Jones Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJones Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 27 August 2013. Volume:693;Page:12803. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) to theMinister for Economic Development: Does he stand by his statement “The New Zealand economy is of course the sum of its regional economies and that is why the Government is placing huge emphasis on assisting each region”?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): I thank contender No. 2 for his question and welcome him to the contest.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! My patience will run out very quickly with National members unless they simply answer the question that they have been asked.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes I do. In the 19 or so months I have spent as Minister for Economic Development I have travelled around and to nearly every region in New Zealand many of them twice three or more times. Everywhere I go I meet talented hard-working business people entrepreneurs and their staff who are investing competing in and growing jobs to the benefit of families right across New Zealand.Hon Shane Jones: How does further concentration of Government services out of the provinces and into main centres like Wellington actually help the regions?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well actually I disagree that that is occurring. In fact a member just to his left is probably complaining about not enough public servant jobs in Wellington.Hon Shane Jones: Why does he think it is right to prefer the wealthy property-owning gentry in Auckland while so many in the regions and South Auckland are suffering?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I appreciate the member has some concerns obviously on that matter and he probably thinks some suburbs like Herne Bay get a greater than their fair share of attention but actually we are focused right across the country.Hon Shane Jones: Was it his objective to cause decline and stagnation in the regions or was it just his incompetence?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Dear oh dear. The member obviously has not done his work. Many of the regions have been growing very strongly for example Taranaki where the member I think made a fleeting visit not so long ago in favour of oil and gas. Of course he is not brave enough to say it anywhere else. Also of course Southland has done well Canterbury has been doing very well in fact the whole South Island hasbeen doing well and Waikato is doing well. So actually the regions are leading the recovery in New Zealand.Andrew Williams: Does he believe that there are significant benefits for regional economies stemming from the mining extraction and petroleum industries and that the benefits from these industries should be shared with the region in which that activity is based?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well firstly of course I do see that and along with any number of industries. Actually they are shared with those regions. If you take Taranaki for example it has the highest level of average income in New Zealand bar no region and when you deduct its housing costs it is the most affluent region for New Zealanders because of its oil and gas alongside its other industries. My view is that we should encourage these industries right across New Zealand so that we can see investment for growth and jobs—Dr David Clark: Where are the jobs?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Be quiet parrot.Hon Shane Jones: What progress has the Minister’s five-member advisory group to assist in the implementation of the recently adopted Māori economic development strategy and action plan He Kai KeiAkuRinga—The Crown-Māori Economic Growth Partnership made or is it simply another failed talkfest like the Minister’s fabled regulatory impact analysis report?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well the member may be pleased to know that that panel has been meeting and advising Ministers and the agencies in terms of economic development. There is a lot of work going on in that area—Hon Shane Jones: Too much hui nodoey.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well listen Shane you might learn something because plainly you do not know anything from the questions that you have asked today. So fundamentally the reality of it is that we are focused on a whole range of things: improving the productivity of Māori land improving the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act working with aquaculture working in the fishing industry with Māori and of course in science so right across the Māori economy. I should add education and skills as well. Again if the member would like to know something about it he could possibly drop me line and I will take him through it.Andrew Williams: Does he agree that New Zealand First’s royalties for regions policy which would see 25 percent of royalties collected by the Government from our mining extraction and petroleum industries staying in the regions where these industries are located would be positive for regional economic development; if not why not?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Actually what occurs is that in fact the whole range of Government investment goes into individual regions and in fact again Taranaki benefits from that but also so do all the other regions. If you look across Government expenditure in each individual region actually everybody gets a pretty fair shake of it. I do not think that just a gimmick where you would take 25 percent of the royalties and put it into a particular area would make any difference. The main thing is to encourage the growth in jobs. Again I would point to the member and encourage him and say yep I agree with him—get out and encourage those opportunities because it is quite obvious that the Labour Party and the Greens will not.Andrew Williams: Is he aware that under New Zealand First’s 25 percent royalties for regions policy $96 million of the $383 million of royalties collected in the year 2011 by the Government would have remained in the regions and would have helped regenerate regional New Zealand by both expanding job opportunities and supporting local infrastructure?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member obviously did not listen to the last answer which was that we actually do invest in every region according to the sorts of things that they need in those regions. So if you take for example a region like Taranaki which is one of the ones that the member talks about in terms of oil and gas investing hugely—Andrew Williams: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Sorry the question was was he aware that $96 million would have stayed—Mr SPEAKER: Yes I am certainly aware of—[Interruption] Order! I am aware of the question and I am aware that the Minister is aware of the question. He was attempting to answer it. If the member does not want the answer any more we will move on to the next question.