Oral Questions

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your guidance to find out what the criteria are for unparliamentary words such as “stuff-up”. I just noticed that Dr Clark used the words “stuff-up” and you did not stop him, whereas when I used those words during question time, when asking a question of the Hon Sam Lotu-Iiga, you stopped me immediately and reprimanded me.

As I have said many times, at the end the day, I think the members themselves use language for which they are responsible, and they will be judged by the public of New Zealand for the language they use. Having said that, there are times when, depending on the context in which some words are used and the decorum of the House at the time, I may then intervene. On this occasion, I did not intervene. I think Mr Clark can justify whether, in his own mind, he should have used those words—that is his business.

Biosecurity Management—Biosecurity and Border Processes and Import Health Standards

10. to the Minister for Primary Industries: Does he believe that New Zealand has robust biosecurity in light of Mycoplasma bovis and other recent incursions?

Yes, I do. This Government has placed a huge focus on biosecurity, and overall funding is now at a record high of $248 million per year. Even if we completely closed the borders, biosecurity would not be zero-risk; therefore, responding to incursions is an expected part of our overall biosecurity system. On average, the overall number of incursions per year has been consistent with previous years going back to 2000. This is despite strongly increasing passenger and cargo volumes.

💬 Richard Prosser: Does his belief that New Zealand has robust biosecurity and border processes extend to the import health standards for bovine semen and embryos; if not, why not?

💬 Hon NATHAN GUY: Our import health standards are a legal document, and, indeed, there is an investigation under way to try to determine how M. bovis made its way to New Zealand. I would prefer not to speculate; I would prefer that the investigation be allowed to get on with the good job that I am sure it will do.

💬 Richard Prosser: How does his belief that New Zealand has robust biosecurity, border processes, and import health standards square with Mycoplasma bovis, myrtle rust being found almost exclusively in nurseries, and pea weevil and velvet leaf being present in beet seeds that were certified weed-free?

💬 Hon NATHAN GUY: We have got a multilayered biosecurity system. To do with myrtle rust—this is wind-borne. New Zealand First seems to think that a passenger brought it into New Zealand. The reality is that if it has a look at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s wind-plume modelling, there are six wind events this year with a very high probability of myrtle rust being carried across the Tasman and reaching New Zealand.

💬 Richard Prosser: How does he reconcile his belief in New Zealand’s robust biosecurity and border processes with the fact that there have been over 150 biosecurity incursions since the election in 2008—mushroom compost containing animal manure being imported from Europe, and now, of all things, mud from overseas being imported into Rotorua?

💬 Hon NATHAN GUY: I was delighted to see in Budget 2017 that $18.4 million has been allocated to further strengthen the biosecurity system. That will allow us to review the most at-risk import health standards. Actually, if New Zealand First and Labour want to get serious about biosecurity, they will need to front up in the campaign to farmers and woolsheds and cowsheds, up and down the country, and say why they did not vote for the border clearance levy. That is a huge embarrassment for them when they talk about funding.

💬 Richard Prosser: How can biosecurity be robust when not one New Zealand airport has ever achieved MPI’s compliance targets, and while this Government’s much-vaunted National Animal Identification and Tracing project for tracking livestock movements is only now being initiated, 10 days after Mycoplasma bovis was first confirmed?

💬 Hon NATHAN GUY: If the member wants to refer to the investments that this Government has made, just in recent times, to do with the biosecurity system, I just want to remind him: 50 new biosecurity staff, 20 new dog detector teams, new X-ray machines—which means we can do more at the border—and the border clearance levy, which means we have got more funding. With increased tourism numbers, we have now got more funding to do more and provide more services on the border. We are doing a huge amount. We have got 14 Government industry agreements, whereby industry has signed up and is partnering with the Government on preparedness and response. There is a huge amount happening, and I am actually very proud of the fact that this Government has achieved a huge amount in terms of strengthening the overall biosecurity system.

Regional Culture and Heritage Fund—Cultural Facilities Funding

11. to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What announcements has she made on support for cultural facilities through the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund?

In the last couple of months I have had the privilege of announcing more than $10 million for projects supporting projects in Whangarei, Hastings, and Foxton, from the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund (RCHF), with more to come. Most recently I announced a $900,000 grant to complete the fit out of the ASB Theatre complex in Blenheim, thanks, in part, to the advocacy of their local member. But specifically, it was for the completion of the Anderson Theatre. The RCHF exists to support significant regional projects, such as the ASB, which has the potential to be a major cultural and economic asset for Blenheim and Marlborough, attracting both local and international artists.

💬 Stuart Smith: What announcement has she made about funding from the RCHF for Rakiura Stewart Island?

💬 Hon MAGGIE BARRY: In the last adjournment, the member for Invercargill and I beat the weather to visit Oban, and announce more than $1 million from the RCHF for a complete rebuild of the Rakiura Museum. The Stewart Island community has done well to access other funding from the local council and philanthropic and community sources, and I was very pleased that the Government was able to cover the rest of the cost of the project. It is time Stewart Island had the appropriate facilities to display its extensive heritage collections for islanders and visitors to enjoy, and it will be a fantastic asset for the southernmost community.

Transport, Auckland—Congestion

12. to the Minister of Transport: Does he think after nine years of a National-led Government that traffic congestion in Auckland is getting better or worse when the TomTom index shows that Auckland now has more traffic congestion than Hong Kong, and that congestion has almost doubled since 2014?

I acknowledge that congestion has been a growing issue for Auckland, because its economy and population has been growing strongly. Auckland, like other rapidly growing cities, is experiencing increasing pressure on its transport network. The member may be interested to know that Auckland is growing at twice the rate of Hong Kong at 1.5 percent a year, compared with 0.8 percent. However, significant improvements in travel times are being experienced by Aucklanders very recently, as much-needed infrastructure is coming on. Two recent examples of projects delivering a real difference for Aucklanders are the Southern Motorway improvements, which have cut up to 23 minutes off commute times, and the impressive Waterview tunnel, which is delivering equally impressive, and in some cases more impressive, travel-time savings. With the pipeline of work this Government has under way, Aucklanders have, and will continue to notice, improvements to their travel times.

💬 Michael Wood: Why after 9 years in Government has Auckland traffic congestion actually got four to five times worse since 2013, according to research released today by the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Infrastructure New Zealand, Auckland Airport, Ports of Auckland, and the National Road Carriers?

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Really, I have said the main points here, which are that I accept that congestion has been a real growing issue for a growing city, our city of Auckland. But, actually, very recently we are seeing very meaningful improvements in terms of congestion. Actually, a 7 percent reduction in congestion on the Southern and Northern Motorways, something like a 14 to 21 percent reduction in travel times on the arterials such as Mount Eden and Dominion Roads, as a result of Waterview. So as we get projects that have taken a long time to come to fruition, like new lanes on the Southern Motorway and Northern Motorway coming, and Waterview, that is actually reducing congestion.

💬 Michael Wood: How after 9 years in Government can he justify the $1.3 billion of annual productivity loss caused by gridlock in Auckland, and is this not evidence that National is holding back Auckland’s growth and prosperity?

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well, I agree with the thesis of the report. I mean, no one wants to see congestion. That is why we have such an ambitious programme, and as those projects come on—

💬 Hon Members: Ha, ha!

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: —well, they laugh, but, actually, hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders know that the Southern Motorway improvement and that the Waterview tunnel have delivered very real time and reliability benefits for them. Let me give a couple of examples—Papakura to the CBD via State Highway 1 used to take something like 39 to 86 minutes; it now takes around 35 minutes. The airport to CBD via Manukau Road used to take 40 to 49 minutes; now with Waterview, it takes 32 minutes.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Bring the answer to a conclusion.

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: There are some very strong improvements happening in terms of congestion.

💬 David Seymour: Why has the Minister been so weak on introducing congestion pricing that he now finds himself to the left of Phil Goff, who wants to bring it in sooner?

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I do not accept that. If you look at what we have done, we have had the Auckland Transport Alignment Project, which has made a very clear recommendation around investigating pricing, and that is exactly what we are doing.

💬 Michael Wood: Given his acknowledgment today that the congestion problem in Auckland is growing, why has he not learnt the lessons of the Northern Busway, built by Labour, that if you give people modern, efficient public transport many of them will leave their cars at home, which means moving more people and freight around our city freely?

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: For one thing it takes all manner of forms of transport, including public transport, but, actually, if the member had listened to what I said, I said that congestion has increased, but actually very recently, as we have seen big projects start—new laning on the Southern Motorway, and the Waterview tunnel—in fact we have seen congestion decrease quite meaningfully, both in terms of the State highway network and also in terms of the arterial roads. Aucklanders know—they are emailing, they are writing, they are on talkback, in their hundreds of thousands—that they are getting quicker travel times and much, much more reliable travel times.

💬 Michael Wood: Why can the Minister not see that Aucklanders want a Government that understands their city and is more ambitious for it, rather than one that says it will think about a light rail connection to the airport in 30 years’ time?

💬 Hon SIMON BRIDGES: It is lucky it has got such a Government. This is a Government that invests two-thirds of all transport spending in Auckland over and above what the council is doing. It has a very ambitious programme, and it continues to show more ambition.