Oral Questions

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

Yes. In particular, I stand by this Government’s decision to bring forward a reconnection to the world, to allow Australian friends, whānau, and tourists to re-enter New Zealand from 11.59 p.m. tonight. This comes just in time for Easter weekend and the school holidays, and will help accelerate our economic recovery from COVID-19. This will be a welcome boost to sectors who have done it tough as we welcome Australian tourists back to our bars, restaurants, and tourism hotspots. With the recent removal of mandatory My Vaccine Pass requirements, the expansion of capacity limits, case numbers falling daily, and our reopening to the wider world on 1 May, New Zealand is once again a prime destination for international tourists. The past few years have been incredibly tough, not least for our tourism sector, but we’re primed to welcome old friends and family back.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Is it a good outcome that under Labour, serious assaults have more than doubled and violent crime is up over 20 percent?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Firstly, if any Government of the day is wanting to respond to crime generally, you would expect them to have the strongest possible police force and police numbers. This Government has been restoring police numbers since the last term of the National Government. We have an additional 1,400 police, an additional $450 million in funding. We have an additional 700 police working on organised crime, an extra 350 police on the beat in Auckland. Alongside that, additional powers like firearms prevention orders and, of course, the seizure of firearms, not least the 60,000 we’ve taken off the street through the gun buy-back. When it comes to crime as it relates to population growth, generally we’ve seen relatively static numbers across a period of time. When you look at what has changed around violent crime reporting, it is difficult to make comparisons. Since 2018, there has been a change in some of the reporting that is available for family harm, and that is actually the area where you’ve seen some of the greatest increase, and we want people to report family harm. So, when you start comparing, it is difficult to draw those comparisons, but overall, you’ve seen a relatively static rate against population growth.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Does she believe 50,000 more Kiwis on jobseeker for longer than a year and 36,000 more children growing up in a benefit-dependent home is a good outcome for the extra $1.6 billion a year being spent under Labour?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again, I always like to come back to our record and the facts, and we have a lower share of working-age population on benefit in December 2021 than in the global financial crisis: 11.7 percent compared to 13.1 percent. We have 96,000 fewer people than Treasury forecast receiving a main benefit in January 2021, and more than 100,000 more people are employed now than they were 12 months ago. We have just gone through, and are in, an economic crisis. It is important that we have adequate safety nets for people, but at the same time, we also have the programmes in place that are supporting people into work, and the facts speak for themselves.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Was delivering no improvement in access to mental health services in five years a good outcome for spending $1.9 billion?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I would be really interested in what the member considers no action, when we have 270,000 sessions delivered to date by more than 300 general practice sites covering 2 million people. That did not exist before this Government. We have 14,000 people every month getting support through that service. That did not happen before this Government. We have funded counsellors across 164 schools, on top of the counsellors in schools programmes many schools already have. We have front-line mental health services like Piki. We’ve invested in new and existing mental health and addiction facilities. We were able to re-establish the Mental Health Commission and we’ve expanded Mana Ake to five different DHBs. I call that outcomes.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Is it a good outcome that every single national performance measure for the health system, including emergency department wait times and cancer treatment, have got worse under Labour?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And this is where I find it woeful to have the National Party, who invested nothing—nothing—in health capital over their time in office. When we came into office—need I remind the member—we had mould and waste running down the walls of some of our hospitals, there was a woeful lack of investment, we had DHBs struggling. And that is why, on this side of the House, we have introduced health reforms to fundamentally change health services in New Zealand, and I look forward to the member’s support of those.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Was Auckland DHB CEO Ailsa Claire correct when she wrote to staff about that half-a-billion-dollar health restructure set to begin in less than three months, telling them, “There’s a lot of work and planning to do as to what this means for DHBs. So please don’t feel you’re missing out on knowing something: this work simply hasn’t taken place yet”?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What you’ll find from the health workforce is broad support for exactly what we are doing to fundamentally reform the health system in New Zealand. No one, I would hope, in this House would want to see a situation where, year on year, we have continually increased the health budget to record levels but we are not seeing health services universally improve across the country. We have a healthcare postcode, where depending on where you live sometimes determines the type of service you receive. And worse yet, we have inequitable outcomes where if you’re Māori and Pasifika, your health outcomes are worse. We as a Government are making changes to the system to improve all of that.

💬 Christopher Luxon: Is it a good outcome that 760 people in the Southern DHB have waited a year or more for an operation, or does she agree with DHB chairman Pete Hodgson’s assessment of the health system under Labour, that “The social contract has been broken. They paid their taxes, they’ve been entered into the system, and it didn’t do them a blind bit of good”?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again, someone supporting the health reforms that we have put in place—also a member in Pete Hodgson, who was closely supportive of the Dunedin Hospital project, another example of health infrastructure that is under way under this Government. There are a number of examples of why we need to reform the system. If the member wishes to continue to read them out, I will once again remind him that every single one is proof of why we need change.

Question No. 2—Finance

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

ASB released its Regional Economic Scoreboard for the December quarter yesterday, and the member asking the question will be pleased to know that Canterbury held on to the top spot after another strong performance, followed by Manawatū-Whanganui and Northland, who retained second and third place respectively. Taranaki was the biggest mover, rising nine places to fourth, driven by non-residential construction. The report noted employment and wage growth hit new highs. Unemployment fell to a record low 3.2 percent, although it did vary across regions. ASB economists have said that “We’ve also seen impressive wage growth over the past 12 months, with the scope for further acceleration this year.” While these results are promising, ASB said that there are challenges from rising inflation and supply constraints, both due to global factors. While economic growth is forecast to slow this year, the resilience of the economy and our strong fiscal position means we are in a good place to support New Zealanders through this as we deal with these challenges.

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

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER) Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion was released this morning and showed that business confidence had stabilised in the March quarter, albeit at lower than long-run averages. Firms reported further weakening in their own activity but remain optimistic of recovery in the June quarter. They remain positive about hiring, with a new 23 percent planning to hire in the next quarter, while they have pared back some of their investment plans. The NZIER said the survey showed the damage that the global pandemic is continuing to inflict on the economy. There is going to be ongoing volatility as businesses work through inflation pressures caused by global factors. We will continue to support them, New Zealand households, and the rest of the economy as we ease the restrictions and open borders to skilled workers and tourists that will help our businesses recover and rebuild.

💬 Dr Duncan Webb: What reports has he seen on business investing in the economy?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The overseas merchandise trade figures for February show businesses are continuing to invest in the economy and New Zealand’s recovery. Imports of machinery and plant rose 32 percent to $745 million in February 2022, compared with the same month a year earlier. For the February year, imports in machinery and plant rose 29 percent to $10.3 billion. While the environment does remain volatile and uncertain, these kind of investments are critical in improving our productivity right across New Zealand.

Question No. 3—Education

3. to the Minister of Education: Is he confident students across Aotearoa New Zealand are receiving the level of support they deserve to engage in tertiary education?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Throughout my working life, I’ve consistently advocated for a better deal for tertiary education students, including increases in the level of financial support that they receive. One of our first actions in Government was to make a person’s first year of tertiary study completely free, and we’ve increased the rates of student support available significantly while we’ve been in Government. Am I satisfied that there are no further improvements that need to be made? No, I’m not. And I’ll continue to advocate for a better deal for students. But we were clear coming into this term of Government that, in the context of COVID-19, our two most immediate student support priorities for this term would be the Apprenticeship Boost scheme, and making vocational education free through the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund.

Chlöe Swarbrick: What is the average amount of support that the 16 percent of 380,000 students in this country who are eligible for student allowance receive per week?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I can give the member a bit of a breakdown: in 2020—which is the most recent full-year statistics that we’ve got available—33.6 percent of all full-time domestic students received a student allowance. To break that down further, $588 million was paid out in allowances, including the accommodation benefit, and the average payment of that was $9,582—an average weekly payment of $337.15. Of course, the rate of allowances paid varies quite significantly from student to student.

Chlöe Swarbrick: What is the average amount of hours full-time students work on top of their 40-plus hours of study?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We don’t have direct measures of the hours worked by students, only the income that they have earned, and from that people can extrapolate roughly what they think the level of hours might be. The 2021 study that the Ministry of Education did found that of all full-time students who studied, 52 percent didn’t work, 29 percent worked in low intensity work, 12 percent worked in moderate intensity work, 5 percent in high intensity work, and 2 percent in very high intensity work. In terms of how they are defined, they would need to be earning less than $1,080 before tax per month to be deemed low intensity; moderate is $1,920 per month; high intensity is $3,315 per month; and very high is greater than that.

Chlöe Swarbrick: How many students were denied support from their institution’s hardship fund for learners in the last two years of the pandemic?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We don’t actually have a breakdown of the number of students that have been denied support through those funds, because those funds are administered by their institutions. But I would note, as someone who more than 20 years ago was involved in administering some of those funds, it’s never been the case that everybody who applies for support through those funds has received it.

Chlöe Swarbrick: How much would it cost to reinstate post-graduate student allowances, as had been promised in the last term of Government?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don’t have an up-to-date estimate of the cost of that. Going back to about 2019, I think, the cost was somewhere around $25 million a year. It would be more than that now though, because the overall rate of allowances has increased.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Is he concerned by a University of Otago survey which shows students are more than twice as likely as the general population to be in damp and mouldy homes, with 79 percent reporting being energy insecure and shivering inside of their home?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes, I am, and actually it’s one of the reasons why I’m very proud of the work that the Government has been doing since we became the Government to ensure that the quality of our rental homes is improved. I particularly note—again reflecting on some historical experiences—that in some of those cities that have a higher proportion of tertiary students the rental accommodation can often be of the lowest standard, and that isn’t acceptable.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he consider it part of the tertiary education strategy for “barrier-free access” to education for universities to have a qualification completion rate of 52 percent last year for Māori and Pasifika students, with many dropping out due to hardship?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No, I don’t regard that as acceptable. We’ve been working with the universities very closely, particularly through the Tertiary Education Commission, to look at how we improve those retention and attainment rates for our Māori and Pacific students. This is a long-standing problem—Māori and Pacific achievement rates, overall, the trend has continued to improve, but certainly not fast enough for me. I would like to see it continue to improve much faster than that.

Question No. 4—Finance

4. to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Kiwibank economist Jarrod Kerr that “wage growth is not keeping up with the rapid rise in living costs”; if not, why not?

As I’ve said a number of times in this House, I agree that the current cost of living increases driven by what Mr Kerr classes as “offshore-originated inflation” are putting significant pressure on New Zealand households. In terms of wage growth, I would note that average wage growth under Labour has been greater than Consumers Price Index inflation, meaning Kiwis are better off now than they previously were. But we do acknowledge that there is significant pressure. That’s why we’ve taken action to buffer the impact of fuel prices on households and have brought in a range of measures to support those on low and middle incomes—a far better policy than untargeted tax cuts that disproportionately benefit those on the highest incomes, as favoured by the member.

💬 Nicola Willis: Well, can he confirm that in the past year, New Zealand’s non-tradable inflation—that is, price increases for those goods and services whose prices are largely determined here in New Zealand rather than by international markets—soared to 5.3 percent in the December quarter, and does he accept that Government decisions have an impact on inflation?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Those are indeed the numbers that the member quotes, but I’d invite her to turn the page over in the Kiwibank report that she used in her original question and see this slide that is entitled “offshore-originated inflation”, and it talks about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, petrol price impacts, lockdowns in China, and other supply chain issues—offshore-originated inflation.

💬 Nicola Willis: Why does he continue to reject any responsibility for New Zealand’s worsening economic conditions when a Kantar survey released today shows half of small businesses see Government leadership as a top reason for their lack of confidence in our local economy?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I refer the member to Xero’s small business survey data—data on the basis of a survey of small businesses—which revealed rising wages and jobs in the small business sector, as released last week. There is no doubt a number of small businesses have done it tough in New Zealand over the past couple of years. It’s one of the reasons why the Government has supported them to the tune of around $24 billion worth of support.

💬 Nicola Willis: Well, is he concerned that a Kantar survey of small and medium businesses shows the majority of small to medium sized enterprise owners and managers say they are dissatisfied with the performance of the Government over the past 12 months, and does he intend to change anything in response to their concerns?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We always listen to small businesses and work closely with them to support them, as we have over the course of the last couple of years. What I do know is that in New Zealand small businesses have received a greater degree of support than they have in other countries around the world, and that small businesses are getting on with the job now, looking forward to tourists returning, looking forward to more overseas labour being available to them.

💬 Nicola Willis: Does the Minister agree with BNZ’s assessment today that business confidence is shattered, uncertainty is very high, and leading indicators of growth are weak, and if so, what will he be doing to reduce pressure on the generators of wealth in New Zealand’s economy?

💬 Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: In answer to the first set of those questions, yes, there is a very difficult period of time facing New Zealanders at the moment. What I’ll do is make sure that the Government continues to put pressure, as the rest of the international community is, on the Russian Government to make sure that we end the invasion of Ukraine, which is causing massive oil price increases. I’ll make sure that we continue to support our exporters, as we have done throughout COVID-19, by making sure that imports and exports get in and out of New Zealand through our air freight subsidy scheme. I’ll make sure that the Small Business Cashflow Scheme continues to be available and that people take up the top-up where that’s necessary. On this side of the House, we’re very proud of our record in supporting New Zealand households and businesses through COVID-19, which actually means we’re in one of the strongest positions in the world to deal with the challenges of 2022.

Question No. 5—Education

5. to the Minister of Education: What recent report has he seen about the take-up of apprenticeships and training?

Mr Speaker—

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: I’d forgotten he was the Minister of Education.

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: This week I’ve seen a report—well, listen up, you might learn something—on Radio New Zealand identifying that, and I quote, “Trade training is booming with thousands more people signing up for apprenticeships”. The report cited the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation, which is now part of Te Pūkenga, saying that by the end of March it had 21,600 apprentices—a 77 percent increase since the same time in 2020. For electrical apprentices, the report cites the Master Electricians saying that, from a base of about 4,450 in January 2019, “We’ve rounded off 2022 with 5810 so we’ve had a massive increase of about 1300 apprentices in the industry, which … is quite significant [for us].”

💬 Marja Lubeck: What reason is given for these significant increases?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The report on Radio New Zealand quoted Warwick Quinn, the former head of the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation who now works for Te Pūkenga. He said that a boom in the house construction industry combined with, and I quote, “a government scheme that paid employers to employ apprentices”—the Apprenticeship Boost initiative—is helping to drive numbers up. Mr Quinn also pointed out that they are being very careful to ensure that we continue the momentum, whilst there is change happening, and a transition happening within the sector, to ensure that our apprentices can continue with their learning without disruption.

💬 Marja Lubeck: How many apprentices has the Apprenticeship Boost initiative supported to date?

💬 Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As of the end of March, over 43,000 individuals have been supported in their apprenticeships through the Apprenticeship Boost initiative. Of these, about 37,000 of them were in their first year of an apprenticeship, and about 6,000 in their second year of an apprenticeship. Tackling skill shortages by boosting trades training has been one of the key priorities for this Government, and we are absolutely delivering on our commitments.

Question No. 6—Prime Minister

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

Yes. I especially stand behind this Government’s decision to further support Ukraine against the illegal invasion committed by Russia, through the deployment of a New Zealand Defence Force Hercules C130, with a 50-strong team and an additional eight-person logistics specialist team that together will assist with logistics and supplies throughout Europe. I further stand by the $7.5 million contribution from this Government to procure weapons and ammunition via the UK, who is working closely with Ukraine on their needs; the $4.1 million to support commercial satellite access to the Ukrainian defence intelligence; and the $1.5 million contribution towards human rights and justice. The contributions announced yesterday are in addition to the comprehensive support we’ve offered to date, which covers every aspect of this conflict, including contributions to the NATO trust fund. New Zealand stands proudly with its partners and with the people of Ukraine.

💬 David Seymour: Why, whenever she’s asked this question and can choose any policy at all to stand by, does she never, ever choose KiwiBuild?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the member would like me to talk about the more than 8,000 houses that this Government has built, the work that we’ve done to ensure that Kiwis’ homes are healthy and dry—and I note today the child wellbeing report that we’ve tabled that demonstrates the impact that’s having on the health and wellbeing of children—the fact that we have now record consents and the Government’s house-building programme includes the impact that it is having on the market, and KiwiBuild has been part of that, then I am more than happy to do that. I welcome any other patsy questions the member might have.

💬 David Seymour: Why, if the Prime Minister’s policies are so successful, does the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) now forecast that 50,000 Kiwi citizens will leave the country in the year as the border opens—

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Mr—

💬 David Seymour: —up from—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member finished.

💬 David Seymour: Mr Speaker, I did not finish; I paused for effect.

💬 SPEAKER: The member will sit down, for effect, now.

💬 David Seymour: I don’t think you’ll get the same effect, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will sit down.

💬 David Seymour: Point of order.

💬 SPEAKER: If the member’s going to dispute my ruling, I’ll regard that as grossly disorderly.

💬 David Seymour: Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to dispute the ruling, but I would like to ask you if I could finish the question.

💬 SPEAKER: You can on your next supplementary.

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I note with interest that the question comes from a member who spent some time in—if I recall his curriculum vitae correctly—Canada and is being asked to myself, who spent some time in London. It has been part of our history as a nation to frequently have New Zealanders come and go as part of our overseas experience, building skills and talent. If we come to this period here and now, I’d point to the fact that we’ve had forecast by, I believe, including the Reserve Bank that over the coming years we’re likely to have net migration increase in the coming years. So whilst New Zealanders may come and go, the overall impact is likely to be an increase.

💬 David Seymour: Is MBIE, then, wrong when they say in this recent advice to her Government that it won’t be the OE that drives the increase in outflow from New Zealand but rather factors such as Australians earning $38 an hour on average and New Zealanders $28 an hour on average?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I welcome the member’s support for increases in minimum wage, fair pay agreements, and other initiatives that are all geared towards ensuring that we have improvements in our terms, conditions, and wages relative to our neighbours. Again, I’d come back to the wider point. The forecast has been from those who, of course, operate in this space, whether it’s economists or indeed the Reserve Bank, that we’ll have net positive migration in New Zealand, because we have always had an inflow and outflow of New Zealanders. But what we want to do is make sure that our businesses have the access to the skills and talent that they need. That is what all of our immigration rebalance work is about, and it’s also, in the period of COVID, what our border exceptions scheme has been geared towards as well.

💬 Hon Chris Hipkins: Has the Prime Minister seen any reports of politicians promising to close the wage gap with Australia, and how did that pan out?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes. Again, I would point members in this House towards tangible policies that will make a difference, and things like fair pay agreements are squarely focused on closing some of those gaps.

💬 David Seymour: How have the Prime Minister’s “tangible policies that will make a difference” made it more attractive for young New Zealanders to stay in the country when on her watch the average house price has gone up 58 percent, or $387,000?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: All the more reason why we need to continue to invest in every aspect of a building programme that increases the number of homes and the supply that we have. Part of that has been making sure that we have the skills to do that. You’ve already heard the Minister of Education talk today about the significant increase in apprenticeships that we have in this country as a result of our targeted regimes to make apprenticeships free and to support employers with the cost of having apprenticeships. That means we have equivalent, I believe, to the population of Ashburton—possibly Timaru—in apprenticeship programmes now as a result of that investment. That’s all part of the work we’ve been doing across the house-building programme to make sure that we have the skills and talent we need to build the houses that we need.

💬 David Seymour: How have this Government’s policies on law and order made it attractive to stay in New Zealand when people hear stories of shootings and ram raids near where they live nearly every day now, and young people feel unsafe enjoying city life going out after dark in our main centres?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again, across this side of the House, you’ll see us investing in those very initiatives that make a difference in ensuring people feel safe: the presence of police; targeted organised crime groups; a thousand fog cannons installed across those small businesses that may have felt vulnerable; and, on top of that, in the last month, the Police responding to what they see as some patterns of behaviour across retail by having a specific retail investigation unit within the police force to support retailers. I also note, though, that over the past period of time, we’ve actually seen in some areas decreases in some categories that relate to thefts and robberies. But what we want to see is people feeling safe, and that’s why those increases in Police matter.

💬 David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister think that the number of citizens emigrating permanently from this country over the next two years will be closer to the 35,000 a year pre-COVID, or the 60,000-person-a-year brain drain that we saw after the global financial crisis?

💬 Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What matters is what’s happening with net migration, and what also matters is whether or not people are able to meet the skills gaps that they have. As I’ve already noted, the member himself has spent time offshore; many members in this House will have. That has been part of the New Zealand culture for many years. What matters, though, is whether or not net migration numbers mean that our businesses are able to access the critical workforce that they need. We know that there’s more to do on that front, but unlike, perhaps, the member’s perspective on New Zealand, New Zealand is a very highly desirable destination for workers, and that’s why we’ve already seen thousands of people applying for working holiday visas to come on to our shores.

Question No. 7—Police

7. to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, “I reject the premise that gang tensions have increased under this Government’s watch”; if so, how does she reconcile that with reported police intelligence, which states parts of the country have experienced unprecedented levels of gang violence in the past year?

I stand by the full context of all of my answers at question time. In answer to the member’s second question, gangs have been a feature of New Zealand society for well over half a century. What police intelligence shows us is that the arrival of the 501s in 2015 has fundamentally changed the nature of gangs, making them much more overt and sophisticated. This was responded to at the time by cutting police numbers. That’s why, since 2017, we have funded the largest increase in organised crime staff, deployed 1,400 more cops across the country, and introduced legislation to give police more tools to address gang violence.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Why do gangs have more guns under her watch?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I would like the member to quantify that for me please.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: We’ll take a point of order if the member wants one.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: I thought it was the Opposition’s chance to ask the Government Ministers questions not the other way round.

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Speaking to the point of order.

💬 SPEAKER: Sorry, no. Sorry—I thank the member but I don’t need her help. I should have ruled the question out, all right? You can’t just use an unsubstantiated statement like that. [Interruption] Who said that? Who said that that’s right, then?

💬 Hon Nanaia Mahuta: I did.

💬 SPEAKER: Well, can I ask the member just to stand, withdraw, and apologise.

💬 Hon Nanaia Mahuta: I withdraw and apologise.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Does the Minister agree with Detective Superintendent Greg Williams, “Gangs have always had guns but that is increasing and we’re seeing a greater propensity to use them.”?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: As I’ve said many times, gangs have been a feature of New Zealand society and that’s why as a Government we have responded by funding more than 700 more organised crime staff, and that’s why we deploy tactical response units, and that’s why we’ve introduced legislation to give police more powers to tackle gun crime.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I’m seeking your guidance. It was a very direct question and it was asking whether or not the Minister agreed with or not the quote of Detective Superintendent Greg Williams who is in charge of the national organised crime unit in this country.

💬 SPEAKER: Yes, and I think the Minister not only agreed but added far too much to the answer.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: So if the Minister agrees with Detective Superintendent Greg Williams’ quote, why do gangs have more guns under her watch?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I just want to confirm for that member what I actually said, which was “gangs have been a feature of New Zealand society for well over half a century”. That’s why we have responded by funding 700 more organised crime staff, that’s why we’ve deployed tactical response units, and that’s why we have introduced legislation to give police more powers to tackle gun crime.

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Point of order, Mr Speaker. In my last point of order you indicated to me that the Minister had indicated that she agreed with Detective Superintendent Greg Williams’ quote, and in his quote he said that firearms have increased—that gangs have got more firearms. I then went back to the Minister and asked her, based on her response to that, and she’s now refusing to answer the question.

💬 SPEAKER: No, she didn’t refuse to answer the question at all. Does the member have a further supplementary?

💬 Hon Mark Mitchell: Why do gangs have more guns under her watch?

💬 Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I would like that member to provide evidence to that fact—authenticate your question.

Question No. 8—Agriculture

8. to the Minister of Agriculture: What recent announcements has he made about supporting the workforce in the dairy and meat processing industries?

This morning I was pleased to announce an additional border exemption for 1,000 additional experienced workers to come to New Zealand for jobs in the dairy and meat processing industries to support the momentum of New Zealand’s economic recovery from COVID-19. All of these workers will be paid above the median wage, which ensures that while meeting demands for additional labour we continue to increase wages for those already in the sectors and encourage more Kiwis into these sectors. The border exemptions for meat workers now total 650, which will help to tackle workforce challenges that are crucial for preserving vital supply chains. The addition exceptions for dairy workers brings the total to 800 for the sector, ahead of calving season in June and July. This Government has stood by the primary sector throughout COVID-19 with border exceptions granted for the primary sector second only to those granted in the health sector.

💬 Jo Luxton: How does this announcement support the meat and dairy sectors’ COVID-19 recovery?

💬 Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR: COVID-19 has thrown up many challenges and labour shortage is one of those, so these additional border exemptions will go a long way to alleviate the pressures. They are in addition to this Government’s efforts to encourage more New Zealanders into the primary sector through the Opportunity Grows Here programme, which has seen over 10,000 Kiwis going into work in the primary sector since its launch, including almost 9,000 through direct placements. The Government’s work alongside the primary sectors, in particular our meat and dairy sectors, sees us on track this year to surpass $50 billion in annual food and fibre exports for the first time despite the challenges of COVID-19.

Question No. 9—Justice

9. to the Minister of Justice: Does he acknowledge both violent crime and gang membership have increased since 2017; if so, why has he chosen to prioritise repealing the three strikes legislation?

No. The three-strikes legislation is not an effective response to gang membership or violent crime; rather, it has resulted in unjustified and excessive prison sentences and made no impact on reducing strikeable offences. That is why we are repealing the three-strikes legislation. The number of violent crime charges has reduced since that member was in Government, and the overall crime harm experience by victims from all violent crime has not changed significantly since 2013.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Regarding his claim that the three-strikes legislation is not effective, did he see the Ministry of Justice’s advice: “There is no substantial international or New Zealand evidence on the effect of three strikes law on crime. The existing evidence is mixed and more robust research is needed to understand the true effects of these laws.”, and how on earth does he claim that those laws are not effective?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: If the member would like to continue reading that Ministry of Justice advice, it also said that nothing in terms of the three-strikes legislation could be attributable to any changes in the strike offences.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he agree or disagree with Dairy and Business Owners Group spokesperson, Sunny Kaushal, when he says the offenders shopkeepers are dealing with in Auckland “have no fear of law, they have no fear of being caught or the consequences whatsoever”?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I acknowledge the difficulties that some of those retailers are experiencing, but I’d also point out to Mr Kaushal around the investment of a thousand fog cannons that the Government has invested in to make sure we can keep and deter crime being committed against them, and also the investment in 1,400 more police—$350 million investment to make sure there are more police on the beat.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Rather than heed the call to be tougher on crime, from people such as Sunny Kaushal, is it his message that we’ve actually been too tough on criminals and that’s why the priority is to repeal the three-strikes legislation?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: You’ve got to walk the talk and the previous Government did not walk the talk in terms of its support for police. This Government invested $350 million more; 1,400 more police on the beat; 360 police targeted on issues in Auckland central; 700 more police officers on organised crime. On this side of the House, we back up our talk; on that side of the House, they cut police numbers.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he give any credence to the views of a submitter on the Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill Nick Tuitasi, who said that the three-strikes people have “committed up to 70 offences. The law was designed to take them out of circulation, to reduce the number of victims, to give victims a break, because their victims are still scared to go out at night”, and, if so, why is repealing this bill such a priority for him?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: When we change the three-strikes legislation, the judiciary will still have the ability and the sentences available to them to pass down an appropriate sentence. I reiterate that the promises that the previous Government made in terms of decreasing victimisation and the reduction in the number of strikeable offences did not become reality.

💬 Hon Paul Goldsmith: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I just noticed that people interrupted on my previous question. I was just asking whether you’d considered giving me an extra supplementary.

💬 SPEAKER: I did consider it.

💬 David Seymour: Does it help persuade the Minister that three strikes is a policy of great merit, that the National Party, which bitterly resisted its introduction at the time, has now become a strong supporter of it, and might the Minister change his mind too?

💬 Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I’ll let those parties sort that out for themselves.

Question No. 10—Defence

10. to the Minister of Defence: What recent announcement has the Government made regarding the provision of support to Ukraine?

Yesterday, I joined the Prime Minister to announce that New Zealand would provide significant extra support to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion. Building on the extensive support we have already announced over preceding weeks—I won’t labour this as the Prime Minister has already detailed those—but I will highlight, of course, the deployment of a Hercules is significant; so too is the eight-person team of logistics specialists, given the huge wave of support and goods that have flooded Europe in support of Ukraine; on top of that, our significant further financial contribution of $13.1 million towards military, legal, and human rights support.

💬 Ingrid Leary: What is the significance of the additional support announced yesterday?

💬 Hon PEENI HENARE: The additional support we announced yesterday builds on our comprehensive response to date, which covers every aspect of this conflict—humanitarian, legal, military, transportation, and people—and is in addition to the economic and trade sanctions we have already put in place to help weaken the Russian economy. In the defence space alone, we have already authorised the deployment of nine New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel to Europe to support our partners in intelligence work over the next three months; provided surplus tactical NZDF equipment, including body armour, helmets, and vests; and contributed $5 million to the NATO Trust Fund, which provides fuel, military rations, communications, and military first aid kits, to support Ukraine. The decision announced yesterday is, of course—as I’ve already highlighted—important because of the huge wave of support for Ukraine that’s flooded into Europe. Logistics and our speciality in this area will continue to support Ukraine in their defence.

💬 Ingrid Leary: How has the Government’s support for Ukraine been received by our international partners?

💬 Hon PEENI HENARE: New Zealand’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been well received by like-minded partners. The Ukrainian Prime Minister, in his conversation with our Prime Minister, thanked New Zealand for being one of the first countries to take swift practical action against Russia’s aggression. I, myself, met with the Ukrainian Defence Minister, who also acknowledged New Zealand’s significant support. In terms of our close partners, the United Kingdom, Secretary Wallace, their secretary of defence, has also been very complimentary of our support, specifically referring to New Zealand to exemplify the breadth of the coalition in support of Ukraine and in opposition to Russia’s invasion and war crimes. Given our position a long way away from the conflict, New Zealand may be a long way from Europe, but we know that such a blatant attack on a country’s sovereignty is a threat to all of us. That’s why we are doing our bit to support Ukraine.

Question No. 11—Transport

11. to the Minister of Transport: Does he have confidence in the Clean Car Discount scheme; if so, how many people is NZTA aware of that have had a rebate or fee miscalculated on their vehicles since 1 April 2022?

The clean car discount has made it more affordable for New Zealanders to buy electric and low-emission vehicles. Over 12,000 approved rebates were paid between 1 July last year and 1 April this year. From 1 April, the rebates have become available to a wider range of used and new fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles. In the one week period from 1 April, 4,264 light vehicles were registered, and of that number, 3,245 have been eligible for a rebate. Of that total number of 4,264, there have be 115 enquiries as to the rebate or fee level, and 57 of those have been resolved. The majority of issues are with some used vehicles which come in from Japan, which sometimes have incomplete or inaccurate datasets, and Waka Kotahi have been working very quickly to resolve them. Overall, I’m very satisfied that in spite of some of these bedding-in issues, that the Clean Car Discount scheme is providing a large number of discounts to New Zealanders, it’s playing an important role in reducing our emissions, and that stands in mark contrast to the National Party whose transport policy in response to the climate emergency is to build more roads, and according to Mr Luxon today, to increase public transport fares.

💬 Simeon Brown: What is his response to Kit Wilkerson from vehicle imports association who said, “The thing I’m worried about is the potential that there’s a lot of people that are being charged incorrectly out there”, and how many Kiwis have had their cars wrongly taxed during this cost of living crisis?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: What I would say in response to that comment is, firstly, to thank the vehicle importers associations who have publicly gone on record to support the Clean Car Discount scheme. And I also thank them for working with Waka Kotahi on these issues to resolve them as quickly as possible, and as I’ve noted we’re dealing with a relatively small number of cases in the context of over 3,000 Kiwis in the first week who have received a discount.

💬 Simeon Brown: Well, then, does he also agree with the vehicle importers association who said that “It’s the Minister’s fault” for these problems of people being charged incorrectly, and why weren’t these problems fixed before the legislation was implemented?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: No, I don’t agree with that comment, but what I do note is that the very small number of cases that have been identified have been very quickly rectified—as I noted, 57 of those cases have already been resolved. Again, I note that very virtually every major association in the sector supports a Clean Car Discount scheme, including the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, including the Motor Industry Association, and including the AA. About the only organisation that seems committed to continuing New Zealand’s dirty car policies is the National Party.

💬 Simeon Brown: So will the Government commit to reimbursing Kiwis who have already registered their car, but subsequently found out that they’ve been wrongly taxed during this process?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Yes, every New Zealander who purchases a vehicle that is eligible for a discount under the Clean Car Discount scheme will receive that discount. Again, I’ll just note that in the first week of the scheme’s operation, over 3,200 Kiwis have been eligible for a rebate under that scheme, demonstrating that New Zealand has backed the Clean Car Discount scheme, and that we’re supporting them getting into cleaner, more efficient vehicles.

💬 Simeon Brown: How long will it take for those individuals who are wrongly taxed, to have that money reimbursed?

💬 Hon MICHAEL WOOD: As I’ve already outlined to the member on two occasions in this course of questions, 57 queries about the scheme have already been resolved, generally speaking within a matter of days.

Question No. 12—Education

12. to the Associate Minister of Education: What steps is the Government taking to lift literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand?

The Government has released our literacy strategy that sets out our plan to improve outcomes for Kiwi kids in literacy, communication, and Te Reo Matatini. The strategy has been well received by the sector as it sets up new and innovative ways of doing things to break the mould of the past. Through our plan, we are ensuring that solutions are customised to our kids’ needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, fixing assessments so that kids are assessed as individuals and supports are tailored to the learner, and providing clarity for teachers about what they need to teach, and when, backed up with professional learning development and effective resources.

💬 Camilla Belich: How does the strategy draw on expert advice, research, and science?

💬 Hon JAN TINETTI: For far too long, approaches to literacy teaching haven’t had a strong research base. Our strategy is evidence based and draws on domestic and international best practice and expert advice. However, importantly, it also caters to the New Zealand context and ensures that we place the learner at the centre, and leave nothing to chance. This strategy combines both phonemic awareness and whole language. To understand how these approaches work in practice Pauline Jones from Wollongong University said it well recently when she said, “There’d be time for instruction in phonics but there’ll be also time for looser, less explicit teaching where the students are learning to employ those skills in other domains”.

💬 Camilla Belich: What work is under way to foster strong literacy in a child’s first year of school?

💬 Hon JAN TINETTI: Through our Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA), all new entrant and year 1 teachers have access to training in an integrated approach to developing vocabulary, oral literacy, spelling, writing, and reading skills in the first year of school. This approach is steeped in the best of international and domestic research and evidence developed by the University of Canterbury over the last 10 years. BSLA focuses on the link between spoken and written language, systematically supporting children’s phonological and phonemic awareness, letter sound knowledge, and oral language, and it is delivering exciting results. This Government believes investing in our children as early as possible is critical to ensuring better life-long learning opportunities for our Kiwi kids.