"\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=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002221dba00a73114c31bc71e7e005c98d97\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 23 MAY 2024\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c1efcea51f65424ebaec3531e99569a7\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 23 MAY 2024\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000002\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=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cf70de9301ec49048eb2b864557a47a7\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220dc2fef88cb04ae6a6cf6d4447b396d2\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u002267d2d752d95044868650a09865015dee\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002267d2d752d95044868650a09865015dee\u0022\u003EBARBARA KURIGER (Deputy 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 King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may 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=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002229864c3548fe4286acefa5e9c8fe4265\u0022\u003ESpeaker\u2019s Observations\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226c3ce8648821408ea826ebaae45e7426\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Parliament\u2014170th Anniversary of First Meeting\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002286a05c28a21d4d84a41ef7572fafeadd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002286a05c28a21d4d84a41ef7572fafeadd\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members, tomorrow\u201424 May 2024\u2014marks the 170th anniversary of the first meeting of the New Zealand Parliament in Auckland on 24 May 1854. I\u2019m sure members would wish to join me in noting the occasion and noting the continued importance of our democracy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022883124e036844d2794ce83a106dc3456\u0022\u003EVisitors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e39d18e4e3be4737a5398e2258e9d64d\u0022\u003EAustralia\u2014New South Wales, Legislative Assembly\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c049ecadc4f149d08845a7add0e42f7e\u0022\u003EDominic Perrottet, member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and his accompanying delegation, who are in the gallery.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022aab74b21a56040e1a541e4e3985b0c89\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aab74b21a56040e1a541e4e3985b0c89\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I am sure members would wish to welcome the Hon \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bddb217369be4f2a92123f457196fb77\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022585679e4109c4de49834cd69ce8fb801\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022b76e1288c3d04922b767e11a43af686c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b76e1288c3d04922b767e11a43af686c\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Next week, the House will consider the committee stage, immediately followed by the third reading, of the Whakat\u014Dhea Claims Settlement Bill, as well as the first reading of the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. Wednesday will be a members\u2019 day, and on Thursday, the Minister of Finance will deliver Budget 2024\u2014seven more sleeps to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00225824b6f3b3314cc6947ae7ce583e13d5\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022241abc22f1c44285ab716cda37b846d6\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=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022f8a621b16ca8427f9c7f3f880c7e2304\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f8a621b16ca8427f9c7f3f880c7e2304\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002206baed35eb5b43aba63632d95d6e6122\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002206baed35eb5b43aba63632d95d6e6122\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Petitions of Christine McCarthy requesting that the House amend section 77(3) of the Corrections Act to increase every prisoner\u2019s minimum entitlement for outgoing telephone calls.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022ed192ef3c5e9493696bb9e7938b45b7f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ed192ef3c5e9493696bb9e7938b45b7f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those petitions stand referred to the Petitions Committee. A paper 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=\u00225ee24be219544d209e950cf112173b7a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225ee24be219544d209e950cf112173b7a\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Report of the Electoral Commission on the 2023 general election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022f70453865ada45a99aca6c9b72e4395f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f70453865ada45a99aca6c9b72e4395f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That paper is published under the authority of the House. Select committee reports have been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002284d4fa47f35d4865982c99f44bf617b2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002284d4fa47f35d4865982c99f44bf617b2\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EReports of the Education and Workforce Committee on the:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003Ebriefing on the 2022-23 performance, current operations, and strategic intentions of Immigration New Zealand, and on the\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003EEducation and Workforce Committee Scrutiny Plan for the 54th Parliament\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereport of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Finance and Expenditure Committee Scrutiny Plan for the 54th Parliament\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereport of the Social Services and Community Committee on its Scrutiny Plan for the 54th Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022c00d6a6e25f740ca973c578ea914f2a1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c00d6a6e25f740ca973c578ea914f2a1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The reports are set down for consideration. The Clerk has been informed of the introduction of bills.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00228fbb9f7663174081b4463760a5b154ef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228fbb9f7663174081b4463760a5b154ef\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EResource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERegulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERegulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill, introduction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022a0c4f5fbdb2442809d641c87372efce6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a0c4f5fbdb2442809d641c87372efce6\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those bills are set down for first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229dfe7345b1264c07a42e624efdcb70bd\u0022\u003EUrgent Debates Declined\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ab6a2ff9aa4d49029cdda3a052f3f0fc\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Green Building Council Report\u2014Government Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00227517be9918ad492d98244f6ce4cedb68\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227517be9918ad492d98244f6ce4cedb68\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received a letter from Arena Williams seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 the Government\u2019s response to the New Zealand Green Building Council\u2019s report Closing the gap: Hidden emissions and untapped potential of buildings to reduce the costs and deliver for carbon budgets. The business of the House should not be set aside just because a Minister has commented on a report indicating a possible future action. There must be such an element of urgency; the matter must take precedence over other business. In this instance, I\u2019m not convinced that the threshold has been reached. The application is declined.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221dc7c340e4c24986b860821432897b54\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022efd1719fe9ee4561908409affd46359a\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022351d7c22655748ef9c25016e451c05c0\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u2014Prime Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b21beb09-9d9b-4414-9bb1-ddba249459d5\u0022 data-id=\u002228d7beb6aad24498b7a800f09857ae41\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b21beb09-9d9b-4414-9bb1-ddba249459d5\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002228d7beb6aad24498b7a800f09857ae41\u0022\u003ETANYA UNKOVICH (NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: What update can he provide on the coalition Government\u2019s commitment to Gumboot Friday?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022d76eded4d12f4d93afbac3ff6b357f2e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d76eded4d12f4d93afbac3ff6b357f2e\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: The coalition Government announced yesterday that Budget 2024 will provide $24 million over four years, contracting the I Am Hope Foundation to provide under-25-year-olds with free counselling services through the Gumboot Friday initiative. This funding was a commitment made under the National - New Zealand First coalition agreement. Gumboot Friday helps youth with mental health needs\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d9a8f9de007d428487c8688ef235f29d\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s your procurement process?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d476ef2fa4eb4c08be6b4752beb87452\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and you, if you\u2019d like\u2014to have access to counselling services earlier. This funding will help Gumboot Friday give more than 15,000 young New Zealanders access to free mental health counselling services each year. This is a serious investment in the front-line service that has a proven record of delivering to the young people who need help the most.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b21beb09-9d9b-4414-9bb1-ddba249459d5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227cf324a2e9d458db8dd4e20ff4e46b6\u0022\u003ETanya Unkovich\u003C/span\u003E: Why is investing in this grassroots organisation so important for young New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022342311e8f9cc4f64a41d91290eb814cc\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: This Government is focused on investing in our front-line services that will deliver real results. For every $1 invested in I Am Hope, it results in a social return to New Zealand of $5.70. This is a grassroots organisation that works and delivers results. I Am Hope has over 500 accredited counsellors and, with this funding, 300\u00A0more are on the way. This is a common-sense investment, and by providing better access to targeted, faster intervention now, youth will get the help they need sooner.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022314ec9fa2b4e49f08497ce36da52ac2c\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Prime Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022 data-id=\u0022b6276ba5b8e24040bfb0baf760520e69\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b6276ba5b8e24040bfb0baf760520e69\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour\u2014Kelston)\u003C/span\u003E to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022ecd3aa9c235045259125d6b9453a3732\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ecd3aa9c235045259125d6b9453a3732\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022001838f4afec455d8b2013ff25969918\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his decision to appoint Todd Stephenson MP as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac)?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002253d8378d2d4f4bbc8d9812d2049ef4ab\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f33dff1be194021b2757e9355566e21\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: How were Todd Stephenson\u2019s conflicts of interest managed in respect to his shares in Johnson and Johnson, Chimeric Therapeutics, and Commonwealth Serum Laboratories\u2014all being pharmaceutical companies that stand to benefit from Pharmac\u2019s decision-making powers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222389b30f838b4d0a9050233d61dcd3be\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Appropriately and properly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228115c2d4194b444faf31baca557694aa\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Was Todd Stephenson involved in writing the letter of expectations to the board chair of Pharmac?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230c8ab748b9141a5b6aa585520f38c3d\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: With respect to that questioner, that answer does not belong with me; it belongs with the Minister in charge, and I\u2019m happy to redirect it, because at a certain level of\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230af2b5080d14ef7bca708de3c4944b4\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: You are the Prime Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226207fb4366f84df2af203b58ee2264ea\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Beg your pardon? No, with the greatest respect, the Prime Minister has Ministers to help him. That\u2019s the difference on this side of the House: they\u2019re not one-man bands that are having their captain\u2019s choice taken off them, which happened yesterday with another political party. No, no, we don\u2019t have a captain\u2019s choice over here. We actually consult and we cooperate, and when a person like Mr Seymour is assigned a responsibility, we respect that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002240b2aeae18d944d1b49a66f74b6bc1da\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, sir. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. If the Acting Prime Minister doesn\u2019t know, then that\u2019s all well and good and he should perhaps say so, but I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s the responsibility of someone else when the Prime Minister ultimately has full responsibility for all Ministers and their actions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228913927a73a04fc5800409f436dcb805\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, that\u2019s true, but as I\u2019ve said before, when you ask a question that\u2019s as general as \u201CDoes he stand by all his Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u201D, then it would be an impossibility for the Prime Minister to know absolutely everything. I\u2019m also aware of how the process goes around the construction of letters of intent, and I think the Prime Minister\u2019s answers today are perfectly acceptable in that regard.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022092f1a41ba2848c883a842d1b47e3dc2\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Is it acceptable that the Minister\u2019s main way of expressing his views to Pharmac were drafted in part by a person who holds shares in pharmaceutical companies?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2a33e43c09f40f59c81491082778d22\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The third answer given to that questioner covers the issue. I said that those issues were handled properly and appropriately.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022636b73214e5b48368cc1b3c3714071b0\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Is it a conflict of interest for Todd Stephenson to be at meetings with Pharmac where details of drug funding will have been discussed while Mr Stephenson holds shares in pharmaceutical companies?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022aad41463c4b74e2187ede99a51372e46\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: With respect, I don\u2019t think the questioner understands the actual construction of Pharmac and the independence of that organisation. We\u2019ve all made\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5f9d9c5e68f4a63bdd6671725f08944\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: Do you? Why does your under-secretary go?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c37cfad04f5a4f2397adaa95ecede057\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, with the greatest respect, I think I understand it far better than you\u2014you\u2019ve only been here five minutes. Ha, ha! No, look, this is not a full day\u2019s work to just come and ask a whole lot of stupid questions in Parliament, to shout out, and then then go home and call it work. Some of us work seven days a week, and that sort of behaviour\u2014[Interruption] No, Mr\u2014from the North Shore, don\u2019t wave out to me. Don\u2019t wave out to me. My point is we all know how Pharmac operates, and its operation is independent. Our job is to find it the resources, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022058db120dd4b46a78d5a3d2a0c76a7f8\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Will he maintain the standards that New Zealanders expect of their Government and stand down Mr Stephenson from his role, or is he unwilling to challenge David Seymour\u2019s exploitation of a loophole which allows a pharmaceutical industry plant to assist the Minister responsible for Pharmac?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd505eb79648457f97dba99f38feb0ec\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: No, I think there is a\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f08583b6d554ac4b59b5720d43140ba\u0022\u003EHon Peeni Henare\u003C/span\u003E: Well, he\u2019s not here for the arts! [Laughter]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce45b015ff924b78a27803c8110064ef\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: All right. OK, that\u2019s enough\u2014we\u2019ll hear the answer in silence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b30cd77883954966ac2d517147debed4\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: There is an answer to that questioner, which is that we reject the premises on which the question is based. But let\u2019s go further here. That questioner now made an allegation and without any evidence, any proof, in this House, and is defaming someone without any care for her responsibility.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022dbaac12b-3efa-4d95-a08d-f0f637a48bab\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f67ff8188f4841d69deafd72733077ec\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: You know a bit about that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289e9556ebe5c463c9b0c9b992e7eae3a\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I do, and I\u2019ve won a lot of cases\u2014far more than you\u2019ll ever win, right? I\u2019ve won $7.5 million of cases, so I might know something about it. She\u2019s defaming someone who\u2019s got no chance to defend himself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229798771623a4836b3b7a174cefbcc04\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I also just said we would hear the answer in silence, and two people were very, very rowdy during that time. Don\u2019t do that again while we are required to be quiet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022eadbb214022d46aab45cf5162c8a7703\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Immigration\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022 data-id=\u0022539319a215bf4b999c89e7cb5329dff8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022539319a215bf4b999c89e7cb5329dff8\u0022\u003ERICARDO MEN\u00C9NDEZ MARCH (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Immigration: Is she committed to ensuring that disabled asylum seekers and refugees face no barriers to obtaining residency on the basis of their disability; if so, why are their residency applications tested against the \u201Cacceptable standards of health\u201D requirements?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022 data-id=\u002283694a8c10df4b688f8674195beb4917\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002283694a8c10df4b688f8674195beb4917\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO (Associate Minister of Immigration)\u003C/span\u003E: New Zealand has made international commitments to refugees and protected persons that we are meeting. Those services are provided by a team of dedicated, amazing hard workers who support the refugee programme. Those who have successfully claimed asylum in New Zealand only need to provide a limited medical certificate in their residence applications. This certificate only assesses a small number of the most serious health conditions. Health requirements help us identify and manage the health needs of those refugees and their protection status and understands the support they need when settling in New Zealand as well as considering costs to the public health system. I am advised that between 16\u00A0April\u00A02014 and 16 April 2024 only two residence applications for recognised refugee or protected persons were declined based on determinations that an applicant did not meet the acceptable health standards requirements. These applications in both cases were subsequently granted their residence by ministerial intervention.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e8f43f765d554daca4a149386510fd85\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Why, then, have a policy that creates barriers and hurdles for the proper resettling of asylum seekers and refugees when some of the events that they\u2019re escaping create those serious health conditions that she just spoke about?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221524987764ce45eeb8166cef5e7e8e4c\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO\u003C/span\u003E: I refute the claim that this creates barriers. What it is actually doing is ensuring that those medical needs can be fully assessed and services provided to meet those needs. As I\u2019ve said, there have been none in the last two years that have resulted in a barrier, and, in addition, there is a separate medical refugee quota category of 75 places per annum, which will accommodate those high needs that would not meet the\u00A0criteria.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4d3abd8dead464e900198b5f799c61f\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Does she accept that at least 46 people have also been declined on medical grounds across the refugee quota programme and the refugee quota family reunification category, and, if so, does she think that is fair or justified?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249904ffba8ee41169281cb28f4f3d6fa\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO\u003C/span\u003E: As has been stated on numerous occasions, in this category we have to balance the needs of New Zealand\u2019s health system and ensure that we are able to meet the needs of those people, and in some circumstances there will be considerations that will mean they don\u2019t meet the criteria. That is not a barrier for disabled people; that is a barrier for health considerations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d33171a75a44987b30df33c36898f85\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Does she think a refugee with renal issues should face delays to be able to properly resettle in Aotearoa after escaping genocide, and, if not, why is the acceptable standard-of-health policy applied to refugees seeking residency visas?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a8543a29b91040b0ad3043f3f2051674\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO\u003C/span\u003E: All I can say, again, is that there is a limited health assessment applied to assess the needs of those who are entering the refugee programme. That assessment will stand and is an important part of the process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227f9e724f633848389f04d40a50698762\u0022\u003ERicardo Men\u00E9ndez March\u003C/span\u003E: Can she confirm, then, that people facing issues such as kidney failure could face delays for residency applications that could delay their proper resettlement in Aotearoa, or for conditions such as cancer?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022feb2e3ca-4ad3-4c7c-9958-b10d28c83bc8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae0ba8e5145f47bdaa175b4af86ecf36\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, it\u2019s unclear whether he\u2019s asking about the refugee programme or a migration programme, but, as I\u2019ve stated\u2014yet again\u2014there is a process that needs to be followed to ensure that the medical needs of those who are in the programme are assessed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221611d83be6cf4cc592b9ccecee142b7c\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014Transport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002244967dc4-6cc7-4567-b8ef-cc3a9b354544\u0022 data-id=\u0022a581f7ea6a15405e81d90af8c7829371\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002244967dc4-6cc7-4567-b8ef-cc3a9b354544\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a581f7ea6a15405e81d90af8c7829371\u0022\u003EGRANT McCALLUM (National\u2014Northland)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made on roadside drug testing?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022b3e220d4ffb443d2bcf5f8a21e268f15\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b3e220d4ffb443d2bcf5f8a21e268f15\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E On Monday, I announced that our Government will introduce legislation this year to enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order. Oral fluid testing is common overseas and it\u2019s an easy way to screen for drugs at the roadside. Our approach will bring New Zealand in line with Australian legislation and will remove unnecessary barriers that have delayed the fight against drug-driving.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002244967dc4-6cc7-4567-b8ef-cc3a9b354544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227889088d0106419db0fc533d3851a60a\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: What advice has he seen on the impacts of drug-driving?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002263f4c26deda54c348b3343a953f0d5e0\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In 2022 alone, alcohol and drugs were contributors to 200 fatal crashes on our roads. That is why our Government is introducing legislation to enable roadside drug testing, will set targets for police to undertake 50,000 oral fluid tests each year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002244967dc4-6cc7-4567-b8ef-cc3a9b354544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002249b6bacfe61e4690a7e3e85bcf256b19\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on roadside drug testing in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296539798874344d8ad0c7255229429ef\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: I have seen reports that despite legislation being passed in 2022 to enable roadside drug testing, roadside testing has not been rolled out as the legislation required the test to be suitable for evidentiary purposes and not just for a screening intent. The Police Association said this was \u201Creally disappointing\u201D and the Automobile Association said that the failed roll-out was \u201Canother blow to road safety\u201D. Our Government will pass workable legislation to target the highest contributing factors to fatal road crashes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002244967dc4-6cc7-4567-b8ef-cc3a9b354544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224cef1ffe35a745f4afc5897d11c91a35\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: How will the Government\u2019s legislation differ to roadside drug-testing legislation passed in 2022?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022776654c1081c452096e21ec6e03d05d0\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Our roadside drug-testing regime will use oral fluid testing devices at the roadside, for screening purposes. If two oral fluid tests are positive, then an oral fluid sample will be tested in a laboratory for evidentiary purposes. This differs to the previous roadside drug-testing regime, which required tests at the roadside to be used for evidentiary purposes and resulted in police being unable to roll out roadside drug testing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002278097d26b29c4bf5a2ff101985634591\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u00221487434e90d443b5b6f5daef0d79542b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221487434e90d443b5b6f5daef0d79542b\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour\u2014Mana)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement that \u201Cour tax cuts will reduce inflationary pressures\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022967d70cd3014450fb65bc6a6f344b26b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022967d70cd3014450fb65bc6a6f344b26b\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister for Energy)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Finance: Only seven sleeps to go till the Budget, and, yes, as the member knows, I was paraphrasing an ANZ preview of the Budget that said, \u201CWe think that the net impact of tax and spending cuts are likely to be marginally contractionary on balance, in so far as households save a portion of their tax relief or spend a greater proportion on imports than the Government would have.\u201D I agree with ANZ\u2019s economists. I wouldn\u2019t want to overstate the impact, but since tax relief will be fully paid for, it should, at the margin, take a bit of pressure off inflation, given that households may save some of their tax relief rather than spend it all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f95746540906459291243f8b493a5239\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the Reserve Bank that \u201CInterest rates may have to remain at a restrictive level for longer than anticipated in the February Monetary Policy Statement.\u201D; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c41f5fdb2a3b424c919fb204eed36134\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, on behalf of the Minister, I agree with the Reserve Bank, which said in their Monetary Policy Statement, \u201CAny impact of potential changes in the forthcoming Budget to Government spending or private spending due to tax cuts remains to be assessed.\u201D It\u2019s seven more days till the Budget. Not long to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1cbfe3c56bb45509ebced389aa230af\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with the Reserve Bank that the reduction in Government spending from her job cuts is less deflationary than expected; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2239b414f00478d8612c4d59951edbe\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, the Reserve Bank made it very clear in their Monetary Policy Statement that the impact of the forthcoming Budget is yet to be seen because it hasn\u2019t yet been released. So I just say to the members on the other side of the House: seven days to go\u2014seven more sleeps. And I have great news for the hard-working taxpayers of New Zealand that tax relief is coming in this year\u2019s Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c315bc9f8224eb6a707ad052aebb2f2\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister spoke in relation to Reserve Bank comments made in relation to the fact that they hadn\u2019t included the Budget information as part of this Monetary Policy Statement. My question actually was in reference to fiscal policy that they have decided and to comments that the Reserve Bank conveyed about those past policy decisions the Government has made.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c2bfe1dfc13e497d8032c35fbd5647fb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, in so much as the Minister is able to answer, he might like to elucidate a bit on that answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259820787a0b54752adccb6cd8b1ca6e2\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, on behalf of the Minister, as the Monetary Policy Statement has said, a number of the decisions that have been made in the Budget have not been assessed yet because, ultimately, the Budget hasn\u2019t yet been released. And, in relation to the issues that have been, the ANZ has made it very clear that when it comes to tax relief, which is what the purpose of that question was, it\u2019s likely to be contractionary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2365c25d78a4cfab93a2b13576df818\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Is she aware that the higher inflation expected by the Reserve Bank doesn\u2019t even factor in her inflationary tax cuts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022284315274e204485bdc2617139503670\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I don\u2019t know whether the member has read the Monetary Policy Statement. I\u2019ll quote it again, on behalf of the Minister: \u201CAny impact of potential changes in the forthcoming Budget to Government spending or private spending due to tax cuts remain to be assessed.\u201D Only seven more sleeps to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248b3e0f8d16647f1a420eb8dc7bd0d3c\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree with Treasury advice that a revenue package that is fiscally neutral \u201Cmay still have an inflationary impact given lower-income individuals are likely to have a higher marginal propensity to consume out of additional income\u201D; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d49c79591a84564aab361338d9544ea\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, on behalf of the Minister, Treasury has been advising that their modelling suggests the impact of tax reductions on surplus spending is likely to\u00A0modestly reduce pressure on interest rates due to the fact that not everybody will spend\u00A0all of that money. Some of it may be saved. That is in line with exactly the statement I\u00A0made at the beginning from the ANZ. But what I just want to point out to the House\u00A0is\u00A0that that party on the other side of the House hate tax cuts and will always vote against\u00A0them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d226f7d300b648c0934762c87431b92f\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Why must New Zealand families pay higher interest rates for longer because of her bad decisions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ed9a0f9927641cea494570a7eb01f64\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d invite the member to re-ask the question and bring it into line with the Standing Orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1db6b78d9164e3e9b26b086a7dce2a8\u0022\u003EHon Barbara Edmonds\u003C/span\u003E: Why must New Zealand families pay higher interest rates for longer because of the information provided to the Reserve Bank, on which they have provided the Monetary Policy Statement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb7cd912b66742cdbad8fb3dac013b74\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it\u2019s seven days to go\u2014seven sleeps to go\u2014until the Budget. But what I would just say to members on the other side: they will say and do anything to oppose tax relief for working New Zealanders. They cancelled the last tax relief in 2017 that was last legislated. They hate the idea of letting New Zealanders keep more of what they earn, and New Zealanders rejected that at the last election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221769b024b2ba43ddbe724fa07305fa73\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u2014Agriculture\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257c0c650-e6a0-4475-b66d-5281ede8b1e3\u0022 data-id=\u00229f4bd7373a154f63b5923e1dff40c8df\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257c0c650-e6a0-4475-b66d-5281ede8b1e3\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229f4bd7373a154f63b5923e1dff40c8df\u0022\u003ESUZE REDMAYNE (National\u2014Rangit\u012Bkei)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Agriculture: What actions has the Government taken to reduce regulatory burden on the primary sector?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022 data-id=\u0022df2a932dcec545feb4846c3b304358f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022df2a932dcec545feb4846c3b304358f3\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY (Minister of Agriculture):\u003C/span\u003E Today, the Government has introduced the first Resource Management Act amendment bill to the House, which will start to deliver on our commitment to reduce red tape and cost for farmers by changing national freshwater regulations. The bill proposes a range of changes that will reduce regulatory burden that have been holding back our rural sector and imposing unnecessary and significant on-farm compliance costs on to our world-leading farmers, whilst focusing on better environmental outcomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257c0c650-e6a0-4475-b66d-5281ede8b1e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225dbc1bafb9134669aad89def2cba64ef\u0022\u003ESuze Redmayne\u003C/span\u003E: What are some of the changes in the bill that will help farmers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259050fa98db54d30b2a216fb3227dc80\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ve heard concerns from the farm gate and are making sensible changes to allow farmers to get on with the job. We\u2019re proposing to remove the problematic and ineffective low-slope map, which imposes a significant cost for minimal environmental benefits, especially for low-stock farms. Regional councils and farmers are best to determine where stock need to be excluded, based upon risk. The focus is on farm-level and regionally suitable solutions, which will ultimately reduce cost for farmers and be better for the environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257c0c650-e6a0-4475-b66d-5281ede8b1e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022209c89b3604d470e89605c7c81868c65\u0022\u003ESuze Redmayne\u003C/span\u003E: How else will this bill reduce regulatory burden?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222599ce0991e5457a8575615985503377\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ll also be repealing ineffective intensive winter grazing regulations in time for the 2025 season. Effective non-regulatory measures are already in place to support the continued improvement of winter grazing practices, with sector groups confirming their continued and collective commitment to working alongside farmers and regional councils to ensure good outcomes. Where councils have already adopted their own rules, these will remain in place. We\u2019ve also heard how Te Mana o te Wai hierarchy of obligations is being applied inconsistently, so we\u2019ll be starting the process to rebalance the rights of all water users in respect of consent applications.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257c0c650-e6a0-4475-b66d-5281ede8b1e3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248071fcf02ee4d81bdc2a2df072808de\u0022\u003ESuze Redmayne\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Government making these changes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c0f78f60-c2fd-46f4-8138-72f39692fc20\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296c3e7ece4614969ba9d40d20aeb67b3\u0022\u003EHon TODD McCLAY\u003C/span\u003E: Well, regulations need to be fit for purpose and not place unnecessary costs on our most productive sectors. By improving primary sector efficiency, we can boost our largest export sector and deliver for all New Zealanders. We want an efficient primary sector that works with Government for better environmental outcomes. There\u2019s a lot more work to do, but these changes are an important first step in our commitment to get Wellington out of farming.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fac28890d6a540069db7dcde8f18fd8f\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u00225310494f14df4162977965106feed58c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E7 \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225310494f14df4162977965106feed58c\u0022\u003EHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: Does he stand by his statement that \u201CThe Government has made a deliberate choice to reprioritise low value expenditure to more important policy priorities\u201D; if so, does he consider the provision of transitional housing places \u201Clow value expenditure\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c69b1204c354f5ebb3d3a728710baf6\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. Mr Speaker, please, will you read that question very, very, carefully again, because it simply doesn\u2019t make any sense. Read it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022280b84f137684c3ab53aed0afd93936a\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Speaking to the point of order.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022db712c21a19a45a79e6208d864eddf41\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just a minute. I do as I\u2019m told\u2014I\u2019ll read it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296e524862b3a45bbb06a0de1a5520b2b\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: I could read it slower for him if he wants.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ef02070a1f140128111668fe1172732\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s very good of you to make the offer. These questions are considered by the Clerk\u2019s Office when they\u2019re lodged. I have just read it, and I think it\u2019s pretty clear what he\u2019s asking.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdb3057692824d0086b8715276ab7f05\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, could you please explain to me\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e17eef788964bfa9829a022e1a49cbd\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Are you speaking to the point of order?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228960f8b68555417cae547d88b62311f5\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014this is a point of order\u2014because with \u201Cif so, does he consider the provision of transitional housing places \u2018low value expenditure\u2019?\u201D, how does that make any logic, grammar, and any other way, common sense as a question?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a86192bfde604c07acfa29724b34f67c\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, we shouldn\u2019t get into a discussion about the grammatics of those things, but it seems to me that the statement is, \u201C \u2018The Government has made a deliberate choice to reprioritise low value expenditure to more important policy priorities\u2019; if so, does he consider the provision of transitional housing\u201D\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022294c7df8709443908b18ca2198e5c6a5\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: Places.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022c4314def4d78494cb2041997bc356681\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c4314def4d78494cb2041997bc356681\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014to be low value places.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e9746c1b6cd4447bed378adbf8933e0\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: No, he didn\u2019t say \u201Cbe\u201D. He says \u201Cplaces\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a1ddd7aadf004ecab9cff4e02847bf32\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, OK. You\u2019re very clever\u2014I got that \u201Cplaces\u201D word\u2014but I think we understand the question, so we\u2019ll go ahead. I\u2019m calling the Hon Tama Potaka. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022 data-id=\u0022130809635eb64124955190541e8a4c09\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022130809635eb64124955190541e8a4c09\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA (Associate Minister of Housing)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Housing: As the Minister said yesterday in this fine House, this Government, in Budget 2024, are about tough decisions. This K\u0101wanatanga will make deliberate choices to fund high-priority K\u0101wanatanga commitments. Transitional housing is one way which a warm, dry home is provided to people\u2014Kiwis\u2014in urgent housing need and will remain an option accordingly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002276da7da4bf75444eb97b2f8cc53285aa\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Was Bill English\u2019s review into K\u0101inga Ora paid for out of funding allocated to the provision of transitional housing?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a93824e93aa4aa094cc2c4c6626606a\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister of Housing, the review of K\u0101inga Ora was funded by a forecast underspend of transitional housing for the current financial year, and there is no impact by this decision to transfer an underspend of transitional housing on transitional housing numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227c8356da77264983b5aa1612bcb7a1a3\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Can he confirm that it costs between $6,000 and $8,000 for a transitional housing place for three months?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299fd5eaa2c5645a88a1856c69055b934\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister of Housing, it\u2019s a little bit fuzzy math, and I\u2019ll accept a written question on that matter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022db0b6e1bef7d49a582e4dc11dd6d093f\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Why was he willing to sacrifice up to 83 transitional housing places to pay for Bill English\u2019s review, when that funding could have come from any other allocation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221988996f37db4610b563b68515f4285a\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019re not going to get into the mathematics of transitioning places, but what we can say is that there was an underspend on transitional housing over the last year\u2014unlike the serious overspend that the previous Government has made, leaving 3,000-plus kids in emergency housing and 25,000 households on the social housing register.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a448b4428b84e5398de78bc15e87bef\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Was Bill English, at any point, considered for the role of chair of K\u0101inga Ora?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233f4c96fc0a74d7286bcb338565fd4c2\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister of Housing, I am unaware of that matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221617bd6139d949c683919df606e4d35d\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u2014Regional Development\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022 data-id=\u0022ef2e3f6ea2cd4135b85d22b29be31b7a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ef2e3f6ea2cd4135b85d22b29be31b7a\u0022\u003EJAMIE ARBUCKLE (NZ First)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister for Regional Development: What update can he provide from his recent trip to the South Island?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022 data-id=\u0022e9c908c91e374072a37494bfe345962c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e9c908c91e374072a37494bfe345962c\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON (Associate Minister for Regional Development):\u003C/span\u003E I did get stuck in the Clinton pub on Friday night\u2014those electric cars that you have issued us are problematic in rural areas. But last week, I travelled across Canterbury, Otago, and Southland to see regional development and investment in action. Regional New Zealand is the backbone of our country, and through initiatives such as the Provincial Growth Fund\u00A0(PGF) and the climate resilience fund, we can see tangible benefits coming to fruition. I was hosted by Environment Canterbury and I visited K\u0101noa-funded climate and flood resilient sites. Flooding is the most common natural hazard in New Zealand. Events like the Auckland floods, Cyclone Gabrielle, and the Canterbury floods just show how extensive this damage can be. Government investments in stopbanks, such as Taradale stopbank in Napier, can avoid devastating damage to our local communities. Research shows that for every $1 invested in flood protection, it is estimated between $5 and $8 in direct losses is avoided. This is why core investment in resilient infrastructure such as flood protection projects are so important.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224223352f565d4f8e8a70ba2054b46703\u0022\u003EJamie Arbuckle\u003C/span\u003E: How has regional investment supported local manufacturing and engineering?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226983cd52a5014a6ab348aa51f65c933e\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: More good news: since 2018, through previous funds, such as the Provincial Growth Fund, central government has invested $174 million in 177\u00A0Otago-based projects, including $24 million into manufacturing and engineering sectors. Many of these had allowed businesses to purchase essential engineering equipment and facility improvements to boost capacity and productivity. One such investment is in the beating heart of South Dunedin, which is the Hillside railway workshops, which will open again very shortly. This project has received $20 million from the PGF and will provide heavy manufacturing and service capacity for KiwiRail. Re-establishing this mechanical hub and heavy-engineering facility will build greater national resilience and allow KiwiRail to service its trains and assemble wagons.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b068f5611f18454980b0f05e4f58f563\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Could I just say, some of the answers from the Minister are almost as long as the trip\u2014just try and get it a little tighter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e2459994a114b26a1c5dc480bfbd030\u0022\u003EJamie Arbuckle\u003C/span\u003E: How has regional investment supported local innovation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022577dd17eb0604b9687be710bd7d5ff95\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: Innovation is a critical lever in developing our regions and identifying opportunities for economic growth. Supporting local innovators will continue to open opportunities for our regions and for our local communities to develop. I had the honour of opening the Inventor\u2019s Lab in Dunedin, which is part of the Petridish innovation hub. Inventor\u2019s Lab allows entrepreneurs and businesses to take an idea for a product, create a prototype, and test and trial the product for the future-stage commercialisation. We have supported a number of Dunedin projects, including the Centre of Digital Excellence, which is closely aligned to the Inventor\u2019s Hub, enabling the gaming industry to grow to its aspirations of $1 billion. Mr Speaker, you will be delighted to hear that Abiotic Factor has risen to fifth place on the global gaming platform Steam over the weekend. So this is all out of Dunedin, all enabled by the PGF, and we look forward to similar innovations coming to fruition.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a28a16dd4b504d0dacbc56817ca8d271\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I\u2019m not sure about \u201Cdelighted\u201D, but I am interested in seeing it in the slideshow\u2014it would be quite long. The Rt Hon Winston Peters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d89a405709c4a7b95f4ca10ccd92e9a\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Could the Minister explain who was responsible for the revival of the Hillside workshops in Dunedin, as opposed to who took credit for it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226a5a657603d24c84a6293ac455b7924b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just before the Minister answers, I do recall a situation yesterday where the member asking the question\u2014it took a point of order to make it clear that actions by previous Ministers couldn\u2019t necessarily be brought up in a question to a Minister. That was contested by the Opposition; I agreed it could. So here is an example of exactly how that particular part of the Standing Orders can work, and something new for the member to take on to his vast extent of knowledge. The Hon Mark Patterson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221de9da4f635c43959f979d79c350e6d9\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, thank you, Mr Speaker. I understand the genesis for the investment in the Hillside workshops was the Provincial Growth Fund, which was a key policy that the New Zealand First Party took into the 2017 election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b783b9c3551487b8ca31c8c17b492a1\u0022\u003EHon Dr Megan Woods\u003C/span\u003E: Supplementary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f1258150ced4593aa8c07f517db677e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c3a88c42-f60b-4cf9-8065-8bfb80a020eb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226889f19c479540c09b521ec1eafd6d3a\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Megan Woods.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e259659e458c4269a90fe40667f8d6b9\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014Megan Woods\u2014sorry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d860c8b74dea4699a07da827a3f513b2\u0022\u003EHon Dr Megan Woods\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Did the Minister report back to his ministerial colleagues, following his intrepid southern journeys, that New Zealand exists beyond the Cook Strait, given so many of their recent decisions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022df81edeaf2ea4d76914f863301672ed3\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I think, from my extensive answers, you can hear that the Government is focused very much, and certainly K\u0101noa and the regional development agency, on a number of projects in the South Island.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002252084216118f40abb67455a386996319\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Commerce and Consumer Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022 data-id=\u0022fc92660fe8984c8c8b195f7f6c25bfb2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fc92660fe8984c8c8b195f7f6c25bfb2\u0022\u003ECAMERON BREWER (National\u2014Upper Harbour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What steps has the Government taken to encourage greater competition through the introduction of the Customer and Product Data Bill?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022 data-id=\u00226708d44b1c524ec98d5d2a3e49fd3158\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226708d44b1c524ec98d5d2a3e49fd3158\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW BAYLY (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E I thank the member for the question. In short, the introduction of this bill allows for controlled and secure access to data, creating a pathway for greater competition in the banking and electricity sectors. This bill lays the foundation for open banking and open electricity which will make it easier for innovative start-ups to compete with established companies. Choice and competition are good things as they ultimately lead to lower prices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d02c005335cc49e7969679942fc13cb1\u0022\u003ECameron Brewer\u003C/span\u003E: What are some examples of how this bill will benefit New Zealanders?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f632a20560304ad1adaea2855bf9f066\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW BAYLY\u003C/span\u003E: There are many innovative products that are available overseas which cannot operate in New Zealand without consumer data rights. A recent report highlighted that there are as many as 300 companies waiting to do business in New Zealand. One specific example I know of: Australian customers of major banks can get a new home mortgage online within 10 minutes; meanwhile, Kiwi customers of the same banks still have to go through that lengthy manual process to get a loan.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e41843a945b6439bba65cd48c9cf8dd8\u0022\u003EHon Dr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: Given that the Minister\u2019s Contracts of Insurance Bill picked up a Labour member\u2019s bill and that this consumer data rights bill picked up Arena Williams\u2019 member\u2019s bill, are there any other Labour members\u2019 bills the Minister is intending to pick\u00A0up?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c47632db1924599909ca560796b000f\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW BAYLY\u003C/span\u003E: I think it\u2019s a far cry to say that this bill picks up Arena Williams\u2019 bill. I do acknowledge that this bill had its genesis under the previous Parliament, but I\u2019ve got to say that the industry were just at pains to say to me, \u201CWhy the hell did it take so long to get this bill in the House?\u201D They\u2019re so happy that this coalition Government has done it within six months, and they couldn\u2019t believe the previous Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228b0bfb43b937468196c200cf798344b4\u0022\u003ECameron Brewer\u003C/span\u003E: How does the Minister intend to make sure the transfer of data is safe and secure?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d5cec542ce4441b6af1978bcc55fb59e\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW BAYLY\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s natural for people to be concerned about their personal data and how it\u2019s shared, but Kiwis should be and can be assured that allowing access to your data is voluntary, and those using your data must be accredited. Any data can only be shared with the permission of the consumer, and failure to comply with these security measures will be subject to heavy penalties.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284649d2541b146f4832a188c44f724b1\u0022\u003ECameron Brewer\u003C/span\u003E: What sectors will the Minister be introducing the framework to?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d85ddddbbc04a1492367170d28ecbe0\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW BAYLY\u003C/span\u003E: The bill will first apply to the banking sector, followed by the electricity sector. These are two areas right now where New Zealanders are hurting with high costs. In time, we will look to apply the bill to the telecommunications sector. New Zealand is lagging behind the rest of the world. There are significant opportunities for encouraging competition which will ultimately benefit all New Zealanders by lowering cost and creating more choice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d4bdcaa7654d4c10a14836a989e826ce\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Disability Issues\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022 data-id=\u0022a4dd320983f1496bb68522c99908af3a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a4dd320983f1496bb68522c99908af3a\u0022\u003EHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Disability Issues: Why have disability support funding criteria changed recently to now exclude the use of funding during school hours, and does she accept that many disabled people and children rely on flexible funding to be able to access critical support?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022 data-id=\u00221628bb74b6584a368577f45e6b094114\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221628bb74b6584a368577f45e6b094114\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for Disability Issues):\u003C/span\u003E Multiple Government agencies have responsibilities for funding disability support, including the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha, and the Ministry of Education through its learning supports. The recent changes to the purchasing guidelines reflected the Ministry of Disabled People\u2019s view that the Ministry of Education is responsible for funding support during school hours. I sympathise with all children and families who may have different support due to the changes and I acknowledge that this may have caused distress. The independent review of disability support funding will be looking into how the whole-of-Government supports work together so that disabled people get the essential support they need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201839439d2c54a2fa1c6474745804b0d\u0022\u003EHon Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to the mum whose 11-year-old daughter diagnosed with autism and ADHD and chronic health challenges, who relies on a special one-to-one gymnastic therapy class to help improve her muscle tone and regulate her anxiety levels, will no longer be able to access support because of this new change?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296c2fd06b85044e8ae2d3fcef994c506\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, I sympathise with the impact that any changes may have had. The primary question was about the use of funding during school hours, and our Government recognises the importance of school attendance, so much so that we have set a target to ensure children are attending school\u2014this is all children, and an expectation that all children get the education they deserve.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002289102a1a506c4c81bd2e9337d72c6b18\u0022\u003EHon Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u003C/span\u003E: What does she say to the mum whose 12-year-old son attends Mockingbird, that helps autistic children cope with school and is offered only during school hours, who says\u2014and I quote\u2014\u201CThe only thing helping my child hold on is knowing he has Friday at Mockingbird where he can relax and be himself, and now this is being taken away from him.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226809deae249f44a68e9ee4e408c6d40a\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, I understand how challenging it is for parents. Having navigated the system as a parent of a child who needed additional support at school, I understand how challenging it is. But our Government is committed to ensuring that children are at school during school hours and that education provides a support and assistance while children are at school. It is unfortunate that important services like this are operating during school hours when we actually want children to be in school and get the support for their education at school.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022db80930d8f7841ddadb2de15b8c08d53\u0022\u003EHon Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister committed to continuing the transformation of the disability support sector in line with the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach, and, if so, how are these changes consistent with EGL principles?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221809ddc453bc49228ab89f3dfbacbbde\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, one of the principles in Enabling Good Lives is the concept of mainstream first. And to directly quote: \u201CDisabled people are supported to access mainstream services before specialist disability services.\u201D A review of the disability support services is under way, clearly because there were challenges in the ministry being able to live within its financial means. Additional support has been provided up to 30 June this year. Our commitment is to ensure that Disability Support Services is not a substitution for other Government services and that we are able to consistently and deliberately deliver the essential services that disabled people need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223e79388e5dd744be866b235e11f0bd4f\u0022\u003EHon Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u003C/span\u003E: Has the Minister sought confirmation from the education Minister that her Government will fund schools to cover the cost of these programmes now that they can no longer be claimed through disability support funding, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221c21ca8cd442423897e147826b992058\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, there are different Government agencies that deliver services for disabled people. For disabled school children, the expectation is that they are at school. I\u2019ve visited a number of schools who go so far above and beyond to ensure that the disabled children in their schools get the support they need. That\u2019s exactly what we are committed to. I accept fully that it is incredibly challenging for some families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022872744a3-2256-4cdd-a4cc-939836dc2b11\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236315f220a584787b3903f08a59d7966\u0022\u003EHon Priyanca Radhakrishnan\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister aware of a report by The Education Hub released recently that said there are a growing number of neurodivergent children at schools but that inadequate resourcing, lack of knowledge, and training about how best to support neurodivergent children is taking a substantial toll, and, if so, how can she then justify cutting what little support these children currently have to be able to cope with school?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a68928ea-9dd8-4a30-8e2c-a0f49dfc8bea\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1abf2c030b54f649c3155f882d1b960\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said, I know it is incredibly challenging, and this growth in neurodiverse students in our schools is creating some challenges. If the member has specific questions that relate to education, I\u2019d invite her to put those to the Minister of Education. My responsibility, and what the review will look at, is how to ensure that the Disability Support Services is sustainable; that it delivers for disabled children, people, their families, and their carers; but that it is not substituting funding that is available in other Government agencies that are providing disability support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002242554bfde3114d9885c6c678e9183bc8\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Local Government\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022 data-id=\u00223f74bd2bfed14e008a8e7c958941356b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223f74bd2bfed14e008a8e7c958941356b\u0022\u003EMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014Te Tai Tokerau)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Local Government: What is his response to the Waitangi Tribunal\u2019s finding regarding his bill to reinstate binding polls on M\u0101ori wards that \u201Cthe Crown has breached the Treaty principle of partnership by prioritising coalition agreement commitments and completely failing to consult with its Treaty partner or any other stakeholders\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u00221ca03648746e46a786bb0cb78e21cdef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221ca03648746e46a786bb0cb78e21cdef\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E The Government\u2019s objective is to give communities the final decision about whether their district or region will have M\u0101ori wards rather than councillors. The Waitangi Tribunal report will be available for the select committee to consider alongside the bill. We look forward to viewing the select committee\u2019s recommendations. This Government is restoring local democracy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fd70ad4443064793afa547605ce2f39f\u0022\u003EMariameno Kapa-Kingi\u003C/span\u003E: What is his response to the more than 50 mayors and regional council chairpersons who have criticised this legislation, stating that it is an overreach on local decision-making, a distraction from the real issues councils are facing, and undermines the important contributions that M\u0101ori are making?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d51c0c134b44842aada83d4edb32e7f\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I say to those mayors who wrote to this Government that they should focus on those core issues, and I also say to them: why should they be afraid of what the public have to say about M\u0101ori wards? What is wrong with local democracy? Ultimately, they come into my office and they write letters to me and say, \u201CWe believe in localism.\u201D Well, the ultimate localism is giving local people the right to have their say through the ballot box.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002209380a55c71e437d9c914c0fdc4aad1c\u0022\u003EMariameno Kapa-Kingi\u003C/span\u003E: If this is really about restoring democracy and allowing voters to decide the make-up of their local councils, why are you only going after M\u0101ori wards but not rural wards?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a6d881598974c4facfcc9d4943ea9fa\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I make this very clear point: when it comes to the rural wards, which seems to be the only argument that some people have against our policy, the Local Government Commission can take appeals on those wards. And, by the way, the Local Government Commission has the final say on those wards. What we\u2019re saying when it comes to M\u0101ori wards is that the last Government took away the ability for any appeal rights, not even to the Local Government Commission, and we are giving the right to local communities to make that decision for their community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220f99f86a5dae4f01a15635a27f5d0275\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: I wonder whether the Minister will explain to the questioner that all sorts of people, including M\u0101ori, live in the rural wards, but everybody who\u2019s not a M\u0101ori does not live in a M\u0101ori ward?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223cddb7585cc845088ea67a34bdddf7f4\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: That is a very clear difference between M\u0101ori wards and rural wards\u2014that all voters who reside within that geographical boundary are able to vote for the person or their councillor, whereas M\u0101ori wards are basing the decision on ethnicity. It is this Government\u2019s view that those decisions should be made by local communities. And I say to people on the other side of the House: why are you so afraid of the public being able to have their say? It\u2019s called democracy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224e080f3d07b34cdbaeb9a6feaf79acc0\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Local Government\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022 data-id=\u0022cb8d96f2ce8e49ce80798762c6f9066e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cb8d96f2ce8e49ce80798762c6f9066e\u0022\u003ECELIA WADE-BROWN (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Local Government: Is he concerned that over 50 of the country\u2019s mayors and regional council chairpeople have signed an open letter opposing mandatory referendums for M\u0101ori wards; if so, why is he introducing legislation that directly overrides local government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd96905cd2ea494bae1120653b32e4b5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd96905cd2ea494bae1120653b32e4b5\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E No, I am not concerned. The Government is committed to local democracy. We\u2019re not removing the right to establish M\u0101ori wards. However, we want each community to decide whether they want one or not. This is a decision for local people in local communities to make their own decisions about local representation, and my message to those mayors is: what\u2019s wrong with some localism\u2014letting local communities make decisions for once? [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022044fd3e7a0694cdea437f7b3afd6e93f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just wait\u2014it will come quiet shortly\u2014OK.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002232a6dd428de140f9aedcce40e7322d13\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Does he consider it reasonable for councils who have already consulted and voted on M\u0101ori wards to have mandatory referendums when councils have stated that the costs of these referendums will be worn by ratepayers; if so, how does this reflect the Government\u2019s supposed commitment to responsible spending?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022213bd061a3704140b561606d4d77559e\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, this Government will be ensuring that councils can have those referendums at the same time as the next election for local councils. And so the voters will be able to vote for their mayor and their councillors at the same time as voting for whether or not they want to retain those mayors. And I say once again to members on the other side of the House: what\u2019s wrong with some democracy? Because clearly they don\u2019t believe in that on the other side of the House. [Interruption]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022971aee5a3f844f0d8980f2eb8a537678\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: How does he respond\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c49e2b233a774109bc69ec1550f6b8c7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just hold up a bit it. OK, now it\u2019s quiet.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227cd3dd42fe0b436bbe159db98b0b343e\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. How does he respond to Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazelhurst: \u201CThis should not be central government-led. Local councils and communities should be trusted to determine what the best representation for their\u201D\u2014[Interruption] Shall I start again, Mr Speaker?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224619205f3f074dd0af8df5fd0c4576a9\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, you can start again because questions are heard in silence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201539e8ac718480dba71b0fdf84baa52\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: How does he respond to Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst: \u201CThis should not be central government-led. Local councils and communities should be trusted to determine what the best representation for their community is.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296e4a9dec0c74447873348395e086c59\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I thank the former Her Worship for the patsy question. Ultimately, we trust local communities to make these decisions. We agree local communities, through the ballot box, should be able to make decisions. We are going to entrust local communities to be able to vote on whether or not they should retain\u2014or not\u2014M\u0101ori wards in their communities. What\u2019s wrong with some democracy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022acb886b228be4eb08e47448ee8caba13\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: How many other representation decisions will he require compulsory referendums for\u2014for the number of councillors, for rural wards, for the boundaries, or is it only M\u0101ori wards?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286280ef409de4611a149be9ed05e32c2\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: As the member knows, what we\u2019re doing here is we\u2019re requiring those councils which put in place these wards without a referendum to have a referendum. Following that, if a council wishes to put in place a M\u0101ori ward, petitioners can petition for a referendum. But, ultimately, councils, when they\u2019re setting up other wards\u2014their checks and balances are in place with the Local Government Commission having those checks and balances. And I would encourage local councils, if there are issues that they also wish to put to referendum, put them to referendum.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022609915d7ce5d481ab81b71fe93395903\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Is he aware that the advice he received on this bill from the Department of Internal Affairs stated that the polls proved to be an almost insurmountable barrier to establishing M\u0101ori wards, and, if so, is this a deliberate tactic to reduce M\u0101ori representation in local government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f20edb67f2c24b0c97aa284dd23f0adb\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Ultimately this is about local democracy, local communities making a decision on whether or not to have a ward based upon ethnicity. That is a major constitutional change for a council and, ultimately, on this side of the House, we\u2019re of the view that communities should make those significant decisions rather than the council. And what\u2019s wrong with a little bit of democracy? Those councils should be right behind this, actually supporting their communities being able to have their say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a5c652fd7bb04e1589cc821e90a5901b\u0022\u003ECelia Wade-Brown\u003C/span\u003E: Does he believe that consulting with affected parties is crucial when developing legislation and, if so, why was this not done with local government representatives as indicated in the regulatory impact statement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f5ad63f2b3f4bbaaa6f90b6fa7deb52\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: There was a thing on 14 October called an election, and the parties on this side of the House went out and campaigned on this policy, and the public, all 5.5 million New Zealanders\u2014or not all of them could have a vote\u2014but all 5.5 million New Zealanders were able to be part of a national conversation. They\u2019ll all be able to have their say one day. And, ultimately, they decided on 14 October to elect the Government. And what we\u2019re doing is implementing the policy that we were elected to do and then giving local communities the ability to have their say.\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=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e3687966432046098a905a3fba46dd4c\u0022\u003ELocal Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fe5d164d74eb472db81524002756821a\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022 data-id=\u0022ff77c897359f492cab3d98b34d2a1913\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ff77c897359f492cab3d98b34d2a1913\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Local Government):\u003C/span\u003E I present a legislative statement on the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c48bdf4000b41a18e2515c64b9bb31e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272af500487874367879e16a3f4a6371c\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: I move, That the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Justice Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time, I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 21 June 2024 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting, except during oral questions, during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House, on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House, and outside the Wellington area, despite Standing Orders 193, 195, and 196.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI\u2019m pleased to be here today with this local electoral bill. This bill will contribute to further strengthening our local democracy by reintroducing polls on the establishment of M\u0101ori wards, requiring councils to hold a poll at the 2025 local elections if they did not hold a poll prior to establishing that ward, and making changes to the local electoral calendar to enable the 2025 local elections to be delivered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EIn 2021, the previous Government removed the binding polls that councils had to hold if they received a valid petition to decide on whether M\u0101ori wards would be established in their constituencies. By doing so, they also silenced local voices who overwhelmingly voted against it when consulted. We opposed the bill because we support the idea that local people in their local communities should be the ones who make the decisions on how they wish to be represented.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThis Government is committed to local democracy. We are not removing the right to establish M\u0101ori wards. However, we want each local community to decide whether they want one or not. That is a decision for local people and local communities to make about their local representation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EUnder this bill, councils will once again be able to resolve to hold binding polls on M\u0101ori wards, and communities will be able to petition their local council to hold one if a council resolves that they don\u2019t want to hold a binding one in the first place. Binding polls will be restored with the same policy settings as they were prior to 2021, including that a petition from 5 percent of electors on a council\u2019s roll at the last local elections will require the council to hold a binding poll. Any person on the electoral roll for a council will be able to vote. A simple majority will bind a council to the outcome, and the outcome of the poll will be binding on a council for the next two local government elections.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe bill will also remove the requirement under the Local Government Electoral Legislation Act 2023 for councils to consider M\u0101ori wards every six years during the representation reviews if they have not yet established M\u0101ori wards.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESince removing the binding poll mechanism in 2021, 45 councils have decided to establish a M\u0101ori ward without having a poll. That is 45 councils where local communities\u2014electors\u2014did not get a direct say on whether they wanted M\u0101ori wards or not. This bill gives those local authorities the choice between two options. The council can choose themselves to unmake the ward, or they can hold a binding poll at the upcoming 2025 local elections. These options will give the council the opportunity to avoid holding a poll if they consider that is the right choice for their community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe result of these polls will take effect at the 2028 local elections. The exception to this is Tauranga City Council, which is holding their local elections on 20 July, which is less than two months away and before this bill will be passed. Tauranga City Council will instead be given the same options as other councils to either hold a poll before the 2028\u00A0elections or to disestablish the ward for the 2028 election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EWe want M\u0101ori voices to be heard and represented. We also know M\u0101ori wards are not the only way to give M\u0101ori a voice in New Zealand. In fact, members may recall that the Kaik\u014Dura District Council unanimously voted no to establishing a M\u0101ori ward and instead decided to continue to work in partnership with mana whenua to investigate other options of greater inclusion and council decision-making.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThe Local Government Act also requires local authorities to have processes in place for consulting with M\u0101ori in accordance with the principles of consultation under the Act. We expect, on this side of the House, that local councils will continue to engage with M\u0101ori as they have previously when it comes to the matters that affect them. We also respect the fact that voters will be able to have their say and in some communities they may well decide to keep the M\u0101ori wards. They may well keep them, and that is up to the voters in those local communities. Even prior to the 2021 change, councils had had binding polls, and those communities had voted to support those wards. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ESo I say to members on the other side of the House: what have they got to be afraid of with democracy? What have they got to be afraid of with democracy? Ultimately, it is the public having their say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EEvery three years, we\u2019re privileged enough to live in a democracy in New Zealand and to vote for a Government, and every three years, we\u2019re privileged enough to be in a democracy and vote for local councils\u2014for mayors and councillors and community board members\u2014to represent us in our communities. But there are some decisions which, ultimately, we leave to voters to be able to make and to decide upon, and generally those decisions are constitutional decisions. Whether it\u2019s a parliamentary term or whether it\u2019s the type of voting system, we allow the voters of New Zealand to have their say on those matters, and it\u2019s the same when it comes to local councils. When a council is deciding whether to make a significant constitutional change to put in place M\u0101ori wards, ultimately, they should be able to let the public have their say on what is a significant change in their local community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EI say again to the people on the other side of this House: what should they be afraid of when it comes to democracy in this country? This side of the House supports democracy. They clearly do not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003ELastly, the bill makes a couple of small changes to support participation in the 2025\u00A0local elections. As members know, all councils use postal voting for local elections and have done so since 1995. New Zealand Post provides almost all of these services for local elections and, as postal volumes have declined, it has become harder to deliver voting papers within the current six-day window that is currently required under the Act. New Zealand Post has informed the Government that it would take up to two weeks to complete nationwide delivery of voting papers for the 2025 local elections and beyond, and as this creates a risk that some voters will not have a reasonable opportunity to have their voices heard, I propose to adjust the statutory time frames for how long voting papers can be sent out in order to allow for that. But, ultimately, that does lead to the need to consider further changes around electoral reforms, which this Government will continue to engage in those conversations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003EThis bill will go to a select committee. People will be able to have their say as part of that process. The select committee, though, will be for a short period of time due to the fact that councils are currently legally required to resolve to adopt their proposals for representation reviews by 31\u00A0July\u00A02024. Hence, a shorter select committee process will enable the bill to be reported back to the House by the middle of June so that all remaining stages can be completed, with the bill enacted by 31 July, providing councils with the certainty they require. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u00228d19be62cb454b5a806645020f2690f5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228d19be62cb454b5a806645020f2690f5\u0022\u003EHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E This bill is nothing short of appalling. The speech made by the Minister was nothing short of disingenuous, and the entire rationale behind this bill is racially motivated. It is a disgrace\u2014an absolute disgrace\u2014to stand up in this House and present this as being about democracy when the changes apply only to M\u0101ori wards and are not about any other aspect of it. Simeon Brown should be ashamed\u2014be ashamed\u2014for giving in to extreme elements for the sake of a cheap vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EI predict that in 20 years, 30 years, M\u0101ori wards will be normal. They will be universally adopted and people will wonder what the argument was all about. Just like the homosexual law reform or marriage equality\u2014and Simon Watts scoffs. He probably voted No. Maybe that\u2019s why he\u2019s scoffing. The point is that we look back. People might look back to their grandparents\u2019 views at that time and they might look back with disgust, or they might be ashamed of the way that their grandparents voted on an issue, and in time you wonder what on earth the fuss was about. That is my challenge to these members today. In 20 years\u2019 time or 30 years\u2019 time, are you going to be proud of yourselves, because what you are doing today is you are voting to impose a stricter criteria on things that impact on M\u0101ori and M\u0101ori only.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThe Minister\u2019s defence of the Government\u2019s position that rural wards are different because there is a provision to go to the Local Government Commission was pitiful\u2014absolutely pitiful. If they wanted a level playing field, simply make M\u0101ori wards have the same provision, and then you\u2019ve got what you say you\u2019re after. But, no. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EIf there was a member\u2019s bill in Parliament today proposing that what they are putting forward for M\u0101ori wards applied to rural wards or urban wards or any other form of wards\u2014but especially rural wards\u2014they would vote against it because they would argue that there\u2019s a very good chance that the much higher-population urban areas in those districts would not vote in the rural people\u2019s interests, and because rural people vote for them. But the same rationale that they would use to oppose this provision on rural wards, they are saying is a virtue for the sake of M\u0101ori wards. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThat is why I say this is racially motivated\u2014because their principles apply when it suits them. Their principles apply when there\u2019s a chance they might be able to get 5\u00A0percent of the vote in order to form a Government. I think it\u2019s disgraceful, and I\u2019m not surprised that there are a couple of backbenchers looking down, because if I was on their side, I\u2019d be looking down too. I would be ashamed because this isn\u2019t anything to do with democracy. This is a politically expedient opportunity to kick M\u0101ori\u2014to kick M\u0101ori while they\u2019re down. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003ELocal government finally got an opportunity to put forward the idea of M\u0101ori wards in exactly the same way that they would consider any other ward. That is all that the change did\u2014exactly the same way\u2014and the Government is changing this, knowing that some communities will vote these out and deprive M\u0101ori of a voice. Some communities that have never had a M\u0101ori councillor voted for M\u0101ori wards because they knew that it would benefit and add to their decision making.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EFifty-plus mayors have signed a letter to this Government saying, \u201CDo not do this. This is an overreach.\u201D The Government is ignoring them. It\u2019s another example of this Government ignoring local government. An appalling Minister\u2014no one likes him, because he never turns up, and when he does turn up, he lectures them just like he did then. It\u2019s another example of this Government breaking promises. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThey went right round the country\u2014oh, Simon Watts has quietened down because he knows what I\u2019m going to say. He went around the country and promised local government that if National were elected, they would help them pay for their water. What did those members do when they got elected? They broke that promise. That is why so many mayors went for them instead of water reform\u2014because they promised them they would pay and they lied to them, and today they are ignoring them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EShame on this Government for ignoring local communities that have made a decision for themselves and for putting extra burden on people because they are M\u0101ori. It\u2019s a disgrace.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u00224266d5ceea8a48458aee2365f2a26283\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224266d5ceea8a48458aee2365f2a26283\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\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=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022 data-id=\u0022158ce5d6474e4f0aa8282a1a0dd1910c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022158ce5d6474e4f0aa8282a1a0dd1910c\u0022\u003EH\u016AHANA LYNDON (Green):\u003C/span\u003E E Tukituki ana te iwi M\u0101ori me ng\u0101 kaunihera puta noa i Aotearoa i \u0113nei mahi r\u0101weke o te K\u0101wanatanga.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003E[The M\u0101ori people and the councils throughout New Zealand are clashing due to the tampering done by the Government.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003EIt is a dark day for local government when we see this overreach of the central government into local decision-making. The uptake of M\u0101ori wards across the country\u2014some 45 councils\u2014demonstrates grassroots tautoko for M\u0101ori wards, and I say bring it on. Bring it on, because M\u0101ori voice adds to the discussion and the decision making in our local communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003EI bring to this debate a Tai Tokerau perspective. As a hap\u016B and iwi kaimahi, I worked alongside local communities, iwi M\u0101ori, and council allies to advocate for the adoption of M\u0101ori wards. I mihi to Nanaia Mahuta for her foresight and leadership\u2014the enabler who paved the way for the adoption of M\u0101ori wards, and I quote Kelly Stratford in 2021, councillor of Far North District Council, who said the introduction of M\u0101ori wards is a step towards repairing broken Crown relationships and rebuilding iwi M\u0101ori trust in local government. T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Auntie Kelly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003EGenerations of M\u0101ori have had barriers to participation and representation in local government. We\u2019ve got a deep mistrust for both central and local government. We have tried to seek representation as iwi M\u0101ori on the local government decision-making tables, mai r\u0101n\u014D. Now it\u2019s argued that councils haven\u2019t been representing local community voices in their decision to take up M\u0101ori wards. But I argue in their representation reviews in 2021, they did. Taranaki Regional Council went out and said, \u201CHave your say.\u201D Far North District Council, in 2021, went out and polled the community. They received 499\u00A0submissions, of which 82 percent responded supporting the adopting of M\u0101ori wards within Far North District Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003ENow, on 4 May in 2021, we gathered in Far North District Council to watch the decision making of local government, and Waihoroi Shortland, the chair of Ng\u0101ti Hine, stood and said, \u201CIn the North, where this nation was born, we are going to set the example, not wait for Government to come down and tell us what to do, because we will have the courage to do it for ourselves. We will have the courage to work together as promised through Te Tiriti o Waitangi.\u201D Anaru Kira from Whangaroa stood and he spoke to Far North District Council, and he encouraged M\u0101ori wards would help bring the views and aspirations of wh\u0101nau and hap\u016B to the decision-making table. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003ESo 45 councils have adopted M\u0101ori wards to date. We\u2019re only starting the journey\u2014give it a chance. There\u2019s been a huge uptake. It is mainstream. It is mainstream to have M\u0101ori wards at the decision-making table. It\u2019s a plus-plus for councils to have M\u0101ori wards. You get both skills and experience and you get the tirohanga M\u0101ori at the decision-making table. It\u2019s like us having M\u0101ori seats in central government\u2014why can\u2019t we do it in local government? Let\u2019s advocate for more. Let\u2019s encourage hap\u016B and iwi representation in standing committees. Let\u2019s continue on the journey of M\u0101ori representation in local government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003ENow, the Waitangi Tribunal has already reported that there is a clear breach in Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the decision made by this Government, and I\u2019d like to remind us that removing M\u0101ori wards tramples on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and deprives us as iwi M\u0101ori to have a voice in local representation and decision making. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022 data-id=\u0022f24ba89b2d384f12aa056a0949d079ff\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f24ba89b2d384f12aa056a0949d079ff\u0022\u003ECAMERON LUXTON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. ACT campaigned against Labour\u2019s M\u0101ori wards regime, and voters put us in Government with the expectation that we will keep our promises. With the restoration of local referendums enshrined in our coalition agreement, we are keeping that promise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EThe aforementioned group of activist mayors that are going against what the community want because they are afraid of the community which they represent having a say, in case they go against what they want, are on a highway to nothing. ACT says that all New Zealanders are alike in dignity, and this should be reflected in our institutions. With M\u0101ori wards legislation set to pass first reading, we\u2019re celebrating a step towards a democracy that recognises our common humanity and does not treat you differently based on who your ancestors were.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EThis bill gives effect to the coalition Government\u2019s commitment to restore the right to a local referendum on the establishment or ongoing use of M\u0101ori wards. The fact is that M\u0101ori have been doing a fantastic job at local government level at being elected: 13.5\u00A0percent of local government representatives are M\u0101ori. This is very close to the share of M\u0101ori in the general population, but it goes further. This Government, for many years, has been passing Treaty settlement bills, and this has been creating post-settlement entities which have got entrenched rights to be consulted within local government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EThe change which the Government is bringing, with the strength of a democratic election behind it, sees Kiwis as individuals. In a democracy, we never say that the will of the people\u2014as we heard tonight from the Green member in question time\u2014is an insurmountable obstacle to democracy. Thank you, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022 data-id=\u002242e1216545ea4420bc52959c62c1420e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002242e1216545ea4420bc52959c62c1420e\u0022\u003EANDY FOSTER (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thanks, Mr Speaker. We\u2019ve already heard that this is about the coalition Government keeping the promises that it made quite clearly. Now, I understand the concerns that have been raised by the Opposition there, but I wanted to pick up two things that Kieran McAnulty said. The first of them is that it is exactly the same process to establish those M\u0101ori wards which were established for the 2022 local body elections as all the rest of the wards went through. Actually, no, it wasn\u2019t, and I\u2019m going to come back to that, because that did not go through the lengthy process of the representation review\u2014that is the normal process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EThe second thing is he also slighted the Minister and said nobody likes him and he doesn\u2019t get out there. Well, I can report to you that Tom Rutherford and I were with him at an excellent meeting with all the mayors of the Bay of Plenty region, which went very well and was very much appreciated, and I\u2019m sure that that is not an isolated incident. But what I can also say to you\u2014above the noisy rabble on this side\u2014is that my experience, as a local body mayor, of the previous Minister of Local Government the Hon Nanaia Mahuta was anything but positive. It was somebody who came in and said, \u201CLook, where you can opt into three waters legislation\u2014no, you\u2019re going to be forced into it and then you\u2019ve got no ability to opt out.\u201D So maybe the Hon Kieran McAnulty should be a little bit careful, when he\u2019s in glass houses, about throwing stones.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EI think that I have been through more local government representation reviews, I suspect, than the rest of the House put together. I\u2019ve done 10 terms, which is a lot of representation reviews. What you do is you go through an extensive process. They\u2019re done six-yearly. There is an extensive process of looking at demographics and making sure that you get the numbers right\u2014and I\u2019m going to come back to those numbers and get those right. You have at least two rounds of engagement with the community\u2014at least two rounds of engagement\u2014and, as we\u2019ve heard, there is a right of appeal to the Local Government Commission. Actually, I\u2019m absolutely sure that I\u2019ve done more appeals to the Local Government Commission probably than anybody else in this House as well\u2014and successfully, too\u2014to get the number of councillors down to a sensible level at Wellington City Council.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EWhat we have with the introduction of these wards\u2014and I am going to say that I understand absolutely the reason for the introduction of these M\u0101ori wards, because the reality is that virtually never will they survive a referendum. Very, very few of them will survive a referendum. The question I ask is: is it right for M\u0101ori to be able to determine the way in which M\u0101ori are represented? The second question: is it right for other people to say, \u201CNo, M\u0101ori shouldn\u2019t be entitled to be represented the way they want to be represented.\u201D? So I think there is a live question there which we need to hear from the people about, and we didn\u2019t really get the chance to do that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022051111d8310148f1a166fb3c84222934\u0022\u003EH\u016Bhana Lyndon\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s a rushed piece of legislation that undermines the ability for M\u0101ori to determine representation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc63211ed0d848ed86702619e80422e3\u0022\u003EANDY FOSTER\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014with Labour\u2019s legislation, because it was, essentially, fast-track legislation. If you were listening, you\u2019d actually hear that I\u2019m not so far away from your position, because I was the Mayor of Wellington when we actually introduced a M\u0101ori ward, and, actually, I was proud to be part of doing that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EThere was one problem, and it comes down to that representation and those numbers. There is a requirement in all other wards to be plus or minus 10 percent population. There are some times when you\u2019re able to be given an exemption by the Local Government Commission. That requirement is not there for M\u0101ori wards. Democracy has a couple of fundamental things: one person, one vote\u2014I think we all agree on that\u2014but the other one is that each vote should be roughly equivalent in value, and that\u2019s what the plus and minus 10 percent is all about. But if you have the situation where you only require a ward to have a little over 50 percent of the population of another ward, that means that those votes, effectively, count for twice as much, and that is a problem. As we walk through this process, I would encourage people to think about that and whether that is actually fair.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EYou\u2019ll remember the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill. Now, that was resolved by the Rotorua council in May 2021, and it became a very hot topic. Why? Because it set up a general ward and it set up two other wards: one ward was to be a M\u0101ori ward, electing three councillors; the other a general ward, electing three councillors. The problem was that the population in the general ward was about three times the size, if I remember correctly, of the population of the M\u0101ori ward. That was disproportionate, that was unfair, and that was undemocratic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003ESo whatever we do in this process as we go through\u2014and I look forward to hearing the submissions as we make sure that we end up with a process that is genuinely fair and democratic to all voters, whether they are M\u0101ori or not M\u0101ori. I commend this bill to the House, and I look forward to the submissions. I will do so with a very open mind, and I hope you will also do so. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022 data-id=\u00226f7c61ac94c14d3fafb07a4d4378e859\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226f7c61ac94c14d3fafb07a4d4378e859\u0022\u003EMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014Te Tai Tokerau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare. The removal of M\u0101ori wards is another targeted attack on M\u0101ori for being M\u0101ori. We are being forcibly removed from the decision-making table that we built in the first place and invited P\u0101keh\u0101 to sit at in 1840. This is an attempt to silence tangata whenua, whose demise is what founds and continues to fuel this illegitimate Parliament machine and its extensions in local councils. One hundred and eighty-four years, and this Government still thinks we must prove our right to exercise power in Aotearoa, where it is the Government that should be proving its right to exercise its power over us. Yet, perversely, because we\u2019ve been made a minority on our own whenua, we are fighting now for crumbs of what we actually have a right to: full and undisturbed sovereignty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003EFurthermore, this Government and the races it represents blindly ignore the truly undemocratic historical actions imposed by this P\u0101keh\u0101 Government over tangata whenua: stealing our land, wrongfully seizing political power, cleansing our identity, our knowledge, and creating violent laws that demote us to second-class citizens. The removal of M\u0101ori wards is simply a continuation of imperial abuse on tangata whenua. The argument is that M\u0101ori wards will be the demise of democracy. To remove M\u0101ori wards is an assault on Te Tiriti, the only reason a democracy inclusive of P\u0101keh\u0101 could ever exist. Te Tiriti was created so the Queen of England could control her unruly P\u0101keh\u0101 in Aotearoa, and I support the recent letter of our whanaunga Margaret Mutu for the British Crown to rein in these unruly P\u0101keh\u0101 sitting across from me now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003EDisestablishing M\u0101ori wards further undermines councils\u2019 autonomy in their rohe. This rings true for the Far North District Council of Te Tai Tokerau. The rohe alone covers 6,000 square kilometres, a whenua home to a population which makes up 46\u00A0percent. The establishment of M\u0101ori wards in the Far North gave the 13 iwi entities, the 252 hap\u016B, and 100-plus M\u0101ori social services, reo, and local trust organisations greater confidence in their local government\u2014a confidence resulting from M\u0101ori representation. Yet, to assume that this percentage of M\u0101ori would also front and vote in an election is blatant ignorance. This law merely feeds the latent mistrust of my people in the system. You see, my people are not disengaged from Government; they are disenchanted. We are less likely to vote if incomes do not meet daily needs, a reality for many of our own in Te Tai Tokerau, and if we do not see ourselves reflected in or as having a true influence over decision making. This is why M\u0101ori wards matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003EThe Far North emanates this very sentiment with the establishment of M\u0101ori wards. Even those M\u0101ori in the most remote areas of Te Tai Tokerau\u2014P\u0101nguru and Mitimiti\u2014are now engaging with council, according to my relation on the ground Hilda Halkyard-Harawira. Removing M\u0101ori wards ultimately removes any care for people who reside in remote areas, including P\u0101nguru and Mitimiti. It devalues our people. M\u0101ori wards bridge the gap between our communities and makers of law. They offer councils expertise in what remains unreachable to them given their abuse and ignorance of us. M\u0101ori ward councillors engage directly with our communities because we know the suffering of our people, the necessity of resource, but also the intelligence, the resilience, and the ingenuity of tangata M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227600399-0a88-4371-a784-b5a7bc7afc37\u0022\u003EAll four M\u0101ori ward candidates for the Far North District Council are fluent in the reo of this whenua and the reo of this colonial empire. They are experts of two opposing worlds, fluent in not only the languages but cultures themselves, and we can trust in our people as we are the sovereign of our own liberation of our own minds, as revolutionaries. We do not nurture the colonial dreams of P\u0101keh\u0101. It is this P\u0101keh\u0101 desire that has endeavoured to silence our M\u0101ori voices from central government, local government, regional councils, from any space in fact that our revolutionary minds could touch. So I absolutely object and do not commend this to the House and plead that any sensible people do the same. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b9dc1924-4df4-4d8f-91ec-8a0f29348308\u0022 data-id=\u002233491423360d4696a9881f4c1a9d5a98\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b9dc1924-4df4-4d8f-91ec-8a0f29348308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002233491423360d4696a9881f4c1a9d5a98\u0022\u003ETIM COSTLEY (National\u2014\u014Ctaki):\u003C/span\u003E This bill should be neither a surprise nor a threat. I just want to pick up on those two points. Firstly, it\u2019s not a surprise. All three Government parties campaigned on this, leading up to the last election, and were voted in accordingly\u2014in quite a contrast, perhaps, to 2021, where we saw the first changes to representation and M\u0101ori wards not campaigned on at all in 2020. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b9dc1924-4df4-4d8f-91ec-8a0f29348308\u0022\u003EThis is the fundamental tenet of democracy: that we tell people what we\u2019re going to do, they vote for us, and now we\u2019re doing it. You\u2019ve seen that from this Government over successive months and with successive bills, and this is another step in that direction. In fact, it is a return to where it used to be for M\u0101ori wards, not something new. This is just another example of our Government fixing more mistakes from the last Government, fixing this attitude that Wellington knows best\u2014\u201CWe couldn\u2019t possibly trust our local communities to make these decisions for themselves!\u201D That\u2019s why this is not a threat; it is giving the local community their chance to choose how they are represented. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b9dc1924-4df4-4d8f-91ec-8a0f29348308\u0022\u003EIn my electorate of \u014Ctaki, in both the Horowhenua and K\u0101piti councils, M\u0101ori councillors fill general ward seats at a higher rate than the general population. They are already represented. Moving them from a general seat to a M\u0101ori ward doesn\u2019t change their impact around the council table.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b9dc1924-4df4-4d8f-91ec-8a0f29348308\u0022\u003ENow, to me, it doesn\u2019t matter how they do it. The local community should be able to choose. The fundamental point is that this is about democracy. It\u2019s about letting the community stay in the driving seat. This actually isn\u2019t about M\u0101ori wards and someone trying to diminish M\u0101ori having their say or P\u0101keh\u0101 having their say; this is about letting the community decide how they will be represented. In our community, they already are represented. But across the country, let\u2019s let Kiwis decide. Let\u2019s let the decisions be made at the lowest possible level. Let\u2019s restore democracy. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022 data-id=\u0022c18dd238a8f540d89d400c940b1ae8f7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c18dd238a8f540d89d400c940b1ae8f7\u0022\u003ECUSHLA TANGAERE-MANUEL (Labour\u2014Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare. Otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 rawa atu t\u0101tou katoa. Aue te moumou taima me te moumou moni o t\u0113nei pire.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Speaker. And greetings also to everyone present. Heck! What a waste of time and a waste of money this bill is.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003EI cannot believe that in this day and age we\u2019re standing up to debate this topic. While I am extremely proud to come from a district who has gone through the correct process to establish M\u0101ori wards, Te Tair\u0101whiti\u2014so I guess that means Rehette, if you\u2019re watching, you are an \u201Cactivist mayor\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003EKua k\u014Drerotia e r\u0101tou m\u014D t\u0113nei mea te democracy. [They spoke about democracy.] It\u2019s very hard to be inspired by that word \u201Cdemocracy\u201D, when we are in fact the minority in our own country as M\u0101ori. There has also been k\u014Drero about The Voice. Actually, I want to go back to the other one. There\u2019s been k\u014Drero about keeping promises. If promises were kept, we would not have needed to establish M\u0101ori wards. Yes, I am talking about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. While we\u2019re talking about that, and we want to talk about partnerships and voice, it seems that the Government is happy that we are partners, that our level of participation is to bless chambers but not to have a seat or a voice in them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002228503e94-a5c6-4364-92b7-dc1da041fc50\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002206cfa49d78e44a0db87337592da9c5b8\u0022\u003EH\u016Bhana Lyndon\u003C/span\u003E: \u201CKia ora m\u014D te karakia.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022937f9ccadeaa413a9f6c60d3bdf9852c\u0022\u003ECUSHLA TANGAERE-MANUEL\u003C/span\u003E: So\u2014ha, ha! Yeah, kia ora m\u014D te karanga me te karakia. Haere ki waho in\u0101ianei. [Thank you for the call and the prayer. Go outside now.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also talked about the vote, the general vote, and absolutely there are M\u0101ori sitting in general seats around, obviously, in here, but around councils all around our country, and there will continue to be. That shouldn\u2019t be a surprise. There are highly educated, intelligent, capable M\u0101ori in every industry in this country. However, what we also have is some M\u0101ori purely want to be the M\u0101ori voice voted for by the M\u0101ori people, and that has been supported by many councils. We\u2019re talking about respecting local voices? We are disrespecting the people, the councils, the mayors, the chairs who have already written in to say, \u201CWe\u2019ve been through that process.\u201D [Interruption] Yeah. Kua ea, kua ea. [It is satisfied, it is satisfied.] It has been done. Why are we undoing yet another thing in this country which particularly impacts M\u0101ori?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003ENow, the other quote that came up just now was \u201CThis shouldn\u2019t be a surprise or a threat.\u201D Well, why are M\u0101ori having a seat at councils a surprise and why is that a threat? On that note, I just want to present a quote from one of our very intelligent young w\u0101hine who has now secured a seat on a council: \u201CThe opposition of M\u0101ori wards is entirely fear-based. It\u2019s the fear that we will use the seats, this representation, this power, to further a M\u0101ori agenda at the expense of P\u0101keh\u0101, of Kiwi New Zealanders that call this place we love home. That fear is absolutely misplaced and unfounded. It goes against all the values we are taught from birth and that have been handed down from generation to generation. M\u0101ori want what is best for everybody, what is best for our taiao. We want everyone to have good jobs, successful businesses, and we want people to live where they want to be, in their homes, in the city, off the grid, or on their whenua in papa k\u0101inga.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the acknowledgments of our smaller communities where M\u0101ori representation is high and echo her sentiment about the value of having tangata whenua knowledge in our houses, connection to the whenua, connection to the taiao from whom we come and will return. But there\u2019s also huge benefits of having these in urban centres, of having M\u0101ori representation. Because having lived in a couple of urban centres, we\u2019re not always privy to having access to our tikanga or indeed see faces that look like ours. So having access to this representation in councils around the motu is only beneficial to us all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003EHei whakakapi [In closing]\u2014oh, I had more to say. Heoi an\u014D, [However] I\u2019m sure there\u2019s going to be a second reading and we\u2019ll have a lot more to say then. T\u0113nei te mihi atu ki a koe, Nanaia, m\u0113n\u0101 kei te m\u0101takitaki mai koe. [I would like to commend you, Nanaia, if you are watching this.] I commend Nanaia for having the courage to bring these changes to our fine country and I commend our p\u0101ti Labour, te P\u0101ti Repa, for supporting it and allowing a strong M\u0101ori voice in our councils around Aotearoa wh\u0101nui, and to the councils also who have had the strength and courage and wisdom to do this. T\u0113nei te mihi atu ki a t\u0101tou\u00A0[Thank you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022 data-id=\u0022156bacacfec540ecaf013fc5b8467d46\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022156bacacfec540ecaf013fc5b8467d46\u0022\u003ECAMERON BREWER (National\u2014Upper Harbour):\u003C/span\u003E What a great day for community say. As we say in local government, have your say. This gives all Kiwis the potential to have their say. There was a comment that M\u0101ori voice would be deprived at the council table or in local government. Well, in my experience in local government, local government is the best example of M\u0101ori relationships, of engagement, of enactment, of enablement. So they have nothing to fear about losing voice in local government because local government, I would argue, are at best practice with local M\u0101ori relationships.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003ESo this is all about putting \u201Clocal\u201D into local government, as other speakers have said. This is about not just putting it through a 17-day process, as the last Government did in 2021\u201417-day process in 2021, rushed through without any consultation. This puts an opportunity out there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003EGuess what! They might be surprised\u2014they might be surprised. Because I know they\u2019ve been throwing it out to middle New Zealand\u2014an insinuation that perhaps the hurdle was insurmountable, which is an insinuation for the rest of middle New Zealand, ratepayer New Zealand, as somewhat conservative and potentially racist. Well, guess what! Those are the same people that voted for MMP, and that was a referendum, wasn\u2019t it? They were the same people that voted for euthanasia, and that wasn\u2019t a conservative issue. They are the same voters that voted in and around cannabis for recreational use at referendum and that nearly got through. So they might be surprised with just how New Zealanders view this if they are petitioned and if it gets to that far. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003ESo M\u0101ori have nothing to fear. This is about returning to the community the ability to have their say, and local government does it better than anyone. So I have every confidence that this will end up in a very good place. It\u2019s going to go through a submission process. We will listen on the Justice Committee and make amendments accordingly. But it is a great day for community\u2014have your say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022 data-id=\u00224010c2dc53334d1eaa89ed48a282ee5e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224010c2dc53334d1eaa89ed48a282ee5e\u0022\u003EARENA WILLIAMS (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E The speech from the previous member, Cameron Brewer, when he tries to claim that National MPs who have contributed to this debate want more M\u0101ori representation at local bodies and want more expertise around the local council table when it comes to iwi relationships, is pretty rich, when that member sat on a local board, I believe it was the Rodney local board, in a year where I, as the general counsel for Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua o Kaipara, was seeking to establish with that board a relationship agreement between the board and the iwi, and it was blocked over and over. That local board could not agree with its local iwi to enter into an agreement to work together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThat is the posture of this Government, to come to this House and say, \u201COh, we want success for M\u0101ori, we want M\u0101ori to be succeeding and thriving, but we won\u2019t let them around the council table and we certainly won\u2019t have Te Tiriti o Waitangi enshrined in our legislation, because that would be a step too far.\u201D It would be a step too far to tell te iwi M\u0101ori, to tell rangatahi M\u0101ori of Aotearoa that their concerns are of importance to this House, that their concerns are of importance at a local government level and that they deserve to be enshrined!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThis debate has been complicated by a number of constitutional issues. But it really is simple that, in 2021, Labour removed the barrier to democratically elected councils to determine whether or not, around the council table, they saw fit to establish M\u0101ori wards. These democratic decisions are being overridden by a central government who is determined not to let local governments make that decision for themselves in the normal way that councils use to determine their representation processes. Since that law was enacted, 45 councils have elected to have a M\u0101ori ward. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EThe Government comes to this House and they say that there is a choice for local councils, but the choice is that they can either scrap M\u0101ori wards that exist, or send them to a binding referendum that they know will be ugly, because these politics are ugly. Do you know why these politics are so ugly? It\u2019s because we have parties on that side of the House who are drumming up an ugly, divisive debate that has no place in Aotearoa, which is imported from US politics, which is about kicking people when they\u2019re down\u2014in this case, kicking M\u0101ori. But it could be anything. It could be kicking renters when they\u2019re down, by taking away 90-day no-cause evictions. It could be kicking disability communities when they\u2019re down, by taking away the very entitlements they rely upon. This Government is on a collision course to take it out on the people who cannot fight back, and it\u2019s shameful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s shameful that we are having a debate in this House today which has been couched in terms of re-democratising, of making things better for the communities, when, in fact, we have mayors around the country saying to the Government that this will drum up the kind of rhetoric in their communities that they do not want to oversee, that this is something which mayors in Aotearoa are saying will be hurtful and divisive and undermine social cohesion in Aotearoa. We should listen to them. Instead, the ACT Party members have come to this House today and called those mayors \u201Cactivist mayors\u201D. At the same time as they think that they\u2019re championing democracy, they\u2019re also using their parliamentary privilege to sledge every mayor who dared to have an opinion about democracy in their local area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EYou would laugh, Mr Speaker, if this were at all funny, but this is the reality that rangatahi M\u0101ori in Aotearoa have to grow up with. It is a real shame that we have a\u00A0Government in power which is determined to use its legislative power, to use the politics of division in Aotearoa, to garner the votes of people who would see M\u0101ori progress set\u00A0back. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003EI can tell you, Mr Speaker, that Labour will stick up for M\u0101ori; it will stick up for those \u201Cactivist mayors\u201D who are worried about the undermining of social cohesion in their cities and regions, who have been democratically elected to represent people\u2019s interests at a local level; and we will stick up for those outcomes that we see when we have more M\u0101ori representatives around the council table\u2014more cohesion, more expertise in te taiao, and the representation of M\u0101ori people around the council table, because that can only be a good thing. That is why we should not vote for this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022 data-id=\u002220325445d0ed4f9a94554c7914922961\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002220325445d0ed4f9a94554c7914922961\u0022\u003ETOM RUTHERFORD (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise to stand in support of the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill. The bill will restore the ability for communities to have a direct influence on the establishment of M\u0101ori wards and M\u0101ori constituencies by restoring the ability for 5 percent of councils\u2019 electors to call for a binding poll on M\u0101ori wards - establishment decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003ERestoring the right to local referendums on M\u0101ori wards is a commitment under both the ACT and New Zealand First coalition agreements. Let me be clear: this should not\u00A0come as a shock to anyone. All three parties campaigned on reversing the previous Labour Government\u2019s changes to local electoral law and, today, we are delivering on that\u00A0commitment. Local communities should be given the opportunity to have a say on their own representation. Referendums on M\u0101ori wards allow local voters to make their own\u00A0representation decisions. This bill is simply about restoring democracy to local communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003EOne local councillor from the Bay of Plenty got in touch with me after our Government announced that we were bringing this bill to the House, and they said to me\u2014and I quote\u2014\u201CI am grateful that the Government is taking a stand on behalf of local government. New Zealand is a democracy, and to have councils introducing M\u0101ori wards without consulting our communities is so wrong.\u201D Today, we are restoring democracy to local communities. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u002230cd20ad4e0948b397add43032e89e5f\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 Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) 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 68\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 49; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 55\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 15; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 6.\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=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000296\u0022\u003EBill read a first time.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u00228cbf6d4cc0f340dcac290843c465639d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228cbf6d4cc0f340dcac290843c465639d\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is, That the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be considered by the Justice Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022d6f4c2a5c7d24db3be9dff5847981d59\u0022 name=\u0022division\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, That the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 68\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 49; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 55\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 15; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 6.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\t\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000298\u0022\u003EBill referred to the Justice Committee.\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00223c8cf1652d604a53bfe076ea3035e3ce\u0022\u003EInstruction to Justice Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022 data-id=\u00220a9cc219f03540ad8026f44e033ceefc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220a9cc219f03540ad8026f44e033ceefc\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS (Minister of Climate Change)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I move, That the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 21 June 2024 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting, except during oral questions, during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House, on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House, and outside the Wellington area, despite Standing Orders 193, 195, and 196.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EI acknowledge that this bill is proceeding at pace. However, this bill must be passed and proceed quickly so that the changes can apply for the 2025 local elections, so that councils and communities can decide on whether they want to hold a poll in 2025 and will have certainty about ensuring that that will happen, and so that election service providers can start preparing for the new local electoral time frames and communicate these to their local authorities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003EDespite the speed at which the bill needs to be passed, the Government values hearing from all New Zealanders about the proposed changes. That is why we are proposing that the select committee process takes place but, given the circumstances, I respectfully ask the Justice Committee to consider the bill thoroughly and report back to the House by 19\u00A0June. Giving the committee additional authority to meet outside the usual hours will support it to meet this time frame. I invite the House to support this motion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u0022c5d161b2535d43c3b3ac460169f63be0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c5d161b2535d43c3b3ac460169f63be0\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\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=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u002269833b6739b2410781dedc39de504b36\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002269833b6739b2410781dedc39de504b36\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. I stand to speak to this motion and continue to insist that the voice on this side of the House be heard with respect to a truncated time frame. I take the Minister\u2019s point that next year is the local body election. He didn\u2019t seem to expand any further on exactly why that particular date has been chosen, only giving ourselves one month instead of what would normally be a six-month process. I get six months might take us\u2014well, it will take us\u2014closer to October and, of course, if the local body election next year is in October then of course I can understand that. But that still allows perhaps a little bit more flex, if you will, in the time afforded to the select committee to undertake such an important piece of work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EThe other challenge that I put to the Minister is that in the four and a bit weeks that have been afforded to this particular process there is a long weekend and for members there is a scrutiny week; I must ask the question: will the committee and will the membership of that\u00A0committee have enough time to be able to make sure that they can give this bill the\u00A0due\u00A0recognition and also the public the opportunity to find their voice on this very important matter?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, you\u2019ve heard in the House this evening just how passionate the House is about this matter, and we should be; local democracy and democracy is an important thing to continue for us to uphold and make sure that voices are heard on this matter. Which is why, Mr Speaker, I want to express to you and to the House here this afternoon my concerns around a truncated time frame without, seemingly, a far more clearer rationale for each and every one of us specific to the time frame of the local body elections which are scheduled for next year. And, once again, I raise that in the next four weeks we\u2019ve got Budget week, we\u2019ve got a long weekend, and we also have a scrutiny week which is calling upon the time not just of this House but of officials that are required to support this process. I\u2019m sure, like the rest of the country\u2014and I know my wh\u0101nau right across the country are looking forward to Budget week; they want to sit down and interrogate it. We\u2019re asking them now to consider another important piece of legislation in a truncated time frame and we want to express our concern for that particular matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022 data-id=\u00223dcc238f0d1241ca8b3983ad96102a8d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223dcc238f0d1241ca8b3983ad96102a8d\u0022\u003EARENA WILLIAMS (Labour\u2014Manurewa):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. Foreshadowing for the House that Labour MPs would propose that this Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill should be referred to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. I\u2019m raising this with the House because the Justice Committee is the wrong committee to consider this. The M\u0101ori Affairs Committee has, in the previous Parliament, considered the original bill which amended the legislation to remove the barrier for locally elected councils to make a decision about the way that they conduct their representation inquiries and to decide on M\u0101ori ward representative structures. And so\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002201d897aa567a4f1a830a2cc03889587e\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: Just to support the member, it\u2019s already been referred to the Justice Committee, so that decision\u2019s gone, and we\u2019re talking about this motion, which is around that time frame around 21 June.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022 data-id=\u00221df10db2d1204fff8e3a57fe7995e8c3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221df10db2d1204fff8e3a57fe7995e8c3\u0022\u003ECELIA WADE-BROWN (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I also rise to question the timing. I think it\u2019s far too short given that even with this rush, we\u2019ve already had over 50\u00A0mayors sign a letter saying they don\u2019t agree. I imagine that many of those councils and Local Government New Zealand, let alone iwi, hap\u016B, and others, will want to speak. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa4845f-2fb3-4c2c-828a-40a363d3a159\u0022\u003EI also think it\u2019s unfortunate that we have heard very little about the sensible half of the bill, which is talking about a longer period for postal delivery and a longer period in advance\u00A0of the election. I think it would be thoughtful, whether it\u2019s through the Minister or through whichever select committee it goes to\u2014which has been decided, I understand\u2014to\u00A0consider\u00A0dividing this bill into two halves. It is a marriage of two completely different issues, one on\u00A0which I imagine we would have unanimity in the House, and one on which we have not. So I urge people who know the legislative process to see if we can make that divorce of two halves. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u0022841c4ca4a9fc4171b1ea71f968c01dac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022841c4ca4a9fc4171b1ea71f968c01dac\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I\u2019ve just been sitting in the House listening to the debate in relation to this referral motion. And I too want to support this side of the House in relation to the truncated time frames for the select committee process for this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThe concern I have is actually quite practical. There\u2019s only a four-week period, so, therefore, if the bill goes through tonight, it gets sent to the select committee, and the chairman can ask for submissions tomorrow. To give the community an opportunity to actually be able to submit on this, you would at least look at around a five- possibly 10-working-day submission period. So that\u2019s two weeks gone. And then, therefore, in that two-week period, which is also during a very, very busy time for Parliament, officials would need to brief the committee. If the committee requires to, they may need to actually appoint an independent adviser, given that this particular bill removes a constitutional arrangement that had already gone through a select committee process and the House in a previous bill. So that in itself has to happen within the two weeks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThen they would have to hear submissions. And given we have seen, as other members have talked to around there being a number of people that are opposing it and have actually said that they will want to submit on this, which is 50 mayors and a whole number of other people supporting it\u2014those hearings of submissions may take two to three days, which again impinges on the time for members of this side of the House to be able to actually hear submissions, consider them. And then they possibly will be left with maybe a week or around six working days for there to be a draft report, a revised tracked version of the bill, drafting instructions, and then the actual draft legislation for the committee to deliberate on and then seek, basically, amendments for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI really don\u2019t believe the four-week period is justifiable on the condition that because there is an election next year; surely more than four weeks can be spent on the select committee. Even if it was four months, which is still a debatable referral, it\u2019s still truncated, it\u2019s not the six months which is the usual, but it still would allow for proper time to consider submissions, proper time for drafting. It even would allow this side of\u00A0the House to draft their own Amendment Papers, because I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the\u00A0other side of the House brought it through the committee of the whole House pretty quickly. But, actually, it\u2019s quite an important process\u2014a practical decision that you are truncating a process for select committee which is on an important bill which we believe,\u00A0on this side of the House, that members of the public should be able to have time to submit, time for members to consider it, and, therefore, to allow time for drafting. Instead, for something that is an election next year towards the latter part of next year, I believe that at least four months would be a reasonable consideration. It would again not have to impinge on scrutiny week, and just allows a bit more time for submitters who deserve to be heard on this. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022 data-id=\u00224d6dedeb22344f9cba7c0a2ef6a6f65c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d6dedeb22344f9cba7c0a2ef6a6f65c\u0022\u003EANDY FOSTER (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Look, two things to say. One is, again, as I\u2019ve said, I\u2019ve been through rather a lot of the council\u2019s representation reviews, and I think that what is not being recognised on the other side is that it\u2019s not just our time frame that\u2019s got to be considered but the councils\u2019 collective time frames as well. They\u2019ve got to go through and do a proper representation review, and the problem that we had with the 2021 changes was actually that that process was not allowed for, because there was not enough time allowed for it. So the introduction of the M\u0101ori wards never went through the process that would normally happen with a normal representation review. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EI know that the time frame is a short time frame, but my encouragement for you is to allow that to happen so that the councils, then, have a decent amount of time to engage with their communities and to do that twice and do it properly. I mean, so that this legislation and the out-workings of this legislation will get worked through thoroughly by the councils, and I think that that is the thing to consider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EThe other point I\u2019d like to make is just in response to my former colleague, and fellow ex-mayor, Celia Wade-Brown. I think she\u2019s quite right: this bill has two entirely separate components, and you could consider that one of them needs to be dealt with in time to make sure it happens for the representation review process. The other one, which is the postal bit, only needs to take place in time to allow it to take effect for the 2025 election; in fact, they\u2019re on different trajectories in terms of time frame. So that is something that could be thought through.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EBut with what we have in front of us, I think we just need to get on with the job. As Barbara Edmonds has said, we can get it out the door today and give the maximum possible time for our communities to respond to this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022 data-id=\u0022c6bdde9c084a4cc4b640b08a1bcbe1c3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c6bdde9c084a4cc4b640b08a1bcbe1c3\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. If I remember correctly, in speaking in response to both Andy Foster and the point at hand, the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee that heard the legislation originally\u2014when we went through the process of submissions, there were thousands and thousands of submissions over that particular period. What that meant was that, at a practical level, we did have to split into a number of groups. We did have to consider the amount of time that we gave to oral submissions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EIn this particular instance, the proposed time frame from the Government would actually mean decisions, for practical reasons, would have to be made that submitters weren\u2019t able to be heard, they wouldn\u2019t be able to hear everyone in this sense, and/or they would decide on a time frame which wouldn\u2019t give people adequate time\u2014i.e., five minutes for a submitter may or may not be enough time, given the sensitivity of the subject at hand, giving the tikanga the consideration that might apply. We know, for example, when M\u0101ori come to present in an oral submission format, there is time required to allow for mihimihi in that sort of context. If we only allowed people to speak for that short period\u2014five and/or 10\u00A0minutes\u2014it actually, at a practical level, doesn\u2019t allow people to submit in an appropriate way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EThe second part, in speaking to Andy Foster\u2019s point, is that the interest of allowing quality submissions actually saves time in the long run\u2014if people have a good amount of time to be able to prepare their submission in the first place rather than having to rush it. For the type of organisation like councils, they have to do a lot of work in the background to build their submissions. If their submissions are better, and, therefore, are in a better state, that improves our ability as members considering the submissions in front of us to then be able to prepare our questions. So it\u2019s actually a lot more productive and punchier to address the overall concerns, issues raised, in those particular submissions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003EI do think it\u2019s too short, I don\u2019t think it allows for appropriate tikanga to be respected in the oral submission process, and I\u2019m raising my concerns on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022 data-id=\u0022be550ea336ce4a7e9e8005e1743e63bf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022be550ea336ce4a7e9e8005e1743e63bf\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour\u2014Mt Albert):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s good to go just straight after my colleague Shanan Halbert, because I want to talk about Auckland. We have a super-city. It\u2019s a very big structure, and we\u2019ve just been through the long-term plan in Auckland. It\u2019s been an incredibly stressful time and all hands have been on deck. We would now be going into a period when all the ramifications of those decisions were being considered. But now we\u2019re going to have this happen when there will also be implications from the Budget coming at our counsellors and those that really, really need to engage on such an important issue in Auckland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EOne of the issues with the super-city is that it can be seen as sometimes more cumbersome rather than less, because it has to reach out into quite distinct local communities, and it is very, very important\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002289809535-e289-43e8-ad08-668cf3046ffb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ba7a50ed89ce4c7fa182c1cb66c8f1e3\u0022\u003ECameron Brewer\u003C/span\u003E: Auckland\u2019s already said no.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4cc0472ca0f4e9ab765df0fb01a9779\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d just take the point my friend across the House has just suggested, which is that Auckland said no. I think that\u2019s neither here nor there in this situation, because Auckland is a huge part of New Zealand with a lot of people in it, and they don\u2019t all say no, Cameron Brewer. They don\u2019t all say it. It isn\u2019t a case of one voice being the Auckland voice; in fact, I would say that is a really dangerous thought\u2014that we\u2019re talking about one voice dominating everything, and it being seen as something that is dominated by a single, unitary voice. In fact, I am talking about the opposite of that, Mr Brewer. I am talking about the need for Aucklanders with nuanced, intelligent voices and with different thoughts to have a say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EIt was pointed out to me that we changed the law to allow up to 30 Auckland councillors to enable a M\u0101ori ward\u2014OK?\u2014and there are some very proud people on the other side of this House in regard to that decision. So I would like more time in the process to allow people to engage in a meaningful way in a process that is so important to them and to Aucklanders. I would like to hear some of those voices, and we won\u2019t be hearing that many, regardless of the time, but we will definitely be hearing a deeper and richer communication from Auckland on this issue. Thank you, Madam Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022 data-id=\u0022e03dcc23a7b74ab8bcf69d88865ee72a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e03dcc23a7b74ab8bcf69d88865ee72a\u0022\u003ETOM RUTHERFORD (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That debate on this question now close.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u0022445991a39a8146879ac4548a85597296\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 debate on this question now close.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 68\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 49; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 55\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 15; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 6.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca id=\u00222e5cecc91f1742358fca39974b925e55\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 Local Government (Electoral Legislation and M\u0101ori Wards and M\u0101ori Constituencies) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 21 June 2024 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting (except during oral questions), during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House, on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House, and outside the Wellington area, despite Standing Orders 193, 195, and 196.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAyes 68\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 49; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENoes 55\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 15; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 6.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp class=\u0022HpsDivision\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022438781af846e47dc823cc29419a240ab\u0022\u003ESpecial Debates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022484d970b6ee543f288bf59b20d7bcd83\u0022\u003EDebate on Long-term Issues\u2014Long-term Insights Briefings\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u002215f9580e0b564ceaab68ab278a1b2462\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002215f9580e0b564ceaab68ab278a1b2462\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members, we now come to the debate on long-term issues, informed by select committee reports on long-term insights briefings. And just before I call on the chairperson of the Governance and Administration Committee to move that the House take note of long-term trends, risks, and opportunities affecting New Zealand, I just want to say that the purpose of this debate is to be future focused and provide an opportunity for members to reflect on the long-term challenges and opportunities that face New Zealand. As such, it would be desirable for select committee chairs in setting the scene for the debate to be non-political in their contributions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022 data-id=\u0022ec39c15001514bfa894b2cf91a3e1777\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ec39c15001514bfa894b2cf91a3e1777\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK (Chairperson of the Governance and Administration Committee):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That the House take note of long-term trends, risks, and opportunities affecting New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EIt is a pleasure to take the first call on today\u2019s special debate on long-term insight briefings, as chair of the Governance and Administration Committee, in order to introduce the briefings and the associated debate to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EThe long-term insights briefings were introduced during the 53rd Parliament following the passing of the Public Service Act 2020. The Act requires a chief executive of a department to give a long-term insights briefing to the appropriate Minister at least once every three years. A critical component laid out in the Act is the requirement for these long-term insights briefings to be established and delivered independently of Ministers. These briefings are designed to be truly independent of the executive and the Parliament and to enable Public Service departments to provide their own lens across the big issues affecting their department that are relevant for the long term of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EThe Governance and Administration Committee is tasked with, essentially, being a clearing house for all of the briefings that are presented to the committee and we are required to refer them to the appropriate subject matter committee, who must consider the briefing and report to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EThe Governance and Administration Committee also engages regularly and receives briefings from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which is the agency that is tasked with oversight of the briefings. Throughout the term of the 53rd Parliament, when I was a member of the Governance and Administration Committee, we engaged regularly with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on updates around the\u00A0briefings, how they were tracking, and the process that had been undertaken in order to deliver the briefings. During that time, we produced two interim reports outlining the\u00A0committee\u2019s observations of the briefings and advice from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet about how we could make improvements to the briefings, going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EToday, we will hear from committee chairs and members regarding three of the briefings that were prepared by Treasury, the Ministry for the Environment, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. In total, there were 19 briefings that were prepared during the 53rd Parliament, and departments are now tasked with preparing briefings for the 54th Parliament, that I hope will shortly come to the Governance and Administration Committee so that we may refer these on to committees for further insight.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EI want to focus on some commentary that the Governance and Administration Committee made during our report. I just note that, in the last month, we have also had a report from Victoria University, authored by Malcolm Menzies, Andrew Jackson, and Jonathan Boston, called An Experiment in Governmental Futures Thinking: long-term insights briefings. I want to particularly thank the academics from Victoria University who have engaged with the committee early on, prior to us receiving the briefings, to put their lens across what they were looking to see. So I would encourage members across the House and I would encourage agencies to read this report, because it sets out some analysis, as well as some concerns that our committee noted in our interim report. I\u2019m just going to touch on those in the short time I have remaining.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EOne of the concerns raised was that some of the reports didn\u2019t necessarily focus on the big issues. Another issue was that there was, at times, an inconsistent approach to consultation. I want to note that for one of the reports that our committee touched on, by the Public Service Commission, we thought there wasn\u2019t enough depth of consultation with migrant, rural, and M\u0101ori communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EOne of the big issues was the need for more cross-agency briefings and for there to be a systematic approach for agencies to work together using an approach where they actually go through some criteria to look at where they might be able to add value to briefings together. We note that there have been around four briefings where there was cross-agency work, where you could see that there was scope for two agencies or departments to actually work together to bring together a briefing. That is one of the biggest pieces of advice that our committee and these authors have suggested going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EFinally, the most important thing is that these briefings need to be for the long-term strategic issues rather than the day-to-day work of the department. So I\u2019m looking forward to the debate today; I encourage members to engage with it. I commend the debate to the House. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022 data-id=\u002229acbf934bb543b3a0df4f689488b895\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002229acbf934bb543b3a0df4f689488b895\u0022\u003ESTUART SMITH (Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s really timely to have this debate, particularly today, since the Finance and Expenditure Committee had the Governor of the Reserve Bank in on the Monetary Policy Statement from yesterday, which ties in quite well to this report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EThe long-term fiscal position and the long-term insights reports have been prepared. Treasury prepare those documents and they report to the Minister of Finance, and it\u2019s quite interesting, actually, that the Auditor-General has recommended that Treasury consider whether those two reports should be put together as they are, or not. It also made some recommendations about how they could more effectively incorporate public feedback in the preparation of those documents. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EThey also wanted to test the sensitivity and reliability of their models and the assumptions used in the models to inform those reports, and also wanted to better reflect the impact of the Superannuation Fund assets in the calculation of debt. I think that\u2019s a really important point. One thing that we know with accounting is the way you represent numbers can influence how people think about the comfort they feel with debt or not, and I think that was really a sound recommendation from the Auditor-General.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EIt was interesting in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I think one of the things we have to remember when we\u2019re thinking about the pandemic is that it\u2019s not so much the virus itself but how we reacted to it that caused the fiscal issues for New Zealand that we\u2019re now living with still today\u2014and, taking your advice about not getting overly political, I\u2019ll leave it at that point. But I just want to point out that the way that the lockdowns affected retail trade and accommodation sectors was quite disproportionate to other sectors. Farming, for example, was able to continue on. They were able to work and go about their business. Supermarkets were able to remain open and trade, whilst their competitors\u2014butchers, and fruit and vegetable shops\u2014weren\u2019t able to stay open. So there were quite disproportionate effects on that group in society. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EAs well as that, there was a disproportionate effect on young people. We\u2019re seeing that now in the outcome in education and attendance at school\u2014M\u0101ori, Pacific peoples, and women. So that is borne out in all the statistics.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EAlso, debt is a problem, and that\u2019s because of the large-scale asset purchase programme that the Reserve Bank undertook in that period. They vastly expanded their balance sheet and, in fact, the Crown underwrote any losses that they would incur from that purchase. All of those things are not related to the virus but how we reacted to them, and I think they will\u00A0have long-term financial implications for New Zealand. What\u2019s happening today will impact on New Zealand\u2014not all the way out to 40 years, perhaps, but certainly a long time into the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022094b0ff4-e404-451b-b4a9-ad12bd4dee56\u0022\u003EThere was a lot of talk in the report about debt which actually nicely ties into our discussion today with the Reserve Bank. The papers suggest that New Zealand\u2019s debt should be around 50 to 60 percent of GDP, with a buffer of 20 percent at least. So we\u2019re looking at 30 to 40 percent, and, in fact, what the Minister of Finance has said is that she\u2019s aiming for a debt range to GDP of 20 to 40 percent. That gives us a huge buffer\u2014not a huge buffer, but an adequate buffer for the shocks that we experience such as the likes of COVID-19, although I hope that we have learnt a lot of lessons from the way we reacted to that and don\u2019t go for lockdowns that have far-reaching impacts. So I think these debates are very worthy, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u0022f68cae76285a4434b92c60dde630ca51\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f68cae76285a4434b92c60dde630ca51\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Labour\u2014Wigram):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker, and it is a pleasure to rise in the House to speak in this special debate. It is rare as a Parliament that we do get to have conversations and debates where we take the political tension down around what the long-term future and opportunities and challenges for our country are in order to get beyond the petty politics of the day and think about the future\u2014to think about that long-term, intergenerational future and what it means for us. I think one of the things that really encapsulates that is the title of Treasury\u2019s document, which brings together its combined statement on the long-term fiscal position but also the long-term insights briefing: He Tirohanga Mokopuna. That is the need to take an intergenerational view, and that is exactly what this work was about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EWhen the Public Service Act introduced the need for us as a Parliament to produce these long-term, strategic views as a country\u2014that was introduced in 2020 and was to be produced every three years\u2014it was to think about those big issues that are going to survive many Governments. Governments from all parties in this House\u2014they\u2019re all hoping they will get to make up or need to grapple with these issues, and I think that what we choose to focus on is vitally important. What we have seen is that this was the first run at some of these, and I think some of the feedback that we have got around these and around how it is that we can get the public more engaged in this process is an important consideration that, as parliamentarians, we should all be giving some thought to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EParliaments all around the world, and Governments all around the world, indeed, are giving thought to how it is they encapsulate this intergenerational thinking into policy making. We\u2019ve seen in some jurisdictions such as Ireland a commission for the future where they are looking very much down the road and trying to have long-term strategic discussions in a world that is becoming increasingly polarised. I think that these reports and this long-term strategic focus come at a point in our history where we do need to take the heat out of some of these conversations and realise that we do need to find some of the areas where we can find common ground and find what we can do that is in the interests of our of our globe and of our nation as we go through. But I think it is vital that we consider how it is that we can involve the public in these discussions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EI also think that one of the pieces of feedback from the Auditor-General on Treasury\u2019s report is that we do need to think about whether or not we continue to combine the combined statement on the long-term fiscal position with the long-term insights briefing, or whether these need to be separated out. I certainly think that whether or not we keep them as one document or have them as two, we need to intertwine those two ideas in our heads as we go through and we debate these, because that long-term fiscal position is going to be vital for how we tackle the issues that are outlined in this report.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EIn terms of the focus that came in this first one, there was that immediate challenge. I think if we think about the fact that this was a piece of legislation in 2020 that required these reports to be produced, it is unsurprising that the very immediate issue of the immediate challenges of COVID-19 was such a focus point for how it was that we needed to think about it. I think that parliamentarians, legislators, and people in Government around the world are going to need to think about how it is that we would prepare for a future event: what did we learn, what did we do well, and what can we do differently for the future? That is something that we have to take the opportunity on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EBut just in the time I have, one of the areas that was focused on was climate change, and that came across in terms of both Treasury\u2019s analysis but also the Ministry for the Environment. I think one of the things that we know is that we have to do more and more work to quantify both the cost of action and inaction, and what the fiscal position for the Crown will be and what the strategic long-term challenges and opportunities are for us as a country. Our continuing to take an intergenerational view is something that is our responsibility as people who happen to sit in this House at this moment, because we need to govern for the future. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022 data-id=\u0022023c803380be4507b55637ee9181c887\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022023c803380be4507b55637ee9181c887\u0022\u003EHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green\u2014Rongotai):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou e te Whare. I am really pleased to be able to make a contribution in this debate, and I definitely recommend the report to anyone watching it at home, because it\u2019s full of useful information, even though it is possibly a bit wonky. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EBut there\u2019s a couple of big insights and takeaways, and I absolutely agree with the previous speaker, the Hon Dr Megan Woods, about the importance of this House having a long-term approach, where we talk about long-term issues that are facing New Zealand, because I\u2019m sure that the people who have elected us to represent them in this House of Representatives really do want us to deal with more than just the current day-to-day issues. But the long-term issues are going to affect us all, and it\u2019s very easy to get caught up in an electoral cycle where it\u2019s easy to kick the can down the road when it comes to dealing with long-term challenges.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EMy big takeaways from this report are very much about how both the COVID response and other policy settings have led to more wealth and income inequality, that certain people have suffered more as a result of some of the policy choices, and we can make different choices as a House of Representatives to ensure that we do have a fair and equal society. Page 8, for example, talks about how some of the people who were most impacted by the pandemic-related labour market disruption are young people, M\u0101ori, Pasifika peoples, and women, and that has exacerbated pre-existing inequities in the labour market\u2014outcomes which we need to actively address if we want to have true equality of opportunity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a growing body of evidence\u2014and this is here on page 9\u2014that recessions are exacerbated by inequality that already exists in society. So having a more equal society by ensuring that our policy settings are fair is actually better for us in the long term, economically, and I know that hasn\u2019t been the economic dogma of the last few decades that has dominated the political discourse\u2014particularly coming from the right\u2014but it is becoming increasingly clear that if you don\u2019t have a mechanism for making things fair, wealth becomes concentrated. Labour markets are not pure and perfect transparency, and there is existing inequality that they can exacerbate if we don\u2019t actively work to change that and remove the barriers. So I think that\u2019s really useful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a very interesting graph that talks about how most of the housing wealth and the age kind of concentration of housing wealth has radically changed over the last few decades. Of course, that is somewhat down to policies\u2014public policy that could change\u2014which means that now a certain egroup of people are much more likely to hold a lot of wealth because they bought houses at a certain time and we\u2019ve had house prices increase significantly, and that\u2019s locked younger people out of the housing market, which puts them at a disadvantage. Of course, I would argue that that disadvantage will be exacerbated by this Government\u2019s current policies, which are really oriented towards those who already own property and are transferring wealth back to those who already own the most, rather than helping others have access to\u2014whether that is just secure, more dry, affordable rentals or whether it is buying their own home. So that is really useful information. I\u2019m trying to find the page that graph is on, but I think I\u2019ve lost it, But, hopefully, I\u2019ll find it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003EBefore I get to climate, I just wanted to mention one other really important graph in here which I think is really useful for understanding Aotearoa New Zealand in the context of the OECD. That is about the discussion about tax revenue and tax as a share of GDP in OECD countries. This is on page\u00A069\u2014[Holds up graph]\u2014nice!\u2014and here it is: \u201CFigure 34: Tax as a share of GDP in OECD countries\u201D, and New Zealand is really low on that list. So while there\u2019s a kind of mythology and kind of easy lines that we sometimes hear from some people that you can\u2019t tax your way to prosperity, most of the countries that have higher incomes per capita than New Zealand also have higher tax shares of GDP. So maybe we can learn from that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u00224f4d59405c8d4dc7b74709be8103d795\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224f4d59405c8d4dc7b74709be8103d795\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just before I call Cameron Luxton, there\u2019s a lot of chatter in the House and I\u2019d like to be able to hear the people that are speaking. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022 data-id=\u002245a02b43e5e041e7ae3ef9b801fa4d0e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002245a02b43e5e041e7ae3ef9b801fa4d0e\u0022\u003ECAMERON LUXTON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to know that people are paying attention to what sometimes may seem like an issue that can put people to sleep, but, actually, this is one of the most important things that we can think about in our society. And Government\u2019s role is to think about the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003ENow, I think we can all agree that the people of New Zealand have decided that the path that we were heading down was not a good one, and that is why in October they decided to\u00A0elect a new Government. Now, it cannot be a surprise when one reads through He Tirohanga and sees some of the outrageous things that are being said. Governments should keep debt levels prudent. Well, blow me down! Governments should keep debt levels prudent, because not doing so could lead to an increase in taxes. Now, the previous speaker, the Hon Julie Anne Genter, might think that increasing taxes is a good thing, but if you\u2019re printing a heck of a lot of money and you believe in modern monetary theory, I\u00A0guess that is what you would think is a good thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EOn this side of the House, we believe that New Zealanders should be able to keep their money to be able to spend on themselves and on productive activities to provide for their family and their community, because, as another member of this House so often says, the economy isn\u2019t just an amorphous blob; it is made up of all of us, and when we are taxed to the absolute brink of what a citizen should stand, no wonder the economy suffers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258f935f1-6646-40ab-9d99-17029396850c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c43d6d064ab4274aa79cdf7fd53bef5\u0022\u003EHon Julie Anne Genter\u003C/span\u003E: But we\u2019re not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022871a74d772dd4951810ab8a6f80823a3\u0022\u003ECAMERON LUXTON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, exactly\u2014we\u2019re not, because we are taking prudent measures on this side of the House to lower taxes and make sure that the fiscal position of this country is improved. As I was going through the long-term insights briefing, I came across a startling number. It has got here that in 2061, the net worth of this country is forecast to be\u2014good Lord!\u2014negative 137 percent of GDP. Now, we cannot continue along such a horrendous path that will lead us to a place where we cannot make the decisions for our country and for our families that we have enjoyed in the past.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EAnother part of the long-term insights is looking at housing. Now, it can be said that New Zealand faces a housing crisis. Well, I\u2019m a builder and I know what that looks like. It looks like building supply stores taking prices off the shelf because they don\u2019t want to show how much the building materials are going up every week. That is what we lived through during COVID. It is not a surprise that the cost of building skyrocketed when we were printing so much money that it had no alternative because, as the great Milton Friedman said, \u201CInflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon\u201D. What we had was a Reserve Bank printing money and inflation flowing through, and where does it go? It goes to discretionary spending, allegedly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EBut I would say it goes to housing and the insane cost of housing in New Zealand. Well, this Government has got a long-term vision to reduce the cost of housing, by opening up the laws from which we plan, finance, and fund infrastructure, and taking steps like the Hon Chris Penk has done in making it easier to import materials into this country to provide some competition so that we don\u2019t have an artificially raised cost of building because of a supply constraint made out of laws that have gone well past their use-by date.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EThere is another part in the long-term fiscal position that I think needs attention, and it\u2019s demographics. New Zealanders work very hard to save and provide for their families, and they want to know that when they are working hard, that is going to their benefit so that they can invest in their home and in their business, and spend that money and freedom in a way that provides housing to people who need housing, provides jobs to people who need\u00A0jobs, and provides a future for their family. That was taken away when that side of the\u00A0House was frivolous with their laws around restricting building, a Resource Management Act reform process that was not future-focused, and Building Act reform that was long overdue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EWe have been left with a horrendous position, but I am glad to say that this long-term insights briefing is a piece of the tool kit that this Government will use to make this country a better country. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u00220523b4008dba41ad901ec27ee203a530\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220523b4008dba41ad901ec27ee203a530\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Can I just remind members\u2014and this is not directed at the previous speaker, who actually had interjections to deal with\u2014that we are looking at long-term insights, rather than at a political debate that is going on here. I understand the member was responding to some of the things that were said, but we\u2019ve heard from our previous speakers how important it is to keep this at a high level, and it would be great if we could do that. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022 data-id=\u00222469c77a39fd45398ac46e71ae1874f1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222469c77a39fd45398ac46e71ae1874f1\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, thank you for the chance to speak on behalf of New Zealand First on this long-term risks and opportunities debate. I do agree with the previous speakers; I think this is a worthwhile exercise. We can be a bit tactical at times in this place. Things happen very fast, but we do need to be able to step back and look at the long-term drivers, the risks, the opportunities, things like the demographics, things like what our long-term fiscal position will be, so that we can make sound decisions as we go. Certainly, as we go into the Budget process next week, you will see us taking very much that responsibility, very likely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe had the Reserve Bank Governor in at the Finance and Expenditure Committee this morning. He could not have been more strong in the sense that productivity, and the lack of productivity, in this economy is costing us majorly. But it\u2019s not all about what the Government does. The Government sets the framework, but it is also about what the private sector does\u2014what we are doing in this place that enables the private sector and particularly, in my experience, the primary sector. We\u2019ve got 80 percent of our merchandise exports coming from the primary sector. It\u2019s an extraordinary, extraordinary number. Madam Speaker, you would have been around in the days when David Lange called us a \u201Csunset industry\u201D back in the 1980s. But here we are today, at 80 percent of our total merchandise exports. As I said in question time today, it has been my pleasure, in the regional development space, to look at the gaming industry; looking at a billion-dollar industry\u2014things like gaming\u2014that we wouldn\u2019t have even thought of back then. That\u2019s fantastic.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EBut one thing I would like to bring the House\u2019s attention to is probably the most significant corporate announcement in recent New Zealand history, made earlier this week: Fonterra is looking at divesting their brands business. This will be a multibillion-dollar asset going on the block. It will be up to Fonterra\u2019s 10,000 dairy farming shareholders who hold the voting rights. They hold this decision\u2014this impactful, long-term decision\u2014in their hands. Do they take the money now, or do they look to the long term and maybe some of the risks and threats that are out there and decide to hang on to that brands business? It sits with them; it should sit with them, as it sits.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EBut why should this Parliament care? Obviously, the outcome of that will be pivotal for us, one way or the other. But the reason it matters is because Fonterra is a creature of statute. It was created by this House in 2001. We gave them extraordinary powers to amalgamate what was then two major cooperatives, New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Dairies, and merge them with the Dairy Board, which was the exporter\u2014the single exporter\u2014at the time as that was being disestablished. That was a major long-term decision that that Parliament made, but it granted the single company extraordinary powers. The consequences of this could be vital.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got a situation, we\u2019ve got a technology coming along called precision fermentation\u2014which is, essentially, artificially creating the ingredients\u2014that Fonterra have decided is their future. Now, this technology exists\u2014Fonterra are trying to crack this code themselves; that\u2019s how seriously they take it. But overseas, everyone is out there trying to do this. Do not believe that the Nestl\u00E9s of the world would not drop us like a stone if they thought they could get the equivalent protein for cheaper. Because this is an ingredient. It\u2019s not like meat, where you\u2019re having the raw product; this is easier to replicate. Who knows what\u2019s in your chocolate bar?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003ESo this is a major decision, and I am going to be writing to the Finance and Expenditure Committee and asking Fonterra to attend and explain to this Parliament why they are using these extraordinary powers\u2014are they making a wise decision on behalf of not just those 10,000 shareholders but the people of New Zealand? Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u002270cbdb0e14e34ac2bdbacd673c656002\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002270cbdb0e14e34ac2bdbacd673c656002\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just to remind members, you need to call so I know that you\u2019re\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022 data-id=\u00221b2120bedd6747488c1cae0ba1943261\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221b2120bedd6747488c1cae0ba1943261\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Oh, kia ora, kia ora. Aroha mai.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb314195f156474d8c20e826da72490f\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002235ab4967526848dfb0ea8d43dbb96a72\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koe e te m\u0101reikura, e te P\u012Bka. Ka nui nei te mihi ki a t\u0101tou i roto i t\u0113nei r\u0101 i a t\u0101tou e whakaaro ana m\u014D te tirohanga wh\u0101nui o ng\u0101 mokopuna i roto o Aotearoa. Ka h\u0101ngai p\u016B taku titiro ki ng\u0101 whakatipuranga o te iwi M\u0101ori, otir\u0101 ki ng\u0101 \u0101heinga i roto i te iwi M\u0101ori hei painga m\u014D te katoa. T\u0113r\u0101 \u0113tahi kua k\u014Drerotia i roto i t\u0113nei Whare i roto i ng\u0101 rangi tata nei. Ko t\u0101ku he whakawherawhera i \u0113r\u0101 \u0101huatanga hei whakarongo m\u0101 t\u0101tou i t\u0113nei r\u0101. N\u014D reira ka huri au ki te reo tuarua e m\u0101rama p\u016B ai aku k\u014Drero ki a t\u0101tou e noho nei i roto i t\u014D t\u0101tou Whare i t\u0113nei rangi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E[Thank you, thank you. Apologies. Greetings to all of us of this House. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Many greetings to us today as we consider the broad perspective of the grandchildren within New Zealand. My perspective will focus on the generations of the M\u0101ori people, indeed the capabilities within the M\u0101ori people for the benefit of everyone. Some of them have been spoken about in this House in recent days. What I will do is expand on those things for all of us to listen to today. So I will turn to the second language so that my comments are absolutely clear to us who sit here in our House today.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the call. I stand on behalf of Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori to give some consideration to He Tirohanga Mokopuna 2021. \u201CHe tirohanga mokopuna\u201D is a phrase from the M\u0101ori language, and it, basically, invites us to think forward as far as we can for the benefit of our grandchildren and our grandchildren\u2019s grandchildren. Te iwi M\u0101ori has been on a long curve of rediscovery, of reclamation, of redevelopment, of growing things from a time in this country\u2019s history where our people struggled to maintain their position not only in society but in many aspects of life in Aotearoa. Today, the M\u0101ori population is pushing on a million people, so \u201Che tirohanga mokopuna M\u0101ori\u201D is a very, very poignant statement and title when we\u2019re considering what the future looks like. M\u0101ori babies, M\u0101ori mokopuna are an unequivocally important piece of the future of our country. They will comprise, along with their Moana nui a Kiwa\u00A0cousins, one-third of the country\u2019s labour workforce as we advance over the next two decades.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EOne of the key things that must happen is that we must begin to create systems, laws, processes, places of work, and places of education in our country that support those mokopuna to develop and become productive in an economy that we all rely on. The need to do this is ever-pressing, because the young population of M\u0101ori and Pacific Island peoples, and other people who come from cultured backgrounds, is already alive and kicking today. As they come through the developmental phases of life and enter into a workforce, they need to arrive as skilled people so that they can contribute to the same degree as the people who have gone before them. We should all be aware that, at the same time, the baby-boomer generation is exiting that labour workforce and taking with them a lot of the intellectual capital that has underpinned it. So it is vitally important that we strike the right settings that see he tirohanga mokopuna develop into the productive and leadership models that we need to maintain our country into the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori economy is the second piece of that; the M\u0101ori economy. Every time the M\u0101ori economy is measured\u2014and it\u2019s currently ticking over $70 to $80 billion\u2014it\u2019s generally $10 billion behind. So before too long, definitely before 2030, the M\u0101ori economy will be worth more than $100 billion to this country. And all of that activity is driven on the basis of he tirohanga mokopuna, by the people in control of that economy, those resources. However they have come back to te iwi M\u0101ori, they are being used and managed in a way that will support everybody going forward. Me p\u0113hea r\u0101 t\u0101tou? Me p\u0113hea r\u0101 t\u0101tou te whai whakaaro nui ki ng\u0101 ara e ora ai te mokopuna? [What should we do? How are we to consider the big picture regarding the approaches for the wellbeing of the grandchildren?] How do we approach creating the pathways, doing the things that seize long-term prosperity and development for mokopuna\u2014not only mokopuna M\u0101ori but all mokopuna of this country? That is indeed the intention of the report and its findings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira ko t\u0101ku ki a t\u0101tou he akiaki. [So what I\u2019d like to do is encourage us all.] So my words to us all, e hika m\u0101, you know, friends, colleagues in this House, ko t\u0101ku he akiaki\u2014mine is to encourage us all to consider: what are the pathways? What are the pathways that actually bring to life he tirohanga mokopuna, that bring to life he oranga t\u0101ngata, that bring to life he oranga whenua? He oranga t\u0101ngata, he oranga whenua\u2014when the land is healthy, the people will be healthy with it. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022 data-id=\u00220d4bc004748b4600b95f7394cc1eccc5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220d4bc004748b4600b95f7394cc1eccc5\u0022\u003EHon SCOTT SIMPSON (Chairperson of the Environment Committee):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. As the newly minted committee chair, it\u2019s a pleasure to be participating in this, the first parliamentary debate on the long-term insights briefings that were part of the last Parliament\u2019s work programme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ENow, the whole point of these long-term insights briefings was that they were supposed to have the ministries, and the various Government departments and agencies that were required under statute to produce them, provide information to select committees and, ultimately, this House about the medium- and long-term trends, risks, and opportunities facing New Zealand. Now, that\u2019s a very laudable, a very plausible, and a very worthy objective. So the Ministry for the Environment duly invested a lot of time\u2014many, many hours of work by staff from the Ministry for the Environment, an agency that in the last six years of the last Government had quadrupled its number of employees\u2014and they presented a very big, fulsome report to the select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EIt was typical of Ministry for the Environment reports: it had lots of very nice warm words, lots of aspirational goals, lots of pretty pictures, and it sought to actually ensure\u2014and I\u2019ve got the select committee\u2019s report here; it only runs to about four or five pages. It\u2019s actually quite a short report in balance. But the Ministry for the Environment presented their long-term insights briefing. The briefing topic was Where to from here? How we ensure the future wellbeing of land and people. Well, that was good work. The briefing, it says in this committee report, looks towards 2050, which, it says, \u201Crepresents an important timescale for both climate change and native ecosystems\u201D. Well, that\u2019s very true. I don\u2019t know that that took too long to figure out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EIn Chapter 2, they said that the briefing describes how New Zealand\u2019s land is under pressure. Well, again, kind of obvious. Chapter 3 of the briefing referred to the need to set out a vision for the future of land. Again, very good, laudable. And then the report from the\u00A0Ministry for the Environment went on to list some transformational change that was needed to meet the aspirations that they contained in their report. Chapter 4, for instance, discussed pathways to a more resilient future for the land and every generation. And they talked about\u00A0achieving incremental change. They talked about increasing effectiveness of policy and legislation, empowering communities, investing in sustainable infrastructure and technology, investing in science, promoting environmental education, embracing collaborative governance. And it sounded all to me like a Bluegreens policy manifesto. I thought that they had been reading some of the stuff that the very good Bluegreens had put together! The briefing notes, as well\u2014that there would be a need for transformational change that would require choices about priorities. Well, again, go figure. I think we all know what that is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003ESo I want to record in this debate, because this is the first of these debates that the House has had, and we\u2019ll have more of them in years to come and in months to come, and that\u2019s probably a good thing\u2014but I want to read and quote from the select committee of the previous Government, where there was a then Labour Government majority on that select committee. I quote: \u201CWhile the Long-term Insights Briefing articulates an integrated worldview, the committee considers the report did not significantly contribute to an increased understanding of the issues the committee regularly deals with and the issues that are important to New Zealand.\u201D Further quote: \u201CIf these Long-term Insights Briefings are to be useful, they need to go beyond stating the obvious and bring new insights and potential solutions to inform policy thinking.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003EI think that for a committee in the last Parliament that was dominated then by Labour caucus members to have given that approval, which was unanimously agreed by the committee at the time, speaks volumes about the quality of what was a really long, really glossy, beautifully presented, worthy piece of work but did not actually, as the report says, go beyond stating the obvious. I hope that future long-term insights briefings will be far more beneficial to the insightful work that this House has to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022 data-id=\u002229ac21aadbc947af9f7fca9cc1a57890\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002229ac21aadbc947af9f7fca9cc1a57890\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua, ko au. Now, if you haven\u2019t read this document\u2014I\u2019m not sure if the previous speaker, Scott Simpson, has actually read the document\u2014that is a summary of what it is about: \u201CI am the land, and the land is me\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EIn this document\u2014which, to me, wasn\u2019t full of beautiful, glossy graphs; it was full of challenges that our land is under pressure. I read this and was concerned\u2014and I\u2019ll speak about that shortly\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225a15190015db4bd2b978482965d7509e\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0101mati Coffey didn\u2019t think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220244cf1847854251bc3af2cf39728a4c\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014because in this document, it talks about the challenges of our ecosystem, the challenges of our soil\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f7dddc753c214be2a6b1a5304d6a4dbd\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: Stuart Nash didn\u2019t think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222a7f8ca7c9904daba02072c67b4bf3b9\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014the challenges of climate change in terms of things like invasive pests and diseases.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002226cde270f156478cb4a5a1fe4f50040f\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: Aupito William Sio didn\u2019t think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d074568d2064884a96193212ad4f292\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: This document talks about the challenges of our future\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022063792ba3c2f45b2aa48d83597da36e4\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: Phil Twyford didn\u2019t think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222746493bd9dc487cb616da4e57ebc15b\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and our species that are at risk.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002298dbeffa-e059-49d5-8bbf-579cbaead9a3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dffb5f2bc8cf4c1ca350ea809adf88e0\u0022\u003EHon Scott Simpson\u003C/span\u003E: Angie Warren-Clark didn\u2019t think so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022018f2acbcfd84e8fb9fe16e1a461f58a\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Enough\u2014enough!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b4bbafb8a92943518516ab1068976836\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT\u003C/span\u003E: So I\u2019m not sure if the previous speaker has actually read this, because, to me, it wasn\u2019t blissful, night-time reading; it was actually a challenge to myself, to this House, and to future generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EFor me, it both challenges me and it scares me\u2014this document. It\u2019s about the environment\u2019s health; how do we look after the land to ensure it\u2019s ready and fit for the next generation? How does it provide for our needs, for our food? It\u2019s for our jobs, it\u2019s for our rest and recreation, and it\u2019s for our play. Our environment is our taonga and I\u00A0believe that this document challenges us about that and whether we are actually taking that seriously. So it challenges me because I can see aspiration, yes; I can see possibility, yes; but it also scares me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EWhen I look at the number on one of the pages in this document, it talks about the at-risk land species: 3,283 threatened, at-risk land species. That\u2019s just land, not to mention the others that are airborne in that 4,000 that we\u2019re talking about, that are native, that our biodiversity hosts here in this place; we\u2019re a hotbed for the beauty of what nature and the environment provide. But also I am scared because we could be the generation that wipes\u00A0out species that will never ever come back again. It\u2019s also estimated that 192 million tonnes of soil are lost to erosion every year, and 44\u00A0percent of that comes from our pastures. This is crucial to our own existence and crucial to our economy and crucial to our life.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EAs I said earlier, climate change, of course, featured in this, talking about the challenges of our rising temperatures, the challenges of our rising rainfalls, and how climate change is impacting and will continue to impact the future of agrifood in our communities. But it talks about the existing pressures that are going to get worse, about the increased invasive species, and about the increased diseases that come. So I find hope in this document. I find the possibility if we actually read it and understand it and work with it. But it also is sombre reading in terms of our generation and our responsibility if we don\u2019t do the right thing and pay attention.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EI want to finish on the section that engages our rangatahi, because they are our current and our present but they\u2019re also our future. They were part of the engagement in this, and that\u2019s why this does give me hope through the challenges. Through being scared in what I read, it also gives me hope when they talk about how they want action and they want us to be bold and collectively work across the House together to make change, when it talks about connections and bringing people from all over our communities together and across our country to make it better, when it talks about deep environmental responsibility that we need to take seriously as adults, but also as young people and children, and when they acknowledge the practice of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as something that is a gift to this nation\u2014that is a gift\u2014if we understand and honour it, then our nation will thrive and grow even more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EThis is challenging. This is hopeful. This is scary. But I believe that all of us, on all sides of the House, need to make sure we read this, we understand it, but then of course we put this into practice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022 data-id=\u00221c7436ae3c104e00a8ae25c32a0183d4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221c7436ae3c104e00a8ae25c32a0183d4\u0022\u003ELAN PHAM (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker. Some really cool things happened in 1986 with the origin of this report. Not only was 1986 the year that my twin sister and I were born but it was also the year of the birth of the Environment Act. From what I\u2019ve heard, apparently people didn\u2019t get everything right in the 1980s, but they got something right in this Act when they mandated the Government and its agencies to ensure a full and balanced consideration of the things that really matter\u2014things like the needs of future generations, the intrinsic value of ecosystems, and for Te Tiriti principles to be upheld in managing our natural and physical resources or, as we understand, te taiao, or the fundamental basis of life on which we all rely.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003EThe directives in the Act, captured in this report, invite us in this House today not only to address our immediate responses to our climate and ecological crisis but to think more broadly about our actions or, rather, probably, our lack of actions, and, most importantly, to look ahead. And that is just what this report does. It looks forward to 2050 which, according to where current Government commitments head us, is the point in time when Aotearoa will have reached carbon neutrality. We will have achieved all those breathtakingly wonderous nature goals in te mana o te taiao, or our biodiversity strategy, and Predator Free 2050 will be our blissful current-day reality. And this will only have been possible by us working together under our foundation of Te Tiriti. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003EBut, unfortunately, with this Government at the reins, it looks increasingly unlikely that this beautiful 2050 future is possible. Our current reality is rather painfully set out in this report. It includes the pressures of land-use change, invasive species, pollution, extraction, and a dangerously warming climate. Land intensification, as outlined, has drastically altered our landscapes, leaving us with deforestation, soil erosion, and a decline in our freshwater and marine ecosystems and our biodiversity. We\u2019ve got urban\u00A0pollution from our vehicles, our industries, and our waste-water treatment plants, and it\u2019s degraded our air, our land, and our water. That impacts our health and our ability to connect with nature, and, therefore, we must take action to actually care for it and protect it. Our isolated island, as we\u2019ve heard, is a biodiversity hotspot and it\u2019s something to be\u00A0celebrated, but we know that so many species\u20144,000\u2014are threatened and at risk of extinction. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003EEverything laid out in this report leads to one question: sure, we\u2019ve really screwed things up in the past, but why keep deciding to screw things up so badly? Next week, this Government will make critical decisions that majorly impact our environment and our existence within it. It\u2019s astounding that these decisions look set to favour corporations and lobbyists at the expense of the awesome sustainable future\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229589fe5a8f0344b6b18984e18c864998\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Can I pull the member up. You\u2019re talking about the Budget and none of us knows what\u2019s in it. I think we should be focusing on the long-term briefing. At the outset, we said this was not to be a political debate but a long-term vision debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226bb98ab3b77b40b3abcb993a770e0688\u0022\u003ELAN PHAM\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. What this report does make clear is that for our rangatahi, youth, the state of our environment is not a distant concern; it\u2019s real to them now. They so clearly know what good decision-making looks like to get us out of this mess, and what it doesn\u2019t look like.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002246269786-ecb4-40e2-972a-e287c495bdec\u0022\u003EIf this Government took their fundamental role of a duty of care for our environment seriously, as envisaged back in 1986\u2014and the challenges are so clearly set out in this report\u2014we could ensure that the need, or worse, the greed of today doesn\u2019t compromise the life and the wellbeing of those tomorrow. Put simply, there is no planet B. It makes it really clear in this report, and we need to voice and acknowledge and act on the critical need to care for ourselves and our environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022 data-id=\u0022fc01d3902cdd40ecaa412ca48e77ed63\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fc01d3902cdd40ecaa412ca48e77ed63\u0022\u003ECAMERON LUXTON (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I\u2019m glad to rise again to speak on a long-term insights briefing. Now, this one is the Ministry for the Environment\u2019s Long-Term Insights Briefing 2023 with a report-back from the Environment Committee. Now, as a Kiwi that has spent his life enjoying New Zealand\u2019s environment, I often wonder: what is the environment? We can have\u2014it\u2019s actually quite a nice name\u2014the \u201Cnatural and built environment\u201D. I mean, it gives us a bit of sense that\u00A0there\u2019s more than one environment. You know, I\u2019ve built environments; I\u2019ve been a builder. I\u2019ve farmed environments; I\u2019ve been a farmer. I\u2019ve contributed to my part of\u00A0cleaning up New Zealand\u2019s pests by having stoat lines and other lines in the\u2014well, two now in my life, and it\u2019s always a bit of a pleasure when you find a stoat hanging from a tree and know that you\u2019ve done your bit to protect the feel of your favourite valley. Now\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a5fe792114374193ae440d6b6560b5b0\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s success.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d965592d580a4a429a9d5f879dd8143c\u0022\u003ECAMERON LUXTON\u003C/span\u003E: It is success. So what all New Zealanders growing up in this country feel an affinity for is the environment, and some of us go out and strap our boots on and take the set of plans that have gone through that rigmarole at the council and go and contribute to our built environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard from the Labour member that people should go out and read this report back from the Environment Committee. Well, I have to say, I\u2019ve gone through it and it\u2019s just a word salad. I mean, how is anyone who gets up in the morning to go out, put their boots on, grab a hammer, a shovel, a piece of machinery, a bulldozer, and goes out and tries to deal with flooding, replant a hill that should never have been cleared\u2014how are\u00A0they going to get anything out of \u201CFutures thinking is critical to \u2026 Ministry for the Environment\u2019s role as \u2026 environmental steward and system[s] leader.\u201D? I mean, what on\u00A0earth? Look, I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is, and I have no idea what a systems leader is. I mean, how are we supposed to get anything out of something like this?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EAnyone who goes out to put in a piece of infrastructure, to build a house, someone who\u2019s gone to get water to put through the pipe system to get into town or to spray on some crops to diversify the agricultural basket that is New Zealand\u2014and, I might say, I\u00A0found myself in the Wairarapa last week and saw what could be done with a bit of security around water to helping New Zealand\u2019s long-term environmental standards improve while also diversifying our crops and making sure that New Zealand can battle with whatever challenge the rest of the world throws at us. We need to be able to get to minerals and use\u00A0these to fuel our economy and the future life of New Zealanders. But I say again: how is anybody going to make sense out of what was written in this report? I,\u00A0unfortunately, cannot.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EFarmers, townies, Kiwis are doing more for the environment than the Ministry for the Environment. I\u2019ve met with conservation groups throughout the Bay of Plenty who are picking up the mantle for themselves and going out and getting it done, and I think we should be supporting them in securing a better environment for the next generations. There is a lot to be said for New Zealanders going out and doing what needs to be done, for improving their farm sustainability, improving the value of the town in which they live, and enjoying the benefits that come from that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cfc7092e-b202-4acf-aa9c-8aebd551cc39\u0022\u003EWhat we need to do\u2014and what ACT and this coalition Government with National and New Zealand First are doing\u2014is focus on replacing the Resource Management Act with a system based on property rights, because it\u2019s only with true property rights that you can create wealth in a society, and it is only with wealth in a society that you can secure a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable environment. I look forward to New Zealand\u2019s environment improving for new generations. My kids, my grandchildren will enjoy it, and I look forward to all New Zealanders enjoying it too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022 data-id=\u00224a47f2bac25b4be9a931a834c4e50a6e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224a47f2bac25b4be9a931a834c4e50a6e\u0022\u003EJAMIE ARBUCKLE (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to take this call on our land and our people and this briefing that has been put into this beautiful document in front of me, titled Where to from here? How we ensure the future wellbeing of land and people. So far, we\u2019ve heard a lot in this debate around land, but we\u2019re probably missing that one of the key factors in that title is \u201Cpeople\u201D. It is the long-term future that we need to be looking at, and this document does say some important things. It was quite obvious, reading through it, that sometimes you can\u2019t reinvent the wheel\u2014it has already been done; it\u2019s already been said. We know that issues around land, and that\u2019s been very well-documented here\u2014we know land is under pressure, and we know some of those pressures are coming from housing, housing intensification, trying to protect food production. As land is being taken up for housing, that high-quality food production land is being taken away.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003EThis report outlines that we are losing things like our native plants, our native animals, our ecosystems, and they are under threat and there is no doubt about that. The amount of highly productive land is shrinking, and it\u2019s shrinking dramatically in areas where we used to grow a lot of our high-quality crops. The way land is being used\u2014we know that soils are being degraded and the water, and the environments in urban areas are being polluted. Another role that I\u2019ve had was to do with the Resource Management Act, around being a hearings commissioner. It\u2019s always those key elements around land, air, and water, and how those things link into each other. Through this report, some of the drivers that have been discussed are around those future land changes, around the intensification and what that will look like, around climate change and what that will look like for land, population change, the economics and the consumer demands that affect the land use, and invasive species. And we haven\u2019t heard a lot about that in this debate\u2014things in my district around wilding pines and stuff, and how that affects the use of land and farmland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003EThis report does set out having a vision. What I thought was really important in this report was that it talks about an enhanced role for all New Zealanders, and it\u2019s all New Zealanders putting in their part and playing their part. It was good to hear, through this,\u00A0that already that enhanced role is being implemented. But first, we\u2019ve got to get the\u00A0policy and the legislation effectiveness, and we\u2019ve got to get the right legislation, the right policies, and we\u2019ve got to get the buy-in, and we\u2019ve got to get people empowering our communities. If we can empower communities, that is a really, really important thing.\u00A0Investing in science\u2014and that\u2019s something that New Zealand First is really keen\u00A0on: investing in science and how that enhances land use. Also, promoting environmental education\u2014education is a really, really important thing for our young and for going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003EIn this report, we talk about transformational changes, and it talks about nine different pathways. One of those pathways is around the environmental responsibility. But we\u2019ve got to find sustainability and balance. It\u2019s all about choices, about priorities going forward, about housing, about food production, and about conservation. It\u2019s the way in which we use the land, and that is the important thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003EThe one thing I want to touch on in my last minute is the role of community-led incentives around catchment groups. That is the way forward in this country. We\u2019ve got over 290 catchment groups. I did hear from the other side of the House around Jobs for Nature. That\u2019s something New Zealand First is proud of and was proud of in 2017-2020. Those Jobs for Nature catchment groups are something we\u2019ve got to encourage and keep supporting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003EWhat I did want to talk about too was the effects of waste on land. We talk about forestry blocks, and there\u2019s a lot of things with waste going on to land. We\u2019ve got to find, through innovation, better ways for getting rid of forestry slash, like biochar and looking at those type of opportunities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003ESo this report, as much as it\u2019s stating the obvious, is about that long-term thinking, and it\u2019s not just about the next 50 years but the next 100 years. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022 data-id=\u002204e1dc7cadc44245a04bc0d6c36a270b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002204e1dc7cadc44245a04bc0d6c36a270b\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E Otir\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou. Kia ora, kia ora. Otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou i te \u0101huatanga o \u0101 t\u0101tou k\u014Drero.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E[Good health and wellbeing to us all. Greetings to us all in accordance with what\u2019s been said.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EI want to use this opportunity to talk about something that\u2019s not just one of the most important long-term issues facing Aotearoa but one of the most important issues facing humanity, and that is climate change. Climate change is probably the most prevalent theme across all of these reports. The Finance and Expenditure Committee report He\u00A0Tirohanga Mokopuna discusses the uncertainty of the economic and fiscal impacts of climate change, especially in an economy like ours that is dependent on land use, our natural ecosystems, and the environment. The national security long-term insights briefing also noted climate change will create competition for scarce resources and result in more migration to Aotearoa. The increase in severe weather events\u2014as we all know, a consistent occurrence around the world\u2014will inevitably place more pressure on our ability to recover. We experienced these ourselves first hand, particularly on the East Coast with Cyclone Gabrielle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EPoor planning and management of land use, of flood protection, housing and infrastructure means the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle will be felt for many years to come. Tens of thousands of people were displaced in the middle of a cost of living crisis. People lost their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods. The impacts will be intergenerational. We saw marae completely flooded, without insurance. We saw urup\u0101 desecrated and wh\u0101nau having to dig up t\u016Bp\u0101paku so that they could be moved to safety.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EAs M\u0101ori, climate change poses a direct threat to our whakapapa, our culture, our livelihood, and also, as M\u0101ori, we have always adapted with the changing nature of Papat\u016B\u0101nuku. Aotearoa cannot continue to treat climate change as a distant threat, because it is a very real part of our present day reality. We cannot sustain an economy that is based on the exploitation of whenua, the exploitation of our moana, and the exploitation of te taiao. Now that climate change is with us, we cannot continue to drag our feet on adaptation. M\u0101ori and poorer communities will be hit the hardest by the Government\u2019s inaction in this space if we fail to move. Climate change isn\u2019t just an environmental or economic issue, it is a human issue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EAn\u0101 k\u0113 ko te k\u012Banga o te ao M\u0101ori. He aha k\u0113 te mea nui? Ar\u0101, he tangata he tangata he tangata.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003E[There is that proverb within the M\u0101ori culture. What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people.]\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EWe cannot take care of our environment without taking care of our people, and we cannot take care of our people without also taking care of the environment. The only way to deal with climate change is with system change. None of this will be achieved to its ultimate extent without indigenous leadership and knowledge. It\u2019s a leadership and knowledge base that has been developed in this very environment over more than 1,000 years, and the realisation of these rights and the place and value of m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori that is inherent in tangata whenua, in the tangata whenua experience\u2014experience of our lands, \u014D t\u0101tou whenua, \u014D t\u0101tou moana, me ng\u0101 rawa o te taiao, [our lands, our seas, and the resources of the environment] all of our resources. Only we have this knowledge, and only we can create the solutions that will bring us back to a more balanced place in terms of where we sit as he tangata ki te ao ka puta ki te whaiao ki te ao m\u0101rama. [people in this world to find the pathway to enlightenment.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003ETangata whenua have always been at the forefront of climate action, and we are always the first to step up for our communities in times of crisis. Our marae are safe havens in times of crisis, providing warm showers, food, and shelter for hundreds of people each and every day all around the country as natural disasters strike in their regions\u2014places, like Takahanga Marae in Kaik\u014Dura, who stood up and looked after a community supported by Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui at the time of the Kaik\u014Dura earthquakes; marae, like Whakat\u016B Marae in the Nelson district, who came to the fore as the Nelson fires ravaged the area and looked after the people who were displaced.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003EThe solution to climate change is through sustainable, resilient indigenous thinking, action, and modelling. Before I close off, I\u2019d like to just expand on a couple of key ideas that are always talked about throughout discussion with te taiao and the environment\u2014the sustainability of our environment\u2014but are rooted in te ao M\u0101ori, and they are whakapapa. Whakapapa is not just about people; whakapapa is about everything\u2014it\u2019s the interconnectedness of everything and everything is connected to you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002287c850cf-18f6-4be0-935a-0e24e0a352ae\u0022\u003ETe mana o te taiao. [The rights of the environment.] We are not separate from te taiao. We are not separate from the environment; we are a part of it. So we must think more about not only the rights of the individual but the rights of the collective and the sustainability of the collective, te mana o te iwi, te mana o te taiao [the rights of the nation, the rights of the environment]. N\u014D reira e te P\u012Bka, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koe, t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 t\u0101tou. [So then, Mr Speaker, thank you. Thank you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u00228fb716309b98454798cbe5e10c2fd1cf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228fb716309b98454798cbe5e10c2fd1cf\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: We come to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development long-term insights briefing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022 data-id=\u0022e5731255c0a149dc98b9d40a740648a8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e5731255c0a149dc98b9d40a740648a8\u0022\u003ETOM RUTHERFORD (National\u2014Bay of Plenty):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I rise to speak on the debate on long-term issues, informed by select committee reports on long-term insight briefings for the Social Services and Community Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003ENow, the context around this is that the long-term insight briefings are about the Public Service Act 2020 mandating Government departments to develop and publish long-term insight briefings every three years. Briefings aim to inform the public about medium and long-term trends, risks, and opportunities in New Zealand, providing impartial analysis and potential policy responses. And from the Social Services and Community Committee, there are three particular long-term insights briefings from the previous term: the first being the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s long-term insights briefing, the next being the Ministry for Pacific Peoples\u2019 long-term insights briefing, and the final one being the Ministry for Culture and Heritage\u2019s long-term insights briefing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003ENow, if I look at the first one, which was around the long-term implications of our ageing population for our housing and urban futures, it had a few points which are quite stark and bring together a number of issues that we as a country are going to be facing in the coming years. The briefing explores how population ageing will affect housing and urban development in New Zealand. It projects an increase from 17 percent of the population being over the age of 65 in 2023 to 24 percent of the population by 2053. The ministry highlighted that each community needs different things and cannot be a one-size-fits-all\u00A0approach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003ENow, having looked at that and diving a little bit deeper into it, they identified four shifts that the housing and urban development sector will need to make to adapt to these population changes and support the needs of the ageing population. They included providing more affordable housing; secondly, supporting more opportunities for alternative tenure options such as cooperatives, cohousing arrangements, or papak\u0101inga. They also recommended increasing the diversity, functionality, and accessibility of housing stock. Finally, designing neighbourhoods, towns, and cities so that it is easy for people to access amenities and essential services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003EThe Ministry of Housing and Urban Development emphasised that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach to housing and urban development. Instead, each community needs different things. So how neighbourhoods are designed and the housing dwelling types within them will differ depending on factors, including the age of population.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003EAnd then looking at the next, they had the Ministry for Pacific Peoples\u2019 long-term insights briefing, and this was around improving Pacific data equity\u2014opportunities to enhance the future of Pacific wellbeing. The select committee heard from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, and that looked into Pacific data inequity in New Zealand. It looks at how to improve the data systems and processes so that data more accurately represents Pacific perspectives and values. The long-term insights briefing stated that Pacific data equity is about ensuring that the definition of Pacific data in its design, collection, analysis, interpretation, and use, including the presentation of information and narratives about Pacific peoples, represents Pacific voices and is free from bias. The ministry has found that Pacific worldviews are not consistently taken into account across Government data systems. This risks misrepresenting the issues that affect Pacific people, leading decision makers to misidentify potential solutions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022d64de4c1-ef68-477e-9c50-db5cbdf99404\u0022\u003EFinally, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage\u2019s long-term insights briefing, and this was looking at ensuring we\u2019ve got a thriving arts and culture sector across New Zealand, moving into the future. It also noted that the sector currently generates around $13 billion each year and employs just under 100,000 people as at the end of March 2022. The Social Services and Community Committee, from their long-term insights briefings, has looked into a number of issues and challenges facing our country moving forward, and I\u00A0commend this debate topic to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u0022aec00aecca0f4e5587ed512b25cb7ea1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aec00aecca0f4e5587ed512b25cb7ea1\u0022\u003EHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. This report was really interesting reading, and I believe that it did touch on many of the challenges facing housing in this country, and, of course, no report of this size would touch on absolutely everything, but there were aspects here which, I think, will inform those that take the time to read it. I do hope that it informs those that make policy decisions in Government and in Government departments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThere were a couple of things that I thought it might be useful highlighting, and that was touching on the trends that they have identified, one of which, of course, is that there are people that earn an income that would, on current numbers, prevent them from accessing social housing but also isn\u2019t big enough for them to realistically expect to save for a deposit. And, of course, this is a topic that has been canvassed over the last couple of days. In addition to that, it touches on a trend here that, essentially, means across the board, be they P\u0101keh\u0101, be they M\u0101ori or Pacific, the projected rate of homeownership is to go down. Now, there have been successive Governments that have promised to increase the housing supply. There have been recent Governments that have declined that there was a housing crisis. But, if we are to draw anything from this, at least it has to be said that there appears now to be a consensus in Parliament, on both sides, that the solution to this is in increasing supply. Where the disagreement in that debate appears to be is what role the State has to play in that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EIs it the State\u2019s role to fund houses? We say yes. This Government believes that there is benefit in changing rules and requiring councils and all those sorts of things, and I\u2019d note the nature of this debate isn\u2019t to comment on that specifically, but to comment on this report and the trends that it identifies. But I mentioned that because I think that is the crux of the problem. In order to fix the housing crisis that we face, that this report refers to over four different areas, there actually does need to be some consensus moving forward. And that worries me a bit. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ve all heard it\u2014and not that we agree with it, but we would have heard it from time to time\u2014that for those who perhaps don\u2019t take too much notice of politics, there\u2019s not much difference between the National and Labour parties. Well, of course, we would disagree. There are areas where there are fundamental differences\u2014like workplace relations, for example\u2014and one of those, I think, is housing. But I don\u2019t think we\u2019re far off, because in here it touches on the need to identify the trends moving forward. So we\u2019re going to have to address M\u0101ori and Pacific housing. That is going to require a change in attitude to programmes that are effective, directed, directly targeting and run by those particular groups that are going to benefit. There were programmes; there aren\u2019t now. Perhaps that could be reconsidered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EVery similarly, this identifies that older people are particularly prone at the moment, and are projected to be even more so, to homelessness or the inability to be able to own their own home\u201486 percent, not that long ago, of those over 65 owned their own home. That\u2019s projected to be lower than 50 very shortly, and that\u2019s a worry. So the question needs to be: are those provisions that are currently in place catering for the older person? Now, I\u2019m sure we can all think of an example where perhaps an older person or a couple are living in their family home, their children have moved out, it\u2019s now too big, and they\u2019re looking around to downsize because they want another family to move into their home and have the life that they had. There\u2019s nowhere to go. There are no single rooms. There are no double-room units. There is somewhere to go if they can afford it, if they can afford to go into a very corporate aged-care, retirement-type village. Not everyone can. But the provision of houses, despite the fact that there has been tremendous progress over the last six years, I don\u2019t think is yet catering for that particular group, and the need will only continue to grow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019m hopeful that, if the last speech is anything to go by, they will take this seriously, but they will, I think, need to reflect on a couple of things in order to get there. Thank you, sir.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u00226aa76fbd842944bcb037f77c8bdea6e4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226aa76fbd842944bcb037f77c8bdea6e4\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. Just for those speakers to come, we\u2019ve had a pure non-political speech and one that was probably getting close to the edge, so we\u2019ll be looking for people to be in the middle of those two. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022 data-id=\u002283550690f4064acca91d8280397939a4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002283550690f4064acca91d8280397939a4\u0022\u003ETAMATHA PAUL (Green\u2014Wellington Central):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. I will try\u00A0my best to keep it mellow because we have had a very big week on housing this week. So we will keep it mellow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EI\u2019m taking this call to speak on the past and the future of housing in Aotearoa, in regards to the long-term briefings. I want to begin with this quote by New Zealand author Rebecca Macfie, who said, \u201CIn a single generation New Zealand has transformed itself from a home-owning democracy into a society fractured by property wealth\u2014between those who have it, and those who do not.\u201D In Treasury\u2019s He Tirohanga Mokopuna 2021 report, they said that sharp increases in house prices have exacerbated the challenges of housing affordability, especially for those seeking to purchase their first home. This reflects the reality for many young people in Aotearoa who are choosing to move overseas, where they can earn incomes that allow them to save up for a deposit and to service those regular mortgage payments.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EThe reality in New Zealand is that if you don\u2019t have intergenerational wealth, if you don\u2019t come from a rich family, then it\u2019s going to be extremely hard to be able to scrape together the money for a deposit. I think this contributes even more to an ageing population, which is heavily touched on in this report. People aren\u2019t having babies. That\u2019s why our ageing population is increasing\u2014because it\u2019s too expensive and too unstable to raise a family under these conditions, and that\u2019s the sort of country that we live in, where there is very little class mobility, where a huge chunk of our country\u2019s wealth is concentrated in housing, and where our system is built around favouring those who are lucky enough to own their own homes. You used to be able to work really hard and save up enough for a home in Aotearoa, and now all of your wages are taken by supermarkets and the steep cost of living. It\u2019s a massive shame to see our country\u2019s brightest and best moving overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EBut it\u2019s not just those at the beginning of their lives who are struggling; it\u2019s our kaum\u0101tua, our seniors in our communities who bear the brunt. This is a key theme throughout this long-term briefing around how our kaum\u0101tua are living in this day and age. Imagine spending your whole life contributing to the country that you live in, hoping to retire and be able to chill out, but your pension is calculated on the assumption that you own your home, so you\u2019re living in poverty because your pension doesn\u2019t even cover your rent and it doesn\u2019t keep up with the rising cost of living.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EI had a message from a family supporting their grandfather that really encapsulates the reality behind this briefing. It says, \u201CMy elderly grandfather lived under other people\u2019s homes, or in tiny beds, on the North Shore of T\u0101maki. He was in his 80s. He paid way too much for these dark, little places. He was kicked out each year for three years in a row from three places. It was such an ordeal moving him. He wasn\u2019t eligible for funding for a place in a rest home and didn\u2019t have the money to pay for one despite being a successful businessman for many years. It was so sad seeing him shuffled along every year.\u201D This is why we continue to advocate, especially for multigenerational housing\u2014I think that\u2019s something we don\u2019t have in our housing stock, is that diversity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022078bb03cc9484bfda592e209a95543ed\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s more about what the report said than what you\u2019re advocating, actually, Ms Paul.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260f5c3f0b4064f238f8bca81d881ed18\u0022\u003ETAMATHA PAUL\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, so one of the key themes in this report is about increasing the diversity, functionality, and accessibility of our housing stock, and allowing for planning rules that allow for larger houses that are accessible and that are universally designed so that babies and kaum\u0101tua can live in the same house as an essential part of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EThe other point that I want to touch on is: housing trends for M\u0101ori and Pacific populations\u2014another one of the four key points in this briefing. In particular, there is a really great resource called Homeless and landless in two generations - Averting the M\u0101ori housing disaster. That report by academics completely backs up what this briefing says about declining homeownership rates and increasing renting within M\u0101ori populations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253958f14-2b54-4d1c-bfac-7b3ea85e1c2b\u0022\u003EI want to use the last bit of my time to talk about the accessibility of our housing stock. Considering the amount of people who live with a disability in our society, our housing stock does not reflect the needs of our community. We can improve that by having higher standards for our public housing, our council housing, to meet universal design standards. That is going to go a long way to addressing stable homes for seniors and people with disabilities. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022 data-id=\u0022d4baae7767d743fe8532e8cb43a7d3ef\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d4baae7767d743fe8532e8cb43a7d3ef\u0022\u003ELAURA TRASK (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you. I\u2019m quite privileged and happy to take a call on the previous Social Services and Community Committee\u2019s work that they did in putting together the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s long-term insights briefing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003ESo speaking to the report, there are a couple of key points that I want to talk about. The demographics and the ageing population, like the previous speaker, Tamatha Paul, actually alluded to is a really important thing. When houses are really expensive, we do see, in fact, the birth rate going down, which is quite evident at the moment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003EIf we look back and we think about the boomers, who are our ageing population, we think about why there was a baby boom in the first place. What were the conditions back then that allowed people to feel like they were safe and secure and to have a family and how was it easier to build homes? I mean, I have to think about regulation in that space, but because we\u2019re talking about this report, I will keep it nice and on point.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003ESupporting more opportunities for alternative tenure options such as cooperatives, co-housing arrangements, or papa k\u0101inga was one of the points that they made in this report\u2014increasing the diversity, functionality, and accessibility of housing stock. They emphasise that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach to housing and urban development and, instead, each community needs different things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003ESo let\u2019s just think about that for a moment. What are we hearing and what are we seeing? We\u2019re seeing that each individual community\u2019s needs are different and that our housing needs to reflect this. We need more of those partnerships with CHPs, as they call them\u2014or the community housing partners. Some of this work is actually beginning, and I think that this report really leads to how we need a lot more of this happening.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003EOne thing I thought that I might actually talk about briefly, because it\u2019s a really good example of what they talk about within this report, is actually Autism New Zealand. So Autism New Zealand, they have indicated that 2 percent of people in New Zealand suffer from autism, which is around 93,000 individuals. They are partnered with Equity House to bring together some of their own community housing that is solution-focused for people with autism. This is a great example of what we can see when you bind a community together to solve the issues that they have.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003EThe likes of Community Housing Aotearoa and Emerge Aotearoa are actually amazing. I think that this report really does indicate that we need more of this\u2014that central government, K\u0101inga Ora doesn\u2019t always know what the community\u2019s needs are, so I think that this report really highlights that for us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003ESome other little bits that I\u2019d like to point out: when they\u2019re talking about having our cities more accessible and making sure that we have that urban planning correct, we have that urban development increasing, and we need to obviously increase our housing stock, we really need to think about that Resource Management Act reform, because if we\u2019re looking for our future and our future development, this is going to be the key to that. I feel like it\u2019s something that has held us back and you can tell that through some of the report here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00228f20b644-642a-4c85-ade9-d5af32dc690b\u0022\u003ESo, just in summary and talking through a couple of other things that we could mention within this report, I feel that while this is a great starting point, the writing\u2019s already been on the wall. How am I standing here and we have a boomer generation that is completely ageing and we\u2019re completely unaware of it? I mean, we call them the boomers; that in itself should actually be an indicator. We need to make sure that we have affordable accommodation to be able to care for people, and especially care for our elderly, and it is something that I\u2019m gravely concerned about. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022 data-id=\u00227243a9d9f42d48c3a2978d8b07a5b941\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227243a9d9f42d48c3a2978d8b07a5b941\u0022\u003EANDY FOSTER (NZ First):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s great to be able to speak on this long-term insights briefing on housing. I think this is an excellent initiative of the 53rd Parliament. What\u2019s really good is that we get the opportunity to be able to think about long-term issues: not about what\u2019s happening in the next three years, or even the next news cycle, but think about things which are genuinely long term: 30-, 50-, 100-year issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019re discussing at the moment is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s long-term insights on housing. They could have covered a whole range of different issues, but what they did is they focused on, I think, four major issues. First of all, the ageing population, which we\u2019ve heard quite a bit about; secondly, the declining level of homeownership\u2014in other words, more of us who are renting; thirdly, the place of Government housing; and, fourthly, the response to climate change. So I\u2019m going to try and flick through some of those issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EFirst of all, on the ageing population, the graphs in the report are really, really stark. In fact, you look at the number of nought to four-year-olds as a proportion of the population, it\u2019s half what it was in 1961\u2014half what it was. The ageing population\u2014well, the good news is that our life expectancy is going up. Back in 1948, the average age expectancy for men was 66.7; for women it was 68.5. Now, for men, it\u2019s 80 or over 80; and for women it\u2019s about 83 or 84. So, actually, the good news is we\u2019re living longer, we\u2019re living healthier, and we\u2019re living better. But the nature of our population structure has dramatically changed. As we\u2019ve heard already, 17 percent of us today are over 65. By 2053, it\u2019s going to be 24\u00A0percent of us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003ESo there\u2019s a question which this report raises: is our housing stock appropriate for that ageing population? Clearly, the answer is no, at this stage it\u2019s not. So is it accessible enough? Is it close enough to facilities? The ability to be able to drive, for many people as they get older, is simply not going to be there; that proximity is important. The placement of retirement housing is also very, very important. Is the housing size appropriate? Look, for many years we were building bigger and bigger and bigger houses, and now we\u2019re starting to see the emergence of smaller houses. That, I think, is a response both to affordability but also to a changing population. Then, we\u2019ve also heard about alternative 10-year plans.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s also a lot which is said about affordability, and the number of people who are renting is rising dramatically. That is particularly, as we\u2019ve heard, a real problem for our older population. I mean, the superannuation system we\u2019ve got at the moment is not designed on the basis of people having to rent as well\u2014it\u2019s simply not going to be able to afford it. The numbers actually are pretty challenging. In 1986, as the report says, 79\u00A0percent of Europeans and Asians owned their own home; it\u2019s now 51 percent. For M\u0101ori, 54\u00A0percent; it\u2019s now 40 percent. For Pasifika, 51 percent; it\u2019s now 31 percent. So, right across our population, the number of people who can afford to buy a house has declined. That is a real problem for an ageing population.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019ve got to do something about these things. There are some people who would like to see the house prices fall. The problem is that we saw that post-COVID. We\u2019ve got a housing crisis and we want to build more houses, but, of course, what people did is say, \u201CWell, actually, there is no money in building houses because the house prices are falling, the cost of building is going up.\u201D, and people stopped building houses. So that didn\u2019t solve the problem at all. What we do need to do is to make sure that the cost of building a house\u2014[Member is passed a note] Can I finish? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a910e826-1964-4e6b-bdb6-958820a11514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d113bc2de58e4bbe9a76ac7e82d8a39e\u0022\u003EJamie Arbuckle\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e2f11ef4b74e44e3b3f3d2576f308e7a\u0022\u003EANDY FOSTER\u003C/span\u003E: The cost of building a house needs to come down, relatively. Minister Penk is doing some great work in that area to pull down the cost of building a house. Secondly, we need to make sure that we can actually raise incomes so that people can afford to buy those houses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227dbfbd83-6770-4555-8477-85fa01511504\u0022\u003EI\u2019m being encouraged to move the speech on, so I think what I\u2019ll do is just to commend the great work that\u2019s been done here. There\u2019s a lot more that can be said about housing\u2014housing is a major issue for this country. We\u2019ve got a huge amount of work to do to tackle those issues. The report raises a number of those issues, but I\u2019m going to finish now because I know that there is an anxiousness to move on to the next issues.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022d6ece290d5d44ee4b456503bd36be062\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d6ece290d5d44ee4b456503bd36be062\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Unfortunately, we\u2019ve only got two minutes left for this speech for a timed debate, so New Zealand First gave up a little of theirs, so thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002256295840-7a18-46fb-bbb3-164ac3edf716\u0022 data-id=\u00220557f58f867e4c6f9eeace32749b5acc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002256295840-7a18-46fb-bbb3-164ac3edf716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220557f58f867e4c6f9eeace32749b5acc\u0022\u003ETAKUTAI TARSH KEMP (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014T\u0101maki Makaurau):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare. Amohia ake te ora o te iwi ka puta ki te whai ao\u2014the health and wellbeing of our people is paramount, and housing is paramount to the health and wellbeing of our people. So I\u2019m going to k\u014Drero all about what happens when a Government treats housing as a business instead of a social good.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002256295840-7a18-46fb-bbb3-164ac3edf716\u0022\u003EHousing was identified as a key long-term issue in several reports. Treasury\u2019s He Tirohanga Mokopuna 2021 talked about the ways in which housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable for first-home buyers, with the median house price in my electorate, T\u0101maki Makaurau, now being over $1 million, way out of the price range of our wh\u0101nau. Te Puni K\u014Dkiri\u2019s Thriving Wh\u0101nau in 2040 talked about the barriers M\u0101ori face when accessing finance to buy a home. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s briefing talked about a stark decrease in homeownership for M\u0101ori and Pasifika and the increase of kaum\u0101tua living in rental properties. But I want to talk about what this means for our people, who are doing it tough day in, day out; pay cheque to pay cheque; benefit to benefit. They live on \u201CP\u014Dhara St\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002256295840-7a18-46fb-bbb3-164ac3edf716\u0022\u003EIt means that tonight 100,000 people in Aotearoa will be sleeping rough on streets, in tents, in cars, in garages, or in unlivable houses that are making them sick. It means that 30,000 tamariki will be hospitalised this year because of substandard housing. This housing crisis is literally killing our tamariki and mokopuna. There are currently 94,000 unoccupied houses in this country doing nothing but collecting dust. That is enough empty houses to put roofs over the heads of every single person who\u2019s experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa right now, yet in Aotearoa, we\u2019re happy to allow tamariki to sleep in cars. This is what happens when you treat housing as a commodity and a business instead of as a human right. M\u0101ori make up 60 percent of homelessness in Aotearoa. Nothing paints a clearer picture of colonisation for indigenous people being homeless in their homeland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002256295840-7a18-46fb-bbb3-164ac3edf716\u0022\u003EWhile this Government is cutting minimum increases and sanctioning beneficiaries, rent and food prices are higher than ever. Our people are being forced to pay over half their income to feed their landlord\u2019s wh\u0101nau when they can barely afford to feed their own, and, just yesterday, this Government confirmed it will be scrapping first-home grants, further locking M\u0101ori, Pasifika, and rangatahi out of homeownership. This would save the Crown $245 million over four years, which is about 8 percent of the $3 billion handout they\u2019re giving to landlords. This Government is making homeownership\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u00225be309071d5e4b2083e28c001774fc65\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225be309071d5e4b2083e28c001774fc65\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you to the member. I\u2019m really sorry, but we have run out of time for this debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d92c210d90224b62afc374c2da019a5d\u0022\u003EMaiden Statements\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002241dc071569df4df1b2ba715d6b63091c\u0022\u003EMaiden Statements\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u00222f8ed4d9c68946e6a4ac155cae6b1e39\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222f8ed4d9c68946e6a4ac155cae6b1e39\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Members, so that I don\u2019t have to interrupt the celebrations: at the conclusion of the maiden statement, the House will adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 28 May 2024. I call on Francisco Hernandez to make his maiden statement. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022 data-id=\u00224120fa6796a14a39a84867fd4f19b105\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224120fa6796a14a39a84867fd4f19b105\u0022\u003EFRANCISCO HERNANDEZ (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa. Welcome, and mabuhay. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EThank you to everyone for being here, particularly to distinguished guests Philippine Ambassador Kira Azucena, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, and \u201CDunedin Mayor in exile\u201D Aaron Hawkins. Thank you to all my wh\u0101nau, friends, and random Twitter strangers here in the gallery. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EI\u2019m a little intimidated by the size of the crowd. When I promised the party that I would bring the Filipino community to the Greens, I didn\u2019t think that it would be quite so soon or so literally. Thank you to all of you who are here, and thank you to those who are watching it from afar, from the Philippines to America to Europe\u2014the Filipino diaspora and my wh\u0101nau have spread beyond. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EMy entire speech could just be thanking everyone who helped get me here, and 15\u00A0minutes wouldn\u2019t be enough, but I\u2019ll try in one minute: to my parents, Ross and Terry; and my brothers, Ian, Feodor, and Tighe; I love you more than you could ever know. Thank you for all the sacrifices you\u2019ve made. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ETo my friends Jess, JC, Georgie, William, Josh, Meaghan, Jose, Scout, Hannah, Tracy, and Lauren; my fellow Deep South candidates, Scott, Dave, and Pleasance; the Kaitiaki group, Kathy, Alan, Marie, Ross, Hugh, Dan, and Ash; the Campus Greens, Rose, Nicholas, Henry, Tamika, Ella, Tessa, and Nicola; my campaign managers, Ged, Kam, and Mackenzie; the super-volunteers like Alex, Elliot, Peter, and Nat; our staff at Parliament and in the party, Chennoah, Miriam, Robin, Eden, Bridie, Lachlan, and Amber; Eilish, Dave, Briar, EGE, and the fellow gamers on Twitter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EThank you to the voters around the country, but particularly the ones in Dunedin. I find myself in an unenviable position of succeeding such distinguished and accomplished individuals: our former co-leader James Shaw, who forged a cross-party consensus on climate policy; our friend Fa\u2018an\u0101n\u0101 Efeso Collins, who was, tragically, taken before his time, with only a glimpse of his gigantic potential as a parliamentarian; and Golriz Ghahraman, Parliament\u2019s first refugee MP and a trailblazer for our migrant communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a privilege to be here and an honour to serve our country. I love Aotearoa New Zealand, and it\u2019s an honour to give back a small fraction of what it\u2019s given me. Very few people love this country more than the people who have to earn their right to be here, and from Kait\u0101ia to Bluff, tens of thousands of my fellow Filipinos are proving their love for our adoptive country. At the crack of dawn, we\u2019re out there milking the cows; throughout the day, we\u2019re maintaining the critical IT infrastructure; and till dusk, we provide the backbone of our hospitals and aged-care facilities; and now we are here in the halls of power, writing the laws and debating the future of our country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EI pay tribute to the Filipinos who have blazed a path in New Zealand: Kookie Samin, the first ever Filipino candidate for Parliament; Dennis Maga, the first Filipino and first Asian to helm a major trade union in Aotearoa; Thelma Bell, the first Filipino elected to public office; and my colleague Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino ever elected to Parliament. Paulo, you may have beaten me to be the first Filipino MP, but the race is still on to be the first Filipino Minister. While he and I could not be further apart ideologically, we are here, united in love for our communities and love for our adoptive country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EBut what does it mean to love your country? To me, the true spirit of patriotism is not in pining for a nostalgic, ossified past of New Zealand as it was, frozen in amber and stuck in a past that it can never return to. It\u2019s also not in loving the country unconditionally and without question, warts and all. Being a true patriot is wanting the country to live up to our mythos. True patriots are those who fight to narrow the gap between the New Zealand as it currently is and the New Zealand that we all think it is: a New Zealand that gives everyone a fair go, an Aotearoa that values and protects nature, and an Aotearoa New Zealand that stands up for the little guy and against foreign imperialism.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EI arrived here when I was about 12 years old. My parents made great sacrifices to leave our old country behind, as my father had lost his job in the President\u2019s office in the chaotic transition after the Estrada presidency. We\u2019ll always be grateful to my Tito Jun and Tita Espie for sponsoring us through the family reunification category, and the support of our wh\u0101nau Ding, Brenda, Shaun, TJ, BJ, Rene, Pop, Joey, and Jacob\u2014Filipino families are big.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EShortly after we arrived, my mother had my brother Tighe. He was born with a congenital heart defect, and passed away just a few months later. But despite our status as new migrants who had nothing but the clothes on our backs, and despite my family\u2019s humble means, with my dad working as a factory worker at Fisher \u0026amp; Paykel, New Zealand spared no effort to provide my brother with world-class healthcare at Greenlane and Starship Hospital. It was then that I decided that I would stop at nothing to give back to this country that had given so much to me and seemed to represent paradise on earth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EAs I grew up, these childhood dreams of paradise would be lost. At Liston College, I noticed that there were those who had so much; there were those, like me, who had to work to help our parents pay the bills\u2014a shout-out to Maccas\u2014and there were those who had to drop out of school to find work to help their wh\u0101nau survive. Hard work only takes you so far when you don\u2019t start on a level playing field. Fuelled by the sense we could do more, I joined the Labour Party and got involved in Te Atat\u016B Labour MP Chris Carter\u2019s local election campaign. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EAfter high school, I went to the University of Otago, where my long love affair with \u014Ctepoti\u2014Dunedin\u2014began. Naturally, I gravitated toward student politics, fuelled by the injustice that was becoming increasingly evident. Even in the relative privilege of university, there were so many who went to lectures hungry, and, even back then, too many had to choose between heating and eating. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EI ran for the Otago University Students\u2019 Association (OUSA) on a cost of living platform, modestly proposing that a student association with a $3 million budget could substitute and build a crypto-welfare State in the middle of a transition between universal to voluntary student membership. I didn\u2019t fully succeed, but some of the fruits of my labour have stood the test of time. The free breakfast programme still exists to this very day, and the scarfie shuttles branched off into a very successful local business called Airport Shuttles Dunedin, still run by the taxi driver Divesh, whom we partnered with many years ago. This was thanks to the support of my execs; my secretary, Donna Jones; my general manager, Darell Hall; and our vice-chancellor, Harlene Hayne.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EAs the founding member of the Marxist-Shawist, market-socialist wing of the GreenLeft Network, I regard class as the biggest driver of inequality, but not the only driver. It was at university that my eyes were fully opened to the intersectional nature of inequality. Thank you to Te Roopu M\u0101ori and Uni Q for all your patience on educating me\u2014particularly Neill, Ariana, Marama, Lisa, and Gianna, and my colleagues at Te Tira Ahu Pae, the first co-governed students association, for reinforcing them a decade later.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EHow can a country that claims to value a fair go for all tolerate the dispossession of M\u0101ori whenua and the blatant breaches of Te Tiriti? How can a country that claims to treat everyone equally stand by while our rainbow communities are targeted by imported foreign culture wars? How can a country that prides itself on a fair go for all sleep soundly while tens of thousands of kids go hungry and cold, while their landlords reap the benefit of billion-dollar tax cuts? True patriotism is recognising this country has erred and will continue to err, but working and committing to justice in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EAfter I finished my term with OUSA, I moved to Wellington. It was rough. I had to work several part-time jobs to get by. At Caritas, I stuffed and folded fund-raising envelopes; at the Health Promotion Agency, I researched problem gambling; and at Parliament, I took notes\u2014really, really quickly\u2014becoming part of a team of elite transcriptionists for Green MP Mojo Mathers. This led to my journey with the Greens as a cover executive assistant (EA), then as the EA for Denise, and finishing my term as a leader\u2019s office staffer. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EMy time with Denise was the highlight of my time at Parliament. It was a privilege to support her through various campaigns on ending zero-hour contracts and abolishing the scourge of plastic bags. She taught me lessons about solidarity, the circular economy, and tikanga that have stayed with me to this very day. She supported me through various misadventures\u2014becoming one of the youth delegates for the Paris climate talks, spending an inordinately large amount of time at our Auckland office as part of a doomed local government campaign\u2014and she even gave me an impeccable reference when I applied to be a political and media adviser for the Green co-leaders\u2019 office, even after I\u2019d inadvertently sent her to the wrong Sacred Heart College, although I suspect she was just glad to get rid of me at that stage. Thank you for all the support you and your wh\u0101nau\u2014John, Mata, Dani, and Joe\u2014have shown to me over the past decade. You\u2019ve been a friend, a mentor, and a comrade.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ETo my fellow EAs, PMAs, and the caucus that I served proudly\u2014particularly our co-leaders Metiria, Russel, and James\u2014thank you for the privilege.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EAfter the rollercoaster of 2017, I found myself adrift. Instead of hiring political hacks like me, Green Ministers, rightfully, chose to hire well-qualified, lifelong public servants, who are the pride of the world. Ironically, this led to me becoming a public servant, with stints at ACC and the Tertiary Education Commission, before I found my dream job at the Climate Change Commission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EI\u2019d been part of the youth climate movement Generation Zero since 2012, and it helped with the push\u2014ably led by Lisa McLaren and countless others\u2014to establish the zero carbon Act, which set up the climate commission. To get in on the ground floor of a commission which I helped bring into existence was a real privilege. It was hard work being at the start-up phase of a new, independent Crown agency, and to establish a set of emissions budgets that will endure across Governments in this context is no small feat. I was lucky to work with such a talented calibre of people: Phil, Ben, Sandra, Sally, Matt, Melissa, Paul, Charli, Carly, and many others.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EThe climate movement didn\u2019t get everything we wanted from the zero carbon Act\u2014just look at Russel Norman\u2019s tweets about the Greens over the past six years, if you want proof\u2014but neither did Federated Farmers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EMembers opposite should be very careful as to whether they want New Zealand\u2019s hard-won consensus sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. When overseas markets and our trade agreements are demanding that New Zealand live up to our PR brand of being clean and green, backtracking would be dangerous to our nature and our prosperity as a country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ETo be blunt: if members opposite shatter the Shawist legacy of working across the aisle to achieve wins for climate, then they\u2019ll make climate another front in our culture wars, and\u2014I promise\u2014that\u2019s not a war that they\u2019ll win, but it\u2019s not a war that we will win either. The nature of civil wars is that they don\u2019t create too many winners. So, instead of war, let\u2019s have peace. Instead of conflict, let\u2019s have consensus. If we are serious about living up to our self-image as a country that truly values its environment and nature, we must ensure that the hard-won climate consensus that we\u2019ve all worked for here across the aisle holds and that we forge a new one that goes faster and further in protecting climate and nature. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EClimate action is hard work. My time as Otago Regional Council\u2019s principal climate adviser showed me how tough implementing abstract policy at the flaxroots would be. Too often, central government tells local communities what to do, but it doesn\u2019t give them the resources to do it. The lack of a consistent national framework and resourcing on adaptation, and the chopping and changing of policies makes the task of climate-proofing our communities even harder. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EWorking on climate change across councils is hard, but it\u2019s a task that was made easier by my colleagues Shay, Ema, Emily, Vita, James, Andrea, Amanda, Hilary, Jean-Luc, Florence, and many others. We brought the region together through the Otago Climate Officers Group because cooperation is better than competition, and nowhere is that more obvious and evident than in climate change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ESadly, the world is drifting farther and farther away from peace and cooperation, and closer to conflict and war. Tyrants around the world have taken to unilateral action and have flouted international laws. Whether it\u2019s Ukraine or Palestine, the world must work towards a just outcome that enables the peoples of a free Ukraine and a free Palestine and any other nation in shackles to self-determine their futures. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ENew Zealanders rightfully pride themselves on having an independent foreign policy that stands up for the oppressed. But we\u2019ve cosied up to a US-led world order, instead of working for a free and independent Pacific, free from empires. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EOnce again, I express my gratitude to this country for giving me this opportunity to serve. I am here as a cog in the Green machine, the 42nd Green MP to be sworn into Parliament, a tribune for the environmental and social movements that this party exercises power on behalf of and with. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ETo my friends, enemies, and frenemies across the aisle, I promise that my door will always be open to you to hear you out, because dialogue is the first step to consensus. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003ETo my co-leaders, Marama and Chl\u00F6e, and my caucus colleagues, I promise that I will fight alongside you for our planet, our Tiriti, and our people every single day so that the New Zealand of today becomes the Aotearoa that we dream of. In\u0101ia tonu nei\u2014the time is now. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EWaiata\u2014\u201CTe Aroha\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id202405230ccbb6736b3544329a6d6b8a028d6cc4000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022fe342415-6351-4072-a17e-19dab2ef184d\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 6.01 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"