3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the Government's plan to carefully reopen while continuing to protect New Zealanders' lives and livelihoods. New Zealand will move into the COVID-19 Protection Framework from Friday 3 December with Cabinet confirming the settings for each region on 29 November. As we prepare for the introduction of the COVID-19 Protection Framework the free NZ Pass Verifier app to scan and verify My Vaccine Passes is now available to download. For customers entering a business requiring proof of vaccination status their My Vaccine Pass can be scanned by the verify app. The verify app will show a green tick recognising the official QR code that is embedded in the customer's pass. The Government has also announced a simplified vaccination assessment tool that will be able to be used mid-December to help employers decide if they'd like to require or believe they need to require vaccination for different types of work. Employers and employees have been asking for certainty on what roles may need to be done by vaccinated workers under the COVID-19 Protection Framework. This tool provides a clear legal framework to help businesses make decisions about vaccinations in the workplace and it builds on the guidance provided by WorkSafe and has had input from Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.Hon Judith Collins: Why from 15 December will a New Zealander be able to fly from Auckland to Wellington with just a vaccine pass but a Kiwi who wants to fly from Queensland will need to win a slot in managed isolation and then spend a full week in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ)?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We've indicated that before the end of the year we will be making further announcements on the way that we intend to change the arrangements at the border. We have indicated that MIQ and the requirement to see through an isolation period in the Government facilities we do expect and will be changing and we will be focusing first on citizens and residents. But the second point that I would make is we are making significant changes at present domestically. I know that there is actually considerable anxiety about some of those changes and it is upon us to make sure that we get those right domestically whilst also then very carefully stepping through changes at the international border as well.Hon Judith Collins: Is she aware that Auckland has more than 4000 active cases of COVID in the community while the entire state of Queensland has four?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I refer the member to my previous points: that we will be making changes to the way that we're operating at our international border. But I would make the point to the member that of course it's not just about picking off individual states at any given time. Queensland intends to open its borders to the rest of Australia. So I don't think it's fair to just simply say one state can be seen as their own individual entity at this current juncture when they will be reopening themselves to other parts of Australia.The second point I would make to the member is we do need to think about the entire group of New Zealanders who are currently offshore for whom we need to set out the plans and expectations for their ability to come home. That does not represent just single individuals from Queensland but actually represents between 40000 and 50000 people who will be looking to return home. So we need to do that safely.Hon Judith Collins: Why are travellers from Queensland a state with just four active cases and closed borders with the rest of Australia still taking up space in MIQ when we now have more than 4000—in fact 4614—New Zealanders right now in the community with COVID?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I again refer the member now to my two previous questions. Again I would highlight that my recollection is that Queensland is opening up to the rest of Australia on—I believe it's 17 December. So that will no longer be their status as a closed state to the rest of Australia. The second point that I would again highlight for the member is that we do intend to change the way that we're operating at the border but we will continue to have in place measures to ensure that we have checks because we know that with some of the modelling that's occurred around cases that are likely to come in from offshore even with pre-departure testing vaccination checks and even with a period of self-isolation modelling suggests that we will have a not insignificant number of cases seeded as a result of that.Chris Bishop: How many?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: And as Dr Verrall—up to 60 potentially Mr Bishop—that's with those protections. So yes we have risk tolerance but we still need to be cautious because as Dr Verrall has said just because you are managing a domestic fire doesn't make it OK to go around a forest lighting matches.Mark Cameron: Does she believe it acceptable conduct of a Minister in her Government to label tens of thousands of New Zealanders attending Groundswell protests as a mixture of racists [and] anti-vax" and how does this not fit into the proposed definition of hate speech—that is to use words that are threatening abusive or insulting and likely to excite hostility or ill will? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reject the premise of that member's question. Mark Cameron: Will she agree to meet the Groundswell organisers this Thursday when they deliver their petition on behalf of tens of thousands of New Zealanders to Parliament? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I conduct and will continue to conduct regular engagements—in fact some of the most regular engagements I have are with Dairy New Zealand Beef and Lamb our horticulture representatives and Federated Farmers. I will continue to meet with those representative bodies as I have done throughout my time as Prime Minister. Hon Judith Collins: What is her response to the managing director of Flight Centre who said today "It's been over 100 days since the Government released its plan to reopen New Zealand. Since then there has been absolutely no guidance on when the reopening might commence."—when will she provide that guidance? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Actually we said it at the time: in August we set out our plans and we've actually followed through on each of them. We said that we would undertake a self-isolation pilot. We have done that and we are doing that. We have said that we would look at shortened MIQ from 14 November. We have done that; MIQ is now shortened. We said from the first quarter of next year that we intended to move towards self-isolation. We have committed to that and as I say to the member I look forward to sharing more details of that before the end of the year to provide greater certainty for New Zealanders offshore. The other point I would make: this is not a zero-sum game. There is no country around the world that has opened borders and had no consequences. There are choices. If you make choices that you're going to operate your borders in that way then you will have greater domestic restrictions. We are working towards a very fine balance in New Zealand where we have the fewest restrictions possible in our domestic environment whilst of course moving towards allowing New Zealanders to return home and that is what we are working towards. Hon Judith Collins: So what does she say to Air New Zealand which has cancelled thousands of flights and explained that "our hands are tied until border restrictions ease and we receive further clarity from the New Zealand Government."? When does she expect to provide that clarity? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Air New Zealand of course had bookings from 1 December through to 30 December and of course we have indicated that we expect in the first quarter of next year to have self-isolation which will enable some of the congestion we've experienced at the border to change. So obviously Air New Zealand has made decisions based on the signals we have given and we intend to give even further clarity from there. Hon Judith Collins: What are the criteria for a region to move from red to orange to green under the traffic light system? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We've already indicated that at this stage for the transition the most important factor will be vaccination levels. Obviously the member will also be aware that because we've indicated that Auckland will also go into red that clearly the outbreak in Auckland is also a factor in a number of cases and also readiness and the ability of the health system to manage cases as they arise—so predominantly health measures but that's not solely the factors we'll take into account. Hon Judith Collins: When does she expect to provide New Zealanders with clear criteria rather than just "predominantly" as part of the answer she's just given? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Clearly the member's discounting everything I said in the answer to that question including the reference to high vaccination levels. We've said those that are sitting well under those goals of 90 percent can expect to go into red which I would add is very similar to the status that most parts of the country are experiencing right now in level 2 but with vaccination passes added. We'll be talking in more detail about the process for further assessments on 29 November. Hon Judith Collins: Does the South Island currently meet the green traffic light criteria of "limited community transmission and COVID-19 hospitalisations at a manageable level"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I can see that that the member despite saying she wasn't clear on the criteria actually has the criteria which she just read out in the House. What we have already acknowledged so that there is certainty and people can anticipate what we will do on 29 November is yes that is what we expect to be the status for those that are able to be in green or move into green. However we are in a transition. We have acknowledged that at this point where we have a hard domestic border around an outbreak that is being lifted it does not make sense for parts of the country during that transition to be in green because they are likely to have to move. So in order to have a bit more stability we've already said that while we're in a state of transition we will not have any part of the country in green. What I would say specifically about the South Island—and I said this when I most recently visited—fantastic levels of vaccination there. One of the benefits of high levels of vaccination and the potential of being able to move into orange is that actually the restrictions that are currently being experienced at level 2 of gathering limits go and so you'll see a lot more freedom to be able to hold those events.Hon Judith Collins: When will she release individual sector guidance for the traffic light system that businesses will be operating under next week?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member seems to ignore the fact that the framework itself has been available since October. In fact in designing it we had outreach with different sectors—specifically for instance hospitality retail and so on in the design of the framework. Some of the specific details that are relevant to some parts—like for instance sport where there are finer details to get into—those will be released this week but we've had upfront consultation even in its design.Hon Judith Collins: With seven months since Delta was detected in MIQ and three months since Auckland has been in lockdown why the hell hasn't this been sorted—SPEAKER: Order! Order! No. The member will ask the question again.Hon Judith Collins: With seven months since Delta was detected in MIQ and three months since Auckland has been in lockdown why are New Zealanders still being played like a fiddle and told we could wait till next week before we find out the answers?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member didn't actually ask a question that I could not answer so that demonstrates that actually for the most part the most significant elements of this framework have been provided. The second point that I would make to the member: point to me anywhere in the world that is currently proposing a framework like this that we can just adopt off the shelf that actually is adapted to New Zealand's circumstances and goals. Point also to a country in the world that has currently the vaccination rates that we have at the moment and the outbreak numbers that we have at the moment. Key to our response has always been that we've designed something that is suitable for New Zealand's circumstance based on what we're seeing in a pandemic where there was no playbook. The result has been some of the lowest hospitalisations death rates case numbers and some of the lowest unemployment solid growth and an economy that continues to be resilient. So I'd be happy to look at an alternative example but many point to New Zealand."