Wednesday, 19 December 2018

WEDNESDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2018

WEDNESDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2018

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

Karakia.

Motions

Parliamentary Service General Manager—Departure

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Following discussions at the Business Committee earlier this week, I seek leave to move a motion noting the end of David Stevenson’s tenure as the general manager of the Parliamentary Service.

SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There appears to be none.

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I move, That the House thank departing Parliamentary Service General Manager David Stevenson for his dedicated service to the House, including five years in his current role, acknowledge his great contribution to rebuilding relationships during that time, and wish him well for the future.

The Parliamentary Service is a unique institution. It employs around 700 people, two thirds of whom work in electorate offices up and down the country. While it’s independent of the Government, it does have to house, feed, and staff the offices of, and arrange parking for, and otherwise satisfy the disparate and sometimes unreasonable needs of 120 members of Parliament, not to mention the parliamentary press gallery—not mentioning unreasonableness there at all—and everybody else who works in and passes through the parliamentary complex. It takes someone of rare tact, calmness, and resilience to keep that particular show on the road, and those are the qualities that David Stevenson has shown in abundance during his five years as the general manager of the Parliamentary Service.

He did take over the role in an acting capacity during very testing circumstances, following the resignation of his predecessor as a result of the release of phone records of some members. His sure handling of the fallout from those events led to his appointment being made permanent. At the end of his five-year term, many of the relationships that were broken when he took over the role have been restored to good health. The various agencies that run different aspects of the work of Parliament—the Parliamentary Service, Ministerial Services, and the Office of the Clerk—now work together in a much more cohesive way than has sometimes been the case in the past. This has been to a great extent due to the determination David has shown towards making this happen.

He’s made it a priority to engage with more New Zealanders about Parliament. Visitors now have a richer experience, and Parliament’s online presence is much stronger than it used to be. His genial, calm manner will be much missed around the parliamentary complex, and I’m sure that members on all sides of the House will join me in thanking David Stevenson for his service to us, and wish him very well for the future.

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): The National Opposition wishes to join with the Government in expressing our deep gratitude to David for his years of service leading the Parliamentary Service. The circumstances—as the Leader of the House has mentioned—under which he came to the job were interesting in so much as it was one of those crisis times for any organisation. His steady hand during the period where he was the acting manager made him the stand-out candidate to take on the role.

I think that whenever someone leaves a job and they leave the organisation they have led in better shape than it was when they got there, then that is a very strong tribute to their personal abilities. Mr Hipkins mentioned many of the attributes that have made David a very good leader for the Parliamentary Service. I would simply say that I’m sure many of the complaints that have been fielded from members of Parliament have come more from the other side of the House than ours, because we are generally a very uncomplaining lot.

It’s also very interesting that in that Parliamentary Service, where you have such a large number of employees—because the employment relationship is not with the MP but with the Parliamentary Service, where there are so many and there are so many conditions that now apply to workplaces and everything else—a lot of the complaints that come to you, I’m sure, are about some of those conditions that are required in electorate offices and other such places, without recognition that it’s actually this place, generally unanimously, who’ve decided on what those conditions should be. So sometimes it’s good to have someone who’s able to gently reflect back that whatever frustrations we as members might be having, so too are those out in the wider employment world.

We wish you well, Mr Stevenson, in your future. We think that the time you’ve had here has been marked by—as was pointed out by Mr Hipkins—a growing, better relationship between the Office of the Clerk, Parliamentary Service, Ministerial Services, and of course also a growing importance of a number of things and initiatives that you started, particularly around the cyber-security of the Parliament across all of its many aspects, and, indeed, the security of the Parliament itself. It’s, I’m sure, a shame that there wasn’t a building programme that you had championed that got under way, but you never know—in the future, there’ll be another opportunity. So we just wish you all the best, and wish you and your family a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

CLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First): I rise on behalf of our leader from New Zealand First and our caucus members from New Zealand First to join in the chorus of thanks and gratitude, David, for the effort, time, and energy that you’ve put into this place. You certainly will be missed. I’ve enjoyed, personally, the time that we got to catch up, and your professionalism has certainly always shone through. The job that you’ve taken on is probably one that many, many years ago you didn’t realise you were going to get when you were walking through the Parliament grounds with a father that also worked as a public servant here, thinking that “One day, I would also, too, like to work in this place.”, and you’re probably thinking “Why did I wish for that job?” You’ll look back with a smile on your face and say that “Well, at least I came here and gave it a go.”, and you’ve done a great job at it.

Mr Stevenson is a family man with small children, and he is one of four kids himself. He has been here since 2011 and he’s been overseas before that. He comes with a wealth of experience, and New Zealand First would like to join in that chorus to thank you for your time and effort and wish you well over Christmas and beyond there. So all the very best. Thank you very much.

GARETH HUGHES (Green): Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora. I rise on behalf of the Green Party to also support the motion. I love David’s story as a public servant walking through the gardens, looking at Parliament, wondering what it would be like to work here. Well, he got his opportunity in one of the most stressful and challenging times, but he came through, he steadied the ship, and he did an excellent job. On behalf of the Greens, I’d like to acknowledge his service and work, and can I also take the opportunity to thank all of the team of Parliamentary Service and wish them a merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Rt Hon DAVID CARTER (National): Being a humble backbencher, I was unaware of the discussions of the Business Committee and the fact that this motion was going to be moved, but I just want to take this opportunity, having worked very closely with David Stevenson, of wishing him all the best.

The role of General Manager of the Parliamentary Service is a very difficult one, but Mr Stevenson knew that at the time he took the job, because he took some encouraging to even put his name forward for the job. But can I say that in my experience here over many years, Parliamentary Service is now a far better organisation serving us as members of Parliament than it’s been at any time during my time as a member of Parliament, and a lot of that is due to the work of David Stevenson. I personally thank you. It was a pleasure to work with you, Mr Stevenson, and I wish you all the best in the future.

Motion agreed to.

Oral Questions

Questions to Ministers

Question No. 1—Prime Minister

1. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s statements and actions?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): I thank the member for his question. Yes, I’m extremely proud of the actions we have taken this year as the Government, some of which include extending paid parental leave, stopping foreign purchasing of Kiwi homes, making the first year of tertiary study free, stopping the State house sell-off, building that first KiwiBuild home, restarting super fund contributions, increasing the minimum wage, passing the Child Poverty Reduction Bill in my name, implementing the Families Package, making GP visits cheaper for many New Zealanders, investing in fixing hospitals and schools, funding more teachers, beginning to plant one billion trees, investing in the regions through the Provincial Growth Fund, beginning to recruit 1,800 more police—

SPEAKER: All right. I think we’ve—

Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. When such a question is asked, surely the Prime Minister should be given time or afforded time to answer it completely. So I move an extension of time to the answering of that question.

SPEAKER: Well, are we seriously going to have a Government motion without notice? No, we’re not.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does she accept that Kiwis are facing a higher cost of living this Christmas; if not, why not?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I accept, as has been listed in our long list of achievements, that we as a Government are working hard to make sure that New Zealanders have an increase in their incomes, be it through increases in the minimum wage; be it through increases in Working for Families; be it, for instance, through the winter energy payment, helping over 700,000 New Zealanders when their cost of living goes up during the winter; be it through the extra $75 on average that families are getting every week once the Working for Families package is rolled out. If we want to talk about some of the biggest costs of living, that would be housing. That last Government did absolutely nothing, and this side of the House is.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does she accept responsibility for the increase in rents under her Government by $30 a week or $1,500 a year for the typical New Zealand family?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because it’s Christmas, I’m going to park my dispute with the member’s numbers and get to the substantive issue here. We have seen increases in rent continually for a number of years. The reason for that is simple: supply. There are not enough houses in New Zealand. The last Government did absolutely nothing. We have not only brought in KiwiBuild; we stopped the State house sell-off that started under them, we brought in 1,200 more public housing places, and we’ve started building 6,400 State houses.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does she still hope that rents won’t go up, given that all the data suggests they already are, and property agents and landlords all over New Zealand have explicitly told renters their rent will now increase due to Government policy?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Let’s actually get into the detail of what that Government policy is. The member is referring to, I imagine, the Government’s plan to ban letting fees because they are hurting our most vulnerable, and our plan to bring in standards to make sure that a rental property is healthy to live in—that it’s not damp, that it is warm and dry. And on this side of the House, we’re quite proud of each of those initiatives.

Hon Simon Bridges: Did her officials advise her Government that it’s preferable that her upcoming cannabis referendum should not be at the same time as the general election?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I don’t recall seeing such advice, but what I can say is that on this side of the House, we’ve long flagged an intention around a referendum by 2020, because we’re not afraid of asking New Zealanders what they think.

Hon Simon Bridges: What specific question, then, will New Zealanders be asked in the Government’s binding referendum on the personal use of cannabis in 2020?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We’ll be using a process to determine the question in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Can I just say, I was on the select committee that determined the flag question, and I can tell you that that last Government had no idea what to ask, how to ask it, or how much money it was going to cost, and that’s probably why we’ve got the same flag now.

Hon Simon Bridges: Why is it that New Zealanders will be asked whether personal use of cannabis should be legalised but the Government unilaterally decided last week to start the process to decriminalise possession of class A drugs?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: For a lawyer, I’m somewhat surprised at the way he has characterised that bill.

Hon Simon Bridges: Has she been open and transparent about all her associations with Karel Sroubek and his associates, and, if so, why?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: This is around the houses. I have continually outlined in this House that I had no involvement in that case, that my knowledge of the case arose at the time it was put in the public domain, and that the Minister—which the other side of the House previously criticised him for—made the decision in a room with officials on the spot with the information in front of him and had no conversation with any other member of Parliament. So that is where my ministerial responsibility begins and ends.

Hon Simon Bridges: Have any staff from her office been briefing the media against the estranged wife of Karel Sroubek after yesterday’s revelations trying to discredit her side of the story?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I have said in this House—and I absolutely take responsibility for the actions that I have taken in this regard—as soon as we were advised of concerns about safety, we raised those with the appropriate channels, which was via the Minister of Immigration, and I absolutely stand by that.

Hon Simon Bridges: Have any staff from her office been briefing the media against the estranged wife of Karel Sroubek after yesterday’s revelations to try to discredit her side of the story?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again, why would there be any interest in engaging in that manner? As I’ve said—I’ve been very clear—when concerns were raised, I directly raised it with the Minister of Immigration, and that was how it was dealt with. When I was advised that there is an issue that Mark Mitchell raised, I checked in with the Minister to check on their activities. That was the appropriate thing to do, and we stand by that.

Hon Simon Bridges: Will she do the right thing and check and instruct them to stop?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, I would need to take the member at his word, but I, after question time, will ask the question.

Hon Simon Bridges: You know it’s true.

SPEAKER: Order! I think I sort of nodded at the member about four times during previous interjections, but I am getting more than a little unhappy with the Leader of the Opposition and his continual breaches of one particular convention.

Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Prime Minister as to whether, in regards to the last question, her inquiry could be seriously advantaged by the Leader of the Opposition giving over the evidence he claimed in his questions to have?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I’m always open to the member coming directly to me to raise such concerns. I’d like it to have been evident in my response in the House. Of course I take issues of someone’s safety seriously, and if he wished to raise those issues with me directly, I would encourage him to.

Hon Simon Bridges: If she knew about threats to Karel Sroubek’s estranged wife on 31 October, why did she allow the Rt Hon Winston Peters to say on her behalf in the House on 6 December that the estranged wife “did not want protection;”?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I believe he was making reference to what was already in the public domain around Mr Sroubek’s ex-wife’s willingness to engage with the process.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour) to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the economy?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yesterday, Moody’s released its assessment of the Government’s Budget Policy Statement and the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). Moody’s said that the continued Budget surpluses and debt reduction forecast in HYEFU support New Zealand’s triple A, stable sovereign credit profile. In addition, it said that New Zealand’s strong public finances provide fiscal flexibility to absorb any sudden rise in expenditure to support the economy through a shock. This is particularly relevant given Moody’s view that the international environment does pose a risk to economic growth globally. This report represents yet another endorsement of the Government’s credentials as responsible managers of the books and underscores the importance of our commitment to the Budget responsibility rules.

Willow-Jean Prime: What did the Moody’s report say about the Government’s well-being approach?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Moody’s said that the Government’s ongoing focus on well-being denotes very high institutional capacity and fiscal flexibility. It noted that the Government is already demonstrating its focus on well-being priorities—for example, through the Families Package and the Green Investment Fund. Moody’s said that given robust public finances, the Government does have the flexibility to fund spending on families, infrastructure, affordable housing, and education, including through Treasury’s Living Standards Framework, while maintaining fiscal surpluses and debt reduction. In short, I’m pleased to see yet more international support for our approach to the Budget process, which puts well-being at the heart of how we make investments and measure success.

Willow-Jean Prime: What other reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The latest Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index for the December quarter, released this morning, shows the consumer confidence index was up 5.6 percent, to 109.1, on the back of lower petrol prices and lower mortgage interest rates. The survey shows households are feeling both more confident about their present situation and more optimistic about the future. What’s more, the number of households who think now is a good time to make a major purchase is up to its highest level in four years. I have heard anecdotal reports of the spike in the sale of barbecues in the Papakura, Rodney, and Selwyn areas—

SPEAKER: Question number three, Amy Adams, with a couple of extra supplementaries.

Question No. 3—Finance

3. Hon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) to the Minister of Finance: Does he think New Zealanders are better or worse off this Christmas when, under this Government, petrol taxes have increased, and rents have risen $30 a week?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I do believe New Zealanders are better off this Christmas because they have a Government that cares not only that we are prosperous as a country but that everybody gets to share in that prosperity. Specifically, since last Christmas, I think New Zealanders are better off in the following ways. Those on the minimum wage are better off, with it increasing from $16.50 an hour to $17.70 an hour, on the pathway to $20 an hour by 1 April 2021. I think new parents are better off because we’ve introduced the $60 per week Best Start payment for newborns, with more than 8,500 parents receiving it. I think that seniors and those on low incomes are better off this Christmas, after we introduced the winter energy payment so that they have enough money to heat their homes over the cold winter months. I think families are better off than they were this time last Christmas, with the Families Package kicking in from 1 July for 384,000 families. I think families without children are better off this time than they were last Christmas through changes to the accommodation supplement and the winter energy payment. I also think single-income workers are better off with the reinstatement of the independent earner tax credit, which the previous Government got rid of. I also think that students are better off than they were this time last Christmas, with more than 50,000 of them accessing fees-free post-secondary education. I think that people who eat are better off than they were last Christmas—

SPEAKER: Order! Thank you.

Hon Amy Adams: Does the fact that the Minister entirely failed to recognise the costs that people face come from the fact that the Government is ignoring that, in the last 12 months, demand for food parcels at the Auckland City Mission has risen 27 percent, and demand for food parcels at Christchurch City Mission has risen 43 percent? Is that people being better off, Mr Robertson?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As I said in my list, many of the families who are in New Zealand who have suffered for many years by not being able to afford the basics are the very people accessing the Families Package. And it’s interesting now to see the crocodile tears from the Opposition about this issue, who for nine years decided this wasn’t a problem. This Government is actually addressing it.

Hon Amy Adams: Does this Government’s addressing it include the Minister having a read of Treasury’s advice that made it quite clear that 1.7 million households are worse off under that Government’s Families Package than they were under the package that National put in place in the 2017 Budget?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What we made the decision on—and we in fact campaigned in the election on this—was that members of this House didn’t need a thousand bucks a year in a tax cut when there were families who actually needed that money more, which is why we redirected it.

Hon Amy Adams: If the Minister believes that this Government has helped families, why do Treasury’s forecasts show the household savings rate is now much worse than previously forecast, meaning New Zealand families are projected to be going backwards every year under this Government?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I reject the assertion at the end of that member’s question. What this Government is focused on is making sure that family incomes rise; making sure that the basics of health, of housing, of education, and of infrastructure are supported properly. And I just urge the member, at this time of year, that this is an economy and a country where we are growing, where we’re making sure that prosperity is shared better, and I wish that she would join in the increasing confidence of the business community in our economy.

Hon Amy Adams: Will the Government give New Zealand families some real Christmas cheer by today ruling out a capital gains tax on the family bach, the family farm, or their retirement savings, and every small business in New Zealand?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I’m going to take the advice of the Hon Chris Finlayson when talking about Simon Bridges: when it comes to taxes, I say it best when I say nothing at all.

Question No. 4—Immigration

4. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions in relation to the deportation liability of Karel Sroubek?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister of Immigration): Yes, in their context.

Hon Michael Woodhouse: When the Prime Minister approached him on 31 October, as she advised the House yesterday, of allegations that Mr Sroubek’s ex-wife’s safety may have been at risk—“I immediately raised that issue directly with the Minister of Immigration. This prompted the Minister to follow up.”—what specific action did he take?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I instructed Immigration New Zealand to investigate that matter.

Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is he at all concerned that police were not aware of those concerns that he was privy to until the Hon Mark Mitchell approached the Minister of Police some days later?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I understand that’s not correct. I understand that Immigration New Zealand approached the police.

Hon Michael Woodhouse: Did he counsel the Prime Minister not to portray him as the victim and not to portray the estranged wife of Karel Sroubek as a political informant with false claims, given what he knew?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Throughout this, I have only held an opinion on the matters that are relevant to the decisions that I have to make. I have no opinion on who anybody associates with. People are free to associate with whomever they like in this country.

Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is he completely satisfied that he has handled every aspect of this case, including follow-up action taken, properly?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Yes.

Hon Michael Woodhouse: Doesn’t his failure to act promptly and appropriately in respect of those safety concerns constitute a pattern of behaviour by him in respect of every aspect of this case?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I reject the assertion in the member’s question.

Question No. 5—Prime Minister

5. MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Which of her Government’s achievements for our kids and our environment, if any, will she be reflecting on this Christmas?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Obviously there are a number of which I feel particularly proud, but having just passed the Child Poverty Reduction Bill in the House yesterday with the support, I acknowledge, of the Green Party, that will be something that I reflect on with some pride. Equally, in the environmental space, the work that’s being done on waste reduction, in particular—and I acknowledge the Hon Eugenie Sage, as well—is something that I think will be viewed with pride not only by this Government but by all New Zealanders.

Marama Davidson: What work does she think will make the biggest difference for our kids and their families?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I reflected on in my first question, it’s undoubtedly the $5.5 billion package that came into force in July, which brings in the winter energy payment, which over 700,000 families benefit from, including those on Government support—that includes, obviously, families with children—as well as the Families Package, which is, on average, $75 a week for over 380,000 families. I know that because I get letters. I’ve had a couple that really stand out: one where a mother said to me, “I can afford now to buy my kids blankets and socks and turn on the heater.”, and another that said, “Now, with that little bit extra, I have been able to give them music lessons.” You know, that makes a big difference in people’s lives.

Marama Davidson: How important is tackling waste to this Government?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Incredibly important. The confidence and supply agreement, obviously, elevated that—our agreement with the Green Party. We acknowledged that we needed to be doing more. We needed to set targets for ourselves. I want to acknowledge that of all the things that have been done, the act to remove the use of single-use plastic bags in New Zealand has had a profound impact. That one simple act is the biggest thing that I’ve had contact from young New Zealanders over. I thank again the Green Party and the Minister the Hon Eugenie Sage for her work in making that a reality.

Marama Davidson: What has this Government done to protect nature and preserve what makes Aotearoa so special?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I think, probably, undoubtedly, the significant increase in funding for conservation, so an additional $181 million in operational funding for conservation over the next four years. That will have a profound effect in preserving New Zealand’s environment, but also making sure that we are guardians on behalf of those species who are particularly at risk. I also want to acknowledge the work that’s being done on climate change by James Shaw, the announcement and launch of the $100 million Green Investment Fund, the ongoing work around predator-free—the list is long but they are all things I think this Government should feel proud of and that the Green Party should too.

Question No. 6—Education

Hon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central): Question to the Minister of Education: does he stand by his decisions to close 11 partnership schools, remove national standards, scrap the Aspire Scholarship—

SPEAKER: Order! I think the member should maybe read off the yellow sheet.

Hon NIKKI KAYE: Oh, sorry.

6. Hon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Education: Does he stand by all of his decisions this year?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): I suspect I know what the supplementary is going to be. Yes, particularly my decisions to abolish national standards; employ more teachers; increase support for kids with special needs; upgrade school classrooms; introduce a year of free tertiary study; phase out charter schools; open new kura; develop and release the early childhood strategic plan; increase financial support for tertiary students; fully fund teacher refresher training; rebuild several schools, including Onehunga High School, Wainuiōmata High School, and Mana College; employ learning support coordinators; increase support for deaf and hard of hearing students; provide early childhood services, with the first across-the-board funding increase they’ve seen in a decade; bail out four failing polytechnics—

SPEAKER: OK. I think the question has been answered.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he stand by his ideological decisions to close 11 partnership schools, remove national standards, and scrap the Aspire Scholarship scheme, and how many Māori and Pasifika students have been disadvantaged as a result of those decisions?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: In answer to the last part of the question, none. In answer to the first part of the question, the member clearly wasn’t listening to my first answer.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he stand by his decision to have more than 17 reviews in education, at a cost of around $10 million, and next year will he promise to have a little less costly conversations and a little more action?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I absolutely reject the $10 million figure that the member has just quoted. I do stand by the decision to review issues in education on a comprehensive basis rather than on a piecemeal basis. It partly reflects the challenges we inherited, but, actually, more importantly, it reflects the fact that 30-odd years on from the last comprehensive reform of our education system, given the changes in this economy and in society, it is time to make sure our education system is delivering what New Zealanders need to be prosperous and successful in the future.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he stand by his decision to not deliver on promises such as the $190 million for school leavers; modernising every school building in the country, which wasn’t costed; or ending school donations, and when will he deliver on these broken promises?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I utterly reject the notion that we’re not delivering on those promises. Some of those promises have already been delivered on, and some of those are still a work in progress.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he stand by his decision to tell teachers there is no more money despite billions in surplus, and will teachers get a Christmas present of a new offer to prevent the multiple additional strikes looming next year?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The Christmas present teachers get is a Government that actually respects them, as opposed to the 10 years of neglect that they received under the last National Government. The offer to teachers is worth $1.2 billion. That is a sign that this Government values our teachers, and we are willing to put the taxpayers’ money where our mouth is and ensure that our teachers are paid much, much better than they were under the previous National Government.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he stand by his excellent decisions to back my second-language bill and Nicola Willis’ campaign to “Stick with Vic”, and can I take the opportunity to wish the member a very merry Christmas and a relaxing break with his baby girl?

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Thank you to the member. I absolutely do stand by both of those decisions, although I am advised that the second of those decisions may come back to be reconsidered in the new year. I look forward to the support of the members opposite as we go through that process.

Question No. 7—Greater Christchurch Regeneration

7. Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) to the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration: What progress, if any, has been made on the regeneration of Christchurch?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration): The Government has moved quickly to implement a wide range of initiatives in Christchurch. This year in particular has seen some major achievements. I’m particularly proud of the mental health package across primary schools to help children still feeling the effects of earthquakes, and we are already seeing some fantastic programmes under way. We’ve secured $300 million to progress and expedite city projects, and we’re finally taking real action to resolve insurance and Earthquake Commission roadblocks that have been holding people back for far too long.

Dr Duncan Webb: What specific initiatives has she introduced to assist homeowners resolve outstanding issues with their home repairs?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: In October, we launched the Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service, which provides independent case management and legal and engineering support to help people resolve their claims. We’re seeing good progress with positive feedback from people using this service. For instance, one homeowner recently said to me, “I’m finally beginning to feel I am being listened to.” Another said, “The greater claims resolution service is a great service that was desperately needed.” This Government is proud to be getting on with delivering initiatives that are making a difference to people’s lives in Christchurch, but the job’s not done yet.

Dr Duncan Webb: What will be the focus for the coming year?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: In the coming year, we will be keeping up the momentum. We’ll be finalising the global settlement with the council to settle outstanding funding issues. We’ll be working together with the council to make progress on allocating the $300 million acceleration facility. Finally, Minister Little has been working hard to establish the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal, which will allow claimants access to justice to help them resolve outstanding claims without costly court battles. These initiatives will make a positive difference to our people and our city.

Hon Gerry Brownlee: Has she received any reports on the very considerable staff redundancies at Regenerate Christchurch, and can she tell the House why that’s occurring?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I have not received any reports on staff redundancies, but as that member knows, because he wrote the legislation, Regenerate Christchurch does have an end date. What we have said in terms of our global settlement with the city council—and we have said this publicly—is that we will be only considering institutional arrangements in Christchurch under a successful global settlement with the council, something the previous Government was not able to achieve.

Question No. 8—Regional Economic Development

8. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: What is the breakdown of the 7,000 jobs that he told the House yesterday have been created by the Provincial Growth Fund?

SPEAKER: I call the self-styled “Regional Provincial Champion”.

Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Regional Economic Development): I—

Hon Paul Goldsmith: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We should probably stick with our proper names.

SPEAKER: Thank you for the Christmas advice.

Hon Simon Bridges: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Earlier in question time, you gave me some, I hope, friendly advice about me sticking to the rules. We’d ask respectfully that you do too.

SPEAKER: Well, thank you for the Christmas advice.

Hon SHANE JONES: Mr Speaker, in Christmas spirit, greetings. Christmas is based around a baby in the manger. We’ve heard, obviously, from people who feel they’re the dog in the manger. Sir, I need the acquiescence of your good self to identify where the 7,000 job figure came from. Prior to doing that, I have to report that the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has provided our officials with additional information: the figure is now 9,000. But I can confirm that these figures are reflective of what the officials are advising our Government. They are not ductile figures, although I have to say the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is ductile in the sense it’s like a piece of gold—it stretches. The first KiwiRail figure is 690 jobs expected over the coming years thanks to the investment of the PGF, and 1,588 jobs have been identified as a consequence of the Tai Rāwhiti $150 million, five-year project. On a modest note, I would stop and say that in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, our recent investments will generate 2,658 jobs.

SPEAKER: Well, other than the irony in the last part of the question, it’s acceptable.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked for the breakdown. We got a lot of talk there and then three figures that added up to just over 4,000.

SPEAKER: Well, the member can withdraw his comment about being modest and just get on with the numbers.

Hon SHANE JONES: Sir, I will definitely continue. I would like to remind the member opposite that our officials are in possession of a report by NZIER that boosts the 7,000 to 9,000. They are as a consequence of us embarking upon the Coromandel marine farming initiatives. An additional 800 jobs in the Bay of Plenty; 195 in Northland; Tai Poutuni, 214; and Manawatū-Whanganui, 710, and that arrives at a figure just shy of 7,000. I can assure you that with the spam otherwise known as “written questions” coming from that member to my office, it will definitely go over 7,000.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: Have I got this right: the Government funds a feasibility study, employs a few consultants—

SPEAKER: Order! I am going to invite the member to start his question again with something for which the Minister has responsibility, and whether the member has it right is not one of those things.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: Well, what I’m trying to understand is if the Government funds a feasibility study employing a few consultants to see if a project might be feasible, and before the study is done he immediately counts all the jobs that the project’s promoters say might materialise as jobs his fund has created—is that right?

Hon SHANE JONES: The member can’t have it both ways. The member cannot complain that the Government is departing from robust processes, which at least include viability and feasibility studies, upon which, subject to such studies passing a threshold, the capital flows, the jobs grow, and the regions prosper. Now, I cannot depart from the fact that the member himself has insisted that the Provincial Growth Fund observes such levels of robustness, and as we are doing it, he now cannot complain that those figures are made up.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: So when is predicting that something might happen over the next 10 years being the same as saying something has happened today and taking credit for it today?

Hon SHANE JONES: As a consequence of the Government stewardship, in the last statistics report for the most recent quarter, we have never had so many jobs in New Zealand—1,958,000. Now, I’m not suggesting that those jobs are totally the result of Grant Robertson, but it would be churlish not to acknowledge that under our regime, the highest job figure has been created.

SPEAKER: Well, that was probably about as in order as the question.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: How many permanent jobs have been filled to date because of the Provincial Growth Fund?

Hon SHANE JONES: As I said yesterday, the Provincial Growth Fund is a far-sighted, long-term agenda to create not only infrastructure, jobs, and enterprises—and we are seeding capital. Now, I accept that the jobs needed in my office as a consequence of his activities are likely to grow, but I said yesterday that well beyond 200 jobs, as I stand here today, have been created, but the figure that our officials have identified—and, with due modesty, I am trumpeting—is now up to 9,000.

Hon Paul Goldsmith: How many nephs have actually got off the couch this year as a result of the Provincial Growth Fund?

Hon SHANE JONES: If I can use as a modest example the neglected area, worsened by the prospects of the last regime, of Minginui. Now, as a consequence of our intervention in Minginui, there is now virtually no unemployment in Minginui. Up to 90 jobs have been created both indirectly and directly in that benighted community of Minginui, and I would encourage the member to study that particular case, because the word “mingi” means “to be entangled”.

Question No. 9—Government Digital Services

9. MELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister of Government Digital Services: Does she stand by all of the Government’s actions in regards to the appointment of a Chief Technology Officer; if not, why not?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Government Digital Services): Yes, in the context in which they were undertaken.

Melissa Lee: How does she justify a half a million dollar budget for a small committee of digital experts to replace the scrapped Chief Technology Officer position when the total expenditure of the Digital Economy and Digital Inclusion Ministerial Advisory Group (DEDIMAG), made up of 13 people that met formally seven times this year, was estimated at just over $200,000?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I think the member is getting ahead of herself. The letter that we sent to stakeholders yesterday was around the fact that we have come to the conclusion that in terms of the strategic leadership role in technology for New Zealand, there is more than one person required and that policy work will be carried out and a full Cabinet paper will be taken to Cabinet in March. I’d like to remind the member that, actually, the Government she was part of had nine years in Government and did nothing about putting this leadership in place until the last three months in which they were in Government.

Melissa Lee: Does she stand by her commitment in October that the Digital Economy and Digital Inclusion Ministerial Advisory Group will continue to exist?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I have met several times with that group since I have taken over this portfolio, and I discussed as recently as this week with that group around what their role in the future will be and what an important role they had to play. When the Prime Minister asked me to take on this portfolio, she asked me to consider that role in conjunction with Callaghan Innovation. She asked me to consider that role in conjunction with other parts of the Government, like the Government Chief Digital Officer, and I will continue to work through that with the ministerial advisory group.

Melissa Lee: Why is she establishing yet another ministerial advisory group when she has a digital economy team at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE); DEDIMAG, which is Digital Economy and Digital Inclusion Ministerial Advisory Group, of 13 people; a digital stakeholder network of roughly 300 people; a Government Chief Data Steward; a Government Chief Digital Officer; and a Chief Technology Officer, let alone countless other public servants, private sector stakeholders, and her own advisers who can already support her for no further cost to the taxpayer?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I think it would have been useful if the member had listened to my previous answer: the policy work is still being done on that. But I would like to draw the member’s attention to where the previous Government got to in the three months they did work over nine years. The conclusions they came to—and I advise those members to listen carefully—were a working group of MBIE, the Department of Internal Affairs, the State Services Commission, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Treasury staff working on developed options, and the solution comprising a group with an attached secretariat structure was proposed to the former Minister.

Melissa Lee: Why doesn’t the Minister just admit this whole process has been an absolute shambles from start to finish, costing the taxpayers hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: What I will admit is this is a Government committed to putting in place the leadership around digital technology that that party failed to do in Government over nine years.

Question No. 10—Education

10. JENNY MARCROFT (NZ First) to the Associate Minister of Education: What announcement has she made regarding support for children at risk of disengagement from education in the Hawke’s Bay region?

Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Associate Minister of Education): Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, I was able to tell a group of Napier principals, educators, iwi providers, district health board representatives, and police that the Government will be investing over $1 million so that they can start their Managed Move Service next year. Every school in the Napier region—40 schools; a whole city—has signed up to this. This is a great initiative that has been designed locally to help younger students at risk of disconnection from school. This is the first time that New Zealand will have a support like this for year 3 to year 8 students, those aged from seven to 12. This service will act as a support structure that aims to keep students in their school or manage their moves to another school. It will be a prototype, lasting three years, and will be independently evaluated. The key objective is to help these students manage their behaviour, stay in school, and keep learning.

Jenny Marcroft: How many children will benefit from the announcement?

Hon Member: Not many, if any.

Hon TRACEY MARTIN: The Napier schools came up with this idea because they have issues around high transience, low attendance, high suspension and exclusions, and a concerning number of students not enrolled in school. In the middle of this year, there were 30 12- to 15-year-olds who weren’t enrolled in school. A police officer I spoke to yesterday said he was going to visit an 11-year-old in the afternoon who hadn’t been in school for a year and that this service would now give him a tool he needed to help. Unfortunately, we have a problem with children disconnecting from school earlier and earlier, and we have to do something about it. The Managed Move Service programme in the Hawke’s Bay expects to deal with about 95 students a year, over five years. This is a prototype, and my hope is that, as soon as possible, we’ll be rolling out this sort of service across the country. I hear a member from the Opposition say it’s not many children; these children deserve the same amount of investment and the same amount of effort as every other child in New Zealand.

Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she agree with the Secretary for Education today, who confirmed another drop in the number of kids regularly attending school, and can she confirm that in decile 1 electorates, only 47 percent of kids are turning up, and what will those initiatives do for them?

Hon TRACEY MARTIN: I have not heard the statements that the member talks about with regard to the Secretary for Education, so I cannot say whether I agree or disagree. With regard to there being some decile 1 schools that only have 47 percent of regular attendance, I believe those figures are about right. Will this help every child in New Zealand? No. There’s never been a service like this at the moment. Will this help the children of Napier? Absolutely, and as soon as possible we will deliver for the rest of the children in New Zealand.

Question No. 11—Energy and Resources

11. JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) to the Minister of Energy and Resources: When she was briefed by the US company 8 Rivers on its proposal to produce abundant hydrogen and urea alongside large-scale carbon capture and storage in Taranaki, did she think they made a compelling case for ensuring New Zealand’s domestic electricity requirements, particularly for dry year cover?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): As the member notes, I recently met with representatives of 8 Rivers. As energy and resources Minister, I meet a wide range of stakeholders. At the meeting with 8 Rivers, I listened to what they had to say. I explained that the Government has set very clear signals around policy settings and also explained to them that, as I am not a Provincial Growth Fund Minister, I wouldn’t be discussing anything related to their application. As for their case, if they choose to proceed, this is one of the issues that would no doubt be explored within the proposed feasibility study for the project and all other commercial deliberations. I do note that I made it my business in this portfolio to meet with a broad range of stakeholders in the sector—such as Greenpeace, who I met with last week—and not just the narrow, vested interests as clearly happened under previous Ministers.

Jonathan Young: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister did not attempt to answer the second part of this question regarding ensuring domestic electricity requirements and dry year cover.

SPEAKER: I think she, effectively, confirmed that she didn’t.

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Speaking to the point of order, Mr Speaker—

SPEAKER: Well, right. If I misinterpreted the member—

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Yes, I did. What I went through for the member in terms of addressing that question is what I did at the meeting and the considerations that I need to take into account and what I informed them of. I wasn’t convinced either way or the other. That was not my job in the meeting.

Hon Member: Wasn’t the question.

SPEAKER: I stand by what I said.

Jonathan Young: Why does she keep promoting, through answers and interviews, a Taupō project that manufactures hydrogen from a geothermal power station which emits 28,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, while she shows no or little enthusiasm for a Taranaki project that would manufacture hydrogen with zero emissions?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I reject the premise of that question.

Jonathan Young: Well, if the Minister appears to support the outcome of supporting dry year cover through hydrogen, as she has stated time and again, how is it appropriate to ban new exploration for natural gas if the technology exists to manufacture hydrogen and generate electricity with zero emissions?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: As I’ve previously said to the member in this House, actually, what the proposal that 8 Rivers is talking about is a feasibility study; it’s not commercial production. And, actually, the very notion of carbon capture and storage is something the industry has been talking about for a number of years. But this is still at the feasibility stage. I think the member is getting ahead of himself and he needs to read what the application is actually about.

Jonathan Young: Why does she continue to say that people have been talking about carbon capture and storage for a long time and that it requires a large amount of investment when international companies that have exploration permits in New Zealand have been successfully utilising carbon capture and storage for over 20 years, and why doesn’t she come into the 21st century and support that technology?

Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The reason why I keep saying that people have been talking about this for a long period of time is because they have.

Question No. 12—ACC

12. Hon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) to the Minister for ACC: Will 65 percent of vehicle owners pay more to register their cars next year, including for some a 150 percent increase in the ACC levy, due to his decision to dump the Vehicle Risk Rating programme?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for ACC): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the member for his festive greetings, and I return them. Unfortunately, the member is incorrect. The Vehicle Risk Rating programme is not being dumped.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Why, then, did the Minister answer questions in the House last Thursday indicating that it was being abandoned?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I did no such thing.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Who in the motor vehicle industry expert group, with whom he said he met during the levy consultation period, expressly recommended or supported scrapping the Vehicle Risk Rating programme?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: None of them.

SPEAKER: The member has three more, if he wishes.

Hon Tim Macindoe: If the Minister did not indicate in the House last Thursday that the Vehicle Risk Rating programme was being scrapped and that that was not the meaning of the public releases that have gone out in his name and from his officials, what was being abandoned, and why will so many New Zealanders now face higher motor vehicle registration costs?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The member’s on to it now. The Vehicle Risk Rating programme is not being dumped. Instead, the information that it generates is going to be used in a much more effective manner by making that information available to people at the time they purchase their vehicle. It will no longer be applied to ACC motor vehicle levies.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Why will it no longer be applied to ACC motor vehicle levies, in view of the fact that the New Zealand Transport Agency is currently running a programme encouraging New Zealanders to invest in safer cars, and that is clearly in the best interests of ensuring a safer national vehicle fleet?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Because there is absolutely no evidence that it encourages people to invest in safer cars.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Will different ACC levies continue to apply, based on the safety ratings of vehicles?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: No.

SPEAKER: The member still has two more. [Interruption] Order! Look, some of us want to get home this year, and if members on my immediate right keep it up, we won’t.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My Christmases have come at once. To the Minister: how many New Zealanders face an increase in the cost of registering their vehicles next year because of changes in the ACC levy system?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Forty-three percent of levy payers will face an increase of $28.04 per annum; 25 percent of levy payers will face an increase of $8.82; 15 percent of levy payers will have a reduction of $7.49; and 17 percent of levy payers will have a reduction of $34.63.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Has the Minister spoken to the Associate Minister of Transport about the clear contradiction in messages being sent by the answers that he’s just given and the road safety programme for which she is responsible, with the tagline, “The safer the car, the safer they are”; and, if so, did she support his decision?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: There is absolutely no contradiction. The safer the car, the safer they are, and that’s why we’re using the Vehicle Risk Rating programme to provide information at the time they purchase those vehicles. Merry Christmas.

Rt Hon Winston Peters: Just to get this clear, is it a fact that the numbers who are going to be paying a reduced levy and those who will be paying a much limited rise in the levy are far greater than those who are paying a significant increase in the levy?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Across the motor vehicle levy, there is actually no change. Some people will pay more, some people will pay less. It’s a much fairer system, and that’s what we’re creating.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Why does the Minister consider that it sends a good message to New Zealanders, who are being encouraged to invest in safer cars, when if they do so, they will now pay more in the motor vehicle registration fee?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: If the member is seriously saying that people will pay tens of thousands of dollars more to purchase a safer vehicle in order to save $28 on their motor vehicle registration every year, then the member has lost the plot.

Hon Tim Macindoe: Ignoring the gratuitous flick. Does the Minister accept the fact that many people own more than one vehicle, and therefore the charges they will face if they own late model, high safety - rated vehicles are a significant increase, and I ask him again: what message does he seriously think that that is sending to New Zealanders?

Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The message that it sends to New Zealanders is that we’re going to provide useful information that they can actually use at the time they purchase their vehicle to help them make an informed choice so that they do buy a safer car for themselves and for their family. I can say that for those who are on lower incomes who own multiple older vehicles, they are going to face an even bigger reduction in their levy.

Bills

New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill

First Reading

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): I move, That the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill.

Tuatahi, ka tāpiri atu āku mihi ki ērā e rere atu mai i Te Ātiawa ki a koutou e huihui mai nei. Nō reira, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, Te Arawa waka, tēnei te tuku mihi ki a koutou katoa.

[Firstly, I add my acknowledgments to those which have flowed forth from Te Ātiawa to those of you who are gathered here. Accordingly, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, Te Arawa waka, I give my greetings to you.]

I want to acknowledge the representatives of Ngāti Whakauē and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, because it’s their determination to progress the transfer of matters that brings us here to the debate today. In fact, it was 10 years ago when representatives of Ngāti Whakauē and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao met with Ministers to propose that the Whakarewarewa thermal valley lands be removed from Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa Treaty settlement legislation and, together with the other lands leased by the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI), be vested in a joint trust of iwi partners. They also started discussions at that time to find a basis on which the ownership of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute business could be vested in iwi partners.

The Minister at the time was the late Hon Parekura Horomia, and I remember the discussions well because he went to a certain colleague, the Minister of Tourism at the time, to convince him this was the way to go. Having found out that the delegation had fallen to an associate, that’s where I first became involved with this issue as the Associate Minister of Tourism, agreeing to progress that bill some time in 2007. Some 10 years later, what we have is that while the land has already been vested with iwi partners, the bill will finally see the vesting of assets and liabilities of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and Te Puia NZMACI Ltd partnership.

The proposal to vest the assets and liabilities in this limited partnership was the subject of a postal ballot held in June-July 2017, with people who are affiliated to and are registered with Ngāti Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the three hapū of Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu, Ngāti Kahu, and the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust being eligible to vote.

I’ve been heartened by the significant level of support that the new arrangement has received with the local iwi and hapū. I am aware that a small group of individuals remain dissatisfied and have legal proceedings challenging the vesting agreement. However, I am of the view that proceeding with the bill now rather than waiting for legal proceedings to conclude is appropriate and justifiable for a number of reasons: firstly, there is substantial support for the vesting agreement from those with affiliations to both Ngāti Whakauē and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao; the individuals bringing the litigation are still able to make representations on the issues before the court to the select committee considering the bill as this matter progresses; there is no clear end date for the legal proceedings; and delaying the introduction of the bill even further is likely to create uncertainty and anxiety for the many hapū and the iwi and the management and staff of Te Puia NZMACI. This bill is already 10 years in the making, and it’s important to give assurance that we need to move forward. There has also been no sign of growth in support for legal proceedings amongst the iwi or hapū, and I felt that it was important to mention that as it undoubtedly will be a matter for the select committee to consider.

On Monday, my colleague the Hon Kelvin Davis launched the agency Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, and what we are doing today really underpins the intent of the leadership role that my colleague has to ensure that we are going to be a Government that is committed to doing something differently. This bill secures another step forward in the relationship that the Crown can have with Māori in Te Arawa region.

On this significant occasion, I’m reminded of the efforts of Tā Apirana Ngata in the 1920s to preserve and foster Māori arts and culture at a time when there was concern that, actually, the culture would be lost. His dream was to establish centres of learning to maintain and preserve traditional practices for future generations. Tā Apirana was instrumental in the establishment of a Māori school of arts at Rotorua, Te Ao Marama, in 1927 and the construction of a decorated meeting house—a carved meeting house—around the country. It was the efforts of Te Apirana and the tutors and graduates of Te Ao Marama who built and restored whare across the country, and waka, which resulted in the preservation of New Zealands cultural heritage. The way that I whakapapa to that history is that Te Puia sent Piri Poutapu, who began the renaissance of carving within our own area of Waikato. We owe a debt of gratitude to the people of Te Arawa and to Tā Apirana because it was as a result of that relationship and that desire to hold intact our arts and cultures that we can continue to thrive today.

Although Te Ao Marama was to close in 1937, Māori arts and crafts underwent a cultural reawakening in the 1960s. This eventually led to the establishment of NZMACI as a national institute for Māori arts and crafts in 1967. The arts and crafts school has successfully operated in tandem with tourism operations to provide a sound financial basis for ongoing cultural development.

In 2005, the NZMACI board adopted a new trading name, Te Puia, to reflect the importance of the tourism side of the operations for promoting Māori culture, and I want to acknowledge Harry Burkhardt, who led much of the change during a period of time when we needed to look further and farther into the future about where tourism opportunities could go.

The new strategic direction of the organisation has had far-reaching implications for this country, not only in terms of our tourism market or trading relations but also in the way that we as a country tell our story and promote ourselves in the international trading fora. As a country, we have proudly promoted our identity and culture on the international stage, and Te Puia NZMACI is at the heart of these efforts.

Our identity as a nation is now inextricably linked with our cultural traditions and the products and services that we create as a result. In fact, I want to acknowledge initiatives such as Tuku Iho, the Living Legacy exhibition, a cultural engagement and events programme exhibited internationally which continues to allow us to showcase Māori cultural heritage globally and provide a platform for conversations, debate, and exchange, all in the areas that are influenced by what’s happening in a place like Te Puia.

Such a proactive approach provides opportunities for Māori to establish and broaden relationships with indigenous people from other countries as well as sharing cultural experiences and aspirations. To illustrate the point, earlier this year I hosted a delegation from overseas who attended the World Indigenous Business Forum. Australia, Canada, Chile, and Mexico were hosted at Te Puia, and we held a round table about the way in which we could leverage and learn from the way in which culture, tourism, and the integrity of mātauranga and its preservation and promotion could be done in a way that secures opportunity for Māori. They were all very impressed with what was happening at Te Puia. It’s only fitting now that we discuss the issue of what this bill will provide to local hapū and iwi, who will now take ownership of the future direction of the business as a way of further shaping their identity and place in the world but also of promoting us as Māori, us as Aotearoa New Zealand, and all from a cultural advantage.

This bill will vest ownership of Te Puia NZMACI with local iwi and hapū. The entity remains a national institution. The bill carries forward functions and obligations that NZMACI currently has and transfers it to the partnership. The partnership must also take care to preserve the historically important taonga owned by NZMACI in the national interest.

I want to make one last comment. Because the Crown will maintain a residual interest in the operations of the new entity through the appointment of a director to the board of the general partner of the partnership for a minimum period of six years, the Crown-appointed director will act as the chair of the board during that time. The appointment of the chair will provide a segue from the previous governance arrangements to the new. I’ll look to progress that appointment of the director as the bill proceeds through the House, but as an indication of my intent and for those who are gathered in the House, that continuity of strategic leadership and the ability to leverage opportunity locally and nationally are the skills that I think are best able to steward through this transition period.

I’m aware that there are ambitions and exciting plans for the future in the development of Te Puia NZMACI. I look forward to seeing these plans realised for the full fruition of opportunity that it can provide. I want to acknowledge the hard work of Te Puni Kōkiri officials, who have really made sure we can have this reading this side of Christmas—something that you can go home with good heart in. I want to also acknowledge all those local members of Parliament who have supported the progress of this bill.

Nō reira he iti taku iti, i roto i te ngākau whakaiti, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Tēnā tātou.

[So, my small contribution is but small, and made with a humble heart, many greetings to you all. Thank you.]

Hon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua): Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora e Te Whare, and to our visitors from far and wide, from Rotorua, may I bid you also a welcome.

It gives me real pleasure—a real privilege—to speak on this bill to transfer ownership of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute from the Crown to iwi. I recognise the speech of the honourable Minister and won’t go into detail about exactly the depths of what the bill does—she has described and explained that so very, very well. But I did want to recognise that as I look to the gallery around us, including my colleagues across the Chamber, it’s almost everybody of importance from Rotorua who has visited Wellington today. Not all are people of importance—there will still be a handful left at home—but it does show a mark of respect to the importance of the work that we do here for so many to have come and to have visited. I bid you a welcome, but you don’t need a welcome—this is your House as much as it is everybody else’s.

I think it’s important that we recognise the bipartisan approach that this House is showing—all parties—to this legislation. It shows the importance of it. When we return home and we have people who have watched Parliament on TV, it doesn’t always appear that we can work together, but when there are issues of importance and when we are able to do the right thing together, it is always the case that this House can do so. So I’m very pleased that we will see when we vote later today—my assumption—a unanimous view of the importance of this relationship, and that we can take that message back to the Bay of Plenty and to Rotorua about the view that Parliament and its representatives have of this legislation and what it will achieve.

I’d like to acknowledge the work of Te Ururoa Flavell, who represented the Waiariki electorate in Parliament from 2005 to 2017. Indeed, I remember, before the last election, so many people saying he was the best member of Parliament that the Waiariki electoral district had ever had. I had an opportunity to see him and have a brief meal with him last night. He jested—he joked—that he still was the very best one that they had had. He said that with a smile and in good humour.

The reason I recognise that is because, serving as the Māori Party co-leader from 2013 and the Minister for Māori Development from 2014 to 2017, in August of 2017, Minister Flavell, as the Māori development Minister, along with the Whakarewarewa Joint Trust’s Malcolm Short as a representative, signed the vesting agreement in a marae at Te Puia, which, ultimately, will lead to the transfer of the ownership of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute from the Crown to iwi. I was privileged to be invited and I sat and witnessed that. It wasn’t clear to all that were there, or those that heard or read about it afterwards, the significance of that occasion and the effort and great work and vision that Minister Flavell had put in to make sure that that could happen. It’s important we recognise that.

The legislation before the House, which vests the institute in Te Puia Ltd Partnership, is a significant step in strengthening the relationship between the Crown, Wāhiao Tūhourangi, and Ngāti Whakauē. It’s also important for Rotorua, because Te Puia is a vibrant business, but it is an icon not of tourism but of much that we stand for there. The Whakarewarewa Valley of 60 hectares has more than 500 geothermal phenomena and attractions. I’ve researched and found or been told that Te Puia means “gushing water and steaming vents”, and for hundreds of years, that has been the reputation that it has given. Guiding in the valley traces back 140 years. The famous Pōhutu Geyser, more frequently the kiwi house—and to recognise, I think, in our local newspaper today, the effort that Te Puia is going to around the preservation of kiwi and the plans that are there to ensure that kiwi are vibrant and remain throughout New Zealand.

Rotorua attracts around 3 million tourists each year. More than half a million people visit Te Puia every year. I mention this because for many, the Whakarewarewa Valley and Te Puia are about tourism. But on the very many occasions previously when I have had visitors from overseas come to visit Government and I bring them to Rotorua, we’ve had the opportunity to bring them to Te Puia, and the part of the experience they have enjoyed as much as, if not more than, these natural attractions is the culture and history and richness and the story that is told there.

Iwi have been instrumental in the operational success of Te Puia as a business, but more so in the creation, the vision, and delivery of opportunity through the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. This has occurred by supporting the retention and development of ahurea and toi Māori, as well as providing training for so many. The vesting agreement and this legislation completes a process of recognising the significance of culture, tradition, and historical and spiritual association of Ngāti Whakaue and Wāhiao Tūhourangi with the area and with Te Puia.

The Minister mentioned that not all have arrived in the same place, and there remains a small group that are yet to make the final steps of that vision. Can I encourage all involved to continue the process of discussion, because through discussion and understanding, ultimately, everybody can arrive in the same place.

When I first became the member of Parliament for Rotorua, one of the first approaches I had was from representatives of different groups within the valley. We had long conversations, and I remember saying at the time, “It’s not my role to tell people what to do. It is to listen and to learn and then to help join others as they make these courageous steps forward.” So whilst in Parliament we get to cast our vote today and take great pride in that, it is those who over many, many years have shown leadership and discussion and understanding and persuasion, and who have banged the table when they had to but learnt not to in other cases when it was important, who have led us here today.

The Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has a reputation for providing some of Māoridom’s best master carvers, weavers, and sculptors. The vesting agreement helps to ensure the protection of this legacy for future generations. It’s my privilege on behalf the National Party to confirm we will be supporting this bill today in every stage, and it’s our hope that very early in the new year we can finish with the procedures of Parliament and pass this into law. Kia ora.

RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou aku rangatira, Te Arawa waka, Ngāti Whakauē, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, nau mai whakatau mai. Nau mai whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei. Āe, nō koutou tēnei rā, nō koutou tēnei pire. Āe, e tū tautoko ana ahau tēnei pire i tana pānuitanga tuatahi.

Ka hoki ngā mahara ki a rātou mā kua whetūrangitia, āe, haere koutou, haere koutou. Ā, āpiti hono, tātai hono, ko te hunga wairua ki a rātou, āpiti hono tātai hono, ko tātou te hunga ora, ā, e tau nei ki a tātou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings to my leaders, Te Arawa canoe, Ngāti Whakauē, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, welcome. Welcome to this Parliament standing here. Yes, this is your day, this is your bill. Yes, I am standing in support of this bill on its first reading.

The thoughts return to those who have passed on, yes, go, go. And, may the connections remain, the spirits remain with each other, may the connections remain, we the living remain with each other, greetings, greetings, greetings to us all.]

I’m delighted to be able to speak in support of this historic bill, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill. I’m always delighted to speak on these bills, because this bill is just the continuation of a process of devolving ownership back to iwi. What we have seen with Te Puia, as I will refer to the institute—yes, an iconic institute, which has played a very important role in the preservation of our Māori arts and culture and practices, and it sits in the most beautiful place in Whakarewarewa. We are just continuing the process today of ensuring that the business, I guess you could say—the operations of the institute, and all of its associated activities—are vested back to iwi who are all partners in a limited partnership.

So this is a significant piece of legislation. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point. As we’ve heard, it’s been over 10 years in the making. I want to acknowledge all of those who have led the work that has created this bill. I want to acknowledge the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and all of her predecessors and everyone that’s been involved, the former and current board of the institute, and also, most importantly, the iwi partners—soon to be new owners, I guess—of Te Puia.

We know the importance of how Te Puia is a treasured taonga. It is a treasured taonga, and one needs to just look around at all of the beautiful houses that we have around the country. Much of the carvings and the artistry and the craftsmanship that have gone into holding up many of our illustrious whare up and down the country have been at the hands of carvers that have been taught and that have gone through, or that have been master carvers at the institute. I think of Hone Taiapa and his late wife, Mere—who’s a Ngāti Hine whanaunga of ours, Peeni Henare. I fondly remember them living in Rotorua, and my mum as well—in terms of visiting her aunty and her uncle. But those are many of the important tohunga—master carvers—and people that have gone through that special institute.

What we’re doing today is, yes, we are vesting the operations and all of those taonga contained within it with the iwi, with the limited partnership, but we’re also ensuring that its role as a national institution and the taonga contained within it are protected on behalf of all of Aotearoa New Zealand. So its role won’t change. As has been outlined by the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, in fact, the role can only be expanded outwardly. When we look at what else is undertaken within Te Puia—and I’m talking about the wonderful tourism operations and the expertise and the commercial experience that abounds within those entities—that has been opening doors internationally in terms of the work that has been done and that carries on within that site.

So this is a great day for Aotearoa. This is a great day for the country. We are celebrating the return of a very important taonga to the iwi. When I say that, when we look at the limited partnership, there are multiple owners, and I think, for the record, that I do want to acknowledge those owners of the limited partnership too: Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, and the three Ngāti Whakauē hapū of Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu, and Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue. Those owners are the owners of the partnership which will be the new owner of Te Puia, and so it is an exciting time.

I’m looking forward to, as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, travelling—I certainly hope we go travelling—up to see this iconic place. Other members could come if they wanted; they might have to check with their whips. But we’re looking forward to hearing from the haukāinga and observing this beautiful place and its operations and being able to take it all in first-hand. That’s a very important role that we play as the Māori Affairs Committee in this.

I don’t want to prolong my contribution, other than to say that this has been a long time in the making and that the people of Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakauē and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao—they are astounding and very impressive business people in their own right. When I look at the names like Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, that entity would have to be a leading example of a commercial property developer. It is 100 percent Māori-owned and doing some amazing things. So this partnership is well-prepared to be vested in these assets. I’ve got every confidence that they will be doing some wonderful things in the future, and with that I would just like to wish everyone meri Kirihimete, and I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.

FLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. To my whānau in the gallery, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. It is a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First this afternoon to speak to what is a significant and important piece of legislation, a piece of paper that means so much not only to the hapū in the gallery but to the people of Rotorua and to the people of New Zealand.

I want to start my contribution by first acknowledging one of this country’s greatest leaders for his vision, a man whose vision for Māori culture means he will always be linked to Te Puia and Te Arawa, and I do this by quoting him: “Pēnā ka haere tonu, ā te wā, ka taea, ka mau.”

[“If you keep trying, in time, the task will be achievable and within your grasp.”]

That message for our people, our hapū in the gallery: “You will get there if you just keep going, if you persevere.” I say that because the kōrero about the land, about our whenua, has been one that has been ongoing for a long, long time for our whānau—the same whānau having the same conversations generation after generation about our land. But this is not what we’re talking about this afternoon; we are celebrating the handing over to our people of the ownership of one of New Zealand’s most iconic businesses.

Here we are today, at the first reading of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill, and I say to the House it is a momentous occasion for our hapū, our iwi. It is a momentous occasion for Rotorua, but I say it is also a momentous occasion for all New Zealand. I say this with a great deal of pride because, as has been acknowledged by those who have spoken before me, this is an institution that has represented this country for centuries, actually. It is inextricably linked to the original, first visitors to the Pink and White Terraces and the relationship that that formed between our hapū, and it is a relationship that we acknowledge today.

I do want to be a little bit sentimental, if you’ll forgive me, because everyone upstairs knows that I grew up in Rotorua. I grew up in the tourism industry, and Mum and Dad would take us down to the Māori arts and crafts village, not every weekend but on a semi-regular basis. I just want to acknowledge Jenny Marcroft, New Zealand First MP, because her dad, Leroy Marcroft, was a carving student at Māori arts and crafts in his time back in the day. So Jenny and I were able to reminisce about our time walking around the carvers upstairs, as it were, looking down and watching them work, and those chips flying as they worked incredibly studiously. I acknowledge the words of Rino Tirikatene, who spoke eloquently about other graduates of the programme.

In my time, I have also had the privilege of taking international dignitaries to our Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, to our Te Puia, because it is an icon, and because it is a showcase not only of Rotorua’s geothermal largesse, can I say, but also of our Māori culture and our hospitality, renowned throughout the world—our guides are so renowned not only throughout New Zealand but throughout the world. So Rotorua itself, I put it to the House, is proud of the history of Te Puia, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, and we were well served by it.

It was a visionary politician of the time who saw that our Māori arts and culture traditions were in severe danger of being lost for ever, and so it was that Sir Apirana Ngata acted. In 1926, the first Māori arts and crafts institute was established—Te Ao Marama—on the shores of Lake Rotorua. This laid the foundation for the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia today and so assisted the revival of Māori arts and crafts in New Zealand. Then, in 1963, the carving school and Whakarewarewa Valley’s tourism interests came together under the 1963 Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Act, and then, with the amendment of 1967, we formally recognised it as a national institute.

So it was, on 4 August this year, that we—I say “we”—took a giant leap forward as our hapū came together and signed Te Puia vesting agreement. This was a historic day that came after many years of long and hard negotiations. So it is a privilege for me to be able to say congratulations to those involved and to those who came before them and made the same endeavour, who have enabled our whānau to come together on this historic day. We do share in your joy, and we here in Parliament, as you can well see—and I acknowledge the Minister Nanaia Mahuta in her efforts—undertake to do our part and look forward to the third reading of this bill sometime next year.

So, in conclusion, it is with joy and celebration that I say to all those here today, kia tau te rangimārie ki runga i ngā iwi o te ao. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā koutou katoa.

[May peace be with all the peoples of the world. Greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green): Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou Ngāti Whakauē, Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, ngā iwi, ngā hapū katoa i tēnei rā. Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai. Ā, kia ora koutou.

[Greetings, greetings to you, Ngāti Whakauē, Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the iwi, and all the hapū on this day. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Greetings to all.]

It is with pleasure that I stand to speak on this, the first reading of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill, particularly following up a fantastic hui that I had—including with David Tapsell—in October to help me understand the whakapapa of how this legislation has come into this House, and the decades and decades of toil and hard work that has been mentioned already by various colleagues across the House, acknowledging that hard work. By the time we get things in this House, by the time we get the piece of paper here in this House, it represents years of toil, tears, blood, and sweat, and that cannot be undermined and underestimated in any way, especially when it relates to our taonga, our intellectual property, as well, which this Te Puia institute is also going to protect and develop—our physical taonga, and also our mātauranga, our intellectual property—and make sure that we are passing it on to future generations. You know, Rotorua, in particular, has long known that this is a point of difference for Aotearoa on the world stage, and always has been.

It’s quite funny, because I had to sort of scratch my head a little bit after I had that hui with David, and I was sort of like: “What, it hasn’t been given back yet?” So, really, we’re just doing the right thing. We’re just catching up to what should have been already the case.

I understand that this won’t interrupt the operations. This will enhance the operations of preserving and promoting our traditional taonga, and I understand that the partnership for Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, is between Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the hapū Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu, and Ngāti Kahu, and then the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust for Ngāti Whakauē.

I really want to see how this goes. I’m really pleased and encouraged that we are taking this step. I absolutely acknowledge the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell. I realise that he not only signed the vesting agreement in I think it was 2017 but that he was also a key mover, particularly in the political House, of making sure that we brought this to bear in here and we continue this work—change of Government, but we continue this work, and that’s right.

So we are gifting back, we are transferring, the ownership of Te Puia from Crown to iwi, which is absolutely the right thing. I understand that the whenua involved in the operation was returned to iwi in 2009 and that that is allowed to happen, but I think, you know, the Green Party is quite keen to mention that this also does not harm any future or outstanding Treaty settlements, either. So this can continue through. It stands on its own, and it is able to continue through without negatively impacting on ongoing and outstanding Treaty settlements.

I had a look at the—I think it was a postal ballot. I understand there was high, high acceptance across the different iwi-hapū bodies and I really celebrate that, notwithstanding that, of course, we should always allow for dissenting voices to be able to have their say and their expression and raise matters of concern. I look forward to seeing how this operation will continue and hope that all players can come to an understanding of moving forward on this, but, in general, when I had a look, it seems that this gained quite a high level of both participation, which in our Māori voting community is not a standard thing, actually—it’s quite rare for there to be high participation in any voting process for Māori communities. So I was quite impressed that it had quite high participation and then was getting support for this vesting process, so well done. Congratulations for that, and I know that that doesn’t undermine or rule out any further outstanding issues that people may still wish to kōrero about. So well done on that.

This is the first reading. I am honoured to be the deputy chair on the Māori Affairs Committee, so I am really looking forward to the submissions. That’s the meaty stuff and the storytelling that I am looking forward to—hearing directly from whānau and from all of the members of the partnership in this vesting process. I think I already—yeah, I did. I already talked about the high level of support.

Lastly, I just went through and I really loved that this bill actually outlines—first of all, it stipulates New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute taonga as being inalienable, so it stipulates that. Then I’m interested to dig into the background behind that, which is that after the vesting of the assets and liabilities of Te Puia, none of the taonga may be disposed of, and a purported disposal of taonga is void and of no effect. I think what I really was picking up on—because then it goes through to outline the sorts of activities around protecting and developing taonga and cultural knowledge, encouraging and fostering our arts, our carving, our weaving, and our whakairo. I was really interested in what Te Puia can mean. Part of our transformation to also be a community and sustainable economy is actually our intellectual prowess and our knowledge and our generations to come, and so this is really absolutely an area, as an overall economy, we should be looking to concentrate on.

So I’m really happy, and I’m really happy to see you all here in the gallery. I’m looking forward to learning more directly from iwi and hapū members about what this will mean for the future. I’m looking forward to seeing if it can be improved in any way. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can make this even better than what it already is, through the select committee process. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.

Hon MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): E Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe, otirā ngā mema o Te Whare nei, tēnā tātou katoa. Te Arawa waka, ngā hapū maha, ōku rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, nau mai, haere mai. Nau mai, haere mai i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and, indeed, to the members of this House, greetings to all. Te Arawa canoe, the many subtribes, my esteemed chiefs, the elders: welcome, welcome. Welcome for this important matter. Therefore, welcome to all of you.]

I know people are in a hurry to get out of this House, but I want to warmly welcome the great people of Te Arawa who have turned up here today in honouring the first reading of this bill.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated 90 years since the first Māori Anglican bishop was appointed in Aotearoa New Zealand, and that bishop was Frederick Bennett. Frederick Bennett came from Ngāti Whakauē, and he resided in my marae of Kohupatiki. So we had this church service in honour of Frederick Bennett. I mention him because in his era, he discussed with the Thirty Thousand Club, which was the old Lions club in Hawke’s Bay at that time, and suggested that they should have an iconic Māori statue in Ahuriri—Napier. It, of course, became Pania of the Reef. So I stand here as the daughter of the model of Pania of the Reef to acknowledge the contribution of Frederick Bennett, Ngāti Whakauē, and the people who are here today.

I also want to talk about another good friend of mine that I worked with, the late Joe Hakaraia, who worked together with Parekura Horomia in the Department of Labour awhiawhi-ing our iwi whānau around the motu. So it would be remiss of me if didn’t acknowledge Joe and, of course, his lovely wife, Parehuia, and the support that they gave Parekura and also myself, and I want to honour those particular individuals and the contribution that they have played.

I don’t want to go on too long. I’ve got my instructions that we have to get through these mihi, because you really want to hear from your member, Tamati Coffey, who’s doing a fantastic job on your behalf in this House. So we want to make sure we give him enough time to speak. But, look, this bill has three parts and two schedules. Rino Tirikatene is the chairman of our Māori Affairs Committee. I’m on it; other members are on it. We’re looking forward to coming to Rotorua. I understand that there’s a new restaurant that’s going to be opening soon, called Our House, which is next to Ponsonby, so we want to make sure that we do the right thing. No advertising in the House? Why not? Why not?

On a serious note, I’m really pleased that we’re ending this day in this House on something significant, by gifting something back to an iwi of Te Arawa. I stand to honour and commend this bill to the House and I look forward to travelling to Rotorua to hear the many submissions. Please, please, whānau, submit, because I think we can improve this bill. I know that you are great deliverers and developers of assets. I’m not too sure if we need a Crown appointment, but kei a koutou te tikanga [it is up to you]. So please have your say, and I look forward to coming up to Rotorua. Have a merry Christmas. Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.

Hon PEENI HENARE (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, kāti ki a koutou e ōku rangatira kua haere mai i tawhiti, tau mai, tatū mai, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to you leaders who have travelled from afar, welcome, greetings, one and all.]

In 1932, Apirana Ngata mentioned these words: “He iwi ngaro a Ngā Puhi; horekau he tangata tārai waka, horekau he kaiwhakairo.”

[“Ngā Puhi are a people lost; they have no canoe sculptors, they have no carvers.”]

It was based on those words by Apirana Ngata that our people of Ngāpuhi wrote a song, and it goes a little bit like this: “E kīia mai nei, kua ngaro a Ngā Puhi” [“It is said, Ngā Puhi has become lost”], and it goes on to talk about how—

Hon Nanaia Mahuta: Keep going.

Hon PEENI HENARE: Oh, no, look, I’ll spare everyone’s ears. But the purpose of mentioning Sir Apirana Ngata and his words about Ngāpuhi in the lead-up to the 100-year commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is important. Why? Because what it does is it actually lays a platform for the great work that was done through the carving school of Whakarewarewa and Te Puia.

So on behalf of Ngāpuhi, the legacy is already set. This particular bill actually grows that legacy. It expands it into the future and allows the people of the hapū that are based around Whakarewarewa to actually drive, to actually lead, and to continue to grow the legacy that was set by their forebears.

I don’t want to talk too much longer, but can I suggest that given the nature of this particular bill and the seemingly strong support for it right across the House, and, indeed, amongst the hapū up in Whakarewarewa, we progress this bill as soon as possible through the House. In fact, I can think of a fantastic occasion in February, when all of Te Arawa will march upon Pōneke for Te Matatini, and we can have a true showing of the people of Rotorua and the progression of this bill.

Kāti ki a tātou e ōku rangatira, mā Te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki ki roto i te roanga ake o ngā hararei. Ka kite atu au i a koutou ā te tau e tū mai nei, tēnā koutou.

[Enough for now my leaders, may God look after you and protect you for the duration of the holidays. I will see you in the coming year, thank you.]

TAMATI COFFEY (Labour—Waiariki): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Tū taua mai i runga, tū taua mai i raro, tū taua mai i roto, tū taua mai i waho, kia tau ai te mauri, tū te mauri ora ki te katoa, haumi e, hui e, tāiki e.

Ka hoki ngā mahara ki a rātou mā kua wehe atu ki te pō: ā, haere, haere, haere atu runga, ngā mate. Ā, rātou ki a rātou, tātou ki a tātou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou te whānau, tēnā koutou katoa.

[I summon from above, I summon from below, I summon from within and the surrounding environment the life energy to infuse and enrich all present, unified and connected.

The thoughts return to those who have departed to the place of departed spirits: go, go, go above, the deceased. And may they remain with each other and we will remain with each other. Greetings, greetings, family, greetings to us all.]

I stand here actually quite emotional, listening to my colleagues tell the stories about how we as Te Arawa have put our tentacles out all around Aotearoa and the impact that our tūpuna, our kuia, our kaumātua have had when it comes to Te Puia, when it comes to our arts and crafts and the legacy that that’s left in the various regions around Aotearoa. So that pleases my heart greatly.

The second thing that pleases my heart is seeing all of you up there in the gallery, my whānau. It’s a moment where my world is colliding. Down here I see these people—they are my work whānau—when I come home, you are my actual whānau, and this is a moment where both of these moments have come together, and it’s a beautiful moment so allow me to indulge in that.

Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, has a long history, as you’ve heard from my colleague and fellow Rotorua boy Fletcher Tabuteau. The whole premise of the carving school started down at Te Ao Marama, down at Ōhinemutu, and, in fact, I was reading through the history of it. Because of the Depression and because of the death of one of the directors, it closed in 1937, and it wasn’t re-erected until 1963 when, through an Act of Parliament, it was made official as an entity. It was then the place where all of our carvers and all of our weavers learnt their trades, perfected their skills, and it was also a place where we welcomed in young carvers and young weavers from around the country and sent them back to their rohe, as well, with that treasure, that taonga, that had been passed down. And that tradition carries on today.

Just last weekend I was at Te Puia, in fact—for our staff Christmas party, no less—and I saw the wonderful things that have gone on there. It’s developing in the most beautiful way, and I want to mihi to all of the kaimahi from Te Puia—Tim Cossar, I saw you somewhere up there before—and all of our team up there that have been doing a brilliant job turning Te Puia into what it is today. The opening of Pātaka Kai as a new function centre—the place looks amazing. I was seeing last week they were laying the underground underfloor heating in the outdoor central area—awesome, because we all know it can get cold in the middle of the winter. So there’s real progress going on there. And the buses—the buses in the carpark are testament to the fact that there is some really good management going on there and a positive outlook for the future.

I’m absolutely supportive of this bill, and when we held a hui down at Whakarewarewa the other day, there were a few concerns from some of our whānau who were a little bit upset that they weren’t feeling like they were part of this movement, going forward. One bit of agreement that we got was that they were absolutely in agreement with me that Te Puia needs to come back. No matter which side of the fence you sat on, everybody’s in absolute agreement that it’s coming back. The devil’s in the detail. The devil’s in the detail about who it comes back to, what the entity is going to look like afterwards, and whether or not we’re going to have sufficient representation from all of our partners involved in that partnership. Those are some very legitimate concerns, and I pledged that I would go back and I would do some submission-writing workshops. So some of our whānau who have never written a submission before and wouldn’t know one if they fell over one can actually participate in this process, because something that’s incredibly important in this, going forward, is making sure that all of our whānau are on this journey. That’s hugely important, and I put that little wero out there and I’m going to do my best to make sure that our whānau are on for that ride.

I want to mihi to our hapū: Wāhiao Tūhourangi, Ngāti Hinganoa, Huarere, Tūkiterangi, the HTK Trust—there are some issues wrapped in that too, and I understand that. But I want to mihi to my whānau: Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu, and Ngāti Te Kahū, and also Pukeroa Oruawhata. I see Malcolm Short up there and Alec Wilson: ā, ngā mihi nui ki a kōrua mō ō kōrua mahi—for all of us, actually, for Ngāti Whakauē—so thank you for the work that you do.

This is going to be a positive partnership, whānau. I’m really looking forward to the challenge in front of us. I’m with you on this journey as your local member of Parliament but also as one of you. So, therefore, I look forward to this progressing through the House. I heard my colleague’s challenge there, to see if we could have this wrapped up by Matatini, to which I go, “Hmm, let’s not rush the process!” I know that we have a significant date coming up and I know that we’re all going to be back here in full force, and I know it will probably be significant because Te Arawa will no doubt take out, if not the first then the second place at Matatini. But, you know—

SPEAKER: Order!

TAMATI COFFEY: Oh! It will be a significant occasion, but I’m very aware that there are some people that need to feel heard through this process, and I don’t want to rush that. So, with that in mind, I absolutely commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

Waiata

Motions

Parliamentary Service (Additional Parliamentary Precinct) Resolution 2009—Revocation

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I’m afraid that for the second time in as many weeks I have to lower the tone of the House. I move, That, under section 25(2) of the Parliamentary Service Act 2000 and effective from 1 January 2019, this House revoke the Parliamentary Service (Additional Parliamentary Precinct) Resolution 2009, which added the following premises to the parliamentary precincts: All that part of the mezzanine level of the building situated at Nos 1 and 3 The Terrace, Wellington, on land contained in Certificates of Title WN41C/804 and WN41C/805, with a net lettable area of 477.2 m², being the areas outlined on the plan attached to the Eleventh Schedule to the Deed of Lease between AMP NZ Office 1 The Terrace Limited and the Parliamentary Corporation dated 12 August 2009.

Motion agreed to.

Motions

Office of the Controller and Auditor-General—Appointment of Auditor

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I move, That pursuant to section 38(1) of the Public Audit Act 2001, the House appoint PKF Goldsmith Fox Audit as the independent auditor to audit the financial statements, accounts, and other information of the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General for the financial years ending on 30 June 2019, 30 June 2020, and 30 June 2021.

Motion agreed to.

Adjournment

Adjournment

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): I move, That the House do now adjourn.

Hon Members: Oh!

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: With much disappointment, that motion has been received. Tradition would have me start my speech with a vote of thanks for you, but given you can’t knock five supplementaries off me and the Government at this point in proceedings, I’m going to buck tradition. I’m going to start where you, Mr Speaker, would start, if you were standing in my chair right now, and that is with a vote of thanks to the people who keep this place running.

Every morning when I come into the office, and even if no one else appears to be there at the time, without fail the floors are clean, the kitchen is clean, and there’s a jug of water sitting on my desk. To the cleaners in this place, we say thank you. To the Prime Minister’s office messenger, a lovely man called Alex—I can attest he gets up earlier than a newborn—I want to say my special thanks to him for his service and his smiles.

Thanks to the people who keep us fed and watered, and thanks to the people who help us get from A to B, and that includes VIP Transport Service, who smile through my excessive use of vans to haul Ministers around. To the people who deliver us papers—mountains and mountains of papers—the Clerk; the select committee team; those who write down our every word, even when they don’t make sense; the IT team, who help resolve our queries, even when we don’t make sense, I say thank you. To Parliament security, who keep us safe but still accessible; to the Diplomatic Protection service team, who I know find me challenging with my tendency to hug random strangers, as a small vote of thanks to you, I’m taking you out for Christmas lunch—in Morrinsville.

Thank you to our electorate office teams who are us when we are not there, and who help people often at their most vulnerable and in their times of need. To the press gallery: this year we have seen freedom of the press challenged once again. I’m proud to live in a country that will and does defend your rights, and we must not be complacent or negligent when it comes to the importance of that principle and of your role.

To my team—if you’ll indulge me, Mr Speaker. They keep me moving, they keep me fed, they make sure I see and hear what the public are reaching out to us about. This year, they have had the added challenge of helping me juggle being a mum. Thanks, team. I’m incredibly grateful for you.

To our public servants, who are professionals and are driven by what they do, especially to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; the Policy Advisory Group; my ministries, with a special acknowledgment of Howard Broad and Andrew Kibblewhite, who are moving on; the Ministry for Culture and Heritage; the child poverty unit; the child wellbeing unit; and those who support me with national security work, I say my very sincere thanks.

Mr Speaker, to you, our referee, our newly discovered statesman, and our grandfather of the House—and I do mean that quite literally—I say thank you. You’ve brought a new style but also a new approach. I’ve never been one for tennis, but I feel like I’ve entered into that sport in this House with your new awarding of points for and against. But beyond that, you’ve committed to making this place a fairer and more family-friendly environment, and I recognise you on both counts.

To the Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First, it would be an injustice to simply acknowledge that six-week period of cover you provided for me this year. The role of Deputy Prime Minister—it is a constant one, and I thank you and your team for your work and your support. To the leaders of the Green Party and to the Green Party, who have helped progress significant reforms and worked incredibly hard on difficult policy areas, I give my thanks.

And to my Labour team, including the wonderful deputy leader of Labour, Kelvin Davis, I could not be prouder to be the leader of this parliamentary team. Your enthusiasm—it’s not just me—is infectious. Anahila, I’m looking at you. You’re probably the only one in this Parliament who’s used a selfie as a Christmas card. I want to acknowledge every single one of you for the true joy that you bring to me in doing this role. And, finally, to the families of everyone in this place: supporting an MP is an exercise of endurance, tolerance, and constant frustration. Thanks for sticking it out. To my family especially, you’re exactly the village that me, Clarke, and Neve needed, and I just wish the same love and support for every family in this House and in Aotearoa.

At the last adjournment debate, a senior member of the Opposition—and no, I won’t name names, Mr Brownlee—said a couple of really mixed things about me and this Government. He called me competent and likeable—and thank you for that—but also claimed that this wouldn’t necessarily translate into political leadership, and you could infer that means there is this persistent belief that you cannot be, for instance, kind and strong, that you cannot be pleasant and effective. And I accept Mr Brownlee may have been basing that on personal experience.

Now, I could stand here and disagree, or I could just say this about the last 12 months: 3.9 percent unemployment, a Budget surplus, 73,000 more jobs, 2.7 percent GDP growth including 1 percent in the June 2018 quarter alone, 111 Provincial Growth Fund projects, 60 million trees planted, $917 million contributed to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund after almost a decade of nothing, 384,000 families better off with the Families Package, 774,000 New Zealanders now receiving a winter energy payment, 4,000 KiwiBuild homes under contract, 1,200 new public housing places, more than 200 new or rebuilt classrooms, 1,500 new teachers, 600 new learning support coordinators, 600,000 New Zealanders with access to cheaper GP visits, and hundreds of new police officers already.

But those are just the numbers. What of the stories? Now, if you’ll indulge me, I want to share some of the feedback that I’ve had from members of the public. I’ve talked a little bit about this. I’ve been honoured to hear from people who want to share some of their views on some of our policies, including on things like KiwiBuild. For example, a mum wrote to me to say, “We’ve been looking off and on for nearly six years. We pulled out all our savings from KiwiSaver and home grants as well as some other things. My husband runs his own business and I work at the hospital. I work four days a week and I study. We aren’t rich. We’ve just struggled and saved and gone without. Whatever the media says, this isn’t for rich people. It’s just for people who want it bad enough. We will forever be grateful and thankful for the KiwiBuild programme.”

It’s also been amazing to hear time and time again from families who benefited from the Families Package, like this from a single mum: “I am a single mum of three on a benefit, and today is payday. I’m truly grateful for what you’ve done for us. The extra income is truly a blessing. With the extra money I’m able to buy my kids some more schools socks with no holes in them. I’m able to buy warm sheets and blankets so they’re warmer at night. I’m able to fill up my car with petrol instead of wondering if I can afford to put $40 in this week to get the discount or not. I am able to increase payments on my loan, power bill, and other bills to keep on top of them, as well as savings account for those unexpected costs. I’m able to afford to go to the doctors. Being able to pay off my debts a bit quicker is going to help my family and I so much. My kids will be able to pursue their dreams and play a sport they’ve been begging to play. I’ll be able to go back to school and pursue my career within a year and be working well before my youngest is three. So thank you so much for the extra help.”

And on the winter energy payment—and there’s been lots of these—“I am what you would describe as a typical middle-class 70-year-old who was born and has lived all my life in New Zealand. I’ve voted for different political parties during my life. I’ve been always able to pay my power bills. However, with this new payment, it is such a relief and a pleasure to be able to turn the heater on without hesitation and fear of what it will do to the next power bill, which hasn’t been the case in the past.”

These letters, they speak for themselves. So as this year draws to a close, I am grateful for the help of the few people in this place and around us who have helped us achieve so much for so many. Have a wonderful Christmas break and rest assured that as the new year begins, we will keep doing this.

Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition): Can I add my heartfelt thanks to those of the Prime Minister to all the people who make Parliament run so smoothly for us here in the House. I thank the outgoing Parliamentary Service general manager, David Stevenson. Can I acknowledge the messengers; can I acknowledge Bellamy’s for doing a good job for us, feeding and watering us; can I acknowledge security for the work that they do; the library staff; the Office of the Clerk; and the press gallery—as I said last night, we have a love-hate but mostly love and admiration relationship with them—and can I come back to a few more political thanks later. And can I wish everyone a very merry Christmas.

Isn’t it good, at this time of the year, to have one thing that the Government doesn’t need a working group, an inquiry, or a referendum on to know what they think about it. Yesterday, it was the cannabis referendum, and the Prime Minister doesn’t know her position on that. She says that she needs to see the question. Well, let me give her a clue: she called the referendum, and she writes the question. But that’s actually not that fair, because she probably won’t write it; it’ll probably be other Ministers, and they’ll tell her about that afterwards.

Hon Member: In the media.

Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I think about that with—well, you say “In the media.” KiwiBuild: Phil Twyford, Grant Robertson, Shane Jones—I don’t think Winston Peters was there that day—they told her afterwards. Winston Peters seems to think that applies to the whole area of foreign policy. A little bit of a pivot away from China? No problem—no one needs to know. It sort of means the Prime Minister didn’t get to have her visit, but other than that, it’s no big deal.

But let’s give a little credit where it is due. This is the most open and transparent Government we’ve ever seen. If you don’t believe me, just ask them. We’ve got a great example from over there. Take the United Nations migration pact, which, actually, has probably been signed, we think, in Morocco already, but supposedly it’s later this week, conveniently after Winston Peters—parliamentary rights. He’s smiling. He’s already signed it. But the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern told us on the radio earlier this week that it went to Cabinet, but she doesn’t know what they’ll do because this is yet another decision that other people—in this case, the Rt Hon Winston Peters—are going to make for her. So, in the words of Eminem, not “pretty legal”; that’s “pretty transparent”, I’d say, from the Government on that.

Then there’s the matter of Karel Sroubek. Well, we’ve heard in the last few days that there’s a text message. A small, minor technical point: we’re not allowed to see it. I reckon I know what the reason for that is: inappropriate emojis. That’s what it is. It’s the inappropriate emojis that get the Prime Minister every time in the end. After Parliament rises, we’ll get representations from the file that we’ve been asking about for months and months and months now on dump days of 21 to 24 December, and then more to come on that matter, we know.

Then, a little secret Santa gift that we’ve heard about this week, in the very last week of Parliament, is that the national Chief Technology Officer, literally the only policy in the area of communications and ICT that the incoming Government had—well, actually, they’ve dumped it. They’re not doing this. Remember Clare Curran, the Minister for open and transparent Government? What is the reason, Winston Peters, why they have dumped this? Here’s what the file said: “it would be difficult to find one person with the skill set to do this role”. Translation: “No one wants to work with the Government.” Just ask the chief executive of KiwiBuild. Just ask the chief executive of the New Zealand Transport Agency. But don’t worry—don’t worry. They’ve set up a digital working group—working group 207.

I believe three things have stood out this year. The first is that the Government has not had a single fortnight of competence. I ask Winston Peters, who’s getting ready to get up and obfuscate, to find me a single fortnight.

Secondly, I couldn’t be more proud that National is the best team in politics to work with—the National Party members of Parliament on this side—and I thank them. A party that is resolutely focused on what matters to New Zealanders as we go into—the Government members laugh, because they know they’re not. They’re down at the press gallery, scurrying around, talking to them about bits and pieces.

It’s an economy that remains strong but a rock star economy that slowly but surely, under the finance Minister, Grant Robertson, is turning into a rock. Take these figures: $17.8 billion—the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update has told us in the last little while—more tax over the next four years. So as growth slows and, on Grant Robertson’s measure, GDP per capita—which he said he’d stake his reputation on—goes down every single year over the next four years, New Zealanders will be $10,000 per household worse off. Those households that Jacinda Ardern told us about will be worse off and squeezed as a result of more tax and lower growth. Households and businesses will be worse off.

The Government—[Interruption] Well, steady on, Grant Robertson. I know he’s excited because of the economy that he inherited. A Government that has more because New Zealanders have less—and they don’t want to hear it, because it’s the stuff that matters out there on the doorstep, in the communities that we represent on this side. Petrol: that’s come down a little but is still over $2 a litre because of the taxes that Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters put on. Rent: New Zealanders are some $30 a week worse off because of the taxes they’ve done, and everyone but Jacinda Ardern knows that that is the figure.

We spare a thought for those people at Christmas time who are doing it tough—who Phil Twyford and Jacinda Ardern said would be better off, but aren’t—at this time of year. Next year, I know that on this side of the House we are going to develop and show New Zealanders our positive plans, the things that we are doing that will excite them. While this Government is a Government of working groups, we on this side of the House will be ready to be a working Government with the plans that New Zealanders want to see. Over there, at $1 million a day, one every two days—[Interruption] That is not a recipe for success, New Zealand.

So, Mr Speaker, we on this of the House thank you for what you’ve done. You may be surprised. I do thank you, Mr Speaker, and I wish you a very merry Christmas. Can I say, we on our side are glad, Chris Hipkins, that it won’t be four-week sittings next year. I think something tells me he is too, and his colleagues are too. But can I thank, once again, my colleagues on this side of the House, the National leader’s office, all of the people who work for us, and our executive assistants all around New Zealand for all they’ve done. I wish everyone in this House a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister): Mr Speaker, usually at this time of the year you can tell what sort of year a speaker has had. Some people sound relaxed and confident because they’ve achieved a lot, and some seem to sound like they’re under enormous stress. Despite that, we want to affirm those thanks to the library staff, security, cleaning staff, the messengers, the building staff, the Bellamy’s staff, the Chamber staff, the Speaker, the Clerk’s Office, and indeed New Zealand First office staff both here and around the country—and, above all, the National Party, for helping the Government. Day after day, they help reflect how sound and progressive the coalition Government really is. I genuinely mean that. I want to thank the National Party for that.

We have had a year of achievements, whether it be economic stability, fiscal responsibility, debt management—a whole host of things that the Prime Minister mentioned one after the other. You know, in fact, we’ve done so much this year that I decided to get a list of our achievements. It is so long—see those things? [Holds up scroll] In fact, I had to cut it short so the roll doesn’t get bigger. A list of our achievements—I’ll send it up later. I’ll send it up later.

I decided to contrast that—and I want to show my colleagues—with the National Party’s achievements in 2018. Do you see it? And I’ll show them—we’re transparent. These are the National Party’s achievements of 2018. [Holds up blank page] Do you see that? That’s 2018, when it comes to achievements.

Let me tell you, they have had car after car that Simon Bridges has barked at: Jami-Lee Ross, Chinese donations, racial preference for candidates, taxes dropping, business confidence, National’s action plan, the Provincial Growth Fund, employment law, and the unions always being on strike. They’ve chased car after car and got themselves a whole lot of Dunlop in their teeth, but they haven’t been successful. Overseas investment they criticise, roads of national significance, fake fuel taxes, capital gains taxes, three strikes and you’re out—apparently you’re in—police numbers, Waikeria Prison, waka-jumping, the Child Poverty Reduction Bill, charter schools, primary teachers, the abolition of national standards, a billion trees, and it goes on and on and on.

Can I just say that this has been an enormous year of achievement for the Government. It hasn’t been easy, because as a coalition we’ve had to, in an iterative process—do you know what that means? It means you talk to each other. You bounce things around. You don’t just walk out and say, “I’ve got the answer.” You say, “We know what the problem is. We intend to provide a solution, and we’re going to keep working until we provide it.” Now, get to understand that word, Mr Bridges, because it’s what makes this Government different from his Government, which did nothing but just spray and walk away for nine years. That’s why we’re here now.

Thank you very much for talking about the UN migration compact—signed up to by National in September 2016. Now, it so happens we don’t practise law like Mr Bridges—we don’t practise law like Mr Bridges. We went to Crown Law and other lawyers in foreign affairs, and indeed got offshore opinion as well that said that all the statements that National has been making are unadulterated poppycock. It will not legally bind. It does not create legal obligations. It does not establish customary international law. The compact should not be given to mean that legal instruments referred to in the text have any binding effect in the way they say. It does not challenge our sovereignty. It does not change the character of immigration. And the compact in no way—I’m reading from a legal opinion here; not just the Crown prosecutor in Tauranga’s view, when he never held a licence, just happened to be working in the office—restricts or curtails established human rights, including the right to freedom of expression. And, yes, if you check your phones, we signed it—about a quarter of an hour ago, having checked out the legal opinion.

Can I close by saying that yesterday, Mr Finlayson—another one who’s disappearing—said that the National Party dodged a bullet last year. It’s increasingly clear that a political bullet hit them right between the eyes, and now they keep shooting themselves in the foot, day in, day out in this House.

Can I just say I close by saying happy Christmas to you, and indeed to my colleagues. [Interruption] Oh no, no—do you not want somebody to wish you the best? Have a happy Christmas. You’ll need it.

CHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Greens, we’d like to thank you for all of your work this past year, particularly in making Parliament a more accessible and family-friendly place. We would like to echo the sentiments of our colleagues and tautoko the mahi of the cooks, the cleaners, the librarians, the security staff, the parliamentary tour guides, the education office, the Chamber officers, and the Office of the Clerk, who help make this place function and, indeed, help make us look good.

This has been a big year for our lean, mean Green caucus. We had a baby—well, Julie Anne had a baby, and she embodied peak Green Party when she cycled to the hospital to give birth. Nobody can say that Julie Anne Genter does not walk the talk—or, indeed, cycle the cycle—when it comes to living her kaupapa as Associate Minister of Transport. Marama Davidson was elected by our party as our new Green co-leader, and she’s taken to the role by storm, engaging with the grassroots and mobilising for change to empower those in poverty out of its grasp, and, of course, she once upon a time spoke of the need to remove the power from a derogatory colloquialism of the female anatomy.

The Hon James Shaw is currently in Poland—which has become a bit of a running joke whenever we can’t find him—negotiating an international climate change rulebook. He’s “James Warsaw” now.

Jan Logie has made huge strides when it comes to ending sexual and domestic violence in our country, passing world-leading legislation. For someone with anarchist roots, I might add, she manages to drink a whole lot of Diet Coke.

The Hon Eugenie Sage continues to be a hero and a champion for conservation. With every environmental group that I have met with across the country, she is heralded as a breath of fresh air. That could be because she’s focused on cutting down the rubbish accumulating and the stink in dumps in our country. But it also happens that we rock the same haircut; so I think we have 25 percent caucus consensus on the aesthetic.

Gareth Hughes shepherded through the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill—now an Act—with unanimous support. It took only three Green MPs, two select committee investigations, and 16 years, but we got there! Change takes time, and I guess that most of Parliament can probably reflect on the fact that it often takes about a decade to catch up with the Greens—climate change, anybody?

Golriz Ghahraman has held the fort on criminal justice, on fair and just international trade deals, and on doubling the refugee quota. The mere sight of her continues to inflame Twitter trolls.

And my greatest political achievement this past year—something that I have worked towards for two years, with a huge and well-coordinated team—was seeing the kererū finally crowned as the rightful Bird of the Year.

In all seriousness, I want to acknowledge the health Minister, Dr David Clark, and my New Zealand First colleagues whom I worked actively and constructively with in order to see that our country actually walks the talk on seeing drugs treated as the health issue that they are.

It has been a full-on first year in Parliament. Just over a year ago, I gave my maiden speech, and I said that I wanted to show that politicians could do things a little differently and speak a little differently. So, at the behest of my colleague Erica Stanford, I am stoked to report that I have been helping to update the vocabulary of my fellow colleagues. A few months back, at a junior whip or musterer catch-up, I educated an utterly perplexed Kieran McAnulty that my exclamation of the word “sick” wasn’t about how disgusting something was but, indeed, in favour of it.

This year, we have defined our past. It is goodbye to plastic bags, to oil and gas, to the unfounded and misguided war on drugs, and to old-world thinking that sees us prioritise roading projects at the expense of all other modes of transport, and actually, often, of safety. Our future is an explicit prioritisation of our people and our planet, entrenched in well-being. I want to thank our incredible parliamentary office, our advisers, and those who ensure that things run well in the House. I’d also like to make a quick shout-out to my executive support and researcher, Tim Onnes.

With the announcement yesterday of the cannabis referendum—as noted by the Leader of the Opposition—contained in the Green-Labour confidence and supply agreement, to be binding and held in 2020, I can foresee an avalanche of terrible cannabis jokes and stereotypes being proliferated throughout the next two years. But if I can leave the House with one thing, it’s that, come 2020, Mr Bridges will have the opportunity to vote three ticks Green. Meri Kirihimete, Mr Speaker.

SPEAKER: Before I call the member, the next person on the list, according to the agreement, is David Seymour. What I’m proposing to do is to defer his speech, to go on with others, and if he’s not here, we’ll just scrub it.

Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. May I start, please, by wishing you a merry Christmas, and can I acknowledge all of the acknowledgments that have already been made by the Prime Minister, by the Leader of the Opposition, by the Green Party, and by New Zealand First to all of those fabulous people around this building who make it work. Can I please wish them a very merry Christmas, a happy New Year, and a break from this place, which it feels like we all might be needing a little bit.

I thought, as my Christmas present—because it is a time for giving—I would offer to dry-clean the marijuana man’s suit, because he’s here most days in the gallery in his marijuana suit. I thought that I might offer to dry-clean that, because he is wearing it a lot, and he’s been here a lot lately. I love a campaign; so I’m not being rude. I just love someone who’s passionate about something. He’s visual. Hey, for a woman who wears a leopard suit, I admire the marijuana-leaf suit. So good on him, and that’s a lot of fun.

My other blessing, I’ve got to say, is that there’s been no singing in this debate so far, because that does drive me slightly bonkers each time—and that from a woman who has been given two portable karaoke microphones for Christmas. So it is kind of cool that that’s not happened so far.

It is a privilege to be here. It’s a privilege to be in this place, whether you’re in Government or whether you’re in Opposition. So I want to acknowledge the Government and the work that they’ve done this year, in the heart of being kind, and say that on behalf of myself and my colleagues. It is a privilege to be a National member of Parliament, to be here in Opposition, and to be trying to play our part in democracy for New Zealand. Yes, that means that we’re in Opposition and, as a consequence of that, we oppose, but I think there are a few areas that we could agree within.

I want to give a big shout-out to New Zealanders. I just want to say how much I, in this job, get to see them at their best, at their worst, at their hardest, at their happiest. We get to celebrate things like graduation. I stood recently at the Vanguard Military School graduation, and I watched with absolute pride—and Erica Stanford would say it alongside of me—as we sat next to each other. There were a lot of tears from us as we saw these young people walk up on stage and hug their teacher because of the relationship that they had built with them and the genuine thanks that these young people had for them. That school has been going through a hard time, not least of all because of the changes they’ve had to go through because they’re no longer a partnership school, but also because of Nathan, as we’ve heard in recent days.

That, of course, happened earlier this year, but that has been very, very trying for them. And they’ve also just lost a teacher in really unfortunate circumstances recently. So I want to give a shout out to them. I know it’s been a really tough year for some of them, but I’ve seen them stand up, and they sort of epitomise to me New Zealanders. These were young people who were tall and short and brown and Chinese and New Zealander and white and just everything else, and they just had this thing in common, which was pride, and they had resilience. Other people had told them what they couldn’t do, and they found people who told them what they could. And that is something that you shout out about whether you’re in Opposition or whether you’re in Government—that we celebrate people like that.

New Zealanders have seen hard times this year, and we are all seeing, at the moment, that they are feeling it at the moment more than at any other time. It’s when your kids want some more time and everyone’s tired. If we’re tired, those little ones feel it more. I’ve had a three- and a four-year-old living at home with me in recent weeks, and I can tell you that they’re ready for a break. And so I think about those families that are not like mine and that are struggling financially—that have seen rents go up by 30 percent and are wondering how they’re actually going to live and how they’re going to pay the rent next week, let alone buy a present for their kids. It is kind of chilling when you hear of a 27 percent increase in families needing food parcels or going to the Ministry of Social Development and asking for help. We can have a lot of the words that talk about what they might and might not do, but that is the reality, and the reality for too many of them. So I want to shout out to them and I want to recognise them at this time.

Mr Speaker, may I wish you a merry Christmas. We don’t always agree. My mother said to me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” I have something to say, and that is that I admire the way you always have—and I hope you always do—kind of wear your heart on your sleeve. I don’t think there’s any doubt that you care for us as parliamentarians, you care for the people in this building, and you care for New Zealanders, and so, at Christmas time, I want to acknowledge that. Thank you very much.

Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Deputy Leader—Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. E tika ana i tēnei wā o ngā whaikōrero mutunga mō tēnei tau kia rongo ai ki Te Reo Māori kei roto i ēnei kōrero, me ngā whakaaro Māori, nā reira he mihi kau ana ki a koe, he mihi kau ana ki tō tātou Pirimia. Ā, huri rauna i tō tātou Whare, tēnā tātou.

[Greetings to the Speaker. It is right at this time of the final speeches for this year to hear the Māori language within the speeches, and also Māori thoughts, therefore greetings to you, greetings to our Prime Minister. And, all around our House, greetings to all.]

As we come to the end of this parliamentary year, I want to take time to reflect on what I think is one of this Government’s most significant achievements of 2018, and that is the establishment of the new Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti.

On Monday night, the Legislative Council Chamber was filled with representatives from the Crown and rangatira from Te Ao Māori who gathered together to officially launch the new agency. We heard inspirational speeches from Tāmati Kruger of Tūhoe, from Tītewhai Harawira from Ngāpuhi, and they spoke about the significance of this portfolio and the opportunity we now have to grow the relationships between Māori and the Crown and the hope that we all have for the future. Part of the agency launch included a small gathering at the new Arawhiti offices across the road with the staff who will be delivering on the promises we have made and the new path we are creating.

I want to mention, in particular, a speech given by a Te Arawhiti staffer by the name of Tihema Baker. He spoke about what the establishment of this portfolio meant to him as a Māori and as a public servant. I think many members in this House will be able to relate to his words. He spoke about his past experiences being Māori and voicing a Māori world view in his day-to-day life in the Public Service. He talked about the times when he was talked over, when he was dismissed, where people rolled their eyes or openly laughed at his Māori perspective. He also talked about the struggles some Māori have from their own people when they work for the Crown, and being called a kūpapa or a traitor by their own. He spoke of the weight many Māori feel, the expectations they have to work for the Crown and to deliver for their people to uphold the mana of their tūpuna. He then said Te Arawhiti and its establishment was the validation he needed—it meant that the eye rolls and the laughter were not all for nothing. This agency, this portfolio, this kaupapa allow people like Tihema to be proud, to hold his mana, and to be unapologetically Māori.

Te Arawhiti means “the bridge”, and the new agency is the bridge between Māori and the Crown. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the bridge between the Māori world and the Pākehā world. Since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, I think it would be fair to say that Māori are the ones who have crossed that bridge into the Pākehā world more than people moving the other way. Māori have learnt about the Pākehā world, the language, the culture, and the customs. But it is 2018, and today I want to invite everybody in this House—those who have rarely, or occasionally, or never crossed the bridge into the Māori world—to take those first steps. In fact, I’ll be there and the team at Te Arawhiti will be there, walking along beside you if you need our support.

I’d just like to add my thanks to all the many people who do make this place tick, and—as has been mentioned—we have the messengers, the cleaners, the travel office, the security, the select committee staff, Parliamentary Library researchers, IT staff, the press gallery, and I also want to make special mention to Māori media. Mr Speaker, to your office, I’d like to acknowledge you, to the groundspeople, and to you personally, Mr Speaker, and the deputy speakers. I’d like to thank you all for the way in which you have helped to conduct the business of this House. To my colleagues from across the House: I wish you and all your whānau a safe and very merry Christmas. Nā reira tātou mā, huri rauna i tō tātou Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Therefore all, right around our House, greetings, greetings, greetings to all.]

Hon ALFRED NGARO (National): Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s an honour to rise and give my adjournment speech. Actually, it’s the first time in seven years I’ve actually had the chance to be able to do that. I want to do it in four parts.

The first thing I want to do is actually—because I was raised to always give thanks, so a bit of gratitude. Mr Speaker, I want to thank you. I personally want to thank you, because you allowed for the introduction of languages during the prayer throughout this year. I want to thank you for your tolerance in allowing me and others of different languages to be able to pray their prayers. I want to say thank you for allowing us to do that through this House as well.

I also want to acknowledge the Prime Minister, as appropriate, in her status and in her role, and especially since we worked collectively together from this side to that side in regards to the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. It was a collaboration, it was bipartisan, and I want to acknowledge the Prime Minister. I want to acknowledge Simon Bridges, our Leader of the Opposition. He’s had to endure some pretty tough times. I know that many others may have fallen, may have failed, and may have actually decided to throw the towel in and walk away. But Simon, I want to say to you—the Hon Simon Bridges—thank you for your leadership and your courage to continue on, and the convictions that you have that are leading us as a party, as a caucus, as well.

I want to acknowledge all of those in the caucus. I think that we’ve got a fantastic, a fabulous, an amazing team, and I’m proud to be part of this National Party caucus.

Can I quickly acknowledge the parliamentary staff all around the building, from Copperfield’s to Bellamy’s, right the way through. I think about Julius from the Diplomatic Protection Squad who I met today. I shook his hand and wished him merry Christmas. There is Malcolm from VIP cars, and big Jim, David, Tere, and many others that are part of the security around the place. I want to also acknowledge our own staff as well: Ollie, who works for me, and also Marie up in Auckland, for all of us have staff that we appreciate for the roles that they play; and our volunteers throughout and up and down the country. Finally, our families—I want to acknowledge the fact that all of us come from families who love us and care for us, and even at times when it’s difficult, they are there right beside us as well. So I want to acknowledge our families as well.

My second point today in my speech is a round of reflection. We’ve got Netflix at home. Apparently, inside that Netflix, when I’ve gone down, there’s a thing called classic movies. When I think about a reflection of the Government of the day, the classic movie I want to watch this Christmas is called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It’s Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. You’re smiling, Mr Speaker—you probably have seen this. That’s what I would say is the reflection of this Government.

So let’s talk about the good bits. Well, we talked about child poverty reduction. That was a good thing, bipartisan. Actually, it’s something that happened over a long period of time, over previous Governments as well. Let’s talk about 215 working groups. Well, that’s not too bad; that seems like a good thing. Why? Well, over nine years, you didn’t actually have a chance to think about what the policies are, and now you’re at a point in time where you want to ask the people, and so maybe we’ll call that a good thing as well. Let’s talk about KiwiBuild: 33 homes. Well, that’s OK—just 99,967 more homes to go. You won’t take long. You should get there. But you’re trying, you’re making the effort—OK. Could be built, could be bought. There are 1.7 million families worse off from the Government Families Package—we’d say that that maybe is in the good.

But let’s talk about the bad. There are $2.5 billion of new taxes. People are going to hurt out there. People are suffering. But here’s the thing: 65,000 people have gone out on strike, from teachers to nurses, even those in the justice area. But here’s the one I didn’t understand: I didn’t realise that the Inland Revenue Department could go out on strike, but they did. Unbelievable—65,000 people went out on strike. That’s got to be some of the bad stuff as well. Petrol taxes are 15.5c a litre higher. People are hurting.

What about the ugly? Now, this gets a little bit ugly. Karel Sroubek—that’s got to be ugly. That’s got to hurt. There’s a lot of pain in that, and it’s going to carry on a long way. Why? Because if someone made the right decision at the right time, actually, we wouldn’t be here today. This story wouldn’t be continuing on. But hey, we’ve been told, “Just read between the lines.”

The one that really hurts that no one’s acknowledged: 400,000 seedlings were mulched and killed. Their lives were taken. There was a hope, there was a vision, that one day they could become tall tōtara trees in Northland. Sadly, they were taken from us. They’ve departed. That was truly ugly.

Three thousand people have left our shores, have gone away from New Zealand. They’ve said haere rā. They’ve gone to other places. When National took office, 30,000 were leaving. By the end of that nine years, nobody was leaving. Now we’ve got 3,000 that are leaving. That’s ugly. It’s the good, the Bad and the ugly—get Netflix and watch it.

I’ve got 26 seconds left to go. The reason for the season is a little baby called Jesus who was born into a working-class family, who was abandoned, and who was actually born in a place where he was homeless for a little while. The purpose of that story is this: it gives us hope that can come in places that we least expect. It will teach us a lesson that even we could be the reason of hope for people around in our community. I hope and pray that we will give a little bit of love out there, a bit of hope to people who need it in our communities. Kia orana. Thank you.

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): I didn’t intend to start this way, but I cannot help myself. That member, the Hon Alfred Ngaro, wants to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, the good is on this side of the House. The bad and the ugly are all about the leaks, the recordings, and the public criticism of their own colleagues. So they own the bad and the ugly. We own the good.

Mr Speaker, like everyone else, I think, who started today, I have to acknowledge you and thank you for the role that you’ve played in this House. There have been times—and I’m not going to lie—where I’ve struggled to understand the question from my opposing member, where I’ve struggled to understand the response I’ve given to the question, given I never understood the question, and then I’ve struggled to understand the ruling that’s come from you, but we’ve made it through the year and we’re here now.

I do acknowledge everyone across the House, because this is not an easy place to work. This is not an easy place in any way. But we all do have lives, we have families, we have things going on outside of this space, and it’s important that we acknowledge that at this time of year. I do genuinely wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.

I acknowledge our parliamentary colleagues on this side in terms of the Green Party and also our coalition partners New Zealand First. It has been an interesting year. I have to say that the end result when you are negotiating across the political spectrum in this way is a good result. We get to a good point. At times it feels like I’m negotiating with my 74-year-old father and my 20-year-old son but we get to the right place, and that’s the most important thing. It’s about what’s right for New Zealand. I think that we represent the best interests of New Zealand in this Government, and I think that’s important.

I want to acknowledge the officials that are working for us. In my first year as a Minister, when I first walked into the office, I looked at them after having been in Opposition for so many years thinking, “What do I do with these people?”. But I want to acknowledge the public servants because they work so incredibly hard for us. They do a fantastic job. At no point in time over the last year has there been any resistance. They have been enthusiastic, and they have got on and done the job. So our public sector needs thanks.

Our staff in this place, and also out of Parliament, who are holding down our electorate offices and providing an amazing service to our constituents, all need to be acknowledged at this time of year. Can I wish them all a very merry Christmas.

I want to acknowledge all the people that we meet when we’re out and about. In my role, I meet people from across communities and social services that are working exceptionally hard. I meet people that are facing challenges. I really want to acknowledge the many disabled people that I meet in my role as the Minister for Disability Issues. I want to acknowledge them for the inspiration that they are and for the guidance that they provide us in these roles to be able to do the best job possible, as I said, for New Zealanders.

We’ve had a very exciting year and we saw from that list that the honourable member Winston Peters rolled out that a lot has gone on in this year, and that this Government has just got on and done the business. I want to acknowledge that, actually, it’s not just our Ministers that are doing the work but the very important backbenchers behind the scenes who are supporting us as well to do that work.

I want to particularly acknowledge, though, on this day the wonderful leadership that we have in the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, not only as the Prime Minister of this country but as an amazing role model to other women, as a mother, and as someone who genuinely lives her values. We have been able to get on and build foundations for the future in this first year. We have been running surpluses and paying off this country’s debt. We’ve got a clear plan as a Government and are just getting on with the job. We are that Government of inclusion, that Government of transformation, and that Government of aspiration, but to do that well, we need strong leadership and we are lucky on this side of the House that we have that in the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern.

In this last 20 seconds, I want to say that I’m so proud of the fact that we’ve been able to bring hope back to New Zealanders, but I also need to acknowledge that there are still many New Zealanders out there for whom this will not be an enjoyable time of year, and our thoughts are with them. We will be out still in our communities over the Christmas break, and I want to acknowledge all New Zealanders at this time of year. Thank you.

BARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country): Thank you, Mr Speaker. That previous speaker, Carmel Sepuloni, started off talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I have to say, in a nicer, kinder Christmas spirit, I don’t think that was exactly a great way to start a speech.

But what I do want to say is that it is a privilege—it’s an absolute privilege—to be the senior whip for such a strong, awesome party, led by the Hon Simon Bridges. It’s an absolutely awesome team doing some great work, and at least in our party, at least in our National caucus, we know who’s in charge. Sometimes, as a senior whip, you get little tasks to do in the House, and I’ve just had a note passed to me today—because we quite often wonder who is in charge of the three parties over the other side. I’ve just had a note passed to me in the House from someone who says it looks like the Rt Hon Winston Peters dropped this [Holds up paper with “No” written on it] on his way to the House. So we have no doubt in our minds around who’s actually in charge of this current Government.

Now, there are a couple of things I would like to say about this year. One of them is the number of working parties that have been put in place: 200-plus working parties. It’s a sign of a Government who, when in Opposition, didn’t do the homework. The homework is about getting out in the communities and engaging with those communities, and that’s what we do on a regular basis. We are out and about, we are getting engaged, we are doing our homework, and we will come to the Government in 2020 with a very strong plan.

The second thing that is not well understood on the other side of the House—this has been a year of idealism. I have to say, coming from Taranaki, the whole idea of just transition around oil and gas is the biggest farce I have ever seen. I do not think that this Government understands the word “transition” at all. There is nothing just about what’s happened this year. You need a plan; otherwise, you create a chasm, and when you get a chasm, you have no way of finding your way to the future.

On a positive note now, I would like to put a call-out to all the people who are going to be working in the emergency services, in our hospitals, our fire brigades, our people who work in St John, and all the other emergency people while we might be going off on a holiday, we might be going to spend some time with our families—and I hope that you all are, because Christmas is a wonderful time to do that. Every time I go to a fire brigade function, I realise that every time the fireperson is called out, the family’s plans are interrupted, and so there is often no busier time of the year for all our emergency services than right now in this Christmas period. So I want to wish them all very well.

I also would like to wish all of our primary producers in our rural communities great weather for the coming summer. We hope to get enough rainfall to keep the production going, but we also like to have enough sunshine so that families can enjoy their camping and their holidays at the beach. So it is really important, after seeing some really significant droughts last year, that we hope for them and wish them the best summer and the best autumn this year.

I also want to make mention of our families, because often people ask what sacrifices we make when we go into Parliament and become members of Parliament. Well, it’s actually the people who support us in our families who make the biggest sacrifices for us, because this becomes our life and they become the people who work very hard in the background to sustain the lifestyle that we sign up to. So I think all families should be mentioned at this time of the year.

Then, importantly, I want to thank all of our teams, all of our executive assistants, all of our out-of-Parliament teams, all of the people who work so hard in here to feed us, to get our paperwork sorted, to organise our days, to organise our diaries, the people that come round at night and clean our offices so that they are ready to go first thing in the morning. This place is a humming little town all of its own, and it never shuts down. I think it’s really important that people realise it’s not just the question time and the time we have in the House; it’s the people that work around here 24/7 on our behalf, and I just want to say thank you, and thank you to you, Mr Speaker, for what you’ve done. Thank you.

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): It has been an incredible year, and there has not been a morning that has gone by where I haven’t woken up and come to work and felt incredibly honoured and privileged to be able to serve as a Minister in this Government. Not a day has gone by where I haven’t been humbled by the commitment and dedication of all of our public servants throughout the country. We thank predominantly today those who serve us directly here at Parliament, but I also want to send my thanks to everybody throughout the country who has committed their life to public service.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank the families of all of our members of Parliament. There are many sacrifices MPs’ families make in order for us to be able to do our jobs. They get us back for a few weeks. I’m sure they’re looking forward to that, and I’m sure they’re then looking forward to us coming back here again at the end of that. But I do want to acknowledge our families and thank them.

Mr Speaker, I know that you’ll go through the numbers from the House at the end of this year, but I just want to reflect on one or two of those. At last count, the House has passed 51 bills into law this year. Only four of those bills have been the subject of any form of urgency. That is probably a record low in recent times for the use of parliamentary urgency. To give some comparative figures, in the first year of the last National Government—2009—55 bills were passed, but 33 of those were the subject of parliamentary urgency. We have brought an end to that unnecessary use of parliamentary urgency, and that is a very welcome thing.

The other number that I would like to reflect on is the 40,203 written questions that have been answered, or are being answered, during the year so far. I thank all of the staff who put an enormous amount of effort into answering those.

I was somewhat taken earlier in the week by a video clip on Facebook of a member of the Australian Parliament singing a happy Christmas to the Australian people to the tune of “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Members will be very pleased to know that I’m not going to follow suit in doing that, but I did reflect on what members might have on their playlists for the coming summer break.

Simon Bridges seems to me like a little bit of a Split Enz kind of guy. I’m sure that he will have “Six Months In A Leaky Boat” at the top of his playlist this summer holidays, while Amy Adams—who I’m sure is a Freddie Mercury fan; I can tell—will be singing along to “I want to ride my bicycle” over the summer break. Judith Collins, appropriately, will have Tears for Fears at the top of her playlist, with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” at No. 1, while Gerry Brownlee will be singing “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake. Paula Bennett will have the “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor at the top of her playlist. Coming back to Simon Bridges, second on his playlist will be “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League.

Moving to this side of the House, though—bearing in mind that this is a Christmas and festive occasion and nobody should be spared in this—I’m sure the Rt Hon Winston Peters will be tossing up between Matt Davis’ “It’s Hard to be Humble” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, which I’m sure will be at the top of his list, while I’m told that Jacinda Ardern has been humming along to a Christmas tune of “All I Want for Christmas is a Good Night’s Sleep”, and I think there are a few parents in the House that will be sympathetic to that.

The top of my playlist will be the Dance Exponents. I’ll be singing along to “Victoria” over the summer holidays, as I’m sure many other members of Parliament will be as well. When it comes to you, Mr Speaker, I thought about what an appropriate song for your summer holiday list might be. I thought the song “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt might be at the top of your playlist for the summer holidays.

To end—you can’t be nice all the way through this contribution—I’m sure the final song on Simon Bridges’ playlist, as he considers what to do over the summer break and the year ahead, will also be another Freddie Mercury song: “Another One Bites the Dust”. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

TIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to add my thanks to those of the Hon Simon Bridges to all of the staff who make this place tick—your work is absolutely appreciated. Also, further to Barbara Kuriger’s comments with regard to those in the emergency services, your great work and sacrifice is absolutely wonderful—thank you for what you do.

Now, in the spirit of the season, I decided to come up with a festive acrostic poem for the House this afternoon, based on the word “Christmas”. So we have “C” for the cost of living under this Government. It has risen rapidly over the last year. We have seen rents rise $30, on average, across the country. We’ve seen the price of petrol going through the roof. Electricity prices have lifted as well, to the point where there are significantly less Christmas lights on display this year than there have been in the past—much to my disappointment as I drove around the area last week looking for Christmas festivity.

“H” is for housing and the KiwiBuild shambles that we’ve got in front of us at the moment—33 houses after one year. Thirty-three—is that all this Government can produce? But I suppose if we look at the demand we’re seeing in the ballot, it’s probably in line with the supply, so no surprises there. Actually, in my electorate, we have the town of Te Kauwhata, and we have the dubious pleasure now of having KiwiBuild coming to town. I note that they’ve recently changed the threshold for HomeStart grants to enable people to compete on the open market, where all of those houses are trending to end up at this rate.

“R” is for the roads of national significance (RONS) that have been scrapped under this Government. A disgraceful change—scrapping all of these projects that were bringing significant safety, social, and economic benefits to regions around the country. Just last week, I had to write to the New Zealand Transport Agency requesting an update on safety plans after another crash at an incident on a State highway in my area—an intersection that would have been bypassed by one of these RONS.

“I” is for illicit drugs. Well, we know what the Government is doing in this space. Medical marijuana for Christmas, everybody—fill your boots! It’s going to be legal to smoke loose-leaf cannabis, but it’s not legal to grow it or legal to sell it, but let’s not get hung up on those details.

“S” is for the Santa-sized surplus saving their bacon, thanks to strong economic management from the last Government. They’re spending it on the regional slush fund and they’re spending it on free fees, but, funnily, they can’t find money for the teachers. Won’t somebody think of the teachers?

“T” is for the trees. How many trees? Well, we know there’s 400,000 less than there might have been—they’ve all been mulched up in Northland. Ten million trees is all they’ve managed to plant over and above the normal plantings. That’s probably not any more than the number of Christmas trees we’re seeing on display around New Zealand at the moment.

“M” is for the migration compact with the UN, and we’ve just seen that signed today. This brings serious concerns to the sovereignty of New Zealand and our ability to set our own immigration settings, and we should absolutely not be ceding that to a foreign power.

“A” is for amateur Government. We’re seeing working groups up the wazoo. We’re seeing a disjointed, secretive, and dysfunctional Government on that side of the House.

Finally, “S” is for what that Government should be saying to New Zealanders: “Sorry, we haven’t got it right. Sorry, we’ve let you down.” Their school report would probably say something like “Tries hard but lacks ability.” Mr McAnulty, you’ve seen those before.

Actually, my daughter would be delighted to hear that I spoke to Santa last night and he shared with me who was on his naughty list this year and who was on his nice list. I can assure you that the Government this year, members on that side, will be getting, in their Santa sacks, lumps of imported Indonesian coal for Christmas. Still, I would like to finish on a few positives. It’s important to note that the economy is still tracking pretty well, largely, as the Opposition would say, due to nine long years of strong, sound, stable financial management by the previous National Government.

I’d like to acknowledge the strong work of the Opposition. Members of the public can have confidence in the work being done on this side of the House. I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues—thank you for your fantastic contribution this year. It’s been a privilege and an honour to be a part of the National caucus. I’d like to finish by wishing everyone in this House a merry Christmas. To members opposite as well, to all the staff, to the fine constituents of the Waikato, and to all of New Zealand, have a safe summer. See you next year.

Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): There was about as much of substance in that member’s speech as the number of references to the Hon Simon Bridges in the Hon Chris Finlayson’s valedictory. Not one word—not a single mention.

What a great year for Labour, what a great year for New Zealand First, and what a great year for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. I want to acknowledge the leaders of our three parties, all the members of Parliament, and all our staff, and just say that the hard work, the knowledge, and the passion has made this a total blast. What a year we have had.

I want to acknowledge the whips from the National Party: Barbara, Matt and Tim and I want to acknowledge the leader, whip, and backbencher of ACT, David Seymour, and just say that their openness and integrity when dealing with our team, as whips, has been impeccable, and I really appreciate it. So thank you for that.

I want to acknowledge you, Mr Speaker. I’m going to resist any commentary at all about your policies on interjections, but I do want to commend you on the positive work that you have done and the big, challenging ambition you have to make our place a more family-friendly place. I also want to acknowledge and commend the challenge that you have risen to in tackling the culture of our workplace. The work that you have instigated, to be led by Debbie Francis—and I have to say an extraordinarily competent and appropriate appointment—will challenge the institution that is our Parliament. I am proud that the champions of this inquiry represent the diversity of the parties in our Parliament, because we can only change this place together. I think we have the opportunity and I think we’ll be up to it, but it won’t be easy. Our staff, our members of Parliament, and our democracy will be better for this work. So thank you, Mr Speaker, and I may well return to the interjections policy, but I probably won’t risk it.

I want to note an increasingly unacceptable behaviour in Parliament, because it needs calling out, and that is the hectoring of public servants, particularly at select committees. It is not acceptable. It’s an abuse of our power and our privilege, and I want it to stop. It needs to stop. I want to ask all members of Parliament to reflect on this practice, which we have either instigated or been witness to, reflect on it over the summer and perhaps make standing up, calling it out, and changing it a New Year’s resolution.

Can I highlight some of the policies that I’ve been so proud of being part of over the last 12 months—73,000 more jobs in New Zealand. That’s a lot of people who now have a good reason to get out of bed in the morning and something to be proud of: they’re in paid work. The minimum wage is going up to $16.50 now and then to $17.70 next year. That’s not high enough. Thank you to both New Zealand First and the Greens for agreeing with us—we agreed with you—to make sure that it gets to a much better rate.

There are 384,000 families in New Zealand better off because of our Families Package; that’s a lot of families who needed more money in their pocket and got that money because this side of the House said we members of Parliament didn’t need a tax cut but those families needed more money in their wallets. That was a good choice. That was a good decision. There were 775,000 people who got help with their power bills, and next year they’ll get it again and for longer. There are 4,000 KiwiBuild homes under contract. We’ve known for years that we’ve had a housing crisis. It’s been denied consistently, but now we know that it’s going to be addressed.

This side of the House is finishing the year satisfied and happy, hungry for another year next year. I know the Opposition doesn’t feel like that; I know very well, because I have been in their position. I know what it’s like to have a party that’s going down the tubes. No matter how hard you work, you never ever get anywhere.

Can I wish all our staff and all our families a very, very happy Christmas. We couldn’t do it without our staff. We certainly couldn’t do it without our families. They deserve our love, our support, and our gratitude. Can I conclude with the warmest seasonal greetings to you all, regardless of your party political persuasion. You deserve a safe and a peaceful Christmas, full of sunshine and fun with your family and friends. Come back refreshed next year. Let’s keep doing this.

LAWRENCE YULE (National—Tukituki): It’s indeed a privilege to be in this House and, after one year, reflecting on what we do and how we operate. I do want to thank you, sir, and what you do as the Speaker to impartially handle question time, particularly. I’ve only had to withdraw and apologise once, and actually I’d done nothing wrong for that particular thing, but I thought it shut things down quite quickly.

SPEAKER: Order! Does the member want to continue?

LAWRENCE YULE: Secondly, I wish to acknowledge the Prime Minister and the role she plays in leading our country and other leaders, and I wish to acknowledge Ministers in this Parliament for the workload you have. We don’t always agree and we question it, but I do acknowledge the tremendous hard work that goes into being a Minister.

I acknowledge the Hon Simon Bridges and the Hon Paula Bennett, as leader and deputy leader of our party. While the last member, Ruth Dyson, may have criticised and said that the National Party’s going down the tubes, nothing could be further from the truth. We leave this year and this House at 46 percent in the polls, and I defy any other political party to have been through what we’ve been through and come out the other end with the leadership intact and at 46 percent in the polls.

I wish to thank all of our families and, across the Parliament, all the people that support us in this place. It is a unique role. It is very hard on families and we owe a great deal to those who support us. To the staff in this place: one year in, I have found the people in this place to be amazingly good, helpful, and nice people, and they do everything they can to make this place function, to make our offices function, whether they’re here or in our electorates, despite our own quirks.

I do wish to say something about my own electorate. And I wish to say this in all sincerity to Government members who want to listen. When this Government came into power, there was a shortage of 70 State houses in Tukituki; as of today, you have built seven. When this Government came into power, one of the biggest things you said was, “We’re going to help rental accommodation.” As of today, the rents in my district and my electorate have gone up by $48 a week, largely because of compliance costs, a whole lot of ideologically driven things, but, actually, it’s impacting their cost of living.

There has also been a massive loss in my electorate in transport. The four-laning of the expressway is canned. We now find we’re going to build a three-lane sort of something, with a wire rope down the middle and two part-roads on the side. To Government members: if you’re going to do that, why don’t you do the job properly and four-lane it at the same stage?

I come back—particularly for Minister Iain Lees-Galloway—to labour issues. Mike Chapman, who’s the CEO of Horticulture New Zealand, wrote an article recently which said, not to exaggerate things, that we are facing a labour crisis of economically crippling proportions. Now, while I acknowledge 1,750 extra Recognised Seasonal Employer workers, let’s be very clear: in my province and my region, and in addition to the Bay of Plenty, if we don’t get the labour supply right, there will be a major fundamental impact on our economy.

The last thing I wish to say is that the most disappointing thing for me this whole year has been the decision to ban oil and gas. I say that, because we as parties have agreed on two important things: child poverty reduction and the climate change commission. If this House wants to make fundamental changes on key difficult policy areas like this, we need to adopt best practice. Best practice would have been to put the oil and gas decision through the independent climate change commission and work out the rationale with all the experts. So I leave at the end of day thinking that was a major missed opportunity.

In closing, I wish everybody a merry Christmas. Members across this House, thank you for your collegiality, humour, warmth, debate, criticism: it’s all part of this place. And let’s remember what Christmas is about. It’s about our families and it’s about being kind to each other, as we were taught by the Christmas parable that we all base this time on. Enjoy your summer break, everybody. Thank you.

SPEAKER: Thank you, members. What I’m going to do is the traditional run-through of some of the stats and then acknowledge and thank people who need thanking.

The House this year has sat on 95 days. We’ve had 28 and a bit extended sitting hours. We’ve had 14 hours under urgency, and I say to the Leader of the House that, while it might be a lot fewer than in the past, I’m not sure that any of the hours were necessary. We’ve sat for a total of 569 hours. The Government has introduced 60 bills. Fifty-five Government bills have been passed. Thirty-three members’ bills have been introduced: of those, 12 have bit the dust and six have passed through the process. There have been three local bills introduced, and two of those have been passed. There have been 1,126 oral questions to Ministers, five to members, and I’m slightly behind the Leader of the House in that my stats are, as of last night, that there have been 40,127 written questions lodged, and there are quite a few of them left to be answered.

Members, I would like to go on and give some thanks to people: first of all, to all members of the House, because you have all been generous to me and, in different ways, helpful. I want to specifically acknowledge the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. I think, arguably, one has the most important job in the country and the other has the most difficult job in the country. But I think all of us know that both of them put their heart and their soul into their respective jobs.

I want to make a special mention of the Hon Paula Bennett, who has been, through a very difficult issue for me, enormously helpful, open to me, and also, I think, has done some really important work for staff and members in this House.

I want to go on to staff members. I want to make special mention of David Stevenson, whom we acknowledged earlier in the day, and his extensive team, which involves the corporate staff, security, messengers, library, office staff, and people around the electorates. All of them are necessary and important to make sure that we can do our jobs well.

I want to acknowledge the catering staff and the cleaners, who are contracted staff. I’m still having trouble with some of the longstanding cleaning staff who think that after 25 years of calling me Trevor, they’ve got to stand back in the corridor and call me something else, but we’re slowly getting back to a good relationship.

Hon Ruth Dyson: Are we allowed to call you Trevor?

SPEAKER: I think the Hon Ruth Dyson, who, other than the Hon Shane Jones, is probably the biggest contributor to extra questions to the Opposition, might well be quiet at this point.

I want to acknowledge the press gallery, who have had—and always have—a tough year, but there have been some incidents this year that have made their lives harder than normal. I want to make a special comment, an acknowledgment, to Tova O’Brien, who chose a principled, compassionate, and caring approach to a story that she chose not to break to the public. I think that that was something which should be acknowledged, something which is quite unusual, and something which I think was important to an individual. She put the individual over the story.

I want to thank members of the Business Committee, especially the Hon Gerry Brownlee, with whom I think I get on quite well, although I think both of us occasionally seem to act in other ways, and Chris Hipkins, the Leader of the House. People know that I’ve known Chris for a very long time, and I think it’s fair to say that he’s coming out of—I think of him sometimes as an apprentice. But if he’s an apprentice, I’m not sure who I am, so I think I’m going to leave that image alone.

I want to thank my fellow presiding officers: the Hon Anne Tolley, Poto Williams, and Adrian Rurawhe. They do an incredibly hard job very well. I get the stuff where the public might be more interested, and they get the hard grind and they often have to make decisions which are not that popular with people—in fact, more often than I do—not that popular with members of the House, and all of them do it, I think, with a good knowledge and a growing knowledge of the rules and with considerable integrity.

I want to thank my small but well-formed team in my office, led by Carlie Bromley and Jessie Manning and Roland Todd. Roland, we have added to your responsibilities in the last year or so, and I think I can share with the House that it’s not unusual for there to be a difference as far as the count is concerned at the end of the day, but I’m yet to be informed of a time when Roland was wrong.

Members, I want to wish everyone all the best for the festive season. Spend time with the people whom you care about, be safe, and come back here refreshed.

Waiata

SPEAKER: Before I put the motion, as people sometimes do when they scribble notes, they miss out people who are very important, and I do want to acknowledge the people in front of me: David Wilson and his team, including Raf Gonzalez-Montero, who is moving across to his new role. I want to especially acknowledge Andie Lindsay, and I think members should understand that her knowledge and her efficiency is a very important part of our democracy. To the Chamber staff, Inter-Parliamentary Relations, the people who run the select committees, and all of those who make the Office of the Clerk work well, I say thank you very much.

Motion agreed to.

The House adjourned at 5.29 p.m.