Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

Questions to Ministers TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her comments that teachers' pay and conditions are "not good enough"? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What progress has been made to lift artists' incomes? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Justice: Does she agree with the Minister of Finance's May 2020 statement in relation to the Government's consideration of options to offer rent relief for commercial tenants hit by COVID-19 disruption that "We're looking actively at what we do in terms of the Property Act to be able to support a fairer resolution there to ensure there is some remission", and what advice, if any, did she seek about policy options in relation to these matters? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Immigration: What recent reports has he seen about the uptake of the Recovery Visa? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Education: How many students will be without their normal classroom teachers today due to the teachers' strike? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does she agree with the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, who said, "I know what causes violence in this world and it's white cis men", and are those comments consistent with the Government's justice policy? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Justice: What new legislative tools have been progressed to combat organised crime? JOSEPH MOONEY to the Minister for the Environment: Why was the majority of Hawke's Bay excluded from the ministerial inquiry into forestry slash and land use, which was announced following Cyclone Gabrielle? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health): What progress is he making to address inequities for Maori with mental health and addiction needs? Dr JAMES McDOWALL to the Minister of Immigration: What is the total minimum investment value of Investor I and II applications that are currently with immigration officers, and how many immigration officers are currently responsible for processing those applications? Dr EMILY HENDERSON to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has the Government made on supporting the safety of frontline police and communities?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What progress has been made to pass on child support to sole parent beneficiaries? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement from May 2022 that "Even if the inflation spike is expected to be temporary, this doesn't take away from the significant impact it is having", and, given inflation has now persisted outside the Reserve Bank target range for 21 months, does he now regret his decision to increase new Government operating spending by $38.7 billion in the 2022 Budget? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: Why did she say that this year's child poverty figures are "encouraging", and has she seen reports that one in 10 children and one in five tamariki Maori experience material hardship, meaning that their whanau can't afford essentials like regular healthy food, doctors' visits, or to pay their power bills? RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister of Housing: What impact has the recent severe weather had on Kainga Ora's work programme? Hon LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence: Why did she say that "I am a prevention violence Minister, and I know who causes violence in this world and it's white cis men"? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has the Government made about electric vehicle charging? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his comment that when it comes to decarbonising transport, "the longer that action is delayed, the more difficult it gets"? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "My single focus will be improving community safety"; if so, why did she not attend the Esk Valley meeting for residents to address their concerns about levels of crime in the region following Cyclone Gabrielle? ANNA LORCK to the Minister for Regional Development: How is the Government supporting coastal shipping between Gisborne and Napier? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement that "year 8 progress has remained constant" since 2017, and why hasn't there been any improvement since 2017? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: What recent events has he attended for Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tamaki Nui-a-Rua? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement on Newshub Nation that Te Pukenga is developing an operating model "as we're going along", and can she describe what "developing that as we're going along" actually means?

Questions to Ministers RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all of his Ministers? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister of Climate Change: Does he stand by all the Government's policies and actions on climate change? SARAH PALLETT to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made about improving public transport in Christchurch? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: What improvement, if any, has there been in achievement levels for year 8 students since 2017 according to e-asTTle data, and is she satisfied with the level of improvement in student achievement over the last five years? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: How is the Government progressing New Zealand's Trade Recovery Strategy? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Acting Minister of Police: How many ram raids were there in 2018, and what is the percentage increase from 2018 to 2022? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Revenue: How is the Government supporting emissions reductions in transport through the tax system? BROOKE van VELDEN to the Minister of Health: Does the Government still have an expectation that 95 percent of patients accepted for a CT scan and 90 percent of patients accepted for an MRI scan should receive their scan within 42 days or less; if so, is it acceptable that between June and December 2022, the national number of patients who received a scan within 42 days or less changed from 63.4 percent to 60.9 percent? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: What was the total expenditure, if any, on the Te Pukenga style guide, and does she have confidence in Te Pukenga's overall financial performance? INGRID LEARY to the Minister for Small Business: What recent announcements has the Government made about supporting small business in cyclone-affected regions? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Education: What advice has she received about why teachers are striking today?

Questions to Ministers DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that "New Zealanders earning the average wage have seen their incomes increase significantly under this Government", and what is the change in real after-tax average wages since 2017? SARAH PALLETT to the Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques: What progress has been made on the Government's response to the report of the royal commission of inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch mosques attack? 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 since October 2017? ANNA LORCK to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for the Environment: Is it important to the Government to reduce plastic pollution rapidly in Aotearoa New Zealand; if not, why not? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made regarding visa settings for partners of migrant workers? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How many people in the six months following the establishment of Health New Zealand waited in hospital EDs more than 24 hours under the shorter stays in emergency departments indicator, and what was the longest ED wait time? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Health: What recent announcement has the Government made about HIV? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: What are the Government's professional learning and development (PLD) priorities, as listed on the Ministry of Education website, and how many, if any, teachers engaged in maths PLD in 2022? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for Economic Development: What announcements has he made on transforming the advanced manufacturing sector? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Police: Is he satisfied with the Police response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke's Bay, and is he satisfied that Police deployed enough staff to the region throughout the response?

Questions to Ministers NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What additional Government support will be available for individuals and families from 1 April? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for Infrastructure: How many of the Infrastructure Reference Group projects approved for funding have been completed, and how many are due to complete construction in 2024 or later? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Are liveable incomes and ending benefit sanctions "bread and butter" issues; if not, why not? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does she stand by all her statements and actions regarding wait times, including emergency department wait times? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Housing: What reports has she seen on the performance of recently upgraded infrastructure during the recent Auckland floods? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement that the Clean Car Upgrade scheme was "going to make a very, very small contribution" to our emissions reductions, and which of his other policies, if any, are going to make a very small contribution to reducing emissions? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Regional Development: What announcement has she made about the completion of regional development projects in Taupo? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: What percentage of students were meeting curriculum expectations in maths at year 8 in 2022, according to e-asTTle data, and what percentage of students passed the maths assessment in the second NCEA literacy and numeracy pilot last year? Dr EMILY HENDERSON to the Minister of Police: What announcements has he made on significant Police milestones? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: What is the percentage increase in incidents of retail crime from 2021 to 2022, and were there over 100,000 incidents of retail crime last year? TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Seniors: How will older New Zealanders benefit from the Annual General Adjustment on 1 April?

Questions to Ministers SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? BROOKE van VELDEN to the Minister for Building and Construction: Does she expect that building and construction costs will continue to increase this year beyond the 10.4 percent seen in 2022, and does she expect the supply of building and construction materials will be able to meet the demand for new buildings and repairs following recent extreme weather events? Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister of Health: What recent announcement has she made regarding pay increases for nurses? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: When does he anticipate the economic conditions will be right for the introduction of an income insurance scheme, and what ongoing work, if any, is being done to develop such a scheme? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What support has the Government given to Vanuatu following Cyclone Judy and Cyclone Kevin? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Are the current shorter stays in emergency department performance metrics published on the Health New Zealand website accurate, and what were the figures for Northland in November 2022? NAISI CHEN to the Minister for Emergency Management: What announcement has he made on further support for the cyclone and flooding recovery? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all of her statements and actions? JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister for Small Business: What recent progress has been made on the roll-out of the Government's fog cannon subsidy scheme for New Zealand small businesses? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister for the Public Service: Does he stand by his statement, "we now engage in active monitoring of the Public Service's use of contractors and consultants"; if so, when did the active monitoring begin? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Finance: Does he think that banks have unfairly profited from economic circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic while ordinary people in Aotearoa are doing it tough; if so, what actions is he taking to redress the balance? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all of the Government's views and actions regarding the proposals to merge RNZ and TVNZ into Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media?

Questions to Ministers ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister of Housing: How is the Government supporting people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by recent severe weather in New Zealand? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? SARAH PALLETT to the Minister for Women: What work is under way to progress gender equity in New Zealand? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Conservation: Does she believe that the Jobs for Nature programme represents good value for money? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: What has been the cost to taxpayers so far of work associated with proposals for a TVNZ-RNZ merger and a New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and policies? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: What was the percentage of time associated with unjustified absences in term 3 2019 compared to term 3 2022, and has the percentage of time associated with unjustified absences increased over that period? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Immigration: What recent action has the Government taken to support victims of the war in Ukraine? JAN LOGIE to the Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does she agree with Australian Prime Minister Albanese, who said "right now, there's not enough transparency around the gender pay gap in workplaces. That's why we're introducing a bill to fix that"; if so, when will she introduce a pay transparency bill? SORAYA PEKE-MASON to the Minister for Whanau Ora: How has Whanau Ora responded to the communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister for the Public Service: What actions, if any, has he taken to address the use of contractors and consultants in the Public Service? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What additional services is the Government rolling out to support homeowners affected by natural disasters?

Questions to Ministers MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What reports has she seen on how New Zealand's electricity sector is responding to electricity outages caused by Cyclone Gabrielle? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister of Forestry: What estimates, if any, has he seen of the costs of damage caused by forestry slash in Tairawhiti from Cyclone Hale and Cyclone Gabrielle? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he think New Zealanders are being fairly taxed, and is he satisfied that the Government has delivered value for the $53 billion increase in annual spending since 2017? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Defence: What contributions has the New Zealand Defence Force made to the response to Cyclone Gabrielle? BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister for Building and Construction: How many houses does she estimate will need repairs or rebuilding because of Cyclone Gabrielle and flooding in Auckland, and has she requested that the Critical Materials Taskforce review the building and construction sector's capacity to meet demand in light of the recent weather events? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does she stand by all her statements and agree with those made by Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand? LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE to the Minister for the Environment: What actions is he taking in response to Cyclone Gabrielle? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Has she seen reports that Aotearoa's most low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by climate events, such as flooding; if so, what steps is her Government taking to support those on the lowest incomes to recover from recent weather events? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Police: Does he agree with the Prime Minister, who said, "There's been no substantiation to the allegations that people on checkpoints had had guns pulled on them. If anyone wants to report that that happened they should do so to the police", and is he aware an incident was reported to police by the victims? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Education: What resources is the Government putting into schools so they can meet attendance and engagement targets? CHRIS PENK to the Minister for Courts: Does he have confidence that the court system is delivering timely justice for all Kiwis; if so, why has the number of days to dispose of a serious criminal case in the District Court increased by 55 percent since 2017? Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister of Health: What recent announcement has she made about the future of New Zealand's COVID-19 vaccination programme?

Questions to Ministers Hon JAMES SHAW to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that climate is a "bread and butter issue" for his Government; if so, will he ensure that adapting to extreme weather and cutting pollution are both central to the Government response to Cyclone Gabrielle? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Finance: What will be the economic impact of the recent extreme weather events, and how is the Government responding to those events? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What announcements has she made about supporting NGOs and those impacted by the floods and Cyclone Gabrielle? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he think New Zealanders suffering a cost of living crisis should pay more tax, and why won't he rule out introducing a new tax to help pay for the Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What reports has he received about progress on repairing transport networks following the recent extreme weather events? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his statement that "What I'd say to the gangs, get your bloody patches off"; if so, has he seen reports of how many gang members have taken their patches off? Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO to the Minister for Emergency Management: What assistance has NEMA coordinated to support local responses to Cyclone Gabrielle? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Education: On what date was she provided with the term 3 2022 attendance data by the Ministry of Education, and why was the data not released publicly until just yesterday? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Small Business: How is the Government supporting small businesses affected by recent extreme weather events? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Does he still expect "early works to commence in 2023" on Auckland light rail; if so, on what date in 2023 will early works commence?

CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and policies? BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: What are the Government's priorities for Budget 2023? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Does he agree with the Minister of Conservation that New Zealand supports a global protection target of 30 percent of land and sea areas by 2030; if so, what progress, if any, has the Government made toward achieving this in the Hauraki Gulf/Tikapa Moana since October 2020? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that "every day of the week we look to see what savings and reprioritisations we can make"; if so, what specific savings or reprioritisations has he identified this week? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Education: What support has the Government contributed to help schools to provide learning environments for their students that are warm, dry, and fit for purpose? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Why did she not send the advice she received on 22 November relating to entrenchment of provisions of the Water Services Entities Bill to any other Ministers, and does she stand by all her statements on entrenchments? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What research has she seen on the impact of the Families Package five years after its introduction? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: Is he confident Te Pukenga is on track to achieve all of its objectives, and how much, if anything, has been spent to date on redundancy payments for senior executives? JO LUXTON to the Minister of Immigration: What reports has he seen regarding migration to New Zealand? KAREN CHHOUR to the Minister for Children: Does he stand by his statement that "when a child is identified or apprehended by Police for offending behaviour, information will be shared with Oranga Tamariki within 24 hours, with an agreed plan on how to deal with and support the young person confirmed in 48 hours"; if so, how does he expect this to be delivered while Oranga Tamariki faces more than 500 vacancies? TANGI UTIKERE to the Associate Minister of Health: What progress has been made towards a smokefree New Zealand?