11. Question No. 11—Regional Economic DevelopmentRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) to the Minister for Regional Economic DevelopmentQuestion No. 11—Regional Economic Development11. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: What recent announcements has he made regarding regional economic development?Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Regional Economic Development): The dispenser of the provincial panacea has the following to say: during the COVID alert period 4 phase 4 great work took place to recalibrate and repurpose the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF). I can announce as of today—because digital connectivity is incredibly important and many areas in New Zealand were left neglected in a former period of nine years—places including Murupara Gisborne Katikati will now enjoy the presence of five new digital hubs. In addition to that last week over $439 million worth of investment in 60 PGF projects began to work in earnest after moving into level 3. That is evidence that this Government is quick on the fiscal trigger. We have also seen iconic projects that were neglected unfortunately but brought to life by the Provincial Growth Fund in the form of the Hundertwasser Art Centre the Taranaki Crossing and the Westport Airport seawall—places in those areas of New Zealand that have suffered far too much neglect in the period of time of the former regime. Rt Hon Winston Peters: How will he ensure that progress on projects happens quickly during the post - COVID-19 recovery?Hon SHANE JONES: I'm incredibly pleased to have worked with my colleague Mr David Parker and his announcements to fast track a consenting process so that projects crucial to the recovery will not be subjected to undue delay through Resource Management Act (RMA) processes. This lays bare the extent of the former Government's failure to reform the RMA—instead leaving us with a type of bureaucratic voodoo. It has fallen to this particular group of Ministers to do what the former regime could not do. This is incredibly important because jobs are very important.Hon Paula Bennett: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There is a general debate tomorrow and I think that is the time for Ministers to make speeches. These answers are incredibly long.SPEAKER: The member is absolutely right. They are incredibly long. But tangentially they are relevant and I will remind the member as she knows—because she's been around here a while—that responsibility for the interruption on the length of answers is mine and not hers and not to be raised by way of point of order.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: Oh Mr Brownlee—the Hon Mr Brownlee!Hon Gerry Brownlee: Thank you Mr Speaker. I would have thought sir that you might have had a greater interest in the answers from Ministers being more forward focused than the jaundiced history that's constantly presented to the House—Hon Simon Bridges: He's obsessed with us.Hon Gerry Brownlee: —by the Hon Shane Jones. Now his own fixation on the past is interesting. It does reflect in most of his policies. But in essence at the present time where the country is facing significant economic challenge as well as the health challenge that New Zealanders have so well risen to it would be appropriate I think that you did require that he speaks more to the future than to the past.SPEAKER: I want to thank members for their advice and to say that the Leader of the Opposition's interjection during his colleague's point of order probably made up for what happened earlier in the day. I will listen very carefully to the answers but I will say to the member that I thought his point of order was something which was approaching something the Hon Paula Bennett was suggesting earlier. It was more a contribution to a debate rather than a serious point of order.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is the Minister saying that having been wrongly blamed for nine long years of non-reform of the RMA he took that experience to collegially work with the Hon David Parker to get dramatic change right here and right now?Hon SHANE JONES: In the very short term the RMA will be reformed. In a very short period of time projects will proceed with alacrity because jobs are essential. Bureaucratic entanglement is something that the future does not find a place for that type of activity which is why as the provincial champion my colleagues on the other side of the House will find great worthiness in this transformational initiative which I'm championing.Hon Judith Collins: Does the Minister looking back to the past remember how many times New Zealand First supported any amendments to the RMA in the last nine years?SPEAKER: Order! I think the member's probably the most experienced member of the front bench of the Opposition and she knows that that question is out of order.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Given his very bold claims in the House today can he assure the House that the Government has the numbers to pass the provisions that he's so boldly claiming will make such a difference?Hon SHANE JONES: We are such a collegial crowd on our side of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: With respect to the last question did he hear Morning Report and the effusive support from the National Party for this dynamic legislation? That being the case how will he assist the COVID-19 economic recovery being balanced and resolved to meet the changes faced by the long hitherto neglected regions?Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Which one of those questions on two different topics is allowed to be answered by the Minister—completely different topics?SPEAKER: What I'm trying to work out Mr Brownlee is whether I should lift my standards or not in relation to the linking of legs of supplementary questions. I think that I tried to tighten up not very long ago and was subject to some pretty intense criticism from members not very far away from him. In this matter my natural inclination is actually to agree with the member and to be very tight but I want to say that if I do there would have been at least 10 of today's questions that would have been ruled out and they all came from his side of the House. So I'm not going to rule that way now but if the member wants to come back to me and say that it's the view of the Opposition that the supplementary questioning should be tightened up with regard to relevance and the relationship with prior supplementary questions or prior answers then I would be more than happy to oblige the Opposition.Hon SHANE JONES: In contrast to the other member I shall demonstrate my verbal acrobatic skills. There is a serious drought for example affecting Northland. That is a simple example of one of the challenges the Government inherited with poor outcomes with the water storage in those neglected parts of the country which is why we are going to charge ahead and deal with the anxieties and the uncertainties as the primary sector generates more wealth in the post-COVID environment marrying land to water equalling greater prosperity.