Jacinda Ardern
Associate Minister, Arts, Culture and Heritage
Minister, Child Poverty Reduction
Minister, Ministerial Services
Minister, National Security and Intelligence
Prime Minister
Kia ora koutou katoa and good afternoon. First up this afternoon, I am pleased to announce that a public event will be held on Parliament’s lawn on Tuesday, December 13 to celebrate our Rugby World Cup - winning Black Ferns. The Government will partner with the Wellington City Council and New Zealand Rugby to host the event. This will be an opportunity for New Zealanders to meet, mingle, and celebrate with our World Cup - winning Black Ferns, similar to events previously hosted for the All Blacks and Silver Ferns. We encourage people to come along and make it a special day on the 13th.
I also want to acknowledge the Black Ferns, who scooped major awards at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco today, with captain Ruahei Demant winning women’s 15s player of the year, Ruby Tui women’s 15s breakthrough player of the year, and Wayne Smith coach of the year, as well as Black Ferns legend Dr Farah Palmer winning the 2022 Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service—well-deserved recognition of this incredible team.
You’ll also be aware that the Supreme Court has today made a declaration of inconsistency with the bill of rights on the voting age, finding that the current voting age of 18 is inconsistent with the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of age, and that these inconsistencies have not been justified. This does not mean Parliament is automatically required to change the law. It does mean that the Attorney-General has to notify the House of the declaration within the next sitting six days. This notice is then referred to a select committee, and Ministers must present a Government response within six months of the Attorney-General notifying the House.
Cabinet has discussed this process this afternoon. We are of the view that given this question is a matter of electoral law and requires a super majority, or 75 percent of the House, to change the law as it stands, it should not just be a matter for the consideration of the Government of the day but for the Parliament as a whole. On that basis, Cabinet has resolved to draft a piece of legislation with a proposal to lower the age of voting to 16 for the whole of Parliament to consider. If supported, it would not take effect for the next general election. The Electoral Commission would be key in determining when it could feasibly take effect if supported. Ultimately, we see the best way for the matter to be resolved is for the whole Parliament to vote on it. Government alone cannot change this law.
Now, I cannot tell you currently how any member of this House will vote on this proposed law, including Labour, as we’ve not met or discussed it as a caucus. What I can tell you is that this is a matter where I hope parties feel that they’re able to have an open debate and discussion that isn’t based on politics but on their own values and principles.
Now, to the week ahead. I’m in the House on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Hamilton on Thursday and then on to the Chatham Islands on Friday. On Wednesday I’m meeting with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization. It follows my trade mission with a delegation of New Zealand businesses to Vietnam last week, during which we secured an upgrade to our free-trade agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia.
2023 is going to be tough for the entire world. New Zealand is no exception. Central banks around the world are all downgrading their growth forecasts, and the IMF issued a grim warning to APEC leaders this weekend around rapidly slowing growth. Now, I can tell you that many of the conversations I’ve had with other leaders recently have been about the fragility of the global economy.
That’s why we’re placing greater emphasis on ensuring the fundamentals of our economy are strong. In particular, I’ve invested a lot of my time this year in strengthening our trading relationships, because they help grow our economy and jobs but also because they act as a buffer against the worsening global economic situation. Since taking office in 2017, the Government has signed multiple free-trade agreements and also seen our goods exports grow by over a third, including the CPTPP, RCEP, EU FTA, UK FTA, China free-trade upgrade, and the ASEAN - Australia - New Zealand FTA. This is good for our exporters and our economy.
Here at home we’re focused on addressing the high cost of living which is impacting the lives of most New Zealanders, and that’s the reason that Dr David Clark is with me today. We’re doing that by supporting households with rising costs, as we have with the reduction in the petrol excise levy and half-price public transport. We’re making childcare more affordable for many working families and have delivered increases to Working for Families payments, wages, and benefits for low and middle income families.
Factors which mean New Zealand is well placed during this period include near record low unemployment, incomes rising faster than inflation, and the Government’s strong financial position, as well as surging exports and our tourism dollars heading north. Our careful economic management means we are better placed than most to weather what is now looking like an inevitable global storm. But there is more we can do, which is why we’re continuing to take action to help New Zealanders more directly. We know that early next year, more homeowners will be paying more of their income on mortgage repayments.
We’ve moved to introduce open banking in New Zealand to make it easier for everyone to compare mortgage rates, apply for loans, and switch banks, ultimately meaning you can shop around on rates, with an incentive on banks to provide better deals. I do have an opportunity to speak directly with the New Zealand Bankers’ Association this month and will be asking what more can be done at the level of each individual firm to support customers through the next year or so.
Food shops are costly too, and we’ve made significant shifts in the way the grocery sector operates to get a fairer deal for people at the checkout. In June, we passed our first piece of legislation to ban supermarkets from blocking land access to competitors. We’ve welcomed new grocery competitors to the market, including Costco, and this week we’ll introduce under urgency the Grocery Industry Competition Bill. This bill puts in place several key regulatory changes that have been announced this year to improve competition in the retail grocery sector, including establishing a new grocery commissioner to referee the sector, and setting up a wholesale supply regime to require supermarkets to provide their competitors with fair access to their products. This is about giving and enabling the likes of smaller retailers and new market entrants and ultimately securing fair prices at the checkout for everyone. We aim to have the bill passed by the middle of next year.
There is no doubt that COVID unleashed an inflationary spike on the world and that New Zealand is not immune, but these are the actions we can take to firm ourselves up against the fragility of the global economy and to help New Zealanders directly with the challenges we face. We will remain squarely focused on these issues now and into next year, and, on anything to do with the open banking work and, of course, the grocery reforms, I have Minister Dr David Clark with me today.