11. Question No. 11—TourismHon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister of TourismQuestion No. 11—Tourism11. Hon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister of Tourism: Does he stand by all his statements and actions in relation to tourism?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister of Tourism): Yes. In particular I stand by my announcement on Budget day which delivered a $400 million tourism recovery package targeted at helping businesses pivot towards the domestic market and protects our strategic tourism assets and the communities that benefit from them. This package coupled with the extension of wage subsidies our domestic marketing campaign business tax relief and the business finance guarantee scheme forms this Government's strong support package for the tourism sector which will help us all to respond recover and restart the tourism industry in a post-COVID world.Hon Todd McClay: What does he say to Hobbiton chief executive Russell Alexander who said that there has been no detail in the Government's tourism response package and The problem is we have Minister of Tourism who is talking at his industry not talking with or for his industry."?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I have received a letter of apology from the very same person following their remarks which were taken out of context. I have accepted their apology. He also said that a $400 million support package is significant and welcome as is the wage subsidy relief extension.Hon Todd McClay: As Minister what is his personal plan to get tourism back on its feet?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Firstly our plan involved a strong and urgent Government response to support workers in small tourism businesses. We did this through the wage subsidy scheme and the various tax relief measures of which the tourism industry accessed billions of dollars. Secondly we are moving into a recovery and restart stage extending the wage subsidy while we look to help businesses pivot towards a domestic or trans-Tasman market protecting strategic tourism assets and the communities that benefit from them and easing into a domestic marketing campaign to get Kiwis to "Do Something New New Zealand!"—all the while keeping an eye on ensuring the tourism sector we are restarting and rebuilding is the reimagined industry we are planning for. The tourism task force which is a private-public partnership will continue their work on providing that leadership and advice.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Given that that misrepresentation or misinformation comes from a member of Parliament and is against him and is wrong does he expect now to receive an apology?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: No. I don't expect an apology from the Opposition; I think that would be expecting way too much.Tamati Coffey: How important is Māori tourism in the recovery of the tourism industry?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: It's very important. We value the Māori contribution to our unique tourism offering. In my list of priorities I wouldn't rank the Māori contribution at number 13 or number 17. On this side of the House our Māori contribution is more likely to have been seen at ranks number two three 11 18 20 21 and 22. Tamati Coffey: What alternative recovery plans has he seen for the tourism sector?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Our plan is to work with industry to respond recover restart and reimagine a better tourism industry than the one we had. This is much better than another plan I've seen which says we need to—and I quote—"run a major advertising programme tell New Zealanders not to travel internationally and instead to visit bespoke destinations." You'll find this underwhelming plan if you go to . Hon Todd McClay: Why given that tourism was a $40 billion industry employing up to 400000 people did the Budget only allocate 1 percent of that to help the tourism sector?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: The finance Minister was very specific in the Budget speech that after the initial response to COVID and the support that we gave to businesses the Budget was the second wave of support and there will be a further wave of support. So the member just needs to sit and wait because more is to come.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Has he received any submissions on the future Māori contribution to New Zealand tourism from one Pāora Heke Goldsmith?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I'd really be interested in any contribution from the Hon Pāora Kōuramete. But to be honest having seen the policies from the other side I don't have any anticipation that there'll be anything worthwhile and useful for the country.Hon Todd McClay: When he says that the member should sit and wait does he not realise he's saying to every single tourism business in New Zealand that actually they too must wait and that they need to urgently hear from him about what his actual plan is? They have now been waiting for more than nine weeks.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: The $400 million package is going to help businesses to pivot to manage through to a potential trans-Tasman bubble or hibernate if that's what they need or to explore other options as well as the strategic assets programme which will help those assets that have positive spillover effects not only beyond their own business but into their communities and into the wider region and potentially further afield. So the Budget announcement is good news for the tourism industry and there is more good news to come."