Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:646;Page:15126] 
3.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: On what dates did the former Minister of Health Hon Annette King meet with Mr Hausmann in the last term of office and what was discussed on each occasion? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I am no more responsible for the private diaries of former Ministers than I am for example for those of district health board chairs or indeed Opposition members. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: When did the then Minister Mrs King first discuss with Mr Hausmann an appointment to the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Neither do I have that information nor would I necessarily expect to have that information. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware that official documents show that Minister King met with Mr Hausmann on numerous occasions including on 8 September along with a number of other senior Ministers and is he aware of whether there she discussed Mr Hausmann’s plans for a joint venture with the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I am not aware of any formal meetings during the last term of office that I have been able to find information of to date. However I am aware of some interesting meetings involving the former chair of the board and National MPs. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Has he seen reports that Mrs King was a guest in the family corporate box of Healthcare New Zealand’s Mr Catley on two occasions along with Mr Hausmann and that despite spending some hours with a couple of the biggest private sector players in health according to Mrs King “they did not discuss health matters on those occasions”; and how believable is that? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: An extensive forensic analysis using the full search powers of the State has revealed this article in the  
Sunday Star-Times 
 of 16 March in which Mrs King is quoted as saying she was present in a corporate box. I am pleased that the Opposition is now taking a stronger interest in behaviour in corporate boxes. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it part of the Minister’s objective as a good Minister of Health to promote a sound work-to-life balance and would such a thing have a Minister go off for example to a corporate box for a sporting occasion and to spend his or her whole time talking not about the sport or something to do with the social occasion but rather about his or her personal portfolio business—and what sort of wuss would do that in the first place? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I hope that the Opposition will discover an interest in sports and I hope that the Opposition’s spokesman gets a life. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why in the full knowledge that Mr Hausmann was seeking a multimillion-dollar contract with the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board did Annette King appoint him to that board? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: As I have said to the House on previous occasions firstly because it was clear that the gentleman had extensive skills and knowledge in the health sector and secondly because the appropriate Cabinet disclosure processes were gone through. Almost 2 years ago those papers were made available to no less than the National Party. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware that the Greens the Maori Party ACT and National all support this issue being referred to the Auditor-General and given that the Minister is so supremely confident that this matter has been adequately dealt with by the review panel why will he not refer it to the Auditor-General to give the people of Hawke’s Bay a clear answer? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Firstly let me reaffirm that it is for the Auditor-General to make such decisions as he considers fit and proper. I am aware that the Auditor-General has an ongoing programme of work in respect of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board as with other district health boards around the country. We would expect his office to be working on that district health board within months. I am sure that the Auditor-General would not thank the spokesperson opposite for implying that he was subject to political pressure from parties in this House. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I seek leave to table an internal Healthcare New Zealand document showing that the Minister Annette King was briefed about and supported the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board innovation. 
Document not tabled. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I seek leave to table a document showing that chairman Atkinson met with MPs Foss and Tremain but would not allow the chief executive to do so. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.