9. Earthquake Kaikōura—Business Assistance PackageRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for Economic DevelopmentEarthquake Kaikōura—Business Assistance Package9. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he think that his Government's assistance package for quake-affected businesses some who have lost 60 percent and more of their trade and clientele is remotely adequate and fair?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister for Economic Development): Yes I do because we have been supporting Kaikōura as a Government since the start of these earthquakes and will continue to do so strongly. Indeed to date the Government has provided over $17 million in payments to support quake-affected businesses. This has helped businesses hang on to staff and it has provided breathing space so that they can enact their own recovery plans. Because of Kaikōura's isolation we provided the subsidy to Kaikōura businesses for longer than we have before—for a full 24 weeks after the earthquake compared with 14 for businesses following the 2011 Canterbury quakes. The recently announced business recovery grants programme will continue the Government's support by delivering more targeted support to help businesses through the winter until State Highway 1 reopens.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When local businessmen and businesswomen tell me that they have never even talked to Steven" Smith MP—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member—[Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. Is there a point of order?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I appreciate that he does not know his own members' names but it is a duty in this House to get other members' names right.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am going to invite the member to start his supplementary question again.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When local businessmen and businesswomen tell me that they have never ever spoken to "Steven" Smith MP and I have to tell them he is not called "Steven"—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! We will let the member have his question and he can try to make a scene if he wants by misnaming the member; that is his business.Rt Hon Winston Peters: No no. I am asking the question my way—all right?Mr SPEAKER: Finish the question. [Interruption] Order! I will give one more opportunity for the member to get the supplementary question done and dusted. Otherwise I am moving on.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. How I phrase the question is how it was put to me and I am just telling you what I heard yesterday.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. If the member chooses to misname the member for a political point I am going to allow him to do so. I am going to ask this side of the House to stay quiet so we can get the question out of the way and get the answer out of the way.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When local businessmen and businesswomen tell me they have never seen the local MP or that he has never talked with them and if as he says—or Nathan Guy says—that they are standing "shoulder to shoulder" with Kaikōura locals 6 months on why has some Government team not gone from one end of Kaikōura to the other to speak with business owners and staff about the financial assistance they so desperately need?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: With respect to the member this is a silly silly point that he is making. Stuart Smith has been indefatigable in relation to the earthquakes. He has been at every end of that. He has been relentless. In fact the paper trail will show his dedication and questioning of Ministers on these issues. Ministers also have been there many many times. I appreciate that the member was only there for the first time yesterday but if he had been there earlier what he would have seen is $17.5 million—the longest biggest support package for businesses New Zealand has seen in recent times—and more targeted support continuing to happen because we stand behind those people following what has happened there.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why call local business owners liars when so many businesses are on their knees having lost 60 percent or more of their profits; and what in the Government's assistance package will keep them going over the next 18 months until their customers are back?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: No one is doing what the member suggests. Having been there many times and having talked with a number of businesses what I think I can say is that the experience is variable. Indeed there are a number of businesses in food which with the workers going in and fixing the roads are doing well out of what has happened and are getting back on their feet. There are others that are still finding it difficult and that is why the support has moved to targeted assistance to help and to get these businesses back on their feet because we have supported the people of Kaikōura from day one and we continue to do so.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If his Government can give $1.6 million to South Canterbury Finance over $200 million to Hollywood $42 million per year to Skycity Casino and hundreds of millions to Rio Tinto why can it not give an adequate wage support package to the quake-affected businesses and workers in Kaikōura?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I appreciate the member has got his funny little conspiracies and grievances that go back a millennium or more but the truth is that over a billion dollars is going into repairing that road there. We are working with Pace to do that. There are many other—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is about the business and wage support package not the roads—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. If he asks a political question like the last one then he had better stand by for the answer that has been given by the Minister.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Very shortly over a billion dollars is going into that corridor and many more millions into supporting the people of Kaikōura through tourism the harbour business support and other areas as well. I think the member's claim is pretty lame actually."