Oral Questions to Ministers

Asked by: RYAN HAMILTON, Answered by: Hon NICOLA WILLIS

to the Minister of Finance: What has been the Government’s approach to tax in this parliamentary term?

Well, one of the proud achievements of this Government has been to deliver real tax relief to working people for the first time in 14 years, against the cries of Opposition. The Government inherited rapidly rising debt, persistent deficits, and high levels of spending. Our main priority has been to get the books back in order. We’ve been very disciplined with Government spending so that our fiscal repair job has not required new taxes, but it’s more than that. While getting the books back in order, we’ve also made significant tax changes that let people keep more of their own money, increasing support for working families and giving businesses an incentive to invest in productive assets that will grow the economy.

💬 Ryan Hamilton: What personal tax policies has the Government introduced?

In 2024, the Government increased personal income tax thresholds and expanded eligibility for the independent earner tax credit. The effect of these changes was to deliver the first personal income tax relief for 14 years, and that tax relief went to working people. The Government also increased support for low to middle income working families, who got up to an extra $50 a fortnight, and we introduced FamilyBoost to help families with young children meet the costs of early childhood education. This was achieved within an overall operating package of $3.2 billion, which was significantly lower than recent Budgets under the previous Government. We managed to do a lot more for Kiwis’ back pockets through tax relief than the previous Government ever did.

💬 Ryan Hamilton: What business tax policies has the Government introduced?

Well, the Government restored interest deductibility for residential rental property, returning to the normal practice of taxing profit, not revenue. While there were doubters, they have latterly had a road to Damascus experience on this one and recognised the value of this policy. In 2025, the Government introduced Investment Boost to encourage New Zealand businesses to make productive investments. It allows firms to immediately deduct 20 percent of the cost of a new asset, and this, of course, is an incentive to invest in machinery, tools, farm equipment, vehicles, industrial buildings, and other productive assets. Officials advised that this would increase productivity and lead to higher wages and higher employment, and, boy oh boy, the feedback from those who have used it is strong and positive.

💬 Ryan Hamilton: What is the alternative to this approach?

Right now, people are very seriously proposing a capital gains tax. In fact, the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) in particular are promoting a comprehensive capital gains tax. I note that there are members of the CTU who are also prominently running in election seats this election. There are also people proposing a wealth tax, an inheritance tax, a gift tax, higher income tax rates, an increase in the company tax, a tax on profits sent offshore—a land tax removing interest deductibility for rental properties remains popular with some members of this House as a proposal—a 10-year brightline test, a vacant house tax, a stamp duty on residential sales, scrapping Investment Boost, and no GST on kai—those are all from parties over there. That hotchpotch, that potpourri of extra taxes, is the alternative.

💬 SPEAKER: That’s it—OK.

We say no new taxes.

Prime Minister

Question No. 2

💬 Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Before I begin my question, I do want to acknowledge that it is our last question time before the election so therefore the last question time you’ll be presiding over before the election. I would like to take a moment to thank you for your good grace and your good humour in chairing question time in this term of Parliament. I hope that will continue for just a few more minutes.

💬 SPEAKER: Thanks very much. Take an extra supp!

Asked by: Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS, Answered by: Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON

to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government’s statements and actions?

Well, I want to join with the Leader of the Opposition and say thank you very much for your fantastic work, and I’d be quite happy for him to have an extra supp anyway. Look, the answer is yes, and I just want to reassure the member that we won’t be introducing a comprehensive capital gains tax, as proposed by Craig Renney on the Labour Party policy committee, a candidate, and also the Council of Trade Unions.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which economic record is he most proud of: real wages going backwards, GDP per capita being lower than when he became Prime Minister, or unemployment reaching a 14-year high?

Actually, I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve delivered 2.6 percent GDP growth, which is higher than the US, Canada, the UK, EU, Japan, and Australia, for that matter. I’m really proud of the fact that we see our manufacturing sector going from strength to strength and the highest it’s been since 2021. I’m really proud of the services returning to expansion, record exports up $20 billion, tourism visitors back behind pre-COVID levels. We’ve got wholesale electricity prices coming down 35 percent, which is fantastic, and we’ve got consumer confidence, business, farmer confidence, and retail investor confidence at really good levels. We’re making progress. We’re really excited to kick on and carry on in a second term and get the rest of the job done for New Zealanders.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he acknowledge that Kiwi households struggling to pay for their electricity bill will take no comfort from the idea that wholesale electricity prices have been falling when their own power bills have increased 20 percent under his leadership?

What I can reassure Kiwis is that they take no comfort that the Labour-Greens Government ended oil and gas and drove up wholesale electricity prices and people lost their jobs. Low and middle income working New Zealanders across regional New Zealand lost their jobs because of very poor energy policy. I’m pleased with the fact that we have sorted it out in two and half years. We’ve done a great job.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is he still laser-focused on the cost of living, given the price of butter is up 71 percent under his leadership; bread, 65 percent; mince, 36 percent—all prices going up since he became Prime Minister—or does he just say to New Zealanders struggling with the cost of living, as he did in the House last week, “cry me a river”?

No. What I’d say to New Zealanders about the cost of living is that you sure as hell don’t want any tax increases. That’s what actually takes money out of their pockets and puts it into a Labour - Greens - Te Pāti Māori - Opportunity coalition, which would be an absolute nightmare for this country. But for the member—I want to reassure him—tomatoes are down 29 percent, eggs are down 16 percent, lettuce is down 15 percent, chicken is down 4 percent. As I said to him last week, he’s more than welcome to go create a chicken parmigiana up at the bach a bit further north.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which of the following actions that his Government has taken does he think have helped Kiwis most with the rising cost of living: real-term cuts to the minimum wage three years in a row, cancelling pay equity for thousands of Kiwi women across the country, or scrapping fair pay agreements which would have raised the incomes of a lot of low-income Kiwis?

The thing that makes the big difference is economic growth at 2.6 percent, because what that means is that we’re growing faster than many other countries around the world. We’re seeing our sectors start to fire up. That creates jobs and opportunities. What we have done is control spending and stop the dumb and wasteful stuff that we saw from the previous administration that drove up spending 70 percent. We’ve brought inflation back down from 7.2 percent—a 32-year high outside the band for three years. Twelve interest rate rises—we’ve got interest rates down, we’ve got the economy growing, and employment is coming.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which does he think has helped young Kiwis the most: cutting the Apprenticeship Boost programme, increasing student fees by almost 20 percent, or cutting financial support to 18- and 19-year-olds who can’t find work?

I’d just say to any 18- or 19-year-old out there that we need 2,500 people in our defence forces—we’d really welcome applications there over the next few years. We need more police officers—there’s jobs going there too. But I’d just say to you, if you’re a young person in New Zealand, what you want to see is actually economic growth. That’s the important thing—2.6 percent is really great. That’s going to create 220,000 new jobs in the next four years, wages higher than inflation, and an economy growing at 2.7 percent on average each and every year.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which of his Government’s policies does he think has contributed the most to the record homelessness New Zealand’s currently experiencing: cancelling 3,500 new State houses, selling off over 1,000 State houses, or booting people out of emergency accommodation?

I’d just say to the member, Labour used to care about housing, didn’t they? That’s what they used to care about, but, actually, we’ve made house pricing the most affordable it’s been in a long time. We have a record number of first-home buyers, running at 29 percent, and we have the most stable rent environment we’ve had in over 25 years. We come back to Government, and we find the State house wait-list has gone from 6,500 up to 24,000 or something. We’ve taken 6,000 off that list, and we’ve actually made rents go low. We have—yeah, we have. The wait-list is down. You don’t like to hear it, but that’s the reality of it, and we ended the scourge of motels and emergency housing—we stopped that—and we put a big investment into homelessness, and there are some good signs there too.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: What does he think has most improved health outcomes for New Zealanders: a hiring freeze that’s seen just 54 new nurses hired by our health system in the last two years, making it more expensive to fill prescriptions, or giving a $300 million tax break to the tobacco lobby?

I’d just say to the member, isn’t it interesting. All they did in six years was actually introduce a Māori Health Authority and restructure the district health boards, and you didn’t give a toss about patient outcomes, and every single one of them went backwards. But isn’t it great; go look at the PR this morning because every health metric is on the up, and that’s thanks to the great work of Simeon Brown and Shane Reti, doing a brilliant, brilliant job focusing on patients rather than just tweaking and restructuring and dicking around.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Why did his Government give the fire and emergency board a pay rise, whilst cutting $50 million in funding for fire and emergency services and offering front-line firefighters nothing?

We have a lot to do in that space, and, as you know, we’ve got a new chair on that board. That board needs serious overhauling. They need to be able to get much more efficiency out of that corporate head office function, which was built up under his previous Government, and we have a package that, as I said, we announced this morning, a National policy on firefighters. It’s a good policy, and we’ve got work to do on that in the next term.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does the Prime Minister consider that, after 34 months lambasting “tax cuts for landlords” only to adopt that policy, that perhaps Peter Fraser’s party of principle has become Chris Hipkins’ party of plagiarism?

I think the Minister raises a very good point—

💬 SPEAKER: No, no, no. There’ll be no answer there.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which statement does he think best represents his view of New Zealand and New Zealanders: calling low-income Kiwis “bottom feeders”, saying Kiwi businesses have a “parent-child mentality”, calling Kiwi small businesses “C-listers”, or saying that Kiwis are “wet, whiny, and inward-looking”?

I’ve got to say to the member, this is an awesome country, this is the best country on planet Earth, and we are setting up this country for the future, because we’re doing the serious reforms as well as fixing the basics that Labour broke. I want to say I’m very proud of the policy going forward. New Zealand’s going to have a great future in this country because we’ve got a growing economy; we’ve got our communities safe in their homes, their businesses, and their communities; we’ve got a world-class education system emerging; and we’re improving health outcomes for New Zealanders.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which of the following statements by his own Ministers best represents his Government’s attitude towards migrant New Zealanders, given none of them received any sanction from him as Prime Minister: likening Indian Kiwis to a “butter chicken tsunami”, calling Chinese Kiwis “liars”, telling Mexican New Zealanders to “go home”, or telling a Cook Island New Zealander that “they aren’t really a New Zealander”?

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order. Mr Speaker, that statement made by Chris Hipkins is utterly false, as is—[Interruption] Listen up, you might learn something.

💬 SPEAKER: Hang on, just a moment. Points of order are heard in silence.

Rt Hon Winston Peters:—as is the very statement just made in the last few hours by that member of Parliament over there, who’s disowned what they’ve claimed to be the case. He said that the media got it entirely wrong as to what Winston Peters said. He made that statement. Why doesn’t that Minister know about it?

💬 SPEAKER: Well, the—[Interruption]

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Not a Minister yet, but will be in a few weeks.

💬 SPEAKER: Hang on, hang on. The point is definitely made, but the questioner was asking the Prime Minister’s views on various statements not attributed to anybody, so I think—

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: No, no he attributed it to me.

💬 SPEAKER: No, he didn’t. [Interruption] Hang on a minute!

💬 Hon Shane Jones: I put my hand up.

💬 SPEAKER: What are you putting your hand up for? That’s the first time he’s ever asked permission for anything. Just ask the question again.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Which of the following statements by his Ministers best reflects his Government’s attitude towards migrant New Zealanders, given none of them received any sanction from him as Prime Minister: likening Indian Kiwis to a butter chicken tsunami, calling Chinese Kiwis liars, telling Mexican New Zealanders to go home, or telling a Cook Island Kiwi that they aren’t really a New Zealander?

Well I’m incredibly proud of our migrant community here in New Zealand. I think they’ve added to New Zealand, they’ve made it an infinitely better place. They leave everything behind, they come here, they work incredibly hard, they don’t go on welfare, they get their kids educated, they take one, two, three jobs to get a deposit for a business, and they are a great example to many New Zealanders to follow. But also, this is a Government that has ensured we have a smart, fair, targeted immigration system: we have made sure that we have moved it from 70 percent low-skill, to 70 percent high-skill. Net migration has gone from 135,000 down to 25,000, and we link our immigration policy to our economic agenda, and where our job skills and shortages are, as well as to our infrastructure growth and development. That’s the way in which we maintain a good buy-in for immigration in New Zealand.

💬 Hon Chris Bishop: Would he support a member of his Government taking real estate data, going through the names, working out ones that sound Chinese, releasing that data in order to castigate a particular community and blame them for high house prices?

No, I’d encourage the member to stand up for that too.

💬 Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: What would he like his term as Prime Minister to be most remembered for: higher unemployment; real wages going backwards; higher food, electricity and fuel prices; a health system descending further into crisis; a shrinking economy; businesses going broke; or record number of Kiwis giving up and leaving New Zealand?

I’d like our Government to be remembered for cleaning up Labour’s mess. That’s what we did. We have the economy growing, we have a much safer environment because we restored law and order, we’re building a world-class education system, and we’re improving healthcare. That’s what Kiwi’s want. They know that is what this Government has done. I would proudly put my record up against his record any day of the week, and I’m really looking forward to it, son, in the next six weeks.

Prime Minister

Question No. 3

💬 SPEAKER: Question No. 2, Rawiri Waititi.

💬 RAWIRI WAITITI: No. 3, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: Oh, No. 3? Okay, sorry that last one was so long I’ve lost my way.

💬 RAWIRI WAITITI: I was just in the spirit of the House. I also just want to acknowledge the stellar job you have done to facilitate this rowdy House at times. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Sorry, can we please hear this in silence?

💬 Hon Members: Ha, ha!

💬 RAWIRI WAITITI: For the sake of an extra supplementary—for your grace.

💬 Hon Members: Ha, ha!

Asked by: RAWIRI WAITITI, Answered by: Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON

to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government’s statements and actions in relation to improving outcomes for Māori?

Absolutely.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Why does the Prime Minister define success for Māori by counting how many Māori he has kicked out of emergency housing, how many Māori he has put into prison, and how many parents have been prosecuted to address attendance, rather than whether Māori have secure homes, decent incomes, good health, access to Māori-medium education, and genuine control over our own futures?

As I have said to the member repeatedly, we don’t believe in histrionics and performative stuff; we actually get things done in this Government. Just think about it: 18 Treaty Settlements advanced; a thousand-plus Māori families out of emergency housing, 80 percent reduction; Māori health provider funding nearly doubled over this Government. I could go on.

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Does he deny that good process leads to good outcomes; and if not, does he consider that his Government’s removal of Māori authority across processes that impact Māori the most will only led to worse outcomes for Māori in the future?

I reject the characterisation of that question. As I’ve said, Māori youth offending is down 28 percent. We have 4,000 fewer Māori victims of violent crime—that’s a good thing; I think the member would want to celebrate that, wouldn’t you?

💬 Rawiri Waititi: On his last day, will the PM take responsibility or just his belongings?

💬 SPEAKER: I didn’t hear that. Will what?

💬 Rawiri Waititi: Would you like me to repeat it? On his last day, will the PM take responsibility or just take his belongings?

Well, I take responsibility for the outcomes that we’ve improved for Māori. Tamariki Māori immunised at 24 months has gone up from 60 percent to 71.3 percent. I just find it unusual that the member who purports to advocate for Māori doesn’t care about outcomes and improving their daily life. We do, on this side—Māori, non-Māori.

RMA Reform

Question No. 4

Asked by: Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL, Answered by: Hon CHRIS BISHOP

to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What recent milestones have been achieved in the Government’s work to replace the Resource Management Act 1991?

As of around 9.45 p.m. last night, the Resource Management Act (RMA) has been repealed. After 35 years of the RMA being a millstone around the neck of this country, we’ve now passed legislation for a fundamentally different way of planning for New Zealand’s future, as I think there is widespread consensus in the Parliament that the RMA has made it slower, harder, and more expensive to build homes, infrastructure, grow the food, and build the energy we rely on. It’s failed to prevent environmental degradation; we’ve had the worst of both worlds. We now have a new system—narrower, simpler, faster, more consistent, more upfront about the trade-offs we need to make, to make sure that as a country we can grow and thrive.

💬 Dr Hamish Campbell: What are the key changes that have been made as part of these reforms?

Unlike the RMA, most of the big decisions we made more upfront in the legislation and upfront in the system. It means we can stop relitigating the same questions over and over again through individual consent applications. One hundred planning documents will be replaced by 17 regional combined plans; we’ll have nationally standardised zones and rules to reduce variation across the country. Officials estimate around 45 percent of consent and permit applications currently required under the RMA could be removed under the new system. The economic benefits of these reforms are significant. Independent analysis projects the new planning system will boost GDP by an additional 0.56 percent every year by 2050, worth up to $3.1 billion annually. These are fundamentally good reforms to supercharge our economy.

💬 Dr Hamish Campbell: How important is the implementation of the new planning system going to be to its success?

Passing the legislation is a significant achievement for the Government, but the hard work is just beginning. When Parliament passed the RMA in 1991, it was assumed that there would be a whole lot of extra work done after that, which never happened, so the Government is very focused on the implementation around spatial planning, around national direction, and around national standards over the next two to three years. We’re also focused on driving a culture change in the new system. The RMA encouraged a culture focused on process, repeated litigation, development treated as something to be constrained not enabled. We’re working hard at changing the incentives and we’re investing in implementation. Budget 2026 invested $294 million over four years to support the roll-out of our new planning system; more will be required but we are getting on with the job.

💬 Dr Hamish Campbell: What do the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill do for New Zealand’s future?

One of the things that I have been reflecting on over the last three years is that we are not as wealthy as a country as sometimes we think we are, and we are certainly nowhere near as prosperous as we should be. We are, indeed, at a crossroads. We can accept a low-growth past, present, and future; we can continue to be a relatively poor country, and the continued degradation of our natural environment, or we can take tough choices and make hard decisions. If we get it right, it means our children can access higher living standards, better education, better healthcare systems, and protect the natural environment. The RMA reforms that this Government has implemented represent tough decisions in the national interest to set New Zealand up for success in the 2030s. They are part of this Government’s plan to build the future.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Minister point to just one single fast-track consent application for developing industry that the dancing tussocks in the Greens have supported?

💬 SPEAKER: No, look, you can’t make that—if he wants to, reword your question. Do you want to ask the question again without reference to a particular style of Government?

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: You mean about the “tussocks”?

💬 SPEAKER: As it happens.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: OK, then. Can the Minister point to just one single fast-track consent application for developing industry that the Greens have supported?

Well, I’ve struggled. There have been 35 fast-track applications that have now been approved, including projects that I think most people would say are pretty good. The first hydro scheme consented in New Zealand in a long time on the West Coast, Waitaha hydro; new solar, new wind farms, green steel—recycled steel proposal; development of aquaculture by iwi. Many, many projects; 990 megawatts of new renewable energy just in the last year alone. Sadly, the Greens have supported none of those projects.

💬 SPEAKER: Yeah, good—good. He asked for one.

Finance

Question No. 5

Asked by: Hon BARBARA EDMONDS, Answered by: Hon NICOLA WILLIS

to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions?

In context, yes, and I am advised by the Parliamentary Library that this is the 51st time in this parliamentary term that I’ve been asked that exact question by the member, and not once have I resiled from my commitment to lower taxes for working people.

💬 Hon Barbara Edmonds: Dramatic. Is the total number of KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals better or worse since she became Minister of Finance?

Well, since I became Minister of Finance, people’s default contributions to their KiwiSaver funds have increased, as have the contributions that match those from their employers. This will have a material effect on the size of people’s nest eggs in the years ahead, and I am proud of that. It is also the case that, while I have been Minister of Finance, this economy has been going through an extremely difficult recovery, which is reflected in the KiwiSaver stats that the member refers to. I recommend the member a report put out yesterday from independent experts that says, in part, the difficult recovery in New Zealand has experienced was exacerbated by poor decision-making by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, enabled through the loosening of guard rails from the last Government that allowed it to take its eye off the inflation-busting ball, and it’s led to higher unemployment and slower growth than would have otherwise been the case. More Kiwis would be in work right now if you hadn’t mucked up the Reserve Bank’s job.

💬 Hon Barbara Edmonds: Is the number of homeless New Zealanders better or worse since she became Minister of Finance?

Well, that will depend on which survey you refer to. But I stood in this House in Opposition and lamented that children were being raised in gross motel rooms, and we committed that we would fix that. I am extraordinarily proud that this Government, through its prioritisation of families who were otherwise condemned to live in motel rooms, has put them into warm, dry, social homes, because I don’t think kids should be raised in emergency motel rooms. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Just one person asking a question.

💬 Hon Barbara Edmonds: Is the number of children living in material hardship better or worse since she became Minister of Finance?

We have published a child poverty report with each Budget, and one of the things that that shows is that when you deliver income tax relief to working people, that improves the conditions—the material conditions—in which parents can raise their children. It matters if people can keep more of what they earn, and it matters when they can get a FamilyBoost tax credit for their early childhood fees, and it matters when the Government spends their money carefully so it can keep taxes low.

💬 Hon Barbara Edmonds: If the number of KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals, the number of New Zealanders unemployed, the number of businesses liquidated, the number of people who are homeless, the number of children in material hardship, real wages, GDP per capita, and the cost of living are all worse since she became the Minister of Finance, are her chances of getting back into Parliament better or worse?

Well, given that member’s sole suggestion for addressing the cost of living crisis for the past three years has been “We wouldn’t have done tax cuts for landlords,” and now she’s changed her mind, I’d say to you: we’ve delivered on our plan, we’ve delivered on our commitments, we have fixed the basics, and we are building the future. You got nothing.

Regulation

Question No. 6

Asked by: TODD STEPHENSON, Answered by: Hon DAVID SEYMOUR

to the Minister for Regulation: What actions has the Government taken to reduce regulation for New Zealanders?

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and in keeping with other party leaders, I’d like to thank you for your grace and forbearance in trying to manage this place over the last three years. I begin my answer to the question by saying that this Government, I believe, will be looked back on as a Government where New Zealand started to turn the corner on regulation. The establishment of the Ministry for Regulation and the Regulatory Standards Act are some of the institutions that we’ve created, and they have saved hundreds of millions of dollars already. However, the changes that the House voted through last night to replace the Resource Management Act with two new laws based on property rights—that will halve the number of consents required for the same amount of activity; that will add half a percent or about $3 billion a year to GDP—that is the largest, most significant change that this Government has made, and yet it is far from the only one in this Government of deregulation.

💬 Todd Stephenson: What has the Government done to reduce unnecessary regulation in health?

Many things on the health front—for example, 12-month prescriptions up from three, allowing Kiwis, particularly those managing chronic health conditions, to save time and money. Medsafe introduced the rule of two, something that all three coalition parties campaigned on. Now if a medicine has been consented in two other developed countries in the last four years, it will be available and consented here within 30 days. We’ve also aligned over the counter labelling requirements with Australia so more over the counter medicines can be sold here at better prices, with more choice. But perhaps most significantly, we have legalised pseudoephedrine to wake you up and melatonin to put you back to sleep.

💬 Hon Andrew Hoggard: What has the Government done to cut red tape for farmers?

Well, I have in the back of my mind your recent admonishments for excessively long answers, so I’ll give only a sample. The Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review has dramatically reduced the queues for new products being consented in New Zealand, and that gives farmers more affordable and more environmentally friendly agricultural compounds, veterinary medicines, and the like that allow them to compete with the rest of the world. That is a very good example of deregulation, as are Andrew Hoggard’s simpler, risk-based freshwater farm plans, and we are currently ensuring that New Zealand farmers will be able to use drones more easily as the modern flying tractor of the innovative Kiwi farm.

💬 Laura McClure: What has the Government done to cut red tape in education?

Again, many things. The sector review of the early childhood education sector is estimated to save $40 million in compliance costs while ramping up the focus on child safety, with a new proportional approach to regulation, a new regulator, and a much more constructive relationship between the regulator and the regulated. The Government has also introduced charter schools, which increase the choice and allow those who have innovative ways to educate young New Zealanders and help unlock their potential to teach and educate their way. The change that is making and the potential being unlocked in young New Zealanders up and down this country at over 20 charter schools now is absolutely touching and perhaps the thing that I, in politics, am most proud of.

💬 Hon Nicole McKee: What has the Government done to reduce red tape for the hospitality sector?

No sector has been left untouched, nearly. The hospitality sector has had a very hard row to hoe in recent years. The first was lockdown, then being told they could open the next day by a Government that didn’t understand that they hadn’t actually had time to order the food to serve that day, then a prolonged cost of living crisis in recession. This Government has relieved the regulatory pressure on them. For example, the Minister who asked the question has ensured that if you want to object to a liquor licence, you actually have to live in the community and be affected by it. You can’t object from another country. We will be rolling out, over the next half-year to a year, simpler food-control plans that are proportionate to risk, allowing venues to put up marquees more easily through the Building Act, and letting venues charge for courtesy shuttles to bring down drink-driving. In every way, we are making it easier to run a hospitality venue, by removing red tape and regulation. Nobody had listened to them for a long time, perhaps ever, until the Ministry for Regulation came along and gave them an intelligent, sympathetic ear, and it turned into action.

💬 Hon Karen Chhour: What regulations has the Government changed to improve access to healthcare for children in care?

I have to commend the member, who’s visited every single Oranga Tamariki facility and overseen significant improvements in safety in those facilities for some of the most vulnerable children—and she’s done it without a single bucket of KFC to get anyone off the roof. She’s also deregulated by letting trained, authorised staff administer emergency medicines like EpiPens, and by letting nurse practitioners carry out health exams so those vulnerable children are more likely to get the healthcare they need.

💬 Cameron Luxton: What has the Government done to make it easier to build homes?

Many, many things. For too long, it’s been too hard to build a home, too hard to build a whare on your whenua. We have, for example, allowed recognised building materials—certified in trusted overseas schemes, including 128,000 Australian WaterMark products—to be used here. We’re letting plumbers and drainlayers self-certify; we’ve reformed the rushed earthquake laws, that I have to say only one member of this House voted against; we’re now saving $9 billion in regulatory relief there. We have got rid of the joint and several liability that meant that councils were so unwilling to say yes to construction. Furthermore—slightly tangential to regulation—we have introduced revenue sharing between central and local government, so councils have an incentive to say yes to growth.

💬 Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Supplementary, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: No, I think we’re all done.

Point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave for the ACT Party to have one more supplementary question so the people of New Zealand can learn about the enormous progress made by this Government of deregulation.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection? There is. The Hon Marama Davidson.

Prime Minister

Question No. 7

💬 Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: And what a fine Speaker you have been, Mr Speaker—the leadership, the guaranteed entertainment. I dressed up especially for you, Mr Speaker, and I’m always in the market for extra supplementaries. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

💬 SPEAKER: See how you go!

Asked by: Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON, Answered by: Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON

to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i ngā kōrero me ngā mahi katoa a tōna Kāwanatanga?

[Does he stand by all of his Government’s statements and actions?]

Yes, and in particular, our desire never to introduce a 45 percent top tax rate, never to introduce a death or inheritance tax, a gift tax, a rentals tax, or a wealth asset tax.

💬 Hon Marama Davidson: Whose interests was he serving when he amended his resource management reforms to reflect the demands of corporate lobby groups?

Well, we didn’t do that, as we have discussed previously.

💬 Hon Marama Davidson: Whose interests was he serving when he cut funding for Predator Free, passed a bill legalising the killing of kiwi, and cut protections for fresh water?

I reject the characterisation of that question.

💬 Hon Marama Davidson: Whose interests was he serving when he weakened our climate targets, disestablished the Ministry for the Environment, and cancelled plans to electrify our transport fleet?

Actually, I’m quite proud of the fact that we had 96.4 percent renewable energy in the last quarter. I’m quite proud of the fact that we’ve built more renewable projects in the last two years than the previous eight years, and I’m actually proud of the fact that we’ve had the lowest level of emissions from our economy, since records began in 2010, in the last quarter as well.

💬 Hon Marama Davidson: What is his message to the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who took to the streets in Auckland on Saturday, marching to demand environmental protections, who now see his Government dismantling decades of environmental protections?

I disagree. They’ve actually got a Government that will ensure the environment is protected, but, most importantly, they will grow and they will have jobs and opportunities for them and their families.

💬 Hon Marama Davidson: How are we going, Mr Speaker? Can I have one more? Thank you. Was he serving the interests of the New Zealand public when he decided to subsidise oil and gas, fast-track mining applications, and make it easier to mine in and around significant biodiversity and wetlands?

We are very, very proud of having reversed the oil and gas ban. That was, single-handedly, a point of absolute insanity from the last Government. That led to higher electricity prices and higher power bills, and we have a very comprehensive energy strategy that is working. We are proud of accelerating a renewables boom, and we’re also proud of having the thermal firming energy we need to keep prices low in a dry year.

💬 SPEAKER: Question No. 8, Dr Ayesha Verrall—the Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall.

Health

Question No. 8

Asked by: Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL, Answered by: Hon SIMEON BROWN

to the Minister of Health: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’m not going ask for extra supplementaries, but I am always on the lookout for good answers. My question is to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that the health system is “finally turning a corner”; if so, why?

Well, Mr Speaker, thank you so much for your leadership of this Parliament. I just want to add my congratulations, alongside everyone else, before I answer my question. In the context it was made, yes. This morning, I announced the most recent health targets results, covering April to June, showing significant improvement across all five health targets. All five health targets are set for 2030, and every one has now improved for two years running, which is the steady, year-on-year progress needed to reach the 2030 targets. Key improvements include more than 14,000 fewer patients waiting more than four months since the peak, a reduction of 41 percent; shorter waits for elective treatment in every district across the country, including a 21 percentage point improvement in Whanganui, a 14 percentage point improvement in Gisborne, and a 10 percentage point improvement in South Canterbury; continued improvement in immunisation rates; faster cancer treatment; and shorter stays in emergency departments, particularly compared to 2023, when that member was the Minister of Health. We know there is more work to do, and that is exactly why now is the time to double down on the health targets and not return to removing them, like Labour did in 2017, and to make sure that we continue the progress that our hard-working front-line staff are delivering across the country.

💬 Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Can he confirm that Middlemore’s emergency department has routinely operated at 200 percent over capacity and that staff are being asked to come to work when sick?

According to the emergency department target data that was released today, in the most recent quarter, Middlemore Hospital improved from 65 percent to 76.9 percent of patients being seen within six hours. That is one of the highest, best improvements of any hospital up and down this country, and that member should be proud of the great work being done by the front-line staff at that hospital.

💬 Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Can he confirm that in Waikato, his Government has cut staff by 90 fulltime-equivalent nurses over the past year?

I want to point out the most recent quarterly data on emergency departments, which shows that improvements at the Waikato district health board—69.3 percent, up to 73.8 percent of patients seen within six hours at the hospital. There are shorter wait-times for elective treatment, from 74.2 percent seen within four months, up to 80.6 percent—above the milestone. That is thanks to the hard-working front-line staff at Waikato Hospital.

💬 Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Can he confirm that in Christchurch emergency department, 15,000 patients were treated in corridors last year, nearly four times more than in 2023?

We’ve got more good news, and if you look at the most recent health targets report, shorter wait-times for elective treatment at Canterbury has improved from 62.9 percent of patients seen within four months, up to 71.4 percent seen within four months. What about first specialist appointments? 50.8 percent seen within four months last quarter, up to 57.7 percent. The member opposite might like to talk down our health system, but we are seeing year-on-year improvements under this Government, after decline under her watch.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does the Minister of Health consider that had qualified doctors and nurses not been mandated out of their jobs by the previous Government, leading to permanent employment scarring, that New Zealand would have more trained professionals in our hospitals, GP offices, and healthcare centres?

Our focus has been to grow the number of front-line staff across our health system. We have 900 additional doctors working at Health New Zealand since we’ve come to Government. We are training more at the University of Auckland and Otago; with a third medical school that this Government is funding and building—that Labour opposed. We’re supporting our front-line nursing workforce with 2,100 more nurses working at Health New Zealand since we came to Government. We’re investing in nurses in primary care, with nurses becoming nurse practitioners. This Government is backing our front-line health workforce, while Labour continues to talk it down.

💬 Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Is he really content to leave his last comment in this Parliament, on the matter of 15,000 people in Christchurch Hospital waiting in corridors, to be, “More good news”?

There is more work to do. Every time I’m asked about our healthcare system, I acknowledge there is huge amount more work to do. But after six years of decline under the previous Government, six years of decline in our emergency departments under the previous Government, things are on the way up. Improving under National; down under Labour. Let’s not go back to what they did to our health system.

Education

Question No. 9

Asked by: KATIE NIMON, Answered by: Hon ERICA STANFORD

to the Minister of Education: What has she achieved in this term of Government?

After decades of declining achievement, we’re a Government that’s putting raising achievement and closing the equity gap at the heart of everything we’re doing. We introduced an hour of reading, writing, and maths; we banned cellphones in schools; we’ve delivered every single curriculum area from years 1 to 13 for the New Zealand curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa; we’ve mandated the structured literacy teaching in every school in New Zealand; we’ve introduced structured maths; we’ve trained over 50,000 teachers in structured literacy and structured maths; we’ve funded maths books, science books, and music kits in every primary school in New Zealand in English and te reo Māori; and we’re scrapping NCEA and replacing it with meaningful qualifications to set kids up for success—and the results are starting to show.

💬 Katie Nimon: What has she achieved in assessment and reporting to parents?

For the first time in our country’s history, we have consistent nationwide mandated twice-yearly assessments between year 3 and year 8 to measure progress in reading, writing, and maths, to measure progress over time. We’ve delivered the 20 and 40 weeks phonics checks in English and te reo Māori; we’re delivering the Year 2 maths check in term 4 this year; and parents are, finally, receiving detailed reports on how their children are progressing and how they can help at home using our new Parent Portal tool. We are measuring progress consistently. We’re acting sooner and giving parents clearer information to raise achievement and close the equity gap.

💬 Katie Nimon: What has she achieved in learning support?

Budget 2025 was the largest injection into learning support in a generation, with three-quarters of a billion dollars. We’re delivering a learning support coordinator in every single primary and intermediate school in New Zealand—promised by that side and not delivered. We uncapped Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Scheme (ORRS) funding, with 1,057 extra children receiving ORRS support—uncapping ORRS funding: promised by that side, delivered by this side. We’ve funded the expansion of the Early Intervention Service, that saw over 6,000 year 1 students receive support this year to transition to school; a thousand extra placements have been made available for private providers to get children off wait-lists for specialist services; and we’ve taken 15.7 days off the average wait time for early intervention support—more children who need support are being seen sooner.

💬 Katie Nimon: What has she achieved in school property?

More good news. We’ve set up the New Zealand School Property Agency to drive better value for money and better response to schools. We’ve halved the cost of building a school classroom and put an end to open-plan classrooms; we’ve funded nearly 1,400 classrooms across the country in three years. We invested more than double the funding into property maintenance over Budget 2024 and 2025 than in the previous six years combined. We’ve raised five-year agreement individual school property and maintenance grants by 50 percent. We’ve funded three new specialist schools for the first time in 50 years; we’ve funded over 140 extra satellite classrooms for specialist schools; and we’ve funded 500 schools to have solar panels. We are delivering in school property.

💬 Katie Nimon: What results has she seen on these reforms?

We are finally, after decades of decline and stagnation, seeing results improve under this Government. The New Zealand Herald led with my favourite headline this year—“The Phonic Boom”—when, last year, we saw the number of children at expectation for early reading and writing go from 36 percent to 58 percent after just three terms. The 2025 Curriculum Insights data showed us that at year 6, the number of children at curriculum expectations for maths rose by 6 percent, and 5 percent for writing—the first time we’ve seen significant improvements for years. Our international Programme for International Student Assessment results showed that while the trend for the rest of the OECD was in decline, New Zealand held steady in maths and reading and improved in science. But, importantly, the equity gap closed for the first time. I want to take this opportunity to thank our principals and teachers for these achievements. Our plan to raise achievement and close the equity gap is working, and we cannot put this all at risk by returning to the low-aspiration, low-expectation, low-bar Labour.

💬 SPEAKER: Question No. 10, Arena Williams. [Interruption] Hang on a minute. Sorry. I’ve called it.

💬 Hon Kieran McAnulty: It’s a two-way street, isn’t it.

💬 SPEAKER: No, no, no. You’ve got to allow your member to ask the question she’s called to ask.

💬 Hon Kieran McAnulty: She’s more than capable.

💬 SPEAKER: Yeah, she is, and that’s why she doesn’t need your assistance.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Question No. 10

Asked by: ARENA WILLIAMS, Answered by: Hon CAMERON BREWER

to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: Are New Zealanders paying more than they should for groceries; if so, does he agree that they should not have to wait for another review before the Government takes action?

Mr Speaker, if I’m nice to you, will you give them less supplementaries?

💬 SPEAKER: If this was a Government question, you wouldn’t be getting an answer at all!

Yes, New Zealanders pay too much for groceries. That is why this Government has made it easier to build supermarkets, strengthened the grocery supply code and competition settings, and backed the Commerce Commission’s enforcement work. We also commissioned independent analysis of structural reform, and that independent analysis is now finished and public on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website. Of the options tested, separating Foodstuffs has the strongest case.

💬 Arena Williams: Why should a family whose grocery bill is higher today than when National took office believe that their food will be more affordable under that plan, when all along he has been telling us that, under his Government, it will just get more expensive more slowly?

Because, under this Government, our track record on inflation, food inflation included, stands for itself. In the last 12 months to July 2026, food inflation was just 1.9 percent. In the last 12 months of the previous Labour Government, food inflation for one year was 12.5 percent.

💬 Arena Williams: Why, when even the Prime Minister acknowledges that supermarkets are already making excess profits, does he need another review to tell him if changes to the grocery sector are needed?

We’re not doing another review. If the member was to look on MBIE’s website, it’s complete—it’s complete. Government’s commissioned independent analysis of structural options is finished and is public. The autonomous, independent Commerce Commission will then take—with all the intention in the world, after this election, when the mandate’s even bigger, ComCom will look at that and make up recommendations, and, in six months’ time, we’re back in business.

💬 Arena Williams: Why has his Government spent $274,000 on a review of a review to tell him to break up the supermarkets, when he was too weak to get a supermarket break-up through Cabinet?

I suppose the question could be put back: why consider, hypothetically, a wholesale retail split, when MBIE’s own commissioned independent analysis, and the Commerce Commission, outright ruled against a wholesale retail split?

💬 Arena Williams: Point of order. I seek leave to table a document from MBIE dated 21 September 2026, obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA) but not publicly released, which details the cost of the review of the review.

💬 SPEAKER: How’s it not publicly released if it’s obtained under the OIA?

💬 Arena Williams: It was released only two days ago and is not available on MBIE’s website.

💬 SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.

Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.

💬 Arena Williams: Thank you. Why should Kiwis expect any better from a Government whose answer on food prices has been to tell Kiwis to be grateful for price increases of only 143 percent for the tomatoes and 31 percent for the cheese in the Prime Minister’s chicken parmigiana?

Because, as I’ve said before, our record speaks for itself on food inflation. The member, in chapter 1 of “spaghettigate”, waved around a can of spaghetti proclaiming that the price had fallen by 1c, and then the Minister of Finance stood up and reminded her that in one year under Labour, that same tin of spaghetti went up 35 percent.

💬 Arena Williams: Supplementary. [Interruption]

💬 SPEAKER: Yeah, when the House is settled, we’ll have another question.

💬 Arena Williams: Has he missed the latest food price data that shows the price of a tin of spaghetti has actually gone up 8 percent under National, or is that all he’s got?

Oh, we’ve got much more than that, but fruit and vegetables, in the 12 months to July 2026, fell 1 percent—fell. Now, should we compare that to the 12 months to June 2023 under the previous high-inflation Labour Government: fruit and veges, in one year, went up 22 percent.

💬 Arena Williams: After spending $274,000 of taxpayers’ money on a review of a review, has he committed to spending another $5 million on a review of a review of a review?

Any review, any analysis, is on the MBIE website, independently done and commissioned by this Government. It’s complete for the member to go on and see it. The review is complete.

💬 Arena Williams: Supplementary.

💬 SPEAKER: You’ve used up the allocation well and truly.

💬 Arena Williams: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to table this can of spaghetti.

💬 SPEAKER: No, no, you can’t do that; it’s not a document. You can’t table something that’s not a document, and besides that, there’s not enough to go around. Question No. 11—[Interruption] Excuse me.

Prime Minister

Question No. 11

Asked by: CHLÖE SWARBRICK, Answered by: Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON

to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i ngā kōrero me ngā mahi katoa a tōna Kāwanatanga?

[Does he stand by all of his Government’s statements and actions?]

💬 SPEAKER: The right honourable Prime Minister, and—[Interruption] Excuse me. Let’s just calm everything right down—two more questions to go.

Yes, and particularly our desire never to introduce a comprehensive capital gains tax.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he stand by his statement to Jordan Williams and the Taxpayers’ Union to “Be louder.”, and, if so, what exactly did he mean by that?

Well, sorry, I haven’t seen that reporting or that quote because I’m much more focused on an Indian free-trade agreement getting ratified on Monday and Resource Management Act reforms being done last night.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Does the Prime Minister agree with the Green Party that our country needs to regulate lobbying?

No, I don’t agree with the Green Party on many things.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Why did his Government cancel work that was already under way to regulate lobbying if he had, as he said in answer to me yesterday, “not considered it deeply”?

Well, look, I mean, we’ve improved the transparency of this Government. Our diaries as Ministers are freely available. We’ve managed conflicts very assiduously across a very big legislative programme. We’re also proud that we’re a Government that does something quite unusual, I’ve found out in the last week, which is actually talk to New Zealanders when we have policy ideas to get all that feedback.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he think that companies should be able to donate to political parties, or does he agree with the Independent Electoral Review that only people should be allowed to donate to political parties?

I’ll just say to the member, when I think about large donations that end up going to the Green Party—$100,000; $132,000—they should practise what they preach.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Is he aware that the majority of New Zealanders believe that the economy is rigged in favour of the rich and powerful, and, if so, can he name just one thing that he or his Government has done this term to demonstrate the opposite?

I reject the characterisation of that question and the assertion at the top of it.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: On the issue of the Indian free-trade agreement (FTA), has the Prime Minister established whether the $33 billion to be invested by New Zealand in India’s economy is “aspirational”, as claimed, or a commitment, as written and stated by India’s Prime Minister, Modi?

Look, I want to thank the Foreign Minister for his question. I want to reassure him that it is a commitment to promote. It’s very different from other FTAs that have been struck with India. We’re going to make sure that we get more business-to-business connection between the two countries. But I’ll just reassure him: commitment to promote.

Tākuta Ferris: To the Prime Minister: will he rule out—

💬 SPEAKER: Just a minute. They need to turn on your microphone.

Tākuta Ferris: To the Prime Minister: will he rule out campaigning on a referendum on the Māori seats and ending the Waitangi Tribunal?

💬 SPEAKER: Hang on. Look, sorry, do you mind just asking again and we’ll just try and get the sound modulated properly.

Tākuta Ferris: Āe. To the Prime Minister: will he rule out campaigning on a referendum on the Māori seats and ending the Waitangi Tribunal?

I’m sorry, I don’t campaign as Prime Minister.

Tākuta Ferris: On the eve of the campaigning period, what message do you have for te iwi Māori?

What was the question? Sorry, can you repeat it?

Tākuta Ferris: Sure. On the eve of the campaigning period, what is the message that you have for te iwi Māori?

Oh, party vote National for sure, because this is a Government that cares deeply about outcomes and improving outcomes for Māori: 18 Treaty settlements advanced; 1,000-plus families out of emergency housing; Māori health provider funding nearly doubled; the Nelson Tenths deal, which I think was one of our proudest achievements over that period of time; the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act passing; improving regular attendance for Māori, from 51.3 percent up to 54.6 percent just in the last year. I could go on: Māori youth offending—did I tell you about that one—down 28 percent; 4,000 fewer Māori victims of violent crime.

💬 Rt Hon Winston Peters: With respect to the last question, has heard the quote “Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and be removing all doubt”?

💬 SPEAKER: Well, I’m sure no one would direct that at the member’s particular person.

Trade and Investment

Question No. 12

💬 Dr CARLOS CHEUNG: Thank you, Mr Speaker. On behalf of the class of 2023, we would like to acknowledge your guidance and leadership for this term, and hopefully you will give me an extra supplementary as well.

💬 SPEAKER: No, I won’t.

Asked by: Dr CARLOS CHEUNG, Answered by: Hon NICOLA GRIGG

to the Minister of State for Trade and Investment: What progress has been made on the New Zealand-India free-trade agreement?

Well, Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for Trade and Investment, who also sends his kind regards and congratulations and thanks to you, we have made excellent progress. New Zealand and India now have formally ratified the New Zealand-India free-trade agreement (FTA). This is a significant milestone towards the implementation of one of New Zealand’s most significant agreements in decades. For farmers, growers, foresters, manufacturers, and other exporters, this FTA creates new opportunities to earn higher export returns and expand into a market of 1.4 billion people when it enters into force on 20 October this year.

💬 Dr Carlos Cheung: What does the entry into force timing mean for exporters?

Well, the sooner the FTA enters into force, the sooner New Zealand exporters can benefit from the improved rules and market access achieved in the agreement. This includes tariff-free access of 57 percent of our current exports to India on day one, rising to 82 percent once the agreement is fully implemented, with most remaining exports benefiting from substantial tariff reductions. The entry into force will open a new chapter for Kiwi exporters and positions New Zealand businesses to take advantage of India’s rapid economic growth.

💬 Dr Carlos Cheung: Which sectors benefit most, from day one?

Several sectors will benefit from tariff removal on day one—for example for forestry, over 95 percent of exports will be able to enter tariff-free immediately. Tariffs will also be removed immediately for wool, sheep meat, and coal. Others—like fish and seafood, mānuka honey, wine, and bulk infant formula—will benefit from two tariff reductions in close succession, with the first cut on 20 October and the second on 1 January 2027.

💬 Dr Carlos Cheung: What do the most favoured nation commitments mean in the free-trade agreement (FTA)?

Three years ago, they said we wouldn’t be able to get a deal with India and this Government has got out there and got it done. The agreement secures valuable most favoured nation protections for wine and key service sectors. For wine exporters, tariffs will fall from 150 percent today to 25 percent or 50 percent over the next 10 years, depending on the value of the wine product. It will then further reduce to 20 percent or 30 percent in the next seven years. This is just another example of our plan to fix the basics and build the future.

💬 SPEAKER: That concludes oral questions. [Interruption] Look, if you are leaving the House, just be courteous enough to leave as quietly as you possibly can, and quickly. Unreal; move on.