Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:657;Page:6271] 
4.  
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he still stand by his policy to deliver better sooner and more convenient health care? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Despite the facts that this Government inherited $160 million of unfunded services to fill and that the previous Government quietly stripped $150 million out of Vote Health just before the election yes. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How can the Minister stand by that slogan when he has gutted the funding for Healthy Eating - Healthy Action to the point that the flourishing trend of children planting and tending vegetable gardens at school is now going to end? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Government has not gutted the funding for Healthy Eating - Healthy Action. What we are doing is bringing a greater balance to addressing those issues. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: How can the Minister stand by that slogan when the funding for health and physical education learning for primary school teachers will end from this year? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I think that matter is beyond the responsibility of the Minister of Health. What I can tell members is that this Government is putting $20 million into the KiwiSport programme which is all about getting more and more kids involved in physical activity. Our kids are becoming less physically active than they were 15 or 20 years ago. 
Dr Jackie Blue 
: What progress is being made in relation to delivering better health services? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Quite a lot of progress is being made to deliver better services for New Zealand. This week we have announced another step that we will take to improve district health board collaboration. Over the next 15 months we will make more cross-appointments over district health boards. This will support clinical cooperation across district health board boundaries improve financial expertise on boards that are grappling to fill the $160 million of unfunded services that the Government inherited and help to inform boards of the challenges and opportunities of their close neighbours. 
Su’a William Sio 
: How can the Minister stand by that slogan when Pacific communities in the Counties Manukau District Health Board area experience a life expectancy five times worse than that of non - Pacific people where chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity are prevalent yet he did not once consult his colleague the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs before slashing Pacific health services in Budget 2009? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: First of all that member would be very hard-pressed to justify the claim that services were slashed in this year’s Budget because we put an extra $536 million into district health boards including an astonishing $65 million of extra funding into the Counties Manukau District Health Board. That is a 7 percent increase. 
Su’a William Sio 
: I seek leave to table a letter from the Hon Georgina te Heuheu dated 10 August showing that there was no consultation at all with the Minister of Health about budget cuts to Pacific health services. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: I seek leave to table an article from the  
New Zealand Herald  
reporting the Public Health Association’s concern that the vegetable gardens in schools programme is ending soon. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Could we know the date of this press article? 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: It is dated 4 September of this year. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table an article from the  
New Zealand Herald  
of 4 September. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: I seek leave to table an article from the  
Otago Daily Times 
 expressing concern— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Dated when? 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: —dated 9 September this year—expressing concern from the Otago Primary Principals’ Association president— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think we know what it is. Is there any objection to that article being tabled? There is objection.