Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:616;Page:11992] 
2.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Will the Government reconsider its growth strategy in light of the “Business Herald” survey of small to medium business chief executive officers which showed that 94 percent of respondents were convinced New Zealand did not have a growth strategy to sustain business success? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister of Finance) 
: 
 No. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Will the Government revoke its claim to be in partnership with business or will it accept the opinion of 70 percent of business leaders who say that employment relations legislation Treaty of Waitangi issues and holidays and resource management legislation as currently proposed by the Government will lower economic growth; and can we expect more U-turns on those proposals? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I cast the member’s mind back to 2000 when some of the same people said that there would never be another job created in New Zealand. The same people have been creating jobs ever since. 
Mark Peck 
: Has the Government received any reports on its policy direction from international agencies and what do they state? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The Government has received a very large number of reports. For example the ratings agencies have raised New Zealand’s credit rating since the Government took office the World Bank rates us as one of the easiest places to start a business the OECD says that our compliance costs are not high by international standards and an IMF report out soon is expected to comment positively on the Government’s policy mix. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister agree with 79 percent of business leaders who say that unresolved Treaty of Waitangi issues are having a negative effect on economic growth and does he accept that Government dithering over the issue for the last 9 months has made the negative consequences substantially worse? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The foreshore and seabed issue if that is what the member is referring to is not at heart a Treaty of Waitangi issue. Apart from that none of those at the meeting I was at today could point out which Treaty of Waitangi issue had stopped them from hiring an additional person for their business. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister cannot assume that someone is asking something that was not in the question. I would have thought that although the Minister did eventually come to an answer that vaguely related to the question he was asked he should have begun it in that way. Mr Speaker I think it is unacceptable that you allow a Minister to start an answer with an inference. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If I did not allow that I would be ruling out about half the questions and half the answers. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Perhaps you should start. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member previously invited me to toughen up a great deal on an issue. I was very appreciative of that. I will take note of what he has said. 
Mark Peck 
: How has New Zealand’s growth rate compared with that of other OECD countries since this Government took office? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Growth in New Zealand equalled the OECD average in 2000 and has exceeded it in every year since. As I said this morning this survey of a somewhat hand-picked sample shows the triumph of lack of hope over experience. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Is the Minister surprised that the opinions of the 75 percent of industry leaders who suggested that Treaty of Waitangi issues are holding up growth in the New Zealand economy are in line with the advice that he got from Treasury last October when he was told exactly the same thing; and does he now regret not doing more about settling some of those issues when he had a chance 6 months ago? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I think it is very important to settle Treaty of Waitangi issues both historical and ongoing ones. The one sure way of making certain that that does not happen is to try to pretend that the Treaty of Waitangi does not exist as the Opposition does.