1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon NIKKI KAYE (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon NIKKI KAYE (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by Cabinet's decision not to consider lifting alert level 2 restrictions and moving to level 1 until 8 June?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: The premise of that member's question is sadly incorrect; in fact by choosing a decision date of 8 June Cabinet decided to bring it forward from 22 June. The member should be happy with the parties of this Government in that they are cooperating to move as fast as we can on this important matter.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she stand by her Cabinet paper that alert level 1 controls are predicated upon there having been no new cases from community transmission for at least 28 days?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister most definitely excepting that was only one of eight conditions set down at the time. I'd invite that member to read the full paper before coming to this House with a not complete idea of what she's talking about.Hon Nikki Kaye: When was the last case of community transmission in New Zealand?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Thirty-four days ago.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she stand by her statement yesterday that the criteria for decision making on alert level 1 includes trends in the transmission of the virus and isn't the most significant trend the fact that there has been no community transmission in over a month?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister to the first question most definitely stand by that statement. As to the second issue and question raised by the member it is only one of the criteria that are being considered by Cabinet on 8 June.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does the Government have confidence in our border controls to enable the country to move to level 1?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister—and I dare say the Minister of Customs and others here—we've done our best to secure and ensure that our borders are safe. That means it requires us to be extraordinarily vigilant; it requires us to cooperate with other countries as well. We have done everything we can I believe to ensure that when we come to make the decision the security of our borders will not be one where we will be concerned about any failure or omission there.David Seymour: Why has the Deputy Prime Minister failed to persuade her to move to level 1 immediately?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister is one of the most persuasive people I've met.Hon Member: Answer the question.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: However—I'll answer the question sunshine when I get to it all right? But the reality is that we belong to a coalition where cooperation and debate and discussion sometimes heated nevertheless leads to better decisions—not some discordant one-man band where the leader and the supporters are the same person. SPEAKER: Order! Order! Before the member answers I let it run and then I've sort of thought about it. I know that the term sunshine" is a term of endearment but it's probably not an appropriate one to use in the House.David Seymour: It's all right grandpa. Is she aware of the reasons why after calling for an immediate—Hon Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. As the Minister for Seniors I object to the ageist phrase that that member just used before he started his question.SPEAKER: Did the member use an ageist phrase?David Seymour: As you said earlier it's a term of endearment.SPEAKER: The member heard a warning as to the inappropriateness of using terms even if they were of endearment. If he deliberately used a term of endearment then I'm striking the question out.David Seymour: Oh Mr Speaker it wasn't deliberate.SPEAKER: Well if the member ignorantly used one I'm striking it out as well.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You frequently allow other members to ask their question even after cautioning them about their conduct. To take a question away on that basis is grossly unfair and it undermines this House being able to hold the Government accountable.SPEAKER: OK the member will resume his seat. The member through an arrangement with another member has had double the questions that he normally has had this week and if he is serious about holding the House to account he will—especially after a warning's been issued—stay within the Standing Orders and Speakers' rulings. He deliberately flouted them and for members who deliberately flout them there are consequences. And for members on both sides of the House as both whips will indicate I do regularly take questions from parties who deliberately breach the rules—or ignorantly breach the rules as that member did.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: I'm not going to have this subject debated again. David Seymour: A fresh point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: On a different issue?David Seymour: Yes. I seek leave to ask an additional supplementary question.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that? There is.David Seymour: Oh he doesn't want it.SPEAKER: All right. The member will leave the Chamber.David Seymour withdrew from the Chamber. Hon Nikki Kaye: Why are we not at level 1 when her Cabinet paper states that there is no need for restrictions if there is no community transmission for 28 days and we have confidence in our border controls?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Again the reality is and I set it out that there are eight criteria not one. Now thus far in all these supplementary questions I have heard of two of the pathways of judgment not the other six. But if we wait here long enough maybe I'll get one on the other six as well.Hon Nikki Kaye: What is the reason the Deputy Prime Minister gave her for wanting to move to level 1 over a week ago?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister came along and said "We have a two-cycles target. We're going to meet that. There are other things that we are going to have to focus on such as border security and a range of other matters as well including the effectiveness of an app and community awareness and cooperation." But the Deputy Prime Minister above all stressed that it was the economy and its turn-around and recovery that were so critical in his thinking and that was put before her as the Prime Minister.Hon Nikki Kaye: Is one of the reasons that she has not moved the country into level 1 the reason articulated by the Hon Willie Jackson about alert levels—that another week is not going to hurt?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister no it's not that at all. But the Prime Minister you recall just three days ago was listening to another leader of another party who said he didn't and couldn't take a position on alert level 1 "because he isn't the Prime Minister." Now I don't know where that member is getting her leadership from but that's what the then and now and new National Party leadership said.Hon Chris Hipkins: Does she believe that there would be an increased risk of community transmission taking hold in New Zealand again if we moved to reopen the border with urgency to countries like China as advocated by the Leader of the Opposition?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister that is an extremely good question because it demonstrates how dangerous the thinking of some people is because if we were to do that then who would know—according to one of the eight criteria laid out—how sound our border was. I was actually astonished when I heard it and I still don't believe that someone honestly could have put it forward as a sound addition to the Tasman bubble—that proposition.Hon Nikki Kaye: Does she agree with either Willie Jackson or Wellington pub owner Matt McLaughlin who says his bar Danger Danger is still in a world of hurt at level 2?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister of course the Prime Minister sympathises with every businessman and woman who because of this outside intruder has suffered so much. Everybody on this side of the House understands that and that's why we are doing our best to get back to normalcy as fast as we possibly can and possibly two weeks earlier than was originally projected. But here's the real point: we are not going to use the misery of people caused by some outside influence for which none of us are responsible just to try and advance our miserable political careers.Hon Nikki Kaye: Why did she not listen to her Deputy Prime Minister and the thousands of businesses across New Zealand that are hurting as a result of not being in level 1?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister she almost had me there—but I've got to say that it is a decision to be made by all of Cabinet and all of Cabinet will be listening to the country at the same time."