Dean Jacqui: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDean Jacqui: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 24 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4706. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to the Minister for Small Business: What steps are the Government taking to improve the way we collect data from rural small businesses?Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister for Small Business): Rural small businesses will benefit from the annual agricultural production survey now being available online. Moving the survey online will save approximately 30000 rural small businesses time and money while still providing important information on New Zealand’s biggest industry. Any rural business completing this survey can now do so at a time and a place that suits them within the 14-day window. Delivering better online services is a key focus of the Government’s Better Public Services programme.Jacqui Dean: What valuable information from rural small businesses do we get from this online survey?Hon Craig Foss: Agriculture is New Zealand’s largest industry and earns more than half the country’s total export income. It is important to run a regular survey to identify any changes in the agricultural sector but it is also important to enable it to be carried out online and to make it as easy as possible. All New Zealand rural small businesses can benefit from contributing to the survey—Jacinda Ardern: Is this the best you’ve got—a survey?Hon CRAIG FOSS: Come on—are you going to be next?Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am not going to be next.Hon CRAIG FOSS: All can benefit from contributing to the survey and using the data from it to better inform their decisions.Jacqui Dean: How is this Government making it easier for rural small businesses to interact with the Government online?Hon CRAIG FOSS: The Government’s ultra-fast broadband initiative and Rural Broadband Initiative are allowing for more rural small businesses to interact with the Government online. The Minister for Communications announced recently that we had reached the halfway point for both the ultra-fast broadband initiative and the Rural Broadband Initiative. These initiatives are being extended to regions across New Zealand meaning more rural small businesses will be able to increase their productivity reduce costs and deliver better results.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I assume you are about to move on to the next question but what I would want is to offer one of the spare National Party supplementary questions to the Labour Party—Mr SPEAKER: Order! And if they wanted one I am sure they would ask. Supplementary question Jacinda Ardern.Jacinda Ardern: Thank you—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Are you now withdrawing?Hon Gerry Brownlee: No no no.Mr SPEAKER: As I try to interpret the chaos of the last 20 seconds Mr Brownlee has offered one of National’s questions and we look forward to it.Jacinda Ardern: Can the Minister confirm that the Business.govt.nz website said after the Budget that there was nothing new in the Budget for small business other than of course the survey he just announced for rural small business?Hon CRAIG FOSS: I welcome the member’s megawatt smile and sparkling brown eyes—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have had to remind this Minister on previous occasions how to answer a question. It is a legitimate question. [Interruption] Order! I do not expect to have to give this tutorial to the Minister on a regular basis. Would he now answer the question.Hon CRAIG FOSS: There were many initiatives announced in the Budget that not only affect but also improve circumstances for all New Zealand business such as tax cuts which were potentially signalled for 2017 and which would be of huge benefit to each and every small business across New Zealand.