3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes in particular our announcement that New Zealand and France will jointly convene a Christchurch Call second anniversary leaders' summit in May which will take stock of progress and develop a new shared priority work plan. The Christchurch Call shows a shared commitment by Governments and tech companies to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. It was great to hear on the weekend that the United States will attend this summit. The United States Government's support for the Call which they've also recently signed up to recognises the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to an issue that increasingly transcends borders ideologies and nationalities and the ability of any one group or country to address on their own. I'm proud of the work New Zealand is leading in this space.Hon Judith Collins: Does she agree with her Minister for Children that Oranga Tamariki removing Māori children from dangerous situations is a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: My view is that actually the debate that we are currently having around Oranga Tamariki and whether or not we have succeeded in protecting children as well as we could have was initially instigated in 2016 by Anne Tolley. I want to recognise that Anne Tolley tried to start a conversation which we are trying to continue and complete. And that is a recognition that I think we are all of one view that we must do better to look after the wellbeing of our children and tamariki in New Zealand and that includes trying to prevent situations where they are uplifted and trying to continue their relationships and care within whānau.Hon Judith Collins: Is it a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi for Oranga Tamariki to uplift a Māori child from a dangerous home?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I don't believe that that will be a fair attribution to the Minister's comments.Hon Judith Collins: Well then does she agree with her Minister when he was asked Can you see how the Tribunal has come to the decision that Oranga Tamariki has broken the Treaty of Waitangi?" and he replied "Yeah absolutely I agree."?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The Waitangi Tribunal—if I'm summarising what they said in what was a lengthy and helpful contribution to the discussion it was that we must do better on behalf of tamariki who are in the care of Oranga Tamariki. My offer to the member and to that party would be: how can we work together to improve these circumstances for kids? If their view is that anything that we are currently doing is not about the best interests of children I would be happy to debate that but that is not the sense I am getting from these questions.Hon Judith Collins: Does she agree with her Minister for Children that families who have in the eyes of the Government presented such a danger to their children that the children have had to be removed should now be considered for financial compensation?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again if the member wishes to have a conversation about improving the lot of children we are here for that conversation. Let's get back to the fundamentals here: thousands of children are in State care uplifts are traumatic and we must stop children from being in circumstances where they are hurt and abused. The best thing we can do is start from preventing the need for them to be uplifted in the first place. If the member wants to discuss the best way to do that let's hear it.Hon Judith Collins: Does her Government support the Hon Kelvin Davis directing Oranga Tamariki to begin preparing to devolve power and resources to a new Māori Transition Authority?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again I come back to everything that I have said: if the member thinks that we are doing well at the moment she has not read any of the statistics about what's happening to kids. Equally we have statutory obligations that sit with Oranga Tamariki and those statutory obligations continue to sit with Oranga Tamariki. What we are discussing—and actually a conversation that Anne Tolley rightly started—is whether or not in working more closely with iwi organisations and whānau who know these families well and the children well we can do a better job at prevention. Now I would like to hear how we can continue the discussion that Anne Tolley started because that is what we are trying to do.Hon Judith Collins: Does she believe it is acceptable for the Government to remove itself from the protection of all children regardless of ethnicity when a New Zealand child is killed by its own family every five weeks?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reject the claim that was made. The member did not listen to my previous answer around the statutory obligations that still exist within Oranga Tamariki. And secondly everything we are doing is about the care and wellbeing of children.Hon Judith Collins: Does she agree with the Treasury document He Ara Waiora that taxation is an expression of Crown authority and to best reflect the Treaty should be exercised in partnership and if so what would this look like?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the member would like to put on notice specific documents for discussion I'd be happy to discuss them.Hon Kelvin Davis: Does the Prime Minister—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order!Hon Kelvin Davis: Does the Prime Minister agree with the comments made at the Iwi Chairs Forum in Porirua on Friday that when Kāwanatanga and rangatiratanga work together in partnership we'll see great things happening?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I mean it's long been the endeavour of Governments I would have hoped to make sure that we're upholding our obligations as Treaty partners in the work that we do. There are actually some examples that I would have thought the member would have been proud of when they were in Government: the work that actually they did with Tūhoe around conservation; Waikato with the Waikato River Authority; Whānau Ora; kōhanga reo. It seems that in Government there is a commitment to partnership but in Opposition there is a race to the bottom in terms of politicising a debate that we need to have as a nation.Hon Judith Collins: What is her response to the draft recommendations of the Department of Conservation that tangata whenua rights and interests in the marine domain still need to be resolved?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again if the member wants to get into specific details on recommendations from the Department of Conservation I would defer the member to the Minister or ask her to put on record those specific documents she wishes to discuss.Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. I understand you just took two supplementary questions off the Opposition during that exchange Mr Speaker. I'm just wondering what on earth that was for.SPEAKER: For the raucous laughter when the Hon Kelvin Davis stood to ask a question. Arena Williams—question No. 4. [Interruption] Order! Again!"