1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterNICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. NICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: On what dates if any did the Cabinet Office communicate with the Prime Minister or the Office of the Prime Minister since November 2020 regarding Hon Michael Wood's shareholdings?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti): on behalf of the Prime Minister: The Cabinet Office has not communicated with the Prime Minister or his current office prior to last week. I am advised that the previous Prime Minister was informed that the Hon Michael Wood was in the process of divesting shares in Auckland Airport and Contact Energy as part of the annual reviews of ministerial interest in November 2021 and November 2022. She was also informed he had divested his shares in March 2021; however this was incorrect advice. In February 2022 the then chief of staff was informed by the Cabinet Office that they had provided advice to the Hon Michael Wood about divesting and that the Minister had advised he was in the process of divesting the shares.Nicola Willis: Why despite an entire year passing between checks from the Prime Minister as to whether or not the shares had been sold and no action having been taken were those shares not registered on the official conflict of interest register?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: There is no question that he should have done it quicker. I'm not going to defend his failure to do it when told he should have followed the advice and he accepts that.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Point of order Mr Speaker. The answer there was referring to the Minister's actions. Nicola Willis was asking about the actions taken by the Prime Minister's office and Cabinet and it hasn't been addressed.SPEAKER: I agree and I ask Nicola Willis to ask the question again.Nicola Willis: I'll do my best to use the same words. Why despite a year passing between the Prime Minister first being made aware of the shareholding and those shares not being divested were they not registered on the official register of conflicts of interest?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: There is an investigation being conducted by Sir Maarten Wevers and I believe it is appropriate to let that investigation run its course and we'll find out all the information we need to know in due course.SPEAKER: The investigation being mentioned is about a member as a member of Parliament. Members can ask about their ministerial responsibilities and Cabinet responsibilities so the Minister has not addressed that part.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I believe the Minister did declare his shares in the register in 2022.Nicola Willis: Why in 2021 did Minister Wood not declare his shares on the ministerial declaration of conflicts of interest when not only he knew that he hadn't sold them but the Cabinet Office knew the Prime Minister knew and nothing was done about it?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Again there is no question that the Minister should have done it quicker and I'm not going to defend his failure to do so. He should have followed the advice that he got and he accepts that.Nicola Willis: Does the Prime Minister retain confidence in the Cabinet Office's process for managing conflicts of interest when 2½ years went by in which a conflict of interest was not declared or registered despite the Cabinet Office being aware it existed?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Yes.Nicola Willis: What sort of standards exist in this Government that a Minister can have a conflict of interest for 2½ years not declare it not manage it and that person remains a Minister?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Again I'm not going to stand here and defend the Minister's actions. He knows that he should've declared those interests sooner. He accepts that advice.Nicola Willis: Is the Prime Minister aware that not only did the Minister mismanage his pecuniary interest register and his Cabinet declaration but he also misled a journalist in July 2021; when specifically asked if he had any pecuniary interests he had not declared he expressly said he had not—is that acceptable?SPEAKER: There is a part of the question that probably should not have been mentioned. Every member should be aware that the pecuniary interest process is separate to the Cabinet. So I would ask the Minister to respond to the part of the question that dealt with the Cabinet processes and the ministerial process.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I am advised that the Minister has answered questions in terms of what he understood was accurate at the time.Nicola Willis: Does the Prime Minister think it was accurate?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: On behalf of the Prime Minister they'd have to take the Minister's word for that.Nicola Willis: Why is this Prime Minister prepared to accept the word of an individual who over the course of 2½ years claimed they were selling shares but failed to do so was given 12 reminders to do it said they were doing it hadn't done it and today we're told won't even front to media to talk about it—why does that person remain a Minister?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Well on behalf of the Prime Minister that's the very reason that he's been stood down from his transport portfolio.Nicola Willis: Why does he remain the Minister of Immigration the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety the associate finance Minister and the Minister for Auckland issues?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Because he's proven himself to be very competent in all of those portfolios that she's mentioned.