Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12922] 
9.  
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Is the Government committed to long-term support for Air New Zealand Ltd; if so why? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Associate Minister of Finance) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Finance 
: Yes. It is in New Zealand’s interest to have a national airline and the Government considers that that airline needs a stable shareholder behind it. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Will the Minister concede that supporting one airline with taxpayers’ money has skewed the aviation market and contributed to Origin Pacific Airways’ plight—a plight that the Minister for Economic Development has reportedly dismissed as “collateral damage”—if not why not? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: No. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: What kind of support is the Government committed to? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: The Government will remain a majority shareholder but has never ruled out a cornerstone shareholding being sold. We have also set aside a further $150 million should the company proceed with its signalled capital raising. Operational decisions are of course matters for the board to decide. 
John Key 
: If the Government did not alert Air New Zealand management to the impending crisis at Origin Pacific Airways why did Jim Anderton tell Origin Pacific Airways director Bruce McCallum to call John Palmer the chairman of Air New Zealand; and why did Mr Anderton believe that Mr Palmer would progress discussions designed to support its major regional competitor? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: As is appropriate the Minister of Finance although generally aware of any discussions that the Minister for Industry and Regional Development may have had with the airlines concerned is not privy to the detail. Why does that member not ask the Minister concerned? 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Is the Minister of Finance telling the House that he has not seen the story in this week’s  
Independent 
 titled “Govt turns screw on Origin Pacific” which states that a Cabinet Minister—one Mr Anderton—suggested to Origin Pacific that it would be “in their interests” to hold talks with the chairman of Air New Zealand a rival airline; does he not consider that that is an invitation from the Government for rival airlines to collude which happens to be contrary to the Commerce Act? Why has he not taken an interest in that matter? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: What part of the words “generally aware of the conversation” does that member not understand— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister has been asked a question. I do not want him to get into that sort of thing. I want him to give an answer. 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Detailed questions about the nature of those discussions should be directed to the Minister for Industry and Regional Development. 
Gordon Copeland 
: What assurance can the Minister give us that as Air New Zealand’s supporter and majority shareholder the Government will not place undue pressure on the Commerce Commission to approve the proposed Air New Zealand alliance with Qantas thereby skewing the aviation market even further? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: The Minister of Finance is on record as saying that the Government will not disturb the findings on appeal of either the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or the New Zealand Commerce Commission. 
John Key 
: I seek leave to table the  
Independent 
 of 12 May so that the Minister can rethink his answer in which he told the House that the Government had no information despite the paper telling us that that is exactly what it had. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I let the member go on for some considerable time. Is there any objection to that course? There is. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I just want to point out that although what Mr Key was trying to point out will obviously be uncomfortable for Ministers and members they should not have been barracking him at the start and he should at least have been able to say what he was proposing to table before your intervention to ask him to move on. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is why I let him go on and finish what he had to say.