2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statements and policies?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the Government support package we announced on Saturday which will see the incomes of 346000 families increase by an average of $20 a week. The family tax credit was scheduled to have an inflation increase on 1 April next year and we've invested an additional $272 million over four years so that low and middle income families can get extra support particularly at this time. Those with family incomes less than $40000 will benefit the most with an average increase of $26 per week. Reducing child poverty is a priority for this Government. It's estimated a further 6000 children will be lifted out of poverty as a result of these changes. That's in addition to the up to 33000 children who'll be lifted out of poverty by the increase in benefit levels earlier this year. This is one way we can support families during this time.David Seymour: What has been the impact of moving Waikato with a vaccination rate of 72 percent to alert level 3 step 2 since last Wednesday and why does the Prime Minister think it was justified to delay moving Auckland to the same level until tomorrow when Auckland was at 80 percent fully vaccinated a week ago?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Simply the scale and nature of the outbreaks that both are dealing with. In the Waikato what we are clear on is that this is an outbreak with a clearly long tail on it and at the present point in time the vast bulk of those cases have been linked cases but you can see the spread through some wider parts of the Waikato that continue to emerge. Contrast that with Auckland—that has been an outbreak that has been projected to grow we've been very open about that but increasing vaccination rates give us the confidence to regardless of that growing outbreak continue to ease restrictions starting with the safest restrictions first with the ultimate goal as we have clearly articulated being the point at which we reach 90 percent double vaccinated which is when we can flip into a point where business has certainty at every single level and will be able to operate at every single level.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister stand by moving Auckland to alert level 3 step 2 and if so why does she believe it's safe for hairdressers and hospitality to operate in the Northland DHB where the full vaccination rate is 68 percent but not the Waitematā Auckland and Counties Manukau DHBs where the full vaccination rate is between 81 and 87 percent?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Simply because on average they don't currently have an outbreak that is sitting on average at about 140 to 150 cases a day.David Seymour: Why is it safer for people to go into a supermarket and buy food for a picnic or barbecue than it is to dine al fresco at a restaurant and will the Prime Minister visit any Auckland restaurants to explain that to them tomorrow?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: All the way through the COVID pandemic you'll see that we have treated hospitality differently to retail and that's because globally you can see that those areas where you do tend to see outbreaks and spread are in those environments that are considered to be high risk and very unfortunately that has been the hospitality sector. What we've tried to design with the COVID protection framework is though an environment where we're using the tools we have including public health measures but also the use of vaccines to give greater certainty to those businesses so that they are able to stay open more consistently versus the environment we've had in the past where we have seen closures. New Zealand has not been alone in that. I understand that in parts of Canada they've only just now returned to those businesses being able to fully operate after over a year. So we are not alone in the fact that those have been treated as high-risk environments.David Seymour: Well why is it safe for people to get shots of cosmetic Botox in Auckland but not a haircut and will she visit any hairdressers in Auckland tomorrow and explain that one to them?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Obviously at this stage you're right that hairdressers have not been operating because they are what is defined as close personal services. So for any service where it's actually impossible to physically distance the member will obviously appreciate that that increases risk. Again I would say the same thing that Auckland has now reached 90 percent first doses. It's our expectation therefore that it's within their sights three weeks from that point to be at 90 percent double doses. We've already said that's the point where we'll move into the new COVID protection framework which will enable those businesses to operate at every level.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister believe that being at orange in the new COVID-19 Protection Framework or traffic light system will offer greater benefits than being at alert level 2 and if so why wouldn't she allow Wellington Christchurch Otago and Southland which all have equal or higher vaccination rates than Counties Manukau to move to the traffic light system when she said Auckland will after 29 November?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because at the time we announced it we gave the rationale for allowing Auckland to move in that way and that is because of the border that sits around Auckland. Because of that border we wanted to be able to acknowledge the significant work that Aucklanders had done to reach those vaccination levels and enable them to move themselves. To answer the first part of the member's question: yes there are greater freedoms offered at that amber that orange level and that's because those gathering limits don't exist. But we are seeking that New Zealand as a whole seek to reach the highest vaccination levels we can and we've set that 90 percent as a milestone for the precise reason that we have seen that we are very mobile we move around. We want different parts of New Zealand to have that protection when we move into what essentially will be a place where there are greater freedoms.David Seymour: Why is the Government still requiring international arrivals whose final destination is Auckland to go through any level of managed isolation and quarantine if they're fully vaccinated and have tested negative for COVID-19 when over 700 people who've tested positive for COVID are allowed to self-isolate in Auckland; or are the University of Otago's Nick Wilson and Michael Baker wrong when they say If you're at the supermarket in Auckland a fully vaccinated person randomly teleported from Canada is less likely to infect you than an average resident Aucklander in the aisles."?SPEAKER: Before the Prime Minister answers because I'm sort of feeling generous that question was manifestly excessive in length and while each of the legs might have just got there overall it was not succinct. I will allow the Prime Minister to answer the question but I want this to serve as a general warning that that length of question is not succinct enough to stay within the Speakers' rulings.David Seymour: A point of order Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: Look I've just been generous to the member. If he wants to argue with me I will rule tightly on the book.David Seymour: Mr Speaker I'd never argue with you.SPEAKER: Well that is deliberately misleading the House.David Seymour: Perhaps. Mr Speaker I guess my question is—and people at home will be wondering because they will have noticed that even that question was shorter than every single answer in length and shouldn't there be some parity in that?SPEAKER: Well the member will learn one day that there is a difference between a question and an answer.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Mr Speaker for the sake of brevity then I refer the member to Dr Ashley Bloomfield's response to that research that he gave yesterday. And to answer the wider question around allowing New Zealanders who are double vaccinated to isolate at home that is exactly what we are working towards and we already have a self-isolation pilot under way as we speak to enable that.David Seymour: Who should New Zealanders listen to: Chris Hipkins who said Aucklanders might need a time slot to leave the city; Grant Robertson who said that idea's impractical; or herself the Prime Minister who's refused to rule the idea out?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What I can be clear on is they certainly shouldn't listen to that member because we would have a pandemic that would have led to mass hospitalisations and carnage if we had followed his playbook for COVID.Hon Chris Hipkins: Will she take the advice of Professor Michael Baker as endorsed by the leader of the ACT Party that people leaving Auckland should have to do self-isolation every time they leave Auckland?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member is absolutely correct that was a hard border around Auckland essentially where we transfer those obligations into turning Auckland almost into a quarantine seemed to be the suggestion of that research and I think there'd be a good chunk of the population who would have a very clear view on that.David Seymour: A point of order. Mr Speaker I seek your guidance. I'd never endorse that part of Michael Baker's advice. I think it is unfair of him to characterise it for me.SPEAKER: Well that might be the case but the member again knows that that is not a point of order. The member actually knows the Speakers' rulings and the Standing Orders better than the vast majority of members in the House and I just want to invite the member to choose to use his knowledge."