Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Stewart Barbara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2012. Volume:678;Page:1069. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by all his statements as Minister of Health? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Within context yes. 
Barbara Stewart 
: How does he reconcile his statement of 5 May 2011 that he is committed to providing “the best possible services to protect the safety of mothers and babies” with the latest news that Wanganui mothers have to drive to Palmerston North to have their babies? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The member is confusing the current status of a consultation that is under way in both the Whanganui District Health Board and the MidCentral District Health Board which is in response to very longstanding concerns about the provision of maternity services in Wanganui. Communities have had an opportunity to have a say and the board will be considering that within I think the next couple of months. The board’s priority and my priority is that the safety of mothers and babies must be paramount. 
Barbara Stewart 
: What instructions is the Minister giving to the Whanganui District Health Board to ensure that safe delivery facilities are available to mothers-to-be in the Wanganui district and its surrounds? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Whanganui District Health Board as the member will know has had a long history of difficulty of obtaining obstetric support—having enough obstetricians to be able to ensure that it can continue to provide the sort of quality service that we would want. As a result doctors nurses and midwives from the area have worked on a proposal that they think will provide improved safety and quality for mothers. That is being consulted on. My advice to the Whanganui District Health Board and MidCentral District Health Board is that the Government’s major concern is that the safety of mothers and babies should be paramount and we expect that in all their considerations. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Has the Minister received any requests or entreaties from the Whanganui-based Minister for Whanau Ora offering to return $5 million from Whanau Ora for family reunions and the like— 
Hon Christopher Finlayson 
: Leave it to Barbara. She’s much better. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I beg your pardon? 
Hon Christopher Finlayson 
: Leave it to Barbara. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I just ask the member to resume his seat for one moment— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Oh I see a new Maori best friend wants— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I ask the member to resume his seat for one moment. Members know that if they make interjections at inappropriate times members on their feet are likely to respond and it is not helpful. The Rt Hon Winston Peters may commence his question again. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Has the Minister received any requests or entreaties from the Whanganui-based Minister for Whanau Ora offering to return $5 million from Whanau Ora for family reunions and the like back to the health budget so that women in Whanganui and Maori women as well may have a safe birth in their own town rather than having to travel miles to Palmerston North? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: No the Minister has not specifically made that point to me but I think Mrs Turia has reflected the concern of a lot of people that it does sound a big ask to ask significant numbers of women to travel to Palmerston North to have their babies. But at the same time we have a service in Wanganui that we want to be able to make sure we can give an assurance of quality and safety. That is why the doctors the nurses and the midwives have worked on a plan that is being consulted on that they think can provide long-lasting surety to those mothers and babies. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek to table a report from the Office of the Auditor-General dated 15 June 2011 page 3 showing $5 million going from Vote Health to Whanau Ora. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I presume this is a document that is actually available to all members as part of the Auditor-General’s reports to Parliament is it? Can I just check with the right honourable member because we do not table documents that are available to all members. Can he just confirm for me whether or not that is the case. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: This was an Office of the Auditor-General briefing to the Maori Affairs Committee. Presumably if they all went to their colleagues they could get a copy but it is not generally— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Briefings to parliamentary committees are available to all members. We do not seek leave to table those.