Turei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1453. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green)to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes.Metiria Turei: Why on earth should New Zealanders have to pay $130 million to make Skycity’s privately owned convention centre “bigger and more flasher” as he said yesterday?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: New Zealanders will not be paying $130 million for that.Metiria Turei: How much does he expect New Zealanders will have to pay to make Skycity’s privately owned convention centre “bigger and more flasher”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Government’s preference is that it pays nothing and that is why it was surprised that the Green Party did not support the deal because now she seems to be very attracted to a convention centre that does not cost anything.Metiria Turei: What other benefits to Skycity is his Government negotiating other than cash or gambling concessions to help Skycity meet its shortfall for its bigger and flasher convention centre?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am not going to go into the negotiations that are being held with Skycity because that would not be beneficial to anybody except to say that the Government’s preferred position is that the Crown does not have to make any contribution to a $402 million convention centre.Metiria Turei: When did the Government lift the restricted covenant on the Television New Zealand (TVNZ) land that prevented Skycity from building anything other than a convention centre on that land?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not have those details with me. You would need to refer that to the Minister who has been responsible Steven Joyce.Metiria Turei: Why did his Government ignore advice from officials that the TVNZ land was more valuable to Skycity if it was being used for a hotel and therefore Ministers should recalculate the value of the deal to Skycity?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I just simply do not have those details. You would need to ask the Minister responsible.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I have a point of order and I wish to hear it in silence.Metiria Turei: I seek leave to table advice to Ministers obtained by the Green Party showing that officials advised them in January last year that the TVNZ land is more valuable to—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just need—[Interruption] It has been explained enough. I need the source.Metiria Turei: The source is Official Information Act information provided to the Green Party.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Oh it’s on the website.Metiria Turei: No it is not publicly available.Mr SPEAKER: I will—[Interruption] Order! I will put the leave and the House can decide. Leave is sought to table that particular Official Information Act document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Metiria Turei: How could the Prime Minister have possibly negotiated a worse deal than one that increases gambling harm to New Zealanders virtually gifts a casino a prime piece of public land to build a glitzy hotel on and now leaves taxpayers with a bill of $130 million just to make Skycity’s building “more flasher”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I would reject the basis of the member’s questions but what I would say is that as the Minister of Tourism I can say that the evidence supports strongly the view that an international convention centre in Auckland would not only create a lot of jobs during the construction phase but actually bring tens of thousands—arguably hundreds of thousands—of people to New Zealand over time to go to conventions. The evidence shows that those convention dwellers spend more than the average tourist when they come to New Zealand. We know that people who come to conventions come back with their families and travel around New Zealand. That is the reason why if you look at pretty much every state in Australia they have an international convention centre. Personally I happen to think that if a convention centre can be built in Auckland along with another big hotel there that would add to what would be an impressive part of downtown Auckland and service the economy well. But we know the member is opposed to economic growth—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The answer—[Interruption] Order!