Tabuteau Fletcher: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTabuteau Fletcher: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 09 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6437. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First) to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): Yes in the context in which they were made.Fletcher Tabuteau: Was the Minister authorised to release commercially sensitive ownership data from Rocket Lab in his reply to New Zealand First’s written question; if so who at Rocket Lab authorised the release?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In relation to that matter I do not realise that I have necessarily disclosed that information but if the member would like to come to me I am happy to address it for him.Fletcher Tabuteau: I seek leave to table correspondence from Rocket Lab to New Zealand First stating that the information provided by the Minister that has been previously released was without Rocket Lab’s approval dated 14 August—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table that particular information. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Fletcher Tabuteau: Does the Minister agree with the reported claims that $25 million of taxpayers’ money given by him to Rocket Lab is a wise use of Kiwi taxpayers’ money given Rocket Lab is 100 percent American-owned by Rocket Lab USA; if so why?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: A couple of things. Firstly I have not provided that level of funding to Rocket Lab myself in any capacity. Those decisions are made by Callaghan Innovation according to research and development policies. My second point to the member is that I think he is being more than a little tricky about his ownership figures in relation to Rocket Lab because I understand that the New Zealand subsidiary is owned by the US company but then the US company is owned by a range of New Zealand and other shareholders.Fletcher Tabuteau: I seek leave to table a document not available freely to members of Rocket Lab USA’s registration in Delaware—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just want to know where the member sourced this information from. Was it off the web?Fletcher Tabuteau: It was purchased on a registry database so it is not freely available to members.Mr SPEAKER: On that basis I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Fletcher Tabuteau: How can the Minister reconcile giving $12 million to Saudi billionaires for a farm in Saudi Arabia; $25 million to build Rocket Lab a wholly American-owned company; and $145 million for a Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank yet this Government refuses to help Silver Fern Farms in its New Zealand ownership?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In relation to the matters the member raises the first one is in relation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In relation to Rocket Lab with the greatest respect to the member that is one of the most innovative New Zealand companies owned and set up by New Zealanders and if he wants to bag it that is fine. In relation to research and development programmes those are provided to companies according to the level of research and development that takes place in New Zealand and actually Silver Fern Farms has been a beneficiary of that.Richard Prosser: Supplementary question. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr Prosser has a right to ask a question. [Interruption] Order! The fun is over. The question will be asked unless members are very keen to leave early.Richard Prosser: What material factor or factors determine the difference between first his Government’s willingness to provide foreign-owned MediaWorks with what was effectively bridging finance totalling $54 million to enable it to continue trading and second his Government’s unwillingness to offer Silver Fern Farms similar bridging finance to keep it in New Zealand hands ahead of the Meat Industry Excellence group’s NewCo proposal?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Steven Joyce in so far as he has ministerial responsibility.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member is incorrect in his characterisation of what was provided to MediaWorks which was what was provided to all radio companies at that time which was the ability to pay later on their frequencies provided they paid a commercial interest rate. I do not believe—I may be wrong but I do not believe—that such an arrangement would necessarily be helpful to Silver Fern Farms but the people to make a decision on future investment in Silver Fern Farms are the directors and shareholders of Silver Fern Farms not Mr Prosser or Mr Tabuteau or Mr Peters who frankly know nothing about the meat industry.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Before the member starts it is a point of order and can I give a warning to the right-hand side of the House that it will certainly be heard in silence.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister struggled through his answer then descended into personal character assassination which is not part of the Standing Orders and I would ask you to ask “Mr Fix-it” to get it right next time.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. This is a robust debating chamber. On occasion members will be slightly offended by an answer but in this case in a robust Chamber I do not think the answer was at all offensive.Dr David Clark: Does he still agree with the PM’s statement that the people of Northland want more and they want to go faster; if so does he appreciate the irony in National’s cutting investment in Northland transport by $36 million a year or 29 percent—the biggest cut of any region in the country?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member is incorrect. The Government has invested hugely and is currently investing hugely in the Northland region. In fact it is almost like one great long roadworks between the Brynderwyns and the Bay of Islands as the roads are upgraded. The member should actually get out of his office in Wellington stop sending out press releases and go and have a look.Dr David Clark: I seek leave to table figures prepared by the Parliamentary Library that show that between the 2008-09 and 2013-14 Budgets funding was cut by 29 percent.Mr SPEAKER: No that information is available to members if they want to go and search for it.