9. Question No. 9—TransportCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Associate Minister of TransportQuestion No. 9—Transport9. CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Associate Minister of Transport: How many used cars mentioned on page 44 of the Government's discussion document titled Moving the light vehicle fleet to low-emissions: discussion paper on a Clean Car Standard and Clean Car Discount" have one- and two-star used-car safety ratings? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Transport): The vehicles on page 44 of this document are only an illustrative snapshot of used vehicles available in 2019. The table was intended to illustrate the range of vehicles available today their average cost and emissions profile. So it says right here that they're not indicative of the vehicles that will receive the clean-car discount if and when that policy is implemented. I'm also advised that the vehicle safety ratings differ depending on the model variant and therefore it is actually not possible to identify a safety rating based on model alone. SPEAKER: Order! Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: No no—you don't need one. It was actually a very simple question. I did hear what the member said at the end but I would be very surprised if with a relatively small number of cars and all of the resources that are available to the Minister someone couldn't count. Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Mr Speaker the advice I've received from the Ministry of Transport is that one cannot determine the star rating based on just the model alone even though there is a range of vehicles—[Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Order! Sorry sorry. That was Mr Woodhouse who of all people should know better. Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I did ask the ministry and this is the answer that they gave me. Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We're in difficult territory here. The Government has a website called the Rightcar website—it's a Government website. It has a whole list of used-car types rated by star rating. All I've asked the Minister to do is tell us how many on page 44 of the Government's Clean Car Discount document of these cars—there's about 30 there—are rated one star or two stars. It would take anyone 20 minutes to figure it out. Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Speaking to the point of order the issue is that if we look up one of these models there can be several star ratings depending on other factors related to the car. You cannot give a one-star rating. SPEAKER: Right. OK. Well I think you know as unsatisfactory as the member might think it is we have to accept the Minister's answer because that's the advice that she's been given. Chris Bishop: Has the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) raised with her the desire to not apply the "feebate" for electric cars to one- and two-star - rated cars; if so why is the Government proposing to do so? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Like that member I have a great passion for safety. The Government has quite a wide-ranging work programme related to ensuring that the cars coming into the country are safe. At the same time we're working on a policy to ensure that it's easier for people to access low-emissions cars. What I can assure the member of is that all throughout the work on the clean-car discount we've also been certain that we're progressing the work on safety standards. So for example there are some new used-vehicle safety standards that will be in force from March 2020 which means that should this policy be implemented that every single car that's imported will have to meet that standard. Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That did not answer the question. I asked: has the New Zealand Transport Agency raised with her the desire to not apply the "feebate" for electric cars to one- and two-star - rated cars. We got a long list of things that she's interested in— SPEAKER: Well I would have thought it was pretty clear that if you can't import it it's not going to be applied. Chris Bishop: No no the question was about the Transport Agency raising with her their desire to not apply the "feebate". There was literally no— SPEAKER: OK. Was that raised with the Minister? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: No. Chris Bishop: Why does the New Zealand Transport Agency's 23 August board minutes say that they raised that matter with the Minister? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: The specific matter that has been raised is whether or not there is a conflict between applying safety standards to cars and promoting low-emissions vehicles and what the Government has determined is that the star rating is not the appropriate regulation for safety standards. We have the electronic stability control coming in in early 2020 and that will apply to all vehicles that are imported all used cars that are imported from 2020. Chris Bishop: Is she saying that the 23 August NZTA board minutes which note that they have raised with Ministers the desire to not apply the "feebate" for electric cars to one- and two-star - rated cars are wrong? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: What I would say to that member is that the issues around ensuring we have safe and low-emissions vehicles have been considered by NZTA and the Ministry of Transport. We're working very hard on delivering both and to reassure that member it is entirely possible to have safe low-emissions vehicles. Chris Bishop: Did the New Zealand Transport Agency raise with her as Minister the desire to not apply the "feebate" for electric cars to one- and two-star - rated cars? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: That was not—if that issue was raised with me and I can't confirm that it was the issue of how we regulate the safety of vehicles and ensure that they are low-emissions vehicles was raised and we are absolutely addressing that. Chris Bishop: Did the New Zealand Transport Agency raise with her the desire to not apply the "feebate" for electric cars to one- and two-star safety - rated cars? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Just as I said if that did occur—and I can't say that it did—the answer is that we are applying safety standards to all vehicles that are imported and therefore low-emissions vehicles that will benefit from the clean-car discount will also be safe."