2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes especially my statement that nearly every school and community in New Zealand will benefit from a capital injection next year valued at $693 per student to bring forward urgent school property improvement. I'm proud that students and teachers will be the first to benefit from our infrastructure package. We are taking advantage of historically low interest rates to improve school buildings and grounds creating jobs up and down the country. It's the biggest capital injection for school maintenance funding in at least 25 years. It's also great for local tradespeople as schools engage local builders plumbers landscapers roofers and those to re-carpet the floors. This has been well received across the country except sadly by the members opposite.Hon Simon Bridges: Why has economic growth nearly halved since her Government started?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I would reflect on the fact that the member experienced some relatively modest economic growth when he was in office. He of course turned and looked at the economic environment but somehow the economic environment in which New Zealand exists doesn't matter. We are in a situation where global headwinds are having an impact on just about everyone that we compare ourselves to. Relative to others at 2.4 percent we are doing very well. The OECD also holds that up with its latest analysis too. So relative to others I think we can hold our heads up high.Hon Simon Bridges: Why has monthly job growth decreased nearly 70 percent since she's been Prime Minister?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: My recollection is that with some of the lowest unemployment rates that we've had in a decade and job creation from my recollection sitting at around 80000 at the same time—very proud on this side of the House—we also care about what happens to wages and they are at some of the highest rates that we've seen in a decade at over 4 percent. We know that New Zealanders are benefiting from a Government that looks both at putting people into jobs—but good decent well-paying jobs—at the same time as growing jobs. It's bizarre to in one breath have the member criticise announcements that help job creation and on the other hand question us over it. We are doing both.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she accept that the cost of living has increased sharply in the last two years with petrol prices up and rents rising on average almost $50 a week?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We continue to have this stoush around rent rises. What I'd point to is Statistics New Zealand's latest rent measures which show annual rents rose at 2.1 percent from a year ago. That's the lowest annual growth in over three years. Within that the flow measure of Auckland rents our biggest rental market fell 1 percent. The last time there was a larger negative move in Auckland rents was in July 2009. On the cost of living I would also add this is a Government that when we came in recognised we needed to focus on low and modest income earners. We cancelled that member's tax cut we gave it to families who needed it most and on average by the time our Families Package rolls out families will be on average $75 a week better off. That is directly to ensure that families can meet cost of living issues.Hon Simon Bridges: Why does she think seven out of nine measures of child poverty have worsened under her Government?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because that measure was focused up until 2017 and that member did nothing about poverty. It's a measure of what you didn't do not what we didn't do and I would thank the member to stop blaming this Government for what his Government didn't do because that is what those statistics showed.Hon Simon Bridges: What then does she say to the head of the Christchurch City Mission who says Things were much better under the previous Government. We are underfunded. The poverty we see is worse."?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Then I would ask the member whether or not the last Government introduced a winter energy payment increases to the family tax credit removed some of the punitive sanction that was hitting families disproportionately brought in a Best Start payment that goes to families with newborns and extends to years two and three of those on middle and low incomes extended paid parental leave and made sure that those who need additional assistance are getting it through the Ministry of Social Development. Anyone who claims that we have somehow not done as much as the last Government—I would seriously question what they are basing that on.Hon Simon Bridges: Why have food grants doubled?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because we give people support when they need it. If the member wants to create a situation a perverse situation where we focus on getting that number down by sacrificing people's ability to access the help they need—I would rather see people supported than living in cars without the help they need.Hon Simon Bridges: Why have no significant roading or other major infrastructure projects started under her Government?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I completely reject the premise of that question.David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister stand by her Government's action of rushing legislation through Parliament to ban firearms in only nine days in April?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I absolutely stand by it because it meant that we've got tens of thousands of dangerous military-style automatic weapons off our streets and I think that's broadly supported by New Zealanders.David Seymour: Why can't the Prime Minister accept that rushed legislation leads to unintended consequences and accidents such as 37—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! That's two questions.David Seymour: —thousand people—SPEAKER: Order! When I tell the member he's had his two questions he stops.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Standing Orders state very clearly that you're allowed to make the question intelligible. I asked if she accepted there were mistakes. The question is not intelligible if I'm not allowed to give an example of the mistake so I don't see how that could possibly be out of order.SPEAKER: If the member had given one I would've let him; he gave two.David Seymour: I had not given one.SPEAKER: Right you have.Hon Simon Bridges: Will the Ihumātao land dispute be resolved before Christmas?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We of course will seek to have it resolved the time line of which I hope is as soon as possible. I'm sure that member would share the ambition of seeing this peacefully resolved.Hon Simon Bridges: Will her Government's electoral law introduced today deal with the situation where foundations and trusts receive donations which are then provided to political parties for electoral purposes? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Actually the question I got asked on the tiles was whether or not it would deal with the more recent foreign donation example of the National Party. The answer to that is actually that's a bit more complex. Obviously that's something the Ministry of Justice has asked for a bit more time to work on that issue and I look forward to the cooperation of the Opposition in developing those proposals. Hon Simon Bridges: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister deflected and didn't come anywhere close to my precise question. SPEAKER: Well I suggest the member listens. Hon Simon Bridges: Will her Government's electoral law introduced today deal with the situation where foundations and trusts receive donations which are then provided to political parties for election purposes? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member well knows that it focuses on foreign donations—again I've just acknowledged though the scope of which does not cover the substantive issue that some have raised around the way the National Party have used foreign donations. That's an area of work where we need a bit more time because it is a bit more complex. Hon Shane Jones: "Genghis Khan". SPEAKER: Looking backwards Mr Jones doesn't help—no one else has a voice like yours and it will be turned down for the rest of question time."