Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 08 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:176. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he still have confidence in all his Ministers? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In respect of the $1 billion proposed for Whanau Ora does the Prime Minister think it appropriate that Whanau Ora funding and services are not allocated by a Government department but brokered by private individuals known as “navigators” who are also agents for providers? Is that not a massive invitation for conflict of interest?  
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Firstly I think it is worth pointing out that the Whanau Ora funding is not $1 billion. If the member wants to refer to the Budget he will see it is in the order of just over $100 million over 4 years. Secondly whenever Government expenditure is used it is absolutely appropriate that it is done in a way that is rigidly and clearly accountable to the public and in all cases whether Whanau Ora or others that process is followed.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Could the Prime Minister outline what that process could possibly be if the money is to be paid into trusts? Where is the audit trail once it gets there?  
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The member is asking me a hypothetical question. He can either present it to the Minister for Whanau Ora or actually present the facts. Do not ask me a hypothetical question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not asking him a hypothetical question. This is a statement under his name on 11 December 2011 where he articulates— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Quoting press statements is certainly not a matter of order. The member asked a very general question to the Prime Minister—“Does he still have confidence in all his Ministers?”—and now wants the Prime Minister to answer a very detailed supplementary question about payments into trust funds. That is simply not going to work. There is no way that a Minister can be expected to have the detailed information to answer that kind of detailed question. If the member wants to pursue the issue which is absolutely his right during question time the question should be lodged to the Minister responsible and the primary question should make it clear what the issue is about so that the Minister can have the information necessary to answer the question in the House; otherwise we just waste the time of the House.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With the greatest respect this is not detailed information at all. Any competent Minister knows that when public money is given out— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I want to finish my analogy here.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well I am sorry I have heard enough. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! The member does not argue about the detail of whether or not certain information is detailed information by way of point of order. The Speaker has already ruled that and there is no further point of order to be dealt with on the matter. It is simple sense that where a primary question is as broad as this one there is no way a Minister can be expected to have detailed information about payments into trust funds. The remedy is in the member’s own hands. If he wants to pursue the matter there is a way of doing it and that is by making a primary question clear and asking all the detail he likes of the appropriate Minister.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does the Prime Minister remember a press statement under his name on 11 December 2011 where all the details are set out in page after page after page about an “evolving focus and ongoing implementation of Whanau Ora” and a whole lot of projects as well and is it too complicated for him to get up and confirm that although it has been the public practice now for decades that where money is dispersed from public funds there is an audit trail he is not aware of one in the case of Whanau Ora? Yes or no?  
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: In answer to the first part of the question yes. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Question No. 9 the Hon Lianne Dalziel.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: We will have some order in the House. The member will resume his seat for the moment. I say to Ministers on my right that the member has every right to call a point of order and it will be heard in silence.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I just want an answer to my question which you know was not too detailed and I expect that you will ask the Prime Minister to give it to me. I have been told there has been progress in question time in this House; I want to see it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I invite the member to reflect back on his—I am on my feet and I invite the member to reflect back on his question. He asked the Prime Minister whether he remembers I think a press statement in his name and the Prime Minister said he did. He is required to answer only one part of a supplementary question which he did very clearly.