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McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Labour—Wairarapa): Thank you very much Madam Chair. I wish to start by acknowledging the chair of the Governance and Administration Committee Barbara Kuriger. My experience of Barbara is that she is an honest and decent person and she does a very good job as chair of this committee. In 2008 the Minister in the chair in his role as Speaker announced an independent review into bullying and harassment at Parliament in 2018. In my view that was long overdue. It sought to address the long history in this place of bullying and harassment and it's my view that the Minister should be commended for that. The review sought to establish formally whether bullying and harassment had occurred and if it had the nature and extent of this towards staff employed or engaged since the 51st Parliament; review how previous complaints had been handled; whether policies procedures and related controls are effective how they compare to best practice in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; and whether there are barriers to reporting or making complaints. It sought to assess the culture of Parliament as a place to work and allow for consideration of other matters brought up in the review. When the Minister came before the committee it was revealed that the review made 85 recommendations—85 recommendations—on how to address bullying and harassment in Parliament. That's extraordinary. But he also advised that 29 had been implemented by the end of 2019/20. A further nine were completed between June and November 2020. We heard that 31 other recommendations are in place or being implemented. Despite this progress it was acknowledged that more work needed to be done. During their presentation one area in which I was pleased to see some progress was around employment relations here at Parliament. The breakdown clause where members of staff could be removed at the discretion of a member of Parliament no longer exists. I think that should be celebrated. When the bill that brought this upon Parliament the Employment Relations (Triangular Employment) Amendment Bill was discussed in this House it was disappointing to me as the member sponsoring the bill that this bill was not supported across the House. But I hope now upon reflection that members will see that all staff regardless of whether they are in a triangular employment arrangement or a general employment arrangement should have provisions to the right of a personal grievance. I'm pleased to see that that is the case now for Parliamentary Service employees. The question I have for the Speaker is in reference to his comment of more work to do. Could he please outline to the House what areas he believes still need work in terms of addressing bullying and harassment at Parliament and whether he believes that they will be completed by the end of this year?
Dean Jacqui; Kuriger BarbaraSpeakerCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Members we turn now to the annual review debate for the Speaker.BARBARA KURIGER (Chairperson of the Governance and Administration Committee): Thank you Madam Chair. As the chair of the Governance and Administration Committee I just wanted to set the scene for the annual reviews that we've just had. I acknowledge the committee. I would particularly like to acknowledge Nicola Grigg who spent as much time being subbed out as she has joining us as we replace various spokespeople for the entities that we did the annual reviews for. Just for the information of the public who are listening tonight we had a number of entities. We had the Public Service Commission. We had the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; the Department of Internal Affairs; Stats New Zealand; Fire and Emergency New Zealand; National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who do the national emergency; the Office of Film and Literature Classification; the Office of the Ombudsman; the Office of the Clerk; and the office of Parliamentary Service. Just a couple of things that I would note is that during the year of COVID-19 a number of those departments including those here operating in Parliament found some new ways of operating because we certainly had to change a lot of our systems. I remember the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet talking about how in World War II it took a whole year to actually set up the systems and processes that would allow the variance in the House to take place. So I actually note that we had to move much more quickly this time.I will note that Stats are hoping for plenty of improvement in the next census. Fire and Emergency is in transition. I particularly wanted to note NEMA who are a very brand new organisation and given that they're very new themselves they have undertaken a huge amount of change in an organisation that's barely set up. So I particularly would like to note them.Of course the Clerks and the people who work in the Parliamentary Service are the people we see every day around this building in the Chamber and in our select committees and elsewhere. So I just want to thank those who participated and the committee for being part of this process.
McLellan Tracey; Little AndrewDr TRACEY McLELLAN (Labour—Banks Peninsula): Thank you Mr Chair and thank you to the Minister in the chair Andrew Little. Look I just want to go back. We kind of started this process talking about mental health and youth mental health in particular and I wondered if the Minister could talk a little bit further about specific announcements that have been made in regard to youth mental health just over the last year.Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): One of the objectives of the Government's response to He Ara Oranga and the $1.9 billion package we announced in Budget 2019 is not just to provide more services which we are currently doing and growing them for those with mild to moderate health conditions but to have specific packages for young people. So we have funded now in 10 DHB areas specific youth mental health services mainly in the form of youth one-stop shops because we know that for a lot of young people who need support and assistance through mental health challenges—actually there is an environment in which that works best where they're getting attention not only to the mental health issues but to other health issues and other social issues that they might have as well. So we've put a lot more funding into that.We've also added funding to the school programmes for health not only social workers in school but in some cases nurses in schools so that that healthcare and support is available at that age and at that stage in school. As well as that we've also got specific and targeted funding for young Māori and for Rainbow youth as well targeted funding for those areas. We've put $1 million into Youthline—Youthline never had public funding before; it's having public funding and that will be continuous—and we have supported the availability of online mental health services through a number of different apps which are being well used by young people.
Leavasa Dr Anae Neru; Little AndrewDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini): Thank you Mr Chair. Thank you to the Minister for his many answers especially with the health reforms with the Māori Health Authority which we are excited about where the collaboration will be more focused on equity rather than competition as well with the provider level. My question to the Minister is: what details were announced in relation to Pharmac this year? Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): I thank the member for the question. Pharmac as many people have seen has been a very good model for medicines procurement. It does all the procurement for all our DHBs. It now procures over a billion dollars a year in medicines for New Zealanders. Those medicines are provided to—I think the last figure I saw was 3.7 million New Zealanders; a lot of New Zealanders getting a lot of medicines. But there have been I think justified criticisms about the speed with which Pharmac sometimes makes its decisions particularly with new medical technologies. So we have commissioned a review of Pharmac and its decision making. Pharmac is required to work within the budget that it gives. That is what it says in its statute: that it must work within its budget. That budget is set independently of Pharmac as you would expect. It is the Government of the day that sets the Pharmac budget but Pharmac has to work within it and make the best decisions that it can. If I just talk tangentially for a moment about cancer treatments this Government set up the Cancer Control Agency because we were concerned like many New Zealanders that there was inconsistency in diagnosis times and inconsistency in treatments of cancers depending on where you lived in New Zealand. So the Cancer Control Agency is now there to provide leadership and monitoring and to drive some consistency in cancer diagnosis and treatment. One of the reports they are currently preparing is a report on cancer treatments available in New Zealand and to compare that to countries we like to compare ourselves to like Australia the UK and Canada—all countries with significant public health systems. I think that would be a useful starting point on the debate about cancer treatments we should be having including those we don't currently have and that I think will inform future decisions by Pharmac. But we need to make sure that Pharmac is set up in a way and equipped to be able to respond agilely and quickly where new technology becomes available and make good purchasing decisions at that time.
Sharma Gaurav; Little AndrewDr GAURAV SHARMA (Labour—Hamilton West): Thank you Mr Chair. Just before a question was raised from the other side by my colleague Dr Shane Reti who's a general practitioner. In my life as a general practitioner and now in my new life as a member of Parliament my patients and my constituents have asked about cochlear implants and I was wondering if the Minister could tell us a little bit about any recent announcements he's made on cochlear implants.Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Thank you Mr Chair and thank you to Gaurav Sharma for that question. I think last year we announced additional funding for cochlear implants which means that we can fund an additional I think roughly 60 cochlear implants. I have to say that I had an amazing story relayed to me just a few days ago of a person whose 51-year-old brother who's been profoundly deaf got a cochlear implant recently and did so because he wanted to hear the sound of his grandchildren. Because of that additional money put in last year he had the procedure recently and as you would imagine it has profoundly changed his life. She was telling me that she'd got a phone call from him the other day saying he was off to the beach so he could listen to the waves—things that we take for granted. So that is the profound impact that is happening. We have a waiting list of I think roughly 240 cochlear implants at the moment in New Zealand. We need to work very hard to reduce that and we will continue to do so but being able to do that as one-off extra funding appropriations makes a difference and we will continue to look for opportunities to make that difference for cochlear implants.
Little AndrewHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Thank you Mr Chair and I thank the chair of the Health Committee Dr Liz Craig for her comments and endorse parts of what she said.I thank my colleague Matt Doocey for his opening question. The issue of infant child and adolescent mental health services is a growing issue for New Zealand like the rest of the world. There has been a significant increase in demand for services and that has pushed our waiting times for New Zealand mental health services in the region of between 5 and 7 percent in most cases. So the measures that DHBs are held against for infant child and adolescent mental health services are an expectation that 80 percent of people will be referred to specialist services within three weeks and 95 percent of those referred to services will be seen within eight weeks. Most DHBs are not meeting that target.As part of the revamped mental health services and the investment that went into services in 2019—that $1.9 billion spending programme over four to five years—a number of investments have been made. We now have specialist or youth-specific primary mental health and addiction services in 10 DHB areas now setting up and operating. We've recently expanded Mana Ake which was a programme that started in Canterbury primary schools. It's now been—or will from the beginning of next year be extended to five additional DHB areas and then will be expanded beyond that over time. We've expanded the school-based health services to all decile 5 schools; that will assist in alleviating some of the pressure on the DHB-provided mental health services. And as a result of COVID and the investment in COVID-related services additional investment went into telehealth or remote services and a number of online programmes that young people can get access to. We know they've been well-used and that has alleviated some pressure too but it is not a complete answer to the challenge DHBs still have with the waiting times for those particular infant child and adolescent mental health services.
Doocey MattHealthMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): Thank you very much Mr Chair and can I just acknowledge the Minister who's taken the chair Andrew Little and thank him for his time tonight. I want to start with mental health. You heard from a range of DHBs who talked about the growing waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services over the last three years. DHB representatives who appeared for their annual reports highlighted that they wanted a system-wide response. They believe the ministry needs to take a leadership policy and investment role. Even the Director-General of Health acknowledged this as a sector-wide issue and has called for a response. What is the Minister's response to deal with those ballooning wait times for child and adolescent mental health services?
Tirikatene Rino; Parker David; Dean JacquiRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Thank you Madam Chair; delighted to contribute to this annual review debate. Also as a support person for the Minister in the chair Hon David Parker and as the Under-Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries I wanted to pick up on the matters that had just been raised previously. Could the Minister give us an overview? Looking back at the past 12 months the fact that this is a new portfolio the combination of oceans and fisheries—the first of its kind in the history of our country—what particular actions is the Minister taking to focus on fisheries issues particularly around inshore but also looking at the aquaculture industry as well and the particular strategies and measures that he's undertaking?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): One of the issues that we're considering is how you allocate marine aquaculture space how you do that in accordance with obligations under Treaty fisheries settlement legislation and how you do that in a way that minimises environmental risks like biosecurity risks. The ministry I think is conducting some very important work about how we should be conceiving of aquaculture areas as discrete biosecurity areas so that if we have an incursion in one area they're actually not ruining the whole of the New Zealand industry. Those would be a couple of examples.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Members the time has come for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break. The committee will convene again at 7 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Court Simon; Dean JacquiSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you. I was going to make a point of order Madam Chair that I think it's important that we stick to the purpose of this debate at this committee—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): The member will resume his seat.
van de Molen Tim; Parker DavidTIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): Thank you Madam Chair. Just in relation to that Resource Management Act (RMA) then and moving to the oceans and fisheries space does the Minister envisage any new aquaculture areas will be consented pre these RMA changes actually passing?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Well again that's not a matter that's within the period of this annual review.TIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): Well it does fit though within the Government's aquaculture strategy which was part of this annual review period. So I would be interested if the Minister does have an answer if he could share it with us. But moving along from that in terms of the aquaculture strategy I'd be interested to know how many jobs have been created as a result of the implementation of this strategy. How is the Government tracking on actually delivering on their proposal to create 3000 new jobs in aquaculture?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): I don't have that number. What I can say is that I'm sure that during this term of Government we'll be making a lot more progress than that Government did in nine years when things were stuck. The problem that we've been dealing with is that the system was actually hamstrung for over a decade under the prior Government. We are working through those issues. We are making progress but I don't have that number to hand.TIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): OK. Does he have to hand then the contribution economically that has derived from the aquaculture strategy as a result of the implantation of this? No? Righto. OK. Well if he's not across aquaculture that's fine. Will he rule out granting partial or full ownership of the foreshore and seabed to Māori as suggested by He Puapua?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Well that matter doesn't sit within my ministerial responsibilities.Simon Court: Point of order Madam Chair.Tim van de Molen: Well for oceans and fisheries it does actually.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): The member will wait until I call him.
Simpson Scott; McAnulty KieranHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Point of order Madam Chairperson. The process so far this afternoon has run not according to the timetable that was as far as I'm aware agreed by the Business Committee and what I'm seeking at this stage is—because we are running significantly behind time and this is an important questioning period—that the Minister give us an assurance that he'll be available after the dinner break to conclude this session. KIERAN McANULTY (Chief Whip—Labour): Speaking to the point of order I just wanted to reassure the committee that we are actually on time. We started this slightly late and Madam Chair you've done a very good job of making sure we do keep to time. CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): OK thank you for that. Just to add to that the comment I've previously made—and I'll keep this short because this is using the House's time but so did the point of order—is that this session is now designed to be a Q and A. That seems to be the most effective way of holding the Minister to account. Five-minute speeches do not directly hold the Minister to account. So I'll leave that up to the members and that's all I can do.
Dean JacquiEnvironment and Ocean and FisheriesCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): We turn now to the financial review for environment and oceans and fisheries. The Hon David Parker is in the chair. Before I take the committee chair can I just remind the House that the financial review as indeed the Estimates works most effectively when it is conducted as a Q and A session of the Minister. The smaller parties may find that taking a five-minute call in the context of a half-hour debate really does eat up that party's time which is proportional to the House.
Bennett David; O'Connor DamienHon DAVID BENNETT (National): When will farmers in the Southland region know what criteria they have to meet so that you are satisfied and your colleague is satisfied that the modular process will have done an effective job at creating the environmental outcomes that you desire to avoid the implementation of the freshwater rules next year? Secondly what is the anticipated cost on local councils—regional councils particularly—of implementing those very programmes?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): I don't have a set date for that other than to say that if we can through winter grazing practice this season show that there's real improvement for not only water quality but for animal welfare standards—and that's the law around that. We have two years ago of course raised this issue been through an independent process and given some clear guidelines about animal welfare standards for winter grazing. If we do the right thing there I'm sure water standards will improve.In terms of the cost and if we were to go to a consenting process—that is if you were seeking as proposed to plant in places that were steeper than we'd talked about or that may have ended up being in a high-risk situation close to a river then the cost of that consenting process is something we can't estimate but it might be significant depending on the regional council. I'm trying to avoid that process if we as a farming sector can prove that what we put in a farm plan will be adhered to and does make progress with freshwater quality and with animal welfare standards. Hon DAVID BENNETT (National): So what's the definition of real progress?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): I think it will actually be a somewhat subjective assessment this year. That is I think if we see images of water pollution and if we see images of ill-cared-for animals then the public will expect that we do more to bring those farmers into line and other farmers will expect us to have regulations to bring them into line. Hon DAVID BENNETT (National): So if your test is images—and it's fairly easy for anyone to take a photo in Southland in the winter of any stock in a winter grazing environment and picture it in a way that may be seen as negative—so if visual images are going to be your test what is the standard that you will consider to have breached what the public rules will be around that? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): We are working with the regional council Environment Southland down there in terms of Southland. All other regional councils will be partly responsible as well as will the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) through inspectors for animal welfare. We've been clear we've been upfront and actually most people are reasonable and they understand what is unreasonable. So you know the councils with MPI will be working through that process in a fair way but it will be a reasonable way and will conclude I guess at the end of winter as to whether we indeed have made progress which I hope we have.
O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Kia ora. Look I'll attempt to answer a few of those questions incorporated in there.Firstly is Government considering direct support for local purchase of organics? No we're not. In fact we believe that the market and the demand for it is building to the point where actually production is the challenge and that's indeed where the organics bill comes in. We need to give the consumers who often pay a little more for organic products an assurance that indeed the product is what it says it is and it's been produced in an organic way with credibility. We've had in place in New Zealand through a couple of agencies like BioGro and Demeter a couple of certification systems that have been deeming products to be organic if the growers meet the standards. We've seen growth in that area to the point where exports of organics is a significant part of that sector. We've negotiated with each country an assurance that says that when we sell products off-shore that are claiming to be organics they are. Some of those countries have accepted that standard but it's been a country-by-country negotiation. What a number in the organic sector have said is that actually we need a national standard that we can go to any market around the world and say This is certified by our Government by our country as organic and you can trust it."—because Government-to-Government certification is usually the most credible.So we've worked through a piece of legislation we've worked through draft regulations that are currently out for discussion and the concern seems to be around the cost which is a legitimate one. We don't want to add any further cost but ultimately we do want to as Government be able to say to whoever buys organic products from New Zealand that these are truly organic in the production system used. So it comes down to should we contract that out to a non-Government agency to say it's organic or should we keep it with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) or New Zealand Food Safety to say it's organic? Ultimately a Government agency backed by us through legislation through regulation is the safest way and the most secure way through to market. We've accepted some of the arguments and some of the points raised in select committee but ultimately I believe and Government will believe that certification by MPI or New Zealand Food Safety is the best way to grow the organic sector."
Tuiono TeanauTEANAU TUIONO (Green): Thank you Madam Chair. I wanted to touch on some of the issues that have come out of the organics bill. But I also wanted to thank everybody that has been helping and supporting the passage of the bill through the House. Because we know that hopefully it will create certainty for people locally and overseas who want to buy organic Kiwi products.We know that people around the country and the world want their food to be produced in environmentally friendly ways. They want to know that when they put dinner on the table for their kids and families it has been produced sustainably helping to create a greener future for current and future generations. A part of that is understanding that clear and trusted national organic standards will help us produce food and other products more sustainably.I think it's really important that we do ensure that we have the voices of the growers and the producers and the people who have made this their lives that understand that when we live holistically with the land it's not just about the economic benefits but it's also about how we engage and work holistically with the environment.But I have two questions which kind of fall underneath that. We know that when we transition from one regime to the next—and I understand that's what I see is happening—what support policies will be put in place to ensure that the organic system the organic sector will be carried from this regime to the next? And also has the Minister also thought about advocating for a preferential procurement of locally produced organic products to help grow the organic sector?Attached to that I have a related question and that's since 1 December 2020 the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have been calling for proposals for projects that would research regenerative farming practices. On the website it says that projects could be under way by mid-2020. So I'd like some clarity around what's happening with that how many proposals have been received the dates and how many have been funded so far and what else is the Government doing to understand the value of regenerative farming for Aotearoa New Zealand? Thank you.
Simmonds Penny; O'Connor DamienPENNY SIMMONDS (National—Invercargill): After the Minister's decision to delay the intensive winter grazing regulations for a year what are the criteria or standards for intensive winter grazing that farmers must meet to satisfy the Minister that he doesn't have to impose regulations?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): We have under way consultation on farm freshwater management plans. So each farm will be expected to have in place a freshwater management plan that gives an indication of the high-risk areas the stocking rates and assurance that nitrate flowing from that farm or that property in that management system will reduce over time. That's what we hope to achieve from that and we're trying to incorporate those freshwater management plans into integrated farm plans which are not a set template; it's a concept where farmers will roll into one plan their obligations around health and safety around biosecurity—M. bovis being a challenge for all of us now that wasn't there—animal welfare standards that are expected by all those people who buy our projects freshwater management and soil protection biodiversity and of course labour management on a farming operation. All of those things are legal requirements. Some of them need to be laid out in terms of definition and those are ones around freshwater biodiversity yet to be clearly defined. But if you run a farming operation ultimately be it the regional council be it the processing company that buys your stock or the customer in the market that wants to consume your products and check the production system used they'll all want reassurance that you've done it in the right way.PENNY SIMMONDS (National—Invercargill): So what modelling has been done on the economic impact of the environmental policies on farm viability and the ability to accelerate the economic potential of agriculture?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): As I stated before there has been some economic modelling done which I don't necessarily accept. The economic potential of agriculture is unlimited in my view. As we move from volume to value or to values I think that what we produce from this country by way of pure safe nutrition that through innovation can be turned into recipes for individuals in terms of their nutrient needs—I believe the sky is the limit. Because if we through the ethical methods of production and assurances through farm plans and certification—I think that people will be actively seeking to buy products from our country just as we've seen with mānuka honey where perhaps the prices in some markets might be seen as ridiculous by New Zealanders but actually they're seen as reasonable by the very customers who purchase it. That's the space that we need to move into as a food-producing and fibre-producing nation.
O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Thank you Madam Chair and I'm happy to answer questions. It's very hard to answer or respond to a statement but I'll try. Firstly I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work and the previous member there Mark Cameron as a farmer is in a group of people in this country that has done an incredible amount to commit to work their way through COVID alongside the good people at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to a point where we saw a marginal drop of 1 percent in the net export revenue from our primary sectors—an incredible achievement through the COVID year. And next year because of that good work working with Government people MPI people and others—Land Information New Zealand as well—across the primary sectors we have a forecast increase of revenue of 3.6 percent the envy of many countries around the world. And so I'd just like to put that on record.In response to the statement around water quality this Government put some ideas. It made a commitment to improve water quality. We worked together to put out some draft proposals that we accept were wrong and we have put them to one side. We're now working through with all the agencies across the primary sectors to ensure that we come up with a pragmatic set of proposals that will give us on the ground changes that will improve water quality which is what we need in some particular areas—not all across the country. The one size fits all was that bottom line that we as a Government and as the nation have to have. We have to have a bottom line but we hope that the vast majority of farmers and people who own the land actually will be better than that. I'm sure they will. Many are actually far better in terms of their farm management already. But we have to work through a process. We've got 12 months to do that and I'm saying to farmers let's work together. Let's step up and show the wider public that—as we have in export earnings—we can achieve an amazing amount for our country.
Dean JacquiAgriculture and Land InformationCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): We turn now to the financial review for agriculture and land information—Hon Damien O'Connor in the chair.
O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Madam Chair just before I provide the Minister with a question I'd just like to take this moment to acknowledge the passing of Brian Corban the chair of KiwiRail who in your capacity as infrastructure Minister I know you will have had a considerable amount to do with him. In my role as chair of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee he was before us this year. So the House should acknowledge that passing.Minister I'd just like to ask—we've sat through the House and we've heard honourable members across there building a picture of an economy in some sort of peril to the extent that I think Mr Bayly used the words the bank would put us under." The question I'd like to ask is: how does this reconcile with the views of the rating agencies who presumably are using and looking at the same set of facts as are available to those members opposite and certainly available to you? So my question is: how would you reconcile those differences in attitudes and findings?"
Salesa JennyANNUAL REVIEW DEBATEIn CommitteeCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The House is in committee on the Appropriation (2019/20 Confirmation and Validation) Bill. This is the debate on the financial position of the Government and the annual reviews of departments Offices of Parliament Crown entities public organisations and State enterprises as reported on by select committees. The time allocated for this debate is 10 hours.In accordance with a determination of the Business Committee Standing Order 356(2) and (3) have been set aside so there will be no sector-specific debates. All annual reviews are available for debate but only specific Ministers will be available each day to respond. The Government has indicated that the Minister of Finance and Minister for Infrastructure; the Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Land Information; the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Oceans and Fisheries; the Minister of Health; the Speaker; and the Minister of Education will be available today. The time this debate has been allocated to parties is on a proportional basis. New Zealand Labour has five hours 25 minutes New Zealand National has two hours 45 minutes the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand has 50 minutes ACT New Zealand has 50 minutes and Te Paati Māori has 10 minutes.As determined by the Business Committee each debate will be led off by the chairperson or another member of the committee that considered annual reviews most closely related to the Minister's portfolios. A motion to report progress on a bill must be moved on a call not a point of order. When a member moves to report progress in this annual review debate the presiding officer will call on that member first when the debate resumes. This is a similar process to that followed in other debates when they are adjourned.At the conclusion of the debate questions will be put noting the committee reports on annual reviews and on the provisions of the Appropriation (2019/20 Confirmation and Validation) Bill. There is no amendment or debate on these questions.The question is that the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the annual financial statements of the Government for 2019/2020 financial year be noted.
Pallett SarahSARAH PALLETT (Labour—Ilam): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the Immigration (COVID-19 Response) Amendment Bill which helps to support the Government's strategy to eliminate COVID-19 from our communities. It is an important bill because it enables the Government to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak as it may develop over the next two years. We know that we can't predict the path of this virus and we need these powers to continue. I think it's important for us to realise that we can use these powers only if they are tied to COVID-19 or the effects of the response to COVID19 and that they can be used only to benefit or at a minimum not disadvantage visa holders. I commend the work of the select committee and in particular its chair Marja Lubeck for handling this with grace. I commend this bill to the House.
Leavasa Dr Anae NeruDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to take a very brief call on this bill the Immigration (COVID-19 Response) Amendment Bill. I wasn't privileged enough to be on the select committee to hear the submissions—the 168 submissions and those 43 submitters who were heard either face to face or on Zoom. I acknowledge their submissions and after reading the report have seen that they've made some key themes there. I commend this bill to the House because of its safety for our whānau.
Webb DuncanDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central): Kia ora e te Mana Whakawā. I stand and rise in light of fact that the Māori Party chooses not to speak on this bill which I do find surprising seeing they had a commitment to scrutinise every bill in this House but they seem not to be doing it with this one. But really other than that I commend this bill to the House.
Roberts AngelaANGELA ROBERTS (Labour): I'd also like to thank everyone who made the effort to make submissions to the Education and Workforce Committee. There were some really painful stories that were brought—often out of scope but I appreciate that people were taking the opportunity to have their voices heard. But what I do need to bring to the attention of this House is some of the feedback we got from industries who were very appreciative of the opportunity to engage in a situation that is still in a constant state of flux. We had industries who came to select committee and they told us about the useful processes of engagement and the problem solving that happened over the last 12 months and will continue to be able to happen when this legislation passes. The New Zealand Winegrowers you'll be pleased to hear Mr Smith talked about the extension of dates and removal of conditions from holders of working holiday visas so they remained legally in New Zealand and were able to work in any industry for any employer which has enabled those visa holders to help bring in the 2021 vintage. They talked about the extension of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme visa time frames for those workers who were in New Zealand and either were unable to return home or wished to remain in New Zealand to continue to work to support their families. Horticulture New Zealand also talked about the continuing issuing of extensions. Why they support it: it provides much-needed workers for industry and ensures that people stranded in New Zealand can work and earn their cost of living. And of course the Meat Industry Association of New Zealand is grateful to the Government for the visa extensions and for the delay to the introduction of the stand-down period. It is industry who supports this bill. They are happy for the ability to engage with the Minister to respond nimbly and appropriately. It has been tough but this law is necessary and it will pass with our support.
Omer IbrahimIBRAHIM OMER (Labour): I feel very proud in taking this short call in support of this bill. Chris Bishop the previous speaker has just mentioned that none of the 65 Labour Party MPs turned up to the protest. He also said that there were too many of us—65 of us. Yes there are 65 of us but none of us was invited to this event to this protest. But the other thing I want to mention is that prior to 2017 when I was active in the community I was active in the union movement. We marched screaming for migrant workers who were being exploited. We marched to double the quota. We marched and marched and marched. At the time the National Party was in Government. There were so many of them at that time. There were so many of them—about 50-plus—and we were inviting them to each and every single event. None of them turned up but four years later we don't blame them for that. Now they—Erica Stanford: Sounds like you are. IBRAHIM OMER: —are playing a blame game but that's fine. But if we are invited Erica we are going to turn up because we care. This bill maintains important powers to enable the Government to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak as it may develop over the next two years. The Minister of Immigration has just stated the number of people who have benefited from this legislation. I'm not going to repeat that. I was privileged to be a member of the committee that heard the submissions in the last couple of weeks and we have heard a lot of the stories—stories from international students split-family members but also from the skilled migrants who have been stranded overseas and they were heartbreaking stories we heard. But this is the reality that COVID-19 has created. This time last year when this legislation was introduced COVID-19 was killing people and it was infecting people but now a year on it's killing more people and it's infecting more people. Just in the last 24 hours there are about 660000 new infections. There are more than 10000 dead just in the last 24 hours and that is the reality that we're dealing with. The migrant workers are always going to be an integral part of our workforce and we value them—there's no question about that. They're going to be part of our recovery plan but we always have to be vigilant. We have sacrificed so much to stop COVID-19 and to stamp out the virus from our country but we cannot undo that. With that I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.
Urgent Debates Declined — Purchase of Land at Ihumātao—Findings of Controller and Auditor-General
Mallard TrevorURGENT DEBATES DECLINEDIhumātao—Findings of the Controller and Auditor-General on Purchase of LandSPEAKER: I have received letters from Nicola Willis and David Seymour seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 the findings of the Controller and Auditor-General in relation to the purchase of land at Ihumātao. This is a particular case of recent occurrence for which there is ministerial responsibility. The fact that another parliamentary means of debating the subject of the urgent debate application is a relevant consideration for me to consider in deciding whether to accept an application: Speakers' ruling 207/1. The annual review debate is set down on the Order Paper for today. I note that the Minister of Finance is due to participate in the debate which covers the performance and current operations of Government agencies. The subject of the applications can be directly addressed in that debate. The applications are therefore denied.
Mallard TrevorPETITIONS PAPERS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLSSPEAKER: Petitions have been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.CLERK: Petition of Sarah-Jane Cairns requesting that the House amend the law to specify a requirement that children born alive after an abortion be provided immediately with appropriate medical carepetition of Ravi Sabrol requesting that the House urge Immigration New Zealand to only change immigration policies after 5 years to help keep migrants eligible for further working visas or residency permits to put upcoming changes on hold and relax rules for migrants who are onshore and offshorepetition of Rylee Hays requesting that the House urge the Government to allocate more funding towards hospitals mental health facilities and counselling servicespetition of Belen Macchiavello requesting that the House urge the Government to allow migrants with current New Zealand visas who are stuck offshore to either re-enter the country or extend their visaspetition of Oliver Manton requesting that the House urge the Government to extend all current active supplementary seasonal employment visas by another yearpetition of Abhijit Mallik requesting that the House urge the Government to offer permanent residence to work visa holders presently in New Zealandpetition of Ben Leigh requesting that the House urge the Government to review the minimum legal age for obtaining a firearms licence.SPEAKER: Those petitions stand referred to the Petitions Committee.Ministers have delivered papers.CLERK: Animal Control Products Report to Shareholders for the Six Months Ended 31 December 2020Drug Free Sport New Zealand Annual Plan to 30 June 2021 and Statement of Performance Expectations Revised April 2021Report of the Attorney-General on the Supplementary Order Paper on the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment BillEducation Payroll Statement of Performance Expectations 2020/21.SPEAKER: I present the 2021/22 Draft Annual Plan of the Controller and Auditor-General. Those papers are published under the authority of the House.Select committee reports have been delivered for presentation.CLERK: Report of the Education and Workforce Committee on the Immigration (COVID19 Response) Amendment Bill report of the Environment Committee on the petition of Conrad House and 1055 othersreports of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on: the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Billthe petition of Nicola Millar the petition of Sean Davisreport of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee on the petition of Brian Webb report of the Governance and Administration Committee on the petition of Sreiden Bun reports of the Justice Committee on:the Electoral (Integrity Repeal) Amendment Billthe Rights for Victims of Insane Offenders Bill and petitions of Wendy Hamer.SPEAKER: Those reports are set down for consideration.The Clerk has been informed of the introduction of bills. CLERK: Education and Training Amendment Bill introductionRegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Legislation Bill introduction.SPEAKER: Those bills are set down for first reading.
Salesa JennyTUESDAY 4 MAY 2021The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERSHon JENNY SALESA (Assistant Speaker—Labour): Ke tau lotu. 'E 'Otua Māfimafi kuo mau taa'i mālie 'i ho'o 'ofá mo e ngaahi tāpuaki hono kotoa. 'Oku tuku homau lotó ka mau hū atu ke ke malu'i ange mu'a 'a e Kuiní mo tataki ange 'emau fua fatongia 'i he Fale Aleá 'aki 'a e poto Faka-e-'Otua 'ofa pea mo e 'ulungaanga malū ko e 'uhí ko e mo'ui mo e melino 'a e fonuá. 'Oku mau kole atu 'a e ngaahi me'á ni hono kotoa 'i he huafa ho 'aló pē 'e taha ko Sīsū Kalaisi ka ko homau fakamo'uí 'Emeni.
Thursday 15 April 2021 - Volume 751
Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Select Committee
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the motion be agreed to.Ayes 77New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10;Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 43New Zealand National 33; ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members the House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 4 May 2021. Ka kite anō.The House adjourned at 4.56 p.m.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.Ayes 110New Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Noes 10ACT New Zealand 10.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is That the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be considered by the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee.Motion agreed to.Bill referred to the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee.
Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That this House approve the following orders made under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020: COVID-19 Public Health Response (Maritime Border) Order (No 2) Amendment Order 2021 and COVID19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No 6) 2021.Ayes 118New Zealand Labour 65; New Zealand National 33; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; ACT New Zealand 10.Noes 2Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.Orders approved.
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 is continued and that the relevant period under section 3(2)(b) of that Act is the period ending on 31 December 2021.Ayes 85New Zealand Labour 65; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; ACT New Zealand 10.Noes 35New Zealand National 33; Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.