1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements policies and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes. Hon Simon Bridges: Is the Government still committed to building 100000 KiwiBuild houses over 10 years? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As the member well knows we're going through the process of a reset around the KiwiBuild programme [Interruption]. Are we committed to building affordable homes? Are we committed to trying to improve access for first-home buyers? Are we the Government that has built more houses than any other Government since the 1970s? The answer to that is yes.Hon Simon Bridges: Is that a confirmation that the 100000 houses in a decade commitment is now gone? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No. Hon Simon Bridges: Is it Phil Twyford who's been reset? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No. Hon Simon Bridges: Then why did the housing Minister Phil Twyford say this morning on that 100000 commitment It's like American nuclear ships in the 1980s. It's a neither confirm nor deny situation."? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I've just said we are in the process of working through a KiwiBuild reset but whilst we do so we are continuing to build houses. Again as I've said many a time in this House we are a Government building more houses than any other since the 1970s. Hon Simon Bridges: When is the climb-down on her flagship policy of 100000 houses in a decade going to be confirmed? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I will never resile from the fact that this is a Government that has committed to changing the face of housing in this country. In fact just look at the Auckland housing market—a significant change has happened there. We know that there has been a softening. We know even though prices are high that more first-home buyers are getting into that market. We are creating more transitional housing places we have built more State houses we put a stop to State house sales and we have increased Housing First placements. I am proud of what we've done on housing but I have to say the last Government set the bar pretty damn low. Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You have just given the Opposition 12 more questions today. But the reality is that the Prime Minister has got a right to be able to give an answer to the question that is being put by the Leader of the Opposition excepting his colleagues are all screaming out and Gerry Brownlee is the worst of them. They should be told to desist or action will be taken by you with respect. SPEAKER: Well I'm—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I never scream.SPEAKER: I think most members are aware of the fact that the interjection during that question was excessive. I am generally reluctant to interrupt a Minister in full flight in those circumstances unless it goes even further. I am watching it very carefully I want to assure the Deputy Prime Minister but I on balance decided it was better to let it run the way it was going.Hon Simon Bridges: How can she have confidence in Phil Twyford when he's seen only 80 KiwiBuild houses built so far and he won't confirm her flagship policy of 100000 houses?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because we've built more State houses more transitional houses and housed more who have been homeless. We have also stopped the sale of residential housing to foreign buyers. We have also closed tax loopholes. We have made a difference to the housing market and that is ultimately making a difference for families. We inherited a dire situation with our housing market and we are turning it around.Hon Simon Bridges: How about a straight answer to a straight question—SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume his seat. Now he'll stand up and he will ask a question properly.Hon Simon Bridges: Is the 100000 houses in a decade target gone?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I've already said to the member's original question we are working through our KiwiBuild reset. When we have completed that we will be making announcements in due course.Hon Simon Bridges: Will we learn about this on a Friday at 4 o'clock say in a week or two?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No.Hon Simon Bridges: In light of the failure of KiwiBuild the decision not to introduce a capital gains tax and to adopt only three of the 42 welfare report recommendations does she accept she has built up expectations in her year of delivery without a plan to deliver?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No.Hon Simon Bridges: Why then did her Minister for Regional Economic Development Shane Jones say on television this morning that she had definitely "built up expectations without a plan of delivery"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I never would follow that member's attempt to paraphrase Minister Jones. I don't actually accept even Minister Jones' attempts to paraphrase himself.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree with her senior ministerial colleague Shane Jones that she built up expectations without a plan of delivery?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reject the premise of the question.Hon Simon Bridges: To be clear has she had any input into the issue of removing the 100000 KiwiBuild commitment in recent times?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the member is asking whether or not I am concerned about the fact that we have inherited a housing crisis absolutely—we as a Government have set a priority that all New Zealanders should be able to access a warm dry home. That is why we put in the Healthy Homes guarantee. It's why we stopped the sale of State houses. It's why we've boosted Housing First placement for those who are homeless. It's why we've increased transitional housing. In every test we have done more than that last Government and we ventured into a space that no Government has gone before and that was the affordable housing market. We don't resile away from our focus on housing because it's the right thing to do.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Prime Minister confirm that housing construction in New Zealand is at record levels over the last 44 years?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes I can. Including private developments there were 34516 homes for New Zealand in the March 2019 year and consents are reaching levels now that we haven't seen since the mid-1970s—that's exactly what we need.Hon Simon Bridges: Wouldn't it be more accurate to compare KiwiBuild to the Titanic than an American warship?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the National Party built the Titanic.Hon Simon Bridges: With an official cash rate cut just confirmed does she accept that the Reserve Bank is now doing her job propping up an economy that's significantly weakening?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If the suggestion is that somehow I run every single global economy or that I'm somehow responsible for the headwinds we are facing as a result of issues like trade tensions between China and the USA I'm sure the member would not want to imply that.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she accept that her Treasury just last week revised GDP for the first half of this year down to just 2 percent on the back of continued weak domestic business confidence and deteriorating future intentions from firms here?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again as I have said many a time in this House the member seems to think we operate in complete isolation. We do not. Of course the average quarterly growth rate in GDP per hour worked under the coalition Government has been if I were to pick a figure 0.9 percent. In contrast it has averaged 0.1 percent under the previous Government and going forward we have to acknowledge that other developed OECD nations who we compare ourselves to are seeing downturns in their projected growth rates. Relative to them we are in a strong position.Hon David Parker: Is the Prime Minister aware that growth forecasts for New Zealand are higher than Australia Japan the OECD average most of Europe Canada and the United Kingdom?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes that is indeed correct. Canada the UK the euro Japan—we are showing much stronger growth rates than all of those comparable nations.Hon Simon Bridges: Is her $1.5 billion mental health Budget package over four years—that is is it a $6 billion package overall?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I heard the member throw around numbers in this House. We of course have made no announcements on mental health and the Budget.Hon Simon Bridges: Well is it also true that there is a $500 million Pharmac boost in the Budget as well and is that enough over four years?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member I know has a strategy here of just chucking out random numbers. We have not announced anything for the Budget in that regard.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Which policy has been more successful in helping New Zealanders get into homeownership: HomeStart that has helped 60000 New Zealanders—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Question.Hon Dr Nick Smith: —into homeownership or KiwiBuild that has helped 60 into homeownership?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reject the premise of the question.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I seek leave to table the analysis from the Parliamentary Library showing that 60000 New Zealanders have been helped into homeownership—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! That's enough. An analysis on this matter from the Parliamentary Library—is there any objection to that? There is objection."