edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition): I also rise to support the notice of motion acknowledging the Silver Ferns and the Black Caps. The Silver Ferns' story is one of resilience and a comeback like no other. The Silver Ferns came into the tournament having not won a world cup for 16 long years and they suffered a difficult defeat in the Commonwealth Games. The team has succeeded in a hugely competitive environment and it's important that we acknowledge Noeline Taurua—or Noels" as she's called. She is rightly today seen as one of the greatest netball coaches in the world. Noeline came in with 11 months to go and helped build this team to the world champions they now are. To bring a team together in the way that she has is a testament to her character and her skill and I'd also like to acknowledge Netball New Zealand CEO Jennie Wyllie and also Allison Ferguson for their outstanding leadership. But we need to acknowledge also of course the athletes. They beat Australia by one point and the way that they worked together on court was simply tremendous. Their win will be huge for Netball New Zealand and the young players that all over our country look up to them. We also know that we must have change for women in New Zealand and globally in sport. The reality is it's unacceptable in 2019 to have a situation where our world-class female athletes in a globally significant sport where 20 people play—netball—could be arriving home without prize money. I hope that between the sponsors and the Government this can be worked out. Our ferns deserve to be recognised.In regard to the cricket there are a lot of New Zealanders who stayed up throughout the night to watch what was one of the greatest cricket matches of all time. The reality is the stakes couldn't have been higher with this final at Lord's on England's home turf with two teams who have never won the Cricket World Cup before. Both teams played with passion and skill which was thrilling to watch. We take a moment to acknowledge the effort that it takes the individuals and their families to play at this level. We acknowledge CEO David White the support staff and the coaches who prepared for years for this match. Unfortunately in a heart-breaking couple of overs the Black Caps lost to England. We need to recognise and celebrate England for their victory.What has been acknowledged throughout the world has been the Black Caps' response. They have shown humility and been so gracious to the English team. We know that at this level the match can come down to a few precious moments that don't go one's way. We should be proud of the example that the team has shown to young cricketers and New Zealanders. It's important and healthy to have a future discussion about the rules in the super-over situation and it's good that the International Cricket Council are looking at the rules. Our thoughts are with the Black Caps and Kane "Steady the Ship" Williamson and the New Zealand cricket family as they deal with the loss and prepare for the future. Kia kaha. New Zealand can be proud of their achievements."
Thursday 27 June 2019 - Volume 739
New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill — Second Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 119New Zealand National 55; New Zealand Labour 46; New Zealand First 9; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 8; Ross. Noes 1ACT New Zealand 1. Bill read a second time.
12. Question No. 12—Pacific PeoplesANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister for Pacific PeoplesQuestion No. 12—Pacific Peoples12. ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: How does Budget 2019 support Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand?Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): The Wellbeing Budget has delivered a significant Pacific package of $113 million over four years of targeted support for Pacific communities across Aotearoa New Zealand. This unprecedented allocation will help Pacific peoples lead the way in the pursuit of a new vision of Pacific Aotearoa who are confident in their endeavours thriving resilient and prosperous in the areas of education health languages and cultures economic and community wellbeing.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What funding in the Wellbeing Budget is allocated to support Pacific languages in New Zealand?Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: Many of our Pacific leaders past and present have championed and advocated for Pacific languages in Aotearoa to be valued and celebrated as an asset. We know that when we have our language we have our story and when we have our story we have a sense of place and when we have a sense of place we have the confidence we need to thrive and achieve wellbeing. The coalition Government recognises this and allocated $20 million over four years to establish the Pacific Language Unit. This new initiative will enable Pacific people to self-determine for Pacific languages to be passed on to future generations.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: Pātai tapiri.SPEAKER: No the Government has used its allocation of supplementary questions.
9. Question No. 9—HealthDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 9—Health9. Dr LIZ CRAIG (Labour) to the Minister of Health: What if anything is the Government doing to better support the wellbeing of parents with mental health and addiction needs?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): We know that parental mental health and addiction issues can have a significant lifelong negative impact not just on them but also on their children. To better support parents living with these challenges and their families the Wellbeing Budget includes $10 million of funding to pilot early interventions such as intensive home visits and nurse-family partnerships during pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life. Of course parents will also benefit from the roll-out of the new front-line service for people with mild to moderate mental health and addiction needs.Dr Liz Craig: So what sorts of supports will be offered to parents as part of the pilot?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: There'll be a range of supports offered to parents both in and outside the home. Services respond to individual needs but may include home visits peer-based support and talking therapies. At the heart of it all will be the ongoing relationship between the parents and health professionals such as nurses. By better supporting parents with mental health and addiction needs I am confident we will see better long-term outcomes for families. The pilot will be rolled out to three sites around New Zealand.Dr Liz Craig: What else is the Government doing to support pregnant women and parents experiencing problems with alcohol and other drugs?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: More good news. Budget 2019 also includes new funding to extend the existing harm reduction programme for pregnant women and parents who are caught in the web of addiction. This intensive outreach service provides both clinical and peer support to parents to help them tackle alcohol and drug issues. It's currently available in Waitematā Northland Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke's Bay and will be extended to a further two areas as a result of a $7 million investment over four years.
8. Question No. 8—ACCHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) to the Minister for ACCQuestion No. 8—ACC8. Hon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) to the Minister for ACC: Does he stand by all of his answers during the Vote Labour Market Estimates hearing at the Education and Workforce Committee meeting on 12 June?Hon PEENI HENARE (Associate Minister for ACC) on behalf of the Minister for ACC: Yes.Hon Tim Macindoe: Why in those answers did he support ACC's intention to centralise staff in New Zealand's main centres which will result in 20 redundancies in Palmerston North a halving of staff numbers in Timaru and further job losses in Whanganui?Hon PEENI HENARE: On behalf of the Minister the programme for the new case-management model at ACC is supported by this Government. ACC have realigned their services to meet the demands of the clients and the assertion that the regions are being ignored is completely untrue. There will be no closures of ACC offices staff numbers will remain the same and if we want to look at the investment in the regions I need look no further than at the lion of the provinces—the Hon Shane Jones.Hon Tim Macindoe: How is ACC's relocation of staff from regional offices to New Zealand's main centres consistent with his Government's commitment to relocate Government functions into the regions which was an agreed priority in the Labour and New Zealand First coalition agreement?Hon PEENI HENARE: On behalf of the Minister can I make it clear once again: there are no ACC offices closing in the regions. I also want to make it clear that ACC management are working closely with those staff members to make sure a smooth transition is had.Hon Tim Macindoe: Has the Minister received any representations from the Hon Shane Jones about the transfer of a large number of ACC jobs from the regions to main cities; and if so what notice did he take of the advice from the self-styled champion of the regions"?Hon PEENI HENARE: On behalf of the Minister I'm not aware of any correspondence between the Hon Shane Jones and the Minister for ACC. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Does the member want another question?Hon Tim Macindoe: Yes please Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Well he'd better go for it.Hon Tim Macindoe: What does the Minister say to ACC staff who face redundancy unless they are willing to move their families from towns such as Palmerston North Whanganui and Timaru to larger cities in order to keep their jobs?Hon PEENI HENARE: On behalf of the Minister I've had a good chance to get around to many of the centres to speak with staff directly about these matters and have the assurance from management that the process will be managed with them thoroughly.Hon Shane Jones: Would it not be inappropriate for the provincial champion to comment or interfere on staffing decisions in an independent body?Hon PEENI HENARE: On behalf of the Minister yes.SPEAKER: I'm flabbergasted."
6. Question No. 6—JusticeDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 6—Justice6. Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central) to the Minister of Justice: What recent announcements has he made regarding community law centres?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice): Earlier this afternoon along with the Prime Minister Minister Faafoi and New Zealand First's Darroch Ball I announced that the coalition Government will fund community law centres a further $8.72 million over the next four years bringing the total annual funding to community law centres to $13.26 million. The Labour - New Zealand First coalition agreement committed to increased funding for community law centres and in this Budget we have made that permanent.Dr Duncan Webb: Why is increasing funding for community law centres so important?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Community law centres play a vital role in ensuring access to justice for all New Zealanders but especially for those on low incomes. The 24 centres across the country help New Zealanders with up to 50000 cases each year and provide law-related education to around 25000 people annually. These services play a crucial role in ensuring New Zealanders receive what they are legally entitled to and that their rights are upheld.Dr Duncan Webb: How does this compare to previous Budgets?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Budget 2018 increased funding for community law centres by 20 percent. Budget 2019 has made this a permanent increase. The previous Government froze core funding for community law centres for six years. The staff and volunteers across all of New Zealand's community law centres do a crucial job ensuring New Zealanders' access to justice and the coalition Government along with the Green Party as well who have supported this initiative are proud to support our community law centres.
3. Question No. 3—Housing and Urban DevelopmentHon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister of Housing and Urban DevelopmentQuestion No. 3—Housing and Urban Development3. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development: Does he stand by his statement in response to a question on if he would meet his commitment to be a keynote speaker at the KiwiBuild summit on 24 June No because I have two papers at Cabinet" and did he take two papers to Cabinet on 24 June?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Housing and Urban Development): Yes to both parts of the question.Hon Judith Collins: When the Prime Minister stated at her post-Cabinet press conference that the housing reset didn't go through Cabinet was that because no housing paper was taken?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No.Hon Judith Collins: So what happened to that paper?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: There were housing papers discussed at that Cabinet but not the ones to do with the reset.Hon Judith Collins: Can he tell New Zealanders when this Government's housing policy reset will be announced? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: In due course. Hon Judith Collins: Is he anticipating being the Minister to announce it? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well just as was the case with the member's infrastructure portfolio portfolio responsibilities are solely a matter for the leader.Hon Judith Collins: Is it acceptable for the Minister to state that there is a housing crisis in this country and to then go six months with a housing policy under pending reset? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I would say to the member that the fact that we've been doing a policy review of the Government's build programme hasn't stopped this ambitious Government from continuing to review the rental laws quadrupling the construction of State housing—the biggest investment ever in tackling homelessness—reform of the planning rules and advancing the project of new ways of financing the infrastructure for urban growth. This is a very busy Government.Hon Judith Collins: Is it correct that the number of KiwiBuild houses contracted and committed to be built has not changed since January this year when the reset was announced? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well the issue of the number of contracted and committed KiwiBuild houses is improving all the time as work goes on to do new deals with developers and bring on new large-scale projects."
1. Question No. 1—Greater Christchurch RegenerationHon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) to the Minister for Greater Christchurch RegenerationORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Greater Christchurch Regeneration1. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) to the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration: What progress has been made on the Crown's Global Settlement with the Christchurch City Council for costs flowing from the Canterbury earthquake sequence?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration): I can confirm that Crown and council have reached an agreement in principle and are negotiating the details of a final agreement with the intention of this to go to council in August. Any final agreement will provide a full and final settlement to the shared costs faced in the Canterbury rebuild and provide clarity on future regeneration. Settling these costs is a key part of returning Christchurch to local leadership as the city moves into the future.Hon Ruth Dyson: What are the next steps in the settlement process?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The council has said that details of a proposed final agreement will be released to the public on 29 July giving the public the opportunity to comment. The proposed final agreement will be considered at a special council meeting on 6 August for a vote on 8 August. Cabinet will also consider the agreement shortly thereafter.Hon Ruth Dyson: How will a global settlement contribute to Canterbury's regeneration?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The global settlement is a key part of the transition to local leadership. This will settle questions of ownership of the major anchor projects the funding for the remaining projects and the institutional arrangements for the future. It's about the long-term settings that will enable Canterbury to complete its regeneration and look to the future with confidence.Hon Ruth Dyson: How does this global settlement differ from the draft cost-sharing agreement of 2017?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: That cost-share agreement in 2017 focused only on relatively easy things and left many unanswered questions. This global settlement will cover all outstanding issues in one package. By covering major anchor projects as well as institutional arrangements it will provide a clear path for the future. This will provide the certainty Canterbury needs to complete its transition to local leadership.
Allan Kiritapu; Mallard TrevorSITTINGS OF THE HOUSEKIRITAPU ALLAN (Assistant Whip—Labour): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Having regard to the very well fulsome contributions by the members across this House and noting that it is the final sitting period of a long sitting block I seek leave of this House to rise one minute early. SPEAKER: Well it's only 30 seconds now. Is there any objection given that filibuster to the process? There appears to be none.The House adjourned at 5.59 p.m.
Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill — Second Reading
Stanford EricaERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm pleased to take just a very brief call on the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill at the second reading. As my colleagues have traversed already it's a short but very important bill which makes a number of technical changes to the Health Act to allow some of the big changes that will be coming down the pipeline no doubt after the Havelock North inquiry.This is actually a bill that's a little bit close to my heart. Most of these points have already been made so I'll just take a couple of minutes to tell you a very short story about my younger brother who when he was two and I was just over three nearly died from a water-borne illness. He was in hospital for a long time and it was very touch and go and it was probably the darkest days for my family. Although the water he was drinking was directly out of a dam which he shouldn't have been doing but no one was watching him at that point it was a pretty horrific time for my family.This outbreak in Havelock North was truly awful and as many speakers have said we can never allow this to happen again. This bill is just the first of a number of changes that will go along the way to making sure that doesn't happen.I wasn't part of the select committee that looked at this bill the Health Committee so I've been following it and I've read the report. I see that there were 30 submissions on the bill and they've recommended some quite good changes and that the committee worked very well together in making those changes. A lot of those changes were about the communication essentially. The committee agreed that the current ability for water suppliers to implement their water safety plans lacked sufficient scrutiny and the committee recommended inserting a new clause to provide for a drinking-water assessor to scrutinise water safety plans.The bill also removes requirements for the Ministry of Health to consult for three years and Gazette changes for two years prior to making any changes to water standards. The committee also recommended updating rather historic requirements for changes to water standards to be publicly notified. One provision in the Act requires any changes to the standards to be advertised in the daily newspaper in Auckland Wellington Christchurch and Dunedin. The committee recommended that this needed to be changed and instead replaced with the water standards to be advertised online which is very sensible of course.Look these are all very good necessary changes and I commend the Minister for bringing this bill to the House and the committee for its scrutiny and its recommendations. I do look forward to seeing the more comprehensive reforms that we know are going to come off the back of this and I recommend the bill to the House. Thank you.
Eagle PaulPAUL EAGLE (Labour—Rongotai): Thank you Mr Speaker and a short call from me just to support the comments that have been made by all the speakers already in terms of this being the second reading of the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill. Phrases like this is a very serious matter and therefore a very serious piece of work" I certainly endorse and I remember my time in local government and this coming to the forefront in terms of how can this actually happen in this day in Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm not a member of the Health Committee but it was good to see that there were 30 submissions and people have taken seriously the report done and those recommendations from the Health Committee that came through. It's astonishing really when you look at some of the things that should've been there already—we probably thought we didn't need them but certainly the changes recommended have now been endorsed.I was thinking too that the personal cost of this cannot happen again. I think the work that's been undertaken and has been put forward in this bill will correct what needs to be correct and hopefully we don't see it happen anywhere else in New Zealand. I commend this bill."
Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Thank you sir. I'll take a very short call on this partly because I wasn't a member of the select committee that considered this bill and heard the submissions the Health Committee and partly because I have a group of aspiring leaders in my office at the moment who are waiting for me to return. So I will just simply—Angie Warren-Clark: Give them a wave.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Ha ha! Well I think I've just given them what's called a shout-out Ms Warren-Clark and I'm sure that that will suffice.But this is a serious issue and it's hard to imagine any member of this House not taking very seriously the responsibility that we all feel for ensuring that the legislative framework and the different authorities that are responsible for ensuring our drinking water is not only potable but of a high standard—that is a responsibility that must be accepted and of course it falls for the local authorities to ensure that that is delivered but there's also the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Department of Internal Affairs. So it's a multifaceted thing that we all have a strong interest in.I am pleased to hear that the submissions were supportive of this particular measure and I'm also pleased that there is cross-party support in the House for it because I think that sort of certainty is needed to ensure that all the authorities with the responsibility know that there will be continuity in the decisions that are made. So I commend those who have worked on this particular bill. I thank those who took the trouble to make submissions on it and particularly the members of the Health Committee. Although I'm not a permanent member of that committee I quite often do get subbed on because I'm on National's health caucus team. I welcome the passage of this second reading as anticipated in a few moments.
Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise to speak at the second reading of the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Bill a bill that has been before the Health Committee but before my time. I've read the background to it and some of the 30 submissions that were received. This does seem a very sensible response to the 2016 outbreak of the contamination in Havelock North and as other speakers have mentioned the health repercussions of not getting it right are too substantial to ignore. So I think the changes that are being considered about requiring water supplies to be treated—perhaps not to the same level of detail as the previous speaker has done to benefit his roses. But I think that the requirements for a residual disinfectant in the reticulation making compliance with drinking-water standards mandatory—sensible measure—and establishing a dedicated drinking-water regulator as well as creating aggregated dedicated water supplies are all very sensible all very useful.As other speakers have noted I was around in an era when people were a little less careful. I was in Pētone a few weeks ago and noticed that people were still queuing with their bags and bottles to collect the pure water that comes through there on the main drag at Pētone.SPEAKER: Aquifer.Hon MAGGIE BARRY: It's an aquifer and it is very popular and a lot of people will only drink water from that. I was brought up in Tinakori Road and there was a very similar aquifer that was there but it was a very dangerous place to park and to stop and eventually it was closed for public safety reasons. But my own mother may she rest in peace thought that that was the best drinking-water in the world and that that was where we had to get all our drinking water. I have many fond memories of going down the road collecting it. We didn't get sick—you know they were different times—but I think that with the measures that this bill is outlining we can all be more confident about our drinking water.As there's more information that comes through around nitrate levels in water around the sorts of things that can go wrong health-wise for people who drink too much water that is if not contaminated then it has too many of the wrong kind of minerals in it—that's something that I think will be an emerging issue and something we need to think more about. But this is a very I think sensible and practical approach that other jurisdictions and local governments around the country can take note of.This is a good bill and I think it was such a disastrous situation and so concerning and there were three fatalities in the Hawke's Bay situation. I went up there at the time and there was a general air of concern and worry and I think it is psychologically very damaging for people to think they can't turn on the tap drink the water. Boiling it for a while is all very well but the contamination and the safety of our water is something that New Zealanders come to expect count on and so they should. So I think it's a very sensible bill and I commend the Health Committee for the good work that they've done on this. I commend this bill to the House.
Reti ShaneDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to speak to this the second reading of the bill which we will be supporting. I want to acknowledge the previous speaker Louisa Wall as a very capable and pleasant chair to work with. As you can see from the work that we're getting through the Health Committee and the whole committee indeed we are indeed a very functional and productive committee. As has been mentioned we had 30 submitters to this bill and if I look to group them they would sit into groups of local government district health boards individuals industry—we had the Master Plumbers—quality assessors the International Accreditation New Zealand and indeed iwi submit to us in the Health Committee. I took from it three main points and I've formatted them as: what was the issue what was it before and what was it after the select committee came through? I think the three issues for me many of which the Minister has mentioned in his introduction were: first of all Section 69H to take all practical steps". The issue here was giving the appropriate weighting to public health in the wording of the bill versus affordability and availability. Before the statement was "having particular regard to availability and affordability" which seemed to unduly weight that in favour of public health. So afterwards the impact of what the committee had was to apply equal weighting to those three aspects: availability affordability and public health. The second issue which resonated with me was the definition of drinking water. Before it was commented that it's very important to get the definition of this right particularly the definition between potable and non-potable water—non-potable water being water used for flushing for washing cars for washing clothes. In fact it was decided that that is a body of work in another piece of legislation and maybe not appropriate to this. So we did take on board what the submitters said but actually it wouldn't be applicable to this bill. So that's going to come at another point in time. I think the third issue that was raised that we looked at that has a before and after moment was around water safety plans. Before we applied ourselves to it how the suppliers implemented the water safety plan was somewhat unqualified. It wasn't clear that they were under any guidance or jurisdiction. With advice from submitters and officials and with the agreement of the select committee the implementation of water safety plans now must be to the standard of the assessor.I agree with what others have said. This may seem relatively dry but it is very very important when we think of what happened in Havelock North and it's these sorts of bills that actually have a real impact for a lot of people. So a very successful I think stage here complete agreement by the committee and I am looking forward to ongoing progress. Thank you."
O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Often when we read the titles of some of these bills they're a little bit obtuse a little bit vague. Once we start reading through them we get the gist of what it's about but this is not one of those bills. This is one of those bills that when you look at it—the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill; I think anyone at home or anyone who hears that will say Oh that'll be that district health board (DHB) that's in the news all the time that appears to be in trouble every week"—it'll be hardly surprising that finally we're sorting it out. Well good on this Minister. I am not going to stand here and go through the litany—I could probably fill a 25 minute slot here going through the things that we have all heard about the Waikato District Health Board—of course Dr Nigel Murray I think probably started that and that list there forth. But no sometimes you just need some decisive action; sometimes you need a Minister who's prepared to step in and do what needs to be done. Clearly that has happened on this occasion; I congratulate the Minister for doing it. We now have the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill which is going to allow a situation that could not be allowed to continue to be re-diverted and hopefully will get back on track. So I have no hesitation in commending this bill to the House."
Warren-Clark AngieANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a real pleasure to rise and take a brief call on the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill. First of all I want to stand in support of the Minister the Hon Dr David Clark for his actions in appointing a commissioner. We have traversed in this House quite thoroughly the difficulties or the poor financial performance of the district health board (DHB) and some governance issues. I also want to acknowledge the way that we in the Health Committee have worked. We knew that this was quite a time-pressured situation and we worked together very very well under the chairmanship of Louisa Wall.Waikato Hospital has a special place in my heart. Waikato Hospital is where my daughter was born some 26 years ago and I lived in Hamilton for 18 years and know the city well. I do believe that the DHB is an incredibly incredibly important large employer groaning under the previous regime's financial issues but by and large it works very well. Recently unfortunately I was there for the death of my grandmother who was under palliative care and she died in the hospital. The work and the care that they gave my grandmother were amazing. So yes life and death comes to us all.The bill essentially works to solve one simple matter and that was that with the appointment of a commissioner as we know the elections that were going to happen in October this year essentially couldn't happen. We needed to act quickly; there was a gazetted notice and we had to beat that time frame in order to change the law so that the process didn't occur and the election didn't take place.Now we heard from three submitters. These submitters were as we've heard concerned about democracy and the opportunity to be represented. And we addressed that absolutely by balancing out the needs of both the community but also the needs of the community to have a well-managed DHB. So on the balance of that we came clearly on the side of needing to put in place a commissioner. Secondly there were concerns absolutely about Māori representation and that has been traversed in this House and covered well.It is important to acknowledge absolutely that this is a good bill that's fixing a small problem but a problem that was important nevertheless. I commend this bill to the House.
van de Molen TimTIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): Thank you Madam Speaker. I also rise to take a call on this bill with some trepidation but at the same time we are supporting it of course. I say trepidation" because in any normal circumstance we would be encouraging of course the democratic process to continue as expected. The district health boards (DHBs) the election of those members who choose to stand for election and subsequently represent a district health board and the region are an important part of the process.Now obviously in this particular instance we've heard already tonight but I understand some of the challenges that have led to this decision by the health Minister to appoint a commissioner. Obviously the well-canvassed situation of the previous CEO in terms of that scenario was probably the most highlighted aspect of concern. I certainly want to echo my colleague the Hon Tim Macindoe with his comments that there are no concerns from our perspective around the clinical performance at the Waikato DHB but rather a series of other concerns that have led to this appointment.Actually just most recently it's been highlighted—just in the last week or so—that a number of the hospital buildings actually do not currently have warrants of fitness due to non-compliance with fire issues. So that's a concern as well and it just adds to the challenges that the commissioner will have to deal with supported by the deputy commissioner and of course now the newly appointed CEO. And I'd also like to welcome Kevin Snee to the role of CEO and wish him all the best in what will be a challenging period of transition to make significant improvements at the Waikato DHB. And I wish him well for those endeavours and look forward to meeting him in due course.Now this is an area—of course Waikato is the best region in the country. Any DHB role is very important. And so it is with some caution that we look to appoint a commissioner because of course as I mentioned democratic process is absolutely critical. But in this instance it would be unfair and challenging to let the normal process that will happen for other DHBs roll out later this year at the elections because of the challenges that have been canvassed already. And so the appointment of a commissioner I think will provide a coherent focus on dealing with some of those issues and setting the Waikato DHB up to then be able to resume normal democratic processes at the subsequent election. So on that basis I commend this bill to the House."
Strange JamieJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): Madam Speaker thank you for the opportunity to take a brief call on the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill. Now the purpose of this bill has been very eloquently outlined by a number of speakers. I would just like to continue with the particular local focus on this bill.The outgoing board members—many of them are known to me personally. I'd like to acknowledge the former chair Sally Webb and the deputy chair Margaret Wilson. Now many of the members in this House will know the Hon Margaret Wilson for the wonderful work she's done across many many fields.The board recognised that they were facing quite challenging circumstances and as we've heard nine of them offered to resign. They felt that it was the best course of action.I'd like to acknowledge the leadership of the Minister of Health the Hon David Clark. Certainly this action was not taken lightly but the action needed to happen and that's been acknowledged both here in the House and across the community of Hamilton and the Waikato region.The Waikato District Health Board (DHB) serves 420000 people. It's important that the leadership is strong stable and that that leadership is able to provide that sense of stability so that the services—the excellent services—continue to take place. I commend this bill to the House.
Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to speak in support of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Amendment Bill. As other speakers have indicated this is a bill that enjoys support throughout the House. The chair of the select committee Louisa Wall when it came before the Health Committee managed that process well. We were all very clear that there's a big deficit. If we don't move quickly the $56 million forecast deficit could balloon out to $500 million by the end of the year. That is the kind of thing that needs to be acted on very quickly and very decisively. It is entirely appropriate then that we look ahead and try and prevent bad things from happening. I think this is a very sensible intervention as does National generally which is why we're supporting it. Taking on board the points of the previous speaker Ron Mark who's just resumed his seat the skill set around the district health board (DHB) table is the key. These are multimillion-dollar organisations with big decisions to make and sometimes—not necessarily in this case; I'm not commenting on individuals—on some occasions local interests and people's set interests can overtake good outcomes and be very expensive for all concerned. I think that nobody wants to see a DHB fail and when you see something happening that is going to be as greatly disastrous as this we would be derelict in our duty if we didn't do something quickly. I think the former Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi as others have indicated is an excellent choice to sail the good ship Waikato DHB through the choppy waters it's found itself in. She did a stellar job over a long period of time in the Ministry of Health. I worked with her when I was on the National Health Committee back in 1996 I think it was—a while ago now. But when you have someone with a breadth of experience as Dr Poutasi has I think that the DHB is in very safe hands and even at $1800 a day—the figures that Dr Shane Reti quoted before—I think it's about $320000 for the commissioner and the deputy commissioner to have this role for the next couple of years which would be cheaper than running in the elections. We needed to do this quickly because the deadline is looming—9 December is sort of the cut-off point and it was very clear that there wasn't going to be a significant change or development before that time. So I think acting quickly is a good idea. It's time-limited and it needs to be and I think the next election—the triennial general election of 2022—will be the time when the DHB has enough time to get itself back on its feet and have a proper governance plan to ensure that it can run itself in a way that isn't going to spiral into debt. So this is a very sensible pragmatic thing which is why National supports this bill and commends it to the House.
Wall LouisaLOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. It gives me great pleasure to speak on the second reading of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill. I wasn't at the Health Committee for the hearings of the three submissions but I want to highlight that the focus of these changes—and I want to acknowledge our Health Minister David Clark—is actually access to high-quality services for the people of the Waikato. Essentially what this piece of legislation does is cancel the October 2019 elections and it does so because the Minister has appointed Dr Karen Poutasi to be the commissioner for the Waikato District Health Board. She's a former Director-General of Health with 11 years' experience.The reason that had to happen after a two-week process—and I want to highlight that the Minister engaged with the 11 board members of Waikato District Health Board (DHB)—was that at the end of the day they had a dysfunctional team and they weren't working together which was required. Nine of those 11 board members offered their resignation and it was because of the instability at that governance level and the fact that they couldn't recruit a permanent chief executive that in fact Dr Poutasi was elected or asked to be the commissioner for Waikato DHB.What has she done in that role? She's actually appointed three deputy commissioners and so I want to acknowledge Dr Andrew Connolly Chad Paraone and also Professor Margaret Wilson. The reason that she did that—and I will quote from Dr Poutasi—was that it will take a team to turn the health board around" and that actually is the essence of these changes. You need teams to run these big organisations which are providing services to populations. So from the perspective of the Minister that wasn't happening. I want to say in the time that she's been the commissioner we now have a chief executive for Waikato DHB; it is Dr Kevin Snee who from 2009 was the CEO for Hawke's Bay DHB. So already the DHB's on firm footing.The only other thing I wanted to highlight particularly from the submissions was a focus not only on the fact that there wouldn't be democratic elections and the community wasn't represented but a very specific focus on the fact they didn't have Māori representation. That also came from the departmental disclosure statement and hence the appointment of Chad Paraone. But one thing I do want to highlight as the Minister did is that there is actually a memorandum of understanding between the DHB and iwi. Those iwi are Ngāti Maniapoto Hauraki Waikato-Tainui Raukawa Ngāti Tuwharetoa and Whanganui and in addition to that Te Rūnanga O Kirikiriroa and their kaunihera kaumātua is actually listed within that MOU. I want to acknowledge Te Pora Thompson-Evans who's the chair of the Iwi Māori Council who also sits on many other Waikato DHB statutory committees.So I want to reassure the people of the Waikato that they will have a Māori voice continue to be expressed within the context of the new governance arrangements and I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora."
Sio Hon Aupito WilliamHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples) on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture: I move That the Farm Debt Mediation Bill (No 2) be reported to the House by 4 November 2019.Motion agreed to.
Farm Debt Mediation Bill (No 2) — First Reading
McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Labour): They can't help themselves can they? Here we have a bill in front of the House that is going to make a tangible difference to the farming community right across this country and that is the community that that side of the House is supposed to represent. This bill is going to help many families in tough situations and it recognises the unique place that farming communities have in this country. And can they bring themselves to get behind it? No. They've got to have a whinge. They've got to put the boot in. Some of the speeches have just been a list of things they don't like about this Government rather than actually standing up and saying look—sending a message to the rural community a message that they love to see: this House coming together and supporting something that will benefit rural communities. So I'm not going to waste any more time. This is a great bill. I'm looking forward to talking about it in the select committee for primary production and I commend this to the House.Bill read a first time. Bill referred to the Primary Production Committee.
van de Molen TimTIM VAN DE MOLEN (National—Waikato): Thank you Mr Speaker. Look I rise to take a call on this bill with a little bit of background in rural banking that I'd like to bring to the debate. I came into the rural banking sector off the back of the global financial crisis and that was an interesting time to get into banking. There were a number of challenging discussions that were being had on farm at that stage and then of course through the subsequent years there are ups and downs in farming as there are in most industries and on occasions there would be situations where clients unfortunately got into a position that was not sustainable longer term. In those situations the banks—certainly the ones I worked for but across the industry—would always be proactive. No bank makes a lending decision expecting to have to foreclose on someone or wanting to. That is a worst-case scenario. It is not good for either side of that contract and certainly from the bank's perspective it's not good from a reputational perspective as well if they're seen to be acting in a manner that's not believed to be consistent with the general lending practices.So as bankers we would go out of our way to pre-empt any potential issues arising with clients. First and foremost you have to understand the business so that's critical and build that trust with clients. Then it's about understanding where they want to be going what the numbers look like and how they might get there mitigating some of the risks along the way. What we're proposing here in relation to those bank agreements actually I think is not particularly necessary because banks have whole departments set up to work alongside clients to help avoid this situation. But the part that I particularly like within this legislation is that it captures all securitised lenders to a particular client and that's the one where I feel there is an actual need. That might be family lenders it might be third-party lenders or whatever that have got into some sort of contractual arrangement with a farming client to lend money and then subsequent issues around that as performance might not meet expectations etc. So this will in that situation be a good tool to enable both parties to come to the table and hopefully get an outcome that is as best as possible for those particular parties. So I think in that aspect it's good. From the wider banking sector I don't think there's as much need as the Government might suggest but having said that it's not all bad. My question would be around the cost of course—how that's managed who takes that on. Look this is a challenging area and we've seen a number of issues in farming over the last few years. Farmers are certainly—and I'm hearing this in the Waikato as well—feeling under pressure and there's a lot of regulatory uncertainty on the horizon; so anything we can do to provide a bit of additional comfort should certainly be looked at and I think we'll need to scrutinise this in further detail before we know whether it'll be supported through the remaining stages. But at this stage we commend it to the House. Thank you.