Oral Questions

1. Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) on behalf of to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

Our economic recovery in New Zealand is being supported by a number of sectors, including strong activity in the construction industry, and I have record-breaking news to share with the House. Today, Statistics New Zealand announced that building consents for new homes hit a record high of 41,028 in the year to March 2021. This overtook the previous record high set in 1974. The House might also like to know that building consents for new homes in the year to March 2021 were up 34 percent, or by more than 10,000, compared with 2017. A range of measures introduced by this Government to increase the supply of new housing has helped create this situation, including our record State house building programme, investment in trade training and apprenticeship schemes, and the general confidence created by the Government’s infrastructure investment plans.

💬 Dr Duncan Webb: What reactions has he seen to this positive economic report?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Westpac’s economists were particularly aware of this. They said, “Today’s results support our expectations for very strong home building over the remainder of 2021 and extending into 2022.” They also noted that the record-breaking house building consenting we are seeing, along with reduced inward migration, means that the housing shortages that have built up in recent years are rapidly being eroded. Westpac’s economists also said, “Non-residential building consents were starting to increase again as the economy recovers from the effects of COVID, with storage and industrial construction segment showing very firm numbers.”

💬 Dr Duncan Webb: What other reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Today, the Crown financial statements for the nine months to March were published by the Treasury. They showed that the operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL), and net debt, were in a better position than had been forecast at the half-year update, reflecting the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s recovery plan. This resilience will continue to be tested. The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India is a painful reminder that we are still in a volatile and uncertain global economic environment. While the results in the Crown financial statements are strong, we do need to remember that we are facing elevated levels of debt and OBEGAL deficits for some years to come as a result of the borrowing needed to support New Zealanders through COVID-19. Budget 2021 will reflect the economic conditions and revenue situation and take a balanced approach that continues to emphasise spending to areas and people where it is needed most, alongside careful fiscal management.

Question No. 2—Health

2. to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions in relation to a Māori Health Authority?

Yes, and I especially stand by my statement that the health system “must work in true partnership with Māori to improve services and achieve equitable health outcomes.”

💬 Dr Shane Reti: When he said this week that he couldn’t envisage a time when the Māori Health Authority veto could be used, will he then remove it?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The way the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand—and, indeed, the whole of the health system—will operate under the reformed system is that agreement will be required between the various moving parts. The Māori Health Authority will have the power to make its own commissioning decisions, and it will have the right to have a say on, and reach agreement with Health NZ and the Ministry of Health on, a New Zealand health plan. In the same way that the Māori Health Authority will be free to withhold its agreement if it’s not happy with it, so will Health NZ, and, actually, what will happen is everybody will reach agreement, because everybody shares the same objective, and that is a healthy New Zealand.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: When he said this week that the health reforms in a Māori Health Authority address two things—health inequity and Treaty obligations—why is health need not on that list?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I thought it was self-evident that when we talk about health equity and the parlous situation facing Māori compared to many other New Zealanders, actually, that is about health need. It has to improve, and it will improve way better under the new system.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: Will Health New Zealand have any accountability for worsening Māori health outcomes if decisions for those outcomes were made by the Māori Health Authority?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Ultimate accountability for the performance of the health system will be the responsibility of the Minister of Health, supported by the Ministry of Health, who will have the oversight and monitoring role for the entire health system. But both the Māori Health Authority and Health NZ will have accountabilities to ensure that their use of public funds is meeting the objectives set for each of them.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: Will Ngāpuhi be on the board of the Māori Health Authority, given they are the largest iwi; if not, why not?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The way the Māori Health Authority is being established is with Māori. We have identified a leading health expert in New Zealand to lead the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. Their responsibility will be to assemble a team who will engage with Māori, te ao Māori, putting together the way Māori wants the Māori Health Authority to assemble its governance and put the functions of the authority together.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: What is the Minister’s working definition of “commissioning” as it applies to their plan for the Māori Health Authority?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I thank the member for the question, and that’s an interesting question. When I use the term “commissioning”, it is a very broad term, but it is about a decision to fund and support specified services. As I have said in other forums, my expectation is that, both for Health NZ and for the Māori Health Authority, over time the way commissioning happens will evolve, because we know the discourse from all quarters is that health is no longer just a clinical issue; it is about the determinants of health, and we need our various health bodies to be engaged in all those things that affect people’s health.

Question No. 3—Research, Science and Innovation

My question is to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, the Hon Megan Woods.

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The last bit is not necessary. We only have one and she’s here. Just the Minister’s name—go with the question now.

3. to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation: What recent announcements has she made about New Zealand’s first Government-funded space mission?

💬 SPEAKER: The Hon Dr Megan Woods—see: that’s my line!

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I recently announced that the Auckland University’s Te Pūnaha Ātea - Auckland Space Institute will host mission control for New Zealand’s first Government-funded space mission, MethaneSAT. MethaneSAT is a state-of-the-art satellite designed to detect global methane emissions with unprecedented accuracy, producing invaluable data to inform our climate policy work. Our $26 million investment in the mission will accelerate our capability in our rapidly growing space sector, provide high-value jobs, and establish valuable global research links at the frontier of research and innovation. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Hey, can we have the cadets settle down a bit?

💬 Helen White: How will this mission establish global research links for New Zealand researchers and innovators?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The mission will provide our researchers and innovators the opportunity to showcase their ability on the world stage, working alongside the Environmental Defense Fund, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian observatory. As a result of the investment and involvement with the MethaneSAT mission, New Zealand also stands to benefit through hosting future space missions and take a greater share of the US$350 billion global space industry.

💬 Helen White: How does the mission support research into climate change?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: MethaneSAT will be able to monitor and evaluate methane emissions across the globe, and a New Zealand - based science team will use the satellite’s data to better understand these emissions through the use of remote sensing technologies. The research will contribute to a greater understanding of climate change and the way in which we can manage its impacts.

Question No. 4—Broadcasting and Media

4. to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: What measures, if any, is he taking to ensure the $55 million allocated to NZ On Air’s Public Interest Journalism Fund will not lead to political bias?

As has been the practice for decades, any funding for broadcasters or media organisations goes through New Zealand On Air, and the Public Interest Journalism Fund is no different. The Broadcasting Act states that in respect of New Zealand On Air, no responsible Minister or any other Minister or anyone acting on their behalf may give a direction in respect of any programme or content for the gathering, preparation, or presentation of any current affairs programme or content. And this legislation delivers a well-established, tried, and tested system that makes sure media content funding decisions are free from political influence.

💬 Melissa Lee: Why does he believe the fund has included—and I quote—“Political matters”—unquote—as stated in the Public Interest Journalism Fund general guidelines dated 30 April 2021 as a focus area for Māori journalism but specifically prohibited national political coverage for funding of non-Māori journalism?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Because I believe those audiences might find those issues of interest.

💬 Melissa Lee: Does he agree with New Zealand On Air that—and I quote—“Māori and iwi journalism and reporting is innately political in nature.”; if so, what does that mean?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Those statements are for New Zealand On Air to make. They are an independent Crown funding agency and they make decisions as to how they frame the perimeters of that funding.

💬 Melissa Lee: Does the Minister agree with New Zealand On Air that the funding of such reporting is—and I quote—“integral to the protection of te ao Māori under article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi”, as New Zealand On Air states?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I would reiterate the comments that I made in the previous answer.

💬 Melissa Lee: Why has the Minister failed to allow for similar support for public interest journalism funding in other ethnic media communities that may consider their community “innately political in nature”?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Because, as the member will know, there is a plethora of funding available to those ethnic media other than the Public Interest Journalism Fund. New Zealand On Air for decades has funded journalism content—the likes of Q+A, The Nation, Tagata Pasifika, and shows like Asia Downunder in the past have received funding from New Zealand On Air.

Question No. 5—Education

5. to the Minister of Education: What reports has he seen about enrolments in tertiary education and training?

Some good news: I’m pleased to report that the number of apprentices continues to grow, with people from across the community signing up for careers in the trades. The Government has backed trades with investment in free trades training and is supporting employers to continue to have apprentices through the Apprenticeship Boost scheme. That investment is paying off, with double-digit growth in apprentice numbers during 2020, despite the impacts of COVID-19. Tertiary Education Commission data for enrolments in tertiary and vocational study as at December shows that the number of apprentices increased by 17.6 percent compared to December 2019.

💬 Shanan Halbert: Is this growth representative of the diversity of workforce?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes. This is another piece of good news. We’re seeing people taking the opportunity to become apprentices, no matter what their age, gender, and ethnicity. Apprenticeships are traditionally seen as something you do out of school, but with free trades training, we’re seeing a big jump, nearly 20 percent, in workers aged from 25 to 39—they’re taking up the opportunity for a career change—and more than 1,500 additional apprentices are over the age of 40. The number of Māori and Pacific apprentices grew by nearly 30 percent last year, which of course will benefit the economic development of their communities for years to come. The percentage of women in apprenticeships has grown nearly twice as much as the number of males in apprenticeships has grown. That, again, is good news.

💬 Shanan Halbert: What reports has he seen about enrolments in provider-based tertiary education training?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We’re also seeing very strong signs of continued growth in domestic tertiary education institutions. Indicative March data shows that the number of domestic students increased by 12 percent, compared to about 1 percent for each of the previous three years and repeated decreases in full-year enrolment data in the years before that. The growth in 2021 is more pronounced amongst older people, with building courses and teacher training standing out for particularly strong growth. It’s quite rare to see growth in both the on-the-job training and the off-the-job training sectors at the same time. Typically, we see either one or the other going up or down, depending on the strength of the economy. This is one of the goals of the reforms of vocational education, so it’s an encouraging sign that the reforms are working.

Question No. 6—Foreign Affairs

6. to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What communications, if any, has she or her officials had with representatives of the Chinese Government regarding the term “genocide” in relation to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region?

on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: It should come as no surprise to the member that Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials have engaged with representatives of the Chinese Government regarding the grave human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. I have made it clear that we continue to raise these concerns directly with China at all levels. For example, New Zealand joined a statement alongside 38 other countries, expressing our concerns about the human rights situations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong at the United Nations in New York. Given there has been a concern for a number of years about human rights violations, it is only right that we would be engaging in urging China to allow unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent international observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. I have had no direct communications with the Chinese Government regarding the term “genocide”. With respect to officials, it is not possible to go through years of communications with Chinese representatives to see if the word “genocide” was mentioned. What is important, though, is to reiterate that the New Zealand Government has publicly stated its grave concerns at the growing number of credible reports of severe human rights abuses taking place in the region, and we will continue to do so.

Brooke van Velden: What communication, if any, did the Minister or her officials have on the wording of the original motion in my name with representatives of the Government of China?

On behalf of the Minister, as I stated in the first answer, the Minister herself has not had any direct communications.

Brooke van Velden: What involvement, if any, did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have in advising on alternate wording for a parliamentary motion on the events occurring in Xinjiang?

On behalf of the Minister: the Minister, as a member of the Labour Party, discussed the member’s original motion. The concern about the word “genocide” relates to the fact that the concept of genocide is an international law concept. It’s one that requires significant investigation. New Zealand very rarely uses it, and so, therefore, the discussion about the use of the word “genocide” relates specifically to that. As the member is well aware, the wording was agreed by the Business Committee of Parliament.

Brooke van Velden: Which members of Parliament, if any, did her office or officials communicate with relating to alternate wording to the original motion acknowledging the genocide in Xinjiang?

On behalf of the Minister, I talked with my caucus colleagues, as the member would expect. What is good here is that the New Zealand Parliament was able to agree a motion, unlike many other Parliaments around the world. I thank the member for introducing that motion and I thank all members of the House for coming together to express our concerns about the credible reports of grave human rights abuses.

Brooke van Velden: Does she still stand by her statement regarding human rights abuses in Xinjiang that “There is clear evidence of severe human rights abuses that include restrictions on freedom of religion, mass surveillance, large-scale extra-judicial detention, as well as forced labour and forced birth control, including sterilisation”, and, if so, what further evidence would she need for her to recognise the situation as a genocide?

On behalf of the Minister, I stand by all the statements I have made on this matter.

Question No. 7—Education

7. to the Minister of Education: Does he stand by all his policies and actions in education?

Yes.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: How can he stand by those actions and policies when there are only around 60 percent of kids attending school regularly?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I stand by them because this Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that kids get the educational opportunities that they deserve. We did inherit a downward trend in student attendance. COVID-19 last year, 2020, did exacerbate that. The figure that the member particularly quoted was the term 4 figure last year. The biggest contributor to the increase in term 4 non-attendance last year was justified absence due to illness. Families were taking heed of the Government’s request to keep their kids home if they were sick.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Is he suggesting that the low levels of school attendance is not an issue that his Government should be absolutely focused on?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No, absolutely not. In fact, we think we can do significantly better, and we are committed to doing that.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why has he, then, prioritised waiving NCEA exam fees for wealthy families over properly resourcing workers to knock on doors and make sure that kids that are missing out on their education get to school?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think the member’s question probably indicates why the last National Government started the downward trend in student attendance. Socioeconomics does play a significant role in student attendance. And in areas we have put extra funding into—for example, removing fees for NCEA, providing food in schools—we have seen attendance start to improve. Socioeconomics plays a role in student engagement.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: So why, then, is he prioritising free fees at university for wealthy families while we simply don’t have the people to knock on the doors to ensure that kids who are missing out on their education get to school?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think the member’s clearly lost sight of the aspiration the National Party used to stand for. In fact, many of those kids in school aspire to go to university.

Question No. 8—Arts, Culture and Heritage

8. to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What steps has she taken to support positive outcomes for New Zealand music?

Happy New Zealand Music Month. In addition to the annual funding we provide to support New Zealand music, we’ve provided $16.6 million through the New Zealand Music Recovery Fund.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Give it some melody!

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order!

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Interrupting my flow.

💬 SPEAKER: Yes. Yeah, I know who it was; I’m just getting him to be quiet.

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Thank you. Happy New Zealand Music Month—take two. In addition to the annual funding we provide to support New Zealand music, we’ve provided $16.6 million through the New Zealand Music Recovery Fund. I’ve been working, and will continue to work, with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to ensure this funding reaches people and organisations and provides the short-term relief and longer-term support that the sector needs to survive, adapt, and thrive.

💬 Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki: What positive outcomes have been achieved?

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I’m pleased to advise that the New Zealand Music Recovery Fund has supported 85 music venues across 26 towns and cities to host concerts and events; 136 musicians and businesses to access funding through the Outward Sound Make Good Fund, New Zealand Music Month Make Good Fund, and the Aotearoa Touring Programme; and 309 grants totalling $2.4 million for artists to produce new music through the New Zealand music programme. I’m pleased that Government funding has reinvigorated the live music industry, supported the creation of New Zealand music, and has allowed musicians and music businesses to recoup some of the revenue lost due to COVID-19.

💬 Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki: What updates has she seen on how much local music is being played?

💬 Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: New Zealand Music Month reminds us to celebrate our local musicians and industry and the great strides they are making. I’m pleased to advise that last year New Zealand music made up almost 21 percent of content on commercial radio, which is a new annual record. Our New Zealand musicians are touring again, and they are smashing it. Six60 sold out to 50,000 people at Eden Park and were screened internationally with a reported audience of over 10 million people. It is important to note we are one of the only nations where 50,000 people can come together and celebrate safely. Aotearoa truly is a slice of heaven.

Question No. 9—Public Service

9. to the Minister for the Public Service: Why has he frozen some Public Service workers’ pay for the next three years?

I reject the premise of the member’s question. Yesterday, the Public Service Commissioner issued new pay guidance to Public Service agencies. Essentially, the guidance sets out the expectation that Public Service chief executives would hold pay for higher earners and senior leaders, the default position being no increases for those paid over $100,000; beyond legal obligations ensure that a minimum pay rate provides a livable wage; further to this, provide modest pay increases for staff roles paid below $60,000; apply increases that are contractually required by existing settled agreements; and continue to fund implementation plans to close gender and ethnic pay gaps. For those earning between $60,000 and $100,000, pay adjustments may be considered, in restricted circumstances, against the criteria set in the guidance and it will require the approval of the commission. We want to focus on those on lower wages and make sure that they are the focus of increases in pay.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: How has hiring 10,000 additional bureaucrats over the last three years, at a cost of $1.3 billion per annum, impacted the need for a pay freeze in the Public Service?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Again, I reject the premise of the member’s question, and, in fact, it hasn’t. But I would suggest that when he talks about bureaucrats, he might like to think about who he’s talking about. It could be the thousand extra staff employed by the Ministry of Social Development to provide, among other things, the wage subsidy that kept hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in jobs. It could be the extra 500-plus staff employed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to protect our border against COVID-19. It could be the more than 300 extra staff employed by the Ministry for Primary Industries to deal with Mycoplasma bovis, which is critical to our primary industries. It could be the extra 600 or so people employed by Oranga Tamariki, the vast majority of whom are social workers working with our most vulnerable children. Those are the sorts of people he’s calling bureaucrats.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: So how will those people be affected by the Minister’s policy to apply a pay restraint to them?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It very much depends on their existing contractual arrangements. Many of the workforces that I just mentioned continue to receive step-based pay progression every year.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Will teachers, nurses, and police officers be affected by this pay freeze?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Teachers, nurses, and police officers all get step-based pay progression, meaning that they will move up a step on their salary scale each year automatically until they reach the top of the salary scale. We are not proposing to change that. In the case of teachers, they have another 3 percent pay increase that was negotiated as part of their last pay round—that is still yet to come into force. Similarly, police also, I believe, have a further increase still to come into effect. And, of course, nurses are in bargaining at the moment.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: How many employees will have their pay restrained?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I couldn’t put a specific figure on that, because it will ultimately depend on where they sit on the salary scale—for example, as to whether or not they have further steps on the salary scale, and a lot of public sector employees will.

Question No. 10—Finance

10. to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement, “A turn to austerity measures will simply mean it takes longer for us to rebuild society in pursuit of numerical goals that ignore the real world we are living in”; and if so, why is the Government suppressing public sector pay in the name of “taking financial pressure off the public wage bill”?

Yes, I do stand by my statement that a turn to austerity measures will simply mean that it takes us longer to rebuild society. I also stand by my statement that our recovery from COVID-19 has to be about getting the balance right. The Government has used its strong balance sheet in response to COVID-19 to support New Zealanders and provide confidence to households and businesses. But we also owe it to future generations to work on reducing the higher levels of debt that we have taken on. In doing so, there are hard choices to be made, and we are focused on investing where it is needed the most. I disagree with the premise in the second part of the member’s question. Our focus in public sector pay is on the lowest income earners, especially the 25 percent of public servants who earn below $60,000. If we want to reduce inequality, that is where our priority should sit when it comes to public sector pay increases. I also note that those between $60,000 and $100,000 in pay can get pay rises under certain criteria.

💬 Jan Logie: Is it possible to prioritise wage increases for the lowest-income earners—as I support—and also allow unsuppressed wage bargaining for teachers, nurses, and border workers, etc.?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As the Minister for the Public Service just noted in his last question, when we’re talking particularly about teachers, nurses, police officers, and so on, many of them will be receiving increased wages over the next few years as a result of the steps that they will take on their pay grades. In terms of the first part of the member’s question, I like her support for the idea that it is the lowest-paid people that we need to be lifting the wages of. If we want to reduce inequality, and we are in the environment that we’re in, with the balance that we have to strike, we are focusing on the lowest-paid earners. If, indeed, we are suppressing wages for anybody, it is for those earning more than $100,000.

💬 Jan Logie: Did he ask for any advice or do any modelling on the effect of this wage suppression on public sector capability, churn, retention, or the likely impact on individuals and families paid between $60,000 and $100,000, and, if yes, what did it say?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I would say in answer to that question is that we seek a range of advice on matters to do with public sector pay. As we looked at the situation that the Government finds itself in, having taken on significant debt, we have made the choice to focus on reducing inequality, and that starts, for us, with the public sector pay by focusing on those who are the lowest-income earners.

💬 Jan Logie: Has he considered the risk that public servants might start moving around agencies, becoming contractors, or leaving the country to try to get a pay rise to keep up with the rising cost of living, and that that might undermine the Government’s work programme.

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I would say in answer to that question, firstly, is that public servants do move around a lot within the Public Service, and always have done. But, secondly, I would point to the fact that across the first term that we were in Government, we have seen significant pay increases across the Public Service, including in professions such as the police, nursing, teaching, but also in other parts of Government. So we have a Public Service that works extremely hard, we have a Public Service that we want to continue to support, but in order to get the balance right here, we’re putting our focus on the lowest paid within our Public Service—25 percent of public servants earn less than $60,000. That’s something we should be focusing on doing something about.

💬 Teanau Tuiono: How will he be responding to calls from the early childhood education sector to deal with pay parity within the sector, given the announcement to freeze public sector wages?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As the Minister for the Public Service said during the announcement yesterday, there are certain issues that fall outside this. We will continue work on pay equity, we’ll continue work on pay parity, and we’ll continue work on making sure that those in the public sector workforce such as Māori, Pasifika, and others from ethnic minorities continue to be supported as well—those that sit outside of the pay guidance given yesterday.

💬 Jan Logie: Why is he happy to grow the economy through astronomical levels of housing debt but not through higher wages for our teachers, our nurses, and our core public servants?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I reject the premise of that question.

💬 Jan Logie: Is it a Labour Government value to suppress collective bargaining?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Absolutely not. This Government has supported improvements to collective bargaining over the last three years, and continues to do so. We are strong believers in the power of collective bargaining. What we are doing here is making sure that our focus, when we need to get a balance right between reducing the debt that we have taken on and investing where it is needed most, is in the lowest-paid public servants, and we will continue to do that.

💬 Hon Dr Megan Woods: Is it a Labour Party value to support those low-paid workers?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Absolutely, it is. This Government has committed itself to reducing inequality, and if we are serious about reducing inequality, and we are working within a constrained fiscal environment, then our focus will be on lifting the wages of the lowest-paid people in our economy.

💬 Chris Bishop: Point of order. Mr Speaker, that question was to the Minister of Finance and asked him about his responsibility for the Labour Party values. How can he possibly have responsibility for the values of the Labour Party?

💬 SPEAKER: I should probably have ruled it out or got the member to ask it again. I apologise for being looser today on both sides.

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Speaking to the point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: No, the point of order is finished.

Question No. 11—Internal Affairs

11. to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What progress has she seen on the building of fire stations?

This week, we not only celebrated International Firefighters’ Day but also the substantial progress we’ve made on building fire stations. Firstly, as the Minister responsible for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our firefighters and their friends and their whānau who support them for their generous service. I’m also pleased to inform the House that recently I’ve opened six new fire stations, with the building of an additional 16 fire stations currently under way around the country.

💬 Kieran McAnulty: Why has the building of fire stations been progressed earlier than expected?

💬 Hon JAN TINETTI: This work was made possible through the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. We allocated more than $50 million to the sector to rebuild or upgrade 26 fire stations, mostly in our rural communities. The member will be pleased to know that the Greytown Fire Station, where I’m told he started as a volunteer, is on that list. Two stations I recently opened in Pōkeno and Kawakawa Bay were the result of this funding and were built to the highest safety standards to ensure they stand strong through any kind of emergency over the next 50 years and beyond.

💬 Kieran McAnulty: Why was an upgrade to fire stations needed?

💬 Hon JAN TINETTI: Fire stations are integral to the safety of our community. Over 14,000 firefighting personnel do an outstanding job. Last year, they responded to over 83,000 incidents, a 4 percent increase on the year before. Firefighting is about so much more than just fighting fires. Our firefighters are there when we need them the most, by responding to a whole range of emergencies in our communities, including motor vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, hazardous substances, severe weather events, and natural disasters.

Question No. 12—Housing (Homelessness)

12. to the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness): Does she stand by her statement that some children in emergency housing are living in “inhumane conditions … not suitable for any humans but certainly not suitable for young people”; if so, is she satisfied she is adequately exercising her responsibility for oversight of “progress on the support and prevention pillars for individuals, families and whānau experiencing or at risk of homelessness”?

on behalf of the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness): Yes, and yes.

💬 Nicola Willis: Does she stand by her statement, “If we’re talking about causing accumulative harm, you know, one of the worst things we can do is have young people in these inhumane and indignified living situations.”; if so, what specific steps has she taken to ensure emergency accommodation is safe for young people?

On behalf of the Associate Minister, what I do stand by is that I am part of a Government that is finally addressing the crisis we have around homelessness. We have more than doubled the number of transitional and emergency houses. In terms of the specific actions that we are taking, in the coming weeks the one-year updating report on the progress of the roll-out of the Homelessness Action Plan will be released, which shows that all 18 immediate actions of the plan are under way or in place. We are a Government that has finally taken homelessness seriously and put actions in place after inheriting a crisis from the previous Government.

💬 Nicola Willis: How many papers has she taken to Cabinet or Cabinet committee since becoming the Associate Minister of Housing and what were they about?

On behalf of the Associate Minister, the Cabinet Priorities Committee receives a regular report on this.

💬 Nicola Willis: Does she stand by her statement, “I actually had a really good think about it, and what I am realising and hearing is the increase in unaffordability is probably unprecedented.”, and how does she reconcile that with Minister Williams’ statement yesterday that recent rent increases are “lower than the last few years”?

If you look at the data, you do see that in the 12 months we’ve had to March, we’ve had an annualised rent increase of 1.6 percent. Probably if you removed the period where we had the rent freeze because of the COVID lockdown—that probably is more in line with the 2 percent to 5 percent increase on rents. But I can certainly put that more into context than if I were to think about a quote from a previous Minister who had responsibility for this, when asked about homelessness and would people get a roof over their heads, who said, “Look, I can’t guarantee that.” This came after an announcement of $41 million in the Budget for emergency housing over four years to fund around 3,000 emergency beds over a 12-month period. However, this was to fund already existing beds and the then Minister Paula Bennett said, “It’s just not tenable to deliver those as additional beds.”

💬 Nicola Willis: What specifically has she done to improve the safety of emergency accommodation since I asked about it in Parliament more than six weeks ago, or is her role, as Minister Sepuloni describes it, “She’s out there scoping what’s going on and feeding back and giving insights.”?

On behalf of the Associate Minister, I reject the premise of the member’s question.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Which approach does the Minister prefer: providing emergency accommodation through the system the Government has at the moment or leaving people to be homeless, as the previous Government would have preferred it? [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Nicola Willis: Why has the most recent progress report on the Homelessness Action Plan not been publicly released despite her being briefed about it weeks ago, on 26 March?

On behalf of the Associate Minister, as I said in reply to an earlier supplementary, in the coming weeks that one-year progress report will be released.