5. Question No. 5—CorrectionsDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) (remote) to the Minister of CorrectionsQuestion No. 5—Corrections5. Dr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) (remote) to the Minister of Corrections: Does supporting a person to have a bank account upon release from prison help them to reintegrate into society; if so how?SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member I'm going to ask Dr Henderson to read the question as it is written down especially the name of the Minister.Dr EMILY HENDERSON: My apologies. How does supporting a person to have a bank account upon release from prison help them to reintegrate into society?Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. My understanding is that that is not actually the question. The question is Does supporting a person to have a bank account upon release from prison." Because I think you might have changed it because the—SPEAKER: Yes yes I take responsibility for the changing but I'm saying to the whips it's their responsibility to make sure that members asking the questions are told when it's changed.Chris Bishop: I mean it's a patsy question it's not that hard to get right. You literally email it and then she just stands up and reads it. I'm happy to provide a tutorial if—SPEAKER: Order! I think we're not for the days for tutorials on that sort of thing. Now—I think we've got the gist of the question. It's one of the problems of operating remotely. The Hon Kelvin Davis.Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister of Corrections): Mr Speaker—Hon David Bennett: They can't even ask a question properly.SPEAKER: Order! The Hon Mr Bennett will stand withdraw and apologise.Hon David Bennett: I withdraw and apologise.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Recently Corrections implemented the Bank Accounts Upon Release scheme or New Start. This scheme was piloted in 2020 with phased roll-out to all prison sites concluding in late 2021 and is a core part of our Hōkai Rangi strategy where the sixth pou states "People released from the care of Ara Poutama Aotearoa have the necessary life skills levels of education and tools for full participation in society." It may sound like a small thing but this support means that when a person leaves prison they should be able to walk out with the tools necessary to immediately access their funds which is a core step in removing barriers to reintegration and increase their likelihood of living safe and offence-free in the community.Dr Emily Henderson: What reports has the Minister seen that support this implementation of the New Start scheme?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I've seen a report from Westpac New Zealand where the head of consumer operations said "New Start helps give prisoners the best chance possible of resuming normal life." They went on to say "A bank account is like a passport to the economy which is why inclusion in the banking system is so important. Without one it's hard to get a job pay the rent receive a benefit or do many of the other things we take for granted in our lives."Dr Emily Henderson: Is the Minister aware of any previous prisoners who support the initiative?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Yes there's been reporting of a prisoner who was in Tongariro Prison who accessed the scheme. This person was bound to have difficulties with regards to getting a bank account on his own because he had previously had three names no birth certificate and no photo ID. He said about the scheme "It was a good feeling knowing that I had a bank account to go out to. It changes everything for me.""