Penk Chris; Rurawhe AdrianCHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. In terms of the Budget that was passed—or started to be passed—by the Government last week there was much that was underwhelming; much that was disappointing. But the most disappointing aspect is the reliance of the Government on the fact of cyclone recovery to excuse a number of other shortfalls and shortcomings: the announcements versus the expectations that have been built up over the past six years.The reason I say that—and I don't think any right-minded New Zealander would begrudge the people of cyclone-affected regions if that were indeed the case. But if the claim's going to be made by the Government that the reason they can't afford a whole heap of other stuff—that they've led New Zealanders to believe they can take care of with every aspect of their life—is that all the attention the resources and the focus is going into the cyclone recovery then that had better be true. Otherwise all of New Zealand has a reason to feel let down by what's happening—or rather what's not happening—in those regions today. So in my time I will cover the fact that the cyclone recovery both as announced in the Budget and also in the initial four months—as it's been now since the first Auckland floods of anniversary weekend—has been slow it's been disconnected it's been reactive and it's been unaware.So first of all it's been slow. It's been more than three months now since Cyclone Gabrielle and we still don't even know what the areas are that are not going to be able to be rebuilt or available for regrowing. Now in fairness the Government said that that answer is coming tomorrow. But also in fairness they said in March it would be April; in April it will be May; in May it will be 31 May. Here we are on 31 May and we still don't have it. No doubt there will be something tomorrow.Hon Michael Woodhouse: A new Minister most likely.CHRIS PENK: And I do actually mean that's likely. A new Minister—well actually it's interesting you talk about a new Minister Michael Woodhouse. My colleague and friend interjects that actually that might be necessary. But in fact in terms of ministerial leads within one of the particularly hard-hit areas we had initially Stuart Nash and then Meka Whaitiri and those have—Hon Michael Woodhouse: How did that go?CHRIS PENK: Ha ha! How did it go? Well it's funny you should ask. It didn't go well but they did go. Now we have a third and maybe it's three strikes; maybe it's third time's a charm—I don't know. But for the people of that area what they do know is that they feel underserved and disconnection between the announcement and the delivery—between what's actually going on on the ground what's actually needed and what's actually being delivered—could not be wider. It is as great a chasm as some of those physical areas that need a physical bridge to be put across them.So with the more than three months since Gabrielle we've heard from Minister Robertson that a good decision is needed—[Hon Grant Robertson enters Chamber]Hon Grant Robertson: Speak of the devil.CHRIS PENK: —not a quick decision. But I put it to the Minister—and I'm able now to do it in person and it's helpful that he's here to hear this—that the decisions need to be both good and quick. In the context of letting people know that they can rebuild or they can regrow in the places that they want to that really should have happened before now.Because of course even assuming we get the announcement tomorrow—and having spoken about the delays already that we've had month by month—even then we won't know the areas that can't be rebuilt or regrown because that will come at some later date; some unspecified date. For areas that are not going to get even the benefit of tomorrow's announcements—the relatively easy bit; the category one the ones who can effectively get the green light the green zone call it what you will—all of this uncertainty is adding great strain to the people who have already been hit very hard of course by the cyclone itself. So we've talked about slowness.As for disconnection the funds that were meant to be provided by central government to affected businesses via local delivery partners LDPs—in practice mostly chambers of commerce locally—there's been a lack of clarity about the criteria. That's set up unfortunately a situation where locally people have been looking at the neighbour to say Why have they got this? Why have I got only that?"There's been frankly a lack of sophistication and nuance. Even allowing for the fact that decisions needed to be made quickly—money needed to go out the door quickly—that does seem strange; particularly when it's clear that we've actually had the worst of both worlds: we've had the lack of clarity and the lack of delivery. Because as at today—or at least as at yesterday and I don't imagine much has changed in 24 hours—the thick end of $9 million is yet to be allocated through that fund in the Hawke's Bay area.If there was ever an area of New Zealand that was crying out for the help that's already been announced—that's already on the table and now about to be taken off the table—it would be the Hawke's Bay area. I say that with all due respect to the other areas which also feel that they need or want much more. Of course people always want and need much more than Governments are prepared to give them. That's fine; we understand that. But for goodness' sake at least if the money is going to be announced and made available it should not be taken away with the other hand from that with which it was given. But that's the situation we have now.We've also got a problem in the design of the system whereby affected businesses got some compensation from the Ministry for Primary Industries the primary industries and then they can't claim money as an affected business from that more general fund. That's actually precluded people getting the help to which they would have been entitled if they had regarded themselves only as an affected business as opposed to a rural business in the first instance. It's also been a reactive response. It took months for a silt removal - specific fund to be needed where it was obvious to anyone who visited on the ground—and by ground I mean waist-height or head-height silt-covered ground—that that was going to be necessary.In terms of orders that need to be made by the Government broad powers that were given by this Parliament including with the support and the blessing of the National Party—for example to be able to burn material that can't usually be burnt even if there's a relatively small amount of that tied up in the debris in these cyclone-hit orchards—that must be a bit of red tape - cutting that can and should be done from the Government. I urge them to do it.For that reason on that basis the Budget announcements cannot be regarded as a success.SPEAKER: In response I call the Hon Grant Robertson."