12. Question No. 12—Research Science and InnovationDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National) to the Minister of Research Science and InnovationQuestion No. 12—Research Science and Innovation12. Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (National) to the Minister of Research Science and Innovation: Is the Government delivering improved outcomes in research and innovation?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Research Science and Innovation): Yes. In the two years we've been in office we've delivered across a wide range of areas in research and innovation but there is always more to do. An edited list of our highlights of things that we have done: we have invested $1.1 billion in a 15 percent tax incentive which we've yet to see the impact from; we've funded Callaghan Innovation's campus redevelopment and established a National New Energy Development Centre to ensure we have world-class innovation infrastructure; we've signed international agreements to foster greater collaboration on research and innovation with Governments and the private sector; we've made significant investments into important areas of research such as renewable energy agricultural and climate science; and can continue to develop our space research capability including hosting mission control for New Zealand's first space mission. This Government has set out to lift—SPEAKER: Order! Order! You know that is enough. The member gets a 10-minute speech later.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: How can she say her Government is delivering improved outcomes in innovation when New Zealand's ranking on the Bloomberg Innovation Index fell by five places this year to 29 in the world?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The Bloomberg innovation survey to which the member refers is measured across seven domains out of 100 all of which are weighted equally across that. It is important to note that this is a composite survey that doesn't only take into account innovation. The seven domains are R & D intensity manufacturing value-added productivity high-tech density tertiary education researcher concentration and product activity. In fact the area where New Zealand did drop the most was in the manufacturing value-added rather than the innovation measures that are captured in that survey. In fact in some of the innovation domains that are measured in that we actually performed ahead of every country except for three or four that are ahead of us. What the member also should note is that the New Zealand score the raw score on the index has been in decline from 2015 to 2018. That decline was reversed in 2018 and stabilised only in 2019. We as a Government believe that actually what sits behind that is our drive to lift our very low percentage of GDP that we spend which we as a Government have seen movement of. I seek leave to table this graph which shows the fact that New Zealand's score on the Bloomberg weighted average has been in decline for a number of years but has indeed stabilised over the years 2018 to 2019.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Why is she blaming the last National Government because when she came into Government New Zealand was 18 on the Bloomberg Innovation Index ranking and now we are on 29 under her watch?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I think I gave quite a thorough answer to the initial question—that in fact what I'm saying is there are a range of domains that that is measured across. So I am going to go through some of those raw numbers in terms of that. So in 2013 the year in which Callaghan Innovation was established 57.73 was our weighted number. That did jump slightly in 2014 to 75.09 but then did decline all the way through to the beginning of 2018 to 67.4. What we have seen over the years 2019 to 2020 is 68.12 and 68.08. I think what all members of this House regardless of what side they sit on should be dedicated to is the fact that New Zealand has a woeful percentage of GDP expenditure and that is something that this Government has seen real movement on unlike the previous Government.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Is she at all concerned that New Zealand had the largest fall of any single country making New Zealand the biggest loser in the latest Bloomberg Innovation Index?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: I am always concerned about where New Zealand ranks in the world but I will reiterate again that that is a composite index the member has referred to. In fact the area where it had its biggest fall was not one related to innovation but that doesn't stop me being concerned. What I would also point out to the member is that these are proportionate to GDP and I will remind the member that New Zealand had higher GDP percentage growth than other advanced economies that it has been compared to in that table. So while we maintain our growth in GDP—SPEAKER: Order! That concludes oral questions.