Robson Matt: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Robson Matt: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:613;Page:9796] 
8.  
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
 to the  
Minister for Industry and Regional Development 
: What reports has he received on the response to the coalition Government's industry and regional development policies and what do these reports indicate? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister for Industry and Regional Development) 
: 
 I have seen many reports endorsing the coalition’s pragmatic and strategic approach to investing in industry and regional development particularly in those sectors that have the best potential to help New Zealand to continue to create more high-quality jobs and improve living standards for all New Zealanders. For example the response to the large-budget screen production grant includes the comment that this investment “allows the opportunity for New Zealand producers and directors to make larger-budget films in their home country which in turn will result in more jobs and will have obvious flow-on financial benefits for the local economy. The Government is to be congratulated for its continued support of New Zealand film makers and industry craftspeople.” Those words are from icon film director Peter Jackson. 
Hon Matt Robson 
: What other industry sectors is the Labour-Progressive Government investing in to better enable the whole economy to grow faster and therefore produce more quality jobs and better social services? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The Government is investing a further $16.8 million in the biotechnology sector in response to the ambitious targets of the biotechnology task force to boost dramatically export earnings and bolster the number of locally based biotech companies. This is a positive step in the right direction for New Zealand according to task force chairman Bill Falconer. This is a critical sector for New Zealand’s future economic development—for which I note the National Party has no spokesperson. 
John Key 
: What percentage of the companies that have received Industry New Zealand grants go broke as De’Amalfi Survival Ltd did in March of this year after receiving $30000 in 2001; and would he still describe this company as he once did as a shining example of job creation innovation and success? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The way to have no risk and no failure is to do nothing which the National Party in Government had plenty of experience of doing—nothing. If one company out of 100 failed the National Party would evidently claim that this was a disaster. This side of the House claims when 99 companies out of 100 are succeeding that it is a success for New Zealand and it is about time this Parliament talked New Zealand up rather than down. 
John Key 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister “What percentage?”. I did not ask him what a hypothetically good result would be—one in 100. I asked what the actual percentage is of companies that fail in New Zealand. As the Minister will know it is a lot more than one in 100. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: If the member would like the actual figures I am very happy to give them to him. But what is there about one in 100 that he does not understand? 
Dave Hereora 
: How does the coalition Government’s investment in economic industrial and regional development dovetail with its desire to promote higher living standards for Maori? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. How can that question be in order? If the Minister cannot answer a simple question in his own portfolio about the incidence of failure among companies how can he possibly know how successful his policies were when it comes to the issue of Maori involvement in commerce? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. The member can see what happens when the Minister gives his answer. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can I make a point? The point relates to the question. If the Minister cannot answer a previous question surely the House— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No that is just playing politics. I ask Mr Anderton to give the answer to the question. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: New Zealand is close to being at full employment with the official unemployment rate now at a 15-year low of 4.7 percent. What is unacceptable to this Government—and would be unacceptable I hope to all New Zealanders—however is that the unemployment rate among Maori remains significantly above the national average. The requirement therefore to ensure that all New Zealanders—Maori and Pakeha—are on the road to achieving full employment is urgent and will not be achieved in my view by adopting any of the policies recently announced by the new leader of the National Party. This Government will see that the unemployment rate is lowered even further. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why does the Minister not talk to his colleague—the only colleague he has—Matt Robson thereby saving us all these self-serving egregious demonstrations that Mr Anderton still has an ego and that his old Alliance is still breathing? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I know that it must gall the former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Treasurer that this Government has so much good news to spread around the country when he had none at all but he will just have to wear it.