Wednesday, 15 December 2021

WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2021

WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2021

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

Karakia/Prayers

Karakia/Prayers

Hon JACQUI DEAN (Assistant Speaker): Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the Queen and pray for guidance in our deliberations, that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.

PETITIONS, PAPERS, SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

PETITIONS, PAPERS, SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SPEAKER: Petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.

CLERK:

Petition of Clive Hobson requesting that the House change the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 to increase the minimum rate

petition of Laurance Paterson ONZM requesting that the House legislate that local government councils cannot sell or place their water assets into the proposed Three Waters entities unless supported by a majority of ratepayers in a referendum.

SPEAKER: Those petitions stand referred to the Petitions Committee.

Ministers have delivered papers.

CLERK:

Annual reports for 2021 for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, Radio New Zealand, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Radio New Zealand, Statement of Performance Expectations for the year ended 30 June 2022

Abuse in Care: Royal Commission of Inquiry, volumes one and two

Budget Policy Statement 15 December 2021

Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update 2021.

SPEAKER: Those papers are published under the authority of the House.

A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.

CLERK: Report of the Petitions Committee on the petition of Jarno Noordermeer.

SPEAKER: The Clerk has been informed of the introduction of a bill.

CLERK: Firearms (Prohibition Orders Legislation) Bill, introduction.

SPEAKER: That bill is set down for first reading.

Oral Questions

Questions to Ministers

Question No. 1—Prime Minister

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

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes. I especially stand by my statement in January that 2021 would be the year of vaccines. When I made that statement, vaccinations around the world had barely begun and New Zealand was just days away from administering first doses—and how far we’ve come. I’m happy to report that, since then, 7,916,149 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 2,610 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been delivered to New Zealanders. Most importantly, 89.82 percent of eligible New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Mr Speaker, if you’ll indulge me, I think we can round that up to 90 percent. The success of the programme rests with those on the front line: the nurses, the vaccinators, the healthcare workers and assistants, the Hauora providers, our Pasifika providers, and the security and site managers. I want to give a particular acknowledgment to rangatahi and young people who have been such a strong part of the campaign—every single person who helped to get one of the thousands to vaccination sites. And my final thanks goes to the 3.9 million New Zealanders who have chosen to protect their whānau and protect themselves by getting vaccinated. We are all the safer because of it.

Christopher Luxon: Is she concerned that increasing Government spending by a massive 68 percent in just five years is contributing to the cost of living rising faster than wages?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, as the member will have heard me say in this House, until the phenomena of COVID-19, we here in New Zealand did have wage growth, on average, outstripping inflation from 2018. What you’ll see Treasury reflect today is, of course, that we are not an outlier; we are like many other countries that are experiencing inflation as a result of supply constraints, shipping issues, high consumer demand, and all of that is occurring at the same time around the world, and that is why many countries are experiencing inflation increases, as we are.

Christopher Luxon: If inflation is all important, as she seems to be suggesting, does that mean that she believes the New Zealand Government has no influence at all on the cost of living in this country?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Look, I acknowledge that there will be times when Government policies will have an impact on inflation, because you only need to look at the last time we saw inflation at a rate of 5 percent, under the National Government, and over, then, successive quarters, when they chose to increase GST. However, what we are looking at the moment is a situation where, actually, it is predominantly international factors that are impacting on inflation. However, if the member is suggesting that we should cut Government spending, particularly given, today, the Minister of Finance has pointed to the importance of spending on healthcare—if the member is proposing to cut spending on healthcare, that is his prerogative; it is not ours.

Christopher Luxon: What is her understanding of the relationship between Government spending and inflation?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I just acknowledged in my last question that there are examples of Government policy that have had an impact on inflation. Of course, the most important factor often in New Zealand is monetary policy in what we see in inflation rates in New Zealand. But if the member is saying that we should use fiscal policy and cut Government spending, or increase taxes or price controls, then that is for the member. We disagree with those initiatives, and, again, you’ll see in the forecast suggestion from Treasury today that we’ll see a peak in early 2022 and then their forecast is that it will begin to fall away, and, again, we’ll see real wage growth in New Zealand.

David Seymour: Is the Prime Minister saying that there is not one example of wasteful Government spending that could be cut to reduce pressure on the cost of living faced by New Zealanders, and, if she is, does that include the $51 million spent designing a bike bridge that was, rightly, never even built?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member believes in flat taxes and does not believe in investing in Government services, so that member’s view of waste may not be the same as our view of investment in critical Government services. So that’s a matter for the member. We are of the view that particularly in an economic crisis, in a health crisis, we invest in our people and our core Government services.

Hon Grant Robertson: In light of that last supplementary, can the Prime Minister confirm that the $51 million spent on investigating the SkyPath represented 0.047 percent or 5/100th of 1 percent of Government spending; and does she think that will have a major inflationary effect? [Interruption]

SPEAKER: Before the Prime Minister—well, I’m not quite sure that there was a question there; it was certainly rhetorical. But I am going to remind Erica Stanford that when—if it was Erica Stanford. Which member was it who was calling out? [Member raises hand] Hang on. I’m just going to deal with Nicola Willis first. Nicola Willis will stand, withdraw, and apologise.

Nicola Willis: I withdraw and apologise.

SPEAKER: No, the member will take her mask off to do it.

Nicola Willis: I withdraw and apologise.

SPEAKER: Does the Prime Minister want to—was there enough of a question in that, rather than a statement, for the Prime Minister to answer?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I think anything around SkyPath—

David Seymour: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Amongst all the fracas and disturbance it was quite a fine question with some very specific numbers. I didn’t hear it. I wonder: would it be OK for the Minister of Finance to repeat it?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I heard the question, Mr Speaker.

SPEAKER: No, I think the Prime Minister heard it. She’s capable of answering it if she so wishes.

Chris Bishop: Point of order.

SPEAKER: No, hang on. I’m now getting to the point where I have the feeling that possibly accidentally to start with, but deliberately since, there’s been an interference in the process of the House. If this is not a valid point of order, the member will not stay in the House. Chris Bishop—

Chris Bishop: I just wanted to say I didn’t hear.

SPEAKER: No, he doesn’t have one.

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, I think for the purposes of the member’s point what was invested in SkyPath would pale in comparison to the cuts that would be proposed in services and investment in New Zealanders were the ACT Party given the chance.

Christopher Luxon: What is the Government doing to constrain inflation now forecast at 5.6 percent next year?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: At the same time as we have seen Treasury forecast inflation to hit those rates in early 2022, they are also forecasting that it will fall away and back within the midpoint range for the Reserve Bank beyond that across 2022. In fact, that’s in line with much of the forecasting that we’re seeing at present. So that again points to the international factors that are affecting us as they are affecting the US, as they are affecting the UK, and as they are affecting Canada.

Chris Bishop: Point of order. That was actually a very specific question that was not addressed, which was: what is the Government doing to constrain inflation?

SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. The member might want to take a lesson from a few of his colleagues: if the members require an answer to a specific question—a specific answer to a specific question—they don’t ask a general first question.

Chris Bishop: It’s got to be addressed though.

SPEAKER: No, no, sorry—the member does not interject when I’m on my feet. I mean, he’s the shadow Leader of the House. It might take him a little time to remember what the role is again, but he will obey the rules. Chris Luxon—Christopher Luxon, I apologise.

Christopher Luxon: Is it Government policy to return inflation to within the 1 to 3 percent Consumers Price Index band, as stated in the remit, and, if so, what is she doing to achieve that policy?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That is the domain of the Reserve Bank.

Christopher Luxon: Why, after four years of a Labour Government, are prices now growing twice as fast as wages, and does she have any plan to stop Kiwis on the average wage getting poorer?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: In answer to the first part of the question, this Government is not responsible for the arrival of COVID-19, and yet that is the primary driver of what we are seeing in terms of inflation. Of course, in terms of that period pre - the pandemic, you’ll actually see the impact of Government policy, where wages were growing faster than inflation.

Christopher Luxon: Why is she continuing to spend at record levels, despite inflation running at a 30-year high with prices growing faster than wages, making everyday hard-working Kiwis poorer?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And Treasury has forecast that we will start to see inflation peak in 2022 and then fall back away to the midpoint range again. The investment that we have signalled for the Budget we have also signalled will have a focus, particularly, on two significant challenges for New Zealand: healthcare and climate change. If the member is proposing to invest in neither, then he is answerable to the New Zealand electorate on that.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana) to the Minister of Finance: Fa‘afetai lava, Mr Speaker. What are the objectives and priorities for Budget 2022?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Budget 2022 will be based on the enduring objectives that were set at the first Wellbeing Budget, and these themselves are based on evidence and advice and data as to where New Zealand needs to focus to meet our long-term challenges and take opportunities that we have. The priorities outlined in the Speech from the Throne will guide the Budget, and they include a focus on the Government’s health reforms. COVID-19 has highlighted how critical a prepared health system is to protect New Zealanders and support their wellbeing. Budget 2022 will make significant investments in establishing the new entities that will replace district health boards. Managing rising costs will be a major challenge in health in coming decades, but we will ensure that these entities have a solid base for tackling that challenge. The Budget will also begin a multi-year approach to funding the health sector. Initially this will be a two-year funding path, and then from 2024 will move to a three-year funding plan, in line with New Zealand’s first health plan.

Barbara Edmonds: What other objectives and priorities is the Government focusing on?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Budget 2022 will also focus on investing in initiatives to reduce emissions and meet our climate goals. Climate change is one of the most pressing long-term challenges facing New Zealand, and to respond to it effectively, we need to make significant investment across multiple Budgets. A new climate emergency response fund will invest the proceeds of our emissions trading scheme (ETS) to combat climate change and support the transition to a more resilient economy, with investments that will create jobs and boost productivity. The fund has been established with $4.5 billion from the ETS, based on the forecasted proceeds over the next four years.

Barbara Edmonds: What is the economic environment in which Budget 2022 will be delivered?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well, the Treasury today released its latest economic and fiscal forecast in the 2021 Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update. While Treasury is forecasting a decline in GDP in the September quarter, due to the Delta outbreak, it predicts a bounce-back in the December quarter of 3.7 percent, and annual growth is forecast to average about 3 percent a year from 2023 to 2026. Unemployment is forecast to fall further, to 3.1 percent in the March quarter next year, while wages are forecast to grow 4.4 percent a year, on average, across the forecast period. The strength of the New Zealand economy means that the books will be back in surplus earlier than expected in 2023-2024; net debt will peak at 40.1 percent of GDP, lower than the 48 percent that was forecast at the Budget; and core Crown expenses will drop from their current level of 35.3 percent to 30.5 percent next year, and track at a similar level across the forecast period.

Jan Logie: Does he agree that COVID support made available to big businesses has not trickled down, as wealthy asset owners are nearly $1 trillion richer since COVID began, and, if so, how will the next Budget prioritise workers and whānau?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The problem with that particular description is that it puts into the category of the very rich or wealthy all of the small-business owners and sole traders who dominate those who have got the economic support from the Government. It is also the case that that economic support, in the case, particularly, of the wage subsidy scheme, has kept people in work. I stand proudly behind that.

Question No. 3—Finance

3. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions on inflation?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes, in the context in which they were made. In particular, I stand by my statements that global pressures, including supply chain issues and higher oil prices, are contributing to higher inflation, with the Consumers Price Index growth forecast today by the Treasury to peak in the first quarter of next year before falling across 2022. I also stand by our actions to support low-income New Zealanders at this time, including by lifting their incomes through lifts to benefit rates and the minimum wage. I look forward to the member’s new-found enthusiasm for that.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does he accept that inflation is, as Cameron Bagrie says, “a thief that steals savings, reduces purchasing power, and pressures firms’ margins.”, and, if so, when will he rein in his inflationary spending and address the big rises in costs we’re seeing right now?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The member fundamentally misunderstands the situation that New Zealand is in. If he goes back to the Budget, when inflation was tracking at a level that was within the Reserve Bank’s target range, and looks at the spending that the Government has done since then, that spending, that extra spending of $10 billion, has been $7 billion of support for businesses and workers and $2.8 billion worth of support for the health system. If the member is opposing the additional support that we provided to businesses and workers and the health system, he is free to do that; it hasn’t been what his colleagues have been saying.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does he accept taking core Crown expenses to $128 billion next year—68 percent more than when he first became finance Minister—in an already hot economy will raise inflation and really hurt Kiwis?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No. What I do accept is that core Crown expenses are up at 35 percent now in response to a crisis—interestingly enough, the same level they were when the previous National Government responded through to the Canterbury earthquakes—and then they come down across the forecast period to 30 percent and stay steady at 30 percent. Those core Crown expenses are the things that pay for our health system, that pay for our education system, that pay to build State houses—the National Party don’t like doing that, but we know that that is our responsibility.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does he accept his spending is currently contributing to 9.4 percent rent inflation, 28 percent building supplies—

SPEAKER: Two questions.

Hon Simon Bridges: —30 percent housing—

SPEAKER: Three questions.

Hon Simon Bridges: —9 percent fruit and veges—I could go on—

SPEAKER: You can’t.

Hon Simon Bridges: —and that this has seriously increased spending next year will make things even worse?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No, I do not accept the latter part of the member’s question. What I do accept is that global supply chain issues are putting pressure on things like building supplies and on food prices. I presume that the member is now proposing some form of Muldoonist price freeze. Well, again, that’s up to the member if that’s what he wants to propose.

Hon Simon Bridges: Does he understand that with inflation set to go to 5.6 percent next year from 4.9 percent currently and wages not set to grow that fast, we are in a cost of living crisis for Kiwis and he really needs to move on it?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I know is that wages outstripped inflation going into this period of the COVID era and that the Treasury is forecasting that that inflation rate will peak in the first quarter of next year and then by the end of next year, wages will outstrip inflation. I’m not going to be lectured by the National Party about wages, because this is a party that has consistently opposed everything that this Government has done to increase New Zealand’s wages. Mr Bridges, you also have to remember that each time one of your colleagues decides to stand up and ask the Government to spend more money—Nicola Willis on housing or Matt Doocey on mental health—you’ve said, “No. No more spending.”

Hon Chris Hipkins: Can the Minister of Finance confirm that one of the drivers of an increase in spending in areas like health and education has been long overdue pay increases for people like nurses and teachers and teacher-aides and some of our lowest paid public servants?

SPEAKER: No. No, the member’s not going to because colleagues of the member interjected during the question.

Question No. 4—Social Development and Employment

4. SHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How has MSD provided support to people and whānau impacted by COVID-19?

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Our Government has continued to move fast to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on some of our most vulnerable people, whānau, and communities. We’ve provided over $50 million in additional funding for food banks and support services since the Delta outbreak began. This includes, more recently, our $12 million funding boost to providers who have experienced prolonged lockdowns in the lead-up to Christmas. This has helped reach tens of thousands of people and whānau right across the motu, but particularly in Tāmaki-makau-rau. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our social service providers, the New Zealand Food Network, food hubs, and food banks, front-line staff, iwi, and hapū for their hard mahi, commitment, and dedication to the cause.

Shanan Halbert: How are the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) supporting people and whānau who will need to self-isolate moving forward?

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: We recently announced $204 million to support individuals and whānau who contract COVID-19 and need to self-isolate at home. This support comes as we enter into a new phase in our response to COVID-19. It underlines the importance of supporting the welfare needs of individuals and whānau who may need additional support to isolate safely. We’re taking a locally-led approach specific to each region and community. This funding will support this approach by empowering our local partners and organisations to deliver welfare support.

Shanan Halbert: What feedback has she received about the MSD’s response to COVID-19?

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve had over 70 check-ins with social service providers and community groups via Zoom. More recently, the Prime Minister and I met with social service providers in Auckland. The main feedback was that Government and MSD had listened and had given providers the support they need to best service their communities. Hurimoana Dennis of Te Puea Marae said that Government support meant they were able to provide a one-stop shop for people. They’d come in for a vaccination, and walk out vaccinated, with food support and, sometimes, even a job. It’s been heartening to see the collaboration and innovation of providers like this who have worked closely in partnership with Government to support those most in need through these challenging times. To all our social service providers across the motu, we say thank you, and we also wish them all a very merry Christmas.

Jan Logie: Does she think it is equitable that beneficiary debt rose from $150 million to $750 million in 2020 with no amnesty, while some of the wealthiest businesses operating in this country took COVID support, posted high profits, and paid dividends to shareholders with no clawbacks from MSD?

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: With regards to a debt for MSD clients, this is an issue that was here when we came into Government. We put in our manifesto, coming in after the last election—[Multiple members interjecting]

Rt Hon Trevor Mallard: Order!

Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: —that actually addressing debt to Government, which is not just debt to the Ministry for Social Development, but particularly debt to MSD, Justice, and Inland Revenue had to be something that we addressed and we’ve committed to doing that this term.

Question No. 5—Immigration

5. ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of Immigration: What is the total number of workers included in border class exceptions announced this year, and how many have entered the country?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): Early on in the global pandemic, the Government recognised that, despite our closed border, we needed to bring in people and their skills as it was safe to do so to support our economic, cultural, and humanitarian objectives. That’s why we set up the class exceptions process to support key industries and services to meet their workforce needs while the border is closed. Overall, we’ve approved over 22,000 workers to come to New Zealand since the border closure, covering health workers, individual critical workers, and workers arriving under class exceptions. The total number of workers eligible for border class exceptions announced this year is 1,335. This includes exceptions that have recently been announced in the latest round where workers will only begin arriving in 2022. Therefore the number of arrivals is correspondingly lower at 565.

Erica Stanford: Can he confirm that none of the 200 teachers announced as a class exception over five months ago have entered New Zealand?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: No, it’s actually 300 teachers. I’d like to inform the member that the process works, that the Government has approved spaces or visas for 300 teachers, and from there it is an applicant-driven process. As you would have heard from the Secretary for Education recently, there’ve been just a little over 100 applications to date and they are in process, and a small number have arrived in New Zealand. I imagine some of those may have been having issues with getting managed isolation (MIQ) places. Some of them may be making the decision to have Christmas with their families before New Zealand, and in some circumstances, circumstances change. Some people plan to be in particular jobs in particular times, as the member will know, and sometimes plans change and things change that delay or scupper those types of jobs being taken up.

Erica Stanford: Can he confirm that out of the 200 dairy-farm workers announced as a class exception six months ago, only three have entered New Zealand?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I don’t think that is particularly the case. Again, what I would say—[Multiple members interject]

SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member asked a question. I don’t know if she wants an answer, but the House does.

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: What I would reiterate is that it is an applicant-driven process and there are criteria which those applicants have to meet in order to get the visa.

SPEAKER: No, no. Well, the House did want to have an answer and it didn’t have one. It was a very specific question. Do you want it repeated?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I did at the beginning.

SPEAKER: Sorry? Can the member repeat his answer so I can hear it?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Mr Speaker, can I just hear the question again?

Erica Stanford: Can he confirm that out of the 200 dairy farm workers announced as a class exception six months ago, only three have arrived in New Zealand?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I will reiterate to the member that I think it was actually 150 spaces announced earlier this year, and, again, it is an applicant-driven process. If some of those applicants don’t meet the criteria within those visas, they don’t make it to New Zealand. A small number have managed to get a visa, so a small number have arrived in New Zealand.

Erica Stanford: Is the Minister seriously blaming the applicants for these border exceptions rather than a lack of space in MIQ to get into the country?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: No, I’m not doing that. That is the question of the member. What I’m making very clear is that the Government sets aside visas in order for people to come across. And then from there it is an applicant-driven process which has criteria to meet.

Hon Damien O’Connor: Mr Speaker?

SPEAKER: The Hon Stuart Nash.

Hon Damien O’Connor: Supplementary, Mr Speaker.

Nicola Grigg: The saviour of the ag industry!

SPEAKER: Oh, where did that one come from?

Hon Damien O’Connor: Can—

SPEAKER: No, sorry. Who interjected then? Who was it who interjected?

Nicola Grigg: I did, sir.

SPEAKER: Well, the member will withdraw and apologise. It is getting too frequent.

Nicola Grigg: I withdraw and apologise.

Hon Damien O’Connor: Can the Minister confirm that—

SPEAKER: It was Damien O’Connor, not Stuart Nash. The hair put me off, with the mask on.

Hon Damien O’Connor: Trouble with my hearing, Mr Speaker! Can the Minister confirm that, in bringing dairy workers into the country, one of the requirements was that those people be paid fair wages and conditions, and that one of the concerns Immigration had was the charge of rental of $500 a week for a farmhouse being considered over the top?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: There were conditions like that on the visas that the Minister has suggested. One of the things that we’ve had to make sure is that, when we do approve the visas that the Minister is speaking about, those who get those visas approved actually stick to an exact criteria.

SPEAKER: Carmel Sepuloni, could you put your mask on, please.

Erica Stanford: Other than just blaming the applicants, what specific steps has he taken over the last six months to ensure that workers included in border exceptions actually arrive in New Zealand to fill critical workforce shortages?

Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I refer to the answer to the first supplementary question. The Government enables a certain number of visas within a class exception. It is then an applicant-led process. Within the process around education that the member has suggested first, we allotted 300 visas, and the demand at this stage is much less than that. Therefore, the number of people who have arrived has been lower than expected.

Question No. 6—Police

6. GINNY ANDERSEN (Labour—Hutt South) to the Minister of Police: What reports has she seen regarding recent efforts by Police to disrupt organised crime?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police): I’ve seen a report that the Police recently executed the third phase of Operation Selena, a major operation undertaken in partnership with the New Zealand Customs Service, which has been six months in the making. Last Wednesday, 19 search warrants were carried out across Auckland in relation to the alleged drug smuggling between Los Angeles International Airport and Auckland Airport, which involved the use of baggage handlers. Police arrested 14 suspects and seized millions of dollars’ worth of assets including houses, vehicles, and bank accounts. This brings the total number of arrests as part of Operation Selena to 24. Police continue to strike real blows against organised crime and the supply of illicit drugs in our community, and I’m sure my colleagues in the House will join me in acknowledging the excellent work Police does in this space to keep us safe.

Ginny Andersen: What other reports has she seen regarding the disruption of organised crime?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I’ve seen a report that, as part of Operation Tauwhiro, Police have seized more than 1,200 firearms, 52 kilograms of methamphetamine, carried out 870 search warrants, and made 1,151 arrests. We have a zero tolerance for organised crime and that is why we’ve provided police with the tools they need to disrupt organised and keep our communities safe.

Ginny Andersen: What additional tools has the Government introduced to combat organised crime?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Today, we’ve made further progress in our efforts to stamp out gun crime with the introduction of the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Bill. This will prevent those who have committed serious offences from possessing, accessing, or using firearms and make our communities safe. Furthermore, this Government has put a record number of police on the front line, including those with a specific focus on organised crime. We have invested $450 million in Police since we came to office, which will fund an additional 1,800 police by June 2023, and with more than 2,800 police graduating since 2017. This investment in Police means that under this Government, we have the largest police workforce, which is making a significant difference in our ability to disrupt, deter, and combat organised criminal activity in New Zealand.

Question No. 7—Finance

7. Hon JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that “key long-term environmental issues need to be explicitly acknowledged and responded to as part of the Budget process. They carry serious implications for fiscal risks in the future and cast long shadows on the resilience of the nation’s natural capital”?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes, I welcome the constructive and detailed report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, which provides valuable insights for the continuing improvement on how we budget for environmental wellbeing. The Government is very aware of the need to think long term about how to improve environmental outcomes, which also will help mitigate fiscal risks. In fact, these approaches are core to the wellbeing Budgets that we have put forward and look forward to putting forward again.

Hon James Shaw: Does he agree with the serious shortcomings that the commissioner identified with the Budget process, including insufficient information and advice to allow Ministers to properly weigh up environmental implications?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yes, I do. The issue of the way in which we collect data and report on environmental outcomes in New Zealand is something that we have been working on, and I look forward to the work of the Associate Minister for the Environment, the Hon James Shaw, on the subject of environmental reporting.

Hon James Shaw: I’ll mention it to him. Does he agree with the commissioner that aspects of the natural environment are necessary prerequisites for human health and life, which means that it is fundamentally flawed to directly trade the environment off against other things in Budget frameworks?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I agree to the extent that the wellbeing of New Zealanders is dependent on all of the matters that are covered within the Living Standards Framework. The natural capital and the environmental wellbeing that we have is critical to the way in which the economy operates, the health of individuals, and, indeed—as we’ve been discussing in earlier questions—the fiscal situation. But we do try to look at wellbeing as a whole, and I certainly accept the parliamentary commissioner’s view that, currently, we do not have the information we need to be able to make the decisions. That’s why we’re looking to improve that.

Hon James Shaw: What steps, if any, will he take to respond to the recommendations of the commissioner, including changing cost-benefit analysis and the social discount rate to one that “better reflects the long-term intergenerational costs and benefits that pertain to the environment”?

Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We will continue to work on the Living Standards Framework and the wellbeing approach to ensure that we genuinely can reflect the state of the four capitals and be able to address those. The individual recommendations we will work our way through. I do note that when it comes to the discount rate, that does not have to be applied. It is the guidance given as part of the CVACC process. We are continuing to look at how we extract better value for money.

SPEAKER: Question No. 8, David Seymour.

Chris Bishop: CVACC—it’s back.

SPEAKER: Order! Mr Bishop.

Question No. 8—Prime Minister

8. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her of her Government’s statements and policies?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes.

DAVID SEYMOUR: Does she believe that her Government’s fiscal policies affect inflation; and, if so, is she concerned that Treasury forecast this morning that inflation next year will be 5.1 percent when only five or six months ago in May it forecast next year’s inflation would be only 1.7 percent?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And therein lies the issue. What you can see in the change in forecast is a reflection of what we’re seeing globally. You will have heard both myself and the Minister of Finance reflect, and Treasury themselves confirming, that pandemic-induced international shipping issues, supply chain constraints, high global demand for goods, and, of course, oil prices are all fuelling inflation. The member will also have seen that Treasury is forecasting that that peak point is in the first half of 2022 and are then forecasting for that to change over the remainder of 2022 and across the forecast period.

David Seymour: Is there anything that the Prime Minister can do and influence that will relieve New Zealanders from the rising prices they face, other than borrowing and spending even more money?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, that would then fall on the side of assuming that it’s demand side that’s causing all of the inflationary pressures that we’re seeing, and we know, of course, that this is an issue that is not just being experienced in New Zealand. So if it was solely Government policy, you might see New Zealand as an outlier, and we are not. As I’ve already said, you see the United States, the UK, and Canada all experiencing similar things, and, in fact, as you see many commentators internationally pointing out, you are seeing synchronised economic recovery, which is driving consumer demand at the same time as we have supply constraints, and that is fuelling a lot of what we’re seeing. The alternative, of course, if the member is of the view that it’s solely down to fiscal policy, is that you see Governments take a position of drastically reducing, for instance, investment in services or perhaps even some of the measures that we’ve taken to cushion the blow of COVID, and I’m not sure if that is what the member is supporting but we certainly do not support that.

David Seymour: Does she believe a policy such as mandating biofuel content in New Zealanders’ fuels, announced earlier today, adds to the cost of living, considering the price of reducing a tonne of carbon through that policy is a thousand dollars a tonne when the last emissions trading scheme auction sold New Zealand units for only $68 a tonne?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The first point I’d make is that I doubt we would be in this position were it not for the fact that, unfortunately, the National Government, when they last came into office, removed some of the biofuel work that was put in place over 10 years ago. And the shame of that is that therefore not only do we not have a biofuels industry in New Zealand; we haven’t seen the emissions reductions as well. But to come to the core of the premise of the member’s question, I think what’s having a much bigger impact on prices at the pump is the price of oil currently, which, as the member knows, has increased dramatically in recent times.

David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister believe that her Government’s housing policies are working in light of Treasury’s forecast this morning that house prices will rise 10 percent next year; and, if not, can she tell the House when they might start working?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, we’ve had a policy of investing heavily in public housing and a public house building programme, of moving or adjusting the playing field to focus on first-home buyers away from investors, of Resource Management Act reform to ensure that we see an increase in supply. And we have, as a result of a combination of these things, 8,000 public housing places, over 3,000 transitional housing places, and eight consecutive records of consents being issued. Of course, we are trying to solve decades’ worth of issues, but I do believe that all of those combined will start to have an impact on our housing market.

David Seymour: Supplementary—

SPEAKER: No, the member’s used his allocation for the year.

Question No. 9—Agriculture

9. ANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister of Agriculture: What recent announcements has he made on the situation and outlook for the primary sector?

Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): This morning, I was pleased to announce that New Zealand’s annual food and fibre export revenue is forecast to grow by 6 percent in 2022 and crack $50 billion for the first time. This is a significant achievement and a testament to the sector’s huge efforts to keep the wheels of our nation and local economies turning and supply essential products. This Government is incredibly proud of this result, and we are proud of our work to help farmers and growers as we navigate the complex challenges of COVID-19 while continuing to grow our exports. The Government is pleased to support the hard work to meet the strong global demand for healthier food and natural fibres with strong environmental credentials. Growing value, sustainability, and jobs are part of our 10-year food—

SPEAKER: Order! Order! That’s enough. The member answered the question quite a long time ago.

Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: It’s good stuff—

SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat.

Anna Lorck: What sectors are forecast to increase their exports in 2022?

Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: Growth is forecast to be strong across all of the primary sectors. High demand for dairy products, combined with strong export prices, is expected to deliver an estimated 10 percent increase in dairy export revenue, to over $20 billion. Meat export revenue is forecast to increase by 6 percent, to over $11 billion. Consumers also can’t get enough of our fresh fruit and wine—that member will be pleased to know that—with demand remaining strong. This is driving an expected increase in export revenue of 5 percent, to $6.9 billion in horticulture. Forestry exports are going to be up. This is only possible because of the resilience of the forestry businesses and their massive effort to get back on track and tackle the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Seafood—[Speaker signals for Minister to stop speaking] I haven’t got to seafood.

SPEAKER: No, I actually think, between the answer and the supplementary, we have had enough.

Barbara Kuriger: Supplementary?

SPEAKER: If the member wants more, she can have it.

Barbara Kuriger: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What does the Minister say to the sector, who have expressed concerns that someone will be killed because they are relying on low-skilled workers to drive large mobile plant and machinery, when his announcement won’t see workers arrive in New Zealand for another three months because no managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) space has been set aside for them?

Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: I think the member is referring to the contracting sector, where, over the past two seasons, we’ve been working proactively with them to, firstly, attract keen people who are capable of driving. Some helicopter pilots have become machine operators. We’ve helped through training, through promotion of Opportunity Grows Here. This year, they still face challenges. They applied for 200 people, and, indeed, the Minister of Immigration and my Cabinet colleagues have approved 200 people. Many of them will be here before a peak period into the autumn. We have been doing a huge amount to relieve the pressure. Can I remind all those employers, though, that they still have health and safety obligations, and it is not right to insist on someone working long enough so that they become dangerous. That is not acceptable in any area of our economy.

Barbara Kuriger: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I specifically asked the Minister about the allocation of MIQ spots in relation to his announcement, and I didn’t get that answer.

SPEAKER: Well, buried in the middle of it, I think, there was reference to it. I think it was addressed in there somewhere. One of the problems that we have with answers that are this long is I sometimes forget what happened some time ago during them.

Hon Kris Faafoi: Keep them long, then!

SPEAKER: No more supplementaries from that member.

Kieran McAnulty: Point of order. Is it no more supplementaries from that member, or can others ask supplementaries?

SPEAKER: No other member went for a supplementary. Only that member went for it. If no other members went for it—

Hon Members: Supplementary?

SPEAKER: No. Those members will resume their seats. I have indicated that I have thought that the answers from this Minister were excessive—excessively long. Both the primary and the supplementary had to be stopped. I think the House has had a surplus of information from this Minister, and we are moving on to question No. 10 in the name of Mark Mitchell.

Question No. 10—Police

10. Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of Police: Will the Firearms Prohibition Order Bill be introduced by the end of this year, and is the Government committed to introducing firearms prohibition orders?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police): Firstly, can I congratulate the member on his new position and thank him for his question. This Government is committed to addressing firearms violence and its impact on our communities. That is why today we are taking an important next step to combat firearms violence with the introduction of the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Bill. The bill adds a further layer of protection for the public by prohibiting high—

SPEAKER: I’m sorry. I am going to finish the end of the year in a way which is, you know, indicating to Ministers the inappropriate approach. The answer to this question should have been, “Yes. It was introduced today”—you know—“and I’m committed to it.” It’s a very simple question in two parts and it didn’t ask for reasoning.

Hon Mark Mitchell: What concerns does she have that police have attended over 1,300 incidents involving firearms since she said on 11 May she would introduce legislation, in her words “[to] provide an extra tool for Police to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals, and to keep our communities safe.”?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: In response to some real concerns about not only safety of our front-line staff but also our community, this Government instituted the tactical response model with the police, which does several things. The first thing it does is it increases the capability and training for front-line police, and it comes directly off the front-line safety enhancement course that was put in place after the tragic death of Matthew Hunt. What this does—and anyone who has taken this course will tell you—is it gives them real confidence in their ability to make judgments about their safety in going into situations. On top of that, we have improved the ability for our communities to be safe. We’ve taken 60,000 military-style weapons out of circulation. We are introducing, after 30 years of not having one, an arms register, which will give our front-line police a real indication of the number of firearms in our communities. It takes courage and it takes leadership to do these kinds of things. When under National what happened was police numbers dropped. We have made sure that we have kept our promise of not only increasing our police but also since 2017 we have recruited 2,800 police. Those are the measures we are taking to keep our front-line police safe and our communities safe.

Hon Mark Mitchell: Why has it taken her until the last sitting day of the year to introduce this bill when police officers are facing growing gun violence?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Because we decided to take the time to get this bill absolutely right. There was a bill that was in this House, introduced by a member of this House, which basically was not up to scratch and there was a significant rework that was done on that particular bill by the select committee. We know that this work is so important we have to give it the time to get it right.

Hon Mark Mitchell: Why, when police officers are being shot on the streets as recently as the last fortnight, did it take the Minister seven months to bring this bill on the last sitting day of the House?

Hon POTO WILLIAMS: If that member thinks that the firearms prohibition orders legislation is the only thing that this Government has done to keep the front line safe, then he is sorely mistaken. Under his time as a Cabinet Minister in the last National Government, can he put his hand on his heart and say he did everything to keep the front line safe? No, he cannot, because what they did was they reduced the numbers on the front line to such a significant impact that it had an impact on safety of police. What we have done is we have increased police numbers. We have taken 60,000 military-style weapons out of circulation. We have made sure that the arms register, which will be instrumental in knowing how many firearms we have in our community, is being re-instituted. That will have a huge impact on the safety of police.

Question No. 11—Transport

11. GREG O’CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu) to the Minister of Transport: What recent reports has he seen about the Clean Car package?

Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): I’ve seen some very positive recent reports which note that since the Government launched the Clean Car Discount scheme in July of this year, there have been more than 8,500 electric vehicle (EV) registrations in New Zealand, more than for the whole period between 2013 and 2018. There are now nearly 36,000 EVs registered on our roads; that’s over seven times more than the fewer than 5,000 that were on the roads when we came into office. Of all the EVs on our roads, nearly a quarter today have been registered since July, when the Clean Car Discount began. The continuing success of our Clean Car package underscores that tackling climate change is a priority for this Government. Reaching our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will unclog our cities, clean up our air, and create sustainable jobs across the country.

Greg O’Connor: What other reports has he seen on the Clean Car package?

Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I’ve seen further reports noting that in the three months following the introduction of the Clean Car Discount in July, the average monthly emissions of new vehicles being imported into New Zealand fell by 15 percent. It previously took eight years to achieve a similar drop in emissions across the new imported fleet. So we have clear evidence on the table that our Clean Car package is helping to drive down emissions quickly and giving Kiwis access to cheaper clean vehicles.

Greg O’Connor: Further supplementary—what reports has he seen from the industry on the Clean Car package?

Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Very positive reports have come to my attention. The Toyota New Zealand chief executive, Neeraj Lala, said recently that he admired the Government’s work to tackle climate change and that our decision to introduce legislation targeting vehicle emissions has helped Toyota New Zealand secure more low-emissions and hybrid vehicles from its Japanese parent. The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association head, David Vincent, has backed our policy, saying, “We want to be on the right side of history and we want to be part of the solution and not the problem.” They are very much part of the solution, and I thank them for their work on my Clean Car Leadership Group. Finally, Robyn Denholm, global chair of Tesla Incorporated, called the Government’s Clean Car Discount scheme “world class”, and said that “the clean car standards before your parliament will put Aotearoa in among the cleanest, safest vehicle fleets in the world and that is decisive leadership.”

Question No. 12—Local Government

12. SIMON WATTS (National—North Shore) to the Minister of Local Government: Is it the case that she did not confirm to local councils until late October that Cabinet had decided on a “legislated all-in” approach to Three Waters in June; if so, why?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Local Government): The option to have a legislated all-in approach was signalled as early as December 2020, following a Cabinet decision that was publicly released. I can also confirm that to ensure the success of the three waters reform, and that it will benefit every community and/or ratepayers, an all-in approach was always an option and factored into an aggregated model of water services delivery. Furthermore, the Government didn’t make a final decision to progress with reform on a legislated all-in basis until 18 October 2021, following the local government conference and the eight-week engagement period to ensure feedback from the sector.

Chris Bishop: Point of order. Mr Speaker, that was a primary question on notice. I think the first leg was addressed in relation to the confirmation, but there’s a second leg, which is the “why”, and I don’t believe the Minister addressed the “why”?

SPEAKER: Well, I think the whole lead into it was the reasoning behind it.

Chris Bishop: Mr Speaker—

SPEAKER: No. Is the member going to argue with me? I have ruled that the member addressed the question. She certainly did—both parts of it.

Simon Watts: What does she say to local councillors and mayors who entered consultation in August in good faith, expecting their concerns to be considered, but now see the decisions had already been made months before consultation with them had even begun?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: I continue to say that the Government is responsive to the concerns that have been reflected by local government. We have remained agile in our response. That is why we ensured an eight-week consultation period on the advice of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ). That is why we took on board the concerns of the sector and that is why we established the working group which is now advising on the way in which legislation can proceed. I’m really pleased that I can meet with those few mayors who are here today, at about 4.30, to be able to continue to listen to them and hear their concerns, but, more importantly, find a way that we can work towards a solution. And at least this Government has a solution, because there is no alternative on the other side of the House.

Simon Watts: So how can local councillors and mayors have any faith that their concerns about the Government’s three waters proposal will be taken seriously when the Government withheld that a legislated all-in approach had already been agreed to for the entirety of the consultation process?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: That is not correct, and, in fact, two decades of under-investment in water infrastructure should be sufficiently of concern to members of the Opposition, who, when they were in Government, did nothing about it. At least this Government has a solution. At least this Government is trying to find a way to work with this sector so that they continue to remain involved in the way in which a financially sustainable pathway in water infrastructure investment can occur. That member has no solution whatever, at all.

Simon Watts: Will she apologise to local councillors and mayors for withholding that information and spending the entire consultation process refusing to confirm a mandatory approach would be used despite it having been decided months before the consultation began?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: For clarification, the member is ignoring the fact that the July Cabinet paper is quite clear. It explicitly notes that Cabinet would consider whether to proceed with an all-in approach at the end of the eight-week period. This is an important element, because the other aspect is that in July at the local government conference, the heads of agreement between the Crown, the Government, and Local Government New Zealand announced that if the Government decided to adopt an all-in approach, LGNZ would accept the decision.

Rachel Brooking: Does the Minister believe she has engaged in good faith with local councils throughout the three waters reform process?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Yes, I have and I continue to. And no matter how difficult the challenge is, it’s my strong view that engagement with the local government sector is a critical part of trying to find a solution to a really difficult challenge. I will not close my doors to engagement. In fact, just for convenience’s sake, I have a range of engagements dating back from June 2018 right up until the present day, which details the range of engagements that I have had on this particular issue. More importantly, the policy process has taken over four years to get to a point. Now, I know that we’re at the end of the year. This Government wants to ensure that we reach a point where on the first day of Christmas, all communities and all ratepayers get [Sings] clean drinking water, world-class water infrastructure, affordable water rates, professional governance entities, beaches we can swim in, debt off council books, and a pūkeko in a ponga tree.

Simon O’Connor: Point of order. The Minister very kindly seemed to be referring to an official document of her engagements and I’d welcome her to table it in the House.

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to detail the engagements, if it’s not too onerous on you.

SPEAKER: Well, if the member has—is the document the member has an official departmental document or is it a list from her office?

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: It’s a list from my office—

SPEAKER: Well, the member will resume her seat. It is not an official document, and I think it would be—well, I don’t know if I’ve got the right not to let the member seek leave to read it all out, but I think she’d probably get a—I’m getting a no, so we’ll just leave it there.

COVID-19 Orders

Approval

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): I move, That this House approve the following orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020:

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 3) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 11) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 12) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine) Amendment Order (No 4) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing and Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine and Maritime Border) Amendment Order 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 4) 2021

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 13) 2021.

This is the last one for 2020. There have been several such motions in the House this year to confirm orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act. I do want to begin this particular contribution with a very genuine word of thanks to the members of the Regulations Review Committee, who have done a very thorough job of scrutinising every one of the orders that’s been made under that Act. They provided some incredibly constructive feedback and suggestions for how those orders can be improved, some of which have resulted in revisions to the orders, and some actually resulted in some changes to the primary legislation under which those orders are made. I do want to thank the committee for the way that it has engaged with that.

Just to very quickly—I’m not going to run through all of the orders that are covered by this particular confirmation, but they do cover a lot of things, from required vaccinations through to changes to the air border order, which makes it a requirement to be fully vaccinated to come into New Zealand if you are not a citizen. There are changes that are being made to the required testing and the frequency of testing that people need to undertake. Changes have been made to the quarantine-free travel arrangements with our Pacific neighbours, particularly with the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

There have been changes made to the maritime border order in terms of defining the amount of time that people need to isolate on board ships before being able to come abroad. There are some changes to the required time frames for vaccination, particularly around Fire and Emergency New Zealand. That covers the main thrust of the changes. The rest deal with relatively, I think, technical issues around the required vaccination requirements.

I do acknowledge, as I always have done in issuing these orders, that it’s an enormous responsibility that I have as the Minister who has to sign them. I think this is a very important part of the process where Parliament confirms those orders, because they are made in a relatively unusual way, in the sense that they are scrutinised after they have been made, rather than before, unlike most primary legislation, where it gets thoroughly scrutinised before it is made. So I want to thank members of the House for the way they have approached these orders throughout the course of the year. This is the last one for this year, although I have to tell members that there’ll be another confirmation motion on either the first or the second day back after the summer holidays for them to look forward to.

But finally, can I just take a moment to thank all those who were involved in both putting the orders together and implementing the orders. The Parliamentary Counsel Office often have to turn these orders around overnight, where something’s happened urgently, and we need to put the orders in place. I acknowledge the huge pressure they have been under this year, as a result, largely, of COVID-19 - related demands, among other things. But I really want to thank them and put on record my thanks to them for the way that they have handled this. I also want to thank those at the front line who have to implement these orders, again, often at quite short notice, and thank them for their work, their commitment to our COVID-19 strategy, and wish everybody involved a very merry Christmas.

CHRIS BISHOP (National): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I echo the comments of the Minister for COVID-19 Response and just note that this is a critical part of the rule of law and I think it’s proven to be an excellent exercise. Can I also just thank the Regulations Review Committee—which I was sporadically a member of at moments of this year—for their hard work. It’s one of those committees where it’s really a geek’s committee, I think it would be fair to say; lawyers love it and the good news is that Chris Penk, who is an excellent lawyer, is the chair of the committee. We also have Rachel Brooking on the committee, who has made an outstanding start to her parliamentary career examining the various orders. It’s a committee that works in a bipartisan way and does seek to uphold the rule of law and consider the vires nature of the various orders that the Minister makes. He makes a lot of them and we’re looking forward to examining them when we come back in the new year. We don’t have any particular objection to many of the orders. The Regulations Review Committee has done a good job in examining whether or not they comply with the primary legislation.

I do want to flag for the House that we have significant concerns about the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine and Maritime Border) Amendment Order 2021. This is the one that came into effect on 16 November. The significance of this order is that it lowered the amount of time that people had to spend in managed isolation down from 14 days to seven days. The point I want to make to the House is that there is no reason in our view—the National Party—that we shouldn’t be looking to extend that order even further. Managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) has become a lottery of human misery, it is wilful State-sponsored cruelty on an industrial scale. Right now, we have 42 active cases of COVID in MIQ out of around 4,000 rooms, and 2,000 people with COVID—or their close contacts—isolating in the community. It’s a real perversion of Government priorities to have people who are fully vaccinated, with no COVID, taking up quarantine rooms that could be being used by people who are currently in the community with COVID. And as I revealed yesterday in the House, since 23 August, from Australia, there have been zero cases of fully vaccinated travellers testing positive for COVID in New Zealand; not a single person—zero. But yet this order means that someone coming from Australia has to spend seven days in MIQ, plus an additional three days in self-isolation, and have a polymerase chain reaction test before they can go into the community.

So our view is that we have the risk weighting completely around the wrong way. When the risk indicates you take a different approach, then the Government should take a different approach. We believe that there will be people sitting at empty Christmas tables this Christmas as a result of this order. It should go far further than what the Government has done so far. The Prime Minister likes to refer to these people as “cumulative risks”; actually, they’re Kiwi citizens who have legal rights under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.

MIQ is legally dubious. We know that the Government has had legal advice to the effect that the MIQ regime is probably inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, in particular the right for New Zealand citizens to return to New Zealand. The Bolton case has demonstrated that and there’s a legal case that will be heard in the new year, and it will be very interesting to see the outcome of that. Our view in relation to legality is that this order should go further than what it has done already and shorten down that MIQ time, preferably down to zero days altogether.

So with those brief remarks, thank you to the Minister for bringing these orders to the House and we approve them, other than the one I’ve just mentioned.

DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT for the first time to oppose the adoption of these orders—at least, the motion that the reports be accepted. We’ve been on quite a journey on this issue, initially supporting the first reading of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act, believing it important that we have a process where the rule of law makes New Zealanders’ rights and responsibilities clear even as the Government needs to respond, sometimes rapidly, to a changing public health situation. We entered into this in good faith, but what we have watched over the year and a bit since that initial vote is a Government’s response to COVID-19 that has become increasingly chaotic, inconsistent, and disproportionate to risk.

Just to take one example of that, there are vaccine mandates for some workplaces here that do not allow the alternative of testing. Now, the Government has decided that, for travel through certain internal borders, the mandate is vax or test. Air New Zealand, a major commercial operation that flies people all over the country, have said their requirement is vax or test. Initially, for the education sector, the requirement was vax or test. Now these orders say that, for certain jobs, the only way to reassure people around you is if you are vaccinated, rather than tested negative. And it’s not even clear which of those, at various points of vaccine fade, will truly be safer.

We have heard from other members already about the total lack of risk proportionality in the air border orders that are put in place that require people to isolate for long periods of time when they return to New Zealand, even seven days. And, again, that’s totally out of proportion to the risks that the Government is willing to take on COVID-19 in other circumstances. For example, we now know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people with COVID-19—that the Government knows have COVID-19 because it tested them and they were positive—isolating at home, but we still require New Zealanders, if they’re lucky, to come and get a managed isolation and quarantine spot and isolate for seven days in a hotel room. Many won’t have that chance and will find themselves trapped overseas, virtually being tortured by a rollercoaster of changing expectations on behalf of the Government.

At the same time, to give one example, there are youth hostels that normally have 30,000 people sleeping in them each night that are ready to start isolating people on education visas and skilled work visas that could be returning to New Zealand and isolating there. But they’re completely empty and they’re going out of business by the mass. We’re paying those costs while right next door, in Australia, the universities, the schools that ply their trade in international education are welcoming students, are welcoming skilled workers across the border, making sure that their economy is producing valuable goods and services for their people to consume—to counteract the inflation New Zealand experiences as too much money from the Reserve Bank and Treasury chase after too few goods, raising the cost of living for every single New Zealander.

Then there’s the question of how the Government has used the power it has to control the movement of New Zealanders around this country and enforce those rules. As a Parliament, when we started out with this COVID-19 Public Health Response Act, we gave the Government the power to act nimbly in a changing public health situation with the right legal framework, and what has been the experience of a simple concept, which is analysing the costs and benefits and risks of Aucklanders leaving the city to travel throughout New Zealand? What is the chance of somebody who is not vaccinated in Auckland leaving the city, actually harms somebody outside? The Government hasn’t calculated that. And, at various times, they’ve said that, when people leave the city, every car will be stopped—then “Some cars will be stopped.”

Then maybe, at one point, there was going to be a special time that you would be allowed to drive up State Highway 1! And then they said, Chris Hipkins said, “Only the Police will be able to stop people and check their status and where they’re going.” Then they said, “Actually, it will be enforcement officers.” Then they said, “It will be the Police that initiate them.” Then the Police said, “Actually, after discussion with some of the enforcement officers, we’ve decided what the details of these checkpoints will be.” This is absolute chaos despite the power this Parliament gave the Government to make rules, and into that void of chaos have stepped activists who don’t represent Northland, who don’t represent Māori, who don’t represent iwi—and we know that because they stood for Parliament in Te Tai Tokerau and were rejected by the voters—now bullying the Police into setting up checkpoints that will create more chaos, filling the void left by this Government’s indecision and inability to use the legislative power that we gave it as a Parliament to use these kinds of orders.

That is why this Government no longer deserves the power to operate this way. It’s not doing proper cost-benefit analysis. It’s not weighing up the risks and all of the costs that New Zealanders face. It is not allowing New Zealand to be competitive in a global context. All it is doing is behaving like a tired, weary Government that has lost the initiative, that is watching costs go up, that is separating families at Christmas, and that is creating confusion and eventually constitutional problems as it’s no longer clear who is really deciding what Police operations are when people try to drive up the road. That is a total failure to use this legislative framework that this Parliament gave the Government in good faith to use, and that is why, against that backdrop of increasingly chaotic and disastrous COVID management, the ACT Party cannot support this motion for these orders. This Government’s initiative at managing COVID is out of time. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green): Kia ora e te Māngai, ki a koutou katoa. It’s a pleasure to stand in general support of these COVID orders, which, of course, are already in effect. We note the hard work of the Regulations Review Committee in preparing this report—thank you very much.

I want to comment briefly on just a few of these things: number one, around managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). These orders set the vaccination requirements and exemptions for incoming travellers. These particular orders go back to on or before 12 December, so we’re already moving into a space, I guess, that we’ll be getting the orders for next year. Most importantly, though, it enables people to stay in MIQ for seven days, so this is a big deal.

I’m hoping that means that if we’re halving the time, we can double the amount of people that are coming through. I really feel for our whānau who are trying to get home and have struggled so much, trying to match flights with vacancies in MIQ and are just figuring out how this all works. I feel for the whānau who are still separated in this country and are trying to get their whānau here. Along with my colleagues from National and ACT, yesterday we accepted a petition from Grounded Kiwis, and shout-out to Global Greens and to our other parties and their international bodies who are in contact with our people trying to get here.

As I mentioned then, we’re restructuring our health system to avoid the postcode lottery that exists here. But we’re, effectively, running that for the people who aren’t here and we can do better, and we should.

In education, we notice quite a few things coming in around there, particularly around allowing schools to operate in person without the normal distancing requirements, but making sure there are other things in place. We’re hoping that our schools can be fitted with proper air filters, and just making sure that we do all the protections possible for our tamariki, for our taiohi, and especially for our five- to-11-year-olds, who cannot yet be vaccinated.

A quick point about the Pacific Islanders being able to come here with quarantine-free travel, particularly Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau, and Vanuatu: they’re specified because of our country’s strong connection with them. They supply Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme workers for us, and they’re free from COVID in their countries. We just wanted to strongly recommend that the country look very soon at making those arrangements with other Pacific Islands. They often will transit through those countries, but as much support as we can give to them, with them trying to grow their economies, and also connect back with their whānau who are living here.

Finally, when people ask where did the rules come from to allow the vax mandates for health and disability workers and those in education, this is the bill—one of these in here—that made it happen. It also applies to corrections workers, and we were interested in that. We thought it was a weird exemption that although the mandates apply to corrections workers, for some reason they don’t apply to people working in police cells or court cells. We just thought that people who are in custody in those cells should be afforded the same protection and peace of mind as people who are in custody in jail.

It may prove to be auspicious that the last day of Parliament coincides with the relaxing of the Auckland border. I’m really happy for everybody who is able to travel home, especially to see whānau and reconnect across the country. That connection is so important for our health and wellbeing; just please do it safely. Be really aware that when you’re going into low-vaccination areas, they’re going to be wary of travellers coming in, so just be respectful. When you’re going into shops, be respectful to the people who are serving you. If you’re going to argue with the Government, continue sending us the letters and the emails, but don’t hassle the 15-year-old who’s just giving you your food.

Nō reira, ngā mihi o te wā ki a koutou katoa. Season’s greetings to you all. This year has been a wild ride, and I hope you all get a good rest and come back next year, ready to keep changing the world, one select committee and one law at a time. Kia ora.

A party vote was called for on the question, That this House approve the following orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020: COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 3) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 11) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Amendment Order (No 5) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 12) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine) Amendment Order (No 4) 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing and Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine and Maritime Border) Amendment Order 2021, COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 4) 2021, and COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order (No 13) 2021.

Ayes 75

New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.

Noes 45

New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.

SPEAKER: I think Mr Penk might want to take a point of order.

CHRIS PENK (Senior Whip—National): Point of order, Mr Speaker. Just to clarify—I seek to confirm that I stated or at least intended to state 33 votes opposed for National.

SPEAKER: I thought that the speech indicated the other direction but if there’s been a—of course, we’ll take the whip’s word on it.

Motion agreed to.

Orders approved.

Adjournment

Adjournment

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): I move, That the House do now adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 February 2022.

Without doubt, this has been an incredibly hard year, but, as has been the case every year that I’ve been in politics, 2021 has taught me a lot. I’ve learnt that Barry has deadlines. I’ve learnt, Mr Speaker, that you love making rulings and you also love making rules, sometimes in that order. I’ve learnt that with Mr Brownlee in the role of foreign affairs spokesperson for the National Party, and with Damien O’Connor as the Minister for Trade and Export Growth, diplomacy truly is for everyone. I’ve learnt that Carmel Sepuloni is equally calm when presented with a challenge, be it the distribution of a wage subsidy or a carrot. I’ve learnt that “spread your legs” meant exactly what it’s always meant and that it’s actually only the member for Remutaka that was confused on that one. I’ve learnt that no two Opposition leaders are the same. In fact, there are quite a few differences between Chris Luxon and David Seymour, and I’ve been reminded once again to never ever underestimate New Zealanders, and for me that is the real story—that is the real story—of 2021.

Today, for instance, marks the day that Aucklanders are able to move beyond the boundaries that they have maintained for the better part of four months—for four months. That boundary has without question kept the rest of New Zealand safe. It has slowed down the movement of Delta. It has saved people’s lives. And so to Tāmaki-makau-rau from all of us, we say thank you. In fact, as we stand here today, New Zealand has achieved the rate now of 90 percent of our eligible population now being double vaccinated against COVID-19. With that 90 percent, that puts us above places like the United States, the UK, Israel, places that use emergency approvals, and, of course, started their roll-outs before us. We are now finishing with a rate much higher than them, and we have not finished. In Tāmaki-makau-rau we are seeing some DHBs reach first dose rates of 97 percent. So let’s keep going.

I want to specifically acknowledge in this roll-out the role of our hauora providers and our Pasifika providers. Today in the statistics I saw that our Pacific peoples, for first dose, overtake the general population, and we continue to see some of the fastest growth in vaccination amongst Māori. We must keep going. This puts us in the best possible position to continue to move forward with confidence. But that is not the only remarkable thing that has set New Zealand apart during this year. As Delta took hold, as it found its way here—and there is no question that it’s been tough—Tāmaki-makau-rau bore so much of that, but through that hard work and sacrifice we have now finished the year once again with the lowest rate of hospitalisations and the lowest number of deaths in the OECD. In fact, we are one of only three places that through this pandemic have seen our life expectancy increase. And while all of that is actually the strongest possible rationale for the steps that we’ve taken as a nation and as a Government, they weren’t the only rationale.

Our economic recovery is outstripping that of Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the OECD. Export forecasts today are at a record high, as are milk payouts to farmers, and, of course, terms of trade are positive. A statistic that represents people’s livelihoods and their overall financial wellbeing is that we have seen unemployment down to record lows of 3.4 percent. And for every person that has stayed in work or has moved into work, that represents thousands and thousands of employers, business owners, business start-ups all working hard to support one another and their staff. It has truly been a team effort. But those numbers are also recognition of the hard work, foresight, and passion of this country’s finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and I pay tribute to you, Grant. On a day when we release numbers that show projected net debt is lower and our return to surplus sooner, we say thank you.

But in the same way that we should never underestimate Kiwis in a crisis, I don’t underestimate either what we can achieve together on our long-term challenges. No one is sitting here in this Chamber because they were motivated into politics to take on a pandemic. We’re here because we believe that we have it in us to keep fixing the challenges New Zealand has long faced as a nation. On child poverty, 109,000 families are now on average $175 better off a week because of this Government; 40,000 children have been lifted out of poverty because of the actions of this Government. On housing, we’ve now added 8,700 extra housing places; 3,100 extra transitional homes. And consents: consents for new homes have broken record highs for eight months in a row this year. On climate, we have increased our ambition and quadrupled climate aid. Because of our clean-car discount, more electric vehicles were registered in New Zealand in the past six months than for each of the past four years. We’ve seen 6.6 million tonnes of emissions cut from our industrial process heat sector. We’ve quadrupled the Green Investment Fund. And just in the last two weeks—just in the last two weeks—you will have continued to see progress on establishing the Māori Health Authority. Minister Marama Davidson released our country’s first ever strategy on family and sexual violence. And we’ve taken action to make New Zealand smoke-free in our lifetimes.

All of that is because we will be measured by what we do in a pandemic but also what we do in spite of it as well. I never underestimate the passion and the energy of New Zealanders to take on every single challenge that comes our way. And that is why I look to 2022 with optimism. No one knows what next year will bring, but what I do know is that we will rise to the challenge of whatever comes our way.

So I conclude in the way that is customary in this place at the end of the year, and for good reason, by acknowledging those who work alongside us and help us to do our jobs to the best of our ability. Thank you to our electorate office teams who support members of our community through thick and thin. Thank you to the people who work in these walls: the Office of the Clerk; the team at Parliamentary Service; the Hansard team, who try to make head or tail of what we say; the cleaners, who are here before we arrive and after we leave; the buildings team, who move us in and sometimes move us out again; the staff at Bellamys, who sustain us; the security staff, who keep us safe; the messengers, who can always spare a smile; the VIP drivers, who keep us company on long days; our ministerial office staff; our executive support; and a special acknowledgment to those who when this building got a little bit quieter in August were still here: sign language interpreters, IT and sound technicians, and journalists in the press gallery who, no matter what, have a job to do, just like us. And to my Cabinet and caucus colleagues, thank you for being strong, for being united, and showing up every day with a singular focus on making sure we do everything to serve the people who elected us into this place.

And finally, Mr Speaker, a special thankyou to you. Despite the unprecedented change of procedure this House has seen, you’ve never failed, as parliamentarians, to ensure that we are united, mostly through our shared experience of “alert level Trevor”!

But let me finish where I started and it is by thanking Kiwis. It’s been hard. People have been weary, but Kiwis have done what it takes to put us in the best possible position to keep moving, to take on whatever comes next. And I, for one, will never underestimate New Zealanders. So to everyone, I wish you a wonderful break. You bloody deserve it.

SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.

CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition): I’d like to join with the Prime Minister by also thanking the many people here in Parliament and outside this place who support us in our work as MPs and ensure that this House and our democracy functions as well for New Zealand as it does. I’d like to thank you, Mr Speaker, and all of your presiding officers. I want to thank the Clerk of the House and the team who support us in the Chamber, but also in our select committees, so professionally; all of the staff of the Parliamentary Service who look after us; the friendly folk at Copperfield’s, who keep us watered and fed and keep the mince pies flowing; the cleaners, who do a tremendous job, day and night, keeping us COVID-free; the press gallery, who, in a world of untruths, play a critical role in our democracy, holding us to account and informing our citizens—although I have to be honest and say I don’t understand how Claire Trevett’s obsession with capsicums had much to do with any of that—our brilliant, talented and very dedicated National Party staff; and I’d like to thank our partners and our families, who we know make such huge sacrifices for all of us here to be able to come here and do this. Finally, can I just thank the outstanding team from National, and can I also thank the very incredible deputy leader, Nicola Willis.

Now, Mr Speaker, I have to be really honest with you. You know, it’s actually quite hard for us to think about heading away for Christmas, because on this side of the House, we’re actually really energised and we are raring to go. In fact, we get so much energy standing here, looking across the other side and we see the worry staring back at us. We see the worry and the backbench MPs up there who are thinking like a three water asset grab is going to mean they’ll be one-term MPs; they’re polishing up their LinkedIn profiles, you can just see it. We see it across the frontier with a tired front bench who’s looking back saying, “That looks like an alternative Government.” And I want to tell you, we’re a unified team. We’re stronger, we’re stronger than Anna Lorck’s Beroccas, and we are ready to go.

Now, I have to say, I was incredibly saddened to hear that a Christmas tradition won’t be taking place this year. I was saddened that the Prime Minister won’t be doing her annual exchange with Mike Hosking. And now, in the Prime Minister’s own words, I would say I absolutely reject the assertion that the Prime Minister should miss out on a Christmas present, so I got thinking about this the other night. I was thinking, “Well, what gift could I give the Prime Minister instead of what she would normally receive from Mike?”, and then I got thinking about my colleagues across the House here. So I know it’s not quite in the spirit of Christmas, but I thought I would share with you my secret online shopping cart. So for Jacinda Ardern, I wanted to gift her a Kookaburra cricket ball, because, I have to tell you, Ajaz Patel was my dead-set sporting legend and hero this year. What he achieved was absolutely phenomenal. But I have to say, I think the Prime Minister made him look very, very average, and that’s because she took her spin game to the next level. She was bowling balls superbly—the batters were totally confused in the direction the ball was actually going.

Now, I was thinking deeply about Grant Robertson. What do you get Grant Robertson? It’s a relaxing summer getaway package to the Kiwi destination of his choice, and that’s because we know that being the leader of the Labour Party will be a very taxing job for him and we want him rested and we want him ready to go when he gets ready to take over. For Nanaia Mahuta, I thought long about this, we’ve got her a special gift set of three waters—it comes in sparkling, still, and tap. For Chris Hipkins, who’s frankly had to walk back quite a lot of comments from his colleagues, I think we’ve got you something really special. It’s really special. It’s Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, and that’s just so that you can polish up the moonwalk, practising walking back with a bit more style next year.

Now, the one I spent a lot of time thinking about was Michael Wood, because what do you get Michael Wood? There were lots of options, but I decided actually I’d get him a new rug because, frankly, the rug was pulled out from him by Grant Robertson. Grant went and upended all of Michael’s grand plans for a $785 million walking and cycling pathway across the Waitematā, and so we’ve got you a new rug, Michael, it should be all good to go. For Damien O’Connor, he needs a pair of Red Bands. I can tell you he might not know what to do with these, but I can tell you Barbara Kuriger knows what to do, I can tell you that Ian McKelvie knows what to do, and I can tell you that Nicola Grigg, and Tim van de Molen and David Bennett and, in fact, the whole of the National Party caucus know what to do with the Red Bands.

Now, this was another difficult one. It was for my friend David Seymour. What do you get David Seymour? I thought long and hard about this, and what I settled on was a www.ancestry.com DNA kit to find out whether we’re actually as closely related as some people seem to think.

For James and Marama, a bulk order of kombucha for you and the whole Green team to keep the thirst quenched for a beautiful Kiwi summer.

For Rawiri and Debbie from Te Paati Māori, I just have to say, you guys have the best game on TikTok. You are head and shoulders above all of us in this House, and I did get a little bit worried last week because Simeon actually came to me, Simeon Brown, and he said, “Chris, I’m thinking I should get on TikTok.” And I said, “God forbid, actually, no, I mean, we don’t want you on TikTok.” I will say it again, Simeon: no TikTok for you, please. But what we’ve got for Te Paati Māori is a Foot Locker gift card so that you can get yourself some more pairs of Air Jordans and keep doing what you’re doing.

Finally, for you Mr Speaker, I know you’re a Hurricanes tragic fan and that you haven’t tasted a lot of success recently. I wanted to share with you—

SPEAKER: Well, how have the Blues gone?

CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Wait, wait, wait. I want to share with you a jersey from my team, and my team ends up costing me thousands of votes in Botany. And what it is is a jersey from the mighty Canterbury Crusaders, so I think you’ll enjoy that.

So I guess, in all seriousness, you know, 2021 has been another extremely difficult and challenging year, and a stressful year for Kiwis. And while we can have a few jokes and we can take some Christmas cheer out of our interchange today, I can tell you we must never, ever forget the Kiwis outside of this place that are doing it incredibly tough under the impacts of COVID and under the impacts of this Government. That’s who we need to thank. It’s all of the Kiwis who’ve got the kids off to school today, gone out to work, put food on the table for their families, all under extremely challenging conditions this year. Through all of that, Kiwis kept going. And I’d say to you as a country, we handled COVID pretty well in 2020. But the fact is, this year this Government has squandered those opportunities that we’ve worked so hard for. It’s been complacent and it’s been incompetent. The traffic light system, frankly, has been an exercise in utter confusion. And I can tell you, Aucklanders have got podium fatigue and after 15 weeks in a “short and sharp” lockdown, we’ve had announcements of announcements and inconsistent messages and rules.

People are doing it tough. Small business owners, I can tell you, are up against the wall. They are racking up the debt and I just encourage the Prime Minister, go visit them in Auckland and look at them and you’ll hear the desperation in their voices. You’ll see how the Government’s rules have actually crippled their livelihoods. I want to say good on those people working in those small businesses up and down this country who are getting up every day and are carrying on in spite of the enormous hurdles that they are facing. There will be empty chairs at the dinner table at Christmas dinner for many families. There’s a million Kiwis who’ll be kept apart from their loved ones because of the misery of a managed isolation and quarantine lottery system. And as we’ve discussed today, it’s going to be much harder for many Kiwis this Christmas because the squeezed middle are getting really squeezed. Living costs are rising, our wages aren’t keeping up, and so folk can’t get ahead and, ultimately, they end up worse off with much fewer choices.

But I want to tell you that there is hope. There is great hope because I can tell you that New Zealand can do so much better than this. We can be the team at the top of the tables again. We can have vision, we can have confidence, and we can have aspiration. I want New Zealand to know that, under a National Government, we will create a more productive economy that lifts the incomes of all people so they have more choices on how they get to live the lives that they want to lead. We will build a world-class education system so Kiwi kids have the abilities to be able to go out and make their dreams happen and do anything they want to do in the world out there. We are going to have the first outstanding Minister of Mental Health to get real help, actually, to Kiwis struggling with anxiety and wrestling with mental health issues. And I can tell you we will reduce crime and we will keep Kiwis safe. And you don’t have to worry about us being gang apologists at all. We won’t demonise our farmers; we’ll work with them, we’ll support them, and we’re going to ensure they remain world leaders. We’re going to unleash enterprise and back small business because that’s the lifeblood of New Zealand. And we’re going to be the party with a proper holistic plan to protect and enhance both our environment and the economy.

So what I want to promise this House and what I want to promise all New Zealanders is that while we’ll hold this Government to account for their wasteful spending, their inability to get things done and to deliver, you’re going to also see us listening to Kiwis developing practical, good policy that enables us to solve problems and challenges that we have in this country. In summary, I want to tell you National is back. We’re going to have a great break and we wish the same for every member in this House and every New Zealand family, too. And we’ll be back ready for 2022 and we’ll get into the work ahead. Merry Christmas.

TEANAU TUIONO (Green): Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is Christmas time, so it’s not only time to unleash the entrepreneurship it’s also time to unleash the Mariah. Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou. Mr Speaker, you are here, I am here, we are all here. Tēnā tātou katoa.

I’d like to begin by thanking all of our essential workers, our ringa wera, our ringa raupā, our cleaners, security, catering, library, the Clerk’s Office, House Office, the maintenance team and gardeners, and all of those people that make all those things happen in the background. There’s a whakataukī which is “Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri.”

[“The leader in front, the food bearers in the rear.”]

If things are all sweet in the back rooms, it’s all sweet up front, and so I would like to thank all of the workers across the precinct for all the different things that they do, including our ministerial staff and our parliamentary staff that shape the words that we speak and make the images that get put out on social media, help us to craft all those different things that help us to do all our jobs a lot easier, and I also thank the press gallery who undoes all that work often. But I would also like to acknowledge the comments made to the press gallery recognising the context that we’re living in when we’re in a time of misinformation. So recognising that the press gallery play a fundamental part in our democracy is an important part of our work here. So tēnā koutou.

Mr Speaker, of course, thank you to yourself for being the ref and the coach of Parliament. It’s been my first year here. I’m still getting used to the weird school bell. The only experience that I have in terms of the role that you’re doing is for a number of years, I was a substitute ref and coach for my kids, showing up on Saturday, sometimes taking them for soccer and for touch rugby. And for years and years I did that, they’d sub me on, and as my children got older, they suddenly realised when they’re in high school that the old man—me—didn’t actually know any of the rules. But that’s not like you. That’s not like you; you’ve got the Standing Orders book and the Speakers’ Rulings book, and whenever you make one of those rulings—just to let you know—I do go through it and I do study it, so ka pai.

We just had our Green Party Christmas party last week as well and I was sitting there reflecting, as I was drinking my de-Luxon-ated kombucha, reflecting about all of those different Christmas songs that make our childhoods—that help us to remind us of our childhood, remind us of nostalgia, and remind us of the hopes for the Christmas season: songs like the Mariah Carey classic, “All I Want for Christmas is Urban Density Done Well”, which helps us to access both public and active transport while ensuring that there is access and accessibility to essential services. Oh, that’s a great classic song, And also another song from my childhood, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Essential Worker” who wants us to progress more aggressively all that work that needs to be done on sector-wide fair pay agreements, ensuring that we lift up both working pay and working conditions for our workers. And it can’t be Christmas without Whamageddon, without Wham!, and I reflect on the words of the great George Michael when he sung the song “Last Christmas”—“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart”, and then the very next day you over-speculated it and got a capital gain on it.

It’s not just about those modern songs; it’s also about some of those traditional songs as well. For example, “I’m Dreaming of a Please Check Your White Privilege Christmas”—it’s a traditional Christmas song, this one, that goes right back to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and I’m sure my whanaunga from Te Paati Māori could appreciate it. It’s a song that still resonates wonderfully today.

But as the Briscoes lady says, “But wait, there’s more.” As I was reflecting at that party as well, I was thinking, “Well, if I’ve got this playlist, what are the other political parties playing on their playlist?”, so I had to re-imagine what that might be myself. So these are my top three for the different political parties around the House. For the National Party, my top three songs, for them, it traverses the journey that they have gone through this parliamentary year. For number three, number three is “Land of Confusion” by Genesis, which features the famous drummer Phil Collins, who even today is still kicking it. Number two is “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley and number one on that list is “I’m Leaving and Arriving on an Air New Zealand Jet Plane”, which the member will appreciate because that one’s by John Denver. You know, politics is up and it’s down, and sometimes your luck’s off, but sometimes your “Luxon”. And this week, the luck was on for that corner of the House because the ACT Party had a $53 billion hole that the Leader of the Opposition will be able to fly an Air New Zealand jumbo jet right through.

To our ACT Party colleagues, these are some reflections given that revelation this week, and my reflection for them is playlist song number one, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. For those of us in the 1990s—remember the 1990s, it was a good era. Number two, “There’s a Hole in my Bucket, Dear Liza”, and number one for them, if none of those other two work, is “Take the Money and Run”, the Steve Miller Band.

I’ve got to reference also my whanaunga from Te Paati Māori. You can tell he’s a Joe Cocker fan so Te Paati Māori’s number three song on my list is “Leave Your Hat On” by Joe Cocker—ties not necessarily required. Number two is “These Boots are Made for Walking”, but I’ve updated that to “These Air Jordans are Made for Walking”—keeping with the way of the times. And my number one song for Te Paati Māori is “Tangaroa Whakamautai” by Maisey Rika, which actually isn’t a joke, but it’s really important to acknowledge the connection between the whenua and the moana and that we should be stopping seabed mining. So, ka pai.

I’ve got a couple of songs for our friends in the Labour Party. We like to give them a bit of rev—and I don’t know if they take it personally, to be honest. We try to do stuff within the cooperation agreement but we try to make them go further and faster and do all the things that not only their constituents want them to do but also us, as well. So my number three song for the Labour Party is “That’s what Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick.

Hon Members: Aah!

TEANAU TUIONO: You’re welcome. The number two is another Joe Cocker song, “I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends.” Yeah, and I hope they remember that in a couple of years’ time. The number one song from my playlist recommendations for the Labour Party is for the Minister of Finance, and it’s completely on-brand, this one. It’s by Simply Red and it’s “Money’s Too Tight to Mention”. But you can expect a Swarbrick-J.A.G. DJ remix called the “Capital Gains Re-ignition Remix” in the next year. And if the Labour Party did like those particular suggestions and will find some time to reflect on them, the Green Party has many, many scratched records we will continue to play over the next few years, such as “No Mining on Conservation Land”, “No Palm Kernel Expeller for Christmas”, and a special one from Minister James Shaw: “Bad Luck, You’re all Climate Ministers Now”.

But it’s not just all about all about the jokes as well. I also like to acknowledge all of the different work that’s happened around the House as well—all the pieces of legislation that were passed around the House. Just recently we passed the BDMRR, the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Bill—a shout-out to my rainbow fam. We passed the drug- and substance-checking legislation. And one of the pieces of legislation that we passed as well—or are in the process of passing—is the Matariki bill, which is about grounding mātauranga Māori in the way that we connect with the environment, but also the star constellations as well. It’s called Puanga in Taranaki and Puaka in the South Island, but in the National Party dialect it is known as “Te Mata-I-don’t-know-rangi”.

But here’s the thing: I’m not that confident in that particular dialect, but I hope that that corner of the House will take some time over the over the holiday break to confide with their kaumātua like Tā Hēmi Bolger, Mātua Kirihi Finlayson, to go some way to look at about how you can properly engage in a real, genuine, authentic way with Māori communities.

And on that, I would also like to acknowledge all the whānau at home as well. People, be kind out there, be kind to your whānau, be kind to your families—the families that you inherit or the families that you have found on the way. Also very importantly as well, because of the ups and downs that we have been experiencing this year, be kind to yourself. Have a “Mariah” Christmas, everybody.

DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to join with other leaders in support of this motion to adjourn Parliament. New Zealanders, your property will be safe for about two months!

I want to thank all of those who make Parliament work: those in the House Office; the cleaners; the security, who have had a few extra guests unexpectedly outside this year; those in buildings; those in the library; those in Coppers. I particularly want to thank those of ACT’s staff. People who measure these things tell me that ACT has the most engaged team on the parliamentary precinct, led by our able chief of staff, Andrew Ketels, who would never want to be read into the Hansard, especially if it was in reference to him winning the Parliamentary Service Leadership Award for 2021. Good on you, Ketels!

Chris Bishop: Ketels?

DAVID SEYMOUR: Don’t seem surprised, Chris Bishop. He’s doing a great job. I also want to thank my Epsom electorate team, who serve our constituents, my neighbours in the Epsom electorate so well, including a very tough three months of a “short, sharp lockdown”—which we’ll get to—where they worked and supported our constituents from home.

Teanau, from the Green Party, told us that he had to guess the Spotify playlists of people around this Parliament. I don’t have to guess; I have them, downloaded accidentally from the Treasury website a few years back, actually! First of all, I started because Jacinda, she had them because she needed music when she “did a little dance”, and the most played song on her playlist was actually “Road to Nowhere”. It was performed by the talking heads from the podium of truth. Her “short, sharp lockdown” that lasted 108 days was the song that doesn’t end; it goes on and on, my friend. Some people started locking us down not knowing why it was, and they kept locking us down for ever just because it was no longer clear. First we needed to reach 90 percent vaccination, then there’d be a decision on 29 November. And, despite repeated calls from ACT to just be done with it and make 1 December “Freedom Day”, she left Aucklanders hanging in limbo.

And, as her lockdown went on, her iPod shuffled on to Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold”—you’re in, then you’re out; you’re up, then you’re down. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a bit more Elton John on her playlist, because it seems that, for Jacinda Ardern, even when things go terribly wrong in this COVID response, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”. But, if she had a song for the South Island, I think she’d be looking at the younger demographic, with a little bit of Lorde, who’ve been singing, “I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it.” Grant Robertson, on the other hand, he’s a bit more old-fashioned, being the elder of the group, listening to The Beatles, starting with a classic “Taxman”. He sang to himself, as Treasury reaped in a record and unexpected $98 billion, “If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat. If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.” He’s also been into a bit of Toto, because he said, “As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti, Labour will tax you.”

We had two big oceans that buttressed our COVID response—one well known as the Pacific, which protects New Zealand from all sorts of dangers, including viruses; the other, nearly as big, is the ocean of debt and cheap credit. Over at the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr has been blaring out, “Money for nothing and new staff for free.” It’s a revolving door over there. If the Government borrows, prints, and spends billions of dollars, the effects will be felt somewhere, and they’re now being felt by New Zealanders everywhere—at the petrol pump, at the checkout, just about wherever they go—

Hon Chris Hipkins: You’re making Christopher Luxon’s speech look good!

DAVID SEYMOUR: It’s a real shame that Chris Hipkins is calling out there. Chris Hipkins should have had some Dave Dobbyn. He should have been playing “Welcome Home” to the extra million Kiwis in the team of 6 million, who won’t be coming home this year, but unfortunately Phil Twyford used that song for KiwiBuild, and we all know how that ended! So you can understand why he wouldn’t have used it.

Kelvin Davis—he’s a way old rocker. He’s been listening to The Who, and specifically “Who Are You”, because we haven’t seen him all year, anywhere. But “Stewie” Nash—now, he’s the guy who takes off his shirt at every opportunity; even public health can be a reason! Getting vaccinated, most people just roll up their sleeve, but not Stewie, he had to take it all off. And I think he had Carly Simon singing in his ear pods as he took off his shirt to pose for the vax photo. I bet he probably thought the song was about him! Now, Kris Faafoi, on the other hand, the justice Minister, he’s been singing, “I Want to Break Free”, and he thinks it’s a song for all the people who should be in prison that he’s letting out by getting rid of three strikes, among others. He definitely wasn’t listening to “Sticks and Stones”, because, while he lets out the violent and sexual offenders by getting rid of three strikes, what he’s instead saying is he wants to lock up people who exercise free speech. He should remember, back in primary school, that names will never hurt me.

Now, James Shaw, he’s an old rocker too, and he’s been listening to The Clash. London was calling, but a call wasn’t enough; he had to actually go there. In fact, he went all the way on to Glasgow, and we still don’t know what he achieved, except all we know is he spent more time in managed isolation and quarantine than he did making up for the massive carbon emissions of taking a whole rugby team of climate crusaders halfway around the world.

Now, over at the National Party, that’s one Spotify list I don’t have. You see, their account was suspended due to copyright violations! And, despite their legal counsel saying that it was “pretty legal”, I’ve checked some of their press releases and their soundbites and their one-liners, and they look mighty, mighty familiar, sometimes released within hours. But, if there were to be a National Party playlist, some of the things that might be on it would be things like Bob Dylan’s “Changing of the Guards.” My old friend Judith Collins—now, she was exposed as a Miley Cyrus fan, as am I, I want to record, and she certainly did come in like a “Wrecking Ball”. But my new friend, Christopher Luxon—well, he’s all Tom Petty, “Learning to Fly”, and good on him.

As for the ACT Party, well, we’ve been keeping it Kiwi—good, patriotic people. Some of our Auckland MPs got Split Enz during the lockdown, but altogether it has to be said the ACT Party has a much more Crowded House these days, and 2021—well, for us, it’s been “Something So Strong”. We’ve got Bic Runga’s “Drive” in the other ear, and we’ve been drinking more “Bliss” than ever in 2021. In our first term, ACT has released a fully costed alternative Budget; six discussion documents on COVID, the economy, law and order, and housing. Our team was united and hard working. We held the Government to account for its failing, but we also showed how a future Government could offer New Zealanders a better tomorrow. And, as I’ve said many times—and I’ve heard it repeated elsewhere on that earlier matter from the Nats—we’re not just the Opposition; we are Her Majesty’s proposition. Our caucus has taken to Parliament like ducks to water. With the help of our very able deputy, Brooke van Velden, kicking goals with both feet, joined by Nicole, Chris, Simon, James, Karen, Mark, Toni, and Damien—what an extraordinary group of first-term MPs.

We’re the party that’s proposed cutting down debt and giving Kiwi families tax relief. We’d give Kiwi families that work full time an extra $2,000 a year. We’d make the cost of living better for Kiwi families instead of piling on tax and debt like there’s no tomorrow, and for this Government and many of these backbenchers, actually, in politics, there won’t be—sorry, folks! We could unite New Zealanders behind good ideas instead of constantly dividing people and dividing wealth. We’d contribute to a country where the opportunities for your children and grandchildren, when the borders open, will be greater here than across the Tasman. If we don’t, we will see a brain drain like we’ve never seen before. Mr Speaker, if you’re interested in some additional playlist choices from ACT, we can find the “Land and Hope of Dreams”, “Fight Song”, “The Climb”, the “Dog Days Are Over”, we’ve got to “Take the Power Back”. And the Kiwi battlers, all of those being squeezed from every direction by this Government and its inflationary and incoherent and irresponsible polices, we say: ACT is here for you, and this summer and next year and every year. Don’t stop believing.

RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): We’re used to confiscation; we asked for ten minutes, we only got five. Te Paati Māori and te Iwi Māori are quite used to that. But because we’ve only got a little bit of time here, through you, Mr Speaker, I want to thank everybody in this House for what they do for us here to ensure that this House runs smoothly. Man, it has been a 12 months for Te Paati Māori.

What I want to say is that I want to read a letter directly from one of our biggest and most loyal supporters, who sent this letter to me today. It says, “Dear Rawiri and Debbie and Te Paati Māori, thank you for achieving your Māori Party manifesto. The first one is I want to acknowledge you achieving the purchase of Ihumātao. I want to thank you for achieving the removal of the barriers to establishing Māori wards. Number three: procurement at 5 percent, only another 20 percent to go to achieve our Whānau First policy; the call to replace the Oranga Tamariki chief executive; the spotlight on ill-treatment of whānau in prisons, including bringing an end to a protest at Waikeria Prison; the racist profiling of Māori by the New Zealand Police; the recognition of Matariki as a public holiday; compulsory te reo Māori and Māori history to be taught in schools; the pressure to increase funding for Whānau Ora this year; the ratings reform for whenua Māori; the pressure to provide a targeted housing package”—we submitted two members’ bills, one on seabed mining, the other for the Māori electoral option, and we announced the only Māori COVID-19 policy in this House.

They also acknowledge in this letter that both Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and I have done over 170 speeches. They sat there and counted every single speech that we did on that particular TV station—their favourite TV station. They also acknowledged that we accepted many petitions, including the Māori Health Authority—because that was part of our manifesto—and also the Dawn Raids petition. Notwithstanding that, Te Paati Māori also challenged our right to wear our taonga and remove the colonial noose from around our necks as a cultural expression of who we are. This person that wrote this says, “We are extremely proud of the achievements of Te Paati Māori this year, in only 12 months.”—we stood up, they say—“You stood up to racism in this House.”, and have done our best to hold this Government accountable to Māori.

They said, “We are proud to have voted against the counter-terrorism bill that sets out to discriminate against minorities, the three waters bill because it doesn’t recognise Māori proprietary and Treaty rights to water, and the COVID-19 health response bill because it allows warrantless searches on our marae and in our private homes. Yours sincerely and loyally, Willie Jackson.”! And I know Willie—where’s he gone to?

Before I end this speech, I want to acknowledge our people out there. As we’re only a candidate-focused party, it’s unbelievable that we are now starting to climb up in the polls in our party vote. It’s unbelievable, and do you know why? Because we are the only party that will advocate for a Tiriti-centric Aotearoa. We are the only party that leaves no one else behind. We have a growing amount of support, not only by tangata whenua but also tangata Tiriti, and they have made that quite clear—and you can see it as we climb up in those polls—that there is a huge support for this type of movement. So I want to acknowledge them all for the very, very tough year it has been.

It has been a tough year as we face this pandemic—this global pandemic—as a people. There’s been huge division created by the Government and its policies because it has left people behind. We are the movement that leaves nobody behind. We have tried to listen to everybody, and I hope that they’re all here tomorrow when the crowds turn up on the doorsteps of this Parliament to express their concerns over the mandates and the way they have been treated through this vaccination programme. Anyway, ladies and gentleman, Mr Speaker, thank you for the matches this year. I want to acknowledge everybody. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Mā te atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki. Kia ora tātou.

[May God bless and protect you.]

Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Deputy Leader—Labour): Well, that is a speech of delusion. But it is a pleasure to stand up today and to tick off another year of success for this Government. And, boy, doesn’t it show how lucky Aotearoa New Zealand is that we are in Government. You’d have heard some of the hits from our Prime Minister, but what I’m most proud about are, in fact, the wins that we have got for Māori over the past year, so here is my top 10.

Number one: nothing shows the contrast between us and the Opposition quite as much as Matariki—a public holiday that truly represents Aotearoa New Zealand, whereas the Leader of the Opposition seems to want to celebrate “Matarangi”. Who knows what he thought that was. Maybe he confused matarangi with “pōrangi”, which would be an apt description and celebration of the National Party. It’s interesting also the confusion of the Leader of the Opposition, who, in his address to you, Mr Speaker, admitted that he celebrates and supports the red team and not the blue team where he actually lives. Then we have the ACT Party, who would prefer a national holiday for “Crate Day”, a day to celebrate binge drinking. Now, opposite us we have the National Party, who want to celebrate something called “Matarangi”, and, on the other hand, opposite us we have the ACT Party, who want to celebrate getting haurangi. But I can understand the Opposition’s desire to drown their sorrows.

Secondly, as the Associate Minister of Education, I love seeing our ongoing work to implement New Zealand’s history in schools. It’s an opportunity for Māori to tell the history of New Zealand, not the misinformation and the revisionist stories, such as Europeans discovered New Zealand, or Paul Goldsmith is from Ngāti Porou. Finally, the 750 years of Māori history will have a chance to be taught and understood, instead of being dismissed in favour of the post - Abel Tasman side of our history.

Thirdly, our progress towards creating a Māori Health Authority. We know Māori are disproportionately worse off on negative health statistics, but, unlike previous National - Māori Party Governments, we won’t ignore and underfund the healthcare system. We will support Māori to live better and heathier lives. This authority is what Māori have been calling for and we are delivering.

Coming in at number four, we have supported Māori across the country to get vaccinated. I’m proud that 86 percent of eligible Māori are at least partially vaccinated, despite former Māori Party leadership actively deterring Māori from being vaccinated on the basis that they are asserting their mana motuhake, and, in doing so, undermining equitable vaccine outcomes for Māori.

Fifth, our Māori Ministers and Māori caucus worked together to get $1.1 billion for Māori in Budget 2021—say no more.

The sixth thing is Māori housing. In Māori housing, we are doing the mahi. We have overseen housing repairs and papa kāinga development across the country, and we’re continuing to walk with iwi to support their aspirations, such as this week’s partnership, announced by Minister Woods with Ngāti Toa.

Seventh, as the Minister for Children, I want to ensure all children, including Māori, in State care are supported. That’s why I’ve taken up the challenge to turn Oranga Tamariki around. The future direction plan I announced will support our tamariki through greater Māori and community decision making. We know the State needs to do better, and this Government is up to the task.

Number eight: when we took office, everyone was talking about the number of Māori in prison and the skyrocketing prison population. Well, this year we implemented Māori pathways in three facilities designed to address the overrepresentation of Māori in prison. It’s unbelievable to think that the previous National - Māori Party Government did not even have a Māori strategy for Corrections.

Ninth, I’m proud of the work we’re undertaking to support iwi to settle—for example, yesterday we saw the first reading for Maniapoto. And if Andrew Little can just get Ngāpuhi over the line, I’ll organise his ticker tape parade down the main street of Kaikohe.

Last but not least, our continuing support for Waitangi. Next year, the Waitangi trust has said it’ll be a virtual event, and we’ll continue to support that trust. Kia ora, Mr Speaker.

CHRIS BISHOP (National): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Can I start by saying, well, that was a bold speech for a person who is so trusted by the Prime Minister, he is the deputy leader of the Labour Party but not the Deputy Prime Minister. But I also want to say thank you very much to Anna Lorck for the pottle of Berocca she just delivered to me outside the Chamber. I appreciate that very much, and I think that reflects the spirit in which she’s taken this year.

Can I start by saying thank you to our vaccinators, because despite the back and forth in the Parliament this year, one of the great things about New Zealand is that unlike other countries, there is cross-party consensus on the benefits of vaccination. Everyone in this Parliament is vaccinated—that’s not true in some parts of the world—and our vaccinators have done an outstanding job. Can I say thank you to the testers, to the healthcare workers, to our essential workers, both inside and outside Parliament, who have done an amazing job this year.

Can I say thank you to the security staff here; the messengers, one of whom said to me earlier today that I never smile around the building—that was news to me, but I’m smiling at the moment. Can I say thank you to the Copperfield’s staff particularly for the sausage rolls, although that’s sort of, not really—I don’t like to mention that these days, for reasons that are reasonably obvious.

Can I give a shout-out to Kiwis abroad. Now, the Government calls them cumulative risks; over here, on this side of the House, we call them Kiwis. They have endured enormous hardship this year. They have been locked out of their country. Many of them have been unable to return, and I want to pay tribute to them for their fortitude and the enormous bravery that many of them have shown at this time of very difficult circumstances. Managed isolation and quarantine is the monolithic, bureaucratic State at its very worst. Devolving to bureaucrats discretionary decisions about life and death, about funerals, about medical treatment—it is horrific. There has to be a better way, and, in fact, there is a better way.

Can I also pay particular tribute to the split migrant families. I think we will look back in a few years’ time on this part of our history with immense shame, because this Government oversaw a situation where people who moved to this country in good faith were then split apart—due to ministerial incompetence, or malice, or both—from their families when the solution was staring them right in the face, and it’s to the tribute of our newly promoted immigration spokesperson, Erica Stanford, that people who would probably have just retreated into the shadows had their stories told. And it is to the Government’s immense shame that they have not fixed those problems.

We started the year with no COVID in New Zealand, and we ended it with Delta spreading in our community. It’s been a tough year. It was not the year of the vaccine; the second half of the year was—the second half of the vaccine—but we actually wasted the opportunities that we had left to us from the good work of New Zealanders in 2020 at the start of this year.

It’s been a tough year for the National Party, but this seems to happen in Opposition. I’m heartened by the fact that the Labour Party took eight years and 10 months to get it together before they won Government. We’ve gone through our dramas in four years, and the good news: we’ve expedited the process, we’ve gone through all the various permutations, and we’ve expedited the process.

I just say to Labour: what will they campaign on in two years’ time? They won’t be campaigning on housing, because housing is out of control. They won’t be campaigning on child poverty, because it’s up, not down. They won’t be campaigning on a wealthier New Zealand, because the forecasts out in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update show that over the next two years, New Zealanders will get poorer, in real terms. And good luck to the Labour Party at the 2023 election campaigning on a record of success that isn’t there. New Zealanders are pretty tolerant people; they give Governments three years. They don’t typically give them six unless they can point to a record of achievement.

For a libertarian like me, this year has been tough. We have given the Government enormous power. The big issue of 2022 is going to be: at what point do the mandates stop, at what point do we stop dividing New Zealanders, at what point do we start coming together as a country again? They can’t go on for ever, we can’t continue to divide New Zealanders—we’re going to need some answers from the Government next year.

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise with a degree of trepidation to make my final contribution in the House for the year of 2021. I do so because every day this year that I’ve tried to take a day off, something related to COVID-19 has happened and I’ve ended up having to come to work. I’m about to try and take two weeks off, and I’m not sure exactly what that’s going to involve, but I certainly hope it doesn’t involve having to come into work for COVID-19, because, frankly, I think New Zealanders all want a bit of a break over the summer, and they absolutely deserve it.

Normally, I would engage in a bit of dad jokes and bad jokes like everybody else has done in this debate. You’ll be relieved to know I’m not going to do that this year—

Hon Members: Aw!

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: —because I do want—well, there have been enough bad jokes already today. But I do want to spend my time with some very sincere and some very real thanks. So I want to start with some very real thanks to every one of the 90-plus percent of New Zealanders who has been fully vaccinated. This is the year of the vaccine, and it has been the year of the vaccine. We have 90-plus percent of eligible New Zealanders fully vaccinated. If you’d told me that that was what we were going to end the year with back in February or March, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. That is an incredible result. It puts us in a very, very strong position heading into summer and heading into the new year. I want to thank Kiwis for doing their part in the fight against COVID-19.

I want to genuinely say once again, as I have done many times in the House already this year, a very big thankyou to the people of Auckland. I could have made a lot of jokes at Aucklanders’ expense, perhaps, in an end-of-year debate but actually, Aucklanders have really taken one for the team this year. They have really done everything that we asked them to do, and the fact that we are seeing those case numbers trending down now, despite opening up and despite giving people more and more freedom, that is a tribute to what Aucklanders have achieved, and the entire country is indebted to the people of Auckland. We say thank you to them.

I do want to acknowledge those New Zealanders who are abroad, or whose families have been separated or who have been separated from their loved ones by the global pandemic. The global pandemic isn’t over yet, and I acknowledge that that is incredibly difficult. It is hard having people who you care about separated by border restrictions. It has been for the entire length of the pandemic, and I acknowledge that during that time there have been a variety of competing complaints about the Government’s approach: we’ve been too soft, we’ve been too hard; we haven’t opened up fast enough, we’ve opened up too fast. There’s been a whole variety of things. What I can say to those New Zealanders is that all of the way through, the Government has tried to prioritise the public health of all New Zealanders.

Speaking to New Zealanders abroad overseas, I acknowledge the difficulties that the border closures have created for them. But I also acknowledge, when I speak to them, that they’re quite proud of what New Zealand has achieved as a country when it comes to our response to COVID-19. They want to come home because they see this as a good place to be. If we had not had those border restrictions in place for much of the last year and a half or so, then we wouldn’t be in the position that we are in now. That has been one of the most difficult balances that we have had to face.

The Leader of the Opposition said earlier on that members of the Government look tired. I can only speak for myself in that regard, but, yes, it’s been a very tiring year and I am tired and I am looking forward to some time off. Chris Bishop talked about the extraordinary powers that the Government has. Yes, we do have extraordinary powers and I am the person who has to sign those. That is one of the reasons why I’m tired, because I take that responsibility very, very seriously. If you think that someone in this role should not be tired at the end of the year that we have had, then you’d be thinking that that’s not the sort of person that you would want in the job, because I do think a lot at night about the people who are separated by the border restrictions, about the people in Auckland whose businesses have been going to the wall. Those things have a very real consequence, and I absolutely acknowledge all of those people.

The final people that I want to thank, because everybody else has gone through the catalogue, but very few people ever stop and really spend time thanking the families of all members of Parliament, regardless of what side of the House they are on. We get the bouquets, the accolades, the brickbats, all of that feedback that we get; seldom do our family members get acknowledged for the enormous sacrifices they make so that we can do what we do. So I want to thank my own family for what has been undoubtedly an incredibly challenging year for us. Actually, I won’t say anything more about that, but I do want to acknowledge the families of members of Parliament. We can only do what we do because of the support that they provide to us, and I hope that they will enjoy the fact that for at least maybe a month or so, we’ll be around a little bit more and we will, hopefully, be able to give them the attention that they deserve.

ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, it’s Christmas time, almost, and, in the spirit of Christmas, I think it’s really important to acknowledge some of the members opposite. I think in the spirit of Christmas, I should take some time in this contribution to single out all of those members who have made a significant contribution, who have worked extremely hard, who’ve given this year everything that they’ve got, and to wish them a very relaxing break. So, to that end, I’d personally like to wish Chris Hipkins a very restful holiday period—it’s not your fault, mate; you’re the only one.

It’s been a really busy year. It’s been a year of ups and it’s been a year of downs. I have been extremely fortunate and I am very humble and very grateful to have jumped up 18 places in our caucus line-up, but I have to acknowledge that it’s not all been positive. There are two sides to every coin. For every positive, there is a negative, and I actually looked it up. It turns out that it’s science—Newton’s third law; for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction—and the downside of my success has been felt in opposite and equal measure by Minister Faafoi, who fell 18 places in the mood of the boardroom this year. Mate, it’s just science—I’m sorry to say it’s just science—or it may be the fact that you singlehandedly destroyed the immigration system; I’m not sure. But fortunes change, my friend, and I’m sure yours will too soon—very soon.

I have been thinking about members opposite and what they’ll be doing during the break. Robertson on the beach, dreaming up more plane puns to try and bring down our leader; Anna Lorck sipping Berocca at the side of the pool, thinking about one day when she may reach the dizzying heights of being able to ask a patsy of Grant Robertson on what reports he may have seen, although I suspect that she’s quite happy with the dizzying heights that she’s already at; or Nash spending all summer pumping iron, getting in peak physical condition in preparation for his very important event—his third booster shot.

But I want to leave this House with something to think about during the summer break. It’s an amazing story of a bunch of individually brilliant but somewhat underperforming people who’ve failed to work as a team. Their individual ambitions and their need to outshine each other got in the way of success. Winning was a distant dream. But along comes a truly brilliant and inspirational leader who has never before seen this environment, who’s had to learn the ropes really fast, and who’s had to find his way in a brand new and unknown territory. But with the help of a brilliant woman by his side, he takes his exceptional leadership skills, his ability to mould underperforming teams and build them into high-performing machines—he takes this somewhat ragtag bunch on a journey of transformation and on to incredible success, success beyond their wildest dreams. It’s an important, inspirational tale of ruling a line under the past, turning a page, or, you could say, starting a new season, and that season is season three of Ted Lasso, starting on Apple TV+ in February next year.

I want to finish up my contribution in this debate just by acknowledging some people this year. I want to acknowledge the people that I have worked with to raise the issue of split migrant families—so the people who are involved with the Migrants NZ website and the Reunite Families website, to Anna and to Charlotte and to Katie and all of those immigration lawyers and agents who have dedicated their time to highlight some of these issues.

They’ve taken court action. They’ve spent time with me trying to get the stories of these migrants up. It’s been a really long, hard couple of years for these migrants, and they are staring down the barrel of another year apart from their families.

We see again from this Government more and more workers being allowed in through border exceptions, who can bring their families almost immediately, and yet people who have been here for nearly three years and who have been working hard in roles that require them to get up in the middle of the night and to man our borders, who work in the IT sector or on our dairy farms, who have been separated from their children for—this will be their third Christmas, and I just want us to think about that. As Chris Bishop said earlier, it has been a stain on this Government’s record that we have done nothing for them in the 18 months to two years that they’ve been separated from their families.

So to all of those people who have helped me to raise their stories, to raise the issue, and to get some of the wins that we’ve had for teachers and nurses, there is a lot more to be done, and I look forward to working with you over the next few months to try and get more resolutions. Happy Christmas.

CHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on this, the adjournment debate for 2021.

I’d like to start by thanking all those essential workers. To me, the phrase “essential worker” is actually a tautology. All workers are essential, whether they’re deemed as such by the Government or not. I refer to those, of course, within Parliament who enable all of us to do our jobs and, of course, all around New Zealand as well.

Particularly, I’d like to thank a number of different categories of people. To all those who keep the lights on, keep the place clean and so on, please know that your work is noted and appreciated, even if we do not always see you and have the opportunity to thank you directly. To those in the select committees, the clerks, the advisers—they have provided such great support—for your keeping on the lights of democracy in this place again in 2021, we thank you for that work.

Specifically to my colleagues on the Regulations Review Committee, we’ve had to reckon with a lot of clauses this year. Thankfully, with the conclusion of the meeting now taking place, the only “clause” that you’ll have to deal with for a while is Santa! So good luck and have a wonderful break over the Christmas period.

To our colleagues in offices throughout New Zealand, the electorate and community offices as well as here physically in Parliament, we thank them. From a personal perspective, and noting others who have been in lockdown across the country, particularly in Auckland, but other places too, we note the burden of working from home and trying to juggle the commitments that each of us have in our individual lives, as well as trying to provide the best possible service to our constituents, the good people of New Zealand.

I do also want to pay particular tribute, while I have the opportunity to express some gratitude, to the men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). I felt very grateful to represent them and veterans in the sense of being Opposition spokesperson. I’m very pleased that that portfolio representation is in the very good hands of my friend and colleague Tim van de Molen, an army reserve officer, and I know that he will engage strongly with the Government to hold their feet to the fire on such an important aspect for our country. I acknowledge all of those who serve in uniform, including the police, who along with our NZDF friends are in the Solomon Islands right now, as well as keeping New Zealanders safe up and down this land. To those who have deployed there and also in Afghanistan this year, as well as other places around New Zealand, thank you for your service.

I also want to acknowledge others who inhabit this building who also have an important role to play in democracy: the fourth estate. To the press gallery, I say with you and your colleagues having received some $55 million of Government largesse on behalf of the taxpayer this year, but noting the press gallery party is about to get under way, thank you very much. It’s your shout!

Team, I also do want to just acknowledge the fact that we have a large number of Aucklanders today able to go across the country; those not fortunate enough to be designated “essential workers” as MPs inexplicably are. I say today that there will be many Jaffas rolling down these aisles and I wish them all the best. But also to those left behind, those trying to make a living in Auckland who have been doing it really tough, whether workers or the owners of businesses, I say to you: please hang in there, do your best to survive well and prosper into the new year. I know that it has been a really difficult year for you, as well as our fellow Kiwis in the South Island, who have had considerable restrictions, notwithstanding less COVID-19, and, of course, all those in between as well.

I do want to finish on a note that does acknowledge and engage the fact that we in the National Party have had a year that is ending well for us. But as always, in this place, there are ups and downs and there are bumps and scrapes. But I feel very optimistic that the important constitutional role of the Opposition will be performed very strongly by us going into the new year. We have cause for optimism with a leader who we were told, quite rightly, came here with no baggage. Ordinarily, for someone who runs an airline, to be forced to admit they have no baggage is generally not a good thing. But, actually, in the case of our leader, Christopher Luxon, he is a breath of fresh air and I believe that he will lead us strongly into the new year in Opposition. But soon enough, that plane will be not only having taken off now but it will be due to land in the Beehive, and we are right on schedule to land in 2023.

To my colleagues, then, in the National Party, as well as colleagues across the House from all the different parties, I say thank you for your efforts this year. I’ve enjoyed engaging with all of you in all the different ways that we do in this place. To each of you, then, as well as your respective constituents and the good people of New Zealand, I say have a good break now and we look forward to doing business and doing battle with you in 2022. For now, thank you and merry Christmas to you all.

BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana): Fa‘afetai tele lava, Mr Speaker. It is always an honour to speak in this House, even more so today in my first adjournment debate, and to hold the torch on behalf of the class of 2020 and our Labour colleagues.

In preparing for this debate, the analytical person that I am, I looked at previous adjournment debates. There are common elements that run over all of them, such as the House’s gratitude for and acknowledgment of the staff and people that keep Parliament and our electorate offices ticking. To the library, security, the cleaners, IT teams, the press gallery, the Office of the Clerk, Parliamentary Service, Ministerial Services, and the team here in Copperfield’s, I echo those same sentiments today—thank you.

Probably the biggest difference I noticed, though, was not so much the content of the speeches but, actually, who was delivering them from the opposite side as the Leader of the Opposition. In the adjournment debate of 2017, it was Bill English; adjournment debate 2019, Simon Bridges; adjournment debate 2020, Judith Collins; and now, in the adjournment debate for 2021, Christopher Luxon. Just in case the trend continues, I offer my congratulations to the Leader of the Opposition and his deputy leader, Nicola Willis. We worked together and against each other on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, which may explain why, when they were asked by Newshub who from across the House they would pick for their team, they both identified me. Now, when I raised this slightly scary and alarming proposition with my chief whip, he responded very quickly with, “Mate, well, it’s no surprise—they’re looking for talent.”, to which I then added, “And diversity.” Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I am the Labour MP for Mana, so talofa.

But where my thanks does lie is with the hundreds and thousands of Kiwis who are working on the front line of the COVID-19 response, and this is where the true talent and skills lie, and it is with the diversity of their approach that we are seeing some of highest vaccination rates in the world. I look at the response in my electorate of Mana and the response of the two DHBs here in Wellington. Overall, 91 percent of people in our region are fully vaccinated, and 90 percent of Māori in the Capital and Coast DHB are fully vaccinated, and the Pacific are not far away at 85 percent. We’ve had Māori-, Pacific-, youth-, church-, sport-, workplace-, and marae-based festivals. We’ve had Super Saturday, mobile vans and buses, Q and A sessions with gangs and their whānau, in-home vaccinations for those in transitional housing, mental health clients, in courts, and even people in police cells.

This is not unique to Mana, though. Like many other members of this House who have been on the ground, our vaccination teams and organisers are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the vaccine in accessible to our communities. This is called prevention first. The people of Cannons Creek, Tāmaki-makau-rau, and Te Tai Tokerau are the real heroes, not the villains, of our COVID-19 response, despite the claim of some of the members opposite. We appreciate our vaccination teams. We see you and we appreciate you. We appreciate the hard work of our formidable Prime Minister, her Ministers, their officials, and our research teams.

Another common element in adjournment debates is the highlights of the year, so I ask the class of 2020 what their highlights were, and let’s see how many I can rattle off: the Dawn Raids apology; banning conversion therapy; Māori wards legislation; investment in papa kāinga housing and infrastructure; the Ministry for Disabled People, and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities; a pathway to residence for 165,000 migrants; minimum wage and benefit increases; sick leave reforms; the health reforms; pay equity for early childhood education; property and classroom upgrades for hundreds of schools; Budget increases to support our most vulnerable, including the reintroduction of the training incentive allowance, lunches in schools, and free period products; funding of the changes to HPV screening for cervical cancer; the sexual violence bill passing; Dr Anae Neru Leavasa’s TikToks and, one of my personal favourites, baby James; and our COVID economic response and recovery package. We know there is still more work to do, but this year we believe we have supported and introduced meaningful change that will general improve the lives of New Zealanders.

The last common element of adjournment debates, I notice, is that of song and remembrance. We remember all those close to us and those who stood in this House, such as the Rt Hon Sir Michael Cullen, who has passed: ia manuia lau malaga.

It is the lyrics of this particular song that I believe describe our Labour caucus, our focus, and our approach.

Tūtira mai ngā iwi,

Come together as one,

Whāia te māramatanga,

me te aroha

Seek after knowledge,

and love of others,

Kia tapatahi,

Kia kotahi rā

Tātou tātou e

Think as one,

Act as one

All of us.

Nō reira, manuai le Kirisimasi ma le tausaga fou. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones.

SPEAKER: Members, I would like to make a few concluding comments. This is the fifth occasion that I’ve done it, and I’ll note that in all the time I’ve been in Parliament, there’s only been one Speaker who’s actually done more than that.

I want to thank members for their contributions to Parliament this year and to give a few facts, which might surprise some people as being important at this stage of the discussions. The Parliament sat for 85 sitting days on 83 calendar days. We had 404-and-a-bit hours of normal sittings, 26 hours of extended sittings, 66 hours of urgency, for a total of 487 hours. Sixty-one bills passed, 186 petitions presented, 985 oral questions asked, of which 972 went to Ministers, and there have been a grand total of 58,068 written questions. I’m not going to vouch for the answers for all of those.

I do want to acknowledge the hard work of the staff of the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk during especially challenging times. The pandemic has had an impact on the whole country, and very much so on the Parliament. We have survived both last year and this year without becoming a vector for the disease, and that is something that I’m particularly proud of, and I’m proud of all of the people in this House and who work for the place, because we must be one of the highest risk areas for spreading it around the place. I do want to note that I don’t quite have the same optimism for next year, but, given the very high level of vaccination within the buildings, I think that some of the effects will be much less than they might have been.

I want to pay a special thanks to the cleaning staff. Both during the times we don’t see them and the times that we do, they have been people who have been working extra hard to keep us safe.

I want to acknowledge my fellow presiding officers, Adrian Rurawhe, who’s not with us again today because he is getting his eyesight lined up again. Adrian, both right at the beginning of the time he was a presiding officer, when he was dealing with Jami-Lee Ross, and very recently when he was dealing with Willie Jackson, has shown an ability and a strength and an authority and an understanding of the rules, which I think is superb. I think I’ve missed three days this year, and I do watch the videos of the question times, and I might say that I think Adrian probably does a better job than I do. [Applause] Yeah, thank you.

I want to say that we hope to see more of the Hon Jenny Salesa next year than we did this year. We missed her a lot. I tell you, it makes a big difference to a rotation if you have four people rather than three actually involved in your roster for chairing the House. We missed Jenny. And as far as Jacqui is concerned, I want to thank her for all her work and say that some people get stuff that they don’t deserve, and recently Jacqui has certainly been in that category.

I want to say it’s been a hard year. People know that there was some stuff earlier in the year which was uncomfortable, and I’m not going to make any more comments about that. I do want to say that for me, losing my closest colleague and a very good friend—Michael Cullen—and watching him die was not easy, but also what his death emphasised to me is how hard it has been for New Zealanders’ to handle the pandemic. It is only today, when he died in August, that his children can meet up with his wife. I saw the video of his hearse going past the end of the street when they could not have a ceremony. That’s been tough for New Zealanders, and the separations have occurred in New Zealand at really important times, and I think that’s something some of us lose sight of. I just want to say thank you to Anne for her strength in that and her determination to work hard in her area to keep it COVID-free.

I want to acknowledge the comment about the media. I think they act with incredible integrity—probably with a couple of exceptions. I do want to acknowledge Tova O’Brien leaving. Tova’s first big hit as a television journalist was set in Naenae and it involved some tickets to Homegrown being resold.

Simon O’Connor: What happened to that guy?

SPEAKER: She got a very good hit, and I got pretty embarrassed. But the thing that I really want to acknowledge is that in her time here, Tova had the choice of probably the biggest parliamentary story possible or a member’s mental health, and she chose not to go for the hits and the soundbites. She decided to do the right thing, and I want to thank her for doing that. It’s not easy and it’s not the way the media works, and I just want to acknowledge a truly professional and compassionate journalist, even if I disagree with her on quite a few issues.

I want to acknowledge the Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Service, Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, and I just want to say that I stand beside him in recent matters. There are often things that people do not understand. There is quite often one side of things played out in the media, rather than all the facts being available, and I want to say that we as members must finish the implementation of our code of conduct very early next year, because we have failed to make the progress that we should have on that, and I think all of us have to take some responsibility for that. If we want this place to be a place where we can be proud of having people work, then we’ve got some work to do ourselves.

I want to thank David Wilson and his team for their thoroughly professional work. Andie Lindsay, who people know that I think actually runs the place, because if there is ever a question to do with something important here, if Andie doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out in about two minutes, and she is a very special woman.

I want to thank the office staff in my office who’ve been there through the year. Roland, who I think found it quite hard to do his job from in his office, and Jessie Manning, who has been superb in leading that area.

I want to thank the security team. They have a much harder job than they used to have. We have had a churn. I think we’ve got a very professionally led team with quite a lot of renewal and people who are doing a very good job. I also want to thank the team that work in cybersecurity, and there’s stuff that we can’t talk about, but they have been working exceptionally hard this year on our behalf.

I want to thank the Chamber staff, the education team, the guides who haven’t had quite as much to do, and the select committee staff. I want to thank the Copperfield’s staff, and just indicate that for some reason I appear to be the only person in the buildings who can’t get my order in on time for “Doughnut Day”. And looking down, it’s probably good for me that that is the case.

I want to thank the Business Committee, which I think has worked well through the year. It’s a model committee that I talk about, and when I talk to colleagues internationally, we do run our Parliament in a much more multi-partisan way as a result of having those discussions and most of the time reach an agreement. So I want to thank Chris Hipkins for his work as Leader of the House. He does have a big workload, but the House does work very smoothly.

I do want to say a special thanks to the whips and the musterer, led by Kieran McAnulty on the Labour team. Jan Logie does superb work from the Greens, and is, for me, very much a sounding board on occasions in matters of how this place works. Brooke van Velden, who sort of reminds me a little bit—she’s the whip. She’s almost like the deputy principal of a secondary school—you know, you have the person who’s the front-person and the person who does the work. I want to thank you, Brooke, for being the person who does the work. I want to thank Matt Doocey, and I know I’m going to work well with Chris Penk. They are both people of tremendous integrity and, for me, that is something which is very, very important. For a whip, when you say you’re going to do something, you’ve got to do it, and all of the whips I have been able to rely on for that. That has not always been the case during my career.

I want to thank members’ staff, both here and in electorate offices, especially those up in Auckland. I know that it’s been really hard there. We’re always trying to get some support in to them and do the checking in, but they have been doing a very hard set of work.

Finally, members, I want to thank you all. I wish you a happy festive season. I recommend that you get really good sleep, with a warning that if you don’t, you’ll end up looking like me. Thank you very much.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

SPEAKER: The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 February.

The House adjourned at 4.51 p.m.