Oral Questions

1. to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s statements and actions?

on behalf of the Prime Minister: On behalf of the Prime Minister, of course.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: How long does she think there should be between a positive test of COVID-19 and the public being informed of the details?

The answers to those questions we are leaving to medical experts and not making jaundiced political decisions about it.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Well, why, then, did it take almost six hours after the Minister of Health confirmed a third case of COVID-19 on live television this morning for the Director-General of Health to provide any further details to the public?

Because the Government is acting in a responsible, timely manner and at the behest of the medical experts who are on the front line in this case, and we regret the attempt to sensationalise what is a problem that we in this country must all face together.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Does she think, then, that it is at the behest of those medical experts that a Minister of Health makes an announcement on live television, and yet more details are not provided to the public for many hours afterwards?

Again, we do not intend to prosecute the correctness of the information to the public via only the media. Public statements will be made when the medical experts are certain of what they are saying. But I want to remind that member of what Siouxsie Wiles, a microbiologist, said, and she said this about Mr Bridges: “[It’s] downright irresponsible during an outbreak such as this to undermine public confidence in the official response.” And I agree with her.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: In light of that answer by the Deputy Prime Minister, what is his reaction—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will get it right: “by the Prime Minister”.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: In light of that answer by the Prime Minister, what is his reaction to a member of the Opposition, Mr David Bennett—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Now I’m going to give the Minister of Finance one last chance to get it right.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Has she seen reports of members of the Opposition—in particular, Mr David Bennett—encouraging people to panic buy, and does she think that is a responsible action?

Could I just reply on behalf of the Prime Minister and say that, yes, Mr Bennett, a National MP, has even told his constituents over radio to start “panic buying”. Now, this is in circumstances where Michael Baker of the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago said that the handling of this issue has been exemplary. And here’s the point: it would be laughable what Mr Bennett said, but the reality is that nobody in this country thinks such clowns should be in the next Government.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Does he think it instils confidence in the public when the Minister of Health makes a statement on live TV in the morning, and yet it is then hours later that the actual facts are given to the public?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, everybody over here, everybody watching this programme, is doing their darnedest to fathom out why that member is asking that question, as though it is of some significance.

💬 Hon Member: That’s not an answer.

It is an answer.

💬 SPEAKER: I think the last bit of it might have been.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Was the Deputy Prime Minister wrong when he said that the car “feebate” tax was “dead”?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, I’m very pleased to confirm that the Deputy Prime Minister said no such thing. What he did say was that the claim being made by the National Party in their social media was an unadulterated porky. That’s what you did say that the Deputy Prime Minister said, and in that sense he is totally correct.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Will taxpayers’ money be used to buy land at Ihumātao?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, I am glad that the Deputy Prime Minister is answering for me today, because what I said yesterday is what he is going to say today: the same thing.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: When will there be an announcement on what is happening at Ihumātao?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, in the fullness of time when we’ve all kept our word.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: What was the Deputy Prime Minister’s response to her view that Minister Shane Jones’ comments were “loose and wrong”, with respect to his comments about Indian students?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, my views were made very clear to the public with respect to what Mr Jones had said. But then, of course, I’ve later had the opportunity to be appraised of the full context, which would have been invaluable at the time, and that context is to be seen in 19 different articles in all sorts of Indian media—including by a man who is of Indian extraction, in the National Party, who said that in February of 2017 at the height of the National Party’s debacle with tertiary students from India.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Does she now think she was incorrect to have made a statement about Shane Jones’ comments on Indian students and to call them loose and wrong?

On behalf of the Prime Minister, I am the leader of this Government and I’m not wrong in what I said.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his statements and policies?

Yes, in their context. In particular, I continue to stand by my statement that the New Zealand economy is in good shape to respond to the economic impacts of coronavirus.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why has the Government moved to ease access to benefits without also outlining plans to help businesses directly affected by the coronavirus outbreak to keep employees in work?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We’ve been particularly focused on making sure that people in regions such as Tai Rāwhiti are able to pay their bills. That’s what people would expect of the Government to do. We’re working closely with industries and businesses right around New Zealand on responses. But when it comes to it, New Zealanders know that the Government is here to support them in times of need.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: What does he say to the Restaurant Association spokesperson who said efforts to raise issues with Ministers about the impact of coronavirus on the economy have “fallen on deaf ears”?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I appreciate the position that restaurant owners around New Zealand find themselves in. I understand that there has been a response from the Government, and, obviously, we’ve previously met with the hospitality industry, and later today, I’ll meet again with the tourism industry representatives as well.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he think the economic priority now should be on keeping people in work by taking pressure directly off affected businesses?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: There are a range of measures that we can undertake to keep people in work. That is most definitely our focus at this time.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why has his Government not yet detailed a business support package, like National did after the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes, that offers businesses directly affected by the coronavirus outbreak $500 a week for every full-time worker—

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Well, I’m just outlining the details.

💬 SPEAKER: Well, we don’t need unnecessary information.

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I appreciate what the member is trying to do here, but it’s really important to understand the distinction between this incident and the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes. This is not an earthquake; this is an evolving situation. We are responding, as that situation evolves, appropriately, and we are supporting New Zealand businesses and we will continue to do so.

Question No. 3—Finance

3. to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

This morning, ASB released its latest Economic Note titled “Be prepared—It doesn’t hurt”, providing useful advice for businesses on how to prepare for the impact of coronavirus. The ASB suggests business consider the three broad ways in which they may be impacted: export earnings, supply chain disruption, and social distancing. These will all impact individual businesses to varying degrees and in different ways. It’s important that all businesses understand their level of risk and keep a close eye on trends in areas like revenue, cash flow, and supply chain. ASB advises businesses to ensure that they have established a clear idea of how to respond, including by making contingency plans for business continuity, and asking for help. Both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have guidance about this on their websites.

💬 Greg O’Connor: What recent discussions has he had with the business community about the impacts of coronavirus?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: This morning, I attended a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council. The message from the business representatives there highlighted the very different impacts of COVID-19 on different sectors. For example, the dairy industry, as highlighted by numbers released earlier this week, has seen a relatively small impact on volume and prices but is reporting that supply chains are starting to return to normal, whereas within the tourism and forestry sectors we have heard of, and have seen, more direct impacts, to which the Government is responding. Later today, I will meet again with representatives of the tourism industry, with Xero to discuss the data they have on small business impacts, and with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Reserve Bank Governor to discuss the macroeconomic situation. We continue to have daily discussions with businesses and economists, including from our banks, and I will meet with the executive of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association on Monday. The message I have given all of those businesses and the worker representatives that we have met is that the Government is committed to supporting them through the situation, and we will continue to do so.

💬 Greg O’Connor: How is the Government helping the economy weather the impact of the coronavirus?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: While the economy has underlying strength, there are clearly specific industries and regions that are taking a hit. That’s why we are working closely with the business community on measures, including support to the tourism sector, regional business advice services, and the ongoing work of Government agencies, including the Ministry of Social Development, the Inland Revenue Department, and MBIE. Ministers have agreed in principle to remove the stand-down period for benefits while looking at other ways to create jobs and support businesses who are affected by coronavirus. The best response to an evolving situation such as this is to provide the immediate support that is required, which we are doing, while planning for the scenarios of the future.

Question No. 4—Foreign Affairs

4. to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Has he received any reports of foreign interference activities in New Zealand from foreign State actors of the type described by Canterbury University Professor Anne-Marie Brady in her paper “Magic Weapons” as united front work carried out by the Chinese Communist Party; if so, what efforts is the Government making to protect New Zealand’s interests?

Foreign interference is not a new threat and New Zealand isn’t immune to such attempts. Yes, I have seen reports to that effect, but I can’t discuss specific countries, operational details, targets or methods, or systems of surveillance. But I can assure the member that this Government takes the threat very seriously and has robust measures in place to protect our democratic values, institutions, and our economy.

💬 Jami-Lee Ross: Does he share the concerns of Professor Brady that foreign State actors make efforts to control diaspora communities, to utilise them as agents of foreign policy, suppress any hints of dissidents as well, and, if so, what resilience strategy will New Zealand implement to protect against this foreign interference?

💬 Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Can I tell that member we do share a series of concerns. If that member or, indeed, any member of the public has information that relates to foreign interference from any country, they should report it to the relevant authorities. This is a serious issue that this Government is dedicated to addressing, and appropriate processes should be followed. But let me say this: this is the first time in New Zealand’s history that a political party has announced its candidate list in China, and you have to ask yourself why.

💬 Jami-Lee Ross: Does he share the view of SIS director, Rebecca Kitteridge, that one vector of foreign interference in elections is “Building covert influence and leverage, including through electoral financing;”, and, if so, what advice does he have for New Zealanders concerned about this foreign interference?

💬 Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The member will, I’m sure, appreciate the fact that we cannot single out any one specific country. The important thing is that we have flexible and adequate mechanisms, we believe, in place to protect our democratic values, institutions, and the economy. The witness and evidence that he has recited in his question is some testimony to that, but the reality is we have open channels to raise issues with countries if and when we ever need to do so. But it behoves political parties not to be undermining this Government’s serious purpose to protect our democratic institutions.

Question No. 5—Health

5. to the Minister of Health: How is the Government adapting its public health response to manage the evolving nature of the coronavirus outbreak, and what support, if any, can the Opposition provide to help New Zealanders?

New Zealand has acted swiftly to prepare for and address cases of COVID-19, in advance of most other countries. Yesterday, the newly formed Cabinet committee met to ensure we can continue to be nimble and responsive. Public health staff working actively to contain the virus are working hard to limit its spread. Many of them are working long hours, and I commend their commitment to keeping New Zealand safe. I do see a constructive role for the Opposition to play to ensure New Zealanders receive messages that are based on the best scientific and medical advice that is coming out of the Ministry of Health.

💬 Hon Member: But not David Bennett.

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does the revelation of New Zealand’s first human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus in New Zealand change his assessment that the risk of a sustained community outbreak remains low; if not, why not?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The advice I have had is that it remains low. The emerging evidence is that transmission within families is the most common route, and, indeed, in this case, the person believed to have been the vector is in self-isolation and is being treated as though they are a case, even though they are now currently asymptomatic.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is it correct that the passenger who arrived from Iran had only mild symptoms of the virus, and does this change his assessment of the transmissibility of the virus by asymptomatic or low-symptom carriers?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I think it’s important that we are careful here to distinguish between low-symptomatic and asymptomatic. The evidence seems to be that transmission by asymptomatic people is not happening—in contrast to the flu, where we know this does happen—but low symptomatic is, of course, a different thing.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Has he received advice on whether the low-symptomatic carrier would have met the threshold for a coronavirus test that is currently being carried out in New Zealand laboratories?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I have sought urgent advice to clarify precisely that situation. I believe that the advice is coming through now much faster—the technical advisory group is now meeting on a daily basis, and they are assessing the emerging evidence. It is important for the public to know that 80 percent of people in the rather large study that’s been done in China already, recovered without any hospital assistance and so for the vast majority of people who have contracted this virus the consequences have not been great. None the less, we continue to be glad to see the consequences of our early action, because it has bought us more time in New Zealand, through acting early and decisively, to run the scenarios, to get the evidence of what’s happening overseas, to make sure that we are responding in the best way possible, on the latest scientific and medical advice.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: What flexibility do medical practitioners have in deciding whether or not a COVID-19 test is appropriate for a patient who presents themselves with low symptoms?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Clinicians are the best placed people to make the judgment, not politicians. So we are expecting that clinicians will use their best clinical judgment based on the latest scientific and medical advice.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is he saying that Wellington Hospital senior doctors are wrong when they say that they were prevented from applying that discretion in getting COVID-19 tests on patients they thought warranted it?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I fear that the member might not be completely accurately presenting that story. However, what I would say is that there is no restriction on the number of tests to be carried out—clinicians are using their best clinical judgment. So far, we’ve had around 200 tests run over the first month of having the testing up and running in New Zealand, and we’ve had a very low number of confirmed cases thus far. The ability to conduct far more tests is there should we need it.

Question No. 6—Economic Development

6. to the Minister for Economic Development: What recent announcements has he made about supporting businesses affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus?

Our Government’s economic response to COVID-19 is focused on supporting workers to stay in work and businesses to stay in business. That’s why, on Tuesday, Cabinet agreed to provide an extra $4 million to bolster the Regional Business Partners programme, to help businesses around the country affected by COVID-19 with practical advice on issues such as payroll and dealing with Inland Revenue on tax payments. Cabinet also agreed to establish up to 16 rapid-response Ministry of Social Development teams to assist with immediate needs such as helping move workers into other jobs and referring those in need of further support to other Government agencies.

💬 Kiritapu Allan: In what other ways is the Government providing support?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: We announced last month that we are providing $11 million to help Tourism New Zealand boost visitor numbers; $10 million will go towards diversifying its marketing in other countries to offset the fall in Chinese tourist numbers, and a million will go towards funding marketing to New Zealanders. Fisheries Minister, Stuart Nash, has agreed to allow some of this year’s uncaught rock lobster harvest to be carried forward to the next fishing year, giving those businesses some certainty. I’m also advised that affected businesses may be able to make an estimate, or a re-estimate, of provisional tax if their circumstances have changed due to COVID-19. Cabinet has also agreed in principle to waive the stand-down period for those who are seeking income support, and more detail on that will be forthcoming after Cabinet on Monday.

💬 Kiritapu Allan: And what other actions is the Government considering?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well, we know that there is more to do to support New Zealand workers and businesses at this time. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, Cabinet has requested further work on a number of initiatives. These include whether funding could be made available to enable workers who have had their hours reduced to undertake training. We’re looking to work in partnership with forestry owners to bring forward work on new forestry access roads so that they can keep their workforce working while they wait for logging and harvesting to resume. We’re also considering whether there are projects we can use our forestry workforce on with a bit of extra training and support.

💬 Kiritapu Allan: What other actions will he be taking?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I’ll be visiting regions to look at the economic impact of COVID-19 and will be reporting back to the COVID Cabinet committee, like I did earlier this week. I visited Tai Rāwhiti with Kiri Allan and Meka Whaitiri on Tuesday, and spoke to people in the forestry industry who are doing it tough. Forestry contractor Robert Stubbs had four logging crews working a few weeks ago and has had to make workers on two crews redundant because of the downturn in exports to China. His remaining crews have only 70 percent of their former workload. He said that local roadworks could provide temporary work for his workers, and that is the kind of practical idea that our Government is exploring.

💬 Hon Todd McClay: What advice has he received about the significance of COVID-19 on an already slowing economy?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: We’ve received plenty of advice on the economic implications of COVID-19, much of which notes—as, I think, many commentators do—that the strength of the fundamentals in the New Zealand economy mean that, actually, New Zealand and the New Zealand Government is well placed to withstand the shock.

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Why is it a Government priority to make it easier for people to go on a benefit rather than actually plan to support businesses to keep New Zealanders in jobs?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: We’re doing both.

Question No. 7—Transport

7. to the Minister of Transport: Why did he say on 22 January 2020 that “What the Super Fund proposed is that they would design, build and operate the light rail line for the next 50 years”, and was he basing those comments on the unsolicited bid for Auckland light rail made in May 2018 by NZ Infra?

I said it as an illustrative example because not everyone understands what a public-public investment could look like. And, to the second part of the question, no.

💬 Chris Bishop: Has he been briefed by officials on the duration of the contract proposed by NZ Infra for Auckland light rail?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I have been briefed by officials on the results of the twin track process that Cabinet mandated.

💬 Chris Bishop: Has he been briefed by officials on the duration of the contract proposed by NZ Infra?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Yes, that’s part of the bid that was put to the twin track process.

💬 Chris Bishop: When did that briefing take place?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Look, if the member wants a detailed question of that nature answered, he should put it in writing.

💬 Chris Bishop: Why did he say yesterday, “When I made those comments in January, I was—it was an illustrative example—I hadn’t been briefed at that point on the detail of the bids”, when he’s just told the House that he was briefed on the duration of the contract proposed by NZ Infra?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I made the comment in the House yesterday about the briefing that I received in January this year at the conclusion of the twin track process. That’s a long time after those original comments were made.

💬 Chris Bishop: Can he assure the House that the NZ Infra proposal—which the chief executive said, yesterday, was 1,500 pages long—will be released publicly?

💬 Hon PHIL TWYFORD: It’s currently subject to a commercial probity—strict commercial probity requirements. When Cabinet has made its decision, it will release all the appropriate information.

Question No. 8—Education

8. to the Minister of Education: Is he confident that the Government is doing enough to help the education sector deal with the effects of coronavirus?

Yes. The Government’s first priority is to protect the public health of those in early childhood education services, schools, universities, polytechs, and other educational institutions. We’re working closely alongside them to ensure that they’re given supporting information and can provide supporting information about pandemic planning, good student wellbeing practices, that they can recognise the signs and symptoms, they are encouraging good hygiene practices, and, of course, they’re providing support to international students. As the events highlighted yesterday, the Ministry of Education is working on the ground with Auckland Regional Public Health Service to ensure that schools and parent communities have got the correct health information that is right for their situation. We also know that there will be a significant impact on the international student sector as a result, particularly, of the travel restrictions that are currently in place. We are working with them to stabilise and manage the current situation and prepare for as speedy a recovery as possible once the travel restrictions have been lifted.

💬 Hon Nikki Kaye: How many schools are on alert by Government officials regarding concerns over potential contact with people or family members with coronavirus?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think it’s important we are very careful about the type of language that we use. I have not used the word “alert”, for example, when it comes to providing information to schools. Where there is any risk that a student at a school may have come into contact with coronavirus, of course the school is informed of that and, as the member saw, there was an example of that yesterday, but I would not use the word “alert” because I think that suggests that there is a higher risk of other students getting, or being exposed to, coronavirus than actually exists.

💬 Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he believe it is appropriate for Government officials to delay an Auckland school from informing their parents about a coronavirus situation so that health officials could do a press conference first?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I’m sure the member will be aware, one of the things that are very important in a situation like this is to ensure that the information that is supplied is accurate and that undue alarm is not created by people putting information out that is not as accurate as it needs to be. So, yes, officials are working very closely with any affected schools, early childhood services, or tertiary providers—noting that there are no current cases in the latter categories—but they are working very closely with any organisation in the education sector that may be affected to ensure that information that is disseminated publicly is accurate.

💬 Hon Nikki Kaye: Was it acceptable for Auckland Grammar School to be delayed from being able to inform their parents prior to officials going public with the information about the coronavirus situation?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I’ve said, it’s very important that the officials are working together across Government to ensure that the information that is provided publicly is accurate, that it is provided in as timely a manner as possible, and that undue alarm is not caused by people making premature comments.

💬 Hon Nikki Kaye: Does he accept the criticism by the vice-chancellor of Victoria University, who says that the Minister has been missing in action while universities have struggled with the loss of international students?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It won’t surprise the member to learn that, no, I don’t accept that. We have been working very closely with Universities New Zealand on behalf of all of the vice-chancellors. In fact, after the vice-chancellor of Victoria University made that comment, many other vice-chancellors contacted me to make it clear that that was not their view, and I have subsequently received an apology from the vice-chancellor of Victoria University.

💬 Hon Nikki Kaye: Will he announce a financial package to help support schools and education providers who are dealing with millions in costs and losses as a result of coronavirus?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Those types of decisions are premature. Of course we are monitoring the situation very closely. The overall financial impact on all education providers is difficult to assess until we know when the travel restrictions are likely to be lifted, for example. With regard to the universities—who are the sector at the moment who, frankly, have been the most affected, because they have the greatest proportion of their Chinese students not in-country—they are actually in a very good financial position in order to be able to weather this for a period of time while we do have this period of uncertainty.

Question No. 9—Defence

9. to the Minister of Defence: What recent announcements has he made on defence capability projects?

On Tuesday, I announced that Defence has signed a contract to replace the Defence Force 1980s - era fixed high frequency radio capability with modern equipment. High frequency radio provides reliable communications coverage, including into some of the most remote regions on the planet where New Zealand is operating, from deep in the Southern Ocean to the vastness of the Pacific. High frequency communications acts as a backup to satellite communications and would also boost national resilience by helping emergency services maintain communications during a crisis, increase resilience against malicious cyber-attacks, and that project will be delivered by Babcock New Zealand. It has a capital budget of $26.6 million and is expected to be fully operational in August 2023.

💬 Darroch Ball: What progress has been made in modernising the Defence Force’s domestic response vehicle fleet?

💬 Hon RON MARK: The Ministry of Defence has released a request for tender and is currently seeking proposals on a range of domestic response vehicles with delivery expected before the end of 2022. These capabilities help support our communities, enable military operations at home and in our region, and keep our women and men in uniform safe. They include domestic and rural fire engines to support Fire and Emergency New Zealand, air force response appliances, aircraft refuelling tankers, and the long overdue and much waited for New Zealand - based military ambulances, which are desperately and urgently in need of replacement.

💬 Darroch Ball: What progress has been made in upgrading the communications capabilities of navy vessels?

💬 Hon RON MARK: More good news. A further planned investment has gone to market seeking proposals to upgrade the external communications systems on HMNZS Canterbury, the offshore patrol vessels HMNZS Otago and Wellington, and delivery is also expected before the end of 2022. These ships conduct fisheries patrols, protect our borders, and support disaster relief operations such as HMNZS Wellington did at Whakaari / White Island. Communications at sea are critical for the safety of the crews and to ensure New Zealand vessels are able to operate effectively together and with our partners. Investment in all three of these capabilities is critical to national resilience and has been deferred for far too long, and that’s why this coalition Government is taking care of business.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is that the reason why, for the first time for an awfully long time, international allies of ours have a new-found respect for our country?

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! That’s not something that Minister has responsibility for. The fact the Minister asked the question probably does.

💬 Hon RON MARK: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Could I suggest that my office in the last three weeks has been full of delegations from the EU, NATO, United States, and just this morning—

💬 SPEAKER: All right. OK, well the member’s probably answered the question.

Question No. 10—Housing

10. to the Minister of Housing: Does she stand by her statement on 4 September 2019 with regard to a $400 million progressive home ownership scheme, “I will be making those final decisions and taking that piece of work back to Cabinet before the end of the year and we’ll have the scheme up and running next year”; if so, which month this year will it be up and running?

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member’s going to answer the question, but I am going to warn the Hon Judith Collins that I know her reading skills are better than that. Not all members are, but I don’t think she should do that.

Yes, I refer the member to my answer to oral question No. 6 on Tuesday and oral question No. 4 yesterday, where I made it abundantly clear, twice, that I took the decision paper to Cabinet in December, as planned, and an announcement will be made in the next couple of months. I don’t propose to pre-empt that announcement in the House today, but I can assure the member she doesn’t have long to wait.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: When she said she would have a progressive homeownership scheme up and running this year, how does she define “up and running”?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Again, I think we went through this yesterday in oral question time. What I mean by having a progressive homeownership scheme up and running is there will be New Zealanders who are receiving assistance into homeownership—something this Government is proud of.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: When she said she would have a progressive homeownership scheme up and running this year, did she mean that it would be actually operating this year?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Yes.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: When she said yesterday that she would be making an announcement in the next couple of months, did she actually mean a re-announcement of the announcement that she already made in September, or a different announcement?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: What I meant is I will be making an announcement of a progressive homeownership scheme, of which this Government is proud.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: So does that mean it’s a re-announcement of what was announced in September last year?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Is the member asking if we’ll be talking about the $400 million progressive homeownership scheme that we announced in September? I guess we will talk about that a bit more, because this is the like of which this country has never seen, and of which we are rightly proud.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Has she corrected the Green Party co-leader who announced in September last year that the Government would “now”—as in September last year—“be rolling out” a progressive homeownership scheme?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Why would there be reason to? In September last year, we made an announcement that we would be making our final designed decisions about a scheme that would be taken to Cabinet in December last year. That was done, and we will have an announcement in due course.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Has the Minister sought any guidance on the meaning of “up and running” from the Hon Judith Collins, given her experience with that in terms of the National Party leadership?

💬 SPEAKER: Order! No. Grant Robertson, you—[Interruption] Order! Order! The member knew that was out of order. He will withdraw and apologise.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: I withdraw and apologise.

Question No. 11—Energy and Resources

11. to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does she have confidence there will be no electricity security of supply issues in light of Transpower’s advice to her that there is a risk of “inadequate capacity” to meet demand over the period when the Pohukura Gas field is closed for maintenance and there are restrictions on the HVDC inter-island electricity transmission system?

Yes. Transpower, as the system operator, monitors security of supply closely. These planned outages have been coordinated on the basis of this monitoring and Transpower’s planning. The risks of inadequate capacity occurring have been highlighted in the worst-case scenarios modelling by Transpower. I am updated weekly on the current security of supply situation, and note Transpower’s latest advice is that there remains a low likelihood of any physical security of supply issues. In the event that this is an issue, there are systems and processes in place to manage that. The current high-voltage direct current (HVDC) work has proceeded well and as expected. It expects that the HVDC will return to full capacity when the outages are completed ahead of Easter 2020. In the middle of 2019, I became aware there was a range of simultaneously planned outages for the first quarter of 2020. At that time, I sought reassurance from Transpower that their planned outage coordination process would minimise the risks for consumers and for security of supply, and Transpower later informed me that at least one planned outage had been rescheduled through this process and that the risks of security of supply were manageable. Subsequent to this, I asked for assurance from the Electricity Authority (EA) that the planned outage coordination process was performing optimally, and the EA and Gas Industry Co. subsequently began a review of the process, which is currently under way. I can assure the member that this is something I have taken a great deal of interest in.

💬 SPEAKER: Before I ask the member to ask a supplementary question, I will apologise for not informing the House that I had been warned that this was going to be a longer than normal answer, and it certainly was.

💬 Jonathan Young: Thank you, Mr Speaker. So despite that fulsome answer, does she accept Transpower’s advice that “inadequate capacity” is still a risk over this period?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The member is quoting from a briefing that was in December. What I indicated in my primary answer is the latest information that I have from Transpower is that there remains a low likelihood of any physical security of supply issues, and everything is proceeding according to plan. As I also indicated to the member, this is something that I am briefed on weekly.

💬 Jonathan Young: Thank you. So is the Cabinet paper that was released last month, that proposes she be granted emergency powers to reallocate electricity or gas in situations of acute shortage, signalling that electricity shortages are something consumers should be concerned about?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The Cabinet paper to which the member is referring is in no way connected to this event. What he is referring to is a suggestion of what possibly could be included in a future draft terms of reference, not something that would be used in an occurrence such as this. What this Government has signalled, however, is that we will in the very near future be tabling amendments to the Gas Act so we can have full information disclosure during unforeseen and unplanned outages such as we saw in 2018 with the Pohokura pipeline. But the two events the member is referring to are unconnected.

💬 Kieran McAnulty: What are the systems and processes in place to manage physical security of supply events?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: If there were to be a security of supply event, there are well-established systems to manage these. For managing gas security of supply, the critical contingency management regulations provide for the management of situations such as unplanned gas production outages. An independent body is in place that has power to declare critical contingency events. Once those are declared, a curtailment system will kick in. For electricity, Transpower is responsible for ensuring that demand is met. Finally, Transpower works closely with the upstream producers and thermal generator in performing its system operator role.

💬 Jonathan Young: Well, if there are well-planned mechanisms in place to manage security of supply issues and outages, why is she looking to have emergency powers to reallocate gas or electricity in situations of acute shortage given to the Minister of Energy and Resources?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: As I indicated in a previous supplementary to the member, he is talking about two unconnected events. What he is referring to is a Cabinet paper which was on the recommendations of the electricity pricing review, which was around institutional arrangements and how we may, in some time in the future, move towards an energy regulator rather than separate regulators for electricity and gas, as is currently the model, and what some of the rules within that might be. So I think the member’s a little bit confused.

Question No. 12—Health

12. to the Minister of Health: How is New Zealand’s public health service responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus?

We always knew that COVID-19 would arrive in New Zealand and have been preparing since January in line with the comprehensive pandemic plan. The actions we have taken, such as travel restrictions and supporting people to self-isolate, bought us valuable time to ramp up those preparations. As of now, New Zealand has three confirmed cases of COVID-19. Our public health staff are working hard to contain the situation using contact tracing and self-isolation to limit the chance of spread. But, while excellent progress is being made, I do anticipate further sporadic cases will be identified.

💬 Angie Warren-Clark: What is being done to support primary care to respond to COVID-19?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The Ministry of Health has been providing regular updates and advice to the primary care sector since early January. There has been a strong focus on the provision of information, including around the use in primary care of personal protective equipment. The ministry is working with DHBs and primary health organisations (PHOs) across the country to ensure personal protective equipment—or PPE—is available to those who need it. I’m advised that all general practices now have appropriate PPE. The Ministry of Health are in regular contact with DHBs, PHOs, primary care, and pharmacies and have weekly teleconferences to ensure anyone with concerns can raise them directly.

💬 Angie Warren-Clark: What can the public do to help support our response to COVID-19?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The most important thing the public can do is listen to the very sensible public health advice that is coming from our health professionals. Avoid close contact with people with cold- or flu-like illnesses. Health professionals advise also to cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing. Health professionals advise also to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with water and soap and dry them thoroughly before eating or handling food; after using the toilet; after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, or wiping children’s noses; and after caring for sick people.