Oral Questions

1. to the Minister for the Environment: What changes has the Government made to urban planning rules in Rotorua?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. This week, the Hon Megan Woods and I announced that Rotorua Lakes Council will join tier 1 major urban centres to be covered by the medium-density residential standards, which are enabled by the upzoning Act that this House passed last year. Rotorua has recently experienced strong population growth but house supply hasn’t kept pace. This change will allow the council to significantly increase supply by properly updating their plan to allow medium-density housing—that is, up to three homes up to three storeys will be able to be built on most residential sites without a resource consent. Site coverage limits of 50 percent and standardised boundary recession planes will apply. This inclusion of these standards in the area was requested by the Rotorua Lakes Council and its partners, Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Te Tatau o Te Arawa, and they’ve welcomed the decision of the Government.

Tāmati Coffey: Why does Rotorua Lakes District need better planning standards?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: Among tier 2 authorities in New Zealand, Rotorua has one of the lowest number of housing consents per head of population: 3.8 per thousand people compared with 7.9 in New Plymouth, 23 for Queenstown, and over 28 per thousand in Auckland. Rotorua also has one of the highest numbers of people on emergency housing special needs grants and on the public housing register. It’s almost 1½ times worse than other perhaps comparable provincial cities. Planning restrictions in Rotorua are also currently limiting the ability of Kāinga Ora to deliver public housing. This move will significantly increase the number of public and private houses that can be built in the city.

Tāmati Coffey: What effect will the new planning standards for Rotorua have on future rents?

💬 Hon DAVID PARKER: There’s no doubt that an increase in supply will have a moderating effect on rent increases. It’s interesting that data for rents on new tenancies in the North Island is divided into Auckland, Wellington, and the rest of the North Island, and, notably, Auckland rents increased by 2.7 percent in the year to February this year—a lower increase than for the rest of the North Island, which includes Rotorua. Auckland’s housing supply’s going gangbusters, growing from around 10,000 houses consented in 2017 to over 20,000 per annum now, most of which is medium density.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think the Minister’s addressed that question.

Question No. 2—Finance

2. to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner’s statement that “Conditions are ripe for a wage price spiral”, and is he confident that in 2022 New Zealanders’ wage growth, as measured by the labour cost index, will exceed inflation, as measured by the CPI?

I agree that inflation has spiked significantly due to global factors, including the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 supply-chain disruptions, and that it is important for wages to grow to help New Zealanders with the cost of living. What Ms Zollner points out is that because of the strength of the labour market, low unemployment, and a strong economy, wages will continue to grow to help New Zealanders deal with the cost of living. I don’t agree with the specific characterisation of the situation that the member has chosen to reference. On this side of the House, we believe wage growth is a good thing. With regards to the second part of the question, the Government’s economic forecaster, the Treasury, does not forecast the labour cost index so I am not in a position to express an opinion on that. What I am confident about is that wages will continue to rise in the face of the cost of living. The Treasury’s most recent forecast in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update is for average ordinary-time wages to rise by 4.5 percent compared to Consumers Price Index inflation of 3.5 percent in the year to December 2022.

💬 Nicola Willis: Is he concerned that surging inflation means New Zealanders are having to work harder just to maintain the same standard of living?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As I’ve expressed a number of times in this House over the last couple of weeks, I am concerned about the impact of inflation on New Zealand families and households, and that’s precisely why this Government has made sure we’re targeting support to those most affected by that, particularly through initiatives such as the family tax credit increase, increases to the minimum wage, and increases to benefits, all of which have been opposed by the National Party.

💬 Nicola Willis: Why does he think inflation is higher in New Zealand than in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Germany?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: There are a wide range of reasons for why inflation is at a particular level in a particular country. If we just pick out two, one of those is the place that New Zealand has in the global supply chain, where we are more greatly affected by increased costs in areas such as shipping, and so on, and the other is the increase in demand that occurred in New Zealand as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.

💬 Nicola Willis: Does he agree with the Prime Minister’s statement in relation to the cost of living, “What we see at this moment is an exception at this period of time.”, and when does he expect the cost of living crisis will end?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I always agree with the Prime Minister, and in answer to the second part of the member’s question, as I said in my answer to the primary question, forecasts are for wages to come back ahead of inflation, just as they have been in the period leading up to this situation and just as they will be in the future.

💬 Nicola Willis: Does he agree with economist Brad Olsen’s statement that “At the moment, households are feeling the economic outlook is worse for them now than even during the depths of the global financial crisis.”, and why in this context is the Minister planning the biggest ever Budget operating allowance in history, a record $6 billion increase to Government spending?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: In answer to the first part of the question, yes, I continue to remain concerned about the impact that high inflation is having on households, and that’s why we’re taking the initiatives we are. In answer to the second part of the question, unless something’s changed in the last few days where there’s been a changing of the deck chairs across the way here, the National Party is currently proposing a $6 billion allowance at Budget 2022. That’s exactly what they’re doing, so the member is now arguing against her own policy.

💬 Nicola Willis: Well, then, does he believe that someone earning $60,000 a year, who is not eligible for Working for Families, may find the soaring cost of living tough, and if he does think so, why won’t he adjust tax brackets to give them $800 in tax relief in this year’s Budget?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: This matter was covered extensively in the House yesterday. Of course we’re concerned about making sure that everyone in New Zealand has what they need to be able to meet the cost of living. That’s why on this side of the House we’ve continually promoted initiatives that lift wages. At every single turn, the National Party has opposed those measures, and now they come forward with a set of tax cuts that would mean those on the highest incomes in New Zealand benefit the most. On this side of the House, we’re focused on making sure we support low and middle income earners, not only with the wages they get but also with the public services they require, be it the health system, the education system, or anywhere else.

💬 Nicola Willis: Why is the Minister so opposed to tax reduction for everyday Kiwis, and is it because he believes he can spend their money better than they can?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I had high hopes for the member that she would shed the cloak of negativity that her six predecessors have had in that role, but, alas, it is not the case. On this side of the House, we will continue to remain focused on making sure that we support all New Zealanders, not only through how we lift their incomes but also in making sure that the health system and the education system are going well, that we build public housing, and that we invest in research and development. All of these things are needed. Putting a Budget together requires a lot of balancing and a lot of trade-offs, but I’m confident we have the balance right.

Question No. 3—Police

3. to the Minister of Police: Sláinte, Mr Speaker, and happy St Patrick’s day. What reports has she seen regarding efforts by Police to disrupt organised crime?

The Government is committed to the crackdown on organised crime and gangs, and that’s why we’re supporting Police to ensure they have the tools to do just that. I’ve seen a report that shows Police are off to a strong start this year in their efforts to disrupt organised crime. In February, Police successfully terminated a major drug importation ring and made a number of arrests; the result of a five-month long operation code-named Operation Trout. Those arrested have been charged with the importation and supply of class A drugs and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. This Government will continue to support Police in their efforts to disrupt and deter organised crime, and I thank them for the fantastic work they do to keep us safe.

💬 Greg O’Connor: What does the report show for efforts to disrupt organised crime here in Wellington?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: The report shows New Zealand Police are making significant progress in their efforts to tackle organised crime here in the capital. The Wellington drugs and organised crime team led a joint operation with the New Zealand Customs Service which resulted in nine search warrants being executed in the Hutt Valley. As part of their search warrants, more than 30 police officers descended on a number of properties, arresting five people and seizing firearms and associated ammunition. Police will continue to target organised crime and take guns and drugs off the streets, and that’s why this Government has funded the largest police force ever, including an additional 700 with specific focus on targeting organised crime.

💬 Greg O’Connor: What does this operation mean for the illegal importation of drugs into our communities?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: The operation strikes a major blow at the importation of drugs into New Zealand. The successful multi-agency operation identified and terminated the supply chain of up to 10 kilograms of methamphetamine which was being brought into New Zealand from the United States, China, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The social harm costs of this amount of methamphetamine is estimated to be between $20 million and $45 million, according to the New Zealand harm index. In the last month alone, Police have made significant progress in disrupting the meth trade, taking more than 600 kilograms off the streets, and, yesterday, the team at customs announced a record seizure of 700 kilograms of cocaine that had been imported from South America, with a street value of around $280 million. Our law enforcement agencies continue to strike real blows against organised crime and the supply of illicit drugs in our community, and I’m sure my colleagues across the House will join me in acknowledging the excellent work Police does in this space to keep us safe.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: If her plan is working, why was it reported yesterday that a Rotorua woman keeps a baseball bat beside her bed and is afraid to leave her home because of the increase in gang violence in her neighbourhood?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: There is no doubt that there are distressing experiences that our people in our community experience every day, but I know that the Police are doing a fantastic job in their work to combat gangs and organised crime, as I’ve just said. The Police take a number of actions, and I point to Operation Tauwhiro as being just one such action: a year of success, which has meant we’ve rolled it out for a further six months. I want to say I thank the Police for the work that they have done in taking 1,531 firearms off the street, arresting 1,255 people, and removing 53 kilograms of meth out of circulation.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: If her plan is working, why was an innocent member of the public surrounded by violent gang members on a public road and beaten so badly that he still lies in critical care?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: There’s no doubt that that was a dreadful experience, and, as the Minister of Police, I have no tolerance for what we saw over the weekend in the Waikato. What I can say is Police have launched Operation Rangiriri to investigate and take action against those identified as being responsible for any offending, and Police do take action. An example of that is a gang gathering in Wellington where four arrests were made and two vehicles have been impounded, a gang tangi where there were 50 infringements and two arrests and four vehicles have been impounded, and in Auckland, 16 gang members were arrested and charged and two motorcycles impounded. The charging rate against identified gang members is up 92 percent in the year to date, which has gone up under our watch. In the Waikato case, Police have launched an operation, and they will be taking action against those involved.

Question No. 4—Health

4. to the Minister of Health: Does he believe the DHBs’ approach to the current negotiation with allied, scientific, and technical health workers will improve job satisfaction and retention among the 70-plus groups represented in that negotiation?

I don’t believe that the process of negotiation on its own, which is an activity between employer and union representatives, bears upon job satisfaction and retention for the workers represented. In the end, it is the outcome of negotiations that counts, and I’m satisfied that the DHBs and the union representing allied, scientific, and technical workers—in this case, the Public Service Association—are working to achieve a fair and reasonable result.

💬 Jan Logie: What is his response to Steve, a sterile services technician, who has said, “We’re the most under pressure I have seen in over 10 years in the health sector. My department alone is 66 percent understaffed. On top of that, most of my colleagues don’t earn a living wage, and I have to work a second job to ensure that I can support my family.”?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I say to that worker thank you, as I do to all health workers, for the extraordinary work they have done over the last two years and continue to do in these extraordinary circumstances. I would also say to him that this is a Government that since it has been in Government has striven to materially increase the remuneration of health workers, and we continue to do that with all of the health unions with whom we are negotiating. In addition to renewing collective agreements, we have also embarked on a number of pay equity agreement negotiations with unions in the health sector. We have reached agreement in principle with two large sections of the health workforce, and we have more to come, including with the health workers in his group, represented by the union currently representing him, in a pay equity process. But as the court recently determined, the pay equity process must remain separate and distinct from the collective bargaining process for renewal of the collective agreement.

💬 Jan Logie: What does he say to Leighton, a physio who said, “Many of us are burnt out and some cannot even get leave to take a break. We are understaffed and overworked, and we have problems retaining staff.”?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: There are many parts of the health workforce that are under huge pressure because of years of underfunding the health sector and the workforce that goes with it, including the fact that in the nine years leading up to the formation of this Government, nurses’ remuneration, for example, went backwards in real terms. This is a Government that is determined to fix those problems, but with a workforce of 77,000, represented by many unions, we can’t do everything at once. We are actively engaged with all unions, not only to lift the rates of pay in their collective agreements but also, where it is required, to address longstanding pay inequity under the Equal Pay Act. We have a programme of work in that respect, and that work is well under way.

💬 Jan Logie: Does he consider that the Government’s April 2021 pay guidance, which restricts when and how public servants can receive pay increases, may have hindered the health sector’s ability to reach fair settlements for long-running disputes such as the allied health negotiations?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: In the end, the conduct of negotiations are a matter for the parties to those negotiations. The workers are represented by a union. It is between the union or unions and the employer or employers who are engaged in those negotiations. And, of course, with a workforce such as with the health workforce, these things don’t happen in a single set of negotiations. Long-term improvements happen over a period of time, and in the public sector, the Government that funds those pay agreements has to manage the pressures on it as well. So it provides appropriate guidance, but, in the end, this is a Government that, in the time it has been in Government, has established a track record of ensuring good and fair pay agreements for workers in the public sector.

💬 Jan Logie: What responsibility will he take for fixing the situation that has led to WorkSafe saying they will take enforcement action against the Ministry of Health if funding issues that compromise worker safety in the health sector are not resolved?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Well, for a start, WorkSafe will not be doing that, because it would be outside their statutory mandate and their prosecutorial responsibilities. We do know that in some parts of the health sector, personnel have issued improvement notices in relation to days on which there has been considerable understaffing. But on investigation by WorkSafe of each of those improvement notices, the notices have been withdrawn because the necessary improvements have been made in very quick order.

Question No. 5—Tourism

5. to the Minister of Tourism: What announcements has the Government recently made about supporting the tourism sector?

Today, I announced that the South Island tourism regions most impacted by the absence of international tourists are getting support to gear up for the return of visitors through our $49 million kick-start fund. Tourism operators in five key South Island tourism regions have worked extraordinarily hard to stay connected with the visitor economy in the travel, culture, hospitality, and recreation sectors. Yesterday, the Prime Minister and I announced that international tourists will be welcomed back to New Zealand earlier than expected as the Government accelerates the country’s economic recovery. This additional investment to support businesses will help scale up operations for the much-anticipated return of international visitors.

💬 Jo Luxton: Why is the Government supporting the tourism sector?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: Tourism’s highly important to the economy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to ensuring the immediate survival and long-term transformation of the tourism sector. Our announcement today builds on the millions we’ve already invested into the sector, and will help those businesses who are ready to come out of hibernation and scale up operations for the return of international visitors. The kick-start grants could be used to refresh facilities or marketing or training and hiring new staff, or source new stock in readiness for their opening. It will take time and money and is exactly what the Tourism Kick-start Fund is for.

💬 Jo Luxton: What feedback has he received about the announcement?

💬 Hon STUART NASH: Welcoming back tourists is a significant moment for New Zealand and welcome news for the tourism sector. I acknowledge that this has been an incredibly hard two years. Closing our borders was one of the first actions we took to stop COVID-19, but welcoming tourists back will bring much-needed relief to the sector and provide an important boost to our economy. Matt Wong, iFLY Queenstown owner, said, “now … we’ve got some assurance that the market is coming back, we can start building our businesses back up so that they’re in a position where they can accept those customers and deliver that great service.”

Question No. 6—Health

6. to the Minister of Health: How many of the 300,000 at-risk young people have been vaccinated in the measles catch-up campaign announced in July 2020, and what other non-COVID vaccination efforts are there, if any, to protect New Zealanders this winter?

The July 2020 commitment to a catch-up campaign arose out of a number of preceding incidents. Firstly, a 2014-15 sero survey showed systematically lower measles seropositivity for the birth cohort from 1980 to 1999. Secondly, in May 2017 the New Zealand National Verification Committee for measles and rubella reported there “was a need to ensure that existing significant pockets of susceptible individuals are identified and immunised” in a catch-up campaign. No action was taken by the Government of the day following either of those warnings. After the measles outbreak in 2019, efforts to address the immunisation gap in those young people finally got under way. There was a particular need to prioritise a one-dose catch-up campaign for people born between 1989 and 2004 who had an unknown MMR immunisation status. Since July 2020, 22,764 doses have been given. Because of the pandemic, a decision was made to pause the measles catch-up campaign between March and November 2021 to focus on responding to COVID-19.

To the second part of the member’s question, we have a range of targeted measures to ensure people can access vaccination. This includes funding additional free flu vaccines this year, as well as the usual National Immunisation Schedule series of vaccines that are offered free to babies, children, adolescents, and adults.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: How many people, then, were vaccinated between the start of the campaign in July 2020 and, as he has just told us, when the campaign was concluded or paused in March 2021?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The campaign was paused in March last year because by that time a vaccine was available for COVID-19 and it was important for the health system to assemble the significant workforce needed to administer that vaccination campaign, which to date has led to the administration of more than 10.8 million doses of a vaccine for that particular condition. I don’t have the precise figure of what number of doses were administered at that time, but the campaign for the immunisation catch-up resumed in November last year, and doses have been administered since then to the current date.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: What responsibility does he take for having to destroy nearly $4 million of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines that expired last month, and how many hip operations could that $4 million have paid for?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: We have had a health system that has had to respond at pace to a worldwide pandemic and had to go from business as usual to administering currently 10.8 million vaccinations to our population to keep them safe from the horrors of COVID-19. That does require trade-offs. The reality is no system, particularly a system of our size, can do absolutely everything asked of it. So when we make trade-offs, we have to trade off assembling the workforce, drawn from the current health workforce, to do the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and because the borders were closed and the risk of measles infection was way, way lower than hitherto had been the case, it was a trade-off that I was prepared to back.

💬 Hon Willie Jackson: What steps is the Government taking to increase the availability of the free influenza vaccines in order to help protect New Zealanders this winter?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Last month we announced that the Government would fund an additional quarter of a million more free flu vaccines for this year’s winter campaign to protect our most vulnerable communities and the health system. We can expect to see more seasonal flu in New Zealand this year as we reopen our borders, and now up to 2 million New Zealanders will be eligible for a free flu vaccination in 2022. This Government has been actively planning and investing for this winter—and, of course, many more to come—because we take health seriously. We know this will save lives, we know this will preserve capacity in the health system, and we know that it will lead to a healthier, better outcome for all New Zealand communities.

Hon Peeni Henare (remote): Can the Minister confirm that despite the challenges of COVID-19 in the year 2020, the Māori flu vaccination rate was the highest it has ever been in history?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I can confirm that, because one population that the health system has struggled to provide appropriate immunisations to is Māori, particularly tamariki and rangatahi, but 2020 saw a record number of immunisations administered as the catch-up campaign took off. I’m confident that we will pick up those numbers again as the campaign picks up momentum again this year.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: Does he stand by his answer to written questions that in two weeks’ time another $5 million worth of MMR vaccine will also expire, and how many hip operations could that $5 million have paid for?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I stand by all my written questions and indeed all the things that I put into the public arena, unlike that member, who’s had to withdraw the figures and numbers he’s relied upon.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: Was this $9 million failure a factor in Treasury’s latest Investor Confidence Rating assessment of the ministry he leads being graded a D, with especially poor project delivery?

💬 Hon ANDREW LITTLE: We have asked an extraordinary amount of our Ministry of Health in the last two years as they’ve responded to the worldwide pandemic. They’ve had to gear up an extraordinary workforce, not only running and planning the response to COVID-19—making sure the health system is equipped to provide the healthcare that is needed—but also to source, to procure, and then to administer the vaccine in the biggest vaccination campaign this country has seen in its history. We’ve had to press into service people in our health system who have not been pressed into service before—the biggest vaccination workforce we’ve ever had. That has given a lot more people an opportunity to be part of a health system with now ambitions and aspirations, and to play a long-term role in it. This Government will be supporting them to do that.

Question No. 7—Broadcasting and Media

7. to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: What recent announcements has the Government made about strengthening public media?

The Government recently announced that it will create a new single, independent public media entity. Internationally, traditional media is under pressure as it competes for audience and revenue with multinational content and social media providers. Public media in New Zealand is no different, and that is why the Government is acting to futureproof New Zealand’s public media. The new entity will provide many of the current services of TVNZ and RNZ but be built for the 21st century, so it will be digitally focused and multi-platform. It will have a strong public media focus and more options and greater flexibility to respond to change and to deliver what audiences want. It will ensure that the quality local content that New Zealanders have relied on for decades will continue to be available in the fast-changing media environment.

💬 Naisi Chen: What will the benefits be to New Zealand audiences?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: New Zealand’s audiences are changing the way they consume their media as younger audiences and some parts of our communities turn increasingly to online platforms and overseas-produced content. The entity will be better shaped to deal with these challenges. It will have greater scale, more flexibility to respond to the change, and be focused on new ways of delivery to reach local audiences and compete for their attention. Importantly, though, it will ensure our culture will be better reflected, our democracy will be better supported, and our public media system will be fairer, with a wider range of New Zealanders, including young people, having access to relevant content that reflects our communities, personalities, and our diversity.

💬 Naisi Chen: What does the establishment of the new public media entity mean for Radio New Zealand and TVNZ?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The new public media entity will be set up alongside business-as-usual work for RNZ and TVNZ, and until it is established, TVNZ and RNZ will continue their current roles. However, they will also be closely involved in the establishment and change process and will have a representative on the establishment board, including a representative from staff on the shop floor. The new entity will continue the current platforms used by RNZ and TVNZ and will build on the skills and experience of those staff. Importantly, it will have a strong public media focus but will also have a responsibility to ensure its actions ensure a stronger, wider media environment.

Question No. 8—Immigration

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

Yes, in particular I stand by the progress this Government is making on the 2021 resident visa. As of yesterday, a little over 78,000 applications had been submitted, representing 151,459 people. Of these, nearly 11,000 have already been granted residence, representing close to 25,000 people becoming New Zealand residents. This gives certainty to those people and their employers, and enables New Zealanders to retain a very important part of our skilled, settled, and scarce workforce. I also stand by the Government’s recent decision to offer shelter to around 4,000 families of Ukrainians in New Zealand, and I stand by the Government’s careful strategy to reconnect with the world, and as we are able to do so we are welcoming more and more people from overseas back to Aotearoa. As we said last month, where it is possible to bring forward the entry dates for different groups of migrants, the Government is working to do that.

💬 Erica Stanford: Does he agree with the Prime Minister’s comment yesterday that the reason the Government isn’t able to prioritise split families is because “The major issue … is not a question of safety… a question of being able to process those new visas in a timely way”?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Families will be able to be reunited throughout the phases of the staged and balanced process that the Prime Minister outlined yesterday. From 13 April, Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand, isolation free. And then 2½ weeks later, from 11.59 on 1 May, vaccinated travellers from visa waiver countries with valid visitor visas will also be able to travel. Also, from July the processing of partnership visas for temporary migrants will resume. As the Prime Minister has said, a staged and balanced approach to reconnecting New Zealand is the way we’ve gone about it, because of both public health reasons and our willingness to open the borders as quickly as we can.

💬 Erica Stanford: Can he explain why he put the bulk of split families in the very last border reopening category of October, behind tourists and sports teams, when these families have been separated for three years?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: As we open to the likes of Australia and visa waiver countries, that change will allow a large number of people who have been split to reconnect with their families. There are also around 570,000 people who still have valid visas who can open in our new phased approach.

💬 Erica Stanford: Why is it that 90 percent of visitor visa applications currently take seven months to complete, and is this the reason he can’t open up to all tourists on 1 May?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think the fact that the border has been closed for two years would have something to do with the focus of where processing for Immigration New Zealand has been. A bulk of the processing capacity has been dealing with the likes of critical purpose visas, to make sure that we’ve got the kind of skills and people that we’ve needed here over the last two years while our borders have been closed.

💬 Erica Stanford: What does he say to the consultant psychiatrist who is the only approved trainer for addiction psychiatry in the Waikato, who has resigned and is moving to Australia because Immigration does not have the capacity to process his father’s residency application even though he fits the income criteria to be approved?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I’m only hearing about this one individual case at the moment, but if that person has an issue with the way that that has been processed, I suggest they speak to Immigration New Zealand.

Question No. 9—Māori Development

9. to the Minister for Māori Development: What reports has he seen on cadetships?

I’ve recently received a report that since its inception, cadetships through Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) have reached over 5,000 cadets. In 2021, TPK supported programmes for 1,287 cadets with 128 employers, more than double the previous year. Eight-six percent of participating employers were Māori owned, and we are seeing the programme reach a wider range of industry sectors than previously, including: healthcare and social assistance, 20 percent; and information, media and telecommunications, 12 percent. Over half of the cadets in 2021 were wāhine Māori, helping to tackle the disproportionate impact on wāhine from the economic shocks of COVID-19.

💬 Shanan Halbert: What benefit is the cadetship programme providing for employers?

💬 Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Cadetship participation has significantly improved Māori staff retention rates at participating employers, reducing their costs and improving productivity. Over 90 percent of cadets were still at their firms after the cadetships had concluded and 88 percent received a pay rise; 58 percent of cadets received a promotion within the organisation, demonstrating the improved capability and productivity of the employees, kaimahi. Programmes are often tikanga based, benefiting both the cadets and the employers and enhancing links to Māori communities.

💬 Shanan Halbert: What have employers said about the programme?

💬 Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Sixty-nine percent of employers said the proportion of Māori employed had increased since participating in the programme, while 94 percent of employers said that participating in the programme has prepared cadets for their careers in the long term. Seventy-four percent said their organisation had benefited as a result of participating in cadetships.

Question No. 10—Broadcasting and Media

10. to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: How much has he been advised the merger of TVNZ and Radio New Zealand will cost, and how much ongoing taxpayer funding, if any, will the new public media entity he is creating receive?

The Government recently announced that it will create a new single public media entity. This, as I said in my response to question No. 7, is to ensure that our public media is fit for the future challenges of audience change and international content via online platforms. Cabinet’s decision also included funding of $14.6 million to begin establishing the new entity. Any further costs are part of the Budget process. Further funding decisions for the new entity are also a subject of the Budget process, so the member will just have to hold on to the remote for a little bit longer. But I can assure the member the new entity will see more opportunities for New Zealanders to access quality local content. That is in stark contrast to when her party was last in power when public media budgets were flatlined and two TVNZ channels were taken off air.

💬 Melissa Lee: What tangible benefits are the public going to be burdened with if the new public media entity is unable to retain the levels of commercial support upwards of $300 million a year from advertising revenue expected to be retained from TVNZ’s existing customers?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think the question actually shows the National Party’s kind of attitude towards public media where they think it’s a burden on New Zealanders, as opposed to this side of the House who sees the benefit of making sure that quality local content is available to New Zealand audiences that are changing the way they access that and are also finding their revenue—the overseas content being a large challenge to their long-term survival. I thought the Opposition would have realised that over the last five years.

💬 Melissa Lee: Obviously, the Minister hasn’t actually heard about the cost of living.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

💬 Melissa Lee: Sorry, I was thinking to myself, apologies.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yeah, well I was about to give you an extra question but there you go.

💬 Melissa Lee: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Will the Minister commit to shelving the establishment of a new public media entity and his flawed merger of RNZ and TVNZ if the cost of a merger will mean taxpayers spending upwards of $150 million or more every year in additional public media spending?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Again, it’s the same old National Party trope when it comes to the public media: they don’t like it so shut it down.

💬 Chris Bishop: Point of order. There was no attempt there to even address the question. That was just a broad political attack on a very reasonable question in relation to public media.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Speaking to the point of order, if only what the shadow Leader of the House just said were true. The question contained an assertion, a pejorative statement, and used the word “flawed”, and so therefore I think it probably got as good as it offered. [Interruption]

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, I don’t need any further—what I am going to do, I will go back to my original thought because I think the previous question wasn’t answered or addressed properly and that was about the amount of advertising revenue. If you want to use an extra opportunity you can do that now.

💬 Melissa Lee: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Did you want me to repeat that question—I have an extra?

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: It’s up to you. If you wish to but you can use it to address it again or a new question. It’s up to you.

💬 Melissa Lee: So I have one supplementary left, so I get another one, so I have two.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.

💬 Melissa Lee: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister agree with New Zealand Media and Entertainment CEO, Michael Boggs, who said—and I quote—“Additional government investment into this new entity can only add to the intense competition and cost pressures that are already exist across New Zealand commercial media,”; if so, will he end the merger?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I have spoken to Mr Boggs about the Government’s intent and assured him that one of the key factors in establishing it is to make sure that the state of the wider media sector is solid. Given the last couple of years and the challenges that the media environment has faced, I think that would be a good thing. I am also a little bit confused as to why the National Party, who are all about competition, don’t want to make sure that a public media entity can compete with the others.

💬 Melissa Lee: How much, if any, has he been advised it will cost to rebrand TVNZ and Radio New Zealand; and does he believe rebranding two of the most well-known media entities in the country would represent good value for taxpayer money?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think, again, the question shows a misunderstanding of the mission. We need to fundamentally make sure that our public media is fit for the future because of the challenges that audiences face and offshore platforms face. If this is just about a rebranding, that would be shallow and that’s the kind of policy that we’ve seen from the Opposition when it comes to public media.

💬 Melissa Lee: How can the people of New Zealand trust this new public media entity will offer something more and not be yet another cost blowout for taxpayers—the latest in a long line of wasteful spending by a Labour Government that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: On this side of the House it is patently clear that we actually believe in the importance of public media. If I think what the member is saying is that the National Party policy at the next election is to gut public media, I look forward to the debate.

Question No. 11—Police

11. to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by all her statements and policies regarding firearms?

Yes, in the context they were made and undertaken.

💬 Nicole McKee: Is she confident that New Zealand Police can process 80 percent of licence applications within 12 months, considering only 6 percent have been processed as at December 2021?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Police remain committed to the completion of the licence applications, in a timely manner, and ensuring only those who are fit and proper are being granted a firearms licence. That’s why the police have created a dedicated team to reducing licencing delays, focusing on the oldest applications first, and that’s why they have brought on more staff.

💬 Nicole McKee: Will she grant an extension for firearms licence application renewals, similar to that done last year, to reflect the delays caused by the Omicron variant, and, if not, why not?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: We will continue to closely monitor the situation. Should the delays in processing of licence applications occur as a direct result of COVID-19 - related illness, and associated isolations, we will consider a new extension, using the regulation-making power under the Arms Act.

💬 Nicole McKee: Why should New Zealanders have confidence in her to keep communities safe, when gun crime—specifically that associated with gangs—is significantly worse under this Government?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I reject the premise of that question. This Government has invested $450 million into the police and increased the police workforce by 15 percent. We have given police the tools that they need to combat organised crime. We have raised the number of police, including 700 dedicated to organised crime, alone. I reject the premise of that member’s question because that is clearly not the case, and I point to Operation Tauwhiro as one such example.

Question No. 12—Housing (Homelessness)

12. to the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness): What recent report has she seen on the progress of the Homelessness Action Plan?

We have recently published the 18-month review into the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan, and the review shows really good progress against all the 18 immediate initiatives to reduce homelessness. Now, this progress is testament to the mahi of community providers and Government agencies working together, and in the review, the sector experts—our community housing providers—acknowledge there has been a major shift in recognition of the severity and the urgency of homelessness, and that the action plan is providing solutions backed up with investment. Providers also said that people experiencing homelessness have more options for support than they have ever done before.

💬 Rachel Boyack: What are the focus areas that have been identified for addressing homelessness?

💬 Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: The original Homelessness Action Plan was published back in February 2020, just weeks before our country’s first COVID lockdown. So, of course, things have changed since then, and to recognise the changing situation to today, a lot has changed. So I have brought up newer focus priority areas, including helping rangatahi and young people into tailored, safe, and stable accommodation that uniquely addresses their specific needs, strengthening kaupapa Māori responses, the ongoing delivery of public and transitional housing, and improving access to health, mental health, and addiction support under the action plan to make sure we bolster the wraparound tautoko for vulnerable whānau experiencing homelessness.

💬 Rachel Boyack: What role can community organisations play in implementing the Homelessness Action Plan?

💬 Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: We know that it is a whole-of-community approach that is essential to addressing homelessness, and the action plan is that Government commitment to agencies and community housing providers and the homelessness sector truly working together. Community organisations are contributing by leading the engagement with providers and whānau with lived experiences, thus strengthening policy and kaupapa Māori approaches, and providers are the absolute lead and an essential component of how we address and reduce homelessness.

💬 Chris Bishop: Can she tell the House how many children are currently living in emergency housing?

💬 Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: Firstly, making it very clear it is not acceptable for any children or people to be living in emergency housing, and we are moving towards making sure all people have safe, urgent housing. Now, that is a question for the Minister of emergency housing. That is not within the delegation of my portfolio. However, every one is one too many.

💬 Chris Bishop: Point of order. I’ll hope you’ll help me out here a little bit, Mr Speaker. Children in emergency housing fall well within the portfolio responsibilities of the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness), and I would encourage you to encourage her to address and answer the question.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Well, speaking to that point of order, Mr Speaker, I think if the member chose to take some time to look at the delegations that are available to him on the—

💬 Nicola Willis: Oh!

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] No, sit down. This is a point of order. It’s in silence—thank you.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Mr Speaker, the delegations for the housing portfolio are available on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website, and I’m sure if the member looked at that he would see that the member is telling the truth.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member did address it, even though it clearly falls outside her portfolio; I probably should have stopped her right there, but I didn’t.

💬 Nicola Willis: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: A new point of order, or are you going to question my ruling? Think about it.

💬 Nicola Willis: I’ll leave it there—it’s a Thursday.

I declare the House in committee for consideration of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2021-22, GST, and Remedial Matters) Bill and the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Amendment Bill.