Parliament - Live Stream and Question Time

BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister of Health: What expectations does the Minister have of the Ministry of Health for meeting its obligations under the End of Life Choice Act, which comes into force in 11 months?

HELEN WHITE to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: Since the passing of the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018, which, if any, of the economising behaviours measured in the DEP-17 material hardship questions have become more common; and, if any, which of these has increased the most?

ANGELA ROBERTS to the Minister of Education: What support is the Government giving to schools to help them reduce their carbon emissions?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree with all the findings on the Auckland light rail City Centre to Māngere project reached by the Controller and Auditor-General as set out in his letter to the CEO of the Ministry of Transport dated 26 November; if not, what findings does he not agree with?

Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Does he plan any reform of fisheries management; if so, what are his priorities for the reform?

Hon LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Is she confident the Government’s policies and actions to address youth unemployment are fit for purpose?

TANGI UTIKERE to the Minister for the Environment: What actions is the Government taking to reform the Resource Management System?

Dr JAMES McDOWALL to the Minister of Immigration: Will further border exemptions be provided for shearing workers; if not, why not?

ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Māori Development: What steps has the Government taken to support the Māori economy through Government procurement targets?

SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Police: What are her plans, if any, to reduce gun violence in New Zealand from its highest levels in nearly a decade?

JO LUXTON to the Minister of Conservation: What recent announcements has she made about the Milford Track?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she consider a $195,000 increase in the price of the median house since October 2017 a sign of a Government that is “absolutely committed to resolving the housing crisis and taking a multitude of steps and levers to make that happen”, as she stated in her speech in the 2017 Address in Reply debate?

GREG O'CONNOR to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Finance: Can he confirm that during this term of Government there will be no other changes to tax beyond the new 39 percent personal income tax rate?

ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What action is the Government taking to reduce fossil fuel use by large industrial users?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Why has the report of the COVID-19 Surveillance and Testing Strategy Group not been considered by Cabinet yet, and what is his best estimate for when the report will be made public?

JO LUXTON to the Minister of Education: What steps is the Government taking to ensure that school students are able to learn in warm, dry, and modern classrooms?

STUART SMITH to the Minister of Climate Change: Will New Zealand fulfil all of its obligations under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieve its 2030 target to reduce emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels?

SHANAN HALBERT to the Minister of Transport: What progress has been made on the Auckland Transport Alignment Project?

NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Housing: How many motels, if any, has the Government purchased or leased in the past three years for public housing purposes, and how much does the Government currently spend per day on motel accommodation for people in housing need?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s policies?

NAISI CHEN to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What is the Government doing to protect New Zealanders from unaffordable loans?

JAN LOGIE to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Will the advice he is seeking “to ensure that the Covid Leave Support Scheme is meeting its objectives” include whether the leave support scheme should be extended and expanded before the summer holiday period?

Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement in relation to accepting policy recommendations on housing, “The appetite for some of these policies also needs to come from the public”?

JO LUXTON to the Minister of Education: What response has he seen to Government initiatives to support training and apprenticeships?

ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Finance: Is he considering further extending the bright-line test to have an effect upon house prices?

Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement about the Government’s economic response to the COVID-19 shock that “we must also not allow inequality to take hold in our recovery”?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement in relation to a COVID-19 vaccine that “At this point, our expectation that we’ve been running to is more around the March date”?

ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What announcements has she recently made about support for New Zealanders to take up seasonal work?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Does he agree with the statement from Professor Nick Wilson of Otago University’s Department of Public Health on 25 November 2020, “Well, I am concerned that unless we rapidly improve things, we are going to have more border failures because the system has just got too many persisting weaknesses”; if not, why not?

JAMIE STRANGE to the Minister of Immigration: What recent announcements has he made to set out how the Government is supporting New Zealand businesses?

Hon LOUISE UPSTON to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): What is the total number of applicants on the Social Housing Register and how does this compare to September 2017?

MARJA LUBECK to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: How is the Government delivering on its commitment to increase minimum sick leave entitlements to 10 days a year?

NICOLA WILLIS to the Minister of Housing: Has the Government done enough to increase housing supply, and which new measures, if any, for boosting housing supply will she have up and running in the next six months?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement that the reason the Government will not extend the wage subsidy to cover the additional four days of lockdown is because “it would require an entirely different process and regime”?

GREG O'CONNOR to the Minister of Finance: How is the Government supporting New Zealand businesses and workers through the global COVID-19 pandemic?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How many people in managed isolation have not had day-three tests since the week of 8 June?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she agree with Professor Nick Wilson from Otago University, who said, “We must have had some failure at the border, it’s unlikely there could have been silent transmission for that long”; if not, why not?

Hon JAMES SHAW to the Minister of Finance: Is the Government taking steps to ensure the economic recovery from COVID-19 contributes to New Zealand’s zero carbon 2050 target?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: When he said he hadn’t read the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Testing Strategy for staff at the border, why had he not read it?

GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Revenue: What advice has he seen about the take-up of the Small Business Cashflow (Loan) Scheme?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation: Where precisely on the Southern Interceptor is ESR testing for COVID-19 in Auckland’s waste water, and when was the first positive result?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: Is he confident the Government is doing all it can to reduce the economic damage caused by the current lockdown restrictions?

KIERAN McANULTY to the Associate Minister of Health: How is the Government supporting Pacific communities at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19?

PAUL EAGLE to the Minister for Social Development: What support has the Government made available to assist communities in response to COVID-19?

Question Time for 19 August 2020.

Hon JAMES SHAW to the Minister of Finance: Is the Government supporting working people who need to take leave due to COVID-19; if so, how?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: What advice, if any, has she received on the most likely way COVID-19 entered Auckland, causing the lockdown which began on 12 August, and what weaknesses, if any, have officials identified in border procedures which may have left New Zealand vulnerable to fresh outbreaks of COVID-19?

GREG O'CONNOR to the Minister of Finance: What recent actions has he taken to support the New Zealand economy under the current COVID-19 restrictions?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Housing: Does she think the public should be concerned that post the 23 June announcement by the Minister of Health that “a testing strategy to keep New Zealand safe” with priority testing for MIQ staff and international and maritime crews was not comprehensively put in place, despite the Prime Minister stating last week that testing was happening all the way through?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: What is the total estimated cost, to both the economy and to the Government, of the re-emergence of COVID-19 in the community?

KIRITAPU ALLAN to the Minister of Education: What steps is the Government taking to support students whose learning has been disrupted by the shift to COVID-19 alert level 3 in Auckland?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement regarding testing of border staff that “it has not been happening at the rates (a) we have asked for and (b) we were told”?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Health: What, if anything, does the Government’s resurgence plan for COVID-19 say about testing those involved in maritime transport, and is he satisfied with the implementation of the plan?

Hon RON MARK to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What recent announcements has she made regarding lottery funding and local communities in light of COVID-19?

Hon DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Agriculture: Why did the Director-General of MPI tell Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association on Wednesday last week that the same definition of essential services used during the last lockdown would apply again in this lockdown, and are farmers also required to get a Ministry of Health exemption to cross the level 3 boundary for work purposes?

GINNY ANDERSEN to the Attorney-General: How has the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 supported the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Housing: Is she satisfied with all aspects of quarantine and managed isolation management, and what, if anything, has she learnt from the Australian experience of a second wave of COVID-19 infections?

KIRITAPU ALLAN to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic?

JENNY MARCROFT to the Minister for Veterans: What recent announcements has he made regarding support for veterans?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: What was the extent of fiscal and economic stimulus during the June quarter, and what is Treasury’s best estimate of the stimulus since then?

MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Education: What is the Government doing to make it easier and more attractive for employers to train people?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Transport: Does he think that there have been failures in the transport portfolio in this term of Parliament; if so, what are they?

Hon TODD McCLAY to the Minister of Tourism: Does he stand by his decision not to provide support to outbound tourism operators as a part of his $311 million tourism relief package?

RINO TIRIKATENE to the Minister for Māori Development: What has the Government achieved for Māori?

Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Justice: Does he agree with the comments relating to the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill’s explanatory note in the New Zealand Medical Journal of 31 July “These are inflated and unrealistic political promises for policy impacts that are unlikely to be achieved as stated”?

SIMON O'CONNOR to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Can he confirm that the social housing wait-list is nearly at 18,000 people in the last reported quarter; if so, has the wait-list been rising every quarter since his Government took office?

GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Police: What reports has he seen about the impact on police diversity of the growth in recruitment over the past three years?

BARBARA KURIGER to the Minister for Women: What has she done to support women in employment?

Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement regarding the Provincial Growth Fund that “this programme, in one way or another, plays a fundamental role in every element of our economic strategy”?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: How many of the 452,425 people receiving the wage subsidy extension does he expect will become unemployed when the wage subsidy expires, and what is the Government’s plan if the majority of those New Zealanders lose their jobs?

JAN TINETTI to the Minister of Education: What measures has the Government put in place to support employers and workers to focus on skill development during the economic challenges due to COVID-19?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: Does he agree with all of the findings of the Controller and Auditor-General’s report, Managing the Provincial Growth Fund; if not, what findings does he disagree with?

Hon TODD McCLAY to the Minister of Tourism: Does he stand by all his statements made yesterday regarding the tourism recovery package and travel agents?

ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister for Social Development: What work-focused initiatives has the Government implemented to improve the support offered through the welfare system?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister of Transport: What components, if any, of the Recommended Programme of Investment for Let’s Get Wellington Moving were not included in the final Indicative Package announced by him on 16 May 2019, and why were those components not included?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How is New Zealand prepared for a second coronavirus wave, and how are recent community surveillance testing numbers a part of that preparation?

MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Minister for Climate Change: What announcements has he made recently highlighting the risks Aotearoa New Zealand faces as a consequence of climate change?

Hon NICKY WAGNER to the Minister of Defence: Does he support the NZDF’s initiatives to support smoking cessation?

BRETT HUDSON to the Minister of Police: Is he confident that the Government’s policies are keeping New Zealanders safe?

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government’s policies and commitments?

Dr DEBORAH RUSSELL to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Housing: Is she confident in the systems at the border and in quarantine and managed isolation?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: How many of the 452,425 people receiving the wage subsidy extension does he expect will become unemployed when the wage subsidy expires, and what is the Government’s plan if the majority of those New Zealanders lose their jobs?

MARK PATTERSON to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: Is the Provincial Growth Fund on track to meet the target of creating 10,000 jobs?

PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN to the Minister for Social Development: What recent announcements has she made about supporting communities in the COVID-19 recovery?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How does he explain recent outbound air travellers who tested positive when they arrived in Australia, and how does this relate to community surveillance testing numbers over the past three months?

PAUL EAGLE to the Associate Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has he made about improving the quality of State housing?

Hon TODD McCLAY to the Minister of Tourism: Why was A J Hackett given a $5.1 million grant by the Government but outbound tourism operators such as travel agents were given no support in the recently announced $311 million COVID aid package?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: Does he stand by his statement that the Provincial Growth Fund will “create sustainable jobs in the regions”, and how many new permanent roles have been created that did not exist prior to Provincial Growth Fund funding being allocated to those projects?

WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Associate Minister of Health: How is the Government supporting Māori health and wellbeing?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: What are some of her Government’s policy achievements?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her explanation in Parliament yesterday of the rationale for the Government’s proposed regime for charging some people who return to New Zealand part of the cost of their managed isolation, and is the proposed regime an example of good public policy?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her reaction to job losses at The Warehouse, “I’m angry”; if so, is she also angry that more than 65,000 other New Zealanders have lost their jobs since March?

ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made about upgrading vital infrastructure at Auckland City Hospital?

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister, who said yesterday, “My advice would be, to anyone who finds themselves currently unemployed and wishes to start their own business, don’t for a moment think that you need to gamble with your retirement savings”?

WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister for Social Development: What recent announcements has she made about putting children first as part of the Government’s welfare overhaul?

JAN LOGIE to the Associate Minister for the Environment: Is regulated product stewardship useful for reducing waste to landfill; if so, why?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for Infrastructure: Will the full list of the more than 150 shovel-ready projects be announced before Parliament dissolves, and how many of these projects are currently scheduled for announcement by Government Ministers or Under-Secretaries?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: Does he stand by his statement about the number of jobs the Provincial Growth Fund will create, “10,000 as an estimate over the life of the fund”; if so, what is the source of the information that informed his answer?

Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Minister for the Environment: What announcements has the Government made regarding reform of the Resource Management Act 1991?

BRETT HUDSON to the Minister of Health: Does he have confidence that enough New Zealanders are downloading and using the official NZ COVID Tracer app for it to be effective in the event of an outbreak of community transmission?

GREG O'CONNOR to the Minister of Police: What reports has he seen about police efforts to prevent and respond to methamphetamine harm in the community?

Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Justice: Would the repeal of the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018 improve New Zealand’s democracy?