Oral Questions

1. to the Minister of Finance: Is he confident the Government is getting good value for money out of all the taxpayer money that it is spending?

I am confident that not just the Government but New Zealanders and businesses are getting value for money from the Government’s investments that are made on behalf of all New Zealanders. I would add that, as has always been the case, some initiatives do need to be altered along the way to ensure that they deliver the best value for money. This is particularly the case when new programmes are being developed, and if we’re adopting innovative approaches to improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders, there will be occasions when they do not work as initially planned and can be tweaked.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that the $785 million for a cycle bridge in Auckland would clear the entire waiting list for the 30,000 people needing hip replacements, plus fund 100,000 free mental health counselling sessions?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I’m sure the member is aware of the difference between capital and operating expenditure. He also will be aware that we spend billions and dollars each year in our health system. And he’s at risk here of comparing apples and giraffes.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that, for $785 million, the Government could pay for all life-saving medicines on Pharmac’s unfunded list for two years, including for cancer treatment?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can confirm is that the Government has increased the budget for Pharmac by over 25 percent since we’ve been in office, taking it to over a billion dollars a year. And I repeat my earlier answer: the member might want to conflate these things together, and Governments previously have always invested in long-term transport projects at the same time as investing in things such as Pharmac.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that, for $785 million, the Government could clear the backlog of school classroom upgrades so that our children can learn in safe and healthy environments?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can confirm that the Government has massively increased the amount of funding that we put in to upgrade classrooms, as we have done in the health system to improve hospitals after the previous National Government failed to invest in capital in health and education.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that, for $785 million, the Government could fix the country’s most dangerous road, north of Tauranga, and build a second Ashburton bridge?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can confirm that the Government is investing billions of dollars in transport and upgrades right across New Zealand. This also includes ensuring that we do maintenance on our State highway network, something that the previous Government decided not to bother with.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that, according to Waka Kotahi, for just $300 million more the Government could build an extra harbour crossing with three lanes for cars and buses and a cycle pathway?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can’t confirm that. What I can confirm for the member is that, for $785 million, he could get some better questions.

Question No. 2—Research, Science and Innovation

2. to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation: How is the Government continuing to support Just Transition in Taranaki and Southland through Budget 2021?

Last month’s Budget included $20 million over four years to continue the work we started in 2018 supporting a just transition approach in Taranaki as the region moves away from oil and gas exploration. This funding will also enable support to be extended to the Southland community as the Tīwai aluminium smelter moves towards closure in 2024. I’m proud of the work we’ve started on supporting workers and communities through the transition to a low emissions future, and I was pleased to see the endorsement of the just transition approach by the Climate Change Commission in their advice released yesterday.

💬 Glen Bennett: What will Budget 2021 funding support in Taranaki and Southland?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Funds will be used to unlock additional investment, further business cases, support community initiatives, and pay for local staff to support the ongoing transition process. In Taranaki, a significant engagement programme has been undertaken to deliver regional economic development plans that set the strategy for the region through to 2050, and this new funding will support implementation of these plans. In Southland, we’re working closely with regional stakeholders to identify priorities and projects that can support the transition following the expected closure of the Tīwai Point Aluminium Smelter in 2024. Currently, the focus is on strengthening relationships and part of a broad-based partnership with the Murihiku collective of rūnanga, councils, mayors, unions, and industry.

💬 Glen Bennett: How does a just transition approach align with our climate change goals?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: A just transition is about how we plan for a future with a low-emissions economy and what that looks like with those in partnership with those affected the most. The Climate Change Commission report is explicit in its advice that it will cost New Zealand more down the line if we don’t act now. We do not want to see a repeat of the economic shocks seen during the 1980s which left workers and communities unable to plan for their futures as we prepare for our transitions to a low-emissions economy.

Question No. 3—Finance

3. to the Minister of Finance: Will an objective in future Budgets he delivers be making a just transition to a low-emissions economy, in order to ensure low-income households are not left behind in the Government’s response to the Climate Commission’s advice?

Supporting New Zealanders through a just transition to a low-carbon economy is currently one of the Government’s five Budget wellbeing objectives, and while those objectives have not yet been set for future Budgets, it is a long-term commitment from this Government to support just such a just transition.

💬 Hon Julie Anne Genter: Does he agree with the Climate Change Commission’s summary of what a “just transition” means in Aotearoa, which includes skills training, sending early and clear policy signals, and honouring Te Tiriti?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yes, I do agree with those concepts. More broadly, as the Minister who’s recently resumed her seat has said, these programmes, Just Transition programmes, can be very active programmes that work at both a community and individual level.

💬 Hon Julie Anne Genter: What specific support will the Government provide to low-income households so they can access low-emissions technology like electric vehicles and e-bikes?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: One example is in the Budget: a contingency has been set aside to support the uptake of electric vehicles, and I’m sure there’ll be more detailed announcements about that very soon.

💬 Hon Julie Anne Genter: Does he acknowledge that reducing poverty and income inequality must be central to the Government’s work to address climate change and protect our environment, and why?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: That is central to the Government’s programme for a range of reasons, including that one.

💬 Hon Julie Anne Genter: What specific support will his future Budgets provide to those communities and workers that rely on high-emission sectors?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: That is the very essence of a Just Transition programme. I’m not going to pre-empt specific initiatives in future Budgets, but what I can say is that we’re very focused, through our Future of Work programme, for example, on supporting all workers to a just transition, be that for technological reasons or, in the case that the member is raising, with respect to climate change. We are very confident and optimistic of the ability of New Zealand workers and businesses to transition with support to use new technologies to create new jobs and new areas of work, but that will be a partnership.

Question No. 4—Education

4. to the Minister of Education: How does Budget 2021 advance the Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system?

This year’s Budget provides funding to allow the Government to get cracking on implementing Supporting all schools to succeed, the Government’s response to the Tomorrow’s Schools review. Central to this is initial funding to start rebuilding front-line advisory capability within the Ministry of Education in a new education service agency called Te Mahau. That is being launched by the Secretary for Education in the second half of this year. It does respond to the feedback from schools that whilst they welcome and continue to enjoy the self-governing model, they do on regular occasions feel that they are not receiving the level of support that they would like from the centre.

💬 Angela Roberts: Will these changes include any direct financial support to schools?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes. The flexible fund will also be rolled out, starting with a $10 million investment in 2021/22, which will give staff in the regions the ability to respond more flexibly to the needs of schools. We learnt through COVID-19 when we established the Urgent Response Fund, which was a $50 million fund—a much bigger fund—that when you provide flexibility for the staff working for the Ministry of Education at the front line to better respond to schools’ needs, great things can be achieved. We want to continue with that momentum.

💬 Angela Roberts: How will this package support the Government’s curriculum reforms?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Very consistent with my first answer, one of the things that we heard from schools over the past few years is that when it comes to curriculum, they do look to the centre for more resourcing and more support. New Zealand’s curriculum is a very devolved curriculum, and that is something that teachers welcome, but they do look for more guidance. As a result of that, we are establishing a curriculum centre within the redesigned Ministry of Education Te Poutāhū, which is going to be a game-changer for the way the Government agencies interact with and support schools when it comes to issues around curriculum.

Question No. 5—COVID-19 Response

5. to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What percentage of people in each of the Government’s seven COVID-19 subgroups have not received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, and is he confident that the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is on track to meet the Government target of every adult being offered a vaccine by the end of the year?

The size of each of those subgroups of people is not a static number and, in fact, in some of those subgroups, particularly the front-line border workers, quite large numbers of people are adding and exiting from that category. So a percentage number is impossible to calculate and would be meaningless. However, I can give the raw numbers of people in each of those groups who have been provided with vaccines. Across groups 1A and 1B, we’ve provided 53,000 first doses and 46,000 second doses. Across group 2, 306,000 people have received their first dose, and 211,000 people have been given their second dose. In group 3, 111,000 people have received their first dose, and just under 19,000 have had their second doses. Finally, in group 4—a group that is yet to formally start—nearly 28,000 people have been given their first dose, and a couple of hundred people have received their second dose. In regard to the second part of the member’s question, yes.

💬 Chris Bishop: How can the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out be on track when around 50 percent of border and managed isolation and quarantine workers and their household contacts have not even had their first shot of the vaccine, when that group was meant to be finished by March?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I reject the premise of the member’s question. In fact, when it comes to household members, the estimate put forward was, at best, a guess. It was an estimate of roughly how many people we thought border workers had within their households, and it’s not compulsory for that group of people to come forward. How many people come forward from that group is totally up to those people, and of course I would say if you’re in that group and you haven’t had a vaccine yet, I’d encourage you to come forward and get one.

💬 Chris Bishop: Does the Government record what group people belong to when they’re vaccinated; and if not, what is the point of the groups?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes we do, but people can belong to more than one group, and so therefore it is possible that some of the people in group 1B—for example, household members who also may qualify in group 2 or in group 3—can be coded under that group.

💬 Chris Bishop: Has he sought an explanation of how one district health board had to destroy a thousand doses of the vaccine in April, and how does he think the thousands of high-risk people out there contacting their GPs, desperate to get a vaccine, would feel about knowing that a thousand doses were destroyed in April?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: That is a very rare event in New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and I would say that the people who are waiting for vaccines can be confident that New Zealand has one of the lowest vaccine dosage wastage rates in the world. The World Health Organization says that countries should plan for a 10-15 percent wastage rate of their vaccines, and New Zealand sits at under 2 percent wastage.

💬 Chris Bishop: Is it correct that for a 49-day period in September and October, the Ministry of Health model says we need to vaccinate 75,000 people per day, and is he confident the roll-out will scale up to that level of vaccinations per day?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The vaccine roll-out model has continued to be refined as we’ve understood more about both what we can expect in terms of deliveries, but also how we can make sure that we are rolling out the vaccine in a sustainable way. Work has been undertaken, since the model was first mooted, with district health boards to try and smooth demand during that latter part of the year, so that we don’t end up with big peaks and troughs. As a result, the average should be, for a sustained period of time, around 50,000 a day. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be unders and overs within that. We know, at the moment, we have lower vaccination rates, for example, in the weekends; we tend to reach the peak vaccination rates around the middle of the week. Mondays can often be a bit slower; Fridays are often the best day. So there’ll be unders and overs within that, but we will be averaging, for a sustained period of time, 50,000 doses a day, and that is how we will get to the population coverage that we’re aiming for.

💬 Chris Bishop: In light of that answer, will he instruct the Ministry of Health to update the model publicly available on the Ministry of Health website—because at the moment, the model simply shows that between September and October, we will have to do 75,000 doses per day?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The vaccine model will be updated at the appropriate time. One of the things that will determine that, of course, is further guidance on vaccine deliveries. We’ll get further information in July as to what we’re expecting to have delivered in August and September.

Question No. 6—Housing (Public Housing)

6. to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Does she agree with the Minister of Housing’s statement, “I think there are a number of really good landlords and I think we all meet them when we’re out and about—but certainly, with some landlords as there is in any sector of society—yes, there is more need for compassion.”?

Yes, and I also agree with the Minister when she said that the Government is not relying on compassion to deal with the housing crisis and has also reformed tenancy laws to ensure they are fit for the 21st century.

Brooke van Velden: Does she believe the Government is a compassionate landlord when only 11,000 of its 68,000 homes meet the healthy homes standards?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I reject the premise of that question. Kāinga Ora—Homes and Communities advises me that, yes, 11,345 of their homes currently meet the healthy homes standards. However, they are not required to complete their target until much later, and that is because they have a portfolio of 66,000. And the other reason is that we intend to spread the demand for building materials and trades across the time period and allow for sufficient time for private landlords to complete their obligations under the healthy homes standards.

Brooke van Velden: How can the Minister of Housing demand compassion from private landlords, who must comply with healthy homes standards by 1 July, when 57,000 of its own homes don’t meet the same standards?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: To refer back to my previous answer, I don’t know that the member is aware of just how massive a task it is for Kāinga Ora to complete, and in order to not put pressure on the rest of the community, in terms of demand for building materials and trades, we have ensured that we spread the demand for that by allowing Kāinga Ora to take a little more time than other landlords to do so.

💬 Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that the Government has decided to exempt Kāinga Ora - owned properties from the tax changes to interest deductibility, and why is there one rule for private landlords and another one for the Government?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: There have been no decisions made with that regard.

💬 Hon David Parker: Is the Minister aware that the Government is also consulting on whether that same rule should apply to other providers of community housing?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Yes, I am.

Brooke van Velden: Why can’t the Government meet the same standards they expect of private landlords?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: We are wanting to ensure that our homes will meet the healthy homes standards. We have a huge portfolio of homes and we need to make sure that the work is done properly. The other thing that we do not want to do is to put pressure on material supplies that we will all need. We want to ensure that the homes are repaired to an appropriate standard. There is a huge portfolio of homes and we fully intend to ensure that these properties come up to standard as required.

Question No. 7—Trade and Export Growth

7. to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: How has New Zealand contributed to APEC’s commitment to speeding up the cross-border flow of vaccines and related goods to fight the COVID-19 pandemic?

On Friday and Saturday, I chaired the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting. One of our key objectives for the meeting was to demonstrate that APEC is responsive and relevant to the COVID-19 crisis. A key aspect of this was showing that trade can be a force for good, and, collectively, APEC Ministers delivered. The impact of the APEC trade Ministers’ agreement is that it will make the component parts of the supply chain flow more smoothly. I understand that for the likes of the Pfizer vaccine, some 286 component parts are sourced from over 80 companies in nearly 20 countries. So “anything that makes the production smoother and easier has to be good not only for New Zealand but for all APEC members, and those benefits should flow through into our Pacific neighbours, who we are supporting.” No one is safe from COVID-19 until we are all safe.

💬 Naisi Chen: What other outcomes did you achieve from the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: For the first time in memory, every APEC economy was represented at ministerial level, underscoring the high level of political commitment to these issues. The meeting was also enriched by the presence of the World Trade Organization Director-General, Dr Okonjo-Iweala. We were therefore in a strong position to discuss and demonstrate our collective support for the World Trade Organization to modernise trade rules for the 21st century. We also discussed and agreed on the importance of promoting economic policies and growth that contribute to tackling climate change and other serious environmental challenges. Critically for Aotearoa New Zealand, APEC Ministers also took note of the initiatives that we have been driving in APEC to unlock the economic potential of indigenous people.

💬 Naisi Chen: How does APEC fit into New Zealand’s Trade Recovery Strategy?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: The trade-led recovery strategy launched by Ministers in 2020 supports the Government’s wider five-point recovery plan. We find ourselves in an increasingly difficult trading environment. Globally, we are in a time of international turmoil and geopolitical uncertainty. Global supply chains are disrupted, and our exporters are facing rising offshore trade barriers and subsidies. It is for this reason that the Government is implementing the trade-led recovery strategy. The strategy includes 41 actions delivered by 11 agencies to support exporters. APEC is a key deliverable of this strategy as part of efforts to reinvigorate trade architecture and global economic institutions. In the face of concerning global trends, we are looking to use APEC to support open markets, resist protectionism, and generate sustainable growth.

Question No. 8—Housing

8. to the Minister of Housing: Does she stand by her statement that the Government has “increased the public housing stock by 7,671 since we came into Government in 2017”; if so, why does the most recent Kāinga Ora managed stock quarterly report show that total managed stock is only 4,649 more than reported by Housing New Zealand in its September 2017 managed stock quarterly report?

Yes, we have increased the public housing stock, by 7,671 since we came into Government. I can also confirm that since coming into Government, Kāinga Ora’s total managed stock has increased by 4,649 homes. I would note that Kāinga Ora’s managed stock is different to the public housing stock. Kāinga Ora’s managed stock is inclusive of State houses eligible for the income-related rent subsidy (IRRS) funding alongside community group housing transitional housing that is owned by Kāinga Ora. The 902 houses leased to Ngāti Toa—public housing stock, on the other hand—includes all Kāinga Ora State housing stock as well as those owned or provided by community housing providers. So the 7,671 figure I provided is the change in the number of public housing places between 1 November 2017 and 30 April 2021. As at 1 November 2017, there was a total of 66,216 public housing places, and as at 30 April 2021, there was a total of 73,887 public housing places, a net change of 7,671 places. I note that we have used the smaller of two figures—if we had summed the two numbers the member is talking about, that would have been a net change of 9,773 houses.

💬 Andrew Bayly: Well, I’m confused.

💬 SPEAKER: Well, that’s something the Minister’s not responsible for.

💬 Nicola Willis: Well, can the Minister simply confirm that according to reports published by Housing New Zealand and Kāinga Ora, the number of State rentals in September 2017 was 61,323, and, as of March this year, that number is 64,106—a difference of just 2,783; and how can she possibly reconcile those facts with her exaggerated claims of additional houses.

💬 SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Mr Speaker, I’m happy to provide the member—

💬 SPEAKER: No, the member will resume her seat. I’m going to let the member ask the question again without the pejorative comment in it. The member’s very lucky.

💬 Nicola Willis: Can the Minister confirm that according to reports published by Housing New Zealand and Kāinga Ora, the number of State rentals in September 2017 was 61,323, and, as of March this year, that number is just 64,106—a difference of 2,783; and how can she possibly reconcile those facts with her claim of 7,000 additional houses?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I gave a very fulsome primary answer. The member is confused, and if she’d like a briefing on the data sets, I’m happy to arrange for her to be walked through that. But the data set that the member is talking about is Kāinga Ora - owned property. She’s talking about the State rentals in there. What we are talking about is the number of public housing places that are provided, which, of course, also includes public housing places that receive IRRS funding, which are provided by community housing providers (“CHiPS”). Since we came into Government, 5,124 further “CHiP” places have been provided, so I think the member will find, if she looks at the relevant data sets, that all the numbers add up. We are proud that we are building more public houses in this country than has been built in a generation.

💬 Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that she signed off on Kāinga Ora targeting the sale of $37 million worth of State houses in the 2020-21 financial year, and can she update the House on whether they met their target?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: We’ve been through this many times in this House. Kāinga Ora advises me that the total value of public housing properties that it has sold—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member’s colleague asked a question, all right? I’m assuming the point of it is to have an answer, and not to have an answer which is drowned out from members on my left.

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I am advised that between 1 September 2017 until 30 November 2020, there were 191 State houses that were sold over this period. This is because they were homes that were no longer fit for purpose, and is a tiny fraction. The value of these sales was $63,879,920. I would note that between the financial years 2014-15 and 2016-17, 1,300 State houses were sold for a total of over $204 million.

💬 Nicola Willis: Can the Minister confirm that the Government has demolished more than 2,000 State houses, and plans to demolish at least 3,000 more in the next three years?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I certainly can. That’s because this is a Government that is investing in the redevelopment of those State houses. We are a Government that has actually funded the addition of actually intensifying those areas. That is how we are building more State houses than any Government in a generation.

💬 Nicola Willis: Why did she agree to the transfer of 902 properties out of the State housing rental stock for management by Ngāti Toa, and how is that any different from National’s policy of transferring houses to community housing providers?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: This is a unique arrangement—[Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! I am going to remind members of discussions that we’ve had recently that have led to potential fairly gross disorder, and I’m going to require this answer to be heard in silence.

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: This is a unique arrangement and the first of its kind, that, actually, Kāinga Ora has retained ownership of those properties; they are leased to Ngāti Toa. This is part of what partnership in a modern—[Interruption]—New Zealand looks like.

💬 SPEAKER: Order! There will be two additional questions for the National Party as a result of the interjection to my right.

💬 Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that this year’s housing budget puts aside $360 million specifically “to provide for expenses incurred as part of the sale of land and dwellings”, and why is that?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: This was a question that the member asked at an Estimates hearing yesterday and was given a very fulsome answer around what this is. When you are an agency that is actively adding to the housing stock and there are transactions that go through, and also in terms of when there is also the appropriation as it purports to KiwiBuild, that this is a technical, financial requirement of the Public Finance Act, in terms of the sale of the KiwiBuild houses that were always meant to be sold—this is not about the sale of State houses.

💬 Nicola Willis: Is it correct that the Government’s State house waiting list is growing around four times as fast as the Government is building houses?

💬 Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: We are well aware of the size of our public housing waiting list, and it’s an issue that we are working to resolve. As we constantly remind the Opposition, if they had built State houses instead of selling them off, and built at the rate that we were, we would have 15,000 more public housing places in this country. We are the first Government in many decades to be adding to the number that we are. But we acknowledge, on this side of the House, that there is still plenty of work to do, but we are committed to doing it.

Question No. 9—Small Business

9. to the Minister for Small Business: What is the Government doing to support digital training and advice for small businesses?

We are backing small businesses as the economy recovers. Budget 2021’s biggest focus was on securing the economic recovery while continuing to keep people safe. Specifically in my small business portfolio, Budget 2021 set aside $44 million over two years for a new initiative to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It will provide business training courses for 60,000 SMEs and further support another 30,000 SMEs through digital advisory services as part of the Digital Boost programme. This new initiative will enable small businesses to recover from the global economic impact of COVID-19 and take advantage of new opportunities through e-commerce. Digital commerce also contributes to higher wages, higher productivity, and a lower-carbon economy—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member has answered the question.

💬 Hon STUART NASH: It’s half as long as Megan’s one.

Tāmati Coffey: How is the Government working with business to drive wider uptake of digital tools and technologies?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: Our aspiration is for New Zealand to have the most digitally enabled small business sector in the world. Last month, a new public-private partnership was launched to improve access to digital technology and training for small businesses. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has launched the Digital Boost initiative to bring the private sector on board. Organisations make a public commitment to support small businesses, workers, or communities with free or discounted goods, services, advice, or training. One of the companies at the launch, Google, said there was “enormous opportunity” if digital transformation is embraced and that “$46.6 billion worth of economic value could be gained by 2030 if we do this right”. Other agencies, Xero and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, estimate real GDP could increase between $3.5 billion and $6.2 billion if there was just 20 percent increase in the uptake of cloud computing alone.

💬 SPEAKER: The member answered that question and about three others.

Tāmati Coffey: What response has he seen from small businesses for wider training and advisory support, especially in regional Aotearoa New Zealand?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: In the member’s own area of Rotorua/Bay of Plenty there has been a strong uptake of Government-funded COVID business support for training and advice. The member, who owns a successful small business himself in Rotorua, will know of the Regional Business Partner programme, which utilises established networks like chambers of commerce and economic development agencies, and this has been active. More than 1,000 small businesses in the Bay of Plenty have accessed the Government-funded voucher system for specialist advice and training across a range of disciplines. Support worth $2.8 million has been rolled out to Bay of Plenty businesses through this voucher system. The global pandemic is still our biggest threat, but we are well placed to deal with it through initiatives like free digital training and advice.

💬 Hon Todd McClay: Does the Minister really believe that the digital training will outweigh the significant cost imposed on small businesses by his Government through sharp increases to the minimum wage, doubling of sick leave costs—

💬 SPEAKER: OK. That’s two now.

💬 Hon Todd McClay: But he had three.

💬 SPEAKER: He might have given three answers, but he didn’t have two questions.

💬 Hon STUART NASH: There are many initiatives this Government is implementing to help small businesses. This is but one of them.

Question No. 10—Defence

10. to the Minister of Defence: What, if anything, is he doing to resolve waiting times of up to 140 working days veterans face in seeking medical records and medal entitlement information?

on behalf of the Minister of Defence: I want to begin by acknowledging all ex-servicemen and -women and the pride they bring our country. I’m advised that most requests for a copy of a veteran’s medical files are treated as urgent and processed within 10 working days when received through Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand. Understanding the definition of a veteran is outlined in the Act and given priority. The reason some take up to 140 days can be due to the nature of the request, complexity of the situation, the requestor, or because the request is unclear in its purpose. I’m further advised that any request relating to a funeral or terminal illness is prioritised.

💬 Chris Penk: What are the implications for veterans who are subjected to such lengthy wait times in terms of accessing health services and other entitlements?

Can I reiterate that if, for the purposes of a medical entitlement, a requestor has been clear in their request, they are given priority in the queue and a response, I’ve been advised, will be processed within 10 working days.

💬 Chris Penk: Does the Minister intend to introduce or support legislation that would re-establish a time frame for the Government to provide important information such as medical records to veterans?

In relation to requests that are made for the purposes of claiming medical entitlements, as has been made clear in questions that have been responded to by the Minister, there are 10 working days in which the request is processed. There is a triage process. It is a manual process, and that is critical to ensuring that the nature of the response is relative to what the request is for, because the same unit also deals with requests for medal entitlements.

💬 Chris Penk: Point of order. My question was in relation to the reintroduction of a statutory time frame as opposed to the operational aspect of how requests are handled currently.

At present, I’m not aware that there’s any legislation pending.

💬 Chris Penk: Does the Minister think that this situation aligns with the sentiments of the Prime Minister at Anzac Day about sharing recognition and respect with all who have served our country on this most special day?

If I understand the nature of that question, which may well be in relation to requests for information in relation to medals, as the Minister made clear in written question No. 19836, a requestor can expect to receive a response within 10 to 140 working days. Often, time varies with the complexity of the applications that are being processed.

💬 Chris Penk: What is the Minister’s response to veterans who perceive that this Government pays lip service to veterans’ issues on Anzac Day but is uninterested in issues affecting them the other 364 days a year?

I reject the premise of that question. In fact, Veterans’ Affairs have engaged in regional conversations with veterans around the services that they provide to veterans.

Question No. 11—Rural Communities

11. to the Minister for Rural Communities: What advice has he requested or received on the impact Significant Natural Areas will have on rural communities?

I’ve received several pieces of advice from the Ministry for Primary Industries over the last years as the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity continues to be developed. The national policy statement is not yet finalised and the impacts on rural communities will continue to be a consideration for Ministers as we work on finalising it.

💬 Mark Cameron: Has he heard from rural communities on the adverse impacts Significant Natural Areas could have on the use and value of their property?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: Yes I have received correspondence and talked with constituents in my area where they believe there will be an adverse impact on their communities. I’ve also spoken to many people from rural communities who live in those areas, because they want to see that indigenous biodiversity retained and protected. And so there’s a healthy discussion taking place and we’ll manage this process very carefully.

💬 Mark Cameron: What does he say to farmers such as one in Tasman who found out through a letter from the council that their entire 600 acre property—which has been in his family for 100 years—has been designated a Significant Natural Area?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: I can’t really comment on the individual property, other than to congratulate his family, I guess, for protecting that biodiversity. Can I suggest that if they have remained on the property for that long, I’d suggest they have a very good business model that has enabled them to protect the biodiversity and continue to farm or run a horticulture operation. Can I say that councils around the country have taken different approaches to how they identify and notify—not all those approaches have been sound. That’s one of the very issues we’re trying to address so that the obligation laid down in the Resource Management Act of 1991—that obligation to protect these areas has not been implemented by the vast majority of councils around the country; that’s what Government is taking action on.

💬 Hon David Bennett: Will he confirm his statement in select committee this morning that there could be compensation to affected farmers in certain circumstances?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: What I said at the select committee is that if there’s a proven loss of value, then discussion needs to occur to ensure some fairness. There are a number of properties in my particular patch and all around the country where that’s a fair discussion that needs to occur—there are no prejudged outcomes of that.

💬 Teanau Tuiono: Is the Minister satisfied that the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity will address concerns such as those raised in the Far North by ensuring councils’ processes involve meaningful engagement with Māori?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: In summary, yes. We have to ensure that there’s proper consultation and engagement with iwi, with landowners and, indeed, that’s the process we’re working through.

💬 Mark Cameron: Will he advocate as Minister for Rural Communities for compensation for farmers for any loss of use of their land from Significant Natural Areas?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: As I said at the select committee, we have to ensure fairness in this process. There’s a lot of, I guess, subjective judgment over valuations before and after and what might be a fair compensation claim—those things we’re going to work through carefully.

Question No. 12—Immigration

12. to the Minister of Immigration: What announcement has he made about work visas?

This morning, I announced changes to onshore visas that will provide employers and visa holders with more certainty. Around 10,000 working holiday visas and Supplementary Seasonal Employment, or SSE, work visas that were due to expire between June and December will now be extended for another six months to help manage ongoing labour shortages while New Zealand’s COVID-19 border restrictions remain in place. This will provide employers with an assurance that they can continue to access the current onshore workforce to help fill roles.

💬 Tangi Utikere: How will these changes provide employers and visa holders with more certainty?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: These changes will provide certainty to workers and their employers. Those workers on working holiday and SSE visas can stay and work in New Zealand for the foreseeable future. We’ve also announced well-signalled changes to essential skill visa conditions, which has allowed us to stage our way back to pre-COVID settings. All of these workers have been filling jobs since our border closed, which has severely limited our ability to bring in new tranches of working holiday and SSE workers, so providing this certainty to workers and their employees now will take some pressure off the sectors that they are working in.

💬 Tangi Utikere: Why has the Government taken this action?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The Government has taken a pragmatic approach to these situations to ensure that we are well positioned for the economic recovery, within the limits that our border closures put on us. While we’re taking these pragmatic measures in the short term, we are consistently encouraging sectors and employers to think about how they make the shift work and look for ways to recruit New Zealanders before returning to temporary migrant workers.

💬 Erica Stanford: How does the Minister explain, on the one hand, announcing in his immigration reset speech a plan to drastically reduce our reliance on low- and mid-skilled labour, and then, less than a month later, announcing an extension to working holiday visa holders and an extension to the duration of low-skilled work visas from six to 12 months; and does he understand that businesses need certainty, not mixed messages?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The member might know that the border is closed at the moment, so in order to assist businesses to deal with short-term shortages, I think it’s a positive thing that we’ve extended the working holiday visas. As I have said at the end of my previous supplementary answer, we’ve also sent messages that, in the long term, we should learn a lesson from COVID, and those sectors that have traditionally relied on migrant labour, who are now facing shortages in their sectors, should look at training opportunities to make sure New Zealanders could potentially fill those jobs in the future.