Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:607;Page:4904] 
10.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Immigration; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes because she is a hard-working and conscientious Minister. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: If that is the case why last week in this House was she claiming that the Fernridge Institute was not New Zealand Qualifications Authority – approved when it is; or 2 weeks before that disclaiming any knowledge of the Columbus Academy when everybody else in the department knew of it; or disclaiming knowledge of Ukrainian farm workers who she claimed had not been approved by the Immigration Service for any such scheme when she later admitted they were; or saying she had no knowledge of how many immigrants came to New Zealand last year; and that she did not know how many of the 2045000 visitors who arrived in the year ended December 2002 have actually left or—as if that is not bad enough—that she did not know how many foreign fee-paying students— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I have about seven more cases to go. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the member has not. The member has had four questions already and that is it. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: In respect of Fernridge I understand or am advised by the Minister that the New Zealand Immigration Service will be meeting that company tomorrow to establish the facts and that the investigation the Minister talked about in the House last week is continuing. If the member has further questions in that regard he should obviously direct them to the Minister of Immigration. 
Pansy Wong 
: Why does the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister who has introduced retrospective immigration rule changes that have a huge and wholly unfair impact on the lives of thousands of potential citizens of our country and that are being challenged in the court as being damaging to New Zealand’s reputation as a fair-minded humane and responsible country? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I would observe that those very rules were opposed by most of the National Party caucus—except for Ms Wong and Dr Brash I assume. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why should I go to the Minister of Immigration on a question as to whether the Prime Minister has confidence in her and will the Prime Minister address the issue again: why would she have confidence for example in someone who goes on the  
Assignment 
 programme and in a very insightful and humiliating experience says she has no knowledge of fraud or forgery yet countless examples were given to her that very night on that programme; and therefore how can the Prime Minister have confidence in that sort of Minister or is that par for the course now with this Labour administration? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have full confidence in the Minister’s ability to handle very difficult and complex issues in immigration. 
Pansy Wong 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seldom take a point of order but my supplementary question is one I am seeking an answer to. I am not too sure how the Prime Minister enlightened the House by saying that only Dr Don Brash and myself from National are supporting that particular rule change. I cannot interpret that as addressing my supplementary question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am sorry but the member should have raised the point of order immediately. There have been supplementary questions since then.