Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 11 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7315. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement “I am deeply concerned about every child in New Zealand who is in poverty”; if so why has the number of children living in material hardship grown under his watch? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes I stand by that statement. The recent report by Bryan Perry says that the rise in non-income material hardship from 2006-07 to 2010-11 which the member is referring to is “not unexpected given the impact of the GFC and the economic downturn.” Interestingly enough though the same report also shows that in 2007 after Working for Families had been introduced and following a $7 billion surplus there were between 170000 and 240000 children living in poverty depending on the exact measure used. So that is the point is it not? Labour had $7 billion and still had— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
David Shearer 
: Does he stand by his statements that if the Government does not take action to provide food in schools “we are effectively punishing children for the sins of their parents.”; if not what has changed since he has made those statements other than that the number of children living in hardship has increased? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes I stand by that statement. The Government has expanded Fruit in Schools the Government has given money to KidsCan to fund more schools and the Government has worked with other commercial entities like Fonterra to run programmes in schools. I go back to this question: in 2007 as an example was there any child in New Zealand going to school hungry? 
Hon David Parker 
: Yes there was. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Absolutely and there was a $7 billion surplus and they did not care about it. 
David Shearer 
: In light of that last answer will he back the proposal made by KidsCan today where a $1.9 million investment by the Government would be matched by the private sector to provide 16000 children in deciles 1 to 4 schools with food; if not why not? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: We are not ruling out doing a bit more work with Julie at KidsCan and we will go away and have a look to see whether there is some more we can do. But let me raise another question. In 2006 was there any child who went to school— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! It is actually the Minister’s job to answer questions not to ask questions. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! 
David Shearer 
: Would he support a policy to ensure that private rental properties for low-income tenants are upgraded as recommended by the Children’s Commissioner particularly as private landlords have been slow to take up the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand programme? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I think the Minister for Social Development has already said that she will look pretty closely at potentially the warrant of fitness idea for landlords who receive the accommodation supplement. Again they might want to have a look at it. But this is a Government that by 2013—from 2009—has insulated 190000 homes at the cost of $347 million. This is a Government that in 4 years— 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That question was about private rentals not about what the Government has done. In State housing— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Now one is getting as bad as the other. The member was— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: It was a good point of order I thought. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The member was perfectly at liberty to raise a point of order but not to enter into the debate that way though. I think that given the tit for tat we had better move on to the next supplementary question. 
David Shearer 
: Will the Government adopt a measure of poverty; if not why not? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No not a single measure of poverty. I think there are a number of ways of measuring poverty but I think I will use this measure as one measure—that was in 2007 after housing costs there were 240000 children in New Zealand living in poverty and that Government had— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
David Shearer 
: Does he think that the $9 billion a year he spent on tax cuts two-thirds of which went to the top 20 percent of income earners giving the bottom 20 percent nothing have been beneficial to children in poverty; if not why not? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The member has to stop consulting the Labour finance spokesperson to get his numbers because they are always wrong. As we have been through before the tax cuts were not only distributionally neutral as has never been debunked by Labour but interestingly enough—[ 
Interruption 
] We are in the silly season so if they want to reverse the National Government’s tax programme in 2014 they can go ahead because this year alone the Government got billions of dollars extra from those tax cuts. 
David Shearer 
: I seek leave to table a document by Brian Easton—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! This is a point of order. 
David Shearer 
: —which backs up the figures that I just used about National’s tax cuts benefiting the— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The article is by Brian Easton but what was it published in? 
David Shearer 
: It was on his website. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think that is readily available to all members. 
David Shearer 
: It is not a well-known website although it might be more well known now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I think we had better settle down. The House has had its fairly robust time. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa. Does he agree with his statement on 3 July 2012 that “If you don’t measure monitor and report on things I don’t think you get progress.”; if so does he agree that setting indicators and targets for the reduction of poverty is critical if we are to achieve the difference we want in the lives of some 270000 New Zealand children? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I absolutely agree that you need to measure monitor and report on things. Therefore I have measured that this year the Government will spend $2.1 billion on family tax credits 40 percent of which goes to beneficiaries. We have measured that this Government will give around $2 billion on subsidising housing through income-related rents and accommodation supplements. This year this Government will spend $1.4 billion on early childhood education. This year this Government will spend almost $5 billion on benefits including $1.8 billion on the DPB. This Government will put $24 million into rheumatic fever. This Government will increase the number of children going to early childhood education and this Government—suffering the worst global financial crisis we have seen—has maintained all benefit entitlement. Not bad. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Is the Prime Minister pleased that in the relationship accord signed with the Maori Party 1 year ago today it was agreed that a Ministerial Committee on Poverty would be established to bring a greater focus to and improve coordination of Government—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! [ 
Interruption 
] Order! I want to be able to hear this question. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Shall I start again? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member may start again. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Thank you very much. Is the Prime Minister pleased that in the relationship accord signed with the Maori Party 1 year ago today it was agreed that a Ministerial Committee on Poverty would be established to bring a greater focus to and improve coordination of Government activity aimed at alleviating the effects of poverty and will he ask that the committee now demonstrate the leadership required to adopt a strategic framework for addressing child poverty? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes I am pleased it has been formed. I have also myself been to that committee meeting and seen Russell Wills actually presenting to the committee his recommendations that were presented in the child report today. The Government will look at adopting some of those recommendations but I go back to the point I made earlier that these have been difficult economic times and the Government has put more money in these areas. The people I think who should be ashamed in this country are the people who had a $20 billion surplus over 3 years and cared so little that— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The Prime Minister has got no responsibility for that. Question No. 2 Todd McClay—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! I would like the House to be just a little more reasonable with the interjections.