5. Question No. 5—Small BusinessANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua) to the Minister for Small BusinessQuestion No. 5—Small Business5. ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua) to the Minister for Small Business: Is he concerned with the ANZ report issued yesterday that a net 48 percent of small businesses feel pessimistic about general business conditions in the year ahead"; if not why not?Hon STUART NASH (Minister for Small Business): What I am concerned about is that perhaps the member hasn't realised but we are in the middle of a global pandemic and what has been proven is that this Government's decision to go hard and go early with a health response was also the best thing to do from an economic response. I refer to the MYOB report that was highlighted in the House yesterday by the Hon Grant Robertson that shows confidence amongst small to medium sized enterprises is cautiously improving that more businesses are expecting to see growth in the next 12 months following on from March when the economy was heading into lockdown. I'd also like to draw the member's notice to the June Xero Small Business Insights report which also showed that 65 percent of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that New Zealand has an opportunity to rebuild its economy better than before COVID.Andrew Bayly: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a great question but I actually asked him whether he was concerned and I haven't actually heard that.Hon Member: It wasn't a great question.SPEAKER: Well that's right. It was a very long answer rather than a question I think the member was referring to. Have a go via supplementary. The member said it was a great question.Andrew Bayly: Thank you. So I get a supplementary?SPEAKER: It may or may not have been.Andrew Bayly: I get a supplementary—thank you. What policies has he implemented if any over the past four months of this economic crisis to cut regulations for small businesses given this is the biggest problem identified by small businesses in the ANZ survey?Hon STUART NASH: Mr Speaker you said my last answer was too long. This one may be even longer if the member really wants me to list what we've done for small businesses since COVID lockdown. We have done a substantial amount. There's the Small Business Cashflow (Loan) Scheme which was rolled out in two weeks—no personal guarantees money out the door. There was the wage subsidy scheme and in fact we were the first Government in the world to get money into the pockets—again high-trust model and it kept 1.7 million Kiwis employed. We rolled out a whole lot of tax measures which made it very easy for small businesses to either comply with their obligations or enter into—Hon Shane Jones: Less red tape.Hon STUART NASH: —an arrangement with Inland Revenue to meet their obligations. There are a number of things that this Government has done across—SPEAKER: OK OK between the Minister and Mr Jones I think you've answered it.Andrew Bayly: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Again I asked about regulations; I'm not sure I heard anything. I heard about tax changes but they're not regulations. I asked him specifically: what has he done to cut regulations for small businesses?SPEAKER: The member can have a go on the very narrow issue rather than a general rave.Hon STUART NASH: Well we make an assumption that cutting regulations means it's easier for businesses to do work. I just have to highlight what we have done with Inland Revenue to make it so much easier for small businesses to comply with their tax obligations. What we did do—SPEAKER: All right OK—the member's addressed the question.Andrew Bayly: What policies has he implemented if any over the last four months to support small businesses hiring new people given that a third of businesses now expect to shed jobs over the coming year?Hon STUART NASH: Minister Hipkins actually released an apprenticeship and training package worth about $450 million. I think that what we have done in terms of allowing New Zealanders to re-engage with business to retrain to get back on the horse so to speak has been phenomenal. So for that member to suggest that we have done nothing in terms of allowing small businesses to grow for workers to become engaged in the economy to retrain to train and get back into work—I will note one thing: that member is the fourth small business spokesperson so I suppose we've got to give him a little bit of latitude.Andrew Bayly: In view of the report stating that over half of all small businesses now expect their profits to deteriorate will the Labour-led Government provide meaningful rental support to small businesses and if not why not?Hon STUART NASH: I think the member would know that's not part of my portfolio responsibility.SPEAKER: Question No. 6 Priyanca Radhakrishnan.Andrew Bayly: Mr Speaker?SPEAKER: Well we will go back to Mr Bayly but it's really important if the member wants another supplementary that he stands up.Andrew Bayly: Thank you Mr Speaker. As the Minister for Small Business did he support the increase in the minimum wage effective 1 April 2020 at a very time when most small businesses were not receiving any income?Hon STUART NASH: What we do know is an increase in the minimum wage provides an economic fiscal stimulus package.Hon Judith Collins: Answer it—answer the question.Hon STUART NASH: Yes I did support that because—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Who was that interjecting then? Well the member will stand withdraw and apologise.Hon Judith Collins: I withdraw and apologise.Hon STUART NASH: What I was saying is that an increase in the minimum wage provides a level of fiscal stimulus much needed. What we do know is those on the minimum wage tend to spend a lot of their income and that is exactly what we need at this point in time.Andrew Bayly: What hope can he offer small-business owners who only see a bleak future with over half of them pessimistic about business confidence or conditions during the next twelve months?Hon STUART NASH: I'll go back to my original answer: we are in the middle of a global pandemic. In essence what we are is we have one of the most open economies in the world at this point in time because what we did is we went early we went hard and as a consequence we can all be where we are at the moment because there has been no community transmission for weeks. What we have done by addressing the health response is allow our economy to open and therefore for small businesses to do as well as they possibly can."