2. Prime Minister—StatementsMETIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime MinisterPrime Minister—Statements2. METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Ka tū ia i runga i te mana o tana korero I honestly wish I could have changed the flag" i te wā i pātaitia ai he aha tana tino pōuri nui?[Does he stand by his statement that "I honestly wish I could have changed the flag" when asked for his greatest regret?]Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes but the member should know that I also stated that my other regrets were that we were unable to establish the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary and that the Trans-Pacific Partnership had not been fully ratified. Of course there are many other things that I would love to continue working on but I will be leaving those for the future leadership team.Metiria Turei: Does the Prime Minister regret leaving 85000 New Zealand children living in severe hardship?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am very proud of the record that this Government has established and maintained for the most vulnerable young New Zealanders. That has included the insulation of over 300000 homes being the first Government in 43 years to raise benefits free doctors visits for children under 13 far greater participation rates in early childhood education and the like. I think all Governments have work to do for the most vulnerable in their society but this Government can hold its head up high because it has worked in the best interests of those young New Zealanders. I think the work that will continue in the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children will be an extremely important part of this Government's future agenda.Metiria Turei: When he said this morning that he would have liked to do more to help the country's most vulnerable children does he now regret voting against legislation that would feed every poor child in this country in school and create a warrant of fitness for their homes to stop them from getting sick and hospitalised?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Far from that I am very proud of the work that the Government has done in relation to both insulation of homes and rheumatic fever where there has been tremendous progress made. We have also championed I think a very logical programme of breakfast in schools where we have partnered with Sanitarium and Fonterra. From memory over 7 million breakfasts have been delivered so I think the Government has again a very strong record and a proud record in that regard.Metiria Turei: Why does he not regret leaving 41000 New Zealanders homeless?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: What is certainly true is that as rent prices have increased there have been a few more homeless New Zealanders. But what the Government has done is respond to that and part of that was reflected in Budget 2016 with additional money for emergency support. The most recent package announced by the Minister for Social Housing was for $300 million worth of support for emergency housing. Again I am very proud of the record that the Government has got in that regard.Metiria Turei: Does he regret not addressing the housing crisis in 2009 when he recognised the early signs of it which has left thousands of New Zealanders homeless and many more first-home buyers now priced out of the Auckland market?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well if I was to take the member back to 2009 for a start interest rates were much higher than they are now under this Government's watch. There was not from memory KiwiSaver HomeStart for first-home buyers which was introduced later on. The work that we did to ensure that there were 200 special housing areas if not more that were being undertaken. We received no support from the Green Party in terms of the desire to reform the Resource Management Act—quite the opposite. In 2009 if the member goes back and checks her records she will find that property developers in Auckland were going broke. They were going out of business and the demand by first-home buyers and indeed any buyers in the Auckland property market and around the country was very limited because of the global financial crisis.Metiria Turei: Does he regret that climate pollution rose 19 percent under his prime ministership?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am proud of the fact that the Government has introduced over time tougher standards in a range of areas. I am proud of the fact that we have increased the amount of renewable energy that New Zealand now uses. I am proud of the work that we are starting to progress around electric vehicles and the like. But the reality when it comes to climate change is that this Government has followed a steady and actually medium course when it comes to climate change. That is quite in contrast to a lot of countries around the world. I think that what we should be concerned about is potentially the United States under President-Elect Donald Trump pulling out from its commitments that were made under President Obama for the Paris Agreement. I think that is far more worrying than anything that New Zealand is doing. We have been progressing both an emissions trading scheme and a sensible policy approach to climate change.Metiria Turei: Does he think he will look back on this time and regret that he spent more time worrying about Skycity Casino profits and selling off State assets than he did about the families and the children who needed him most as Prime Minister?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No. I do believe that when the Skycity Auckland Convention Centre is completed at zero cost to the New Zealand taxpayer and ratepayer it will be a very fine asset for New Zealand. Over the course of my last 8 years as Prime Minister an enormous amount of focus has gone into the welfare of all New Zealanders and into their rights their interests and their prosperity. I think New Zealand as a country can now rightfully say that it is far more confident about its place in the world and that it is more prosperous. That is why our economic results are great. I will leave this Parliament when I eventually give my final speech with a slightly warmer view towards this place and my role in it than clearly the member will."