3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement I wouldn't describe it that way" when asked if there was a cost of living crisis; if so why?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): As I've already told the House I stand by the full interview where I acknowledged the impact high inflation driven by significant increases in global energy prices and supply chain issues is having on New Zealand families. My full quote also set out some of the changes this Government has made to increase the incomes of New Zealand families—changes I note he also opposed. There is no doubt that globally we are seeing the impact of increased demand and supply constraints as a result of the global COVID-19 recovery but I stand by our response to this and our COVID-19 plan itself. I note the member disagrees having published a newsletter on 7 March stating "Were the lives saved from COVID-19 worth shutting down the country? … Had we known all of this from the start would we have made different choices?". I for one would have not.David Seymour: Does she agree with the statement "unemployment housing cost of living add up to people [losing] faith in [Government]."?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I've said in some of my previous answers the fact is that we have been focused through the entirety of our time in office in ensuring that people are in jobs—jobs that are paying them dignified wages that allow them to put food on the table—that we have worked hard to address the housing crisis which we know continues to require our absolute focus and in lifting wages because of course that is how we ensure that we have a productive economy and of course as I say people able to lead meaningful lives. I stand by all our efforts in those areas.David Seymour: Did the Prime Minister just have difficulty addressing that question directly because that statement was made by one Jacinda Ardern in 2013?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I absolutely addressed the question and acknowledged the importance of all of those things and as I've said in answer to the other Leader of the Opposition's answers—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Mr Bennett—last warning.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And as I said in my answers to the other Leader of the Opposition I stand by all of our efforts to address the cost of living and increase wages and the facts speak for themselves. David Seymour: Does her Government have any solutions to make life more affordable for New Zealanders that don't include handing out money taxed from others; and if not why won't she cut the middle-income tax rate of 30c down to 17.5c so that average worker keeps $2000 more of their own money?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And as I've already addressed in my previous answers we have focused on increasing the wages of New Zealanders at the middle and low income wages through various means. Whether it's the increase in the minimum wage or whether or not it's through initiatives like addressing the inadequate incomes of many of our public servants—all of it has made a difference across our nurses our teachers our police. I note that those same workers would probably also want us to invest in health in education in making sure we have more police more doctors more nurses and more teachers and we have done that as well. The member's proposals would see the opposite: cuts in each of those areas.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister stand by her answer to the primary question; and if she really believes that saving a life is worth any cost why does her Government have a Pharmac review that doesn't even consider funding?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: When it comes to Pharmac I stand by the fact that we have increased considerably the Pharmac budget since we have been in office. But to come back to the member's actual answer I almost cannot believe in this House that we are now having a debate over whether or not our COVID response was worth the lives it saved—absolutely—and it will be up to that member to justify outside of this House why he believes that we can emerge from this crisis with one of the lowest rates of unemployment that we've seen growth solid export earnings for our exporters and a COVID recovery economically that is solid and saved thousands of lives—and yet he would rather have seen death.David Seymour: So COVID's worth it but certain cancer and other patients pleading for essential drugs from Pharmac aren't?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The argument I am making is that we achieved in New Zealand both. We have managed to save lives and have an economic recovery that has outstripped almost any other OECD nation.Hon Chris Hipkins: Would cancer patients in our hospitals have received better or worse healthcare if our health system had been overrun with COVID cases for the last two years? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: You only need to look at those countries where they did have an exponential increase in cases and increase in hospitalisations to hear the stories of people who missed out on cancer care as a result. It is a remarkable testament to our health workforce that even Middlemore managed to continue on with planned care for a long period of time even during this outbreak. I almost cannot believe what the member is proposing. David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister agree with Grant Robertson's comments that tax cuts are inflationary; and if so can she explain to New Zealanders how her Government spending their money is not inflationary but letting them keep it and spend it themselves is inflationary?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course the member has left out the context in which the Minister of Finance was making those comments which is that right now—and he is not alone in making those statements—economists would make the same statements as would the Treasury around the impacts right now being inflationary."