Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7740. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: What was the rate of unemployment and the total number of people unemployed according to the household labour force survey when he took office and what is that rate and that number now?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) on behalf of theMinister of Finance: The data from Statistics New Zealand yesterday shows that the unemployment rate is currently 6 percent. This is 0.1 percent higher than the previous quarter and compares with 4.6 percent at the end of 2008. The number of employed people is 2347000 in the household labour force survey yesterday compared with 2195000 at the end of 2008. The number of people unemployed is currently 151000. At the end of 2008 it was 105000. Of course in the meantime we have had a number of moderately significant world events: the global financial crisis in New Zealand’s context the Canterbury earthquakes and of course this year a fragile world economy that has seen significant drops in commodity prices including in one of the commodities most important to New Zealand.Grant Robertson: Is it correct that the lowest unemployment he has got on his watch is 5.4 percent or 138000 people out of work?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I cannot verify the exact figures for the member but I can say that across the world it has been more difficult to generate employment post the global financial crisis than prior to the global financial crisis and the member may be aware of that.Stuart Smith: What recent reports has he seen showing how regional economies are supporting new jobs and more investment?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Businesses throughout New Zealand continue to invest and employ more people. Just this morning I saw a report showing a number of companies in the Clutha district advertising to Dunedin jobseekers to fill up to something like 350 vacancies. Then of course there are companies like Proliant in Feilding where we are seeing “new investment creating new jobs making the most of Manawatū’s strengths”. That statement which came just a couple of hours ago is promoting the Government’s work for the council and Spearhead Manawatu in bringing Proliant to New Zealand and that was from a Mr Lees-Galloway. It is important that we recognise that businesses around the country are continuing to invest and hire and the Government is helping them to attract new investment to regions around the country.Brett Hudson: How is the Government supporting jobs and diversification as part of building a resilient New Zealand economy?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Government is taking a range of measures to support a growing New Zealand economy. For example there is a lot of activity recently in free-trade agreements in the export market sector of our Business Growth Agenda with the Government signing up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. I am not sure whether all other parties in the House have yet formed a position on that but this Government certainly has because it will help job growth in the regions. We have reduced taxes on work supporting higher employment we have maintained a 90-day trial period which encourages more jobs and we are investing in new public assets using the $4.7 billion raised by the mixed-ownership model which of course has been opposed by some other parties in the House. We have cut red tape to get more houses built and there are any number of further initiatives: the innovation initiatives the infrastructure initiatives the water storage initiatives—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Bring the answer to a conclusion.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: —many of which are opposed by other parties in this House.Grant Robertson: Why did he say that 151000 New Zealanders being out of work was “to be expected” and does that mean that unemployment at that level is collateral damage in his hands-off style of economic management?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I think the answer to the supplementary question previously shows that this Government is anything but handsoff notwithstanding Mr Robertson’s talking points. The reality is that New Zealand participates in a global economy and our job as a Government is to come up with a range of initiatives that assist further growth and investment. We have any number of them and if the member would like me to go through them all again given that he has not heard them and wrote his talking points without them then I am happy to.Grant Robertson: Can he confirm that the extent of the Government’s response to yesterday’s announcement was “for people to try harder to get work” as the Minister said on the radio this morning; and does he not think that the person in this instance who should be trying harder is him?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I note that the Minister’s response was to a direct and different question from the one that Mr Robertson characterised but fair enough. But this Government is exactly focused on those things and the interesting thing is that the Business Growth Agenda is encouraging growth in our export markets; it is encouraging growth in innovation of companies which is criticised by the Opposition; it is encouraging growth in infrastructure which is criticised by the Opposition; it is encouraging greater availability of natural resources which is criticised by the Opposition; it is encouraging more investment—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon Nanaia Mahuta: Is the increase from 8.7 percent to 12.9 percent in Māori unemployment under his watch indicative of the Government’s plan for economic success; if so how many new jobs have been created for Māori?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do not have those exact numbers available for the member today but if she puts it down in a question to perhaps the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment I am sure he would be happy to answer that question on her behalf. But the important thing is that the Government has a range of initiatives working alongside the Māori Party with the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Initiative for example and the Youth Guarantee programme. [Interruption] And the “neet” figures in New Zealand for 15 to 19-year-olds are the lowest—lowest—they have ever been and that is Māori Pasifika and every other ethnicity in New Zealand.Su’a William Sio: How will an unemployment rate for Pasifika people of 13.1 percent compare with 7.7 percent when he became Minister and the accelerating income inequalities and the lowest homeownership rate for Pasifika people that follow it create the brighter future the Prime Minister promised?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I agree with the member that Pasifika unemployment is still too high and that is why the Government is focused on a range of initiatives that attract investment particularly in South Auckland where a lot of our Pasifika population lives. That includes areas such as transport infrastructure where we have made very big investments. It includes the investment into the Auckland University of Technology to ensure that it grows its campus and the very big investment in the Manukau Institute of Technology which is encouraging skills development for young people across South Auckland including young Pasifika.Jenny Salesa: How does the Minister think his measures to tackle youth unemployment are working given it is now 16.65 percent for all young people under 24 up from 10.95 percent when National came into Government in 2008?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: That member I am sorry is completely incorrect because the unemployment figure for young people should not be quoted because it is only unemployed as a percentage of those people who are at work. Every Government—and generally every responsible Opposition—quotes the “neet” figure because the “neet” figure refers to those not in education employment or training. So we will quote the “neet” figure which is the lowest it has been in 7 years at 11.0 percent and the 15 to 19 rate is the lowest it has ever been—and it should be celebrated not talked down by the Opposition.