Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 15 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6708. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: What assurances can he give that international criminals will not be entering New Zealand through the China Southern Airlines frequent flyer scheme? 
Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 I am confident that Immigration New Zealand can manage this scheme well because we have put a number of safeguards in place on top of the normal screening requirements. Visitors must still apply for a visa and meet the good-character and health checks. Any criminal conviction is likely to rule someone out. Applicants will have to show proof of having a return ticket to China. It will not be available to anyone who has not travelled overseas before. This also means that the programme will be closely monitored and reviewed monthly and it can be suspended at any time if there are concerns. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can he possibly give that assurance given the serious concerns raised by somebody who might know—the head of Immigration New Zealand’s intelligence risk and integrity division—that the fast-tracking of China Southern Airlines frequent flyers sets and I quote him “a dangerous precedent” because international criminals belong to such clubs? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: As I mentioned in the primary answer I am satisfied that Immigration New Zealand has robust processes in place to manage the risk that the member is talking about. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Has he as Minister learnt nothing from his department’s recent random check of 1800 recent student visa applicants from China only to find as many as 15 percent of them to be fraudulent—and still not found yet at this point in time? Has he learnt nothing to the extent that his department is now a tumultuous mess on these matters? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: I do not agree with the latter part of that question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: So he has learnt nothing. Given that the New Zealand Police lists common Asian crime syndicate offences as “extortion drug trafficking identity fraud and people smuggling” why would anyone accept the assurance of the Minister or his Government that members of Chinese gangs such as Triads and other criminal syndicates will not be able to exploit the China Southern Airlines frequent flyer scheme to get into New Zealand which is exactly what the officials are now warning? How can he give that assurance in the light of that? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: I believe I have given that assurance. Since that internal email was discussed amongst immigration officials they have advised me they have a very robust system in place and I am satisfied with their assurances that this will work as it is intended. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it not a fact that Skycity Casino in Auckland has been pushing for this fast-track scheme for years and that its high rollers already operate under these new rules which means that a casino and a communist Government airline have under his deal with them now acquired privileges for their customers not available to any other group of people anywhere else in the world? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: No I do not agree with those stupid assertions. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is this a supplementary question? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Mr Speaker it is not an assertion. I said— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Sorry is it a point of order? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am asking whether it is a fact that Skycity Casino has been involved in these negotiations. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! But the member then added a view towards the end of the question and the Minister was responding to that. He disagreed with that. Given the fairly provocative I guess language of some of the questions I cannot rule him out from being a bit provocative in answer. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There was nothing provocative in that question other than the facts. I asked whether Skycity Casino was involved in respect of these new rules. Were their high rollers now taking advantage of these new rules already— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: There is nothing provocative in a few facts in this House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Actually question time is not a time to lodge facts with the House; it is a time to ask questions. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: That is new. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well for some members it might be. The member may recollect he made an assertion that this was a unique situation in the world and the Minister disagreed with that. The Minister is entitled to answer—so long as he answers—how he sees fit. It is not up to the Speaker to judge whether his answer is right or wrong. He did answer the question but whether it was right or wrong is another matter. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We have got only five supplementary questions in any given day. The Minister put out a press statement yesterday saying that this privilege was not available to any other people in the world. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The House will come to order; it is not helpful. The member knows that is not remotely a point of order. The member is trying to interject debating material into the Chamber by way of point of order and that is totally outside the Standing Orders. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it not a fact that the Minister put out a press statement just yesterday saying that this privilege was available only to China Southern Airlines customers and no one else and why would anyone put trust in a Minister who seems not to understand that the China Southern Airlines - casino deal is a recipe for illegal activity including money-laundering warned of by the Department of Internal Affairs despite the fact that his department has on six occasions fined this airline since 1 July—in the last 4½ months? What does that say about his undermining of issues of border security? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: I did bring in in July the airline carrier infringement regime. That has been extremely successful because it said to the airlines that they need to make sure that every passenger on board has the correct documentation. There have been over 300 infringements. China Southern Airlines has incurred eight infringements so far. When you think about the travel frequency between China and New Zealand I consider that to be not too bad—when you think about the over 300 infringements that have occurred across the rest of the airlines. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek to table a statement saying the waiver will not be available to non-Chinese nationals or to those who have never travelled overseas before— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Is this a press statement? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: It is the Minister’s statement. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No we do not table Ministers’ statements. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: He just said it was an assertion. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No no we do not do that. 
Darien Fenton 
: Is the announcement yesterday by China Southern Airlines that it will be bringing 250 travel agents to New Zealand from China in December a payback for the secret deal the Minister has done and will they qualify for fast tracking under the gold and silver visa deal? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Did the Minister hear the question? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: I did not. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Can I ask the member please—and for the House to be a little more quiet for the Minister—to repeat her question so the Minister hears it accurately? I thank Darien Fenton. 
Darien Fenton 
: Is the announcement yesterday by China Southern Airlines that it will be bringing in 250 travel agents to New Zealand from China for an event in December a payback for the secret deal the Minister has done and will they qualify for fast tracking under his gold and silver visa deal? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: No not at all. I refute any allegation of a payback. What I can say is we should all be embracing the fact that 250 high-level travel agents are coming into New Zealand to explore the wonderful opportunities in this country. We should all be embracing that. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Was Skycity involved in consultations or negotiations on this arrangement? 
Hon NATHAN GUY 
: Not as far as I am aware no.