O'Connor Damien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
O'Connor Damien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:614;Page:10660] 
6.  
GERRARD ECKHOFF (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister for Rural Affairs 
: What have been his main achievements for New Zealand’s farming community over the last 12 months? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister for Rural Affairs) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister for Rural Affairs 
: It would take some considerable time to list all this Government’s achievements for rural communities but my personal favourite is the work we have done in maintaining and enhancing health services for rural people. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: Why does he believe that that self-styled achievement outweighs the following: enticing hundreds of farmers to march on Parliament to protest the flatulence tax his failure to advocate against the closure of rural schools a 7 percent rise in crime in Otago alone his failure to protect property rights over land access issues and the funding of rural hospitals which are losing money because their funding is race-based; which of the above would he rank as his finest achievement? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: There are a number of questions there. We have not made any decisions over land access and there is a process under way whereby the Minister will hear submissions from the rural sector on that issue. We have put more funding into rural health services and the Government is always willing to listen to anyone who wishes to march to Parliament on any particular issue. 
Mark Peck 
: Does the Minister accept the contention inherent in the member’s question that this Government has no truck with rural communities; if not what advice would he give Mr Eckhoff? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We support rural New Zealand. We have a focus on ensuring rural people can access services. The Heartland Services centres have been rolled out along with high-speed Internet access. We are working to provide quality health and education services in rural areas. We are fostering the sustainability of and innovation in rural communities through things such as the Sustainable Farming Fund. We understand the value of rural New Zealand. 
R Doug Woolerton 
: Why is it then that the honourable Minister is not seen to be publicly supportive of our major export earners—or is it simply that he just does not care? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We have done a lot of work for the key industries such as producer board reform supporting them through good rural infrastructure and ensuring that good training systems are in place for rural communities. That is how this Government has assisted the rural sector in this country. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: Would the Minister agree that the implementation of the national organic standards and the strategy for the organic sector both of which were Green Party initiatives have been amongst his main achievements for the rural sector; if not why not? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I am sorry that I omitted to mention those achievements. They are part of a package of as I said before many many things that this Government has done for rural New Zealand. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: What does the Minister have to say to residents of his own electorate like councillor Terry Kennedy who said that the Government should be ashamed of what it is doing to rural health and education and to the chairman of Hakataramea Valley School board of trustees Peter Aitken who said that the Government consultation was “a load of ...”—the expletive has been deleted—“At the end of the day they did what they felt like and they knew the outcome before they came here.”? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Those people are entitled to their opinions. However I support the robust system of consultation that we have had particularly over the issue of rural school reviews. I am happy to say that my colleague Mr Mallard has fronted up in rural communities and explained that they are entitled to quality education in the same way that urban people are as well.