1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (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 targeted measures to support households and businesses during global economic volatility such as boosting the incomes of low-income families seniors and students; removing fuel excise duty and instituting half-price public transport fares until January 2023; and instituting payments like the winter energy payment the Best Start payment and of course the cost of living payment. This builds on work to address underlying causes of high prices such as action taken on food prices regulating the fuel market and building materials. This sits in stark contrast to some other policies I've seen promoted in this House which would make inflation worse. Christopher Luxon: Does she now accept that at 7.2 percent inflation has a firm grip on our economy and that her Government's failure to take the cost of living crisis seriously is crushing everyday Kiwis? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: In answer to the first part of the question no. In answer to the second part of the question the impact on families is exactly why we have brought in the measures that I outlined in my primary question. We have had our mind to making sure that we are particularly focused on those who are bearing the brunt of the cost of living impacts of overseas supply chain pressures and the war in Ukraine—unlike the proposals posed by that party which we know because we've seen a live experiment of what would happen when such proposals are implemented and the impact on the economy is very very clear. Christopher Luxon: Oh my goodness. How can Kiwis possibly get ahead under her Government when the cost of living is continuing to rise more than twice as fast as wages? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again I contest what the member has claimed because the Stats New Zealand quarterly employment survey shows that total gross earnings were up 7.9 percent over the past year. I also contest that on the basis that since we have been a Government—with the exception of 2022—wages have outpaced inflation. The reason I also reject the premise of the question is because as a Government for five years we have focused on reducing the cost of living for New Zealanders; it has not just been during the war in Ukraine and through the supply chain constraints we've seen caused by COVID. We've increased the minimum wage. We've seen more than 100000 families on average $175 a week better off. This Government finally reversed the impacts of the 1990 benefit cuts. We increased the family tax credit and accommodation supplement. We introduced the winter energy payment and Best Start payment—1000 more families will receive childcare assistance. We introduced free healthy lunches in schools and deliver more than a million of them a week. We've reduced the education costs for parents by removing the school donation policy. We've supported parents with house costs by making it free for under-14s to go to the doctor. Ours has been a consistent effort across five years and in contrast is not down to one policy—the National policy: tax cuts for the wealthy. Christopher Luxon: With inflation above target for 18 straight months and the Government spending $1 billion a week more than when she took office how can Kiwis have any confidence in this Government's ability to manage the economy? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because when you look at the last economic crisis that we faced—the global financial crisis (GFC)—we have not only demonstrated an ability to protect New Zealanders from the worst impacts of a crisis we have done it whilst keeping debt lower than many other countries have comparable to during the phase of the GFC. We have kept spending on track to come back to 30 percent relative to GDP all at the same time while having fewer children in poverty—145000 fewer in hardship than during the GFC. That is why New Zealanders can have confidence. Christopher Luxon: Does she accept that as long as her Government fails to rein in inflation interest rates on every Kiwi mortgage will continue to rise crushing families with hundreds of dollars a week in extra interest payments?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again the member across the aisle clearly just takes no account of what is going on globally. New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD where we have seen inflation peak and—yes—start to come away. The OECD total is at 10.3 percent the United Kingdom is at 9.9 percent the United States is at 8.2 percent and the euro is at 9.1 percent. But I should probably have already known he doesn't take into account the international news given he has taken no reflection on what's happened in the UK when they implemented a very similar programme of debt-funded tax cuts. David Seymour: If New Zealanders' inflation and cost of living crisis is caused by overseas factors then why is it that over the last three months tradable inflation from overseas has fallen and non-tradable inflation here at home has just risen? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yet when you factor in for instance non-tradable construction 90 percent of that is made up by imported goods. So that does not take that for instance into account.Christopher Luxon: Why is the Government proposing an agricultural emissions plan that could reduce sheep and beef farming by 20 percent while increasing emissions overseas as production shifts to less efficient countries?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Three parts to that question; I'll answer all of them. The first reason that we are putting in place a programme to ensure that agricultural emissions are addressed as part of our emissions profile is because it's the only sector currently excluded and it makes up almost half of our emissions and we need to make sure that we do our bit to ensure that all sectors in New Zealand are addressing the contribution to climate change. The second point on the impacts on beef and lamb: the impacts on beef and lamb by the consultation that we have put out are the same as what they were by the sector's proposals He Waka Eke Noa. We recognise that we need to do some work with the sector and that's what we've asked that the consultation process is used to do but it is disingenuous to propose that what the Government has put out in consultation is different to what the sector proposed. Thirdly on emission leakage—I do want to answer every part because I'm genuine in wanting to see an outcome that everyone in this House can support. The third part on emissions leakage: the commission itself has said that it's highly uncertain but appears [that emission leakage] to be low for agriculture … in the near term".Christopher Luxon: What advice has she received on the number of people who'll be forced to abandon New Zealand's rural communities as a result of the Government's plan to send production overseas?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again this is where we have to make sure that we are focused equally once we cover all sectors that contribute to emissions that we also look for the opportunity to lift the value of those products as a result. The member cannot go out there and argue that we need to open more export opportunities without acknowledging that consumers are demanding sustainable products. Beef + Lamb themselves undertook a survey which found that large parts of our export market would be willing to pay a 20 percent premium if they knew the products were sustainable. This is the industry's own research. We have to make sure that we're walking the talk.Christopher Luxon: Why should New Zealand farmers trust this Government when for the last five years it's piled on regulation after regulation while portraying them as villains instead of backing them as the most carbon-efficient and most productive farmers in the world?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Unlike the member I'm not going to ignore the fact that our food producers are at the brunt of climate change and severe weather events. The food inflation that we're just seeing—we know severe weather events have affected crops in New Zealand. It's affecting our farmers too. We cannot ignore climate change. We cannot sit by and watch our consumers go elsewhere. We can do both and I am absolutely confident that in working with our primary producers we will find a solution. I ask the member to consider being part of the solution. Dr Gaurav Sharma: Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Tēnā koe e te Whare. Will the Prime Minister apologise just like she did for the Dawn Raids to the Sikh community in Hamilton and across the country for the recent immigration raid at the Sikh gurudwara in Hamilton where Immigration New Zealand staff harassed senior citizens as well as young children for over an hour and entered the gurudwara with shoes and without a head covering and unveiled the sacred book Guru Granth Sahib despite being specifically told what the tikanga at the gurudwara was?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'd say that I am unable to give a direct answer on that without knowing in more detail what has occurred under these circumstances. I'm happy to go away and look at what has occurred.Dr Gaurav Sharma: What does the Prime Minister say to the people of New Zealand and specifically to the people of Hamilton West electorate where the failed Te Pūkenga tertiary institute is located regarding which the Tertiary Education Commission's latest report says that its governance its operating model and business case are high risk and low confidence?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reject the premise of the question. Hon Michael Wood: Can the Prime Minister confirm that Immigration New Zealand has operational independence to investigate any complaints of serious migrant exploitation and labour abuses?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Absolutely and we will defend that right vigorously."