. The Crown acknowledges that such suffering, hardship and harmful effects resulted from its failures to honour its obligations to Ng\u0101i Tahu under the deeds of purchase whereby it acquired Ng\u0101i Tahu lands, to set aside adequate lands for the tribe\u2019s use, to allow reasonable access to traditional sources of food, to protect Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2019s rights to pounamu and \u2026 other valued possessions as the tribe wished to retain, or to remedy effectually Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2019s grievances.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe kicker is subsection (8), where it says, \u201CAccordingly, the Crown seeks on behalf of all New Zealanders to atone for these acknowledged injustices, so far as that is now possible, and, with the historical grievances finally settled as to matters set out in the Deed of Settlement signed on 21 November 1997, to begin the process of healing and to enter a new age of co-operation with Ng\u0101i Tahu.\u201D That was 25 years ago that they signed that. And it\u2019s here, 25 years on, that we\u2019re still having to wrestle this bill through Parliament, through our parliamentary structures, to enable you to have your new age of cooperation. I apologise that it\u2019s taken this long, and I apologise that you have to go through this process. But we\u2019re going to get this bill through, today, because it\u2019s what you want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe Opposition, for a long time now, have been fearmongering\u2014absolutely fearmongering\u2014New Zealanders into believing that this a M\u0101ori takeover, that Ng\u0101i Tahu are a very wealthy, billion-dollar tribe, and that they don\u2019t deserve an extra say on top of what they already get\u2014the potential to be already enrolled as a candidate in the Environment Canterbury (ECan) elections and to go through the normal processes\u2014which have entrenched a particular way of life here in New Zealand, which is fearful for the Opposition to think that that will change. But today it\u2019s going to change, and I salute you for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI put a p\u0101nui out to all of those other iwi that are listening: Ng\u0101i Tahu have opened the door. And for that reason, all of those iwi out there that are struggling with how representation works for them in their rohe, I hope that they\u2019re understanding that this is a potential pathway. Not under the National Government, because they\u2019re going to repeal it all, they\u2019re going to take it all away, they\u2019re going to make sure that they entrench the system that we\u2019ve currently got whereby we don\u2019t have this kind of representation. The ironic thing is they started it\u2014they put the Act in place. They were the ones that came up with the ingenious idea to actually have two appointed people, appointed by Ng\u0101i Tahu, on the Environment Canterbury board. They did this. But what are they doing? They\u2019re politicking\u2014they\u2019re politicking\u2014and they\u2019re trying to take away what you want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll take this opportunity to remind them of a recent article that was written by the Hon Chris Finlayson, who had done his time in this House wearing his blue ribbon the whole way, but, having come out the other side, he made a few reflections in a recent E-Tangata column, and I want to read this to you. He says, \u201COnce you\u2019ve read the factual concessions by the Crown, [you\u2019ve] read the apologies, you begin to realise the wrongs that have been committed. You begin to get a good understanding of the facts. The Crown promised to protect \u2018the unqualified exercise of \u2026 [M\u0101ori] chieftainship over their lands, [over their] villages and \u2026 treasures\u2019. But it not only failed to perform that obligation\u2014it went out of its way to breach it. We must acknowledge that failure and that breach, and remain committed to putting things right. My perspective on how to put things right is fundamentally a centre-right one. It asks the question: Why does the government think it knows best? The government makes heaps of mistakes. I was in there for years. I saw; I know. So, I don\u2019t think that government has all the answers, and I agree with Ronald Reagan that, so often, government is the problem.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge all of those councils that stood behind you on this journey. E ai ki te whakatauk\u012B, m\u0101 te huruhuru ka rere te manu. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E[According to the proverb, it is the feathers that enable the bird to fly.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EIt was the Christchurch City Council that fronted up and said that they wholeheartedly support this. It was the Hurunui District Council that put in their vote of confidence as well. But it was the Selwyn District Council that I was really listening to when they said, \u201CMana whenua representation on the regional council will strengthen the strategic partnerships in Canterbury between the papatipu r\u016Bnanga and local government.\u201D The regional council has been clear that the benefits of mana whenua representation at the council table include greater efficiency in planning and consenting processes, and, also, reduced costs for the council and consent applicants, and improved enforcement decisions. Today is your day. We\u2019re here to celebrate it. I commend my whanaunga here, and my colleague Rino Tirikatene\u2014I see your mum and your sister up in the House there, e hoa, and they should be very proud of you. Today is a good day. We stand by you, and we support you on this journey. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, mauri ora ki a t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022 data-id=\u002244943269264548558bf868bec08b3f9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002244943269264548558bf868bec08b3f9c\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare t\u0113n\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. Tuatahi ake ka tika me mihi ki a koutou a Ng\u0101i Tahu me ng\u0101 maunga, ng\u0101 awa, ng\u0101 whenua o Te Wai Pounamu, kei te mihi kei te mihi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E[Greetings, Mr Speaker, greetings one and all. First and foremost it is appropriate that I should acknowledge you, of Ng\u0101i Tahu, and the mountains, the rivers and lands of the South Island of New Zealand, greetings, greetings.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EI\u2019m really pleased to take a call on behalf of the Green Party on the third reading of the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill. Can I congratulate the bill\u2019s sponsor, Rino Tirikatene, for his work in shepherding it through Parliament, and can I acknowledge the very strong presence in the Speaker\u2019s gallery of Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui, representatives of the Papatipu R\u016Bnanga, and the rangatira and New Zealander of the Year T\u0101 T\u012Bpene O\u2019Regan. Can I also acknowledge the chair of Environment Canterbury, Jenny Hughey; the Tumu Taiao, Iaean Cranwell and Yvette Couch-Lewis; the delegation of councillors from Environment Canterbury; and support staff from both Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu and Environment Canterbury.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Green Party is really proud to support this bill because it recognises and helps implement the Te Tiriti partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s largest and second-most popular region of Waitaha Canterbury\u2014the 45,000 square kilometres of Canterbury. It provides for representation of Ng\u0101i Tahu as mana whenua, as a decision maker and not just an adviser at the table, and it\u2019s critical because it strengthens democracy. It doesn\u2019t diminish it, as the National Party is alleging. It strengthens it because it\u2019s adding two additional representatives at the council table, ensuring that there will be a strong voice for Ng\u0101i Tahu and active participation in decisions there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EHaving mana whenua at the table is critically important for regional councils because, of course, they\u2019ve got statutory responsibility under the Resource Management Act for management of te taiao\u2014fresh water\u2014the awa, the lakes, coastal waters, the soils, land, and also the air. So given the significance of te taiao in Te Ao M\u0101ori for the identity of mana whenua, for their culture, traditions, and for providing mahinga kai, it\u2019s critical that Ng\u0101i Tahu as mana whenua have a strong voice in decisions about the management of te taiao, and, of course, as the previous speaker T\u0101mati Coffey noted, the whole Ng\u0101i Tahu Claims Settlement Act\u2014the apology that the Crown made\u2014affirmed Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2019s special association with Canterbury\u2019s natural environment. This bill, and the representation it provides, recognises that special association. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EIt is nonsense for National MPs to claim that this is diminishing democracy or that it\u2019s advantaging Ng\u0101i Tahu, because, as the Attorney-General noted in his report, no other comparator group is currently recognised by Government as having the association that Ng\u0101i Tahu has with the Canterbury region. So there\u2019s no other person or group that is going to be materially disadvantaged by this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s also nonsense for National to claim that there hasn\u2019t been consultation. There were some 1,600 submissions to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and the committee very carefully considered the bill and those submissions. So the whole\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b1ce5ee94e24691adecc27615e01a6a\u0022\u003EHon Gerry Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E: What was the balance?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269217750657b4700a66bb300f00cb8a3\u0022\u003EHon EUGENIE SAGE\u003C/span\u003E: \u201CWhat was the balance?\u201D Mr Brownlee is asking. The National Party is whipping up misinformation and misrepresentation about this bill. It is scaremongering. That is diminishing democracy; not this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe spam campaign that the National Party has been involved in, with over a million emails coming into members of Parliament\u2014being fearful about this bill is what diminishes democracy, and I have said in response to some of those constituents who have emailed that they should go and read some history. They should understand that in Canterbury we are on land that Ng\u0101i Tahu ended up having taken from them. That\u2019s the basis of the claim. People need to learn the history of colonisation, the impacts of colonisation, and what this bill is doing to shape a democracy, a future for Aotearoa that is based on Te Tiriti as our constitutional foundation. I really acknowledge T\u0101 T\u012Bpene O\u2019Regan, who has spent his life building biculturalism, building the connections between Te Ao M\u0101ori and Te Ao P\u0101keh\u0101. This is at the heart of this bill. It\u2019s collective amnesia on behalf of the National Party for failing to recognise that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EOf course, the only good thing that came out of their stripping away of democracy in 2010 was the appointment of two members of Ng\u0101i Tahu as commissioners to Environment Canterbury. It has been the work that those two representatives did and that the Tumu Taiao have done since which should reassure anybody who has concerns about this bill, because this bill is about ensuring that we don\u2019t have decisions such as those made by the former Banks Peninsula County Council at Takap\u016Bneke to have a waste-water plant and a rubbish tip sited on a place that is so significant in the history of Aotearoa and where hundreds died. Those decisions were made because there was no Ng\u0101i Tahu voice at the table.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThis bill is about strengthening democracy. It\u2019s about making good decisions which represent the mosaic, the cultural diversity of our society and culture, and is about building a stronger future. I was one of the regional councillors that was removed by Ministers Rodney Hide and Nick Smith in 2010. The only good thing that came out of having the commissioners that were appointed, because the National Government was concerned about how the council was increasing the flows in rivers like the Waimakariri to better restore their mauri and their health, was the active involvement of Ng\u0101i Tahu. We have also seen it in the rebuilding of Christchurch after the earthquakes and the strong involvement of Ng\u0101i Tahu in creating a new identity for our city which recognises our diversity, and this bill is part of that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EThe Green Party strongly supports democratic representation through elected councillors and effective representation. The National Party gets hung up on equal representation, not effective representation. So we need options like the one this bill is creating to ensure that we\u2019ve got that fair and effective representation of M\u0101ori constituents, and we ensure that the views of mana whenua are considered and a vital part of decision making. It will lead to better decisions. It will recognise that Ng\u0101i Tahu once owned all of the land in Canterbury, and that will strengthen and not undermine democracy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, ko m\u0101tou o te P\u0101ti K\u0101k\u0101riki e tautoko ana i t\u0113nei \u0101huatanga, te mahi tahi me ng\u0101 mana whenua m\u014D te oranga o te taiao. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa, kia ora mai t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e122e0e6-61c6-4d17-9a79-6ad2ac7d127e\u0022\u003E[Therefore, we of the Green Party support this aspect, the collaboration with the people with authority over the land for the benefit of the environment. Greetings, greetings, greetings one and all, be well one and all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022 data-id=\u002236dc1e2821894d9ab10c7cfc017d5fd1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002236dc1e2821894d9ab10c7cfc017d5fd1\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour\u2014Northcote):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 rawa atu ki a koe. Kaupeka ki runga, kaupeka ki raro, k\u016B\u012B, k\u016B\u012B, whiti ora e! E mihi ana ki ng\u0101 rangi, e mihi ana ng\u0101 whenua he mihi ki ng\u0101 maunga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, t\u0113n\u0101 rawa atu ki a koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, nau mai haere mai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E[Mr Speaker, warm greetings to you. Kaupeka above, and below, alive and flourishing! Greetings to the skies, greetings to the land, greetings to the mountains of Ng\u0101i Tahu, a warm greeting to you, welcome, welcome.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EThank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s wonderful this afternoon to put my voice, my thoughts, my opinions, and my aspirations to the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EI haven\u2019t shared it too often, but I have a middle name; it is \u201CKiritea\u201D. It came about because I had a wonderful name gifted from my grandfather Iria I Te Rangi\u2014a beautiful name that has followed many generations in my family. I come from a wonderful father with heritage from Ng\u0101ti Whitikaupeka Rongowhakaata, and I have a beautiful mother, European by descent, yea high, blonde, blue-eyed. So that comes together that, when I was born, I came out quite fair, with blonde hair, slightly brown skin, and was gifted the name \u201CKiritea\u201D simply because Iria I Te Rangi was too M\u0101ori for such a fair boy. In some ways, that is a travesty\u2014a travesty that such a strong generational name was taken away from me. Similarly taken was my language, my opportunity in life to grow up being M\u0101ori and European, but also growing up being M\u0101ori, having access to my reo, having access to my culture, having access to my wh\u0101nau, and here, at the age of 40, I\u2019m still learning te reo M\u0101ori today, still reconnecting with my whakapapa, still reconnecting with my wh\u0101nau back in M\u014Dkai P\u0101tea, and still attempting to settle the whenua that was taken from my family.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EI tell this story because I find the particular conversation around co-governance, I find the negativity, the tension with these types of conversations, personally challenging, because, ki t\u0113nei taha, my beautiful mum, blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful European wh\u0101nau that I lovely dearly, and on that side, ki t\u0113r\u0101 taha, my M\u0101ori wh\u0101nau, who desperately wish that we had all the joys in the world, the knowledge, the m\u0101tauranga to be uniquely who we are, to have the voice that we absolutely want to have. And that tension runs deep, and as I sit here listening to the debate in the House this afternoon, I feel the tension across my brow, I look at the wh\u0101nau up there, I look at my colleagues across the room, and I look at our members here in Labour, and this is one moment in time why I joined this party, why I got involved in politics, because I believe that our country, Aotearoa New Zealand, can be better. That\u2019s what I signed up for. That\u2019s what we signed up for, and that\u2019s what they signed up for. And that is what our wh\u0101nau want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EThose are the types of things that, as politicians, we stand up for what we believe in. We stand up for the change and the things that matter, and I look to this particular bill, and I think that this bill will empower Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu to appoint two members to their council after the 2019 elections\u2014two members. So there will be 16 members on council\u201416. So, when we discuss democracy, in our minds, democracy to some people is purely about numbers and votes. Democracy is about representation of people. It is about the representation of all people\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221c0e85996b0948e4a5bee05d77f97b4c\u0022\u003ESimon Court\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re here because people voted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022976df4f13531443a9de8f9483586fe78\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014representation of all people\u2014and comments like that are arrogant. They are ignorant, and they do not stand up for the challenges that M\u0101ori face to stand and represent in this House. It is not an equal system and by no means did any M\u0101ori have an easy pathway to get here. I look to T\u0101maki-makau-rau, where I am from, and that\u2019s the example, wh\u0101nau m\u0101, that I draw from. I think of the law that they changed, across the room, back in 2009, when they established the super city. They put in place the M\u0101ori Statutory Board, which aimed to improve the representation of M\u0101ori, the voice of M\u0101ori across T\u0101maki-makau-rau, in the growing city that we are. We wanted M\u0101ori to be a part of that discussion, not left behind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002206a1d9ecb35542d8b680fb3bab8de971\u0022\u003ESimon Court\u003C/span\u003E: A good idea.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ca225b0d68c45faabc8b091ad0b0dd6\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT\u003C/span\u003E: Now, that was 13 years ago. It was a very good idea\u2014it was a very good idea. In my time in T\u0101maki-makau-rau, I have had the blessings and joys of seeing that growth of our city, our biculturalism, our stories and m\u0101tauranga of mana whenua in that city. It is imprinted in that city now to the extent that across new buildings and infrastructure, in transport, we see M\u0101ori designs everywhere, from mana whenua, so that all of our tamariki, our generations to come, will see their imprint across the infrastructure of our city. That\u2019s not just hopes, aspirations, and ideologies; that is the beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand, where we stand here together\u2014that we uniquely acknowledge and accept all of our voices to be heard. If we seek to look at democracy as purely one vote\u2014one vote per person, a mathematical equation\u2014that is not going to achieve the representation that we seek as a country. That is not going to make us richer in the Aotearoa New Zealand that we all aspire for our tamariki mokopuna, for our children and young people, moving forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EWhat this bill does is enable local authorities to promote legislative change at a local level. This is Ng\u0101i Tahu, this is Canterbury, uniquely identifying a representative system that they believe in, that they believe helps fulfil their aspirations. If anyone in this House believes that it doesn\u2019t meet the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, you are factually wrong. This bill has been through that process. It is within the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022071f7800-2755-41b6-83df-07ebaf867ae2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210707e6a62f7421496af11409be89064\u0022\u003ETim van de Molen\u003C/span\u003E: Everyone\u2019s entitled to your opinion!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260d5a2d9e11e42cb9272f8bd3e418c41\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s not my opinion. I have been through the process, and that misinformation from the ACT Party must stop. That is wrong, Simon Court.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2df7a943e3046f6b684edcf38487c0f\u0022\u003ESimon Court\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. The member was referring to that statement as if it was made by the ACT Party. I just want to correct the record. That statement was not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276898d54afe5478b970324b33c564252\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I acknowledge that. My point is that the misinformation that is shared around whether it\u2019s this bill or whether it\u2019s co-governance or whether it\u2019s three waters\u2014now is the time for our country to embrace the rich culture, representation, and equity that this country truly deserves. It\u2019s about setting us up now for our tamariki mokopuna, for our future generations. But here we\u2019re sweating two appointed members to a council, out of 16, and if we\u2019re really concerned\u2014if we\u2019re really concerned\u2014what\u2019s lost? What is lost here? It is only the things that are gained for Canterbury, the things that are gained for Kai Tahu to fulfil their aspirations, their wawata, the things that they want for their rohe, for their iwi. This bill would have the effect of reinstating the mana whenua representation on Canterbury Regional Council, and that is an important thing. The misinformation, the negativity needs to end. Kia tau. We need to ensure that we have the best democratic models to set us up for a beautiful\u2014a beautiful\u2014inclusive future. N\u014D reira, e mihi ana ki a koutou. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022 data-id=\u0022dee23925da834a3faeb16c937006d0f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dee23925da834a3faeb16c937006d0f3\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Firstly, I\u2019d like to acknowledge Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu who are present here today; T\u0101 Tipene O\u2019Regan and Kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EI want to start by just acknowledging some of the concerns that we have heard expressed in this House from the member sponsoring the bill, Rino Tirikatene, and from others, about why it\u2019s important, they think, that Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu has two unelected representatives on the Canterbury Regional Council\u2014Environment Canterbury. I just want to quote from an article which Lisa Tumahai published today, I believe: \u201CWe care deeply about our wai M\u0101ori \u2026 mahinga kai \u2026 [our awa] \u2026 taonga native species which have been passed down from our t\u012Bpuna \u2026 and will be the inheritance we are \u2026 bound to leave for future generations\u201D. Well, I want to acknowledge that, because I also share those passions, those concerns, and want to pass on a clean environment with all of the natural resources that are important to all New Zealanders, to all those who come after us. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to acknowledge another point that Lisa Tumahai made: \u201Cone example of kaitiakitanga and co-governance in action, at nearby Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) \u2026 partnered with [Environment Canterbury] and other agencies to protect this tribally and nationally significant site and halt the destruction of nearby wetlands.\u201D Well, that is also something that many New Zealanders, particularly people like myself who have a passion for ecology, the natural environment, for fishing, for hunting, for just being out there in the bush and soaking up the smells and all of the things that nature gives us\u2014we are also passionate about protecting these places and work in our communities. So we have that in common. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EBut where we depart is that, at its heart, this bill fails the test of democratic legitimacy. This bill overturns that by appointing two members from Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu to an otherwise\u2014otherwise\u2014democratically elected and accountable council. It gives Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2014who have, I understand, from statistics I\u2019ve researched, 15,600-odd members in the region\u2014two representatives for those 15,600, while it gives the other 630,000 people only 14 councillors, elected by universal suffrage. So it creates a disproportionate representation if we\u2019re considering the number of people represented, even if you thought it was a good idea to appoint unelected people to have decision making on a council. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo Ng\u0101i Tahu directors, we understand, who will be most likely the ones appointed to Canterbury Regional Council, are required to act in the interests of their corporation. There is going to be a real conflict of interest. It will come up, and I think it needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be on the record here. So this is not something that we\u2019ve canvassed at length. We understand the core responsibility of Te R\u016Bnanga representatives, as outlined in their charter as follows: they have a fundamental duty to administer the assets and liabilities as kaitiaki for Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui. In performing those duties, they must \u201Cact in good faith and in a manner that the R\u016Bnanga Representative \u2026 believes on reasonable grounds is in the best interests of Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui as a whole\u201D\u2014the best interests of Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui as a whole. So that\u2019s clear. That is their charter. That is their right to have that charter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EThen it goes on. In 8.2 of the charter, \u201CCollective interests of Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui\u201D, the representatives agree not to \u201Cact in a manner which unfairly prejudices or \u2026 discriminates against any particular Papatipu R\u016Bnanga [against] that R\u016Bnanga Representative \u2026 believes on reasonable grounds that [there is a] fundamental duty \u2026 [which] requires such action\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EThat actually clashes with the Local Authorities (Members\u2019 Interests) Act 1968, which makes it clear that elected members must not vote or take part in any council discussion if they have a pecuniary interest in the discussion. Elected members must be disqualified from such discussions. Now, what we understand about Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu is that they also, as a group, operate a very successful business that has commercial interests in forestry, farming, and they\u2019re seeking to have resource development opportunities in what is currently Department of Conservation stewardship land. In fact, they were able to provide the only serious economic analysis and viewpoint from a commercial perspective of the proposed review of stewardship land, to which many, many people who operate in the commercial sector are grateful that they have provided that perspective. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EBut let\u2019s be clear; appointing two representatives from a large organisation, which is a very successful business organisation, a very successful organisation, on to a democratically elected council who is tasked with making plans and rules and making decisions over how people use their land, making decisions as to how public funds collected from ratepayers and taxpayers are used. Appointing unelected people on to what would otherwise be a council of 14 elected people is fundamentally wrong. It is not a legitimate way to operate a democracy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EAnother concern that\u2019s been raised is there was no referendum of Canterbury voters. There was no test. One of the Labour members has pointed out that they\u2019ve received tens of thousands of emails, tens of thousands from people in Canterbury, concerned. I want to read you one. \u201CThis legislation will not tweak representation. It will instead destroy foundational principles of democratic accountability and equal suffrage\u201D. It goes on\u2014it goes on to raise more of the points that I\u2019ve raised. Now, you know, there are other New Zealanders, tens of thousands of them in Canterbury, who\u2019ve drawn the same conclusions that I have, the same conclusions that other people from other parties in Opposition have spoken about today. They\u2019re drawing those conclusions because that\u2019s how they see the evidence before them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo what problem is this bill trying to solve? Is it about having representation from Ng\u0101i Tahu, the iwi whose takiw\u0101 includes all of the parts of the South Island, with the wonderful mountain ranges and the great rivers? Because poor decisions in the past have been made about water and natural resources? Well, that\u2019s certainly a part of it, and poor decisions have been made. Is it about how resources are allocated, whether they be minerals, whether they be access to land for forestry and farming? Well, it\u2019s certainly a part of it. But this bill doesn\u2019t solve any of those things. All it really does is create a sense of angst and anxiety amongst many, many people that actually this is another attack on democracy, which this Government has specialised in. They\u2019ve specialised in it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo what would ACT do? Well, look, the member who spoke, the member from Auckland, Mr Halbert, spoke about the Independent M\u0101ori Statutory Board which was established when Auckland Council, the super-city, was established, which gives mana whenua in Auckland two seats at the table so that they can give advice as to what\u2019s important to mana whenua. There is absolutely no reason why a similar provision can\u2019t be made for Environment Canterbury, because it is important to hear the voice of mana whenua. I myself, as a civil and environmental engineer, have presented to mana whenua forums in Auckland explaining why pieces of infrastructure\u2014certain issues around water quality\u2014need to be resolved, and seeking their feedback. It\u2019s important. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EBut, look, what would ACT do? Well, ACT would repeal this bill, when we are in Government. We believe, actually, that you must seek popular agreement. If you want to change the electoral system, we need to go back to the people of Canterbury and ask them what they want. The people of Canterbury should have the right to vote for their councillors, those councillors who spend ratepayers\u2019 money on their behalf, and who make decisions about how resources are allocated, who gets consents, and who gets the water. Fundamentally, ACT opposes this bill because it\u2019s not democratic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022 data-id=\u002203ea7c03d0324e8fa649dec56e34ccc2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002203ea7c03d0324e8fa649dec56e34ccc2\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker, and to Ng\u0101i Tahu, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. You will know that Te Wai Pounamu is not my home. It\u2019s always a lovely place to visit and experience. For me, in the context of Cook Islands Language Week\u2014as we know, my home on one part of my family is back in the Cook Islands, the island of Aitutaki. Kia orana. But I hope to bring to this debate this afternoon my experience in local government for 10 years prior to coming to this Parliament. But before I do, I do want to place on record an apology to our visitors in the gallery this afternoon for listening to some of the comments that have been made by parliamentary colleagues on the other side of the House that, in my view, are out of line and unnecessary. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EMr Court has made some comments\u2014and it\u2019s no surprises there; it continues with the ACT Party\u2019s approach of being on a one-track mind in terms of where they are heading. The suggestion that these changes will introduce disproportionate representation I cannot fathom, because this leads to increased, improved, and advancement on representation within a local community context.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThe suggestion that Ng\u0101i Tahu directors will fill up to two seats around the council table\u2014that is a matter for Ng\u0101i Tahu. That is a matter for them to consider who the best individuals will be to represent their communities around a local decision-making table that represents communities of interest. The suggestion from the ACT Party and from Mr Court that M\u0101ori can\u2019t manage conflicts of interest I find absolutely abhorrent. I find those comments and that view absolutely abhorrent. What an insult, not only to our visitors but to others around the motu who can manage conflicts of interest around many, many council tables, many board tables around our community. He, in his own suggestion, indicates that Ng\u0101i Tahu, from a business perspective, is a successful organisation, so one would think that any successful organisation is able to manage conflicts of interest. However, this bill will empower Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu to appoint up to two members to the council following local elections. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThis is a local bill, and I want to acknowledge my colleague Rino Tirikatene for doing what actually is his job. He is the local member. This is a local bill. There is a defined process that\u2019s actually outlined in the in the Standing Orders of this Parliament, and he has approached that as any good local member should, would, and has done, so I want to acknowledge his work in this space. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s interesting, because there are suggestions around that what\u2019s going to happen today, this afternoon, this evening is somehow representative of a Government agenda to implement M\u0101ori representatives across all of regional governments nationally by way of a local bill. Well, that\u2019s not something that can be achieved by way of a local bill. A local bill\u2014and I know because I have a local bill on the Order Paper today, the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill\u2014is something that\u2019s defined in terms of dealing with a local issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EActually, I have to say that I reflected on some comments with my own local bill, and there was a fellow parliamentarian who, on the Hansard, says, \u201Cwhat\u2019s known as a local bill\u2014[it\u2019s] relatively rare in the processes of our Parliament, but [is] quite an important tool for local government to sometimes address issue that are significant in terms of their inability to move things forward.\u201D\u2014an important tool for local government to address issues that are significant in terms of an inability to move things forward. That was a comment on the Hansard just this year from Hon Scott Simpson, the member opposite, who clearly has an understanding of what a local bill is. So I, again, congratulate my colleague Rino Tirikatene for bringing this to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThis was also an arrangement that was first put in place by the National Government back in 2010. I want to acknowledge Hon Eugenie Sage for reminding the House that an ACT Minister at the time, Rodney Hide, also had a hand to play in this. So isn\u2019t it interesting that we get to the third reading this afternoon and the National Party and the ACT Party have made it very clear to everyone in the Parliament that they are not supportive of what this local bill is seeking to achieve? It\u2019s good enough for them at a particular time and place, but it\u2019s not good enough for them here and now. I think that is an absolute disgrace on the part of the National Party and the ACT Party as well, because since 2010, everything points to a significant level of achievement, given the involvement of that mana whenua voice when it comes to environmental issues and environmental matters of concern. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EOne of the interesting things that I\u2019ve had a look at as part of the select committee process\u2014and I want to acknowledge colleagues on the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee that progressed this bill\u2014is the bill in its current form comes with a number of amendments in terms of remuneration, and the suggestion that we would be, or anyone in this particular space would be taking money out of an existing pool to fund two additional members. Those that are involved in local government, including yourself formerly, Mr Speaker, will know that that can be a very divisive process, a group of councillors working out how much money each individual is going to be paid based on the responsibilities that they have. The appointment of these additional two members is quite separate, and so I note that the select committee did identify that as a particular change in the bill moving forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to local government, there are three types, generally, of councils: a regional council, a local territorial authority, and a unitary council. Now, I\u2019m familiar with the local territorial council because that\u2019s where I\u2019ve come from\u2014things like playgrounds, roads, all of those sorts of things; very important things. Whereas the regional context is generally about the environment, some talk about public transport and the like. So what I think about is: how appropriate or not is it to have mana whenua involved in a decision-making process for a local community that has a huge impact on the local environment? I think, actually, the answer on this side of the House is really clear, and that\u2019s that it\u2019s extremely significant, it\u2019s extremely important, and it is the right thing to do, particularly given the fact that Ng\u0101i Tahu holds the rangatiratanga or the tribal authority for over 80 percent of Te Wai Pounamu, or, as we know, the South Island\u2014a significant role. Is it too much to ask to have two members\u2014up to two members\u2014who would be guaranteed seats around that table\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6ad2d1e5a09478398a81f25e0230de2\u0022\u003EMatt Doocey\u003C/span\u003E: Already there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227e5aadd956642bb877a4a249e9344e8\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014to participate in discussions, to take on their responsibilities? The members opposite say, \u201CYes, it is.\u201D Well, again, that is an outright shame that that\u2019s the view that some members of this House have.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab80de41d13a4f2ca6f4f655d0b85631\u0022\u003EHon Dr Megan Woods\u003C/span\u003E: A Cantabrian as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e7e0d8935fd42c88ed919e104a437d2\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE\u003C/span\u003E: We are\u2014and a Cantabrian as well. Well, doesn\u2019t that hit to the heart. I mean\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221b35e145be75496a92b6f5964555f41f\u0022\u003EHon Dr Megan Woods\u003C/span\u003E: Shameful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2424c552686447ab90de09a7a4d547f\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE\u003C/span\u003E: It is shameful. So on this side of the House, we are about empowering local communities and acknowledging that, actually, local communities need to decide for themselves, in many respects, matters that are important to them. So I congratulate, again, the local member for doing his job and bringing this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EOutlined in the legislation, which is the Local Government Act, which overrides all of these considerations in terms of the scope and the context\u2014it kind of outlines what the responsibilities and roles and duties will be. What\u2019s really disappointing is that up until this point in time, Ng\u0101i Tahu have, I don\u2019t know, sat at the table, sat alongside the table, maybe filled the seat, but for the last couple or two or three years, they haven\u2019t actually been fully part of the decision-making table. This local bill will change that. It will give them the opportunity to sit where they deserve to be, to participate in a local decision-making process over many environmental points of interests that are important to them and their rohe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThere are many aspects that other members have canvassed as part of their contributions today, and I just want to also note the contribution that Eugenie Sage has made, because she has been a member of this local authority, and so she comes from a perspective where she clearly sees what difference this will make, from where that particular entity has come from and the future, the bright future that will now be in place, because this is a bill that will pass through the Parliament today. That means it is a day to rejoice and celebrate, because local democracy is being returned to the people of Canterbury, but more specifically to the people who Ng\u0101i Tahu represent. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia orana koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022 data-id=\u0022caaa4c3abe2441a8864f0b6b25d798a0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022caaa4c3abe2441a8864f0b6b25d798a0\u0022\u003EMATT DOOCEY (National\u2014Waimakariri):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the National Party to oppose the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill in its third reading. Can I acknowledge my parliamentary colleague Rino Tirikatene, T\u0101 T\u012Bpene O\u2019Regan, and Ng\u0101i Tahu, who are here today. Can I acknowledge Ng\u0101i Tahu as mana whenua of the Waimakariri electorate and I acknowledge the proud history between Ng\u0101i Tahu and the National Party. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThis is a debate, so I don\u2019t want to trot out the lines that some people have for the last hour and a half. I want to respond to some points, and Tangi Utikere, that last member who took his seat, apologised for some of the comments being made in this House. I do not believe any apology is needed. That is the reason why we have this Chamber\u2014for debating the issues. It is a House of Representatives for all views to come into this House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert, quite rightly, in his speech talked about the tensions and how challenging it is. Well, that\u2019s exactly right\u2014that\u2019s what politics should be. We are grappling with the big issues and it is uncomfortable at times. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EI think the National Party has been very clear that we don\u2019t disagree with representation around the table at Environment Canterbury (ECan) from Ng\u0101i Tahu. It\u2019s about this bill that\u2019s been brought in as a local bill. The reason it\u2019s a local bill is because it does not change primary legislation. If this is such a good thing, why is it not coming in as a Government bill to change the Local Government Act 2002? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThe reason why there is heated debate is because this Government did not stand on this mandate at the last election. In their words, they\u2019re tweaking and changing democracy without the debate. ECan introduced this bill without consultation with their local communities, so that\u2019s why we are having this debate, and this debate is: why are we having a local bill that will allow these changes in New Zealand\u2019s democracy? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EQuite rightly, the National Party is standing up for what it believes in. I don\u2019t think anyone would expect any different. That is the reason we are in this House\u2014because we stand on values and then we stand up for the values. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll give you a quote, if we want to talk about what happened in ECan with the appointed commissioners. Here\u2019s a quote: \u201CThere was never any justification for why Canterbury should be the only region that doesn\u2019t get to elect its regional council. National is out of touch with local people\u2019s desire to have a say in the people who will take their region forward. I urge all parties in Parliament to support this bill and restore democracy in Canterbury.\u201D That was from the Hon Dr Megan Woods. So the shoe\u2019s on the other foot now, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve been very clear about what we stand up for. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EI actually believe there are a lot of commonalities in this debate. I want to draw reference to my parliamentary colleague Rino Tirikatene, who talked about the evolution in New Zealand, and it is an evolution. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EIf I can briefly tell a personal story, I had quite a milestone birthday with my dad recently. There was a large group of people, and my six-year-old son, after the speeches, came up to me and said, \u201CDad, can I sing \u2018Happy Birthday\u2019?\u201D It blew me away. A six-year-old boy\u2014I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d have the confidence. We gave him the microphone\u2014\u201CR\u0101 wh\u0101nau ki a koe\u201D\u2014and he sang in te reo. Then, the next day, I heard him talk to my daughter and say, \u201COh, I\u2019m half-Irish, Mum\u2019s half-Hungarian, and I\u2019m half-M\u0101ori.\u201D His older sister said, \u201CYou can\u2019t be part-M\u0101ori.\u201D, and he said, \u201CYes, I am, because I speak te reo.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ee649aea-c6fa-4610-9fcf-5c4bb2d3cd33\u0022\u003EThis is the next generation coming up, and each generation will have those shared stories. But that does not allow a Government that has had this bill voted down in a previous term decide that, now, we are in a one-party State. They can bring any legislation in and they\u2019ve denied it will change law around the country, but we\u2019ve also heard from speakers who\u2019ve said that this will pave the way for the rest of New Zealand. This is not the right way to bring in legislation. Thank you, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022 data-id=\u0022274d3b8212464f2fa380aa14a3e2e29e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022274d3b8212464f2fa380aa14a3e2e29e\u0022\u003ESARAH PALLETT (Labour\u2014Ilam):\u003C/span\u003E May I first begin by acknowledging the leaders of Papatipu R\u016Bnanga and T\u0101 Tipene O\u2019Regan. Your presence here is a welcome blessing to us, and thank you for being here. I always want to acknowledge my colleague Rino Tirikatene for bringing this bill to the House. Thank you for your work, my friend. He uri ahau n\u014D tawhiti, ka mihi ahau ki t\u0113nei whenua me \u014Dna uri. Ko Sarah Pallett t\u0113nei e mihi ana ki a koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003E[My origins are in distant lands but I pay tribute to this land and its descendants. My name is Sarah Pallett and I offer my greetings to you, my greetings to you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EAs we\u2019ve heard, the bill that is before us this afternoon is a bill that will empower Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu to appoint up to two members to the council after the local elections. This is a local bill that the Canterbury Regional Council, colloquially known as ECan, has requested that Rino Tirikatene take to Parliament, as he has done. And, as we\u2019ve heard, local bills enable local authorities to enable legislative change at a local level. It only applies to the Canterbury Regional Council at their request.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003ENow, since 2020, Environment Canterbury has had two wonderful Tumu Taiao who have been appointed and assist with council decision-making. They sit at the council table and make valuable contributions. But they do not have voting rights, which is: they\u2019re sitting at the table but they\u2019re not able to eat. And this bill is seeking to address that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s been substantial support for this bill. In their submission, the Selwyn District Council commented, and I quote, \u201CThe approach in this bill to mana whenua representation at a regional governance level is a straightforward and effective way to give effect to basic obligations under current resource management legislation and Local Government Act 2002.\u201D Obligation\u2014please remember that word.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EFor Te Hap\u016B o Ng\u0101ti Wheke R\u0101paki, this bill is of great significance, because, and again I\u2019m quoting from their submission, \u201CIt provides certainty that the values and concerns of mana whenua, as the Crown\u2019s Tiriti partner, are given expression in the Crown\u2019s decision making and the exercise of functions by the Crown and its agencies.\u201D Tiriti partner\u2014again, bear that in mind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003ETe R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu submitted that \u201Cwhile there is still a journey to be completed to full partnership and improved environmental outcomes, the distance that has been travelled since 2010 is significant.\u201D \u201CWe believe\u201D, they said, \u201Cthat it is in no small measure as a result of this governance relationship, and reinstating direct Ng\u0101i Tahu representation on council will ensure a continuation of that journey to full partnership.\u201D\u2014that word again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EConcerns are occasionally raised in this House about New Zealand Bill of Rights Act compliance, and comparisons have been made occasionally in other speeches earlier between this bill and examples where other bills are not found to be compliant with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, so I\u2019d just like to emphasise, yet again, that the Attorney-General\u2019s legal advice to this House was, and I\u2019m going to sum up: \u201CWe have concluded that the bill appears to be consistent with that Act.\u201D So no concerns there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EThe Treaty of Waitangi settlement agreed putting Ng\u0101i Tahu in the Crown in November 1997, and acknowledged the rangatiratanga and mana of Ng\u0101i Tahu over their lands\u2014also acknowledged by Environment Canterbury\u2014and affirmed their special association with the natural environment in a number of areas. And Selwyn District Council drew attention to part of the Crown apology read earlier, delivered when the Crown sought to begin the process of healing and to enter a new age of cooperation with Ng\u0101i Tahu.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e7bab061-0905-44a1-a4ec-cf89b58a1baf\u0022\u003EHealing from what, some might ask? Let me refer you to the Hon Chris Finlayson, John Key\u2019s Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, a member of the National Party, who said recently, in E-Tangata, \u201COnce you\u2019ve read the factual concessions by the Crown, read the apologies, you begin to realise the wrongs that have been committed. The Crown promised to protect \u2018the unqualified exercise of \u2026 [M\u0101ori] chieftainship over their lands, villages, and \u2026 treasures.\u2019 But it not only failed to perform that obligation\u2014it went out of its way to breach it.\u201D This bill is one step towards remedying that, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00224cc0ed2054bd4bb492f8ce34c1db2e9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224cc0ed2054bd4bb492f8ce34c1db2e9b\u0022\u003EHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National):\u003C/span\u003E My contribution this afternoon is not going to be, in its end, any different to the commentary that has been offered by other National speakers today, but I do want to start by acknowledging Ng\u0101i Tahu, and particularly Sir T\u012Bpene O\u2019Regan, and the many other leaders who are here today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI was in the House at the time of the settlement back in 1997. And I don\u2019t resile from any of the commentary that was read out by T\u0101mati Coffey as he quoted from that apology. I was also here when there was the bill passed by our Government\u2014or should I say, by a Government in this House\u2014protecting pounamu as being exclusive to Ng\u0101i Tahu. And I was here too when there was the commissioners appointed into Environment Canterbury (ECan). And the rationale for that\u2014and I was a strong arguer for it\u2014was that we were taking away broad representation that might be achieved through a ballot box, and deciding who it was who, for a time, would be placed with that responsibility to remedy some of the problems that ECan was beset with at the time; notwithstanding some of the attempts to write history again here today. I was also the recovery Minister in Christchurch, and was very strongly of a view that Ng\u0101i Tahu should be recorded as statutory partners in that recovery. Each of those, though, are separate things and separate incidents that needed to have a different approach taken to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThis bill is very bad process, as my colleague Mr Doocey previously pointed out, and I have in other stages of this bill. Why isn\u2019t it on the Order Paper as a Government bill, so that it does become primary legislation? Perhaps a primary legislation with a schedule in it that makes the same offer to every other council, without the need to come through what is, essentially, a backdoor process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI do want to acknowledge my parliamentary colleague Rino Tirikatene: a fine gentleman, someone who I\u2019d consider to be a friend, although not a close one because of our political differences on other matters, but a man who is undervalued in this Parliament in my view. And I think nothing in my view would do anything other than respect the fact that you have brought the bill on behalf of those who ask for it. The question is: what was the basis for their asking for it? Where was their representation respected in the question they might have asked about those who sent them to sit around that table? It\u2019s non-existent. And I think that is also a problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI want to talk about some of the co-governance arrangements that were made by our Government and by previous Labour Governments. Those are arrangements that have endured, that work, that are totally appropriate. They are specific to circumstances in this country. They are geographic locations, institutions, whatever you might like to take as being almost separate to the primary purpose of either central or local government\u2014totally appropriate. And I think we\u2019ll see a lot more of it in the years to come, and that will be good. I am not Ng\u0101i Tahu, I\u2019m not M\u0101ori, but I recognise Ng\u0101i Tahu as being mana whenua in the only place that I can call home. And like many others, I have very close family who are Ng\u0101i Tahu. So it\u2019s not an issue about Ng\u0101i Tahu versus everybody else. It is an issue about the principles of how the law in this country is constructed, and how it should be implemented.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI am surprised by some of the claims today that this is an imperative Treaty issue. Well, one of the imperatives of the Treaty was that it did respect the law. It was signed by many because there was a desire to have that law. And I just get a little bit annoyed by some of the unreasonable emotion that gets put on to it, particularly the commentary before from a speaker who I won\u2019t name, talking about the extra emotion and sort of hype and everything that goes around this. Well, I haven\u2019t engaged in any of that, but I do think that there is a proper process that we should be following.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t need to take up the entire 10 minutes allocated on this particular topic, because I do think that once it is passed\u2014and I acknowledge that it is going to pass today\u2014the real point will be where do we go from here? And I have deep personal regret that there seems to be an apparent breakdown between the relationship of my political party and Ng\u0101i Tahu. And I think there is, perhaps, not a deep enough understanding on either part about where either party might be coming from.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ESo can I finish just by saying that there has always been, since 1840, conflict over all sorts of littleish aspects of life in this country that shouldn\u2019t exist. Some years ago I was the chairman of the Riccarton Bush Trust that administers a piece of land that I think is correctly named P\u016Btaringamotu. And when that remnant of native bush was being put into a management plan that we were very keen on\u2014I remember that they used to mow underneath that bush so that you could see from one side to the other, completely destroying the fauna and flora that was underneath it. So a management plan was being put in place and we consulted with Ng\u0101i Tahu, asked them if they wanted a representative on the trust, etc. And the answer came back \u201Cno\u201D, and that wasn\u2019t necessary. When the management plan was launched, it was Rick Tau who came and was the representative for the occasion on which that document was launched. What I remember him saying is that when the English came to Canterbury, both the Presbyterians who were in Riccarton and the M\u0101ori who were all over the rohe got done over. And I\u2019ve got to say immediately that is not a Catholic having a go at the Anglicans and the Presbyterians, it is simply an acknowledgment that there has been a long time where there have been dealings that aren\u2019t appropriate. But I don\u2019t think for one minute that you can rectify all of that history by setting aside some of the good aspects that were achieved through the agreement of the Treaty, and use a process like this where there has not been the sort of public debate that there should be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EAs for the suggestion that there\u2019s been some sort of a massive effort to put out a whole lot of misinformation, I want to make it very clear, I\u2019ve had no part in anything like that. It is simply a matter of there not being the following of a process that there should be, and a real question about why the Government, who have had speaker after speaker today stand up and say how wonderful this is, not have it in primary legislation with a schedule enabling others to participate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00228462e6d84a424e5c9a5971d52e430a5f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228462e6d84a424e5c9a5971d52e430a5f\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te Mana Whakaw\u0101. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou rangatahi. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou mana whenua. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou whaea. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou rangatahi and t\u0113n\u0101 koutou tamariki. [Greetings, Mr Speaker. Greetings, young people. Greetings to the people with authority over the land. Greetings, ladies. Greetings, young people and children.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI also want to just acknowledge the Ng\u0101i Tahu t\u016Bpuna and the long struggle that Ng\u0101i Tahu have had to get some restoration to the place that they once occupied. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve heard many of the speeches and I don\u2019t intend to repeat everything that\u2019s been said today, but I do want to just lay out the foundations of why this legislation is entirely appropriate and why it\u2019s, in fact, an enhancement of our democratic and deliberative processes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ENg\u0101i Tahu, as we know, are signatories to Te Tiriti, and the Treaty promised rangatiratanga to iwi. We know now, quite clearly, that that promise in Te Tiriti has not been adhered to. That promise was to give rangatiratanga over whenua, over k\u0101inga, and over taonga\u2014in the loose translation of the English version, over lands, forests, fisheries, and all things precious to iwi. We know that the transactions, such as they were, by which Ng\u0101i Tahu lost their lands and the things that were precious to them, weren\u2019t just, that they weren\u2019t honest, and that the Crown acted unconscionably. All that is acknowledged. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI know my friend and colleague T\u0101mati Coffey has referred to the Crown apology, but it\u2019s worth emphasising that it absolutely recognises, embodied in legislation, that there was a breach of article 2, that the Crown failed to preserve and to protect Ng\u0101i Tahu, and it failed to protect the ownership of their land and possessions. Moreover, it failed to acknowledge Ng\u0101i Tahu\u2019s rangatiratanga and mana over the South Island, in the land within its boundaries, and failed in fulfilment\u2014the Crown failed in fulfilment of its Treaty obligations in recognising Ng\u0101i Tahu as tangata whenua. In doing so, in entering into the Treaty settlement legislation, the Crown said, in its apology, that it wanted to enter into a new age of co-operation with Ng\u0101i Tahu. Those words are from the apology itself. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EThere can never be full restoration; we know that. The Treaty settlement process acknowledges that. But that\u2019s not to say that we shouldn\u2019t continue to strive to engage with a genuine and real partnership with Ng\u0101i Tahu and all Treaty partners. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing here today. We\u2019re looking not at an ossified system, a system that is stuck in old ways, but exploring new ways and innovative ways, ways which recognise the rangatiratanga of Ng\u0101i Tahu, both in respect of the land and the treasures on and in the land, and also the treasures that are Ng\u0101i Tahu and their tikanga.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWe know, then, that the claims settlement Act recognised in many places the importance of co-governance, the important place that Ng\u0101i Tahu has to play in having a special voice in respect of this custodianship of the land. And we know that, as Mr Brownlee has mentioned, the insights that Ng\u0101i Tahu could provide was recognised in the Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Act, when two Ng\u0101i Tahu representatives were put on the board of Environment Canterbury (ECan), appointed by Ng\u0101i Tahu. I think it\u2019s important to recognise that\u2014that this is not Government or anyone else imposing on Ng\u0101i Tahu who or how those people are selected, but to simply say: we want you to have a voice, a real voice, a voice that\u2019s equal with every other councillor\u2019s around the table, and do it your way; use your rules, your tikanga. I think that\u2019s important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI think it\u2019s really important as well to say that this isn\u2019t about\u2014if I can be a little selfish, it isn\u2019t just about giving something special to Ng\u0101i Tahu; it\u2019s giving something special to Canterbury. And that\u2019s important, because I\u2019m confident that ECan will be a better, more thoughtful, stronger and more deliberative organisation with those voices around the table. I\u2019m not saying that out of some hope, but if we look to the ECan documentation that underlines this bill and the policy paper they had, they said, in respect of having Ng\u0101i Tahu at the table, that the practical benefits of mana whenua representation in Canterbury were rapidly and widely recognised during the nine years it was in place. These benefits include greater efficiency in planning and consenting, reduced costs for the council and consent applicants, and improved enforcement decisions. I\u2019ll have that! That sounds pretty damn good to me. That\u2019s a benefit that falls not just to Ng\u0101i Tahu but to all of Canterbury. We will have better outcomes, better environmental outcomes, and better outcomes around the rohe because of that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EI do want to recognise also that objections have been raised around the Bill of Rights Act and that was looked at independently by the Ministry of Justice, advising the Attorney-General, as Sarah Pallett, the MP for Ilam, has identified. That wasn\u2019t a cursory look. The question was: is this discriminatory on the basis of race? Is this giving special rights to someone, a group that isn\u2019t justified on the basis of race? The question was squarely asked and it was squarely answered, and the answer was this: to do so would be to discriminate on two comparable groups. We don\u2019t have two comparable groups. We have the general population and we have Ng\u0101i Tahu, who occupy a special place, who have been recognised as having special rights because of significant historical wrongs and grievances that need to be addressed. This step today is part of that story, a story that continues, and I\u2019m very proud to be part of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ESo the question then becomes: are we brave enough to have a diverse, a modern, and an inclusive democracy, a democracy that recognises the rights of our indigenous people, as mana whenua and Treaty partners? Because this will benefit all of Canterbury. It\u2019s a step to protect the things that we all treasure: our environment, our waterways, our forests, our fisheries, and so on. This is a genuine partnership with our Treaty partners, a partnership which must and will endure. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00227200deb0f4f5442e877a1a9d0439869c\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 Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill be now read a third time.\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\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000353\u0022\u003EBill read a third time.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u0022e6f19de8b8184bbea8690365143384db\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e6f19de8b8184bbea8690365143384db\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: I have a very nice note from Rino Tirikatene, warning me that a waiata will be sung at the conclusion of the vote, and permission is granted for that to occur. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EWaiata\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EHaka\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022edd611eaa5c448c38efbfd4a737b703d\u0022\u003EDebate ON INVESTMENT STATEMENT\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221690c7b1e7ba433293a08109eb099c08\u0022\u003EDebate ON INVESTMENT STATEMENT\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u00223d0200aef68b47ee93f674ce1ffc3d33\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223d0200aef68b47ee93f674ce1ffc3d33\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS (Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the House take note of the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on He Puna Hau P\u0101tiki: 2022 Investment Statement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EBefore I go into the report back by the committee, I wanted to quickly mihi to manuhiri Ng\u0101i Tahu, who were just in the House. I also wanted to tautoko our Labour M\u0101ori caucus\u2014in particular Rino Tirikatene\u2014and our Canterbury caucus for their considered k\u014Drero on the previous bill, the Canterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill. I also wish I was joining the celebrations because that was a pretty mean haka and waiata.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a pleasure as the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC)\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8b94c1b2c854d32affd09063155cbc3\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Great committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022618f838bfe69497c816f6da1b9422639\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014to report back to the House on He Puna Hau P\u0101tiki: 2022 Investment Statement. I absolutely agree with the Green member; it is a great committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EAt least every four years, the Public Finance Act 1989 requires the Minister of Finance to present to the House an Investment Statement prepared by the Treasury. With recent changes to the Public Finance Act and the new Public Service Act 2020, the Investment Statement is actually one of four statutory reports. The other mandatory reports are the Long-term Fiscal Position, a Long-term Insights Briefing, and a Wellbeing Report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ENow, it would be quite cynical just to view these detailed reports as a mere tick-box exercise. They could probably sit in the book or magazine shelf in the lobby of 1 The Terrace or in any Minister of Finance\u2019s executive wing waiting room. However, one cannot underestimate the importance of these four reports, and I believe the Treasury summed it up well: that these reports are a reflection of the necessity of the public finance system in supporting New Zealanders\u2019 intergenerational wellbeing through a more modern, agile, and joined-up public system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EIn the light of the last two years, it was clear in the almost three-hour hearing with the Treasury\u2014including an hour with the Minister of Finance on 8 June\u2014that the impact of the COVID-19 economic response and the intergenerational impacts was top of both the select committee\u2019s minds, officials\u2019, and Ministers\u2019.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThis is the Treasury\u2019s third Investment Statement. Unlike the two previous Investment Statements, the 2022 Investment Statement focuses on the overall health of the balance sheet, as well as the key differences and the new challenges since 2018. This approach reflects two considerations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EOne, COVID-19 and long-term structural change. COVID-19 has been an unprecedented economic shock. Its effects\u2014combined with other longstanding trends that are relevant for all Government assets, such as low mutual interest rates and climate change\u2014have driven the focus on the composition and strength of the balance sheet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThe second consideration is the broader suite of stewardship responsibilities, hence the four reports. Overall, the Investment Statement concluded that the overall health of the Government\u2019s balance sheet remains strong. This is despite an increase in the scale, risk, and complexity of the balance sheet as a result of the COVID-19 response.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ETo break it down for our non-FEC members or accountants like the member Hon David Bennett\u2014who I wish well for his next chapter\u2014the Government balance sheet shows what the Government owns: its assets; and what it owes: its liabilities; at one fixed point in time. The balance sheet also includes the physical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and roads that support public services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ECOVID-19 re-emphasised the importance of the balance sheet. The Government balance sheet was in good health prior to COVID. At the end of December 2019, net core Crown debt was 19 percent of GDP, while net worth was $143.1 billion. The strength of the balance sheet, therefore, provided the Government with the options in how it chose to respond to the pandemic, including the ability to provide significant financial support to the private sector and indirectly to households through policies such as the wage subsidy and the COVID-19 relief support payment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ETherefore, not unsurprisingly, the Investment Statement claims that given the significant financial support to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, what it has shown is that the net core Crown debt has increased to reflect this increase in spending. Caralee McLiesh, who is the secretary of Treasury, said as a result of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in debt: increasing from 19 percent of GDP prior to the pandemic to peaking around 40 percent of GDP\u2014that\u2019s an old measure of new Crown debt\u2014or 20 percent under the new net debt measure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EAt the same time, both financial and non-financial assets have grown, leading to higher net worth, with New Zealand amongst the upper end of all OECD economies in net wealth. The sensitivity of the balance sheet to changes in interest rates has also increased; this reflects a change in the composition of debt resulting from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand\u2019s Large Scale Asset Purchase programme, or LSAP.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EMembers of the committee actually asked Treasury about whether the LSAP contributed to increased inequality, and the Secretary of Treasury responded, \u201CNo,\u201D specifically, on the LSAP programme, and it would be incredibly challenging to attribute one particular policy to the outcomes they\u2019ve seen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225cbd2212e9e6461489c70cc2a4c5fc4e\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Wow, come on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229314c7162ed549a2adaa3d49b2c5f199\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: But what was interesting\u2014what was interesting, Mr Bishop\u2014is that there was a slight narrowing of inequality throughout the pandemic. At the same time, financial and non-financial assets such as equities in the New Zealand Superannuation Fund have grown, leading to an increase in the Government\u2019s net worth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EFuture challenges referred into the Investment Statement also included public investment in infrastructure and climate change, and the report back from the committee references the deficit and infrastructure investment. It says that there\u2019s evidence that New Zealand has an infrastructure gap and the Infrastructure Commission\u2014which was established in 2019 to coordinate, develop, and promote an approach to infrastructure\u2014was basically established to help improve New Zealanders\u2019 wellbeing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ENow, what I\u2019ve noticed throughout the whole discussion that we had at select committee on this particular Investment Statement is just the importance of, one, making sure that we have strong economic books\u2014or management\u2014and then making sure that we address those future challenges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EWhat I wanted to be able to reflect on is that throughout the discussion with Treasury, it was really clear that New Zealand\u2019s balance sheet was well positioned to deal with the challenging global environment. We\u2019ve seen, since that, unemployment is at a record low, exports are up, and our economic activity has continued to grow over the past year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EWe are carefully managing our spending and keeping debt under control, and that was clearly seen between the two Investment Statements in 2018 and now in 2022. These strong fundamentals meant we were able to support New Zealanders through that tough period, and now this tough period with a cost of living package, fuel tax cuts, increases to superannuation benefits and the minimum wage, and the winter energy payment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re also investing in critical services like health, and that\u2019s so important given that the Investment Statement pointed out the infrastructure gap. We\u2019re also investing in school packages, so some of the property packages that we\u2019re seeing\u2014that has the double benefit of not only creating jobs, but it also provides spending and benefits to our children so that the walls that they learn in are good, are warm, and are able to basically improve into modern learning systems.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EBy keeping debt in check as the Investment Statement has shown, we\u2019re making important investments in our future. We\u2019re delivering a resilient economy that provides security for all. And again, if the Investment Statement isn\u2019t a good reflection of our balance sheet, then also perhaps our triple A credit rating is\u2014something few countries in the world were able to say during that period. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s also our books getting into surplus in 2024 and 2025\u2014it\u2019s one year quicker than National did under the global financial crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019d like to thank our members of the Finance and Expenditure Committee for their work on\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bb0f9533462147e2a04a5e9bde5b1d96\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Great committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222d64c5dd37cf4691ba814d1153af989c\u0022\u003EBARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: A great committee. Of course, I agree with the Greens\u2019 member. Another \u201CGreat committee\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThe Investment Statement has shown: basically, if we hadn\u2019t managed the books earlier in the Government\u2019s term, then we wouldn\u2019t have been able to effect the financial support packages that have helped our economy through COVID.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThe effectively managed assets and liabilities support the Government\u2019s ability both to deliver services that New Zealanders need today and to ensure we have sustainable and resilient public finances that will bolster living standards for future generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to thank the Minister and the Treasury officials for their time on 8 June that was close to three hours of hearing time, and I thank them for their time and their efforts. I also thank the Treasury for their post-hearings questions and I would like to conclude my report back to the House from the Finance and Expenditure Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022 data-id=\u002261128b0f5c2049f18a40256b06f231e1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261128b0f5c2049f18a40256b06f231e1\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader\u2014National):\u003C/span\u003E The 2022 Investment Statement provides us with an opportunity to think about some of the immediate and long-term risks facing New Zealand. I want to reflect on three key themes. The first is around the effect of the expensive monetary and fiscal policy that we\u2019ve had over the past two years. The second is New Zealand\u2019s debt position and what that means in terms of our risks and exposure. And the final is our infrastructure deficit and how we should be meeting it as a country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003EOn the first point, in terms of the expansive monetary and fiscal policy that New Zealand has embarked on in the past couple of years, I want to highlight that we are one of the countries in the OECD, in the developed world, that went on the biggest amount of stimulus, both in terms of the amount of bond buying or money printing that our Reserve Bank embarked on and in terms of the amount of borrowing and fiscal stimulus that the Crown embarked on. I think it is appropriate that we reflect on the effects of that, because we just had a Labour member\u2014and I find it a kind of rich irony\u2014arguing that that didn\u2019t have an impact on equality. Now, what we know to be true is that, when we had interest rates at record lows over a sustained period, that led to extreme asset price inflation, such that by one measure New Zealand house prices increased 28 percent in one year. To say that that sort of asset price inflation doesn\u2019t have an effect on equality is an interesting kind of maths, because I think, for those who are outside of homeownership looking in, they would argue that that had a very material effect on how equal their wealth was to others\u2019. Similarly, when we look at the effect that sustained low interest rates and money printing had on the Crown\u2019s balance sheet it\u2019s notable, I think, that a lot of the appreciation that occurred is again a direct result of those low interest rates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003EThe question we have to ask ourselves is: was that a free lunch? Did we get those higher asset prices as something that we will be able to hold on to for ever? And, of course, we have to examine the cost of that. The cost is a cost of living crisis. We have 7.3 percent inflation in New Zealand today, the highest it\u2019s been in 32 years, and what that means for working people\u2014and I think particularly of those without assets\u2014is that the reality for them is that now, for two years, for eight successive quarters, prices have been rising faster than wages. So the real effect of that is that New Zealanders are going backwards. I bring these points into the debate, because I think we should always reflect on the significant measures that the Crown takes and the impacts they have, not just the immediate impact of us coming through the crisis but also the consequences today. In simple terms, I remember Grant Robertson in the election debates telling us we had an extremely strong economy because of the decisions taken by him and the Reserve Bank. Well, if he wants to claim the credit for that strength, he must also claim responsibility for the hangover that New Zealand is now incurring.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003EThe second point that I want to make about that expansive monetary policy is that it is not without cost to the Crown balance sheet, because, of course, the Large Scale Asset Purchase programme has made the Crown balance sheet a lot more sensitive to changing interest rates. In a real effect, that will mean that Treasury needs to shovel between $150 million and $200 million over the Reserve Bank balance sheet each month for the foreseeable future. So the fact that the Reserve Bank embarked on a significant programme of bond buying, or money printing\u2014that is not without cost, and I highlight that point. The second point I want to dwell on is debt, because the speaker previously said, \u201COh, look, debt is nothing to worry about in New Zealand.\u201D I want to lay out the numbers, because I think New Zealanders with common sense would listen to these numbers and sit up straight. Going into the pandemic, debt was 19 percent of GDP. It then reached 30 percent, and it\u2019s on its way to 40 percent. That is, by anyone\u2019s judgment, a massive accumulation of debt over a short period. While it is right to say that the ratings agencies have been comfortable with that for now, they have also highlighted some significant risk factors for New Zealand, because, of course, the point of not accumulating too much debt is that we want to have enough capacity to borrow if another rainy day comes\u2014if, God forbid, foot and mouth disease came to New Zealand, for example.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003ESo the external factors that analysts consider when they look at New Zealand\u2019s debt position are the current account deficits, which are pretty high relative to other countries; our negative international investment position; our high household and agricultural sector debt, and I go back to that housing issue; the lack of diversity in our exports; and the high house prices, which create a risk to financial stability in and of themselves because, in the event of a correction, New Zealand would be exposed. So I would caution members of this House against taking a Holly Golightly approach to our debt. We have high debt, and we need to be careful about how we accumulate any more into the future. We need to look at where our future challenges lie. New Zealand superannuation is forecast to rise from currently 5 percent of GDP to 7 percent in 2061, and health spending needed to support demographic change and rising demand is expected to go from 6.9 percent to 10.6 percent of GDP. My point is that we need to ensure we have a resilient enough Crown balance sheet that we can afford these increasing challenges into the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003EFinally, I want to just make a couple of points about the infrastructure deficit which New Zealand has. Here, on the National side of Parliament, we are of the view that growth-enhancing infrastructure investment should be supported. We are also of the view that, where we have social infrastructure that is not performing well, we must invest in improving it. We do believe that, when we take on debt for projects that over the medium term will deliver greater returns for New Zealand, that is worth doing, but it is of great concern to us, even if it\u2019s not of concern to the member Anna Lorck, that Treasury\u2019s analysis is that this Government, this Labour Government, has had a serious delivery problem when it comes to infrastructure. I hold in my hand a report that Treasury released at last year\u2019s Budget, where they said that over half of the initiatives submitted for funding were not investment ready. Treasury had to caution ministers that funding investments that are not ready will not speed up delivery; rather, it will increase the risk of delayed delivery, cost overruns, and negative impacts on expected outcomes. Treasury commented on the need for Government agencies to improve their delivery performance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003EThis is a theme, of course, that is pretty consistent across this Government: that it is pretty good at making announcements and expressing aspirations, as it has done on infrastructure, but when it comes to the delivery and the execution, it has been very poor. This is significant when it comes to the Crown\u2019s balance sheet, because, if we are going to accept that borrowing for infrastructure is going to occur, we need to be confident that we can look taxpayers in the eye and say we will do that in ways that are efficient, we will select projects that are valuable, and we will execute well. But the documentation from Treasury suggests that they have very real concerns about the ability of this Labour Government to deliver on those expectations. They have noted again and again that a significant proportion of infrastructure projects that Labour signs off for funding don\u2019t even have business cases attached. I think here of the light rail commitment which Jacinda Ardern made in a campaign; it was going to be delivered by 2021. The reason that investment has fallen apart so badly is that Ministers didn\u2019t even know what the objectives of that project were.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003ESo, in closing, I say yes, we in New Zealand should be prepared to invest in infrastructure, but we should do so carefully and we should do so knowing that the debt we take on must be repaid by future generations. We should be very careful indeed with that money.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022 data-id=\u00226995ab1700434b7b801ba42754cb348b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226995ab1700434b7b801ba42754cb348b\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK (Labour\u2014Tukituki):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise as a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, and I do so also as a regional, local MP\u2014MP for Tukituki. I think it\u2019s really important when we speak to this 2022 Investment Statement that we bring it back home; bring it back home to what it actually means on the ground, in the regions, like Tukituki. We want to talk about how we can see the Government spending its money\u2014money during the COVID-19 shut down, lockdown, all those things that went on\u2014how did we keep our economy going?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ENow, we\u2019ve heard from the National Opposition. You would think that New Zealand, according to the National Party, isn\u2019t going anywhere. They\u2019ve questioned every investment this Government has made. They\u2019ve questioned whether we should have spent as much money as we did investing with businesses, keeping workers employed, doing those things that help make this economy go round. They\u2019ve talked of how the debt level in New Zealand is so high. Well, it\u2019s lower than Australia\u2019s, it\u2019s lower than the US, and it\u2019s lower than Canada\u2019s. So I think New Zealand is actually in a very, very strong position to recover, and recover well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ELook at our unemployment level. Look at how well we\u2019ve been doing in the regions. Look at how well we\u2019ve been doing\u2014loads of jobs\u2014and I\u2019ll tell you how that happened. It happened because, for the first time in over a decade\u2014under National, did Hawke\u2019s Bay see any investment in regional economic development? Tell me how much Hawke\u2019s Bay got in regional economic development under the National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bbf449441cc4cac95360326a94c75ea\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely bucket loads.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f1f5c0ddfecc498c845c74bc1979ceed\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: No, no. Under the National Government, the Matariki Regional Economic Development Strategy got zip. Hastings got zip.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e846fc2d953644af9d107f8e31629765\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s not true.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022656d1805adab4bbca04d19c56d025ff3\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, that\u2019s right. Hastings got zip.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226a6ebddb8342481086f455c7b18b6f83\u0022\u003ETangi Utikere\u003C/span\u003E: How much?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f26b6b95fb849089a7020dd018f3335\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: Zip. Ask how much the National Government put into the regional hospital over that decade. How much in capital investment? How much? Nothing. Nothing at all. Just like Mr Brownlee said one day, \u201CNothing. Nothing at all.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ENow, in contrast, what has this Government been investing? What can you see in this Investment Statement on what has been going into the regions? Let\u2019s talk about housing. Let\u2019s really bring it home: housing for Hastings. Now, we\u2019ve asked\u2014I asked\u2014the Minister of Housing, today, a question in the House on how many of the 10,000 new home builds that come under the investment that\u2019s in this statement\u2014how many houses have been built in Hastings? So far, we\u2019ve built 157 public houses in Hastings. That\u2019s right, Mr Bishop\u2014157 houses. Guess how many the National Government built. How many do you think they built? Six. Six houses, and they sold off and got rid of 192 houses. How about that for performance? How about that for outcomes for Hastings? But here we are investing in houses in Hastings, building them with young apprentices coming on board. Business is booming, and we\u2019re getting on and getting the job done. That\u2019s because we are investing in infrastructure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ENow, the National Party are saying terrible things on the other side; how can they defend that? How can the National Party defend six houses and pulling down 192? And back to the business of this Investment Statement, because along with delivering 157 public homes just in Hastings, we\u2019ve also got another 133 being built. How many did the National Government build? Six. That\u2019s what they built\u2014six. How much money did they put into the hospital\u2014capital investment? Zip\u2014zip. And the Labour Government, through this, has invested over $100 million so far. That\u2019s what happens when you back infrastructure. According to the National Party, you don\u2019t want any infrastructure investment. You didn\u2019t even invest in the regions. In fact, I found a front page cover of Hawke\u2019s Bay Today with the two mayors of Napier and Hastings saying National hasn\u2019t been investing in the regions, and this Government backs the regions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003EActually, the mayor at the time who went out and asked the Government \u201CWhere\u2019s our money?\u201D was the former National MP Lawrence Yule. So when he was the mayor\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc1499a83ffc4a81aa6349c33da90f27\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Great guy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a5145b746e584ea5a2de2249569b93a2\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right\u2014that\u2019s right. When he was the mayor, along with Bill Dalton, they were demanding investment in the regions. But, oh no, not the National Government\u2014they don\u2019t believe in infrastructure investment. Not in the regions; never have. And the proof is in the pudding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s also talk about what we are investing in those shovel-ready projects, because, when it comes to business plans, Mr Bishop, we have them in spades. We had our business plan ready to go, shovel ready, $39 million right into building an Olympic swimming pool in our regional sports park\u2014never would have seen that under National; not even ready to do any investment\u2014and from that, we created another 100 jobs. Let me keep going on the investment that\u2019s come into the regions of Hawke\u2019s Bay. Like Hawke\u2019s Bay, Hastings saw $9 million in the middle of the COVID lockdown to get one of our roads under way. Why did we get that? We had a business plan, shovel ready, ready to go\u2014one of the first off the mark. So, when it comes to shovel-ready projects in our region of Hawke\u2019s Bay, that\u2019s investment in here; that\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003EThen let\u2019s talk about the spend on investing and backing business, because, on this side of the House, we believe in business. We absolutely do, but not over on that side. They say that business is \u201Csoft, soft, soft\u201D. And that\u2019s what you call \u201Cbusiness\u201D. The Leader of the Opposition, Christopher Luxon, called businesses \u201Csoft\u201D. I can tell you, as a business owner, I know how hard it is to get out there and get businesses cracking. I\u2019ve worked with businesses; I back businesses. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen. These jobs, these infrastructure projects that the National Opposition are against\u2014they say that that\u2019s not doing things for the region. Well, I can tell you, jobs, growth, employment\u2014booming; economic performance\u2014strong and going for it. That\u2019s what you see in the regional economies, where we do have diverse markets. That\u2019s what we do. We use entrepreneurial spirit. We use number eight wire thinking, and we get the job done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002252f6ed95968643ffafe904f1718f5100\u0022\u003EMaureen Pugh\u003C/span\u003E: Treasury doesn\u2019t agree.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225838b2db61144bc0af3a8ec5b8d4b8fc\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: When you come back and you look at\u2014Treasury loves Hawke\u2019s Bay. Treasury loves Hawke\u2019s Bay. They love coming and visiting Hawke\u2019s Bay. I can tell you that they\u2019d love to come to my region. In fact, Treasury can come to Hawke\u2019s Bay anytime\u2014anytime they like\u2014and when you look at this, as I\u2019ve said, this is where Treasury does the hard work, and yes, we have been working and investing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s talk about schools; that\u2019s another one. Let\u2019s talk about schools, because, under the National Government, we got nothing for schools\u2014not even in Havelock North. Oh, that\u2019s right, right at the end, after a local campaign, they finally built eight more classrooms. That\u2019s what they came up with. On this side of the House, we\u2019ve invested millions into our houses infrastructure\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002242ac2f531acc4dd9aee561663f9b8f20\u0022\u003ESimon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: No, you haven\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7205de6625c47e893c02b7b1e4e4bd9\u0022\u003EANNA LORCK\u003C/span\u003E: Again, infrastructure\u2014yes we have. Sixteen million dollars to make projects and schools ready to go. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing. We get on with the work, and we\u2019re not negative\u2014not like National; nasty National; negative, down in the dumps. We, over here, know how to back the regions. We know how to back business. We do the mahi. We grow jobs. Madam Speaker, I commend the Investment Statement to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u002280fc2155fb554ae28325a2eab326981e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002280fc2155fb554ae28325a2eab326981e\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u00220ee7e447914541eab904e8c0cb318d04\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220ee7e447914541eab904e8c0cb318d04\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National):\u003C/span\u003E Well, well, well, well, well. Goodness gracious me. Now, I do feel sorry for Anna Lorck, the member who\u2019s just resumed her seat. I really like Anna Lorck, but goodness gracious me. Three years. She\u2019s fought so long to get into this place, and she\u2019ll spend her three years here and then she\u2019ll be out the other door. Having skited for the entire 10 minutes about the Hawke\u2019s Bay, when we\u2019re meant to be talking about the Investment Statement, and told a whole bunch of, series of, erroneous things about National\u2019s former record, I do feel sorry for her. I do feel sorry for her, because the simple reality is I\u2019ll put our record on infrastructure investment, the last National Government\u2019s record on infrastructure investment up against this useless and incompetent Government\u2019s record any day of the week.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224b53c8fa-5ba4-4150-98be-dd23e49cf0bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e0c2975a63af49d7aafcc3d7a976627f\u0022\u003EAnna Lorck\u003C/span\u003E: Good grief; here we go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228996a58703e4fdbb509897ab5c366c3\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: All right. Order! Order! Order! The member will not interject once she has got up from her seat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eaa65250a7e64012a383fb74b558a406\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I\u2019ll put our record up against the Labour Government\u2019s record any day of the week, because the thing about the last National Government was we built stuff. We got things done, and, generally, we got it done on time and under budget. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ENow, just the other day the Government opened the next section of the Waikato Expressway. Fantastic project. I know David Bennett here has lobbied so long for that project and done such a good job on it. The Waikato Expressway was nothing throughout the 2000s under the Helen Clark Government, and it took a National Government to turn up and say, \u201CWe\u2019re going to make this a road of national significance, and it\u2019s going to be a four-lane expressway that you can now even travel at 110 kilometres per hour on; the safest road in the country.\u201D Yeah, Labour got to open it. But you know what? The bulk of it was built under National. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EWhat else did National deliver? Ultra-fast broadband. We all took it for granted during the lockdown. We had ultra-fast broadband rolled out, ubiquitous ultra-fast broadband rolled out around the country, built by National. On time, under budget, thanks to Steven Joyce. Transmission Gully opened the other day. The Prime Minister turned up for the opening; again, another project by National. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EBut one of the problems with this Government, and this is actually highlighted in the Investment Statement, is this Government\u2019s made two mistakes when it comes to infrastructure. The first is they stopped the pipeline of infrastructure and transport investment\u2014and there\u2019s a reference to that in He Puna Hao P\u0101tiki\u2014by essentially slashing the Transport Agency funding or the National Land Transport Fund State highway budget in 2018. We\u2019ve got Phil Twyford to blame for that. Then they have made a series of dubious decisions, and I would argue economically wasteful, economically destructive decisions, when it comes to infrastructure investment. That\u2019s why the Treasury highlights in the Investment Statement that we need better discipline around what we spend money on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EBecause it\u2019s all very well, as Anna Lorck did\u2014and actually Barbara Edmonds did to a certain extent\u2014to stand up and say, \u201COh, well, infrastructure, there\u2019s a deficit\u201D. Yeah, I mean, we all agree there\u2019s a deficit. There\u2019s no doubt about that. But addressing that deficit, you know, has to be done in a disciplined way. To give you an example, reopening the Napier to Wairoa train line, which I didn\u2019t hear Anna Lorck talk about, and the reason she doesn\u2019t talk about it is because five trains have been down it. Now, we have Shane Jones to blame for that. He spent, I think it was, from memory, $9 million reopening a train line that no one wanted to use. So that\u2019s the kind of economically destructive policies I\u2019m talking about. That is ill-discipline fiscally, but also ill-discipline in capital spending when it comes to infrastructure investment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ENow, another project that is ill-disciplined that the Government stopped due to the public outcry, before they could spend the money, was the cycle bridge over the harbour bridge. I mean, we all remember that\u2014$785 million I think it was. A staggering sum of money, and, unsurprisingly, every region around the country went, \u201CHmm, $785 million is a lot of money.\u201D Dan Rosewarne over there, the new MP, list MP based in Waimakariri, he knows what that money could be spent on. It could go on the Woodend bypass, which the local MP for Waimakariri Matt Doocey has spent so much time campaigning for and which this Government will never deliver. Glen Bennett knows all the projects that that money could be spent on in New Plymouth and the Taranaki region. He was sitting there when Michael Wood got up and announced it with Grant Robertson a year or so ago, and said, \u201CWe\u2019re going to have a cycle bridge over the harbour bridge in Auckland.\u201D, and a very niche minority of people in Auckland went, \u201CYes, it\u2019s very exciting\u201D. Every Labour regional MP sat here going, \u201COh no, how am I going to defend this?\u201D Because Glen Bennett\u2019s got to go back to New Plymouth and Dan Rosewarne\u2019s now got to go back to Waimakariri, and Tangi Utikere\u2019s got to go back to Palmerston North and defend three quarters of a billion dollars being spent on a cycle bridge, and Tangi Utikere knows it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s what happened. I think I know what happened; it was announced and then there was a massive public backlash and all the Labour regional MPs, all of whom are staring at defeat in their seats in 2023, went to Grant Robertson and the Prime Minister and said, \u201CWe cannot defend this. This is indefensible. You\u2019re asking us to go over the top and take one for the team.\u201D They said, \u201CThree waters is bad enough. The regions are in open revolt. Three waters is bad enough. But you\u2019re really asking us to go into no man\u2019s land. You\u2019re asking us to walk into the fire and take one for the team. And you know what? We\u2019re not going to do it\u201D. So the Government didn\u2019t do that. So the fiscal ill-discipline and ill-disciplined investment into that didn\u2019t happen, thankfully. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EBut we do have a destruction in the pipeline. The most interesting thing is\u2014I mean, I\u2019m National\u2019s spokesperson for infrastructure. I go around the country with my good colleague Simon Watts, and the destruction of value from that pipeline being destroyed in 2018 by Phil Twyford is real. There\u2019s a whole series of projects that got cancelled overnight that were part of the pipeline and, of course, a lot of those companies then shed their staff, they had to change all their plans, and the most economically ruinous thing about it and the most frustrating thing about it is the Government back-tracked after about an 18-month time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019re in this ridiculous position where Phil Twyford comes in and says, \u201CWe spend too much money on roads and we\u2019re not going to spend any more on State highways, we\u2019re cutting the National Land Transport Fund\u201D, all these projects get cancelled like P\u0113tone to Grenada, like Melling, like the Tauranga Northern Link. You name it, you pick what\u2014Cambridge to Piarere, that\u2019s another one. And then there\u2019s a big outcry against it and Grant Robertson turns up in election year 2020 and says, \u201CDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m going to borrow $10 billion on the New Zealand upgrade fund; I\u2019m going to personally hand-pick the projects\u201D, and then all of a sudden they\u2019re back on the pipeline. But of course the costs have gone up in the meantime. We\u2019ve wasted two years. \u014Ctaki to north Levin: one year it\u2019s on, one year it\u2019s off and, you know, the next year it\u2019s back off again, and, unsurprisingly, the companies who are working on the projects down the road like Pekapeka to \u014Ctaki, they don\u2019t know if they\u2019re Arthur or Martha. They don\u2019t know if they\u2019re coming or going. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EOf course, how do you plan for the long term when you\u2019ve got no certainty of investment? Of course, that is the problem, and it\u2019s all created by Labour\u2014it\u2019s all created by Labour. This is not something that they can blame on National, because every Government, in some respects, you know, will always get things wrong, and the next Government inherits the sins of their predecessors. No one\u2019s disputing that. All of this is blamed on Labour, because Labour inherited a pipeline of infrastructure and transport investment that if they\u2019d just stuck to it, the Minister of Transport would be opening roads around the country. Instead, we\u2019re just getting started on the Tauranga Northern Link after five years of delay. One of the most dangerous roads in the country. Melling interchange in my former electorate of Hutt South will get started next year, five years after it could have started\u2014five or six years after it could have started. It\u2019s intensely frustrating. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a7a8212314548a8b08f7278c86a4078\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: At least it\u2019s getting started; it\u2019s more than ours.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228b0e2aae546a456c82e745fb2adbfb29\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: Well, David Bennett says, \u201CAt least we get started\u201D. I mean, Cambridge to Piarere, and I think they\u2019re doing route protection, but, again, it\u2019s never going to start unless National gets back in to Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ESo the problem with the Investment Statement, as presented, is wholly caused by stupid Government policy\u2014dubious decisions made for political reasons, like reopening the Napier to Wairoa train line. I haven\u2019t even talked about light rail. It\u2019s hard for people to get their head around how big that project is. It\u2019ll never happen. But at least on paper\u2014it\u2019s kind of like 15, 25, 30, I mean, yeah, it\u2019s only money. It\u2019s only taxpayers\u2019 money; $30 billion of money, of which there\u2019s no business case yet, but the Government is, of course, committed to it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ESo the Investment Statement is an important and interesting document, and it reflects the fact that we have a Government currently focused on ill-disciplined investments, both fiscally through operating expenditure, but also ill-disciplined in the actual projects that we choose to focus on, before we even get started on how we actually deliver them, which they are totally incompetent at doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022343fefa9d4034b6ea30ab1d879496843\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022343fefa9d4034b6ea30ab1d879496843\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E Anyone can run a surplus if you don\u2019t pay the bills and don\u2019t do the maintenance. Now, a really stark example of that is you might listen to Mr Bishop\u2019s speech, and he\u2019s a very articulate young man and he can put together a good argument because he\u2019s a good debater, but it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s right. Your ability to put an argument bears no relationship to the truth of the argument. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EActually, there are two things about that list of projects that he went through. One was that most of them were election promises and were never funded, and it was something that you waived. Not long after the 2017 election, as you drove around the country, there were a lot of billboards there that had been put up by the National Party, and those billboards all said, \u201COh, we were going to build a road here, we were going to build a road there.\u201D No, they weren\u2019t. None of those projects were far off from being a press release. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EThere were many projects, but they certainly hadn\u2019t been funded, which brings us to the matter of how those roads of national significance and those other projects had been funded. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef3dc7f7ba1f4405a6c9be28eb4ab9e1\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Madam Speaker. Now, I don\u2019t want to create a debating point with the member, but he said that none had been funded, and that\u2019s incorrect. Actually, the Cambridge highway was funded\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022292c53eb2abf4240a508d334f68bf477\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, that is not a point of order. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eaf79431-1033-44f1-a633-22633da52c0d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e32840b467804d74bbf337a4589fe611\u0022\u003EHon David Bennett\u003C/span\u003E: But\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022283f09a92d774db48e2e64aa574ac465\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: That is not a point of order. The member will resume his seat. Before the debate recommences and I call Greg O\u2019Connor, can I just invite the House to return a little more closely to the Investment Statement. I have allowed a degree of latitude, but I think the debate is now getting to the point where it is getting a little too wide, and so I\u2019m going to invite members speaking to return very much to the principles of the Investment Statement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c4df1addd804866b0c826f24b595305\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was about, as you spoke, to move towards the pertinence of this, because when I did come into Parliament\u2014and many of us come here. We\u2019ve been on all sorts of walks of life and some of us have been involved in running reasonably major businesses, but wherever we\u2019ve came from, we got to know the industry we were in. So we arrive here, and, certainly, in my case, I was, I suppose, somewhat enthused and confident to find that we did have things like this Investment Statement, that we did have a broad overview of where the country is going, where we sit on our balance sheet, and how much we owe, and\u2014more importantly\u2014that we were taking a long-term view, because that had been the problem. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve just come from a meeting where there was a very enthusiastic group who are looking to get a rail line built, a historic passenger line into Tauranga. Now, that\u2019s a great initiative, and good on them\u2014very enthusiastic. But when the discussion that we have is only about one part of what needs to be a joined-up piece of engineering, a joined-up piece of infrastructure, there we come to the problem, and while it\u2019s important that we do have an Investment Statement, really, it\u2019s about ensuring that we are joined up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo if, for example, we build some flash new roads\u2014which Chris Bishop, the previous speaker, talked about\u2014that\u2019s all very well. You can have a multimillion-dollar opening for the Waterview Tunnel, but the problem, of course, is where did that money come from? It came from the maintenance budget. Right now, and this was one of the things we didn\u2019t hear as a Government when we arrived\u2014this very much comes to the Investment Statement that we\u2019re talking about here today, Madam Speaker\u2014was that all of a sudden, the maintenance hadn\u2019t been done. So you have these flash, new roads going nowhere, because if you drive on the safest highway in New Zealand and all of a sudden you\u2019re on potholes because nobody\u2019s had any money to do it\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204837618514a4c2eacb8df8ad5d02622\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Order! The member will not bring the Chair into the debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f0f0becfd714678ab380abcd2373d95\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, Madam Speaker? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2bdead1184947d2bd96bb40a28e8d39\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The member will not bring the Speaker into the debate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253801e5e5d8f47558b3b2370566b3b54\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR\u003C/span\u003E: Oh sorry, Madam Speaker. I hadn\u2019t been aware that I had, but I\u2019ll certainly be very careful of that. So if we do allow ourselves to focus, and even if I look at what\u2019s going to be happening this year in local body elections, we\u2019re going to get a whole lot of potential mayors, potential councillors, and they\u2019ll all be up there promising flashy stuff\u2014all the stuff that the wekas love and that the magpies love. No one will be getting up there and saying, \u201CWe\u2019re going to build better infrastructure. We\u2019re going to build better sewers. We\u2019re going to build better water.\u201D, because that\u2019s not the nature of the beast. It\u2019s in our nature\u2014we\u2019re all looking for the sugar fix. So this is what brings us back to this Investment Statement, where we can actually soberly sit and take cognisance to balance where we are going as a country to ensure we are going to be able to pay those bills in the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EAgain, I go back to the discussion I\u2019ve just been having, where we\u2019ve got the ACT Party and we\u2019ve got the National Party who stood up and did nothing but criticise, for example, the current rail service from Hamilton to Auckland\u2014which would naturally extend into Tauranga\u2014but without having any sort of an alternative. This is exactly what we\u2019re talking about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo if you pick up the 2022 Investment Statement, it sits alongside our long-term fiscal statement, the long-term insights briefing, our wellbeing report, and then there is the Investment Statement. Actually, what is the Investment Statement, because if you\u2019d listened to this debate so far, you actually might be quite confused as to what it is: every four years, the Minister of Finance must present to the House of Representatives a statement prepared by the Treasury that describes the state and value of significant assets and liabilities. Well, that goes back to what I spoke about before, where, at the end of the day, whether it\u2019s our household budget or whether it\u2019s the business we run, we\u2019ve got to, basically, balance our books. If we don\u2019t, we\u2019re trading while insolvent, and there are all sorts of regulations and there are all sorts of laws to ensure that we don\u2019t do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo it is absolutely appropriate, absolutely necessary and actually, now, absolutely legal to ensure that we as a country\u2014but we are only the guardians. We are here now; we get to own our little piece of history. There are not many here\u2014many are older, some are younger, some are brand new. Mr Rosewarne, I welcome you here. You, no doubt, are going to be here for many more years; I may not be here quite that long. But what we must ensure we do is that we own our piece of history while we\u2019re here, and owning that piece of history ensures that we have the financial ability. There would be nothing worse to leave to those who come after us not only an excessive debt but a debt that actually is not going to be able to be serviced by anything we\u2019ve built with it, and that is where I\u2019m very happy to have a look at the planning of this Government and at the things that we\u2019re doing now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EOne of the main things we do\u2014and, again, it\u2019s touched on here, and, in fact, it\u2019s more than touched on; it\u2019s actually highlighted in here\u2014is making sure we invest in our people, because if we were to do what we did in 2008 and stop investing in our people, then with that infrastructure pipeline, we could have that all that we liked, but all we would end up with is nobody to work in our infrastructure now. If we closed down our polytechs, if we closed down all our training institutions, and if we sacked all our apprentices\u2014actually, those people are one of the biggest investments we can make for our future, so what this Government did when we were faced with a similar situation to the one in 2008 was to ensure that we did invest. Again, if you have a look at this document, one thing that is highlighted is to ensure that we are investing in our people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EYes, we\u2019re going to need to build more rail and we\u2019ve got to ensure that we have coastal shipping, but we\u2019ve got to have people on it, and what\u2019s the biggest problem we have around the world? I recently had COVID and it meant that I had to sit and watch a little bit of television\u2014the BBC, Fox, CNN, Al Jazeera\u2014and it didn\u2019t matter what you watched, you were actually watching the same thing in every country. Every country had exactly the same problem as we have now: shortages of people; supply lines. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EIn fact, it\u2019s interesting. A friend of mine was on holiday in Hawaii recently and he had a chat with someone from Texas, and this person from Texas was telling him that they\u2019ve got major problems in Texas and supply-line issues. They can\u2019t get the people to work and they\u2019ve got massive oil prices and inflation, so it doesn\u2019t matter where you are, you have the same problem. So in that time, when we\u2019re looking at that, it\u2019s the countries that actually invest best now and invest best in their people that will be the ones that in the future will do well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EIt is interesting. During this conversation, we\u2019ve talked about those members opposite who talked about the folly of building any more rail. I said that, well, when Sir Julius Vogel was looking at putting our rail infrastructure in place in the 1890s, wasn\u2019t it lucky we didn\u2019t have an ACT Party then and wasn\u2019t it lucky that we didn\u2019t actually have a National Party then, because we were actually able to do it, and are we not benefiting from that today? The rail corridors that were laid out then are those very things that we are benefiting from today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003ESo when we balance and we look at the Investment Statement, these are the things that we look at to make sure that we look beyond just today, beyond the current electoral cycle, to ensure that we are leaving a better place for those who come after us. The best way we own our history is to ensure that the financials for the future are in good shape. 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=\u00223b00cf4aa2f547e4a9141933eef6870f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223b00cf4aa2f547e4a9141933eef6870f\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the time has come for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break, and the House will resume at 7 p.m. this evening. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 5.59 p.m. to 7 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022bb9afc7c2b5e4dacb9f9ba45dc500139\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bb9afc7c2b5e4dacb9f9ba45dc500139\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The House is resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022 data-id=\u002246f4b9b3822d49cb844a6c7554d13441\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002246f4b9b3822d49cb844a6c7554d13441\u0022\u003ECHL\u00D6E SWARBRICK (Green\u2014Auckland Central):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou e te Whare. We\u2019ve become increasingly well versed in talking about the social determinants of mental and physical health\u2014that is, the things that determine whether you are more or less likely to be healthy. We know that those determinants for poor mental and physical health include things like poverty, lack of access to opportunity, and lack of security in the likes of housing. However, we are far less familiar with the political determinants of those social determinants\u2014that is, the reality that poverty is a political decision in a wealthy country like ours, where, on 2021 estimates, the top 10 percent hold 70 percent of the wealth, and the bottom half, that is 2\u00BD million New Zealanders, are told to fight over the scraps of just 2 percent of that wealth. The economy that enables that unfairness, let alone that rewards land banking over hard work, is a political decision.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EToday, we are talking about the Investment Statement. These are published by the Treasury every four years, so a debate like this is a pretty rare occasion. So the question is: what is an Investment Statement? Well, it is supposed to make, based on the legislative underpinning of it, the Government of the day do three things. The first is to formulate a fiscal strategy with regard to its interaction with monetary policy. This is the theme that I want to return to soon because it has been one of the key points of contention in the wonderful Finance and Expenditure Committee throughout this term. The second is to formulate fiscal strategy with regard to its likely impact on present and future generations. I\u2019ll also expand on this requirement as weaved throughout the Investment State, particularly on the issue of climate change. The third legislative requirement is to ensure that the Crown\u2019s resources are managed effectively and efficiently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ENow, here, of course, those words are open to interpretation, and for that, I think that we all need to recognise that they are open to that dirty word in this House, \u201Cideology\u201D, because economic theories are not value-neutral, they come with a vast range of assumptions. Since before I was born, successive Governments have imbedded deeply individualistic, conservative, and short-termed views, despite legislative frameworks like this. This is, again, despite an ostensible requirement to look long-term baked into the law that prompts these Investment Statements in the first place. Now, we have started to see this ship turning around, but it is simply currently not turning around anywhere near fast enough. That is, the iceberg is still in our view\u2014a peculiar analogy, I guess, for climate change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s unpack these issues, and let\u2019s talk about fiscal and monetary policy and their interaction. For those poor souls who are tuned in at home, monetary policy is the stuff of the Reserve Bank, our central bank. It\u2019s the stuff that they do with an eye to their dual mandate as also outlined in law. The first of that dual mandate is financial stability, traditionally considered keeping inflation between the 1 and 3 percent mark. The second is maximum sustainability employment, something inserted in the last term of Parliament, a measure which has proven itself in many hearings in our Finance and Expenditure Committee\u2014a great committee\u2014to be rather vexed in its subjective application and interpretation. The Reserve Bank does this\u2014that is, the dual mandate\u2014through some pretty blunt instruments, like the setting of the official cash rate, which impacts interest rates that people get on their debt. In a nutshell, the Reserve Bank\u2019s main way of doing their job of managing financial stability and that maximum sustainable employment is by influencing the cost of debt.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EFiscal policy, on the other hand, is the stuff that the Government does. Basically, it\u2019s what the Government spends money on; where, what, and how much it taxes; and the amount of debt that it is willing to take on. These two tools, wielded, on the one hand, by the Government, and, the other hand, by the Reserve Bank, aren\u2019t used in isolation of each other. Each impacts the effectiveness of the other and they both have different consequences, again as a reflected in this 2022 Investment Statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ESo in January 2020, echoing some of the international concerns about interest rates potentially, at some point, looking like they hit zero, the Reserve Bank prepared some advice for the Minister of Finance about unconventional monetary policy, which I know is not particularly unconventional any more. The Reserve Bank noted that one of the major components of this at the time unconventional monetary policy was large-scale asset purchases (LSAP), otherwise known as the LSAP programme the other speakers have referred to. The Reserve Bank, in this advice in January 2020, warned that the LSAP may, and I quote, \u201Cincrease wealth inequality by more than conventional monetary policy by raising asset prices more directly.\u201D It called these concerns about inflation, particularly house prices and spiking inequality, distributional impacts. The Reserve Bank called on the Government more than two years ago to consider how it would deal with these distributional impacts\u2014that is, where LSAP would be deployed potentially, at some point. It noted, and I quote, \u201Cexternalities can only be addressed by other policy areas, particularly fiscal policy.\u201D That is, of course, the stuff that the Government does.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EThe Greens started raising concerns about the over-reliance on unconventional monetary policy when the Finance and Expenditure Committee returned at the beginning of the 53rd Parliament, after the election. I can point to dozens of hearings where I put these questions to the Minister of Finance, to the Reserve Bank Governor, and to Treasury, particularly to point out that the LSAP programme, the fiscal costs of which are estimated at around $7.2 billion, have occurred without the necessary intervention that the Greens would argue was necessary of the fiscal policy that, also, the Reserve Bank had warned would be necessary two years ago to deal with those distributional impacts or that inequality. This is, of course, why I\u2019ve continued to fight for a year now for a proper review into the COVID-19 economic response. We in the Greens will continue to fight for it. Not only was the LSAP deployed with the Treasury, the Minister of Finance, and the Reserve Bank knowing full well that it was likely to turbocharge house prices and inequality, it actually did do those things, and it cost billions and billions of dollars. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ENow, the Greens have never shied away from how we would have preferred the Government took the political responsibility that it has to utilise fiscal policy to not only minimise these so-called distributional impacts but to improve peoples\u2019 lives and to invest in our incredibly underfunded infrastructure, whether that be in public housing, public transport, public education, public health, or otherwise. As Labour members have pointed out, they\u2019ve done some of those things. And sure, they have. But unless they\u2019re willing to tackle the tax bogeyman, that old wealth tax, deep inequality and under-investment in these necessary investments for our future will continue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s talk about infrastructure and another long-term trend identified in the Investment Statement. Well, estimates by the Infrastructure Commission, which other members have bandied about, set out in the Investment Statement, say that there is an historical infrastructure gap of $104 billion, and a future infrastructure gap of $106 billion. That is a total of $210 billion, and that is only for our built infrastructure. It is a fiscal strategy attached to the 2022 Budget, and the Government has started, with some good Green influence, to shift away from arbitrary debt targets which have meant that successive Governments have delayed these critical investments in infrastructure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EThat said, we are still nowhere near where we need to be because there\u2019s still, as outlined in that document attached to the Budget, a peculiarity in the way that the Treasury identifies and differentiates the blurry line between capital expenditure and operating expenditure, which means that it\u2019s still more comfortable investing in carbon-intensive motorways than in nurses, teachers, and social workers. This is something that we must continue to scrutinise because it is not a natural phenomenon that we make these demarcations, but, again, the product of economic theories and the assumptions that underpin them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EWhich brings us to the planet that we live on. Despite these long-term Investment Statements happening every four years, supposedly with a focus on future and present generations, the words \u201Cclimate change\u201D were not mentioned once in the debut 2014 Investment Statement. The word \u201Cclimate regulation\u201D was once, in passing. How times have changed, and, boy, how much work we have to catch up on. Just today, our Green Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw, launched the country\u2019s first National Adaptation Plan grappling with the real-world impacts of climate change. Now, this Investment Statement has a whole section on the risks to the balance sheet from climate change. There are significant fiscal risks which we can see with the extreme weather events that we\u2019ve experienced here in Aotearoa New Zealand in just the past few weeks, and, obviously, with Europe currently burning. Some of the investments that the Investment Statement talks about as necessary are, and I quote, \u201Cinvesting in Social assets such as public transportation infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings such as schools and hospitals.\u201D, and \u201Ctaking on additional debt to support climate mitigation or adaptation to redistribute anticipated costs in a more equitable manner between central government, local government, Iwi and M\u0101ori as Treaty Partner and the private sector.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003EIn the 21st century, poverty and anthropomorphic climate change are not natural phenomena, they are political consequences of political decisions. If some of the things that have be begun to be unpacked in this Investment Statement speak for anything, it is that there are still political choices to be made necessary to meet these challenges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022 data-id=\u00224f2d480b75aa4834af56d69837d57795\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224f2d480b75aa4834af56d69837d57795\u0022\u003EBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is a pleasure to rise tonight on behalf of the ACT Party to take a call on the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Investment Statement. I just want to give a quick shout out to the ACT Party member Damien Smith, who sits on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, who couldn\u2019t be here tonight\u2014so you\u2019ll have to bear with me as I go through the Investment Statement with a little less Irish charm. But I know that if he were here, he would love to be giving this speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EThe ACT Party welcomes the debate into the Government\u2019s books, because I don\u2019t think we talk enough about our operating budgets and our balance sheets and how much we earn, how much we spend, how many assets we have, and how many liabilities we have. I think for a lot of people it sounds a little dull, but it\u2019s incredibly important because that is, essentially, how this Government operates, how everything happens in this country, how things are borrowed, how much debt we have, how much money we\u2019ll have in the future, and, importantly, how much debt future generations will be paying for bad investments today. This debate only comes around once every four years, so having ten minutes every four years is really not enough and we should do this debate far more often, because we\u2019re squeezing a very important topic into a short amount of time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EBut if we look at 2018 to now, which was the last debate on this topic, my how things have changed. You could not predict how things would have changed. Back in 2018, Treasury forecast that net core Crown debt would track downwards. Well, that certainly hasn\u2019t happened, because now debt is higher than it\u2019s been in the early 1990s, closer to when I was born than now, and it is increasing. This is the chance we have to debate the state and value of significant assets and liabilities, how they\u2019ve changed over time, how they\u2019re forecast to change in at least the next two years, and how the changes have looked since the last statement. It\u2019s a chance to take stock on the Government\u2019s balance sheet. That is not how much money the Government is taking in, in tax; that happens in a different debate. And it\u2019s not on how much we spend on health and education or on the wasteful spending that the ACT Party finds\u2014there is $6.8 billion that we could cut, and if you\u2019re more interested in that, please head along to the ACT Party\u2019s alternative Budget on our website. This is a debate on what the Government owns and what the Government owes, so let\u2019s take stock of where we are to date.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EThere has been a significant increase in debt. In 2017, 19 percent of GDP was debt, and now that\u2019s gone up to 30 percent of GDP at the end of 2021. That\u2019s also forecast to grow to 40 percent in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Our assets have grown since 2017 by 40 percent and our liabilities have grown by 43 percent, but what the Government probably doesn\u2019t wish to tell you is that of the growth in assets, most of this was in land prices. The biggest beneficiary of inflation and Government borrowing and spending has actually been the Government itself\u2014the biggest beneficiary of the increase in land prices and asset inflation. And the biggest growth in liabilities, unfortunately, was Government debt and Government borrowing. I think we need to be more honest about the debt, because the Government is mortgaging our futures and mortgaging the futures of our children and grandchildren, because that\u2019s money that needs to be paid back by somebody at a future date.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EThe Large Scale Asset Purchase (LSAP) programme that the Reserve Bank and the Government were running had the effect of converting fixed rates of debt to short-term floating debt and making debt-servicing costs more sensitive to changes in interest rates. What that really has meant is that it means that the future is riskier for us than it would have been if we had not done the LSAP programme. We moved from fixed to floating right when interest rates were about to rise, and that means, according to Treasury, that the loss on the balance sheet and the reduction in debt-servicing costs are no longer expected to cancel each other out or offset each other, and, based on the interest rate expectations, the net direct fiscal cost from the LSAP programme was expected to be $5.1 billion\u2014and even that is out of date, and it\u2019s now around $8 billion. The real question is then: why is it that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept doing LSAP despite our economic performances actually being strong by global standards? You know, they have set us up for future risk, much more risk than we should have had. And there is no such thing as a free lunch. People will have to pay that back, and it will be future generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003ESo that\u2019s debt. Now, let\u2019s turn to some of the assets. The Government owns many, many, many assets, and I think we need to run a ruler over what we own and why. The Treasury secretary says the changes to the balance sheet underscore the need for effective investment discipline and careful consideration of ownership rationale, and I couldn\u2019t agree more. You know, the Government currently has a portfolio of many company assets, unlisted companies, commercial assets, and they\u2019ve underperformed at their cost of capital. They are far too comfy, because the only people that they are accountable to are the Government. That\u2019s 10 percent of Government net worth that is not performing well, and what that really means is, essentially, we\u2019re putting money into companies where we could have just invested that money somewhere else that was just as risky and maybe had a better return.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EBy contrast, some of the company assets that the Government does own that are mixed ownership models have done better, so the ACT Party says that we should really subject those same company assets to the same amount of transparency that we have under the mixed ownership model. That would significantly increase the performance, like we\u2019ve seen with the electricity companies, so let\u2019s list 49 percent of the shares of New Zealand Post, KiwiRail, Transpower, and use those funds to pay down that growing debt. At the same time, it would subject those companies to the transparency and accountability that other commercial entities have to be held accountable to. If you\u2019re more interested in that, please go along to our alternative Budget and have a look in more detail as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EFor other assets: we also invest a lot in infrastructure but we don\u2019t do a great job. There was the report from Treasury and it said that we actually do a pretty terrible job of investing in infrastructure. We have a historical infrastructure gap of $104 billion. I think the real problem here is that because decisions are being made by politicians, they are bad investment decisions. You just have to look at light rail. What a terrible, terrible project. You only have to cast your mind back to Bridges\u2019 10 bridges and all of the other political bribes that happen when it gets closer and closer to election time and politicians start pulling out what sort of infrastructure projects they can have in their own towns to get them re-elected, and realise that that is not a good model for investment in infrastructure. ACT says we need to do better. We have 30-year infrastructure partnership plans that would strengthen accountability by devolving revenue and responsibility to regional government, and allowing for accountability and monitoring to be held by central government. These 30-year plans would allow for that real gap in infrastructure to be closed in New Zealand. These are things that we need to have for a healthy balance sheet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003EIn closing, our debt is far, far too high. We can solve the problem by sharing some of those assets and companies through a mixed ownership model, and get a better dividend for the Government because those companies will perform better. We need to fund infrastructure better. And, most importantly, we need to get our balance sheets and our books in order. We deserve better as a country. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022 data-id=\u0022906c1755f0ed43ee97bb4c0bfcb7850a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022906c1755f0ed43ee97bb4c0bfcb7850a\u0022\u003EHon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Associate Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to speak this afternoon and, also, I just want to acknowledge those that have been on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, who have produced this report, He Puna Hao P\u0101tiki. It\u2019s been a while since I did have the opportunity to sit on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, in the previous term, and we got to debate and, I guess, be stewards of some of the amendments that were required to be made and that we did make under the Public Finance Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003ETonight, I will briefly touch on some of the points and some of the highlights that the select committee have made, but in particular I wouldn\u2019t mind turning to He Puna Hao P\u0101tiki, particularly with a focus on some of the measures that we\u2019ve introduced\u2014obviously, this is our fourth wellbeing Budget in a row\u2014to look at how those have changed over time, what\u2019s guiding them, what we\u2019re hoping to achieve from that approach, and how we\u2019re tracking.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EIn terms of where we\u2019re at as a small Pacific nation in the context of a global world, we\u2019re all acutely aware of the economic pressures and strains internationally. Inflation rates around the world are very significantly high. We\u2019ve got supply chain issues. We\u2019ve got a whole range of issues that are impacting on us. And our fiscal and economic position here domestically, as He Puna Hao P\u0101tiki observed, is that we\u2019ve had a significant increase in debt over the last year\u201419 percent. COVID-19 set the environment for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EHowever, I guess one of the things I reflected on, and it\u2019s come through in this report, is some of the challenges that we have been engaged in, as a consequence of COVID and, of course, the war in Ukraine is doing its fair dash as well\u2014I think that one of the things that\u2019s stood us in good stead, and this is highlighted in the report itself, is that our economic position, coming into the pandemic, was sound and it\u2019s meant that our economy has come through COVID and the COVID shock almost better than anywhere else. The evidence for that is in the fact that we have received two triple A credit ratings from two leading agencies, and that\u2019s in the middle of a pandemic. It\u2019s not something that too many countries have the privilege of being able to say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EOur GDP is up. Our unemployment is at record low levels. We\u2019re all well familiar with the 3.2 percent that we\u2019re across nationally, but today we had some good results for the M\u0101ori unemployment rate specifically. I think it\u2019s down to about 5.5 percent. I think I saw the Pasifika unemployment rate was down at about 5.4 percent. So these indicia are all, I guess, benchmarks of a sound economic position, despite the strong winds that have been in our face.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EThe next measure we can look at is wages. Our wages have outpaced inflation up until this recent inflation spike, and they are forecast to do so again in every year after 2022. So that means, obviously, that households will be better off and, in particular, better off under Labour. And of course our debt is set to peak at about half of Australia\u2019s, around a third of that in the UK, and around about a fifth of the US\u2019. That\u2019s measured consistently as a percentage of GDP. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EProbably because I\u2019ve been knee deep in it for some time, I want to look at the impacts of the Living Standards Framework and the relatively newer framework He Ara Waiora. So a part of Treasury\u2019s vision, and this was covered off in He Puna Hao P\u0101tiki, has been to lift living standards for all New Zealanders and, to achieve that vision, the Living Standards Framework and He Ara Waiora have\u2014well, they\u2019ve both evolved over time. And as each Budget has come through over the past four years, we\u2019ve seen a growth in terms of different iterations in how they\u2019re measuring our wellbeing across the board, how they\u2019re measuring the wellbeing of New Zealanders. The Living Standards Framework reflects the local and international developments in how we are conceptualising and how we are measuring wellbeing. Now, it\u2019s slightly evolved since I sat on the Finance and Expenditure Committee a little while ago, but the four\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224b3e0ed5f8f44172a6304750cbb89b4d\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ve missed you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002251235fe0d9f44acaa383cdb5c4c947d5\u0022\u003EHon KIRITAPU ALLAN\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, it\u2019s gotten better, a lot better. I was like, huh! It\u2019s a little more nuanced and you can tell that that\u2019s growth, isn\u2019t it! But the four wealths that underpin it\u2014that\u2019s the natural environment, that\u2019s the social cohesion, the human capability, and the financial and physical capital\u2014those spread out into a range of different measures by which we can assess how people are going. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EOne of the things that\u2019s been really interesting over the past year or so is that we\u2019ve been asking, from the Government side of things, agencies and asking Government departments to move beyond the silo, to move beyond the silo when it comes to achieving these wellbeing, move beyond the silo when it comes to setting\u2014we\u2019re requiring agencies to bring together cluster budgets so that they are, (1), prioritising across sectors, (2), working towards shared outcomes that are important across sector, and, (3), ultimately so that we can see the tangible outcomes in whether we use the Living Standards Framework, but through that holistic wellbeing lens. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI think that\u2019s something that\u2019s steered us really well as we went through our COVID recovery. I think it steered us really well in terms of where we invest money, how we look at the overarching\u2014it wasn\u2019t just bottom lines that steered our investments over that period. It\u2019s not just those bottom lines that are how we assess where we are at as a nation. But I remember, when we were looking at things, it was: what does bring about wellbeing in those times of real challenge? People being able to come together as communities in various different ways was a part of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EI remember one of the key things that we all decided collectively was that the arts were so fundamental to wellbeing across the board that that was one area that we didn\u2019t want to see fall off\u2014one of the things that often can fall off when we\u2019re going through economically challenging times. I\u2019ve just been over the weekend to the largest ever kapa haka festival, Te Matatini. We made decisions to invest in those types of communities, those types of performance\u2014well, cultural bastions\u2014because we decided that a pandemic shouldn\u2019t obliterate those communities. And actually, if we encouraged those communities to come together, we would see benefits across health, housing, knowledge and skills, cultural capability, and belonging\u2014all of those types of indicia that perhaps for some on the other side of the House aren\u2019t as important, but, to us, it has been.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EAs I look across the country and have been able to see how this framework has driven our mind-set in terms of where we decided to support, I can see that it\u2019s landed. Really, in my mind, we\u2019ve been quite privileged to be able to see how communities have come together and that being manifest across a range of different wellbeings. I\u2019m really proud of the fact that Minister Robertson did that for us as we were going through the pandemic. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a8cab3e3-b023-4ce7-9f4b-2c4137029057\u0022\u003EOne of the other key areas that the committee looked into was, obviously, the net worth across the board, but also the large-scale asset programme and whether or not that had had some successes. I\u2019ll leave it to my other colleagues to pick up the ball on that one. But just again, thanks for the work that you did, team. It\u2019s a good piece of work and it\u2019s a great report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022 data-id=\u002272642b1edb784693b2540e1629d698bf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002272642b1edb784693b2540e1629d698bf\u0022\u003ESIMON WATTS (National\u2014North Shore):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Well, it\u2019s an absolute pleasure to get up and speak on the 2022 Investment Statement. I think the Minister\u2014it sort of felt like she was doing a hospital pass across to her colleague to try and finish off that speech. But let\u2019s bring it back to some of the key issues that the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) had the pleasure of listening to, because, as much as that other side of the House paints this rosy picture of how everything is great, the reality, sadly, for the New Zealand public is not quite that. And I\u2019m going to explain a little bit about the reality of where we are fiscally. When you start getting into the detail of the Government\u2019s balance, actually, there is a large number of warning signs coming up already; and Kiwis across this country should be very, very concerned around that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe first aspect is around the debt levels in this country: $162.5 billion. That\u2019s a big number. People don\u2019t quite know, well, what does that actually reflect and what does that look like. But if you get to the element around the cost of debt, people understand how big their mortgage is, but what they really understand is the repayments they make every month or every fortnight in order to pay that debt. This Government is paying $4.7 billion every single year\u2014$4.7 billion\u2014in interest costs alone in that debt. That is just below the entire budget for law and order for this country. It is one quarter of the budget for health services across this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EWhen we talk about debt, the greater the debt the less that we have as a country and pay for public services. So there is a clear correlation. You can spend today but you have to pay it back tomorrow. The correlation in regards to the fact that the more that that debt level is, the less that we have to spend on public services. And as a reality of that, this country, as a result of the increasing debt, is continuing to go backwards. That interest cost alone is just over $2,000 per annum for every Kiwi household. That is a heck of a lot of money. And that amount is only going to increase with the increasing interest rates, because that\u2019s based on an interest rate of around 2.8 percent. Well, I can tell you what, you can look in the back page of the Herald and the financial section and see what mortgage rates and interest rates are sitting at. Of course, the Government don\u2019t pay what you pay in terms of a mortgage, but you\u2019re absolutely going to see, probably, a 1, 2, potentially 3 percent increase in regards to that. That will all correlate in terms of pressure on the public purse, and it will all create pressure in terms of the affordability of paying for public services. That is what is coming down the track at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe other element talked about in the investment statement was around spending. The Treasury actually made some pretty key statements in regards to that. They obviously said that the most significant component of the Government\u2019s liabilities is the borrowings that I\u2019ve just articulated. They also said that net Crown debt has increased significantly, reflecting a large increase in spending. Right, there is a clear correlation. This is not money that is coming from some magic place. This is money that is being borrowed. This is funding and spending that is funded out of debt. As I\u2019ve said before, there is a cost to that. And we\u2019re seeing the sensitivity in terms of our balance sheet going to be heavily impacted by the changes of interest rates as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe question here is so who pays for that debt? Well, the reality is I think it\u2019s morally wrong for us to expect future generations to fund that addiction to spending that we\u2019re seeing today. But that is the reality of what is happening at the moment. And when you see lack of prudence around fiscal spend, examples like cycle bridges in Auckland, you\u2019ve got examples all over the place\u2014three waters\u2014it gets to the heart of this money is money out of the pockets of hard-working Kiwis. It is taxpayer\u2019s money that is being wasted. And Treasury has highlighted, as I\u2019ve said, that the increase in debt reflects a large increase of Government spending.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EI want to also touch on, in terms of the time, around what most Kiwis will understand as just Government money printing. It\u2019s called quantitative easing. There\u2019s a big, long word that they use for it in this paper, but it\u2019s basically where the Government prints money. And the reality of this Government is that throughout the COVID dilemma, they jumped on the bandwagon with every other reserve bank around the world and said, \u201CWell, let\u2019s get into the pack. And everyone else is printing money so let\u2019s print money as well. And let\u2019s use that opportunity to sort of spend a little money on pet political projects.\u201D, which they\u2019ve done\u2014well, they\u2019ve announced. They haven\u2019t actually necessarily delivered any of those, but that\u2019s the reality.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe correlation between that Government printing of money has actually led to a decrease in interest rates, and that decrease of interest rates has correlated to an increase in house prices. They are all linked. And it was mentioned by a previous speaker that the Government obviously retains a huge amount of those assets. The Government, actually, has been a beneficiary in terms of the increase in house prices as a result. But the impact for hard-working Kiwis at home\u2014those in the squeezed middle\u2014the impact of that Government spending, which has reduced interest rates, which has led to higher housing prices, has meant they have been locked out of that housing market. And combined with a regulatory reform programme that has not been modified or changed, has led to that increase as well. One would hope, actually, that in most cases rent prices would decrease as well under those circumstances. The reality in New Zealand, because of the regulatory environment that we have in play that this Government has failed to fix, is rents have also held hard. So Kiwis at home have been squeezed as a result of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EInfrastructure is a significant enabler of economic growth and productivity\u2014the Treasury refers to the fact of some concerns around that. It says that there is evidence in New Zealand that infrastructure spend is not as effective as it could be in delivering on infrastructure plans. Well, that\u2019s a pretty clear statement in regards to that. And the element that they say is that the Treasury informed us that under-investment in some infrastructure in many cases may lead to reduced wellbeing and productivity. The number one issue in this country over a period of time is poor productivity. That is because we have not invested capital in the areas in regards to per labour unit in order to make sure that\u2014as a labour unit or as employees\u2014we\u2019re able to deliver productivity. We are one of the lowest compared to other OECD countries. So the need for targeted infrastructure investment that drives economic growth, that drives productivity, is absolutely essential. And when we see a Government that puts on hold key roading and infrastructure projects that are enablers of growth that opportunity cost of those projects being delayed for one, two, three, five years can never be recovered. As a result, we\u2019re going to need to play catch-up with that infrastructure deficit, and that is going to hold and continue to hold Kiwis back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe other element around infrastructure and linked to infrastructure is around the three waters reform, and the Investment Statement made a number of comments around that. It commented here that there is concern around the value for money going into the three waters programme. It referenced the fact that part of the $3 billion bribe fund by this Government given out to councils to try and buy their support\u2014which has failed dismally. Well, in Auckland alone, the allocation of $127 million from that three waters fund that\u2014I think most people at home would think, \u201CDid that go into water pipes? Did that go into infrastructure under the ground?\u201D No. It went to plug last year\u2019s deficit in operating spending. That is unbelievable. That is unacceptable. That is taxpayer\u2019s money. And the comment from the Minister in regards to that is, \u201CWell, that\u2019s not my responsibility.\u201D And that is the culture that we\u2019ve got around poor fiscal discipline, poor allocation of capital, and the cost of that is going to be felt by future generations in terms of lack of investment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EWe also challenged, as part of the FEC, around the cost in order to deal with the infrastructure in the three waters space. We were given numbers between $120 billion and $185 billion. Well, it\u2019s interesting that Treasury have assessed the total deficit of infrastructure in this country to be around $220 billion. So obviously the left hasn\u2019t spoken to the right in regards to the total element, but there is an absolute lack of substantiation of these numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EThe Investment Statement paints a picture of a Government addicted to spending, a Government that has debt levels that are unsustainable, and the reality is the wheels are falling off the Labour bicycle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022 data-id=\u002275f21127d34e460a9aa77cd3e2165b74\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002275f21127d34e460a9aa77cd3e2165b74\u0022\u003EINGRID LEARY (Labour\u2014Taieri):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m not sure if the Opposition have got the same Investment Statement that we have on this side of the House, because it makes great reading, and it\u2019s an impact Investment Statement which shows resilience in the New Zealand economy. That resilience is because of careful financial management from our Minister of Finance. It\u2019s from responding appropriately with a health response to the COVID pandemic, and it is also, of course, because of the hard work and the pulling together of ordinary New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, the balance sheet shows what the Crown owns and what it owes, and the balance sheet is a good indicator of our ability to reach wellbeing outcomes. If we look at the numbers, GDP is up 5.1 percent from a year ago. The official unemployment has edged up to actually 3.3 percent, not 3.2 percent, in the three months to the end of June, and wages have lifted to 3.4 percent, which is what the Minister of Finance has predicted would happen. In fact, in the private sector it\u2019s up to 7 percent, which is the largest increase in wages since 2008. House prices are dropping, and so all the indicators are showing that there is a market correction, and that\u2019s from the past three decades where labour productivity growth has almost doubled wage growth. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, these are not my words. These are the words of the FIRST Union in Stuff today saying the tight market input is pushing employers a bit harder to attract and retain staff. That\u2019s a good thing, and long overdue. The Capital Economics economist Marcel Thieliant reported in Stuff today that inflation has already peaked, so we are really heading into a period at the start of next year where inflation will either stabilise or fall and wages will trend upwards, and that is exactly what the Minister of Finance had said would happen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, it doesn\u2019t mean that it isn\u2019t tough out there. We understand that it is tough for New Zealanders. We understand that it is tough for workers, and we like to call them workers over on this side of the House, rather than Mr Watts\u2019 word, \u201Clabour units\u201D. They are people, and we need to acknowledge that and understand that it\u2019s really difficult for them. But we\u2019re not the only country going through this. The inflationary effects of COVID and of the war on Ukraine have affected virtually every country in the world. And if I look at some research from the Pew Research Centre, it says that inflation rates have doubled in 37 out of 44 economies over the last two years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EInteresting and unfortunate fact: the highest inflation rate is in Turkey\u201454.8 percent. That\u2019s incredible. Out of those 44 countries, New Zealand is 12th lowest. Now, the bottom three are China, Indonesia, and India. There are some question marks around their figures. Nevertheless, with their low inflation that doesn\u2019t say anything about the deaths. We know in India, for example, they have a death rate from COVID of over 500,000. Now, the reason I\u2019m saying this is because it\u2019s all inter-related. The balance sheet, the COVID recovery, the response to COVID are all inter-related. Economies around the world have struggled with COVID, with supply chains, and we\u2019ve seen what the war in Ukraine has done to petrol prices in New Zealand and around the world. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s why this Government has tried to ease some of that pain with the cost of living payment that\u2019s going to 2.1 New Zealanders. It\u2019ll be in their bank accounts about now\u2014that squeezed group that haven\u2019t been able to access the winter energy payment but are still feeling the inflationary effects on things like blocks of cheese. That\u2019s why we have continued half-price transport till the end of January, and we\u2019ve extended the fuel tax cut. And actually, we\u2019ve extended half-price transport for community services card holders permanently. The winter energy payment: massively important for the people in Taieri where I have my electorate\u2014very cold there at the moment. That is making the difference to my constituents, for many of them, of being able to have both a warm house and food on the table and not having to choose between them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EWe have moved to disband the supermarket duopoly, an excellent piece of work by my good friend and colleague, Hon Dr David Clark. Lots of feedback coming in about how unfair the million dollars of excess profit per day the supermarkets have been making. That\u2019s going to make a real difference to our constituents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EFree lunches in schools: more than 45 million lunches have been delivered to 921 schools. My son goes to Bathgate Park and it\u2019s a decile 3 school. I\u2019ve seen the huge difference that those lunches have made to many of my son\u2019s friends. And we have also increased superannuation, benefits, minimum wage, and the winter energy payment. These are all some of the really good outcomes that we have been able to achieve by having a good balance sheet. I\u2019d like to quote Dr Caralee McLiesh, who\u2019s the Secretary to the Treasury. She said in evidence at the select committee that \u201CNew Zealand has fared really well throughout the pandemic and that\u2019s supported by statements from some of the international organisations and rating agencies as well. So that gives us confidence, then, that both the health and economic response have delivered positive outcomes.\u201D, and she is referring there, of course, to the two triple A ratings that my colleague Hon Kiritapu Allan referred to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EOne of the other members raised the idea that perhaps our fiscal policy had not been done prudently. Well, I go on to quote Caralee McLiesh in saying, \u201COne of the lessons from the pandemic is how powerful fiscal policy can be in providing targeted support where it\u2019s needed to keep workers attached to jobs, to help businesses to keep operating and to provide confidence in the market.\u201D If we had a high unemployment rate, those people would simply not be able to meet their mortgage payments. That would be the beginning of a spiralling effect of recession, of people not being able to keep their homes, and it would put us in a deep, dark place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, if I go back to what the alternative reality might have been had National got in when COVID happened. If we look back at March 2020, the then leader Simon Bridges called for a complete border shutdown for non-residents. On 23 April 2020, The Spinoff said that one of the best case scenarios for unemployment was 8 percent. Now, we have seen today\u2019s figures\u20143.3 percent, very low; 3.2 percent recently. The best case scenario back then was predicted to be 8 percent. It is this Government\u2019s fiscal management which has been able to keep that all important indicator in the right place. May 2020, when the UK death toll was 30,000, Simon Bridges was asking for our borders to be reopened, and I hate to think what would have happened not only to our people but to our economy had that happened prior to the vaccine roll-out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003ENow, of course, the rest is history. We had a change in leader in the National Party, then 53 days later, another one. We\u2019re up to the fourth leader. The reason I raise that is we can\u2019t have economic stability in a country that is led by a political party on the other side that cannot even keep its own house in order as far as leadership and political stability. They don\u2019t have a plan. They complain about debt, but the only way that they want to tackle debt is to give tax cuts to the rich, so I\u2019m not sure how that would help. So it\u2019s a bit rich of them to be talking about fiscal prudence and financial management when the leadership has already changed so many times. There\u2019s been a flip-flopping of ideas about whether to keep the borders open, whether to keep the borders closed. Have we got too many people coming in? Have we not got enough people coming in? These are all issues that are related to the financial stability, the balance sheet that needs to be managed prudently and carefully.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003EThat is what our Minister of Finance has done. He knew that this year would be difficult. He has messaged that to people. We have targeted our support for those who need the most support from the most deprived communities, and we know that from 2023 onwards, the wage rise that we have seen in today\u2019s figures will continue to go upwards and that is going to help close the inequality gap, and that is what most of the members on this side of the House came to do when we came into Parliament was to try to make New Zealand a fairer place. My colleague Kiritapu has referred to the fact that, in fact, inequality during COVID even\u2014and the report says this, and I\u2019ve got evidence here, again, from the Treasury. During COVID, it shone a light onto the inequalities in New Zealand, but actually it also helped to marginally close that gap. Now, time will tell, in due course, whether that\u2019s going to be further closed, but I would feel very confident with the targeting that this Government has done, that we have done everything in our power to make sure that New Zealand has been in the best possible position to weather what has been a COVID storm and to weather what has been the really dramatic and unexpected war in Ukraine that has sent the world topsy-turvy. So this is a good statement and I would encourage the Opposition to read it properly. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002244d7af03533246cbae87f34cc5671c67\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002244d7af03533246cbae87f34cc5671c67\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Andrew Bayly\u2014but just as I call the member, I\u2019m just going to remind Mr Bishop, can he please keep his mask on. I know that he was eating something for a period of time, but he shouldn\u2019t be eating stuff to the point where he has to have his mask off. If he\u2019s chewing a lolly, keep the mask on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022 data-id=\u00221dd79e8e8810480ba08ef07a91a6b601\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221dd79e8e8810480ba08ef07a91a6b601\u0022\u003EANDREW BAYLY (National\u2014Port Waikato):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, I think that speech just tells it all. Unfortunately, we are all part of a committee called the Finance and Expenditure Committee, and that speech just highlights the deficit in terms of the ability to actually talk to a report, which is what this session tonight in the House is about, rather than give a political rant about National and leadership and things like that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003ELook, I just take issue with some of the stuff. The member talked a good game about equality, and, of course, what we do know is that we had 100,000 children in a poverty gap and that number has increased over the last five-and-a-bit years. We are seeing so much hardship and division in New Zealand at the moment at a financial, economic, and social issue that, personally, I find very concerning. Because not only does New Zealand have a huge economic challenge ahead of it but it has a huge social challenge in terms of how we bring people back together, how we actually create an environment that people want to live in in New Zealand and feel that they\u2019re getting a fair shot, because certainly that\u2019s not the case.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EAnd to say that the Government is undertaking targeted support, which we all know in the most recent example has been an absolute disaster. Where if you\u2019re a university student you cannot get access to the so called $300-odd that people have been given, but they\u2019re those type of people who are not earning money, who want to earn money, but, and for some perverse reason, are not getting access to it, and yet people living overseas, as Mr Bishop talks about, lawyers overseas in London are suddenly finding they\u2019re getting money from the New Zealand Government; it\u2019s outrageous.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EAnyway, this report is one of four, as no doubt you know having been here an exceptionally long time. So we\u2019ve had a long-term financial statement\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c6ab5ed72a141bc80f9ba93c4bc411e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A lot longer than these reports have been around.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225c680388e23a485e8e627807f04ddf76\u0022\u003EANDREW BAYLY\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I know. Yes. We\u2019ve got the local long-term financial statement, which is published every four years. We\u2019ve got the long-term insights briefing, which is something that Treasury does every three years. We\u2019ve got the Wellbeing Report, which we debated not long ago, which is a document published every four years. And, of course, this is the Investment Statement, which I\u2019d just remind, actually, what it\u2019s about, which is: describes the state and value of significant assets and liabilities of the Government, how these have changed over the value over time, which is obviously a four-year cycle, and how they are forecast to change over the next two years, and the changes since the last statement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003ESo I think the first thing is there is an absolute enshrined principle\u2014and it\u2019s embedded in the Public Finance Act\u2014which is we need to ensure that we have sustainable and resilient public finances that will bolster living standards for future generations. That\u2019s a crucial pivot or tenant of what we should be discussing about in this report. Because obviously this report lays out the assets and liabilities of the Government, and I think what we\u2019ve seen is, certainly there\u2019s been an increase in the net worth of the Government. We\u2019ve seen the value of assets now, it\u2019s been quoted regularly before, about $440 billion, liabilities total about $281 billion, and now we\u2019ve got a net equity of roughly about $160 billion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EJust as a side note, I wish we would be able to work out what the net equity of the water companies is going to be because no one can tell me what that is. They can tell me what the assets in the balance sheet\u2014and the liabilities. But even the officials can\u2019t. But at least at central government level we do know what the core value of that, which is about $160 billion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EInteresting, I note that if you look at all the balance sheets of the Government, the intellectual-property component has steadfastly remained at about $3 billion-$3.5 billion, and that\u2019s been going in the balance sheet for quite some period of time. As the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs mistakenly said last night in the debate about the statistics and data bill or the Data and Statistics Bill, that in most cases public companies, a significant amount of their value, he said it was related to data. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s actually related to the intellectual property. I think one of the key things in the Government\u2019s balance sheet is the huge undervaluation of its intellectual property. Something that I\u2019ve regularly asked finance Ministers and the Treasury secretary, and for some reason it\u2019s something that keeps slipping through, but I would imagine that if you looked at the intellectual property that resides in every Government agency, State-owned enterprise (SOE), whatever, if it was taken from a private-sector perspective that value would be significantly enhanced because of the embedded intellectual property that sits and resides in those balance sheets, in those operations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EI think my colleague Mr Simon Watts made a good point, current borrowings costs, if you go back a couple of years\u2019 ago it was about $2 billion. It was about the cost of running the New Zealand Police force; now, about $4.7 billion. So, as he noted, about the total cost of the justice costs in New Zealand or just to put it in another perspective, it\u2019s about the same cost as operating Vote Defence, about $4.8 billion-$4.9 billion. So what we\u2019re doing is every year we\u2019re taking what we could have spent on defence or justice and paying it to people, often located overseas, in terms of those who hold our Government debt, and as we all know, most of that Government debt is owned by foreigners. So what we\u2019re doing is just taking that money, which could otherwise be spent on very useful projects and, in fact, taking it offshore.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003ESo this is the central issue about this report, which is: what is a prudent level of debt, and how should you structure the balance sheet. There\u2019s a challenge that, really, we\u2019ve faced over the last couple of years between investing now and preserving our resilience for the future. I think the COVID situation over the last 2\u00BD years has highlighted the infrastructure challenge we\u2019ve got, you know, poor connectivity in rural areas is just one example where it\u2019s just an absolute pressing need for substantial improvements in that service. I know there\u2019s been some investment but it\u2019s of a minor nature. There\u2019s still huge restrictions. That deficit in infrastructure is really, really important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003EBut the resilience going forward and our ability to invest for the future has, to some extent, been diminished significantly by the increase in debt over the last 2\u00BD years. If you look back 2\u00BD years\u2019 ago to March, our debt was sitting roughly at about $60 billion and now it\u2019s sitting well over $120 billion. It\u2019s doubled over the last 2\u00BD years. Whilst some of that expenditure\u2019s been useful\u2014no doubt we would\u2019ve done the wage subsidy and certain elements of that\u2014there has been an incredible amount of money that literally has gone into the ether and no one can point to. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s been used to build new infrastructure. It has just vanished into the ether. Now what that means is that whilst our debt was a very low rate of 19 percent, it is now well over 30 percent, and likely to increase further over the next couple of Budget cycles. Or hopefully for the Budget cycle 2024 there will be change. But we are seeing our options for future investment seriously diminished as a result of Government expenditure and Government spending. Of course, we\u2019ve had a Reserve Bank alongside that has just undertaken a mass amount of liquidity easing or buying of bonds, which now means that we\u2019ve got $60 billion of additional debt taken on to account into the Reserve Bank, which means that, of course, because Adrian Orr, the Reserve Bank Governor, signed an indemnity with the Minister of Finance we\u2019ve now got a mounting liability, was about $5 billion, was in this report about $7\u00BD billion, now is well over $8 billion, and likely to increase further as interest rates rise. We have got a staggering amount of new debt that\u2019s come into New Zealand. We have reduced our options to spend on good stuff in the future, whether it\u2019s infrastructure, whether it\u2019s social spending, and that is the wasted opportunity that we\u2019ve seen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022 data-id=\u00226fc168bc3fcc45a7bfdf9b39c9caf584\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226fc168bc3fcc45a7bfdf9b39c9caf584\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E It\u2019s a pleasure to rise to take a call and to debate what\u2019s a very important snapshot of where we are in terms of our economy. I am relatively new to politics. I did about 25 to 30 years of law, and I came on to this committee. So what I thought I\u2019d do is give the public at home a snapshot of what I learnt from this report, because it\u2019s a very interesting snapshot indeed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EFirst of all, I learnt that the Treasury confirmed the overall health of the balance sheet in the face of what have been major challenges\u2014and that is mainly COVID. But also it confirmed that in terms of our long-term challenges. What it did was it talked about what a solid foundation we have had, and that means that we actually have an overall\u2014we owe $438,000 billion. But we have, sorry\u2014sorry. Let\u2019s just\u2014we actually have done well in terms of what we owe versus what we have borrowed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EWhat we are also facing is a situation where, actually, the fact we went into the crisis as we did was really helped by the fact that we had a finance Minister who had kept a lid on the debt, and that had made a huge difference. What I also learnt was that we have a\u2014sorry, I\u2019m just having trouble with my glasses, and I can\u2019t actually see the page. We have taken a very sound pathway, and that sound pathway that we have taken, in terms of the way we responded to the crisis, is one that involves actually really using the money that we were investing in the places that mattered. So we used it to actually do things that mattered long term. There\u2019s a real confirmation in this report of just how wise that was, because we\u2019ve heard a lot today from the Opposition about the issue over the investment in infrastructure, but actually there hadn\u2019t been enough investment in infrastructure. And what was lost was the opportunity that that would have given New Zealanders. Now the money is going into those places that matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003ESo, when we talk about things like three waters, we\u2019re talking about investments in the very infrastructure that\u2019s important, because there had been a real slide in that area. We have not had investment in the pipes and the pure water that we need. As a consequence, we\u2019ve had some terrible crises. We\u2019ve actually had people die; we\u2019ve had people die of water quality. And so those things, when we invest in them, we actually invest forward into our future, because that is actually exactly what a Government is for. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EWe have got to do that, obviously, with housing as well. There is an acknowledgment in this report that that money needs to be spent in those areas, and it needs to be spent by Government. In fact, there is an encouragement to spend that money in areas that are about climate change, because that actually is a very progressive investment, because those are the risks we face and there\u2019s an acknowledgment of those risks. In fact, the report writers warn that one of the things that we need to do is think very carefully about that climate change situation in terms of what it is putting at risk for us, because it is putting us at risk when we don\u2019t acknowledge that we are going to face some real crises in that area\u2014things like the water pipes that I was talking about. My understanding is that 4,000 of those water pipes will be at risk because of climate change, so we have to build robustly and we have to build things that actually don\u2019t put our children at risk of future debt. And we\u2019re doing that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EIn fact, I was interested to hear several, what I would call, ideological comments come in from the other parties about what we should not be doing. There was the suggestion by ACT that we should be selling assets, and there was a suggestion by National that Government doesn\u2019t do this well. What I would contrast that with is actually the report itself, where there is a part of the report that talks about the public investment in infrastructure, and it actually specifically talks about how the international experience is that it\u2019s really important for Government to invest in those areas, because, if it does, actually other parties crowd in\u2014they\u2019re encouraged to actually innovate and to invest as well. So it\u2019s very, very important that our Government takes that kind of role, and that\u2019s exactly what it\u2019s doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EWhat they also talk about is the significant opportunities that come out of actually looking at the risks that we face in an area like climate change and responding to them as a Government, because, if we take them on as opportunities, we can do things that actually produce a lot more income for New Zealand. We can look at things like sustainable fuels. We can look at waste minimisation. These are all consistent with our climate goals, but they\u2019re also ways of actually shoring up our economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EOne of the things that is very clear in this report is that there is a robust review process. There\u2019s a discussion of this in the report, and there\u2019s a discussion of this in the report that the Finance and Expenditure Committee made on it, where we talked about the kinds of things that are here at the moment in our system that really keep eyes on the kinds of responses that the Government are making. So Treasury does things like it reviews the economic response, it reviews wage subsidies, it reviews the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme, and it also intends to do a wellbeing report by the end of 2022, which is a very interesting concept, I think, because we\u2019re getting at the heart of matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EOne of the things I\u2019m most proud of, of this Government, is that there is a focus on employment, and that was true in this response. Let\u2019s face it, this Government did spectacularly when it came to keeping people employed. And, while the Opposition likes to talk about self-reliance, what I know from my career in law is that the most important thing that people can have if they want to be self-reliant is a job. They don\u2019t need any job; they need a well-paying job. Today, we had statistics come out that said that M\u0101ori unemployment was down to 5.5 percent; Pacific unemployment was down to 5.4 percent. That is extremely important, because that is taking a group that has been marginalised and unemployed in much higher numbers than P\u0101keh\u0101, and they are now working. That\u2019s a sustainable future. That is a totally different thing that is going on when that happens, and it\u2019s a very important thing that\u2019s happened, and I\u2019m very proud of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI\u2019d just like to end by saying that, when I read this report, I didn\u2019t feel despondent. I didn\u2019t spend my time worrying too much about the things that have been mentioned by the other side, because it was an overwhelmingly positive report. It was quite a creative report, it pointed us in the right direction, and it talked about things like infrastructure, and some of that was a little devastating that we hadn\u2019t done enough over a very long time over our infrastructure. But it pointed us absolutely in the right direction, and it seemed to me a very robust system of really robust reporting that was going to put us on the right track.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EBut, more importantly, I was proud of the Government that I\u2019d come into for getting it right as much as they had\u2014for actually making sure that, when the pressure was on to try and spend more, when it was not appropriate, it hadn\u2019t. But, when it was a rainy day, it had spent the money that was required. And, consequently, we just have not had the awful forecasts we had\u2014that people would be unemployed. We haven\u2019t had that. What we have is tough times at the moment, but people have jobs, and that is so, so important to their dignity. It is so important to whether they can pay the mortgage. It is so important in terms of whether they can weather this storm. And that happened under this Government\u2019s watch, and it is absolutely reflected in this report. So I am very pleased to commend this report to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022af724a9f3c7a4ab1bdb4bcc77c3ae351\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022af724a9f3c7a4ab1bdb4bcc77c3ae351\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The time for this debate has expired. The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022a63a1ed6e8e24fd59ec762329e785721\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the House take note of the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on He Puna Hau P\u0101tiki: 2022 Investment Statement.\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; ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 12\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGreen 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\u003EMotion agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000545\u0022\u003EReport noted.\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=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cae8f7ecf5f546d2a77790d214519e38\u0022\u003EPalmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002270527939b9254470b74d06868b1cb970\u0022\u003EIn Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u00222840440e17c74c8ca7c9439c03e13579\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222840440e17c74c8ca7c9439c03e13579\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the House is in committee on the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill. It would be helpful, if members have questions, that they put them together for the member in charge during their call. Members, we now come to the debate on clause 1.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u0022a617e32d93c647e2a9531fc0f17aae26\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a617e32d93c647e2a9531fc0f17aae26\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Chief Whip\u2014Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Point of order, Mr Chair. I seek leave for all provisions to be taken as one question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u0022ea7d75d0bbd74a2fa1103e9444358813\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ea7d75d0bbd74a2fa1103e9444358813\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is none. The question is that clauses 1 to 6 stand part.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a2600d7953634f6bbb5101e330030e18\u0022\u003EClauses 1 to 6, and the Schedule\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022 data-id=\u002202a908fc17e54a34b786548133255b6b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202a908fc17e54a34b786548133255b6b\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E Kia orana, Mr Chair. Thank you. It\u2019s a pleasure to rise as the sponsor of this local bill, the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill, where the Palmerston North City Council is the promoter. I intend to make some comments for the benefit of the committee and to place on record, and then, obviously, very happy to take any questions. I have had an opportunity to look at contributions from members as part of the second reading on this local bill; noting, however, that the Environment Committee did report to the House with a recommendation that the bill be passed in its current form with no amendments. This is a discrete piece of land in Palmerston North. It\u2019s located adjacent to and nearby a number of other recreational reserves within the city. Actually, I know that many colleagues who had the benefit of attending Palmerston North for the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference in the last couple of weeks became quite familiar with it, passing that particular space while they spent some time in the city.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EI want to just refer back to some of the historical components of the land, because there are quite a number of Acts that touch on this piece of land. The Huia Street Reserve land, as it is colloquially known, is currently subject to three Acts: the Wellington Reserves Act of 1876 and the amendment Act of 1877, which applies to a 138-hectare area set aside in 1876 to be held in trust by the council for use as a public park, recreation ground, and botanical gardens. The Huia Street Reserve is part of that original parcel of 138 hectares, and the original trust requirement still sits and stands with that piece of land. The Palmerston North Reserves Act of 1922 also applies to this land, and it is this Act under which the land is currently held.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003ENow, the Council does currently have the power to build houses on the land if it chooses to, but it does not have the power to sell the land once the houses have been built. So it\u2019s a situation where the council might invest some capital proceeds or an injection of capital resource but they don\u2019t have an ability to actually sell the land that the houses would be built on. Also, the Reserves Act 1977 also applies to this piece as well. What this bill seeks to do is to remove the Huia Street land from under those three Acts and place it under the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Act of 1966. Of specific relevance is that Act, as it will enable the council, if it chooses to, to potentially do something with the land, with some freedom as well, subject to a consultation process of course. The select committee\u2014and it\u2019s in the Hansard, for members around the House\u2014went through quite a detailed process, a fulsome process, and in their report they specifically note that they were satisfied that due process had been followed, and that was confirmed in their contribution.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EI just want to touch on two members\u2019 contributions as part of the second reading, because this is the first opportunity to do so. The Hon Eugenie Sage touched on the need for decision-making principles to be considered as part of the next steps and that many of the issues that were raised by submitters would, none the less, be subject to the normal public notification process, where there\u2019s a time and place notified, 14 days\u2019 notice, and the like. The Environment Committee didn\u2019t delve into whether it was the right thing or the wrong thing to sell or develop the land, but rather whether it was appropriate that the council had the ability to go through a consultation process to do so. The other contribution was from Harete Hipango, who raised the possibility of whether the land should be gifted instead. Now, that still would be a matter for the council to determine, because Rangit\u0101ne, as you know, has mana whenua status in relation to this particular land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThe Environment Committee did spend some time and went into some detail looking at the specific relationship that Rangit\u0101ne has with the land but also with the Palmerston North City Council. The committee received specific advice that, effectively, confirms Rangit\u0101ne o Manawat\u016B settled with the Crown in 2016 and that the Crown was not currently in any active negotiations with any other iwi groups with interests around the city. So there were no current Treaty settlement obligations in relation to this piece of land. However, if there were an opportunity for future settlements with any claimants who might assert that their rohe included the Huia Street Reserve, that would be a matter for the Crown to deal with in terms of other resources. So the relationship with Rangit\u0101ne is very strong. It\u2019s a positive one. It\u2019s one based on partnership, and I know that the member for Rangit\u012Bkei has noticed that\u2014and, no doubt, those who were attending the LGNZ conference in the last couple of weeks in Palmerston North would have seen the strong relationship between Rangit\u0101ne and also the Palmerston North City Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u00229a2663a739994134ae698590d98e9b04\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229a2663a739994134ae698590d98e9b04\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National\u2014Coromandel):\u003C/span\u003E Well, thank you, Mr Chair. I wanted to thank the member who has been sponsoring this local bill, the member for Palmerston North, Tangi Utikere. He\u2019s given a very fulsome historic analysis of this small but quite important piece of legislation amending legislation to the Palmerston North City Council. It should be noted at this stage in committee that there is, I think, unanimity across the House in support of this piece of legislation. It\u2019s to the credit of the sponsoring member and the council that they\u2019ve been able to achieve that, because that wasn\u2019t the case some 15 years ago when a similar attempt to resolve this issue was brought before this House and was not completed, and actually withdrawn and failed finally. So credit is due to both the council and to the sponsoring member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a very small piece of legislation in terms of the number of words printed in the bill, and, indeed, if members and people who might be watching this at home are of a mind to, they could refer to the just three short pages. There are six clauses and one amended schedule. The first four clauses relate to the title, the commencement, the principal Act, and the purpose. It\u2019s actually in clause 4(a) and (b) that the doing bit of this amending legislation is included. That clause 4(a) simply says that \u201CThe purpose of this Act is to\u2014(a) vest in the Palmerston North City Council the land described in the Schedule\u201D, and that land in the Schedule refers to the piece of land that the sponsoring member referred to in his contribution. So that\u2019s very clear and precise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EBut it\u2019s in clause 4(b) that the meat of this amending legislation sits, and that clause 4(b) says, \u201Cenable the council to sell that land if the land becomes surplus to the Council\u2019s requirements.\u201D And, really, it became clear during the submissions that the Environment Committee heard from council and others that council actually does intend to sell this land. And so my question to the sponsoring member is: if it\u2019s very clear that this land is to be sold and developed for medium-density, high-density housing that is needed in the city of Palmerston North, then why are we sort of dancing on the head of a pin with the pretext of words like \u201Cif the land becomes surplus\u201D? It\u2019s pretty clear I think to everybody that the purpose of this amending piece of legislation is to do exactly that, and I think, in terms of the drafting, we could have been perhaps a little bit more clear. But I do understand that, ultimately, what this piece of legislation does is give the power and authority of the council to make the final decision as to what will happen to the land to the elected representatives of the Palmerston North City Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo, on that note, I don\u2019t want to make any further contribution. It\u2019s a very minor matter, but I think it is worth the sponsoring member at least addressing it. But on this side of the House, we support this piece of legislation. We think it\u2019s practical, it\u2019s prudent. And in coming to our deliberations on this side of the House, we took considerable cognisance from the hard-working and diligent member for Rangit\u012Bkei, and his advice and guidance helped form our caucus\u2019 opinion on this matter with clarity and distinction. So, on that note, I will sit down and look forward to a comment from the sponsoring member.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022 data-id=\u002251cd1307806c47f9a31557d1bcce4d48\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002251cd1307806c47f9a31557d1bcce4d48\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I\u2019m happy to respond to the member\u2019s questions, and I thank him for his contribution. It\u2019s worth noting that, yes, this is something that the Environment Committee did return to the House with unanimous support across parties, and also again worth noting that this is not the first time that this piece of land has been subject to a parliamentary process\u2014one in recent times has been successful in relation to the Palmerston North Girls\u2019 High School, which the member will be aware of. The more recent opportunity, however, is where there were concerns about this piece of land not having gone through an appropriate process at a local level, and I\u2019m delighted that the select committee did tease out some of those concerns to ensure that there was not a repeat when the bill came back to the Parliament this time round.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThe member is also right in that the bill itself does enable the council to sell the land. Whilst that might be the intention of the Council\u2014and what was placed before the select committee were some examples in terms of potential developments on that site, and that will be subject to a resource consent and other consenting process\u2014none the less, the council has been quite clear in its view that there would still need to be some public consultation process. So whilst this frees up the land, it doesn\u2019t necessarily direct the specific type of development that might follow. The position of the council is that that is a conversation that would still have to be taken with the local community. The meat, as I\u2019m advised, is in clause 5 of the bill, and the amended section 3, which is the amending component to that 1966 Act, does the changeover from those three Acts to the 1966 Act\u2014noting, however, that any subsequent decision of the council will be still subject to a consultative process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022 data-id=\u002200074e96dfb34ca3aea11f576cd1b02d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002200074e96dfb34ca3aea11f576cd1b02d\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. Well, it was an unusual pleasure to sit through a bill in consideration at the Environment Committee, which resulted in unanimous recommendation that the bill proceed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EBut some really interesting issues were raised during consideration. What struck me as being remarkable\u2014and the member sponsoring the bill, Tangi Utikere, has already raised it\u2014there are three separate pieces of legislation that need to be modified in order for a district council of, I think, a tier 2 metropolitan area. So not one of the big councils, but one that has a very important role to play in provincial New Zealand. Is it the capital of Rangit\u012Bkei? Rangit\u012Bkei District, is that right?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022abfc4d8394494eed8d48e8d174148b7a\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f96f3ee6bea540e296078bc387c68261\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: Well, why on earth should it take\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5912b0fc21f4aa2bbe7e7ec2836c116\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E:No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249cd160bf18c4cecb771118a46f8730c\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014such\u2014am I lost? Has Google Maps failed me?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e548a69924ff403495ae419f99df0384\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: Should have taken an opportunity to visit the site.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4990d9e1f51461b94943126e7067105\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: No, I say\u2014I\u2019ll get to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EWhy on earth should it take an Act of Parliament to allow Palmerston North Council to make decisions about how it uses surplus land? Land that was set aside in 1876 for use as a public park, recreation ground, and botanic gardens.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EI mean, in 1876, they wouldn\u2019t have known what a telephone was in New Zealand, let alone facing the issues that we face now. With the need to build infrastructure, we recognise the need that we want to densify and intensify cities and have mixed residential and commercial districts. None of these things would have been understood in terms of the pressure on land required to deliver infrastructure and social and economic benefits back in 1876. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo, look, in my experience working at Auckland Council, there were many, many different types of reserve land that, in mix, all together contiguous, continuous pieces of land with this underlying reserve status that made it very, very difficult to change the use of that land\u2014often doing nothing but growing thistles and weeds and not even suitable for active recreation\u2014unless the status of the actual Reserve Act that it depended on permitted active recreation. Some of it could only be looked at.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo that\u2019s not helpful in the 21st century. Local government needs to have flexibility as to how to repurpose the land that it needs to do other stuff with. It shouldn\u2019t have to come to Parliament and take up hundreds and hundreds of hours of officials\u2019 time, of members of Parliament\u2019s time to present a case as to why they should be allowed to use their land to do something different than it was used for in 1876.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo while I\u2019m pleased that the report has come back to the House with a unanimous recommendation that the bill proceed, I was shocked and disturbed by what I learnt through the process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EIt must be time for a new look at the role of local government to give it the incentives that local government needs to actually succeed on behalf of their community. Incentives like sharing 50 percent of the GST on every new build that they sign off on, actually, so they can cash flow infrastructure. A real reform of the Resource Management Act so that they can make decisions about how they use their land without having every NGO and pressure group that wants to save a special grass or a snail or a frog turning up to padlock themselves to the gates and turn up in the Environment Court and say, \u201CNo, you shouldn\u2019t be allowed to do it. We once had a game of hacky sack here and this reserve\u2019s special to us.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EIn fact, local government have one of the biggest challenges. How do we repurpose land so we can make our cities great again? How? How? This bill is one way, but what an awful palaver. So to the member, Tangi Utikere, congratulations on progressing the bill. All the best, Palmerston North. Make the most of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u0022086ec9cfa22f459d966ff412449a3452\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022086ec9cfa22f459d966ff412449a3452\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I just have one question\u2014not so much related to the substance of the bill, that I think is actually in very good shape, but in relation to why we\u2019re here on a members\u2019 day in the committee of the whole House considering this Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment bill. The reason I ask that is because for the better part of the last hundred-and-something years, this Parliament would pass a bill that since 1906 was an annual process and since about the 1930s was called the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill. And then in the 1980s, it happened every three or four years. Then we certainly hit quicksand under the Key-English Government because of a sticky issue that was part of a bill that was introduced in 2009. But my question to the member is: did he or the Palmerston North City Council pop along to the Minister for Land Information\u2014and if he hadn\u2019t, he could perhaps do that now; he\u2019s not that far away from him\u2014and find out why it is that it was necessary to use members\u2019 day time to do what is a pretty straightforward thing, but which had in the past happened multiple times?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003EThe reason I ask that is because if it becomes the sort of the precedent that a city or district council has to come to Parliament to free up land or otherwise dispose of it or do something different from what the reserve requirements had of it, then members\u2019 day will become a bit crowded with local bills for that purpose. So I am quite interested\u2014I can\u2019t ask the Minister for Land Information because it\u2019s not his bill, but I would be interested in hearing from the member in charge of this bill what the circumstances were that led to us being here talking about a local bill. I think that\u2019s quite an important aspect of the framework we might be using in the future for bills of this type.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022 data-id=\u00226dedb4e8a12044fdb7da50381b7dce5b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227535d92-0798-4e04-be80-9e91b53610e2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226dedb4e8a12044fdb7da50381b7dce5b\u0022\u003ERACHEL BROOKING (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I\u2019d like to start by following in the footsteps of my Environment Committee colleague the Hon Scott Simpson in congratulating the member for ushering this bill through the select committee process and this House. Now, on the Environment Committee, we didn\u2019t visit the site, but we did get very good visual material of the site and we saw the different uses that the land is put to. One of those uses is a tennis court, and I believe there is a tennis club and it has a lease to use that land. So my question is, really, if we could have an explanation of what is going to happen to these existing leases. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022 data-id=\u002257af949648814f7483af4cccfa8ca711\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002257af949648814f7483af4cccfa8ca711\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE (Labour\u2014Palmerston North):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Chair. I thank members for their questions and I\u2019ll endeavour to work through them. The first one from Mr Court, I\u2019m surprised and disappointed that the member is unaware of the fact that Palmerston North is not even located within the Rangit\u012Bkei district; it\u2019s within the Manawat\u016B district. But, then again, that\u2019s an example perhaps of a member not being on the ground in the regions. So that\u2019s the first thing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EThe second is that this is subject to a legislative process that goes back as far as 1876. The trust was created over the land, and, actually, what the Palmerston North Reserves Act 1922 did was exactly what the member was seeking to do, albeit a hundred years ago, to give effect to that suggestion. The Reserves Act component is captured because of the current usage and way in which the land is currently defined to ensure that there are recreational considerations around that. This, just to be clear, is only having a legislative change upon the 1966 Act, none of the other Acts that have been referred to in the time line are largely affected, except this adds a change through to the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Act 1966.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EIn response to the Hon Michael Woodhouse, Parliament specifically, at the time\u2014and I take the point that there are a number of historical components and elements to this, but, none the less\u2014determined that it was appropriate to have these different pieces of legislation. The whole process of bringing a local bill to the House, as we\u2019ve already experienced today, is to effect change at a local level. So this is something that, no, I have not had a conversation with the Minister for Land Information about specifically related to this bill or this piece of land, but it is only able to be actioned as it stands currently by way of legislative change. The council gave effect to the process that\u2019s outlined in the appendix to the Standing Orders in terms of all of the notifications being certified and the like, but no, I\u2019ve not had any conversations with the Minister for Land Information. It does raise an interesting point that if there are a number of statutes on the statute book that relate a bit more specifically, that there might be a piece of work around that. I said, as my response as a local member, the Palmerston North City Council has done all the footwork around this, and I\u2019ve shepherded it through the process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EIn response to my colleague Rachel Brooking, a hard-working member of the Environment Committee, I know, she is correct. There is currently a lease on that land that falls or is drawn in favour of the tennis club. What this, effectively, would do, in terms of the legislative change, is the bill makes section 3 of the 1966 Act apply to this piece of land by vesting it in the 1966 Act. It removes the trust requirement of the 1877 Act and, therefore, how the 1922 and the 1953 or the 1977 Act\u2014it\u2019s a little bit confusing\u2014is basically applicable. But it specifically leaves all current leases in place, such as the one for the tennis club\u2014that would still be a contractual negotiation between the two parties, of course. But probably what\u2019s also worth noting is that the encumbrances that are currently in place, and there are some that the member probably may recall from the drone footage and the maps, there were some that ran around the skirt of the carpark to Palmerston North Girls\u2019 High School. So those access opportunities to any of the surrounding land are still preserved under this process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EClauses 1 to 6 and the Schedule agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EBill to be reported without amendment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003EHouse resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u0022f9eeeddec5774905be7b00187762230d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f9eeeddec5774905be7b00187762230d\u0022\u003ECHAIRPERSON (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, the committee has considered the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Bill and reports it without amendment. I move, That the report be adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EReport adopted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002265001c1dedde44428806d8866a584412\u0022\u003EChild Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a97a2bae70b24ccea61befc6c1f1a8ba\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000593\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 29 June.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u0022bab38105aa9d4686a50b41af85b612d1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bab38105aa9d4686a50b41af85b612d1\u0022\u003EGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour\u2014Hutt South):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. Thank you very much. Well, this is a good bill by my learned colleague Greg O\u2019Connor. This bill, the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, essentially extends the provisions already existing under the sex offender register that was passed under the previous Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s important to specify, I think, that we\u2019ve picked up this debate since a period of time has passed, and to outline what the bill endeavours to achieve and how that will be laid out by amending legislation. A registrable offender, under current law, is a person who\u2019s been convicted for a qualifying offence and has been sentenced to imprisonment or, in fact, has been sentenced to a non-custodial sentence, as sometimes is the case, and also anyone who has been made subject to a registration order. A person is not able to qualify if at the time they committed the offence, they were under 18. So to be clear, a qualifying offence is class 1, class 2, or class 3 offences as defined in the Crimes Act, and covers a full range of sexual offending as defined in that Act where the victim is under 16 years of age.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EOf note is that there\u2019s also corresponding legislation for offending that happens in a foreign jurisdiction. But what this bill essentially does is it provides for the activities that may be conducted that are illegal in New Zealand in another country and to have those brought under the same monitoring system that is currently provided for the movements of an offender in New Zealand. The register, as it now operates, imposes on offenders reporting obligations of a number of relevant pieces of personal information that are particularly around the offender\u2019s address or addresses, importantly, where they\u2019re residing, where they\u2019re visiting, and, in particular, if there\u2019s any children that reside at those places that they may be. And these provisions are quite clearly laid out in section 16 of the Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s really important to note that this is where Mr O\u2019Connor\u2019s bill makes an important change. The basis is that section 21 of the Act, that the recent offender must have been intending to be away from their registered residential address within New Zealand and 24 hours before travel, they need to provide to police all of those details\u2014where they are going, the dates on which they will travel, which addresses, whether there will be a child likely or not likely to reside at those addresses, and also the date that the registered offender intends to return to their registered residential address that the police will be aware of and monitoring that. But under section 21(4) of that, the registered offender can leave New Zealand and provided that the dates of their travel and their date are provided to police and their intent to return, that\u2019s where it stops. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003ESo this bill provides a bit further. Unlike such travel in New Zealand currently under the law, the registered offender is not obliged to supply police any of those details of where they are intending to reside and whether there are likely to be children at those addresses. And so it\u2019s very important, where we know that there is a sex tourist trade, particularly in countries close to New Zealand, like Thailand and Cambodia, South East Asia, where we know that people do travel for the explicit purpose for sexual offending on those who are under the legal age of consent, that this bill seeks to extend the provisions that already exist for the protection of New Zealand children to further overseas. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EThis bill requires that registered offenders must advise police of all of those countries that they intend to stay in, the date they intend to travel, and the country and the date they intend to leave that country. It provides further protections. And as chair of the Justice Committee, I look forward to this bill. I look forward to hearing submissions from a wide range of groups that no doubt will have a strong view in terms of how this bill should be progressed further. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003EI would like to thank Mr O\u2019Connor for using his wealth of experience as a former police officer and undercover agent in this space to be able to provide a bill that provides further protection for children, not just in New Zealand but further afield as well. I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022a5d25e11c59e4d7591f9a993b9af323d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a5d25e11c59e4d7591f9a993b9af323d\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker\u2014and just to compliment my colleague Ginny Andersen for the way she has summed up the bill down to its last detail. It will save me doing the job in this five minutes I have now. I\u2019m extremely pleased with the level of support that I\u2019ve received from across the House, with only one party opposing the bill. It\u2019s not a huge bill, but the passion and support of each of the speakers, even those opposing, shows an appreciation of the need to be clever and strategic in our lawmaking in order to protect society, not just punitive. I\u2019m very pleased that my colleague Nicole McKee, speaking on behalf of the ACT Party, said that they had no intention to push that the register be made public, which would actually be self-defeating. So I\u2019m very pleased at that stance taken by that party; I know that hasn\u2019t always been a consistent stance. That just takes it out of the punitive into the protective. It means the protective screening that is intended.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EI\u2019m convinced this amendment, as well as protecting potential victims of child abuse in overseas destinations where a person on the child sex offender register may contemplate visiting, will also help those offenders by ensuring they are less likely to be put in a position to offend. Most of these offenders are highly flawed individuals who often cannot trust themselves, let alone be trusted by society, when they are in the presence of potential victims. Corrections research shows that a characteristic of such offenders is compulsive behaviour over a lifetime. I\u2019ve interviewed many of these offenders as a police detective, and even knowing the consequences of being in prison as a so-called child abuser doesn\u2019t deter them from their offending, such is their determination and compulsion. They have relatively low recidivism rates, largely because they\u2019re removed from situations where they are likely to offend by the fact that they are registered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EMost serious and dangerous offenders actually are on extended supervision orders and public protection orders monitored by Corrections. That is why having to provide police with the full details of their whereabouts, and especially where children may be present, is good law. It\u2019s good law to protect New Zealand victims; it is also good law to protect those overseas as well. This type of offending destroys the lives not only of the victims but also the families of the victims and even the offenders\u2019 families. It even takes an added toll on the lives of those in Police and other authorities who have to deal with the victims. So everyone\u2014and I mean everyone\u2014has an absolute interest in eliminating all risk of offending and reoffending.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EAs the bill now heads off to the Justice Committee, where I\u2019m confident the combined efforts of all members of that committee will see it emerge at second reading as the best piece of legislation that can be\u2014and I\u2019m buoyed by the fact that my colleague Ginny Andersen is chair of that committee, because I know she has experience of this in her work in policy and Police. I recommend strongly to the committee that the Police be requested to advise on this bill, and also Corrections. My colleague across the House Erica Stanford has graciously agreed to use the provisions of a similar bill she has had drawn to place before the committee as a Supplementary Order Paper in lieu of her bill, in order to potentially strengthen the bill, and I commend her for this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EIn summary, I\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to bring this bill before the House to ensure this Parliament gives New Zealand Police and other authorities the powers they need to protect potential child sex abuse victims everywhere. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00228b545eb074d0453d9bb0ae605fb69dd2\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 Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 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\u003ENoes 12\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGreen 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\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000606\u0022\u003EBill read a first time.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u0022fc07802c706b41d98595ee4f37444930\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fc07802c706b41d98595ee4f37444930\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is, That the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill be considered by the Justice Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EBill referred to the Justice Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223ab30bce69a04d2c9a59ceaf43874c56\u0022\u003EInstruction to Justice Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022 data-id=\u002271e8b5241bf14d78b70be095a821d399\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002271e8b5241bf14d78b70be095a821d399\u0022\u003EERICA STANFORD (National\u2014East Coast Bays):\u003C/span\u003E Point of order. I seek leave to move a motion without notice and without debate regarding Supplementary Order Paper 175 in my name.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f521a6e80704a66bf3b193ccd238bee\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f9e36d818be48c9885266a9de81172c\u0022\u003EERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I move, That Supplementary Order Paper 175 in my name be considered by the Justice Committee alongside the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, and that if it thinks fit the committee may recommend amendments to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022725e9d0adb6b42729557c5aea2ba246f\u0022\u003ERepeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022897f8fba95374f3f9441080f1a6cb156\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022 data-id=\u00220e0969feba5543739e3ab704291935d0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220e0969feba5543739e3ab704291935d0\u0022\u003ECHRIS BAILLIE (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move, That the Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Education and Workforce Committee to consider the bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EI\u2019m really pleased to introduce this bill, and I know business owners throughout the country will be very happy at the moment, at least. This is a bill that is long overdue to ensure there is consistency as to when shops can trade, and the silly rules around the sale of alcohol can be made more grown up. The bill seeks to remove an extra burden on businesses by removing the restriction on trading and selling alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. On these days, businesses are prevented from opening or are unnecessarily restricted in their operations. These restrictions may have been necessary in the past, but they are not required in 2022.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EThe impact of this is felt most severely by small businesses, who generally have a smaller pool of cash reserves and tighter allowances. Small businesses make up 97 percent of all businesses and employ around 30 percent of the total New Zealand working population. By removing these restrictions, trading will be permitted throughout these days, allowing businesses to decide themselves which days they would like to open. The bill retains the existing employee protections under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 that apply in respect of Easter Sunday, and extends these protections to Good Friday. Sections 8 to 13 of the bill set things out quite clearly regarding employees\u2019 rights. An employee can choose whether they would like to work or not, and the rights and obligations of both employers and employees are very well-defined. I know some employees are happy with the time off; however, others are really happy to work and receive the benefits that working a stat holiday provides them\u2014time and a half and a day in lieu to take off whenever it suits them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EWe are slowly but surely coming out of an economic crisis that the world hasn\u2019t seen for a very long time. Throughout the last 2\u00BD years, businesses have tried very hard to stay afloat and to keep their staff employed while having a huge number of extra costs piled on to them. The old adage \u201CIf business was easy, everyone would be doing it\u201D could not be more true. But everyone is doing it tough at the moment, and there should be choice for both the businesses to open and the employees to work. The experiment that began in 2006 to allow councils to decide the rules has failed. This bill is needed to take the burden away from the individual regions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003ECurrently, councils throughout the country have to decide whether their town or city is worthy of the status \u201Ctourist destination\u201D. This has led to a huge inequity between regions that are quite ludicrous. For example, Carterton can open; Ashburton can\u2019t. Marlborough can open; Christchurch can\u2019t. Napier can open; Hastings can\u2019t. Upper Hutt can open; Wellington, Porirua, and Hutt City can\u2019t. Tasman can\u2019t\u2014unless you live in Golden Bay. Nelson shops cannot open unless Founders Park is open. Founders Park is as a heritage park featuring historical themes like buildings and transport.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EOr how about this one in Auckland? Only these shops selling certain goods can legally trade on Easter Sunday: service stations, dairies, restaurants, cafes, takeaway food, duty-free stores, garden centres, or shops on Parnell Road between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. I\u2019m sure the hard-working business owners in Queen Street will be asking why their MP doesn\u2019t support them like the MP for Parnell does his constituents. Little wonder everyone\u2019s confused. The rules have become so complicated and subjective no one understands them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003ERetail New Zealand point out, quite correctly, that it is completely hypocritical of councils to try and ban shopping while their own services continue to operate. Across the country, there are swimming pools, leisure centres, landfills, and recycling shops that open at Easter. If it\u2019s acceptable for local councils to open, why can\u2019t retailers be given the choice?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EPart 2 of the bill refers to amendments to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 and gets rid of the quite silly rules and regulations that leave hospitality venues scratching their heads and patrons wondering what on earth is going on with archaic laws that don\u2019t make any sense at all. This bill is about treating people like adults, and, currently, the rules around serving alcohol at bars and restaurants over Easter treat people like irresponsible schoolkids.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EIn my hospitality venue in Nelson, I\u2019ve spent the last 12 years dreading Easter because I know that my staff will spend a lot of their time apologising and explaining to sometimes irate customers who just can\u2019t understand the rules they are having to abide by. The stress this puts on staff is not fair. The fines for not following the silly rules are huge. Young wait staff have to tell middle-aged and elderly customers that they can\u2019t just have a bowl of chips for lunch, even if they have a bowl of chips for lunch every weekend, because the rules say that that\u2019s not a substantial meal. But, if they have a little salad with it, that\u2019s OK! You really can\u2019t make it up. Then staff have to tell them that, once they\u2019ve had their lunch, they can only stay for another hour, enjoying the sun or reading their book, before they have to leave the area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EHere\u2019s a quote from an esteemed member of the community: \u201CThere are businesses that are allowed to operate at the moment that have to go through this farce of policing what people are eating in order to be able to sell them alcohol.\u201D He continues, \u201CI think it\u2019s a ridiculous situation where, if I went to a pub in an area which was allowed to operate on Easter Sunday and order a plate of chips, I might not be allowed to buy a pint. But if that plate of chips includes a piece of fish, I probably would be able to.\u201D\u2014from Kieran McAnulty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003ESection 47 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol 2012 states on Good Friday and Easter Sunday a person cannot be on licensed premises to dine if he or she is there at a time \u201C(i) more than an hour before he or she starts (or is due to start) eating a meal; or (ii) more than an hour after he or she finishes eating a meal.\u201D Surely no one thinks this is acceptable. Tourists think we\u2019re joking. The inconsistency between hospitality venues when upholding these rules is blatantly obvious and creates more inequity between those who follow the law to the letter and those who are inclined to interpret things a little bit differently. Police have much better things to do with their time than worry about these archaic laws, and I\u2019d like to think that council alcohol licensing teams would prefer to be doing something else with their time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EThis bill is needed to bring some consistency and common sense to the Easter trading laws. I do have some sympathy for those who will argue for the status quo, maybe because of religious beliefs or a belief that workers\u2019 rights might be affected. They will just want to leave things as they are. But things are broken and they need fixing. I think it\u2019s worth noting that 52 members of this 53rd Parliament took an affirmation when they took office; only 71 took an oath on the Bible. Times are changing. But more than two-thirds of councils have allowed Easter trading in their districts, and it\u2019s time for a serious debate about the issue. Hear the pros and cons from submitters and consult with the very people this affects. This is all about choice. We live in a democracy, and I believe businesses should be allowed to open if they want to and employees should be allowed to work if they want to. I look forward to the select committee process. I\u2019m proud to present this bill to the House. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022 data-id=\u0022401c64f6540f4a3f9e25265284922193\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022401c64f6540f4a3f9e25265284922193\u0022\u003EJAMIE STRANGE (Labour\u2014Hamilton East):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on this bill from the Labour Party side. I\u2019ll first talk about what the bill does and then I\u2019ll talk a little bit about the Easter Sunday trading\u2014Easter Friday, Easter Sunday\u2014and then I\u2019ll talk about the view on the bill from this side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EFirst of all, I\u2019d like to begin by acknowledging the member who had the good fortune of having his bill drawn. He certainly put a lot of thought into this bill and it comes from personal experiences that he has experienced. I have visited the member\u2019s establishment in Nelson and it\u2019s a very, very good establishment. I won\u2019t mention the name of it. I won\u2019t put the name of it on Hansard\u2014I\u2019ll leave it to others if they would like to. But I\u2019d just like to acknowledge the member\u2019s excellent establishment. He\u2019s run it very well for 12 years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EWhat the bill does is it seeks to remove, as the member says, an extra burden on business by removing the restriction on trading and selling alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The legislation is aimed at removing the restriction on selling of alcohol on the two statutory holidays at Easter time, so Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The member didn\u2019t put Christmas in there. I\u2019ll be interested in why he didn\u2019t put it in there. He may give us a reply at the end on that. I see some nods over there, but certain members were focusing on Easter Friday and Easter Sunday, two very religious days. Christmas is also a very religious day, Christmas being the birth of Jesus and Good Friday being the death of Jesus, and then Easter Sunday being the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So the member, as he has already outlined as well\u2014a little bit more information as to the reasoning why.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EJust a brief history lesson, for the benefit of those here in the House and those watching at home, in terms of the restricted shop trading days. So currently, almost all shops must be closed under the Shop Trading Hours Act of 1990 on the following days: Christmas Day, which is a public holiday; Good Friday, also a public holiday; Anzac Day until 1 p.m. on 25 April, also a public holiday; and Easter Sunday, which is actually not a public holiday but they are closed on those times.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003ELook, if I was to summarise why we have those current rules in place, I think there\u2019s an aspect around history, particularly linked to Anzac Day; it\u2019s a way of honouring those soldiers who have fought and died for the ANZACs\u2014the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EAnd aspects of a religious nature\u2014personally, I\u2019m a Christian and I hold those values really strongly. As a country, we are founded on Christian values and Christian principles. The member acknowledged that we certainly are more secular as a country now than we were, you know, going back years ago. And we do see that in the House when people give their oath. As he said, some say \u201CSo help me God.\u201D and others leave that part out. So I acknowledge what the member is saying: we have become more secular, that is correct. But we must also acknowledge the fact that as a country we are founded on Judeo-Christian values.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EAnd I think, by and large, they have served us well. Our legal system is based on Judeo-Christian values. We are part of other countries around the world who broadly subscribe to those Judeo-Christian values. Most of those countries make up the OECD countries, and we have very strong relationships with those countries. However, we probably are moving more towards a secular society, but it\u2019s important we don\u2019t lose sight of where we came from and what we have, what it\u2019s based on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003ESo there are religious aspects, and there\u2019s another aspect I\u2019ll probably put in there, which is around family. It\u2019s around having certain times of the year when the shops are closed and that people are really strongly incentivised to look at doing something else rather than the commerce aspect, and having time with family. Now, some would argue you can also be involved in commerce and have family time at the same time, which, yes, technically you can. But I think that there\u2019s no harm in just having a breather for a while is sort of one way I would describe it in terms of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003ESo before I move on to the next part, just to finish the history lesson. So Saturday trading was introduced in 1980; we didn\u2019t have any Saturday trading before that. And when I look at the history of why that came in, in the 1960s and 1970s airline travel became a lot more prevalent. So New Zealanders would travel overseas more frequently and they saw overseas that other countries were open, they were having trading on a Saturday. They\u2019d come back to New Zealand and they would start asking questions, \u201COh, why don\u2019t we have it?\u201D And so there was some pressure put on the Government by various groups and people, and in 1980 Saturday trading was introduced.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003ESunday trading was introduced in 1990. So 10 years later we had Sunday trading\u2014quite strong restrictions, and those restrictions have changed. In fact, there was a protest for the Sunday trading in 1990, and one of the slogans read, \u201CDon\u2019t weaken the weekend.\u201D And that was by the Shop Employees Union. And if I can interpret that correctly, they were saying that the weekend is a time to not engage in commerce, but to spend time with your family and focus on those strong family values.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EAs I said, I grew up going to church every Sunday morning, and then we\u2019d have lunch together with either other members of the church or with our own family and then we\u2019d do family activities in the afternoon. In fact, we didn\u2019t have any Sunday sport then either. Some people will remember the All Black Michael Jones didn\u2019t play rugby on a Sunday. So he played for the All Blacks\u2014absolutely incredible player; I still remember his efforts in the 1987 Rugby World Cup\u2014would not play on a Sunday, and that was from those religious values that he held.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003ESo, I\u2019d better move on to the next part\u2014I\u2019ve only got three minutes left. So in terms of the Labour Party, I am sorry to disappoint the member, but the Labour Party will not be supporting this bill. It\u2019s primarily around supporting our workers; supporting our workers to have a balanced life, and in terms of time off. Now, I acknowledge the member said in his opening speech that some workers do want to work on that time, and that\u2019s probably correct; I think that\u2019s a fair statement. However, it\u2019s not right that any workers could be pressured or forced into this. I\u2019m sure other speakers will sort of touch on that point to, sort of, tease that out a little bit further in terms of those details.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EBut basically, I think there\u2019s only a few days in our calendar\u2014there\u2019s really only a few days left\u2014where we\u2019re focused on spending time with families and not putting pressure on people to go out to work. Now it used to be, and as I said before, the Judeo-Christian values used to be: Sunday, didn\u2019t work because that was church\u2014that was the Sabbath, as you would often term that. And so every Sunday, people wouldn\u2019t work unless you were in the emergency services or other aspects where you certainly had to\u2014that\u2019s gone. Saturday trading obviously went before that. What we have left is Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday\u2014so there\u2019s a religious aspect to that\u2014but there\u2019s only a few days left and we have to be very, very careful with these days. We lose that and, I think, personally, I think we\u2019ll lose one of the key foundations of our country. So that\u2019s from a religious aspect. And then in terms of the workers\u2019 aspect, and as I mentioned, others will sort of touch on that a little bit more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003EThe reality is there is no business without workers\u2014there is no business without workers. And the Labour Party has always stood for the rights of workers. That is the fundamental aspect that we stand on as the Labour Party. Now, if the member had brought a bill to the House where it was that shops that were already open and already trading and then they added in the alcohol, well that might have received a different response, but the aspect around shops that are now currently closed being allowed to open\u2014that\u2019s very different. Because what that means is those workers, instead of having those statutory days off, that time with their family, they will be working. They will be working in that time. As I said before, there\u2019s only a few precious days\u2014in fact we\u2019re only talking about two days in this bill, but I\u2019d add it to three with Christmas Day\u2014we\u2019re only talking about three precious days. Let\u2019s not lose these days; let\u2019s hold on to what we have as a country. Let\u2019s hold on to the values, the history we have as a country, and let\u2019s support and protect our workers as we do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dcffe3bae8434e038e2155a54f7a25f5\u0022\u003EMarja Lubeck\u003C/span\u003E: Weaken the weekend.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c2e823af-22b7-4411-8b12-14d7b43680ea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022412f5d375b2343598007d1e9583ddfcf\u0022\u003EJAMIE STRANGE\u003C/span\u003E: Let\u2019s not weaken the weekend. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022 data-id=\u0022d078f8a1a4b74cf2b5d43297ed891012\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d078f8a1a4b74cf2b5d43297ed891012\u0022\u003EMARJA LUBECK (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m pleased to be taking a call on this bill. Kia orana, I should say. So we\u2019re talking about the Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill by my colleague Chris Baillie.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EFirst up, I would like to congratulate Chris Baillie on his good fortune of getting this bill drawn out of the ballot. But like my Labour colleague before me, Jamie Strange, has already said, we will not be able to support this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EAs has been said already, this bill is aimed at removing the restriction on selling alcohol on the two statutory holidays around Easter time. Parliament has, in fact, dealt with this particular issue several times already. I did a little bit of digging into this issue and I believe that in the last 20 years, this is roughly the 12th time that this kind of bill considering Easter trading has come before the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003ENow, my colleague Jamie Strange spoke about Saturday trading commencing in, I believe, was it, 1980, and when I first came to New Zealand in 1989, I remember that most shops could not trade on Sundays. They were actually closed nine out of the 11 public holidays at the time. Now, of course, they can trade 51 out of 52 Sundays, and restricted shop trading applies to only 3\u00BD days in the year\u2014that\u2019s all that there\u2019s left. My colleague Jamie Strange already mentioned those days, so I won\u2019t go over those again. Also, of course, some shops can open with some conditions attached if they have an area exemption or an Easter Sunday local policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003ENow, the explanatory note of the member\u2019s bill reads, \u201CThe bill retains the existing employee protections under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 that apply in respect of Easter Sunday and extends these protections to Good Friday.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EI also remember the member in charge of this bill stating that employees should be allowed to work. Now, if anything, that shows a total lack of understanding of the real world. Many workers in these retail shops are young, they\u2019re in their first job, they\u2019re on casualised jobs, they\u2019re on minimum wage, and they\u2019re often required to work seven days in any given week, days or nights, weekends, public holidays. It\u2019s open slather.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EThese young, casualised workers often don\u2019t have the knowledge about their employee rights. They will not know that they could say no to the boss for working on an Easter weekend. Even if they did, many of them would not feel empowered to do so. So, in reality, a vulnerable worker in these industries would fear, potentially, repercussions for their employment relationships if they were not to agree to work on any of these days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003ENow, my colleague mentioned it before: Easter remains a significant holiday in New Zealand, and some workers would prefer not to work on these days. Since its origins, Easter has been a time of celebrating, of feasting, traditional Easter games, egg colouring, egg hunting\u2014I\u2019m sure all of us have participated in it with our wh\u0101nau. Also, of course, many sporting events and social events take place over the Easter weekend. It is an opportunity for many of the workers to get together with the wh\u0101nau and enjoy a bit of time off; take time out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EApart from all of that, the employee\u2019s right to refuse to work on Easter Sunday in the Shop Trading Hours Act\u2014and that this bill would extend to Good Friday\u2014creates also an inconsistency in the Holidays Act. I see I\u2019m running out of time, so perhaps someone else can pick up that thread and explain a little bit more about that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EBut the effects of this bill on our society are that it takes time away from our families, it takes time away from people to spend time with their children, and it takes time away from our communities. It does all that in the name of choice, self-determination; it, basically, places sales before any of the other important values in our communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003EI will be voting against this bill, and will be standing with workers employed in the approximately 2,500 off-licence holders in New Zealand who no doubt don\u2019t want their guaranteed days off during Easter taken away. So I do not support this bill. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022 data-id=\u0022107bb628e3c543658fabc6ef854696ae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022107bb628e3c543658fabc6ef854696ae\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT (Labour\u2014New Plymouth):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Thank you for your time this evening. It\u2019s a pleasure to stand and, as has already been said, just to congratulate Chris Baillie on his member\u2019s bill being drawn from the ballot. And then, I guess, thank you: I appreciate the sympathy that you have made for me in your speech. I was one of the 51 who took my oath on the Bible. And I don\u2019t come into this House as someone who\u2014I believe that my faith is my engine, but it\u2019s not something that I expect everyone or anyone to adhere to what I believe, and I have respect for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EIn this situation, I guess, it\u2019s just reflecting on not necessarily what those days mean, because I think they\u2019re actually\u2014I\u2019d say they\u2019re far less than a religious holiday; they\u2019re actually part of our cultural make up in Aotearoa. For example, Easter Sunday, it really isn\u2019t empty tombs; it\u2019s Easter eggs and chocolate. Christmas day isn\u2019t about\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f677db8b-66c5-4794-953c-bdf7aa425710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225be86bebb9654a819af1ea27805a3236\u0022\u003EMarja Lubeck\u003C/span\u003E: Turkey.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229e72ee4977a4858b2341afa3853e96c\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, it\u2019s about turkey and big roasts in 30-degree heat by the beach\u2014it\u2019s ridiculous\u2014as opposed to celebrating the birth of Christ, but I digress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EWhat was said earlier was that there are silly rules, and I get there are lots of silly rules, and my household has a lot of them too. But as you get around the country and you look at different councils and jurisdictions, there are lots of differing rules, and that\u2019s just how it operates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EFor example, there are licensing trusts that still exist in New Zealand. If you go to west Auckland it\u2019s different than if you go to South Auckland. For example, if you go to New Plymouth, where I\u2019m the MP for, the hours of trade for liquor are different to if you go to central Wellington here. So there are differences, but I also think the mention of people being confused or it being infuriating for people\u2014I think people just get it that things are different. In fact, in the last few years, if anything, people have become so much more flexible in terms of how life operates.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s been said, for me, it\u2019s very much about the ability to have some time off, as opposed to thinking about the actual liquor licensing or the trading days. And I look back to when I was a kid, when I remember Thursday night was late night shopping to go to 3 Guys in Mount Roskill in Auckland because shops were open until 7.30. It was quite exciting to go to 3 Guys on a Thursday night with mum and dad and get the groceries\u2014so exciting! But the cool thing actually was that at the weekend there was no one in the supermarkets, and there were always a few trolleys left lying around, which we got to enjoy. I was the youngest of three, and for some reason I always ended up in the trolley. I was always the idiot that ended up in the trolley being pushed down the ramp, and then realising my fate and having to try to save myself. But obviously I survived\u2014not too many head injuries. Don\u2019t be the judge of that, please! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EBut this piece of legislation\u2014and actually, I guess, looking back on it, as Marja Lubeck said before me, it\u2019s been around for a long time. And I know for the ACT Party it\u2019s been something that they\u2019ve worked on for a long time. In fact, it was 20 years ago in 2002, Rodney Hide yet again had pushed around opening up trading on public holidays on Christmas and Easter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EI actually remember, back at that time, him talking about going to\u2014I think he said Singapore or somewhere and everything was open on Christmas Day and we\u2019re such a backward country, nothing\u2019s open. But I think that\u2019s part of the charm. And when I actually moved to New Plymouth in the year 2000, I was initially shocked actually because New Plymouth was pretty much shut down on Sundays, not for any religious reasons but I think because workers and families could get together and could actually have time together, which was a surprise to me. But then I realised the charm and beauty of it that families and people didn\u2019t have the expectation of working.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EAnd my concern with this piece of legislation is that there will be expectation for people to work. Like my previous two colleagues have said, there\u2019s 3\u00BD days left in the calendar; let\u2019s keep it like that. Mr Speaker, I appreciate you listening to me this evening. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u00224d49fd0ff1c944bf92f2a97ea16906c4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d49fd0ff1c944bf92f2a97ea16906c4\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m being entirely representative by getting to speak again, because I too will be opposing this bill, though I do want to acknowledge the member Chris Baillie for bringing this forward. I did acknowledge his point, in his first speech, around the inconsistency in the country and some of the rules not making sense and the difficulty of explaining that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EFor me, the answer to that would be to go back to simplifying that and actually locking in these holidays for the entire country without those inconsistencies. That\u2019s kind of at the foundation of why I\u2019m opposing this, and it happens that the Greens are all of one mind in terms of our opposition to this. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI would say that for myself and quite a few of my colleagues, it\u2019s not on religious grounds, and, personally, I would love to see this bill renamed so that it wasn\u2019t locking one religious belief into our systems. But, for me, it\u2019s fundamentally about the sense of what we value as a country and what makes us happy. In reality\u2014and all of the research tells us this\u2014it\u2019s not consumption and it\u2019s not alcohol. It is family and friends and nature and connection. We need more opportunities to go back to those values, and this bill is taking it in exactly the wrong way. It\u2019s just saying that, actually, the 3\u00BD days a year that we have as a country to be able to have a high chance of being able to get together with other people we care about at the same time is too much\u20143\u00BD days in a year is too much. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThe Greens disagree with that, and I really think that the fact is that we need to consider our patterns of consumption and acknowledge that, globally, we\u2019ve signed up to commit to more responsible consumption and production through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and recognise that for decades, scientists have been explaining the ways in which humanity is driving the three planetary crises of climate\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227bb0b2d62f4844c7817069670f741bf3\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Chris, what have you done? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220b35376e2ac847de8d201493f8961e15\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014biodiversity, and pollution. Whilst I\u2019m hearing laughter from behind me while talking about the planet burning\u2014it\u2019s confusing for me\u2014that\u2019s about the fact that those things are connected to us being sold products all of the time. We\u2019re being told that those things will make us happy and that we cannot even have 3\u00BD days a year where we are not being sold things and told that they will make us happy\u2014that that is too much to ask.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWe need more spaces in our lives that are free from being sold, free from treating us as if the only reason we have value is by the work we provide for others, and free from being told that alcohol is more important than time with our families, in a country where 800 people a year die as a direct result of alcohol use and where we acknowledge we have a massive problem around alcohol use in this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003ESo the Greens are quite keen to protect these two days and the 1\u00BD more so that, actually, we can all just take a break. We can get back to those things that we care about, and recognise, as well, those patterns of consumption. I do just want to make the point that our country consumes resources at a rate of almost 32 times more than those people in lower-income countries. We are not separate islands, even though we are separate islands\u2014it is all connected. The more we drive consumption, the more we drive the destruction of our planet. It is countries like ours that need to shift our patterns. This bill is taking us in the wrong direction, and the Greens\u2014and myself\u2014cannot support it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022 data-id=\u00224ada8dd5aab04beab95431c7b1c08937\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224ada8dd5aab04beab95431c7b1c08937\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you to our National colleagues for offering the opportunity for the ACT Party to have a second call on this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ENow, we\u2019ve heard from the Labour Government members and the Green member why they oppose the bill. Apparently, they want to save us from ourselves. They want to make sure we don\u2019t have too much fun on Easter Sunday or Good Friday. They want to make sure we don\u2019t just have the pint, that fantastic stein of lager with a good inch-deep head on it. They don\u2019t want us to have that with a bowl of chips. They want us to have the salad as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EAnyway, it\u2019s nice they\u2019re thinking of our health, but, actually, what we want and what businesses want is to be able to make choices about whether they open, whether their staff have a choice to come to work and earn time and a half and get a day in lieu\u2014because not everybody wants to take a holiday when the Government tells you to. Shock, horror!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ENow, I\u2019ve been to my colleague Mr Baillie\u2019s pub. Fantastic food, great range of craft beers. Is it The Honest Lawyer? Is that what it\u2019s called? The Honest Lawyer, in Nelson. Fantastic pub, The Honest Lawyer. But it\u2019s not just The Honest Lawyer in Nelson that wants to be able to offer people a plate of chips on an Easter Sunday or a Good Friday; there are hospitality businesses and retailers up and down the country who want to be able to trade.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ENow, if I was a tourist at Easter and I came to West Auckland\u2014I know, people do it! They come to West Auckland as tourists at Easter. If we went out on Friday, we wouldn\u2019t be able to go and pick up a bicycle tube if somebody had had a puncture. In fact, we wouldn\u2019t be able to go to the bike park, even, because they\u2019re not open. The Easter trading laws mean that I can\u2019t go biking at my local bike park, because that\u2019s a business and it has to close.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EIf tourists came to New Zealand like they came to West Auckland, where I live, the garden centre would be open, so maybe they could take a hydrangea or something back on the cruise ship with them as a memento of their trip\u2014we\u2019re not quite sure. Or maybe they could go to one of the duty-free stores and buy a Gucci handbag, or something. These exemptions are ridiculous.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EThis is not a new problem. Bands, all kinds of entertainers come to New Zealand, and they play shows at Easter. They play multiple-day shows sometimes. If you were a touring band\u2014you\u2019d been all around the world and came to New Zealand\u2014and you played a show on, say, a Saturday night, and you decided you were going to go out on the Sunday and you found that you couldn\u2019t have a beer if you got there an hour before lunch, you\u2019d think, \u201CWhat kind of country is this?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EWell, there was a band that had an experience like this\u2014not in New Zealand, but in the UK, a long, long time ago, before they liberalised their trading laws. That was The Ramones, one of the best punk rock bands of all time. In fact, they wrote a song about it. It\u2019s called \u201CI Want to Be Sedated\u201D. It was so boring when they woke up in England on Christmas Day, they sang, \u201C24 hours to go, everything\u2019s closed, I want to be sedated.\u201D That\u2019s how New Zealand businesses feel. That\u2019s how Chris Baillie of The Honest Lawyer feels when he hears Labour and Green MPs telling him he\u2019s not allowed to give people a beer unless they have salad with their chips. A lot of us just want to be sedated!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003EState control over business benefits big business, big corporates, because they can afford to carry the cost burden of being forced to remain closed. It\u2019s small and medium enterprises that actually suffer\u2014those people who do work in their businesses long hours and many days and have to choose when to take holidays. What they don\u2019t want is the Government choosing when they open. They want to have that flexibility, and that\u2019s what this bill provides for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262828428-6565-42b4-bd4d-fa3b12531f88\u0022\u003ESo I would urge my colleagues: you might have thought you were coming to this House to vote against this bill going to select committee. I hope I\u2019ve given you a window not just into my world and the world of touring bands but the world of what it means to be a small-business person who has to find a way to generate the revenue to pay staff and pay suppliers. I urge you to support this bill at first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bc562d2eb09e4ae19e507060bc074d35\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: The great thing about a mask\u2014it hides a lot of things!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022 data-id=\u002263a4ab5114224946a6239efccb422f8f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002263a4ab5114224946a6239efccb422f8f\u0022\u003EDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to do a different take on being a small-business owner. When I was growing up back in the 1970s, one of my fondest memories was listening for the bus on a Friday night. As soon as I heard it go past, I\u2019d be running down the road to meet my dad, who always worked a late Friday night in his souvenir shop in the New Plymouth mall. Back then, shopping was pretty much Monday to Friday, but you had the excitement of going downtown on a Friday night. For those that wanted to go and pick up that extra little bit of shopping, you had the ability to do so until 8.30 p.m. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EThe thing is, everything was closed at the weekends, and so what that meant is dad had heaps of time to be with us kids. So we had fantastic times going down to the beach, going to the park. He used to build us play forts. He used to build his chicken coops. He had a whole empire of self-sustainability in terms of the fruit trees and the veges in the garden.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EThen the law changed and Saturday trading came in. I guess for him, it was a bit of a dilemma because while everybody else opened on Saturday morning, if he didn\u2019t all his customers would go to his competitors. So what happened is Dad just extended his work hours. He still had to work Friday night, Monday to Friday, but he went in again on a Saturday, for his customers, to stay open.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t think he actually earned any extra money, but basically, it was something where he wouldn\u2019t lose money if he was there. So what happened is Sunday became the combination of our family day, but also him juggling all his church responsibilities as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EFortunately, what happened is by the time Sunday trading came about nine years later, all us kids had grown up and the business was no longer there. I think the thing for him, though, was that working on a Saturday and a Sunday really wasn\u2019t a choice, because if your competitors are working, you don\u2019t really have any other option otherwise you\u2019re going to lose your business. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ESo, basically, now what we\u2019ve got is a fact that small-business owners, if they wanted to, can stay open and work 24/7, seven days a week. I think the issue we\u2019ve got now is everybody\u2019s stressed, and we\u2019ve got mindfulness and we\u2019ve got meditation, and they\u2019re a billion dollar business. So what happens is many of us look forward to our public holidays as having that little bit of time off. But as you\u2019ve heard from my colleagues, we\u2019ve got 11 public holidays we celebrate now as a country, but there\u2019s only really four of them where workers can actually be guaranteed that bit of time off. That\u2019s Christmas Day; then we\u2019ve got Anzac Day up until 1 p.m., as my colleague Jamie Strange had talked about; then we\u2019ve got Easter Friday; and we\u2019ve got Easter Sunday. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EI think of our other public holidays; so we\u2019ve got Boxing Day, which is now synonymous with excess and with sales; then we\u2019ve got the day after New Year\u2019s Day, again where basically many of us are going out and catching up on the last of the bargains that came from the Boxing Day sales. So we\u2019ve got very, very few days where somebody working in retail can actually say, \u201CI\u2019m going to have that holiday, spend it with my family and with my friends\u201D, and basically don\u2019t have to have the pressure of justifying why they want to do that to their employer. Also for many who are working in vulnerable conditions, the actual pressure to actually stump up and say, \u201CNo, I actually want to spend that time with my family and friends.\u201D may well be incredibly difficult. So we\u2019ve lost that whole protection and we\u2019ve lost a lot of that ability for people to spend that time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003EAs, again, my colleague Jamie Strange said, for many, those particular days\u2014Easter Friday and Easter Sunday\u2014are not just holidays, they\u2019re holy days. They\u2019re where you go to church and you mark the death and the resurrection of Christ. For many of them, that\u2019s a significant moment where you don\u2019t want to be out there shopping. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ESo basically, for others, though, it\u2019s actually just a time to spend with family and friends. So for me and for our side of the House, what we\u2019re wanting to do is not to lose any more of those protections that our workers have. I\u2019m proud, actually, of some of the protections we have put in place for workers since we\u2019ve been in Government over the last four and a half years. I think about, you know, just the things like the increases to the minimum wage, reinstating meal breaks and rest breaks, and doubling the number of sick days that people have. So again, there\u2019s not the pressure to come to work when you\u2019re sick. Also, thinking about what we\u2019re going to be doing in terms of fair pay agreements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223c5917bd-9c2f-4bdf-af2f-b13cd1a2c8bb\u0022\u003ESo this is not a bill that on this side of the House we can support, because I think we want to make sure that people can take that time off and be with family and friends on those limited extra days of the year. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022 data-id=\u0022e84bd3b58e914167b68f4f9f7fbf129d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e84bd3b58e914167b68f4f9f7fbf129d\u0022\u003EVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour\u2014Upper Harbour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to take a call in relation to this bill this evening. Like some of my colleagues, I\u2019ll just start by congratulating Chris Baillie for having his bill pulled from the tin; that\u2019s not something that I have had the excitement to have happen to me as yet, but I do congratulate the member. But, as others have on this side of the House have spoken to this evening, it\u2019s not a bill that I will be supporting this evening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a bill, of course, that seeks to remove restrictions on trading and selling of alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. A number of my colleagues have spoken about the fact that really what we\u2019re trying to protect here is wellbeing. There are only 3\u00BD days when people are not expected to sit in to many of the roles that they hold for the rest of the year. It is a very slim line, but it is so powerful for families and for individuals.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EI wanted to speak about a particular group of workers we don\u2019t always talk about, but who I have done a lot of work with. For about nine years of my life, I worked at YouthLaw Aotearoa. We were in the business of giving free legal advice to under-25-year-olds. One of the biggest areas of law we advised on was education law, and that\u2019s perhaps something that you would expect. But what you might not expect is that about 50 percent of our work was related to employment law.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EOften what the young people would come to us with were situations where they had felt really bullied into saying yes, saying yes to additional hours, saying yes to working at hours where they didn\u2019t feel safe doing so, saying yes to working in conditions that they felt were unsafe. And that was only part of the problem. What we started to understand was that these were the young people who were coming to us, they knew a whole cohort of other young people who simply would never ask for help, they would just subject themselves to conditions that were not fair. And it wasn\u2019t necessarily that they didn\u2019t have those legal rights in play, they just wouldn\u2019t call on them, and they were very aware of that sense of being almost bullied into having to say yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003ESo I think, from this side of the House, there\u2019s an acute awareness of what it is like to work with some parts of our community who are often subject to overt pressure to take on those extra duties, and they simply don\u2019t feel empowered to be able to say no. Their mental wellbeing is worth protecting as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EI do think that we\u2019ve all just been through this unusual experience that is COVID for the last two years. Every time I think about that experience, I think of that beautiful T S Eliot quote where he talks about \u201Cthe still point in a turning world \u2026 where past and future are gathered\u201D. It was a time of extreme stress, yes, but was also a time that gave us the opportunity to reflect on what matters. New Zealand responded well, we put people first, but we also started to get an understanding that people\u2019s wellbeing is complex\u2014it is complex\u2014and it needs active attention if we\u2019re going to protect it. So we cannot support this bill, on this side of the House, this evening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EI also recall, just a couple of weeks ago, visiting the Salvation Army near my electorate office, where the lovely team there talked about the impacts of COVID on people\u2019s wellbeing, and that sense of pressure, acute pressure, that they were under, which meant that one problem led to another problem, led to another problem. Sometimes there were addiction issues. Sometimes there was a need for food bank. And what they found was that as soon as they were connected to people, that they had active time to be connected, that wellbeing radar shifted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002283dca3a7-93a6-4a78-a313-6fce42ebe49e\u0022\u003EIt is worthwhile protecting those 3\u00BD days when people can actively reconnect, where there is no pressure, overt or otherwise, for people to compromise their family lives, and their wellbeing, for work. I do not support this bill this evening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022 data-id=\u0022aad4a38de71c455f9ce13a0da0af92af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aad4a38de71c455f9ce13a0da0af92af\u0022\u003EDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour\u2014Whang\u0101rei):\u003C/span\u003E Kia orana, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s getting late and I believe it might be time for a little bit of a bedtime story, as we put, I hope, this bill to bed. It\u2019s an old story, but it appeals to me because it talks to the one remaining day of protected holiday that we would have left for workers in this country were this bill to pass. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s see how long it takes my colleagues to pick up what we\u2019re talking about: \u201CAt length, the hour of shutting up the counting house arrived. With an ill will, Scrooge, dismounted from his stool and tacitly admitted the fact to the expectant clerk. \u2018You\u2019ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose.\u2019 \u2018If quite convenient, sir.\u2019 \u2018It is not convenient and it\u2019s not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you\u2019d think yourself mightily ill-used, I\u2019ll be bound.\u2019 \u2018Yes, sir.\u2019 \u2018And yet you do not think me ill-used if I have to pay a day\u2019s wages for no work.\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s only once a year, sir.\u2019 \u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s what we\u2019re going to have. This perhaps should be renamed the \u201CScrooge Bill\u201D, because it will put us back in the Dickensian position of having one day a year in which people can guarantee that they will have a day with their families without the pressure of work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003EBecause for all the fine rhetoric coming from the ACT Party as to the freedom to work, what we\u2019re really talking about is people of extreme vulnerability\u2014people like my colleague Ms Walters was describing, but also, going back over 150 years, the people that Mr Charles Dickens was discussing when he made this story about a clerk with a family to support, who felt almost unable to take that one day a year, who was begrudged it, who was only given it out of a strong sense of custom. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003EIt is so little\u2014it is so little to ask, really, for our families to preserve just a little bit of space within the year where they do not have to worry about disappointing employers upon whom they rely. Business is not just about profit; business is about people. Without the people, there is no profit and there is no business. It is not too much to ask of each other that we preserve a few small days in the year where vulnerable workers do not have to negotiate or worry about the time they take off. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003EI am not a Christian and, for me, the fact that these holidays that we have left are religious holidays is not an issue. I find it more of a cultural phenomenon, but it is one that even a non-Christian family like my own celebrated and found extremely precious. The fact that Easter was available to us\u2014there are so many memories I have around the Easter holidays. There are so many memories, because there are so few opportunities for families to stop in the middle of things. I, too, remember how important and how special and, yes, how dull sometimes those Sundays were without shops, but how precious in retrospect that we had that time to stop, with our families, and spend that time together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t quite know, speaking of spending\u2014I\u2019m not quite sure how the anticipated profit is going to come, because the very fact of us having two less days of holiday doesn\u2019t actually mean the money is going to increase. The people\u2019s wages will stay the same. Their discretionary spending will stay the same. It\u2019ll just be packed into\u2014shock, horror\u2014two less days in a full year. It doesn\u2019t seem to be a problem. People will still be able to go out and they will be able to spend on the day after Easter is over. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002217bfa49a-da49-4001-9466-0b4bfd70b3f3\u0022\u003ESo: \u201CMr Scrooge told his worker, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s a poor excuse for picking a man\u2019s pockets every 25th of December, but I suppose you must have the whole day. Be there all the earlier the next morning, he said.\u2019 \u201D Let\u2019s not let ourselves become like Mr Scrooge with just that one day where families are protected. Good night, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022 data-id=\u00227d88757806a94aa39e466b38f049f223\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227d88757806a94aa39e466b38f049f223\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I stand in an unanticipated ability to speak on this bill. I\u2019ve got to start off by saying\u2014I\u2019ve already said this once in the House today, and I\u2019ve just got to say it again\u2014what a kookaburra\u2019s codswallop that\u2019s coming over from the Labour Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EI mean, really, we\u2019re talking about having a couple of days where small business can actually get out there and make a difference in their communities, and, perhaps, even do something novel like survive during a cost of living crisis that we have happening at the moment. What I\u2019ve heard from the Labour Party is obviously from non-business owners because they\u2019ve really got no idea about the struggles that they\u2019ve put on small businesses. I don\u2019t think they even realise that 97 percent of the businesses within New Zealand are small.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0e0c86e-e14d-4daa-9bc8-1b5a3d7defeb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b139cea6597e48088f3a811963242a48\u0022\u003EHon Poto Williams\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Point of order. I\u2019m afraid the time clock\u2019s not going.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002281d006ecd1c2412d90160317479752e3\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: My one\u2019s working, luckily.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f681917c60249c5b77b413ea5077ef9\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE\u003C/span\u003E: Shall I start off again with the kookaburra\u2019s codswallop that I\u2019ve been hearing from across the House? It\u2019s very disappointing when we have a political party who complains in one speech about taking two public holidays away, yet this year they gave one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EWe have to actually have a look at the effect that the laws have on small businesses\u2014the cost of living crisis, the COVID mandates that had gone through under Parliament, closing down a lot of businesses and restricting some of them from being able to operate. We have a good reason for allowing businesses to open during the Good Friday and Easter Sunday trading days. While I\u2019ve heard some arguments across the House suggesting that, well, people can\u2019t go away on holidays, one might suggest that perhaps they had to work on the Saturday anyway, and that if they get the opportunity to work on the Friday and the Sunday as well they might actually be able to earn some more money for their family. I think that that\u2019s an important consideration that is possibly being missed from the other side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EWhat\u2019s even more disappointing is the fact that we can\u2019t even debate this bill at select committee. We can\u2019t go through the pros and cons of it, and get advice from officials, because we are just being shut down by a Labour Party who is burying their head in the sand, like kookaburras might do, one might think.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a disappointment that we are unable to actually go about having a debate where we can talk about the pros and the cons of opening up on statutory holidays. I think it\u2019s really, really important, as do the ACT Party, that we look to support all of New Zealand. One of the things that is in Mr Chris Baillie\u2019s bill is the fact that people don\u2019t have to operate on those days. They can choose to open, that the workers that are employed by them do not have to work on those days. They are protected within this bill. They can choose. But we have a Labour Government from across the other side that don\u2019t even want to engage in the debate, and they just end up putting their foot on the throats of small businesses once again, determining that they are not essential to the survival of our economy or our communities, and that is a failure on part of that party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a disappointment: disappointment for the families, disappointment for the communities\u2014especially for those businesses that are struggling. I think that it would be a really great idea to be able to put this through to select committee. But as it\u2019s obviously not going to happen, I\u2019ll leave you with this final thought: another kookaburra\u2019s codswallop. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u00221b3d2745fd474f62bec3f0f039bd4d27\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b3d2745fd474f62bec3f0f039bd4d27\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: I call Chris Baillie\u2014five minutes in reply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022 data-id=\u0022868beeba88604df2867eff1fee9ca63d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022868beeba88604df2867eff1fee9ca63d\u0022\u003ECHRIS BAILLIE (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I\u2019m not going to \u201Clabour\u201D on this for too much longer\u2014I don\u2019t like using that word\u2014but thank you very much for everyone\u2019s contribution. It was anticipated, if you listened to what I said at the start\u2014I did say that people will argue for the status quo because of religious beliefs or a belief that workers\u2019 rights might be affected. The bill well and truly covers that so they won\u2019t be affected, and I\u2019ll address that again shortly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EJust to look at some of the last contributors: Jamie Strange, he asked why not Christmas Day and Anzac Day, and I quite agree. I did not think that society is ready for those two days, unlike Kieran McAnulty, of course, who wanted to include Christmas Day and Anzac Day and open it right up in his bill, which has now been withdrawn. I accept that there is family time; however, if you work, as has been said, you get a day in lieu to take that day whenever you feel like it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003ESince 1990, since the shop trading hours\u2014you mentioned that\u2014since 1990, workers had three weeks\u2019 leave, and that was it. Since then, four weeks\u2019 leave, 12 stat holidays, two weeks\u2019 sick days, and numerous other holidays that they\u2019re entitled to now. You\u2019re probably aware, I\u2019m not sure, that Rome\u2014the great city of Rome\u2014has no restrictions on trading or the sale of alcohol for Easter\u2014just a bit of trivia there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EGlen Bennett\u2014he mentioned 52 took the oath on the Bible; it was actually 52 took the affirmation and 71 took the Bible. I\u2019m not sure where he got the thought that I wasn\u2019t sympathetic to him, because I took the oath on the Bible as well, no problem at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EJan talked about as we expected: alcohol is bad\u2014everything to do with alcohol is bad and everything to do with marijuana is good. So we won\u2019t go down that track.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003ELiz Craig talked about stress and mindfulness, without actually acknowledging that that is part of a business owner\u2019s remit now. They have to consider stress, mindfulness, and how workers are reacting and their mental health\u2014everything. That didn\u2019t happen before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EVanushi Walters again talked about wellbeing, and I quite agree, quite agree, but I must remind Vanushi of last week during the electoral reform bill, when she said things should go to the select committee to be discussed. It just seems a little bit inconsistent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EEmily Henderson, protecting holidays\u2014I think if my staff heard you refer to me as a Scrooge, you\u2019d have them to answer to, because you obviously don\u2019t understand what employers and business owners actually have to do for their staff these days. One of my cleaners just recently said, \u201CWhat are Labour trying to do to us? Put us all on the dole?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EHansard is an interesting tool, and I just had a quick look over some previous speeches. Grant Robertson, during the 2013 marriage amendment bill\u2014oh, just carried on and on about personal choice, that people should be able to choose for themselves. It just seems except for business owners and employees.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EThere were lots of speeches from Labour members quite viciously attacking the Opposition for voting along the party lines, and rubbishing the Opposition for not having an opinion of their own. Just a lot of inconsistencies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223e43c957-a2f1-43cf-baf7-5b77358e038b\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a lot of talk about business owners and people being forced\u2014and it just really shows the utter naivety and/or ignorance about what employers actually have to go through. This bill would not make employees work\u2014it is written there; it\u2019s quite clear. Really, to me, it just shows it\u2019s lucky Labour and Greens don\u2019t own businesses, because they would be awful employers. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022226c945e7b3d4d02ba628a63da5c003f\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 Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 37\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 27 (Bayly, Brownlee, Collins, Dean, Doocey, Grigg, Hipango, Kuriger, Luxon, McClay, McKelvie, Mitchell, Mooney, Muller, Penk, Pugh, Reti, Simpson, Smith, Stanford, Uffindell, Upston, Watts, Willis); ACT New Zealand 10.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 81\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; New Zealand National 6 (Brown, Goldsmith, Lee, Simmonds, van de Molen, Woodhouse).\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022 data-id=\u002203246d9f07e94bb8a152d637bff8dfeb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002203246d9f07e94bb8a152d637bff8dfeb\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ian McKelvie)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the time has come for me to leave the Chair. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 9.57 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20220803b1d0a7218c4b476dbdc4b7588528c4cd000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6c42c44-3622-4c9c-98b8-793fb5ec15cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"