Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

Questions to Ministers TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What updates has she seen on the progress of the Apprenticeship Boost scheme? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he seen on the views of Moody's rating agency about the New Zealand economy? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: What update on the fiscal outlook, if any, have Public Service chief executives been informed of at recent meetings reported to have been held with him, and what updated requests for spending restraint, if any, have been directed to those chief executives? Dr LIZ CRAIG to the Minister for Children: What recent announcements has he made regarding the anniversary of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan? BROOKE van VELDEN to the Minister of Finance: How much money, if any, as a percentage of their departmental budgets, were Public Service chief executives asked to save in meetings this week and last week, and how big is the gap between the forecast OBEGAL for 2023/24 in the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 and Treasury's current estimates for OBEGAL, if any? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Housing: What is the current nationwide median rent according to the MBIE rental bond database, and what has been the increase in the nationwide median rent according to the MBIE rental bond database since October 2017? RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has she made about the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Health: Does she agree with the Minister for Social Development and Employment, who said yesterday, "I'm not saying that there isn't more to do with regards to dental treatment and access in New Zealand. That can't all come down to the welfare system, though. I think the health system and perhaps even ACC need to take a little responsibility there"? Hon PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What has the Government done to make pricing clearer at supermarkets? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Is he committed to delivering light rail in Auckland and Wellington?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What announcements has she made about addressing modern slavery? BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Associate Minister of Health: Can she confirm that the Ministry of Health allocated funding to the National Hauora Coalition in 2019 which is being used to offer the incentive of two $50 Prezzy Cards to expectant or new mothers for attending a pregnancy assessment and a 6-week assessment, and can she confirm that eligibility for the payment is determined by whether the expectant mother identified as Maori when they enrolled at their practice? INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement yesterday that "the Government has completed its tax work programme"; if so, what potential new taxation measures were discussed in the seven tax reports the Government refused to release as part of the Budget 2023 proactive release? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has she made regarding affordable housing? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: How much money has been spent on consultants for Auckland light rail and Let's Get Wellington Moving since 26 October 2017, and how much money has been spent on construction activities for these projects during this time frame? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Do special needs grants for dental treatment adequately meet need for dental care, considering 40 percent of adult New Zealanders are unable to afford treatment? ANNA LORCK to the Minister for Biosecurity: What recent announcements has he made regarding the work to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis from New Zealand? HON MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "It is my view that New Zealanders feel safer"; if so, why? TANGI UTIKERE to the Associate Minister of Housing: What is the Government doing to ensure the rights of retirement village residents are protected and enhanced? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister for Children: Does he stand by all his statements and actions regarding Oranga Tamariki?

Questions to Ministers HON JAMES SHAW to the Minister of Finance: What unused revenue tools, if any, are available to the Government that would both increase allowances and enable better investment in public services? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and policies? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Cyclone Recovery: What recent announcements has he made on support for cyclone-affected regions? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? PAUL EAGLE to the Minister of Housing: What progress has the Government made in rebuilding public housing in New Zealand? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions on tax policy? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Education: What progress has the Government made in improving school buildings and property since 2017? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? DAMIEN SMITH to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that "GST is a comprehensive tax which makes it very easy to administer and people in the room who've been in other countries with more exemptions will know it becomes an absolute boondoggle to get through"; if so, does he support expanding exemptions to GST in New Zealand? LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE to the Minister of Immigration: What reports has he seen on the reopening of our borders? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Will he commit to continuing and delivering Let's Get Wellington Moving and Auckland light rail? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Tourism: What recent reports has he seen regarding New Zealanders' support for tourism?

Questions to Ministers DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What is the significance of the US Secretary of State's visit to New Zealand in terms of bilateral relations? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions on tax policy? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister for Women: How is the Government delivering for women? GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Is she confident that the Government's consideration of joining AUKUS Pillar Two is aligned with its stated independent and Pacific-centric foreign policy stance? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: What are his priorities as Minister of Transport? Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA to the Minister of Health: What is the Government doing to improve the mental health and wellbeing of New Zealanders? Dr JAMES McDOWALL to the Minister of Immigration: What is the total investment value of all Investor 1 and 2 applications that are currently with Immigration New Zealand, if any, and how does that figure compare to the total unweighted investment value of Active Investor Plus visa applications? ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Revenue: Does she support a wealth tax, and does she support the principles contained within the Taxation Principles Reporting Bill? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Justice: How has the Government enabled communities and hospitality businesses to get behind the men's Rugby World Cup later this year? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: Does she consider that the $65 million of Vote Tertiary Education funding allocated to set up the six workforce development councils has provided good value for money? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for Economic Development: How does the new Aerospace Strategy support Government goals for a high-wage, low-emissions economy? CHRIS PENK to the Minister for Cyclone Recovery: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions in the six months since the Auckland Anniversary weekend flooding events and in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? HELEN WHITE to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What announcements has she made about supporting Auckland's St James Theatre? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree with former Minister of Transport Hon Phil Twyford, who said in March 2018, "Solving Auckland's traffic gridlock is also important for the rest of New Zealand with congestion in the city between 2015 and 2017 estimated to have cost the economy between $1.3 billion a year in lost productivity", and has congestion become better or worse since then? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement in relation to the decision not to progress his tax proposal for Budget 2023 that "I wouldn't have put so much work into it if I didn't think that it had merit. But I also am a team player"; if so, approximately how many hours of officials' time went into developing these tax proposals that were rejected? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Infrastructure: What progress has the Government made in addressing New Zealand's infrastructure deficit? CHRIS BISHOP to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the total amount spent from the December 2017 quarter onwards on Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants to date, and is she satisfied with the Government's performance on housing? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister for the Public Service: What recent announcements has he made about strengthening New Zealand's cyber-security readiness and response? Hon LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: Does growing up in a benefit-dependent home contribute to child poverty; if so, is she concerned by the increase in children living in benefit-dependent homes under this Government? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree it's unfair that young people on the benefit are eligible for almost $44 less every week than people 25 and up? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A to the Minister of Police: What recent milestones have been reached on the roll-out of the Tactical Response Model? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Corrections: Does he stand by his statement, "we have safely reduced the prison population"; if so, why? Hon PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What action is the Government taking to ensure Kiwi consumers are treated fairly by their banks, insurers, and credit unions?

Questions to Ministers INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What action is the Government taking to decarbonise New Zealand's energy sector? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with tax advice provided to him by the Treasury that "fiscal drag has had the greatest impact on average full time wage earners. However, it is increasingly impacting lower income individuals over time", and will the Government adjust tax thresholds to address this? NICOLE MCKEE to the Minister of Justice: What was the total cost of cultural reports funded by the Ministry of Justice in October 2017, and what was the total cost of cultural reports funded by the Ministry of Justice in May 2023? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What recent announcement has she made about New Zealand's ongoing response to Russia's assault on Ukraine? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her statement, "Dental care is something that can be put off due to affordability difficulties, especially for low-income households. We know that issues with dental health have a negative impact on people's general health, financial health, ability to work, and quality of life"; if so, does she have confidence people unable to afford dental care can access dental grants? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Police: What recent progress have Police made on tackling organised crime? DR SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How many times has her office requested officials delay the release of information, as she described in the correction to her response to oral question No. 8 last Wednesday, and when did she first receive any communication suggesting the answers she gave to question No. 8 were not accurate? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: What recent announcement has she made regarding a new food industry for New Zealand? HON PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is she confident the Government has the correct priorities in justice?

Questions to Ministers SORAYA PEKE-MASON to the Minister of Health: What announcements has the Government made about its long-term vision for the health of New Zealanders? CHRIS BISHOP to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment: How many applicants on the Housing Register, if any, indicated they were living in a car at the time of application in June 2023, and how does this compare to October 2017? JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister of Justice: What recent announcements has the Government made about increasing accountability for young offenders? Hon MEKA WHAITIRI to the Minister of Climate Change: Does he stand by all the Government's statements and actions regarding engagement with Maori landowners on the review of the emissions trading scheme? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement that "my bottom line is to ensure our young people are getting the education they need and deserve", and does she believe the 85 percent of year 8 Pacific students who are not achieving at curriculum level 4 or above in maths, according to the 2022 NMSSA data, are getting the education they need and deserve? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made regarding working holiday visas? MATT DOOCEY to the Minister of Health: Does she stand by all of her statements and actions in relation to the release of health data by Health New Zealand? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector: What recent announcements has she made about modernising the charities sector? TONI SEVERIN to the Minister of Corrections: Does he think it is acceptable that, as at 31 May 2023, 2,191 sentenced prisoners had attended a rehabilitation programme during the 2022/2023 year, 4,140 fewer than attended rehabilitation programmes in the 2017/2018 year, and how many sentenced prisoners attended a rehabilitation programme during June 2023? HELEN WHITE to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What updates can he report about the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Revenue: Does he stand by his statement on the Government's proposal for a wealth tax that "As is clear from the papers, I supported it", and does he think Inland Revenue was right to say a wealth tax would "generate a range of economic costs and other risks"? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Is reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport still a priority for this Government?

Questions to Ministers DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and policies? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How is the Government partnering with businesses to support the uptake of low emissions technology? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister of Health: What announcement has the Government made about removing the postcode lottery for cataract surgery? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement in June this year that "the extent of the Government's work on tax was outlined after the 2020 election. That has been the work programme for tax", and is that consistent with the months spent working on proposals for new taxes, including a minimum tax, wealth tax, and a capital gains tax intended to be part of Budget 2023? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Justice: What steps is the Government taking to crack down on youth offending and gang offending? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does she believe her Government has had the right priorities in justice; if so, why? Dr ELIZABETH KEREKERE to the Associate Minister of Health (Pacific Peoples): What actions has the Government taken based on the consultations and reviews of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964 since 2017, and will she introduce legislation on this subject in this Parliament? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What is the current State highway maintenance budget for 2021-24, and how does this compare to 2015-18? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "It is my view that New Zealanders feel safer"; if so, why? Dr EMILY HENDERSON to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has the Government made about the pursuit of criminal offending? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her actions and policies?

Questions to Ministers RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister for Cyclone Recovery: What announcements has the Government made about supporting the recovery in affected regions from recent extreme weather events? NICOLA WILLIS to the Acting Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? PAUL EAGLE to the Minister of Housing: How is the Government incorporating innovative building solutions into the public housing rebuild? JAN LOGIE to the Minister of Housing: What is the Kainga Ora universal design standards target, and when did the board adopt this target? Dr LIZ CRAIG to the Minister of Health: What changes has the Government made to the Carer Support subsidy? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Local Government: Does he stand by all decisions made around the Government's water services reform programme in 2023? DAMIEN SMITH to the Minister of Statistics: Does she have confidence that Stats NZ will achieve the 90 percent completion rate target for the New Zealand Census 2023, and is she "absolutely" willing to resign as Minister if this target isn't met by 5 pm tomorrow? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Maori Development: What recent announcements has the Government made about support for owners of whenua Maori in Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Corrections: Does he agree with the reported statement of the Chief Ombudsman following his report initiated after the Waikeria Prison riot, "Corrections was being defensive, risk averse and believed it had made changes when there was no evidence of it on the ground"; if not, why not? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Local Government: Does he intend that in the Water Services Entities Amendment Bill, the powers awarded to the wider population through community priority statements are less than those awarded to local Maori through Te Mana o te Wai statements, and does he think assigning input on water management on the basis of iwi affiliation will help provide effective and efficient water services? TAMA POTAKA to the Associate Minister of Housing (Maori Housing): How many new homes have been contracted through the Whai Kainga Whai Oranga programme, and how many whanau Maori have moved into homes completed through the programme? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What is the Government doing to support the transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient future for businesses?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Acting Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Associate Minister of Housing: What real-world data, if any, is collected by the Government on healthy homes standards compliance? ANNA LORCK to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with BNZ that "The New Zealand economy is currently in peak stagflation: two quarters of negative growth; a labour market that is unsustainably tight; and inflation miles above the Reserve Bank's target"; if not, why not? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How will Budget 2023 support businesses to decarbonise their vehicle fleets? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Acting Minister of Police: Does she stand by the Minister of Police's statement, "It is my view that New Zealanders feel safer"; if so, why? SORAYA PEKE-MASON to the Minister for Women: What recent announcements has the Government made about representation on public sector boards? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Minister of Health: What is the name of the supplier storing the 17.8 million expired and expiring Rapid Antigen Tests to which she referred in her statement yesterday, "I am happy to give the member the name of the supplier if they put it on notice", and what is the overall cost to date of warehousing with this supplier to which she referred in her statement yesterday that "I am happy to provide the cost of the warehousing overall for the member if the member puts that question on notice"? Hon MEKA WHAITIRI to the Minister for Emergency Management: Does he stand by all his decisions and policies regarding the Emergency Management Bill? Hon PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister for the Environment: What progress has been made on repealing and replacing the Resource Management Act 1991? Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister for Regional Development: Does she believe taxpayers have a right to expect good value for the Government's investment in the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), and do comments from the Office of the Auditor-General that it was "not yet certain that Parliament or the public can have confidence that the investments made through the PGF reset will ultimately represent good value for money" concern her? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What recent announcement has she made about Aotearoa New Zealand's support for ocean diversity and conservation?