8. Economic Development—Government Procurement Process and Regional Economic DevelopmentFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First) to the Minister for Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development—Government Procurement Process and Regional Economic Development8. 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 particularly my statement where I congratulated that member on asking me as many Northland-related questions in the last 2 days as the member for Northland has in the last 2 years.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: It is a point of order and it will be heard in silence.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Having asked over 1100 questions since I have been the MP for Northland this man must be stopped from being a demonstrable liar.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have explained to the member on a number of occasions that if he feels there is a case of deliberate misrepresentation he needs to refer to Standing Order 359.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. As you know Mr Speaker the Business Committee has made some determinations about the adjournment debate this afternoon. I know that New Zealand First will be taking speeches. Should that member wish to extend his time by 5 minutes to list his achievements on behalf of Northland then the Parliament—or this party I am sure would be agreeable to him doing this. Of course it would not take 5 minutes; it would take 5 seconds.Mr SPEAKER: That equally is not a point of order. The member Mr Peters may decide to seek leave to take that course of action later in the adjournment debate.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You see Mr Speaker I love that idea and I seek leave for that motion to be put right now—the House being a master of its own destiny.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought—[Interruption] Order! If I can summarise the leave that is being sought by the Rt Hon Winston Peters he is seeking leave for an additional 5 minutes in his call in the adjournment debate this afternoon. [Interruption] I will invite him to list his achievements as the member for Northland. Is there any objection to that course of action? There is. That is a very sad decision but it is the decision of the House.Fletcher Tabuteau: If—and I quote the Minister—The Government's procurement programme has a proven track record of creating significant value for taxpayers" is the Minister worried that the Government's own procurement corruption-free status could be questioned given that the former deputy chief executive officer at the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) responsible for procurement Peter Thomas joined Fuji Xerox just before it then won a multimillion dollar Government contract for printers?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am advised by officials that there are no issues with the claim that the member has raised.Fletcher Tabuteau: How has Fuji Xerox created significant value for Northland schools by (1) charging them for much higher print volumes than they previously used; (2) saying there is no monthly charge but then charging $195 per month per machine; and (3) locking schools into 84-month - long contracts with exorbitant cancellation fees?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am happy to take the member through it as I already have done with Mr Peters in written questions. The key point is the contracts he is referring to were signed by the schools outside the all-of-Government framework and without MBIE's knowledge. At that point the whole accusation falls to bits.Fletcher Tabuteau: Will the Minister concede that it does not matter what statements he makes in his regional development reports as long as—and I quote Mayor Cameron from Ruapehu here for yet another example of the Electricity Authority failing another region: "the issues created by the Lines Company and its charging model … is recognised as causing significant social issues and acting as a 'hand brake' on investment and growth."?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I completely agree with the premise of the member's question. Actually I bring more good news for the area that he was talking about before—Northland. My colleague the Minister of Transport has announced today that there has been a completion of the $1 million upgrade of Whangarei Airport which just shows another of the benefits of the Government's regional growth programme. Those upgrades were part of a partnership between the Crown—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This answer has nothing at all to do with the question he is being asked. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: No I do not need any assistance. It may well be the member's point of view but when I listened to the length of the question and tried to decipher it myself—had there been a clear and concise question as there should have been according to the Standing Orders I might have been able to help him but it certainly was not."