"\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=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000000\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229538abbab41a5273888a243fe771ec3e\u0022\u003EWednesday, 24 June 2026\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EThe Speaker\u003C/span\u003E took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000002\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cf51e636da7cb5413baaabcaaef27dbd\u0022\u003EStart of Sitting Day\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c2fbc832461859baf3a39ae081c758c2\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022 data-id=\u0022ecb18486d808c6b31cebe50664160e46\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ecb18486d808c6b31cebe50664160e46\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO (Assistant Speaker) (14:00)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EE te Atua kaha rawa, ka tuku whakamoemiti atu m\u0101tou, m\u014D ng\u0101 karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a m\u0101tou. Ka waiho i \u014D m\u0101tou p\u0101nga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi m\u0101tou ki te K\u012Bngi, me te inoi atu m\u014D te \u0101rahitanga i roto i \u014D m\u0101tou whakaaroarohanga, kia m\u014Dhio ai, kia whakaiti ai t\u0101 m\u0101tou whakahaere i ng\u0101 take o te Whare nei, m\u014D te oranga, te maung\u0101rongo, me te aroha o Aotearoa. \u0100mene.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EAlmighty 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 and humility, for the welfare, peace, and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229d7f1fcf57c898bd741341f1ac2602f6\u0022\u003EPrivilege\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225eed060c4ab149bbaa1718758d95d1e4\u0022\u003EMisleading Evidence Given to Education and Workforce Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022952dc7f097f344e26180f91fa7432d14\u0022\u003EReferral to Privileges Committee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022 data-id=\u002274c140056d2ec72ab1db11dccf4fd9a1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002274c140056d2ec72ab1db11dccf4fd9a1\u0022\u003ESPEAKER (14:01)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, I have received a letter from the Hon Phil Twyford raising, as a matter of privilege, matters concerning evidence given to the Education and Workforce Committee by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on 4\u00A0March\u00A02026. I\u2019ve also received a letter from the Education and Workforce Committee on the same matter. The conduct complained of could amount to deliberately attempting to mislead a committee, which is given as an example of a contempt of Parliament in Standing Order 418(b). The Speaker does not inquire into the veracity of the evidence presented or conduct of an inquiry into the allegations. That is the role of the Privileges Committee. The Speaker\u2019s role in such matters is to determine whether the facts alleged could amount to a breach of privilege or a contempt of the House. I find that a question of privilege does arise and the question stands referred to the Privileges Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a8ef1fc1fa127ac9dc8498947090c95e\u0022\u003EPresentation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ae46ccb49ef6564745bc12217a2eb265\u0022\u003EPetitions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022 data-id=\u00222b0ff8b0dbefb7b996a383421dc3172a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222b0ff8b0dbefb7b996a383421dc3172a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER (14:02)\u003C/span\u003E: A petition has been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd627a3af49ead5ea032854bb15bf560\u0022\u003ECLERK (14:02): \u003C/span\u003EThe petition of Grace Haden requesting that the House establish an independent statutory authority to carry out all the regulatory functions currently assigned to the New Zealand Law Society.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dda025a05a54bb40d06be41197fbf85d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That petition stands referred to the Petitions Committee. No papers have been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00221701e0c303cf80354b3bce7e1e79c952\u0022\u003ESelect Committee Reports\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022 data-id=\u002239a2314c24672285d94555ae6cf9319b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002239a2314c24672285d94555ae6cf9319b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER (14:02)\u003C/span\u003E: A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022756f1a4b92e37518c95848946f7d032a\u0022\u003ECLERK (14:02): \u003C/span\u003EReport of the Justice Committee on the petitions of Sam Troth and Jacinta McGregor.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220bc208411b9651b67b89ae65906c088e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No bills have been introduced.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002234838708957d15fe16e5474e1e046b08\u0022\u003ESpeaker\u0027s Rulings\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00220711ad5366afee270eb1a8561438c359\u0022\u003EQuestion Time\u2014Party Political Positions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022 data-id=\u002215f0a150866b660187ec9a1bfe313b46\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002215f0a150866b660187ec9a1bfe313b46\u0022\u003ESPEAKER (14:02)\u003C/span\u003E: Before the House comes to oral questions, can I just respond to the issues raised by the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins yesterday. I want to make it very clear that it is not appropriate for parties to discuss party political positions ahead of something like the general election that we are going to shortly. Question time is for Governments to be held account for their activities. It is appropriate for any Minister to be asked for an opinion, but that opinion, when offered to the House, should be constrained by decisions about Government policy. As we go into the next four months\u2014about 10 and a half weeks of the House to go\u2014there will be a great temptation to stray into these territories. I\u2019d ask the House, generally, to show some restraint and stick to the Standing Orders, as we have for many, many years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EThe first oral question is in the name of Dan Bidois.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b472699e9508353c2cff00c90f5102a\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eb93ee9e2a5ab6337e72022323beeabf\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Ingrid Hipkiss. Sorry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e153f092265de4c2bcae3932c69835be\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: You wouldn\u2019t be the first person to do that, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264439b547035ecfcef22f61caf92e109\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I know, but if you knew the opinion I hold Radio New Zealand in, you\u2019d find it most strange. Ingrid Leary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229949428d12fb4791c9b9e9a20dc1e49f\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Seeking your guidance, Mr Speaker. I received confirmation of a lodged urgent debate motion from your office this morning, and wondering when we might expect a decision on that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6b52b5c74d516a4abb56c5314d617ea\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Well, shortly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002208cc82bae23ca81c46a943a13fa6f7dd\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022748e9285a5a787ea19479dfca8ee17a6\u0022\u003EOral Questions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225cd94ca62e075d5bdc8ac766462c7e17\u0022\u003EFinance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221e4343bf67716db91769eb33a38e2c85\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022 data-id=\u0022dfa2b7ef9e6ded3c704af1e274109275\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dfa2b7ef9e6ded3c704af1e274109275\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS (National\u2014Northcote) (14:04)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister of Finance\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has she seen on New Zealand\u2019s recent economic growth?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022 data-id=\u00228aa91e4b43829e275ae1d4a15d0e6ee7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228aa91e4b43829e275ae1d4a15d0e6ee7\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance) (14:04)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve seen reports confirming that New Zealand\u2019s economy had real momentum at the beginning of this year. Stats New Zealand figures released last week showed GDP grew by 0.8 percent in the March quarter. That is more than twice the rate that Treasury forecast at Budget 2026. That means the economy has now grown for three consecutive quarters, with total growth of 2.1 percent over the past nine months. New Zealand\u2019s growth in the March quarter was also stronger than that experienced by Australia, the United States, and the OECD average. These figures show New Zealanders\u2019 hard work is paying off and that the economy was tracking in the right direction before recent global instability created additional uncertainty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228d0c5b8d008138034b73ff4eee2444e5\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: What does the GDP result show about the nature of the economic recovery?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227a5deb435c17dc39b7d329b1a750a49b\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS\u003C/span\u003E: What was encouraging was that growth was coming from across the productive economy. Manufacturing grew 1.9 percent in the quarter\u2014a very healthy level of expansion. Wholesale trade grew 2.4 percent, and exports increased 3.1\u00A0percent\u2014thank you, farmers. Business investment was also strong, with investment in plant, machinery, and equipment contributing to a 2 percent rise in gross fixed capital formation, undoubtedly supported by the Government\u2019s Investment Boost tax policy. Importantly, GDP per capita rose by 0.5 percent. That means the economy was becoming more productive, not simply larger through population growth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a099156074a9a1d8a0b3b62cbd77a332\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: How does stronger-than-forecast growth affect the Government\u2019s fiscal outlook?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002234c9e5352e364f8c1a2dda5db45d9b01\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, a larger economy supports stronger Government revenues and improves the country\u2019s fiscal position over time, in addition, of course, to supporting additional jobs and better incomes for New Zealanders. The fact that growth came in materially ahead of Treasury\u2019s Budget forecast reinforces that New Zealand was tracking toward recovery and back towards surplus before recent international events disrupted global conditions. That matters because stronger growth supports jobs, lifts incomes, and helps the Government continue reducing debt while investing in front-line public services and infrastructure.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c50696740b233c806c5d5a72ac8421b\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: What is the Government\u2019s outlook for the economy from here?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b95607352a255fcb188c3484d8f7355a\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS\u003C/span\u003E: The Government remains realistic about the challenges both behind us and ahead of us. The conflict in the Middle East and volatility in global oil prices will weigh on short-term growth and create uncertainty for households and businesses. We do not expect that the figures for the second quarter GDP will be as sunny as those in the first three months of the year. However, recent easing in fuel prices and lower international oil prices than Treasury forecast at Budget are encouraging signs for the future. Treasury continues to forecast growth strengthening over time to 2.3 percent next year, and 3.2 percent the following year, alongside 220,000 more jobs being created over four years. The Government\u2019s job is to stay the course, restore the country\u2019s finances, and continue creating the conditions for sustainable long-term growth that improves New Zealanders\u2019 living standards and makes this a more affordable country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d4970cd76c8a34e73d159ab9b2a6ba07\u0022\u003EEducation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002287f838462db853d9486adb508daab8c5\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022 data-id=\u00224d5f7f99f1ca6bf83ad5c2ffdabccef1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224d5f7f99f1ca6bf83ad5c2ffdabccef1\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS (Te Tai Tonga) (14:08)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EE te P\u012Bka, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. T\u0101ku p\u0101tai ki te Minita Take M\u0101tauranga, Erica Stanford\u003C/span\u003E\u2014[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EInterruption\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, thank you. My question is to the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford\u003C/span\u003E] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002299fe96dfb0efa75b42546020afa2ae8b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Hold on. What\u2019s that all about?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f75573684913716e0d0fdef85fb28cdd\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Well, he started it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223aa2cb1f6996947b938bb420f435fd2e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, he was making a polite address to the Chair\u2014something you should take on board.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022 data-id=\u00224be501342e1a0f3ae78db0049d82c812\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224be501342e1a0f3ae78db0049d82c812\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS (Te Tai Tonga) (14:08)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister of Education\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka\u003C/span\u003E. Will any kura kaupapa M\u0101ori receive funding as a result of the Government\u2019s recently announced $62.5 million infrastructure investment in education across the South Island?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u00224409c905c321fccb1be01b7ea4462341\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224409c905c321fccb1be01b7ea4462341\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education) (14:09)\u003C/span\u003E: Not in that particular tranche of funding, but we have a strong focus on building and strengthening the kura kaupapa network in the South Island. There are five kura kaupapa M\u0101ori in the South Island. Two have been addressed through previous Budgets. We\u2019ve bought a new site for Te Wh\u0101nau Tahi in Christchurch to get them out of their leaky site that was built on a rubbish dump\u2014and I\u2019m going to be making further announcements about that very soon; it\u2019s really exciting\u2014and I am advised that construction will start soon at Te Kura Kaupapa M\u0101ori o Waitaha in Canterbury. The final one, Tuia te Matangi, in Nelson currently has enough space to grow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221d842c4ca62432620ac1869dbea8c1dc\u0022\u003ET\u0101kuta Ferris\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister accept that the 2.9 percent of tamariki M\u0101ori in kura or M\u0101ori-medium education in Te Waipounamu is not because of a lack of demand but rather a lack of investment in capacity?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270cee5c75e100e19d740bd15988b75a4\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: As I already outlined, we have had a particular focus on making sure we are building up the network. Importantly, this Government is working alongside Te Matak\u0101huki on a network plan for kura kaupapa M\u0101ori, the first of its kind. It ensures that our investments are targeted at where they will have the greatest impact, strengthening local choice and making sure that communities have the education infrastructure they need for the future. Since 2024, this Government has invested $233\u00A0million across all kura kaupapa and M\u0101ori-medium education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229f435c5deeaf3f202dde1f53c8abe2d0\u0022\u003ET\u0101kuta Ferris\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister aware that many M\u0101ori-medium providers in Te Wai Pounamu continue to face significant infrastructure challenges, including overcrowding and ageing facilities, and if so, what are your plans to remedy these longstanding issues?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cdbba1214b8abd475322a12d33cd7bf3\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Back to my answer to the primary question , there are five kura kaupapa M\u0101ori in the South Island; two have been addressed through previous Budgets. As I have said, a real concern I had was for Te Wh\u0101nau Tahi, who, for 20 years, have been built on a rubbish dump. We\u2019ve purchased them a new site, which was the site of a private school that was exiting, and we are going to be moving them on to that site. They were a leaky school as well. Also, as I already said, for the fourth one, I\u2019m advised that construction will start soon at Te Kura Kaupapa M\u0101ori o Waitaha, in Canterbury, and the school in Nelson currently has enough space to grow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ac527abd4f0add042122aa40c169852f\u0022\u003ET\u0101kuta Ferris\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Minister comfortable with kura such as Te P\u0101 o R\u0101kaihaut\u016B continuing to operate in earthquake-damaged, leaking, and mould-affected facilities while $62.5 million is invested elsewhere in Te Wai Pounamu?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221fa3b8d81093d61788c3127568598387\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, is that a Te R\u016Bnanga Nui school? We\u2019ve got an issue here, Mr Speaker, because the question was specifically about kura kaupapa M\u0101ori which sit under Te R\u016Bnanga Nui, and the school that the member has spoken about, I don\u2019t think\u2014I need clarification, though\u2014is included in the primary question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220aa6c16d303af291d4e84703fc771939\u0022\u003ET\u0101kuta Ferris\u003C/span\u003E: Considering M\u0101ori-medium education and kura kaupapa M\u0101ori result in significantly higher academic achievement for M\u0101ori learners, what is the Minister\u2019s plan to grow the capacity and number of these kura to enable M\u0101ori wh\u0101nau to participate throughout Te Tai Tonga?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225d48a1cb1629cdef2374dbef0cc6dafb\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Going back to my answer to the second question, for the very first time in the history of this country, we are developing a network plan alongside M\u0101ori, and as I have already said, Te Matak\u0101huki are, for the first time, working alongside the Ministry of Education in our network planning so that we can offer more choice and target the investment where it needs to go, to make sure that we are building kura kaupapa schools in the right place so that we have the ability to make sure that young people can go from either puna reo or k\u014Dhanga reo all the way through, but we can\u2019t get that without a network plan. We are for the very first time, as I have already said, developing that network plan for Te Matak\u0101huki.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b45caea59269752446dafc69ef2296df\u0022\u003EAuckland\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022dc3880ae6870a8c924d0221e82083de5\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022 data-id=\u0022da005e2cf669747a6bebf738fccdef04\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022da005e2cf669747a6bebf738fccdef04\u0022\u003EHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Deputy Leader\u2014Labour) (14:13)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for Auckland\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by all his statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022 data-id=\u00229e9d45c7c51ce8189a5dbf0af1497d47\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229e9d45c7c51ce8189a5dbf0af1497d47\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS (Minister for Auckland) (14:13)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, in the context of fixing the basics and building the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230ec44509d18f6c3bdc2c56af169b53b\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his statement that his Government\u2019s target is \u201Cto grow the New Zealand economy, lift productivity, increase job opportunities\u201D; if so, why has unemployment in Auckland doubled since the March 2023 quarter?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b790a5a15d26f339f6af367744ff2974\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I do stand by the statements that I have made. The context, as the member will be aware, is that unemployment is a lag indicator, and what we are focused on, on this side of the House, is ensuring that we have got economic growth flowing through to the Auckland economy. What is positive to see with the economic growth indicators that have come out is that Auckland is growing, and that is an important signal that ensures that Aucklanders have the bow wave of economic growth behind them to support higher-paying jobs and more opportunities. We are going to continue to do that work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225db2950af7f9615f1fdf541bfe461f51\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Will he acknowledge that his Government\u2019s cancelling or delaying of Auckland infrastructure and build projects, including more than 1,500 State houses and 58 school upgrades, has contributed to job losses en masse in Auckland?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cdf3fbd19632e0a54c72907e9745488f\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t wish to embark on a conversation around failed or stopped projects in Auckland under prior Governments, because we all know the implications they have caused, but what we are doing as a Government\u2014one thing we have done is sign the Auckland Deal, and the Auckland Deal very clearly identifies areas of economic growth for Auckland, and we\u2019re working constructively with Auckland Council to make sure that those areas of economic growth and focus for the city are unlocked. When Auckland does well, New Zealand does well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c66733fa25324e256ca9a907e58c5918\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his statement that he is \u201Caspirational for the opportunities for Auckland\u201D; if so, should the 35,000 additional Aucklanders now unemployed since three years ago be comforted by his aspirations?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f222ce12b2f13b3a287b0397ca365992\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, absolutely I am aspirational for Aucklanders, and I am aspirational for the opportunities ahead for Auckland because this is a Government that\u2019s getting on and delivering\u2014focused on economic growth, delivering opportunities. While we acknowledge that what we inherited was difficult and challenging, we are taking action to turn that around. The actions that I\u2019ve outlined, on top of everything else, are going to help Aucklanders be more prosperous in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a333802933eacdc8881b34befecd3bab\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: How many of the almost 3,000 business liquidations in 2025\u2014a 15-year high\u2014were Auckland businesses, and how does this reflect his Government\u2019s Going For Growth strategy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002235e0ea1337ff0acc384e139330969b6a\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, as the member will be aware, about one-third of Kiwis live in Auckland; 40 percent of New Zealand\u2019s GDP is derived from Auckland. Again, liquidations are a lag indicator of prior periods of fiscal and economic management. And I don\u2019t have to look too far from where I\u2019m standing to look at who\u2019s responsible for those outcomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002266965cbd8712fdf1a35445c60ba505c8\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that the Government was elected to \u201Cget Auckland back on track\u201D; if so, why has Auckland\u2019s GDP growth lagged behind the rest of New Zealand two years running?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e1d2bd9360555f1da469359043abbaf0\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, if the member looks at the most recent economic growth indicators from Auckland, she will be aware that economic growth has increased 0.2\u00A0percent in the March quarter, an increase on year-on year-growth. Economic growth is a good thing. On this side of the House, we are focused on ensuring that economic growth is sustained. When Auckland grows, New Zealand grows, and that\u2019s good for everyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022083a816abbb847f0a99aff178b1bbba2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222254cd500e1a53f0433f83575fc386a2\u0022\u003EHon Carmel Sepuloni\u003C/span\u003E: Why should Aucklanders have any confidence in his Government when, under them, unemployment has doubled, critical projects have been delayed or cancelled, and as a direct result of their decisions many businesses are struggling to stay afloat?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fb4ce970d4f47d9853d2ea64ddc5b74\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f9f4cab92bc59dd627672da5c11b00c1\u0022\u003EHon SIMON WATTS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, because what Aucklanders want is Aucklanders want to see a clear plan, and this Government has a clear plan to deliver for Aucklanders. You\u2019ve already seen the economic growth aspects that are flowing through to Auckland\u2014you\u2019ve seen a reduction in interest rates, you\u2019ve seen a reduction in inflation\u2014and that all helps the back pockets of hard-working Aucklanders. On this side of the House, we make no apology to be relentlessly focused on economic growth, prudent fiscal management, and actually being aspirational for Auckland. Because, again, when Auckland does well, New Zealand does well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002217a5a778803fdf288686af5bc390684f\u0022\u003EHealth\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00229a9b510a2ed5b180acb0ac9fcee8c264\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022200839810eb94155be7306bf21d350dd\u0022 data-id=\u0022b13ea7ee74d711b8d8609cffcff6c881\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022200839810eb94155be7306bf21d350dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b13ea7ee74d711b8d8609cffcff6c881\u0022\u003ESAM UFFINDELL (National\u2014Tauranga) (14:18)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister of Health\u003C/span\u003E: What recent progress has been made towards the Government\u2019s health targets?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002276109ca9c1c74181a1e2734802d7f46f\u0022 data-id=\u0022b326637d5f2e3e92898eb1e121c1a3af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002276109ca9c1c74181a1e2734802d7f46f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b326637d5f2e3e92898eb1e121c1a3af\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Health) (14:18)\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is focused on fixing the basics and building the future of our health system. Yesterday, the latest quarterly results for the Government\u2019s five health targets were released, showing continued improvement across every target compared with the same quarter last year. More New Zealanders are being seen and treated sooner, with elective treatment wait times improving, more patients receiving special assessments within four months, higher childhood immunisation rates, improved emergency department performance, and faster access to cancer treatment. These results demonstrate our Government\u2019s focus on delivering timely, quality care and improving accountability across the system. It is making a difference for patients.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022200839810eb94155be7306bf21d350dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022863700023700c87b4bce0569607e55f0\u0022\u003ESam Uffindell\u003C/span\u003E: What progress has been made around access to elective procedures?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002276109ca9c1c74181a1e2734802d7f46f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229d76cbd14d60067567708daf251b006\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: The results show real progress in getting New Zealanders the care they need sooner. The proportion of patients receiving treatment within four months has increased to 64.9 percent, up from 57.3 percent 12 months ago. During the quarter, more than 51,000 elective procedures were delivered, a 5.5 percent increase on the same quarter last year. While our targets are measured in percentage points and numbers, what they represent are New Zealanders getting their life-changing operations sooner, spending less time waiting in pain, and getting back to their families, work, and everyday lives sooner. I\u2019d like to thank the health workforce for everything they\u2019ve done to deliver these results.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022200839810eb94155be7306bf21d350dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291d4aa0638f2ed2ebc607db509380bbd\u0022\u003ESam Uffindell\u003C/span\u003E: What do the results show about the volume of care being delivered across the system?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002276109ca9c1c74181a1e2734802d7f46f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002248f4960c56435f242d3f96a7b9399f2f\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: The results show that more care is being delivered across the system: 178,349 first specialist assessments were completed during the quarter, an increase of 7 percent on the same quarter the year prior. More than 51,000 elective treatments were delivered, up 5.5 percent on the same quarter last year. Almost 4,800 people received their first cancer treatment, and almost 12,000 children were fully immunised at 24 months of age\u2014both up since the same quarter last year. These results show what happens when the system is focused on delivery with patients at the centre, with every percentage point increase representing real people who have waited less time to receive the care they need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022200839810eb94155be7306bf21d350dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e5d4ed0cd98e6f8acb90ad27c9f136fc\u0022\u003ESam Uffindell\u003C/span\u003E: Why are the Government\u2019s health targets important?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002276109ca9c1c74181a1e2734802d7f46f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002256ea8f864464d9f422db05e215b668e6\u0022\u003EHon SIMEON BROWN\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the health targets are about ensuring the system remains focused on what matters most to New Zealanders: getting timely access to healthcare. They provide clear accountability, transparent reporting, and a strong focus on results. After years of growing wait-lists and declining performance, this Government is focused on fixing the basics, rebuilding performance, and ensuring patients receive the care they need when they need it. While there is still more work to do, these results show we are making steady progress and heading in the right direction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022297c446d920f3cfbb6167fcd95bb03b0\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022fc1fd4495fac9e4d0ed5cc8bbd32d11f\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022 data-id=\u00220fed8ac026e8f8907a00021be1b17d45\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220fed8ac026e8f8907a00021be1b17d45\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) (14:21)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for M\u0101ori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with Hon Paul Goldsmith that the M\u0101ori-Crown relationship is in \u201Cgood shape\u201D; if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022 data-id=\u0022ca4e9aa6f75ee2fdf1437251d3a557ae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ca4e9aa6f75ee2fdf1437251d3a557ae\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA (Minister for M\u0101ori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti) (14:21)\u003C/span\u003E: Absolutely agree with my exemplary colleague Minister Paul Goldsmith, who\u2019s audaciously progressed a number of Treaty settlements to their logical conclusion over the last three years and also assisted in ensuring that Treaty obligations arising from settlements over time have moved, from 2024, from around 76.7 percent to 85.1 percent and delivery issues arising from Treaty settlement obligations from 4.9 percent down to 1.9 percent. I\u2019d also like to acknowledge the work that the Matua and myself and others in this House have done to ensure the largest ever investment in marae by any Government in the history of this country. \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EKia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7fb7dcad46a59b6321ceacf126382e3\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Is it a sign of the relationship being in good shape when the iwi chairs have described this Government as the most racist, anti-M\u0101ori Government ever to come to power, and, if so, how?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dd36b616cc5e9884c6c401432becb12c\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: People are entitled to their opinions and also are responsible for their actions, and it wasn\u2019t too far in the past where the member opposite and his party were not invited to National Iwi Chairs Forums. However, what I would say is that yesterday in \u014Ct\u0101kou, down at the \u014Ct\u0101kou Peninsula, K\u0101ti Te Ruahikihiki of Ng\u0101i Tahu were absolutely energised by the presence of this Minister to support marine reserves that were started under the National Government, under John Key, 13 years ago, well before the time of the previous text writer and text recaller, and the work that we have done as this Government, the National-led Government, to ensure those marine reserves come to come to life, \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ETe Umuk\u014Dau kei te haramai\u003C/span\u003E [\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003ETe Umuk\u014Dau is on its way\u003C/span\u003E].\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd88861cd8465e602ab9b5b2c91b302e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019ll stick to the rule and go for three\u2014Hon Willie Jackson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d9952ee691da37629a97a942f36c52e\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: If the M\u0101ori-Crown relationship is in such good shape, why did the National Iwi Chairs Forum label Budget 2026 and its approach to M\u0101ori employment as a form of economic apartheid?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ef1b5be17a87228fa980ae78db367aff\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: As I mentioned before, people can have very strong opinions, but I would note that many iwi leaders were absolutely enthusiastic about the fast-track process and ensuring that nearly 25 of the Schedule 2 projects were actually fast-track projects owned or co-owned by M\u0101ori. That\u2019s across a range of industries and a range of sectors, whether or not it\u2019s property development, aquaculture, or, indeed, in the resources process. Whilst there are some strong opinions, there\u2019s also a willingness to work together, to do that mahi tahi between the iwi and the Crown, and that\u2019s something that I absolutely enjoy. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c748b9cb294d7bc4ba6ed31e41327b1\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: If Mr Jackson\u2019s penultimate question is correct, why have the iwi leaders asked to see me?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b242964210c669373467cb943bd5e85e\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: The rangatira has spoken. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ed70c290dbcecc13c357d1ff729c3dd8\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister name one iwi, one hap\u016B, or one iwi M\u0101ori organisation that has publicly said that the Crown-M\u0101ori relationship is in good shape, or is he the only person making that claim\u2014him and Paul Goldsmith of Ng\u0101ti Epsom?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222c55053ff80885705513673a1fede898\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: I did not see Ng\u0101ti Epsom on the list of iwi in the Fisheries Act. However, what I will say is this: tomorrow we will have the first reading of the Te Here \u0101 Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill, which will ultimately resolve the longstanding fiduciary and property claims of Rore Stafford and his relations, a matter that the previous majority Labour Government actively opposed and rejected.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227c6793c1a393df23c41421fe86b9fa96\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EInterruption\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b979b9290bd38b6fda39a05d910ef312\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just wait for the House to compose itself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224546d43bb99b171d0b3e1416f0f8589e\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with former Treaty Minister Chris Finlayson, who said Christopher Luxon\u2019s Government has gravely hurt the Crown-M\u0101ori relationship, and, if so, why is he progressing with removing Treaty clauses, knowing full well it will be harmful to the M\u0101ori-Crown relationship?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022eab2e56832fd061f76c8fad647cb6595\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: In response to the comments around Treaty principles references, these continue to be a work-on under the diligence and professionalism of Minister Goldsmith, and, of course, ensuring that we\u2019ve got clarity around what Treaty of Waitangi principles references mean is very important to everyone in this Whare\u2014and, actually, all New Zealanders. In relation to the other matter, we\u2019ll let that lie.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022edb3fa568e517c7ef422137c6d65ae86\u0022\u003EEducation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002211b3cdeaa40355e43d70c0ce89d77457\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022 data-id=\u00221f82b799cfb78b6b0ebb33cff71aa0bd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221f82b799cfb78b6b0ebb33cff71aa0bd\u0022\u003ECARL BATES (National\u2014Whanganui) (14:26)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister of Education\u003C/span\u003E: What announcement has she made on strengthening trades pathways?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u00227d117019ca56424996ae870216c96656\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227d117019ca56424996ae870216c96656\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education) (14:26)\u003C/span\u003E: This Government recently announced that we are doubling places in our trades academies from 10,000 to 20,000. The investment supports our wider qualification reforms, which are creating stronger vocational pathways for young people and ensuring they have access to meaningful real-world learning opportunities while still at school. Vocational subjects will be fully integrated into our national qualification system and developed in partnership with industry. I\u2019m proud to be part of a Government giving parity of esteem to trade pathways.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a2bee8af4790565ef7aa0d01a994ca34\u0022\u003ECarl Bates\u003C/span\u003E: How will strengthened trade pathways support the labour market and help fix the basics and build the future of New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ed24a2e377ce9ef62afcba7083b0167\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Strengthened trade pathways will help ensure more young people leave school with practical skills, industry experience, and clear options for further training, apprenticeships, and employment. This is why Budget 2026 invested that additional $69 million to double the trades academy places. It\u2019s also why the Government is investing a further $15 million for industry skills boards to develop new vocational subjects as part of New Zealand\u2019s new senior secondary qualifications. That means students are better prepared for the pathway that they choose, and New Zealand has stronger vocational pathways into the workforce.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222bc12b6cd1de45869027dfdba6647062\u0022\u003ECarl Bates\u003C/span\u003E: How does this help grow the economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229a290a57a7f8d24f452e521b25664b05\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, growing the economy requires a strong education system and requires young people to leave school with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen field. Through our investment, students will be finishing school with meaningful qualifications, allowing them to enter further training or work. Strengthening the trades pipeline means we\u2019ll have more skilled workers to deliver the Government\u2019s infrastructure agenda and more tradies to build all the classrooms that we\u2019ve funded.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e1b38f0332c078ed76dfb877ed23a2b\u0022\u003ECarl Bates\u003C/span\u003E: What feedback has she received on this announcement?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002270346b4a857a1c218afe38bf70baf95a\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the Employers and Manufacturers Association said that the additional 10,000 trades academy places and new trades-focused courses are a good use of funding and could help fill future skills gaps while improving the work readiness of young people. Retail NZ also welcomed the expansion of trade training opportunities, recognising the role it can play in helping more young people become active participants in the economy. Agribusiness and schools adviser Melanie Simmons has highlighted that greater vocational learning opportunities can open career pathways, complement academic learning, and improve employability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002247a5a6f8c88eeb921dab6083bfff0d58\u0022\u003ESocial Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ce250a71fe7c44366a77d8dfe02044c5\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022 data-id=\u002240ad13b435f2a4eb8606c9c1fc6ffe2c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002240ad13b435f2a4eb8606c9c1fc6ffe2c\u0022\u003EHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) (14:29)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E: Does she stand by her statement that \u201CI absolutely stand by our target of 50,000 fewer people on the jobseeker support by 2030\u201D; if so, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022 data-id=\u0022e6d0b88b7e00009323137b00d06d8721\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e6d0b88b7e00009323137b00d06d8721\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for Social Development and Employment) (14:29)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. Jobseeker numbers will reduce as economic conditions improve. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve already seen in Taranaki, Canterbury, and Southland. I don\u2019t shy away from an ambitious target to get Kiwis off welfare and into work, and a target provides a focus across Government. It\u2019s also important to note that the latest figures from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) show that more than 85,000 people exited a main benefit into work in the year ending May 2026. We are ambitious for all New Zealanders. That\u2019s why we have created a more active welfare system to support more job seekers into work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d0bc7bd07dc6e855382eb77aabd939b\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: Is the Treasury wrong when it forecast jobseeker numbers to be 200,000 by 2030, as shown in the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update for Budget 2026?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229eb9fbafd5156a9fc6079a4b3c58eddf\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: There is a difference between what Treasury forecasts and MSD, and I think it\u2019s useful to put that on the record for the House. The Treasury forecasts include, for the Jobseeker Support and Emergency Benefit, an annual average over the fiscal year July to June. It also includes other benefits that fall under the Jobseeker Support and Emergency Benefit appropriation, such as the Emergency Benefit, the Emergency Maintenance Allowance, and the Jobseeker Support Student Hardship. The MSD target and the MSD forecast on the MSD website has more detail and shows the average number for each month. That is why there is a difference in 206,000 and 194,000 for the month of June 2030.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022152b0695c3ab408b23bcdc6d876b8c27\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: How will she hit her target when employment confidence is at its lowest point in over 20 years and unemployment is likely to rise further still?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce6fa5ba6d95aade7a8fb08a52b43365\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said in my primary answer, what we are seeing is the result of regions of New Zealand where we are seeing economic growth: Taranaki, Canterbury, and Southland. We do know that the number of people on a jobseeker benefit is a lag indicator. What we\u2019re seeing in those three areas gives me great optimism and promise in terms of reducing the number of people across the country on the jobseeker benefit.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221f241c155cd37bc2d2ce2f523fc63ca7\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: How many people who have exited into work since she became Minister have gone back on to jobseeker?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b1af1d7766c83cea763887a4d3675199\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t have that data in the House with me, but I\u2019d be happy to provide that for the member. It is really important to note, and I think it is really encouraging\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226510f61a673a8eeef553da591fb44600\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: You talk about that number\u201485,000. How many have gone back?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022323a56714cb2269eb63a6be2ec8897fc\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, 85,000. I think it\u2019s a great number.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d332d978c6617ea535c46adf89e0fa84\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: How many have gone back?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022552000e8485c976c9a19ab73a0b127c3\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s a great number of people who have left welfare into work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225eae36f7008a277115206f035d8c0896\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: How many\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022758909ae8c39dc825b947d0912464483\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s enough. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022901743952f94142e0ef63ce6d452492e\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: Will she accept that jobseeker numbers will continue to rise higher than forecast when working people at places like Kinleith Mill, Smithfield meat works, and, as reported this morning, Northland Mill continue to lose their jobs, with no hope coming from the Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c27c5f130d7c3ff44c8960e40b9db414\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: No, because we have seen the peak in the jobseeker numbers in December last year, so we have come off those highs. That has been as a result of significant work. As the Minister of Finance has said, we\u2019ve seen growth in the March quarter, higher than Australia, higher than the United States, which is really encouraging. Budget 2026 says 220,000 jobs will be created, and I\u2019m amazed that that member is not celebrating that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e875d884e71eca7f5da2b6b0287000ae\u0022\u003EPrime Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00226a4ff63ff72b656ddcadbbc23b0a7004\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022 data-id=\u0022c2291029e4b43042262e16ae7090b193\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c2291029e4b43042262e16ae7090b193\u0022\u003EHon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader\u2014Green) (14:33)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EPrime Minister\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EE tautoko ana ia i ng\u0101 k\u014Drero me ng\u0101 mahi katoa a t\u014Dna K\u0101wanatanga?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EDoes he stand by all of his Government\u2019s statements and actions?\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022 data-id=\u0022204bd2009253db3d004f1c6996881d1e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022204bd2009253db3d004f1c6996881d1e\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs) (14:33)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EPrime Minister\u003C/span\u003E: \u0100e.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022800206fd45087ac266ad5929710ebad8\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Does he accept that changing the purpose of the Conservation Act to include economic development is a fundamental shift away from the reason the Department of Conservation exists, which is to protect and restore nature?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e26a196c68410b00aebae2b8782a948\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: No, we don\u2019t accept that at all. That\u2019s short-term thinking. The reality is that it\u2019s an enormous part of the country, and where it can be used in the interests of expanding the wealth and security of ordinary New Zealanders, then we will do so. But this bill protects our conservation land, think Kepler, Taranaki, Fiordland, Abel Tasman, and more. We are talking about gravel pits being sold, not Great Walks, so when did the Greens start caring about industry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f520c969dca4402b409eb6e2873d8d3\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Is it his view that 60 percent of conservation land is of low or no value?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022561589231d2ee803ac0c85530339106f\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Again, that\u2019s the kind of calculation you do when you don\u2019t know mathematics. We\u2019re talking about pieces of land within the 60 percent, not selling the 60 percent. That\u2019s the kind of misinformation the public doesn\u2019t want to hear. That\u2019s just being deceitful in the extreme. The bill is currently being considered by the select committee, and we\u2019ll change it if we have to. The bill stops the department from selling any land\u2014the bill stops the department from selling any land that is \u201Cimportant for ... threatened species or ecosystems\u201D. So the Labour Party and Green Party are safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229340db0d6051493982fc3db81fee975a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223246b311f68a34906f1e23f3083e29b5\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. Mr Speaker, seeking your guidance. Given that I have been punished in this House a number of times for inferring and stating that Government members are lying, I would like to understand what your punishment will be for one of our co-Deputy Prime Ministers stating that the Green Party is being deceitful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228e337b2f5d66f6a7b609db2ada1cb96d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Good, I\u2019ll\u2014[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EInterruption\u003C/span\u003E] Why is there a conversation going on while we\u2019re dealing with a point of order? I appreciate the point that the member has made, and I will consider the \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EHansard\u003C/span\u003E and come back to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022efe76a68bc8ff5c8dfdb8d52020069b3\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Why, then, is he proposing that 60 percent of the conservation estate should be opened up for disposal or commercial activity if he does not consider that this land is of low or no value?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022603516f40491d74855eb0afd8cdb3643\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Again, that is a total misrepresentation of what the 60\u00A0percent means. It means that, within the 60 percent, there are gravel pits and other things which may be better assigned somewhere else. That\u2019s a totally different picture. It\u2019s not misrepresenting the House; it\u2019s not lying. But here\u2019s the point: the Greens won\u2019t be happy until 100 percent of the land is State owned, and we all know what that is called. We don\u2019t want to take advice from the dancing tussocks over there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229340db0d6051493982fc3db81fee975a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d3073d522a50e47b72c81cb9eba3df0\u0022\u003EChl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u003C/span\u003E: Thanks for the ad campaign.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc25320511da49bdeb4d76a4b36895b7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: One voice while a question\u2019s asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dbebdc3a87b98906eaf99acee5268778\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Does he recognise the significant public opposition to this bill, including the 24,000 people who submitted on this bill just on the weekend alone, and if so, will he reassure New Zealanders by ruling out the sale of conservation land and putting this bill in the bin?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c44f76eb7cf5d1ba06eb9800d01ea65b\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The reality is there are, for example\u2014take the Belvedere Hall. If an Historic Places Trust group of people say, \u201CWe wish to look after that hall ourselves. It\u2019s 142 years old.\u201D, why would that sale be adverse to New Zealanders\u2019 interests? That is happening all over the country. The reality is, of course\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002233a8db41ad0c4278b7eb829406824bb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022536ebf7e4880359f1c88ad5d3bbc89bd\u0022\u003ESteve Abel\u003C/span\u003E: That can still be done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228dbb50b38373a38dac17f71f3499d561\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, and here\u2019s the point\u2014OK, here come the M\u0101ori people over there. Let me ask you this: what happens when iwi show up with a right of first refusal to buy land? Will the Greens stop them from buying the land? Look, the fact is that the Greens like to touch grass, but only when it\u2019s rolled.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223e7925d451756d8c053e79ad1c51da1a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think that\u2019s a good example of what we don\u2019t need in the House. The member might like to withdraw that comment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287ca8a898812ada93031efb4ce9bdda0\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: You want me to withdraw that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a9e74d6eec0886d59be114732dacb245\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, I\u2019m pretty soft.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fccdaf73e34ceacf74ac4ffb7dad398d\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: I can\u2019t: half of it has been smoked. Ha, ha! I withdraw\u2014I withdraw.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc1a27ec016bad465b729f6ffca0206d\u0022\u003EHon Tama Potaka\u003C/span\u003E: Does economic development already take place on the conservation estate\u2014like ski fields and guided walks and grazing\u2014and can we further activate economic development, like car parks and charging for the use of carparks, and charging international visitors to access some tracks, to then reinvest in biodiversity in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002294484e9ef75d61f3a309ffcbba3fde22\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The answer is most certainly yes, yes, yes, and also tens of thousands of New Zealanders depend on it for their employment. But no, no, they want to stop everything\u2014like, stop the world; I want to get off!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225e65b51223cf4eb8aa02a982d92f8959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f218d253e78beda0e57c4411085aa147\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by the statement of his Minister of Conservation that \u201CNational is the party of conservation\u201D; if so, how does he reconcile that statement with his Government\u2019s actions to allow commercial fishing in a marine protected area, enable the killing of kiwi, cull $165 million from the Department of Conservation, and provide protection to invasive species?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf9e1eb91ef740868a26db659355f7e9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022772cfe677ec77741ed24befdf136a7fe\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: The reality is that, when Mr Potaka said that, he meant the coalition Government. He didn\u2019t just mean the National Party; he meant that all three political parties are very conscious of their responsibilities. As for the other matters raised here, when it comes to fishing, ordinary New Zealanders are entitled to be able to buy their own fish in their own shops at an affordable price. Under their regime, if they ever had power, there would be no supply of fishing at all to ordinary New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229d5b13d601794bb282d99453116ad395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226597848d346951ccc97729247aad25ab\u0022\u003EHon Tama Potaka\u003C/span\u003E: Can the Minister confirm that between 2020 and 2023, the majority Labour Government failed to pass the Hauraki marine park protection Act?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287ca3b1f0ca2f58d678c8037e6c6d6c3\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, no, the Minister has no responsibility\u2014[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EInterruption\u003C/span\u003E] No, no; Mr Peters, sit down. There is no responsibility for the Minister to answer that question, so it won\u2019t be part of the \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EHansard\u003C/span\u003E record. Moving now to question No. 9.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e552700552c7766cbca2268697341ebd\u0022\u003EEducation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00220b9cbd2f335054be4b4871785d5a356e\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022 data-id=\u0022515d91edc59c2be3e73e5cae08146e0d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022515d91edc59c2be3e73e5cae08146e0d\u0022\u003EHon GINNY ANDERSEN (Labour) (14:39)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister of Education\u003C/span\u003E: Does she stand by her statement that \u201CThis curriculum has been written by Kiwis for Kiwi kids\u201D; if so, why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u0022184554fdf1bb000f2f89c13e97a3470a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022184554fdf1bb000f2f89c13e97a3470a\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education) (14:40)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes. However, noting that the Ministry of Education wasn\u2019t checking the residency or citizenship of the status of the hundreds of writers, they were more concerned with the quality of the curriculum, not the nationality of the person who wrote it. The member should also note that we are writing for Kiwi kids, but we\u2019re also writing it for the Pacific Realm countries: Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b63ca5babf2ba89214ad95d1f5b1fc65\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Why was the open tendering process bypassed and a contract directly awarded to Australian provider Learning First when there are New Zealand providers, such as New Zealand Council for Educational Research, who have the experience and the ability to internationally benchmark the New Zealand Curriculum?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273b55310fd6b09d330360d732e1b7045\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: These matters are operational for the ministry. They make decisions on who they contract. Questions, I know, were put to the officials at the recent select committee inquiry, and, as I\u2019ve said, those matters are operational and not for me as the Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228379e8da9d563eab9be7cff33883a34\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Why, then, did her adviser directly engage with Ben Jensen, chief executive of Learning First, about what services they could provide, such as receiving advice on how to use data to win \u201Cthe hearts and minds of New Zealand teachers\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc59cace12f4b17268805d98a67ba238\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, these are questions that the member could have put to the officials\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207f01ce86fe57d69fe540c8c0944cf6d\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m asking you now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221e3d23fc53b346ffe9c0eef64fe9cbc2\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014while she was in the committee. I can\u2019t answer those questions because I don\u2019t have the answers, because those are questions that should have been put to officials during the meeting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002215f44a62a2ef8d133b2c994d330b2854\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Maybe the Minister misunderstood my question. It was: why did the adviser from her office engage with Ben Jensen from Learning First about the content of what the contract was?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222023e488888b09a563bc25cdb240640e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I did hear the question. Look, the other thing that\u2019s worth noting is that our Standing Orders mean that Ministers do answer to the House for operational matters because officials can\u2019t, and so there are some aspects that that answer would be acceptable in and others that aren\u2019t. But the Minister might like to address the question that\u2019s been asked.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f919a4a2bb9331bbdab001fff796031\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, I apologise; I misunderstood. We get lots of unsolicited and solicited emails in my office, and I don\u2019t read all of them. They go to my officials, and so I don\u2019t always see all of those. I don\u2019t know the ones that the member is referring to. This question wasn\u2019t put on notice; I don\u2019t have them in front of me. If she wants to put a written question to me about this, then she\u2019s welcome to do so, but I can\u2019t come down to the House and answer questions on things that aren\u2019t on notice in this level of detail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227626f3f4e20ddc12987a132f59d672fc\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: When Pauline Cleaver, Deputy Secretary for Curriculum, explained that Learning First was directly awarded the contract because \u201Cthe Ministry was already working with them\u201D, was there already a contract in place between the Ministry and Learning First, and, if so, for what services?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223339e114d2df7ea46d83e54eabfcf598\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m advised that there was a contract signed with Learning First in\u2014they started work on benchmarking work with the Ministry of Education in August 2025. That\u2019s the information that I have to hand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293ea516b38e78262bb5c01524c543598\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Did she meet with Ben Jensen, the chief executive of Learning First, for a coffee on the Gold Coast before or after they got exclusive rights to benchmark the New Zealand Curriculum?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad55e6562f136f485c1891bcf4ea083a\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Well, this is an interesting story that the member might like to listen to, but, actually, I was introduced to Ben Jensen from Learning First by the ministry\u2014by, in fact, the Education Review Office (ERO)\u2014when Dr Ben Jensen was invited here to New Zealand as part of some of the regular meetings that ERO holds between Australia and New Zealand to learn more. They introduced me to him, and then, when I happened to be in Australia for other matters, we had a coffee. I have coffee with many people, but in this instance the ministry or the Education Review Office were the people who introduced him to me, and not the other way around.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228846282203e17ed148e190fe9515c36f\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to table the exchange of emails from the Minister\u2019s office\u2014clearly, from her adviser\u2014and Ben Jensen that was going on before the request for procurement exemption. I\u2019d like to table both those documents. Neither are publicly available\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f44d48f6920a661fc78e38766c4b6cd4\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Where did the member get them?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220750364c2c1444d0ae00bced720f964e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f86e7f0455da111de002d7206a2062f\u0022\u003EHon Ginny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: They were both obtained under the Official Information Act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225f7d260541e5eda8b2cf6aa1a1328bdc\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Good, OK. Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EDocuments, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022556bd084f94c2e16252f2b50c18efdae\u0022\u003EMental Health\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ad6e2f43156fd2f6860a5c64c740c146\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002288978fb9592a4911a8e47eae04d164f3\u0022 data-id=\u0022e13876a8cfbe44f7a8a5776194801ffc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002288978fb9592a4911a8e47eae04d164f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e13876a8cfbe44f7a8a5776194801ffc\u0022\u003EDr VANESSA WEENINK (National\u2014Banks Peninsula) (14:44)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for Mental Health\u003C/span\u003E: What announcements has he made about delivering faster access to maternal mental health and addiction support?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022 data-id=\u0022ebf7a595bbad848596512f471ff168f4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ebf7a595bbad848596512f471ff168f4\u0022\u003EHon MATT DOOCEY (Minister for Mental Health) (14:45)\u003C/span\u003E: The Government\u2019s mental health plan is delivering faster access to support, more front-line workers, and a better crisis response. Recently, I announced significant investment into maternal mental health and addiction services as part of Budget 2026. Funding will support specialist maternal mental health and addiction services while growing the front-line workforce. It also includes funding for community NGOs to increase support in their communities. One of the most important periods of a child\u2019s life is the first 2,000 days. By supporting families early, we can help build a stronger future for our children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002288978fb9592a4911a8e47eae04d164f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227210540274970a6b007797bf73768120\u0022\u003EDr Vanessa Weenink\u003C/span\u003E: What steps is the Government taking to strengthen peer support for mothers experiencing mental health and addiction challenges?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223a7789172696fab0561c1b77eb41262c\u0022\u003EHon MATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: We know that connection can be a powerful form of support. Mothers can benefit from talking with someone who has lived experience and understands what they are going through. That is why this investment includes funding for new peer support positions to provide practical and emotional support and help build stronger local support networks for parents. Behind every one of these roles will be more families getting the support they need earlier.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002288978fb9592a4911a8e47eae04d164f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a49393b72ae60fa1748ad002e8070556\u0022\u003EDr Vanessa Weenink\u003C/span\u003E: How will access to specialist services for families be improved?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002208926ecb94665247ac573249b2a77caa\u0022\u003EHon MATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: This Government is focused on strengthening prevention and early intervention. Investment will boost funding for specialist maternal mental health services and increase specialist maternal addiction services. We\u2019ll also deliver new regional Supporting Parents Healthy Children Coordinators to strengthen family-focused approaches and improve coordination of care across services. This investment will increase capacity and help women and families access support faster during pregnancy and the year after birth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002288978fb9592a4911a8e47eae04d164f3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212d70b68875904e45ff101ac244002d5\u0022\u003EDr Vanessa Weenink\u003C/span\u003E: What additional support will there be for bereaved families?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002222a0115b9f6b7b55db3700feec27fc84\u0022\u003EHon MATT DOOCEY\u003C/span\u003E: Losing a child is an unimaginable grief. This is why we are delivering mental health support as part of the Perinatal Bereavement Care Pathway. Funding will provide dedicated mental health support to better help families through baby loss. This investment will help ensure families are better supported during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e5ec64ac6a93c4d86569ef498baaa5e3\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9 to Minister\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d56feee2a8016b0a764416f82d9788a1\u0022\u003EAmended Answer to Oral Question\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u0022f8db4cdb17530a4f5dd2303812a0a2ff\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f8db4cdb17530a4f5dd2303812a0a2ff\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education) (14:47)\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. I seek leave to amend an answer to question No. 9.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bba9bdbf1a2b0357df7fff61fa94151f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re seeking leave?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c5026c72b3bd4dab8ca39b4e556f1b1e\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I\u2019m seeking leave.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022263d52e6acddf477c4743a6f0ee87351\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection to that course of action? There appears to be none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f44cd9cbbbfa9b1b4ecdb159bcde6739\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: I said August 2025 for Learning First contracting with the Ministry of Education. It\u2019s actually April 2025 that Learning First first signed a contract with the Ministry of Education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e117c9933a34013bc49cf49a57b3efcb\u0022\u003EDisability Issues\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c39c4604ab5a5dbd10b5c4ca3caa1c54\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022 data-id=\u00229d7598aec6445de8831dc5ac0c147068\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229d7598aec6445de8831dc5ac0c147068\u0022\u003EKAHURANGI CARTER (Green) (14:48)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for Disability Issues\u003C/span\u003E: Does she accept the Human Rights Commission\u2019s criticism that the Disability Support Services Bill is inconsistent with core human rights obligations, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022 data-id=\u002224543601b6b88ca15606f6ae1fc8ce3e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002224543601b6b88ca15606f6ae1fc8ce3e\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for Disability Issues) (14:48)\u003C/span\u003E: No. Over the past two years, we\u2019ve taken urgent action to stabilise the system and improve support for disabled people and carers. This bill is the next step. It will provide a legislative framework for disability support services. It will make the system more fair, transparent, consistent, and sustainable. Over the last 18 months, we have consulted the disability community as part of the work to stabilise and then strengthen the system. This consultation has informed the principles and purpose of the bill. There is also consultation under way on how improvements can be made to areas of the system, including better planning for life changes, greater flexibility, and easier navigation of services and support. Over the next three years, Disability Support Services (DSS) will continue to undertake consultation on key improvements that will strengthen the system for thousands of disabled New Zealanders and their carers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bbf2eb28e6e8ed7840a1aec4df7fddb7\u0022\u003EKahurangi Carter\u003C/span\u003E: What is her response to former National Party MP Dame Marilyn Waring who said in her submission to the Social Services and Community Committee this morning of the bill, \u201CNew Zealand will now have to enter reservations on Articles 3 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights because we cannot comply. This is a significant step and has an impact on our human rights reputation and our ability to make judgments of other nation States and their human rights records.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ec55ba8e37999e0bb91768aa1d7c71b6\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I quite simply disagree. If you look at the independent review of DSS, it found that without a legislative framework, DSS\u2019 mandate was drawn from Cabinet or ministerial decisions that do not provide adequate direction on a range of areas, including the role of Government in supporting disabled people and the purpose of DSS. It is absolutely critical that disabled people have certainty, clarity, and consistency in terms of the supports that are available. There is no legislation currently that underpins that. That is what we are fixing. If there was a right for disabled people we should be honouring, it is their access to very critical support and services and ensuring there is legislation that enables that and provides for it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002282c459bdb9b36d323afb1e5ebf761f2f\u0022\u003EKahurangi Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Can she commit to ensuring no means testing for individualised funding, which is currently the case, as a result of the Disability Support Services Bill (DSS bill)?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c3b2b349bc5dee3a7b3657a60088ce49\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: I said in my answer in the Estimates hearing last week that there is no intention to introduce means testing in the DSS bill. All it is doing is currently stating what occurs today. So I will state again for the record: there is no intention to introduce means testing for flexible funding or anything in the DSS support that is currently provided that doesn\u2019t have means testing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c779d58d6dc4c369e799254504e475b\u0022\u003EKahurangi Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Has she received any advice that this bill could leave more disabled people living in poverty in New Zealand?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c9c5e4647b63b50cec05dce571b00ca7\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: No, because the DSS bill does not change any eligibility, does not introduce means testing, does not change any support that any disabled person or their carer receives today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a9132473ddf040a897b92b965ff8d6b1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb26f45492a7dfa598a84f1d2567ad5f\u0022\u003EKahurangi Carter\u003C/span\u003E: Will she commit to ensuring no disabled people are worse off as a result of the Disability Support Services Bill or any secondary legislation?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002288f7caad49aeb1c3375283e463638048\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said in my answer to one other supplementary, it is quite shocking that $2.9 billion of investment into Disability Support Services has no legislative framework. That is what this bill fixes. What that means is\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c7135b90d892a8286a99231b8e3ff15d\u0022\u003EHon Member: \u003C/span\u003EThat wasn\u2019t the question.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1901a44e88e40d095f26c06ebac9721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff6b0dec8d9b5d3de99fc18fecff0965\u0022\u003EHon LOUISE UPSTON\u003C/span\u003E: If the member wants to hear an answer, I am very happy to answer it. I think it is very important to put things on the record where there has clearly been misinformation spread within the disability community. In terms of the question around ministerial programmes, they are no different than what we have in the social security legislation that are called welfare programmes. Over the next three years, DSS will have support programmes or ministerial programmes that cover all of the support that is currently available. I have said publicly and on the record\u2014and I\u2019ll state it again now, as Minister\u2014any programme that is introduced will be consulted on with the disability community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c34e0d327f004304f11557e7bd57832e\u0022\u003EPublic Service and Digitising Government\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002224811ec9131ff347ebcdab9f28622f80\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022 data-id=\u0022360b472df4c28c290f12098a6892df32\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022360b472df4c28c290f12098a6892df32\u0022\u003ECAMILLA BELICH (Labour) (14:53)\u003C/span\u003E to the \u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBold\u0022\u003EMinister for the Public Service and Digitising Government\u003C/span\u003E: Does he stand by his statement that \u201Cour focus is not on frontline services\u201D when it comes to public spending cuts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022 data-id=\u00226efec8c1c984b790c493265b294074d1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226efec8c1c984b790c493265b294074d1\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government) (14:53)\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, the Government is not focused on cutting front-line services. As I said multiple times to the member at the select committee last week, public services did expand very significantly in recent years. Between 2017 and 2023, it grew from approximately 47,000 to over 63,000, which was unsustainable, in our view, and our focus is to deliver better public services that grow smarter and are not simply larger, as New Zealanders expect. The Government has asked each of the core agencies to conduct an exercise to consider how they operate and consider what reductions in staff numbers are feasible. Agencies have a different mix of front-line and back-office staff, and that is the point of the exercise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f03493d8e00a5f3e693852ec760c257\u0022\u003ECamilla Belich\u003C/span\u003E: Does he, then, agree with the mental health Minister\u2019s refusal to rule out cuts to the Suicide Prevention Office?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224485bacd0d06df574b3e010973626106\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I haven\u2019t seen those comments. The purpose of the exercise is for the agencies to consider how they fit within the broader efforts, but in terms of teachers, doctors, nurses, police, they\u2019re outside of this process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c91d1d173ecec3c6b72a1c1af4200964\u0022\u003ECamilla Belich\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the conservation Minister\u2019s refusal to rule out cuts to the Aoraki / Mount Cook rescue team?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b87051edf6e468296197587257c3395\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: Well, there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of people employed across the Department of Conservation, and, like every other department, they will be looking at the whole of the entity and recognising the Government\u2019s statement that it is focused not on front-line services but on back-office operations in particular. If we look over the last couple of years\u2014the two years to June 2025, for example\u2014there was a 15 percent reduction in the number of clerical and administrative roles, a 6 percent reduction in managers, and a 10 percent reduction in policy jobs right across the Public Service and, at the same time, there was an increase in regulatory officers, such as corrections officers and so forth. We are able, as a Government, to distinguish between the front line and those who are supporting them, recognising that we value all workers in the public sector, but we are asking for efficiencies in those operations. I think all New Zealanders will understand that it is very easy just to hire lots of people and go on a hiring spree like the previous Government did, but ultimately, we have to pick up the bill, and that is part of the issue we\u2019re facing as a country and why this Government is doing things differently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3433f0fa69c43935a8cc1a84923259d\u0022\u003ECamilla Belich\u003C/span\u003E: Given his answer that he is able to distinguish between the front line and the back office, does he agree with the workplace relations and safety Minister\u2019s refusal to rule out cuts to the Labour Inspectorate, which investigates exploitation of vulnerable workers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260bd7164b6cc0eadf153d415eaed7634\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: There is an element of repetition to these questions and, indeed, my answers, which is to say that each Government department is tasked with the overall task of reducing its numbers back to somewhere closer to historic norms, and they are going through that exercise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b75cf7903186c62db4c3ef0a05e7072\u0022\u003ECamilla Belich\u003C/span\u003E: Does he, then, still stand by his statement that his focus is not on cutting front-line services, when he has acknowledged today that several of those front-line services are still at risk?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002291c0e777ce3d4711ace36a15c7e22ffe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002284b69d7c132ece4873175759a712d8cd\u0022\u003EHon PAUL GOLDSMITH\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019re going through a process, as a Government, of asking Government departments to reverse some of the hiring spree that went on under the previous Government, and we\u2019re giving them the ability to do that, but we\u2019ve also sent a clear signal that when they\u2019re doing that, they shouldn\u2019t be focusing on the front line; they should be focusing elsewhere. We have every confidence that the ministries, across the board, will be able to do this, recognising\u2014and I just repeat it again for the benefit of the House\u2014there were 47,000 in 2017, and under the six years of the previous administration, that blew out to more than 63,000. That\u2019s one of the reasons why the finances of this country are under considerable strain. We can just carry on as we were and face the consequences of that, or we can address the situation, which is what this Government is doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a1c2c574a240f4f16bfb847d9dbb0d7d\u0022\u003EDebates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022922bd5cfdb33a4aab185532be84af437\u0022\u003EWakari Hospital\u2014Decision to Halt Admission to Ward 10A\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a3e94ab31266eafe6d59fa3fae1a9fcd\u0022\u003EUrgent Debate Declined\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022 data-id=\u0022230e6974aae7d5a6f2a922265f096864\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a2d138cbb839455d9754acbe91a75102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022230e6974aae7d5a6f2a922265f096864\u0022\u003ESPEAKER (14:58)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, I received a letter from Ingrid Leary seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 the decision to halt admissions to ward 10A of the Wakari Hospital. This is a particular case of recent occurrence for which there is ministerial responsibility. As I indicated yesterday, this is an important matter, but I note there are other means of addressing the issue in the House. In her application, the member set out a series of questions she wishes to have answered. Those could be answered through oral questions. Members also have the Budget debate this afternoon, which is very broad in scope. In the very near future, the Estimates debate will be a further opportunity to question Ministers on their plans for health provision. Accordingly, I do not think the application has reached the point of urgency that warrants setting aside the business of the House today to debate it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022486a2c967956f9212b2332dd3a1f60e3\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00222e5fc16a0ad536c2c2fef130d75e745a\u0022\u003EAppropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00222113888900a052b84a3ef13051aaf54b\u0022\u003ESecond Reading\u2014Budget Debate\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000230\u0022\u003EDebate resumed from 23 June on the Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022587d574de1174371be09e431d9060e87\u0022 data-id=\u0022613f9efbf68ff8acb0b3b17f7243169c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022587d574de1174371be09e431d9060e87\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022613f9efbf68ff8acb0b3b17f7243169c\u0022\u003EHon CAMERON BREWER (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs) (14:59)\u003C/span\u003E: Budget 2026 is built around a simple but important concept: fixing the basics and building the future. It is a Budget that secures New Zealand\u2019s future by backing the people who create growth\u2014our businesses, our workers, and our communities.  This Government understands that you cannot build for the future unless you fix the basics first. That means restoring discipline to the Government\u2019s books, it means bringing inflation under control, and it means creating an environment where businesses can invest with confidence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA personal highlight for me, and one which Kiwis can take much confidence from, was the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update, the BEFU, announced on Budget day. Let me just take you through some of the highlights there. Treasury forecasts growth averaging 2.7 percent over the next four years. Treasury also forecasts that 220,000 new jobs are expected to be created. The books are forecast to return to surplus in 2028-29, one year earlier than previously forecast. Inflation is contained and interest rates are easing, and debt is expected to trend down over time. Those are not just economic statistics, they are the foundations of confidence, and confidence is what small businesses tell me they need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, I spend a lot of time on the shopfloor and on the factory floor. These people I meet are very practical people, and they don\u2019t ask for favours. What they ask for is stable settings, sensible regulation, and an economy that rewards hard work. Small businesses account for 97 percent of all enterprises in our great nation. We are a country of small businesses. Around 700,000\u00A0Kiwis work in small business. They sponsor local sports clubs, they support charities, they employ apprentices, and they keep our towns and communities alive. That is why fixing the basics matters so much. Small businesses are often the first to feel the effects of inflation, high interest rates, and economic uncertainty, and they are also the first to invest when confidence returns. Budget 2026 backs those businesses by restoring stability and creating the conditions for investment. This is a Budget that understands prosperity is built from the ground up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn the March 2026 quarter, manufacturing grew by 1.9 percent, as Statistics New Zealand revealed last week. Overall GDP growth for the first quarter of this year was 0.8 percent. Manufacturing grew at more than twice the national rate. In many cases, it was leading the charge. These are New Zealand businesses investing in equipment, taking on apprentices, exporting around the world, and creating highly skilled and well-paid jobs. Manufacturing is proof that, when we create the right economic conditions, New Zealand businesses compete with the best. This Government backs manufacturers, because we back New Zealand making things. That\u2019s why, when we announced a $1.2 billion gas transition loan guarantee scheme, it went down very well. It will help businesses to reduce or eliminate their dependency on gas. The Crown will guarantee 80 percent of eligible bank loans, so businesses can access lower interest rates to switch fuel sources. It\u2019s a great policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBuilding the future also means building the workforce, and one of the most exciting parts of Budget 2026 is our investment in vocational education. University is one path; trades and vocational skills are another. Both deserve equal respect, and in this Government, both get it. Budget 2026 invests $68.9 million to double the trades academy places. We are growing from around 10,000 places today to more than 20,000 places by 2030. That means more young people learning practical skills whilst still at school, and that includes my own local high school in Upper Harbour, Massey High School, which is a leader in trades academies, with kids there literally building K\u0101inga Ora houses on the school campus. We are investing $15 million to establish at least eight new industry-led subjects in secondary schools, as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESubjects like this are coming into our secondary schools: construction and specialist trades, food and fibre, manufacturing and engineering, energy and infrastructure, electrotechnology and information technology, transport, services, education, and health and community. These are practical courses that are being designed by our industry skills boards and aligned with real jobs. I know that our manufacturing advisory group has been meeting with the industry skills board to work on that manufacturing and engineering course. Employers have also been asking for this. In fact, they\u2019ve been asking for a long, long time. They want apprentices, they want welders, they want electricians\u2014they want people graduating with skills that businesses actually need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s this Government that\u2019s committed to vocational training, and it\u2019s this Government that is investing in young people to get there. This Budget delivers exactly that. Vocational education is simply not an education policy; it\u2019s a small business policy, it\u2019s a manufacturing policy, and it\u2019s a building-the-future policy. I see the benefits of this Budget in my own electorate. Growing communities need growing skills\u2014schools, and skills.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt was a pleasure to take the Minister of Education, just a couple of weeks ago, around the new Ta Pae School\u2014the brand new Ta Pae School near Westgate, a brand new primary school that will be open for term 1, 2027. She also announced in my electorate, as well as across the whole of the north of the North Island, many more classrooms: 20 more for Upper Harbour, and an upgrade to Massey High School. So, real investment in Upper Harbour when it comes to education, more schools, and more classrooms. The same principle applies across New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBudget 2026 makes targeted investments into education, health, law and order, and infrastructure. These are the fundamentals that support families, communities, and businesses. Better infrastructure means businesses can move goods more efficiently; stronger public services create stronger communities; and stronger communities support stronger local economies. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat I like most about this Budget is that it has confidence in New Zealanders. We are backing New Zealanders; we\u2019re not getting in their way, we\u2019re getting behind them. Confidence in the tradesmen, confidence in manufacturers, confidence in the small-business owner, confidence in our next generation. This Budget is about fixing the basics above all, and it\u2019s about securing the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to finish up, again, on the BEFU forecasts. The BEFU forecast that the Minister\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d3c85ee968346f2dc599fd12dfb42eb4\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: What does BEFU stand for?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022587d574de1174371be09e431d9060e87\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228f3e8bdb34978ef562445467aab077a7\u0022\u003EHon CAMERON BREWER\u003C/span\u003E: That stands for\u2014 as you well know, Dan Bidois\u2014Budget and Economic Fiscal Update. Dan\u2019s still reading it; he loves rereading these documents. It was released on Budget day, and it shows Treasury\u2019s forecasts. Another 220,000 jobs are expected to be created\u2014another 220,000 jobs. Treasury forecasts growth averaging 2.7 percent over the next four years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002254aa7c61326f4a0395e6e4031c554ba3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ae2f3bf3c1c1a7d0bdf0189dcc2c49c6\u0022\u003EHon Dr Megan Woods\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019ve got another one minute and 15 seconds to go.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022587d574de1174371be09e431d9060e87\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002285c862eb366318d87c1f827770bc0791\u0022\u003EHon CAMERON BREWER\u003C/span\u003E: The books\u2014while the Labour Party can yell, the books are set to return to surplus in 2028/29, one year earlier than previously forecast. Debt\u2014here\u2019s one that the Labour Party wouldn\u2019t have ever heard of\u2014debt is expected to trend down over time. After we inherited all that debt, threefold\u2014threefold debt going up. It is now, as we go through this decade, expected to start trending down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EInflation is contained. Oh, the Opposition won\u2019t like hearing that: inflation is contained. Of course, it got to 7.3 percent under the giddy heights of Labour. And, of course, interest rates are easing, making home ownership and making the cost of living even more affordable. These are not just economic statistics; they are the foundations of confidence. Confidence is what gives small businesses and manufacturers what they need most. This Budget is about the basics, and, above all, securing New Zealand\u2019s future. I commend this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002254aa7c61326f4a0395e6e4031c554ba3\u0022 data-id=\u002258a9c7aebb46abf53c2aa6a7e178052d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002254aa7c61326f4a0395e6e4031c554ba3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002258a9c7aebb46abf53c2aa6a7e178052d\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Labour\u2014Wigram) (15:09)\u003C/span\u003E: This was this Government\u2019s last chance in this Budget to prove to New Zealanders that they got it\u2014whether that be New Zealand households that are sitting at the table thinking: \u201CHow am I going to pay my bills? What am I going to do when the car breaks down? How am I going to make ends meet?\u201D or New Zealand businesses that are struggling to stay afloat. They did not deliver this in Budget 2026.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is a Budget that delivers so much, that even one of the newest members of their ministry struggles to make a 10-minute speech about that Budget. There is nothing more sure of a Government that is on the slide than when newly minted Ministers give speeches that concentrate almost exclusively on their own electorate, trying to shore up their own seat because they know where the party vote is going; they know what is ahead of them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe previous speaker talked about all those indicators that were glowing for small businesses. Well, what he did not talk about was business liquidation being at a 15-year high. What we\u2019re seeing for New Zealand businesses\u2014small, medium, and large\u2014is that they are going under at a greater rate under this Government than they have at any other time. This is because this is a Government that is not delivering for them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat happened when National came into Government? The half-yearly economic update, the first one that Nicola Willis, the Minister of Finance, received in 2023\u2014compare it to what she delivered with this Budget. Well, GDP growth projections of 2.8 percent that she received in that first half-yearly fiscal update are now 1.2 percent. So growth is lower than it was going to be. Unemployment is higher, though. Unemployment was forecast to be 4.8 percent; now 5.5 percent. Inflation was meant to be 2.2 percent; that\u2019s now forecast to be 4 percent. And Government debt is now $4 billion higher than forecast. Under any indicator that you look at, you can see a Government that is failing on the business front.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut I do want to talk about the fact that we had the Minister stand there and say that this was\u2014I wrote it down\u2014a Budget that was delivering for ordinary New Zealanders. Now, let\u2019s have a look at where some of these \u201Csavings\u201D in this Budget came from. I want to talk about the $195.6 million of \u201Csavings\u201D that this Government has extracted by decreasing the amount that someone who cannot pay, who is in a situation where they simply cannot afford to buy food, they cannot afford their rent, and they cannot afford childcare\u2014$195 million is being taken out of those people\u2019s pockets, in the form of the changes to the temporary additional support payment. The Government know\u2014they will have been told\u2014that this will increase poverty, this will increase food insecurity, and this has the potential to render people homeless. These are the kinds of savings that we are seeing in the lines of this Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe are also seeing the changes that are being made to State houses. Now, I\u2019m not just talking about the changes made to the income-related rent supplement levels; I\u2019m talking about the messages that were given by the Minister of Housing, Chris Bishop, around the fact that they\u2019re going to start kicking people out after a certain period of time. I have had a steady train of people through my office\u2014in fact, I\u2019ve had people stopping me when I\u2019ve been doing my shopping, crying about the fear that they now live in that they are going to be kicked out of their homes. This is real. This is what this Budget means to people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESome of these people voted for National at the last election on a promise of $250 a fortnight in tax cuts that were going to make them better; not one of them has received it. The Government cannot point to one single family in this country that receives enough. I have lost count of the people that have said, \u201CThe National Party told me I was going to be better off, but things are harder, things are worse, and there is no way out of this. And I certainly won\u2019t be making that mistake again.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis was the last chance for the Government to prove to New Zealanders that they have their interests at heart, and they certainly have not delivered that. They have delivered more pain for businesses and for households, and they certainly did not deliver hope.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022eb80a9df83044b88a00c174ea7a61925\u0022 data-id=\u0022be3a4da5282257d6a1b3836c836a68b6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb80a9df83044b88a00c174ea7a61925\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022be3a4da5282257d6a1b3836c836a68b6\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE (Labour\u2014Palmerston North) (15:14)\u003C/span\u003E: Kia orana, Mr Speaker. Well, this is a terrible Budget, and when we look at why that is, it is a Budget that has not provided hope for people around the community and the country. It certainly hasn\u2019t provided a lot for people in Palmerston North. It is a terrible Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis was a Government, in the National Party, that was elected, as they say, to fix the cost of living, and the reality in communities all around the country is that they continue to make it worse. They\u2019ve already made it worse; this Budget continues to make it worse. It was, as my colleague the Hon Dr Megan Woods has said, the Government\u2019s last chance to respond to the cries of help that people have been calling out, based on their own experience in communities and in households, and they have failed to deliver. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt is yet another example of Christopher Luxon being completely out of touch with the experience of the hardship that communities all around this country are experiencing every single day of the week. Of course, that comes as no surprise when this is a Government, when we reflect on their priorities\u2014yes, it is a Government that wants to focus on billions for tobacco companies and for property speculators, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen we look at the context of the bigger picture, unemployment continues to rise, particularly for our Pacific community. The costs when it comes to people\u2019s electricity bills, rent, food\u2014all of these things that people need to meet the costs of, they continue to go up. We have people in households who are going cold during winter because they know that they cannot afford to turn on adequate heating. Petrol costs are going up. How much it costs to go to the doctor is going up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETwenty-thousand people who were employed in building and construction in this country have moved on from their jobs. Why? Because this is a Government that has continued along the path of cancellation when it comes to K\u0101inga Ora housing in our communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is a photo that was taken in the Government\u2019s first year of office, and this is land in my electorate of Palmerston North in Church Street where there were 63 one- and two-bedroom homes that were proposed and funded, with resource consent granted for them to be built.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b748db704d3c0b182fc4344f27f935f7\u0022\u003ECamilla Belich\u003C/span\u003E: Where are they?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022eb80a9df83044b88a00c174ea7a61925\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222254d17a5bf9c0bdd9fd7c1abf839d00\u0022\u003ETANGI UTIKERE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, Camilla Belich, I\u2019ll tell you where they are. They\u2019re not on Church Street because the bollards continue to be there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis was a Budget that provided an opportunity to send a really strong signal to people in communities like Palmerston North and elsewhere around the country, that we acknowledge and we understand that there are issues and we are prepared to fix them. To the people of my community that will continue to travel past Church Street and see that those more than 60 homes are still waiting to be built: not under this Government. It is an absolutely terrible Budget, and that\u2019s not just in my community; that is in communities all around this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPerhaps for the rural school buses, there was hope that maybe Erica Stanford and the Government would see the light and return to providing alleviation in terms of cost pressures that households are dealing with right now. Oh no, there\u2019s nothing in the Budget when it comes to supporting households in that particular light.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to public transport, the day before the Budget, I implored the Government to think about what they were going to do to address the concerns about public transport. Were they going to perhaps have a $20 fare cap for Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and $10 everywhere else? Oh no, they weren\u2019t. They had the opportunity in their Budget, but it was not forthcoming.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to fuel excise and road-user charges, just yesterday the Government did not rule out\u2014they did not rule out\u2014the fact that those increases were still going to come. That is yet another example of a Government that is out of touch, where they do not understand that households all around this country continue to do it tough. Fuel tax increases and road-user charge hikes are still on the cards under this Government, and, in actual fact, their revenue forecasts in their Budget depend on those increases. They\u2019re baked in, and that will be another direct hit on households that this Government is not prepared to simply rule out. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOur communities were looking to the Government to provide some certainty for them. Kiwis need certainty right now. They crave certainty, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve provided in ruling out things like the fuel tax increase for next year. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn transport, again, it\u2019s disappointing that it\u2019s not likely that we will have a Government policy statement on land transport in the lead-up to the election, probably because the suite of projects of roads of national significance is over $56 billion and climbing. There\u2019s no sort of plan for how that\u2019s going to be funded under the current Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe priorities in this Budget under the National Government provide nothing for households. It provides nothing for communities that continue to do things tough right now. That is why this Budget is a terrible one.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022 data-id=\u00220eb0f6cc15b4adc812f03f211be8fc96\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002224cf2b07c863455d8ff343c5bc53b590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220eb0f6cc15b4adc812f03f211be8fc96\u0022\u003EHon MATT DOOCEY (Minister for Mental Health) (15:20)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Look, for those listeners and viewers today having to experience Tangi Utikere and Megan Woods, the conclusion they would come to is that it\u2019s the same old Labour; nothing has changed. The crocodile tears come out, but, in fact, what the public wants is just an apology\u2014an apology for the state they left the country in three years ago. The rose-tinted\u2014or should I say \u201Cred-tinted\u201D\u2014glasses are out for what was comprehensively a failed socialist experiment. If those members want to talk about affordability and the pressures of affordability on everyday Kiwis today, all I need to point to is the 7 percent inflation rate under that last Government. Inflation is a thief in the night, and under them, affordability went backwards for everyday Kiwis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETangi Utikere talked about housing. Think about KiwiBuild, an absolute failure: trying to build 100,000 houses. They even had the nerve to talk about education, where, under their watch, 50 percent of our kids were not going to school. You\u2019ve got to listen very clearly to their language, because what they\u2019re starting to frame this as is the need for Labour to intervene in your life. That\u2019s their modus operandi: State planning and socialism. They want to get into your life and make the decisions for you, whereas, on this side of the House, we want to create the economic environment and the economic settings, and then get out of your way so that you can go on and flourish.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENothing was more emblematic of the last failed socialist experiment of that Labour Government than mental health. Remember the $1.9 billion? The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, in their last report for the last Labour Government, said that despite the $1.9 billion for mental health, it had made no material improvement. Last week, this Government welcomed the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission report on the performance of this Government. They found significant improvement. Waiting times had come down, access rates had increased, workforce vacancy rates had come down, and the number of people in the workforce had increased. Workforce diversity had increased as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt shows you that it\u2019s not just how much money you spend; it\u2019s where you spend it\u2014targeted investment\u2014and that\u2019s why, under Budget 2026, I welcome the targeted investment into better mental health. Over $100 million is going into better support the Government\u2019s mental health plan, faster access to support, more front-line workers, and a better crisis response. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s why, in Budget 2026, we\u2019re investing for the first time into a new registration\u2014one of the first health registrations we\u2019ll see in New Zealand in over a decade. I\u2019m going to meet those students in the middle of July at the University of Canterbury. That\u2019s the new psychology assistant role. They\u2019re hitting campuses around New Zealand, and they\u2019ll hit the workforce next year. That\u2019s why, through this Budget 2026 investment, we\u2019re funding an extra 150 full-time equivalents of psychology assistants at the front line. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOn top of the 11 percent increase we\u2019ve seen in the mental health and addiction workforce since coming to office, there is a 19 percent increase in the child and adolescent mental health workforce. Why? Because the Ombudsman said to the last Government, \u201CYou have no plan for the mental health workforce.\u201D We published ours in our first year and $44 million went into it. We\u2019ve seen clinical psychology double, psychiatry increase by 50 percent, and an 11 percent increase in the front-line workforce. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENot only that, there is faster access to support. The data is out today for quarter three of the financial year: 83 percent of Kiwis are accessing primary mental health and addiction support within one week, and 82 percent of Kiwis are accessing specialist mental health and addiction support within three weeks. That\u2019s been a real game-changer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat did the last lot do? Their approach to the post code lottery\u2014remember it? They took a wrecking ball to our health system in the middle of a pandemic, put all of the control in Wellington, and said, \u201CWellington knows best. Wellington knows better about your health system than local communities.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat has this Government done? On 1 July, we\u2019re returning local decision-making to the front line to decide about service delivery, budgets, and workforce. That\u2019s why we\u2019re investing more into one of the most important times in a parent\u2019s and child\u2019s life\u2014that\u2019s maternal mental health\u2014not only to increase the investment into our specialist services but also to roll out new roles of peer support, lived-experience workers in our maternal mental health services. That will be a game-changer. On top of that, we have further investment into community and NGO services for better maternal mental health support. That\u2019s our front-line NGO community and iwi providers, who know their community, know how to engage their community, and know how to make a real difference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen you look at our third priority\u2014faster access to support and a better crisis response\u2014sadly, in New Zealand, quite often when you call 111 in a physical health crisis, you get a health response, and in a mental health crisis, you get a criminal justice response. That\u2019s why this Government is rolling out 10 new mental health co-response teams across the country, so that in a time of need in a time of mental health crisis, if you call 111, you will have a mental health professional coming out to your house. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut it can\u2019t just stop there. When you go to the emergency department (ED) under this Government, you no longer wait hours in the emergency department\u2014brightly lit, noisy, with a lot of people\u2014with two police officers with taser guns; you are fast-tracked within one hour of getting into an emergency department, to be seen by mental health professionals. But it doesn\u2019t stop there. Too often, people are stuck in emergency departments after being assessed because there is no availability of beds. That\u2019s why, under Budget 2026, there\u2019s significant investment into opening up a number of mental health in-patient beds. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWould you believe that when we came into office, there were dozens of mental health in-patient beds sitting there unfunded, and they weren\u2019t open to respond to the need and that demand. You\u2019ve got to question: where did the $1.9 billion go? No one knows where it goes, and I\u2019ll tell you what. Typical of a Labour Government, they raised expectations for some of the most vulnerable Kiwis and then failed to deliver. As the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission said, it was $1.9 billion with no material improvement. Only a former Labour Government could spend $2 billion and not make a difference. That\u2019s why we\u2019re opening up more in-patient beds\u2014to ensure that people get faster access when they come into ED in a time of crisis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI do want to highlight one more investment out of Budget 2026: forensic mental health. It\u2019s probably an area that does not get the profile it deserves. Sadly, we have too many prisoners who need specialist mental health support and who wait too long. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBudget 2025 has $51 million to open up more beds, not only in our forensic mental health facilities\u2014I opened a new forensic in-patient facility in Waikato recently because of that $51 million investment\u2014but also stepped down here, in the community. We continue with that investment in forensic mental health today with Budget 2026, investing a further $36 million. That will provide more forensic mental health in-patient beds. It will also deliver more prison in-reach, which is mental health support for our prisoners in corrections facilities who need that specialist support, as well as court liaison for those going through the court system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere is a lot to do in mental health, but I would point you to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission report last week that said that there was significant improvement. I\u2019d point you to the data today that shows Kiwis are accessing mental health faster than ever before. I\u2019d point you to the continuing investment of Budget 2026.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c4ca4cc5411f4905b1e974d906283186\u0022 data-id=\u00223effc5ddf3aec76a6be46369a3a9cdcf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4ca4cc5411f4905b1e974d906283186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223effc5ddf3aec76a6be46369a3a9cdcf\u0022\u003EMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te Tai Tokerau) (15:30)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Speaker. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare\u003C/span\u003E. Budget 2026 is not a Budget of transformation; it is a Budget of maintenance. Most\u2014much of what\u2014I\u2019ll try these, shall I? [\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EPuts on reading glasses\u003C/span\u003E] Yes, there we go. Much of what has been presented as investment is simply the redistribution of existing funding. Money is moved from one pocket to another, repackaged as progress, and sent out for the headlines. It\u2019s all smokescreens and mirrors. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is a holding-the-line Budget. Growth is forecast at around 1.2 percent this year. The Government is running a deficit of approximately $12 billion. Government debt is projected to rise from around 42 percent of gross domestic product to 46 percent next year. At the same time, inflation remains elevated and the cost-of-living pressures continue to bite. Those realities matter because Budgets are ultimately about choices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIf you are wealthy, this Budget asks very little of you, but if you are a family already choosing between food and power bills, or are unemployed, M\u0101ori, or a woman, you are helping fund this Government\u2019s pathway back to surplus. The Government has chosen to prioritise fiscal restraint while expecting households to absorb more of the burden. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENowhere is that burden more visible than in M\u0101ori communities. M\u0101ori unemployment has risen to 11.5 percent. M\u0101ori under-utilisation now sits at 22.3 percent. Nearly one in four M\u0101ori rangatahi aged 15 to 24 are not in employment, education, or training. For Te Tai Tokerau, it is what we call poverty in paradise. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOur midwives are increasingly supporting m\u0101m\u0101 who cannot afford adequate nutrition throughout their pregnancy. Appointments are missed because transport costs too much. Medication is delayed because every dollar has already been spoken for. These realities breed environments for domestic violence. This intensifies the risk for m\u0101m\u0101 and p\u0113pe. Addiction levels are rising, and babies are more frequently born pre-term, where survival is a struggle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to discuss this in the context of the four-page child poverty report in this year\u2019s Budget, where one of the pages is a diagram, and nowhere within is the word \u201CM\u0101ori\u201D mentioned once. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b7cff05e64f346e68983b2fdbfba3ad8\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0dcc8f298675714eaa3677e9d0eb296\u0022\u003EDan Bidois\u003C/span\u003E: A picture is worth a thousand words.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4ca4cc5411f4905b1e974d906283186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c5b585e6b628dac12a07cc6da7e4e3d\u0022\u003EMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI\u003C/span\u003E: Considering our tamariki were not mentioned once\u2014that\u2019s you and I, Dan\u2014in that report, I will take the chance now to say that around 25 percent of tamariki M\u0101ori live in material hardship. That represents approximately 77,000 M\u0101ori children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENationally, around 170,000 children are living in hardship, meaning households are going without essentials such as heating, food, healthcare, clothing, and keeping up with the bills. A nation that tolerates 170,000 tamariki in poverty is not short of resources, but, rather, political will. The question is not whether we can afford to end child poverty, but, rather, if we\u2019ll choose to, because the cost of hardship does not disappear; it reappears elsewhere. It has appeared in this year\u2019s Budget for health, corrections and social services. Those figures suggest a system that remains heavily focused on intervention after harm has occurred, rather than preventing harm in the first place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAcross multiple Votes, I questioned Ministers and officials in the recent scrutiny time about performance measures relating to M\u0101ori outcomes. Increasingly, those measures are being removed, narrowed, or absorbed into broader reporting frameworks. Without transparent reporting, Parliament loses its ability to assess whether public spending is actually improving outcomes for M\u0101ori communities, but it also tells us who is expected to carry the burden while those targets are pursued. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI agree with Ganesh Nana that the brunt of this Budget sits on M\u0101ori wh\u0101nau. \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EM\u014D Te Tai Tokerau, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EFor Te Tai Tokerau, greetings to us all.\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022420f72e8bcc84c869a366ff712af8e49\u0022 data-id=\u0022316d6ef078cb1f360c7a2cd2f7bfdbad\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022420f72e8bcc84c869a366ff712af8e49\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022316d6ef078cb1f360c7a2cd2f7bfdbad\u0022\u003EHANA-RAWHITI MAIPI-CLARKE (Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2014Hauraki-Waikato) (15:35)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka. Otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare\u003C/span\u003E. I rise today to speak on the outcomes of Budget 2026. Budget is where every citizen in this country gets to see where their taxpayer money is going. Right now, across the world, so many countries are experiencing what we call a polycrisis: multiple crises happening at once, when we think of fuel, shelter, food and climate devastation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, when this happens, we should have Budgets produced by Governments and a tax system that can quickly relieve short-term pressures and create long-term solutions, not making it harder. These crises are felt internationally on the international indigenous scale, but also felt here on a national scale and into our local communities: the polycrisis of food, fuel, shelter, climate\u2014\u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EtangataTiriti, taiao, and tahua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to food, this country can make $450 million worth of food productivity for the rest of the world, and yet the 5 million that live here in this country are in food poverty and can barely afford the $11 butter that is at the grocery store. For many wh\u0101nau who work in AFFCO, Tegal, and Fonterra, who make the food on our whenua with 87 percent of the diary and meat being exported across overseas, it shouldn\u2019t have to be a luxury to buy the food that you make on your own whenua and land. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe wider Waikato region exported approximately $14.4 billion worth of goods in 2025. Hauraki-Waikato is consistently over-delivering in this country\u2019s economy. It is 10 percent to 30 percent cheaper for New Zealand meat over in Australia than here at home in Aotearoa. All GST should be removed from the receipt of your grocery shop spending when it comes to food, and we should see our own country starting to have conversations on how we can break down the supermarket duopoly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to fuel, around 44 percent of the petrol price is taxed. Nearly half of what you pay at the pump goes to the Government. During a fuel crisis, this Budget and Government should have made public transport free and removed road-user charges temporarily. That\u2019s why you see the majority of people in Hamilton going to the NPD on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because that\u2019s when it\u2019s on a freeze.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to shelter and housing, during this winter, we saw this Government come out with move-on orders, which literally translates to \u201CPeople can arrest you if you haven\u2019t moved in a certain location, even if you\u2019re homeless.\u201D This is not a supply issue. There are enough houses in this country to house every single person in Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to climate, we have never had so many states of emergency in this country due to climate crises than in the three months of this year, and after three months of work consistently, we\u2019ve only seen one out of the 19 fast-track projects that were detrimental to Hauraki-Waikato in the mining and fast-track projects be cancelled. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo with those four crises outlined in this year\u2019s Budget, what was actually done by this Government to relieve those pressures of all these crises happening at once for our wh\u0101nau and communities, who suffer the brunt? Now, when it comes to crises, it affects our most vulnerable, and that\u2019s when our system shows how unfair it actually is. The New Zealand tax system literally protects 150 people who own more than half of this country\u2019s wealth. They are the top wealthiest 1 percent of the country, who pay only 9 percent in tax and earn over $26 million a year, while the rest of the country pay 22 percent to 33 percent in tax. We are not saying to bring the rich down; we\u2019re literally just saying that they should pay their fair share. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThese are our teachers, nurses, the people who create the food for our country\u2019s economy globally. These are our front-line workers. Now, what have they gotten out of this Budget in 2026, and where has their taxpayer money gone to? \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 r\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka\u003C/span\u003E.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022297bc572c27f45308dffb067ca3e7915\u0022 data-id=\u00227545ab4177150bb55acfbfc4b783fb6a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022297bc572c27f45308dffb067ca3e7915\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227545ab4177150bb55acfbfc4b783fb6a\u0022\u003EDr HAMISH CAMPBELL (National\u2014Ilam) (15:40)\u003C/span\u003E: Excellent\u2014thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise in support of this Budget because it\u2019s helping secure New Zealand\u2019s future by getting us back to surplus earlier, while still investing in the drive for better health and education and law and order outcomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe Opposition wants us to get out the cash bazooka and spray money around in every direction. I\u2019ll answer that directly, because that rests on the confusion in this country, that we can no longer afford: a confusion between spending money and solving a problem, and that is exactly what we can do. Anybody can open the books and absolutely empty them out. It takes no courage to hand out what you don\u2019t have. It takes no wisdom to call a debt a gift. But let\u2019s be honest about what un-targeting funding actually does: it pours money indiscriminately into the economy, which actually drives prices up\u2014exactly what we are trying to fix. It doesn\u2019t fight the fire; it feeds it. Why would you treat the disease with a larger dose of poison?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s be clear what we\u2019re actually doing here: we are making sure that we are building a solid foundation for New Zealand so that our wages and job growth can outpace the cost of groceries and our prices. That is the way we\u2019re going to help New Zealand. We need to help the families in front of us, and not penalise the future generations that are coming along.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s start where we plan to continue. Let\u2019s start with health, because, of course, the last Government did a restructure of the healthcare system during the pandemic. What we saw was wait-lists balloon, we saw people waiting for knees and hips for far too long, we saw people not being able to access their GPs. Well, we have added an extra $5.5 billion into the healthcare budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor the first time in New Zealand\u2019s history, we have a 10-year health infrastructure plan so that communities around the country can see what is coming. Because a number of our hospitals are well over 47 years old, we need to make sure we have a programme in place to actually replace that. We are lowering the age of bowel cancer screening to 56 so that cancer is caught early and not more later. It strengthens our ambulances, because, of course, many New Zealanders know that in times of need, we need ambulances to get out and help.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt funds more medicines through Pharmac. In previous Budgets, we\u2019ve already increased Pharmac funding by $604 million; this Budget is adding another $54 million to that pot. These are medications that New Zealanders can access\u201433 new cancer medications already. With a total of 57 new medications approved, we\u2019re going to see even more medicines. These are going to affect the life of all New Zealanders. This Budget also gives new mothers the right to stay where she is cared for, rather than being sent home too early. As I say, this is the first time in New Zealand\u2019s history that we\u2019ve got an infrastructure plan: a $55 billion increase for health funding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow let\u2019s move to education, because, of course, our children are the future of this country, and if we can get the basics of our education right, then the future of New Zealand will be well suited. There\u2019s another $470 million of capital investment to redevelop up to 10 schools, deliver 232 additional classrooms, and also buy land for new schools. We are putting education as a priority for the country, and it is going to pay off handsomely in the future for our children. We are doubling the number of trade academies to 20,000 people, because, as I said, the children are the future of this country. We need to fix the basics now to build for the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA Government is not judged by how loudly it spends money or how much cash it blows without actually having results; it is judged by the reforms that it can drive and that we can actually deliver these services for all New Zealanders. We\u2019ve had more spending in the law and order space, defence, and foreign affairs. This is a Budget which is fixing the basics and building the future. It is going to secure the future for New Zealand. Therefore, I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b27d8609c612411686d517d0f9b09b28\u0022 data-id=\u00223befe788f26d665baf6157454136a896\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b27d8609c612411686d517d0f9b09b28\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223befe788f26d665baf6157454136a896\u0022\u003EDAVID MacLEOD (National\u2014New Plymouth) (15:44)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. This debate is about the Budget that is before us, the Budget that is for the year of 2026-27.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EJust as a brief explanation for those viewing at home, people may think that once the Budget has been read by the finance Minister, the money is there ready to be spent. Well, that is not quite the case. We actually go through quite a process, and enacting the bill that we are debating is actually what allows the Government to go on and do its spending that it releases within the Budget. Another part of the process is actually the imprest bill that was read, or spoken to, prior to this. We need that bill there to allow the Government to be able to spend money between the time of the end of the financial year and when this bill comes into enactment. That\u2019s just a very basic \u201C101\u201D of what we\u2019ve been doing in recent times here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the areas that\u2019s of extreme interest to me is the role that I play as chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. Within M\u0101ori affairs, we have just recently conducted some scrutiny hearings with regards to Te Tari Whakatau, which is the Government department that deals with the Treaty settlements; but also M\u0101ori development, which is in the spheres of Te Puni K\u014Dkiri (TPK). They have different Ministers for both of those particular entities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut I do want to briefly talk to Te Tari Whakatau with regards to the settlement. As a little bit of an update, the Government of the day has completed just north of 100 settlements, and, of those 100 settlements, the high 80s are actually do with iwi. We have settlements that are of a non - particular singular iwi basis, which are with the likes of Taranaki Maunga, where there\u2019s multiple iwi; the Whanganui Awa; the Te Ureweras; and all that type of stuff. There are settlements associated with pan-iwi on most occasions that are not specifically a singular iwi settlement, but of the iwi of New Zealand, we\u2019ve currently settled about just north of 85 of those. There are quite some more to come. They say that there are up to another 50 settlements still to be enacted there, but progress is being made, and, of course, every Budget actually allows for that journey to continue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWith Te Tari Whakatau, they also have the takutai moana determinations within it also. There is allowance within the Budget that is associated with helping our iwi to be able to go through their process with regards to takutai moana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWith regards to Te Puni K\u014Dkiri, I\u2019d love to actually mention one of, what you might call, their ethoses, or the ways in which they conduct their businesses, and it\u2019s said by the line of \u201Cwh\u0101nau-centred, locally led, Government-enabled\u201D. That there is, basically, where Te Puni K\u014Dkiri goes out on the whenua, out to hap\u016B and wh\u0101nau, and endeavours to enable them to succeed. But it\u2019s very much a bottom-up scenario, rather than a top-down scenario, and it works. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI heard a speech from a member on the Opposition there about how it\u2019s endeavouring to use data to look at the success of some of the programmes that are happening within TPK. It\u2019s great to see that they\u2019re capturing data. It\u2019s going into the IDI\u2014the central government data-capturing centre\u2014and, hopefully, that there is going to help in securing more funding for some of these great programmes that are there in this space.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI look very simply with regard to the Budget. I think about my own homestead, my own family, my wife, and I, and about how we actually budget for ourselves as we traverse through our life and that, and it always comes down to choices. The choices are dictated by the revenue\u2014the amount of money that we earn as a couple\u2014but we most definitely have to make choices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI think it\u2019s fair to say\u2014and I hear it across the House\u2014that there are many spaces that we would like to spend more money. This is primarily in Public Service with regards to health, education, law and order, and all the necessary stuff that we all play to. But, simply, we have choices to be made with what we are generating. We are not a Government of wanting to tax more and to borrow more. We are wanting to get to a point of surplus to repay debts and to make our country far more better-positioned to handle some of the catastrophes that we deal with from time to time. This Budget is most definitely about fixing the basics and building the future. I commend it to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002233a8db41ad0c4278b7eb829406824bb5\u0022 data-id=\u00223288e7268f149f7c4b6afeceb824c5c3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002233a8db41ad0c4278b7eb829406824bb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223288e7268f149f7c4b6afeceb824c5c3\u0022\u003ESTEVE ABEL (Green) (15:49)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise to speak to the Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill. This bill demonstrates a long-evident agenda of this Government to cut funding to environmental protections. Specifically, over the course of three years, we see $165 million in cuts to the Department of Conservation (DOC). Similarly, we see in this bill expressed a greater funding of what is labelled \u201CRegional Infrastructure Fund\u201D. You can read between the lines on what a Government\u2019s agenda is through the likes of an appropriation bill like this. So soon after the Budget, we see in other legislation before the House the manifesting of that agenda, which is one which sees DOC have its funding cut at the same time as there is legislation that is brought to open up DOC to commercial exploitation\u2014i.e., our conservation estate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI wonder how much of the Regional Infrastructure Fund in the appropriations bill will go towards the mining of our conservation land. I wonder how the Department of Conservation, with its cuts to its funding, will be able to actually deal with the concessions it is expected to deal with for mining facilitation\u2014the mining consents that are no doubt going to be applied for. We see today the extent of the mineral deposits\u2014those listed by the Government as critical minerals that it\u2019s interested in extracting. We see how much of those are on Department of Conservation land in a map released today by Greenpeace.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, is it any accident that that exploitation of conservation land coincides with an appropriation that drops the funding to the Department of Conservation? Is it a likely pathway to DOC becoming a mining facilitator, rather than a protector of the conservation estate? Indeed, the language in another bill before the House expects that the Department of Conservation should be focused on exploitation to the greatest degree practicable of that conservation estate. So this appropriation paves the way for a Government that has been the most radically anti-environmental Government in certainly my lifetime and possibly in New Zealand history.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut I wonder if it will become the last Budget of this Government, because they have misread the room on the extent to which New Zealanders value our conservation estate; the extent to which we expect the Department of Conservation to be appropriately funded to take care of the extraordinary species, the taonga species that exist within those estates; the extent to which we appreciate the ability to enter those magnificent Gondwanan forests, to walk through those crystal clear rivers, to hear the birdsong of the k\u014Dkako and the k\u0101k\u0101, and to know that we can enjoy those without them being exploited or risked or sold off or dug up for mining by a foreign mining company. Those are not the expectations that New Zealanders have of how any Government should fund that extraordinary asset that is something that we are all obliged to care for and treasure, because it is, indeed, the inheritance of our children and our grandchildren. This Government seems intent on running that inheritance down through its failure to properly fund environmental protections and specifically our Department of Conversation. We have to wonder if their intention is to sell it off because they are not funding the care of it. Here, telegraphed in this appropriation, we see that intention demonstrated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt was about 16 years ago that a Government proposed to open up the conservation estate to mining, and they got a pretty big shock when 40,000 people marched up Queen Street against that proposal. It seems that the lessons of history that are not learned: those who do not learn them are doomed to repeat those lessons. Here we have a Government that has not learned the lesson of how New Zealanders expect our conservation to be cared for, not to be exploited and extracted from.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI also wonder, when we understand that there is a clear ideology around what economic development looks like that sees a massive rise in our cost of living, that sees an underfunding across the board of our public services, a decline in the ability of those public services to deliver the most basic needs and expectations of New Zealanders: good healthcare, accessible education, good housing, good public transport\u2014all of those things that are actually a benchmark for a thriving country. Instead, we see a greater polarisation of wealth inequality. We see the highest rates of homelessness that we have ever seen in our history. We see one in seven children in poverty\u2014the highest rates of poverty that we\u2019ve ever seen in this country. And what do we have? A Government that has been\u2014how should be put it?\u2014miserly with its willingness to actually protect those who are most vulnerable and those who are most in need of being cared for in our society.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMy final point is that one feels that the coalition has let the flanks of the major party drag it to more extreme focuses. It has failed to actually represent what most New Zealanders think are the appropriate focuses of any Government: that birthright of all New Zealanders to swim in clean rivers, to fish in abundant oceans, to walk in healthy native forests, and to live in a society where everybody thrives, no matter what their background, no matter what their circumstances of birth. That is a thing that this appropriation fails to step up to. That is a thing that this Government has failed to meet in the basic values of New Zealanders. It is my sincere belief that this will be a one-term Government for the exact reason that a Budget such as the one before us has not dealt with the essential values and principles that New Zealanders stand for. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002232632704a2594ee1b96e617d06beae80\u0022 data-id=\u0022cae42f18beeabad0e274fe046d9811c7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232632704a2594ee1b96e617d06beae80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cae42f18beeabad0e274fe046d9811c7\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour\u2014Mt Albert) (15:57)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. I respect the views that have just been shared about this Budget. What I would say is that my own instinct when I saw the Budget played out and the legislation that came into urgency was that it was very, very lacklustre. It\u2019s interesting that the Government seems to have decided its new word is going to be \u201Cambition\u201D, after \u201Ctemporary\u201D, \u201Ctargeted\u201D, and something else. There\u2019s no ambition in this Budget. There\u2019s actually a defeat in this Budget for ordinary people. There\u2019s just nothing there for them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo I wanted to talk about why I thought that was particularly important in terms of what I\u2019m seeing in my electorate. I\u2019ve got this really wonderful market in the electorate called Wesley, and it\u2019s not a farmer\u2019s market like Matakana; it\u2019s a farmer\u2019s market with growers bringing in cheap carrots. It has lots of women\u2014Chinese women\u2014selling little amounts of things that you couldn\u2019t get anywhere else because they\u2019re used by the Chinese community, so quite different vegetables and they\u2019re very cheap. And they sell duck eggs and other really quite special stuff, but the big thing about it is it\u2019s very cheap in comparison to our supermarkets. I talked to those people who are coming to that market, scratching out what they\u2019ve got, and they\u2019ve all got stories about why it is that they\u2019re earning a lot of money\u2014and they\u2019re not. They\u2019re not earning much money at all. A lot of them haven\u2019t been able to find jobs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere are people who have come in as part of the refugee quota or they\u2019ve come in from war-torn countries, like Afghanistan, and they haven\u2019t been able to find work for a long time, and young women who\u2019ve done all the right things\u2014they\u2019ve gone, and they\u2019ve studied, and they\u2019ve become engineers\u2014can\u2019t find work. That\u2019s the environment which means that there just isn\u2019t enough money to make ends meet at the moment. I\u2019m proud of the fact that Labour has a policy that addresses just that direct need that people have\u2014particularly the one about public transport, because I can see those women and those people being able to lock in the expense of public transport at $20 in Auckland. That will make a big difference to our students etc.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI just can\u2019t see anything, in this Budget, coming to help people with things like energy bills and food bills. I just cannot see it. I was thinking about one example of this, which is the decision the Government made to up the rate that it gave home-care workers when they drove their cars to places. That was an upping of the rate to 82c from 62c. Now, that was proudly described as \u201Ctemporary\u201D. It was only going to happen for a short time. How much do we get, as parliamentarians, for our mileage? We get $1.20 or $1.30 and it\u2019s not temporary. That\u2019s how much it costs. That\u2019s how much it actually costs, because that\u2019s what the AA says it costs. We don\u2019t prioritise, at the present time, a group of workers who are on about $25, maybe, to $32 an hour. They help people, like my parents, to stay in their home, and they\u2019re gold. They\u2019re people who we need doing that work, and we\u2019re paying them peanuts. When we look at them under stress because of a fuel crisis, what this Government decides to do is to give them 82c temporarily, back to 62c the minute we see a shift. That\u2019s what these people have been given.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s a lack of values in the decisions this Government is making. There\u2019s a kind of punitiveness towards anybody who wants to help anyone in their work. That\u2019s apparently not what we\u2019re after. We\u2019re after a class of people who are supposed to produce a lot, which is all supposed to trickle down to the others. The others, who are all of us, really, are seen as some sort of parasite rather than the heart of New Zealand. For me, those people are the heart of New Zealand. I am grateful, every day, to those home-care workers who go in and help my 95-year-old father and my mother with dementia survive in their own home. This Budget doesn\u2019t give those people enough\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225322e0a4529b497cbc59faf0515037dd\u0022 data-id=\u0022e8981dbbb1dc998d067bf8ceff438624\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225322e0a4529b497cbc59faf0515037dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e8981dbbb1dc998d067bf8ceff438624\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour) (16:03)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EE mihi ana ki a koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa\u003C/span\u003E. I want to reflect on this year\u2019s Budget and Wh\u0101nau Ora. What we know in this Whare, in this House, is that Wh\u0101nau Ora works because it backs wh\u0101nau. It doesn\u2019t back bureaucracy; it trusts communities and wh\u0101nau to know what support is best for their people out there. When families are struggling with housing costs, with food prices, with health needs, and with rising unemployment, the answer is not less investment in Wh\u0101nau Ora; it\u2019s more. One of the honours, I guess, of working as the Opposition spokesperson for Wh\u0101nau Ora is that there is some connection between this side and that side, in that we agree, most of all, that Wh\u0101nau Ora works. I honour our kahurangi Tariana Turia for the work and the idea that has forged the pathway through to today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOver the past few months, I have visited Wh\u0101nau Ora providers on the ground at grass roots to hear directly from them about the issues that wh\u0101nau are presenting to them. The things that they tell me are that things are getting more expensive for people out there. More people are presenting on their doorsteps, but, most of all, they\u2019ve seen shifts in the increasing number of rangatahi that are tuning up on their doorsteps.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn this Budget, what they wanted to see is a little bit of hope. They wanted to see additional funding that recognised the needs that they have communicated to this Government. They didn\u2019t want to see how a wonderful data system can inform Budgets of the future. They wanted to see how this Budget in 2026 can create the change and help the need tomorrow. The reality of this Government is that while they\u2019ve taken an axe to all things M\u0101ori, almost, in this term, with Wh\u0101nau Ora, there was the opportunity to put some backing behind our kaiwhiriwhiri, our navigators. Instead, this Budget asked them to do the same\u2014to do more with less. That says, \u201CHopefully, one day we\u2019ll be able to expand the reach out into different communities, out in the regions.\u201D, but that day is not today, because our fantastic data that we talk about hasn\u2019t informed this Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOn top of this, the Minister tells me that there hasn\u2019t even been any recognition of the wait-list that Wh\u0101nau Ora providers have told him about. That response says that there are at least 90 wh\u0101nau out there that have presented since back in October and that are still on that wait-list, waiting to access the service and waiting to access the help that this Government is responsible for delivering. The reality is that these providers, in good faith and with goodwill as good M\u0101ori and Pacific people, are out there providing the services over and above without the resources that they need to do their job to connect individuals and wh\u0101nau with the Government services that they need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat we wanted to see was increased funding, even a lift to increase the number of navigators and kaiwhiriwhiri to engage directly with those wh\u0101nau. It\u2019s not necessarily additional resources; it\u2019s putting people in jobs to help connect these individuals with the services and support that the Government is responsible for providing. That is not what our Wh\u0101nau Ora providers have seen. There\u2019s not additional investment in Wh\u0101nau Ora, a kaupapa that works, a kaupapa that we know changes lives and outcomes of not just one individual but of the wh\u0101nau that live in our community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022df3e6766443b46819410ad4fedf34077\u0022 data-id=\u0022a6df2e6204bc9941ef8e532ba17a1128\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022df3e6766443b46819410ad4fedf34077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a6df2e6204bc9941ef8e532ba17a1128\u0022\u003ESTUART SMITH (National\u2014Kaik\u014Dura) (16:08)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s a great privilege to speak in this Budget debate, and it\u2019s actually, essentially, what you would expect: we\u2019re singing its praises, and, of course, the Opposition is not. I thought I\u2019d reflect on what\u2019s actually happening on the ground. Mr Speaker, I know you\u2019re a follower of these things, and it\u2019s really important to get the feedback on how this Budget is going down and what the mood in the country is.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIf I start at the Fieldays, I know a number of colleagues across the House attended the Fieldays, and it was a really good opportunity to take the pulse of the nation and certainly the rural nation. It was magnificent. Actually, people were really buoyant. They\u2019re confident, and they, I think, were enjoying their time in the sun because it\u2019s been a long way back for a lot of them. I don\u2019t know whether the tools were ringing that much, but, certainly, farmers are paying down debt, and that mood went right across it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt was great to actually come across the wilding pine trust at the Fieldays. Mr Speaker, I don\u2019t know if you got a chance to go along there and look at the great work that was done there, but I thought I\u2019d tell you a little story about that. Years ago, one of the most famous or infamous\u2014depending on which side of the House you came from\u2014politicians, Sir Robert Muldoon, wrote a letter guaranteeing that if wilding pines got out of control, the Government would do something about it. And at last, we are. It\u2019s been a long time coming.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe only got in this position, Mr Speaker, as I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware, because the old Forest Service and the catchment boards decided they were going to stop erosion, and really stop a natural process, and they were going to plant all these trees. They\u2019ve, unfortunately, planted trees that would thrive in New Zealand, but their seed is so light that actually the wind-blown seed rain\u2014it\u2019s called\u2014is causing havoc in New Zealand. So to have that $109 million over four years\u2014I think it is\u2014is a magnificent step in the right direction. It\u2019s a heck of a job to get on top of it, but on top of it we must get. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe positive feeling in the rural sector went on when I went to the Taimate bull sale, and that\u2019s in my electorate just north of Ward, and the Hickman\u2019s are great farmers there and they set a New Zealand record for their bull at $168,000. I thought, \u201CWow, that was great\u201D. It was a magnificent animal. But then of course Kaharau sold a bull just this week for $220,000 and set another record. Now, that\u2019s fantastic. And that\u2019s on the back of the demand for beef, for our beef. Of course, to have beef, you\u2019ve got to have bulls. It\u2019s magnificent for the rural sector, but it\u2019s great for those guys that put everything on the line, and they stand there that day and that\u2019s the only day they earn their money. So if it goes well, they have a good year. And believe me, I\u2019ve been to a few where it\u2019s been quite sad. So to see farmers doing really well is great.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe SOPI report, the Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries, has come out recently and is predicting $70 billion of agriculture exports by 2030. So, you know, everything\u2019s up, dairy\u2019s up $27 billion, up by 16 percent. Horticulture\u2019s up by $8.4 billion, which is 19 percent, which is a huge uptick largely led by kiwifruit, of course. Meat and wool are up $12.3 billion, up 8 percent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s not all happy days; the wine industry is going through a tough time at the moment. I was at Grape Days in Marlborough in Blenheim on Monday, and, you know, the industry\u2019s got itself to where it is at the moment, which is that supply has grown faster than demand. But despite what the rest of the world is doing, in the report that Philip Gregan, the retiring CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers, gave on the market, it\u2019s clear that while demand is slightly reducing in most of the markets, in all markets we sell into, New Zealand wine demand and sales are going up. So it\u2019s a positive story. But we do have to get that supply back in balance with demand, and that\u2019s what drives it\u2014it\u2019s an immutable supply and demand story, and it\u2019s just a pity it got out of whack. But it\u2019ll come back and there is some sign of that, but quite a lot of grapes are being pulled out around the country and I really feel for those people involved. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022 data-id=\u00229e620ec711122e6604bc1c43a4f508b2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229e620ec711122e6604bc1c43a4f508b2\u0022\u003EGRANT McCALLUM (National\u2014Northland) (16:13)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Look, it is with real privilege I rise to support this Budget. It\u2019s an excellent Budget. It\u2019s a responsible Budget in difficult times, and I hope I wake up the member over there, she\u2019s yawning a bit, but that\u2019s OK, I\u2019m sure by the end of it she\u2019ll be awake.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a Budget that\u2019s about fixing the basics and building the future. Look, one of the areas we\u2019ve spent up large has been in the health area. We really have put a lot of money, extra money, into health. For example, we\u2019re looking to spend $5.8 billion over the next four years\u2014extra\u2014on top of what we\u2019ve been doing in the past, which is significant. And in the Northland area, areas that have actually benefited from this is the new oncology and cancer unit hospital in Whang\u0101rei, which I was privileged to attend the opening of the other day. It will benefit Northlanders so much, because currently what they have to do is travel all the way to Auckland for treatment and back. For some of those people in the Far North, that is quite a journey and a long time to spend away from their wh\u0101nau. So it was really good to have that, and I have to pay credit to the retiring Hon Dr Shane Reti who helped drive that project, I really do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the other areas\u2014I recently also attended the 70\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E anniversary of the Dargaville Hospital, and we actually have provided extra funding into the Dargaville Hospital to extend the care hours. So extend the hours during the week till 8 p.m. at night and also during the weekends\u2014open during the weekends, during the day. The difference that makes, as one of my friends and colleagues who\u2019s involved in motocross explained to me\u2014Colin said that now if we have someone that gets injured in the weekends at the motocross event near Dargaville, they no longer have to go all the way to Whang\u0101rei base hospital during the weekend, they can initially go to Dargaville Hospital for assessment. That is quite a big improvement, and it\u2019s great to see that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnother area where we\u2019ve been spending a lot of extra money is in the area of education. In education we\u2019re looking to spend quite a bit more on new classrooms and a new school in my electorate. They\u2019re building a brand new kura in Kaiwaka. We recently had the blessing of the site, which was great. I, unfortunately, couldn\u2019t attend, but the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, did attend, and it\u2019s been really well received. In many ways, it\u2019s long overdue because this little school has been operating down the end of the Oruawharo peninsula for many years in a set-up that has not been acceptable. So they are really excited about having their own brand new school in Kaiwaka. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThen there\u2019s also been new classrooms for Kerikeri High School, where you\u2019ve seen the huge growth in demand in that area for new education facilities. That was really well received. Then, actually, one of the most exciting discussions I had was with the new principal in Dargaville High School who\u2019s taken over a school that was struggling, but he\u2019s doing a great job and getting the community on board. The school was very old, tired, and run down. We\u2019re putting new funding in to actually upgrade the classrooms in the school, which has been very well received, as well as building two new specialist classrooms for some students.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, it would be very remiss of me if I did not stand up here and talk about roading infrastructure and the importance of that to the Northland economy and Northland. As an example, there\u2019s been a commitment in the Budget to build the new highway from Cambridge to Piarere, which is great\u2014over a billion dollars\u2014and actually coming up soon, we are looking forward to progressing the next stage of the four-lane highway all the way to Whang\u0101rei, of which the next stage will be through to Te Hana, which will be great. That will make a massive difference to the people of Northland, who are really looking forward to that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor my area in the farming sector, one of the really great announcements, whilst not a lot of money but huge impact, is the increase of base funding for the Queen Elizabeth II Trust. The second biggest national park in this country is on private lands. That is really great to see, and as chair of the Bluegreens and as a farmer with much bush on our land, it\u2019s great to see that our Government is so committed to the environment in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a great Budget and it\u2019s a Budget that is fixing the basics and building the future, and I commend it to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022 data-id=\u00226fb1a78a3da2de98d49ac580bfc8cc1b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226fb1a78a3da2de98d49ac580bfc8cc1b\u0022\u003EHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) (16:18)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare.\u003C/span\u003E This was the Government\u2019s last chance with their Budget to get things right for struggling Kiwis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225322e0a4529b497cbc59faf0515037dd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002224e7c010f0435652d4895c2dbb7db8df\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert\u003C/span\u003E: Last chance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002214f9f46cf89b5f62e05bcbb2c222072a\u0022\u003EHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME\u003C/span\u003E: Last chance! And they have failed. National has been busy trying to distract New Zealanders from their failures and they\u2019ve actually forgotten about the human cost of their poor choices. Let\u2019s go over them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne in three households struggling to access food, one in seven children suffering from material hardship, unemployment reaching decade highs, food banks being under immense pressure never been seen before, and Kiwis leaving the country in record numbers\u2014all under National\u2019s watch.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EJust today, I\u2019ve seen the sad news that in my own rohe of Te Tai Tokerau, one of Kaitaia\u2019s two mills will close down, with no certainty about the future of the second mill. I attended a public meeting in Kaitaia recently, and we know that there are up to 200 jobs on the chopping block. I want to firstly acknowledge those wh\u0101nau who have lost their jobs and others who are still waiting for certainty on theirs. This is an incredibly difficult situation, and my aroha goes out to them and their families. We are talking about dozens of families with children and households facing the pressure of cost of living and, now, uncertainty about whether they even will have jobs. This is all while the Government has failed to keep its promises of fixing things, all while choosing to give billions in tax breaks to landlords and tobacco companies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDay by day, Kiwis lose their jobs under National. It becomes even more shameful that National refuses to own up to their collapsing jobseeker target, despite the Government\u2019s own Budget forecast showing that there are going to be over 60,000 more people on the jobseeker benefit. National\u2019s target wasn\u2019t sabotaged by officials or inherited from previous Governments. They said it, they promoted it, and now they are failing to deliver it. You can\u2019t talk tough about people being on benefits while presiding over an economy where more than 1,200 people are applying for one single cleaning job in Auckland. That\u2019s not a failure of job seekers; that\u2019s a failure of this Government not creating enough opportunities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI put these serious questions to the Minister Louise Upston in scrutiny week, and she refused to take responsibility for a failure of her own making, resorting to blaming everybody else. It\u2019s been almost three years, and Kiwis are sick of the excuses, sick of being talked down on, and sick of being treated as disposable by this Government. The least the Minister Louise Upston could have done was acknowledge the reality. The fairytale target that they sold New Zealanders is failing horrendously, and refusing to take responsibility for it won\u2019t help a single person into work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want a better future for our children, one where we can feel confident that they will be able to build a future here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, it absolutely beggars belief that the Government is continuing to invest money, tens of millions of dollars, into the failed boot camps experiment. It completely boggles the mind to think why on earth we are still having this conversation. The first pilot failed, and now the Minister will not even answer questions about how many participants are in the second military-style academy. We have been here before, and it\u2019s insanity to see history repeating itself. At a time when we are hearing stories from front-line providers\u2014prevention services, counselling services\u2014all put at risk under this Government\u2019s funding cuts, we have a Government more worried about pouring tens of millions of dollars into a failed boot camp experiment. Our children deserve better. Our wh\u0101nau deserve better. This Government isn\u2019t making things better; they are making it so much worse. If the Government can\u2019t even get it right for our youngest, how do we expect them to get it right for everybody else?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELabour is focused on getting it right for our future generations. We are backing them to thrive here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and come 7 November New Zealanders will get a chance to vote this Government out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022 data-id=\u002236af5392dfc6239d7fdc56665b20643a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002236af5392dfc6239d7fdc56665b20643a\u0022\u003EHon RACHEL BROOKING (Labour\u2014Dunedin) (16:23)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220ce48ebb3b49f70fe5fcd659f6cf61ef\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: She\u2019s awake!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b66cea1a20994a3e331bafbb9a1394c2\u0022\u003EHon RACHEL BROOKING\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014for this opportunity to talk on the Budget. Wide awake, Mr McCallum! Does this Budget focus on the cost of living? No, no, it does not appear to. Does it focus on the great city of Dunedin? No, doesn\u2019t do that either. How about the environment? Is it focused on the environment? No, no, not that either. There is some money for some implementation of some new environmental laws or planning laws that this Government is doing, ones that are going to create a whole new industry of people involved in regulatory relief and do much worse for the environment. So that\u2019s not a good thing, is it? No, it is not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat else do we have for the environment? Have they brought back the fund for the environmental legal assistance? Nope. How about those environmental hubs that were building up communities and doing such great work? Nope. Jobs for Nature? No\u2014no, not there either. And, of course, the cynical use of the waste levy, funding now a huge proportion of Vote Environment so that that money\u2019s not coming across from the consolidated fund. So, not good for the environment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI will, in a surprising move, talk about one positive thing, and that is the work that we did\u2014that the Hon Willow-Jean Prime did, particularly, when she was the Minister of Conservation, that followed many other Ministers of Conservation, as well, across both sides of the House\u2014to increase marine protected areas with the south-east marine protection area. I was very pleased yesterday to celebrate Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia with Edward Ellison, who\u2019s been involved for a long time in that, and that these marine protected areas are happening from 1 July. Willow-Jean Prime and I, in October of 2023, announced that we had signed off as the Ministers all the work required for this, we\u2019d found the funding for it, and now\u2014almost three years later, but better late than never\u2014the Minister of Conservation has signed them off and they will be in effect from 1 July, and some co-management is happening here as well. It\u2019s a beautiful thing to see. I was able to, at \u014Ct\u0101kou Marae, meet some of the kaitiaki rangers who are going to be working in this area. It\u2019s great stuff. So that\u2019s one positive thing. Thank you, Willow-Jean Prime, for that work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s talk about Dunedin now, of course\u2014wonderful electorate, wonderful city. That\u2019s right. I might ask my colleague here, Ingrid Leary, if she\u2019s noticed any funding for those K\u0101inga Ora houses that were all ready to go\u201441 units ready to go on Carroll Street. You see anything?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229c7802d6a4cf442e328d817622e1bda4\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: No.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b64d32d94750a5e4e2110b6dd0219f1b\u0022\u003EHon RACHEL BROOKING\u003C/span\u003E: No, not there\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f087030b7c3064e3bf0d3544c33c8b4c\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: There is a hospital being built.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022da529ed201b9640eb5672f2ad1f14cd3\u0022\u003EHon RACHEL BROOKING\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014they\u2019re all still being built. Oh, I\u2019m hearing across the aisle about the hospital build. Is there anything to make up for the 18 months that it was on pause in this Budget? No. Have the timelines been totally blown out because this Government, that National Party that promised they would do more than Labour, heaps more than us, then said, \u201COh, maybe it\u2019s in the wrong place. Maybe it should be prefabs. Maybe we\u2019ll put it in Cromwell.\u201D That is what people said in the urgent debate that we had on this topic. So, no\u2014no, Mr McCallum; that\u2019s still not good and it\u2019s still broken promises from this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPort Chalmers, the houses at Port Chalmers\u2014what\u2019s happening with the land there? Oh, K\u0101inga Ora keeps trying to sell it off.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnd if I\u2019m talking about selling off land and the environment, well, we\u2019ve had an interesting week on that discussion, haven\u2019t we? Rather than paying for public conservation land, the Minister wants to sell it. That is how environmental things are going to be funded by this Government, and it is just not on. Generations of New Zealanders have built up that conservation land, and it is not for sale for this greedy National Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat would\u2019ve been good to see in the Budget is something like a $10 public fare cap, as Labour\u2019s promising to do in cities like Dunedin\u2014very good thing\u2014a capital gains tax to fund three free GP visits, free maternity scans, and free prescriptions. These are good things that this Government has chosen not to do, and they need to be voted out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cf22a832d14a4c99ab5dfd16e24446e5\u0022 data-id=\u0022b17de2894edb46b87169142370a704fb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cf22a832d14a4c99ab5dfd16e24446e5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b17de2894edb46b87169142370a704fb\u0022\u003ERIMA NAKHLE (National\u2014Takanini) (16:29)\u003C/span\u003E: Unlike others, I don\u2019t break the rules. I am very happy, and I feel actually quite privileged, to be able to have these five minutes to say what\u2014there\u2019s so much to say about Budget 2026, but what I\u2019m going to start off with is just to take us back a few years ago to when the Hon Chris Bishop stood in this House lamenting one of the Labour Party\u2019s past Budgets, in the dark ages\u2014God help me get through this. He said that they are throwing around taxpayer money like confetti. I want to thank our taxpayers. I want to thank them for working so hard to help put together this pool of funds where we are able to do what we\u2019re doing in Budget 2026, on the back of Budget 2025 and Budget 2024, to deliver meaningfully, respecting taxpayer money, for my neighbours in Takanini and for our loved ones all around New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, what I\u2019ve heard throughout this Budget debate\u2014from the ones that can\u2019t turn their frowns upside down, on the other side of the House\u2014is a number of them say: \u201CThis Government has failed to deliver.\u201D Whoa. This is where we need to look at what are the perceptions of delivery, because they\u2019re pretty different on this side of the House. On the other side of the House, delivery is reducing the number of prisoners in jail by a target of 30 percent. On the other side, delivery seems to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on bridges\u2014bridge designs that went nowhere; on light rail, which not even a metre of track was built for. On that side of the House, they think that delivery is announcing people will get a lot of free stuff, but not really knowing where the $18 billion is going to come from. On this side of the House, \u201Cdelivery\u201D has a whole different meaning. Maybe\u2014maybe\u2014some of them may just listen and learn a little bit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOn this side of the House, delivery looks like an 85 percent reduction in ram raids from when that lot were in power; 46,000 fewer victims of violent crime\u2014that\u2019s what delivery looks like on this side of the House\u201466 new medicines funded, including 33 cancer medicines; approximately 2,000 nurses and hundreds more doctors employed; 24/7 online GP care. Cell bans\u2014cellular phones banned from our schools so that our children can focus more; structured literacy and mathematics\u2014we\u2019re seeing the results in a small amount of time, so just imagine what it will be like in the future; and so much more. Not to mention, the free-trade agreement with India that Chris Hipkins mocked\u2014mocked\u2014Christopher Luxon about, saying, essentially, that we\u2019ll never be able to achieve it. Well, guess what? We\u2019ve achieved it, because here, results and delivery are actually tangible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat I\u2019d also like to talk about, with delivery\u2014because we\u2019ve been quite careful with taxpayers\u2019 money over the years, and this Budget continues to reflect that. For the first time ever, New Zealand has a Minister for Mental Health. This week, results came out with respect to access to mental health and addiction services. Anyone with a heart will probably have tears well up in their eyes, because we know that in New Zealand mental health is such a stigma on our society in that we have not been able to address. And the over a billion dollars of taxpayer money that the Labour Party poured into mental health\u2014with no direction and no targets\u2014meant that nothing was achieved. Access to specialist mental health and addiction services within three weeks of referral\u2014we\u2019ve gone above target in Counties Manukau: 88 percent of people. Access to primary mental health and addiction services within one week: 84.7 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI received from Flatbush Police yesterday, as well, figures about crime in Flatbush going down and down and down, thanks to the tools we\u2019re giving police and the funding we are sustaining in our Budgets, including Budget 2026. I am really proud of this. We will continue to fix the basics and build the future so that life can be more affordable for my neighbours all around Takanini. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022739b3bbed7fe4186aa30494700144b3a\u0022 data-id=\u0022dad8e3fb55c9b72426234001ef0889a9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022739b3bbed7fe4186aa30494700144b3a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dad8e3fb55c9b72426234001ef0889a9\u0022\u003EPAULO GARCIA (National\u2014New Lynn) (16:34)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When our Government came into power in 2023, we came upon an economy that was perilously weak, and a law and order situation that had people feeling unsafe and New Zealanders all over the country feeling quite unsafe. We wanted, we needed, to focus on fixing these basic things and looking to the future and building for the future. We needed to get the economy going, first and foremost. That meant allowing for people to get from point to point. That meant infrastructure growth and building. It meant investing in roads that the country relied on. We needed to have people feeling safe to be out and about and getting from where they needed to be to and from, and, also, the goods that they were producing where they needed to be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt meant backing hard-working New Zealanders and creating job opportunities all across the country, pushing for exports, and creating the opportunities and the pathways for exports to grow all over New Zealand. We have invested in rural and regional roads. We\u2019re also investing in over a billion dollars in the Cambridge to Piarere Expressway. This is really meant to get the flow of goods to and from the producers to the market very quickly. Protein is trending globally, and it happens that protein from milk is the best, most easily assimilated protein into the human body, and so the demand for protein is growing. We are helping our dairy industry to produce as much as they can and get these products to other countries through the many free-trade agreements, including to India, for all other export goods.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to focus on the improvements in healthcare. We have invested $5.5 billion in front-line health services. This means that emergency departments have started flowing much more quickly. More patients are being seen much more quickly. Elective surgery has moved very quickly; 51,000 people were treated in just this year alone, just from the elective wait list. More specialist assessments; cancer being diagnosed much more quickly, and the opportunity to get to treatment has been very much improved. For actual persons who are going into very uncertain ground in terms of their health, if diagnosed with cancer, this meant that people could be diagnosed more quickly and treated more quickly. That meant humans\u2014actual people\u2014would be able to get to their families, stay for that one more birthday and experience hope going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also invested in adding 30 percent on mileage rates for community support workers and people travelling for specialist treatment. We have also strengthened the ambulance service with an additional $35 million over four years. This is what fixing the basics and building for the future means. On top of that, we have enabled KiwiSaver to be paid for all children born in New Zealand, and for 65-year-olds who want to carry on working to continue to have them. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022154727523a59431ab210aea1cf707272\u0022 data-id=\u00225f965b85d5b865e38eedb91650453a57\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022154727523a59431ab210aea1cf707272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225f965b85d5b865e38eedb91650453a57\u0022\u003EHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) (16:39)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. This is an absolutely disappointing Budget. It is particularly disappointing because members opposite campaigned long and hard in 2023 about easing the cost of living. Yet decisions that they have made\u2014including a decision to borrow and blow billions of dollars on tax breaks to one tobacco company and property speculators\u2014has meant that people today, that New Zealanders today, are struggling more than they have before the 2023 election when this Government campaigned to ease the cost of living. They have made it actively worse. One in three households today face food insecurity. That figure goes up to 82\u00A0percent when you factor in a disabled person in a household.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that claims to be backing small businesses, but company liquidations are at a 15-year high. The number one issue that I hear from small businesses up and down the Maungakiekie electorate is the fact that sales are down, that it\u2019s one of the toughest years that they have done. They are asking locals\u2014and I back this\u2014to support small businesses as and when they can, but this is not a Government that supports small businesses.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EUnemployment: there are 40,000 fewer jobs today than when this Government took office\u201420,000 of those alone in the construction sector. They\u2019ve stopped, en masse, building. Members opposite wax lyrical about the fact that they\u2019ve invested in roads and so on and so forth. The construction industry is on its knees because of this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs a result of all of this, people are struggling and making some incredibly tough choices. CCS Disability Action describes this Budget as one that risks further isolating disabled people, stating that it \u201Cmakes disabled people\u2019s lives more restricted, harder to live in their own communities, and less visible to the rest of the country.\u201D That is the implication of successive Budgets by this Government. They\u2019ve outlined some of the detail in this: a disability allowance with the baseline in long-term decline; Total Mobility\u2014that has been cut\u2014a scheme that has been reduced by this Government, leading to a 40\u00A0percent increase in out-of-pocket expenses for taxi trips for disabled people who cannot take public transport; cuts\u2014of course, further cuts\u2014to Whaikaha, reducing the voice of the Ministry of Disabled People under this Government\u2019s watch. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe most egregious thing is the fact that part of what they gloat about in terms of an investment in disabled people is actually an expense transfer of funds that weren\u2019t spent. It was an underspend over the very years where they restricted access of disabled people to support to such a point that the disability community has outlined this in terms of trauma and suffering that disabled people have experienced. That is now an expense transfer of an underspend.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to also quickly touch on what this Government\u2019s doing to the environment. My colleague the Hon Rachel Brooking pointed out some piddly sums in this Budget that go towards improving the environment. But the overall story is very different. We\u2019ve seen multi-year funding cuts to the Department of Conservation (DOC) across successive Budgets, and that\u2019s continued in Budget 2026, as well, to the tune of almost $38\u00A0million. I did a quick back-of-the-envelope accounting exercise, and it\u2019s pretty much to the tune of $196\u00A0million that this Government has stripped from the Department of Conservation alone. That\u2019s not taking into account their very cynical spending of the international visitor conservation and tourism levy (IVL) that they increased\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022694c3cef004e40d78a26712dce80070d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f770ce5b911e0e04a73885e6b1da4157\u0022\u003ESuze Redmayne\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, tell that to the wilding pines!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022154727523a59431ab210aea1cf707272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226e2b6bc4b028e0a849d9613a8c16ff96\u0022\u003EHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN\u003C/span\u003E: The wilding pines was good\u2014I\u2019ll give you that\u2014but it was tiny, and it was work that we\u2019d done, as well. It\u2019s kind of neither here nor there in that sense, but it\u2019s good. Look at it in context of what\u2019s been stripped out of the environment, though. IVL funding increased. It was meant to be a top-up. It was meant to be additional spend to offset the impact of tourism on conservation, but, no, it\u2019s being used to replace Crown spending on the Department of Conservation. All they have achieved is the watering-down of protections for the Hauraki Gulf, the ending of Jobs for Nature, the disestablishment of the Ministry for the Environment, and now the enabling, through a change in law, of the sell-off of up to 60\u00A0percent of public conservation land and a change in DOC\u2019s fundamental purpose in order to focus on economic development to the greatest extent practicable on conservation land.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EThis is a Government that continuously fails its people, the economy, and the environment, and, come November this year, people can vote them out.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022756dcc755d7d321ca9f4c3917e53dba8\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002227d63de9baf6519c18098bf5560b0dec\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Go ahead\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022037a77a77bfd12593e9da0dfb243fa0f\u0022\u003EHon Member: \u003C/span\u003EIngrid Leary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224dc403be40555d89af11d866b0827324\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014Ingrid Leary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022 data-id=\u00223445fc138318e6cffafb5466d38b16de\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223445fc138318e6cffafb5466d38b16de\u0022\u003EINGRID LEARY (Labour\u2014Taieri) (16:44)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s appropriate to be talking in this House about mental health. I did request an urgent debate, earlier today, which, unfortunately, was declined. When I looked at the Budget, the issue that I wanted to discuss is very relevant to it, because we see that the Mental Health Commission this morning has released a road map calling for improved crisis response, workforce growth, reduced coercion and seclusion, equitable access, and better outcomes for people with the highest needs. Yet we haven\u2019t seen anything in this Budget that speaks directly into what that road map is advocating.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is presenting as a real problem in the neighbouring electorate to mine, the wonderful electorate of Dunedin that my friend and colleague the Hon Rachel Brooking looks after, which is at Wakari Hospital. I have an interest in this both as a mental health spokesperson for Labour but also as someone who has constituents who are impacted. The hospital is the only place in the lower South Island that has the facility to look after a very particular group of vulnerable New Zealanders who are those with mental health issues over the age of 18 with disability in terms of intellectual disability and a conviction or, if not a conviction, a demonstrated propensity to cause harm to themselves and others. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat we have seen come out in local media recently is a sudden decision by this Government to close Wakari Hospital, even though it made a Budget announcement last year to refurbish ward 10A. They\u2019re now closing ward 10A, and, not only that, they\u2019re also moving patients out of that highly specialised ward with no disclosure of where those patients are going to go. This has been very distressing for the families of those people who they love and who should be given the same level of dignity and reference to their human rights as any other New Zealander. Yet, despite repeated questions and also articles in the \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EOtago Daily Times\u003C/span\u003E, we have not been able to get answers from the Minister for Mental Health.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat I would like to understand is, if the Minister is not going to prioritise things like this in his Budget, can he at least rule out that there have been no cases of abuse, of cruelty, or of torture at Wakari Hospital? Why won\u2019t he rule out an independent investigation? That might be a good use of the Budget spend, because this comes on the back of his offer this week to apologise to the family of an autistic girl who was 11 and who was sedated and restrained and incorrectly identified in the mental health service. It comes on the back of real issues at Hillmorton Hospital with rat infestation and with issues at Nelson Hospital of facilities that are not fit for purpose. I\u2019ve had people contacting me from a hospital in Napier with the same kinds of issues and poor resourcing and poor facilities. Then we\u2019ve had very recent media coverage of Palmerston North Hospital and a litany of issues that were brought out by the forensic work of a brother of a man who tragically died of suicide in that facility.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re seeing a systemic problem at the very high, specialised, acute needs end of mental health. These are the people who are the most vulnerable in our system and who have the least visibility and the least voice. What we are not seeing is any kind of investment, in this Budget, to that part of the mental health response. Nor are we seeing answers to our questions about where the patients at 10A Wakari Hospital are being relocated to. Are they going into corrections facilities, which are highly inappropriate for most of them? Are they being expected to be cared for by their families, and do the families have the resources to support them? When will ward 10A reopen, or will it reopen? What happens to ward 9A, given that they were expecting to be refurbished to take on some of the people in the 12 beds in ward 10A? There\u2019s a whole plethora of questions and lack of transparency that is just deeply worrying. We have no regard for that in the Budget, and, now, we have no regard for the anxiety of the families of people impacted by what is happening at Wakari Hospital and, indeed, facilities all over our country. This is not a good Budget, and there\u2019s a lot to be answered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022beb91839dc784d58b7c846dc39ac3831\u0022 data-id=\u0022efb1f6b6de91f5ea5e75689541e03448\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022beb91839dc784d58b7c846dc39ac3831\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022efb1f6b6de91f5ea5e75689541e03448\u0022\u003EHon MIKE BUTTERICK (Minister for Land Information) (16:49)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Before discussing the Budget announcements, I\u2019d just like to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution the rural community makes to New Zealand. The numbers are very impressive. More than 360,000 New Zealanders work in it. Roughly one in six New Zealanders works in the food and fibre sector. That\u2019s the farmers, the growers, the foresters, the contractors, transport operators, processors, etc., etc. Seventy-thousand businesses up and down the length of this country, from the top to the bottom, are associated with the food and fibre sector. Over 80 percent of our export income and 15-plus percent of GDP comes from the food and fibre sector. This year, the food and fibre exports are forecast to reach a record $64.3 billion; that\u2019s the highest in New Zealand\u2019s history. Dairy revenue is forecast to increase by 5 percent, meat and wool by 14 percent, and horticulture by 7 percent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThose earnings do not just simply benefit rural communities; they generate the tax revenue that helps pay for our hospitals, our schools, our roads, our police, our emergency services, superannuation, and the public services that New Zealanders rely upon. When rural New Zealand succeeds, New Zealand succeeds. My word, the confidence is high. Unlike the minus 66 percent confidence when the previous Government was in power, we\u2019ve had the biggest turn-round since that farmer confidence survey was started in 2008\u2014100 percent turn-round in confidence\u2014and you can feel it. I was actually at the primary industries awards last night in Auckland. You could feel the confidence and excitement in the room, and particularly about the anticipation of the India free-trade agreement. Everybody is really looking forward to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s really important to look beyond the headlines of the Budget and examine what is actually being delivered for our regions, our farmers, and our rural communities. The Budget is built around a very simple principle: creating the conditions for growth, because growth matters. It\u2019s not just growth in export earnings and not just growth in productivity but growth in opportunity, resilience, innovation, and leadership. One of the most significant investments is the Government\u2019s commitment to accelerating the adoption of new farm technologies through AgriZero; $100 million is being jointly invested through an early adoption accelerator programme that will help bring world-leading technologies on to New Zealand farms faster. Up to $51 million of this will be contributed by Government. For farmers, this is not just simply about reducing emissions; it\u2019s about improving productivity, profitability, and competitiveness. It\u2019s about ensuring that our New Zealand farmers remain at the forefront of global food production.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAlongside this, the Government is investing in smarter land-use decisions. A package worth over $140 million across the lifetime of six major commercial projects, including $59\u00A0million from Government and over $84 million from industry, will support innovation across dairy, sheep and beef, horticulture, forestry, aquaculture, and M\u0101ori-owned land. These projects recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to land use. There never has been; different regions face different opportunities and challenges. Providing that flexibility will allow landowners to respond to changing markets, environmental expectations, and emerging export opportunities, while also maintaining profitability. In the Budget, we\u2019re also seeing targeted investment in M\u0101ori agribusiness. More than $5.3\u00A0million is being invested through the M\u0101ori Development Fund to support horticulture and aquaculture projects in Hawke\u2019s Bay, Raupunga, and Akaroa. These investments unlock the potential of collectively owned M\u0101ori assets, create jobs, and expand export opportunities, while strengthening regional communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EImportantly, Budget 2026 is not only focused on productivity; it\u2019s also focused on people, because thriving farms require thriving communities. That\u2019s why I welcome the creation of the Rural Wellbeing Champions Programme. An investment of $98,000 will help train and support 100 rural wellbeing champions through a partnership between New Zealand Young Farmers and Farmstrong. Those champions will help lead conversations around wellbeing, support their peers, and strengthen those community connections. This initiative recognises something that every rural New Zealander understands: resilience is not just about infrastructure, it\u2019s also about people. We\u2019ll also continue to fund the good work of the Rural Support Trust. It was only last night that I attended the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards, where Neil Bateup, the previous chairman of the Rural Support Trust, was recognised for his significant contribution to the Rural Support Trust. One of the women leaders in agribusiness, Sarah Donaldson, was also a nominee as well from the Wairarapa. I\u2019d just like to acknowledge the great work that they do for the mental wellbeing of their community up and down the length of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis Government is also backing the next generation of rural leaders. The new Minister of Agriculture Future Leaders Scholarship will support three emerging leaders every year across agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, because investing in leadership today means investing in the future capability of our sector for tomorrow. Likewise, New Zealand Young Farmers are receiving support through one-off grants of $1,000 to 60\u00A0clubs nationwide, alongside $585,000 in Rural Wellbeing Fund initiatives to strengthen physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. Those investments will ensure that the next generation will remain engaged, connected, and optimistic about a future in the primary sector.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EResilience is another key theme running through the Government\u2019s investment. Recent years have reminded us how vulnerable rural communities can be to adverse weather events and natural disasters. To strengthen that preparedness, the Government is investing $160,000 to enhance the capability of New Zealand\u2019s 16 rural advisory groups, $50,000 to support Taskforce Kiwi\u2019s rapid deployment during emergencies, and $50,000 to build leadership capability and future resilience planning within rural regions. These are practical investments that will help communities prepare for challenges before they occur.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis Government has also recognised the vital role played by catchment groups. Across the country, catchment groups are delivering practical environmental improvements, while helping farmers share knowledge and solve problems collaboratively. I would liken it to a continuation of the investment that rural communities have made in their environment. I would just point out the 186,000 hectares of Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenants in this country, 2.8 million hectares of woody vegetation on our farmland, as well as 23,000 kilometres of waterways fenced off on our dairy farms as well\u2014that\u2019s actually 100 percent of waterways fenced off. It\u2019s great to continue backing them with wider investment exceeding $40 million. The catchment groups will now benefit from baseline funding agreements that will provide certainty and allow them to focus on delivering outcomes rather than chasing funding applications. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat certainty matters, just as certainty matters in another area that remains a major priority: resource management reform. For far too long, farmers and rural businesses have struggled with excessive compliance costs, delays, and regulatory complexity. Our commitment to replace the Resource Management Act remains one of the most important productivity reforms currently under way. Whether it\u2019s building infrastructure, improving water storage, developing farm systems, or investing in regional growth, rural New Zealand needs a planning framework that enables sensible development while protecting environmental outcomes. Progress in this space will deliver benefits long after any individual Budget announcement. The Government\u2019s also continuing its commitment to tackling one of the most significant environmental and economic threats facing many rural regions: the dreaded wilding conifer. Through a $109 million investment in wilding pine control over the next three years, work will continue to protect productive farmland, our ecosystems, our water resources, and our iconic landscapes from the spread of invasive wilding trees.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor the record, rural New Zealand is not an afterthought; it\u2019s a cornerstone of our nation\u2019s prosperity. As long as the food and fibre sector continues to grow, innovate, and compete on the world stage, the benefits will be felt in every town, every city, and every community across New Zealand. National backs our farmers 100 percent as we fix the basics and build the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4019a9a9d3a627dc925ba4c89d6f31c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0101kuta Ferris will now take his call, which he missed before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022 data-id=\u0022769add0e4c74d0332e1c065df8caac39\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002247a88a22498e4a208a43347635748943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022769add0e4c74d0332e1c065df8caac39\u0022\u003ET\u0100KUTA FERRIS (Te Tai Tonga) (16:59)\u003C/span\u003E: T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka. We\u2019ve heard the Government describe Budget 2026 as \u201Cresponsible\u201D, but for the wh\u0101nau I represent in Te Tai Tonga, it\u2019ll be remembered differently. It will be remembered for one simple question, and that is \u201CWho matters?\u201D Budgets are never just numbers; they\u2019re decisions, they\u2019re choices, they tell us who is invested in and who is expected to wait. Once again, M\u0101ori are expected to wait.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAcross Te Tai Tonga, wh\u0101nau are facing rising rents, rising costs, rising food, overcrowded housing, barriers to healthcare\u2014the list goes on and on. Too many can\u2019t see a GP when they need one, too many rangatahi can\u2019t see a clear pathway to education and work, and too many wh\u0101nau are working harder than ever, only to fall further behind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EYet in this Budget, we do not see transformational investment in M\u0101ori; instead, we see $3.5 billion more invested in defence and intelligence, on top of $12 billion last year. We see half a billion dollars for Corrections to expand prisons. The Government is investing heavily in managing consequences. So I have to ask: what about the causes? What security exists for wh\u0101nau sleeping in overcrowded homes; for kaum\u0101tua waiting months for healthcare; for rangatahi locked out of housing, work, and support? The greatest threats in our communities are not foreign powers; they are poverty, preventable illness, poor housing, addiction, intergenerational disadvantage, and this Budget does far too little to address them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EInstead of investing in solutions, the Government continues to invest in systems that manage failure after it occurs. It fails to invest properly in kaupapa M\u0101ori health. It fails to invest in rangatahi M\u0101ori. It fails to invest in housing that people can actually afford. It fails to invest in M\u0101ori education.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EJust weeks ago, the Government announced $62.5 million for classroom and school expansion in Te Wai Pounamu, yet not one dollar was specifically targeted to M\u0101ori-medium education capacity\u2014not one\u2014despite demand being up, despite wait-lists, despite ageing and unsafe buildings in many kura, and despite the fact that 2.9 percent of M\u0101ori learners in Te Wai Pounamu are in M\u0101ori-medium education. That is not due to a lack of aspiration; that is due to a lack of investment. When kura M\u0101ori are delivering stronger outcomes\u2014strengthening identity, language, and achievement\u2014why are they still treated as an afterthought? Kura, like Te P\u0101 o R\u0101kaihaut\u016B in \u014Ctautahi, are outperforming national NCEA averages, and won the Zayed Sustainability Prize for their world-leading m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori innovation. But that excellence is still being delivered in mould-affected, leaking, unhealthy buildings that no tamaiti should have to learn in. Imagine, if this Government invested equitably in M\u0101ori-medium education, what our tamariki could achieve in safe, proper learning environments that match their excellence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe truth is that the solutions already exist. They exist in education, in health, in social services, in housing. Solutions exist everywhere that M\u0101ori have developed kaupapa M\u0101ori initiatives. The persistent problem is that they are simply not funded fairly. So I ask: why must M\u0101ori continue to fight for equitable funding for equitable outcomes? The answer is: priorities, and the Government have made that very clear. They found billions for defence, they found billions for prisons, but couldn\u2019t find meaningful investment into M\u0101ori-medium education or M\u0101ori development or kaupapa M\u0101ori health. That tells us everything we need to know.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETe Tai Tonga is not asking for charity; we\u2019re asking for fairness, for investment, for opportunity, because the greatest asset in this country\u2014in our country\u2014is not a warship or a mega-prison; it\u2019s our people. Our people are our wealth. When M\u0101ori succeed, Aotearoa succeeds. When our tamariki thrive, the whole country thrives. That\u2019s a future worth fighting for. That\u2019s a future of Te Tai Tonga, where investment is equitable and comes before crisis, where M\u0101ori solutions are funded for greater success, and where the people of Te Tai Tonga are empowered to determine their own futures.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, kei te mihi ake r\u0101 ki a koe otir\u0101 ki ng\u0101 iwi o Te Tai Tonga. Kia kaha, kia m\u0101ia, kia manawanui. Kia \u016B kia mau, \u0101kuanei t\u014D ai a Kino, me he r\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003ETherefore, I acknowledge you and all the people of Te Tai Tonga. Be strong, be brave, be courageous. Be resolute, be firm, as Evil \u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003Ewill soon set, as the sun does.\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220838e5f9bac748d2a59aea595e5226a0\u0022 data-id=\u00223e053afe7c76a9e31d4aefe3046b6e3f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220838e5f9bac748d2a59aea595e5226a0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223e053afe7c76a9e31d4aefe3046b6e3f\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT (ACT) (17:04)\u003C/span\u003E: When it comes to Budgets, ACT asks a simple question: if we\u2019re going to spend money, where does it come from? Too often in this House, we hear parties proposing billions and billions of dollars in spending, as though these decisions don\u2019t have consequences, as though deficits don\u2019t matter, as though debt is free, and as though taxpayers are committed to unlimited sources of funding. These things are not free, and that is why ACT believes that every dollar the Government spends is a dollar earned by somebody else, and we apply that rule to every decision that ACT makes as part of this coalition Government. That means making choices. It means deciding what matters most.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard from members of the Opposition today, Priyanca Radhakrishnan included, that the Government shouldn\u2019t consider whether land under the control of the Department of Conservation, that might include a works depot, a shed, a paddock that\u2019s been grazed for 100 years\u2014why that couldn\u2019t be exchanged for money to reinvest in biodiversity in the conservation estate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat is the difference between this Government and the Opposition. The Opposition will pretend that all problems can be solved by taxing more and spending more and failing to make trade-offs. This Government, and ACT in this Government, will continue to reinforce\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddd6f93a7516de91da15d85ac441c5c6\u0022\u003EHon Rachel Brooking\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, that\u2019s what you call a \u201Ctrade-off\u201D. A cut isn\u2019t a trade-off.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220838e5f9bac748d2a59aea595e5226a0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227124ae934d179748d6874e618e01d96b\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014the Hon Rachel Brooking, while you sit there yapping from the Opposition benches, where you\u2019ll stay for a while\u2014that these things do require hard trade-offs. But we have the courage\u2014ACT has the courage\u2014and we will continue to focus on fixing what matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s nothing compassionate about spending money you don\u2019t have. There\u2019s nothing progressive about handing today\u2019s bills to tomorrow\u2019s taxpayers. There\u2019s nothing responsible about pretending the trade-offs that I\u2019ve described do not exist. That is why this Budget matters.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOver the last few years, New Zealanders have had to tighten their belts; Government has had to do the same. We\u2019ve started to move in the right direction. We can go faster. But Budget 2026 builds on that progress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis Budget takes a different approach to the past. New Zealand is now forecast to return to surplus a year earlier than anticipated. That matters because deficits do not exist in a vacuum. Government borrowing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222c6463d70604436695b4f49ebe8951ef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e7b66ed86b3fd9b28b91b5eab70d8f33\u0022\u003EHon Rachel Brooking\u003C/span\u003E: When? After other anticipated forecasts?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220838e5f9bac748d2a59aea595e5226a0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6e96f7e2687fc0dd6efbe0b90aeb9c3\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: Listen, Rachel Brooking, you might need to know this some day\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221ac533059d12a9792461a0af4398266a\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d ask the member to refer to the Speaker, as opposed to speaking across the Chamber.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220838e5f9bac748d2a59aea595e5226a0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c93ae8caaeea59b8bc87cc657d8bf180\u0022\u003ESIMON COURT\u003C/span\u003E: She\u2019s interjecting, Mr Speaker, and that should be on \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EHansard\u003C/span\u003E.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDeficits do not exist in a vacuum. Government borrowing puts pressure on inflation, interest rates, and ultimately on households trying to get ahead.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EACT Ministers have collectively delivered over $14 billion in savings over three Budgets. That is not an accounting exercise. That is money that does not need to be borrowed, that does not need to be taxed, money that does not need to be taken from the next generation, because every Budget is a set of choices. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhile some argue for a bigger bureaucracy, this Budget continues that shift towards a Public Service that is smaller, more efficient, and more productive, with $2 billion in savings forecast from future reductions in size. That is before we get to potential reductions in scope, which is another opportunity over the horizon. Labour proved that more bureaucrats do not automatically mean better outcomes. That\u2019s why ACT in Government\u2019s approach is simple: we focus on fixing what matters, we create room to invest in the things that solve New Zealanders\u2019 problems.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to talk about one of the initiatives that I\u2019ve been involved in funding. The Resource Management Act is one of the best examples we\u2019ve had of why it\u2019s important that law and regulation are clear and that everybody operating in a system\u2014like building housing, building infrastructure, or maintaining roads and bridges\u2014understands exactly what their obligations are and how to comply, so that you can go and get a cheap, effective design for something and you don\u2019t spend years litigating with your local council potentially all the way through the Environment Court or, you know, for some poor souls, all the way to the Supreme Court to try to get consent for something we need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, not all infrastructure is pretty, I\u2019ll grant you that. We can do our best to put a cultural mural on the side of a bridge, but I\u2019ll tell you what, there\u2019s not much you can do to a landfill to make it look good. But we still need infrastructure like landfills, like ports, airports, things that make noise, quarries that generate dust and traffic, because without them New Zealand cannot build the things we need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELook, all of these things will eventually get consented, even under the old system. It will just take decades and add billions and billions in cost. That is why Minister Chris Bishop and I, in the resource management reform portfolio, have secured $294\u00A0million to deliver and transition the current resource management system to the new system\u2014that we\u2019re going to deliver with the passing of the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill in a few short months\u2019 time. That money is going to fund the first tranche of national direction. That is the direction that tells council planners and decision makers like commissioners and judges\u2014and, of course, in the new planning tribunal\u2014how to weigh up some of these tricky things.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe want to build houses, but there\u2019s a paddock with a few bull rushes in it. Do the houses win or do the bull rushes win? I\u2019ll tell you what, in the new system, the houses are going to win, but not if we don\u2019t invest in the data that\u2019s necessary to make good decisions, if we don\u2019t invest in a digital platform that is standardised across the country. Chris Bishop and I have said we want standardised zones to apply to towns and cities in New Zealand, instead of 1,170 different ways to describe height to boundary and the set-back that your garage must have from the road frontage. Instead of 1,170 ways to do it across 67 councils, think about Japan: they\u2019ve got about 12 zones across the whole country. I\u2019ve said to Minister Bishop we should aim for 11. He seems to think we might not quite get that low, but that\u2019s the opportunity that investing in standardisation, investing in one digital planning system for the country, offers. And that\u2019s before you get to the opportunity that AI offers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOnce you start asking of every applicant and every decision, \u201CHey, did we really need all this information in order to make the decision?\u201D, and \u201CWere the consent conditions or the planning conditions that came out of the decision really necessary to protect the environment and protect the neighbours?\u201D\u2014or, actually, can we have a lighter touch, the opportunity to go not just from the 40,000 consents a year we have now but potentially down to 20,000, or even back to 5,000 consents a year demanded of Kiwis, like we had in the 1990s? It\u2019s actually right there in front of us if we make this investment and we follow it up by making sure that the new system is implemented thoroughly. That is over four years. We intend the new system to be fully functioning by 2028-29, with new plans in place across the country. For those people sitting at home or sitting at their desk in their development office, or if you\u2019re sitting down the road at the transport agency thinking \u201CHow on earth are we going to get consent for this site?\u201D\u2014you know, like a culvert; I mean, imagine having to replace a pipe under the road in 2026; it could take years to get consent\u2014I\u2019ll tell you what, relief is coming. Minister Bishop and I have assured that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThen, when it comes to energy, what we know is that when the sun doesn\u2019t shine, the wind doesn\u2019t blow, and the rain doesn\u2019t fall\u2014it does happen in New Zealand sometimes. It\u2019s usually raining somewhere or blowing somewhere in the country. The problem is that, if it doesn\u2019t do it enough and all at once, we don\u2019t have enough energy. That\u2019s why, in this Budget, we\u2019ve made provision to fund a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, to make sure we have a secure energy system, that we are connected to the rest of the world. In a way, our isolation has actually been a problem; it solves the problem that our isolation has caused. When the previous Government banned oil and gas exploration without having a plan B, they left it to this Government to pull a rabbit out of the hat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, the LNG terminal could have been avoided if we had kept drilling for the gas that is available right now on the eighth-largest continent of the world. Just because you can\u2019t see it, members of the Opposition, doesn\u2019t mean it ain\u2019t there. New Zealand, there\u2019s a couple of little islands that are on the eighth-largest continent of the world. We have some of the best mineral and best energy resources available to any modern democracy. Under this Government, with ACT as a part of this Government, we are driving to get access to our oil and gas resources, to get access to our mineral resources. There is funding in this Budget to make sure we can get critical minerals which can contribute to the international supply chain, so that all of us, including members of the Opposition, can have their cell phones, have their iPads, and have electricity. I commend this Budget bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022 data-id=\u0022c439a2fc766403e600d238367381d4ca\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290f442a79aea4ce0aeae083763135935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c439a2fc766403e600d238367381d4ca\u0022\u003ECARL BATES (National\u2014Whanganui) (17:15)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Every day, I come into this House and hear the Opposition talk about spending more money. I\u2019m surprised that it happens just day after day after day, as though this magic money tree can be growing every day to pay for stuff, without consideration to how the Government is going to create, where it\u2019s going to take it from, how it\u2019s going to grow the economy\u2014the things you\u2019ve actually got to do to be able to pay for things in the first place\u2014and that not just spending money solves the problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt reminds me of when I was a kid. I remember, one day one of my siblings said to my dad, \u201CCan we have McDonald\u2019s?\u201D, and Dad said, \u201CWell, we don\u2019t have any money.\u201D My siblings said to Dad, \u201CWell, go down to that ATM thing and just get some out.\u201D Labour thinks the ATM\u2014the New Zealand taxpayer\u2014can just be shot up for another amount of juice to fund another project that, quite frankly, as much as they\u2019ll announce it, they won\u2019t get it off the ground. You have to, as I said earlier in this House today, not only create money, you have to invest it and deliver an outcome from it. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing with this Budget. We understand where the money is coming from. We understand that it is hard-working New Zealanders, that it is businesses, that it is the people who are making this economy tick that are paying the taxes. We appreciate that we have to invest that wisely in order to deliver outcomes to improve the challenges across New Zealand, including, as I said to the member across the House, T\u0101kuta Ferris, earlier in this debate, the investment we have made into improving attendance at schools across the motu.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAlong with that, we have invested in tackling hardship and homelessness. There\u2019s been an announcement, last week, of an additional $14.5 million over the next couple of years that\u2019s going into that focus on reducing homelessness in New Zealand, including $2.7\u00A0million to support six new additional sites, two of which are in Taranaki and in Whanganui. That\u2019s something we can be proud of. It\u2019s about ensuring communities where housing pressure is real have an answer that is not endless motel stays, as it was under the last Government. It is about more homes and better pathways out of hardship. Part of that is the increase to 2,250 social housing homes, or social homes, that are additional under this Budget. It\u2019s about backing rural New Zealand, and that\u2019s about the size of the sector\u2014this engine room of the New Zealand economy that Fieldays demonstrated to us is confident about where the economy is at.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI said, in my maiden speech in this House, that there were farmers in Stratford that wanted a Government that backs them, and we have delivered on that over the last 2\u00BD\u00A0years. This Budget continues to support that focus: $266 million for the Primary Sector Growth Fund; $40.5 million for farmer-led catchment groups\u2014a real driver of environmental improvement across our farming communities across New Zealand; a reminder that they don\u2019t need to just be told what to do from an ivory tower in Wellington. They can practically go into their own communities, their own farms, their own environments, make changes, improve environmental outcomes, and achieve results in real rural New Zealand. Quite frankly, it\u2019s not people from across this House that have no understanding of rural and provincial New Zealand that should be telling them what to do. It\u2019s about regional infrastructure and services and the stronger communities that come from that, including, of course, I must mention as part of a Budget discussion in this House, the new police station in Whanganui, and the $15 million that\u2019s going to go to the Awakino Gorge, the regional road of significance for Taranaki; our key line up from Taranaki to Auckland, which keeps us connected, which enables those products from rural New Zealand to get to markets in Auckland and overseas.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s this Government that has committed that funding, along with the funding for the condition upgrade, of course, at Te Paepae o Aotea, the high school in Hawera that was started under the last Government, who promised much, did not fund what it needed, and it is this Government that\u2019s delivering it under this Budget, as we continue to fix the basics and build the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290a05c0f561045159bf3351d524a65ac\u0022 data-id=\u00222fc11201048cd7dae32641cb6ade4f11\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290a05c0f561045159bf3351d524a65ac\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222fc11201048cd7dae32641cb6ade4f11\u0022\u003ETIM VAN DE MOLEN (National\u2014Waikato) (17:20)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. This is, quite simply, a Budget focused on fixing the basics and building the future. We\u2019ve heard from Mr Bates a number of very salient points in terms of how we are investing to ensure growth, but before we do that, I just want to pick up on one of the comments that he mentioned as well around the spending piece.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, we just had scrutiny week here in Parliament last week, and on the committee that I have the good fortune to chair, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, we heard questions numerous times from the Opposition about why spending was lower, and that that was therefore clearly a poorer outcome. And what we actually heard from the agencies and the Ministers was, \u201CNo, just spending more doesn\u2019t actually always deliver better outcomes.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, there are plenty of examples we have seen over the six dark years of the Labour Government that highlighted exactly that, where indeed it just felt like money was being thrown out the door and the only measure of success was how much can we spend. Have we spent more than has ever been spent? Then we must be doing well. Well, that is not the view of this Government. Quite frankly, that was a dereliction of duty from the former Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis Government, now, is clearly focused on fixing the basics. That means getting expenditure under control, and we\u2019ve demonstrated that over three successive Budgets now, staying within those operational balances every time as well\u2014those operational allowances, something the former Government did not achieve once, despite having higher operating allowances in every one of their six Budgets, they could not stick to that. We have, and yet, despite that, we have also been able to make some crucial investments, some prudent, pragmatic improvements for Kiwis\u2019 lives around the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019m very pleased that in the Waikato we have secured funding now for the extension of the Waikato Expressway to the intersection of State Highways 1 and 29 at Piarere. A dangerous stretch of road that, frankly, should have been done by now. It was planned under the last National Government, cancelled by the then Labour Government in 2018 when they came in, and unfortunately, we saw throughout the intervening years the continuation of the trend of deaths and serious injuries along that stretch of road and the increase of traffic volumes as well. So it is a delight, now, that we have finally secured the funding for that. Construction is getting under way. Anyone driving through that corridor will see activity taking place already. That is a fantastic outcome. It brings massive safety improvements, it brings greater social connection in terms of being able to transit through that corridor more efficiently, and, of course, it drives economic prosperity for our region, too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, ultimately, we want to connect the Bay of Plenty to the Waikato with four lanes. That is a long-term, ambitious project, but this is the sort of ambition that we need to have. This Government is clearly focused on trying to deliver towards those sorts of ambitions because that is how we build the future. We are fixing those basics right now, but we need to have that ambition for the future as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also, of course, got the third medical school under construction in the Waikato as well. Another fantastic project that will deliver meaningful outcomes in terms of training new doctors and nurses in New Zealand, ensuring that rural focus, and helping to drive delivery of critical health needs for everyday New Zealanders, who, quite frankly, just expect to get that service when they need it. Now, that wasn\u2019t always the case, and, unfortunately, when we came in, we saw in health all the targets had been removed, so it was hard to tell exactly what had happened or how performance was going. We had seen more money\u2014as I said at the start, more money\u2019s not necessarily a measure of success. Yet despite that more money going out the door, and yet across just about every metric that we dived into in health, poorer outcomes for Kiwis. Now, that is not good enough. We\u2019ve set health targets in place and we are making good progress on those.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EEducation is another key one\u2014and I hear this from fellow parents around the Waikato electorate, that they were concerned at the underperformance of New Zealand students across the board over time, and, frankly, the attendance alongside that as well. So that\u2019s another area where we have turned the dial.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELaw and order as well. Greater consequences for criminal offending, backing the police more, reduced victimisations\u2014all of that is fixing the basics.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, that is fantastic progress. Sure, there\u2019s more to do, but we are getting on with doing it. This Budget is a fantastic continuation of that great work. We can\u2019t go back to the dark days of Labour. National is getting it done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b79b30a6dda3a54bc4ee760f13e3f2b3\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: This call is also a split call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022 data-id=\u0022749aae4ba9497b801d9ec1dd0f4d5252\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224781da7e0ee64557a3bcb565f241de8e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022749aae4ba9497b801d9ec1dd0f4d5252\u0022\u003ECAMILLA BELICH (Labour) (17:25)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, why won\u2019t National tell us what they are going to cut? Why, in this Budget, have they told us that they\u2019re going to get rid of 9,000 Public Service jobs but they seem to have absolutely no plan as to how this is going to be implemented, and absolutely no idea of the jobs that are going to be cut.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, we take our job here, as the Opposition, seriously. So when they announced the Budget and they said, \u201CWe are going to balance this Budget on the jobs of public servants\u201D, we said to the National Party, \u201CWho is going to lose their job? How will this impact New Zealanders? What public services that Kiwis rely on are going to be cut by this Budget?\u201D And what did we hear? Crickets. So then we had questions in the House, we had scrutiny week where I asked the Minister, Paul Goldsmith, \u201CWhat are the jobs that are going to be cut? What is exempt from this process? And who needs to worry about how they\u2019re going to pay their bills and what services they are going to be able to rely on?\u201D I have had no satisfactory answers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn fact, today, we had to go line by line to every single Minister in this Government and ask them about every single important job that Kiwis rely on and say to them, \u201CWill you rule this out? Will you rule out cutting the jobs of these really important public services that people do?\u201D And just some examples for you, Mr Speaker, on that. The people who do suicide prevention; the people who do search and rescue; the people who work in the Labour Inspectorate to investigate crimes against vulnerable workers; the people who work for Oranga Tamariki\u2019s contact centre, the contact centre where people call to alert authorities that children are in danger. I asked Ministers to rule out cuts to all of those important jobs, in addition to many, many others\u2014dozens of other jobs. I was not able to get any assurances.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, that doesn\u2019t mean that the Government hasn\u2019t ruled out some job cuts, because we see that Maritime New Zealand search and rescue coordination is staying and also the Cancer Control Agency is staying\u2014two Ministers were able to provide that information. So I say to the Government, if it\u2019s possible for them to give that level of detail around these key public services, the rest of the public servants who work across New Zealand need to know whether their jobs are safe or not, because, at the moment, we have 9,000 people, their families, their parents, their children, everyone who relies on them, wondering: do they have a future in this country? Do they have a career in this country? Can they afford to pay their bills? We have not had answers to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EYou\u2019ll also be aware that this couldn\u2019t have come at a worse time for these New Zealanders. Not only are they facing the prospect of losing their job, but at the same time New Zealanders have a cost of living crisis. The economy, despite what you may hear from the other side, is not going well. We have business liquidations at a 15-year high. Well, that is a terrible indictment on the Government which is meant to be the party of business. The businesses in New Zealand are closing under this Government. We have unemployment continuing to grow. We have 40,000 more people out of work since National took office. Power bills are up 18 percent. We see more New Zealanders leaving than ever before. And we see 650,000 people unable to get primary care.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThen, we look to this Budget, which we are debating today, and we thought\u2014because we are optimists on the side of the House\u2014\u201CSurely there will be something for everyday New Zealanders in this Budget. Surely, on the background of this terrible economy, on the background of job losses, and the background of the cost of living crisis that New Zealanders are facing\u2014surely there will be something.\u201D There was nothing but misery and further cuts.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETo make it even worse, there are no details about how that\u2019s going to be implemented. The only thing we heard is AI is going to ride in and save them. Well, that is blatantly ridiculous. We know that they don\u2019t have a plan. We know that these cuts don\u2019t add up. All we know is that austerity is coming for New Zealand, and if you think it\u2019s bad for you today, then just wait. After three more years of that Government, it\u2019s going to be even worse, because they have no plan, and the plan that they have means cutting back the public services and the jobs that you rely on. Let it be a warning to New Zealanders that if they make the grave mistake of re-electing that side of the House, the only thing that will happen for them is that employment will get worse, public services will reduce, and everything will be\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b574e227e4be4b03fa51d8f3eaefb6aa\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s time has expired.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229f071e5323b640f383726a46f39e8187\u0022 data-id=\u00223e95857c78c7aeffdcd0027c5544d741\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229f071e5323b640f383726a46f39e8187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223e95857c78c7aeffdcd0027c5544d741\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour\u2014Te Atat\u016B) (17:30)\u003C/span\u003E: There\u2019s no shortage of things that have outraged New Zealanders over the last couple of years, and, most recently, there\u2019s Shane Jones\u2019 $33,000 trip to Canada, companies donating to National and ACT and New Zealand First who have directly benefited from fast-track decisions, the current proposal to sell off conservation lands, tax cuts for landlords while State house rents are being hiked up, the subjugation of our once-proud independent foreign policy to the geopolitical interests of the United States and Israel. It\u2019s a very long list, but, actually, what\u2019s done the real political damage to this Government is their economic mismanagement, and you can see it in the Budget.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENever has so much damage been done to so many people by the mishandling of the economy by a party and a Prime Minister who promised to fix the cost of living crisis. He\u2019s the business guy, Christopher Luxon, He was going to make everything fine. The New Zealand public have watched for the last 2\u00BD years while it\u2019s got worse and worse. There is a widespread, pervasive view now across New Zealand that this Government has no interest in the lives of ordinary New Zealanders. Their hearts are not in it for ordinary Kiwis. They don\u2019t care about them, they don\u2019t want to look after them, and their priorities lie elsewhere.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s this Government\u2019s ideology, that\u2019s reflected in this Budget, that\u2019s done the real harm. It started off with tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the wealthy, and tax cuts that went to tobacco companies and landlords. That was the first big signal. That\u2019s exhibit A, your honour. It was followed by the stopping and delaying of hundreds of construction projects\u2014not only of State housing projects in my electorate but also of dozens and dozens of public housing projects cancelled and sections lying bare while homelessness has doubled. Then there was the sacking of thousands of public servants and the cutting of numerous social programmes\u2014not to mention the hiring freeze in our hospitals, leaving our hospitals short staffed and under-resourced. Is it any wonder, in the face of that economic agenda, that there was a collapse in both consumer confidence and investor confidence with record business closures, high unemployment, and low to non-existent growth? Having throttled the life out of the economy, small businesses, contractors, tradies, and anyone in construction\u201420,000 jobs in construction alone gone\u2014800 to 900 Kiwis are leaving the country every week for Australia, because there are no jobs. There are no opportunities there. That is what has really hurt people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe people that have been hit worst are the people who rely on casual work, the people who work two or three part-time jobs to survive, people who have to hustle for business every week\u2014the independent traders, the contractors, and the small businesses. Retail has been absolutely savaged under this Government, and it\u2019s because of the economic mismanagement. The fundamental lessons of demand management haven\u2019t been learnt\u2014or they\u2019ve been unlearnt and forgotten\u2014by Nicola Willis and the people around her.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWith that economic wasteland as the backdrop, grocery prices have relentlessly gone up week after week; petrol prices have gone up, not just because of the war in the Middle East that Christopher Luxon supported; power bills have gone up 18\u00A0percent, as Rachel Brooking said; insurance rates; car regos. Is there any household expense that hasn\u2019t gone through the roof in the last 2\u00BD years? When I\u2019m in my electorate talking to people\u2014whether it\u2019s at the mall, the supermarket, car park, or on the doorstep\u2014do you know what people say? \u201CWe\u2019re dying out here. We need help. This is not working for us. I didn\u2019t vote for this. Something needs to happen.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, luckily it is possible for Governments to do something about the cost of living crisis, and there are examples of Governments all over the world who have done something. Our Government took action consistently and repeatedly to ease the cost of living crisis when we were last in office, and we\u2019ll do it again, and you can see it in the flavour of the policies that we\u2019ve announced\u2014three free doctors visits, the public transport fair cap. These are the policies that will make a difference to people\u2019s back pockets, and, luckily, people have a choice in November to choose a better Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226710095aa1204b3793448571c208ccd4\u0022 data-id=\u002266f02b9cd2b84320e76c231699a49362\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226710095aa1204b3793448571c208ccd4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002266f02b9cd2b84320e76c231699a49362\u0022\u003EHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green\u2014Rongotai) (17:35)\u003C/span\u003E: Kia orana, Mr Speaker. This country deserves so much better. New Zealanders deserve so much better than what this coalition Government delivered in this Budget and the two before it. We have amazing opportunities, and there are opportunities of clean energy, electrification, the green economy, investing in our people to look after and educate other people. That is what will genuinely lead to better lives in New Zealand\u2014not just better lives for Nick Mowbray and his family but better lives for the average New Zealander, the ones who are doing the real work of cleaning, of building, of nursing, of caring for aged people in our aged-care facilities. There are so many important jobs out there that require Government funding in order to be done, and we\u2019re all better off as a result of it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat level of economic development and support is completely not understood by the ignorant people in this coalition Government. I mean, maybe they\u2019re ignorant; maybe they\u2019re malevolent\u2014I don\u2019t know which it is\u2014but the reality is that with Government investment, the revenue circles around, and it actually multiplies. When we make sensible Government investments, then businesses are able to invest, the workers have more money, they\u2019re able to go out for coffee, for a drink, and for a restaurant meal, and they\u2019re able to do other things that support local business. That is something that Nicola Willis has apparently never understood. She thinks that jobs are magically handed down on high from those people who\u2019ve been lucky enough to work our rigged tax system and economic system to become the super-rich. We\u2019ve seen the super-rich getting more rich at the expense of ordinary people who are struggling with cost of living.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EGovernments can do something about that. We absolutely know that that can be done, and the Green Party has long demonstrated where we can make practical investments that benefit our people and our planet, like the investment in Jobs for Nature, which was fantastic for regional economic development and fantastic for biodiversity, because biodiversity in nature is something that New Zealanders care about. All this coalition Government can think to do is to sell off and create a situation where our Department of Conservation isn\u2019t looking after the intrinsic value of our conservation estate but looking to make money off it, potentially by selling off land and assets, which is extremely unpopular.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnother example of the ways in which this Government is very out of touch with ordinary New Zealanders is that they go out claiming that their policies are resulting in business confidence, and yet here we have the most recent employment confidence index by Westpac, a regular survey of employment confidence, that just hit a new low\u2014worse than 2008 and worse than COVID. That\u2019s a result of failed economic ideology that too many people in the Government parties are adherents of, where they don\u2019t understand that public investment is absolutely necessary. It\u2019s necessary for the survival and the flourishing of our communities and our societies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThey claim that we can\u2019t afford to buy new ferries, for example. We had these new ferries that were a direct connection between the North and South Islands that were under order from a Korean shipyard. They came in, without any idea of what an alternative might be, and cancelled the order for the ferries\u2014some of which would have been with us right now. Cancelling the work that was planned to enable those rail-enabled ferries meant a lot of jobs were lost in the construction sector in Picton and in Wellington.  Now we\u2019ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars on sunk cost on cancelling the ferries, then we still have to buy some brand new ferries; it\u2019s going to be years before they\u2019re delivered. We are looking at years of disruption to the movement of people and goods between our two countries. Surely, that is, like, fundamental investment in our public good infrastructure, and so it\u2019s an example of the ideological approach that is short-sighted and destructive, that this coalition Government came in and did right off the bat. The country is living with the consequences of that and will continue living with the consequences of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat we did not see in this Budget was any commitment to changing the tax system to make it fair. The Green Party announced a tax policy; you wouldn\u2019t know from the Government\u2019s critique of it, but it would actually leave 96 percent of New Zealanders better off. So if you can make changes to the tax system that result in 96 percent of New Zealanders being better off and the Government having more revenue to invest in essential public services and infrastructure, who on Earth would oppose that? Who on Earth would oppose that? Oh, I know: the coalition parties who are getting massive donations from the super-rich. That probably has something to do with the fact that they wouldn\u2019t make sensible changes to the tax system that would mean the first $10,000 of income earned would be tax free. That\u2019s what the Green Party\u2019s proposing: first $10,000 absolutely tax free. When we give more of our resources to more people, that benefits the entire society. If we concentrate ridiculous amounts of money in a small number of families, that\u2019s of no economic benefit to the country. That\u2019s where these fools are just, I don\u2019t know\u2014like, you almost can\u2019t believe it\u2019s true. It\u2019s like: what is happening?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne thing that is not reflected in the Budget is the fact that they\u2019re about to sign us up to a very long-term, extremely expensive loan for a highway project that doesn\u2019t make any sense\u2014like, it doesn\u2019t make any sense. They\u2019re keeping the benefit-cost analysis secret, which is unheard of. If the benefit-cost analysis was public, I\u2019m sure it would be overstating the benefits of the project, because they dropped the discount rate, which makes road projects look better even though they\u2019re not actually better. Look, if there\u2019s a road that\u2019s carrying less than 0.2 percent of daily vehicle trips, we probably shouldn\u2019t spend $12 billion on it, you know? Like, we\u2019ve got other roads that need improvement. That\u2019s what the National Infrastructure Plan said.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe Green Party is absolutely committed to implementing those recommendations and putting maintenance and renewals first, bringing in appropriate pricing, and investing in the alternatives, because that is the huge opportunity for productivity gains: moving more people and goods with fewer vehicles and less fossil fuels. It just makes sense. Then, of course, obviously, electrifying our transport and investing in rail, because not everybody can drive, and also rail is just a more cost-effective way of moving low-value goods that are going a long distance. So, you know, there\u2019s a whole bunch of sensible things that we could be doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the more frightening things, I think, is the way that so many of the Government parties are distracting from the real challenges of inequality and climate change. Let\u2019s be honest: climate change, we have always known, will drive up the cost of living, because when we have more serious flooding incidents, when we have more cyclones hitting us, that disrupts business, it means our insurance premiums go up, we\u2019re having to put more resources into repairing the infrastructure that we already had, and it\u2019s going to result in higher fuel food costs. So we have known for decades that climate change would result in higher food costs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne really simple thing the Government could\u2019ve done to reduce cost of living, for example, was not cancel the programme that was supporting local councils to buy electric buses, because if we buy electric buses, we spend less money on imported fossil fuels to run our public transport services. Now in this Budget there is an undisclosed secret amount that the Government\u2019s having to pay more for the same amount of diesel. So we\u2019re not getting more services, we\u2019re not getting electric buses, which would be good for air quality and save us money on diesel. Instead, we\u2019re just spending the money on diesel.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat just absolutely epitomises the short-sighted, ideological approach of the National Party; of Simeon Brown; of ACT and New Zealand First, who are supporting them, to cut back on programmes that just made economic sense. They finally came out and realised they actually had to help businesses transition away from gas, so after 2\u00BD years, after cancelling the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund, they\u2019re coming up with a programme to do that. Well, we could\u2019ve been doing that the last 2\u00BD years if this Government hadn\u2019t cancelled it. This is a record, a shameful record, of embarrassing failures for the people in the current coalition Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI talk to businesses every day in my electorate and around the country who want to see direction from central government on sustainability, on waste minimisation, on transitioning away from fossil fuels because it makes sense, who want to see more investment in public transport and public housing. I had hundreds of public homes cancelled in my electorate. People need those homes. This is a shameful coalition Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226c539da3b89956e99ff519aef3500434\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: The next call is a split call.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227ef423fda7b143b890e93f8018529ebe\u0022 data-id=\u002209cf1fecf9cfaad52254d59d2e69f325\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ef423fda7b143b890e93f8018529ebe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002209cf1fecf9cfaad52254d59d2e69f325\u0022\u003EGREG FLEMING (National\u2014Maungakiekie) (17:45)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EN\u014Dku te m\u0101ringa nui kia t\u016B kia tautoko ai i t\u0113nei, he aha te kupu, rautaki. \u0100e, t\u0113r\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EIt is my great pleasure to stand in support of this\u2014what\u2019s the word\u2014\u201Cstrategy\u201D. Yes, that\u2019s it.\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAbout nine months ago, I had the privilege of attending the opening of New Zealand\u2019s first IKEA in, yes, \u201CMaunga-IKEA-kie\u201D\u2014[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EInterruption\u003C/span\u003E] ah, there we go, yeah\u2014just down the road from where I live there. I had the privilege of being there along with the Prime Minister and with Simeon Brown, who at that stage was the Minister for Auckland. After celebrating the opening of this business, we went out and had a press conference, and it was my first opportunity to be ambushed by Tova O\u2019Brien. She\u2019d been listening attentively, apparently, to the scrutiny hearing the day or two before; it was in the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and we were talking about the Vote and the amount of Budget that was being allocated to the support of M\u0101ori broadcasting, which she knew was something that I\u2019m particularly passionate about. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe question that she asked the Prime Minister was referring to a plug that I had made at that committee for more money to go into broadcasting, that even though we had these fiscal cliffs approaching, I would love to have seen the opportunity for us to increase the support of those fantastic agencies that we have in New Zealand: Te M\u0101ngai P\u0101ho, Te Puni K\u014Dkiri itself, Whakaata M\u0101ori, and Te M\u0101t\u0101wai. For the work that they do, you know\u2014\u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003Ehe taonga tuku iho n\u014D ng\u0101 t\u012Bpuna []. Ka rere te reo, ka tau te wairua. Ka rere te reo ka hiko ng\u0101 ng\u0101kau puta noa i te motu nei. T\u014Dku tino wawata, te whakapu\u0101wai o ng\u0101 reo i ng\u0101 w\u0101 katoa, i ng\u0101 w\u0101hi katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003Eit is a treasure handed down from the ancestors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E[\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EWhen language flows, the spirit is at peace. When language flows, the hearts of this country are stimulated. My earnest desire is for languages to blossom all the time, everywhere.\u003C/span\u003E]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo she asked me this question in front of the Prime Minister, and the answer that I gave was one that I reflected on recently when I looked at the wisdom of our Budget. I said that what we are able to do as a country is invest in these things that we are truly passionate about when we have a growing economy. That is why our number one focus has to be to secure the economy of this country, because when we have economic growth, when we control our spending, when inflation is down, then we actually have a surplus to invest in these things that we are truly passionate about. In this Budget, because of the economic wisdom, we were able to invest in some things. Even in these lean times, we were still able to invest in these taonga, which is why I was so excited to see an extra $48\u00A0million\u2014even in these tough times, an extra $48 million, that equates to more than 10 percent of the baseline funding\u2014an additional 10 percent that\u2019s been allocated for investment in M\u0101ori broadcasting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut there was even more for Maungakiekie. I had a phone call from the Minister of Education sharing with me some fantastic news, and that is that Ellerslie primary school in my electorate had for the last 25 years been seeking an auditorium. It\u2019s been over 25 years since that school of 850 students has been able to gather as a community in a hall on site, and they have done everything and more than a school could ask to do. We have presented that case to our Government, and even in these lean times, because of careful fiscal management, we have been able to invest generously in school infrastructure, including the schools of Maungakiekie, and so Ellerslie primary school is getting its new auditorium.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut there\u2019s more. I also received a phone call informing me that we\u2019re going to have new classrooms at One Tree Hill College. We\u2019re going to have new classrooms to provide extra learning support for the students of our community. Those are the kinds of things which we are able to do, and do more of, if we continue to focus on fixing the basics, because then we can build the future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022694c3cef004e40d78a26712dce80070d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238d9b3ae8fc0b379701b2412639e0e13\u0022\u003ESuze Redmayne\u003C/span\u003E: Half-price classrooms.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227ef423fda7b143b890e93f8018529ebe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022be07f39dbfc21a465a9db44dc21b9c57\u0022\u003EGREG FLEMING\u003C/span\u003E: And half-price classrooms. It is a strong economy that allows us to take better care of our communities. It is a strong economy that gives us the resources and the ability to take better care of each other, and that is why I am enthusiastic about this wise Budget, and I am excited about the future that is dawning for Aotearoa New Zealand. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221a8ff6e3602c492880b65258f59645c0\u0022 data-id=\u0022fd66f707b6e857bd8c9b395926c0e69a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221a8ff6e3602c492880b65258f59645c0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fd66f707b6e857bd8c9b395926c0e69a\u0022\u003EDANA KIRKPATRICK (National\u2014East Coast) (17:50)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Look, I rise to take a call in this series of wonderful speeches about the Budget and the great things that have been indicated. I wanted to talk a little bit about how important it is for regional communities and infrastructure, in particular. I think it\u2019s really important to remember that in this Budget and in challenging financial times, and in times that we have had to be very prudent in terms of spending, the Government has allocated $400 million to resilience and risk reduction works on key pieces of roading infrastructure across the country. I\u2019m referring, of course, to my colleague David MacLeod\u2019s Awakino Gorge; I\u2019m referring to Scott Simpson\u2019s Coromandel\u2014the beautiful Coromandel, as he calls it\u2014and, of course, I wouldn\u2019t want to forget the Wai\u014Dweka Gorge in the Tair\u0101whiti region, in particular the work that we still are yet to do and commence\u2014and, I guess, understand how we deliver that\u2014for State Highway 35 around the East Coast.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn January 2026, the Wai\u014Dweka Gorge had 200 millilitres of rain fall in a two-hour period. The result of that was 40 slips, a significant amount of damage to culverts and flood-ways, and also a really difficult disruption to traffic and to anything that could get through. In Tair\u0101whiti, in January and February, we\u2019re just entering into the time where it is harvest season, where the kiwifruit are about to come off the vines. We\u2019re looking at citrus a wee bit further down the track, but we have squash, we have salad, we have all manner of things: persimmons, lemons\u2014everything you can think of goes out. Horticulture New Zealand estimates about 120,000 tonnes of produce leave the Tair\u0101whiti region. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, that\u2019s one thing if you live in Gisborne; if you live in Te Araroa or Tikitiki, Rangitukia, the detour, if the gorge is closed, is more than seven hours to get through to the area where the port is. So it\u2019s a significant detour, and then throw into the middle of that, of course, a fuel crisis, which makes the cost even more exponentially great. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo for our producers in our region, it was a very stressful and difficult time. I want to commend in the New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) for the work they did to get it open as quickly as possible, but the investment allocated, in the Budget, of $75 million for the Wai\u014Dweka Gorge, is a significant amount in a constrained funding environment. I really want to commend the Government for delivering that. We have a whole lot of work to do in there. We have $8 million to be spent between now and Christmas on flood-ways and culverts, and then we have the rest of the $75 million to be spent in the coming years, or next year or the year after, to deliver much greater risk reduction. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBecause the problem is this: if you live in Gisborne and you\u2019re planning to get on that bus at 8 in the morning and go to Auckland because that\u2019s the way you get there, or if you live in \u014Cp\u014Dtiki and you\u2019re planning to get on the bus and go to Rotorua or to Hamilton or to Auckland, it doesn\u2019t go anymore. Those people have nowhere, no reason, no way to travel. If you think about the cafe owners in \u014Cp\u014Dtiki and in Tair\u0101whiti, and if you think about the people up the coast owning businesses where there\u2019s no traffic all of a sudden because all of the roads are shut, it has a significant detrimental impact on the local economy. I think the importance of roading infrastructure and good investment into it cannot be lost. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIf I think about the tourism sector in Tair\u0101whiti, the report done by Trust Tair\u0101whiti in May 2026 indicated that tourism and hospitality during the six-week closure recovery period dropped in spending by $1.7 million compared to the year before for the same period. Remember, of course, in January, that\u2019s the time when everybody\u2019s travelling around having their family holidays, and the tourism ventures and the cafes and what have you are stacking away some savings for the winter period when it\u2019s quieter. So they have a significant long-term, enduring effect on regional economies when roads are shut.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe have worked really hard to make sure it\u2019s open. We\u2019ve stopped NZTA from shutting it every time it might rain, to keep it open and keep it a bit more secure. We\u2019ve worked with the freight operators, and now we have delivered a substantial amount of money to ensure that the road remains open and that people can go visit their friends, that they can go about their business, and that our horticulture and agriculture producers can get their product to market to the Port of Tauranga and beyond. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe will make sure that we are not forgotten, in the regions, and we are not forgotten in terms of State Highway 2, Wai\u014Dweka Gorge and State Highway 35, both of which deserve and should have investment into the future. Therefore, this is a good result and a Budget that has delivered for our region in a small but useful way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d5007cd0499403a471d0732e4efa47ba\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the time has come for me to leave the chair for the dinner break. The House will resume at 7:30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterItalicsCentred\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 5.56 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c4054628c1bdf035d4118f1709a5042c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Good evening, members. I hope we\u2019ve all dined well. We resume the Budget debate. The next call is a split call to the Labour Party, and there are 18 minutes left in this debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cc5df856d19845fdaba4418087cd3bba\u0022 data-id=\u002214e9670410acf127dfa0d2e2eac02ed0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc5df856d19845fdaba4418087cd3bba\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002214e9670410acf127dfa0d2e2eac02ed0\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI (Labour) (19:30)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. As we\u2019re coming to the end of this Budget debate, I thought it would be really timely to talk about one of the glaring holes and one of the moments of shame that this Budget is bringing to this Government. Alongside the Budget, we had the release of the child poverty figures: 50,000 more children suffering from material hardship than there were three years ago\u201450,000 more children. Overall, that\u2019s nearly 170,000 children facing material hardship in this country. That is an absolute disgrace for this country. Also, New Zealand is nowhere near on track to meet its 2028 targets.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to mention a retired Starship Hospital paediatrician, Dr Innes Asher, who said that the latest Budget was a very bad one for New Zealand because more children were in poverty now than there were 10 years ago. Poverty costs everyone. It costs our societies, it costs our economy, and it is not good for those precious taonga who are our future generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETo put that into terms of what that looks like for those children, there are 50,000 more children who don\u2019t have enough food to live with food security on a daily basis, who don\u2019t know where their next meal is coming from. There are 50,000 more children who don\u2019t have enough shoes to put on their feet, who don\u2019t have enough clothes, who don\u2019t live in houses that are warm and fit for purpose. There are 50,000 more children who are more prone to diseases that will hospitalise them. We\u2019re already seeing that some of the indicators of poverty\u2014the diseases that are the true indicators of poverty\u2014are becoming more prevalent in society right now: skin diseases such as scabies. We\u2019ve had alerts about outbreaks of scabies. Scabies happens when poverty is rife. That\u2019s what\u2019s facing our children at the moment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s 50,000 more children who face greater inequities in their lifetime, greater inequities in their home lives, greater inequities in their schooling lives. It\u2019s harder for them to have good outcomes across those areas such as schooling\u2014not impossible, but much more difficult\u2014than if they were living in a secure and poverty-free household. This is the shame of this Budget: 50,000\u201450,000\u2014more children that this Government has caused to go into poverty from their policies or their lack of initiatives that they are targeting towards bringing kids out of that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s all very well when we can talk about those numbers, but I\u2019m mindful of those children that I have seen in recent times. I think of ones that I saw at the end of last year, at a Christmas party, where a child wouldn\u2019t unwrap the Christmas present that was given to them at that Christmas party because they wanted to take it home so that their sibling would have a present to open, because it would be the only present they would get under their Christmas tree\u2014or the other child, who had unwrapped their present and was then busily trying to wrap it back up again because they wanted to have something for themselves to open on Christmas day. Those are the realities of kids that live in poverty. They don\u2019t have extras. They don\u2019t have presents. You stop asking them what they got for Christmas or what they got for their birthday, because they just don\u2019t get anything.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a real blight on this country that we have children that are living in that situation. One would be one too many, but 170,000? We are heading in the wrong direction. This Government\u2019s policies are heading this country in the wrong direction. We have far too many children that are living in situations not of their making but of the making of a society that is not supporting them. This is not a good Budget; this is an absolutely shameful Budget. We need to turn that around, and the hope is in November when we can vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002242067e22c7a349218b3b868f58eda79d\u0022 data-id=\u002237648862235ddaa3d37f5609431c0804\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002242067e22c7a349218b3b868f58eda79d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002237648862235ddaa3d37f5609431c0804\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK (Labour\u2014Nelson) (19:35)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. As my colleague the Hon Jan Tinetti has just pointed out, this is a Government and a Budget that is failing New Zealand. This Government came into power nearly three years ago with a massive promise to New Zealanders that they would fix the cost of living, that they would make things better for New Zealanders, that they would make things easier for New Zealanders; instead, things are getting worse. I\u2019m going to talk about that in a moment, particularly in relation to some matters in my electorate of Nelson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFirst, I want to focus on some of the cuts that haven\u2019t necessarily had enough air time in this country, but it shows this Government\u2019s priorities. Those are the cuts to the arts budget: $27 million worth of cuts over the next few years from organisations like Te Papa, which house our most precious taonga; from Creative New Zealand, which gets money out to artists operating in the regions; from the New Zealand Music Commission; from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, who travel up and down the country\u2014a world-leading orchestra in our own country. Instead, this Government is giving millions of dollars to international artists who are multimillionaires, like Robbie Williams, yet leaving behind the artists in New Zealand who are looking to grow their talent and make a contribution to New Zealand across the whole country. I\u2019ve spoken to many, many arts leaders who cannot understand why this Government is giving millions of dollars to people like Robbie Williams, who would come here anyway, through a process that isn\u2019t transparent, and then they cut $27 million from Kiwi artists\u2014from New Zealand artists\u2014many of whom are doing it tough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, let\u2019s talk about the cost of living, because, again, this Government talked a massive game. They said, \u201CWe are going to do so much for this nation.\u201D Well, in my community of Nelson, we have lost hundreds of jobs. Unemployment continues to grow across the nation. Business liquidations are at a 15-year high. I want to give a shout-out to the wonderful team at Comida and Prego\u2014a wonderful cafe and retail outlet in Nelson that has closed this week, very sadly. We\u2019ve had jobs lost at Carter Holt Harvey, we\u2019ve had jobs lost at Sealord, we\u2019re having jobs moved out of our region from Proper Crisps\u2014many, many more jobs lost and many people having to leave New Zealand for Australia because they cannot get access to an opportunity in New Zealand. We\u2019re also seeing many people\u2014around 650,000 people\u2014who cannot afford to go to the doctor. They can\u2019t afford it because of the cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat I want to talk about is some of Labour\u2019s plans to address this. We have some actual plans to address the cost of living. This was the last chance of this National Government. They could have come with a Budget recently, they could have come to this House, and said, \u201CHere is how we are going to help you with the cost of living now.\u201D Instead, they talked about KiwiSaver and things for the future, but they had made a promise to New Zealanders and they needed to do something for New Zealanders now. Here\u2019s one of those things. I just want to thank my colleague Mr Utikere for lending me his Bee Card, because we both have a Bee Card\u2014it\u2019s a Bee Card. Now, these wonderful Bee Cards can be used in places like Palmerston North, in places like Nelson and Tauranga\u2014all over the country\u2014in order to pay for the bus. Now, one of the most popular things that we\u2019ve been talking about that will address the cost of living in my community of Nelson, and it is very, very popular, is that you\u2019ll only pay $10 a week in Nelson to use the bus.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe have fantastic e-buses in Nelson that our Government helped introduce\u2014something I was proud to assist with getting funding for. We have fantastic electric buses, the first electric bus fleet in New Zealand\u2014sorry, I know we have a little contest about this\u2014the first fully electric bus fleet in New Zealand. We\u2019re very, very proud of it in Nelson. We are very proud of it. Ten bucks a week is all you\u2019ll pay. Under the previous Labour Government, we had half-price public transport and we saw a massive increase in public transport usage in Nelson. People didn\u2019t have to use petrol to fill up their car. These are the kinds of things that this Government could have done. They gave money to families but not money to the elderly people in my community, of which there are many; not money to the workers who don\u2019t have kids but are still paying hundreds of dollars to fill up the tank; not money to the beneficiaries who are trying to get a job; but a $10-a-week bus fare will do wonders for them. It\u2019s just one of the many things that Labour will do to properly address the cost of living, unlike this Government, who have come into power and made things worse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fe19321306ecfb8a4c0315fb3d35d38b\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Chris Bishop, for eight minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022 data-id=\u002261a79aa72a402bae2a551ded75d60dac\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261a79aa72a402bae2a551ded75d60dac\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP (Minister of Housing) (19:40)\u003C/span\u003E: What a woeful contribution from the soon-to-be former member for Nelson\u2014what a woeful contribution. It is hard to know where to start with the paucity of policy offerings coming from the Opposition. They like to lecture us about numbers. Well, just in the last week or so, we have seen from the Opposition quite a demonstration of the need for financial literacy in schools. I mean, leave aside the Greens\u2019 kind of make-believe, mumbo-jumbo, make-it-up-as-you-go, \u201COh, what\u2019s $400\u2014oh, sorry, it\u2019s actually $800 million\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022faa2249ddf7561f5f73331100b95509a\u0022\u003EHon Nicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s $800 million between friends?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225432ab65dedb182e5ec9cb9e32d48a2d\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: \u201CWhat\u2019s $800 million between friends?\u201D, says the Minister of Finance. I mean, if the Minister of Finance made an $800 million mistake\u2014it\u2019s a good thing the public don\u2019t take the Greens seriously.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also got, of course, the heroic claim from Mr Utikere that 1.2 million people can benefit by hundreds of dollars per week and it will only cost $65 million! Interestingly, according to him, we\u2019ll also include the Eastbourne Ferry, which doesn\u2019t have Snapper\u2014so it doesn\u2019t even work on the system that their own policy document said it would affect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt was quite interesting to see the reaction of Eastbourne locals. I should declare an interest: I live there. So\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227371165d2f362123749328c45134daf7\u0022\u003EHon Willow-Jean Prime\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, what was that about your Budget?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230ae2812741fafe21c81eb02d8d709a9\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: I should disclose an interest. It was interesting to see the Radio New Zealand article in which people from Eastbourne said, \u201CWell, hang on, this is a bit interesting. It\u2019s a huge amount of money to cross the harbour, and now we\u2019re getting free cash from Tangi Utikere and his mates?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnyway, there is so much to talk about in this great Budget. I want to talk about a couple of things. The first is the very large capital investment in the Budget: $7\u00A0billion across a whole range of different things. One of the things we\u2019ve been trying to do since this Government was elected is establish a long-term infrastructure pipeline and make sure that we get the cash out of the door, because that has been a perennial problem for Governments of successive stripes over the last few years. We\u2019re making real progress. It\u2019s not there yet, but we are making progress. This Budget invests a considerable amount into the kind of social infrastructure that this country needs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the outgoing legacies of the Hon Dr Shane Reti, who\u2019s now, sadly, retiring from Parliament, will be a new 158-bed block at Whang\u0101rei Hospital\u2014fantastic\u2014and we\u2019ve got redevelopment money for a whole range of other regional hospitals. This is evidence-based policy. The National Infrastructure Plan, with cross-party endorsement, says we need to lift hospital investment; well, that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing. Unlike the last Government, which just made large pronouncements of money and worried about the details later\u2014hence why, in 2026, having been promised in 2017, we are just getting started on the new Dunedin Hospital, which will finish in 2032; what a sad tale of infrastructure neglect and mismanagement in this country\u2014we are making sure we can deliver projects and fund them when they are needed. Likewise, with Police; likewise, with courthouses, replacing the Rotorua Courthouse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to talk briefly about social housing, because I was at the Community Housing Aotearoa conference today. It was interesting to see the Labour Party a bit late to the party, a year after we came out with a liquidity system for the Community Housing Funding Agency and a bank loan guarantee scheme, to see them stand up and say, \u201CDo you know what would be a good idea? If we did a Crown guarantee for the Community Housing Funding Agency.\u201D It\u2019s like, well, yeah, no doubt about it; we did it last year. Where were you? Like, wake up, Mr McAnulty, because that is delivering up to 400\u00A0basis point reductions in debt for community housing providers around the country, and it means we\u2019re getting more bang for buck, so it\u2019s a great thing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis Budget puts another 1,800 to 2,200 social houses funded from 2028 onwards, and I am very proud of this. For the first time in New Zealand history, we now have a four-year funded pipeline of social housing places, which is what the community housing sector has said they\u2019ve wanted for as long as I\u2019ve been involved in housing in this House. No Government has been able to deliver it; at a time of great fiscal restraint, we have been able to do it. I know that there are kids and wh\u0101nau around the country who will get access to those homes, and the kids will wake up in warm, dry houses and all of the benefits that come from that. That makes me very happy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere is a significant investment in this Budget into the Waikato Expressway. The Cambridge to Piarere Road: $1.77 billion to deliver the extension of the Waikato Expressway. It was interesting to see the Labour Party, after the announcement, cast doubt on the benefit-cost ratio, which is actually really good; it\u2019s about 2.7 to 3.1. Then they said it was unaffordable, even though it was capital funded in the Budget. My challenge to them is: will they commit to that road? I tell you, go and talk to the people of Cambridge, go and talk to the people of Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty, which the road connects to through State Highway 29, and if you say to them, \u201CDo we need that road? That death trap of a road\u2014a replacement road.\u201D They\u2019ll say yes. Go and talk to the Port of Tauranga, go and talk to Tainui, go and talk to the people at the Ruakura Inland Port, go and talk to the people of Hamilton and the logistics firms around that \u201Cgolden triangle\u201D, that great hub of growth, the great nexus of growth in the centre of this country, and they\u2019ll say to you, \u201CYeah, it\u2019s the greatest thing since sliced bread.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThey want a commitment that we will get on with it. Well, under this Government, we are doing that. But it\u2019s not just about big new roads. We made a specific decision in the Budget\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c6269adfb199be9717342a6484d580f\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: I like big, new roads.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264db2ed6e178e69eec3cf79be466bea3\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014I know you like big, new roads; you\u2019re getting a very big one\u2014to make sure that we fund resilience investments; Wai\u014Deka Gorge, for example.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221a8ff6e3602c492880b65258f59645c0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222bd329e0aee6d9834e7dcd23521f5667\u0022\u003EDana Kirkpatrick\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002274e9195fb5cbb8e3491619373621f86a\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: I acknowledge the very hard work of Dana Kirkpatrick to make sure that that project was prioritised, because that\u2019s a lifeline route for the great people of the East Coast. It has been bashed around through severe weather events, but we actually need to fix it, and we\u2019re going to do that, and the work is going to start soon. I want to acknowledge David MacLeod and Barbara Kuriger for their advocacy for the Awakino Gorge\u2014a real stress point. It has been a real problem, and we are going to fix it. There\u2019s a whole range of other resilience improvements, and it\u2019s, again, following the work of the National Infrastructure Plan, which said, \u201CFocus on what you\u2019ve got. Focus on resilience.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFinally, RMA reform and the digital investments. Now, people might say, \u201COh, this is all very boring\u201D, but it\u2019s actually critical. I was speaking to the Environmental Defence Society today. There\u2019s genuine excitement about building the digital backend of the system so that we have a federated data infrastructure, and rather than every council going off and purchasing their own IT system, going off and purchasing their own digital systems, we\u2019ve got one for the country. A radical concept: one data system, and also making use of a thing that I\u2019ve discovered in the last six months: artificial intelligence. It turns out it can do amazing things. The Opposition live in fear of it; we embrace it on this side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt is a great Budget, delivered by a great Minister of Finance, and it sets up a sharp contrast in election year: a Government with a plan for the future, a long-term plan to set New Zealand up for prosperity, and people opposite who just want to splash the cash and get out the money hose and create all the problems they created in the first place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c9a638564a81c7de18d367266dc2172\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: In reply, the Minister of Finance, the Hon Nicola Willis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022 data-id=\u0022a530ebbdd5c6a447c97f9b0c3228ea0b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a530ebbdd5c6a447c97f9b0c3228ea0b\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance) (19:49)\u003C/span\u003E: It is my honour to give the closing speech in a debate about a Budget that was delivered in very serious times and that rises to the challenges that New Zealand faces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs every New Zealander has experienced, in recent years we have lived in a volatile world. First, we endured the pandemic, then the intergenerational inflation spike and the cost of living crisis that flowed from it, then the huge hike in interest rates, and since then we have been slowly working ourselves out of that hole that was created. The world has thrown us a few curve balls. We\u2019ve had a global tariff war. We\u2019ve had an oil shock\u2014the worst in a generation. New Zealanders, through all of this, have kept going. They have shown enormous resilience, and they have shown enormous prospects for the future. What our Budget does and what we sought to do was build a better future for those New Zealanders by fixing the basics today, which sets us up better for that future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EUltimately, when a Government puts a Budget together, it has to make choices. I know there are some in this Parliament who like to pretend you don\u2019t have to make those choices. They think that, actually, you can just keep running up the old credit card, think up a few new ideas\u2014\u201CWhat could we do that would be free?\u201D, or a subsidy over there, or a cheap thing over there\u2014but, you see, the people who take that approach are really underestimating New Zealanders, because what they\u2019re expecting Kiwis to believe is that, somehow, the money to pay for those things comes from the ether. Kiwis actually get it; they know where that money comes from. It comes from everyday people who work really hard to earn it. They know that Governments who spend more than the country is earning end up doing one or two very simple things: either they end up borrowing so much that inflation and the cost of living goes through the roof, or they introduce new taxes to take more money from working people and productive industry\u2014or, as has been the case in New Zealand\u2019s history if it\u2019s a Labour-led Government, a beautiful combination of the two: more tax, more borrowing, more inflation, and higher interest rates to boot.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn serious times, our Budget has had to confront serious context. The real back story to this Budget is the fiscal story of where New Zealand has come these past few years. In delivering this Budget, our Government stuck to a very tight new spending allowance. We got it down to $2.1\u00A0billion. For reference, colleagues, in Grant Robertson\u2019s 2022\u00A0Budget, he let himself spend more than $9\u00A0billion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223b111696b9f040d3b1d5339eead7439f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228958e97c0e221b897dacf97e06504120\u0022\u003EHon Chris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: How much?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002260673100838bc86b6b7d276dcf9943bf\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS\u003C/span\u003E: Nine billion dollars. Now, to be fair, he hid some of that outside the operating allowance, but he spent $9\u00A0billion. We stuck to a tight spending allowance of $2.1\u00A0billion, and yet while doing that, guess how much we will be spending this year simply servicing the debt the last Labour Government left us? That bill this year will be $9\u00A0billion, and you see the way that history rhymes there, because that $9\u00A0billion debt servicing cost is one that we are having to meet and that we will keep on having to meet until we achieve one very simple thing, and that is getting the books back in balance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EThe truth is that, since 2019, we have been in deficit. We have been spending more as a country than we earn. While some like to pretend that can go on for ever, here\u2019s the news: it can\u2019t. Our Government gets that, and we have taken a responsible course of saying, \u201CRight, we\u2019ve got to straighten it up. We\u2019ve got to get those books back in balance.\u201D And how do you do that? Well, you need to get more value from every dollar that you are spending and you are investing, and you need to make very careful choices. Actually, it involves reprioritising some stuff that might have seemed fun in the glory days when Labour had the cash bazookas out and were flying them everywhere but now look a little misplaced. We\u2019ve done $50\u00A0billion worth of reprioritisation over three Budgets, and this Budget was the continuation of that. And, by doing that, we have been able to prioritise investments that truly matter for the future: job-rich infrastructure; actually getting on with redeveloping hospitals in Tauranga, in Hawke\u2019s Bay, in Palmerston North, in\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002227d19573a8ba4d8283b17374978c8ea2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293fd0f67d899aafac64bea88b284186d\u0022\u003EGrant McCallum\u003C/span\u003E: Whang\u0101rei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226b99476d584f47b19420b8154e6947dc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236a921f29f1dccb6a32fbf9a1d2d0da3\u0022\u003EHon NICOLA WILLIS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014in Whang\u0101rei. Thank you; the member for Northland reminds me\u2014and making sure that they are actually being built; intergenerational assets that need to be fixed up. We\u2019ve gone on and we\u2019ve committed funds for new schools, for redeveloping schools, for building classrooms, and we\u2019re doing it much more affordably than the last lot did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve committed to replacing the stretch of State highway that is one of the most dangerous parts of the country and has been for many, many years\u2014that\u2019s the Cambridge to Piarere stretch of the Waikato Expressway. We\u2019re making it happen. We\u2019re fixing up major bits of road that keep having problems every time there\u2019s a severe weather event. We\u2019re getting in there and we\u2019re fixing them rather than doing the nonsensical business of coming and cleaning it up every time there is a severe weather event. We\u2019re investing in those future projects, and we\u2019re also investing in the things that really matter to everyday New Zealanders. That is, to my mind, health, education, having a decent police force, and making sure that our servicemen and women who defend New Zealand\u2019s interests on the world stage have the equipment they need\u2014and that\u2019s in our Defence Force.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI look at the approach we\u2019re taking to education. In this year\u2019s Budget, the real focus was we said, \u201CWell, look, Erica Stanford has done such extraordinary work making sure we\u2019re bringing structured literacy and numeracy and assessment and a knowledge-based Curriculum back into schools; what we need to do now is build on that foundation with an approach that actually heroes skills and trades training for the future.\u201D We\u2019ve seen what success looks like. It looks like trades academies, which ensure kids are far more likely to end up in enduring employment. We\u2019ve seen the demand for those programmes and we are doubling them\u2014doubling the number of trades academy places. At the same time, we are putting extra funding in to ensure that more of the kids who missed out on the basics they needed at school\u2014probably the kids who had Jan Tinetti as the Minister of Education\u2014those kids who missed out, actually, when they leave school and they are at severe risk of becoming unemployed in the long term can go into a Youth Guarantee programme and get the wraparound support needed to give them the foundational literacy and numeracy and skills needed to enter an apprenticeship. We\u2019ve prioritised that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve prioritised health\u2014health funding, which we have increased, on average, more than 7\u00A0percent a year every year, because we know that we need to deliver more elective surgery, we need people waiting less time to see a doctor, we need them waiting less time in the emergency room, we need them to see specialists earlier. We haven\u2019t just sprayed the money at the health system and said, \u201CHey, let\u2019s do a restructure and set up a M\u0101ori Health Authority and hope for the best.\u201D No, Simeon Brown has gone out there and set targets. He\u2019s measuring, he\u2019s driving accountability, and we are getting results. We invested in health and then we also prioritised, as I said, our police force, ensuring that they have the resources they need, ensuring that violent criminals who victimise other New Zealanders don\u2019t get caught and released but actually can go to prison so that members of their community are kept safe from them. We are resourcing our prisons to keep New Zealanders safe from the criminals who reside within them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re rebuilding the Defence Force, because we, as I said at the beginning of these remarks, appreciate that the world, in case the people opposite haven\u2019t noticed, is a lot more fragile, a lot more volatile than it once was. We don\u2019t live in Helen Clark\u2019s benign strategic environment; we live in quite a different environment. What we need is a Defence Force that can advance and protect New Zealand\u2019s interests. We are rebuilding its capability, and this Budget continues the investments needed to do it. I think it\u2019s actually a disgrace when you look at the condition of some of the housing that we have asked our soldiers to live in. Actually, the Labour Government, who like to claim they were all about houses\u2014how did that go with KiwiBuild by the way; not very well\u2014were prepared to have our servicemen and women living in, frankly, disgraceful conditions. These are people who are putting their lives on the line for our country, and we are investing in fixing it up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhat this Budget does is it makes good choices, but, ultimately, it recognises that the people who create real opportunity in this country are not the Ministers who sit along this bench, or the backbenchers who sit behind me; it is the everyday men and women who each day decide to work hard, to make something, to build something, to farm something, to grow something. The Government needs to make it easier for them, not harder, and it does that by building a strong economic foundation, by taxing them fairly, and by investing their money well. This Budget shows respect to hard-working New Zealanders by doing exactly that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226ce61a91fcf400689d47c794c5068b33\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the amendment in the name of the Leader of the Opposition be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsTerm\u0022 style=\u0022font-style: italic\u0022\u003EThat all of the words after \u201CThat\u201D be replaced with \u201Cthis House has no confidence in the Government because after promising to grow the economy, it has shrunk it; after promising to get Kiwis back to work, it is presiding over record job losses; after promising to fix public services, it has gutted our public health system; after promising to fix the cost of living, it has made it worse; and after promising New Zealanders relief, it is prioritising corporate interests over the interests of everyday New Zealanders.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBoldCentred\u0022\u003EAyes 54\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 14; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 4; Ferris; Kapa-Kingi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBoldCentred\u0022\u003ENoes 67\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 48; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAmendment not agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe result corrected after originally being announced as Ayes 55, Noes 67.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA party vote was called for on the question, \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EThat the Appropriation (2026/27 Estimates) Bill be now read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBoldCentred\u0022\u003EAyes 67\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand National 48; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBoldCentred\u0022\u003ENoes 54\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 14; Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori 4; Ferris; Kapa-Kingi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBill read a second time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe result corrected after originally being announced as Ayes 67, Noes 55.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b18bc2c82828f1960d284f33754c5f2f\u0022\u003ERedress System for Abuse in Care Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ea43f2c29e04229a4195d7c241a7060a\u0022\u003ELegislative Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u0022497da6175536f38dade1d2737e3381f2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022497da6175536f38dade1d2737e3381f2\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Lead Coordination Minister for the Government\u0027s Response to the Royal Commission\u2019s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions) (20:02)\u003C/span\u003E: I seek leave to present a legislative statement on the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022203668e1c3e418a9eeaec7e305ca5e36\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002275722ade77e844929fe8767816c1c197\u0022\u003EThird Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022 data-id=\u002236e06469320348341e30d28126cc4067\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002236e06469320348341e30d28126cc4067\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Lead Coordination Minister for the Government\u0027s Response to the Royal Commission\u2019s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions) (20:02)\u003C/span\u003E: I move, \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EThat the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill be now read a third time\u003C/span\u003E.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221fb706f84fdf7254956ca9cb958682e9\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Sorry, that legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website. Go ahead.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237b40d11275f4dba8e36c41507f8a1c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229ae6ebe9b18e4417222180ce5df44533\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD\u003C/span\u003E: The Government is committed to supporting survivors of abuse and neglect in State care through a range of improvements to the State redress and care safety system. While we can never undo the harm and suffering survivors experienced, we are committed to addressing the wrongs of the past and strengthening the care system to prevent, identify, and respond to abuse in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe bill is an important part of our work to improve the State redress system.  I want to thank the Social Services and Community Committee and my parliamentary colleagues for their thorough consideration of the bill, and I want to thank the 168 individuals and organisations who submitted. Submitters included survivors, survivor advocacy groups, legal representatives, and community organisations, and these submissions demonstrated care and concern about how the State responds to survivors who have experienced abuse and neglect in State care. I particularly want to acknowledge the survivors who submitted. Thank you for your courage and willingness to be part of the process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESpecifically, I want to, once again, acknowledge Charlotte and the other survivors of abuse in mental health facilities after 1993, whose courage contributed to the change made to the bill in the committee of the whole House to extend the redress system to include claims for abuse in State mental health facilities until 30 June 2022. The change resolves a longstanding gap in redress where survivors of abuse in mental health facilities after 1993 faced bureaucratic dead ends and a lack of recognition. Charlotte\u2019s change means that there will be a consistent and clear pathway for anyone who experienced abuse in State mental health inpatient settings between 1993 and 2022 to make a claim, alongside financial acknowledgement, and also be able to access supports and services and a personalised apology for the abuse that they suffered. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to thank my parliamentary colleagues across all parties for supporting this amendment, and for the survivors who have contacted me since we announced the amendment, letting me know how much this means to them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019m able to update the House this evening that the Ministry of Health will implement this extension on 28 July, starting with the approximately 30 people who have already pre-registered their intent to make a claim. I hope that, for the others who were abused in mental health care settings, this will give you the confidence that you need to come forward and also to make your claim. For those of you who need some more support or just need someone to talk to, the Survivor Experiences Service, a survivor-led organisation funded by the Government, can provide assistance through their listening service and help with accessing your care records.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe Government has made a number of other improvements to the State redress system in the last 12 months. We\u2019ve increased the average redress payment by 50 percent, from $19,180 to $30,000. We\u2019ve delivered top-up payments worth more than $25 million to over 2,000 survivors, and we\u2019ve developed a clear, consistent, timely, and fair approach to payments through the implementation of a common payment framework. We\u2019ll also be introducing the single point of entry, which will mean that survivors with claims across more than one agency will experience a more joined-up approach, rather than having to deal with each redress agency individually. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe bill introduces a presumption against the financial redress for survivors of abuse in State care who were also serious, violent, or sexual offenders who were sentenced to more than five years for a qualifying offence, and the appointment of a redress officer to consider applications to overturn that presumption. I want to be clear that this legislation does not exclude serious offenders from redress. Alongside being able to apply to overturn the presumption, survivors who are also serious offenders can access other forms of redress, such as an apology and wellbeing support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOf the survivors who have lodged claims since 9 May 2025 and completed a criminal conviction history check, seven people have been identified as being in scope of the presumption. The bill establishes a process for those survivors to apply to an independent decision-maker, the redress officer, to have the presumption overturned, and we know from overseas examples, many of those who go through this process will indeed receive financial redress. The appointment of the redress officer is one of the key steps in the bill\u2019s implementation, and I expect to be able to make an announcement on who that person will be in the coming weeks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs many have highlighted throughout the bill\u2019s passage, the redress officer will need to make complex decisions, which will require a high level of expertise and knowledge from across a range of areas. That is why the redress officer must be a retired judge, a King\u2019s Counsel, or senior lawyer, and have a range of skills and experience relevant to the role, including knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice system, including the impact of crime on victims, as well as knowledge and understanding of the royal commission\u2019s report. They will also have the ability to make a balanced and reasonable assessment of community expectations, and to work effectively with survivors of abuse in care and people from a range of backgrounds and cultures. They\u2019ll also be responsible for ensuring the process is fair and consistent with natural justice. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe competencies required for the redress officer were strengthened during the select committee process. They will need to understand the impact of abuse and neglect in care on survivors and have the ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Several other improvements were made to the appointment process during select committee, including specifying the grounds for removal of a redress officer, the inclusion of a duty to act independently, and provision for an alternate redress officer who can act when the redress officer is absent or otherwise unable to act.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAt the committee stage, alongside Charlotte\u2019s change, other important amendments were made to the bill. The bill has been futureproofed to include a future redress scheme which covers abuse in mental health settings from 1 July 2022. It was also amended to address situations where survivors have a terminal illness or die before their claim is resolved. The redress officer will have the discretion to exempt a survivor from the serious offender process if they have a terminal illness with the prognosis of less than six months to live. This approach ensures survivors are not unfairly disadvantaged or delayed by procedural requirements associated with the serious offender process, and it will ensure that terminally ill survivors have an opportunity to settle their affairs before they die.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe bill also now confirms that families and estates of survivors can continue claims through the serious offender process if a survivor dies after registering a claim. This aligns with how redress agencies already deal with claims from survivors who are not serious offenders. The commencement date for the provisions in the bill that implement the serious offender process was changed to 1 August 2026. This will avoid a gap between the legislation coming into force and the redress officer being appointed. The rest of the bill will come into force the day after Royal assent. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFinally, the definition of redress was amended to include assistance accessing care records. This reflects that accessing care records is an important part of the redress system for many survivors. I want to acknowledge and thank the Hon Willow-Jean Prime for proposing this amendment. The changes to improve and strengthen the bill will help us to ensure that the process is fair, that it is transparent, and that it is efficient for all survivors. I now commend the bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b8d0c802aedb37047d1c0244083e5d8c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\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=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022 data-id=\u00225962906592bf53eeb0c6047fc5459fc1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002229b8d22182614a1b8b6e8ef03bf61503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00225962906592bf53eeb0c6047fc5459fc1\u0022\u003EHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) (20:09)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare\u003C/span\u003E. I want to start my contribution by acknowledging that it is almost two years since the royal commission tabled their final report, \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EWhanaketia\u003C/span\u003E, in Parliament on 24 July 2024. Here in Parliament, we received 16 volumes representing years of work, thousands of hours of research and listening, all a testament to the courage of survivors who shared deeply traumatic accounts of their lives. Once again, I want to thank everyone involved in the royal commission\u2019s work. I acknowledge and honour the survivors, those who came forward to share their stories, those who chose, for whatever reason, to not engage, and those who died before they were even able to make that choice. You deserve many things, but at the very least, you deserve proper redress.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENobody could read \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EWhanaketia\u003C/span\u003E and not be shocked and saddened by what it said. Those 16 volumes clearly documented the unimaginable horrors that were inflicted on children and vulnerable adults by people who were supposed to protect them and care for them. In November that year, the Prime Minister gave an apology on behalf of the Crown. During that apology, he spoke directly to survivors, saying that for what occurred to them, \u201Cthe Government must take responsibility\u201D. This redress system bill does not take responsibility. It side-steps it. The bill places responsibility on the very people the State harmed, requiring them to make the case that they are due full redress for the significant harm, abuse, and trauma that was inflicted on them. This bill is ethically bankrupt, and Labour opposes it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhy this bill is wrong\u2014we have traversed it multiple times in this House through the readings that have already passed in the House as well as the committee stage. But, in summary, I will say it again: abuse in care is directly connected to criminal behaviour and imprisonment later in life. The evidence is clear. It was the State that caused harm and triggered the pathway to prison; yet this bill removes the responsibility of the State to provide full redress to the people it harmed. Survivors who have been sentenced for serious, violent, or sexual offences have been receiving financial redress since the claims processes were set up 20 years ago, and this has not brought the redress system into disrepute. We do not need this bill, and that justification does not stand. What we do need is what the royal commission recommended: a single, independent redress system carefully legislated for, that is survivor-focused, trauma-informed, and accessible to all survivors. This system would mean that survivors no longer have to go back to the organisations that caused harm and seek redress from their abuser. This bill does not do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe Minister did just speak about a few changes that have been made to the bill throughout the select committee process, and when we look at the detail of the bill and its journey through Parliament, some improvements have been made. Given it is going to pass into law tonight, any improvement we were able to achieve could make a positive difference for the survivors that this bill affects. I\u2019d like to thank the Minister for adopting my amendment to include in the purpose of a redress system \u201Cassistance with accessing care records\u201D. This is a fundamental change that means a great deal to survivors. As the royal commission found, requesting records is often the first thing that survivors or their legal representatives do when making a claim. Access to records is, for some survivors, the only redress they want. It was crucial that the purpose of the redress system included access to records. We know from survivors and advocates that records are of the utmost importance to survivors. Care Leavers Australasia Network New Zealand is quoted in the royal commission\u2019s report, and I\u2019d like to share that here. They said, for survivors, \u201Cbeing able to access their personal files and records usually represents their only hope in finding answers to the many questions that they have carried with them for a lifetime\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u201CRecords\u201D is a dry word and does not convey what these documents actually are for these survivors. For many survivors, official records hold the story of their lives. This is because survivors were often sent from place to place, separated from their siblings, and lost contact with their families, meaning there is no collective family memory about their lives. Being able to access this information can reveal information about their family and whakapapa that they had no idea about before. Being able to begin to understand what happened to them is a crucial part of healing and can be life-changing for survivors. Throughout the period of this inquiry, the royal commission found that records were not kept, inaccurate, incomplete, and sometimes destroyed or hidden. Many survivors have had to navigate several Government institutions and non-government entities to get their records, and even then, they may not get them. Things have improved. Access to records was one of the first actions the last Labour Government instigated in 2022, and work on this has continued since. However, obstacles remain for survivors wanting to access their records, and they need assistance. The royal commission recommended that access to records be something that the redress system did, and it is good to see that in this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe other amendment I welcome is the change that the Minister brought in amendments including survivors who experienced abuse in State care in State-run mental health facilities up until 1 July 2022. It enables more survivors to claim redress for harm they experienced. A provision being provided like this for survivors to apply to the redress officer for an exclusion if they are terminally ill is the right thing to do. These are improvements, yet the fundamental bill remains flawed, which is why Labour opposes it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn conclusion, this may be the last time that we talk in detail in this House about abuse in care in this term of Parliament. Given that, I want to take this opportunity to say how disappointing the Government\u2019s response has been. Abuse in care in State and faith-based institutions is a dark time in our country\u2019s history. The royal commission shone a light on half a century of systemic failures and the associated abhorrent treatment of people who were entitled to love and care. The abuse, harm, and trauma inflicted on people continues to shape the social fabric of our country today. It is a history that must be fully reckoned with if we are to properly learn from it and to move forward. Every royal commission in this country\u2019s history has had the majority of its recommendations accepted in full and implemented; yet this Government accepted the intent of, or partially accepted, a mere 40\u00A0percent of this royal commission\u2019s recommendations. This is despite the fact that the royal commission into abuse in care detailed a nationwide care system that, over several decades, harmed tens of thousands of people and their wh\u0101nau across generations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESadly, what we see in society today are the very conditions that the royal commission documented in \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EWhanaketia\u003C/span\u003E: punitive attitudes towards people who experience poverty, racism, ableism, disablism, rigid ideas about gender roles, and homophobia. Yes, we have come a long way since the 1950s, but there is more that we must do to build an inclusive society. Now we have politicians and political parties who try to exploit our differences for the sole reason of gaining political power. They actively work to deepen divides rather than bring us and our community to a shared humanity. We are better than this. What the royal commission gave was a unique opportunity to work together to create a care system and a country where the royal commission said \u201Cevery child, young person and adult \u2026 is loved, safe and cared for in a manner that supports their growth and development into a thriving contributor to society.\u201D That\u2019s the country we can all believe in. That\u2019s a country I believe in, and alongside my colleagues, that is the country that we work hard for every day. That is why we do not support this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022bac3dcb6103a48d3bcead8563342a856\u0022 data-id=\u00223dcaed9353940a9fdb137f26a52d8826\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bac3dcb6103a48d3bcead8563342a856\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223dcaed9353940a9fdb137f26a52d8826\u0022\u003EDr LAWRENCE XU-NAN (Green) (20:19)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand to also oppose the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill. I also want, first, to acknowledge all of the survivors who have worked tirelessly to ensure that such a dark part of Aotearoa\u2019s history has been addressed through the royal commission of inquiry. I want to thank all of the submitters who have submitted on this bill and all of the people who are continuously working and fighting to address the historical wrongs that we have seen here in Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsContinued\u0022\u003EI want to address first a couple things that the Minister has said. I think it is really, in many ways, disingenuous, the misrepresentation by the coordinating Minister in charge, when the Government thanked those who made submissions on this bill. I do want to remind this House that 168 submissions were received on this bill\u2014128 individuals and 40 organisations. Out of those, 144 opposed this bill. Only three supported it, and four partially supported it. Out of the 35 oral hearings on this bill, 33 opposed this bill. For the Minister, on behalf of this Government, to get up and thank those who submitted is disgraceful, because, clearly, the Minister and the Government have not heard the concerns that the submitters and the survivors have made on this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f0d31505882949b1a768aad60863fba9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bd4598e64efffab722d2c65f70556395\u0022\u003EJoseph Mooney\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re just trying to get more votes\u2014disgraceful!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bac3dcb6103a48d3bcead8563342a856\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002261fe6def7917f12ec5e50340b6240491\u0022\u003EDr LAWRENCE XU-NAN\u003C/span\u003E: I want to check with the member who just heckled and just ask what votes we are to gain when we are here speaking on behalf of those who have opposed this bill? This is the truth. This is the fact. These are the numbers that we have seen in our own department report. I\u2019m not misrepresenting what we are seeing as part of the process that we\u2019ve come to with regards to this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere are quite a few additional things that I think were important to address as part of the committee stage. I first want to, I guess, recap for the House some of the key areas that we discussed. I do acknowledge the Minister for putting forward the two Amendment Papers 581 and 582. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister has accepted the Hon Willow-Jean Prime\u2019s amendment. I think those amendments are important, and they are amendments that the Green Party did support, because it is what the survivors have asked for. What the survivors didn\u2019t ask for is what we see in, for example, clause 9 of this bill, where, if you are a serious offender, there is a presumption\u2014a legal presumption\u2014that you do not have a right to redress. That\u2019s not what the survivors have asked for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat also flies in the face of the original intent and the recommendation by the abuse in care royal commission of inquiry. The royal commission of inquiry acknowledge and understand the vicious cycle of harm that we have seen as a part of that abuse in care. There are many complex factors in those circumstances that lead to a survivor\u2019s offending. This was supposed to be an opportunity for any Government to take a more compassionate and restorative approach to how we look at this dark part of our own history. That\u2019s not what we\u2019re seeing in this bill. What we see is a bill where the power lies not with the survivors but with the Crown, the very people who have abused them and who have led to their abuse in the first place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe have heard from submitters that, yes, there is a process for the offenders to seek redress should they not meet that legal presumption. However, we have checked with, and also asked, the Minister over and over again during the committee stage\u2014because, again, this is the will of the survivors\u2014about the fact that those people who are being denied have to come to the same Crown, the same people, who have abused them in the first place, which, of course, continues trauma, shame, and re-traumatisation. How is that going to be addressed as part of this? There\u2019s no response to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFinally, again, the reason the Green Party opposes this bill\u2014and I just want to remind everyone of the most egregious aspects of this bill compared to what the royal commission recommended. The royal commission recommended that there is no exclusion for serious offenders, whereas this bill creates a legal presumption against redress for those offenders. The royal commission recommends an independent survivor-led system. The bill keeps redress inside State agencies. The royal commission recommended no criminal record checks. The bill introduces criminal record checks, plus that legal presumption. The commission recommended access for all survivors and families. This is something that has been addressed, thankfully, and we\u2019re seeing that there will be access to redress for some of the families and particularly families of deceased survivors. The royal commission recommended meaningful apologies acknowledging responsibility, but this bill makes that apology inadmissible in certain circumstances. The royal commission recommends a trauma-informed accessible process, but this bill adds new processes. Finally, the royal commission recommends a Te Tiriti - aligned, M\u0101ori-led design, and there\u2019s no part of this bill that explicitly acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi requirements.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor the Government to say that this bill is in line with the royal commission of inquiry is simply misrepresenting, and also misidentifying, the pain and suffering and the desire of those survivors to move on. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EWhanaketia\u003C/span\u003E, as we have heard from the previous speaker, builds a vision as a part of that recommendation\u2014\u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003Ehe m\u0101ra tipu\u003C/span\u003E, a growing garden. The survivors were hoping that this bill, on the back of the commission of inquiry, could have been one of healing, could have been one that restores the survivors\u2019 mana, but as we\u2019ve seen from the very onset, right after the apology, the Government introduced bootcamps, which is something that the report explicitly mentioned will continue the trauma that they have experienced as part of that abuse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f0d31505882949b1a768aad60863fba9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002247a1a15fec472b3593586a23c51ec47e\u0022\u003EJoseph Mooney\u003C/span\u003E: Shameful!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bac3dcb6103a48d3bcead8563342a856\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d18897f8365519cc310cab20e030943\u0022\u003EDr LAWRENCE XU-NAN\u003C/span\u003E: The member is right. It is a shameful day, and the Green Party will not support it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b064dd56673f4c1cb11c1242823abb92\u0022 data-id=\u0022b7deb0a753a233bb206028a14b5871d0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b064dd56673f4c1cb11c1242823abb92\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b7deb0a753a233bb206028a14b5871d0\u0022\u003ELAURA McCLURE (ACT) (20:29)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation. Firstly, I\u2019d like to say a huge thankyou to all of the survivors who contributed to the royal inquiry into abuse in care, and also the ones that presented to our select committee. I will be honest with you, I know that this doesn\u2019t meet all of the expectations that the survivors and their families would want, but the truth is, this Government could have sat on those findings for some time, really thought about what to do, or they could have started the pathway to some kind of compensation for those that really suffered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhile this isn\u2019t exactly where a lot of those who submitted to us in our select committee wanted to land, I do think that there is a good compromise here. When you are setting up a redress system, yes, you do have to be mindful of those who were abused\u2014absolutely\u2014but you also have to be mindful of public perception, because we don\u2019t want the system to come into any form of disrepute. One of those things\u2014around putting a presumption in there for those that have gone on and committed serious crimes, particularly violent sexual crimes\u2014doesn\u2019t exclude them from other forms of redress; it just excludes them from the financial aspect. There are other ways that that presumption can be overturned, as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELook, I\u2019m definitely one of the first to say that people that are hurt or harmed, particularly in their youth, often go on to be a perpetrator as well. I think we need to do more around that preventative side if we are going to change and we\u2019re going to break cycles. But, as far as the Government\u2019s concerned and the obligations that we have, we have to make sure that we also think about the victims of the crimes that some of these survivors themselves have committed. I know, because I\u2019ve talked to a survivor whose abuser was also a victim of State care, and so was she herself, and she would not be happy with that person getting some kind of financial redress. Support and help\u2014100 percent, yes\u2014but not financial redress. We need to be able to balance those views, so I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAgain, I just want to thank all of those that came forward, whether it was in the inquiry or to the select committee. We heard you, and this is a good starting point, and I\u2019m sure there will be many other things and many other actionable things to come in the future in regards to that inquiry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f36277cb754947fa93977a31a33abd49\u0022 data-id=\u002210b3e756b53dc184ff640c3e63c0401d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f36277cb754947fa93977a31a33abd49\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210b3e756b53dc184ff640c3e63c0401d\u0022\u003EHon CASEY COSTELLO (Minister of Customs) (20:32)\u003C/span\u003E: I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak on the third reading of the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill. There are no winners in this process. This has been a hard-fought, hard-worked process to get this bill to the House. I would like to commend the Minister, the Hon Erica Stanford, who has the coordinating responsibility for navigating this work. It was navigating a number of ministries, a number of agencies, as well as engaging with victims to ensure voices were heard and that we continued to move forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt is completely inappropriate to use this time in this third reading to talk about who cares more or less, who wants more or wants less. This is about a process of moving forward. We all care. We were all devastated by what the Crown did, and we all want to ensure that we continue to develop a process that provides support, provides a better redress process, and provides a system that works and is robust, and that we continue to ensure that this does not happen again. To suggest that we are criticising Crown agencies today for things that have happened in the past is just a tragedy. It is an insult to the wonderful people that have worked so hard to ensure that we do better, that we deliver redress, that we provide support. To stand in this House and suggest that they shouldn\u2019t be engaging with the Crown, that they shouldn\u2019t be reaching out, is just cheap political point-scoring that they should hang their heads in shame about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe need to encourage victims to know that they can trust the Crown, to know that they can come forward, and this system will deliver that support. This is not a time for politics; this is a time for ensuring that we put our egos and our political aspirations to one side and actually think about what is good for these people. This system may not be perfect, but it is better than sitting in paralysed fear while we decide what is the very perfect situation, what is the very perfect system. What we are delivering in this bill is a process to move forward. Those that have worked on delivering this process, bringing this bill to the House, and ensuring that we do move forward should be commended. Therefore, I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4943fd1cf914de0befcb7a16280f910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223d66241ff4112a55013c5797719ad677\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u0027Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: The Hon Julie Anne Genter\u2014five minutes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226710095aa1204b3793448571c208ccd4\u0022 data-id=\u002268c328b2d9b4aa2e5327b2678c34918e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226710095aa1204b3793448571c208ccd4\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002268c328b2d9b4aa2e5327b2678c34918e\u0022\u003EHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green\u2014Rongotai) (20:35)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe\u003C/span\u003E, Mr Speaker. I want to start off by acknowledging our survivors. There are so many of them, and their stories are devastating. The apology was, we think, insufficient. It would be much better if the Government was willing to go further and implement more of the recommendations of the royal commission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s OK, I know that the people watching and the people who experienced harm in State care understand that we\u2019re speaking up for their aspirations and that this isn\u2019t about political point-scoring. If anything, the Government\u2019s unwillingness to implement the recommendations of the royal commission is because of their own political ambitions and their unwillingness to truly listen to the people. It\u2019s amazing the way we can tell\u2014we can all tell\u2014because the Government MPs are so fragile, even their Ministers, that at the slightest bit of legitimate criticism, they start saying we are disgusting and we are shameful. It\u2019s a perfect example of the projection that comes from these people in power, that they turn their own inability to accept where they\u2019re getting it wrong and to acknowledge that into attacking the people who are just trying to speak up for those who\u2019ve been most marginalised, who\u2019ve been harmed. We should, as representatives, be willing to do what\u2019s necessary to make things right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENo one is asking for perfect, but does this bill meet the needs and the support and the proper compensation of survivors of State care? It\u2019s a pretty easy answer: no, it doesn\u2019t. Is it a survivor-led response that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and places survivors at the centre? No, this bill doesn\u2019t do that. I want to acknowledge the work and the sacrifice and the emotional burden that survivors have undertaken to advocate for each other and to bring awareness into this dark part of our country\u2019s past. The bill, as it stands, does not take into full account what our survivors of abuse in care deserve, and it does not represent justice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe royal commission of inquiry recommended that there should be no exclusions in redress for those who are serious offenders, as this creates presumptions against redress. Many of our survivor community have ended up in the justice system as a consequence of the abuse they endured. The royal commission called for an independent, survivor-led system that honoured the lived experience of survivors, and with this bill we do not have that. Access to redress is being kept inside the system that caused the harm in the first place\u2014and we\u2019re not talking about individuals who work in that system; we are talking about the system. A restorative justice approach has been shown to work in so many different places and times. It\u2019s incredibly effective, but it takes time and it takes resource. That would be a true apology and redress. It would be properly resourcing the redress, properly resourcing a survivor-centred system that\u2019s outside and independent from the Crown.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe royal commission called for no criminal record checks; however, this bill includes that. To me that\u2019s politics. That\u2019s the politics of these parties in Government. It\u2019s not politics to say\u2014it\u2019s not being political or being shortsighted to call out the fact the bill is literally not doing what  the royal commission recommended. That\u2019s all\u2014it\u2019s not doing what the royal commission recommended.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI urge Government MPs to be a little bit honest with yourselves for once and acknowledge that we could have done better\u2014the Crown could have done better\u2014than this bill simply by implementing the recommendations of the royal commission. That would be the very least that we could do, and that still would not be perfect, but it would be better than blocking access for some survivors and some families simply for ideological and political reasons. Members of our survivor network feel the Government apology and redress is not enough, and it\u2019s their voices that matter.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f0d31505882949b1a768aad60863fba9\u0022 data-id=\u00227c25939227f57734c43445a20162420a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f0d31505882949b1a768aad60863fba9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227c25939227f57734c43445a20162420a\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland) (20:40)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I rise to speak on the third reading of the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill. The bill provides a legal framework for providing redress for survivors of abuse in State care, and, particularly, it recognises the personal experience of abuse in care. It offers an alternative to litigation to provide for redress for abuse in care, including the provision of one or more of financial payments, an apology, counselling, or other wellbeing support.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to just take a moment, actually, to acknowledge all those survivors who will be watching these events this evening or who will be watching them in the future; just to say once again that what happened to them is unforgivable. It should never have happened, and it should never happen again. This Government is taking steps to acknowledge and provide redress. This bill does not do everything, and it does not pretend to do everything, but it is providing a redress system for abuse in care, which is a very important step forwards.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI have seen and heard many distasteful things in my years in this House, and, frankly, the behaviour of the Opposition on this bill is, I think, the most distasteful of them all. This is something that is nationally significant and nationally important. It is incredibly important to the future dignity of our country, and they have not brought dignity to the discussion of this issue. They have focused on a very small part of the bill, which is intended to ensure that it retains credibility in the eyes of New Zealanders going forwards and that we are getting this balance right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENinety-eight percent of survivors will have a direct, simplified path to redress as a part of this bill\u201498 percent. Two percent\u20142 percent\u2014will need to go through a more robust vetting process. Why? It is because they have been convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence. It is one of the offences that is in the three-strikes legislation. These are serious offences. Not only that, they must also have been sentenced to five or more years in prison. That is a long time in prison. That indicates they have committed a serious offence against another human being and that there\u2019s another human being in our country who is deeply victimised by their behaviour. Now, that does not take away the survivor\u2019s and, simultaneously, the abuser\u2019s own experience as a child in faith or State-based care, which should never have happened. To retain confidence in the system, we have put in place a balanced regime to ensure that they can still get it redressed. There will be a redress officer who carefully assesses that application.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis is really important and requires a sensitive, deliberative discussion, which we have not heard in this Parliament. I would call on the members of the Opposition to put aside politics and think really carefully about how we shape our future and how we have a responsible discussion about an issue that is incredibly important to all of us. There is much more to say, but I think I\u2019ve made a point that really needs to be carefully thought about. Thank you, and I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022 data-id=\u002212c48fa8c6f3bc26288b94db381c5fb8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e968c1334f0a40bfbd05d661e979ba38\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002212c48fa8c6f3bc26288b94db381c5fb8\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour) (20:44)\u003C/span\u003E: While I was listening to the member Joseph Mooney, and I think there is obviously some sincerity in what he\u2019s saying, the reality is that we\u2019ve got some really disaffected communities out there and we just can\u2019t get away with what has happened to so many people through the years, who felt let down by what the Government did after the original promises from the Government, which many of us supported and celebrated with them\u2014well, not celebrated, that\u2019s the wrong term, but certainly came together with the Government through the initial process. The reality is that things didn\u2019t go to plan, and we, as an Opposition, feel absolutely let down by the actions of this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EUp to 200,000 kids and vulnerable adults were abused or neglected in New Zealand\u2019s State and faith-based care between 1950 and 1999. Almost one in three kids in State care over this period suffered some form of harm, with M\u0101ori disproportionately affected; 80\u00A0percent to 90 percent of members in Ma\u014Dri-majority gangs were all in State care\u2014I\u2019m talking about the Mongrel Mob, Black Power. But the reality is, a survivor is a survivor. Trauma does not disappear because someone later on entered the criminal justice system. The harvest of pain that the State has caused these people, our people, is an obscenity that demands a response that respects those survivors\u2019 mana. Instead, so many of these people feel they have been betrayed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn my view, despite what some of the Government speakers have said, the Government should be embarrassed with this response. The State didn\u2019t just abuse and hurt those 200,000 vulnerable kids and adults. It was an unprincipled campaign of legal warfare against the many brave survivors who tried to speak their truth. The Government now, right here, it seems, is abusing those victims and has certainly disappointed many of them. Something victims have said to me is that they feel their mana has been betrayed for legal barriers to protect the State\u2019s liability. This Government should be embarrassed. They should be embarrassed by this deal. This is a redress bill that fails to deliver the redress survivors were promised. The bill does not create the independent, survivor-led redress system recommended by the royal commission. Instead, it creates a presumption against financial redress for some survivors with serious violent or sexual convictions. It establishes a process to assess exemptions and gives legal process to apologies made by State agencies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe royal commission called for a comprehensive, independent redress system, and this bill is not that. By excluding those who\u2019ve gone on to commit serious crimes because of the abuse that has plagued them, it\u2019s punishing those victims twice. This bill is more about protecting the Crown than survivors by narrowing access to compensation. Disability advocates and survivor groups have argued it reduces access rather than expanding it. Because M\u0101ori were disproportionately represented in State care and among abuse survivors, this bill continues historic injustices rather than repairs them. The Crown abused M\u0101ori kids, ignored M\u0101ori voices, and now wants M\u0101ori survivors to accept this second-rate apology. The bill spends more time deciding who should be excluded than how survivors can receive justice. The Government listened to survivors\u2019 stories and then ignored their recommendations. Many of the people this bill excludes were first failed by the State and then criminalised by it. Many survivors wanted an independent body, but what they\u2019ve been given is a State-controlled system. Survivors are still being forced to seek redress from the same institutions who\u2019ve been responsible for the abuse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis bill protects the Crown\u2019s reputation more than it restores the mana of survivors, and that must be something really upsetting for everyone tonight. The royal commission spent years listening to survivors, but this bill does not implement the redress system those survivors asked for. What was the point of making the apology if all the State wanted was the performance and none of the responsibility once we had said \u201CSorry\u201D? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe, some of us on this side, believe that the apology was hollow and history will judge this Parliament harshly for the insult. I want to go to what some of our members have said tonight. This is what the royal commission said: \u201CWe consider there should continue to be no exclusion for serious offenders or any extra criteria for them to meet. A large number of those in prison have been in care and the t\u016Bkino they suffered may have contributed to their offending. Most of Maori, and they and their wh\u0101nau, are likely to be among those most in need of help through the scheme.\u201D This is what the commission was saying. This was clear to everyone, but this was ignored.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to address what the Prime Minister said just one year ago. The Prime Minister of this country stood in this House on behalf of the Crown and apologised to survivors of abuse in State care. We all applauded that. He said, and I quote, \u201CFor many of you, it changed the course of your life, and for that, the Government must take responsibility.\u201D Take responsibility\u2014that was what the Prime Minister\u2019s words were. So I asked the Prime Minister and other members sitting on the other side: what does \u201Ctake responsibility\u201D look like in this bill? Surely, that\u2019s got to be the question. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDoes taking responsibility look like a bill that creates a presumption against paying the very survivors whose lives were mostly changed by what the Crown did to them? Does taking responsibility look like a bill that gives the Crown legal protection when it apologises, so that the apology cannot be used against it in court? Does responsibility look like a bill where 92\u00A0percent of public submissions opposed it, and the Government brought it back anyway? The questions just go on and on. Does taking responsibility look like ignoring the royal commission, ignoring the high-level design group, ignoring survivors, ignoring iwi, ignoring legal experts, ignoring the privacy commission and ramming it through the Parliament before the election? That\u2019s not responsibility; that is the opposite of responsibility. The Prime Minister\u2019s apology, every word of it, has been made a mockery of by this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELet me now speak about the what the bill actually excludes. The estimate in the original Cabinet papers was that it will exclude 110 people, or roughly 5\u00A0percent of the claimants\u2014110 people. The Crown is going to twist itself into knots, change its legislation retrospectively, change everything. They\u2019ve changed everything to deny access to 110 people. It just seemed to be such a waste of time, to have these people, mainly M\u0101ori, excluded; disabled survivors, most of them placed in State institution as kids\u2014all of them survivors of abuse, every single one of them broken by the very institutions that they were supposed to protect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe original Cabinet paper said it plainly impacts on the estimated 95\u00A0percent of claimants who did not have a record of serious criminal offending. So just summarising the Government\u2019s logic: they\u2019ll make every survivor wait longer, every survivor go through more checks, every survivor experience more delay, and the entire system grinds slower so that they can deny payment to about 100 M\u0101ori men in prison. It\u2019s just so sad and insulting and upsetting because we could have had so much more. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe want a system, in terms of Labour, that\u2019s independent, that is trauma informed, that is inclusive, that is holistic, that recognises people and their community and the contributions that they make. We want a society that is more balanced, that recognises what people have gone through, and I assure you that when a new Labour Government comes in, we will be relooking at this kaupapa. And I assure everyone who\u2019s listening tonight that all our aroha goes out to you tonight. We\u2019re sad, disappointed about this bill, but under a Labour Government, things will be different. \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003EKia ora an\u014D t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221a8ff6e3602c492880b65258f59645c0\u0022 data-id=\u002261029bc40c43004d6aefd3ee268c12b7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221a8ff6e3602c492880b65258f59645c0\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002261029bc40c43004d6aefd3ee268c12b7\u0022\u003EDANA KIRKPATRICK (National\u2014East Coast) (20:54)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to take this call on this Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill. Look, nothing will ever make up for the trauma and the harm that was inflicted over the years on to so many New Zealanders, and whilst this bill does go some way to addressing the wrongs of the past, they will never be forgotten and that will never change what happened to many of our people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe bill aims to strengthen the care system to prevent, identify, and respond to abuse in the future as well as dealing with the past. I want to thank the Minister and all those who worked hard to get it to this point so everyone can move on, including the colleague Willow-Jean Prime, who brought in the amendments at the end to include the access to records, which has been such an important part for the survivors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to thank my colleagues on the Social Services and Community Committee, who dealt with this bill and made good improvements, made changes, and helped to get it to this point. You listened and provided good advice. I think the big thankyou, however, must be to the survivors, to the families, the groups, and everyone else who contributed, and who gave such brave accounts of their stories to help us understand in some small way what they have been through and how it\u2019s affected their lives for ever.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis has been a long time in the process, and I know it\u2019s been challenging for so many who live with the trauma every single day. I do hope that it will come some way to dealing with some of that for them and that we can move forward together and look towards the future. With that, I commend the bill to the House\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022 data-id=\u0022bbc1d5be7382ebbd2eed9f287214353d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002200ae89b8149340638b3bd22c705616a9\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022bbc1d5be7382ebbd2eed9f287214353d\u0022\u003EINGRID LEARY (Labour\u2014Taieri) (20:56)\u003C/span\u003E: This is called the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill; it probably should be called the \u201CSorry But Not Sorry Bill\u201D. What we have heard tonight is about a system that talks about not bringing this system into disrepute. My question to the Government members is: in whose estimation? Because let\u2019s think about what happened. There was a royal commission of inquiry where, for years, people had known that there were things happening in faith-based institutes and in State care. Finally, there was a royal commission of inquiry, and people were encouraged to come forward to the very system that had let them down, to the very system that had robbed their childhood, that had caused them trauma and unimaginable horrific abuse and experiences. And yet, they were enticed forward because there was this royal commission of inquiry that was going to give them an opportunity to be seen as whole people, to be seen in all their trauma, to be seen in all their humanity, and, for some of them, to also be seen in the scars that they carried through some of the crimes they committed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAt that point in time, nobody from this House said to them, \u201CBut don\u2019t do this if you\u2019ve committed a serious offence because you will be rejected and marginalised further at the end of the process.\u201D Nobody said that to them. If we were going to do that, we should at least have done that at the beginning of this process. But instead, we encouraged them forward. We told them they\u2019d be safe. They took witness stands and they shared the most personal stories, the things they had never revealed to anybody. They shared those with the royal commission thinking they would be protected and they would be seen in their totality. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnd now, under this Government we are saying, \u201CNo, we want to protect the so-called reputation of the redress system.\u201D Well, whose reputation? Because certainly it\u2019s not enhancing the reputation of the royal commission. The next time we have a royal commission, people are not going to want to come forward because they will not be trusting that they will be treated in the way that they were when they were enticed at the beginning of this process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe looked at the people who are most marginalised by this: there are M\u0101ori, there are disabled, there are Pasifika people, there are all the usual groups who are at the most invisible end of society. And yet, we are saying to them, \u201CYou have to go through extra hoops if you want to be accepted, because we\u2019re sorry, but we\u2019re not sorry. We\u2019re sorry, but we\u2019re sorry in a kind of middle-class, privileged way. But we\u2019re not sorry and we don\u2019t relate to the worlds you come from because we have no idea about your experience, because if we did, we would accept you as human beings or we would have told you at the outset, we would have put more thought into this process, and we would have made it very clear that you are not safe to come into this process.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat is what is such a shame about this bill and this whole process. We are further traumatising the most marginalised people. Now, I am not making excuses for the crimes that they committed or for the hurt that they caused, but to not make them aware at the beginning of the process about what was at stake and what it would cost them is, I think, grossly unfair. Again, I ask: whose reputation are we protecting? Is it the Crown? Is it the State? Is it privilege? Is it the royal commission?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs I\u2019ve said, I don\u2019t believe it enhances the reputation of the royal commission at all, because it calls into question what will happen in future royal commissions when people are treated in this way: where the playing field has changed, where the goal posts have changed, and when they are not safe to reveal the things they give in evidence because the rules at the end of the process are changed and taken from under them. Then, to add insult to injury, there is a requirement that, if they don\u2019t declare a qualifying conviction, they will carry a maximum fine of $5,000. Again, there is this burden of disclosure on people who have gone through a process, who have had it changed, and who now face further marginalisation if they do not declare.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI imagine that this burden of proof will probably fall on lawyers, but not all the abuse in care people had lawyers representing them. There are many, many more points that I could make about the recommendations that the royal commission said\u2014many of which have been ignored\u2014which calls into question: why did we have a royal commission if we\u2019re going to ignore their recommendations? My fundamental question is: whose reputation, right now, are we protecting?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022739b3bbed7fe4186aa30494700144b3a\u0022 data-id=\u002288491c379c796af80f933b41238a4db8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022739b3bbed7fe4186aa30494700144b3a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002288491c379c796af80f933b41238a4db8\u0022\u003EPAULO GARCIA (National\u2014New Lynn) (21:01)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. There can be nothing worse than young people, children, the vulnerable in different circumstances, coming into an abusive situation by the State or in other institutions, in whose care they were placed in, and in whose care they were supposed to have trusted. There can be nothing worse than being abused by the people that have been placed to care for you, but this has happened in a very, very large way. The approach of the New Zealand Government has evolved and developed over time\u2014over more than two decades\u2014with\u00A0the court cases in the 1990s clearly not being appropriate, over time. This redress of abuse in care has been developed as a solution outside litigation. It spares many people and their families from the horror of going through litigation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor this reason, and through the royal inquiry, we must say to the people who have been abused and who have shared their stories through the process\u2014it would have been unimaginably difficult that they would have gone through this, so I thank them; I thank each and every single person who has shared a very personal and deeply vulnerable story of abuse. Also, I thank the Social Services and Community Committee\u2014all the members who have gone through the submissions. Through this, this bill seeks to ensure that the people who have suffered abuse\u2014the survivors\u2014are given redress in the most effective manner, without dragging them through a court process, and bearing in mind that some may have committed serious violent or sexual offences or offences involving firearms. There is a list of these offences. For them, the redress would not be automatic but they would have to apply to a redress officer, who is an independent decisionmaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s important that the public understand that this is less than 2 percent of those who have gone through the inquiry and who have submitted claims. I echo the chair in his statement that 98 percent are going to be given redress. Not every person who has suffered abuse in care has gone on to commit serious violent offences; just less than 2 percent, and for that there must be accountability. This process aims to make sure that all of the survivors are treated in the best possible way and redress provided in a very standardised manner. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002232632704a2594ee1b96e617d06beae80\u0022 data-id=\u0022c5d9ca74e7e4a53abb0cf88a94ca1feb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232632704a2594ee1b96e617d06beae80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c5d9ca74e7e4a53abb0cf88a94ca1feb\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour\u2014Mt Albert) (21:06)\u003C/span\u003E: I want to start my speech by talking about this issue that is a dispute between the Opposition and the Government, but I want to do it within a wider context and try and take a pretty different lens to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the things that I think we have to do is begin at the beginning. This inquiry was about abusive behaviour from 1950 through to 1999, and when the inquiry first began, it was going to be just the State, and then it moved to the Church. Now, we\u2019re not alone. Other countries have also had their children subjected to terrible abuse in care, so we can look to places like Canada, where they\u2019ve dealt with this very differently, and not in a way that I think we should be critical of our own approach at all. I think we have done, in lots of ways, a much better job than places like Canada, which worked on class action systems and buried a lot of the evidence and prosecuted very few people for what happened. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s all rosy somewhere else.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI think we started well. We had an inquiry that was quite an in-depth inquiry. We gave that inquiry to very trusted people that I deeply respect, and they walked through the process with about 3,000 survivors. Those survivors told their stories, and they were traumatic stories. They had to buy into trusting the State to that extent. I think they were heard. The recommendations that came out of that inquiry were from wise people; they were considered recommendations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EOne of the things they talked about was a system for redress. Now, what we know is that in, the interim, people had tried to sue over the abuse that had happened\u2014sometimes torture, often violent sexual abuse. They had tried to sue, and our legal system had failed those victims badly. We had a controversy before the apology that was delivered in this Parliament about the Crown prosecutor and the aggressive attitude that she had had, and that was something\u2014I don\u2019t want to blame a particular person for that. That\u2019s an attitude I\u2019ve seen far too often in litigation, of minimising what\u2019s gone on and trying to get away with things at the least possible cost to the State.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EActually that did terrible damage. There were things like the hiding of evidence, the failure to disclose. There were real issues about putting people under pressure and denying what was undeniable under that system. So legal systems don\u2019t work that well in this situation because you take vulnerable people and you put them into a space where power is often imbalanced. The lawyers in the room probably all agree that that system is flawed when it comes to victims. It does not work well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe system that the commission proposed for redress, the one that was the beginnings of the one we look at today, that was a system where thought was put into who would be able to claim redress. The people that I trust, who were the commissioners, said that it needed to be a system that was all-enveloping, that made no distinction between people. Now, what I want to say to those who have made claims that people on this side of the House are doing this for votes, or that they are disgraceful, is I genuinely believe there\u2019s a flaw here in the thinking of the Government on this. I think it\u2019s really important that we see the people that have been abused as victims. That\u2019s why they\u2019re getting the redress. They are victims. It doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re saints. It doesn\u2019t mean that they haven\u2019t gone on to do harm. All of that can be true because we don\u2019t live in a world of cartoon characters, and there are correlations between abuse and going on to abuse. Horrible, ugly, evil as it is, that\u2019s the reality. And that is irrelevant to whether the State harmed and victimised those people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s just have a think about this for a minute. We are talking about sexual abuse. Is it ever something that we shouldn\u2019t see the person who was sexually violated, the person who was brutally hurt\u2014is it ever something that we should let ourselves off the hook for? Because my concern with the other lawyers who stood up in the room today is that they\u2019ve left out the little logical piece that is redress itself. My concern is we owe every victim that we made, as the State, the same duty of care.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s incredibly important we never cloud this issue with public opinion, because guess what? We are moral leaders. That\u2019s part of our job. And we shouldn\u2019t ever, ever step away from our responsibility to lead public opinion. That\u2019s our job. We are here because we get the nine reports that came out, we get to read them. Most of the public, they\u2019re getting on with trying to make ends meet at the moment, but we get the great privilege of looking at that material, of sharing it with those victims. And we know that it\u2019s important. We lead, and we lead maturely. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ENow, this is going to lead to my last point, which is that we need to talk about what an apology is. Because on the day the apology was made, there was actually an inclusion of what the Crown prosecutor had done, the aggressive approach that had been taken on behalf of the Crown, that was included in the apology. And she said, \u201CWe\u2019ve moved on, we\u2019ve learnt, and we\u2019ve changed our culture.\u201D I expect when somebody says that they are apologising, especially a moral leader, I expect that they will give a fulsome apology, a heartfelt apology, a real one. If anybody wants to look at any literature on what an apology has, it actually has a significant part of it which is to make amends. We can\u2019t simply say the words, we can\u2019t even just feel the remorse; we have to make amends if that\u2019s what\u2019s required.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn this piece of legislation, one thing that I just can\u2019t handle is that we actually enrich the State every time we decline one of the claims from someone who was victimised, who was raped, who was brutalised. We decline it and guess who is enriched? The State, because it doesn\u2019t hand over the cash.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn the select committee, I sought to look at this issue. I said, \u201CWell, couldn\u2019t we put it into victims\u2019 funds? Couldn\u2019t we do something for the next generation of victims?\u201D I was open minded about this and I got told it was too hard: \u201CNo, no, no, we can\u2019t do that.\u201D I am sick of hearing that the system cannot cope with humanity. Our job here is to always remember humanity, and if there are victims out there who were raped, who were brutalised, who were harmed by the State or churches, I want to look at them in that light as victims and do my end of the bargain as a representative in this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EActually what happens next, that\u2019s important to understanding the ripple effect of evil. That\u2019s really important, but that\u2019s the important bit. I do not want to follow some shallow, public opinion fear because we make that opinion happen. Our job as moral leaders is to lead this country in a way that we can be proud of. And, unfortunately, tonight, I\u2019m not proud of this law.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b27d8609c612411686d517d0f9b09b28\u0022 data-id=\u00222438073d78a63b63d64856c886bad13d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b27d8609c612411686d517d0f9b09b28\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222438073d78a63b63d64856c886bad13d\u0022\u003EDAVID MacLEOD (National\u2014New Plymouth) (21:16)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s fair to say that I stand to participate in this debate with a sorry heart, really. I would believe that this is one of the more sombre debates that I\u2019ve experienced in my time during this term itself, and it\u2019s very obvious as to why. There\u2019s not a smile on anybody\u2019s face around this room, and we all deeply empathise with the situation that we\u2019re all presented with. I think we all would wish that we didn\u2019t have such a bill like this in front of us to have to pass to provide a new beginning, potentially opportunity, redress\u2014that word \u201Credress\u201D\u2014for these individuals that have been abused in care.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI think about the word \u201Ccare\u201D and what it actually means. And you could think about the fact that it\u2019s providing health and wellbeing and, I suppose, protection to humans itself. And yet what we\u2019re discussing here this evening, tonight, is exactly the opposite to what\u2019s actually occurred. It\u2019s absolutely appropriate that the Government does something about it. I\u2019m trying to get my head around the fact that the Opposition are not supporting this bill with what it\u2019s endeavouring to do with this step. I understand it\u2019s not perfect, but surely it\u2019s a step in the right direction to some degree, and I would measure that by the fact that I\u2019m sure the Opposition\u2019s not going to repeal this bill if they come into power. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a bill that\u2019s needed. It\u2019s subsequent to a huge amount of work in a very, very large report that many individuals brought their experiences, their unreal experiences, to light within the report, and it almost beggars belief to think that other human beings transpired the ill-doings on over a couple of hundred thousand people in this way within our country itself. It\u2019s not a good situation for us, any of us, to be in with this here, and I think this bill, which has been through its process, parliamentary process\u2014I empathise with the select committee members that had to listen to probably many, many stories that were brought before them. It must have been a very sombre experience; I wasn\u2019t there myself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn some ways, I\u2019m pleased that we\u2019ve actually got a step to be taken here, but I also empathise that you can never fix the wrongs of what this whole situation is. With that, I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c4ca4cc5411f4905b1e974d906283186\u0022 data-id=\u0022c5ff394e2d52526aea90752c27f98259\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c4ca4cc5411f4905b1e974d906283186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c5ff394e2d52526aea90752c27f98259\u0022\u003EMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te Tai Tokerau) (21:20)\u003C/span\u003E: \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare.\u003C/span\u003E The title is about the redress system for abuse in care. Obviously, the collision between abuse in care or in State care, or in faith-based care, for that matter, are probably the things that should shock us into reality. The reality, as I know it, having worked in the sector for many years, is that it has been going on for a very long time. It\u2019s sombre, but it\u2019s a sobering reality that I remember well, so I\u2019m less sombre and, I guess, in a perverse way, glad that we are having this debate, though it\u2019s at the third reading and though I have my own sense of where I think we have not gone far enough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to just read a quick excerpt from a poem that was written by one of the survivors, if I may. In the third reading, I think it\u2019s relevant and important and I\u2019d like to share that. She writes:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWhere does the story end?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWho gets to call time on my life?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI knew the telltale signs of what was coming next,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo I\u2019d run until I could no more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EForgive him,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EForgive me,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBut some I never will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThey need to pay.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThey all must pay,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFor that is all I say.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDon\u2019t walk around in the light that is not yours to see.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EStill fighting for myself and all we need to say,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWith love now surrounding me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA path there still to travel,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDeciding now where I go and what I do,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ETo claim back all our innocence that was always meant to be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThat was by Neta Kerepeti. I wanted to bring this into this particular moment in the conversation, because I certainly recall, when the apology occurred, I stood in this House and referred to the fact that it is one thing to make an apology, of course, and good on us, but I also said that none of the survivors had to accept it. The gallery was full. None of the survivors had to accept it, and they don\u2019t. Whether they do or not, \u003Cspan lang=\u0022mi\u0022\u003Ekei a r\u0101tou t\u0113r\u0101 tikanga\u003C/span\u003E\u2014that is up to them\u2014but it must still be up to us to continue to correct the harm.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EFrom what I see when I look at the changes\u2014and I do, I acknowledge there are points in it where we talk about the key changes, formalising access to apologies and payments, restrictions on financial compensation. All of those things prevent apologies being used as admissions of liability in court. They\u2019re all words, and though they\u2019re important, they\u2019re not anywhere near as important as the act of remorse and the acting on apology and to going further than we should, to keep going. So I don\u2019t support this, and I don\u2019t support it, coming right back to the time in which I used to work in this field. I used to sit across from children that had been sexually assaulted, and would take the story from women, from grandmothers, from sons, from fathers. When I hear this kind of conversation\u2014and, might I say, intention has never been enough, and, in this context, it fails even more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI mean, I sat on that committee, as you all know\u2014sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to bring you into this, Madam Speaker\u2014and, of course, when I heard many of the submissions that came in the hearings, they break your heart and they should remind us of the harm that we\u2014and I mean this in the enduring time in which all this harm occurred\u2014are responsible for. We are responsible for that harm. In fact, I might even say that we did that. How do you undo that and how do you redress it? You do more, and you do that based on what the perspective\u2014and, just in closing, it is the perspective of the survivors which is the thing that I think is fundamentally missing\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002235984f61527b4059ae9284acf3c4076b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022530b3c56b37b9c4b68a50c64f910a625\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s time has expired. The question is that the motion be agreed to. Those of that opinion, please say Aye. To the contrary, No. The ayes have it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b07912378769038782ff515f8005c0aa\u0022\u003EHon Member: \u003C/span\u003EParty vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022347ae79ad3894842254d0d077f63f388\u0022\u003EHon Member: \u003C/span\u003ENo, the noes have it. Party vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002235984f61527b4059ae9284acf3c4076b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022876c369f1bb553f98172b6e7fae3e3b0\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve called the vote.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EBill read a third time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002283cd79f11c7449842e5f3fd2d50612a3\u0022\u003EHealth and Safety at Work Amendment Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224536db7be2ca5da7eacdc52f0457027c\u0022\u003ELegislative Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222204e041e14c40fcbec76cc14f0da486\u0022 data-id=\u0022dc3584218f8c0a0f69e1627f7915aa94\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222204e041e14c40fcbec76cc14f0da486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022dc3584218f8c0a0f69e1627f7915aa94\u0022\u003EHon BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety) (21:26)\u003C/span\u003E: I present to the House a legislative statement on the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002235984f61527b4059ae9284acf3c4076b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a763f18b83ec4802fbdf69e7a9f22e20\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\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=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022bc9b3f7a10d177aa0edb626e465b6f48\u0022\u003ESecond Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222204e041e14c40fcbec76cc14f0da486\u0022 data-id=\u00226a8be42b00b811775a1994effb404fa9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222204e041e14c40fcbec76cc14f0da486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226a8be42b00b811775a1994effb404fa9\u0022\u003EHon BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety) (21:26)\u003C/span\u003E: I move, \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003EThat the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill be now read a second time\u003C/span\u003E.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to begin by thanking everyone who made a submission to the Education and Workforce Committee on the bill, and, in particular, those who made suggestions to improve its workability. The feedback received has been important in making sure that the bill does what it\u2019s intended to do: focus effort on preventing the most serious harm. I also want to acknowledge the Education and Workforce Committee for its work on this bill. The committee has tested the detail carefully in response to submissions, and the changes it has made improve clarity and make the bill more workable in practice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis bill delivers on a commitment in the ACT-National coalition agreement to reform work health and safety law and regulations, restoring clarity and common sense to the system. Importantly, it reflects what we\u2019ve heard from people across the country. I\u2019ve heard from small-business owners, workers, and operators across this country, through submissions, engagement, and direct conversations, that the current system can be confusing, time-consuming, and, at times, focused on the wrong things. Too often, effort goes into paperwork and process rather than into the actions that actually keep people safe. That is what this bill is changing. Put simply, this bill is about making the rules clearer so that businesses and workers can focus on what matters most: preventing deaths and serious injuries and illness.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThere are many technical changes in this bill, but I want to focus on three that will make the biggest difference in practice. The first is about making it clearer that effort should be focused on the risks that can cause the most harm\u2014that is, critical risks: the risks likely to result in death, serious injury, or serious illness. There was a confusion about what \u201Clikely to result in\u201D meant. Some people thought this was about how likely a risk is to happen. That is not the point. This bill now makes it clearer that it\u2019s about the consequence; how bad the outcome would be if a risk goes wrong. Even if a risk is unlikely to eventuate, if it is likely to cause serious harm or death, it should be a priority. For example, a catastrophic machinery failure may be unlikely, but, if it occurs, it is likely to result in death; that is a critical risk. By contrast, a more common but low-consequence hazard would not meet that threshold. This is an important distinction. It helps businesses cut through the noise and focus on the things that really matter: the risks that seriously change lives. We\u2019ve also made it clear that this can include psychological harm, where that harm is likely to lead to serious physical harm. This is about keeping the focus where it should be: on real-world outcomes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe second area is where multiple businesses are working together\u2014for example, on a construction site or a shared operation. Under this bill, small businesses are required to manage only critical risks, while continuing to meet all worker welfare obligations. The committee has clarified how this works in practice when multiple businesses are involved in the same work. I\u2019ve heard that this can be one of the more confusing parts of the system. People are not always clear about who needs to do what, and that can lead to duplication or unnecessary complexity. This bill does not make that more complicated. In fact, it does the opposite. It reinforces that businesses need to work together on the critical risks to consult, cooperate, and coordinate, but without duplicating effort or over-complicating things. If a business would prefer all firms on their worksite to manage the same duties, they can. The bill enables them to contract other firms to manage all health and safety risks, not just critical risks, putting the power in the hands of those with boots on the ground rather than Wellington bureaucrats. The goal here is straightforward: less confusion, less overlap, and more focus on the risks that actually need managing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe third change is about recreational access. I\u2019ve heard concerns that the current settings can lead to unnecessary restrictions on people accessing land, whether that\u2019s for walking, hunting, or other outdoor activities. That\u2019s not a good outcome. New Zealanders value access to the outdoors, and landowners need clarity about when work health and safety duties apply. This bill makes that clearer. For example, charging a small access fee won\u2019t on its own make that activity part of your business and subject to work health and safety duties. The aim is to remove unnecessary barriers while still making sure protections apply where work is actually taking place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAcross all of the changes within this bill, the goal is the same: to make the system easier to understand, to reduce unnecessary compliance and duplication, and to make sure that time and effort are going into preventing serious harm, not into navigating complexity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis bill does not lower standards. It strengthens the system by making it clearer and more practical. Finally, I again thank the Education and Workforce Committee for its work and all those who contributed to the process. This is a practical set of changes informed by the people who use the system every day. It reflects a Government that has listened, and to a lot of people who usually don\u2019t get consulted, and that is focused on getting results\u2014clear rules, less confusion, more focus on what keeps people safe. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002235984f61527b4059ae9284acf3c4076b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222792950ee21a8ecd1200e98f85a3f2ef\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\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=\u0022cc5df856d19845fdaba4418087cd3bba\u0022 data-id=\u00229445b7b4531ae002ad195e9b17f7e306\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc5df856d19845fdaba4418087cd3bba\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00229445b7b4531ae002ad195e9b17f7e306\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI (Labour) (21:32)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Throughout the course of this term of this Government, we\u2019ve had quite a number of employment bills and legislation moving through the House. It has been one hit to workers after another. There have been times when I\u2019ve stood here and I\u2019ve said I\u2019m willing to work and willing to look at how we can make legislation better. This is not one of them. This is perhaps one of the worst pieces of legislation that we\u2019ve seen come into this House. This bill does nothing but weaken protections that keep people safe on the job. It risks more injuries and deaths and does nothing to reduce New Zealand\u2019s already unacceptable rate of workplace fatalities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ELast week in our scrutiny hearings, we questioned the Minister about this bill and perhaps the budget that goes alongside it, or non-budget that goes alongside it, to implement it, and we got told, \u201CPerhaps people need to stop being so pessimistic.\u201D What an awful thing to say when we\u2019re talking about protecting people\u2019s lives and keeping them safe at work. This is a terrible piece of legislation. We\u2019re not standing here trying to say, \u201COh, it\u2019s bad.\u201D just for the sake of it being bad. This is a piece of legislation that is going to put people\u2019s lives more at risk than what they currently are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESimplifying legislation does not make it better. In fact, in this particular case, simplifying it is only making it worse. The Minister knows that on her desk when she was coming in as Minister were the completed plant and structure regulations. But I believe that, being from a party that doesn\u2019t believe in regulations, they were put aside for this horrible piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn fact, the Minister has been told by business, by workers, by employer advocates, by unions that the Act itself, as it stands at the moment, works quite well, but it\u2019s the secondary legislation that needs to be put in place. Why that wasn\u2019t listened to? Only the Minister can answer that, but by not listening to those people and those experts, she is putting more people in this country at risk and more people at risk of not coming home at the end of the day.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t normally sit on this select committee, but I sat in for many of the submissions. The vast majority of submitters were against this bill, and, actually, they came from all different walks of life. We had many businesses who were against it, employer advocates, and some of those employer advocates would normally be on the side of the Government and support the Government and their agenda, but, actually, this time they said, \u201CNo, we cannot support this, because we want our workers to come home safe.\u201D We also heard from workers, we heard from unions, who were united in that this bill is going to be a bad bill and a bad piece of legislation for workers in this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAgain, at the scrutiny hearing last week, the Minister alluded to the fact that maybe many of those people who are opposed are making money as consultants, as health and safety consultants. How insulting to those people that care about their workers and care about people coming home safe that that statement would be made about those people who were opposing this bill.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe other part that\u2019s really insulting in this legislative statement, and was also present in the departmental report, is a statement that says the submissions revealed considerable misunderstandings of how the bill is intended to operate. I say it\u2019s insulting because many of those people are the most passionate and most skilled people in the health and safety at work area. Many of those people have spent their life\u2019s work fighting, fighting to make our conditions better so that we can improve our horrific standards of safety in this country at work. Yet it is stated that they\u2019ve misunderstood how the legislation is to work. They haven\u2019t misunderstood it. They have actually said to the Minister it works well now; we just need to have that secondary legislation in place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EPeople deserve to come home safe from work. The health and safety Act as it stands at the moment was put in place after one of the most horrific workplace events that caused the most fatalities in the modern era in this country. Of course, we all remember that, and you too, Madam Speaker, being in your electorate\u2014the Pike River disaster. It was a horrific stain on our history in this country. We came together as a Parliament back then and put that legislation into place, knowing that there was more work to do. Why are we not doing that work and continuing that work? Why are we weakening this now to pre - Pike River conditions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe Stand with Pike River people have been here in Parliament over the last couple of days. Standing out the front, listening to them today and listening to their rationale\u2014Sonya and Anna\u2014of why they have fought and fought and fought to get our workplaces safer so that no one else ever has to go through what they have to go through was one of the most emotional times that you can spend, or I have actually ever spent, as a politician. I watched people in the crowd out there today with tears in their eyes. They know that this bill has come back from select committee no better than what it went to select committee as. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis bill is a backward step for health and safety at work in this country. It is a backward step, especially for small businesses. The small carve-out for persons conducting a business or undertaking from some of their health and safety duties runs counter to the evidence that they are often less safe than their larger counterparts. We have the evidence that shows that, the ACC data shows that, and yet some arbitrary figure of 20 was put in place, rather than looking at the safety of the businesses themselves. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI read a \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsCharacterItalics\u0022\u003ESpinoff\u003C/span\u003E article this week that showed just how stupid that is. You could have an abseiling company of 12 to 15 people or less, and you don\u2019t have the same health and safety requirements put on you as an accounting firm with 21 employees. That just makes no sense whatsoever\u201420 is an arbitrary figure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe other side know that this is silly, they know that this doesn\u2019t work, and they know that this will mean more accidents and fatalities in this country, but they have to go through with it because it\u2019s in their coalition agreement. Well, I\u2019m going to turn to New Zealand First and say that that coalition agreement is not with you, and I know that New Zealand First members feel that they have to abide by the others, but they have also heard from those Pike River people. They could put an end to this bill right now, and how much more harm has to happen in this country\u2014how much more? It is not OK to sit there and say, \u201CWe will do something about it after the election.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThis bill does nothing\u2014nothing\u2014to address our poor record on health and safety in this country. The big fear here is that we are going to see more issues after this bill is in place and, unfortunately, more people not coming home from work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022 data-id=\u0022f2db0c3af323b8c7fafbffcaa3200efb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224cdfceb3207b43e8a21b346f9376ddc7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f2db0c3af323b8c7fafbffcaa3200efb\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO (Green) (21:42)\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Greens to oppose this bill. The proposed changes within this bill weaken the system designed to keep workers safe and healthy. New Zealand already has disastrously bad workplace health and safety outcomes, and this bill is likely to make that worse.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIt is a reasonable expectation of wh\u0101nau and families that when their loved ones go to work, they come home alive, and when their loved ones go to work, they come home unharmed, and it\u2019s also a reasonable expectation of families, wh\u0101nau, and communities that this House passes laws which improve work safety. This bill does not do any of that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the many people that came to the Education and Workforce Committee to share their views\u2014and I acknowledge what has been said before me, as well. They came from a wide range of perspectives. We had unions, we had businesses, and we had health and safety experts, as well, and next to none of them supported this bill. In fact, everybody that I listened to had some sort of criticism of this bill. The range of organisations and businesses that oppose this bill, or that at least raise significant concerns about its impact and workability, demonstrates the significant failings of this legislation. The fundamental issues of critical risk and the small employer carve-out for persons conducting a business or undertaking were widely opposed by many business groups, individual businesses, unions, lawyers, and health and safety specialists. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAs all good select committees do, the select committee did try to knock some of the rougher edges off this piece of legislation, but, as we have seen through the passage of this Parliament when we\u2019ve had anti-worker piece of legislation after anti-worker piece of legislation come through the select committee process, all of a sudden, it then just gets rubber-stamped at the end of it. I am concerned about the number of concerns that have been raised about the amount of legislation that has come through that select committee where, basically, the ACT Party shows up and they\u2019ve got an anti-worker piece of legislation, and then the National Party tries to knock some of the edges off, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo my challenge to the parties on the other side of the House is to do the right thing and actually see this for what it is. We\u2019re getting closer to the election, and people can tell. People can tell that, actually, the National Party needs to stand up. They need to stand up to their bosses in the ACT Party, because, once again, we\u2019ve got another bad piece of legislation which is going to be worse for workers and bad for their work health and safety, as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI was out on the steps of Parliament today, where we were joined and, actually, led by the Pike River wh\u0101nau, and, if I could remind the House, the changes that were brought in by the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act were passed in response to the Pike River tragedy. We all remember that. We all remember that; in fact, some of us were here in the House when the legislation was passed\u2014including yourself, Madam Assistant Speaker Pugh\u2014and if anybody knows what happens when you don\u2019t do things properly and when you don\u2019t get things right, it is those families and it is those wh\u0101nau. It is those families, and when they raise their voices, it is important that we listen, it is important that we take stock, and it\u2019s important, if we need to, to pause the process and to really reflect on what is being done here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI listened very carefully to what was being said outside. I\u2019ve got a quote here from Anna Osborne, who spoke outside, on the front of Parliament, and this is what she said. \u201CThis will undoubtedly lead to more injuries and people may take shortcuts where there is no requirements to comply with the laws that larger workplaces must adhere to. We have seen the consequences of ignoring health and safety, look at Pike River.\u201D, she said. \u201CBecause of Pike we fought hard to toughen up these laws. We devoted our time to try to save the lives of workers in New Zealand to make sure Pike never happened again.\u201D, and she ended with this: \u201CWe urge every member of Parliament to listen to evidence, take these warnings seriously and\u201D\u2014New Zealand First, this is for you\u2014\u201Cvote this bill down.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe wh\u0101nau who we were listening to outside were angry and concerned about this bill, but there has also been other commentary\u2014a wide range of commentary\u2014in opposition to and critical of this bill, as well. I\u2019ve picked up the comments of Mike Cosman, the spokesperson for the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management, who has said\u2014and I think he put it succinctly\u2014that this is a \u201Cdog\u2019s breakfast\u201D of a bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EA \u201Cdog\u2019s breakfast\u201D of a bill is how he has described it, and he went on to describe the many problems with the bill. He outlined them and he focused on four different parts, and I\u2019ll read those out: \u201CThe bill would exempt 97 percent of New Zealand businesses from having a legal duty to manage many of their most significant risks, the non-critical ones.\u201D\u201497 percent is what he said. \u201CSmall businesses have a 24 percent higher injury rate than larger firms. Carving them out makes no sense.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI did pick up the comments made by the Minister about one of the amendments, amongst a number of amendments that were made by the select committee, which I don\u2019t feel will resolve the issue, where you\u2019re going to get larger firms who will be able to work with smaller companies to try to adhere for some of these issues. What that does is it actually places more compliance on those worksites, because if you\u2019ve ever been to a worksite, often there are small contractors working with other medium-sized contractors and sometimes with bigger contractors, and if, all of a sudden we\u2019re pushing the responsibility on to that group, that doesn\u2019t provide clarity; actually, that gives the potential for more confusion. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003ESo there, on that side of the House, they\u2019re all about trying to get rid of the tape, and I think they call it the red tape and the green tape. But here we have yellow tape and blue tape, and the potential confusion of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe other thing that Mike Cosman also talked about was the main risk that workers in some of those businesses will no longer be protected against musculoskeletal risks\u2014so ergonomic slips, falls\u2014and psychosocial harms, and that was brought up a number of times by submitters, as well. These are the Nos 1 and 2 causes of workplace harm. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe also noted that ACC strongly opposes the carve-out of musculoskeletal risks because they pay out more than $3.6\u00A0billion every year for such injuries in small businesses. Actually, during scrutiny week, our Green MP Mike Davidson, I believe, was scrutinising the Minister for ACC by asking these questions directly to the Minister for ACC about what potential this bill will have, because what it will do is shift the responsibility on to the workers but also, potentially, overburden the ACC system. The response, from what I could gather, from the Minister for ACC was the hospital pass back to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, who had a lacklustre response at scrutiny week in front of the Education and Workforce Committee. When we asked her directly about this, she kicked the can down the road. There\u2019s another thing that\u2019s waiting for us in the future. If no one\u2019s going to be taking responsibility and there won\u2019t be any direction from that side of the House, then, actually, there\u2019s going to be the potential for it to become another layer of weight and burden on the ACC system there as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EMental health and workload management are also very unlikely to be captured by the new focus on critical risks. We did prosecute this also in scrutiny week as well. It\u2019s all very good and well to point to particular moments where things get particularly stressful, which could lead to, in some cases, workplace suicide, but what we know is, actually, that can happen over a number of years\u2014it can happen over a number of years. Mental stress and the impact on mental health and wellbeing can happen over a number of years as well. This can was also kicked down the road as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe had different groups coming to the select committee, and I want to acknowledge all of them. We had people working in the forestry industry, as well, who are really, really concerned about how this would impact some of their industry. You have sometimes small contractors working there\u2014sometimes one or two people\u2014but those are often high-risk jobs as well. This will add extra confusion to that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EThe problem with this bill\u2014and there are many of them; and if I could use the words of somebody who came to the committee, who said, \u201CIt\u2019s like having a two-tier system.\u201D It is going to be a two-tier system and a confusing one at that. Different cars are driving on the road. Some are having to stop at traffic lights, but others are not. This will just create problems, and this will create further risks in the health and safety system. The Greens do not support this bill. In fact, this entire House should listen to the Pike River wh\u0101nau and oppose this bill. We do not, at all, commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c96149a439844ecfa86967f9caf5f50d\u0022 data-id=\u00227b7ae33dff49c71d6098b5e9b2cc9e5c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c96149a439844ecfa86967f9caf5f50d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227b7ae33dff49c71d6098b5e9b2cc9e5c\u0022\u003EKATIE NIMON (National\u2014Napier) (21:53)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019d like to build on the last member\u2019s analogy and actually say that what this is is a road with multiple different lanes\u2014a bus lane, a T3, and general traffic. Actually, sometimes the bus lane and the T3 need to get some shortcuts so that they can get ahead and make efficiencies. That is what this is about. The answer that is going to take our businesses ahead and take our industries ahead to protect these sectors, especially the high-risk ones, are the approved codes of practice (ACOPs). I want to draw attention of members opposite to the very strong provision of the ACOPs, which has been called for by industries. We heard that in submissions. With that, I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002211e9e1f818754d97b60bba4b18e5dc03\u0022 data-id=\u00228df41562182a8e203bf4b41b443d7044\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002211e9e1f818754d97b60bba4b18e5dc03\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228df41562182a8e203bf4b41b443d7044\u0022\u003EHon MARK PATTERSON (Minister for Rural Communities) (21:53)\u003C/span\u003E: I rise on behalf of New Zealand First on this Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill to offer what I could generously describe as tepid support for this second reading. It is, I would emphasise, a coalition agreement between National and ACT. We do agree with the Minister\u2019s intention. Health and safety has been too bureaucratic and burdened with too much focus on clipboards and not practical solutions. The current system is not working. Our injury rates are far too high, certainly in comparison to our international comparators. Too many New Zealanders are injured at work. For some, they don\u2019t come home. It was poignant to hear the Pike River families this morning, reminding us. Even minor injuries take a high human toll. They\u2019re debilitating, they\u2019re irritating, and they\u2019re inconvenient. The Crown picks up an eye-watering ACC bill\u2014$3.6\u00A0billion for those minor injuries. It is a drag on our nation\u2019s productivity. Workplace safety is, essentially, a culture issue, and it is important that this Parliament does not send the wrong signal.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EIn the first reading, New Zealand First, through myself, indicated that this was a difficult issue and the stakes were high. Unfortunately, New Zealand First is not represented on the Education and Workforce Committee. I emphasised that New Zealand First would be listening very carefully to what the feedback was from that hearing. This is where our problems with this bill began. The bill was universally slammed in select committee. We had a literal conga line of organisations in our offices, raising the alarm bells\u2014not just the usual suspects of the unions and those that might be described, possibly unkindly, by Jan Tinetti as \u201Cprofessional clipboard operators\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll give you this, from the submission of the Employers and Manufacturers Association: \u201CThe Bill as presented will not reduce red tape, reduce harm or make compliance easier for small employers. Rather than making \u2018minor tweaks\u2019 we feel the Bill introduces structural changes that we believe will undo all the progress to date. It makes systemic changes that will create (by design) a two-tier platform where a large number of employees may be at risk and receive a lower level of protection. This appears inconsistent with the intent of the Health and Safety at Work Act\u2019s purpose that all workers receive the highest level of protection against harm.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EAnd this is from Safer Farms: \u201CSafer Farms is concerned that the proposed amendments may not achieve improved health and safety outcomes for agriculture and may introduce unintended consequences. In particular, the narrow definition of \u2018critical risk\u2019, the subjectivity introduced by the term \u2018likely\u2019, and the proposed exemption for small PCBUs risk diminishing attention on the harms that occur most frequently and cost [our] sector the most.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EI would question the select committee because this report did not come back reflecting the overwhelming weight of the submissions. What we heard was that the characterisation of \u201Ccritical risk\u201D was a major problem and that the carve-out for small persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) created a problematic two-tier system. The term \u201Clikely\u201D in clause 9, as opposed to the current\u2014I\u2019ll skip over that because that\u2019s not clear in my notes; I want to be accurate here because this is an important issue. Adding the term \u201Clikely\u201D in clause 9 creates uncertainty in the probabilistic assessment. We heard concerns about the lack of requirement to consult for changes to the New Schedule 1A list; that overlapping enactments seemingly create a loophole; and that removal of safe harbour provisions stops innovation with the approved codes of practice (ACOPs) and, essentially, gives them a status that sits above regulation. We heard some concern from port operators about the requirements in the bill as it stands to coordinate all PCBUs on those dangerous workplaces.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EWe heard sensible suggestions that WorkSafe be split between education and enforcement. The lessons from Pike River were that the labour department was both culpable and the prosecutor. If there has ever been a case that we step back and reassess after listening to feedback to the select committee, this is it. The risks of getting this wrong are high. We continue to seek constructive dialogue with the Minister and our coalition partners before the committee of the whole House stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002235984f61527b4059ae9284acf3c4076b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262a552668b2bde6e215f30820757a452\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the time has come for me to leave the Chair. The House is adjourned. We\u2019ll resume at 2 p.m. tomorrow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20260624b53f8143999058e4c0000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsItem\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022CharacterBoldCentred\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 9.59 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"