Jones Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJones Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10488. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) to theMinister for Economic Development: Does he agree that New Zealand is operating as a two-speed economy in the regions given that unemployment in Northland is 10 percent 8 percent in the Bay of Plenty and 8.4 percent in Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): I welcome the member for his maiden question in the portfolio.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Minister please answer the question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No I do not agree with the member. However there is no doubt that there are regional variations across New Zealand when it comes to the unemployment rate as there always have been. What is interesting—I think the member does raise an interesting point—is that places like Southland which has an unemployment rate of around 3.5 percent and an employment rate of 71.5 percent and Taranaki which has an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent and an employment rate of 69 percent have said yes to many development opportunities in those regions and to taking their economic opportunities. So for places like Northland which has an unemployment rate as the member points out of 10 percent and an employment rate of a very low 54.3 percent and the East Coast which has an unemployment rate of 8.4 percent and an employment rate of 61 percent it is important that we all redouble our efforts—and that the regions do—to take advantage of all their economic opportunities.Hon Shane Jones: What does he propose the one in 10 Northlanders who are unemployed do given that it may be decades if at all before any benefits from oil and gas are seen given that his sole response to Northland’s poor performance in the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’s Regional Economic Activity Report was to back oil and gas?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am sorry that the member may not have read this report actually because it has a number of initiatives in it in regard to what is really quite a comprehensive plan for development in Northland. I am happy to record them for the House given that the member has obviously not read it. Firstly he mentions the oil and gas but there is also the mineral exploration that is going on up there. There is theaquaculture development that the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research is sponsoring at Bream Bay. Of course we have the Northland Polytechnic focusing on skills for the region. We have Treaty settlements in the north which the Hon Minister Finlayson is working on that are a very important part of the north’s development. We have the Ultra-fast Broadband Initiative which is being done with Northpower in Whangarei. We have the Rural Broadband Initiative which is continuing around the region. We had the Māori Trade Training programme where there has been a big increase in investment in the Budget with help from the Māori Party. Of course there is the Pūhoi to Wellsford road of national significance which links that region with the largest city in the country just to the south of it and which of course the Labour Party opposes.Hon Shane Jones: Given his exhaustive reading of his Regional Economic Activity Report is the reason and does he agree that higher unemployment in the North Island is because there are too many Māoris and Pacific Islanders living there?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No I think that is frankly a trivial suggestion in relation to the variations in employment that occur around the country. What is important to note is that the unemployment rate in the South Island is significantly lower than the North Island’s at this point. It often is but right now the margin of difference between the two islands is actually at reasonably unprecedented large levels which means that we would expect to see more people moving to the South Island to take up opportunities. Partly that is in the primary sector partly that is in the high-tech manufacturing sector particularly around Christchurch and Dunedin and partly it is of course in the Christchurch rebuild. But I think it is really a case of significant opportunities in the South Island at the moment and I think many people will be examining their opportunities in that island.Hon Shane Jones: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was straightforward: does he agree with his own Regional Economic Activity Report that there are too many Māoris and Pacific Islanders in the North Island and that is why unemployment is bad from his own report?Mr SPEAKER: The Minister very adequately addressed that question.Hon Shane Jones: Is he aware of his ministry’s target of having Māori median weekly income equal to the national median by 2040; if so does he believe 27 years until Māori get to have their brighter future under this Government is an acceptable time frame?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not specifically aware of the statistic the member raises. However I would point out to the member that this Government has in the context of what is an ongoing disparity of income between Māori and Pasifika and the rest of New Zealand that goes back—Hon Shane Jones: Twenty-seven years.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: —well frankly probably 100 years been working very hard over the last 4 and a bit years to improve outcomes for Māori and Pasifika. Just one in my own portfolio is the very significant improvements in tertiary qualifications and completions for both Māori and Pasifika which we are all very proud of.Hon Shane Jones: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question related to Māori statistics. Why is this Minister so afraid to talk about his treatment—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister very adequately addressed the question that was asked.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I seek leave to table this Regional Economic Activity Report—Mr SPEAKER: It is available to every member.