Written questions

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following response 28238 (2026), what commitments, if any, did the Minister or Minister Watts make to the Greater Wellington region in terms of regional flood resilience and protection?

Asked by

Scott Willis

List MP · Green Party

• What meetings, if any, has the Minister or the Minister's officials had with rural sector representatives regarding the reform of Vehicle Dimension and Mass (VDAM) regulations, listed by name and date?

Asked by

Scott Willis

List MP · Green Party

• What advice, if any, has the Minister received regarding the reform of Vehicle Dimension and Mass (VDAM) regulations, listed by date and title?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Did New Zealand request to be included in the defence arrangements set out in the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty at any time before it was signed on 6 July 2026 and, if so, what was the response?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has he received on the implications for New Zealand of Australia and Fiji entering a mutual defence commitment to "act to meet common danger" without New Zealand as a party, following the treaty's signing on 6 July…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• When was the New Zealand Defence Force or his Ministry first informed of the defence and security provisions contained in the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Which other Pacific states, if any, is he aware were consulted or invited to join the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty before it was signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Was New Zealand given an opportunity to review the text of the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty before it was signed on 6 July 2026 and, if so, when?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• How many times, if any, did he discuss the proposed Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty with his Australian or Fijian counterparts before it was signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Did New Zealand receive advance notice through diplomatic channels of the signing of the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty on 6 July 2026, or did the government first learn of the signing through public or media reporting?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, did he or his Ministry receive on the possibility of New Zealand joining the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty before it was signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• When was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade first advised, by any government, of the negotiations that led to the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• What role, if any, did New Zealand have in drafting or negotiating the text of the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty before it was signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Does he consider that New Zealand has already missed the opportunity to be an "early" party to the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty, an advantage he has said would let New Zealand influence which other countries could join, given the…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Was New Zealand represented at the signing of the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty in Suva on 6 July 2026 and, if so, by whom?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• When did the Prime Minister of Australia and the Prime Minister of Fiji each first raise the Ocean of Peace treaty with him, if at all, and in each case was that before or after it was signed on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Was New Zealand invited to be a founding party to the Australia–Fiji Ocean of Peace treaty signed on 6 July 2026 and, if so, on what date and by which country; if not, has he sought an explanation for why New Zealand was not invited?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• When did he first become aware that Australia and Fiji intended to sign the Ocean of Peace mutual defence treaty, and was that before or after the treaty was signed in Suva on 6 July 2026?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following 28221, does the Minister expect to make further changes to the Natural Environment Bill in relation to the range of matters the sector wanted to discuss, following report back from Select Committee, including goals, environmental…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29748 (2026), were any Regional Commissioners subject to any other form of performance management, whether formal or informal, short of a targeted performance improvement plan during the 2025/26 financial year, and if so,…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29743 (2026), are the 11 performance measures weighted equally in determining a Regional Commissioner's overall end-of-year rating, and if not, what weighting does the Housing services effectiveness measure carry?

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29745 (2026), when a Housing services effectiveness target is not met and the Ministry works with a Regional Commissioner to understand internal and external factors, does that process result in any adjustment to how the…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29752 (2026), were all 13 Regional Commissioner positions at the Ministry of Social Development filled and covered by a performance agreement throughout the 2025/26 financial year, and if not, how many positions were…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29751 (2026), by what date does the Ministry of Social Development expect the Regional Commissioner performance reviews for 2025/26 to be completed, and will the Minister provide the number of Regional Commissioners rated…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• 32899

  Further to reply 29747 (2026), separately from the year-end performance review, does the Ministry of Social Development hold in-year data on how many Regional Commissioners met the Jobseeker Support reduction measure in each quarter of the…

• 32900

  Further to reply 29750 (2026), separately from the year-end performance review, does the Ministry of Social Development hold in-year data on how many Regional Commissioners met the monthly phased reduction target for emergency housing…

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29737 (2026), were the two retirements the total number of people who left Regional Commissioner roles at the Ministry of Social Development during or at the end of the 2025/26 financial year?

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 29737 (2026), did any other people in Regional Commissioner roles at the Ministry of Social Development leave the role or the Ministry during or at the end of the 2025/26 financial year by any means other than retirement,…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How did the New Zealand Transport Agency calculate that the 114 year old Waihenga bridge outside Martinborough has a remaining lifespan of 20-30 years and what evidence, if any, does the agency have that confirms this calculation?

Asked by

Chris Hipkins

Member for Remutaka · Labour Party

• 32904

  Further to his answer to written question 30393 (2026): why was his Chief of Staff made aware of the overspend at this time?

• 32905

  Further to his answer to written question 30393 (2026): who made his Chief of Staff aware?

Asked by

Ayesha Verrall

List MP · Labour Party

• Is the estimate of the cost of funding Pharmac's Options for Investment list provided in Pharmac's response to official information act request number 2025-26-228 inclusive of the cost of Wegovy and Monjaro?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What criteria determines whether a project is subject to a Gateway Review, and how many, if any, projects that met those criteria in 2024 and 2025 did not receive a review?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• How many projects, if any, listed by project name, received a red rating through Treasury's Gateway Review process in the last 12 months?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• How many projects, listed by project name, received an amber/red rating through Treasury's Gateway Review process in the last 12 months?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 31968

  What evidence has the New Zealand Transport Agency used to determine that “major improvements are not economically justified” for the Waihenga bridge and when was that evidence last examined in detail?

• 31972

  When, if at all, was the last time that the New Zealand Transport Agency undertook a replacement project feasibility report for the Waihenga bridge and when, if at all, will the next report be completed?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What were all of the extensive mitigation measures that the New Zealand Transport Agency have taken on the Waihenga bridge since 2021 and how, if at all, has each improved the condition or safety of the bridge?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How many vehicles, if any, does the New Zealand Transport Agency estimate used the Waihenga bridge each year in 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2025?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How many heavy vehicles, including high productivity motor vehicles, if any, does the New Zealand Transport Agency estimate used the Waihenga bridge each year in 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2025?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• What information does the New Zealand Transport Agency require to consider future funding for replacing a bridge?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How does the New Zealand Transport Agency rank bridges for replacement and what formula, if any, is used?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What, if anything, is the total expenditure incurred to date on independent advisers, additional specialist personnel, and other skills or capabilities brought in to support the planning system transformation programme, and is this funded…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 31976

  Where does the Waihenga bridge rank in the New Zealand Transport Agency’s bridge replacement rankings and how was that ranking determined?

• 31977

  What are all of the approximately 80 bridges nationwide that the New Zealand Transport Agency ranks higher for replacement than the Waihenga bridge and for each how is it ranked?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How many state highway bridges in use today, if any, does the New Zealand Transport Agency expect to have a total lifespan of 150 years or more?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• 31979

  What recommendations, listed by recommendation and whether it has been fully completed, did Treasury's Gateway Review make in respect to the planning system transformation programme?

• 31980

  What specific "major risks or issues" did Treasury identify in the Gateway Review for the planning system transformation programme?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• How many times, if any, has the Waihenga bridge on State Highway 53 been closed since 1 January 2026 and for each closure, on what date was it closed and on what date was it reopened?

Asked by

Rachel Brooking

Member for Dunedin · Labour Party

• What date was he first advised that Treasury's Gateway Review had assigned an amber/red rating to the planning system transformation programme?

Asked by

Mike Davidson

List MP · Green Party

• Did you receive a written request to meet with the elected members of Christchurch City Council in February 2026, and if so, have you met with them or responded to their request to meet?

Asked by

Mike Davidson

List MP · Green Party

• Did you receive a letter from Christchurch City Council and/or the Mayor of Christchurch in February 2026 requesting government support in a number of areas, including funding and regulatory support for Mass Rapid Transit, and if so, what…

Asked by

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

Member for Te Tai Hauāuru · Te Pāti Māori

• Has the Minister received advice identifying any conservation outcome that cannot currently be achieved under the existing Conservation Act?

Asked by

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

Member for Te Tai Hauāuru · Te Pāti Māori

• What independent scientific advice has he received, if any, that supports changing the statutory purpose of conservation land management?

Asked by

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

Member for Te Tai Hauāuru · Te Pāti Māori

• What empirical evidence has the Minister seen, if any, that demonstrates that existing conservation legislation is preventing effective conservation outcomes?