Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

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? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the widespread concerns about the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill, including from Hapai Te Hauora, who said that it will "not only stagnate any attempts to pursue better outcomes for tamariki and whanau engaged with Oranga Tamariki but may even perpetuate the harms and dysfunction of the current Oranga Tamariki system at disproportionate and irreparable rates"? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Has he seen a report published by Westpac today stating, "Confidence among New Zealand households has plummeted, dropping to its lowest levels since we began surveying consumers back in 1988", and does he believe that the Government's economic management approach is contributing to New Zealanders' growing pessimism about the economy? GREG O'CONNOR to the Minister for Building and Construction: What action is the Government taking to address the shortage of plasterboard in New Zealand? JAN LOGIE to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the widespread concerns about the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill, including from Voyce Whakarongo Mai, who said, "The Government has not listened to a single recommendation from young people with lived experience … These young people have been effectively silenced, and the new systems outlined by the Bill is designed to further muffle and weaken their voices"? GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Police: What recent briefing has he received on the Police portfolio? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement, "A lot of the advice we're receiving is that if we are not careful, we're not targeted, we can make inflation worse"; if so, can she explain whether her Government has followed this advice? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that the health system as a whole is "coping", and what then is the current national percentage of people being seen in emergency departments within six hours? MARJA LUBECK to the Associate Minister of Education (School Operations): What recent announcements has the Government made about supporting attendance and engagement at school? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: What are her priorities for the Justice portfolio? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What recent announcements has she made about reconnecting New Zealanders to the world?

Questions to Ministers Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Minister of Health: What are the next steps that need to be taken to prepare the health system for the reforms due to take effect on 1 July 2022? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement that "this Government supports inclusive policies for migrants with disabilities"; if so, what are some of these immigration policies? CHRIS BISHOP to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Does she stand by her statement in regards to the Housing Register that "we're doing everything we can to get a roof over their heads"; if so, is she concerned that since she made that statement, the number of Kiwis waiting for a State house has increased by nearly 5,000? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister for Maori Development: What investment is the Government making through Budget 22 to strengthen Whanau Resilience? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Transport: What is his justification for continuing to spend money on the NZTA Journey Planner, when there already exists a free navigation service with live traffic data called Google Maps? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is the Government committed to equal voting rights for all New Zealanders and regular accountability for all elected members at the ballot box? MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Transport: What updates has he received on the development of improved travel choices for residents of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Does he still stand by his statement that "There's some evidence that when people come from offshore and get into nursing roles, that they might leave a bit sooner - if they get residence"; if so, how many of the 6 percent of migrant nurses that exited nursing in 2020, referenced by the Minister in the House yesterday did so after gaining residency? ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister of Conservation: How will Budget 2022 support emissions reduction and visitor experiences on conservation land? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "I reject the premise that gang tensions have increased under this Government's watch"; if so, how does she reconcile that with at least 23 drive-by shootings over the past two weeks? INGRID LEARY to the Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control: What recent reports has he seen on opportunities to progress New Zealand's nuclear disarmament priorities? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Will she urge the Indonesian Government to stop the abuse of the human rights of West Papuans protesting against the further division of their country into provinces against their wishes?

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? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Is she satisfied with advice received in 2021 from ministry officials which recommended against supporting a global moratorium on all deep sea mining; if so, why? IBRAHIM OMER 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 in implementing Recommendation 14 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's assessment about the Budget 2023 operating allowance that "in terms of increasing costs that are likely to be seen by some of our agencies and departments, we're looking at somewhere in the range of $3.5 billion that will be required to continue to operate as we stand"; if so, does $2.5 billion remain in the Budget 2023 operating allowance following the pre-commitments made in this year's Budget? LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE to the Minister of Forestry: What support is the Government providing through Budget 2022 to help develop the forestry and wood processing sector? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: What is the current national nursing shortage for each of the four main nursing groups as described in written parliamentary question 11238, and which hospital facilities, if any, are currently impacted by nursing shortages? SARAH PALLETT to the Minister for Women: What advice has she received on the positive impacts that Budget 2022 will have for New Zealand women? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement that "There's some evidence that when people come from offshore and get into nursing roles, that they might leave a bit sooner - if they get residence"; if so, does he also stand by his answer related to who gave him this evidence that "we spoke to the likes of the Aged Care Association and other home-based care stakeholders … we also kept in close contact with the Ministry of Health"? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Conservation: What support will Budget 2022 provide to help protect nature and tackle biodiversity loss? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Police: When did she first learn about the theft of licensed firearms owners' details from a disused Auckland City police station, and what explanation have Police given her, if any? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "There is no doubt that our communities are feeling some incredible distress with the recent activities"; if so, does she believe gang tensions have increased under her watch?

Questions to Ministers DAVID SEYMOUR to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "It's easy to use throwaway lines like 'soft on crime' in this space. It's a very gendered statement"; if so, what other statements does she stand by? 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 she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions? GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Police: What announcements has she made regarding the rollout of the Tactical Response Model? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with ANZ that "Domestic inflation pressures are likely to last for a considerable time"; if so, when does he expect domestic inflation to return below 3 percent? TANGI UTIKERE to the Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health): What additional support will Budget 2022 provide to help protect Maori and Pacific people from bowel cancer? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "There is no doubt that our communities are feeling some incredible distress with the recent activities"; if so, does she believe gang tensions have increased under her watch? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What recent updates has he received on transport infrastructure projects? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Agriculture: Does the Government have any plans to regulate winter grazing over this winter, to avoid cows up to their hocks in mud with nowhere comfortable to rest; if not, why not? BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: What recent announcement has the Government made about supporting Pacific peoples and home ownership? SIMON WATTS to the Minister of Local Government: Which councils, if any, have expressed opposition to her on the Government's proposed Three Waters reforms? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and policies?

Questions to Ministers Angie Warren-Clark to the Minister for Disability Issues: How is the Government delivering change for disabled people through Budget 2022? Chris Bishop to the Minister of Housing: Does she stand by her statements that "KiwiBuild is alive and well" and that "Since Labour took office at the end of 2017, it's been one of our government's top priorities to fix the housing crisis"? Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made about the Government's response to the independent review of Pharmac? Hon Gerry Brownlee to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does she stand by all her statements and actions with regard to New Zealand's relationships with Pacific Island countries, and China's moves to build a closer China-Pacific Island countries community? Shanan Halbert to the Minister for Economic and Regional Development: What announcements has he made on transforming the advanced manufacturing sector? Dr James McDowall to the Minister of Immigration: Does he agree with the Productivity Commission's finding that the immigration system "does not undergo the same level of transparency, public scrutiny and robust policy assessment that most other public policies require", and how can he be confident that his Government's immigration rebalance will alleviate workforce shortages? Arena Williams to the Associate Minister of Housing (Maori Housing): How is the Government partnering with iwi Maori to deliver new homes for whanau? Rino Tirikatene to the Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare): How does Budget 2022 support Maori agribusiness and Whenua Maori Programme land users? Erica Stanford to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement regarding why engineers are on the fast-tracked 'straight to residence' pathway that "those skills are at high demand"; and why are nurses not on that pathway, when Hon Andrew Little, Minister of Health, recently admitted that New Zealand hospitals are around 4,000 nurses short? Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Is she concerned some of our most vulnerable tamariki in benefit-receiving households are going to miss out on the $350 cost of living payment? Glen Bennett to the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector: What recent announcements has she made about proposed amendments to the Charities Act 2005?

Questions to Ministers CHRISTOPHER LUXON to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation: What action is the Government taking to accelerate innovation in New Zealand businesses? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Minister of Finance: Is he comfortable with New Zealand's economic performance in comparison with Australia's since this Government took office? SARAH PALLETT to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How is the Government supporting beneficiary sole parents through Budget 2022? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Is he concerned to see ANZ's Business Outlook survey showing business confidence at its lowest since April 2020, and does he agree with the BNZ that "the economy's wheels are beginning to fall off"? GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Justice: How has Budget 2022 strengthened New Zealand's legal aid scheme? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all of his statements and actions? Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for the Environment: Is dilution the solution to agricultural nitrate pollution, or is there a need to reduce nitrate leaching into groundwater in regions such as Canterbury to reduce risks to drinking water and freshwater from farmed areas? TAMATI COFFEY to the Minister of Transport: What action is the Government taking to regenerate New Zealand's coastal shipping sector? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Why are firearms prohibition orders still not in place despite Police recommending them in October 2017? CAMILLA BELICH to the Associate Minister of Health: How will Budget 2022 help strengthen eating disorder services? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement that "If we're going to have a Maori Health Authority, I'm determined that it genuinely has the authority to really make a difference for Maori"; if not, why not?

Questions to Ministers CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Does she have confidence in the current approach taken to enforcing the Healthy Homes Standards? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions? 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? SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Housing: How is the Government supporting more people into their first homes through Budget 2022? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Treasury that "inflation is being driven by strong domestic demand"; if so, does he believe his plans to spend an additional $38 billion over the next four years is adding upward or downward pressure on inflation? TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister of Health: How is Budget 2022 helping to secure the future of New Zealanders' health? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "I reject the premise that gang tensions have increased under this Government's watch", and how does she reconcile that with the twelve gang-related shootings last week? NICOLE McKEE to the Minister of Police: Does she agree with the Prime Minister, who told Stephen Colbert, "We had a buy-back scheme. People had legitimately and legally gone out and purchased these weapons, and we changed the laws. So, in fairness, we said that we will buy them back, and then we will destroy them. And so that is what we did"? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Tourism: How is the Government supporting the tourism industry to innovate and recover? Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does she have a plan for ongoing engagement with Pacific countries currently considering the China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision; if so, when will we learn about it? JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What recent announcements has he made regarding competition in the retail grocery sector?

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? WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made on expanding mental health and addiction services? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by his statement that "the Government looks to all sectors to pull their weight with the Emissions Reduction Plan"; if so, does he believe agriculture will be pulling its weight over the first three emissions budget periods? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Westpac economist Michael Gordon's view that "Many households are already feeling the pinch on their finances, and that pressure will become more intense over the next few years"; if so, will he commit to tax relief in tomorrow's Budget? RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Forestry: How is the Government using investment in forestry to help New Zealand meet its obligations to lower emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her Government's statements and policies? MATT DOOCEY to the Minister of Health: Why did he announce yesterday an expansion of Mana Ake with "$90 million set aside to start services in Northland, Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty, Lakes and West Coast regions", when he had already announced in April 2021, "The expansion of Mana Ake will start in five new DHB areas: Northland, Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty, Lakes and West Coast", and is he aware of any other recent Government mental health announcements that have already been announced? VANUSHI WALTERS to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has the Government made about supporting the public transport sector? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Does he still believe that early construction on Auckland light rail will start in 2023? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Youth: What recent announcements has she made about supporting youth in New Zealand? Hon MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement, "in terms of what I am delivering as Police Minister … our people feel safer"; if so, why?

Questions to Ministers: SARAH PALLETT to the Minister of Health: Is the Government working to embed community voices within the reformed health system; if so, how? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement, "The short term challenge of inflation is significant"; if so, when does he expect inflation to return to the Reserve Bank's 1-3 percent target range? KIERAN McANULTY to the Minister of Tourism: What reports, if any, has he received about the appeal of New Zealand as a visitor destination following the Tourism New Zealand trade show in Sydney this week? Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his Government not including a rural health strategy, for the approximately 750,000 New Zealanders who live rurally or remotely, in the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill? IBRAHIM OMER to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made about the Immigration Rebalance plan? GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN to the Minister of Police: Does she agree that youth offending is driven by income deprivation, mental health challenges, and trauma; if so, how will $500 million for more police on the street reduce youth offending? NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Transport: What recent reports has he seen on the impact of the Government's half-price public transport scheme? ERICA STANFORD to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? SIMON COURT to the Minister of Climate Change: Does he agree with economist Matt Burgess, who said that "further policies are not necessary … Cap-and-trade schemes like the ETS effectively neutralise other emissions policies"; if not, why not? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What reports has he seen supporting the Commerce Commission's analysis of competition in the retail grocery sector? SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Is he confident NZTA is meeting his expectation of "responsible and proportionate spending"; if so, is he satisfied that NZTA's spending is giving taxpayers good value for money?

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? TERISA NGOBI to the Minister for Disability Issues: What recent announcements has she made on New Zealand Sign Language? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister of Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by the Prime Minister's statement, "Absolutely - I wouldn't dispute that for a moment" in response to Fairer Future, who said that "people on a benefit should be able to participate fully in society", and what specific new initiatives, if any, have been agreed to reduce poverty among beneficiary whanau? NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod, who said this week that "over the coming year household spending levels will come under pressure from continued increases in the cost of living"; if so, why won't he provide New Zealanders with income tax relief? INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What recent announcements has she made about the Government's ongoing response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine? ERICA STANFORD to the Associate Minister of Education: Does she stand by the press release issued by her predecessor in February 2020 titled "School attendance has to improve"; if so, is she satisfied with her Government's progress in tackling truancy so far? SHANAN HALBERT to the Associate Minister of Housing (Maori Housing): How is the Government partnering with iwi Maori to deliver new homes for whanau? DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her Government's statements and policies? RACHEL BOYACK to the Minister for Emergency Management: How is the Government supporting grassroots emergency resilience initiatives? MATT DOOCEY to the Minister of Health: Why have solitary confinement rates increased in mental health inpatient facilities despite the $1.9 billion announced for mental health, and what is his response to the Chief Ombudsman, who said about his recent mental health reports, "the Ministry of Health needs to answer to you and the public as to what it's done with the taxpayers' money"? JAN LOGIE to the Minister for ACC: How does she respond to the findings of the Helen Clark Foundation report on perinatal mental health, which calls on the Government to expand cover for mental injury under the Accident Compensation (Maternal Birth Injury and Other Matters) Amendment Bill so that support is available for mental injuries resulting from a traumatic birth?