Estimates Debate — In Committee

The House is in committee for consideration of the Appropriation (2023/24 Estimates) Bill, for further consideration of the Natural and Built Environment Bill, and for consideration of the Spatial Planning Bill.

The Standing Orders provide for 11 hours of debate on the Estimates. The Business Committee has determined to organise the debate by portfolio, so there will be no sector-specific debates. All Votes are available for debate, but only specific Ministers will be available each day to speak to the indicated portfolios only. The Government has indicated that the Minister of Immigration, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Housing, and the Minister of Health will be available today. Each debate will be led by a call from the chairperson or member of the committee that considered the Estimates most closely related to the Minister’s portfolios.

This debate expires after 11 hours, at which point questions will be put that the Votes stand part of the Schedules and on the provisions of the Appropriation (2023/24 Estimates) Bill. The time for the debate has been allocated to parties on a proportional basis, and may be taken as parties see fit during the debate. New Zealand Labour has five hours and 43 minutes, New Zealand National has three hours and nine minutes, ACT New Zealand has 55 minutes, the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand has 50 minutes, Te Paati Māori has 11 minutes, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere has six minutes, and the Hon Meka Whaitiri has six minutes.

The Estimates debate should be relevant to the Government’s current spending plans as contained in the Estimates of Appropriations. A compendium of the reports of select committees on the Votes is available on the Table.

The question is that the Votes contained in the Estimates of Appropriation for 2023/24 stand part of the Schedules.

Members, we start with the Minister of Immigration. The Minister is available for the next hour.

Immigration