Tabuteau Fletcher: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTabuteau Fletcher: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6670. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.FLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.Fletcher Tabuteau: If the Prime Minister believes that it is good that a Chinese State-owned enterprise is buying half of Silver Fern Farms how does he respond to Alliance Group chairman Murray Taggart who said that it was important for New Zealand farmers to retain ownership of their industry?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: With the greatest respect he is a competitor and in the private sector we tend to listen to the shareholders of the company not the competitors of the company about whether something is good or bad for them.Fletcher Tabuteau: How does the Prime Minister respond to concerns that this company has such deep pockets it will outbid New Zealand companies for livestock and very quickly force New Zealand meat processors out of business?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I would take all of that with a grain of salt. I did watch the news last night and I think—yes if you look at Television One’s coverage of the issue they interviewed what seemed to be an eminently sensible farmer down south who said she looked forward actually to the roadshows and to hearing the good things that might happen and this was a company that had gone from being massively indebted to potentially having cash in the bank and being ready to invest in New Zealand. I would have thought that is good for New Zealand—jobs and opportunities for our farmers.Fletcher Tabuteau: Who is correct here: is it the Prime Minister saying that the Government was never approached by Silver Fern Farms or his Minister of Finance who avoided meeting them for a year on potential investment questions? That sounds like the Government was—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been asked.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not think—I never said that. I think the member asked me the question yesterday and I said that I have not been approached by them on this particular issue—other Ministers maybe have been but I do not run the diary of every Minister in Cabinet otherwise I would be very very busy.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I wonder whether the Prime Minister would speculate on whether higher competition for stock in New Zealand leads to higher prices for New Zealand farmers.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly can I say that that is the best question I have had in the House all—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just answer it.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I will answer. The answer in a word is yes. I could hold up a sign that would say that but the expert at holding up signs is in London at the moment—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Richard Prosser: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do believe that it is against the Standing Orders to refer to the absence of a member.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Mr Speaker—Mr SPEAKER: I will hear from the Hon Gerry Brownlee.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well unfortunately for that member the member who is being spoken of is actually considered to be in the precincts of Parliament during this 2-week period while in fact he is in London swanning around as the media—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption]. The question is actually—Fletcher Tabuteau: If the Chinese Government through this company owns half of Silver Fern Farms can the Prime Minister assure Kiwi meatworkers that they will not simply be replaced by Chinese workers under the Chinese free-trade agreement temporary employment entry criteria?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I would have thought that was highly unlikely in the same way that when Bright Dairy and Food came into New Zealand and bought a big chunk of I think Synlait it did not replace New Zealand workers. The last time I looked actually under the same free-trade agreement that he is talking about given that Fonterra has bought a big chunk of Beingmate I did not notice a fast track of New Zealand workers going over to work in China. We have had foreign investment in this country for decades. For the most part it has been highly successful in transforming New Zealand and allowing us to have businesses with stronger capital bases. In the end it is for the owners of Silver Fern Farms to decide whether they want this not the Government. We do not own Silver Fern Farms although we accept that if New Zealand First had its way we would own everything in New Zealand. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption]. Order! That is the sort of interchange we are not going to see happening in this House.