3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterHon GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Has she asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs whether he made it clear to Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek that he was facilitating their passage to Antarctica on the basis that sponsorship was being sought for the redevelopment of Scott Base; if so have they provided sponsorship?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: On behalf of the Prime Minister on 4 June 2019 Cabinet decided that as part of an over $250 million redevelopment of Scott Base Antarctica New Zealand would seek $50 million through private sponsorships to offset some of the costs of redevelopment. It's the Minister of Foreign Affairs' prerogative to invite people to visit Scott Base as countless foreigners have in the past in the interests of New Zealand's broader objectives in Antarctica. This is a prerogative that both the previous National Party Government and this Government have taken up. It is for Antarctica New Zealand to seek sponsorship but as a wise man once said you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.Hon Gerry Brownlee: When the Prime Minister said yesterday that she wanted to check the integrity in New Zealand's Antarctic programme and she'll be seeking reassurances from her Foreign Minister on that did she ask him to give reasons for the travel Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek took to Antarctica?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister for the past year or so the Government has been encouraging Antarctica New Zealand to generate private sponsorship for our redevelopment of Scott Base to offset the cost to the taxpayers. Taking interested individuals to Antarctica is an integral part of those efforts. Or is the member and those members over there saying now that they don't believe in public-private partnerships—are they saying that? And does the National Party no longer believe in managing the taxpayers' financial risk as a responsible Government ought to? The Foreign Minister met with the Antarctica New Zealand board on three occasions to outline his expectations following Cabinet's decisions and more recently to express his disappointment at the board's failure to follow the Cabinet direction on this issue.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Has her Government or her Foreign Minister asked Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek for a donation towards the redevelopment of Scott Base?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister who just answered this point in the last question by saying it was for Antarctica New Zealand to seek sponsorship—in the same way for example that a former Prime Minister who I thought would have appraised his Foreign Minister in the time of his policy said this in 2013: Mr Key said the Government was still considering whether to increase its $26 million funding for Antarctic activities but he was keen on support from the private sector. Mr Brownlee weren't you told that?Hon Gerry Brownlee: Why weren't Antarctica New Zealand staff working on the ice at the time told why Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek were there rather than being left with the impression that the reason for the pair being on the trip was kept very quiet"?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister there was no reason for the staff at Antarctica to be told that any more—Erica Stanford: How were they supposed to ask for a donation then?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well you can scream out as long as you like lady but let me give you the facts. Murray McCully took 130 people down to the ice including staff members. [Interruption] Keep on shouting. Keep on making a fool of yourself. Keep on shouting lady. A hundred and thirty including staff members—where on the ice they said that it was inappropriate and unsafe. That's the National Party's record.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Did anyone from the Government Antarctica New Zealand or the Minister of Foreign Affairs—SPEAKER: Order! Sorry before the member goes on I've just been contemplating one of the comments that the Prime Minister made. I think we're living in times where many of us sense change and language which would have once been acceptable is no longer. I think referring to a member just as "lady" is not any longer an appropriate thing to say. I think it's fair to say for most of my parliamentary career it would have been—members were in fact referred to as "lady members" on occasions—but I think we've passed those times. So it's just a general—[Interruption] Who said that? Who said it? [Hon Shane Jones raises hand] Go and have some time outside.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With respect calling someone a lady in my view is not denigrating at all. It's in fact the height of respect and that's why I use it. If I was to use the word "woman" I'd regard that as thoroughly a put-down. If you don't mind some of us wish to stay with the age of chivalry.SPEAKER: Yes I do—I've asked Mr Jones to leave the Chamber. Hon Shane Jones withdrew from the Chamber. SPEAKER: I understand that and I think I might have even tried to express it myself but I think it was clear that the comment that the member made was one which was not appreciated by the majority of members in the House. Some of us Mr Peters when the times move have to move a little with them.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Did she her Minister or any agency of Government explain to Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek that their invitation to visit the Antarctic was as part of a programme for attracting private sector funding for the redevelopment of Scott Base; if not why not?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister nothing so nakedly mammonic as that. Can I just say the Foreign Minister is a long-time proponent of getting other interests and other countries involved to advance the New Zealand interests on the ice. It's illustrated by the fact that 12 years ago he spent considerable time with Senator McCain of the United States going to Antarctica spent time with the European Union and getting representatives from the Europeans to go to Antarctica and spent time with international shipping registry countries to say to those countries "You must come to Antarctica because the boats you are registering are ripping off the environment." Hon Dr Nick Smith: How about answering the question?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I'm answering the question Mr Smith. That member knows absolutely nothing about this or why he's in this Parliament after all these years.Darroch Ball: What role did her office play in the Antarctica trip?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister the Prime Minister as before and down through the decades is only involved in the approval of travel by Ministers and their staff.Darroch Ball: Does the Antarctic trip breach the Cabinet Manual?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister no; these individuals are not family members or close associates of the Minister Mr Peters in this case but is of a number of people in the National Party who are aghast at this attack right now. Can I say in 2007 the Government facilitated the transport and travel of Jan Cameron the founder of Kathmandu Clothing to Antarctica seeking a contribution to the redevelopment of the Scott and Ernest Shackleton huts? That's the fact of the matter. And on that trip incidentally was one Guyon Espiner the architect of this story. How do you like that?Hon Gerry Brownlee: Were Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek targeted for a donation to the Scott Base redevelopment and is that the reason why they were granted the trip?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister there was a cancellation by a Minister and the factual evidence—happy to be disclosed to the member—was that it emerged without difficulty over time not by way of direction at all but at request also backed up by the evidence that there were two seats available. As a consequence it was asked "Well what about these two who have a serious interest in nature and Antarctica?" and more importantly in line with the plan as we have done with Le Quesnoy in France and elsewhere do something proactive to save the taxpayer money. On behalf of the Prime Minister I have talked to the Deputy Prime Minister who is proud of the fact that he took a proactive role.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a very very tight and specific question and the answer did not even go close to answering that. It gave some interesting facts which are of course able to be partially substantiated by the Official Information Act releases that we've seen so far but it doesn't answer the question if they were granted that trip because they were being targeted for a donation to the Antarctic redevelopment project.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Speaking to the point of order I made it very clear in the first answer second answer and three other answers after that that the responsibility to take the matter further lay with the Antarctica foundation. How much more clear could I make it?Hon Gerry Brownlee: When the Minister who was to travel cancelled his arrangements who put forward the names of Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister as admitted probably for the 30th time the Minister of Foreign Affairs did. Of course when Mr Key went down there with all his journalists none of them asked about the taxpayers' cost did they? See this photograph? [Holds up photograph] Full of journalists 14 on the trip and they have the temerity to raise that issue themselves. How do you like that?Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well if a taxpayer benefit is to be seen in this can she explain why it's reasonable for the Foreign Minister to invite someone who has said "I don't … do business [in New Zealand]"?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh really? On behalf of the Prime Minister I would ask Mr Brownlee to have a chat to his party president Mr Goodfellow about that. Why doesn't he? Caught red-handed. Typical isn't it—just typical. I can say out there in New Zealand the National Party people are aghast at his appalling attack on two innocent people.Hon Stuart Nash: Is the Prime Minister aware if any of the journalists that accompanied the former Prime Minister to Antarctica provided any form of sponsorship to Antarctica New Zealand?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister and—dare I say—the people of New Zealand thank you for that very apposite question. The answer is doughnuts so far.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Does she accept that journalists travelling to the Antarctic will be able to tell the team of 5 million New Zealanders about the programme down there through their various media outlets and if so what outlets did Bee Lin Chew and Su Arn Kwek use to tell the New Zealanders about their travels to the Antarctic other than Instagram photographs with seals and penguins?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister very good question. They came back wrote a book about it and talked to the most important person with respect to Antarctica these days—the person who's finding the money namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs."