Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:658;Page:7549] 
3.  
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Does he stand by all his recent statements? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) 
: 
 Yes. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: In which capacity did he make the statements on the TVNZ 7 “in plain 
English” promotional video—as Minister of Finance or as Bill English in his private capacity? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I am a bit more modest than that member and I have to say that if I were not the Minister of Finance I would not have been on the programme. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Can he confirm that he or his office corrected inaccuracies in the script; if so what were those inaccuracies what was corrected and by whom? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: My understanding is that the journalists involved were taking what they regarded as abstract economic concepts and trying to turn them into plain English. I am advised that they got some of it wrong so the scripts were checked for economic accuracy. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Does the Minister— 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: Smile at the camera; you might be discovered! 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: The member might be in the— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If the House would just settle down I ask the Hon David Cunliffe to ask his supplementary question. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Does the real Minister of Finance stand by his statement that the advertisement looked “quite good” or will he concede that it was not a good look for a shareholding Minister to take hundreds of thousands of dollars of free advertising from a State broadcaster? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: All decisions about putting together the promotion and the use of it are being made by Television New Zealand (TVNZ) as I understand it. That is the normal relationship that politicians have with TVNZ. It could of course have chosen that member to front it but it did not. It could have chosen Mr Goff to front it but it did not. I think the reasons are pretty obvious. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Hon David Cunliffe—[ 
Interruption 
] I have called the Hon David Cunliffe. [ 
Interruption 
] Would the members please show some courtesy to their own front-bench colleague. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Is he satisfied that he avoided any perception of a conflict of interest as required by the  
Cabinet Manual 
 after previously abusing TVNZ management over unfavourable double-dipping coverage only to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free advertising shortly after? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: That is a ridiculous allegation. Of course I am satisfied. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I call question No. 4; Metiria Turei. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Does the Minister think— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have called question No. 4. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Mr Speaker I ask for a supplementary question on question No. 3. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I looked around the Chamber and I could see no one seeking the call so I called question No. 4. Maybe the member thought I was going on too fast so I will come back to him. But I make the point that if members wish to ask supplementary questions they must seek the call. I cannot read their minds and I had gone on to question No. 4. But I will come back to a supplementary question from the Hon David Cunliffe. [ 
Interruption 
] Please I have called the honourable member. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Does he think it is a good look that he is continually embroiled in controversies over his personal judgment when he should be focused on making life better for ordinary New Zealanders? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I reassure that member that the amount of time I spend on the controversies generated by the Labour Party would be about 0.5 percent of my time and the rest of the time I am focused on serious issues like the 45 people who lost their jobs in my electorate today. Those people are getting my full attention; that party is not getting my full attention. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I call question No. 4; Metiria Turei. [ 
Interruption 
] I say to the Government members that they have expressed their views with their applause and I ask them to please not continue to interject because we have gone on to the next issue. I have called Metiria Turei.