edithatogo/nz-hansard-corpus huggingface dataset:
Salesa JennySORAYA PEKE-MASON (Labour): Tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā koutou ngā iwi o te motu e mihi ana ki a koutou.[Thank you Madam Speaker. Greetings to the people of the nation. I acknowledge you.]Good evening everyone. I stand to speak on the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill. Firstly I stand in awe of the former local government Minister Nanaia Mahuta for her courage for her perseverance her boldness and her humility and grace she has shown as a former Minister of Local Government and in particular over the last recent years.Māori Wards: as a former district councillor—over 12 years—what I can say is I wholeheartedly support this bill. Māori representation is a change I have longed for not knowing I would be here today to speak to it myself. I reflect—I reflect back in the days what a lonely place local government would be if you were Māori. Even more shameful was having to endure six-yearly representation reviews and Māori ward considerations could be vetoed just like that.But you know what? My council the Rangitīkei District Council one of the most conservative at the time broke the mould of conservatism and supported Māori wards whilst at the same time an opposition group would be sitting in the gallery waiting to pounce with their polls. Guess what! Iwi at the time did not want them to the disappointment of that opposing group. The Government took a first step to change this in 2021 amending the polls provisions to help councils to get ready for 2022 elections removing discrimination. Hallelujah!This bill sets out an enduring process—an enduring process for councils to consider Māori representation through a fit for purpose process. It gives the mana motuhake to the council. Whilst the new requirements will not come into force till 2025 it's OK—it's OK. We must consider those councils severely impacted by recent weather events along with others. Our Minister has heard the calling: good things take time. I wish to commend him our Hon Minister McAnulty for taking the time to visit 55 rural provincial councils last year and giving consideration to their feedback. Auckland Council: Auckland Council has been hamstrung with a limitation of 20 councillors. It has grown and will continue—it will continue. Each councillor representing 86000 residents—it doesn't cut it. In my ward days I thought that 1500 was too much and onerous. Auckland needs to determine its own representation arrangements. Who knows better than themselves?The recount and coin tosses: Well I remember a time when the deputy mayor was appointed by the councillors. This particular year there were two nominations. There was a tie. The mayor pulls out his coin and says Heads or tails?" and I thought "What?"—that it was a joke. No it wasn't a joke. A very strange action in such an official capacity mandated by the highest level of legislation: our Parliament. In this instance it makes absolute sense to have a judicial recount before at least a toss of a coin. That is why I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): The next call is a split call. I call on the Hon David Bennett for five minutes."
SpeechNAISI CHEN (Labour): Thank you Madam Speaker. I too echo the words of my colleague and thank our Governance and Administration Committee for a really good time going through this bill. We thank all the submitters especially all of the city councils who came in and made their views heard during the select committee process. We did a bit of a split between me and my colleague Rachel Boyack in terms of—I'm just going to take the Auckland part in my speech today and explain some of the intricacies there.Now Auckland is New Zealand's largest city. It is now up to 33 percent of the population in New Zealand. Right now currently in Auckland one councillor has to represent 86000 constituents or residents. Let me repeat that again: one councillor has to represent 86000 constituents whereas members in the House probably represent around 60000 I think is how the Electoral Commission divides up electorates in this House.I know for instance in my home area of East Auckland we have one councillor in the Howick ward that actually cuts across three different electorates. Their job is to liaise with the MPs in Pakuranga the MPs in Botany and the MPs in Takanini as well. Therefore that also echoes the local board boundaries as well. That job is very immense and it doesn't naturally actually fall into communities of interest. You can imagine just by the three electorates I've just described to you whether it's from Pakuranga—we've got the Howick community there. In Takanini and even in Flat Bush and Botany it is a very diverse Asian community whereas in Howick and Pakuranga it's a long-settled predominantly European community and then you've got in Takanini a really large Indian but also Pacific community as well.So having a ward councillor that has to cross that whole entire boundary is actually a really demanding job. What this bill will actually do is streamline the process to review how these boundaries are set in the local boards and also in the wards within Auckland Council as well to be able to increase the numbers of councillors to the Auckland Council according to the growth rate of our population and the demands of our population.A fact that has been often talked about in this House is that from 3 million to 4 million it took this nation 30 years to get there in terms of population growth. But from 4 million to 5 million—so the last million of growth that we've had in our population—only took us 16 years which is about half the time it took for the previous 1 million of population growth. So with a changing demographic in New Zealand with a changing landscape of Auckland we need to have a political and a local democracy that actually reflects the way that that city is now shaping up to be and changing. So therefore I commend this bill to the House.
Boyack RachelRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to take a short call on the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill. Can I first just acknowledge those who submitted on the bill the other members of the Governance and Administration Committee and the officials who worked tirelessly on the bill. As the Minister said earlier I also want to acknowledge the former Minister of Local Government who introduced this bill into the House the Hon Nanaia Mahuta.I'd like to just correct some of the odd comments from the speaker prior to me Simon Watts particularly regarding Māori wards and the comments that this bill would somehow force councils to have to reject Māori wards. It's quite wrong. What we're doing is ensuring some consistency with other matters that come up every time there is a representation review at a council. When we introduced legislation in 2021 around Māori wards at the time the then Minister Nanaia Mahuta said we would be bringing enduring legislation back to the House and this is what this bill does. Our councils every few years have to undertake a representation review and in that they consider other decisions such as whether they have wards how many wards they have the boundaries of those wards the number of councillors they have which voting system they use—whether they use first past the post or STV. They have to consider those matters every time as part of their representation review and that includes consultation with their communities so it's entirely consistent for us to be adding into our legislation that Māori wards also need to be considered. That is all this bill is doing. I note that around half or so of the councils that had the opportunity prior to the last local election chose to add Māori wards to their councils. We've have had very good feedback on how that is running. On one of the councils in my electorate of Nelson we have an excellent Māori ward councillor Kahu Paki Paki who's doing an excellent job and I want to mihi to him tonight for the work that he is doing in our community to ensure that for the first time we actually have a Māori councillor on our council representing an important part of our community. As previous speakers have also mentioned there are other things that this bill does such as increasing the number of potential councillors at Auckland Council to be again consistent with other councils that can also have up to 29 councillors. So from a consistency point of view it doesn't make sense for a small council to be able to have up to 29 and then for a large council like Auckland with its larger population base not to have the same opportunity to have that level of representation. So before I finish I do just want to acknowledge my good friend Tasman Mayor Tim King in the gallery today. And just to acknowledge that yes Madam Speaker I do trust my councils and mayors like Tim King. This Government backs the local government; it's why we've been putting so much energy into ensuring they have the right systems in place to deliver for our communities. I commend this bill to the House.
Edmonds BarbaraInstruction to Social Services and Community CommitteeHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Minister of Internal Affairs) on behalf of the Minister for Sport and Recreation: I move That the Integrity Sport and Recreation Bill be reported to the House by 10 August 2023.Motion agreed to.
Salesa JennyCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): I will report progress on this bill but if I can also say that the decision to have just one hour was made in the Business Committee which all parties agreed to so it was a bit unnecessary to take a vote on this.Progress to be reported.House resumed.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): Mr Speaker the committee has considered the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill and reports progress. I move That the report be adopted.Motion agreed to.Report adopted.
Belich Camilla; Salesa JennyCAMILLA BELICH (Junior Whip—Labour): I move That the committee report progress on this bill.Hon Members: Madam Chair? Madam Chair?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): If I could just explain the Business Committee has already made a ruling that the time for this debate is only one hour. That one hour is now over at 4.23.
Swarbrick Chlöe; Robertson GrantCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central): It would be remiss of me given that the Minister raised the topic of students to not put this to him. So does the Minister then agree with this quote from former Otago University Students' Association president who then went on to become president of the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) in 1996—of course named Grant Robertson—who said and I quote Only 37 percent of full-time students get any kind of allowance. The main culprit here is the National Government's absurd means-testing programme."? And if he does then is he not blown away by the fact that while he—or the president of NZUSA—back in 1996 was frustrated at only 37 percent of students getting access to the student allowance it's now even fewer at just 27 percent and in fact his majority Government keeps in place that exact same means-testing rule that he was frustrated about over 10 20 years ago?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): It's a lot more than 20 years ago I can tell the member! Look that idealistic better-looking man back in 1996 certainly was making some interesting and quite good points. Look in all seriousness I do think that over the course of the time that we've been in Government we have attempted to improve significantly the lot of tertiary students. In particular if I even go back a little further to the time between when those comments were made and now we have got significant resources invested in things like the interest-free student loan programme and making sure that we do support students through a number of different means. But in the end when it came to this particular term of Government we prioritised not only keeping our fees-free programme—which of course also didn't exist in those days—but actually re-orientating some of the expenditure that would have been spent more in that area around apprenticeships.I stand by that decision because I think what the 1996 version of me perhaps didn't have in my head was the importance of us investing across the whole trade training space as well as within universities and other degree programme providers—we've got to get that balance right. We've put a significant amount of resources into supporting apprenticeships: we've got over 200000 people who have benefitted from either free trade training or free apprenticeships so we have redirected some of that money. We continue to look for ways that we can support students most recently with the increases on 1 April to loan and living cost requirements and we will keep continuing to do that as resources allow."
Robertson GrantHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I thank the member for using her time well during that question. In answer to the very specific question of debt there is a Government programme of work on that. We haven't completed it but there is a programme of work around particularly the debt held by beneficiaries to the Government so that we can understand that more. I'm not leading that work but it is under way but not completed—to the member's specific question. In terms more broadly—it's material we have covered a few times but there is a reason why the Government has invested significantly in lifting the incomes of those on main benefits those receiving Working for Families those who receive superannuation students and so on. It is because we do recognise that there's been a very significant impact there. That's why we increased benefits in 2020 2021 and 2022. I respect the fact that the member has a view around the scale of that but it is a recognition from us that actually yes during a time of crisis like this it is certainly true that fiscal policy should be used to support those on the lowest incomes. With respect to the member's second question I'm not responsible for the comments of the Reserve Bank Governor. The perspective I have on that is it is the Reserve Bank's job to reduce inflation back down to the target band of 1 to 3 percent. They have a tool which they use to do that the official cash rate and that is the tool that they have and that they have utilised. So it is their job in that sense when they see what they determine to be an overheated economy that they act in the way that they do. My perspective is that fiscal policy as I've noted before to Mr Seymour needs to be friends with monetary policy but also acts sometimes to be able to target our support to those people who need it the most. And so while I understand the member was there in the exchange that occurred I'm clear on what I believe to be the Reserve Bank's job. They are doing that job to return inflation to 1 to 3 percent. Fiscal policy will work alongside that but we will always seek to look after the lowest income New Zealanders.
Seymour DavidDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): A point of order Mr Chairperson. I'd just like to first of all point out that Grant Robertson's imputation that we don't care if people die is not found anywhere in anything I said; in fact the opposite. Second of all while—CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Well Mr Seymour that will be a matter for those listening to make up their minds. Secondly? DAVID SEYMOUR: Second of all I actually said that she was too dumb to participate in a global conspiracy and it's wrong for the finance Minister to mislead people about my comments. CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): That's not a point of order.
O'Connor GregANNUAL REVIEW DEBATEIn CommitteeCHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members the House is in committee on the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill. This is the debate on the financial position of the Government and the annual reviews of departments Offices of Parliament Crown entities public organisations and State enterprises as reported on by select committees. The time allocated for this debate is 10 hours.Standing Orders 356(2) and (3) have been set aside so there will be no sector-specific debates. Instead specific Ministers will be available each day to respond to specific portfolios. The Government has indicated that the Minister of Finance will be available for one hour today to respond to members' questions. The time for this debate has been allocated to parties on a proportional basis. Each debate will be led off by the chairperson or another member of the committee that considered annual reviews most closely related to the Minister's portfolios.The question is that the report of the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the annual financial statements of the Government for the 2021-22 financial year be noted.
Appointments — Deputy Controller and Auditor-General
Robertson Grant; Rurawhe AdrianDeputy Controller and Auditor-General Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House): I move That pursuant to section 11(2) and clause 2 of Schedule 3 of the Public Audit Act 2001 the House recommend to the Governor-General that Andrew William McConnell of Wellington be appointed as the Deputy Controller and Auditor-General for a term not exceeding five years.Motion agreed to.SPEAKER: I declare the House in committee for consideration of the Appropriation (2021/22 Confirmation and Validation) Bill.
Waititi RawiriRAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): Tēnā tātou. Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Tēnā tātou e te Whare. I rise on behalf of Te Paati Māori to speak to this motion nominating Associate High Court Judge Kenneth Johnston KC as chairperson of the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). We acknowledge the experience and qualifications of Kenneth Johnston KC; however we believe this appointment represents a missed opportunity from the Government to have appointed a tangata whenua leader to chair the IPCA. And so we will not be supporting this motion. Throughout history since the inception of the New Zealand Police and its predecessor the armed constabulary tangata whenua have been disproportionately impacted by abuse of police power and inappropriate conduct. From the armed constabulary invading the peaceful settlement of Parihaka to the police invasions of Tūhoe in 1916 and in 2007 in the valley of Ruātoki right through to just last year when the police illegally photographed rangatahi Māori without cause and all painful injustices in between this reality—our reality as tangata whenua—is well known and indisputable. Like the Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman talked about Māori are seven times more likely to have violent force used against them by the police. The New Zealand Police is undeniably a systemically racist institution. Research is clear that our people are disproportionately stopped searched and charged. Follow the signs. Even the current Police Commissioner acknowledges the unconscious bias that they act with while dealing with our people. We need a police watchdog who understands this reality at a deep cultural level and has the unique qualifications that come with surviving as Māori in this country. We now have Māori across all levels of the legal and justice professions including the Supreme Court. There is no shortage of qualified Māori people to choose from who would bring their considerable skills and experience to the leadership of the IPCA. We wish Kenneth Johnston KC well and challenge him to act with the rights and interests of tangata whenua at the forefront of his work.David Seymour: Maybe he could change his race. Would that help?RAWIRI WAITITI: Maybe you should change yours. Tangata whenua must no longer be treated as second-class citizens on our own land. Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Tēnā tātou.
SpeechCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to take a call to support the appointment of Kenneth Johnston KC as chairperson of the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).I'd like to start off by thanking outgoing chairperson Judge Colin Doherty who's done a great job over the last five years. He presided over a pretty turbulent period for police with the number of complaints increasing 61 percent in the last four years and doubling in the last 10 years. Even taking COVID issues into account that's a huge increase. It can be a thankless task with one party always being unhappy with the result of any investigation. With so many keyboard warriors out there and ignorant commentary on specific incidents making rational and informed decisions can often be a difficult process. Unfortunately some of that ignorant commentary does come from inside this House. Sifting through frivolous and vexatious complaints is also part of that job. Policing is a tough job and it always has been but circumstances have changed. Examples like the use of cellphones the huge increase in mental health issues the demand for accountability and a renewed sense of entitlement has meant there is a lot more scrutiny given to police behaviour and actions. Most police would tell you that if they had a dollar for every time that they were told I pay your wages" they'd be pretty rich. In my time in the police I had only had one occasion dealing with the IPCA and it was as a witness. A young man didn't think the rules applied to him and he didn't need to follow instructions because his dad was a lawyer. The IPCA agreed that he actually did need to follow instructions and trust and accountability in the police was upheld. New Zealand has the best police service in the world and we should be very proud. The IPCA ensures that accountability and transparency is maintained. ACT welcomes the appointment of Kenneth Johnston KC. He's a vastly experienced practitioner arbitrator adjudicator and mediator having spent time—as was mentioned—as the chair of the New Zealand Teachers Council Disciplinary Tribunal and deputy chair of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. I'm sure he will continue to uphold the high standards that the IPCA is known for. Thank you."
Goldsmith PaulHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. The National Party does agree to this motion the appointment of Associate High Court Judge Kenneth Johnston King's Counsel as chairperson of the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) for five years. This is obviously a very important institution in the wider judicial system of this country. We New Zealanders sometimes take for granted these institutions but it's very important in any free and open country to ensure that the police whose job it is to maintain public safety and to look after us and deal with criminals and things that put them in harm's way—but it's also very important to know that their conduct is also held to account and monitored. Obviously any lawbreaking involves the court system but the IPCA is an important part of the process in order to investigate complaints against any misconduct or neglect of duty by a member of the police or any practice policy or procedure of the police affecting the complainant as the Minister outlined. The authority also is responsible for investigating any incident involving serious bodily harm notified to the authority by the Commissioner of Police. So it's an important agency. We support the work that they do. We acknowledge like the Minister did the hard work of the retiring chairperson Judge Colin Doherty who has worked hard on behalf of the community. He's had a very busy time and indeed the IPCA is having a very busy time at the moment particularly dealing with the multitude of issues raised by the occupation of Parliament last year which does need thorough investigation. We were quite critical of the Government's decisions around that—not any criticism directed at the IPCA but the fact that we believe there should also have been a wider investigation involving not just the actions of the police but the Speaker and many other people. But I just say that in passing to make it absolutely and abundantly clear that the National Party strongly supports the work of the IPCA. We acknowledge the effort and contribution that Judge Colin Doherty has made and we wish the new chairperson and current Associate High Court Judge Kenneth Johnston King's Counsel all the best in the job. We have high hopes and expectations that he will maintain the strong traditions that the authority has in terms of standing strongly in order to maintain the integrity of the broader system. I also just want to thank the Minister of Justice for the way that she consulted us on this side of the House over this appointment. It is important that these kinds of roles have bipartisan support and we welcomed the opportunity to comment on it as expected but it's important that these practices continue. So without any further ado the National Party supports this appointment and wishes the new chairperson Judge Kenneth Johnston all the very best.
Rurawhe AdrianAPPOINTMENTSIndependent Police Conduct Authority ChairpersonHon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister of Justice): I move That under sections 5 and 5A of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988 and section 32 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 this House recommend to Her Excellency the Governor-General the appointment of Associate High Court Judge Kenneth Johnston KC as Chairperson of the Independent Police Conduct Authority for a term of five years commencing on 1 May 2023. The Independent Police Conduct Authority's important function is to investigate complaints alleging any misconduct or neglect of duty by a member of the police or concerning any practice policy or procedure of the police affecting the complainant. The authority is also responsible for investigating any incident involving serious bodily harm or death notification to the authority by the Commissioner of Police. The Independent Police Conduct Authority is the only official New Zealand Police oversight body and as such it's important that its work is led by the people of the highest calibre. The term of the authority's present chairperson Judge Colin Doherty expired on 29 August 2022. However his appointment remained in force under carry-over provisions. Judge Doherty did not seek reappointment for a further term but agreed to continue in office to oversee the completion of several high-profile investigations. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank him for his work over a significant period of time. His contribution was certainly received gratefully by us all. This brings me to the appointment of Associate Judge Kenneth Johnston KC. Associate Judge Johnston was appointed to the High Court bench in early 2018. He practised as a barrister from 2007 to 2018 and was made King's Counsel in 2016. The majority of his early career was with MinterEllisonRuddWatts including seven years as managing partner. He has experience as chair of the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal and deputy chair of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Associate Judge Johnston has experience in criminal work as both a prosecutor and defence counsel in jury and appellate trials and in civil work including general civil and commercial litigation trusts and estates construction employment family and professional disciplinary litigation. His overall experience in governance investigatory disciplinary and criminal work gives him the requisite experience and ability to undertake the work of the chair of the Independent Police Conduct Authority. Therefore it is with great pleasure that I commend to the House Associate Judge Johnston for this very important role. SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.
Rurawhe AdrianPETITIONS PAPERS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLSSPEAKER: A petition has been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.CLERK: Petition of Ian Young requesting that the House abolish tolls on all New Zealand public highways.SPEAKER: That petition stands referred to the Petitions Committee. Ministers have delivered papers.CLERK: Privacy Commissioner annual report for 2021/22Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Long-term Insights Briefing March 2023.SPEAKER: Those papers are published under the authority of the House. A select committee report has been delivered for presentation.CLERK: Petition of Greg Rzesniowiecki requesting that the House undertake a public inquiry into the national COVID-19 response; report of the Petitions Committee.SPEAKER: No bills have been introduced.
Salesa JennyTUESDAY 4 APRIL 2023The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.KARAKIA/PRAYERSHon JENNY SALESA (Assistant Speaker): E te Atua kaha rawa ka tuku whakamoemiti atu mātou mō ngā karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a mātou. Ka waiho i ō mātou pānga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi mātou ki te Kīngi me te inoi atu mō te ārahitanga i roto i ō mātou whakaaroarohanga kia mōhio ai kia whakaiti ai tā mātou whakahaere i ngā take o te Whare nei mō te oranga te maungārongo me te aroha o Aotearoa. Āmene.[Almighty God we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom and humility for the welfare peace and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.]
Thursday 6 April 2023 - Volume 767
Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill — Third Reading
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill be now read a third time.Ayes 98New Zealand Labour 64; New Zealand National 34.Noes 21Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; ACT New Zealand 9; Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time.
Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill — In Committee
Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill — Second Reading (continued)
VoteA party vote was called for on the question That the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill be now read a second time.Ayes 98New Zealand Labour 64; New Zealand National 34.Noes 22Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 10; ACT New Zealand 10; Te Paati Māori 2.Motion agreed to.Bill read a second time.DEPUTY SPEAKER: In accordance with the determination of the Business Committee this bill is set down for committee stage. I declare the House in committee for this consideration of the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill.
8. Question No. 8—PoliceARENA WILLIAMS (Labour—Manurewa) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 8—Police8. ARENA WILLIAMS (Labour—Manurewa) to the Minister of Police: What recent reports has she seen on the composition of the Police workforce across New Zealand?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN (Minister of Police): Last week I attended my very first police graduation as Minister of Police. It was a real honour and I want to congratulate the 59 recruits who graduated; this is just the start of their journey one that comes with an enormous responsibility. As of 3 April there are 10609 constabulary officers working across New Zealand helping to keep our communities safe. Since 2017 there have been 3938 new constables who have graduated from the Royal New Zealand Police College including this week's 59 new recruits. After this graduation the total number of fulltime-equivalent police officers has grown by 1770 since 2017—an increase of around 20 percent in constabulary numbers. Police are well on track to deliver the 1800 extra police officers that we promised in 2017.Arena Williams: How many new officers have joined the service since 2017 in the North Island and where have they been stationed?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: There are 984 additional police officers in stations right across the North Island since 2017. Of these 181 are in Central and Wellington; 342 in Eastern Bay of Plenty and the Waikato; and 73 in Northland with 389 across Tāmaki-makau-rau.Arena Williams: How many new officers have joined the service since 2017 in the South Island and where are they located?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: There are 230 additional police officers right across the South Island since 2017. Of these 126 are in Canterbury 55 in Southern and 48 in Tasman. As well as these districts an additional 556 staff are working in the service centres right across New Zealand to keep our communities safe.Arena Williams: What recent reports has she seen on the diversity of the New Zealand Police Service?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: More than two thirds of the growth in constabulary numbers of employees since 2017 have been in ethnicities other than Pākehā: more than one in five in the growth has been Māori almost one in five has been Asian and more than one in five is Pasifika. With 2725 female officers more than a quarter of the constabulary employees are women. I believe it's important that we have a police service that reflects our community. While these numbers are promising there's still more good work to be done.
7. Question No. 7—JusticeHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 7—Justice7. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all her statements and actions?Hon DAVID PARKER (Attorney-General) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: On behalf of the Minister of Justice yes in their context including statements that address previous statements.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What actions if any has she taken to reassure New Zealanders that the Official Information Act legislation is fit for purpose following the recent case of former Minister Stuart Nash deciding not to release documents that were clearly captured by the Act?Hon DAVID PARKER: I have no information that would suggest that the Official Information Act is not fit for purpose.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What confidence should New Zealanders have in her commitment to the principles of the Official Information Act when she as a Cabinet Minister previously texted her colleagues—quote if we are being lobbied on issues by colleagues especially where we haven't had a yarn things unfolding through OIA process less than desirable."?Hon DAVID PARKER: I didn't hear the final words of that quote but I do know on behalf of the Minister that she respects and abides by the Official Information Act.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What made her think it could possibly be appropriate for her as a Cabinet Minister to make statements to a State-owned public broadcaster that could be interpreted as telling them how to manage their staff or their company?Hon DAVID PARKER: On behalf of the Minister her intention was to speak on behalf of her family. She has made it clear that although she didn't have responsibilities in the media and broadcasting portfolio she can understand that other people thought it was wrong to make statements when she was there. Even though not as a portfolio Minister she was a Minister and she has apologised for that.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Are there any other instances the Minister is aware of where she has breached the Cabinet Manual and if so what are those?Hon DAVID PARKER: On behalf of the Minister so far as I'm aware no."
4. Question No. 4—HealthANGELA ROBERTS (Labour) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 4—Health4. ANGELA ROBERTS (Labour) to the Minister of Health: What improvements have been made in Taranaki for patients requiring renal services?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): I was lucky enough to officially open the new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital last month. The renal unit Te Huhi Raupō—a name gifted by Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and Taumaruroa—is an amazing new facility that will play a key part in the lives of renal patients and their whānau. Te Huhi Raupō was built as part of Project Maunga stage two the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus in order to be able to deliver models of care in modern facilities.Angela Roberts: How will the new renal unit provide improved care to patients?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The new single-storey timber building has 10 patient treatment chairs two training rooms to help patients learn to carry out their own care an isolation room and a self-care room. I know from my time working in dialysis units that convenient access to integrated health services is important for people who have to spend several hours a week in these facilities. The addition of three out-patient rooms means the facility can now accommodate other services such as social work dieticians podiatry for patients with diabetes and also provide wraparound care.Angela Roberts: How has the renal unit been supported by the community?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: There's been a great community support for this project. The Taranaki Health Foundation has fund-raised audiovisual equipment and an ultrasound; I acknowledge their support for this project. The landscaping outside the unit was a real community effort with most of the plants topsoil and mulch donated by excellent local businesses. The work to complete the gardens was done by volunteers from the Lions Club Downers and New Plymouth District Council. I think we can all agree that these kinds of contributions are fantastic.Angela Roberts: How was the project funded?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Project Maunga is funded by a partnership approach between the Crown regional fund-raising and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority—EECA. The Project Maunga stage two totals $403 million; this consists of $397 million in Crown funding $5.3 million in Taranaki fund-raising and $1.2 million from EECA.
3. Question No. 3—HousingCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister of HousingQuestion No. 3—Housing3. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister of Housing: What advice has she sought if any on the impact of rising interest rates on housing costs? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House) on behalf of the Minister of Housing: I receive a range of advice from my officials. This includes advice and information on the impact of interest rates on potential buyers existing homeowners and investor activity and the impact of economic headwinds—which also includes the rising interest rates—on residential development and construction. Chris Bishop: Has she sought an estimate on the increased number of borrowers in mortgage arrears due to the increase in the official cash rate yesterday given that as at the end of February there were 18900 mortgages on which borrowers had missed payments? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yes I believe that the advice indeed on mortgage arrears is that that has increased in recent times. Chris Bishop: How does she expect a young family that borrowed heavily to get into their own home just two years ago will cope with hundreds of dollars a week more in interest costs? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well it will be very challenging for a number of households as we've covered in this period of time recently in the House. What I do know is that if those people are in work they will have been in receipt—in many cases—of wage increases some of which have been in excess of inflation. Chris Bishop: What modelling if any has she commissioned in relation to the impact on rents of the continued implementation of the removal of interest deductibility for residential landlords allied with rising interest rates? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: On behalf of the Minister I'm not sure if modelling is required necessarily by the Government when a lot of it is done including the Kantar survey which has already been quoted in this House. Chris Bishop: So has she seen any modelling from the Kantar survey or otherwise that suggests that rents will continue to rise as a result of the accelerating removal of interest deductibility allied with rising interest rates? Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: There's a variety of reasons why people will increase rents which I might say have increased under the rate of inflation in recent times. The Kantar survey indicated that just over a quarter of landlords were citing changes to property tax law but many others cited other reasons for why they might increase rent.
O'Connor GregDEPUTY SPEAKER: The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 2 May 2023. Thank you for your efforts this week ladies and gentlemen and enjoy Easter.The House adjourned at 5.07 p.m.
Salesa Jenny; O'Connor GregCHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The committee has considered the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill and reports it with amendment. I move That the report be adopted.Motion agreed to.Report adopted.DEPUTY SPEAKER: In accordance with a determination of the Business Committee this bill is set down for third reading immediately.
White HelenHELEN WHITE (Labour): I move That the question be now put.
McAnulty KieranHon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): In response to the previous question Sir Brian Roche is leading the task force; he's not leading an investigation. The task force has been set up to ensure that the Government's support of the locally led recovery is as efficient and as streamlined as possible.
Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you—very briefly Madam Chair. So Minister thank you for explaining that the Minister responsible will have the ability to appoint potentially somebody with delivery of infrastructure experience. Would the Minister be able to enlighten the House—because we understand that Sir Brian Roche is leading an investigation into cyclone recovery into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle—as to what that organisation that working group which has experience in delivery of infrastructure might have shared with the Minister that might give the House some confidence that the recovery will proceed at pace?
McAnulty KieranHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green): My apologies Madam Chair. Thank you. Could the Minister for Emergency Management also expand a bit on some comments he made in his second reading speech I think about his views on a cross-party forum. It's not something that the bill provides for but it has been used in the past and Mr Penk has a Supplementary Order Paper about it. But it is another opportunity of providing parliamentary scrutiny so would he be able to expand on that? Thank you.Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): Yeah I thank the member for that. We have absolutely no concern about the Governance and Administration Committee reviewing the bill and the Orders in Council etc.—none at all. We looked at it and there is only one incidence previously in the history of the House where Parliament has moved a bill instructing a select committee. So we've taken very seriously the concerns that were raised around the speed at which this bill has had to go through and I felt as Minister uncomfortable looking to address those concerns by proposing something that also was very rare. So we thought a pragmatic way about it would be to—in the second reading speech as I did—invite the committee to do that; not set perimeters on that let the committee decide but in doing so give a very clear indication that the Government would support that and is supportive of what the member's proposing.
Court Simon; McAnulty KieranSIMON COURT (ACT): I just want to ask the Minister: would he consider including a person on the review panel who has experience with the delivery of infrastructure?The Government is going to pass—no doubt create—many Orders in Council which involves officials from Government departments coming up with a list of legislation that needs to be modified or a set of rules that need to be developed and that's to change bits of primary legislation. It could be the Land Transport Act it could be the Local Government Act.But on the review panel of up to 12 people who will review these Orders in Council—could be in as little as three days they'll have to review them—the Minister hasn't provided for anybody with experience in the delivery of infrastructure. Yet the Minister has himself said here in the House this afternoon that the Government expects to be undertaking very very large-scale infrastructure projects as part of the recovery.Minister would you care to explain why you haven't included a person with delivery of infrastructure or that skill on the panel and whether the Government would accept making that modification here at the committee stage?Hon Eugenie Sage: And before the Minister does that—Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): Thank you Madam Chair. Speaking specifically to Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 347 the purpose of the panel is not to provide representation of various interests but to provide the knowledge expertise—or expertise in the matters listed—when considering draft Orders in Council. The point being is that there is nothing in the bill to prevent the Minister from appointing other skill sets and expertise to the panel if it is needed. That is why in part we've chosen to go with a larger panel—to give greater scope to include expertise when it's required. In short we don't feel that the SOP is required to achieve the goal that it's promoting.
Webb DuncanHon Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): I move That the question be now put.
Court Simon; McAnulty KieranSIMON COURT (ACT): Minister the reason the ACT Party proposes that the Public Works Act Part 5 is applied is because that is a well-understood basis to assess the taking or the damage of private land by the Government for what are no doubt legitimate purposes and that gives people confidence. There is case law around that. There is a way for people to identify what they should be entitled to. It's when the New Zealand Transport Agency needs to take the front of the farmer's yard and use that to widen the road. Anyone can look at formula and say Yes we agree that that's how much we should be paid." What the Minister has just stated quite clearly is that the Government is coming up with a different formula. So Minister will that formula be consulted on? When will we know about it? When will the people of Hawke's Bay who have been threatened that they won't be able to return to their properties because they're too unsafe the people of Muriwai and Pīhā and the people of Waimoko Glen in Swanson in West Auckland—when will they know what this formula is because they've been quite clear what they want. They want to be compensated for their land at a value that allows for them to move on and go and restart their lives in a place where it's safe to rebuild. Minister will you tell us a bit more about this formula? Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Madam Chair. Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): Apologies to the Hon Duncan Webb. The member Simon Court did not accurately reflect what I said so I'll read it out to him again: supporting this Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) reduces the ability of the Government to decide on a bespoke compensation scheme in it and choices about how the valuation of the property is dealt with. That doesn't signal that something is coming; what it signals is that if the Government did decide to they would be restricted in their choices if they adopted this SOP."