Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 23 September 2015. Volume:709;Page:6921. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Why did he say that pandas are “a subject dear to my heart” and taxpayer money would be made available to get pandas for Wellington Zoo?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): The proposal to bring pandas to Wellington Zoo is a council-led initiative. What I said yesterday was that the Government would consider helping with the costs but that it would not be a massive amount. It is not even known yet whether any pandas could be obtained. As the member is aware some work was done a few years ago on the potential of bringing pandas to New Zealand because of their ability to draw visitors to the cities they are in. As Minister of Tourism I think that they would be most welcome in Wellington.Andrew Little: How many of the 50000 extra unemployed people under his watch will be employed at the $10 million panda palace that will be required to house the pandas?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: We now have more people in employment in New Zealand than ever before. I do not how many people would be employed but I do remember the Labour Party scoffing about the cycleways which is actually another initiative of relatively modest proportions that has done extremely well. What I can see from yesterday’s question time is that it is not just the—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Now the Prime Minister is no longer addressing the question.David Seymour: Will the pandas—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!I am talking to the Deputy Prime Minister.David Seymour: Will the pandas have Chinese-sounding names?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there may be some prime ministerial responsibility.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes they will be called “Bing Bing” “Xing Xing” “Zhing Zhing” and under a Labour Government they will never be allowed to buy a panda enclosure in Auckland.Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question Andrew Little. [Interruption] Order! To the right-hand side you have had your fun. We are back to question time.Andrew Little: Thank you Mr Speaker—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will not warn the Hon Simon Bridges again.Andrew Little: When the Prime Minister has finished making fun of Chinese surnames and he has built his $10 million panda palace will State house children get free entry so that they can finally get to see what a warm safe dry home looks like?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not know what Wellington Zoo will do in terms of charging but what I do know is that I think it would be a great initiative actually for youngsters to be able to come to Wellington to come to Te Papa to come to Parliament to go to the National War Memorial to go to Peter Jackson’s and Richard Taylor’s workshops and actually to go to the zoo to see pandas. They are very popular around the world. As Minister of Tourism I say that that is the reason why they are hard to get—because so many countries want them.Andrew Little: Is spending a quarter of a million dollars a year on bamboo for pandas while schools dig deep into their operational grants to feed kids in keeping with his commitment to “focus on what matters”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: From what I can see spending a quarter of a million dollars on bamboo is a hell of a lot better value for money for the taxpayer than paying a quarter of a million dollars for him to be Leader of the Opposition.Andrew Little: Does he know—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: On that occasion it was both front benches that were interjecting. I do not want to have to warn members again.Andrew Little: Does he know that when Adelaide Zoo got pandas the increase in visitor numbers was temporary and costs were so high that the zoo had to be bailed out by the Government—you could say that the pandas turned out to be white elephants?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I would not want to mix the animals but I just go back to the point. It is not our initiative; it is the Wellington City Council’s initiative—if the council wants to do it. We talk to the council about a range of initiatives including a whole bunch of things that it comes to see me about every week. As Prime Minister I am not going to not talk to the council about the issues it cares about. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! It was the second bench on that occasion.Andrew Little: Is he as excited about getting pandas now as he was in 2010 when according to then Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast she met with the Prime Minister who said “How are we going with getting those cute little pandas?” and wiggled his hands in glee?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I was pretty excited and if Wellington Zoo brings them in I would be excited. I enjoy my job. I am pretty happy about the things that I am doing for New Zealand. People do not call me “Angry John” but they certainly call him “Angry Andrew”. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Hon Annette King—this is your last warning.Andrew Little: Is he aware that pandas often attack their handlers and is he worried that making a priority of pandas while the economy stalls will come back to bite him?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I make the point that this is a Government that has got the books back in order. This is a Government that has seen—Hon Members: Ha ha!Rt Hon JOHN KEY: We will see who is laughing in a week or so but anyway. This is a Government that has seen leadership. It has seen quarterly growth for 18 quarters in a row. The truth of today’s question is that “Angry Andrew” is angry because the Greens have out-manoeuvred him when it comes to Red Peak.