Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

Questions to Ministers INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: What are the priorities for Budget 2023? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Is he satisfied with the outcomes taxpayers are getting from the increase in Government spending from $76 billion in 2017 to $129 billion in the current financial year? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Maori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti: What recent announcement has the Government made regarding Matariki celebrations? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Labour MP Grant Robertson, who said in 2014, "We will ensure that all New Zealanders get a fair go by reforming monetary policy and by ensuring that everybody pays their fair share with a tax policy where higher-income earners actually pay their tax and actually pay their fair share"; if so, is that what we can expect tomorrow? HELEN WHITE to the Minister of Housing: What action is the Government taking to increase the supply of public housing? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that savings and reprioritisations in Budget 2023 will, for the most part, go "toward funding agencies' existing cost pressures", and what steps, if any, will the Budget include to reduce cost pressures for everyday taxpayers? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications: What recent announcements has the Government made on expanding provincial connectivity? Hon MEKA WHAITIRI to the Minister of Revenue: Does he stand by his recent statement, "We have hard data confirming fundamental unfairness in our tax system"; if so, what specific policies, if any, has he proposed to Cabinet to address unfairness in the tax system? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What progress can he report on the work he is doing on the pricing of groceries? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? BROOKE van VELDEN to the Minister of Health: Is she confident that New Zealanders are able to see their GP when they need to, or enrol with a GP at all? 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?

Questions to Ministers NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister of Housing: How is the Government working with the community housing sector to increase the supply of public homes? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Is he confident that every dollar appropriated in the 2023 Budget will be spent better by the Government than it could have been spent by hard-working New Zealanders enduring a cost of living crisis? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Education: How is the Government supporting teachers to prioritise maths and literacy teaching? DAMIEN SMITH to the Minister of Statistics: What was the total cost, if any, of the One NZ Warriors census promotion, including free tickets, $25 food vouchers for the game, and a draw for a holiday to Australia as an incentive for completing the New Zealand census, and how many entered the draw? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Whose authority were her staff acting on when they sent an email on 9 February 2023 to the Ministry of Education stating that "FYI, the Minister's office are looking to potentially release the Term 3 attendance data early next week", when the Ministry of Education had scheduled the data to be released on 22 December 2022, and does she still believe that the ministry's plan to release that data before Christmas would have been cynical? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Has she seen the New Zealand Food Network's statement, "We're seeing people having to cut their food budgets in order to pay for housing and rental hikes, increasing fuel costs and power bills"; if so, what actions will her Government take in response, if any? TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister of Justice: What announcements has she made about trading hours for licensed premises during the men's Rugby World Cup? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: What is the total amount of unspent revenue collected from the Auckland regional fuel tax, and how much revenue has been collected from the Auckland regional fuel tax to date? JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister for the Public Service: What updates has he received on the progress of pay equity settlements? 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? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Disability Issues: What recent announcements has she made about New Zealand Sign Language?

Questions to Ministers Hon Dr DAVID CLARK to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by her statement that she is taking a "victim-centric" approach to justice, and is this victim-centric approach compatible with the Government's justice policies? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What is the Government doing to improve the energy efficiency of New Zealand homes? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? SORAYA PEKE-MASON to the Associate Minister of Housing (Maori Housing): What progress has the Government made towards delivery of housing for Maori? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions on tax? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: How does the early entry into force of the free-trade agreement between New Zealand and the United Kingdom build on the enduring relationship between the UK and New Zealand? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Why didn't she at the earliest possible opportunity correct her answer on 22 February where she stated, "I can categorically tell that member that the Ministry of Education is responsible for the data. I have no say over that", given she stated yesterday that "my staff verbally informed me after question time on 22 February that members of my staff had been in correspondence with the Ministry of Education regarding the timing of term 3 attendance data release", and why did her staff ask the Ministry to release the attendance data after her attendance announcement? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Police: What progress has been made on ensuring Police constabulary staff is more representative of New Zealand's population? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Education: Does she consider the Government has done enough to address the concerns of teachers striking today? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all of the Government's statements and actions on New Zealand's broadcasting and media sector? MARK CAMERON to the Minister for the Environment: How many farms utilised intensive winter grazing practices in 2022 on land with a slope of over 10 degrees, and what percentage of those farms, if any, are currently compliant with intensive winter grazing regulations?

Questions to Ministers NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all his commitments on tax, and has he met those commitments? SHANAN HALBERT to the Associate Minister of Education (Maori Education): What recent announcements has he made regarding pay for kaiako and kaiawhina working in kohanga reo? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Education: How many teaching days were lost to industrial action by teacher unions in term 1 2023, and how many teaching days does she expect to be lost in term 2 2023? SARAH PALLETT to the Minister of Education: What milestones have recently been met in the Government's period products in schools programme? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does she agree with the Prime Minister's statement on electoral law that "There's absolutely no change to the principle of one person, one vote. Our elections are still going to be one person, one vote for the councils, for general elections", and does she stand by all her statements on electoral law? Dr EMILY HENDERSON to the Minister of Justice: What announcements has she made about improving victims' experiences in the justice system? Hon LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Why, when comparing the December 2022 quarter to the September 2017 quarter, were 49,377 more people receiving the jobseeker benefit but 37,551 fewer people receiving case management? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What steps, if any, is the Government taking to review hardship assistance and civil defence payments that have not been increased in nearly 20 years to ensure these meet the needs of whanau affected by floods, cyclones, and other natural disasters? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: On what date did she first become aware that her answer to an oral question on 22 February 2023 was incorrect, and did she attend a meeting with her staff on 9 February referred to in an email sent by her office to the Ministry of Education stating, "FYI, the Minister's office are looking to potentially release the Term 3 attendance data early next week. Something we can chat about at our meeting later today"? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Defence: What recent announcement has the Government made about New Zealand's support for Ukraine? TONI SEVERIN to the Minister of Corrections: Can he confirm that of the 4,605 sentenced prisoners in Corrections facilities as at 31 March 2023, over 90 percent did not attend a rehabilitation programme during that month, and what implications does failing to rehabilitate prisoners have for the safety of New Zealanders? HELEN WHITE to the Minister of Revenue: What were the main findings of the Inland Revenue Department's report on the effective tax rate paid by high-wealth individuals?

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 Acting Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Acting Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and statements? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that "There will need to be adjustments to tax income thresholds", and will he prioritise those adjustments as part of the Government's 2023 Budget? Dr LIZ CRAIG to the Minister for Children: What recent progress has he seen from the Enabling Communities work in Oranga Tamariki? CHRIS BISHOP to the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness): How much of the $75 million she announced in Budget 2022 for delivering the Government's vision of an Aotearoa where homelessness is prevented, wherever possible, has been spent to date, if any, and what are the metrics, if any, for how each of the initiatives funded through the investment will be measured? TERISA NGOBI to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made about investments in passenger rail? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Justice: Why was only $3.73 million of the $22 million approved funding for round 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Fund spent in 2022, and when the Ministry of Justice's website states "Round 6 closed on 14 February 2022. The round is currently paused", does this accurately reflect the status of the fund? PAUL EAGLE to the Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health): What recent announcement has he made on health equity? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has the Government made about supporting the victims of retail crime? ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Revenue: Does he stand by his statement that arguments against using unrealised gains for calculating effective tax rates are "bankrupt and rubbish", and will he rule out introducing legislation for a capital gains tax this year?

Questions to Ministers DAVID SEYMOUR to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement that "it's not right for households to be tightening their belts if the Government doesn't too", and will he rule out introducing a new tax on capital while he is the Minister of Finance? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What support is the Government providing to help New Zealanders with their winter energy costs? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Acting Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has the Government made on reducing class sizes for years 4 to 8? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he think that New Zealanders are being fairly taxed; if not, what consideration, if any, is the Government giving to reducing the tax paid by average-wage earners? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Finance: Does he think that the wealthiest New Zealanders are paying their fair share of tax? DR SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does she agree with the NZ Herald report on 30 April 2023 that there is a nursing shortage, and has she asked for advice on whether giving new nursing graduates in their first five years an effective pay rise of $4,500 a year by making student loan repayments for them would attract more Kiwis into nursing? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Immigration: What recent reports has he seen on worker and visitor arrivals into New Zealand? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Local Government: Does he agree with his predecessor Hon Nanaia Mahuta's statement that "Maori have not expressed rights and interests in three waters assets over and above those as ratepayers within their respective communities of interest"; if so, does he think granting mana whenua representatives half the seats on regional representative groups for water services entities reflects the interests of all ratepayers equally? ANNA LORCK to the Minister of Forestry: What recent announcement has he made on how New Zealand's forestry can help grow the economy and contribute to climate change response? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: What is the total amount of subsidies the Government has paid out to Tesla owners through the Clean Car Discount scheme, and how many Teslas have been purchased through the scheme? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: What recent announcement has she made regarding transformation in the fishing sector?

Questions to Ministers NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement on Radio New Zealand last month that "we're not going to let low and middle income people particularly suffer at the hands of the high inflation we're seeing"; if so, is he delivering on that commitment? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What reports has she seen on the update of hardship grants for dental assistance? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Housing: What advice has she sought, if any, on the impact of rising interest rates on housing costs? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Health: What improvements have been made in Taranaki for patients requiring renal services? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Is the emergency department qualifying attendance data published by Health New Zealand this week different from the corrected ED data that she advised the House on 14 March 2023 was the correct data; if so, what are the differences? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: What announcements has he made regarding funding for world-class public media? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Police: What recent reports has she seen on the composition of the Police workforce across New Zealand? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: What has been the total departmental expenditure to date on Three Waters, and is he confident it has represented good value for money? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Police: Is she concerned that increasing fees for a new firearms licence from $126.50 to $625.60, as proposed in the Arms Regulations: Review of Fees discussion document, will deter potential applicants and encourage the illegal use of firearms, and is she also concerned that increasing the firearms dealers licence fee from $204 to $2,710 annually will impact upon the safe use of firearms within the community? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister for Veterans: What recognition and support is the Government giving to veterans as we look towards ANZAC Day? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Defence: Does he stand by his statement that joining AUKUS "could not compromise our legal obligations and our moral commitment to nuclear-free"; if so, does he think that AUKUS is a threat to a nuclear-free and independent Pacific?

Questions to Ministers ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What reports has she seen on material wellbeing? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? RACHEL BROOKING 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, "The year 2023 is a tough time for many New Zealand families", and what impact is the rising cost of living having on them? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Health: Is the Government's approach to drugs evidence-based, and does it ensure the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Education: Does she agree with the Ministry of Education's Literacy and Communication and Maths Strategy that "A critical maths pedagogical approach uses maths to develop critical awareness about wider social, environmental, political, ideological, and economic issues. Critical maths recognises the importance of understanding, interpreting, and addressing issues of power, social justice and equity in the community and the wider world. Akonga are encouraged to interrogate dominant discourses and assumptions, including that maths is benign, neutral, and culture-free"? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made regarding the migrant workforce? HON LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: Does she agree with Child Poverty Action Group that the latest child poverty statistics are "a sad indictment on the country with no real improvement in policy that could turn things around", and why was the reduction in the number of children living in material hardship over the last five years less than half the reduction from 2013 to 2017? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister of Tourism: What recent announcement has he made on the Tourism Infrastructure Fund? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: How many decile 1 students passed the writing assessment for the second 2022 literacy and numeracy pilot released last week, and what advice, if any, has she received on the number of students next year that will leave school with no qualification? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What reports has he seen about how competing businesses can cooperate to respond to natural disasters? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: Does she believe the results of the Te Pukenga network employee survey, which notes one-third of Te Pukenga staff see no future for themselves in Te Pukenga, is a positive or a negative representation of Te Pukenga's performance over the last three years?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What action is the Government taking to decarbonise New Zealand's economy? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Acting Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Does he think that fisheries management is ensuring sustainable fisheries and healthy and abundant marine life in New Zealand waters; if not, why not? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: What impact, if any, is the rising cost of living and rising interest rates having on New Zealanders and their families? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Education: What reports has she seen on how the Government's tutoring package is delivering for Maori and Pacific students? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does she agree with Rob Campbell, former chair of Health NZ, that the health reforms are "half-baked" and that the Government should declare a "health crisis worthy of a crisis response"; if not, why not? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made about building a futureproofed transport network for Auckland? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "my number one focus is to make sure New Zealanders feel safe", and what percentage of youths who commit retail crime face court action? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Transport: How much money has been spent in total on transport policies that have been cancelled or re-scoped by this Government, and how much of this, if any, has been spent on consultants and contractors? Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA to the Minister of Health: What progress is being made in vaccinating New Zealanders against COVID-19 and the flu? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health): Does he stand by his statement on the Therapeutic Products Bill that "Under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown has an obligation to actively protect rongoa Maori"; if not, why not? ANNA LORCK to the Minister for Rural Communities: What recent reports has he seen on targeted support to rural communities to help them recover from Cyclone Gabrielle?

Questions to Ministers TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What additional support will be available for New Zealanders and their families from 1 April? BROOKE van VELDEN to the Minister of Housing: How many additional permanent and fixed-term full-time equivalent staff were employed by Kainga Ora in December 2022 as compared with December 2019, and how many additional homes did Kainga Ora manage in December 2022 as compared with December 2019? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that "in 2021, Stuart Nash's then ministerial office consulted the office of the then Prime Minister on an Official Information Act request release where that email had been identified as part of that release"; if so, why was that request release escalated to the Prime Minister's office for consultation? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for the Environment: Does he agree with the Cabinet minute that stated "now is not the time for regulatory uncertainty ... or to impose new costs on businesses and households", and is he confident that the Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Bills are consistent with that statement? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister for Veterans: What is the Government doing to support veterans? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Has she seen St John Ambulance data released this week showing that the amount of time ambulances are ramped while waiting to admit patients to hospital emergency departments has more than trebled since 2019, and are ambulances being used as ED waiting rooms? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for Youth: What recent reports has she seen evaluating the outcomes of programmes designed to support and empower rangatahi? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement when asked if she could explain how it is fair for one child in one school to get an hour of maths a day, as recommended by the Royal Society, while a child in another school the same age gets far less, "Oh yes, absolutely I can"; if so, does she accept this variation has contributed to the widening gap in maths achievement for New Zealand students? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree with advice from Waka Kotahi that providing an additional Waitemata Harbour road crossing would result in over 3,000 vehicles entering the city at AM peak, compared with a light rail - only option; if so, will any of the options proposed, which all include an additional road, reduce congestion? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister for Courts: What progress has been made to reduce delays in the coronial system? MATT DOOCEY to the Minister of Health: Why has the year three stocktake of the Budget 2019 Mental Health and Addiction package found the delivery status of the mental health infrastructure programme has "not meaningfully improved" since the previous Health Minister, Andrew Little, said he was "extraordinarily frustrated ... we seem to be a long way behind actually getting a shovel in the ground", and why did the $30 million allocated to support delivery result in a finding that the programme has not accelerated and estimated completion dates are unlikely to be met?