Category: Parliament

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Parliament Oral Questions – 000610

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Oral Questions and Answers

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statements from earlier this year in relation to COVID-19 vaccines, “We absolutely accepted we wouldn’t be the first rolling out, because the equation in New Zealand is so different” and “I support the fact we have been later in the pecking order”?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement that “with Covid raging outside our borders, and new more transmissible strains emerging, we have had to both make continual improvements to strengthen our border while continuing to plan and prepare for managing any resurgence in the most effective way possible.”?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: How many people per day have had a planned inpatient procedure delayed during the current lockdown, if any, and how many of these were for cancer surgery?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister of Finance: What is the estimated direct cost to the Crown of the change in COVID-19 alert levels since 18 August 2021, and how does that compare with the unallocated portion of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: How many doses, by month, of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are yet to be delivered, and are reports correct that the New Zealand Government asked for vaccine shipments from Pfizer to be delayed beyond September 2021?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Is he satisfied with the operation of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No 9) 2021?

Answers to these questions are delivered from 2pm (New Zealand time) on the day of tabling. The answers can be accessed in text form, once Hansard is finalised, by clicking here.

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Parliament Oral Questions – 000609

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Oral Questions and Answers

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

RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does her Government’s commitment to “overhauling the welfare system” include ensuring low-income communities are supported to deal with the effects and costs of climate change; if not, why not?

ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Finance: Has he reassessed any of his spending plans, since Statistics NZ reported inflation is 3.3 percent, and most banks are now predicting swift increases in interest rates over the next year?

ANAHILA KANONGATA’A-SUISUIKI to the Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has she made about support for Community Housing Providers?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Will the Government administer 8,016,768 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the week of 21 November 2021 as set out in the Ministry of Health’s “Original cumulative vaccinations model”, and does he have confidence in the vaccine roll-out?

ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How is the Government delivering more pathways into mahi for job seekers?

BARBARA KURIGER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Will she apologise to Genesis Energy for her statement that Genesis made a “commercial decision” when it came to how much generation to have online on Monday night, and what are the terms of reference, if any, for the review she has instructed the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to undertake?

IBRAHIM OMER to the Associate Minister of Education: What recent progress has she seen in education on implementing Recommendation 36 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019?

RAWIRI WAITITI to the Minister of Housing: Does she have confidence in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development?

MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcements has he made on the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway?

DAMIEN SMITH to the Minister for Racing: Is he satisfied with the operations of the TAB?

TIM VAN DE MOLEN to the Minister for Building and Construction: Does she stand by all of her statements and actions?

Answers to these questions are delivered from 2pm (New Zealand time) on the day of tabling. The answers can be accessed in text form, once Hansard is finalised, by clicking here.

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Parliament Oral Questions – 000608

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Oral Questions and Answers

Hon JUDITH COLLINS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government’s statements and actions?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by the statement that “This Government will foster a more open and democratic society. It will strengthen transparency around official information”?

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

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Which of the new health indicators he announced last week directly measures waiting times for cancer management, if any, and how many people with a primary diagnosis of cancer have currently been waiting more than four months for management?

Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What recent announcements has he made on the roll-out of New Zealand’s vaccination programme?

ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Revenue: What reassessment, if any, has he made on the merits of removing interest deductibility from rental income now that public consultation has closed, and what is his response to Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, who said the proposal risked making the housing affordability situation worse?

Dr LIZ CRAIG to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made about funding for health research?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister of Transport: Does this Government intend to proceed with the “separate structure for walking and cycling alongside the Auckland Harbour Bridge” as proposed; if not, when will he formally cancel it?

Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Is his top priority in the Transport portfolio reducing carbon emissions; if so, what steps is he taking to achieve this?

ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Māori Development: What recent reports, if any, has he seen on the Government’s Māori Housing Network programme?

BARBARA KURIGER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Is it correct that she was first informed of a New Zealand-wide power emergency when 1 News called her just before 8.30pm, and when was her office first informed of Monday’s power emergency?

Dr TRACEY McLELLAN to the Associate Minister of Health: What recent announcement has she made about vaping?

Answers to these questions are delivered from 2pm (New Zealand time) on the day of tabling. The answers can be accessed in text form, once Hansard is finalised, by clicking here.

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Parliament Oral Questions – 000607

Source: New Zealand Parliament – Oral Questions and Answers

BARBARA EDMONDS 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 all of her Government’s statements and actions?

WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made on the redevelopment of Bay of Islands Hospital?

GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What advice has she received, if any, about the effects of climate change-related events on New Zealand’s Overseas Development Assistance programmes?

ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Finance: What advice, if any, has he received on the economic impacts of recent higher energy prices and the economic consequences of power outages?

RACHEL BROOKING to the Minister of Tourism: How is the Government supporting tourism infrastructure projects?

CHRIS BISHOP to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Why were unvaccinated workers at the Port of Tauranga allowed to have contact with the Rio de la Plata container ship before crew members on the ship had COVID-19 test results returned, and what steps, if any, is he taking to increase vaccination rates for port workers?

DAVID SEYMOUR to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her statements and policies?

BARBARA KURIGER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does she have confidence in the ability of the New Zealand electricity system to deliver security of supply; if not, why not?

MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Transport: What recent announcement has he made about improving public transport for West Aucklanders?

TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: What messages, if any, has he received from the Pacific community in Aotearoa relating to the impacts of climate change?

JO LUXTON to the Minister of Conservation: What recent announcements has she made regarding Jobs for Nature projects in Canterbury?

Answers to these questions are delivered from 2pm (New Zealand time) on the day of tabling. The answers can be accessed in text form, once Hansard is finalised, by clicking here.

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Have your say on the Employment Relations (Protection for Kiwisaver Members) Amendment Bill

Source: New Zealand Parliament

This bill aims to restore some key financial protections given to KiwiSaver members by the Employment Relations Act 2000, which were amended by the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2008 and resulted in employers not being legally required to offer the same terms or benefits to someone enrolled in KiwiSaver as they do to someone who is not. The bill therefore also aims to ensure that workers cannot be discriminated against because they are members of a KiwiSaver scheme or a complying superannuation fund. 

Under current legislation, employers are not legally obliged to offer workers enrolled in KiwiSaver the same terms of employment, salary or wages, conditions of work, fringe benefits, or opportunities for training and promotion and transfer, as a worker not enrolled in the scheme. Employers are also permitted to offset pay increases against workers’ KiwiSaver contributions. These settings could potentially disadvantage New Zealanders saving for their retirement, as they expose KiwiSaver members to potential discrimination due to their membership, meaning they may receive lesser protections than people who are not members of KiwiSaver. This bill aims to achieve more equal employment relations conditions for KiwiSaver members as those who do not belong to the scheme.

Tell the Finance and Expenditure Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by midnight on Monday, 30 October 2023.

For more details about the bill:

ENDS

For media enquiries contact:

Finance and Expenditure Committee staff

fe@parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI

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Have your say on the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill

Source: New Zealand Parliament

This bill seeks to contribute to the restoration of the health and mauri of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana. It proposes to do this by establishing 2 marine reserves, 5 seafloor protection areas, and 12 high protection areas in the Hauraki Gulf, and acknowledging customary rights within seafloor protection areas and high protection areas.

What do you need to know?

  • Submissions are publicly released and published to the Parliament website. Only your name or organisation’s name is required on a submission. Please keep your contact details separate, as if they are included on the submission they will become publicly available when the submission is released.
  • If you wish to include information of a private or personal nature in your submission, you should discuss this with the clerk of the committee before submitting.
  • If you wish to speak to your submission, please state this clearly.

Tell the Environment Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on 1 November 2023

For more details about the bill:

ENDS

For media enquiries contact:

Environment Committee staff

en@Parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI

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Have your say on the Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill

Source: New Zealand Parliament

The Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee is calling for submissions on the Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill.

This bill would amend the Crimes Act 1961 to specify that not paying an employee their wages is theft.

Make a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on Thursday, 12 October 2023.  

For more details about the bill:

ENDS

For media enquiries contact:

Education and Workforce Committee Staff

ew@parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI

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Briefing on environmental outcomes – freshwater

Source: New Zealand Parliament

On Thursday, 17 August the Environment Committee will hear from the chief executives of the Department for Internal Affairs; Department of Conservation; Land Information New Zealand; the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment; the Ministry for the Environment; and the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The Committee is reviewing environmental outcomes – in this case for fresh water – across multiple departments and spending programmes in contrast to the orthodox approach of scrutinising individual departments. The Committee is being assisted by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE), and the Controller and Auditor-General.

The hearing draws on the October 2022 report of the Parliamentary Commissioner, “Environmental reporting, research and investment: Do we know if we are making a difference?”. As the PCE has said, “We need to know how we are affecting the environment, and whether the actions we are taking to improve it are working?”

Scrutinising how Government expenditure supports the achievement of outcomes is at the core of a select committee’s role, particularly during the Estimates process. This briefing is an extension of the Committee’s Estimates scrutiny following the Budget 2023.

The committee will meet at 8.00am in Select Committee Meeting Room 1 (in Bowen House, Parliament Buildings), or you can watch the hearing online via the committee’s Facebook page here.

ENDS
For media enquiries contact:
Hon Eugenie Sage, Chairperson
Environment Committee
OR
Environment Committee staff
Environment@parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI

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Female MPs from across the Pacific headed to New Zealand for valuable development opportunity at Parliament

Source: New Zealand Parliament

Media Release

4 August 2023

Opportunities for the exchange of ideas and professional development will be on offer when thirty-five female members of Pacific parliaments meet in Wellington on Monday 7 August for a two-day wānanga, hosted by New Zealand Parliament.

Female MPs from the parliaments of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands and Tokelau will be attending the ‘Tuākana, Tēina, Whenua, Talanoa’ wānanga. As well as providing a platform for the MPs to gather, share and engage in a collegial sense the wānanga will also provide an abundance of learning opportunities.

A series of workshop sessions and presentations will focus on the areas of engagement, personal strategy, political skills, social media and broadcasting, and a range of other facets.

The election of a new Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Pacific region chair and Deputy Chair will also occur at the conclusion of the two-day event in Wellington.

“Events such as next week’s wānanga are wonderful opportunities for Pacific MPs to learn and grow through mentorship, connection, and shared learning. New Zealand Parliament values our relationship with our Pacific counterparts, and the Tai a Kiwa programme does a really great job in supporting Pacific parliaments with the things that they identify as their needs,” said Speaker Adrian Rurawhe.

The wānanga will be hosted and funded by the Tai a Kiwa: Stronger Pacific Parliaments programme, which since 2019 has aimed to provide relevant and practical assistance to our Pacific counterparts. This may take the form of mentorship, visits, technical assistance, relationship building or general support.

Contact Information

For more information contact IPR@parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI

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Have your say on limiting the use of restraints of trade in employment agreements

Source: New Zealand Parliament

The Education and Workforce Committee is calling for submissions on the Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill.

A restraint of trade in an employment agreement stops an employee from working in their field or for a competitor after the employment has ended. The bill would prohibit the use of restraints of trade in employment agreements for employees who earn less than 3 times the minimum wage.

Make a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on Monday, 18 September 2023.

For more details about the bill:

ENDS

For media enquiries contact:

Education and Workforce Committee Staff

ew@parliament.govt.nz

MIL OSI