Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:626;Page:21132] 
5.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister for Transport Safety 
: Does he have confidence in the Director of Civil Aviation? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Minister for Transport Safety) 
: 
 Yes. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it a fact that the office of the Auditor-General issued a scathing report about the Civil Aviation Authority’s performance on safety issues and that there are serious complaints about conflicts of interest within the organisation relating to that man; and is it not vital that the public’s confidence in air safety be restored by a proper investigation rather than by some woolly internal independent inquiry from a “holistic perspective”? 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Bring in an outside Iraqi. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. You would have heard when I was asking that question comments made by the Minister of Finance. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: It was after the member had finished the question actually. I did listen. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: No no. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry Mr Peters but it was. I listened very carefully. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: No he started when I got to “woolly” and I was still going on to “holistic perspective”. I am sorry but you are wrong. Out he goes. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry but I did not hear that. I heard the comment after the member had finished asking the question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Well that is amazing. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I give the House an assurance that the comment “Bring in an outside Iraqi” to look at the issue was made after the member had finished his question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is what I heard. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: So that is OK is it? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Well does the member take— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Oh very good. Now we know the rules. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No does the member take offence at that comment? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: No no. 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: Given that the question was extremely wide I have not come prepared with the detail of the particular answer the member requires. I can say that complaints have been made by some sectors of the aviation industry for obvious reasons. Sometimes they have not liked the decision of the director. However I can assure the member in response to earlier questions—of which there were many—that we have investigated the issues previously exposed in the House in regard to conflicts of interest and that new procedures have been put in place in the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that conflicts of interest do not occur in the future particularly in regard to the appointment and employment of outside contractors and particularly in regard to staff members of the Civil Aviation Authority doing contracted work for other organisations. Those issues and a policy on conflicts of interest have been put in place and very seriously implemented. I think the select committee has looked at the issue and I am not sure where the member is going with this question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it a fact that the director of this Government agency has broken the Act under which he is supposed to enforce issues by refusing licences to companies to operate such as the South Taranaki company using Wessex helicopters and GarLyn Skydiving not on the grounds of safety but for no other obvious reason than that those companies are in competition with other companies that are close to the director and if that is not a conflict of interest what is? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I am aware that a preliminary decision has been made to decline Heli Logging Ltd using ex-military Wessex helicopters for commercial logging. The director has made that decision on technical grounds. I am sorry but I did not catch the name of the skydiving company— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: GarLyn. 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: GarLyn—OK. I am aware that there is ongoing discussion over whether that company will be allowed to operate in the way that the member outlines. However I say to the House that the director has an independent statutory position. I cannot interfere in his decision nor can any other member of this House because he is statutorily empowered to make it. [ 
Interruption 
] However that does not stop me as the member quite rightly points out from questioning decisions and I have done so. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why does the Minister expect the industry and a great number of people including pilots and experienced aviators to settle for a woolly internal independent inquiry from a “holistic perspective” when in fact the matter now screams out for a fully independent inquiry into this person’s actions? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: The matter is really in the member’s own hands. He could attend the select committee or have his colleague who is sitting alongside him attend the select committee to raise questions on those issues. I am confident that the Auditor-General has investigated the issues properly. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I cannot run the Immigration Service and do that job as well. That is a totally unsatisfactory answer. Now it is my fault. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: We have noted the member’s comments about capacity. The Minister did address the question. The answer may not have been satisfactory to the member but he did address it.