edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Upston Louise; Sepuloni CarmelHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō): Thank you Madam Chair. I want to come back to these impact indicators and look at some of the other data in the year in review. And while I accept the Minister's comment that the number of beneficiaries or those unemployed after COVID weren't as great as predicted they're still incredibly high: 50000 more on the job seeker benefit than when they took office 14000 more sole parents. The average future year on benefit has gone up to 12.8 years. Under her watch one child in every five is being raised in a benefit-dependant home. And we know the life outcomes for children in benefit-dependant homes are worse.So my question to the Minister is specifically this: with the Flexi-wage programmes—which was Labour's answer to unemployment in the 2020 election—why is it that only 25000 places have been secured instead of the 40000 promised when there are 170000 on the job seeker benefit and businesses everywhere are closing and working restricted hours because they can't find enough staff to work?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): When we first set out with the expansion of Flexi-wage we set the numbers according to what the forecasts were. And so the anticipated take-up was based on the number of people we were expecting or had been forecast to come on to benefits. We never reached those heights thank goodness but still 25000 is significant given the numbers that were accessing Flexi-wage before we had put a deliberate investment into Flexi-wage. The member also has to keep in mind that ultimately employers choose who they employ. And there are a number of people that come on benefit that don't necessarily have the skills or experience to take up every available job that is there nor are they chosen by the employer to take up the jobs that may be there. So there's certainly the desire I think overwhelmingly for New Zealanders who are on jobseeker support to be work-ready to be able to step into employment but they're not always chosen for the jobs. And not every employer has reached out to take up the Flexi-wage as an opportunity to actually employ someone. The Ministry of Social Development has worked hard to promote the employment products that are available so that we can connect up the New Zealanders who are available to work with the employment opportunities that are there. I think our industry partners and the people that we are working with across the motu would say that that relationship is really strong actually but they don't always have the right skills or experience to be able to take up the jobs. And at the end of the day the employer chooses the people they want to work for them.
Upston Louise; Sepuloni CarmelHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō): Thank you Mr Chair. For those listening this is the debate on the annual review for the year 2021-22 and I want to bring two matters to the attention of the committee in questioning the Minister about the performance of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). The first was about unappropriated expenditure and the member before me touched on this very briefly. But this is unlawful expenditure that occurred in 2019. It was not brought to the attention of Treasury the Minister the Minister of Finance or the department's own auditor until August 2021. I just want to put that on record and I want to ask the Minister why it is that she is confident that the performance measures in the financial accountability for MSD is robust when not only was there illegal expenditure but it was known about by MSD in 2019 and not brought to the attention of the appropriate person—herself as Minister—let alone others until August 2022 and the Auditor-General was deeply concerned about the fact that this had not been raised to attention. So my first question is about unappropriated expenditure unlawful expenditure and whether the Minister is confident that this behaviour will never happen again.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): I believe that the select committee has traversed this issue quite thoroughly but I'm more than happy to speak to it. The ministry became aware of the issue that some payments of the accommodation supplement to some clients had been outside the provisions of the Social Security Act in 2019. They then set about trying to resolve the issue looking at aligning legislation to current practice via a suitable legislative vehicle. The issue was that then we got hit with COVID and I think that everyone in this House—and I also—thinks the general public would appreciate that at that time much of MSD's resource was then re-diverted to the COVID response including the wage subsidy. And so there were I think reasonable causes for a delay with regards to addressing this particular issue. I was informed about the potential appropriation issue in April 2022 and received further advice in August 2022 on a proposed approach to resolve the issue which led to the introduction and passing of the Social Security (Accommodation Supplement) Amendment Bill in November 2022. I do have confidence in the Ministry of Social Development. If it wasn't for the pandemic and what they were required to do during what was a quite a difficult time for New Zealand and a time when the expectations on MSD were high I am confident they would have got on to it earlier. But it was something that was parked whilst they responded to the immediate needs. They have got on to it and it has now been resolved.
Court Simon; O'Connor GregSIMON COURT (ACT): I just want to ask the Minister in the chair Michael Wood about the KiwiRail iReX project which is intended to deliver new terminals in Wellington and Picton. Minister is that project on track and is it likely that the terminals will be completed before the new ferries arrive in Wellington?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): Briefly before my time expires the iReX project is a really important one to make sure that we do have a reliable ferry service across the Cook Strait—should've been gotten on with years ago and the reason we have challenges across the Cook Strait is because the previous Government didn't do that. So we're proud to be making those investments. We continue to work with KiwiRail to make sure that it's delivered well. Like any significant capital project it does face cost pressures at the moment and we're continuing to work those through with KiwiRail.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members our time with the Minister of Transport has ended. Thank you Minister. The Minister for Social Development and Employment is now available for 45 minutes to respond to members' questions.Angie Warren-Clark: Mr Chair.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Angie Warren-Clark—we'll just wait till the Minister reaches the seat please but your enthusiasm is to be admired.Angie Warren-Clark: Thank you!
Annual Review Debate — Transport
Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Minister there was a question that I posed before that you didn't respond to so I'm just wondering if you could respond. Auckland Light Rail is a project that if it proceeds will need somewhere in the region of $16 billion to $29 billion of funding based on Treasury's current estimates. Have you asked Auckland Council whether they will contribute to it and if not why not?
SpeechTERISA NGOBI (Labour—Ōtaki): Thank you Mr Chair and thank you to the Minister for acknowledging the hard work of our committee. Mr Chair through you I'd be really interested to hear from the Minister around how the recent announcement in terms of the investment in lower North Island rail supports both the mode shift and has affected our decarbonisation goals. Also if the Minister could talk about what this means for commuters especially for places like the Ōtaki electorate? That is Waikanae and I know it goes further north so it's Ōtaki and Levin right through to Palmerston North—what it means in terms of their transport choices. I'd also like to add too just around Ō2NL or Ōtaki to north of Levin I know that I've had many conversations—and the Minister has talked about this in the select committee as well—around confirming it and around confirming the $1.5 billion investment that we've already confirmed. So it would be really good to hear the Minister talk about that especially for the naysayers out there. Thank you.
Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Mr Chair. I've got a number of questions and I'm keen to ask the Minister to clarify his positions in regard to them. I'd like to know what his commitment is or not in regards to the Mill Road corridor. Is the Minister still considering a business case in regards to the Mill Road corridor? Is he committed to funding an upgrade on that highway or not? I think the good people of South Auckland would like to know the answer to that. In relation to Ōtaki to Levin the question there is whether this Government is committed to the four-lane expressway from Ōtaki to Levin and whether that is something which is still on track to be delivered by 2029. And in regards to some of these roads which have been damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle State Highway 25A the question is when a decision will be made around the fixing of that particular road and whether that will be completed by Christmas. Those communities are feeling desperate they are feeling let down by this Government where they have not had the answers and the information that they need and they need a clear plan. And if you look back at what this Government did when faced with challenges such as Kaikōura we had a plan in place within weeks in terms of how we were going to respond how we were going to fund it how we were going to deliver it. This Government has now had around three months and we still do not know the answer to many of those questions in relation to those communities. The Minister says this is billions of dollars. Yes it's billions of dollars. Cancel Auckland light rail—you'll save 29 billion bucks straight away—and get on and fix these roads and build some resilience into our networks. And finally in relation to Auckland light rail I'd like to ask the Minister—it was said earlier in the year after the new Prime Minister came in and said they were still committed to it but they were going to deliver it in stages—can the Minister give the House some understanding about what delivering light rail in stages will mean? Is that the stage of acceptance the stage of grief the stage of denial? Which stage will come first? Because the stage which is not being talked about is the stage of delivery. And if the Government is focused on delivery what stage will be delivered first and in which time frame? Because I note this Government said they would deliver light rail from Auckland CBD to Mount Roskill by 2021. Where is it? In which year will it be delivered and which stages will be completed first? Because this Government is very good at the announcements very good at saying We'll do this we'll do that we'll do everything else." but when it comes to delivery this Government has a poor track record when it comes to transport delivery in New Zealand and New Zealanders know that."
Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Minister just further to the priorities that this Government has when it comes to transportation I want to ask the Minister what action has Waka Kotahi taken to secure planning protection and land acquisition to secure routes for future State highway upgrades and future State highway bypasses of townships like Kumeū and Huapai in West Auckland where over 15000 vehicles a day choke those local roads that are also doubling as a State highway and that cause motorists to spend up to 45 minutes waiting in congestion creating carbon emissions and generally their lives being wasted instead of travelling at safe and efficient speeds on a modern State highway. So Minister I'm interested in—can you give us an update on what progress Waka Kotahi has made in terms of planning and designation overall land acquisition and route protection for projects like Kumeū and Huapai. And then Minister I just want to ask you about funding and financing. We understand that there may be a proposal for congestion charging to be brought to the House at some point in the near future. So I just want to ask the Minister about whether there is any coherence in this Government's approach to funding and financing roading. We understand that last year the Minister declined to apply a toll or a road price to the Pūhoi to Warkworth project and that was a surprise to many because that project's being built by a consortium. The Government has to pay it back over a certain period 25 or so years and potentially that could have been a great opportunity to levy motorists to pay that back separately so that taxpayer funds could be used say for the next stage of the Warkworth to Wellsford State Highway 1 improvements. And how is that coherent when this week the Minister's announced that people using the Penlink road between Whangaparāoa and East Coast Bays in Auckland will pay a toll but only for the maintenance of that road not to repay its capital cost. How is that coherent?And Minister how will Auckland light rail be paid for when in response to a written question I've put to you Minister it appears that you have not yet asked Auckland Council whether they will pay for it? So how will that be paid for?
Doocey MattMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): Oh thank you very much Mr Chair. How much does it cost a Labour Government to change a speed sign outside a school? Now like any good joke teller I actually know the answer to that and you couldn't make it up: $46000 is how much it costs a Labour Government to change a speed sign outside a school. Why I know that: because under the rules implemented the new rules by the New Zealand Transport Agency Christchurch had to put a speed management plan in place. That cost $9.3 million—9.3—for a speed management plan. What's even more outrageous is 80 percent of that was spent on changing speed signs outside of schools. So the journo hard-working with his calculator worked out at 145 schools $46000 per school it took to change that speed sign. How is this happening when the Government a Labour Government promised us a back to basics" in a cost of living crisis? I'd like the Minister in the chair Michael Wood to stand up today and respond to the many Cantabrians who want to know how much and why it cost $46000 to change a speed sign outside a school."
Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you Mr Chair. Minister I'd just like to ask you some questions about the priorities that this Labour Government has with respect to transport in the context of the annual review of the transport sector. Waka Kotahi commissioned a report that identified 40 extreme risks to the transport network. Extreme risks in terms of resilience and we saw some of those risks manifest during the last severe weather events in January and February including the Brynderwyn section of State Highway 1 being closed; State Highway 2 through Waiōeka Gorge between Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay East Cape escape being closed. So Minister I'd just like you to give us an update as to what's happening in terms of response to the 40 extreme risks that were identified.
Halbert ShananTransportSHANAN HALBERT (Chairperson of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee): Thank you Mr Chair. It's my honour to stand this afternoon to speak as the chair of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee a team that has heard from a number of agencies particularly over the annual review period with a focus on decarbonisation mass rapid transport inter-regional rail and mode shift. It's been particularly interesting over this period to hear the energy the enthusiasm and particularly the work that is being done to support these areas.The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has conducted the 2021-22 annual review of the following entities: Airways Corporation of New Zealand Ltd; City Rail Link Ltd; KiwiRail Holdings; New Zealand Railways Corporation; Maritime New Zealand; MetService; the Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka; and the New Zealand Transport Agency Waki Kotahi. We also conducted briefings on the 2021-22 financial performance of the following entities: Air New Zealand the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. We met with the Minister of Transport the Hon Michael Wood to discuss the 2021-22 annual reviews of the transport sector also and the Minister characterised this period as one of which New Zealand including the transport sector was recovering from and emerging from the COVID-19 emergency phase. The Minister noted the work on the COVID-19 response by the transport sector and the progress of key transport and infrastructure projects emissions reduction policies and maintenance of the network. The topics covered in the hearing with the Minister included the severe weather events allocation of transport funding funding of road maintenance and what it involves improving transport choices funding for recovery from severe weather events the New Zealand Upgrade Programme the clean car programme Auckland's transport network maritime transport and the significance of progress on such large transport infrastructure projects like Auckland light rail and the additional Waitematā Harbour crossing.Several of the committee's hearings took place following severe weather events which added to the discussion events that happened in Auckland and following Cyclone Gabrielle in Te Tairāwhiti. This was the focus of the committee's questions to officials also particularly with reference to KiwiRail and Waka Kotahi and to the Minister of Transport.
O'Connor GregANNUAL REVIEW DEBATEIn CommitteeDebate resumed from 4 April on the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members the House is in committee on the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill. This is the debate on the financial position of the Government and the annual reviews of departments offices of Parliament Crown entities public organisations and State enterprises as reported on by select committees. There are nine hours remaining in this debate. Standing Orders 356(2) and (3) have been set aside so there will be no sector-specific debates. Instead specific Ministers will be available each day to respond to specific portfolios. The Government has indicated that the Minister of Transport and the Minister for Social Development and Employment will each be available for 45 minutes today to respond to members' questions. The time for this debate has been allocated to parties on a proportional basis. Each debate will be led off by the chairperson or another member of the committee that considered the annual reviews most closely related to the Minister's portfolios. The Minister of Transport is now available for 45 minutes to respond to members' questions.
Member Vacancy — Mt Albert Electoral District
Urgent Debates Declined — Immigration New Zealand—Dawn Raids
Amended Answers to Oral Questions — Question No. 10 to Minister 22 February
Robertson Grant; Rurawhe AdrianMEMBER VACANCYMt Albert Electoral District—Rt Hon Jacinda ArdernHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House): I move That under section 131(b) of the Electoral Act 1993 a vacancy in the Mt Albert Electoral District having arisen and the House having been informed that a general election is to be held within six months of the occurrence of the vacancy no writ be issued for the election of a member of Parliament for that Electoral District to supply the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern. Motion agreed to.SPEAKER: I declare the House in committee for further consideration of the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill.
Rurawhe AdrianURGENT DEBATES DECLINEDImmigration New Zealand—Dawn RaidsSPEAKER: Members I have received a letter from Teanau Tuiono and Ricardo Menéndez March seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 reports of recent dawn raids conducted by Immigration New Zealand against visa overstayers. While arrests resulting from early-morning raids have occurred from at least July 2022 the requirement of recent occurrence" depends upon when it becomes publicly known so I consider this requirement has been met—Speakers' rulings 204/6. In considering the application for an urgent debate while there is ministerial responsibility it is also relevant whether there are other parliamentary means of debating the subject. In this instance the Minister of Immigration is scheduled to attend the annual review debate tomorrow afternoon where this matter can be debated—therefore the application is declined."
Tinetti JanAMENDED ANSWERS TO ORAL QUESTIONSQuestion No. 10 to Minister 22 FebruaryHon JAN TINETTI (Minister of Education): Mr Speaker I seek leave to correct an answer I gave to an oral question on 22 February 2023.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to this course of action being followed? There appears to be none.Hon JAN TINETTI: On 22 February in answer to a supplementary question to question No. 10 I stated that: I already have. It is a decision for the Ministry of Education." I subsequently became aware that my office did have input into the timing of the release of the data through email correspondence with officials at the Ministry of Education. This correspondence has been released under the Official Information Act."
Salesa JennyTUESDAY 2 MAY 2023The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERSHon JENNY SALESA (Assistant Speaker): E te Atua kaha rawa ka tuku whakamoemiti atu mātou mō ngā karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a mātou. Ka waiho i ō mātou pānga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi mātou ki te Kīngi me te inoi atu mō te ārahitanga i roto i ō mātou whakaaroarohanga kia mōhio ai kia whakaiti ai tā mātou whakahaere i ngā take o te Whare nei mō te oranga te maungārongo me te aroha o Aotearoa. Āmene.[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 and humility for the welfare peace and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.]
Tuesday 4 April 2023 - Volume 767
Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill — Second Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 76New Zealand Labour 64; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 44New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a second time.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Counter-Terrorism Acts (Designations and Control Orders) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 108New Zealand Labour 64; New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10.Noes 12Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.Bill read a second time.
Counter-Terrorism Acts (Designations and Control Orders) Amendment Bill — Second Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Integrity Sport and Recreation Bill be now read a first time.Ayes 110New Zealand Labour 64; New Zealand National 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 10ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is That the Integrity Sport and Recreation Bill be considered by the Social Services and Community Committee.Motion agreed to.Bill referred to the Social Services and Community Committee.
Integrity Sport and Recreation Bill — First Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the motion be agreed to.Ayes 74New Zealand Labour 64; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10.Noes 46New Zealand National 34; ACT New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.
Annual Review Debate — Finance
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That under sections 5 and 5A of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988 and section 32 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 this House recommend to Her Excellency the Governor-General the appointment of Associate High Court Judge Kenneth Johnston KC as Chairperson of the Independent Police Conduct Authority for a term of five years commencing on 1 May 2023.Ayes 118New Zealand Labour 64; New Zealand National 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; ACT New Zealand 10.Noes 2Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.
12. Question No. 12—Rural CommunitiesANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister for Rural CommunitiesQuestion No. 12—Rural Communities12. ANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister for Rural Communities: What recent reports has he seen on targeted support to rural communities to help them recover from Cyclone Gabrielle?Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Rural Communities): Thank you Mr Speaker. Cyclone Gabrielle's impact on rural communities has been severe. Rural communities bore the brunt of the cyclone and the Government recognises this. There has been an extensive effort to reconnect isolated rural communities; however there remain 43 farms with restricted access in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti. The Ministry for Primary Industries are maintaining contact with these farms and households and work continues to return them to full access. I acknowledge these communities continue to do it tough. It is also important to acknowledge the hard work under way to provide support. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have reported to me that Government support includes $51 million for recovery grants to help farmers growers and Māori land owners. MPI has received more than 5900 applications for grants with 3249 applications having already been paid—a total of $36.5 million.Anna Lorck: How is the Government helping ensure farmers get the supplies they need?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: I've been advised that 105 tonnes of fencing and equipment have been delivered to cut-off rural communities through Operation Reach. Ten thousand bales of feed and more than 3000 hectares of grazing have been donated through the National Feed Coordination Service since mid-February. This service was established alongside Federated Farmers. Six thousand and two hundred cattle and sheep have been moved off cut-off farms in Patoka and Tūtira in Hawke's Bay as part of Operation Muster. A further 6000 are booked in for the meat works and sale yards over the coming week and three sets of portable cattle yards have been set up in northern Hawke's Bay to help the cut-off farms reduce livestock numbers ahead of winter.Anna Lorck: What support has been provided to rural support trusts in affected areas?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: The Government has provided $920000 for rural support trusts for their work in response to Cyclone Gabrielle. Rural support trusts in Northland North Auckland Waikato Coromandel Bay of Plenty Gisborne Hawke's Bay the Tararua District and Wairarapa all received funding to provide support to help people access relevant services such as mental health and recovery grants and co-ordinate local clean-up efforts. The work of rural support trusts is critical to the wellbeing of people in rural communities and therefore I take this opportunity to thank them for all the work that they do.
10. Question No. 10—HealthDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 10—Health10. Dr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini) to the Minister of Health: What progress is being made in vaccinating New Zealanders against COVID-19 and the flu?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): On Saturday we launched the latest phase of our COVID-19 and winter influenza vaccination campaign. Since 1 March 45269 COVID-19 booster vaccinations have gone ahead with 24588 more booked to happen. Since Saturday 1 April 11733 people have already received their influenza vaccination. We know that vaccination is the best protection against the virus and we can all play our part in staying well this winter.Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: Why is it important that New Zealanders get vaccinated?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: We know that influenza can be a particularly serious disease for people with weakened immunity and older people and around 500 New Zealanders die from flu annually. The flu vaccine reduces the likelihood of ending up in hospital if you get sick this winter and vaccination against COVID-19 continues to be the best protection against the virus. We can all play a part in staying well this winter.Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How will communities be involved in the vaccination campaign?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Involving our communities in the programme is critical for success. In Northland today Hauora Hokianga is having an event for tamariki and whānau where flu; measles mumps and rubella (MMR); and COVID-19 boosters will be available. Manurewa Marae will be at the ASB Polyfest this week doing checks and offering COVID-19 and MMR vaccinations. And on Saturday the Prime Minister and I were lucky enough to be at Queen Street Medical Centre in Upper Hutt where the Prime Minister enjoyed the sausage sizzle and I learnt that Elvis still lives. Te Whatu Ora is working with communities to scale up the vaccination campaign including pop-up events targeted activities to priority groups and outreach to those who are eligible.Dr Anae Neru Leavasa: How are people able to book their vaccinations?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Booking your vaccination is easy and the COVID19 bivalent remains free. We are running a comprehensive programme to encourage vaccination protection against both influenza and COVID and targeting those audiences most at risk in the lead-up to winter. You can visit www.bookmyvaccine.nz or call 0800 28 29 26 or talk to your GP.
5. Question No. 5—EducationCAMILLA BELICH (Labour) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 5—Education5. CAMILLA BELICH (Labour) to the Minister of Education: What reports has she seen on how the Government's tutoring package is delivering for Māori and Pacific students?Hon JAN TINETTI (Minister of Education): We know the disruptions caused by COVID-19 have had a huge impact on the education of our young people and that is why we have funded $20 million towards tutoring programmes to support students whose learning has been disrupted due to the pandemic. This included targeted programmes for Māori and Pacific students and we are getting results. With hundreds of Māori and Pacific learners supported each learner has gained an additional 22 to 25 credits on average as a result of these programmes. The programmes are based on research from the past two decades that tells us of the optimum learning environments for Māori and Pacific learners.Camilla Belich: How were the tutoring programmes run and what was delivered for Māori and Pacific students specifically?Hon JAN TINETTI: A range of academic support was provided including wānanga noho marae exam revision one-on-one mentoring tutoring and homework centres. The ākonga support programme consisted of seven iwi-led initiatives focused on year 10 to 13 students and supported 1143 Māori learners to progress in their NCEA aspirations. The Pacific learners support programme delivery to date has supported 863 Pacific learners through eight intensive support programmes and 20 weekly support programmes across Aotearoa New Zealand.Camilla Belich: How has the tutoring package helped Māori and Pacific students attain NCEA?Hon JAN TINETTI: For Māori students a total of 19297 credits have been gained by the students participating. For the Pacific learners support programme 9138 credits have been gained. And I'd like to note that on average Pacific learners had more than doubled their initial credits by the end of the programme—an amazing result.Camilla Belich: What feedback has been received by participants of the programme?Hon JAN TINETTI: We have had some wonderful feedback come through from students who have been part of the tutoring programmes. One participant stated I am very confident and have learnt more with NCEA and I'm proud to be coming back." The parent of another stated "My daughter put down her success to these aspects of the programme: a relaxed environment Pacific teachers were around to give her confidence." Te Pou Oranga o Whakatōhea reported 85 percent of their students achieved NCEA level 1—the best result the college has had in years."
Belich CamillaCAMILLA BELICH (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. Well it is a pleasure to take a call on the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill and I want to say to the previous speaker Harete Hipango that while I acknowledge her significant experience in this area I think this is a very good bill and I think it will do a lot to unclog some of the delays that we do have in the Family Court. In fact one of the predictions is that it will save about 25 percent of judicial time which I think is extremely significant when you think about the really important matters that Family Court judges are doing.In essence this is a very pragmatic piece of legislation but will aid in a very important and noble aim which I think we share across the House which is access to justice. We do have a significant amount of work undertaken by our Family Court judges and we do know that it is better for all participants if it's done more quickly.Therefore after a significant review undertaken by three independent experts Te Korowai Ture ā-Whānau one of their recommendations was to introduce these Family Court Associates in order to speed things up. Now they do the administrative side of things. The Family Court judges are left then with the very important work like guardianship. Decisions that materially affect children still stay with the Family Court judges. The work that these Family Court Associates do is simply to allow the important work of the Family Court to continue which I think on the whole will make a better experience for the people involved in the Family Court and will alleviate some of the stress that judges have. It is a very pragmatic solution as I said recommended by an independent panel and I commend this bill to the House.Motion agreed to.Bill read a second time.
Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill — Second Reading
SpeechANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour): Kia ora e te Mana Whakawā. It's an honour to speak on the second reading of the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill. This bill is based on the recommendation from the 2019 report Te Korowai Ture ā-Whānau which found that judges had a high admin workload as a contributor to the delays in the Family Court. I myself have navigated through the Family Court system going through custodial disputes and I know what it's like to have a delay in the Family Court as someone who has actually been a client through the Family Court. I'm not going to spend more time to talk about my experiences as a social worker or as a supervisor writing reports to the courts on my professional recommendations for Family Court cases but what I like about this report is that it does have a review date. Without further delay I commend this bill the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill to the House. Mālō.
SpeechTĀMATI COFFEY (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. Mahia te mahi said Tama Potaka the previous speaker and I'm into that as well. I'm here to support this bill and to also acknowledge the submitters that came before the Justice Committee and put their thoughts forward to try and make this the most robust piece of legislation that we can as we look to reform small parts of the Family Court.Can I acknowledge the contribution from Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa: Stormie Waapu Luke Fitzmaurice who put together their submission on behalf of the association really looking for that aspirational transformational change. They in their submission told the committee that they didn't think that this was transformational enough. They were looking for more joined-up systems and processes across the Family Court system and I want to acknowledge them for that. This is a small piece of legislative change that will help the overall picture help to deal with those delays but I want to acknowledge the effort that they put into their submission. These are people that practise inside the system and represent people that are working inside the system day in day out.Whilst they didn't think that this bill went far enough there is a general consensus around the House today that actually we are moving in the right direction. There's still a lot more work that needs to be done to ensure that our Family Court system adheres to the principle in article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to ensure that our Māori people get to have the tino rangatiratanga over our taonga of which our tamariki and our whānau are absolutely central to that. So I commend this to the House.
SpeechDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei): As I set down my knitting I am pleased to take up what one might call my other knitting. I think it is understood that the Family Court is a forum where it is so complex it is so difficult—the human issues that are involved are so intense—and it is an area that we really ought to pay greater attention to in my personal opinion. In my role as the deputy chair of the Justice Committee it was a real passion project for me to watch the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill work through its stages. So what this bill will do as previous speakers have said is put in some associate judges who are essentially going to deputise for the senior judges when it comes to administrative tasks and they are going to take these administrative tasks off the hands of the main judges who will then be able to get through the workload. The workload is extreme. At the moment if I were to take a case in Whangārei court where I used to work if I were to take on a serious case—a child custody matter with some violence thrown in there—I would not anticipate being able to get to a proper full hearing and a decision in under two years. That is an appalling indictment of our system and it is why we need to bring this role in so that we can cut some of that administrative backlog—administrative backlog I might add which was hugely worsened by the Judith Collins reforms of 2012 which are I have to say pretty much universally reviled by Family Court practitioners throughout the land. It was those reforms which were aimed at cost cutting which thought that the way to do it was to strip back legal representation from people and force them to self-represent which instead have added hugely to the backlog because people cannot self-represent effectively in the Family Court. So all sorts of delays and misunderstandings have eventuated. On top of that where lawyers were so anxious that a client would really do themselves a damage self-representing they then have exploited the loophole which was to make an emergency or an ex parte application and ex parte applications became 70 percent—they became the norm as opposed to the 30 percent of applications previously—because if you do an emergency order then you can get a lawyer automatically. That completely skewed the system. So we are bringing in system busters for a system that was strained and essentially broken by a previous National Party policy. I am pleased to see us repealing all of those policies and I am thrilled to see us bringing in Family Court Associates. I commend this bill to the House.
SpeechVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour): Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity to make some brief remarks in relation to this significant bill that really does go to addressing access to justice needs. This is an area that this Government is extremely focused on. This is not the first bill in this space. Last week we saw the Coroners Amendment Bill go through its third reading which will also give significant capacity to the coronial space as well.I would just like to thank the Justice Committee for their work in this space. We received 31 submissions and listened to 14 oral submissions and I think committee members would agree with me that we owe a real thanks to Dr Emily Henderson who was very much the expert in the room and lent her expertise to us as we grappled with many of the issues in front of us.I'll speak to a set of issues that the select committee recommended some changes on and I would call them alignment amendments because they were all about ensuring that with these new associate powers they are aligned with either some of the duties or some of the protections that sit for judges who are exercising powers in this space.One of them is the grounds for removal. So the select committee recommended a narrowing of the criteria here to inability and misbehaviour which aligns with the ability to remove judges in the Family Court space. The second was the provisions around immunity for decisions made specific to their jurisdiction and the third was the ability for these associates to appoint specialist lawyers to provide advice as they hear evidence as well. So there were some of those more technical alignment amendments that we recommended but we did also grapple with trickier areas which were areas about whether associates should be granted power to make decisions in relation to and fairly key access-to-justice matters. One of those was determining whether an individual was a vexatious litigant and the committee ended up recommending that the associates shouldn't hold that power. So again this is another example of a bill that was complex that required careful balance. I do believe we got that balance correct and I commend this bill to the House.
Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Kia ora Madam Speaker. I do agree on one point of the previous speaker Ian McKelvie and that is that there is a lot of work to be done in local government to get it right and I'm glad that we are doing things.I reflect back about a decade ago and I never imagined that I'd be standing in this place speaking on legislation that impacts local government in the way it does particularly around Māori wards. Because a decade ago I was deeply involved in New Plymouth in terms of our challenge and our push to ensure inclusion to ensure that we had Māori wards—and we won and we succeeded and we fought. Then we lost and it was taken away. And then we won and we fought and thankfully this Government—and I was very proud in 2021 to sit in the council chamber in New Plymouth as the Hon Nanaia Mahuta announced the work that was being done around Māori wards that it was going to be something that was far easier and far more inclusive in terms of the equality which fitted in other systems when it came to representation on our councils.So I'm sad that we're not getting full support this evening across the floor in terms of this Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill. I hope that we can draw more people in—people like Ian McKelvie who could maybe hobble across the floor with his Zimmer frame or whatever he has what he needs. I'm sure he could do that.I want to finish because we've talked and I guess traversed most of this this evening so I don't need to say a lot. But I have in my hot little hand—I raided my wallet—a $1 New Zealand coin. It does seem really unfair that at the toss of this coin which I'm going to demonstrate now and hopefully not muck up that would signal a decision that would be made for an elected member whereas actually if we went back and did the count properly we might have got it right as mentioned earlier.So I won't bore the House with any more amazing stories or analogies because this is good legislation and I commend it to the House.
SpeechJAMIE STRANGE (Labour—Hamilton East): Thank you Madam Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to take a brief call on this bill the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill. As a member of the Governance and Administration Committee with an excellent chair—who I see opposite—and other members in the House it was an honour to shepherd this bill through. I'd like to thank all of the submitters. We had around 40 submitters who made very thoughtful submissions on this bill. We had a number of councils who submitted. We always appreciate that process and us and the officials genuinely listen to the submitters as they make their submissions. I'd like to pick up on something the previous speaker just mentioned around the coin toss. I'm very pleased that we have tidied up this area because members may not know that the example that the member cited happened in Whakatāne—2019 elections—where there were two candidates who basically landed on the same amount of votes. There was a coin toss undertaken and one of those went into council—they actually got sworn in to council; unfortunately they were actually on council. Then there was a judicial recount and they found out that it was wrong and they had to get taken off council—I mean that's just outrageous; it really is on many many levels. So it's certainly very good that we've tidied that up. It is disappointing that the Opposition parties are not supporting this bill. At the Hamilton City Council—I'm the member for Hamilton East—we have two Māori councillors on the Māori wards. We voted for that as a city and brought them in and it's working very well. The previous member said that it'll happen organically and it may do but look there is no harm in giving the opportunity which is basically what we're doing for councils to be proactive in this space. It is an excellent piece of legislation. I commend it to the House.
Utikere TangiTANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a real pleasure to speak on this bill this evening because for someone who has had a background in local government for a number of years—Glen Bennett: Deputy mayor.TANGI UTIKERE: Deputy mayor previously yes. I know that local government is vital for our community and what this piece of legislation does—as much as the Opposition would like to belittle it—is empower local decision-makers to continue to provide democracy for their local communities. Because this is a bill that gives local councils choice. Much has been said about the situation for Auckland and if we look at Auckland current legislation caps the number of councillors for Auckland Council at 20. That means if that council wishes to engage in a conversation around their council table about whether or not it should or could introduce Māori representation in the form of Māori wards it currently is prevented or limited from doing so. This legislative change will align Auckland Council with the same approach that other councils have around New Zealand. If they choose to have 20 elected members including the mayor that is a matter for them. The choice is theirs. What I like about this piece of legislation is that it would be mandatory for councils to consider how Māori would be included in local decision-making and local elections. When I reflect on the fact that in Palmerston North we had at the last local body election the introduction of a Māori ward that delivered us two representatives for Rangitāne: Councillor Roly Fitzgerald and the new deputy mayor Debi Marshall-Lobb—they have added so much value to that decision-making process already. It is a wonderful thing that Palmerston North and its community has been able to benefit from. I've had the opportunity to be a six-time candidate in local body elections and so I would just hate to think that a process of flipping a coin to determine whether someone is successful or not and then actually going through a judicial recount and finding out actually the original decision was inaccurate—that is just a complete waste of time let alone the mental anguish that you would put both of those individuals in that particular position through. This is a fantastic piece of legislation. It is about delivering for local democracy. I commend this bill to the House.