1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes especially the work we are doing to support those regions individuals and businesses most exposed to the global impacts of COVID-19. Ministers will be meeting this afternoon as part of the COVID-19 Cabinet committee that has been established to meet outside of the Cabinet cycle so that we can stay in front as much as possible of some of the impacts that we're seeing. This will enable us to discuss further options that we can enact in order to support those who are feeling the direct effects alongside those initiatives we've already rolled out.Hon Simon Bridges: Is New Zealand heading into a recession and what's her plan to deal with it?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That has not been the advice that we have received thus far but it is very clear that the global impacts of COVID-19 are likely to be significant and that is something that Treasury has openly acknowledged—significant but they have not at this stage said that it will necessarily be long term in the effect. None the less we are prepared and continuing to work hard alongside those affected industries to get ahead of the impacts that are being seen. In fact I think it's interesting to look at what Stephen Toplis head of research from BNZ Markets said today. From a Government perspective he says the things it needs to do are: educate folk about the impending risks—clearly from a public health perspective that's exactly what we're doing; Focus aggressively on bolstering resources to the health sector"—also what we've done with our pandemic plan; "Provide short term assistance to businesses with cash flow difficulties by ensuring government payments to suppliers are timely"—this was something we discussed with BusinessNZ on Monday and we're looking to bring forward prompt payment. Also they talk about selective tax holidays. Inland Revenue has been proactive in the advice they have put out around for instance the possibilities of instalments for estimates of provisional tax and even if people are unable to pay the kinds of serious hardship measures that are available. Mr Speaker I realise this is a long answer but if I may continue: "Ensure that folk who lose their jobs or who can't attend work for an extended period of time have access to benefits … in a timely fashion"—this is one of the agenda items for the COVID-19 Cabinet committee today; and "Ensure that the infrastructure of government is maintained." I think you can see from this list that we are being proactive in all of those areas.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she believe New Zealand will face recession this year?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'm not going to make a prediction that no other economist is currently making or indeed Treasury. We are not predicting but we are planning and preparing because that is what we of course need to do in order to support those regions in particular that are most likely to be affected. We know those are likely to be—Gisborne Hawke's Bay Tasman and Marlborough are amongst the most exposed particularly looking at the—Hon Simon Bridges: It's every small business in New Zealand.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —impacts in China. But some analysis obviously Mr Bridges demonstrates those impacts are particularly acute there and then across the board for the likes of tourism and hospitality. In each of those regions we are looking to create tailored packages of support. That's something that our Minister for Economic Development is currently working on.Hon Simon Bridges: How will she reassure New Zealanders economically in light of our slow growth and very low business confidence leading into this crisis?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Actually I refute the premise of that question. In fact I believe it was the ANZ business confidence survey that demonstrated that actually off the back of the big New Zealand upgrade there was a significant uptick in the confidence levels particularly in those in the construction industry. Also our growth levels—and in fact that's been a reflection of many economists that we were well placed; the momentum in the economy was good. That is exactly the position you want to be in if you're going to have to weather a storm like this. I do at this point want to reach out to the Opposition. If they feel that they would benefit from more frequent briefings on this issue we are happy to provide them. If they have suggestions my understanding is that that is being provided to the health spokesperson but if they'd like that increased we'll look to do that within the resource we have. But equally if there are specific measures that I have not listed in this House that members believe we should be exploring for regional New Zealand or businesses we are open to those. This is a New Zealand issue amongst a global issue and we should be working together on it.Hon Simon Bridges: In light of her first comments in that last supplementary answer is it in fact the case that the Reserve Bank and Treasury have contacted the commercial bank economists and told them to be less negative?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I have no such advice on that.Hon Simon Bridges: When will we see a light rail announcement from her Government?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As soon as we're ready to announce one.Hon Simon Bridges: When will we see an announcement on the resolution of Ihumātao?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again when an announcement is ready to be made. But again I make the same comment that I have many other times—that this has actually been an incredibly complex issue. What we of course have been focused on is making sure amongst the three different areas that Treaty precedent isn't created that the issues that have been raised by mana whenua are adequately addressed and of course that the current private land owner is a party obviously to the solution.Hon Simon Bridges: Has a deal in fact been struck; and if so why isn't it being announced?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because there is no resolution to be announced at this stage but I'm sure the member will be very pleased when eventually a solution is found because it will be in New Zealand's best interest.Hon Simon Bridges: What is her Government's position on the electric vehicle feebate; is it dead or not?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Well I can tell the member that unlike his position which seemed to be to support and then to say he didn't like it—which to me actually undermines his position on the whole entire Paris Agreement and frankly climate change.Hon Simon Bridges: So what's her Government's position on it?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Obviously we consulted on proposals around clean car standards and also a regime to incentivise and create disincentives around the highest-emission vehicles. Once we've finalised that work we'll be making announcements.Hon Simon Bridges: So was her Deputy Prime Minister wrong when he said it was "dead"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I think what the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out was that the Opposition continually claiming that they had achieved particular outcomes from the Opposition benches was farcical.Hon Simon Bridges: Is all of her Government fully supportive of giving back prisoners' voting rights?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Actually this House when it debated this issue as a member's bill demonstrated that there were plenty of individuals who felt deeply uncomfortable with the fact that for pure politics we are now having to face an adverse finding from our courts an adverse finding from the Waitangi Tribunal all because of misguided politics in a member's bill.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Are these the same voting rights that real leaders like Holland Holyoake Muldoon and Marshall supported when they were leading the National Party?Hon Simon Bridges: Oh too weird.SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will withdraw and apologise.Hon Simon Bridges: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a farcical supplementary question. I just wonder why he wasn't pulled up on it.SPEAKER: Sorry can you say that a little bit more clearly?Hon Simon Bridges: I'm just inquiring why when it's a farcical supplementary question the member's not pulled up on it.SPEAKER: Well I think there's an assumption in it that leaders of the National Party of the past had made farcical positions and I'm not sure that that's been established.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question asked the Prime Minister in terms of the history and knowledge bringing a conclusion to where we are now in this House whether or not that position was supported by such leaders as Holland Holyoake Marshall and Muldoon because it was and that was my point. To call that farcical is ridiculous.SPEAKER: Well I mean I don't want to criticise the Deputy Prime Minister but that point of order was totally unnecessary because I had just made that point.Hon Simon Bridges: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It's quite clear that the Deputy Prime Minister and indeed the Government has no responsibility for now deceased leaders of the National Party and yet he asked that question with no reprimand.SPEAKER: If one looks one at the question to which almost any supplementary could be asked—you know the member doesn't have the exclusive right to ask supplementaries on his own question; other people can as well. That question is so broad that almost any supplementary could be asked on it and actually asking a supplementary following up a Government policy position or not—whether it is or not I'm not aware—based on the comments that the Leader of the Opposition himself made I thought is exactly what supplementaries are for.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Speaking to the point of order—SPEAKER: A further point of order Gerry Brownlee—it's been dealt with.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Well just to make the point that it would have been helpful as you've just suggested that it was about finding out a Government position if there had been a statement of Government position in answer to the primary question. There was not. There was just obfuscation from both the Prime Minister and then the Deputy Prime Minister.SPEAKER: I let the member run a bit longer than he should have. I thought the answer to the primary question in fact was far too long.Hon Gerry Brownlee: But not relevant.SPEAKER: Oh look Mr Brownlee I'm getting more than a little sick of you chipping and I will say that when you have a question "Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions?" almost everything that the Prime Minister says is relevant and it was. It might have been extensive it might have been too long—she apologised for some of it being too long—but when such a question is asked anything by way of reply or supplementary question is relevant.Hon Simon Bridges: Is all of her Government fully supportive of giving back prisoners' voting rights?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Obviously a bill cannot come before this House unless that is the case but what I want to point out to the member is that we would not be in this position where we are having to reinstate what has been a longstanding convention off the back of what I understand was a commission instated decades ago to establish that where appropriate civil liberties in that respect should exist and that was undermined by one single member's bill—that should never have occurred. We are having to fix this issue because a court of law has established that this Parliament made a decision it shouldn't have.Rt Hon Winston Peters: So if I could ask the Prime Minister: has she got no objection to members of her Government lining up with Holyoake Holland Muldoon on this principal issue?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No. In fact I would have thought members on the other side of the House may wish to reflect on that.Hon Simon Bridges: Has she spoken to Shane Jones yet about his comment that there are more Indians than Mongrel Mob members in our courts?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the member has followed my commentary on this he will know the answer is yes."