edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
VoteThe question was put that the amendments recommended by the Education and Workforce Committee by majority be agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That the amendments be agreed to.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 56New Zealand National 56.Amendments agreed to.A party vote was called for on the question That the Education Amendment Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 63New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party 8.Noes 57New Zealand National 56; ACT New Zealand 1.Bill read a second time.The result corrected after originally being announced as Ayes 63 Noes 56.
11. Defence Force—ReportsCLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First) to the Minister of DefenceDefence Force—Reports11. CLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First) to the Minister of Defence: What recent reports has he received regarding the New Zealand Defence Force delivering value to the community nation or world?Hon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): Recently I've received reports from the New Zealand Defence Force delivering excellent value for the New Zealand community including by conducting search and rescue operations near Great Barrier Island P3 Orion fisheries patrols of the Chatham Islands and the Chatham Rise area conducting hydrographic surveys in the vicinity of the Cavalli Islands in Northland to allow Land Information New Zealand to update its sea charts and recently completing their planning support to the Ministry for Primary Industries for the response to Mycoplasma bovis.Clayton Mitchell: Is the Minister aware of any recent examples where the New Zealand Defence Force has delivered value to our nation and region?Hon RON MARK: Yes I have. Over the last month the combined efforts of the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago and a P3 Orion aircraft together with the Ministry for Primary Industries and our regional partners inspected 23 foreign-flag fishing vessels on the high seas surrounding New Zealand's northern exclusive economic zone boundary. Also just last week on HMNZS Wellington 19 scientists including from GNS MetService and the Department of Conservation and support personnel on board left on a 1000 kilometre trip to Raoul Island in the Kermadecs with 8 tonnes of supplies to sustain scientific work in those remote islands which will occur over the next six months.Clayton Mitchell: Is the Minister aware of any recent examples where the New Zealand Defence Force has delivered value on the world stage?Hon RON MARK: Yes I have again. Alongside of all their missions around the world the Defence Force has recently completed specialist deployments to two uniquely difficult and dangerous environments with three additional military firefighters joining the Fire and Emergency New Zealand team fighting wildfires in Chester County California and six additional firefighters provided to the team tackling the wildfires in British Columbia Canada. The coalition Government is extremely proud of our Defence Force personnel here at home and wherever they are deployed around the world as they continue to deliver real value to the community our nation and the world.
5. Benefits—Report on OutcomesANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentBenefits—Report on Outcomes5. ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister for Social Development: What report about benefit outcomes has she released and what is the Government doing to meet the challenges it identifies?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Yesterday I released a report prepared by the Ministry of Social Development on what happened to people leaving the benefit system following the 2012 to 2013 welfare reforms. It showed that almost half of the people leaving the benefit system returned within 18 months. Along with this this report also highlighted the need for investment in the regions higher education at level 7 or above and apprenticeships or in-work training if we are going to keep people in meaningful and sustainable work. Work is well under way in all these areas under this Government.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What specific initiatives has the Government introduced to respond to the challenges raised in the report?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Within our first 100 days we introduced a tertiary package that boosted the amount that can be borrowed for living costs and weekly student allowances by $50. We also introduced our fees-free policy we launched the He Poutama Rangatahi employment scheme—thank you to our Minister of Employment—we've invested millions in the regions through the Provincial Growth Fund we launched the Mana in Mahi - Strength in Work initiative and we continue to grow industry partnerships. This Government knows that building meaningful and sustainable employment means taking action now. This report shows that our priorities to grow sustainable work opportunities for New Zealand are on track.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: Why is research like this so important?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: The research is important because as Minister for Social Development alongside many of my ministerial colleagues I need to be able to make evidence-based policy decisions about how best to support people into sustainable work. Beneficiaries have been a political football for too long and the messages coming from the previous Government were that—SPEAKER: Order! Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: —kicking them around—SPEAKER: Order! The member doesn't have responsibility for that.
McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Junior Whip—Labour): As it is 5.59 and the Serjeant-at-Arms is likely to come and grab the Mace any time soon I thought that I would just quietly rise and make a point of order to prevent any of our colleagues starting a speech only for the sake of a couple of minutes. Thank you very much for your presiding over the House for the last week Mr Assistant Speaker.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): So are you seeking leave?KIERAN McANULTY: I seek leave for the House to rise early.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be not.Debate interrupted.The House adjourned at 6 p.m.
Strange JamieJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. I'd like to acknowledge the previous two speakers who have very adequately outlined the purpose of the bill. It's certainly a very important bill for our country. We do have a challenge around drugs particularly methamphetamine commonly called P and the passing of this bill will give the Customs Service powers to stop board and search ships suspected to be involved in drug smuggling in international waters beyond New Zealand's 24 nautical mile contiguous zone. So it's basically giving Customs more power in order to stop the drugs coming in. Look it's certainly only part of a puzzle and it's important as well to increase the police force which we are working on. I'm proud to say that both parties prior to the election talked about that. So look it's all part of a puzzle around keeping New Zealanders safe.Just a key point I'd like to focus on in my brief contribution is around New Zealand's role in the Pacific. We have a strong relationship with our Pacific neighbours with Australia and the Pacific Islands and it's important that we play our part—good citizen-ship" would be one way to say that. [Interruption] Ha! Just for those listening at home the Kiribati islands for example have an exclusive economic zone the size of the mainland United States but only one ship to patrol it. The Pacific is a huge area and if we're going to patrol the Pacific well adequately we need to work together as countries. We need collaboration. So that's why I'm very excited to see this bill being brought to the House. That's what this bill is about: it's about collaboration.In terms of the select committee I'm honoured to be on the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. I'd like to acknowledge Simon O'Connor the previous speaker who does an excellent job chairing the committee. We have a positive working relationship across the committee and there was unanimous support for this because like I said it's about keeping New Zealanders safe. It's about stopping the drugs coming in. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you."
Rurawhe AdrianVOTINGCorrection—Education Amendment BillASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Members earlier today the vote on the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill was incorrectly announced as Ayes 63 Noes 56. The correct result is Ayes 63 Noes 57.
Williams PotoCHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Denise Lee's tabled amendment to clause 1 changing the title to Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa) Amendment Act 2018 is out of order as inconsistent with the previous decision of the House.
Hipkins ChrisHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): Look I don't want to prolong the debate. I fear that despite the Opposition's opposition to the bill there is a degree of goodwill in this debate that I don't want to spoil. But they have raised a legitimate question about whether this bill should proceed before or after some of the reviews that are being undertaken by the Government are complete and the recommendations of those are known. I do want to give the Opposition a cast-iron guarantee that one of the outcomes of that review process is that we will still have teachers and they will still be a regulated profession. And I cannot envisage any circumstances through the review process where we would no longer have teachers.
Willis NicolaNICOLA WILLIS (National): Tēnā koutou katoa i tēnei wiki Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.[Greetings to you all in this week Māori Language Week.]I rise to speak on the title and commencement clauses of the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand) Amendment Bill. What a pleasure it is. This is the first time that I've had the opportunity to speak on the title and commencement clauses of a bill and how exciting that is. I note that the Minister is anxious to remind us that when New Zealand First asks for changes to bills it can get them. It seems to be weighing on the Minister's mind that New Zealand First was able to achieve that with the title of this bill and we wonder on this side of the Chamber on what other matters they may achieve that—Hon Phil Twyford: It's called MMP.NICOLA WILLIS: —in the coming months particularly in relation to the Employment Relations Act Mr Twyford. Thank you for your contribution Mr Twyford. It's clearly on the Minister's mind—this question of commencement. The reason he seems to be thinking about commencement is he's thinking about election dates. And I wonder why it might be that the Minister's thinking about election dates today as he thinks about the unwieldy situation that he and his fellow Ministers are trying to manage on the other side of the Chamber. They're trying their best to ensure that the election doesn't come early and that when it does they aren't voted out of office.I turn to the title because clearly there are some alternative titles that I would ask the Minister if he has considered. Did he consider calling this bill the Back to the Future Amendment Bill"—because of course all this bill does is rehash the failed policies which Labour had in previous years and brings them back. There is no fresh thinking happening on that other side; this is just an old idea. Did the Minister consider calling this bill the "Unnecessary but Very Expensive Amendment Bill"? Of course what we know about this is that changing the name of the Education Council to the Teaching Council will come at a cost to taxpayers of around $700000. Yet not one of the speakers on the opposite side of the Chamber has managed to put forward an argument to suggest that the current council is failing in any way. So we would suggest that naming this bill perhaps the "Expensive and Unwarranted Amendment Bill" could be appropriate.Finally we come to this issue of "Teachers Council" versus "Teaching Council." I'd just ask the Minister: could he comment on why the previous form that Labour loved which was the "Teachers Council" is now changed to the "Teaching Council" and what could the semantic reasons for this evolution be?Finally before I sit down after this short call I'd ask this question: given how urgent this clearly is in terms of the commencement—it is to commence the very day that it gets the Royal assent—how does the Minister see this sitting versus the priorities that teachers have right now which would be around settling their collective agreement so that they don't need to strike in the coming weeks? Is this more of a priority than ensuring that settlement? Thank you Madam Chair."
Hipkins ChrisHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): Madam Chair I can briefly comment on the issue of the changes to the name of this bill and of the organisation and I can confirm that Tracey Martin didn't have to lobby that hard in order to get that change. It's a sensible change quite frankly and so the Labour Party part of the Government had no hesitation in agreeing to it.With regard to the commencement date there are a number of amendments that have been moved by members opposite. One of them in the name of Erica Stanford is an amendment that I'm well familiar with myself having moved it several times in the House before only to have it struck out under Speakers' ruling 115/2 and that is that it suggests that the commencement should be at the close of polling day for the first general election held. The reason that I know it's been struck out is I tried to do it under the previous Government and the chairs ruled that that didn't satisfy the requirements of due particularity around the date because the date of the election was not certain enough. But there are some other clauses which I'm sure will withstand scrutiny including the ones that suggest particular dates. The question has been raised by the member about why we've chosen the date we have i.e. the date after it receives the Royal assent and whether there's any ambition to have this new system in place before Christmas. The reason that we've chosen the date after which it receives the Royal assent is because the Education Council which will become the Teaching Council want to get on with the process of organising the elections and they therefore want these rules in place.They have indicated that they would like to have the new council in place certainly in the first half of next year that they believe they can conduct the elections during that time and that getting the commencement as soon as possible gives them certainty as to what the rules are that they'll be operating under. Therefore the Government will continue to support the status quo when it comes to the commencement which is the day after it receives the Royal assent.
Williams PotoCHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): The Hon Nikki Kaye's tabled amendment to delete schedule 1 is out of order as the proper course of action is to vote against the schedule.
Hipkins ChrisHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): I'm very happy to comment very briefly on the transition provisions because of course they were contained in Part 1 of the bill rather than Part 2. The only schedule that's contained in Part 2 is schedule 4. Schedules 1 to 3 were contained in Part 1. But I will comment briefly because I take the member at face value on that.I am mindful of the transition from the Education Council to the Teaching Council. Of course there's lengthy debate about whether Teaching" or "Teacher" is the right word. Ultimately the profession just wants to have the word "Teaching" or "Teacher" in the name somewhere and I think that's something that this Government recognises.On the transition costs I can assure the member it'll be a lot cheaper than the transition from the old Teachers Council to the Education Council. It will not cost even a fraction of the amount of money that that cost.Just finally on the transitions in terms of ensuring a smooth transition of membership the way the provisions have been put together to have the elections first and then the ministerial appointments will allow for example for there to be some continuity of membership. I think the previous Government should give the members that they appointed a little bit more credit in that some of those people may well be elected to those positions on the council.I do want to acknowledge the current chair Barbara Ala'alatoa who is someone who I have enormous respect for and who I think has done a very good job. I want to make a plea on her behalf because I think she's done a great job. Every time she's endorsed by the previous National Government her credibility with the teaching profession goes down and I think you should set her free stop complimenting her and allow her to rebuild her credibility with the teaching profession. She is in fact I think a very good school principal someone who has a very credible education background and someone who I have a lot of confidence in."
State Sector and Crown Entities Reform Bill — Third Reading
Eagle PaulPAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. It's a pleasure to speak on the third reading of this bill. There's been robust debate. There's been a little anger but there's been lots of love. That's why I reckon the reservations from that side of the House lack real authenticity. They love this. They want it to pass but we're just seeing out the week.When you look at it it looks pretty good. How could it not look good when what we want to do is ensure that we send the signal of transparency and accountability to taxpayers that the public money that is being spent through these agencies is fully transparent and accountable? It's as simple as that. This is public money. These are the Crown agents independent Crown entities and the like and all we are doing is putting a level of consistency to the processes in place for those senior leadership roles—be it the chief executive officers. How could you not want that? I said yesterday that this was all about putting the public" and "service" back into the Public Service and that's what we're doing. It's as simple as that.I want to thank the Minister of State Services. He did raise an important note around the level of public confidence being eroded in chief executive salaries and that links to performance. It's a bit of a myth I think that paying more gets you more in terms of the quality of person. What we've said is that there are other ways in terms of remuneration to reward those high-performing entities and those who want the roles will respond. If you don't want it if you want to sell cars and tyres then so be it; join the private sector and get yourself a flash job on that side of the fence. We're looking for high-quality public servants who will spend public money with full transparency and accountability—ultimately giving that trust and confidence to taxpayers and giving the people of New Zealand what they want to see which is good value for money from the Public Service. It's as simple as that I think.I don't want to get into the little faux fights from the Opposition around little bits and pieces of this and that. This bill is a great bill. We'll look back and say "Why didn't we do this years ago?" and that's probably because—Hon Ruth Dyson: It's because we had nine long years of National.PAUL EAGLE: —we had a National Government. Exactly—dare I say it—chief Labour Party whip for the Government thank you. I commend the bill to the House."
Craig Liz; Rurawhe AdrianDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. So as New Zealanders we rely on our Crown entities to carry out a huge number of essential functions. Just thinking about the Crown entities in health I mean we've got district health boards we've got the New Zealand Blood Service and we've got Pharmac—all of them absolutely essential for all of us as New Zealanders. I think it's really important that the public maintains its trust in our Crown entities.This is not a bill that I saw through select committee because I actually sit on the Health Committee rather than the select committee that heard this bill—the Governance and Administration Committee—so I haven't heard all the detail of all the submissions. So in my brief call what I want to do is just outline some of those key features of the bill for those of you like me who haven't gone through that detailed process.Some of those key things that this bill does: firstly what it does is it requires the boards of statutory entities to get written consent from the State Services Commissioner before they set the terms and conditions of their chief executives' employment. The other thing it does in that respect is it also says that you can't set a term of employment of more than five years although there's a right for renewal. I think it's really important because everybody in our State sector works really really hard and I think it's important that the pay and conditions of our chief executives aren't completely out of whack with others working in this sector.The five-year term—what that means is that we've got a much closer alignment between the terms of the boards that are overseeing that chief executive and the chief executive themselves which makes it a lot easier to monitor their performance in terms of thinking about what the board's directions are and where the chief executive wants to go.The bill also makes sure and allows the State Services Commissioner to apply codes of conduct to board members in those entities that are subject to such codes. I think that's just really essential because these board members are providing leadership within our State sector and we need to have them accountable to very high standards of integrity and conduct.The bill also modernises the State Services Commissioner's investigation powers. So what that means is they're in line with the Inquiries Act 2013 which came in more recently than some of the original legislation that was tied up with the earlier Act. It ensures that we get the same approaches to investigation irrespective of whether it's a Prime Minister a Minister or anybody else in the State services asking the commissioner to act.So I think taken together what this does is it provides a much more modernised integrated approach to our State services and it helps preserve the public trust in our State sector so I therefore commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Five minutes—I call Stuart Smith.
Jones ShaneHon SHANE JONES (NZ First): E turi ana tēnei taringa ōku [This ear of mine is deaf] Madam Deputy Speaker—meaning that—DEPUTY SPEAKER: My pronunciation was bad.Hon SHANE JONES: I don't always accurately hear female voices. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I find that hard to believe. Ha ha!Hon SHANE JONES: I apologise Madam Deputy Speaker and I think I'll start again if you don't mind.I rise to take a call. I follow the list member from Hōhāriu" or properly known as Ōhāriu. I enjoy the minimalist approach which is in inverse proportions to Mr Hudson's contribution where as the words multiplied the meaning shrunk. We were treated to a speech by the party who wants to back the bill and the majority of the speech unfortunately was condemning the bill. I'll be a lot more focused and pithy.The first thing I'd like to say is that our civil service leaders are handsomely remunerated. We have the evidence that in terms of the OECD they rank second. Our parliamentary emoluments and packages are fully disclosed and cruelly debated and we are made to feel from time to time that we are unworthy of what we receive. I long for the day when similar feelings and similar transparency is visited upon the upper level of the civil service and for those reasons I'm an enthusiast when I stand and support the passage of this bill.I don't think that reflecting those views is anti - Civil Service. I'm just reflecting along with my colleagues strongly held views that we encounter in the public. So for those reasons we enjoy the prospect of the State Services Commissioner enjoying these wider powers to ensure that those as I said earlier entities that are at the periphery actually are caught in a net of restraint and driven by a willingness to serve and that quality and that ethic of service can never be fully monetised.And for those reasons as philosophical as it might sound—which is something from time to time I've been known to offer—I think that it's a great day when that side of the House and this side of the House support legislation because we are the ultimate public figures. We are held to a high standard we are regularly called out in the media and from time to time some of us—mostly sitting on that side of the House—have been subject to ridicule. So we know what it's like. Those standards and those expectations will now be visited by the State service sector on all of our civic leaders and they will know that the response when you're called to serve cannot be measured purely in monetary terms—that's why we call it the Public Service. I back this bill."
Tinetti JanJAN TINETTI (Labour): I am delighted to have the last say in the second reading of this particular bill. I am delighted that this bill is coming back to the House for the second reading because this is a great day for public education. This makes right the attacks that were made to break the public education system by privatising a system by the corporation of our schooling system. This makes right what that side of the House tried to break. Last night during this debate we heard about some children—or some young people I should say. One of them—her name was Paris—was doing well in charter schools. Well Paris was a young mum and we heard that last night in this debate. I want to talk about Mauria. Mauria was a young mum. Mauria is now a top chef in Sydney. I want to talk about the two Shyans": Cheyne and Cheyenne. Both are young mums under the age of 16. Both are passing level 3 with excellence in NCEA both through the teen parent unit. All three of those students are ex-students of mine. The teen parent unit is a State-funded education provider. The State education system is where we can make a difference for our children. An alternative education system—let's talk about the alternative education system and the lack of funding that that side put into that education system. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No let's not talk about it because it's not in the bill. JAN TINETTI: Well can I talk to it being an alternative to charter schools because that is the bill—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No no. What you can talk about is that there may be alternatives—JAN TINETTI: OK I will talk about that. DEPUTY SPEAKER: That's right. JAN TINETTI: Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. We've talked about those young people that they talked about last night and here we've got people in the State-funded system that are doing really really well. We do not need an alternative. We can do this through the State-funded system.Repealing National Standards is seen as a move back to creativity and a child-centred focus—this is what this bill does. The voice of the professionals in this system matters. The voice of the professionals when National Standards were put in was taken away. My voice as a professional at the time mattered and I felt that my voice had been taken away. We are a Government that is listening to our professionals and we are proud of that. I want the final say in my contribution to go to Diane Ravitch a former US Secretary of Education in the 1990s who was once one of the strongest proponents of charter schools. On 12 February this year in her blog she said "Hurrah for New Zealand!" When she heard about this bill she said "Hurrah for New Zealand! … My hunch is that New Zealand has a strong tradition of good public schools and [very strong] common sense." I am proud I am excited I am happy and I am any other superlative that I can think of to commend this bill to the House."
Points of Order — Privileges—Referral to Privileges Committee
Voting — Correction—Arms (Firearms Prohibition Orders) Amendment Bill
Points of Order — Privileges—Complaint to Speaker
Visitors — Kingdom of Morocco—Speaker of the House of Representatives
Points of Order — Tabling of Documents—Complaint to Speaker
Willis NicolaEDUCATION AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingDebate resumed from 12 September.NICOLA WILLIS (National): When I was interrupted last night I was talking about the great shame it is that this Government is prepared to close down partnership schools. They do so on the premise I suppose that all State schools are delivering great results for students when everybody in this House knows that that is not the case. There are still far too many children being failed in our mainstream system and it is incumbent on all of us to embrace those innovations which make a difference for children and are proven to be getting results.Let us take the example of Vanguard Military School which has a 96 percent pass rate for NCEA level 3. This compares with the national pass rate at NCEA level 3 of 76 percent. So Vanguard is achieving better NCEA results in level 3 than other schools and it is doing so even though it is required to deal with the children that are most at risk of failure—the priority learners who are most likely to be failed by the mainstream school system. So we can understand the comments from the leader of Vanguard Military School when he says As a school Vanguard has delivered. It's a bitter pill to swallow that a school like this will be forced to close while others happily go on year to year failing more students than they pass."We have had the ridiculous argument from members opposite that partnership schools aren't closing; they're just becoming special character schools. This is an embarrassing argument by members opposite because of course as special character schools these schools will lose the very things that have allowed them to innovate that have allowed them to be different: the fact that they are allowed to pay teachers a slightly bigger salary the fact that they're bulk funded the fact that they have more flexibility over their governance arrangements and yes the fact that Vanguard Military School employs someone with an army background with great skill with children who is not a qualified teacher.So this is a bill—the Education Amendment Bill—that tells us a lot about that Government's priorities. What the Labour-led Government is focused on is how it can ensure ideological purity and what we on this side of the House are focused on is how we can get results for children and young people that have been historically failed by the education system.It is not just Vanguard Military School; we are talking about a group of schools that have been set up by amazing New Zealanders who believe that their community has within it the solutions to help those children who have previously been failed whether it's South Auckland Middle School Pacific Advance Secondary School or any of the other partnership schools. They should not be closed. This is what that bill does and the Government should hang its head in shame."
Smith NickPOINTS OF ORDERPrivilege—Referral to Privileges CommitteeHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You suggested at the beginning of question time that this was the more appropriate time.SPEAKER: Yes sure. I know and I apologise that I'd forgotten.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: My point of order is with respect to Speaker's ruling 206/2 and relates to the privileges complaint that last evening you ruled on. Now I wish to get clarification as to whether that Speaker's ruling stands. What that Speaker's ruling by Speaker Harrison said was that it was for the Speaker to determine whether there was a matter of privilege but it was a matter for the Privileges Committee to determine on the evidence. Now the substantive issue is that there is contradictory evidence as to whether New Zealand First MPs have signed a bonding contract for $300000 or not. A number of New Zealand First MPs said they had; some said they had not. Mr Peters at the time said they all had.SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. The Speaker's ruling stands. It is my role effectively on the evidence before me to establish whether there's a prima facie case to be referred to the Privileges Committee. On considering the evidence before me it became clear that there was not—on I think at least three grounds. Hon Dr Nick Smith: Point of order—SPEAKER: We're not going to continue to litigate a referral to the Privileges Committee here. This is not the place to do it.Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): I seek leave of the House for the matter in respect of the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill and the issue of privilege in respect of the financial interest raised in my letter to be referred to the Privileges Committee to establish the truth as to whether New Zealand First MPs had signed or not.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that? Yes there is.
Mallard Trevor; Smith NickVOTINGCorrection—Arms (Firearms Prohibition Orders) Amendment BillSPEAKER: Before we move forward we have a correction to a vote. On 5 September when the House was considering the Arms (Firearms Prohibition Orders) Amendment Bill the result of the vote on the first reading was incorrectly recorded as Ayes 57 Noes 63. The correct result is Ayes 56 Noes 64. The record will be corrected accordingly. I call on Government order of the No. 1.Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): Point of order Mr Speaker—point of order Mr Speaker!SPEAKER: Sorry I apologise to the member. I should've—you know wind back one step. The Hon Dr Nick Smith has a point of order.
Smith Nick; Mallard TrevorPOINTS OF ORDERPrivilege—Referral to Privileges CommitteeHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): Point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: Is this a matter to do with questions?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): It's a matter to do with the privileges complaint that I raised earlier as a point of order.SPEAKER: And we will deal with that at the end of question time.
Mallard TrevorVISITORSMorocco—Speaker of the House of RepresentativesSPEAKER: I welcome the Rt Hon Habib El Malki the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco and his delegation who are present in the gallery and accord the Speaker a seat to my left.[Applause]
Smith Nick; Mallard TrevorPOINTS OF ORDERTabling of Documents—Privileges ComplaintHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seek the leave of the House to table my complaint to yourself dated 16 August with respect to the privileges issues over the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill and your response that came through to me late last evening so that it can be a matter of public record.SPEAKER: Well it can be a matter of public record if the member gives it to anyone but I will put the leave to the House. Is there any objection to those documents being tabled? There is objection. [Interruption] No I have visitors and I'm going to deal with them now thank you.
Hipkins Chris; Brownlee GerryTHURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2018The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.Karakia.BUSINESS STATEMENTHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): Next week the House will consider the third readings of the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand) Amendment Bill and the bills divided from the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill. The Maritime Powers Extension Bill and the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill will also progress. The Education Amendment Bill (No 2) will receive its first reading. Wednesday 19 September will be a members' day.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I wonder if the Leader of the House could be so kind as to assure the House that appropriate Ministers will be here for each of those bills' readings?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): To the best of my ability I will certainly endeavour to ensure that Ministers who can answer relevant questions regarding those bills are in the chair where there is a committee stage or Ministers who can speak knowledgably to the bill are there for first second or third readings.
Tuesday 4 September 2018 - Volume 732
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Tariff (PACER Plus) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 112New Zealand National 56; New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; ACT New Zealand 1.Noes 8Green Party 8.Bill read a second time.
12. Small Businesses—Government InitiativesJO LUXTON (Labour) to the Minister for Small BusinessSmall Businesses—Government Initiatives12. JO LUXTON (Labour) to the Minister for Small Business: What initiatives has he recently announced to support small businesses?Hon STUART NASH (Minister for Small Business): Malo e lelei 'Eiki Sea. Last month this Government announced the creation of the Small Business Council to work on initiatives and strategic issues to help drive improvement and innovation in the small-business sector. This builds on top of other initiatives in the previous quarter including 12 successful small-business roadshows around the country Budget 2018 initiatives that actually funded the invoicing and the development of online tools such as the health and safety policy maker to modernise and simplify the way we support business.Jo Luxton: What feedback has the Minister received from small businesses about these initiatives?Hon STUART NASH: More than 1000 small-business owners or aspiring owners have recently taken part in a three-month series of roadshows around the country. A survey of the sentiment showed that they were positive about the services and support that the Government agencies offer small businesses. Eighty-one percent also described the roadshows as excellent or very good and each day there are between 5000 and 10000 Kiwi businesses visiting business.gov.nz. The average visitor satisfaction rating is 84 percent.Jo Luxton: How did the Minister decide on the membership of the Small Business Council?Hon STUART NASH: Alongside small-business owners I deliberately included the so-called big end of town such as the New Zealand Bankers' Association Fonterra and Xero as members on my Small Business Council. Access to capital accounting and payments software new digital tools and prompt payment are some of the frequent topics that small businesses raise with me and the need for the support of other businesses in order to thrive. And small businesses and large corporates need to work together and ensure that the needs of the small and medium sized enterprise sector are supported. I'm committed to supporting small businesses to that effect.
10. Small Business Council—RoleHon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to the Minister for Small BusinessSmall Business Council—Role10. Hon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to the Minister for Small Business: Does he stand by all his statements and actions regarding small business?Hon STUART NASH (Minister for Small Business): Malo e lelei 'Eiki Sea. Yes in context.Hon Jacqui Dean: What is the difference between the Small Business Council he announced three weeks ago and the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council announced by the Prime Minister last week?Hon STUART NASH: One is about small businesses and driving growth in productivity across that sector; the other is to give the Prime Minister advice.Hon Jacqui Dean: What is the difference between the Small Business Council's role which is to build relationships with small businesses … and be the voice of small business at the Cabinet table" and the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council's role which is: "I want to work closely with and be advised by senior business leaders"?Hon STUART NASH: I repeat one is to drive productivity and growth across the small business sector; the other is to give the Prime Minister advice.Hon Jacqui Dean: Will the proposed small-business institute to be located at a New Zealand university have similar terms of reference which will take the count to three new advisory groups?Hon STUART NASH: Wait and see.Hon Jacqui Dean: If business confidence continues to fall will he go on to establish a small-business commission?Hon STUART NASH: It's quite interesting. The managing director of Xero which provides services to over 300000 small businesses actually says their own survey of business indicators challenges the notion that the economy is in a downturn. But one thing I would say is that that former Minister actually put the Small Business Advisory Group into abeyance so that for the first time in 15 years a Minister for Small Business had no voice around the table. She stopped listening.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That can't possibly be accepted as a reasonable answer to the very simple question that was asked about what he would do. He said all sorts of things that are perhaps interesting to him but were in no way an answer to the question.SPEAKER: Well it certainly wasn't a helpful answer but I think it's also fair to say that a part of the question headed away from that member's area of responsibility. I don't think he has a general responsibility for business confidence."
9. Greater Christchurch Regeneration—ProgressHon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) to the Minister for Greater Christchurch RegenerationGreater Christchurch Regeneration—Progress9. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) to the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration: What progress if any has this Government made towards the regeneration of Greater Christchurch?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration): Malo e laumalie 'Eiki Sea. As this House will know today is the eighth anniversary of the September earthquake that disrupted so many people's lives. Since coming to office this Government has worked hard to remove remaining roadblocks by among other things putting mental health support workers into our primary schools reforming the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and accelerating the resolution of outstanding claims and putting stalled anchor projects back on track while setting up a $300 million capital fund to finish the job. We're also establishing an insurance tribunal with legislation which my colleague Andrew Little will bring to the House this afternoon.Hon Ruth Dyson: Ko 'eku fehu'i tānakí. Why is it important that the Government continues to prioritise the regeneration of Christchurch?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: It's important because there's still unfinished business in Christchurch. People are still living in damaged homes families are still coping with serious psychosocial impacts and businesses are waiting for certainty. This Government is committed to finishing the job and helping people move on with their lives.Hon Ruth Dyson: What further progress does she anticipate in the coming months?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: There are a range of things we can expect to see over the coming months. Some include a global settlement with Christchurch City Council more initiatives to speed up the resolution of the remaining insurance claims an inquiry into EQC and the development of a business case for a stadium enabled by the establishment by this Government of a capital acceleration fund.
8. Health Sector—AppointmentsHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthHealth Sector—Appointments8. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: Does he believe he has followed the process set out in the State Services Commission document Board Appointment and Induction Guidelines in making appointments to health sector entities?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Malo e laumalie 'Eiki Sea. According to the State services guidelines Ministers may appoint or recommend those who in their opinion have the appropriate knowledge skills and experience to assist the entity to achieve its objectives and perform its function. My answer is yes.Hon Michael Woodhouse: How many of the 15 steps recommended by those guidelines were not followed in the appointment of the Hon Steve Maharey to chair the board of Pharmac?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Steve Maharey's appointment followed the standard process for board chairs and was signed off by Cabinet.Hon Michael Woodhouse: How could best-practice process have been followed in the appointment of the Hon Mark Gosche to chair the Counties Manukau District Health Board when the decision to appoint him was made prior to the formal decision to remove Rabin Rabindran and before the recommendation to appoint Mr Gosche was put before the appropriate Cabinet committee?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject some of the assertions made in that statement but suffice to say that Ministers may appoint or recommend those who have the appropriate knowledge skills and experience to assist the entity to achieve its objects and performance function. When I have good candidates I'm willing to guide an appointment process that appoints them and I've appointed dozens of board members since I became the Minister of Health and I stand by the appointments that I've made.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Do those appropriate skills and attributes include being former Ministers of the Labour Government?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Being a Minister of the Crown is a good qualification when it comes to skills and experience pointed to in the Board Appointment and Induction Guidelines from the State Services Commission. They indicate that skills and experience are very important so Ministers of the Crown do have qualifications that can be useful for these appointments. As I say I've made dozens of them and a few of them have been former Crown Ministers.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Isn't this just a clear pattern—those appointments plus those of the Hon Pete Hodgson Margaret Wilson and Heather Simpson—of jobs for former Labour Ministers and a long-time Labour staffer being offered without even a basic nod to the very probity to which he claims to subscribe?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: No.
6. Housing Rental—Minimum StandardsANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHousing Rental—Minimum Standards6. ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: What steps if any has the Government taken to ensure families who are renting their homes have secure stable warm and dry homes?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development): This Government is fulfilling our commitment to make life better for renters. Last week the Government asked for feedback on our proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. Tenancy laws are antiquated and don't reflect the fact that renting is now a long-term reality for so many families. This morning I announced our proposed healthy homes guarantee standards. The standards will set minimum requirements for heating insulation ventilation moisture and drainage and draught-stopping in all rental properties.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What effect will the Government's proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act have on families?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well insecure tenure can force families to continually move house which is particularly tough on children when they have to keep changing schools. By ending no-cause tenancy terminations while ensuring that landlords can still get rid of rogue tenants and increasing the amount of notice a landlord must give to tenants to terminate a tenancy we can give families a more stable home and more secure tenure. We're also consulting on limiting rent increases to once per year banning rent bidding and working out how we can better enable tenants and landlords to reach agreement about pets and minor alterations to their home.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: How will the healthy homes standards ensure families have warm and dry homes?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well we know that rental homes are more likely to be older and of poorer quality than owner-occupied homes. Approximately 200000 or more than a third of rental homes have no installation at all. Many are cold and damp and mouldy and cause respiratory illness toxic reactions and allergies. In fact some 40000 children go to hospital every year with respiratory infections caused by illnesses related to poor-quality housing.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What reports has he seen on the need for these reforms?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: On almost a daily basis we see stories of tenants in homes of unacceptable quality or being moved on from home after home. One tenant speaking to Radio New Zealand recently had moved between six different homes including spending a week in a basement and recently the New Zealand Herald reported on the Papakura swamp house" where a family with two young children were permanently sick because of a rubbish-filled pond under their house."