3. Question No. 3—Acting Prime MinisterRt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Acting Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Acting Prime Minister3. Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Acting Prime Minister): In the context in which they were made and within the facts known at the time most definitely yes.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that he is not hung up on the use of the name Kāinga Ora" or does he agree with the National - New Zealand First coalition agreement that says "All public service departments have their primary name in English except for those specifically related to Māori."?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On this side of the House we don't have hang-ups—that's number one. The second thing is we admit the majesty of the Māori New Zealand language and it's an intellectual muscle-builder for a young person and we've encouraged it from the time we arrived in Parliament some of us. But that said community housing or housing the community has become not that; it's become some woke virtue-signalling thing where people don't get housed and where housing displacement—or people waiting for houses—went up by a massive 33 percent. So we want delivery on policy not virtue signalling any longer.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with Chris Bishop that "Kāinga Ora is known as 'Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities' I don't know a single person who calls it 'Homes and Communities'" and is that within the spirit of the National - New Zealand First coalition agreement that all Public Service departments have their primary name in English except for those specifically related to Māori?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well Mr Bishop was saying something terribly honest and everybody understands it and everybody can sympathise with it because the essence of all communications is understanding and comprehension excepting over there [points to Opposition benches]. They'd rather virtue signal so that most people don't know. I can tell you now that when it comes to Waka Kotahi or Kāinga Ora for that matter people are concerned about getting a safe affordable house. They want to get roads that are tarsealed and potholes that are fixed up not some virtue-signalling thing which has certain people over there thinking that that's what people want for public policy. Ordinary hard-working New Zealanders can expect something better. Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with Winston Peters "The announcement today that New Zealanders will now have a direct pathway to citizenship in Australia is a monumental success that should be celebrated and congratulated" or does he agree with David Seymour "Actually we just got played by the Aussies. They've done a raid on New Zealand talent"?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I have to say that—not by any sense of bias—I prefer the first comment because every now and again even a fool can get it right. Mr Hipkins went over there and spoke to "Albo"—Mr Hipkins went over to there and saw "Albo" and "Albo" saw the reasonableness of our complaint. And it arose yesterday when it came out that someone who left this country at two years of age was sent back here as a 501—that's wrong. But in the big picture Mr Seymour was right when he said this because he could have expected two Labour Ministers across the Tasman to have got so much more.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does the Government still intend to raise $170 million for its tax cuts by taxing offshore gambling or does he agree with the 2023 New Zealand First manifesto that that's just not credible?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The purpose of good governance—and Ministers over here understand that—is to ask good questions and keep on asking good questions and get the right answer. That manifesto was setting out some very good questions—I'm still waiting for the answer—and I admit the possibility—[Interruption] No no because we've been in business and know how business works we don't act like that—laugh and scoff and jeer. They couldn't run a school tuck shop. In our case we ask good questions and we're still waiting for the answer.Tama Potaka: In relation to Kāinga Ora is the Acting Prime Minister aware that the number of families on the social housing wait-list went from 5000 to over 25000 under the recent Labour leadership?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Could I say to the Minister of Māori Affairs I'm dreadfully saddened to have to confirm that but that is what happens and it shows you the difference between a once-great party that came into this country way back in the 1930s and started building houses because they had practical people in Parliament who knew what poverty tasted and felt like coming out of the Depression. Yet this modern version has come in with these virtue-signalling policies and done the very worst for Māori and they stand there and claim to be the paramount voice for Māori today.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does he agree with that noted economic commentator Winston Peters that the National Government's tax plan "they're going to make all this money but every front-line economist has said 'Hang on you've got a hole of $500 million a year.' That's a hole of $2.1 billion over four years. How can you pay for your tax cuts?"?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The marvellous thing about consultative politics is that you learn things and when you've had that discussion you find a solution—and the Minister of Finance has already found it.Hon Grant Robertson: What's that? Smoking?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: No—no. Now see if he wants to talk about smoking and the Māori voice they have taken from Māori and Pasifika in the last 12 years—[Interruption] Listen up. No no no. Can I just say I know what my—Hon Willow-Jean Prime: What did your iwi say?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Excuse me don't tell me about my iwi; I started it. The Ngātiwai Land Retention Committee—[Interruption]. Listen up you—the Ngātiwai Land Retention Committee was started by a guy called Winston Peters in 1974-75. Right here right now you're looking at the founder. So don't preach to me about that. Now if you want to talk about Māori and smoking—[Interruption]. No no—I know that you've got no familiarity with the marae but shouting won't help you. I've got the microphone and I've got plenty patience OK? I haven't finished yet.SPEAKER: You may not think you've finished but I do. And I don't mean that in terms of your career.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Thank you very much. Can I carry on now?SPEAKER: No.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Point of order. With respect Mr Speaker they were saying something coarse. And everybody's entitled to interject now and again but a screaming volatile mass like we heard over there is not what Parliament looks like. I respect their right to interject—I think it's exciting and it makes exhilarating these debates—but that sort of clownish cacophonic behaviour doesn't work.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does the Acting Prime Minister agree with Winston Peters "Sadly the spokesperson for the National Party said 'If I don't give you a tax cut I'm going to resign'. Wow—could be a chance to have a decent Minister of Finance with a bit of experience."?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: But the member of Parliament and now finance Minister said that is giving us a tax cut—get used to it."