Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

Questions to Ministers BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister of Housing: What actions has the Government taken to achieve better housing outcomes for the people of Rotorua? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and policies? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Has he been instructed by the Prime Minister to look through the things he has on his agenda to ask himself whether "either from a spending perspective and investment perspective, or just from a focus perspective, those are things that we should be prioritising at this point in time"; if so, what initiatives, if any, has he identified should no longer be prioritised? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Education: What reports has he seen about numbers of people undertaking vocational education and training? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is she confident the Government has the correct priorities in Justice? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Tourism: What reports has he seen on New Zealand's tourism recovery? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Why were nurses and midwives not placed on the straight-to-residence pathway of the Green List in May, and on what date did he first receive advice, if at all, that the retention rates of migrant nurses and midwives are no longer a concern? HELEN WHITE to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made about futureproofing New Zealand's transport system? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Did she receive advice from the Department of Internal Affairs on 25 October raising the possibility that Hon Eugenie Sage would pursue entrenchment of provisions in the Water Services Entities Bill via supplementary order paper and stating the Government would need to decide whether to support it; if so, how does she reconcile that with her answer to me in oral questions on 6 December, "We were made aware of the details of the SOP at the same time as he was"? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Education: Does he think the wages of rural school bus drivers in Aotearoa are fair?

CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Education: Has he received any reports on future options for Maori-medium and kaupapa Maori education in the past six months? TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Children: What recent announcements has the Government made about stopping children re-offending? NICOLA WILLIS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions? DAN ROSEWARNE to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What has the Government's Warmer Kiwi Homes programme achieved? CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Justice: What does the Ministry of Justice advice dated 11 April 2022 on entrenching sections of the Water Services Entities Bill that she received on 28 November 2022 say, and did she seek any advice on entrenchment in that bill earlier? Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has Pharmac advised him of in relation to funding more medicines for New Zealanders? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by the Minister of Finance's statement about half-price public transport, "this is a very expensive policy. And what it does is, it robs the fund that funds our roads"; if so, why? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: What recent announcement has the Government made about supporting the New Zealand media sector? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all the Government's views and actions regarding Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Youth: What reports has she seen on young people's re-engagement through the Akonga fund? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Does she stand by her statement on entrenching provisions of the Water Services Entities Bill, "There is a moral obligation of people who believe that privatisation should not occur to support that particular SOP"; if so, how does she reconcile that with a Cabinet decision made on 30 May that "the Bill should not entrench the privatisation provisions in the Bill"? MARK CAMERON to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by the Acting Minister for Agriculture's statement made on 16 November 2022 that "specific mitigation technologies commercially available now include low-methane sheep genetics, the effluent pond treatment technology EcoPond, and urease inhibitor"; if so, how many commercial farms in New Zealand are currently utilising each of these technologies?

TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has Pharmac advised him of relating to rare disorders? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and policies? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister of Housing: What progress has the Government made in delivering public housing? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions? GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has he made on supporting small businesses to tackle retail crime? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement about entrenching a provision of the Water Services Entities Bill that "we accept a mistake here has been made"; if so, when did she realise it was a mistake? JO LUXTON to the Minister of Forestry: What announcements has he made on transforming the forestry sector? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Reserve Bank that "worker shortages are holding the economy back and increasing inflation", and what steps, if any, will the Government now take to lessen the risk of economic recession next year, as outlined in the Reserve Bank's November Monetary Policy Statement? JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What recent reports has he seen regarding competition for residential building supplies? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Immigration: Does he consider that current immigration policies are fair and equitable towards migrant families? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all the Government's views and actions regarding Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Does she stand by her statement on entrenching a provision of the Water Services Entities Bill, "We know that while this particular SOP may not pass the constitutional threshold, there is a moral obligation of people who believe that privatisation should not occur to support that particular SOP", and does she stand by all her statements on entrenchment provisions?

Questions to Ministers INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: How is the Government responding to changing economic conditions in New Zealand and globally? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr, who said yesterday that "we've got too much home-grown inflation"; if so, what additional steps, if any, is the Government considering to reduce pressure on home-grown inflation? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Immigration: Does he consider that current immigration policies are fair and equitable towards migrant families? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Education: What reports has he seen about trends in the number of New Zealanders in apprenticeships? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Conservation: What announcements have been made about supporting community-led conservation projects? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Police: What changes will the Government make to its response to retail crime, after the fatal stabbing of a dairy worker in Sandringham last night, if any, and will the Government now remove the criterion that a retailer must first be a victim of crime in order for them to access funding from the Retail Crime Prevention Programme? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister for the Environment: Will he undertake any specific actions to ensure the resource management reforms have the active consent of tangata whenua, in response to concerns expressed from tangata whenua leaders regarding the Natural and Built Environment Bill and the Spatial Planning Bill; if so, what are those actions? Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications: What recent announcements has he made about improving rural connectivity in some of New Zealand's most remote locations? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does he agree with the Dairy and Business Owners Group, who said, "The country is becoming lawless … Running a business in this country has become very difficult"; if not, why? Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation: How is the Government supporting a future-focused research system? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Does she stand by her statement made in the House yesterday that the establishment of the principles of Te Mana o te Wai "included a number of stakeholder groups: rural community; yes, Federated Farmers; it included industry users; it included horticulturalists, as well as iwi"; if so, why can only mana whenua submit Te Mana o te Wai statements under the Government's three waters reforms?

Questions to Ministers: CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): Would she consider requiring attendance officers to report their data to the Ministry of Education; if not, how is she evaluating whether the $16.5 million per annum spent on the Attendance Service is delivering results? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that "many New Zealanders will be facing increased mortgage payments over the coming year", and has he sought advice to quantify the financial impact that record interest rate rises would have on New Zealanders? Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Minister of Health: What is Te Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Control Agency doing to improve men's health? DAMIEN SMITH to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Can he name any new services which can be provided under his public media merger but cannot be provided without it; if so, what are they? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for the Environment: Will the repeal and replacement of the RMA reduce costs and speed up consenting processes; if so, how? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: What is the percentage increase of ram raids since 2018, and how many businesses have had security systems installed through the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Will the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill help to enable New Zealand to phase out fossil fuel extraction; if so, how? GLEN BENNETT to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What recent announcements has she made about reducing gambling harm in communities? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: How many, if any, parks and reserves that also serve a storm water function will be transferred to the proposed water services entities as part of the Government's three waters reforms, and does she stand by all her statements on three waters reform? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What steps is the Government taking to support the health and safety of workers?

Questions to Ministers DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement on expanding access to affordable dental care, "It's an area we need to give attention to at some point"; if so, when will he give it his attention? BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister of Housing: Is she confident that Kainga Ora will meet its deadline of 1 July 2023 for complying with the healthy homes standards, and can she confirm that the Government will not give Kainga Ora an extension to its deadline? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What announcements has she made about supporting people into employment? NICOLA WILLIS to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE to the Minister for the Environment: How will the repeal and replacement of the RMA reduce costs and consenting times? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Which are the three hospital emergency departments with the greatest number of nurse vacancies as a proportion of their normal full-time equivalent roster, and what are those proportions in each case? MARJA LUBECK to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): What recent announcement has she made about better supporting children with the highest learning support needs? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Immigration: Does he consider the current immigration policies to be fair and equitable towards migrant families? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all the Government's views and actions regarding Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Transport: What recent reports has he seen about the Clean Car Discount? PENNY SIMMONDS to the Minister of Education: Did he receive the Te Pukenga Programme Business Case in October 2022? ANGELA ROBERTS to the Associate Minister of Local Government: What engagement has he had with the local government sector?

Questions to Ministers RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister for the Environment: What progress has the Government made on reforming the resource management system? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Dr EMILY HENDERSON to the Minister of Housing: What action is the Government taking to enable better housing outcomes through reform of the resource management system? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that "our job is to make sure we have a fair and progressive tax system"? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement last week in relation to management of Government finances that "tough choices will be required"; if so, what tough choices is he considering, if any? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Infrastructure: What impact will the changes announced for the resource management system have on New Zealand's infrastructure? CHRIS BAILLIE to the Minister of Police: How many businesses in New Zealand have had assessments completed under the Retail Crime Prevention Programme, and of those, how many, if any, have had installations of protective equipment completed to date? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How many of the 1,266 internationally qualified nurses that he stated in the House last week had arrived in New Zealand since 1 January 2022 have been employed since 1 January 2022 to work in the health system, and how many nurses have left employment over the same time frame? GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has he made on investments to emergency services to keep the public safe? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does he agree with AM Show host Ryan Bridge's comments about retail crime that "There is a growing sense that nothing is being done about these things, the Government isn't being hard enough on them, there aren't enough consequences, and they keep happening as they do so people are taking matters into their own hands", and how many businesses have had security systems installed through the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made regarding migrant families? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: How many, if any, parks and reserves, that link to the storm water network will be transferred to the proposed water services entities as part of the Government's three waters reforms, and what consultation, if any, was undertaken about the potential for those assets to be transferred?

Questions to Ministers BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement regarding workforce shortages in the health sector that "there is stuff we need to do in the short term around recruitment … and then there is long term stuff, attracting people into the health services, doing the additional training"; if so, does he have targets for how many medical professionals need to be brought into the health sector through recruitment or training, to fix the workforce shortage? SORAYA PEKE-MASON to the Minister for Sport and Recreation: What support has the Government provided for the Women's Rugby World Cup? CHRIS BISHOP to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Justice: What changes will be made to improve the anti-money laundering and countering financial terrorism regime? ERICA STANFORD to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): Why are less than 40 percent of students attending school regularly, and what impact, if any, has declining attendance had on student achievement in literacy and numeracy? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What announcement has he made about increasing competition in the banking sector? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all the Government's views and actions regarding Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: What recent reports has he seen on New Zealand's sustainable trade? Hon JACQUI DEAN to the Minister of Conservation: Does she stand by all of her statements and actions? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Immigration: Is he confident that current visa settings reflect New Zealand's relationship with the Pacific? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Customs: What announcements has she made about a modernised border experience for travellers? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his statement that he "wouldn't take off the table the potential for Parliament to take further action to support the police" in response to a report released by the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the Privacy Commissioner in September, which found photos and fingerprints of five youth in Wairarapa were taken by police illegally?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister of Conservation: What, if any, options for protecting public conservation land from mining is she considering? HELEN WHITE 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 agree with reports that the managing director of Cultural Reports NZ said that "even if a report costs up to $6,000, if it leads to a lengthy prison sentence term being reduced by say, a year, the fiscal benefits alone are huge"; if so, is prioritising fiscal benefits over victims consistent with a "victim-centric approach"? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What actions is the Government taking to make fuel markets more resilient, sustainable, and competitive? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement about the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund that "The Fund is not there to be used for any old project in the never-never. It is to provide support and stimulus to recover and rebuild from COVID-19"; if so, does he support the draw-down and redirection of $72.3 million to help cover unfunded Department of Internal Affairs three waters work? TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What updates has she seen on the take-up of the Training Incentive Allowance? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcement has the Government made about the bus driver workforce? Dr JAMES McDOWALL to the Minister of Police: How many, if any, businesses in Hamilton have had assessments completed under the Retail Crime Prevention Programme, and of those, how many have had installations of protective equipment completed, if any? MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he stand by all the Government's views and actions regarding Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media? WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Associate Minister of Local Government: What recent announcement has the Government made on rural water supplies?

Questions to Ministers BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? STEPH LEWIS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What announcements has she made about making childcare more affordable? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Has the Reserve Bank failed its mandate to keep inflation between 1 percent and 3 percent on average over the medium term, and by what date does he expect inflation to come back within that range? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister for Economic and Regional Development: What announcements has he made about supporting regional economies? TONI SEVERIN to the Minister of Corrections: How many of the 7,964 prisoners managed by Corrections in September 2022 were assessed as not meeting English literacy competency standards according to the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool, and how many prisoners were assessed as not meeting numeracy competency standards using the same tool? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is she confident the justice system is delivering justice and offering appropriate support to the victims of crime? MARJA LUBECK to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): What supports has the Government put in place to assist secondary school students in the lead up to NCEA exams? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Why is the green list not scheduled to be reviewed until mid-2023 when there is significant pressure across the health system due to staff shortages, and does he agree with the chair of Health NZ that an immigration fast-track for overseas nurses would be helpful? ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister of Justice: What changes will the Government progress to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Education: Will the Government lead tripartite conversations between this country's universities, the Ministry of Education, and the Tertiary Education Union to break the impasse on wages and resultant strike action; if not, why not? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his statement, "the majority of the people undertaking this type of offending are not people who are affiliated with gangs"; if so, has he seen a report that young people involved in ram raids are stealing for gangsters?