9. Question No. 9—TransportHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Acting Minister of TransportQuestion No. 9—Transport9. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Acting Minister of Transport: Is he confident that all real or perceived conflicts of interest relating to the Transport portfolio have been appropriately managed and how many times if any has he or his predecessor met with Auckland Airport leadership?Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Acting Minister of Transport): Thank you Mr Speaker. To the first part of the question the appropriateness of management of conflicts of interest are a matter for the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister. In answer to the second part of the question I am advised that the previous Minister met with Auckland Airport eight times. In my role as Acting Minister of Transport I have not met with Auckland Airport.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Point of order. I understand the difficulty the recent changes may have had with his primary question but it was on notice and calls for the Minister to express confidence or otherwise. The way that first part of the question was answered did not address it.Hon Grant Robertson: Speaking to the point of order. The first part of the question asks about the appropriateness of the management of real or perceived conflicts of interest. Those are matters as the Minister said that are in the hands of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office. Whether something has been appropriately managed is not a matter of judgment for a Minister.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Speaking to that point. That was an excerpt from part one—the last words in part one of that question were relating to the transport portfolio. It is definitely within the Minister's wheelhouse.SPEAKER: I thank the member the Hon Michael Woodhouse for raising the issue. It's a difficult situation because as members will know the portfolio at the time the question was asked and written was occupied by a different person. In this instance I think it's reasonable for the Minister who is now acting in that position to answer the way that he has but I also think that members should be able to examine closely those issues. For that reason I will give the Hon Paul Goldsmith two additional supplementary questions.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why did his predecessor fail to sell his Auckland Airport shares after he undertook to do so to the Cabinet Office in late-2020?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: In so far as I have responsibility as Acting Minister of Transport I am not in a position to answer that question.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he think it is appropriate for the Minister of Transport to own shares in Auckland international airport without declaring that ownership publicly?Hon Grant Robertson: Point of order Mr Speaker. I am not wishing to challenge your ruling but this does raise the difficulty of the line of questioning around the appropriateness in the management of conflicts of interest. I just reiterate what I said in my earlier point of order: the way conflicts of interest have historically been managed is via the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister. The decision about whether one should or shouldn't do something is not actually a portfolio Minister's matter; it is a matter for the Prime Minister usually acting on the advice of the Cabinet Office—Hon Gerry Brownlee: It's of interest to the House.Hon Grant Robertson: Am I doing a point of order or not?SPEAKER: Yes—continue.Hon Grant Robertson: And asking individual Ministers to comment on the appropriateness in terms of divulging or managing conflicts of interest if you think about it and take it to its most logical extent is a fruitless exercise because the ultimate arbiter and judge of those matters is the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Speaking to that point of order. A Minister is responsible for his or her actions and that is what I am asking.Hon Michael Woodhouse: May I also speak to that? Thank you Mr Speaker. Your determination is on the degree to which the question is in order. Speakers' rulings 189/1 and 173/7 go to the issue of a hypothetical question. Mr Goldsmith's question was indeed hypothetical which gives the Acting Minister some latitude in his answer but it doesn't rule the question out.SPEAKER: I think the way that the Minister answered is definitely in order. I have given the member additional questions to further flesh out that. He should continue on.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he stand by his predecessor's action to own shares in Auckland international airport without declaring them publicly?SPEAKER: In so far as the Minister has responsibility for that he can answer.Hon KIERAN McANULTY: I can speak to the declarations that I have made in this role as Acting Minister and I am confident that all are appropriate and have been declared appropriately.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Point of order Mr Speaker. The question on notice was about his actions and his predecessor's actions—so it included the actions of his predecessor. I am asking him about his predecessor and he's saying I'm not going to answer—SPEAKER: And that has been addressed.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he stand by his predecessor's view that to hold shares in a trust means that a Minister should not have to declare his ownership in those shares?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: In the question of declaring interests Ministers take advice from the Cabinet Office. I have done that and am confident all declarations are appropriate.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Will he promise as Acting Minister of Transport to fix the potholes and stop having us crawl around at 30 kilometres an hour?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: What I promise to do in the time that I am acting transport Minister is not to freeze the maintenance budget as happened under the previous National Government."