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Walters Vanushi; Williams PotoVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour): Thank you Madam Speaker. I'll just begin my contribution by commending the Minister on her work in this important area. Therapeutic products are not risk free and they do require regulation so it is important that we're bringing this legislation to the House. Much has been said about the Health Committee and their work on this bill so I do want to commend them and their chair for really robust work on the number of submissions. But there is another select committee that has been working on this bill as well and that is of course the Regulations Review Committee and I just want to acknowledge my Regulations Review Committee colleagues in the room and also Toni Severin who referred to regulation a fair amount in her speech. The Regulations Review Committee really does contribute to the robust and rigorous debate of bills in the House and we specifically look at regulation-making powers. As we've heard today it is very important that constraints are put around regulation-making powers and that secondary legislation is deemed secondary or where it should be so that it can be brought back to the House if necessary. So I just wanted to touch very briefly on some of the recommendations that the Regulations Review Committee communicated to the Health Committee as they were going through this process. We spoke about exemptions and the need to specify criteria around them the clarity of various terms the importance of ministerial involvement and emergency arrangement notices and we also discussed where the regulator could rightfully set conditions without going through the normal rules process and where they shouldn't. We discussed and made recommendations around the setting of fees and levies in particular the period that those fees and levies could be attached to. And we also discussed whether regulator notices should be classified as secondary legislation which the House will know is extremely important because where it is classified as secondary legislation it can then be brought back to the House and indeed determined to be disallowable by the House if need be. And of course secondary legislation can also be found to be ultra vires if it's going outside the terms of primary legislation. So I mentioned all this just to ensure those who are watching that there is a really robust process that these bills and this bill in particular have gone through and would really invite members of the public to look to the Regulations Review Committee and the role we play in ensuring we bring robust risk-sure legislation through to the House. I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Poto Williams): I understand this is a split call. I call Nicola Grigg—five minutes.
Coffey TāmatiTĀMATI COFFEY (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. That was a very impassioned speech from the previous member there. What he absolutely fails to recognise through that contribution is the fact that exactly what has happened is exactly what select committees are for. The Opposition when they were in Government also took the liberty of introducing bills into this House. It goes through a select committee process and changes are made and through those changes you have of course people coming to the steps of Parliament waving their flags and saying we disagree with that". We have people enter this process through the select committees they submit and these days they can submit in from their bedroom in the far reaches of Aotearoa just to have their points heard. That's exactly what the Health Committee have gone and done. I want to say thank you to our Minister for actually acknowledging those people that came through that wanted changes to happen and she's gone and introduced the pathway forward—the way that we're going to help their concerns be accommodated and in the future movement of this bill. She's talked about a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) that's going to be introduced into the House specifically around rongoā Māori. I've heard for the last few months quite a lot of opposition from our Māori communities around the place of rongoā Māori in here and I want to say thank you to the committee for hearing those concerns. I want to say thank you to the Minister for looking to introduce an SOP in this respect an SOP that will allow Māori to determine what rongoā means and exactly who is a rongoā practitioner. It's important that the Government make sure that rongoā practitioners can also export if they choose to as well. These are all really important changes. It shows that the Government is listening. It shows that our Minister is listening. It shows that our select committee is doing exactly what select committees are supposed to do. They're actually supposed to inform the legislation to make it the best piece of legislation that we can put through. This is for the benefit of New Zealanders. Thank you to the Minister for listening to that concern specifically around rongoā Māori. I want to note the submissions of Rereata Makiha of Waikato-Tainui those organisations that came forward and said this needs to change. It is going to change. I commend it to the House."
Utikere TangiTANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Kia orana Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise and take a call on the Therapeutic Products Bill. I had the opportunity at first reading to make a contribution and at that time I noted that this was a bill that would replace the Medicines Act 1981 and a set of regulations the Medicines Regulations 1985—but also that we shouldn't just replace them because of historical data but rather because they needed to. I want to acknowledge the work that the Health Committee has undertaken in looking at this bill. It's a committee that I'm very familiar with: I was chair of the committee when the bill was received by the Health Committee and extended the period for submissions as part of that so I acknowledge the chair Dr McLellan and her colleagues for working through this bill. Much has been said already of the over 16000 submissions that were received and that were considered by the select committee. As part of that process of scrutiny and turning a bill into something that is more user-friendly the select committee has returned something to the House that seeks to do exactly that—particularly listening to the concerns around the personal importation of prescription medication and making some changes there. The need to ensure that the protection from counterfeit or contaminated products still is an underlying feature of that. Regulations around social media platforms and the advertising that might follow in relation to therapeutic products is another example and then of course noting that it was not an intention of the Government to place any restrictions around things like Givealittle pages and the like. We've heard from the Minister in her contribution that there is an intention to progress a Supplementary Order Paper that will address a number of issues through the committee of the whole House and I'm sure the House will look forward to that. I commend this bill to the House.
Wednesday 28 June 2023 - Volume 769
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the motion be agreed to.Ayes 75New Zealand Labour 62; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 9; Te Paati Māori 2; Kerekere; Whaitiri.Noes 44New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.
7. Question No. 7—WomenSORAYA PEKE-MASON (Labour) to the Minister for WomenQuestion No. 7—Women7. SORAYA PEKE-MASON (Labour) to the Minister for Women: What recent announcements has the Government made about representation on public sector boards?Hon JAN TINETTI (Minister for Women): Earlier this month Minister Radhakrishnan and I announced the results of the Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women's 2022 stocktake of diversity on public sector boards and committees. Ensuring women's voices are around the board tables of our public organisations is crucial if we're serious about driving meaningful progress for an inclusive New Zealand. I am pleased to report that representation for women on public sector boards and committees is the highest it's ever been at 53.1 percent and women now hold 41.9 percent of board chair roles.Soraya Peke-Mason: How does this compare to previous years?Hon JAN TINETTI: In 2018 the Government set the target of 50 percent women's representation on Government boards. The stocktake shows this is the third consecutive year we have achieved this goal and the 10th consecutive year we have seen an increase in representation for women. Women in chairperson roles has also had a 10 percent increase since we began collecting the data in 2015.Soraya Peke-Mason: What does the stocktake tell us about representation for Māori?Hon JAN TINETTI: Māori representation has increased steadily since 2019 when data collection for ethnicity on boards began. Māori board members now hold 26.8 percent of board roles with wāhine Māori making up 15.1 percent of all public sector board and committee members.Soraya Peke-Mason: And what does the stocktake tell us about ethnic representation on public sector boards and committees?Hon JAN TINETTI: Since we began tracking ethnic communities' representations on public sector boards and committees we have seen representation increased by 64 percent. Pacific board members are 7.2 percent of roles and Asian board members 6.1 percent. We are making good progress and we still have so much more potential to unlock. New Zealand is an incredibly diverse country and it is important we continue making boards and committees more representative of New Zealand society.
5. Question No. 5—Energy and ResourcesGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth) to the Minister of Energy and ResourcesQuestion No. 5—Energy and Resources5. GLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth) to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How will Budget 2023 support businesses to decarbonise their vehicle fleets?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): Through Budget 2023 the Government is backing businesses to accelerate the decarbonisation of their vehicle fleets. Heavy vehicles make up around a quarter of New Zealand's total transport emissions so these partnerships are vital to our decarbonisation. The clean heavy vehicles grant funded through Budget 2023 will support the purchase of low-emissions heavy vehicles including trucks vans and buses and includes electric and green hydrogen - powered vehicles.Glen Bennett: How will the Government's clean heavy vehicles grant support businesses to decarbonise?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The Government's partnership with businesses will support the roll-out of around 500 low-emissions heavy vehicles and help businesses to lower their emissions. The clean heavy vehicles grant will also help businesses to reduce their fuel costs over that time by up to 75 percent. This fund builds on the success of the Government's Clean Car Discount and Low Emissions Transport Fund to support the decarbonisation of New Zealand's transport fleet.Glen Bennett: How does Budget 2023 support the roll-out of a national EV charging network?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: A lack of public EV chargers is a key barrier to the uptake of EVs. Through Budget '23 the Government is partnering with the private sector to roll out a national EV charging network of up to 23 EV charging hubs. These hubs will deliver more locations for people to tank up their EVs providing multiple fast electric vehicle chargers including options for low-emissions heavy freight along our key transport routes. This is on top of the Government's investment in EV chargers today having delivered more than 1300 EV chargers across New Zealand through the Low Emissions Transport Fund.Glen Bennett: How else is the Government partnering with businesses to decarbonise transport?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The Government's green hydrogen consumption rebate will bridge the price gap between fossil fuels and green hydrogen to support early adopters to reduce their emissions by 150000 tonnes the equivalent to cancelling out the emissions of hundreds of trucks. Working with partners in the private sector this initiative will help make green hydrogen a financially viable option developing the industry and driving down emissions in hard to abate sectors while creating new jobs and economic development opportunities in our just transition regions.
McLean Institute (Trust Variation) Bill — First Reading
Grigg NicolaNICOLA GRIGG (National—Selwyn): Thank you Mr Speaker. I like my colleagues rise in support of the McLean Institute (Trust Variation) Bill. It's very evident from the submissions given to the House tonight that we've all had a quick brief history lesson into the founding families of the mighty Canterbury from where I hail. I just want to put on the record that despite assertions that the Hon Gerry Brownlee might make I'm not related to the McLean family in question.We've certainly heard a lot about the family and I think their story speaks volumes about the legacy left by so many of those very early pioneering families and those founding families of Canterbury. It's a legacy and history of philanthropy; so often we see around the region evidence of people who had foresight and a desire to ensure the protection and preservation of the lives and livelihoods of future generations that would follow them.It is indeed a pleasure to see this bill before the House giving us as legislators an opportunity to modernise it and bring it forward a century from whence it was first passed to modern-day New Zealand—and indeed modern-day Canterbury—where the need is still there but in much differing circumstances.We've discussed—well I think members of the House have discussed—at length that the original intention of this piece of legislation and of course of the institute is to protect those women of refined upbringings and education but those who've fallen on hard times. But now of course modern-day" has changed pressures have changed and with that the institution must change—hence the need to modernise and adapt the legislation that indeed governs the board.So the bill just to look at the technicalities of it updates and varies the terms set out in the trust deed such as the charitable objectives and the powers of the board. This would be to enable the assets of the institute to continue to be used to provide systems to and promote the wellbeing of disadvantaged women. The bill also simplifies the original trust board of 13 people. We note already that the board has modernised and evolved itself. It's certainly investing in other institutions and other businesses around the Canterbury district but all I think with the intention of looking after those who need it.Some other people have mentioned the investment and development of the retirement village called Holly Lea which takes its name obviously from the original Allan McLean homestead that he left as the McLean house. My own grandparents spent their last days in that property so it does have a place in my heart which is very much why we would like to see the future success of the institute and of the board. We do look forward to this being passed to the Social Services and Community Committee for further scrutiny and rigour. We offer the board our very best wishes for the future."
Logie JanJAN LOGIE (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to take what will be a short call on the McLean Institute (Trust Variation) Bill. Firstly I acknowledge the Minister Dr Duncan Webb for bringing this bill to the House on behalf of the McLean Institute. What this does is it enables the institute—which was established in 1907 after the death of Allan McLean—to be able to vary their charitable objects and the powers of the board to update them for this modern age. If anybody's interested in the intricacies of the McLean family Allan McLean himself or the position in Christchurch I suggest they listen to some of the other speeches that have covered that quite well. The Greens are happy to see this progress and get sorted.
McDowall JamesDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT to support this bill. It makes perfectly good sense to pass this legislation. This trust unlike charities—well charities themselves have a lot of autonomy and a lot of flexibility. In this case they don't because it relies on quite antiquated legislation. We do need to modernise its language as others have spoken about talking about gentlewomen" or "women of refinement or education". The risk with this is that if it's not updated then it's going to actually—the number of people that this can benefit will decrease over time. So it needs to be brought into the 21st century to ensure that women can access things like temporary emergency housing accommodation support and mental health support; to ensure that these programmes continue and access is not restricted; and as I say to modernise it. Thank you Mr Speaker."
Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill — Third Reading
Boyack RachelThird ReadingRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson): I move That the Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill be now read a third time. Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time.
Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill — In Committee
Woodhouse Michael; O'Connor Greg; Williams PotoHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National): Thank you Mr Chair. In my very brief call I want to do two things: firstly associate with the comments of the sponsor of the bill in her intervention then but also to correct an omission in my second reading speech and that was to acknowledge the counsel for Cawthron David McLay who provided excellent counsel to the select committee during that process and we benefited from that wisdom as we did from the passion and knowledge of John Palmer the chair of the board and I just wanted to put on record my thanks for that contribution.Preamble and clauses 1 to 12A agreed to.Bill to be reported without amendment.House resumed.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Madam Speaker the committee has considered the Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill and reports it without amendment. I move That the report be adopted.Motion agreed to.Report adopted.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Poto Williams): In accordance with a determination of the Business Committee this bill is set down for third reading immediately.
O'Connor Greg; Belich CamillaIn Committee Preamble and clauses 1 to 12ACHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members the House is in committee on the Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill. The question is that the preamble stand part.CAMILLA BELICH (Junior Whip—Labour): Point of order. I move that all parts be taken as one question.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): The member seeks leave for all provisions to be taken as one question. Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is none. The question is that the preamble and clauses 1 to 12A stand part.
Thomas Cawthron Trust Amendment Bill — Second Reading
New Plymouth District Council (Perpetual Investment Fund) Bill — Third Reading
Potaka TamaTAMA POTAKA (National—Hamilton West): Before I get started I just wanted to acknowledge the passing of Whetumarama Wereta an absolutely legendary person of Aotearoa who was on the Picot task force and also the Royal Commission on the Electoral System and married to the noble Tumanako Wereta. Matua te tapu. Taranaki Maunga tū tonu rā mō ake tonu. [Sacred father. Taranaki mountain for ever stand before us.]Thank you for the opportunity to speak at this third reading of the New Plymouth District Council (Perpetual Investment Fund) Bill. I want to acknowledge my colleague in the House here the MP for New Plymouth. He and I have a couple of things in common. We both love Surf Highway 45 and we both love Taranaki Maunga. He though is a Waitara Bears fan; I'm more of a Coastal Cobras man to be fair.National supports this bill. It comfortably sits with our party's view that local communities retain responsibility for local challenges and support their communities with diverse and stable revenue flows. Local assets staying in local hands—remember that local assets staying in local hands.The purpose of this legislation is commendable: to ensure that the Perpetual Investment Fund continues as a long-term financial investment for the holistic wellbeing of current and future communities of New Plymouth; social cultural economic and environmental—sounds like a Tā Mason Durie tapa whā model to me.Long-term investment that is required across a number of Government and non-Government organisations iwi incorporations and trusts and charities must all consider the long-term demands that they have on their time and their cash. As a shareholder and committee member of the illustrious Parininihi ki Waitōtara Inc. (PKW) one of the biggest investors in Taranaki I too recognise the value of the recalibration that this legislation brings Mr Bennett. Without these organisations like the fund like PKW the councils and the values that underpin them our cities our whānau our communities our towns our country would be far less well off.To that end though what I will say is that clause 8 of this bill does look suspiciously like the mandate of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. It looks like an almost copycat enterprise and our fellow Greens member over the way was talking about reputation issues—well I'm sure that the super fund is very interested in wind investments and other things that are happening in Taranaki and the sooner the better.I won't take much longer but to say that we support this bill and I look forward Mr Bennett to Ōpunake being labelled the best town in New Zealand. Kia ora. Ka kite.
Sage EugenieHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. Tēnā koe. The Green Party supports the New Plymouth District Council (Perpetual Investment Fund) Bill and we acknowledge Mayor Holdom and others from the council who are in the gallery. Coming from Ōtautahi/Christchurch the city council there had the wisdom to retain assets like the Christchurch International Airport Co. and the Lyttelton Port Co. and through Christchurch City Holdings is able to receive quite significant dividend returns from those enterprises which does reduce the amount of rates that residents have to pay. Similarly if the council hadn't sold off Powerco in 2004 it may have benefited from the dividend returns from that company. Nevertheless it did. This bill is a sensible and short bill that does provide that the returns from the fund will be maintained so that they're not overpaying to the council to reduce rates but maintain the capital value of the fund. It also has some criteria around investment decisions in that they must be on a prudent commercial basis and I note the provision that they must be in a manner that is consistent with avoiding prejudice to the reputations of the Council and the New Plymouth district community." I would hope that that includes ensuring that the fund is investing in activities which reduce emissions—which is consistent with reducing climate pollution—and moving to a more sustainable future and not activities which might bring the council into disrepute because they are very emissions-intensive or do things like promote environmental degradation. The bill will ensure that the fund revenues do continue to be used for the benefit of the New Plymouth District for present and future generations. I commend Glen Bennett and what he has done to shepherd the bill through. He and others have described in detail the many attractions of New Plymouth and the Taranaki District so I will just end by commending the bill to the House."
Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I just want to acknowledge the hard work that His Worship the Mayor Neil Holdom the Mayor of New Plymouth District Council has done to facilitate this bill and why ACT will support it. The Perpetual Investment Fund currently holds about $300 million in a diversified portfolio. That fund that portfolio of assets actually started off with the sale of council's ownership in Powerco—a power lines company; an electricity distribution business.What foresight did that council have by diversifying its asset portfolios beyond the single infrastructure business that it had inherited after that champion of free-market liberal reform the Hon Max Bradford reformed the electricity industry in the 1990s and gifted many of these local government organisations a power lines company that was previously in council ownership and control but was broken out as an independent entity. What foresight New Plymouth District Council had to then sell that and take the proceeds from that sale and apply them to a diversified portfolio of assets which currently includes fixed income—cash that is; private equity; and alternative assets—property infrastructure and hedge funds. Well that's the kind of thinking—that's the kind of forward thinking—that ACT would encourage New Zealanders to get behind and that's why we'll be supporting the New Plymouth District Council (Perpetual Investment Fund) Bill. Diversification of your asset base equals greater resilience for communities like New Plymouth. It would be fair to say that we've heard a lot about New Plymouth's weather today. We've heard about New Plymouth's natural hazards. All of those things actually add up to further justification for why a diversified portfolio held by the Perpetual Investment Fund makes much more sense than selecting particular asset classes because they're politically popular or lecturing asset owners about why certain classes of assets or investments are appropriate or not as we've heard from other members in the House today. ACT says that the choice of assets the choice of investments for the Perpetual Investment Fund of the New Plymouth District Council should be entirely up to that entity. With that we wish New Plymouth District Council all the best His Worship the Mayor Neil Holdom all the best and we will be supporting this bill.
McKelvie IanIAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei): Mr Speaker when you've been around as long as me you don't have time to waste on a lot of words so I'm not going to take a lot of time of the House! But I have to break into the peace—the peace that's broken out across the House—because I think it's worth going back in history a bit. Of course I go back to the time of Peter Tennent and the start of all this stuff and he was quite a big man and he dwarfed me—but that's got nothing to do with this.The real issue I want to raise is the issue of peace in the House. I'm an ex-Tui shareholder and I well remember there were no friends made between the Taranaki and Rangitīkei in those days. It was quite a divisive argument. Of course the New Plymouth City Council I suppose it was in those days—or the district council—then went off and bought a whole lot of dairy farms and having effectively undermined the whole of the dairy farmers in the Rangitīkei they then went off and brought a whole lot of dairy farms in Australia for goodness' sake—in Tasmania. So I suppose that that actually is the start of I guess what's got to this bill because certainly this bill will straighten out the investment principles of that fund.As has been well documented in the House today this went through the Governance and Administration Committee and I think it's a very good piece of legislation and it will protect at last the significant amount of funds that the New Plymouth District got out of the Powerco shares sales. Of course very briefly a number of us will remember every region or district that had Powerco shares treated them in a different manner. In my part of the world they paid out—I think it was $1200 per Powerco shareholder—and it was all gone within a week. At least in New Plymouth the district has retained that fund. So that's all I really need to say on the issue. It's been well documented by Glen Barbara and co. and that's my lot. Thank you.
Kuriger BarbaraBARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki-King Country): Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you to Glen Bennett for shepherding the bill through the House and also for a comprehensive 10 minutes where really the virtues of New Plymouth and Taranaki have been espoused. Towards the eight-minute point when you started talking about the Taranaki maunga perhaps erupting I have to say that living just around the corner from you—I hope that you have a boat because if that eventuates I'll be running around the corner to see you and jump in your boat! I'd like to acknowledge Mayor Neil Holdom and the team who are up in the gallery. This has been a good process run through the Governance and Administration Committee under the watch of Ian McKelvie who is here today. Really as Glen Bennett said—he's really covered it all and I'm just really here to say that National supports the bill. We support the fact that the council will be putting independent financial management in place to make sure that all the decisions are made only by people that the council appoints. Generally the fund has gone very well—it has had its moments in the past where maybe it hasn't gone so well and maybe investing in dairy farms outside the beautiful New Zealand structure might be a lesson and learning for us all given that we've got some of the best dairy farms in the world.Beyond that I'm not going to add a lot to this other than to congratulate the council—and just put in a plug for Inglewood Urenui and all of the towns that I represent in the wonderful Taranaki-King Country electorate that are akin to New Plymouth; not quite inside it but still part of the New Plymouth Council. We look forward to working with you and as we go forward with this fund making sure that it does perpetuate into a real perpetual investment fund that contributes to the whole of the district. Thank you Mr Speaker.
Robertson GrantSITTINGS OF THE HOUSEHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House): I move That the sitting of the House today be extended into tomorrow morning for the second reading of the Therapeutic Products Bill the first reading of the Emergency Management Bill and the third readings of the Charities Amendment Bill and the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill.
Rurawhe AdrianPETITIONS PAPERS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLSSPEAKER: No petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation. Ministers have delivered papers.CLERK:2021-22 annual report of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority2023-23 statement of performance expectations for the Earthquake Commission.SPEAKER: I present the report of the Controller and Auditor-General entitled Auckland Council: Preparedness for responding to an emergency and the Chief Ombudsman's report entitled Kia Whaitake Making a Difference. Those papers are published under the authority of the House. A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.CLERK: Report of the Education and Workforce Committee on the Regulatory Systems (Education) Amendment Bill.SPEAKER: The bill is set down for second reading. No bills have been introduced.
Motions — New Zealand Special Olympics Team 2023—Congratulations
Menéndez March RicardoRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green): Kia ora Mr Speaker. On behalf of the Green Party I want to extend our congratulations to the New Zealand Special Olympics team for what many have described as being an amazing performance in these games in Berlin in 2023 with many athletes setting personal records and the team overall achieving a record number of medals during the competitions. I want to extend a massive heartfelt congratulations not just to the medallists but to everyone who competed their family members and the support staff who were going there. I think echoing the words of the previous speakers all of the success has been done amidst huge resourcing challenges and the fact that many of our disabled athletes are having to fundraise for whatever little resources are there speaks to the barriers that we are yet to overcome. I want to also thank the journalists who took the time to cover these events because for many of these events there's also inequities when it comes to the broadcasting. And so it's great to see actually the amount of New Zealand media covering the amazing performances and successes from the team as well. And as the previous speaker also mentioned all of this in the context of global uncertainty where some of the teams overseas are actually facing threats from other politicians about cutting their funding or imposing sanctions on their own country's Special Olympics team—so it's amazing that the competition went ahead. It's awesome that our athletes performed really well and it's a testament of both what they've achieved and what we have yet to overcome. Thank you.Motion agreed to.
Smith DamienDAMIEN SMITH (ACT): Congratulations to the New Zealand Special Olympics team in Berlin 2023. The records that they've achieved have been extraordinary: 34 medals; 17 silver 12 bronze medals and five gold across nine disciplines. The 39 athletes and 22 support staff were led by the head of delegation Rowena Massey and chief executive Fran Scholey and it's a fitting testament to the founders which Mr McKelvie may know of Grant and Wendy Quinn who from small and pioneering steps today have built a legacy for this organisation.The Kiwis joined 7000 other athletes with an intellectual disability from 190 countries and the games being hosted in the German city of Berlin were a testament to the German spirit around the special winter Olympics. As Mr Robertson said it has been truly a life-changing event for these athletes and seeing them at the Brandenburg Gate celebrating was extraordinary.My colleague Toni Severin who is spokesperson for disabilities highlighted to me that these people are selected on sports ability mental resilience and being able to handle staying away from home for three weeks. We really value them and the Special Olympics that they have performed in.The touching moment for me was Dunedin powerlifter Ryan Stewart who isn't a big man but he deadlifted 152.5 kilograms of weight—which Mr Nash would probably struggle to do! Maybe we should bring Ryan here and we'll have a deadlift competition! That was truly spectacular. Again Mr Clark would know he came from Dunedin and his words were He had nothing to lose."But there were are a couple of things that did disturb. The level of funding for these people to support them is very very low and the host of athletes are not in paid work. And even golfer Mitchell Brown who won gold appeared on The AM Show this year and he had to start a Givealittle to fund his trip to Berlin. I think it would be appropriate before we leave in this Parliament to bring these people to Parliament and we can do that I hope Mr Robertson. Thank you."
McKelvie IanIAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a great privilege to rise on behalf of the National Party to support the motion and to congratulate New Zealand's Special Olympics team on their great performance at the Berlin Special Olympics World Summer Games. I had the privilege of chairing our Special Olympics for some nine years. In that role I also attended a world summer games in Los Angeles and to attend one of those events and see I guess the transformational and almost life-changing effect it has on those athletes and their families and the supporters is pretty amazing. Whilst we congratulate the athletes on their fantastic performances in Berlin I want to acknowledge the team management the coaches the medical staff and the supporters including caregivers and parents whose roles are so important in ensuring the success of this team and the total experience these athletes have—win lose or draw. This team—we've just heard the results of it. They won well over 30 medals with 39 athletes competing. That's almost a medal per athlete and I think that's pretty significant in itself. But as I said earlier win lose or draw these athletes gain significantly from the experience of attending a world summer games and as the Minister said just a minute ago most of these athletes had never left New Zealand before. This team was led by Rowena Massey who's given great service to the organisation over a number of years. Her experience would have been a great asset to the team as it is a very complex task to lead a team like the Special Olympics team on an international trip of quite significant length. So I think she would have done a great job of that and also Dr Nicole Lundon. I want to acknowledge that both of these roles are totally critical to the success of the team. To see the sheer enjoyment of these athletes as they compete on the international stage has to be experienced to understand how important participation in sport is to our Special Olympians. It's not only the participation in the sport but it's the participation in the whole atmosphere and the excitement of the event which is what really creates great value for them. I also want to acknowledge all those including the athletes themselves who raised the enormous amount of money needed to ensure that this team could travel to Berlin to compete. They do a fantastic job all of it voluntarily. Congratulations to Special Olympics New Zealand their athletes and the thousands of volunteers on this very successful mission.
Williams PotoWEDNESDAY 28 JUNE 2023The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERSHon POTO WILLIAMS (Assistant Speaker): Almighty God we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests we acknowledge the King 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.
Thursday 22 June 2023 - Volume 769
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Water Services Entities Amendment Bill be now read a first time.Ayes 72New Zealand Labour 62; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 9; Kerekere.Noes 47New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2; Whaitiri.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is That the Water Services Entities Amendment Bill be considered by the Governance and Administration Committee.A party vote was called for on the question That the motion be agreed to.Ayes 62New Zealand Labour 62.Noes 54New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 9; Kerekere.Motion agreed to.Bill referred to the Governance and Administration Committee.
Water Services Entities Amendment Bill — First Reading (continued)
7. Question No. 7—TourismTĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister of TourismQuestion No. 7—Tourism7. TĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister of Tourism: What recent announcement has been made regarding the tourism industry's transformation to be more environmentally responsible?Hon PEENI HENARE (Minister of Tourism): Last week the draft Tourism Environment Action Plan went out for public consultation. The draft plan is the second pillar of the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan. The draft plan sets out actions to further shift the tourism industry to a regenerative model that gives back more than it takes. We have a critical window of opportunity to create and courageously unite behind a new vision for tourism in Aotearoa something the sector is giving great feedback on. If we are going to contribute to global efforts to create a balanced and sustainable climate we must act now.Tāmati Coffey: Why is it important for the tourism sector to move to a regenerative model?Hon PEENI HENARE: Tourism touches every part of the motu and has a major influence on New Zealand's brand. Consumer awareness of environmental issues is increasing and the Government is listening. This plan was created in partnership with the sector iwi unions and environmental organisations. It is important that we continue to preserve our natural environment as one of our key attractions in a world-class destination. This plan shows that tourism can lead the way to ensuring that culture and nature are our best offerings.Tāmati Coffey: Can the Minister tell us what the action plan is about?Hon PEENI HENARE: The plan outlines six Tirohanga Hou for ensuring that tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand protects and restores the climate and environment. One of those Tirohanga Hou is the decarbonisation of tourism journeys. Last week I announced that the Government would be co-funding alongside Air New Zealand two studies that will test the feasibility of establishing and operating a sustainable aviation fuel production facility in New Zealand. Stats New Zealand data shows that aviation contributes up to 60 percent of tourism's total emissions and these studies are the first step in the right direction. Tāmati Coffey: What is he hearing from the sector?Hon PEENI HENARE: The sector is aware of the gravity of this piece of work with Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram saying It's important that the industry feeds into this draft plan which will help us develop real practical actions to protect and improve our environment at this critical time"—Chris Bishop: Just make a plan. All we need's another strategy—that'll sort everything out.Hon PEENI HENARE: On the aviation fuel studies—Mr Bishop—Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin said "Sustainable aviation fuel [was] in very high demand but limited supply. Commercially producing it … locally will not only help lower the country's emissions and create jobs but also provide fuel security in New Zealand". This Government is taking transformational steps and Mr Bishop can pine all he wants but that side did absolutely nothing. Kore. Zero."
5. Question No. 5—WomenSARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam) to the Minister for WomenQuestion No. 5—Women5. SARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam) to the Minister for Women: How will Budget 2023 deliver for women?Hon JAN TINETTI (Minister for Women): Budget 2023 signals the Government's ongoing commitment to creating a fairer safer and more equitable future for women and girls. Our Government is committed to improving outcomes for everyone but this Budget will create a real positive difference for the lives and wellbeing of women and girls and their whānau. Investment—into such areas as childcare assistance KiwiSaver training and employment pathways and family violence—provides women and their whānau with more targeted support and more opportunities to thrive and get ahead.Sarah Pallett: How will Budget 2023 help women with the cost of living?Hon JAN TINETTI: This Budget helps ease the cost of living pressures by significantly reducing the cost of early childhood education (ECE) for parents by extending 20 hours free ECE to two-year-olds. We are removing barriers to early learning and to allow parents to return to work or take on more hours if they can. We're also investing $35.2 million into childcare assistance to expand eligibility duration and improve access for families. These investments increase eligibility and will help approximately 30000 women currently accessing childcare assistance.Sarah Pallett: How will Budget 2023 support the long-term economic outcomes for women?Hon JAN TINETTI: We are continuing the Training Incentive Allowance in Budget 2023 with $80.1 million over four years to support sole parents disabled people and their carers to study towards higher-level qualifications. Since 2021 90 percent of those who received this allowance were women. Supporting women into higher education and higher-paid employment helps to reduce gender pay gaps and creates intergenerational benefits. A $19.7 million investment into KiwiSaver will mean the Government can match employer contributions to paid parental leave recipients. This helps parents particularly women save for their retirement on a more equitable level and recognises the unpaid nature of childcare.Sarah Pallett: How was gender budgeting utilised in Budget 2023?Hon JAN TINETTI: To support the Budget process and improve outcomes for women and whānau we've introduced gender budgeting a powerful tool to help understand how Government spending and initiatives will impact people differently depending on their gender. Manatū Wāhine—Ministry for Women and the Treasury have led two gender-budgeting exercises to support public sector agencies to analyse how their initiatives will impact women and girls with a particular focus on wāhine and kōtiro Māori. The exercise was expanded to including 15 public sector agencies for Budget 2023.
2. Question No. 2—FinanceSHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 2—Finance2. SHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote) to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): We know 2023 is a challenging year for New Zealand the global economy and New Zealanders. However there are reasons for optimism. New Zealand continues to produce the goods and services that the world wants. This is shown in the new Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries which is forecasting that primary industry exports will reach a new record high of $56.2 billion by the end of June—above earlier estimates. The growth is led by dairy seafood and processed food exports. Looking ahead the report is projecting primary industry exports to grow to $62 billion by 2027.Shanan Halbert: What other reports has he seen on the economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well Statistics New Zealand has reported that employment rose for the fourth month in a row with filled jobs rising by 13193 or 0.6 percent in April taking the total number of jobs to 2.37 million. The services industry has continued to drive the gains with the rest mainly coming from the goods-producing industries. On an annual basis the biggest gains were in accommodation and food services followed by healthcare and social assistance manufacturing transport postal and warehousing and administration and support services. By age group the largest gains in terms of the number of filled jobs were for 35- to 39-year-olds followed by those aged between 30 and 34 and then 15- to 19-year-olds.Shanan Halbert: What reports has he seen on net migration and its impact on the economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Last week Statistics New Zealand reported that there was a net gain of 5800 people arriving in the month of April and 72300 people for the year. I believe our immigration reset is working and attracting the overseas workers with the skills that businesses need to help rebuild the economy. Yesterday's announcement around changes to the skilled migrant category will simplify the pathway to residency and further support businesses to recruit internationally and fill vacancies.Shanan Halbert: What reports has he seen on the international context for the New Zealand economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The World Bank is forecasting the global economy to slow from 3.1 percent in 2022 to 2.1 percent in 2023 and then bounce back slightly to 2.4 percent for 2024. This emphasises that it is a difficult time for the global economy and that this will flow through to New Zealand. But we are well positioned to face the challenges ahead with unemployment near record lows growing exports and public debt levels well below those of countries that we compare ourselves with. Inflation is high but it is heading in the right direction. We know New Zealanders are doing it tough and the Government is striking a balance to support them in the here and now while continuing to invest in public services and a resilient infrastructure network.
Wednesday 21 June 2023 - Volume 769
Deposit Takers Bill — In Committee—Part 3
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the question be now put.Ayes 75New Zealand Labour 62; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 9; Te Paati Māori 2; Kerekere; Whaitiri.Noes 44New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): The question is that the Minister's amendments to Part 3 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 361 be agreed to.Amendments agreed to.Part 3 as amended agreed to.
VoteCHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): The question is that the Minister's amendment to Part 2 set out on Supplementary Order Paper 361 be agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That the amendment be agreed to.Ayes 109New Zealand Labour 62; New Zealand National 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 9; Te Paati Māori 2; Kerekere; Whaitiri.Noes 10ACT New Zealand 10.Amendment agreed to.Part 2 as amended agreed to.
Deposit Takers Bill — In Committee—Part 2