Ward Mike: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ward Mike: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:4060] 
1. MIKE WARD (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Sport and Recreation 
: Why has the Government offered funding of $5.6 million to Team New Zealand four years before the America’s Cup challenge while Water Safety New Zealand only has funds for programmes to reduce the number of children drowning in 8 out of 17 regional sports trust areas? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister for Sport and Recreation) 
: 
 The $5.6 million is new trade and tourism money. It has not been taken from the Sport and Recreation New Zealand budget. The Government wanted to make sure that Team New Zealand had a level of financial security in order to start the process of re-signing team members for a possible challenge in 2007. The member has referred to the pilot programme called Swim for Life which Water Safety New Zealand runs with eight regional sports trusts. A further three trusts are looking to join the pilot. I have been advised that the remaining trusts believe swimming skills for children are being adequately dealt with through a building arrangement with other providers. 
Mike Ward 
: Has the Minister not been a tad hasty in granting $5.6 million to Team New Zealand before bringing together Team New Zealand the boat-building industry and the yachting sector to make sure that our talent is put to the best use? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: There is considerable work going on now by way of a post mortem and future planning. No decision has yet been made by Team New Zealand but it is important to have this money in place because as members are aware after the last America’s Cup round people were being poached within days of the racing finishing. Although this is not a view that is unanimously shared by members in the House there is a strong feeling on this side that the international trade benefits are certainly worth having. 
Helen Duncan 
: Can the Minister tell the House whether the Government has provided funding to Water Safety New Zealand in 2003? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes. The Government approved granting just over $500000 to Water Safety New Zealand in December last year which the executive director was ecstatic about. 
Opposition Member 
: What about this year? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The money came this year but the announcement was made last year. Does the member understand the difference? The woodwork teacher is a bit slow. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There should not have been an interjection nor should there have been a response. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Mr Muir said at the time: “This will mean that quality water safety education programmes can still be delivered to communities throughout New Zealand.” The money made up for the shortfall in funding from the Lotteries Commission as a result of the drop-off in its funding. 
Hon Murray McCully 
: Can the Minister confirm that in making decisions on America’s Cup matters the Government will be guided by a professional assessment of the economic benefits to New Zealand rather than by a comparison with the level of public funding made available to any sporting code in this country? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes along with a number of other factors including the willingness of private sector people both within New Zealand and internationally to put in money. I thank the member opposite for his strong support and for his suggestion that $20 million should go to Team New Zealand. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: How much funding has the Government provided to rugby league during its term in office and is the disparity between that figure and the $5.6 million for Team New Zealand because rugby league is a working-class sport played largely by Polynesians with 13 rather than 15 players per side? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Believe it or not I do not have the exact figures right at my fingertips with regard to rugby league funding. But I will say that per player rugby league is proportionately one of the biggest beneficiaries of Sport and Recreation New Zealand. I also understand that rugby league receives a disproportionate amount of pokie money around which there is some question. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Why has the Government put $5.6 million of taxpayers’ money into a billionaires’ yachting regatta instead of providing another 100 urgently needed police officers in Auckland? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Members who are up to date with the facts will know that the 1999-2000 regatta resulted in additional economic growth in New Zealand to the value of $640 million. I understand that during the latest cup over $100 million of extra taxation in PAYE and GST was paid directly by the syndicates. This Government believes in growth. We think we can leverage off the challenge and increase economic growth through trade and tourism flowing from it. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: Will the Minister confirm that the funding that has been announced today is to ensure that Team New Zealand has breathing space to determine the best way of proceeding with a future challenge if there is to be one and that it has the assets and the people to do so and that it is not a precursor of Government funding for the challenge per se if it should eventuate—in other words will that be left to private sponsors to organise? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes and no. 
Mike Ward 
: What messages do his actions send to community groups dependent on dwindling lotteries funding and will the Minister be advising them to find a group of sponsors to splash their logos on their water wings or to move to Europe before giving them any further support? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The message that this Government is giving to community groups through this exercise is that we want to grow this economy so that we have more to share around. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I would like to advise new members that it would be useful if they could speak a little more slowly sometimes.