Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3555] 
3.  
RODNEY HIDE (ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister for Economic Development 
: Does he believe his advisers were misled by the “New Zealand-owned overseas-based super yacht building company” when it stated it had “contracts to build five super yachts in its next financial year estimated to generate approximately $US50 million in sales revenue”; if not what progress if any have his officials reported on this project? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 The answer is no. The officials do not believe they were misled. The progress in the situation the member has asked about is the progress of a private company for which the officials have no responsibility whatever. 
Rodney Hide 
: In the light of the Minister’s answer where are the five boats that were promised and why was the only boat built “on spec” and not on contract as promised? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: According to Sovereign Yachts (Canada) when officials were approached about the possibility of facilitation for a marine cluster building on the foreshore of Hobsonville Sovereign Yachts had seven orders at the time. It currently has four superyachts under construction in Canada and one in New Zealand and I understand that a sixth boat is due to be shipped to New Zealand for completion shortly. Government officials are not in the business of running businesses in New Zealand nor do they have any responsibility for that. However if the ACT party wants to submit to me or to the Government any proposal for a yacht-building involvement on the part of the Government I will submit that to the Minister of Finance who I am sure will consider it for all of about 2 seconds. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister believe that the facilitating of Sovereign Yachts’ establishment by the selling to it of 10 acres of land at Hobsonville for some $500000 when it has an estimated market value today of in excess of $10 million has left the New Zealand taxpayer out of pocket? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The land the member refers to was disposed of under the process prescribed in the Public Works Act. It was followed by the Government and by local government to both the spirit and letter of the law. Not one cent of Government funding has gone to Sovereign Yachts. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does he now regret his statement that he made on the Television One news on 4 February 2001 that launching the Sovereign Yachts project was “about as good as it gets on any one day in a politician’s life” or is his career such that launching the Sovereign Yachts fiasco was as good a day as he has had in politics? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Any day that any member of Parliament or of the Government can initiate and facilitate a facility that creates 40 to 60 jobs is a very good day and it will never happen in Mr Hide’s life. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just as a point of clarification with regard to addressing the answer I point out that the question I asked was quite specific. I said it was as good a day as he has ever had not just a good day. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is trying to be a little too smart for this place.