Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

Questions to Ministers Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: Does he agree with Christopher Luxon's statement about Pasifika, "We're gonna make sure we deliver for them"; if so, why? Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ to the Minister of Climate Change: Does he agree with this Government's climate policies and actions? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by the target of a 50,000 reduction in people receiving jobseeker support; if so, when does she expect to reach the target? Dr CARLOS CHEUNG to the Minister of Housing: What recent reports has he seen on housing in New Zealand? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement that Australian company Learning First "started work on benchmarking" the curriculum rewrite; if so, is she confident that benchmarking the curriculum was the extent of Learning First's involvement? KAHURANGI CARTER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she believe that having a job pulls people out of poverty? KATIE NIMON to the Minister of Education: What update can she provide on putting an end to open-plan classrooms? TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister of Transport: How much of the $675 million approved in October 2025 for pre-implementation work on roads of national significance has now been spent, and on which projects? JOSEPH MOONEY to the Minister for Hunting and Fishing: What recent announcements has he made about supporting hunter-led conservation? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Justice: Does he stand by all the Government's statements and actions in relation to the Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill? SIMON COURT to the Associate Minister for the Environment: What recent statements has he made about freshwater farm plans?

Questions to Ministers RYAN HAMILTON to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? LAURA McCLURE to the Associate Minister of Education: What recent data has he seen on student attendance? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What recent reports has he seen on the Government's reform of the New Zealand planning system? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Has the Privacy Commissioner been notified about the SMART tool data breach; if so, what advice has she received on this matter? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? HANA-RAWHITI MAIPI-CLARKE to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What negative impacts, if any, will his Government's RMA reforms have on Maori rights and interests? Hon RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: Is it correct that the regulatory relief provisions in the Government's planning bills could impose costs of $1.99 billion on councils, and will ratepayers ultimately bear the burden of these costs? GRANT McCALLUM to the Minister of Agriculture: What recent report has he seen on the effect of the Government's RMA reform on the primary sector? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Building and Construction: Is he satisfied with the state of New Zealand's construction workforce; if so, why? DAN BIDOIS to the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing: What recent reports has he seen about growth in the manufacturing sector? SCOTT WILLIS to the Minister for Energy: Has an assessment of safety risks to local residents been undertaken as part of the liquefied natural gas terminal procurement process; if so, what potential safety risks have been identified?

Questions to Ministers Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Dr DAVID WILSON to the Minister for Resources: What reports, if any, has he received on the Government's minerals strategy? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that this Government is "Keeping GP visit costs the same for patients as last year"; if so, is it correct that current fees are the highest they've been in 20 years? CATHERINE WEDD to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What recent reports has he seen on the Government's reform of the New Zealand planning system? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? MILES ANDERSON to the Minister for Trade and Investment: What recent reports has he seen on enhancing New Zealand's international trade? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: Does he stand by the Government's decision to abolish the role of Grocery Commissioner? TOM RUTHERFORD to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What actions is he taking to strengthen New Zealand's capital markets and support economic growth?

Questions to Ministers Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? DAVID MacLEOD to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the Government's fiscal position? Hon WILLIE JACKSON to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by the statement from the Ministry of Health that "The principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as articulated by the courts and the Waitangi Tribunal, provide the framework for how we will meet our obligations under Te Tiriti in our day-to-day work"; if not, why not? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What legislation or policy changes, if any, has she introduced this term that would see low-income New Zealanders with less money on a weekly basis? LAURA McCLURE to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What progress has the Government made on delivering the ACT-National coalition commitment to reform health and safety? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that "to improve patient outcomes we must ensure we have modern infrastructure to help provide the healthcare Kiwis need"; if not, why not? TOM RUTHERFORD to the Minister of Justice: What progress is the Government making on restoring law and order? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Associate Minister of Education: Does he stand by his statement regarding the school lunches programme that "Yes, there were problems. We owned them. We never denied them, and we fixed them"; if so, why? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister for Mental Health: What recent announcement has he made about supporting parents bereaved by baby loss? Dr LAWRENCE XU-NAN to the Associate Minister of Education: Does he stand by his statement that the school lunch programme "will offer nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day"; if so, why? DAN BIDOIS to the Minister for Building and Construction: How will the Building Amendment Bill make building easier and more affordable? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR to the Minister for Trade and Investment: Does he stand by all his statements in relation to immigration commitments made under the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement?

Questions to Ministers NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on business confidence and the New Zealand economy? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? Dr CARLOS CHEUNG to the Minister of Transport: What announcements has he made on the Government's crackdown on antisocial road users? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement regarding the Ministry's contracting of Australian company Learning First that "Whether or not, then, the Ministry of Education go out and contract them is not a matter for me"; if so, why? CARL BATES to the Minister of Education: What update can she provide on putting walls back into classrooms? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? REUBEN DAVIDSON to the Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology: Does she agree with the Prime Minister's goal to "brutally commercialise our science system", and what does that mean for public-good research? GREG FLEMING to the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality: What recent announcements have been made about celebrating the excellence of New Zealand hospitality and reinforcing the Government's commitment to this sector? TAMATHA PAUL to the Minister of Housing: Will the Government's decision to increase rents for public housing tenants by 20 percent worsen or alleviate the cost of living for low-income public housing tenants? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister of Justice: Does he stand by all his statements and actions about the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? JAMIE ARBUCKLE to the Associate Minister of Health: What recent announcements has she made about aged residential care funding?

Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? LAURA McCLURE to the Associate Minister of Education: What recent reports has he seen on school attendance? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? RYAN HAMILTON to the Minister of Finance: How is the Government planning to lift economic growth and productivity? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? GRANT McCALLUM to the Minister for Infrastructure: What updates has he seen on the fast-track approvals scheme? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Hon KIERAN McANULTY to the Associate Minister of Housing: Does he stand by his response to being asked if he was comfortable with managers being individually assessed on whether or not emergency housing targets were met in their region, "No. That would be something that I'd ask the chief executive at MSD about"; if so, has he had this conversation? MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI to the Associate Minister of Housing: Does he agree with the Ministry of Social Development's use of performance measures that assess managers against emergency housing grant targets? KATIE NIMON to the Minister of Health: What recent announcement has he made regarding funding uplifts for primary and community services? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Does she stand by her statement, "Having the confidence to build and strengthen your team is important, especially when many businesses are doing it tough right now"; if so, why did she limit Apprenticeship Boost? SUZE REDMAYNE to the Minister of Agriculture: What recent reports has he seen on the forecast for New Zealand's food and fibre exports?

Questions to Ministers ANDY FOSTER to the Minister of Customs: What recent announcements has she seen about drug trafficking? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Does she agree with the Minister of Finance, who said "We want to see taxpayer money supporting Kiwi businesses to grow, hire, and thrive"; if so, does that apply to the Ministry of Education? RIMA NAKHLE to the Minister of Finance: How, if at all, is the Government strengthening New Zealand's economic resilience? Hon JAN TINETTI to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does she stand by her statement regarding the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill that "We've got to get away from this pessimistic mindset that everything is going to be dreadful"; if so, why? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What changes, if any, will she make to her health and safety reforms to address warnings from officials of "a real and material risk of increasing deaths, injuries, claims and costs"? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Tertiary Education: How many apprentices were there on 27 November 2023, and how many are there today? ORIINI KAIPARA to the Minister of Conservation: Does he stand by his statement, "There's no way we're going to sell off large swathes or large parcels of land in the conservation estate. We're not going to do that"; if so, why is he proposing a bill that could make up to 60 percent of the conservation estate eligible for disposal, exchange, or development? STEVE ABEL to the Minister of Conservation: Will enabling development on conservation land under the Conservation Amendment Bill to the "greatest extent practicable" mean more mining on conservation land? TIM VAN DE MOLEN to the Minister for Trade and Investment: What will be the benefits for New Zealand exporters from the NZ-India FTA entering into force? Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Auckland: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? TOM RUTHERFORD to the Minister of Justice: What progress has the Government made on reducing the number of victims of crime? CAMERON LUXTON to the Minister for Children: What recent announcements has she made regarding funding for children and young people with high support needs?

Questions to Ministers DAN BIDOIS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has she seen on New Zealand's recent economic growth? TAKUTA FERRIS to the Minister of Education: Will any kura kaupapa Maori receive funding as a result of the Government's recently announced $62.5 million infrastructure investment in education across the South Island? Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Auckland: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? SAM UFFINDELL to the Minister of Health: What recent progress has been made towards the Government's health targets? Hon WILLIE JACKSON to the Minister for Maori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti: Does he agree with Hon Paul Goldsmith that the Maori-Crown relationship is in "good shape"; if not, why not? CARL BATES to the Minister of Education: What announcement has she made on strengthening trades pathways? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her statement that "I absolutely stand by our target of 50,000 fewer people on the jobseeker support by 2030"; if so, why? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement that "This curriculum has been written by Kiwis for Kiwi kids"; if so, why? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister for Mental Health: What announcement has he made about delivering faster access to maternal mental health and addiction support? KAHURANGI CARTER to the Minister for Disability Issues: Does she accept the Human Rights Commission's criticism that the Disability Support Services Bill is inconsistent with core human rights obligations, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government: Does he stand by his statement that "our focus is not on frontline services" when it comes to public spending cuts?

Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? RYAN HAMILTON to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on KiwiSaver and retirement savings? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with the Director-General of Health's statement at health Estimates hearings that "the average length of stay for first-time mothers is around two and a half days", and why is only $1.6 million appropriated for the three-day postnatal stay initiative in each of the first two years? NANCY LU to the Minister for Infrastructure: What announcements has he made about the Government's response to the National Infrastructure Plan? TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by all his statements and the Government's policies in relation to fuel taxes? Dr PARMJEET PARMAR to the Minister for Regulation: What actions has the Government taken to reduce the burden of regulations on New Zealanders? KATIE NIMON to the Minister of Education: What update can she give on the Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN to the Minister of Conservation: Does he stand by his statement that he is "one of the hugest flagbearers for conservation, kaitiakitanga, and the environment"; if so, why? MILES ANDERSON to the Minister for Trade and Investment: What recent reports has he seen on primary sector export growth? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Does she stand by her statement regarding Budget 2026 that "Funding is also being provided to meet additional forecast demand for tertiary education and training"; if so, why?

Questions to Ministers CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? RYAN HAMILTON to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? LAURA McCLURE to the Associate Minister of Education: What recent announcements has he made about charter schools? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Has she announced or introduced any reforms in the past fortnight that will see any low-income families worse off; if so, how many families will be worse off because of these reforms? Dr CARLOS CHEUNG to the Minister of Housing: What announcements has the Government made about improving social housing? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? JAMIE ARBUCKLE to the Associate Minister of Health: What recent announcements has she made about funding for road ambulance services? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her statement that "The Government believes that the welfare system should be a safety net for those who need it most"; if so, why? ORIINI KAIPARA to the Minister for Maori Development: What assurances, if any, can he give Maori that te reo Maori revitalisation and Maori broadcasting are strengthening under his leadership, when concerns are being raised about reductions and a lack of new investment across sectors supporting Maori development? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement, "we believe in choice for parents and we believe in accountability in the system"; if so, why did she lodge Amendment Paper 583 without consultation with home-schooling families? TIM VAN DE MOLEN to the Minister of Defence: How is Budget 2026 investing in our defence force?