Oral Questions

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

Yes, particularly the proactive work we are undertaking in response to COVID-19. As has already been referenced in opening statements, we have already, in terms of the economic impacts of COVID-19 and following feedback from the business community and the union movement, required that Government agencies pay their bills within 10 working days. We’ve already decided to remove the stand-down period for those who have lost their jobs in applying for benefits. We’ve expanded the regional business partner programme, deployed the Ministry of Social Development’s rapid response teams, and put in support for the tourism industry. Yesterday, we confirmed that we will also issue a business continuity package next week. It will include a targeted wage subsidy scheme for those most affected sectors, as well as training and redeployment for affected workers, and we are working with banks on future working capital to support those with temporary credit constraints. I do want to acknowledge that, actually, relative to many other economies that are affected by COVID-19, we are amongst a very few who are working on an economic response. There is not yet one from the UK, from the United States, or from Canada, and, when we see Australia’s package, I anticipate there will be a heavy focus on infrastructure, which, of course, this Government has already put in place.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree with the Bank of New Zealand that New Zealand is heading for a recession this year?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We have not received advice suggesting that from Treasury. But I do agree with the Bank of New Zealand’s Stephen Toplis, who said this morning that this is a global issue and we should be targeted in our approach and not put in place blanket responses, which is exactly what we as a Government are developing.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: So is the position that Treasury has not advised the Government at all on the likelihood of recession this year?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I am reporting to the House that Treasury has not given us advice of that nature.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Is she going to ask them for advice?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course we’ve received advice on the economic position of New Zealand currently and going forward. The member already knows that we’ve already reflected the likely impact on GDP, putting us in the position in the future to sit around between 2 and potentially 2.5 percent going forward. But we have not received that advice. The member seems disappointed at that reality, but that is not advice that has been received. Regardless of whether we’ve received that advice or not, we are preparing. We are putting in place what is required to make sure that we maintain cash flow for businesses and that they are able to maintain their employees. That is where this Government’s focus should be. And, also, the member will be receiving his own briefing from Treasury today.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Where in the world would it be a normal for a Prime Minister to ring up the head of Treasury and ask for advice that the economy, which the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance are running, is heading for a recession—unless, of course, it was a National Party in charge at the time?

💬 SPEAKER: Order! There is a very small part of that question which the Prime Minister can answer. It’s in the first part.

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I’ve already said, we have not received that advice.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Does she not want to know from her Treasury where the New Zealand economy—[Interruption] well, she can laugh, but I’m asking the question—is heading this year?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: They have said it is not. They are free to give us advice at any time. The point that I am making here is that whilst Treasury have not predicted, we are planning regardless. We are getting ahead of the impacts by putting in place a package to support the business community and our employers and our employees. That is our responsibility and we take it seriously.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: What’s Treasury’s most recent advice on GDP this year?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I reported to this House, their predictions are similar to what we’ve seen in some of the public commentary: that it would be, in the future, an impact resulting in between 2 percent and 2.5 percent, from memory—so an impact similar to what some of the economists have said. But this is one point in time. This is a global situation that is evolving, and I expect that some of the advice we will get will evolve. Regardless, we need to prepare ourselves and prepare our economy, and we are.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree with Sharon Zollner, chief economist at the ANZ, who has said, “At a time when businesses are very nervous, putting this year’s minimum wage rises on hold would support employment and better social outcomes”; and, if not, why not?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Our focus has to be on supporting businesses who are directly affected. That is why we are developing a targeted response through things like wage subsidies rather than what the BNZ has said: not putting in place a blanket response. The lowest-paid workers should not have to pay for the impacts of COVID-19—first point. Second point: actually, the group that pays the minimum wage the most are our large employers, not our small ones. Third point: the minimum wage has a stimulatory effect. The more the low-income workers have in their pockets, the more they spend, which is exactly what the economy needs. And fourth point: that Opposition has said we need to support workers and their families; cutting their wages is not the way to do that.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Does the Prime Minister understand that if she doesn’t change the minimum wage, the most vulnerable workers will pay for it on the dole, languishing there for a very long time indeed?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member seems to be suggesting that we should remove the increase in wages for every single minimum wage employee in New Zealand. That would affect 200,000 workers. That would mean less money going into the economy. Instead, to keep those people in jobs, we are working on a wage subsidy to do just that, without having a blanket hit to every single low-income worker in New Zealand.

💬 Hon Shane Jones: Does she agree with the words of encouragement from the Hon David Bennett that the community should be out panic buying, or in his case for toilet paper?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I’ve seen a number of comments that I do not think have supported a sensible, rational response at a time when we need our community leaders to take a responsible approach. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member asked the question. He should be quiet enough to listen to the answer instead of trying to drown it out.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: What advice has she received on the number of job losses from the minimum wage increase on 1 April?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Every single time we do an increase in the minimum wage, from the time that we were last in Government to now, we have received such advice, and I again remind the member that every time we have done that, we have had jobs go up and unemployment go down. Now, actually, the final point I want to make: when we were last in the global financial crisis, we had a National Party in New Zealand who was focused on supporting the lowest-paid workers and taking what was called the “sharp edges” off the recession; now we have an Opposition who would rather have low-paid workers suffer. That is not the way to deal with this. We instead can support employers directly to stay in work and to have decent wages while they’re there.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Does she accept that increasing the minimum wage on 1 April will increase the number of people who will lose their jobs in this country?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That is exactly what the business continuity package we are designing is designed to prevent.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Has the advice on the number of job losses from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment at 6,500 as a result of the minimum wage increase on 1 April been updated to reflect the additional impact of coronavirus and, therefore, the increase in those job losses?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That assumes that advice is correct. I remind the member that we have presided over some of the lowest unemployment rates in a decade, all the while increasing the wages of New Zealand—first point. Second point: 40 percent of businesses who rely on the minimum wage are large organisations; half of them are small businesses. So you do a disservice to those small businesses who are paying wages above minimum wage. Finally, there is a stimulatory effect as a result of minimum wages, which is exactly what we need.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. to the Minister of Finance: Is he confident that Government is taking the necessary steps to preserve jobs and strengthen the economy?

I am. This Government has acted swiftly and decisively to put in place a number of initiatives to help affected businesses and workers. These include support for the tourism and fisheries industries, an extra $4 million for the Regional Business Partner programme, as well as the support that workers and businesses get through the Ministry of Social Development and IRD. Yesterday, Cabinet approved work that we are doing alongside the business community to develop a business continuity package targeted at affected businesses, workers, and regions. This is on top of what is the most important part of our economic response—the comprehensive public health response that the Government is overseeing. This public health response is our front line against the economic impacts of COVID-19, and I am proud of the work that our public health officials are doing.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he accept that further substantial increases in the minimum wage will make it harder for businesses to stay in business?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why is the Government still in the mind-set of adding costs to employers through further substantial minimum wage increases on 1 April?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We’re not. The Government’s mind-set is making sure that the lowest-income New Zealanders get a fair go, can put food on the table, and look after their families. This is a situation where we are in a phase where a targeted approach to supporting businesses who are affected is important while, at the same time, protecting the incomes of New Zealanders.

💬 David Seymour: Does the Minister stand by the Government’s policy of raising the minimum wage to $17.70 at this time last year?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I stand by all of the Government’s actions with regard to the minimum wage.

💬 David Seymour: If the Minister agrees with the minimum wage where it is, why does he propose to raise it on businesses up and down New Zealand at a time of great economic difficulty?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We have traversed this material already. This is a situation where the lowest-income New Zealanders deserve to get a fair go. This is money that will circulate around the economy, having a stimulatory effect. We are working alongside our business community right now to make sure we do a targeted response.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Where does he think a struggling small business—[Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member just lost next week’s supplementaries.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Where does he think a struggling small business, say, in the hospitality sector right now, will find the money to pay the increase in the minimum wage?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Businesses around New Zealand—and this may come as a surprise to the member—have been preparing for an increase in the minimum wage for some time. As the Prime Minister has already said, most small businesses in New Zealand pay their workers in excess of the minimum wage already. We on this side of the House stand alongside both the businesses and low-income New Zealanders in focusing on helping both of them through this situation.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Did he listen to the feedback from the business community, as expressed by the chief economist of ANZ, that postponement of the minimum wage is a “No-brainer”?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I heard that advice, but I also have heard from a number of other members of the business community how pleased they are with the business continuity package that we announced yesterday, that they’ve welcomed this, and they realise that this is exactly the kind of approach we should be taking.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: How much, if any, of the $12 billion infrastructure spending announced at the start of the year will be spent in the first half of this year?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As of the time of the announcement, we said that five projects would be started this year. We continue to spend already on infrastructure, before we even get to the $12 billion package, far in excess of the previous Government. There is more money going into transport, more money going into health infrastructure, more money going into education infrastructure—the member should catch up.

💬 David Seymour: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Given you have just removed all of the supplementaries allocated to ACT for the next five sitting days and removed any chance of holding the Government to account through supplementary questions, I just wonder: do you plan to penalise the Labour Party member who started the altercation for which you penalised ACT?

💬 SPEAKER: If the member sits down, I’ll reply to him.

💬 David Seymour: It’s a reasonable question.

💬 SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. I do not, because that member did not interject while Mr Goldsmith was speaking. That member did, twice.

💬 David Seymour: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: The member’s looking for an extension?

💬 David Seymour: Mr Speaker, your version of events is plainly impossible. It couldn’t have happened that way, because it was an interchange where we were replying to each other. Andrew Little spoke three times, I spoke twice, so it is impossible that your version of events is true, or your treatment is fair.

💬 SPEAKER: Well, in that particular case, I’ll take two questions off the Labour Party now. I might say that, possibly because of his volume and almost certainly because of his direction, I could hear that member very loudly, as could everyone in the House, whereas I could not hear Mr Little. But the Labour Party will lose two supplementary questions today.

💬 David Seymour: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It’s good to see that you’re at least formally upholding equality between members, but the effect of this judgment on the ability of the Opposition versus the Government is still grossly disproportionate on the two sides—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. He should have thought of that before he started interjecting.

Question No. 3—Conservation

3. to the Minister of Conservation: How will the goal of predator-free status by 2050 be achieved in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, I was proud to launch the Government’s Predator Free 2050 strategy towards a predator-free New Zealand and its accompanying action plan. They set out how we can turn the dream of being predator-free into a reality with Government, Department of Conservation, working alongside iwi, landholders, councils, local businesses, and community organisations to eradicate possums, stoats, and rats.

💬 Hon James Shaw: What funding has the Government provided to support this plan?

💬 Hon EUGENIE SAGE: Unlike the previous Government, this Government has given the biggest increase in conservation funding since 2002, and that included $81 million in 2018 so that the department could undertake the largest ever aerial predator control operation, rather than the department having to go cap in hand, as it had to under the previous Government. And, in 2019, through the Provincial Growth Fund, there was an additional $19 million to Predator Free New Zealand Ltd, to expand the number of regional projects and to invest in new tools and technology for predator control.

💬 Hon James Shaw: And what involvement has the wider community had in the development of the Towards a Predator Free New Zealand strategy?

💬 Hon EUGENIE SAGE: The Predator Free 2050 Strategy was developed by the Department of Conservation, in consultation with iwi, with input from technical experts, scientists, environmental organisations, communities, and the public. It draws on mātauranga Māori, derived from generations of interaction between people and te taiao and expertise gained from decades of working successfully to eradicate predators from 117 of New Zealand’s offshore islands.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister, how many 1080-free and predator-free initiatives—like that on Waiheke Island—has she launched since the new Government came to power?

💬 Hon EUGENIE SAGE: There is also an initiative in Otago for predator-free Dunedin and Otago Peninsula that relies a lot on trapping. Through the Provincial Growth Fund and that additional $3.5 million, there’s a lot of work being done on new tools and technologies, traps, lures, new bait, all designed to provide a range of tools in the tool box—much more investment in actually making predator-free happen than the National Party’s dream. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! Both of you, please.

Question No. 4—Health

4. to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement in relation to the coronavirus outbreak that New Zealand has “amongst the toughest restrictions in the world”; if so, how is he defining “toughest”?

Yes—for example, New Zealand was one of the first countries to impose travel restrictions on Iran, acting ahead of Australia and the United States, while the United Kingdom and Canada still have no COVID-19 - related travel restrictions. That is what I mean by being among the toughest restrictions in the world: taking early action based on good scientific and health advice in response to a rapidly evolving situation.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is he aware that Australia imposed a travel ban on non-Australians from South Korea and advanced screening measures for travellers from Italy five days ago, and do we have the same measures?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: New Zealand acted swiftly in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea. On Monday, 2 March, we began registering all arrivals from South Korea for self-isolation. That action came three days before Australia introduced its restrictions, and I’m advised it continues to be an appropriate way to manage the risk of COVID-19 arriving here from South Korea. It may interest the member also to know that inbound travel from South Korea has dropped dramatically.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Has he received correspondence from passengers arriving into Auckland Airport criticising the lack of screening compared to other airports they’ve been to, and, if not, would he like to see some of mine?

💬 Marja Lubeck: Oh, nobody wants to see yours.

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Health staff are now meeting all flights. We have health information being provided to everyone entering the country. All airlines have been asked to make a health announcement upon landing, and we are registering people who require self-isolation at the border. Our Health staff and Customs staff are doing good work at the border to keep the public safe.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Is it the case that an infected passenger was able to arrive from Iran and go through Auckland Airport visibly ill and not stopped in a country with the “toughest restrictions in the world”?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: In respect of the individual’s circumstances, I think the member knows that the matter is a little more complex than that. He has been in receipt of briefings.

💬 David Seymour: I seek the leave of the House to be counted as present in Parliament regardless of location for all of next week, because if I can’t rely on you to stand up for my rights as an MP, there’s very little point in being here.

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member has the right to seek leave if he so wishes. Is there any objection?

💬 Hon Members: Yes.

💬 David Seymour: Oh, you want me here?

💬 Hon Members: Always.

💬 SPEAKER: Well, members shouldn’t mislead the House.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: Can he confirm that a passenger arriving from a country with confirmed coronavirus cases, and having been on a cruise, was not screened at Auckland Airport, despite notifying staff on her flight that she was unwell?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Again, I think the member knows that the matter is a little more complex than that. At the time that individual was first treated, there were no reports of COVID-19 on the cruise ship she had been on. Standing down staff at the hospital has been taken as a precautionary measure based on best clinical practice, and North Shore Hospital has told us there’s no impact on clinical care and they continue to provide services as usual. I think if the member—well, what I would say is that the member has been in receipt of briefings from the Director-General of Health and myself, and last week the member asked me what support, if any, the Opposition can provide to help New Zealanders. I replied, saying that I saw a constructive role for the Opposition to play to ensure New Zealanders receive messages that are based on the best scientific and medical advice—and I look forward to that happening if the member wants to continue to have a constructive working relationship on this issue.

💬 Hon Michael Woodhouse: So will he support my call for an urgent inquiry into the circumstances that led to a probable coronavirus patient being in North Shore Hospital for five days without being identified as such, despite what he describes as measures amongst the toughest in the world?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: At the time that individual was first treated at North Shore Hospital, there were no reports of COVID-19 on the cruise ship she had been on. I’m assured that all appropriate public health measures, including contact tracing, are being taken in the circumstances. We have continued with a precautionary approach and are continually being updated with the best scientific and medical advice. The case definition has been broadened to emphasise the importance of clinicians using their clinical judgment, and that is something the member is aware of.

Question No. 5—Finance

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

The impact on New Zealand’s economy from the global disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak is starting to show. I’ve seen a wide range of reports on economic activity highlighting that different industries in different regions are being affected in different ways. For example, in ANZ’s commentary on its Truckometer series for February, the bank economist said activity was “still business as usual around most of the country” as areas associated with logging were impacted more than others. This shows why a tailor-made response targeted at those industries and regions that are most affected is the appropriate way forward at this time as we work together with businesses to finalise the details of the Government’s business continuity package.

💬 Jamie Strange: What reports has he seen on the international context for the New Zealand economy?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The COVID-19 outbreak is causing a global economic shock as supply chains are disrupted and demand is impacted. We’ve seen the global reaction to the virus spreading in countries outside China and reflected in the global stock markets in recent days. International credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) last week cut its 2020 global growth forecast by half a percent, saying that Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand will either enter or flirt with recession. This highlights why the strength of the New Zealand economy going into this situation is important. S&P last week forecast 2 percent growth for 2020. We go into this with unemployment at 4 percent; Government debt, lower than we inherited it, at 19.5 percent of GDP; and, just today, we saw that manufacturing activity in the December quarter had had its strongest rise in six years.

💬 Jamie Strange: What actions is the Government taking to support businesses and workers through COVID-19?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yesterday, the Government signalled work on a business continuity package. The timely package includes a targeted wage subsidy and scheme for workers in the most adversely affected sectors, training and redeployment options for affected employees, and working with banks on the potential for future working capital support for companies that face temporary credit constraints. The measures we undertake as part of this package will be targeted to those businesses and workers who are most affected and least able to adjust. We’ve also instructed officials to develop a macroeconomic programme in the event of a sustained global downturn. Our first responsibility as a Government is the health and wellbeing of our people, which is why our response continues to be led by a public health response. We stand ready to assist our businesses and workers as the economic impact of the global health crisis unfolds.

Question No. 6—Transport

6. to the Minister of Transport: Has the Ministry of Transport recommended to him that the NZ Infra proposal for Auckland light rail should be selected as the preferred delivery partner for the project, and what advice, if any, has the ministry provided about a start date for construction of the project?

on behalf of the Minister of Transport: The Ministry of Transport has made a recommendation to the Government on the Auckland light rail project. Due to commercial sensitivity, I don’t believe it’s in the public interest to go into the details of that recommendation before Cabinet has made a decision on it. No advice has been given on a specific date for construction to start.

💬 Chris Bishop: Has the Ministry of Transport recommended either of the two proposals for Auckland light rail?

As I said in my primary answer, I don’t believe it’s in the public interest to go into the detail of the advice that has been received until Cabinet has made a decision on it.

💬 Chris Bishop: When he said last week that “The cost of capital is only one factor to be considered, there are an array of other issues.”, what are the other issues?

All of those issues will be considered in the advice that’s given to Cabinet. That advice has not gone to Cabinet yet.

💬 Chris Bishop: Why did the New Zealand Infra proposal for light rail involve 1,500 pages of detailed route designs and stations when, according to the Ministry of Transport, the twin track process is designed to select a delivery partner and not choose a detailed proposal?

It’s up to them what they put in their proposals.

💬 Chris Bishop: Has the ministry provided him with a best-case estimate of when construction could start on Auckland light rail, and, if so, what is it?

As I indicated in my primary answer, advice on a specific date for construction to start has not been provided.

💬 SPEAKER: Question No. 7, Simon O’Connor. [Interruption] Order! Both of you again.

Question No. 7—Housing (Public Housing)

7. to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Can he confirm that almost 15,000 New Zealanders are currently waiting for a State house, and that the waiting list is more than double what it was when the National-led Government left office?

I can advise that the January data on the public housing wait-list will be available publicly and to the member and the House very soon. For some time the waiting list has shown that New Zealand is facing a severe housing shortage and more people—especially those with fewer resources—are asking for help. The Government has placed a strong emphasis on people coming forward and telling us if they need housing support, and doing everything we can to get a roof over their heads, and this is contributing to more people requesting help from the Government than under National.

💬 SPEAKER: Order! While there’s no requirement to give a yes, no, or an absolute answer, the second part of the question is one that, I think, needs more addressing than it received from the Minister. He will finish the answer.

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I am advised that the latest waiting list figures have the figure at 14,996 and that under the previous Government it was just a little under 6,000.

💬 Simon O’Connor: Was the Prime Minister running a factual campaign when she said, in the Parliament, “We can house the homeless.”, and, if so, how does he explain the Government now purchasing whole motel complexes?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: For some time the Government has used motels in order to house people who are in need of transitional housing while we ramp up the largest State building programme since the 1970s. This Government’s approach is markedly different than the previous; we are building thousands of homes and the previous Government demolished thousands of homes.

💬 Simon O’Connor: What is his response to Scott Figenshow of Community Housing Aotearoa, who said that motels were a band-aid and not a genuine solution to the housing crisis, in light of more and more motel places being utilised by this Government?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I agree with Mr Figenshow, it is a band-aid solution. We wouldn’t need that band-aid if the previous Government hadn’t sold and demolished State homes.

💬 Simon O’Connor: Can the Minister confirm that those “thousands of homes” that were sold and demolished were often sold to community housing providers or new houses fourfold built upon?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I’m really glad that that member asked that question. It is true that a number of houses were transferred to the likes of Accessible Properties and the Tamaki Regeneration group. What National isn’t telling us is that we’re close to a further 3,000 homes between 2012 and 2017—State homes—that just went missing.

💬 Hon Ron Mark: How many community houses would this Government have to provide in the Wairarapa today if a previous Government hadn’t sold off the 585 to Trust House?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: A double blow for the National Party there because it did nothing in the Wairarapa in the previous nine years of Government, and, I understand, sold off the entire State house stock, with the previous Government before the last Government.

💬 Hon Chris Hipkins: Can the Minister confirm that many of the State houses that were demolished were not replaced at all and the land sat vacant for years and years and years?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I thank the Minister for the question, which is, yes. I have an example in my own electorate where land stood dormant and looked like a park for eight years, and lo and behold, when we came into Government, houses are being built.

💬 Kieran McAnulty: Can he confirm that if the previous Government built houses at the same rate as this Government there wouldn’t be a waiting list at all?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The questioner is correct.

💬 Simon O’Connor: Does the Minister believe that his colleagues are becoming rather defensive in asking all these supplementary questions?

💬 SPEAKER: Order! That was a deliberately disorderly question for which the member has no responsibility and Simon O’Connor knows it, and chipping from my predecessor doesn’t help.

💬 Hon Dr Megan Woods: Can the Minister confirm that many of the houses that National claimed that they planned while in Government were in fact unfunded and it fell on Budget 2018 to provide the funding for what would have otherwise been ghost houses?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I thank that member and a number of members who have been proud enough to stand up and ask questions of me around public housing from this Government. We are proud that we have built nearly over 4,000 public housing spots since we came to office and have doubled the transitional housing places available since we came into Government, which, again, I would point out, is a marked difference to the previous Government.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Could the Minister please confirm how many hundreds of millions of dollars was spent on State housing in Christchurch alone?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I don’t have that figure on me but I would say that in Budget 2018—[Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: —this Government committed $328 million to building more State homes, of which we have delivered over 4,300; something we are very proud of.

💬 Hon Stuart Nash: Is the Minister aware that in Napier alone the previous Government pulled down about 130 State houses and apartments and didn’t replace one of them?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Unfortunately, that is just one example of the previous Government who took their wrecking ball to many State homes around the country. We are swinging hammers, not wrecking balls; building homes, not wrecking them.

Question No. 8—Health

8. to the Minister of Health: How will the decision to make COVID-19 a quarantinable disease help keep the public safe?

New Zealand currently has only five confirmed cases of COVID-19, but we continue to plan and prepare for a range of possible scenarios. As part of that precautionary approach, Cabinet yesterday acted to make COVID-19 a quarantinable disease effective from tomorrow. That means that medical officers of health will have powers under the Health Act 1956 to quarantine ships, aircraft, and associated travellers coming into New Zealand where there are grounds to believe there may be cases of COVID-19 on board. We have not yet had any need for such powers, but this is another sensible precaution we can take to protect the public, and it’s in line with the pandemic plan.

💬 Angie Warren-Clark: How many cruise ships are currently in New Zealand, and how many are expected in coming weeks?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I’m advised there are currently nine cruise ships in New Zealand ports. Before ships arrive in New Zealand, they have to make health declarations, and health staff are available to meet any vessels with crew or passengers of concern. I have not been advised of any current concerns about vessels in New Zealand, but by making COVID-19 a quarantinable disease, we now have the full range of powers necessary to respond in future. We are nearing the end of the peak season for cruise ships, with a further 11 expected to arrive in March and 10 in April.

💬 Angie Warren-Clark: Are there any other benefits of making COVID-19 a quarantinable disease?

💬 Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Yes. As a quarantinable disease, the Epidemic Preparedness Act also applies to COVID-19. That means, for example, that an epidemic notice could be issued to allow for a temporary relaxation of health practitioners registration and practice requirements under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. This could be used to make it easier for health professionals that are not currently practising to return to the workforce if required, although there is no suggestion at this stage that this will be required. These powers were last enabled in 2014 when viral fevers such as Ebola were named as a quarantinable disease.

Question No. 9—Ethnic Communities

9. to the Minister for Ethnic Communities: Does she stand by her statement that “The Government is committed to the wellbeing of New Zealand’s ethnic communities”?

I stand by my full statement that the Government is committed to the wellbeing of New Zealand’s ethnic communities and we are providing ongoing support to our Muslim families and brothers and sisters in the wake of the 15 March terror attacks. I’m proud that as a Government, we have made an eightfold increase in the Ethnic Communities Development Fund, to $4.2 million per year, for direct funding of community groups; driven the largest expansion of the Office of Ethnic Communities in its history to ensure the Government works on the ground right alongside our ethnic communities; provided around $1.4 million immediately after the March 15 attacks to Muslim community groups and projects, activities that built connections for Muslim and non-Muslim communities through the Ethnic Communities Development Fund; co-hosted, with the Prime Minister, imams and Muslim leaders from all mosques across Aotearoa New Zealand; personally hosted 12 dialogues with Muslim women and Muslim youth and community leaders across New Zealand to develop a plan to address their key concerns; worked to deliver an employment action plan for ethnic communities, which includes tackling barriers to employment for ethnic communities; co-hosted with the Prime Minister a meeting with faith and interfaith leaders in Auckland. I also hosted four faith and interfaith hui in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin to discuss ways of improving social inclusion, attended by over 300—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! At the risk of appearing insensitive, that answer is far too long.

💬 Melissa Lee: Does she agree with the comments of Narendra Bhana of the Auckland Indian Association that “Shane Jones’ comments on [the] Indian students are racist. Period.”; if not, why not?

💬 Hon JENNY SALESA: It is my responsibility, as Minister for Ethnic Communities, to ensure social inclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand. You would have heard from the list of things that I actually stated before how the Minister for Ethnic Communities and the Office of Ethnic Communities are addressing social inclusion. The Prime Minister has already said that his comments are both “wrong” and “loose”. He was not speaking on behalf of the Government, and, as Minister for Ethnic Communities, I can only be responsible for my own comments. When it comes to supporting ethnic communities, there is no question that our Government supports ethnic communities strongly.

💬 Melissa Lee: Are statements such as “I think the number of students that have come from India have ruined many of those institutions.” and Indians “have no legitimate expectations in my view to bring your whole village to New Zealand” representative of the Government’s commitment to the wellbeing of New Zealand’s ethnic communities?

💬 Hon JENNY SALESA: I do not agree. I strongly disagree with those comments, but, as I say, the Prime Minister has already been clear on this. The comments that were made were absolutely wrong, and it is not clear to me whether my responsibility as Minister for Ethnic Communities extends to being the “racist police”. I will be held accountable for my own comments, but I am not actually responsible for other people’s comments.

💬 Melissa Lee: How does the Government expect to achieve its “plan to build healthier, safer, and more connected communities” for multi-ethnic New Zealanders when the Minister for Ethnic Communities and her office have no influence over the racist statements of other Ministers?

💬 Hon JENNY SALESA: As I said earlier on, the Office of Ethnic Communities and I, as Minister for Ethnic Communities, do not agree with those statements. There is a lot of work that we are doing. In terms of the reports when we went and consulted with Muslim communities, we have come through with a lot of things that we would need to do to improve in a lot of areas. In terms of what we heard from the communities, they said that when they come through from overseas—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member did address the question. The honourable Michael Wood—sorry, Michael Wood. Premature; I apologise.

💬 Michael Wood: I thought it was OK, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister reject all statements of a discriminatory nature, including references to two-for-one ratios in respect of different ethnicities, and comparing Indian students to fridges?

💬 Hon JENNY SALESA: Absolutely. I reject all of those statements.

💬 Melissa Lee: Has the Minister for Ethnic Communities personally asked the Minister for Regional Economic Development to apologise to Indian New Zealanders for his comments; if not, why not?

💬 Hon JENNY SALESA: The Prime Minister has had a lot of conversations with the Minister for Regional Economic Development, and I have had a conversation with the Minister myself, but it is actually up to all of us as individuals to be held to the statements that we make.

Question No. 10—Social Development

10. to the Minister for Social Development: Has she received any advice from the Ministry of Social Development on how the coronavirus outbreak will affect forecasts of the number of people on Jobseeker Support; if so, what did the advice state?

I have not received advice specifically on jobseeker support forecasts in relation to COVID-19. My focus has been on ensuring that the Ministry for Social Development (MSD) remains poised and ready to support those who are able to stay in work to find alternative work or enter into further upskilling and training, if and when required. We have already announced rapid response teams to provide expert support to affected employers and workers, and also the removal of stand-down periods for main benefit. Alongside our investment in work-focused case management, as well as initiatives like Mana in Mahi, MSD is in a good position to continue to support both employers and employees moving forward.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Has the Minister asked for projected forecasts on the number of the increase there may be of those on benefits due to the coronavirus?

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I haven’t been alerted to the need for forecasts at this point. Updates to benefit forecasts will next be completed as part of the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update, which is set to be published on 14 May 2020.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Given that jobseeker support numbers are already at similar highs to where they were during the global financial crisis, will the additional impact of the coronavirus cause this Government to set new records for the number of Kiwis on jobseeker support?

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: As I’ve said in the House before, we need to keep all figures in perspective. We have the lowest unemployment rate, at 4 percent, that we have experienced in a decade. We have a working-age population on benefit of 10.5 percent, which is relative, if not better, to every year that the previous Government were in. We are consistently focused on how we can support people into upskilling and training, and I think that that is shown through our investment in 263 more work-focused case managers. I think that we all need to remain conscious of what is going on with respect to COVID-19. We will continually assess the situation to make sure that we are acting in the best interests of New Zealanders.

💬 Hon Paula Bennett: Has the Minister seen projections as high as a further 40,000 people that could go on the jobseeker benefit due to the coronavirus?

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I have been provided with no forecasted figures for the jobseeker benefit that align with the COVID-19 adverse event that we are facing, as I said earlier, but we remain poised. We think it’s very important that we are prepared, as a Government agency, alongside all of the other Government agencies, and we will continue to do our job. For MSD, that is ensuring that New Zealanders who need financial support receive it, as well as receiving the support to get into upskilling and training and work—that is our focus.

Question No. 11—Small Business

11. to the Minister for Small Business: What action has the Government taken to help small businesses be paid promptly?

In September 2019, the Minister of State Services and I directed Government departments to cut their repayment times to support New Zealand businesses. The target then was that 95 percent of domestic invoices are to be paid within 10 business days by June 2020. Yesterday, in response to COVID-19, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance wrote to all departments with an instruction to bring that target forward. All departments have been instructed to pay their bills within 10 working days, with immediate effect. We’ve acted on prompter payments in response to talks with Business New Zealand, with banks, small businesses, tourism operators, and others. It’s a tangible sign of action, and we are leading by example in our response to this global issue.

💬 Kiritapu Allan: What other action has the Government taken to help small businesses respond to the impacts of COVID-19?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: The Government is teaming up with the business community as it responds to the impacts of COVID-19 on the New Zealand economy. The Minister of Finance and I have met with the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council, the tourism association, and Xero. This morning, I met with representatives of the fishing industry in Nelson, the largest fishing port in Australasia. There have also been talks with Retail New Zealand. It’s clear from these discussions that a tailor-made response is required, and a one-size-fits-all response is not what is needed or recommended. That is why in addition to faster payment times by Government agencies, we are also working with Xero to get real-time information about the impacts on business; working with the banks to ensure they are being proactive with their customers; working with Inland Revenue, which is also entering into instalment arrangements and waiving penalties on a case by case basis; and investing an extra $4 million in the Regional Business Partner programme to help businesses on the ground.

💬 Kiritapu Allan: What other action has the Government taken to help small businesses be paid promptly?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: As I said in the House last week, late payments from large organisations to smaller suppliers can be crippling for these businesses. I have announced that I am prepared to legislate if payment terms and payment times for small businesses do not improve. I’ve asked affected groups to comment on the idea and look forward to hearing that feedback after public consultation closes next month. The discussion document seeks the public views on legislation that would require a maximum payment term of 20 days to ensure small businesses are reimbursed for their services more quickly and the right for small businesses to charge interest on overdue invoices and debt recovery fees for late payment. This Government remains focused on protecting jobs and supporting workers and businesses.

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Mr Speaker.

💬 Hon Kris Faafoi: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to correct part of an answer to a supplementary I gave during oral questions.

💬 SPEAKER: Was there a supplementary question there?

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Supplementary.

💬 SPEAKER: Todd McClay, we’ll have that and then we’ll—

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Thank you, Mr Speaker. To the Minister: will he support National’s call to defer the 1 April minimum wage increase to help small businesses cope with the economic effects of the COVID-19 virus?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: No.

Question No. 7 to Minister—Amended Answer

I seek leave to correct part of an answer that I gave to a supplementary question earlier in oral questions.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that process? There is not.

I attached a number to Budget 2018 during the flow of supplementaries. That number should read $234 million.

Question No. 12 to Minister

I seek leave for my question to be held over to the next sitting day, with the proportionate number of supplementary questions allocated. This is due to the Minister’s statement that the written answers she provided—

Order! Order! The rest of this is unnecessary. The question is that one National Party question from today be held over until tomorrow. The question of supplementaries is, in fact, a matter for my discretion, and I’ve indicated my view on that. Is there any objection to that?

💬 Hon Shane Jones: Yes, absolutely.

There is objection. And I’ll say to the Hon Shane Jones, as a result of that process, the National Party, instead of having four additional supplementaries tomorrow, will have eight.

💬 Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can we ask the question now?

The member can ask the question if she wants.

💬 Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Well, thank you for the generous allocation of extra questions. Could we use some of those now on this question today?

You’re absolutely welcome to use as many of the eight that have been allocated today if the member so wishes. I’ll just say to Mr Jones that he puts the House in a very bad position when one of his colleague Ministers indicates at the beginning of question time that the basis of a question is wrong, and places the Opposition in a bad place and the Government in a bad place.

💬 Hon Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do agree that the Opposition is disadvantaged in this particular case, because the information they relied on in lodging this question is not accurate, and in order for them to lodge a more accurate question—because they won’t necessarily want to ask this question; they’ll want to ask, possibly, a different question—

Well, with the leave I put, they can ask any question they want.

💬 Hon Chris Hipkins: That’s right. I am therefore seeking leave for the Opposition to have an additional primary question allocated to them tomorrow.

Well, I think I just put that, and we’re not meant to put things twice, but, given the discussion, I think we can be a bit loose on the rules. Is there any objection to that? There appears to be none.