1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes.Christopher Luxon: Why did she ignore advice from Dr Bloomfield that there is no public health justification to maintain a boundary around Auckland under the [COVID19 Protection Framework]."?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: All the way through the pandemic of course we have taken on board the advice of our public health officials but we've also weighed that against the requirement to consider the best interests of all New Zealand as well. Our view was that over the summer period there would be a large amount of movement across New Zealand and that we could best balance the interest of Aucklanders' need to move with the interest of the rest of New Zealand not having a large increase in COVID cases by simply requiring unvaccinated individuals to be tested before departure and for other Aucklanders to carry proof of vaccine.Christopher Luxon: What does she say to the thousands of Kiwis who've been kept from seeing family members or saying goodbye to loved ones because of her decision to ignore health advice and instead maintain a hard Auckland border?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I fundamentally disagree with the statement the member's made there. He claims that the director-general has given advice that there should be no boundary around Auckland at all. In fact in his evidence he talks about the role that it played in preventing the spread of COVID cases throughout the country.Christopher Luxon: What advice has she had on the number of businesses that have gone under or the additional cost to the economy as a result of her decision to keep the Auckland border closed despite being advised by Dr Bloomfield that there was no public health justification for it?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again the member is misinterpreting or in fact possibly not even reading the director-general's statement. He talked about in their view there no longer being a need for a hard enforced border from the point—at that point the COVID-19 Protection Framework came in likely in mid-December. So it is incorrect to claim that we have kept the boundary longer than we were advised to by Health. What it is fair to point out is when we changed that boundary Health said we could simply lift it. Our view was that the rest of New Zealand would appreciate additional measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. But it would be in keeping with the member's "let it rip" strategy with COVID.SPEAKER: Before I call David Seymour I just want to say that I had quite a few complaints yesterday about the level of noise. Some of it was a general complaint about the noise on my left but there were some very specific complaints about sparring finance people especially while the Prime Minister's mike was open. That is to stop.David Seymour: What does the Prime Minister say to shopkeepers like my constituents Dave and Sumi in Mt Eden who've had their shop robbed multiple times called the police and they don't come because they're busy enforcing a border the health advice said wasn't even necessary?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Well I would ask them to raise then with their local member why he stands opposed to the idea of additional support for the police checkpoints through the use of the Defence Force Māori wardens community wardens and Pacific wardens because he seems to object to that.Christopher Luxon: Why doesn't she simply just make the call and open the Auckland border tonight?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because that boundary—which Aucklanders and I thank them for allowing this to be the case—has protected the rest of New Zealand from being part of a Delta outbreak which in many other parts of the world has been devastating. I thank Aucklanders for the work that they've done and so does the rest of New Zealand because that is the reason we have not seen an outbreak beyond that border that has been beyond measure unable to be controlled. So to Aucklanders again: we all thank you.Christopher Luxon: How are Kiwis expected to get ahead under a Government that keeps them locked down longer than needed and when the cost of living is rising at 4.9 percent but wages are rising at just 2.4 percent giving average Kiwis a pay cut?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The only advice that I have seen suggesting that we have kept Auckland locked down longer than needed is from the Leader of the Opposition. The public health advice—again I point to—reinforced keeping the boundary in place until mid-December which is exactly what has happened and that is because it allows us to get vaccination levels up which allows us to keep our economy open which allows us to keep people in jobs and which allows us to be in the position where relative to other OECD countries we have continued to perform well.Rawiri Waititi: Does she stand by her statement in relation to Māori providers seeking access to vaccination data that "we all want to accelerate vaccination rates and access to data will help with that."; if not why not?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes and as I've mentioned in this House before one of the issues has been of course that that data has been provided to hauora providers but then we've had an additional ask from Whānau Ora to also receive that individual-level data. The Ministry of Health in undertaking consultation with iwi around the release of that encountered some who held the view that it should not be released. The court has now asked Health to finish its work in the next 72 hours to resolve this situation and the Government supports them to do that.Rawiri Waititi: What specific actions has her Government taken to release data in response to Whānau Ora winning again in the High Court this week given that she recognises the need to access data to boost vaccination rates?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The court actually didn't award the release that was being sought by the Whānau Ora commissioning agent for the immediate release of that data. They did ask the ministry to complete its process and I guess what I would come back to with the member is they originally sought that the ministry try and resolve the issues that were being raised by iwi. That has been done in my recollection is two regions but there have been outstanding issues that the ministry is now expediting. We bring it back though to what we're all trying to achieve. Everyone wants Māori vaccination rates to lift and can I just acknowledge everyone who has worked so hard to get them at 90 percent in Tāmaki-makau-rau to get them at 84 percent in the rest of the country and to see our over-60s at well over 90 percent. We just need to keep going.Christopher Luxon: How much of the record increase in the cost of living does she believe is a result of the 40 percent increase in Government spending she's overseen over the last four years?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Well that is a curious question given the rest of the world is experiencing the same thing and has not directly replicated what New Zealand has done here. As I said yesterday the US is at 6.2 percent the UK at 4.2 percent Canada at 4.7 percent the eurozone 4.9 percent—the inflation that everyone is experiencing currently we can point strongly to the impacts of COVID. Increasing demand supply chain constraints shipping issues increases in the cost of oil—we are not immune to that. But if the member would like to advocate for cuts in Government spending that have substantively gone towards supporting the business community then that is his prerogative.Hon Michael Wood: Does she stand by the Government's decision to increase the minimum wage to ensure that the incomes of low-income New Zealanders keep pace with the cost of living? [Interruption]SPEAKER: Right—OK. The members who interjected then will stand up. They will all apologise and they're all on final warnings for the day.Hon Simon Bridges: I withdraw and apologise.Dr Shane Reti: Withdraw and apologise.Hon Louise Upston: I withdraw and apologise.Hon Member: Three stooges.SPEAKER: Well I'm just trying to decide whether to continue with the question. Hon Michael Wood: Does she stand by the Government's decision to increase the minimum wage to ensure that the incomes of low-income New Zealanders keep up with the cost of living?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I absolutely do. This Government has always been mindful of the impact of the cost of living on low to moderate income earners. It is why we have stood by of course increases in the minimum wage which the Opposition said would lead to job losses. We now have record low unemployment. It's why we have of course increased the family tax credit made changes to Working for Families and consistently had an eye to lowering and decreasing child poverty in this country. I know though that the member opposite will not agree. He has very openly spoken against the increases on minimum wage.Christopher Luxon: Isn't it true that with rent up more than 20 percent and food prices up more than 10 percent since she came into office hard-working Kiwis are actually going backwards under her Government?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No I do not agree with the premise of that member's question because of course until the more recent quarters we did see wage growth outstrip growth in inflation measures. Again in more recent times we have seen that increase but so has the rest of the developed world. It is the impact of COVID. I would seek then the views of the member as to what he would do—price controls perhaps? I would be interested to see his resolution because currently he seems to be advocating for the removal of things like the wage subsidy resurgence support payments or perhaps even investment in our Government services."