Clark David: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeClark David: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 02 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2876. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Dr DAVID CLARK (Labour—Dunedin North)to the Minister for Economic Development: What lessons if any on regional economic development has he drawn from his recent ministerial visits to Northland?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development):I learn things from every regional visit that I make to every region in New Zealand. Over the last 3 years I have visited hundreds of New Zealand companies and organisations in different regions around the country. I always take away their issues and ideas to address and many of these have led to the development and implementation of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda.Dr David Clark: Is he aware that the regions of Waikato Taranaki Manawatū Wanganui Tasman-Nelson Marlborough West Coast and Otago all have unemployment today that is more than 50 percent higher than it was during the worst part of the recession; if so does he think that his 6 years of glossy Business Growth Agendas and shady deals with casinos have led us to this point?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well speaking of shady I think I would have to check the member’s figures before I made any comment.Dr David Clark: Has he yet seen the OECD report Promoting Growth in All Regions which says that focusing on helping struggling regions to catch up with more developed ones has a positive impact on a country’s national growth overall; if so why has he neglected New Zealands regions for 6 long years and spent all his efforts on dodgy deals with casinos?Mr SPEAKER: Order! The second part of that question is exactly the discussion we had earlier. It will lead to disorder. The first part is certainly in order and I invite the Minister to answer it.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You are right that political questions can entertain political responses but they are still in order and there is nothing in the Standing Orders and there is nothing in the Speakers’ rulings which I have checked during this session that would say that political questions are out of order. They are in order.Mr SPEAKER: No. [Interruption] No I do not need assistance on this occasion. The member is quite wrong. They are out of order and the member has only got to look at Standing Order 380 to see that they are definitely out of order. As I said at the very start of this session today I have been inclined to leave those inferences and ironical expressions in a question and they do give a lot of licence to a Minister but I also have to be mindful that when they are repeated time and time again there is potential for them to lead to disorder. But on the point raised by the Hon David Parker he is categorically wrong. If I adhered strictly to the Standing Orders as written many supplementary questions today would actually be ruled out of order. I invite the Minister to answer the question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes I have read the report that the member refers to and actually it does inform a significant amount of the work that we are doing to encourage investment across all of our regions. He may not be aware that for example in recent times New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has launched a regional investment attraction programme which was announced last year and is encouraging investment by new industries in different regions of the country. We have the regional business partners programme which works with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Callaghan Innovation funds to encourage the growth of regional businesses. For example we focus on the sorts of reforms that will encourage regional business growth. Most of our regions are based in the resource sector as we know—in the primary sector—and that is one of the reasons why we are so passionate about advancing reforms to the Resource Management Act. We of course have made very significant—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Now we have an answer that is going on for too long.Dr David Clark: How many ministerial limousine trips are planned to Northland for the coming 6 weeks how does that compare with the past 6 weeks and is that a sign that the Government’s focus on the region’s economic development is scaling up or down?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Ministers travel in all sorts of ways but if the member wants to focus on the amount of ministerial travel to Northland I can inform him that there are very very significant and ongoing visits to Northland by Ministers. I look at the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson who is very active in the region. I look at the Minister Nick Smith who is very active in the region. Behind me is Minister Guy who is very active in the region. I look across at Minister Bennett who is very active in the region—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I appreciate the Minister could do quite a lot of looking across the benches. The question has been answered.Hon David Cunliffe: Does the Minister accept that years of neglect by his Government in terms of regional development in Northland such as through inadequate roading broadband rail services and a lack of good job opportunities contributed to the Government’s humiliating defeat in the Northland by-election?Mr SPEAKER: It is a marginal question on ministerial responsibility.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I just do not know why they got David to ask that question. It seems a strange one for Mr Cunliffe to ask but there you go. The member raises some interesting questions about Northland infrastructure. My view on it is we actually have invested significantly more. In fact the numbers bear that out. For example in transport it is around 40 percent more than the previous Government did over a similar period. Broadband of course is a very significant investment.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Rubbish!Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It is actually true. You can just go and look at the numbers and they will tell you that. But I also accept as I have earlier this week that Northland has impatience for more investment and that is what this Government is working on. It is what we announced during the by-election campaign. We have remained committed to doing so and will remain so.Hon David Cunliffe: Can the Minister confirm that he has recently asked Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment officials for urgent advice on regional development given that the by-election result shows that the people of Northland considered his random acts of pork-barrel politics just a bridge too far?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Steven Joyce—the first part of that question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I have forgotten how much I have missed David Cunliffe. Actually the Government has had a big focus on Northland regional economic development for some time. The member may or may not be aware of the Northland regional growth study which was released on 4 February this year. It is the most comprehensive assessment of Northland’s economy and opportunities that I think has ever been done but certainly in the last 30 or 40 years. The Government is acting on that and will continue to act on that for the people of Northland.Hon Damien O’Connor: Will the promises of hundreds of jobs for Northlanders from the mining industry deliver the same empty future as that faced by hundreds of former West Coast miners from the National Government’s incompetent oversight of Solid Energy?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Again it is a little ironic coming from that member. The reality is that the Northland economy actually has the highest number of jobs right now than it has had since December 2007 I believe.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Totally false.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No it is correct actually Mr Peters.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Stop making a fool of yourself.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Who is making a fool of himself?