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Lubeck MarjaMARJA LUBECK (Labour): Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity to do a third reading speech on the Education and Training (Grants—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill. We heard the Minister very succinctly put it in his speech this is a very small non-complex bill that makes really one change only and that is an important clarification that is needed to the Education and Training Act 2020 because it will help enable our Government to support pay equity.This change will allow our Government to deliver on the commitment to move towards closing the gap between those two groups that are basically operating with the same or equivalent qualifications yet are paid very differently. The Minister also outlined in his speech how that came about and he talked about a nine-year pay freeze. That of course is in stark contrast to the $170 million that our Budget 2021 committed over the next four years for the purposes of improving the pay for certificated teachers in that area.Under our current funding system teachers and kindergarten teachers carrying out the same work but not being paid the same is basically wrong. It's not right that we have this. Pay parity is not a novel concept. It's nothing new but it's one that our Government has committed to and that is what this bill will help address. So really what it comes down to at the end is that this is a bill about fairness.All that I'm left to do really is to say thank you to our 558 submitters the 14 submitters that either provided oral submissions by Zoom or by coming in to talk to the committee in person our Office of the Clerk team the ministry officials and Parliamentary Counsel Office for helping us get this bill back in time to the House. I commend it to the House. Thank you Madam Speaker.
General debate
Mallard TrevorPETITIONS PAPERS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS AND IINTRODUCTION OF BILLSSPEAKER: No select committee reports have been presented. No bills have been introduced. Petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.CLERK: Petition of Wendy Baker requesting that the House amend the Rates Rebate Act 1973 to increase the rates rebate amount that relevant people can apply for every yearpetition of the Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand requesting that the House urge the Government to address digital exclusion and to ensure that the Citizens Advice Bureau is resourced to address the impacts of public services going onlinepetition of Lindsay Calvi-Freeman requesting that the House urge the Government to reverse its decision to remove tax deductibility of interest for landlords.SPEAKER: Those petitions stand referred to the Petitions Committee. Ministers have delivered papers.CLERK: MetService Statement of Corporate Intent 2021-2024AsureQuality Statement of Corporate Intent 2021-2022Quotable Value Statement of Corporate Intent 1 July 2021-30 June 2024Electricity Corporation of New Zealand Statement of Corporate Intent 30 June 2022Transpower Statement of Corporate Intent 1 July 2021Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Statement of Performance Expectations 2021-2022Airways New Zealand Statement of Corporate Intent 20221-2024New Zealand Railways Corporation Statement of Corporate Intent 2022-2024Kordia Statement of Corporate Intent 2021.SPEAKER: Those papers are published under the authority of the House.
Dean JacquiWEDNESDAY 7 JULY 2021The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERSASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Almighty God we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests we acknowledge the Queen and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom justice mercy and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.
Tuesday 6 July 2021 - Volume 753
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 11 November 2021.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.
Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading
Maritime Powers Bill — First Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee report the Maritime Powers Bill to the House by 11 November 2021.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That Maritime Powers Bill be now read a first time.Ayes 110New Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10;Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 10Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): The question is That the Maritime Powers Bill be considered by the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee.Bill referred to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That clause 1 be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Clause 1 agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That clause 2 be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Clause 2 agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That clause 3 be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Clause 3 agreed to.Bill to be reported without amendment.House resumed.
Education and Training (Grants—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill — In Committee
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Schedule be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Schedule agreed to.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the question be now put.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That Part 1 be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Part 1 agreed to.
9. Question No. 9—Regulatory Standards BillSIMON COURT (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 9—Regulatory Standards Bill9. SIMON COURT (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: Would the Regulatory Standards Bill prevent environmental regulations being put in place?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): I had prepared what I thought to be quite an erudite dissertation with reference to the tragedy of the commons" outlined in Garrett Hardin's eponymous 1968 essay; however Mr Speaker I feel your patience for such a dissertation may be running thin. No you've changed your mind? OK let's go. As Hardin outlined the tragedy of the commons is something that occurs when as he said all men rush to tragedy calculating that if they don't consume environmental resources somebody else will. It is a classic market failure where all people acting independently and doing their best have a habit of bringing about results and consequences that are actually not for the collective good. A classic modern example is fishers taking all the fish—that's why we have fishing regulations. Somebody seeking to bring about environmental regulations that solve a genuine market failure—a tragedy of the commons such as we see in fishing; such as we see in people emitting carbon dioxide—could be solved and justified under this law.SPEAKER: Order! Order!DAVID SEYMOUR: Thank you Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Order!"
8. Question No. 8—Regulatory Standards BillCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 8—Regulatory Standards Bill8. CHRIS BAILLIE (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: What would the Regulatory Standards Bill mean for small business?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): Like farmers and those in the primary industries those who operate own and pay the bills at small businesses are also a very small minority of New Zealanders but extremely important to the economy. They often find that employment law and other types of regulation imposed upon them is extremely costly and they have little recourse against those costs being imposed upon them without proper consultation or cost-benefit analysis. This legislation the Regulatory Standards Bill would allow those in small business to seek remedies in the court or for their representative bodies to seek remedies when they have their rights trampled. Mr Speaker you're gesturing to cut someone's head off. I don't think that's appropriate for the House of Parliament! This bill would allow them to seek remedies when their rights are trampled.
7. Question No. 7—Regulatory Standards BillMARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 7—Regulatory Standards Bill7. MARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: What would the Regulatory Standards Bill mean for rural New Zealand?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): First of all I want to congratulate the member on recently having his bill drawn which would also mean a lot for rural New Zealand. But in terms of what this legislation would mean it would mean that a numerical minority of New Zealand and yet an economic powerhouse—some would say the backbone of the New Zealand economy rural New Zealand—have the ability to stand up to regulators that often fail to understand the impacts of laws and regulations on their particular sector. For example those farmers in Southland have recently had laws and regulations visited upon them requiring them to plant their crops too early.SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member certainly hasn't answered it but he's addressed it at greater length than necessary.
6. Question No. 6—Regulatory Standards BillTONI SEVERIN (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 6—Regulatory Standards Bill6. TONI SEVERIN (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: Does the Regulatory Standards Bill require consultation with people affected by this new legislation?SPEAKER: Well the member knows what the question says; we'll go for it anyway as written.DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): Thank you Mr Speaker. Consultation of people affected by regulations and laws is extremely important. They often have insight into how their sector of society operates and what the costs and benefits of a particular law might be. It is therefore essential that when laws and regulations are made people are consulted so that their insights can be acknowledged and their rights upheld bearing in mind that under the Regulatory Standards Bill they can seek to ensure regulations and laws are being properly made through court action. For that reason it is certainly—and let me answer the question for you—a requirement of the Regulatory Standards Bill that before a certificate is signed by a Minister chief executive or member in charge of a bill that person signing the certificate that the law or regulation has been properly made is satisfied that those people affected have been consulted. Thank you Mr Speaker.
5. Question No. 5—Regulatory Standards BillKAREN CHHOUR (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 5—Regulatory Standards Bill5. KAREN CHHOUR (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: Does the Regulatory Standards Bill require cost-benefit analysis to be provided on all new legislation? DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): Another excellent question. The Regulatory Standards Bill does indeed require cost-benefit analysis which identifies those—[Speaker stands] Point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: The member has answered the question. Question No. 7 Mark Cameron. David Seymour: Point of order Mr Speaker. For the benefit of people watching—SPEAKER: No no. David Seymour: —how is it possible—SPEAKER: No no. Order! The member will resume his seat. The member addresses the Chair; he doesn't address his audience. If the member wants to continue with these questions he will let me call the next one. If he doesn't he won't. Question No. 7 Mark Cameron. Hon Member: Point of order Mr Speaker. It's actually Toni Severin. SPEAKER: Sorry? Oh Toni Severin. Sorry it just felt like more already.
4. Question No. 4—Regulatory Standards BillNICOLE McKEE (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 4—Regulatory Standards Bill4. NICOLE McKEE (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: What remedies does the Regulatory Standards Bill give to citizens?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): The Regulatory Standards Bill puts some real force and power behind regulatory impact analysis which is currently often ignored by Governments. It allows members of the public or organisations that represent them to seek a remedy in proceedings where a court can issue a declaration that a Minister responsible a chief executive of a department responsible or a member in charge of a bill in Parliament can be declared to have failed to have adhered to the correct principles of good regulation-making thus putting some real teeth behind regulatory impact analysis that is too often ignored by contemporary Governments of both stripes.
3. Question No. 3—Regulatory Standards BillDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 3—Regulatory Standards Bill3. Dr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: What are the principles of responsible regulation contained in the Regulatory Standards Bill?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): Well the Regulatory Standards Bill under clause 6 sets out a series of principles for responsible regulation. That includes being consistent with the rule of law. It includes respect for persons' liberty personal security freedom of choice. It includes not impairing or authorising the impairment of property without it being shown to be necessary in the public interest. It includes not imposing or authorising the imposition of a tax except by under an Act. It involves preserving the role of the courts in interpreting legislation rather than having arbitrary interpretation by officials. It includes adhering to a series of further principles of responsible regulation-making.Hon Members: Supplementary.SPEAKER: No.
2. Question No. 2—Regulatory Standards BillDAMIEN SMITH (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQuestion No. 2—Regulatory Standards Bill2. DAMIEN SMITH (ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: Why is the Regulatory Standards Bill necessary if regulatory impact statements are already produced?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): That's an excellent question. The Regulatory Standards Bill is necessary in spite of regulatory impact statements being produced due to their poor quality. I recall as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the now abolished position of Minister for Regulatory Reform seeing—SPEAKER: Order! The member's answered the question.
1. Question No. 1—Regulatory Standards BillBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards BillQUESTIONS TO MEMBERSQuestion No. 1—Regulatory Standards Bill1. BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill: What is the purpose of the Regulatory Standards Bill?DAVID SEYMOUR (Member in charge of the Regulatory Standards Bill): Our Parliament is on a long evolution towards better institutions for lawmaking. The first Parliament was prorogued amongst a fist fight where the then Prime Minister actually decked a member of the Opposition; 130 years later we had a Prime Minister who regularly suspended the Standing Orders. And it was only with the fourth Labour Government through the Constitution Act and the Public Finance Act that we've had better constitutional arrangements. However when it comes to regulation we still have at best anaemic measures for scrutinising the quality of laws and regulations made and their effect on regulations.Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. It is well and truly established in this House by previous Speakers that questions to members need to be quite concise both in their question and in their answer. The question here is What is the purpose of the Regulatory Standards Bill?" We've heard quite a bit from Mr Seymour and he hasn't mentioned the bill once.SPEAKER: And he's now going to mention it tell us the purpose—all without taking a breath!DAVID SEYMOUR: Mr Speaker I was just giving a little bit of historical context but as you wish. The Regulatory Standards Bill imposes a discipline on Ministers chief executives and members in charge of legislation to ensure that we are asking and answering the right questions when laws are made and if those questions are not satisfactorily asked and answered citizens have a direct remedy for challenging poorly made laws."
12. Question No. 12—Building and ConstructionTĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionQuestion No. 12—Building and Construction12. TĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister for Building and Construction: What reports has the Minister seen regarding building consents?Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister for Building and Construction): I've seen a report from Statistics New Zealand that shows an all-time high number of new homes consented in the year ended May 2021 at 43466. This is an increase of 17 percent from the May 2020 year and a 40 percent increase on when this Government came to office. These figures show a strong pipeline for the residential construction industry to deliver the homes New Zealanders need at levels we've never seen before.Tāmati Coffey: What does this data show about high-density housing?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Statistics New Zealand's data shows that 1380 townhouses flats and units were consented in May 2021 alone the highest number since records began in 1990. Higher density and modular off-site manufacturing methods are key to helping New Zealand with the healthy modern and affordable homes we need.Tāmati Coffey: How is the Government supporting the construction sector to deliver on these record consents?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Just last month we saw new building laws that will support housing supply and affordability and enable the use of new innovative and efficient building methods such as off-site manufacturing. The building amendment Act now allows for new certification for modular component manufacturers which will streamline the building consent process for new and innovative building techniques that have the potential to reduce building costs while delivering high-quality affordable homes. The construction industry is doing a fantastic job of stepping up to the challenge of meeting demand and our ongoing work with the accord will help ensure the sector remains resilient and that we keep building on capacity and capability.Nicola Willis: Can the Minister confirm that the number of houses being consented now which amounts to around 8.5 houses per thousand people is much lower than the number of houses consented in 1973 at around 13.4 houses per thousand people?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What I can confirm is that we can from Statistics New Zealand show an all-time high number of new homes consented in the year ended May 2021 at 43466.
10. Question No. 10—EnvironmentDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 10—Environment10. Dr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister for the Environment: What progress has been made on the removal of aluminium dross stored at Mataura?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): I'm pleased to inform the House that all of the 10000 tonnes of aluminium dross by-product stored in Mataura's old paper mill next to the Mataura River has now been removed. For too long Mataura residents have been worried about the risk of that material giving off ammonia gas upon getting wet. The last dross was removed from Mataura last Wednesday and is being stored in watertight shipping containers at the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters site at Tīwai Point pending its further treatment or removal elsewhere for treatment or use.Dr Liz Craig: How long have the issues with dross stored at Mataura taken to resolve?Hon DAVID PARKER: Far too long. Dross has been stored at the old Mataura mill since early 2010 or thereabouts. The problems were exacerbated when the contractor hired by the Tīwai smelter to dispose of it went into receivership. This left the dross stuck in Mataura with everyone denying ownership and responsibility—and understandably worrying local residents. Since 2017 we have worked to achieve a solution. We're glad it's been resolved. The efforts of many people need to be acknowledged. I'd like to particularly acknowledge the local residents; the Gore District Council; the local MPs Dr Craig and Mark Patterson when he was here; Environment Southland; the Environmental Defence Society; Ngāi Tahu; Inalco Processing who've been helpful; as well as in the end the smelter for doing the right thing.Dr Liz Craig: What are the next steps in dealing with the storage of dross and other hazardous substances?Hon DAVID PARKER: Now that the Mataura site has been cleared up the focus will move to the removal of material stored elsewhere in Southland. We will also continue to work with Rio Tinto and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters on the disposal of spent concrete cell linings that are stored at the Tīwai site. I think perhaps the wider lesson that we need to learn from the Mataura dross issue is that it's wrong for companies to be able to disavow responsibility for the by-product of their own production systems and over the next year or two the Government will be considering whether companies should be able to contract out responsibility for disposal of their own hazardous waste. We'll consider whether legislative change is necessary to ensure that legal responsibility for hazardous waste rests with the producers of it.
5. Question No. 5—Social Development and EmploymentANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentQuestion No. 5—Social Development and Employment5. ANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What announcements has she made regarding the regional skills leadership group?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Last week I announced the first set of appointments for the permanent Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLGs). The first step in setting up the groups was to appoint an iwi Māori co-chair and a co-chair selected through an expression of interest process for each region. By mid-August the co-chairs will be joined by regional stakeholders from iwi Māori businesses unions and their communities to form the membership of the groups. They will continue the work of the interim groups to identify and support better ways of meeting future skills and workforce needs for each region. This is an important strategic initiative: Government working with the leaders in our regions to address the regional labour force needs.Angie Warren-Clark: What feedback has she received on the work of the interim Regional Skills Leadership Groups?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Last week I visited Nelson where I met the chief executive of the chamber of commerce Ali Boswijk who has just been appointed as the co-chair of the permanent Nelson Tasman RSLG alongside Justin Carter. Ali was highly positive about the work of the interim group and highlighted the success of initiatives like Pick Nelson Tasman a campaign the group contributed to that helped fill jobs in the region's horticulture and viticulture industries. I'd like to thank the members of the interim groups who have provided a great deal of support to the Government over the last year. The quality of the interim group members has been recognised with nearly half of the permanent co-chairs being chosen from the interim groups. The permanent set-up will now take us forward.Angie Warren-Clark: What will the permanent Regional Skills Leadership Groups do once they are fully operational?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: The permanent groups will initially be focused on projecting labour supply needs in the regions and identifying local activity that addresses those needs through the regional workforce plans. The plans will inform Government activities and decisions across the education welfare and immigration systems including investment decisions. They support the Government's joined-up approach to regional economic development and labour market planning. As we look to reposition our economy through improving tertiary and vocational educational outcomes reducing reliance on low-skilled migrants and strengthening employment support the role the permanent groups will play is more important than ever.
3. Question No. 3—COVID-19 ResponseDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini) to the Minister for COVID19 ResponseQuestion No. 3—COVID-19 Response3. Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini) to the Minister for COVID19 Response: What recent progress has been made on New Zealand's COVID19 vaccine immunisation programme?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Very good news. I'm pleased to report that on Sunday afternoon we received the largest delivery of Pfizer vaccines to date. The shipment of 150 doses touched down in Auckland on Sunday two days earlier than expected and staff worked very quickly to make sure that they were unpacked and repacked and distributed to district health boards and vaccination centres around the country. I'd like to pass on my thanks to all those involved in doing that. The vaccination programme continues to ramp up.Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How will this delivery support DHBs with the roll-out of the immunisation programme and when can DHBs expect to receive them?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The vaccine deliveries that we have received over the weekend mean that we've now got sufficient vaccine stock together with the deliveries that we are expecting in each week of July to enable us to scale up and continue to confidently deliver vaccinations over the next four weeks. The first deliveries of the new doses started last night with the consignment dispatched to the South Island on a 7 p.m. flight last night. From this morning these doses have been arriving at vaccination centres right across the country. As I've mentioned before the Government is planning to have vaccinations out of the freezer and into people's arms as quickly as possible. This latest shipment will allow us to continue to do that.Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: What other deliveries are we expecting from Pfizer in the coming weeks?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: More good news. This is the first of four shipments that we're expecting to get over the month of July. We know that the quantities in the scheduled deliveries over the next month will continue to increase. I understand the next delivery will be similar in size to the one we received on Sunday and then the other two deliveries we're anticipating will get us to the 1 million doses that we're expecting to receive in total this month.
1. Question No. 1—FinanceDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) to the Minister of FinanceORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Finance1. Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): The Government's efforts in securing the economic recovery have led to a sharp rise in business confidence. The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion released today shows that firms are more upbeat about their own prospects and the wider economy in the June quarter. On a seasonally adjusted basis a net 26 percent of businesses recorded an increase in their own trading activity in the quarter compared with a net 2 percent in the previous three months. They also feel positive about the next quarter with a net 28 percent of respondents expecting a pick-up in activity up from a net 8 percent. There was also a continued recovery in firms' confidence about the general economic outlook with a net 10 percent of businesses expecting an improvement in general economic conditions over the coming months. Dr Duncan Webb: What is the impact of the economy on businesses' hiring and investment plans? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well according to the survey firms are looking to expand to keep up with increased demand which is reflected in an increase in hiring and investment intentions. A net 15 percent of firms surveyed increased headcount in the June quarter up from a net 8 percent in the previous quarter. A net 22 percent plan to employ more workers in the next quarter. Firms are also looking to further increase their investment particularly in plant and machinery. A net 20 percent of firms plan to lift investment in plant and machinery over the coming year. The Government is investing heavily in trades training and apprenticeship schemes and is extending the training incentive allowance among other initiatives to support New Zealanders into work. Dr Duncan Webb: What reports has he seen on Government support for the New Zealand economy? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well while confidence in the Government's health response has underpinned the economic recovery we do know that this can change quickly in a COVID-19 world and the Government remains ready to support businesses and workers. Last week the Wellington region went into alert level 2 for a week allowing eligible businesses to take up the resurgence support payment to assist with one-off costs. I can report to the House that as of 1 p.m. today 1911 applications had been received and $2.63 million had been paid out to businesses to support them through this change in alert levels.
Eagle Paul; Dean JacquiPAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Thank you Madam Speaker. Looks like I have the last word; maybe not. But can I just congratulate you for your firm hand and discipline over this House tonight because there's been a lot of hot air.But tonight I'll be talking about gas and only gas. [Interruption] No—just gas. And so I want to just acknowledge the select committee for their work and in particular those who made the 11 submissions. What this bill does do is amend the Gas Act 1992 which is the principal piece of legislation for the governance of the gas industry in New Zealand.And I note just three things—sticking to the topic at all times. What does the bill do? It expands the scope of the regulation-making powers to ensure and to enable gas governance arrangements to be made that provide for the disclosure of information about matters that may have a significant downstream impact. Secondly the transitional provisions ensure that the work the Gas Industry Company is currently undertaking around information disclosure will be considered as part of the process for forming a recommendation for a new gas governance arrangement. Thirdly it also makes changes to the Gas Act's penalty regime. It does that by increasing the maximum civil pecuniary penalty able to be imposed by the gas rulings panel for breaches and it gives that amount as going from $20000 to $200000. This new penalty limit will apply across all gas governance regulations.I just want to thank all of those who have contributed to putting this together. It appears that there's a high level of conflict here but I can assure you on this side of the House as I said there's no hot air just peace. And I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): This debate is interrupted and set down for resumption next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow. Good evening.Debate interrupted.The House adjourned at 9.56 p.m.
Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Kia ora koutou Madam Speaker. Thank you for allowing me to take another call this evening; now on the Gas (Information Disclosure and Penalties) Amendment Bill. Now I just want to focus on the bill and the positive stuff around this bill as much as I want to say things about the other side of the House because as I've said in the past it's that c" word they love to talk about—that blinkin' "c" word they keep going on and on about. But we know the reason they love playing the coal card is because Governments haven't been ambitious enough. We've just had our heads in the sand and have continued to do what we've always done. We've got what we've always got and now we are working hard on this side of the House to ensure a just transition but we should have started this 20 30 40 years ago and we did not. So we're here doing it right now.But here I'm talking about the Gas (Information Disclosure and Penalties) Amendment Bill which obviously amends the Gas Act of 1992. The objectives of this bill are to strengthen the regulation-making powers in the Act to provide for enhanced information disclosure requirements for the gas market and to ensure that settings around enforcement and penalties are suitably robust.So I'm here to say thank you to those members of the select committee who were part of making this happen to thank all of our advisers and to thank all our submitters through the select committee process. There were 11 submitters; four were oral submissions from people who came and shared their views around this. And I'm glad that the National Party is supporting this piece of legislation and it will go through and pass through the House hopefully tonight so that we can ensure that disclosures are undertaken. For me I am committed as the MP for New Plymouth to ensuring our just transition to ensure that we move to a low-carbon economy to ensure that my great-great-grandchildren enjoy a lifestyle even better than I have enjoyed in terms of ensuring that we have an environment to live in—Simon Court: Tell that to the people of Waitara.GLEN BENNETT: —and we have a place to live in. And the people of Waitara who I support—I am very much in favour of this and we'll continue to work hard as we transition away from fossil fuels and we retain jobs. I commend this bill to the House."
Chen NaisiNAISI CHEN (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. Tonight we're amending legislation that was drafted and passed in 1992—Glen Bennett: Were you born then?NAISI CHEN: Two years before I was born—that's exactly where I was going to go I say to my good colleague Glen Bennett here who's an awesome member for New Plymouth.Tonight—and we've heard and throughout the whole entire three readings of this bill—we've heard calls being taken by the Opposition that had no vision for the future. Tonight you would have heard in the House that the Hon Dr Megan Woods talked about our future where there would be energy systems. Now that is a vision for the future. That is a vision for our generation into the future where it can be clean green energy that will be able to look after the environment but would also realise ambitions of economic development for our generation.I'm proud to support this bill the Gas (Information Disclosure and Penalties) Amendment Bill as the deputy chairperson of the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee because this is a bill that industry has told us they support. This is a bill that will make sure that the infrastructure of our country keeps running. Throughout the legislative process of this bill unfortunately we've heard many calls that don't actually demonstrate a lot of knowledge about the industry. I am constantly reminded by my colleagues that since the year 2000—2000—we have never discovered offshore gas again. So this is not only about Government regulation but it's about the industry. It's about economies of scale. It's about what is efficient for our economy and the companies that are actually involved in it. They have made a choice the market has spoken and so this bill listens to the market it listens to the industry participants. Therefore I'm really proud to support and commend this bill to the House.
Woods MeganInstruction to the Economic Development Science and Innovation CommitteeHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): I move That the Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 11 November 2021.
Roberts AngelaANGELA ROBERTS (Labour): You talk about fairness and unfairly burdening who?ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order!ANGELA ROBERTS: Sorry I beg your pardon—the member who has just—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The member will not bring the Speaker into the debate.ANGELA ROBERTS: I apologise but for those of us who live in Taranaki when you talk about the burden of this cost it is not—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order!ANGELA ROBERTS: Sorry I apologise.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The member will not bring the Speaker into the debate.ANGELA ROBERTS: Of course. So the incredible cost dollar-wise to the taxpayer is not the only cost that is being borne by Taranaki. We have a whole pile of local contractors who were let down. We have had months of having a ship offshore with tens of thousands of barrels of oil in it wondering if it would survive the winter and we have had for years the ongoing experience of decommissioning the Tūī oilfield. For those of us for whom Taranaki is home for whom those beaches are pristine and are really really valuable there is a cost. When you talk about—sorry I apologise; when there are members on the other side of the House who talk about making sure that this goes to select committee so that we can talk to those who are being affected it isn't just the oil companies.Hon Todd McClay: Anybody can submit.ANGELA ROBERTS: Of course—they can and they will and we remind you that this is about—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order!ANGELA ROBERTS: I apologise.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): This is now the fourth time the member has brought the Speaker into the debate. I'd ask the member to be very careful. Thank you.ANGELA ROBERTS: The provisions in this bill are about increasing their ability to more effectively manage the risks to taxpayers but also to make sure our communities are safe. We're really pleased that iwi have already been involved in the process not just on the ground with decommissioning Tūī but in feeding in responses to the discussion document. As a result we are really pleased that we are going to be able to take this to the select committee and really sort this issue out. I commend this to the House.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is That the Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be considered by the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee.Motion agreed to.Bill referred to the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee.
Brooking RachelRACHEL BROOKING (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's been very pleasing today to hear this issue addressed both in question time and then in almost every speech today about the problem we've often had with older legislation not providing for things like bonds and financial instruments when an environment is left degraded. So we know that orphan sites and legacy contamination are issues and as I said it's great that everybody across the House agrees that this is a problem.So what does this bill do? Of course it amends the Crown Minerals Act and that Act applies to petroleum which is a Crown mineral. The purpose of the Act includes the effective management and regulation of Crown minerals and good industry practice. There's a regulatory scheme and that includes some key framework tools such as providing minerals programmes which are done through public process setting out how powers will be exercised and then there's a permit process as well. There's three types of permits: prospecting exploration and mining. And here that interest is on mining. An application for a mining permit for petroleum includes a proposed programme of work. That is part of the focus of this amendment.There's other parts of the Act of course that relate to access to land registers enforcement royalties offences and regulations. But what this bill does is it does many changes to that framework and that includes adding a function of the Minister to make decisions on decommissioning and requirement for financial securities. It adds new requirements for petroleum mining permits and that is that they have to have a field development plan that details decommissioning work. It adds a new requirement for a notice of expected cessation and a notice of cessation. It adds new subparts added that specifically address decommissioning requirements in some detail and these were discussed by the Minister in her speech. And it includes assessment of financial capacity. It also amends the provisions around records to include financial and scientific new infringement offences and amendments to the regulations. It is an important environmental and also health and safety piece of legislation and I wish the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee well with their submission process.
Henderson EmilyDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei): As we transition away from a fossil fuel economy as we know we must that does leave us with the problem of ageing infrastructure and how we manage the moving-out process from the companies who have been running our fossil fuels companies. How do we then go on to deal with the ongoing issue of pipelines under the sea of aged and remaining infrastructure that may continue to cause us problems in the future? It may be as our friend from ACT has said this evening that most companies are responsible. One would certainly hope that they were. It is certainly a fundamental principle of ordinary morality that when one makes a mess one cleans up for it.But just because we put out there clear guidelines as to the expectations of both sides of an arrangement as to what the liabilities and responsibilities will be is not a disrespect to either side of the equation. When we rent a house we pay a bond against the possibility that we will not be honourable renters. When we sue someone there are occasions when we are required to pay security for costs so that an ultimately successful person on the other end of our suing is not left out of pocket. It doesn't mean that we are behaving in a dishonourable fashion to be clear about the responsibilities of both parties. This is straightforward simple legislation. It creates a clarity of obligation on both sides; it gives financial security for costs should the company not fulfil its responsibilities; and it enables effective monitoring of their finances so that we can find out whether that is in fact going to be the case. I commend this bill to the House.
Utikere Tangi; Dean JacquiTANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Kia orana Madam Speaker. Look I have to say it's not just a pleasure to follow the member who has just resumed his seat Simon Court but it is always a distinct pleasure particularly because he started his contribution in the House tonight by actually conceding and acknowledging that this Government is introducing a bill that will be an important piece of legislation. There we have it folks: an important piece of legislation. I have to say that he started his contribution in the House so well and then it just headed further south thereafter.Look this proposal before the House tonight is a piece of legislation that will in effect strengthen the responsibility for permit holders for licence holders in two areas: the first in terms of their financial responsibility and the second in terms of their legal responsibility. In doing so what this bill does is it therefore decreases the risk that the Crown property holders taxpayers and others will have to pick up the tab pick up the cost to remediate a failure to decommission. I actually think that ratepayers and communities all around this country will think that that is a good move. No doubt when this bill moves through to select committee we will hear as a Parliament from those communities of interest and we certainly look forward to that.I want to in taking this brief call this evening commend the Minister of Energy and Resources. Her initial reactions around this and in terms of the next steps that have been signalled need commendation but they shouldn't come as any surprise. This legislation will ensure actually that permit holders licence holders are in a position where they simply cannot abrogate their responsibilities and expect others in this community to pick up the tab. This will also as has previously been mentioned bring us into line with other global jurisdictions. This is a fantastic bill and I certainly am pleased to support it.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Call Simon Watts—five-minute call.
Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Kia ora Madam Speaker. Thank you for allowing me to take a call on this piece of legislation. Thank you to the National Party for I think supporting it through to the next stage. I look forward to it and I feel like just because two of my colleagues across the floor have already mentioned John Carnegie I'm also happy to talk about my relationship with John Carnegie at Energy Resources Aotearoa. We meet regularly and have robust discussions around issues like this and very constructive conversations less so than our previous speaker Scott Simpson. I was unsure where we was going but he was going somewhere I'm sure to at least support us vaguely on this piece of legislation the Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.I also heard earlier Barbara Kuriger that you were asking about us having no direction—you were questioning us around the just transition. I believe we're making progress investing finance and money into that—just under $14 million in the last Budget—for the next three years around the just transition. We've had Taranaki 2050. We have Ara Ake. Venture Taranaki has the offshore wind strategy. We've got obviously green hydrogen with Hiringa Energy. There's a lot of work going on in this new space in this clean energy space and for that member to say that we don't have a plan disappoints me because for all of us we are passionate about our regions and our communities and we want to see right done.It reminds me that earlier in the day there was the Ngāti Maru settlement the first reading which I was proud to speak on and I was really surprised when I was meeting with local iwi recently that for Ngāti Maru on their whenua 98 oil and gas wells they have had dug over the past 100 or more years. I look at this piece of legislation and think how important it is to ensure that the taxpayer that landowners that the Crown does not have to pay when it comes to a company like Tamarind like others who may fail in terms of that space. So we need to ensure that legislation is in place. Being on the select committee I look forward to speaking and listening as I always do and having another coffee with John Carnegie and hearing his opinion. So I commend this next reading to the House.