2. Business Confidence—Employment Law Immigration Policy Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Overseas Investment and Primary IndustriesHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterBusiness Confidence—Employment Law Immigration Policy Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Overseas Investment and Primary Industries2. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes.Hon Simon Bridges: What effect on business confidence and investment will there be from David Parker's announcement on Q+A in the weekend regarding nitrates and his statements that he hasn't done any analysis on the economic impact of reducing the country's dairy herd because We've won the political battle. Now it's about implementation."?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The characterisation of this issue is totally incorrect. We have been talking about—[Interruption] The member may have missed this but we have been talking about water quality and our desire as a Government to make sure that our rivers and our lakes are swimmable again as the rest of New Zealand wants since the election. We've been talking for months about the need to update our national policy statement which I have to say was totally ineffectual under the last Government and we're currently consulting the Land and Water Forum as we speak which is also the group that the last Government used.Hon Simon Bridges: Well in light of what David Parker's been saying is switching to apricots the Government's new economic strategy?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the member wants to make a mockery of making good land-use decisions which is the example that the Minister was making in that interview then be it on his head but what we want to do is make sure that we up the value of our exports that we take into account the environmental impacts of our current economic use of our land and that we get better outcomes for New Zealanders. This side of the House is a bit more ambitious than that side.Hon Simon Bridges: What effect will there be on business confidence and investment from Damien O'Connor signalling a climate tax for farmers significant cost recovery for Mycoplasma bovis and the Government no longer supporting large-scale irrigation projects?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I've said we've got to make land-use decisions that make good sound economic sense. That's why we'll no longer subsidise large-scale Crown irrigation schemes. When it comes to the issue of Mycoplasma bovis we would not be having this debate if that last Government funded biosecurity properly. We're cleaning up the mess that Government left.Hon Simon Bridges: Will the decision to end offshore oil and gas exploration be attractive to overseas investors in oil and gas specifically or in New Zealand more generally?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Why rely on me when we can use a quote from OMV which has agreed to buy the Māui fields and holds half this country's exploration permits "This has no impact on existing licences neither on production licences neither on exploration licences. We are in a very good position in New Zealand."Hon Simon Bridges: Well then is the Prime Minister aware that Ballance Agri-Nutrients has this morning stated that a decision on its future $1 billion ammonia-urea plant is "a lot murkier" because of the Government's oil and gas ban and can she see the ripple effect on investments not just in the oil and gas sector but much more broadly?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Any—and that member knows this; he's being mischievous—exploration permit that would be issued in a 2018 block offer would not be available for at least 10 years. If any business says they have a security of supply issue that's something that would have had to have been resolved probably 10 years ago not today.Hon Simon Bridges: Are the Government's changes to the overseas investment regime likely to be good for business confidence and inward investment?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We want to encourage foreign direct investment that contributes to our productive economy. That's where all New Zealanders benefit and we make no apologies for making sure that New Zealanders find that residential housing and farmland is affordable and that they are able to contribute to their own economy domestically. Hon Simon Bridges: Well what about her Government's industrial law changes; what effect are they having on business confidence?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'd say that the current unemployment rate the current revenue that we've just announced today says that this economy is looking in pretty good shape.Hon Simon Bridges: What's the Government's current position on immigration policy?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I have to say in a recent business meeting I had there were significant concerns raised about the last Government's policy settings and the impact that it's having on their ability to meet skills gaps. What this Government has said it wants to do is make sure that we've got an education sector we can be proud of a proper labour market test and that the regions aren't left high and dry with skills gaps like we're already seeing.Hon Simon Bridges: So what is the Government's current immigration policy?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Exactly the same one we campaigned on.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Prime Minister to publish the coalition agreement so that these naïve innocent questions aren't in the House like they are today?Hon Simon Bridges: Does she think the business community understands what the Government's current immigration policy is?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes. There has been no change in that policy. There is a small issue of making sure that we do the policy development work which is under way now. But what I have to say is that in the intervening period I've had significant concerns raised with me around the effects of that last Government's policies and the impact they are having on people's ability to fill shortages.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she think that the various issues I've raised in question time help explain the decline to a negative 23 percent in business confidence in New Zealand?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I think it explains why this Government's popularity has gone up in the polls. Hon Simon Bridges: Aren't there very real very significant reasons for the business confidence "elephant in the room" as she's recently described it?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Let's look back on history. The last time we saw this trend—look as I've already acknowledged—was when Labour had what was dubbed as the "Winter of Discontent" but at the same time had the strongest continuous economic growth since World War II the lowest unemployment in the OECD and delivered nine consecutive surpluses. It's all about proof of what the economy's doing and on this side of the House we've got good signs."