Borrows Chester; O'Connor SimonHealth SectorThe CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): Members we now come to the vote in the health sector—volume B.5 volume 6. The question is that Vote Health stand part of the schedules. SIMON O'CONNOR (Chairperson of the Health Committee): I am delighted to take this call in the Estimates debate on the appropriations around health. It is one of the simpler ones in terms of these Estimates and appropriations debates in so far as it is a singular theme but that should not lull us into a false sense of security in so far as health is massive. This is probably the portfolio" and I want to acknowledge the Minister in the chair Jonathan Coleman for the work that he has done not just this year but in recent years to lead the health service. I have often said in this House—and I did so through the Estimates debate—that health is a lot more than simply hospitals. It is very easy for us to think of health as simply the management of hospitals but in fact it is much much bigger than that. We can think of everything from doctors to nurses to care workers to those in ambulances to those who are doing research right through into elements of primary care. So in acknowledging the Minister can I through him as well say thanks to the Director-General of Health all those at the Ministry of Health and most importantly those who work on the front line every day.The Budget saw an announcement of $16.8 billion to be spent in health—$16.8 billion the largest ever spend in health. That is just over $3.9 billion more money into the health system. Why I am really stressing that is that we have had a little bit of mischief for want of a better word from the Opposition which has been saying that there have been funding cuts and I think that absolutely needs to be addressed first and foremost as an absolute. You cannot increase the Budget by $3.9 billion and consequently cut—that is an inherent contradiction which goes without saying. What the Opposition often comes up with is figures from a utopia of what it would like spent. It would like $1.7 billion more spent or $2.5 billion and as I have pointed out in the House before I am a bit surprised that the Opposition is not more ambitious in these figures and saying there is a $10 billion $20 billion $30 billion or $100 billion underspend because actually health is one of those areas where you can constantly put money in and you will still always need more. Again I want to pay tribute to the Minister and his team for actually doing the balance that is required in what is a very complicated system.To touch on some of the key announcements that were made within health probably the most notable is what is known as the TerraNova settlement—over $2 billion to support around about 50000 hard-working New Zealanders in the care sector. These are the people who go round to homes help with the tidying up the cleaning—look anything you can think of really. These are the people who go out often and have been at minimum wage and what Dr Jonathan Coleman and others have led along with cooperative work with the unions and others has come to an agreement where those salaries will actually rise considerably. Really importantly and what I think is most fundamental—beside the wage increase of course—is a pathway of training and the Crown is covering those expenses. So my thanks to everyone involved with that. I think it is a really positive announcement.We have seen extra funding of about $888 million into our district health boards (DHBs). I think it is critically important to understand that DHBs are the primary vehicle in which Vote Health is spent. Often people will ask me what has gone into primary care. You will not necessarily find many specific lines for say primary care in the health budget. There are some of course but I am stressing that because actually the extra money that goes into primary secondary and tertiary care is through the vehicle of DHBs. So as I said $888 million is going there and if I might be semi-selfish for a moment that is about $44 million to the Auckland DHB in which my electorate of Tāmaki resides so I think that is absolutely fantastic.Some of the other announcements we have made: about $224 million more into mental health. It is a topic that is out there at the moment. There are a lot who will talk about it and say that we need to talk more of the talk. I think fundamentally this Government is about listening and acting and I think it is really good to see that that spend is there. Really importantly too I see there is some money—I think it is about $100 million; the Minister may correct me later—that is sort of a ring-fenced fund where he will be able to work with other Ministers in the social and health space to work out what is best for New Zealanders by responding to what New Zealanders have to say.A couple of the other elements that have come forward—[Bell rung]The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Simon O'Connor.SIMON O'CONNOR: Oh was that my time over? Is that the 5 minutes is it?The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Yes.SIMON O'CONNOR: Oh I do apologise; I was using that clock.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Oh sure and I do apologise that we did not set the clock at the right time so you can have an extra call—SIMON O'CONNOR: No I will not; I am nearly finished.Hon Annette King: Mr Chair?The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): No no—the thing about it is that it is a mistake on my part. This is a time-limited debate anyway so—SIMON O'CONNOR: I am happy to cede the call."