Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Question Time

Question Time for 3 June 2010 (duration: 57′16″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister of Finance: Will the Government tell New Zealanders before the election which assets, if any, they will sell if they are re-elected?

2. PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister of Finance: How will the Budget help give New Zealand economic advantages over other countries, which are being forced to increase income taxes and go deeply into debt?

3. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Why did he say that the gap between rich and poor is “about the same” as a result of Budget 2010?

4. TIM MACINDOE to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Why has the Government doubled the number of Job Ops for young people?

5. Hon SHANE JONES to the Minister for Economic Development: What steps is he taking in the 2010-11 financial year to foster innovation, firm growth and an export-led recovery?

6. DAVID CLENDON to the Minister of Finance: Is a lawyer working for Hong Kong-listed Natural Dairy NZ on the Technical Reference Group advising the Government on the review of the overseas investment rules; if so, when was he alerted to this?

7. Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR to the Minister of Agriculture: Did he or his office contact NZ Police about Farmers Weekly journalist Alan Emerson relating to the incident in his office on May 17; if so, what information was passed to Police?

8. PAUL QUINN to the Minister of Corrections: Can she provide an update on any major initiatives to avert the prison capacity crisis?

9. SU'A WILLIAM SIO to the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs: Was there an open and transparent bidding process to ensure accountability for taxpayer funds before the decision was made to grant $4.8 million to the Pacific Economic Development Agency Limited in Budget 2010; if not, why not?

10. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister for the Environment: What decision has the Government announced today with effect to the establishment of a new standalone Environmental Protection Authority?

11. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Will the positions of National Librarian and Chief Archivist be employees of the Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs and be accountable to him under the proposed merger of National Library and Archives New Zealand into the Department of Internal Affairs?

12. TODD McCLAY to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: What response has the Government received to the Rural Broadband Initiative?

Question Time for 2 June 2010 (duration: 1h 7′50″)

Questions to Ministers

1. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Revenue: What benefits did the Budget 2010 tax package deliver for New Zealanders and the economy?

2. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with all recent statements by his Minister of Finance; if so, why?

3. TE URUROA FLAVELL to the Minister of Education: He aha ngā pūrongo, mēnā rā kua whiwhi i a ia ki te whakahē i tā te amorangi o te Kura Māori o te Whare Wānanga o Wikitoria, a Peter Adds, i kōrero nei, kei te taumaha te nohotahi o te iwi nātemea, kei te hē te aronga o te hītori e whakaakongia nei i rō kura; ā, hei tāna hoki, kāore te whakatikatika o te marautanga ina tata nei i paku whakatika i te tino raru; ā, he aha te kōrero o aua pūrongo?

o Translation: What reports, if any, has she received to dispute claims from the head of Victoria University’s School of Māori Studies, Peter Adds, that the way New Zealand history is taught in schools is hurting race relations and that recent changes to the curriculum had not fixed the fundamental problem; and what was the content of those reports?

4. Hon JIM ANDERTON to the Prime Minister: Is it Government policy not to sell State-owned assets in the future?

5. Dr CAM CALDER to the Minister of Corrections: Has she received any progress reports on the Government’s commitment to boost the literacy and numeracy skills of prisoners?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement to the House yesterday that the Budget projects wages to grow faster than inflation; if so, how does he explain the table on page 160 of Budget documents B.2 and B.3?

7. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Will the Government call for the immediate lifting of Israel’s economic blockade of Gaza; if not, why not?

8. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Prime Minister: Does he believe that blind trusts are a legitimate way for Ministers to manage real or perceived conflicts of interest because they ensure that a Minister cannot know what assets they own at any point in time?

9. MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister of Transport: What reports has he received updating him on the early results of the anti-drugged driving legislation passed last year?

10. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement “No one will be left unsafe or unable to manage on their own as a result of the changes”?

11. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister for Building and Construction: What progress has been made on the Government’s leaky homes package?

12. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements on education?

Question Time for 1 June 2010 (duration: 1h 9′42″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that his proposed cycleway would cost $50 million and “will create just under 4000 jobs when it’s being built”; if so, how many jobs have been created so far?

2. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received showing signs that the economy is rebalancing towards exports and investment and away from borrowing, consumption and property speculation?

3. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Will he, before issuing any permits for deep water oil drilling in the Great South Basin, ensure that all drilling companies have the ability to control any leaks that develop?

4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with the 53 percent of New Zealanders in last night’s TV One poll who believe they will not be better off as a result of the Budget?

5. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all of his recent statements on health services?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does the Government’s online budget calculator use the Treasury’s forecast inflation rate of 5.9 percent for 2011; if not, why not?

7. SIMON BRIDGES to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps has the Government recently taken to improve animal welfare in New Zealand?

8. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Secretary to the Treasury John Whitehead’s comments that the Government should remove overseas investment screening for all but the “most sensitive” of items; if not, why not?

9. Hon MARYAN STREET to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Does he stand by his statement that Budget 2010 will “ensure more higher education opportunities for New Zealanders”?

10. JOHN BOSCAWEN to the Prime Minister: How much of the $3 per week he referred to as the average cost for households of the Emissions Trading Scheme on TV One Breakfast on 24 and 31 May relates to electricity and petrol price rises, and how much relates to the flow-on effect of these costs into the price of all other goods and services that households consume?

11. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement to the New Zealand Herald last year that he has put certain assets into a blind trust that is “so blind I haven’t got a clue what’s in it”?

12. SHANE ARDERN to the Minister for Food Safety: What progress has been made on reforming New Zealand’s food legislation?

Question Time for 27 May 2010 (duration: 51′48″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the total amount of dividend payments sent offshore to the Australian owners of ASB, ANZ National, Westpac, and the BNZ over the last five years; and what is this amount?

2. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his recent statements regarding health services?

3. AARON GILMORE to the Minister of Finance: How large is public sector spending relative to the economy?

4. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Finance: Is he considering selling or partially selling any State-owned enterprises in the future; if so, which ones?

5. TODD McCLAY to the Minister for the Environment: What practical environmental initiatives is the Government funding in Budget 2010 and how do they align with the principles outlined in the Bluegreen vision for New Zealand?

6. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Minister of Justice: What advice did he receive from the Prime Minister when he consulted him before stating that “it is extremely unlikely that the Government will move to raise excise tax as part of its alcohol reform agenda”?

7. MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: What work is the Government doing on trans-Tasman mobile roaming?

8. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister for Senior Citizens: Which goals and actions of the Positive Ageing Strategy does Budget 2010 not contribute towards and why?

9. SANDRA GOUDIE to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps has the Government recently taken to further primary sector innovation?

10. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: Does she stand by her statement “Much of our attention has also been focussed on the economic downturn and exploring means to help protect workers and businesses from the sharp edges of the recession” and if so, which Budget 2010 initiatives will help to achieve that?

11. PAUL QUINN to the Minister for Building and Construction: What reports has he received on reaction to the Government’s proposed leaky homes package?

12. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: Can he guarantee that the process currently under way to select partners in the Government’s ultra-fast broadband initiative will not be delayed to suit the interests of the incumbent carrier, Telecom New Zealand?

Question Time for 26 May 2010 (duration: 52′18″)

Questions to Ministers

1. SIMON BRIDGES to the Minister of Revenue: What reports has he received on the tax changes announced in the Budget?

2. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: Did he seek advice on any potential damage to Kiwibank’s brand and customer goodwill resulting from its possible privatisation, before he told a meeting of business people on Friday that he might consider a partial privatisation of Kiwibank?

3. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Do his answers to question for oral answer No. 1 yesterday mean that he has ruled out ever initiating the privatisation of Kiwibank?

4. LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister of Education: What investment has the Government made in Budget 2010 to build new schools and modernise others?

5. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he consider the long-term fiscal track to be sustainable; if not, what options is he considering to rectify this?

6. HONE HARAWIRA to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Me aro ngā kuratini ki ēhea ture i mua i te whakapau i ngā rawa e kore nei e hiahiatia kia ahei ai rātou ki te pupuri tonu i aua rawa; nō te Karauna ngā rawa, ko rātou ngā kaitiaki kē, hei whakahoki atu ki ngā iwi mō ngā kerēme whakataunga i te Tiriti o Waitangi?

o Translation: What procedures do tertiary education institutions have to comply with before disposing of any assets that are surplus to their needs, to ensure that those Crown-owned assets managed by them but no longer needed are able to be retained as part of the redress options for Treaty of Waitangi settlement claims for iwi?

7. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement to the New Zealand Herald last year that he has put certain assets into a blind trust that is “so blind I haven’t a clue what’s in it”?

8. JACQUI DEAN to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What are the impacts of the changes this Government has made to the Emissions Trading Scheme on costs for consumers?

9. CATHERINE DELAHUNTY to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How many submissions on the Government’s proposal Maximising our Mineral Potential: Stocktake of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act and beyond have been received by the Ministry of Economic Development?

10. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How many submissions has the Ministry of Economic Development received so far on the stocktake of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act and how many oppose mining on Schedule 4 land?

11. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Customs: What commitment has the Government made to improve productivity and security at the border?

12. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all undertakings she has made as Minister of Education?

Question Time for 25 May 2010 (duration: 56′01″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Which state assets was he referring to yesterday when he said work would begin soon on assessing which, if any, of them would be put up for sale?

2. Hon RODNEY HIDE to the Prime Minister: Has he received any reports regarding the comment attributed by the New Zealand Herald to National MP Shane Ardern that “Mr Hide could stop the ETS if he wished by reconsidering his party’s confidence and supply agreement with National”; and what is his view of the ETS and the confidence and supply arrangement?

3. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on how Budget 2010 delivered for New Zealanders?

4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: When he said the vast bulk of New Zealanders would not be worse off after this Budget, which New Zealanders did he expect would be worse off?

5. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Finance: What are the objectives of the Budget 2010 tax package?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that the gap between rich and poor is “about the same” after Budget 2010?

7. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements in relation to health services?

8. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Prime Minister: On how many occasions has he as Prime Minister dealt with actual or perceived conflicts of interest involving himself since the election?

9. ALLAN PEACHEY to the Minister of Education: What increase did Budget 2010 give to school operational funding?

10. METIRIA TUREI to the Minister of Housing: How many people are currently on the state-housing waiting list?

11. SUE MORONEY to the Minister of Education: What advice, if any, did she receive on the range of possible fee increases in early childhood education centres as a result of the changes announced in last week’s Budget; if so, what was that range?

12. RAHUI KATENE to the Associate Minister of Health: Is he aware of the decision by Tairawhiti District Health Board to award contracts for mental health services to the Challenge Trust based in Auckland rather than the existing provider Turanga Health; and how does this decision comply with the Government’s policy for providing more personalised health care closer to home?

Peter Dunne (duration: 9′28″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.

Jim Anderton (duration: 10′07″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.

Tariana Turia (duration: 9′45″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.

Rodney Hide (duration: 10′01″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.

Dr Russel Norman (duration: 19′00″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.

Prime Minister John Key (duration: 18′36″)

Responds to the 2010 Budget speech.