Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8687. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Minister for State Owned Enterprises 
: Has the Government met the five criteria the Prime Minister laid out for proceeding with asset sales? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister for State Owned Enterprises) 
: 
 Yes. In particular one criterion was that New Zealand investors would be at the front of the queue and that we would need to be confident of widespread and substantial New Zealand share ownership. At 10 o’clock this morning the number of New Zealanders who had pre-registered their interest in Mighty River Power went over 400000. 
David Shearer 
: When the Prime Minister said that the third criterion would be that companies would need to present good investment opportunities for investors with which international investors had the Prime Minister had discussions that have yet to be made public? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: In respect of that answer of course I am not able to tell them exactly to whom the Prime Minister has spoken nor am I able to comment on the nature of the investment at this time. 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This just illustrates the inability of the Government to be able to answer a question from the Opposition. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed the question. He said he was unable to relate a conversation—[ 
Interruption 
] Does the member have further supplementary questions? 
David Shearer 
: When the Prime Minister said that the second criterion would be that New Zealand investors would need to be at the front of the queue for shareholding from which of his former colleagues from financial markets had he received briefings on this issue? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Look I do not think the Prime Minister needs any briefings from people on putting New Zealanders at the front of the queue because that is what this Government has done—400000 people have pre-registered. They know that by pre-registering they are entitled to more shares than those New Zealanders who do not pre-register and they know that there will be— 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a really straight question and this is not in any way close to an answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: And it was adequately addressed. The difficulty I think that the member has is the barrage of interjection coming from immediately behind him. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! Does the member have a further supplementary question? 
David Shearer 
: Yes I do. What warning did the Minister of Finance give to the Prime Minister about issues arising from the Contact Energy float? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I know that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have had a large number of discussions over the Government’s mixed-ownership model programme. I am sure that the most recent discussion they will have had is about the 400000 New Zealanders who have expressed an interest by pre-registering for shares in Mighty River Power. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I invite you to rule on whether that question was addressed: what warnings did the Minister of Finance give in relation to Contact Energy? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I invite the member the Leader of the Opposition to re-ask that question. 
David Shearer 
: What warning did the Minister of Finance give to the Prime Minister about issues arising from the Contact Energy float? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I have not been in any conversations where the Minister of Finance has given any warnings to the Prime Minister. What I do know is that the Minister of Finance will have told the Prime Minister that there were many New Zealanders who have expressed an interest in owning shares in Contact Energy and it still has one of the biggest share registries of New Zealanders of any company on the stock exchange. 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The answer was not anywhere near the question. It illustrates the fact that if the question is going to be transferred to a lower Minister— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
David Shearer 
: —they will not be able to know what is happening in the mind of the Prime Minister. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Here is the real problem—that the Opposition have not accepted that the question lodged in the first place was inadequate to stand for the Prime Minister but most appropriately answered by the Minister for State Owned Enterprises—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! This is a point of order and it should be heard in silence. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: So showing his inability to shift the script the member needs to recognise that if he keeps asking his pre-prepared questions to the wrong Minister he will not get anywhere near the answers he wants. 
Chris Hipkins 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Opposition does have a right to question the Prime Minister and the Speakers’ rulings particularly the rulings of the previous Speaker were quite clear that the more specific the question the more specific was the answer we could expect. It is very difficult to ask the Prime Minister a specific question if the minute we put something specific in it he uses that excuse to duck from it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I have heard sufficient. At this stage I have said to the Hon Trevor Mallard with regard to the point he raised that I will have a look at that matter. It was accepted at the start that this question was put to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises. That is where the supplementary questions are going and in my mind that question was answered quite adequately on the basis of the question that was asked by the Leader of the Opposition. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can I just ask then that in considering your ruling you do look at the video and tell us what the warnings were that Bill English gave to John Key. That was not— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The Minister when he answered said that he was unaware of any warnings. It could not have been clearer than that. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: And— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! We are now— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: —getting to the point where we are relitigating a ruling that I have made. If it is a fresh point of order I will hear it. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was standing to agree with you. It was impossible for the Minister for State Owned Enterprises to know what was in those briefings. That was the point that I made at the beginning when I questioned the transfer. He could not answer for what was in the Prime Minister’s mind. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is always very comforting when the Hon Trevor Mallard rises to agree with me. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou. Will the Minister make it part of his key criteria moving forward to ensure that the prospectus for the asset sales will “clearly and prominently explain that the Crown’s decision regarding its 51 percent shareholding must be ‘consistent with the principles of the Treaty’ ” and how will this advice be enacted? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Government has made it clear what its obligations are in respect of both the law and the views of the Supreme Court. 
Hon John Banks 
: Could the—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I want to hear the question. 
Hon John Banks 
: Could the Minister for State Owned Enterprises tell me whether funds could be used from a secret bank account in New York to purchase shares in this initial public offering? [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: A legitimate question. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: That is a very good question because if a New Zealander was one of the pre-registered 400000 and they were able to get the benefits of that pre-registration in terms of their shares they would have to pay for them. We would be unclear of whether the bank account was secret or not but we would presume people would actually know they had a bank account.