12. Question No. 12—Prime MinisterRAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori ) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 12—Prime Minister12. RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori ) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Yes in the context they were given.Rawiri Waititi: Can he explain why he has allowed one coalition agreement with a minor political party to cause his Government to disregard his obligation under the Tiriti in regards to the repeal of section 7AA?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: We are united in the coalition Government that we are prioritising the wellbeing of a child ahead of their cultural needs.Rawiri Waititi: If section 7AA—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Hang on. Look you are entitled to a bit of quiet in the House.RAWIRI WAITITI: Thank you. If section 7AA has been successful in reducing the number of Māori entering State care by almost 50 percent since its implementation in 2019 why would you repeal it?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well look I'm sorry; I haven't seen the data that the member is referring to but what I would say—Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Read the reports. They're in the reports provided for your use.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Would you like an answer or would you like to continue? What I'd just say to you is that we are very clear: these are our most vulnerable children in New Zealand. We care deeply about them. We take our responsibility very seriously in State—to make sure that they are well looked after they're in caring and loving homes. That is what we are prioritising first. That doesn't preclude them from being with whānau but actually the first priority the first lens by which you look through that question on is making sure that you have that child in a safe loving great home.Hon Willow-Jean Prime: There is no empirical evidence it wasn't happening.Rt Hon Winston Peters: It's not true. Stop talking bunkum. Yeah you'd believe that because you're so naïve.SPEAKER: Look hang on. Excuse me—both sides of the House. It's very exciting—we're coming up to the Budget. Everything gets a bit fractious. Just calm down and we'll hear questions in silence.Rawiri Waititi: Can he rule out the harmful impacts that this policy will have on tamariki Māori and if so will he take responsibility for any further harm of mokopuna Māori that occurs in State care as a result of his coalition agreement?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well look I can tell you this Government and our Minister take our responsibilities incredibly seriously. These are our most vulnerable children in New Zealand. We have a huge responsibility to make sure that they end up in safe caring and loving homes. That is job number one above and beyond everything else.Rawiri Waititi: Does he agree with his own Government that no-cause evictions and the return of interest deductibility are pro-renter policies and if so can he explain why not a single renters advocacy group agrees that these policies are pro-renter?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I don't know how to explain this to the member but we have a housing crisis in New Zealand and this Government's going to do something about it. And we are very clear about it—we have a supply problem. We have a supply problem in the number of—we're not building enough houses. We have a supply problem because we're not renting enough houses and not enough in the rental market and we have a supply problem in the social housing market. Removing interest deductibility bringing back the brightline test and balancing the tenancy laws between landlords and tenants are things that will make it easier for people to get rental properties.Rawiri Waititi: Who is in a better position to speak for renters: (a) renters advocacy groups or (b) a person who owns seven homes?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question.SPEAKER: Hold on.Rawiri Waititi: Is that a point of order or is he answering the question?SPEAKER: Are you taking a point of order? Because there's a question on that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well it doesn't deserve to be answered so let's go.SPEAKER: Well that's—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Go straight to my one. No offence.SPEAKER: Thanks very much for assisting. As you know I'm intensely interested in your interest in the job I'm doing. Now sorry ask the question again and try and bring it inside the Standing Orders.Rawiri Waititi: Thank you Mr Speaker. Who is in a better position to speak for renters: (a) renters advocacy groups or (b) a person who owns seven homes?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I reject the premise of that question but I actually think taking the housing crisis seriously is something that I would expect that member to do. I would expect that member if he cared actually about people who are in homeless situations if he cared about people who can't get access to rental properties and if he cared about people who are in emergency housing and the 3000 kids that woke up in motels today—he'd actually want to do something about increasing the supply of houses available houses available to rent and houses available in social housing.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I ask the Prime Minister: when he experiences those sort of nasty allegations in the House does he not sort of think of Michael Cullen and his famous quote We won. You lost. Eat that!"?SPEAKER: Well that question certainly won't be answered.Rawiri Waititi: Point of order. Just clarity Mr Speaker. If you can tell me what the allegation is that I've made that would make it clearer for that question. And just to say before I sit down—SPEAKER: No no. I'll help the member. I don't need to because I just said it's not a question that can be answered.Rawiri Waititi: Thank you. Well every great thinker is someone's moron. Kia ora tātou.SPEAKER: That concludes oral questions."