Written questions

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• What funding, if any, did New Zealand provide to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the 2025/26 financial year, and does the Government intend to maintain, increase, or reduce that funding in 2026/27?

Asked by

Ayesha Verrall

List MP · Labour Party

• 33101

  Question published 23 July 2026

  On what date was he first advised that Middlemore Hospital's rapid build ward was unlikely to be operational in the second half of 2026?

• 33102

  Question published 23 July 2026

  On what date was he first advised that Wellington Regional Hospital's rapid build ward was unlikely to be operational in the second half of 2026?

• 33103

  Question published 23 July 2026

  On what date was he first advised that the Waikato rapid build ward was unlikely to be operational in the second half of 2026?

• 33105

  Question published 23 July 2026

  On what date did he first receive advice that helicopter noise at the preferred Waikato location could affect the design or occupancy of its proposed rapid build ward?

Asked by

Ayesha Verrall

List MP · Labour Party

• 33114

  Question published 23 July 2026

  What information within scope of OIA request HNZ00203627 remains withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) as under active consideration, and on what date does he expect this to no longer be under active consideration?

• 33227

  Question published 24 July 2026

  What information within scope of OIA request HNZ00203627 remains withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) as under active consideration by him, listed by title and date he received it?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• 33131

  Question published 23 July 2026

  Further to 30284 (2026), has the Minister received any advice on whether Kāinga Ora has assessed the number of existing corded blinds installed in its homes that may require replacement to comply with mandatory safety standards; if so, how…

• 33232

  Question published 24 July 2026

  Further to 30284 (2026), how many Kāinga Ora homes, if any, approximately currently have corded blinds, that do not currently meet the mandatory safety standards for blinds that the Government announced is now policy?

• 33234

  Question published 24 July 2026

  Further to 30175 (2026), will all the corded blinds that are replaced in Kainga Ora homes by Kāinga Ora now meet the Australian safety standard; if so, from which date will this standard be enforced?

• 33236

  Question published 24 July 2026

  Further to 30175 (2026), what approximate percentage of corded blinds in Kāinga Ora homes, if any, currently meet the Australian safety standard?

Asked by

Francisco Hernandez

List MP · Green Party

• How much, if any, have the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, budgeted for the carbon neutral government programme in the 2026/27 financial year?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister agree with the Christchurch parents who claim there has been a concerted effort to control the narrative of the product recall notice, which was drafted in collaboration with MBIE; if so, what advice has he asked for?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• As of today, does the Government agree with Kmart's previous recall statement that, with regard to children's play sands sold in New Zealand "the risk that any asbestos found, that is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation, is…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister agree with the Christchurch parents who have claimed that Kmart minimised the health risks posed to consumers by saying in the product recall notice that the release of respirable asbestos fibres was unlikely to occur in…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister agree with the Christchurch parents who have claimed that Kmart minimised the health risks posed to consumers by saying in the product recall notice that respirable asbestos had not been detected in any of the tested…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister support Christchurch parents Elle Chrisp and David Dingwall who took Kmart to the Disputes Tribunal to reclaim costs they said they incurred having their children's play sand tested for asbestos; if not, why not?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, does the Minister have for parents who have sent Kmart letters asking for reimbursement of the costs of testing and cleanup of their homes for asbestos in children's sand products but haven't received a response from…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Has the Minister given MBIE a deadline to "update its advice" to the public about children's sand products; if so, when?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• 33162

  Following the publication of AUT testing on 2 July 2026 that showed asbestos in contaminated sand can be airborne, is the Government considering a ban on the sale of these products, and if so, when?

• 33164

  Is the Minister considering a ban of children's sand products sold in New Zealand; if so, when would this ban come into force?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister agree with Consumer NZ that people with children who may have been exposed by asbsestos affected sand products needed “clarity” on what to do; if so, what clarifications, if any, is the Minister or Government intending to…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Did the New Zealand workplace regulator's testing show that the asbestos fibres in children's sand products were of a respirable size; if so, when did the Minister of Consumer Affairs become aware of this?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Did the New Zealand workplace regulator challenge the Australian recall statements for asbestos affected children's sand products “from the get-go”; if so, what was the timeline?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Is the Minister aware of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) research that found 90% of craft sand samples did release asbestos into the air when played with; if so, what actions, if any, did he take when he learned of this?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Does the Minister agree with the Guardian's conclusion that the safety claim of the suppliers of children's sand products became the de facto position of the New Zealand government, despite having no additional evidence to support it; if…

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Should parents have "every confidence" in this Government's handling of children's sand products possibly contaminated by asbestos; if so, why?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Under one option the Minister is considering regarding children's sand products, will testing and certification of products sold in New Zealand be done by the seller or by an independent entity?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• What does the Minister mean by the statement, regarding product safety for children's play sand, “I want advice as to what the options are, and so, whatever the outcome is, we are toughening up on this product"?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• Will the Minister release to the public, outside the OIA process, the advice that he asked for on 2 July 2026 about how to toughen up rules on children’s play sand; if so, when and how?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

• On what date did the Minister first know that children's sand products that were sold and recalled in New Zealand could have released cancer-causing asbestos fibres into the air?

Asked by

Ayesha Verrall

List MP · Labour Party

• What was the average occupancy rate of Wellington Hospital’s maternity ward / delivery suite from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2026 broken down by day?

Asked by

Ayesha Verrall

List MP · Labour Party

• 33175

  Has he at any point in the past 18 months been advised on the rapid build wards against proceeding at the preferred Waikato, Wellington Regional or Middlemore locations, or recommended an alternative site or approach; if so, on what dates?

• 33228

  Has he at any time been advised or seen advice against proceeding at the preferred Waikato rapid build ward site, or recommend an alternative site or approach, if so, what did that advice say, and did he accept it?

• 33229

  What is the interim budget summary for the Waikato rapid build ward?

• 33231

  What advice has he read on the estimated total cost of the Waikato rapid build ward, including site-specific and ancillary works, and how, if at all, has that estimate changed since November 2025?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What further modelling work, if any, is being undertaken by Hawke's Bay Regional Council on the technical issue affecting the Wairoa flood resilience project?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 33177

  What options are being considered to mitigate the delay to the Wairoa flood resilience project caused by the technical issue recently identified with that project, and when will an update on those options be provided?

• 33178

  Is there a risk that the Wairoa flood resilience project cannot be completed within a single construction season as a result of the technical issue recently identified with the project, and what would the consequences be for the Wairoa…

• 33179

  What is the current forecast completion date for the Wairoa flood resilience project, and how does that compare with the completion date in the original project delivery plan?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What is the technical issue affecting the design process for the Wairoa flood resilience project that was identified in the March 2026 quarterly recovery progress update on the 2023 North Island Weather Events?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Will the water-related debt allocation and valuation methodology used by Wellington metropolitan councils be made public once the Commerce Commission holds the transfer agreement details required under the information disclosure…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Did the Department of Internal Affairs raise any concern with Wellington metropolitan councils about the higher consumer water charges resulting from their choice to allocate water-related debt on the basis of asset value including…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• After the Department of Internal Affairs' assessment that the Wellington metropolitan councils' allocation methodology for water-related debt results in relatively high charges to consumers, what, if anthying, is the Government doing to…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What is the Department of Internal Affairs' estimate of the difference in the level of water-related debt transferred, and in the resulting charges to consumers, arising from the asset-value methodology used by Wellington metropolitan…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Did Wellington metropolitan councils allocate water-related debt to the water entity Tiaki Wai on the basis of asset value including revaluation, while other councils allocated water-related debt on the basis of share of capital investment…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Does the Minister of Local Government have full confidence in the process the Department of Internal Affairs used to assess councils' water services delivery plans, and on what basis?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Following the Department of Internal Affairs providing its aide-memoire on the water services delivery plan review and assessment process, did the Minister of Finance or the Minister for Infrastructure raise any concerns about that…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Was the assessment or acceptance of any particular council's water services delivery plan raised by any Minister at, or following, the Infrastructure and Investment Ministers Group meeting of 13 May 2026; if so, which council and what was…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What specific questions did the Minister of Finance ask about the Department of Internal Affairs' process for assessing councils' water services delivery plans?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What prompted the Minister of Finance to request advice, following the Infrastructure and Investment Ministers Group meeting of 13 May 2026, on how the Department of Internal Affairs assessed councils' water services delivery plans under…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Does the Minister of Local Government consider that acceptance of a water services delivery plan by the Secretary for Local Government confirms that the plan is financially sustainable, as the acceptance letter in almost all cases included…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Will the Minister of Local Government release the financial and technical assessment report and the Secretary for Local Government's acceptance letter for each council's water services delivery plan?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Of the water services delivery plans accepted by the Secretary for Local Government, how many included items to be monitored during implementation, and how many were accepted without any such items?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 33194

  For each council whose water services delivery plan was not accepted by the Secretary for Local Government, on what grounds was the plan not accepted, and has each of those councils since had an amended plan accepted?

• 33195

  Which councils had their water services delivery plans not accepted by the Secretary for Local Government under the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024 and were required to resubmit amended plans?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What safeguards are in place, if any, to ensure that a private technology company such as Anori does not gain a commercial advantage in the local government or resource management sectors as a result of access to Ministers or officials?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Has the AI company Anori, or any representative of it, sought any government funding, contract, or procurement opportunity relating to local government or the built environment; if so, what was sought and what was the outcome?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Which New Zealand councils or entities does the Minister of Local Government understand the AI company Anori to have pilot activity underway with in New Zealand?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What consideration, if any, has he given to the supply of wild game to the domestic food market?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has he received on the inspection or verification of wild venison intended for sale?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• Has he received any advice on the substances or toxins that could currently affect the harvest of wild game for human consumption?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, by title and date, has he received on wild game animals for human consumption?

Asked by

Scott Willis

List MP · Green Party

• Further to Reply 30365 (2026), what have the indicative risk appraisals carried out on the proposed LNG terminal in Taranaki showed?