Category: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

BUSINESS STATEMENT

Hon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) on behalf of the Leader of the House: Today, the House will adjourn until Tuesday, 10 September. In that week, the House will consider the second readings of the Education and Training Amendment Bill and the Contracts of Insurance Bill. It will also consider the third reading of the Corrections Amendment Bill. On Tuesday, there are the Estimates debates for the health, Māori development, and transport portfolios. Wednesday will be a members’ day.

Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour): I thank the acting Leader of the House for that. The question that I have is around the extended sittings. If it happens, like it did this week, that it’s not required, would the Government consider using that scheduled extended sitting to fill the deficit in the outstanding members’ day during that time?

Hon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): I know the members opposite are excited about the huge amount of work and legislation that the Government is progressing, and he’ll just have to wait and see.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

KARAKIA/PRAYERS

SPEAKER: Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

KARAKIA/PRAYERS

SPEAKER: Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

PETITIONS, PAPERS, SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SPEAKER: There have been petitions delivered to the Clerk for presentation.

CLERK:

• Petition of Consumer NZ requesting that the House pass legislation requiring a product repairability label on large and small domestic appliances and electronic devices
• Petition of Rochelle Zajko requesting that the House urge the Government to allow drivers to make right turns on to and off State Highway 2 between Omokoroa and Waihi and remove new median barriers that block access from State Highway 2.

SPEAKER: Those petitions have been referred to the Petitions Committee. No papers have been presented. A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.

CLERK: Report of the Privileges Committee on the Question of privilege concerning investigations of possible breaches of court suppression orders in parliamentary proceedings.

SPEAKER: No bills have been introduced.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

ORAL QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

Question No. 1—Prime Minister

1. Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government’s statements and actions?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Yes, and especially our fast-track changes, which will make it much, much easier and much faster to get stuff done. We need more homes, we need more energy, more jobs, and more exports, and fast track will make it easier to deliver all of that and more. Fast track, of course, started life as an inspired piece of thinking from the “Piketty pirate” David Parker, and we have proudly stolen it and made it even better. Now we are making sensible changes—sensible changes—before it comes into law later this year, by shifting the decision making back to expert panels. So, if you care about climate change, care about energy security and a thriving economy, my message to Labour and the Greens is to get on board and vote for the fast-track legislation. [Interruption]

SPEAKER: Just before the supplementary gets asked, we are going to have a little bit more civility around the question and answer session. Some of that yelling out from over this side and the response from that side is not on.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Who is correct: Christopher Luxon, who said, “We’ve ended up creating a whole new series of addictions to nicotine that I think we’ll regret very strongly”, or Casey Costello, who received advice of an undisclosed provenance that was later forwarded to health officials, claiming “Nicotine is as harmful as caffeine”?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: We are doing the job in this Government of lowering daily smoking rates. We’ve made tremendous progress, and I know the Minister is working incredibly hard to do that.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with Casey Costello that nicotine is as harmful as caffeine, and, if not, why is he comfortable with his Minister presenting that advice to officials to inform the development of future Government policy?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well, I’d just say to the member that Ministers are responsible for their own policy-development processes and how they work with their agencies, and each Minister will operate differently, as we have seen with Erica Stanford, as Minister of Education, operating very differently from that member as Minister of Education.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked him two things: one was whether he agreed with the statement, and the second was whether he was comfortable with his Minister presenting that advice to her officials to inform the development of Government policy. As he repeatedly does, he has attacked me but he hasn’t actually addressed the questions that I’ve asked.

SPEAKER: Well, look, I think there were two legs to the questioning. He picked up the second leg pretty well, saying that Ministers are responsible for their own programmes.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with the Hon Casey Costello that nicotine is as harmful as caffeine?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: What we both agree about is that we’re going to lower daily smoking rates.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order, Mr Speaker. That wasn’t the question.

SPEAKER: I think the Prime Minister could perhaps address the question directly.

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Could he ask the question again?

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with the Hon Casey Costello that nicotine is as harmful as caffeine?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I think that nicotine is more harmful than caffeine.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Who acted properly: Judith Collins, who warned Shane Jones and David Seymour that their criticism of the judiciary broke Cabinet Manual conventions, or Shane Jones, who renewed his attacks last week calling a High Court judge a communist?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: You’d have to ask the Minister about that, but what I’d say is that he was being descriptive, not critical.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order, Mr Speaker. When it comes questions of the Minister’s conduct, the Prime Minister cannot say, “You’d have to ask the Minister that.” The Prime Minister is responsible for the Minister’s conduct. A Minister calling a judge a communist—

SPEAKER: That’s true, but you did ask a very direct question. Think about how you ask the question and, without penalty, ask again.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Well, I can shorten the question if you’d like, Mr Speaker.

SPEAKER: Well, if you’re capable, go for it.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is he comfortable with a Minister in his Government calling a judge a communist?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Sorry?

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is he comfortable with a Minister in his Government calling a judge a communist?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: The Minister was being descriptive, not critical. [Interruption]

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order—[Interruption]

SPEAKER: We’re on a point of order, and I will call that point of order. I’d just say that you’re going to dance on a pin if we keep on having semantics around words—but please ask your point of order.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: This is a pretty substantial issue. There is a separation between the Parliament, between the executive, and the judiciary. It is well respected that not only Ministers but members of Parliament should not be criticising the judiciary. A Minister calling a judge a communist is a legitimate question to ask of the Prime Minister around ministerial conduct, and I think we could expect more than just a flippant answer like that.

SPEAKER: I don’t think it was a flippant answer. The answer was that he was being descriptive, not accusatory, which is a pretty reasonable answer.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is it acceptable for a Minister in his Government to describe a judge as a communist?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Again, the comments are descriptive, not critical. That’s exactly what has happened. It’s on the public record. They might not be the words that I’d use, but he’s perfectly free to do so.

Hon David Seymour: Is the Prime Minister surprised that the leader of the Labour Party believes “communist” is a critical term?

SPEAKER: No, I don’t think we’ll let that go.

Hon David Seymour: Sorry, comrade!

SPEAKER: We’re just going to come to order. Everyone might find everything highly amusing; you’re just taking up your own time.

Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is he as Prime Minister satisfied that Shane Jones’ comments are consistent with Cabinet Manual requirements around Ministers not criticising the judiciary?

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

TUESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2024

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

KARAKIA/PRAYERS

TEANAU TUIONO (Assistant Speaker—Green): E te Atua kaha rawa, ka tuku whakamoemiti atu mātou, mō ngā karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a mātou. Ka waiho i ō mātou pānga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi mātou ki te Kīngi, me te inoi atu mō te ārahitanga i roto i ō mātou whakaaroarohanga, kia mōhio ai, kia whakaiti ai tā mātou whakahaere i ngā take o te Whare nei, mō te oranga, te maungārongo, me te aroha o Aotearoa. Amene.

[Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom and humility, for the welfare, peace, and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.]

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

VISITORS

Fiji—Member of Parliament

United Kingdom—Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific

SPEAKER: I’m sure members will wish to welcome two visiting members of Parliament who are present in the gallery, the honourable Rinesh Sharma, member of Parliament from the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji, and Catherine West, member of Parliament from the United Kingdom, Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

ORAL QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

Question No. 1—Finance

1. GREG FLEMING (National—Maungakiekie) to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen about the cost of living”

Hon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance): Last week, the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee published its Monetary Policy Statement where it discussed recent economic and financial developments and their implications. The Reserve Bank is confident that after three long years, inflation is now expected to fall back within the 1 to 3 percent target band in the September quarter. In other words, the era of extreme price increases is over.

Greg Fleming: What does this mean for Kiwi households?

Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well, getting inflation under control for the first time in three years has a number of benefits for New Zealand households. With wages growing faster than prices for the first nine months of this year, real incomes are finally increasing again after three years of going backwards. With the cost of living no longer rising at such a frightening pace, including annual food prices actually falling for the first time in six years, Kiwi budgets will stretch just a little bit further. With the inflation genie finally back in the bottle, the Reserve Bank last week cut the official cash rate for the first time in four years, with more cuts projected, meaning lower mortgage costs for thousands of Kiwi homeowners.

Greg Fleming: How has the Government helped bring down the cost of living?

Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well, the sky-high inflation we’ve seen over the last few years was caused by too much money chasing too few goods. That was a result of the Reserve Bank cutting interest rates to stimulate the economy during COVID, and despite the Opposition’s denials, from the previous Government increasing spending from around $80 billion in the 2017-18 financial year to $138 billion in 2023-24. Since coming into office, the Government has taken many steps. We’ve refocused the Reserve Bank on a single objective of fighting inflation. We stopped adding unnecessary costs on businesses, like the ute tax, the regional fuel tax, and tenant taxes. We’ve reduced economic bottlenecks and cut red tape by restoring 90-day trials, abolishing fair pay agreements, and fixing the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. More importantly, we are putting financial discipline back at the heart of Government spending. With our recent Budget being the tightest in the past five years, with an operating allowance of $3.2 billion and savings worth $24 billion over the forecast period, we are doing our bit to bring an end to Labour’s cost of living crisis.

Greg Fleming: What other support has the Government provided to Kiwi families dealing with this cost of living crisis?

Hon NICOLA WILLIS: In addition to playing our part in bringing down inflation, we were also able to deliver tax relief to hard-working Kiwi households, including the first reduction in personal income tax in 14 years, and 83 percent of New Zealanders will benefit from this Government’s tax relief package. For more than 100,000 low and middle income families who have childcare costs, we delivered FamilyBoost, which means those families can claim back up to 25 percent of their early childhood fees to a maximum of $150 a fortnight. An end to the era of extreme price increases, mortgage costs coming down, food prices stabilising, income tax relief, and more support for families with children—these are the things that can be achieved when a Government stops treating taxpayers like a bottomless ATM, reins in the wasteful spending, puts a stop to the fantasy projects and white elephants, and starts spending taxpayers’ money as carefully as households do.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

THURSDAY, 22 AUGUST 2024

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

KARAKIA/PRAYERS

DEPUTY SPEAKER: Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations, that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

BUSINESS STATEMENT

Hon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House): Next week, the House will consider the first reading of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill, continue the committee stage of the Corrections Amendment Bill, and consider the third readings of the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill and the Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) Amendment Bill. On Tuesday, we start the Estimates debate with the debates on finance and the children’s portfolio.

Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central): I wonder if the Leader of the House could let us know what he proposes doing with the Treaty principles bill when introduced. In particular, will it be referred to a select committee, and, if so, for how long?

Hon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House): It’s difficult to comment on a bill that is not on the Order Paper.