9. Government Procurement Policy—New Zealand BusinessesRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterGovernment Procurement Policy—New Zealand Businesses9. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When talking about New Zealand businesses last December does he stand by this statement and I quote him: I believe that by supporting businesses the Government can do a better job of changing lives."; if so why does Government approve a New Zealand taxpayer-funded cross-agency travel contract with Australia's Jetstar instead of our national carrier Air New Zealand? Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: You would need to talk to either the officials or the Minister who is overseeing the procurement process. The Government runs a process that gets the best value for the hard-pushed taxpayers of New Zealand many of whom I know are worried about that member's extravagant promises about what he would do with their money.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If he does believe in local business as he claimed then why would he allow a cross-agency contract with Australia's owned and operated Jetstar which has a horrible track record of flight cancellations and delays such as leaving passengers stranded at Dunedin Airport for 13 hours just yesterday?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I understand that they are there along with a number of airlines. If they provide the service that the Government users find acceptable they will do better; and if they do not they will not. Rt Hon Winston Peters: What will the New Zealand taxpayers get when Jetstar does not fly the routes Air New Zealand does does not register or maintain its aircraft in New Zealand and provides such an erratic service that neither he nor the Hon Steven Joyce flew with Jetstar for the 20-month period January 2015 to the last recorded time August 2016—never flew the airline once?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Clearly the member is spending a lot of time in the Koru lounge—a lot more than in his electorate. I mean it—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Again there comes the Prime Minister with a simple line belying the fact that he is not known as the "double dipper from Dipton"—he does not live there for 20 years. Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. If he wants to—[Interruption] Order! Now does the Prime Minister wish to continue his answer or is he—Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I invite that member to go to one of his meetings where he talks about supporting the regions of New Zealand and tell the regions where Jetstar flies to that he does not want it to be doing that and just see how the locals react to that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I seek leave to table a summary of ministerial and under-secretary flights by month and by airline between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2016.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular summary. Is there any objection to it being tabled? [Interruption] Order! Is there any objection? There is no objection. Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why is it with the Australian-owned banks Australian retail chains Australian ownership of our media and now this Jetstar deal that trans-Tasman integration seems so one-sided under the National Government and when will he finally start to put New Zealand first?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I think in the previous question the member was accusing myself and Mr Joyce of being too patriotic by supporting only the New Zealand airlines so I am now a bit confused. But I do not think there is much doubt that there are Australian businesses that many New Zealanders use. Whether it is furniture stores or banks they must provide a reasonable service. We are not going to stop New Zealand households using services that they think meet their needs."