Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:654;Page:4144] 
10.  
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Research Science and Technology 
: Does he stand by his statement that the research science and technology sector has received “substantial extra funding” of $128 million in the Budget; if so why? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Acting Minister of Research Science and Technology) 
: 
 It would be helpful if the member quoted the full statement. The Minister stands by his commitment that “There is a substantial funding increase for areas of the research science and technology budget identified by the Government as priorities”. The reason he stands by that statement is that there are substantial funding increases including funding for the Crown Research Institute Capability Fund the Marsden Fund the Health Research Council and capital for the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network. 
Hon Shane Jones 
: All Labour policy. 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I notice members opposite calling for answers then calling out during answers to ensure that they do not hear them. 
Moana Mackey 
: How can the Minister claim “substantial extra funding” when the actual increase is about $25 million over 4 years—the smallest for Vote Research Science and Technology in many years—and when we factor in the loss of the research and development tax credit the reduction over those 4 years is in fact more than $1.2 billion? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: There is extra support for research science and technology and it is allocated in a focused manner. In addition to Vote Research Science and Technology there is substantial additional money for agricultural research and development through the $70 million-a-year allocation to the Primary Growth Partnership. 
Moana Mackey 
: How does the Minister reconcile the $25 million increase over 4 years in this year’s Budget with John Key’s pre-election guarantee to boost funding for research and science by $315 million over the next 3 years? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: If the member had listened to the answer to the primary question she would have heard a long list of organisations designated as priorities by the Government that have received increases in funding. The previous Government was big on promises and small on actually committing funds to anything. It preferred to encourage New Zealand simply by press releases rather than by actual action. 
Moana Mackey 
: What role does the Minister see for research science and technology in helping New Zealand out of current recession or was the writing on the wall when the Crown research institutes scientific organisations and the Minister himself were excluded from the Job Summit earlier this year? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I see a very important role and that is why the Government has chosen to fund as priority areas the Crown Research Institute Capability Fund the Marsden Fund the Health Research Council and capital for the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network. These are priorities for the Government they have been additionally funded and each will contribute in their own way to increasing the economic prosperity of New Zealand.