edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
12. Question No. 12—TransportSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 12—Transport12. SIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of Transport: Is he committed to delivering light rail in Auckland and Wellington? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House) on behalf of the Minister of Transport: The Government is committed to building a light rail connection from Auckland City centre to Māngere. In the case of Wellington as previously indicated we're committed to mass rapid transit with the preferred option being light rail from Wellington Station to Island Bay. This is of course subject to further work as part of the ongoing detailed business case. Aucklanders and Wellingtonians want transport networks for their cities that reduce congestion and emissions and that's what we're committed to delivering.Simeon Brown: Does he agree with Michael Wood who said in February this year that main works on the Auckland light rail project will begin in 2025 and is he willing to commit to this time frame; if not why not?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: On behalf of the Minister that is indeed the planned time frame.Simeon Brown: When will the business case for Let's Get Wellington Moving be completed and how much more money will be spent on consultants between now and then?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: That piece of work is under way now and it will be completed as soon as it possibly can be because it is important that we plan and design get the engineering reports and get the seismic work done—the work of those consultants the member refers to. The alternative would be for the member to make it up on the basis of his reckons or perhaps outsource it to the Belt and Road Initiative.Simeon Brown: Does he agree with Grant Robertson who said on 29 June 2022 that he was as confident as can be" that light rail would go ahead in Wellington and if so on what date if any is he "as confident as can be" that construction will begin on this project?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: On behalf of the Minister of Transport I always find it wise to agree with the Hon Grant Robertson.Hon Julie Anne Genter: Does he agree that residents of Wellington and Auckland deserve highquality low-emissions public transport that is comfortable quiet fast and clean which light rail would provide and will that be the priority for his Government's investment?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I absolutely agree with the description of what Wellingtonians Aucklanders and indeed all those who use public transport should expect. What they won't get is that from the National Party who plan to cut $1.5 billion out of the public transport budget."
11. Question No. 11—Commerce and Consumer AffairsHon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer AffairsQuestion No. 11—Commerce and Consumer Affairs11. Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What has the Government done to make pricing clearer at supermarkets?Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): Today I have announced new rules that will require grocery retailers like Countdown and Pak 'N Save to display pricing consistently and clearly by weight volume or number depending on the nature of the items. This will require these retailers to show the cost per kilogram or litre or if the items come in small amounts like spices and essences then it will be 10 grams or by the millilitre.Hon Phil Twyford: What will be the effect of these new requirements for shoppers?Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: Kiwis will find it easier to compare product prices at the supermarket. Shoppers will no longer have to scratch their heads and get out their calculators to work out which product is best value for money and they won't have to get out their magnifying glass either. The unit pricing will need to be shown in a font size of at least 25 percent of the size of the actual price.Hon Phil Twyford: How will this affect competition in the grocery sector?Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: With shoppers able to compare prices and products more easily I expect to see an increase in inter-brand competition and I encourage grocery retailers to compete on best value for money benefiting customers in the long term.Hon Phil Twyford: When will this take effect?Hon Gerry Brownlee: It's a new programme: Shopping with Duncan".Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: I'm very happy to go shopping with Mr Brownlee any time—I'll take a basket; you can take a trolley. The new requirements are due to come into force at the end of August but supermarkets will have up to a year to implement the necessary systems. As the major grocery retailers already have the systems in place to display unit pricing I expect that they will begin following the new rules as soon as they're able. Online-only retailers will have two years to implement these requirements as we want to encourage such new and innovative ways to compete."
10. Question No. 10—HealthRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 10—Health10. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister of Health: Does she agree with the Minister for Social Development and Employment who said yesterday I'm not saying that there isn't more to do with regards to dental treatment and access in New Zealand. That can't all come down to the welfare system though. I think the health system and perhaps even ACC need to take a little responsibility there"?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): I do agree with Minister Sepuloni that there is always more to do and this Government has already shown its commitment to improving the oral health of New Zealanders. That's why in November 2021 it passed the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 giving the Director-General of Health the power to direct local authorities to fluoridate their water supplies to protect people against tooth decay. That is also why the maximum special needs dental grant for dental treatment increased to $1000 and it's why free dental care is available to children and young people up to the age of 18 years.Ricardo Menéndez March: What else beyond fluoridation free tooth brushes and dental grants is Te Whatu Ora doing to improve access to basic dental treatment including check-ups and cleaning?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: As that member is aware check-ups routine preventive dental care is privately provided in New Zealand in the majority of situations for people over the age of 18.Ricardo Menéndez March: Is oral health part of general health and if so is it equitable for New Zealanders to be expected to pay to access essential healthcare like dental?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Oral health is indeed part of general health. That's why we've taken the steps of making sure that our water is fluoridated and of making sure that in constrained financial circumstances have access to the emergency dental grant.Ricardo Menéndez March: Is she concerned about oral health outcomes in Aotearoa when one in three adults experience tooth decay and one in ten root decay? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Yes.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does she acknowledge that with 73 percent of New Zealanders avoiding the dentist due to cost poor oral health may be leading to more severe health issues and more expensive medical interventions and if so what actions is she taking to alleviate those costs?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The Government is very concerned about the impact of cost on people's ability to access care of all sorts. That's why we've removed the $5 co-payment on medicines and why we support free access to dental care for everyone under the age of 18."
8. Question No. 8—HealthRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 8—Health8. RACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson) to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has she made about the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): Last week I was proud to announce this Government's next steps in the major redevelopment of Nelson Hospital. We have committed $73 million for the first tranche of redevelopment. The redevelopment will make the hospital more efficient and effective with an emergency department (ED) which meets Australasian standards is twice as big and has medical assessment spaces which allow better patient flow. Enabling works in the redevelopment are due to start mid-next year and construction in 2026.Rachel Boyack: What will stage one of Project Whakatupuranga look like?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The funding allows Project Whakatupuranga to immediately begin design for the acute services building—the first stage in a six-phase project estimated at $1.09 billion to be carried out over 10 years. The initial funding will enable work to progress on plans for a new acute services and in-patient building projected to include 255 beds eight theatres and a larger emergency department.Rachel Boyack: Why has the Government committed funding to Nelson Hospital's redevelopment?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The current hospital is too small the spaces are poorly configured and some parts are not up to earthquake standards. The redeveloped hospital will be modern and fit for purpose for patients and their whānau. It will also ensure that Nelson Hospital can provide care should a significant earthquake occur on the Alpine Fault and will allow us to keep up with the region's growing and ageing population by helping futureproof the centre of Nelson's health network providing accessible quality health services for the community.Rachel Boyack: How does the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital fit into the Government's health infrastructure plan?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The development of Nelson's hospital is one of 110 health infrastructure projects—worth a total of $7.7 billion—currently being planned and delivered nationwide as part of the programme to rebuild and strengthen New Zealand's hospitals and health infrastructure. Ensuring our health infrastructure is up to date and fit for purpose means New Zealanders will be able to better access the health services they need.
5. Question No. 5—ChildrenDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for ChildrenQuestion No. 5—Children5. Dr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for Children: What recent announcements has he made regarding the anniversary of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Children): Today I announced the one-year anniversary of the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan. This plan requires the chief executives of Oranga Tamariki the Police and the ministries of Education Social Development Health and Justice to work together to achieve better outcomes for the children and young people in care. As well as children's agencies many others have contributed to the work including the Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. There's still a lot more to do but it's good to see progress. We know that it's often not just one agency responsible for supporting tamariki and others need to step up across the system to better meet these young people's needs. Dr Liz Craig: What improvements has this led to for children in the health space?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: A key part of this initiative is ensuring alignment across agencies to make things easier for tamariki and whānau. It's early days but we're getting some outcomes already. For example the partnership has led to initiatives such as senior social worker liaison roles being introduced at Starship's acute mental health unit with the positions to be introduced in Wellington and Canterbury after the successful trial. Te Whatu Ora has also developed a tool to help children in care transition smoothly between healthcare providers.Dr Liz Craig: What improvements are we seeing for children in the housing space?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: We are getting real traction and the impact is being seen in the lives of tamariki. For example Oranga Tamariki and Kāinga Ora are working together to increase the number of homes available for disabled children who require more intensive support. These homes are being purchased in Christchurch Wellington and Ōrewa with more planned across the motu. Oranga Tamariki is also working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to deliver new Supported Accommodation Service placements for up to 65 young people with higher and more complex needs. Young people moving out of care in residential settings need additional help and support which these placements provide.Dr Liz Craig: So what's next for the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I want to thank my ministerial colleagues and their officials for their commitment to the kaupapa but the work has only just begun. Oranga Tamariki is continuing to work on its baseline needs assessments and we will look at how agencies can work together to address these findings. We will continue to look at what needs to be done in housing education and health to meet the needs of young people. When I became the Minister for Children what I would hear almost every time I visited social workers on the front line was that We can't do this alone." I know we will all continue to work together to support tamariki."
3. Question No. 3—FinanceINGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 3—Finance3. INGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri) to the Minister of Finance: Meitaki maata Mr Speaker. What reports has he seen on the views of Moody's rating agency about the New Zealand economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): In their annual credit analysis released this week Moody's Investors Service has affirmed their view of the New Zealand economy which has seen them in the past give a local currency credit rating and foreign currency rating of Aaa with a stable outlook. The report said that the economy has remained resilient in the face of the shocks from the pandemic and then high inflation. It's reflected in the strong institutions and sustained policy effectiveness of New Zealand including the Government's actions to support New Zealanders and the country's healthy fiscal position compared with that of our peers. We know that many New Zealanders are doing it tough in the face of cost of living pressures and a deteriorating global economic environment. New Zealand is well positioned to face the challenges ahead with Kiwis in work in record numbers wages rising inflation heading in the right direction and Government debt levels among the lowest in the world.Ingrid Leary: What else did the report say about the economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The agency said it expects the economy to remain resilient to shocks because of its trade openness diverse and competitive agricultural export base flexible labour and product markets high wealth levels and supported demographics driven by solid net immigration. The agency said that this is backed by the Government's strong track record of managing shocks through effective fiscal policy while demonstrating fiscal discipline over the long term.Ingrid Leary: What did the report says about the Government's response to economic conditions?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Government has moved to consolidate spending in response to global economic conditions and Moody's said it expected this to continue. As I've said previously we will continue to take the hard decisions that are needed while keeping a balanced approach that delivers the strong public services that New Zealanders deserve. Moody's said the Government's strong fiscal discipline and comparatively low debt levels mean that the country's credit metrics are in a good position to respond to any further negative shocks to the economy.Ingrid Leary: Why is it important to have the endorsement of credit rating agencies?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: These ratings are important for ensuring that our cost of borrowing remains as low as is possible. It also gives people more confidence that New Zealand is a good place to invest. Moody's report is a sign of confidence in our recovery and rebuild and the Government's actions that have put us in a strong position to support New Zealanders in the here and now and invest in building a stronger more resilient and inclusive economy while carefully managing our resources to ensure the long-term sustainability of the economy.
1. Question No. 1—Social Development and EmploymentTERISA NGOBI (Labour—Ōtaki) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Social Development and Employment1. TERISA NGOBI (Labour—Ōtaki) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Meitaki maata Mr Speaker. What updates has she seen on the progress of the Apprenticeship Boost scheme?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): I'm pleased to advise the House that the Government's Apprenticeship Boost initiative is showing great success. A whopping 60000 apprentices have been supported through the scheme to stay in or take up an apprenticeship since it was introduced in August 2020. The scheme continues to prove its worth let alone deliver win-win outcomes for Kiwis looking for work and businesses.Terisa Ngobi: How does this compare to the Government's other employment programmes?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Over 11000 people have been supported into employment education or training through Mana in Mahi and the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs' Community Resilience Programme. That includes 6123 job seekers supported into work through Mana in Mahi and 5085 young people supported through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs' Community Resilience Programme with over 1700 supported through the latter in the last financial year alone. These are just two examples of targeted supports that are proving successful in getting more people into jobs and keeping them off-benefit.Terisa Ngobi: How has this scheme helped employers?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Apprenticeship Boost has been paid to nearly 20000 employers so far and is a tangible way to build skills and expertise for jobs as well as fill gaps and shortages in the sector. Apprentices are significant investments for employers particularly in their first two years. On Tuesday I visited Done Right Builders Ltd and met their director Leith Kawana. Leith has employed seven apprentices through Apprenticeship Boost and pays them all above the living wage. He spoke highly of the initiative and asked whether we were keeping it. I said Yes." but we all know that's not guaranteed under the "coalition of cuts".Terisa Ngobi: What other updates has she seen on employment in the construction sector?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I'm also pleased to advise the House that around 308900 people were employed in the construction sector in the June 2023 quarter up 13900 people over the year. This is also a broader reflection of the fact that the employment rate reached 69.8 percent during the June 2023 quarter the highest rate recorded by the household labour force survey since the series began in 1986. Contrary to what the other side of the House thinks this is a reflection of the fact that our economic plan is working managed and led by our trusted Minister of Finance Grant Robertson."
Smith Stuart; Rurawhe AdrianSALE AND SUPPLY OF ALCOHOL (COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION) AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingDebate resumed from 20 July.STUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to give the last speech of the day—hopefully—on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill.We oppose this bill for several reasons which I'll get into shortly but I do note that all the submitters from the industry the alcohol industry—none of them actually oppose the stated intent of the bill. The problem is the stated intent of the bill is not actually progressed at all by this bill. It's unfortunate that it doesn't really address the issue it sought out to solve and it's going to have a potentially huge impact on those businesses. There are 67 councils in New Zealand and that'll mean 67 different licensing authorities so there will be no real consistency in this with this bill.It allows local authorities to decline the alcohol licence every three years when it comes up based on its locality if it's close to a school or a health facility and there is a principle in resource management law that those that come to the nuisance have less of a right. Actually there could be a scenario particularly like with cellar doors which we spoke about yesterday where—and I can think of several that have been established for almost 100 years and potentially could lose their licence because say a kindergarten gets built just down the road from them which has come to the nuisance effectively. So I think that's a pretty poor result.I note also it restricts who can question and cross-examine submitters and that really speaks to the lack of justice effectively in this. If we have the ability for the licensing authorities to decide and they may well favour one side or the other of the argument and they can choose who gets to give evidence and who gets to cross-examine we're getting lopsided justice. It has all the hallmarks of a kangaroo court.I do note going to things like cellar doors as I mentioned earlier and the tourism impacts that they have—and they're often located in historical places—it's really interesting to note that pre the lockdowns international wine tourists spent 27 percent more on average than the average tourist and 23 percent of international tourists visit a winery. So we are going to shoot ourselves in the foot with this legislation. We're just getting our tourism industry back off its knees after those dreadful lockdowns and now we're going to potentially bring the whole sector into chaos. While it might be well-intentioned this bill it misses the mark. It's miles off it and therefore we cannot support this bill.SPEAKER: Members the debate is interrupted and set down for resumption next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until Tuesday 15 August 2023. Kia ora mai tātou. Debate interrupted.The House adjourned at 5.57 p.m.
Dean JacquiHouse resumed.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Mr Speaker the committee has further considered the Appropriation (2023/24 Estimates) Bill and reports progress. I move That the report be adopted.Motion agreed to.Report adopted.
Utikere TangiTANGI UTIKERE (Chief Whip—Labour): I move That the committee report progress.Motion agreed to.
Estimates Debate — Social Development
Kanongata'a Anahila; Sepuloni CarmelANAHILA KANONGATA'A (Labour): Minister I'd like to hear about the minimum wage. What work are you doing to ensure that all people are paid at least the minimum wage?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): A good question. The Government is investing $37.312 million over four years to replace the minimum wage exemption with a wage supplement.Currently approximately 800 disabled people are able to be paid less than the minimum wage on the basis that they are perceived to be less productive. We've committed to removing this discriminatory rule in our manifesto and our recent investment through Budget 2023 follows through on this.It has not been an easy discussion. I think there's been real fear that the workplaces that employ these people may not be able to continue to operate. We've tried to work with the sector in a way in which we can support them to retain their employees and then of course support those employers to be able to remain in their jobs. And so that is where we got to with respect to the wage supplement.I have to say that often it's overlooked when we're having this discussion that it's actually part of our international commitment through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. For quite some time we have been questioned about this practice that we have and there was an expectation from the UN committee that we would get on to addressing it. So it is with some relief that we are finally getting there.
Kanongata'a Anahila; Sepuloni CarmelANAHILA KANONGATA'A (Labour): Thank you Mr Chair. I thought I would just ask a different line of questioning. Minister you spoke about insights and data. My question really is about what work the Social Wellbeing Agency has done to support the Government's response to recent extreme weather events.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Mr—Madam Chair; sorry I keep forgetting that the Chair has changed.They have done a lot to support what is happening with the recent weather events. They've been able to provide insights that inform the decision-making but it's not just the weather events; they've been working across Government to support some of the priority work programmes. They have been able to provide data and insights on young people who have been involved in ram raids. That data gives a very clear picture of some of the social challenges that these young people were facing.They also informed the work that was done around alternative education to provide insights and data on the effectiveness of alternative education. That will help to inform the review and any changes that might need to be made there. They've been working actively with the family violence and sexual violence programme led by Minister Marama Davidson and supporting with the data and insights there.And they continue to provide the secretariat support to the Social Wellbeing Board which is all of the chief executives of our main social sector Government agencies. That means that they are tied into a number of the priority work programmes and on hand to be able to support with data and insights. They are making a massive contribution often not recognised behind the scenes because they just quietly get on and do their thing. But they are doing a fantastic job.
Willis Nicola; Sepuloni CarmelNICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National): Madam Chair I have just a few questions for the Minister the Hon Carmel Sepuloni. The first is in relation to that increase in people on the main benefit which I referred to earlier. I note that also the future years a person will spend on a main benefit has increased so that the average future years a person will spend on a main benefit has increased to 12.8 years up considerably from what it was in 2017 at 10.7 years. I wonder if the Minister could explain to us why it is that people are spending longer periods on benefits under her Government.I also was interested in the Estimates to see that there have been significant funding reductions for a number of training programmes previously available to beneficiaries including a $68 million decrease in funding for the Flexi-wage programme around a $15 million decrease in funding for the Māori Trades and Training Fund and an around $8 million decrease in funding for the Mana in Mahi programme. I'm hoping the Minister can explain to us why those reductions have been made.And finally I wanted to ask the Minister just a little bit more about that review of Working for Families. What is the intent of that review? How long has it been going on? Why is it happening? And what does she want to see come out of it? Thank you.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): In terms of the forecasts or predictions around future years on the main benefit I do need to give that some context. Often when people look at that they think it is the sole failure of the welfare system or that it's because of the welfare system that any forecast period of time on benefit has increased.The reality is that what it comes down to is the complex nature of the social and health issues that people are coming on to the welfare system with. It is things like whether or not they have a history of having been in State care having been under the care of Oranga Tamariki. It is whether or not they perhaps have been incarcerated. And as I said the other social and health challenges including the prevalence of mental health amongst those that are coming on to benefit then add to the years I guess that have been put on the predicted number of years that someone might be on benefit.That doesn't have to be the case. We're certainly working hard with the Ministry of Social Development to ensure that people who come on to benefit are getting the support that they need to be able to get into employment and it varies; it depends on what challenges they come with and what the barriers are for them that are affecting their ability to be able to get into employment. So it is important that we have a broad range of offerings within the welfare system to support people into upskilling and training and work.Some of the reductions have been due to no longer having COVID funding—let's face that—but if we look across the employment offerings what we can see is actually we are still investing significantly into supporting people into upskilling and training and employment.
Chhour Karen; Sepuloni CarmelKAREN CHHOUR (ACT): Thank you Madam Chair. Minister we had many conversations and I guess we'd agree that people being on benefit for longer—it's a lot harder to get back into work and that it's best to try and do whatever possible to get people back into work as quickly as we can and long-term dependency can become a bit of a problem.So I'm just wondering does the Minister think it's acceptable that as of the March 2023 quarter only 37 percent of the 12500 work-ready job seekers who have been receiving the benefit for over five years were receiving any employment case management; and of those only 0.6 percent of the work-ready job seekers receiving the benefit for over five years were receiving any other form of case management in the March 2023 quarter?If this is an issue is there a plan to get a bit better in that way or of helping people get into employment when they are long-term dependent on the job-ready job seeker? What's the plan?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Just currently what we have is around 64077 in employment case management. What we did from the time we got into Government was invest quite heavily in front-line work-focused case management and we've continued to do that over the time that we have been in there and ring-fenced that. Because what we saw previously was that the demand was going up for income support and hardship support and so inevitably what was happening before we got in was the focus on work was reducing. So we have a much stronger ring-fenced support now for those that need it through the welfare system.I will say that this was one of the things that came out of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group's work. They had spoken to people about their thoughts to do with the welfare system and many had said they wanted a stronger focus and more support for upskilling and training and for that work focus. What we also have been doing is very much focused—over the COVID period and this has continued—on supporting people who come on to benefit quickly to get into work. So that's where programmes like the Rapid Return to Work programme are really important because the best way in which you can avoid long-term welfare dependency is to get in there quickly and support people into employment so that they are not on benefit for long.We also did things which have been questioned by some members in the House but I think that this is the right thing to do where some of the employment programmes that we are offering although still targeted to people who are at risk of being unemployed or not getting a job in a tight labour market—so Māori; Pacific; disabled; in some instances women—we have opened up some of our employment programmes so that those targeted groups may not be on benefit but get access to the programmes anyway because then it helps to mitigate the risk of them coming into the welfare system to start with.So those are some of the ways in which we've been working and we continue to work to mitigate the risks of long-term welfare dependency.
Simpson Scott; Brooking Rachel; O'Connor GregHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Mr Chair. At select committee the Minister said—this is in reference to the roll-out of cameras on boats—that while the pilot indicates that the new technology works in cameras the company installing it has encountered a few bugs in the system". She went on to say that she thought the resolution of these bugs would be a small number of months away. Well the select committee met I think in early July and I'm wondering: have those bugs now been ironed out; and if so how?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Yes the bugs were certainly ironed out which is why we had the go-live of the 23 boats on Tuesday.Hon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): How were they ironed out? Maybe the Minister could elucidate as to exactly what the issues were. We've been concerned about privacy issues about the ability to capture data about what would be filmed and what wouldn't be filmed and who would have ownership and what levels of confidentiality there would be around that information and data.Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): The list of things that the member just raised are what I would consider to be more policy issues rather than bugs and what I was referring to—Hon Scott Simpson: What's the definition of "bug" then?Hon RACHEL BROOKING: What's the definition of "bug"? Noting that I am not in any way a Minister of technology here the definition of a bug is something in the computer system that needs to be fixed by companies such as Spark which they have largely done. There may still be a few things that of course do need to be ironed out.In terms of the bigger issues in terms of privacy and what gets viewed and the ownership of that that's all been in the policy documents and seems to be largely agreed with industry as well. Of course those cameras are only turned on when there are fish on board and the people are working there and the information gets transferred digitally to Fisheries New Zealand and they look at the data they need to look at and nothing else.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): The time has come for the Minister to debug—I should say vacate the chair. Thank you Minister."
Estimates Debate — Fisheries
Simpson Scott; Sage Eugenie; Brooking RachelHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Mr Chair. I'm keen to quiz the Minister a little bit about the commitment that New Zealand has made at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Canada towards the end of last year relating to the goal of protecting 30 percent of New Zealand's marine environment by the year 2030 commonly referred to as 30 by 30". I'm interested initially to know from the Minister what is her definition of "protected" in terms of the marine space how does she define that and what does in her view protection look like?Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): While we're on the marine protection theme does the Minister expect that there will be any progress on the south-east marine protected areas before the election or that there will be legislation in relation to the Hauraki Gulf and Revitalising the Gulf on establishing the recommended marine protected areas there plus The Noises?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Noting that marine protection is a matter for the Minister of Conservation in the territorial sea and for the Minister for the Environment in the exclusive economic zone but absolutely still committed to that 30 percent by 2030. To the Hon Eugenie Sage's question about the south-east marine protected area and the Hauraki Gulf—very hopeful that we will be able to make some announcements on both of these matters but it's a lot of work that both myself and the Minister of Conservation are working on as hard as we can."
Sage Eugenie; Brooking RachelHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): Thank you Mr Chair. Returning to the issue of bycatch and seabirds—which I know the Minister is concerned about and was talked about briefly at the Primary Production Committee—the national plan of action on seabirds requires an annual report on progress. A key performance indicator in that national plan of action is around the objective of the estimated number of fishing-related mortalities is decreasing towards zero. So the latest data that we've got and it was in the 2020-21 report is actually going back to 201617. Given the amount of work that was done last term on the national plan of action on seabirds is it acceptable for accountability and for tracking purposes that we're relying on 2016-17 data? Will that be addressed this year? Is there more funding available to get more timely information about how we are tracking against that key objective of seabird bycatch reducing towards zero?I know there's been consultation on bycatch and mitigation measures and whether they are compulsory for surface longlines. But has any funding being allocated for projects to reduce the death and bycatch of seabirds from bottom longline vessels which kill an estimated 2840 birds annually and from trawlers which catch and kill an estimated 8840 seabirds each year? So we're killing about 13000 birds each year.So what work is being done? What work is being funded? Will that translate for bottom longlines and trawling into improved mitigation?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Thank you for that question about the national plan of action on seabirds. As the member well knows—because she was involved in making it and I thank her for that work as a previous Minister of Conservation and a strong advocate for seabirds—it has a five-year lifetime and there are different work streams in it. So as the member noted there is the work going on to the longline methods at the moment to reduce bycatch. In terms of her question about bottom-line longlines there has been review of that previously within the life I'm told of this national plan of action on seabirds.With regards to questions around mortality rates that is an issue that has been brought to my attention by the member and it is something that may come up in the review of the national plan of action on seabirds in the future but it's not in the work programme at the moment.
Simpson Scott; Brooking RachelHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Mr Chair. The plan that has been undertaken by Fisheries New Zealand the industry transformation plan that is under consideration and input sets out as their priorities for this transformation plan as being strengthening environmental performance improving profitability" and "supporting people and communities".Now I put it to the Minister that those are essentially "motherhood and apple pie" statements. They are statements that probably are very general they're no-brainers they're philosophically adopted I think probably to achieve a desired outcome. But I'm advised that when Fisheries New Zealand sent out requests for people or invitations for permit holders and quota owners to participate in the consultation process that their email—which was sent out to permit holder and quota owners—shows that only 51 percent of those were sent emails and 37 percent of mandated iwi organisations and only 25 percent of industry and Government organisations even opened the email let alone went to participate proactively in it.So I'm interested to know from the Minister how does she think that the industry transformation plan will be best interpreted by those if people who are intimately involved in the sector don't even get an opportunity for one reason or another to even open the email that provides them with an opportunity to participate?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): All right. While I can't speak to people's email-opening habits. I can inform the member that of course the industry transformation plan (ITP) had a leadership group and that was made up of a lot of industry people: Fisheries New Zealand of course union groups and an environmental group as well. So there was a very strong industry input into that plan and that's really important because it is an industry transformation plan so of course you need the industry on board with you.We've been very pleased with the engagement with the industry on that plan. Of course there are some more general ambitions of that plan but also a lot of specific recommendations and these I can say were consulted on. Of course there will be some amendment in the final ITP which will be released very soon."
Simpson Scott; Brooking RachelHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): The fundamental purpose of Fisheries New Zealand is of course to manage fisheries resources for the benefit of all New Zealanders and for us as a society and that by definition involves them managing stocks and monitoring and checking on sustainability levels. A quota management system provides for the management of some 642 different stocks. So my question to the Minister is that in terms of the October sustainability round this year just seven inshore stocks two deep-water stocks one change of fishing year and three deemed value adjustments have been completed. I'm keen to know from the Minister: is she concerned at the low number of stocks for which amended sustainability measures are proposed and have been measured and what is her plan to ensure that actually a more robust and in-depth analysis is conducted by Fisheries New Zealand to actually monitor manage and maintain the 642-odd stocks with just such a small number being currently monitored by Fisheries New Zealand?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Thank you to the Hon Scott Simpson for that question. Just going back to the earlier question and my answer on the cameras on boats and the 300 and 345 number I mention again the 300 bid and of course that's up to 300 as well because we don't know exactly how many vessels will be in the fleet.On to his question about the quota management system and the sustainability rounds and the number of stocks. Of course the Ministry of Fisheries has a good science team and contracts out to other scientists and it has about $22 million in its budget for science per annum. Those officials and scientists work out which of the stocks to do a sustainability round on and based on what they're seeing in the fishery.
Sage Eugenie; Brooking RachelHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): Thank you very much Mr Chair and can I congratulate the Minister for the Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill introduced today. I'd like to turn to the issue of bycatch because we've got leatherback turtles which are critically endangered. They're on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. There are as few as a thousand nesting females left. They're expected to go extinct in 20 to 30 years unless the natural survival rate increases. Yet there are no measures for mitigation to prevent the deaths of leatherback turtles—prevent them from being hooked on lines. They're particularly vulnerable on the north-east coast of the North Island and 58 turtles were observed to have been caught. When they're caught the mortality rates are quite high. So there is nothing that requires the fishery to be closed. New Zealand has killed three times the number of turtles that in Hawaii would require the fishery to be closed. In the Solomon Islands you've got rangers moving turtle eggs to try and ensure the survival of the species.Does the $5 million that the Minister's referred to provide for any measures to avoid turtle bycatch? Does it provide for any policy work to protect leatherback turtles and any mitigation measures that will be compulsory on boats?Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Well in terms of the leatherback turtles I do want to acknowledge the impacts of climate change and that we will see other issues like this as time progresses. They are coming south as water temperatures have changed. We have changed some regulations around circle hooks to try and diminish the impacts on those leatherback turtles.The member mentioned the $5 million that I think the member said the Minister had mentioned. I don't think I have mentioned $5 million but Angela Roberts did and I think that particular $5 million was in relation to implementing the fisheries industry transformation plan. And so probably not so much of a specific bycatch issue but I acknowledge that there's obviously a lot of work to continue to do on bycatch matters.
Simpson Scott; Brooking RachelHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Seeing as we've started on the issue of onboard cameras I want to continue that theme just a little bit. The Minister made much in her introductory comments about the installation and going live of just 23 boats so far and that she hoped that there would be more before the end of the year. But at select committee we were told that in September 2020 the Government announced that it would fund the roll-out of on-board cameras to about 345 inshore fishing vessels by 2024. But in the Minister's press release of just a few days ago she now talks about there being 300—just 300; so the number has dropped significantly—by 2025.I'm keen to know from the Minister what have been the hurdles that have been in the way that have slowed this process down for nearly six years. The decision to install onboard cameras was actually made by the previous National Government more than six years ago and yet this Government has been incredibly slow to get this process going with only 23 boats with live cameras effective from today. So if the Minister can give some detail as to why it has taken so long what have been the problems and what have been the handbrakes. I'm particularly interested to know what the political handbrakes were that occurred that have delayed the implementation of this policy for so long.Hon RACHEL BROOKING (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Thank you. So the member at first referred to the 345 and asked why I'm mentioning 300. The answer is it was an estimate at that time and the fleet has declined over that time. As I said before we're interested in these smaller inshore vessels for the cameras.These cameras—of course it's been the Labour Government that's put the money into the Budget and it's a $68 million programme for this roll-out and has used Spark as the main technology provider in the process and has gone from the proof of concept some years ago that didn't use AI to now these cameras that have gone live—the 23 that do use AI. So that makes many different savings back in Wellington at head office and provides more useful data as well.As the member will appreciate new technology particularly technology that has to float on a boat in the ocean is difficult. It has happened it is working this is a very good news story. There'll be 70 more by the end of the year and 300 in total.