Oral Questions

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

Mr Speaker, kia orana. Yes. In particular, I stand by the drop in our unemployment rate to some of the lowest levels in over a decade: 4 percent. The number of people unemployed fell by 12.4 percent, the largest quarterly percentage fall since the household labour force survey began in 1986, and this, combined with two record-breaking quarters of people cancelling their benefit to go into work, shows how effective this Government’s recovery plan is and how well we are managing the economy while keeping New Zealanders safe.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: So why are there 68,000 more New Zealanders on the jobseeker support benefit than when she became the Prime Minister?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course, despite some of those record numbers, undeniably we have seen significant impacts on certain sectors of our economy because of COVID-19. But the fact that we have seen record numbers moving from jobseeker support into employment, or fall from our main benefits into employment, particularly in seasons where we don’t usually see that level of movement, is heartening. It demonstrates that programmes like the Flexi-wage and like Mana in Mahi are all making a difference in supporting employers to use the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and to bring on people who may otherwise not have received job opportunities.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Does she agree with her transport Minister, Michael Wood, that “Auckland [would] not [be able to] reach its potential” without the cycle bridge she may or may not be about to cancel?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We absolutely have to bring different modes of transport and transport options between the North Shore and the central city. That is key, and I would have thought that the member would have agreed with that too, given, of course, her advocacy around a second harbour crossing. We remain committed to improving and increasing the different modes of transport between the North Shore and the central city. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! OK, I’m going to just do a general warning now. After yesterday, there were a lot of complaints about the noise from one party drowning out the responses from Ministers. I’m not going to have that sort of complaint after today’s, because we’re going to have only reasonable interjections.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: When she said that the Mongrel Mob - led Kahukura programme pilot showed “signs of success”, what were they?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That was based on the pilot programme that was run the year prior, which demonstrated that in a short pilot that was held, there were no dropouts, a 100 percent drug-test pass rate, and 80 percent met all court and probation obligations. Obviously, it was a short period of time, but if we wanted to look beyond that programme, we could look to the programme that the National Party funded, which was very similar, which was called the Hauora Programme. They funded the Salvation Army, who worked with the Notorious chapter of the Mongrel Mob to establish the programme. Clearly, in Government they had one view; now they’re in Opposition, they clearly have another.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Is the Prime Minister aware that there is a difference between the Salvation Army and the Mongrel Mob?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, and I’m also clear that they weren’t—[Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! That’s enough—Mr Doocey in particular.

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, and I’m also clear that both worked together to form a policy and programme that was shaped entirely for the use of Mongrel Mob members. Again, I stand by my statement that the member obviously takes one view in Government and a vastly different one in Opposition.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Is she aware that the final application for the Mongrel Mob - led Kahukura programme was made just two weeks after the pilot was finished? Does she think two weeks is long enough to evaluate the success of a meth addiction programme?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Firstly, I dispute the premise of the member’s question. We have funded an organisation called Hard2Reach. The member should be familiar with Hard2Reach. Her Government funded it also, through Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) and MSD—again, yet another example of when in Government the member has one view, and when in Opposition takes a vastly different one. I acknowledge also when the member was the Minister for Ethnic Communities, she also had no issue with celebrating the use of the word “Aotearoa”.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Ooh! What information did she seek on the participants in the Mongrel Mob - led methamphetamine programme before she approved its funding?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again, I will correct the member. The organisation that is funded is called Hard2Reach, an organisation that was funded through TPK contracts and MSD contracts when the member was in Government—demonstrating that they have been around for some time. The member asked a question around the process around the proceeds of crime. My recollection, and with some prompts, I received some information around the proceeds of crime programme in February. I asked for additional advice on the outcomes of the trials that the member references and also the perspective of the police. What I received in return was confirmation that the local police in the Hawke’s Bay supported the programme. That formed the basis of my and other Ministers’ approval of the funding.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: How can the participants be “hard to reach” when eight out of 10 of them were already under the active care of the corrections system?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As the member well knows from the funding of the Hauora programme, successfully navigating those individuals engaged in criminal activity voluntarily through drug rehabilitation programmes is no easy feat. The member will know that from her time in Corrections, or has she forgotten now that she is in Opposition?

💬 David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister trust Harry Tam, or was his statement “Jacinda seems to trust me.” incorrect?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Our contracts are based on just that—contracts. Our providers are obliged to deliver on them. I don’t rely on trust; I rely on agreements and contracts that set out our expectations. If they are not fulfilled, they are not funded.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Was she aware when she signed off $2.7 million for the Mongrel Mob - led programme that participants would be doing gardening at Notorious Chain Dog president Sonny Smith’s house?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I absolutely reject the premise of that question, as I have corrected the member many times on. On the second point, this programme—I’ve had that question raised with me. The first part of funding for this programme was only delivered on 15 July. It is specified in the contract that it is for establishment cost. Future funding is specified as being around drug testing. Those elements of the programme required around medical interventions—it is all clearly set out in budget line items and in the contract. If it is not fulfilled, then the contract is not fulfilled.

💬 Hon Judith Collins: Does she now regret cancelling National’s successful methamphetamine action plan in 2018, given the methamphetamine problem in New Zealand seems to have got remarkably worse under her watch?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Just to clarify: is that the methamphetamine programme which had a Notorious chapter of the Mongrel Mob funded for drug addiction and treatment? Just to clarify—just to clarify—is it that programme? Because, based on the member’s question, she would cancel her own action plan.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? [Interruption]

Order! Order! Before I ask the Minister of Finance to answer, I’m going to ask the people on my left to be quiet. It’s now, I think, the third occasion where I’ve asked and I am just getting unhappy with being the recipient of the communications from people who think this Parliament should be able to be heard on the radio and on television.

The Government’s economic plan to secure our recovery has led to more New Zealanders in work and higher wages. Today, Statistics New Zealand released the jobs figures for the June 2021 quarter. The data showed that the unemployment rate fell once again to 4 percent from 4.6 percent in March, with 17,000 fewer people unemployed over the quarter. The unemployment rate is now where it was in the pre - COVID-19 December 2019 quarter—and I want to make sure you hear this one, Mr Brownlee: the data also shows that the economy continued to add jobs with 28,000 more people in employment in the June quarter, split evenly between men and women. This meant people in employment are up by 63,000 since the September 2020 quarter when unemployment peaked at 5.3 percent. The underutilisation rate, which gives a broader measure of untapped capacity in the labour market, fell to 10.5 percent from 12.1 percent.

💬 Helen White: What else did the report say about the state of the labour market?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Statistics New Zealand reported that the accelerating recovery is putting more money into New Zealanders’ back pockets. The average hourly wage rose 4 percent to $34.76 an hour compared with a 3.3 percent rise in inflation. New Zealand’s robust economy is seeing gains across a number of sectors including construction, retail, and accommodation, with most commentators expecting wages to continue rising over the coming year.

💬 Helen White: What reactions has he seen to the positive job start-ups?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The consensus among economists had been that unemployment would fall to 4.4 percent. The result is also well below Treasury’s Budget 2021 update, which forecast unemployment to be 5.2 percent in the June 2021 quarter. In its review of the data, BNZ’s economists called the labour market report a “stonker” and that everything about the labour market data was stronger. ASB’s economists expect the momentum for demand in the labour market to continue due to New Zealand’s resilient economy. The ANZ bank added that it thinks it’s only the beginning of strong wage rises this year. There are some who can always see the negative whereas on this side of the House we can see New Zealanders working hard and getting the reward for that work.

Question No. 3—Immigration

3. to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions?

Kia orana, Mr Speaker. Yes, I stand by our Government’s management of the border to keep COVID out of our communities, to make sure that New Zealanders can get home, to reunite families, and to respond to skill shortages where we can. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked to strike a balance between protecting people, using the limited capacity we have at the border to bring people through, and making the best use of onshore workforce through changes to visa settings. In taking this approach, we have been able to bring in more than 17,000 skilled workers and their families to date, and we’ve also extended essential skills, working holiday, and supplementary seasonal employment visas to meet our onshore labour demands. We’ve also taken decisions to make the system as flexible as it can be to make sure we have the best use of these workers.

💬 Erica Stanford: Why, despite a letter being sent to the chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in early 2019 to express the Government’s concern over Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residency visa processing delays, has he done little to stop the visa processing times jumping from 11 months then to 27 months today?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Kia orana, Mr Speaker. There are two issues there. The first issue is that the demand for the SMC process was much larger than expected, and managing the demand in terms of processing has been a challenge for Immigration New Zealand. Also, the second issue would be COVID-19 and the ability of Immigration New Zealand to process those applications, as well as the applications for the likes of critical purpose visas, which allow those 17,000 workers and families to come through the border when the border is closed.

💬 Erica Stanford: Can he explain to the thousands of skilled migrants stuck in limbo why they should have any confidence that he will fix the residency backlog when, according to his office, he has only received one piece of written advice on this issue since the election?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Because if you look at the decisions that we’ve made recently, we are watching and looking at options available to us when our border is closed. She may have seen on Monday that we announced the beginning of quarantine-free travel, hopefully, with the likes of Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, in order to have Recognised Seasonal Employer workers here for the next harvest, and, about three weeks ago, the extension of essential skilled workers to make sure that businesses can continue to keep the workers that they have.

Ricardo Menéndez March: Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister stand by his answer to parliamentary written question No. 26322 that the health requirements of migrants do not discriminate on the basis of disability, and, if so, what does he say to the multiple families currently petitioning to stop the deportation of their disabled children?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The health requirements, or acceptable level of health requirements, that have been in place for Immigration New Zealand have been there for many years. They are there to ensure that people who come to New Zealand on temporary work visas don’t impose undue costs on taxpayers. There is the ability, if individuals or individual families want to take a specific case to Immigration New Zealand, or the Associate Minister of Immigration, to go down that avenue.

💬 Erica Stanford: What does the Minister say to the Ōtaki community, who now face a three-week wait to see a GP after their migrant doctor, Dr Harding Richards at the Ōtaki Medical Centre, who looked after 1,300 patients—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! No. The member’s going to start again, having lost that one because she had three unnecessary bits of information in there.

💬 Erica Stanford: Does the Minister believe that it is good value for money to spend approximately $6 million since 2018 to relocate migrant teachers to New Zealand, to then have those teachers leave because they’re stuck in an expression of interest (EOI) pool that is frozen?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Obviously, there was a need to attract teachers here when that decision and that investment was made. Obviously, no one knew that the border was going to close. As was said earlier this week, we’re looking at the resumption of EOI options as we speak, and a decision will come in short order.

Question No. 4—Prime Minister

4. to the Prime Minister: Kia orāna kotou katoatoa. Kia orana nga ‘anga‘anga raverave no te ‘epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani. Does she stand by her statement that “the Government is committed to eliminating racism in all its forms in Aotearoa New Zealand”?

Kia orana. Yes, and I’m particularly proud of the work—as part of our recovery—we’re doing to support Māori through, for instance, 13,900 more Māori women in employment in the June quarter compared to last year; 2,667 rangatahi are being supported through He Poutama Rangatahi; the investment we’ve made into Māori housing, including a $380 million investment around housing development; the establishment of a new Māori Health Authority; and up to 13,000 Māori children who are projected to be lifted out of poverty thanks to our investments in Budget 2021.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Is she aware of the radical discrimination that Māori face every election when the Electoral Commission give us confusing and inaccurate information about our rights and when tens of thousands of Māori—24,000 of us in 2020—are prevented from shifting to the Māori roll?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes. I’m aware of calls that have been made since 2017—actually long before that—around the Māori Electoral Option and the fact that there’s only one opportunity for those who have the option of either being on the general or Māori roll to choose between the two, and that they don’t align with the election period when it’s front of mind for most voters. So that’s the reason we’ve said to the Ministry of Justice, “Please go out and consult on the possibility of changing up the Māori Electoral Option.” They’ve started that in June; that will run through to August. We’ve asked them to consult both generally but also to do some targeted consultation to get feedback particularly from Māori, obviously, on changes to the Māori Electoral Option.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Is she aware that due to the Māori Electoral Option occurring every five to six years across two election cycles that thousands of Māori are locked out of an ability to exercise their right to move to the Māori roll?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, and that’s why we’re undertaking this piece of work. But I wouldn’t say that that’s the only thing that has disenfranchised people. One of the concerns we had, for instance, when we came into Government, was that people’s vote can sometimes not count due to administrative reasons. If you, for instance, aren’t on the electoral roll and you go in and try and enrol and vote at the same time, that was disallowed previously. We’ve changed that. We’ve tried to simplify the process. We’ve reduced down the number of people who will have their vote disqualified as a result. Now we’re moving on to the Māori Electoral Option.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Does she accept that this policy sets up barriers for Māori who are trying to participate in our electoral system and our democracy?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, I do. I remember when I first ran for Parliament in the seat that covered, in particular, Ngāruawāhia and Huntly. Frequently knocking on doors where I could see and hear from voters that not only was it confusing but they felt like they’d lost an option that they’d only come to think about at the time of the election, and that’s perfectly natural. I do want to find a better way and that is why we are consulting on this issue right now.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Does she believe that Māori should be able to shift between electoral rolls at any time rather than only every six years, and, if not, why not?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yeah, and this is exactly why we’re undertaking this consultation right now. Also, what we want to hear about is whether or not it poses any—at the same time, we don’t want to disenfranchise people. We need to also make sure that we have a system that is robust, that people trust. So we need to also, on the flip side, hear from the Electoral Commission around any issues that might arise from the ability to move more fluidly.

Question No. 5—COVID-19 Response

5. to the Minister for COVID19 Response: Meitaki maata, Vaa Tuatua. What recent progress has been made on New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine immunisation programme?

Very good news. I’m pleased to report that as of last night, 2 million doses have been administered across the country, with over 42,000 doses given yesterday, a new daily record. These figures are great news, and they show just how far we’ve come from the beginning of this year. It’s also further evidence of the vaccination programme scaling up, and we are on track to offer every eligible person within New Zealand the opportunity to be vaccinated by the end of 2021, in alignment with the sequencing framework.

💬 Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How is our national vaccine supply running, and what other deliveries are we expecting from Pfizer this month?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The 25th shipment of Pfizer vaccine arrived yesterday, delivering an additional 357,000 doses; 240,000 of those doses are being distributed throughout the North Island. The remaining 143,000 are being sent to Christchurch so they can be distributed throughout the South Island. One and a half million Pfizer vaccines are scheduled to be delivered throughout the month of August. This is very good news and reassuring to see the supply of vaccine continually growing.

💬 Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: What other measures have been used in the roll-out of the vaccine immunisation programme?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The Ministry of Health and district health boards have been increasing the use of workplace vaccinations, with the first workplace sites coming on stream. Vaccinations have also been taking place at marae, at various other primary healthcare places, including pharmacies and hauora providers and GPs. There are now 335 sites on board, and they are actively vaccinating. The first big event, where a number of people were vaccinated, took place in Manukau over the weekend, with over 15,500 people receiving their first dose of the vaccine. There will be another event at the same place in six weeks’ time, to give them their second dose. And I’d like to pass on my thanks to all those involved in that big event. It was a huge success despite what was predicted by some only a week before it took place, and they all deserve our thanks.

💬 Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: What lessons have been learnt from the mass vaccination event in South Auckland, and are we likely to see further events across the country?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: One lesson would be that predicting the event was going to be a flop before it’s even happened is perhaps a little bit premature, but, most importantly, it has shown that mass vaccination events, or vaccination events at largescale, can work here in New Zealand. They can deliver vaccinations safely and efficiently to a very large number of people, over a very short period of time. So the event exceeded its target numbers. Some small tweaks were made each day, as they continued to refine that model further, and those lessons will be applied to further events. The whole process was very efficient. It allowed consumers to get in and out very quickly. There was very, very little vaccine wastage, which, again, is something that is very important. A very low number of any incidents were reported from that event. Those who took part in it reported that it was a very smooth experience. They had a good vaccination experience. We’ll certainly be looking to draw on that as we look to do similar events around the country.

Question No. 6—Immigration

6. to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions?

Kia orana, Mr Speaker. Yes, because, as I have said, I stand by our Government’s management of the border to keep COVID out of our communities, to make sure that New Zealanders can get home, to reunite families, and to respond to skill shortages where we can. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked to strike the balance between protecting people, using the limited capacity we have at the border to bring people through, and making the best use of onshore workforce through changes to visa settings. In taking this approach, we’ve been able to bring more than 17,000 skilled workers and their families into the country to date, while the border is closed.

💬 Dr James McDowall: Can the Minister commit to a date that is more specific than “short order” for resuming expression-of-interest selection for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) to give skilled migrants certainty over their future?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I can commit to the fact that we are looking at the issue and very soon we will make an announcement of that decision.

💬 Dr James McDowall: Why should migrants who have lodged expressions of interest for the Skilled Migrant Category have faith in this Government, if their Minister of Immigration can’t even commit to a specific time frame?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think, as I said in question No. 3, the member should look at the actions that we’ve taken in response to issues around the likes of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme and essential skills visas. As we have said for a long time, we are constantly looking at our immigration settings and making changes when available to do so in a safe manner. We have said we’re going to make a decision on expressions of interest soon; I’m sure he’s looking forward to an announcement.

💬 Dr James McDowall: Does the Government want to retain skilled migrants, such as much-needed doctors, and, if so, why are they not acting to give them certainty over residency?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Again, as I outlined in question No. 3, the two challenges with the current settings with the SMC, we do want to make sure we are retaining skilled workers in New Zealand; they are extremely important for our communities and for our economy, and soon we will be able to give them some certainty about those who want to have a pathway to residence here in New Zealand.

💬 Erica Stanford: Can the Minister explain to the thousands of Kiwis trying to return home why skilled migrants are leaving the country due to residency delays, while, at the same time, the Government is announcing border exceptions for new migrants to replace them, who require space in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ)?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: As I said earlier, we’ve had 17,000 critical workers and their families come into the country. I acknowledge the difficulties that some people who would like to get their residency applications tended to cannot at the moment. But I think that would pale in comparison to the 17,000 people we have been able to let through, while the border was closed, on critical purpose visas.

💬 Dr James McDowall: What does he say to skilled migrants who are being placed in the impossible position of choosing between supporting their family offshore by working in New Zealand or leaving the country so that they can join their family but would face an uncertain financial future?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: When the border closed, that obviously caused challenges for people whose families were on the other side of the border. When we are able to, in terms of managed isolation capacity, we have made decisions to allow families to reunite. As the member may have seen, the demand on MIQ places continues to be strong, and balancing the demand for New Zealanders coming home, for the likes of split families, and, also, for the likes of people who are given border exceptions, is a balance that the Government is constantly looking at to make sure that we can do what is right for New Zealanders who have the right to come home, for those families who have difficulties in being split, but also making sure that we support the economy.

💬 Dr James McDowall: Can the Minister confirm that the wage requirement increase for the Skilled Migrant Category, effective from 19 July 2021, will mean that any applicant with a frozen expression of interest submitted before that date is no longer eligible to apply for residency, assuming they do not meet the new wage requirement?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: As I have said, we are currently looking at the settings for expressions of interest and residency. When we make the final decisions on that, I will be able to inform the member.

Question No. 7—Transport

7. to the Minister of Transport: What recent progress has been made on public transport projects in South Auckland?

I’m pleased to report that the new Puhinui station in Papatoetoe is now finished. Thanks to the State Highway 20B upgrades completed earlier this year, the travel time between Puhinui station and the airport on the Airport Link electric bus is only around 10 minutes and they have a frequency of every 10 minutes. This means that anyone with access to the Auckland rail network has quick emissions- and congestion-free trip options to the airport.

💬 Arena Williams: How has the project supported South Auckland’s economic recovery?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: The Puhinui interchange has supported South Auckland’s economic recovery by creating over 150 jobs during construction, in part thanks to support from shovel-ready funding. It will continue to support the recovery by making it easier for thousands of Aucklanders to get to work. Auckland airport is one of the largest employment hubs in the country with more than 900 businesses around it, and their workers will have an easier way of getting to work now.

💬 Arena Williams: How will it be part of continuing to improve public transport in the area?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: It’s important to note that the Airport Link service connects up with Manukau station, which means a $2.20 25-minute e-bus trip to work or travel for people living around there. The Puhinui interchange has also been futureproofed for future rail upgrades, including space for additional platforms and for the airport to Botany rapid transit project, which will add a bus rapid transit bridge to better connect East Auckland with good rapid transit and the airport precinct.

Question No. 8—Broadcasting and Media

8. to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by the actions of his officials?

Kia orana again, Mr Speaker. Yes, in particular, their work to support the media sector through the impacts of COVID-19. In April of last year, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage worked with the sector to rapidly develop a $50 million media support package, and this support package focused on reducing costs and easing cash-flow pressures for a range of media organisations. The Government then built on this and in February announced a $55 million package to support public interest journalism.

💬 Melissa Lee: What advice and actions has the Minister sought from his officials about the Public Interest Journalism Fund and the taxpayer-funded reporting of political matters?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: As you will know, the decisions around the funding of the Public Interest Journalism Fund are decisions for New Zealand On Air. I have taken a very black and white approach not to get involved in any of those.

💬 SPEAKER: I probably shouldn’t have let the supplementary come because it didn’t relate to the primary, but I was a bit late.

💬 Melissa Lee: What advice and actions has the Minister sought from his officials regarding the statement of former newspaper editor and journalist Karl du Fresne on 18 July 2021 that—and I quote—“Any news outlet that seeks money from the fund is signing up to a politicised project whose rules are fundamentally incompatible with free and independent journalism”, and, if any, what are his views?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I don’t have a view on Mr du Fresne’s opinion—I disagree with it. [Interruption] Oh no, no, no. I disagree with the allegation—I disagree with the allegation. If the member is continuing the allegation that in any way the taxpayer funding that is supporting our media is giving a biased opinion of the media, I suggest she read Newsroom today for a glowing précis of my performance!

💬 Melissa Lee: Do the Minister’s officials agree with his answer to this House on 6 May 2021 that there is “a well-established, tried, and tested system that makes sure media content funding decisions are free from political influence.”; if so, does the Minister agree with their assessment, and what will he do to end any taxpayer-funded political bias in our media?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Again, I won’t get involved in the decisions that New Zealand On Air makes around the Public Interest Journalism Fund. Again, I push back at any premise that there’s any bias of political reporting. She might want to read the New Zealand Herald for Derek Cheng’s “glowing” précis of my performance today.

💬 Melissa Lee: Will the Minister work with his officials to revise his letter of expectation to New Zealand On Air to make sure that there is absolutely no political interference of biased reporting funded by the New Zealand taxpayer; if not, why not?

💬 SPEAKER: Give us a third article!

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Kia orana. I’ve run out, sorry, Mr Speaker—for now. The member will know that the legislation in place around New Zealand On Air absolutely prevents political bias from happening. I don’t therefore think I need to write a letter, because they will have to follow the letter of the law.

Question No. 9—Conservation

9. to the Minister of Conservation: Kia orana, Mr Speaker. What recent announcements have been made regarding Jobs for Nature projects in Northland?

Kia orana. I can say it was a good day for conservation, a good day for the taiao, and a great day for Northland on 29 July, when I announced a portfolio of 12 Jobs for Nature projects for Northland as part of the Government’s acceleration of the economic recovery from COVID-19. The investment of over $20 million will deliver real gains for both nature and the communities right across Northland. The projects will total 324 jobs. These are expected to be established over three years, while upskilling locals to move into other employment opportunities beyond the life of the project.

💬 Willow-Jean Prime: What will the projects aim to achieve?

💬 Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Well, in the beautiful rural province of Northland, these 12 projects have a range of objectives, including controlling predators in vitally important areas; protecting our forest giants, the kauri; restoring important dunes that are critically integral to the environment and ecosystem in the region; restoring the wetland systems in the region; propagating and planting of indigenous species—[Speaker gestures to finish] Sir, there’s so much more good stuff to go! Weed control, biodiversity protection—[Speaker stands]

💬 Willow-Jean Prime: What efforts are under way to achieve a predator-free Bay of Islands?

💬 Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Again, more good news. On 19 July, I announced that Jobs for Nature will be making a $4 million investment into the Northland region with its Predator Free Bay of Islands project. This project, led by the Northland Regional Council and supported by Predator Free 2050 Ltd, is a $50 million combined effort between community conservation groups, landowners, iwi and hapū, Kiwis for Kiwi, and the Kiwi Coast trust to eradicate predators from the three main peninsulas in the region. It is a great project and investment for conservation.

💬 Hon David Parker: Is the Minister aware of whether or not the Hon Shane Jones is willing to give up the title of the provincial champion to her?

💬 Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Mr Speaker, I’m sure—[Speaker gestures to finish] Oh.

Question No. 10—Justice

10. to the Minister of Justice: Does he stand by all his statements and actions?

Kia ora anō, Mr Speaker. Yes, in particular I stand by the progress the Government has already made over the last nine months to introduce counter-terrorism legislation and establish a single, broad policy to better prevent and respond to terrorism and associated activities; to strengthen the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act, to introduce a new power enabling the seizure of assets of those associated with organised crime; to introduce legislation to protect against practices intended to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; and to establish a review and public engagement on options to change our adoption laws to bring them into the 21st century.

💬 Chris Penk: Under his proposed hate speech law, will political opinion be a possible ground for hate speech?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: As has been clearly stated, the discussion document does not propose that but asks those who might submit about whether or not they feel that political opinion should be included.

💬 Chris Penk: Is political opinion not a ground under section 21 of the Human Rights Act and therefore subject to being brought into the hate speech provisions as advised by the Cabinet paper and also the discussion document now open for public consultation?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: It is, but the Government saw fit not to proactively suggest it should be a provision that should be a part of the amendments. We’re asking the question in a discussion document as to whether or not people believe it should be in there. We did not proactively want to put that in there as—[Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Order! I know Mr Smith doesn’t normally sit quite that close to me, but when he is this close, his very loud interjections go through my mike system and are amplified even further, and, therefore, I’m going to ask him just to turn his volume down a bit. Thank you.

💬 Chris Penk: How can the Minister say that he is not proactively promoting political opinion as a possible ground for hate speech when it enjoys exactly the same status in the Cabinet paper and the discussion document currently up for public consultation?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Well, I’d suggest the member read the discussion document.

💬 Chris Penk: In relation to his proposed conversion therapy law, does he stand by his answer to Heather du Plessis-Allan recently—the answer being “No, it’s not.” in answer to the question “Parents, for example, saying to a child who may be prepubescent saying ‘I want to go on hormone blockers.’ saying ‘No, you can’t.’—that’s cool with you?”

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The purpose of the conversion practices bill that will be read in Parliament tomorrow is very clear: it is to prevent the harm and encourage responsible debate or discussions around sexual identity and sexual orientation and gender identity. The purpose of the bill is not to criminalise parents. In fact, we’ve designed the civil and criminal provisions to ensure there is an extremely high bar for anyone to suppress the fundamental right of an individual to be freely able to choose their sexual orientation or their gender identity.

Question No. 11—Health

11. to the Associate Minister of Health: What recent announcements has she made regarding hepatitis C?

Last week, I released the National Hepatitis C Action Plan, which sets out how New Zealand can eliminate this very serious disease by 2030. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in New Zealand and the second leading cause of liver cancer, but it is preventable and curable. The action plan will boost awareness and increase testing so that more people can get access to the latest treatment, Maviret, which can potentially cure 98 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C.

💬 Sarah Pallett: How many people could benefit from better treatment for hepatitis C?

💬 Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: It’s estimated that 45,000 New Zealanders have hepatitis C but only about half of those know they have it. Symptoms don’t appear until much of the damage has been done, and without treatment many people will develop progressive liver damage. The availability of the drug Maviret has been a real game-changer and has helped around 4,500 New Zealanders since it was funded by Pharmac in 2019. But funding medicines alone won’t achieve elimination. We need to make sure we find everyone who is at risk of or who has hepatitis C and offer to test them and treat them if necessary.

💬 Sarah Pallett: What new approaches to the delivery of services are part of the action plan?

💬 Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: A national awareness campaign will encourage people to talk to their doctor about whether they are at risk and if they need a test. The awareness campaign will also help tackle some of the stigma around this virus. At the same time, there will be an increased access to testing through nurse-led clinics and point-of-care testing in the community, as well as mobile clinics. A surveillance system and virtual registry will also be developed to ensure people don’t fall through the cracks and are connected with the treatment they need.

Question No. 12—Oceans and Fisheries

12. to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Kia orana. Why is keeping the Total Allowable Catch for snapper at its current level not one of the options that MPI is proposing for the North Island’s west coast fishery, and does this show that maximising commercial fishing is more important to MPI than sustaining the recovering snapper population?

The rebuild of snapper stocks in Snapper 8 (SNA 8) is a good-news story. There is no doubt that the Snapper 8 stock was in a very bad place when the Quota Management System was introduced in the late 1980s, and by the mid-2000s the stock was very likely below what we would now consider to be a hard limit. Sixteen years later, we’re in a significantly different place. A stock assessment completed this year estimates the stock to be at 54 percent of the unfished level, well above the harvest strategy standard management default target. The advice I have: that it is appropriate to now consider increasing catch limits in some way. Fisheries New Zealand is consulting on four options for new catch limits and allowances in SNA 8. The final decision will not necessarily be identical to any one of the options. In answer to the second part of the question: with respect, of course not.

💬 Hon Eugenie Sage: Does he agree with Fisheries New Zealand policy that once a fish stock recovers to just 54 percent of its estimated unfished population, its total allowable catch (TAC) could be increased by as much as 133 percent; if so, why?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: I’m not going to comment as to what my opinion is as to where the catch limit should be set. I have to take that decision at the end of consultation, and I don’t think it would be in the public interest for me to comment further in the meantime.

💬 Hon Eugenie Sage: Does he agree that since west coast snapper stocks have taken many years to rebuild after collapsing, now is the time to sustain those stocks rather than allowing them to be overfished again; if not, why not?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: I would be failing in my duty if I allowed those stocks to be overfished again, and the House can be assured that I will not allow that.

💬 Hon Eugenie Sage: What scientific evidence, if any, has he seen to support MPI policy that the management target for snapper in Snapper 8 should be just 40 percent of its unfished biomass?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: I’ve seen a range of advice in favour of that proposition and different propositions.

💬 Hon Eugenie Sage: Will the Minister consider amending the Fisheries Act to set a minimum biomass target of at least 50 percent for all fisheries as suggested by the recreational fishing group LegaSea; if not, why not?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: I’m not currently considering such a proposition, but that doesn’t mean to say I won’t in the future.

💬 Hon Eugenie Sage: Will he seek advice from the Department of Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand on the impacts of increased commercial fishing around Kāpiti Marine Reserve on fish numbers within the reserve before he makes a decision on setting the TAC in line with the concerns of local community members and marine biology experts?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: I expect that all relevant matters will be brought to my attention through submissions and by the department.