Written questions

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• What is the total expenditure to date on the 300 additional social housing places for unhoused Housing First households, and what is the forecast ongoing annual cost, given the previously stated range of $10.8 million to $11.8 million?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• 28809

  Question published 17 June 2026

  What oversight, if any, did the Public Service Commission exercise over the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project between its commencement in November 2018 and its discontinuation in…

• 28810

  Question published 17 June 2026

  Which other major technology projects within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment or the wider public service does the Public Service Commission consider may be exposed to the same integrity, governance and financial…

• 28811

  Question published 17 June 2026

  What is the Public Service Commission's understanding of the total amount of public money spent on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project, given the independent review's finding that…

• 28812

  Question published 17 June 2026

  What action, if any, can the Public Service Commission recommend regarding the recovery of public funds expended on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project, whether from suppliers or…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• 28814

  Question published 17 June 2026

  What protections will be available to current and former Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment staff who provide information to the Public Service Commission's investigation into the Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project?

• 28815

  Question published 17 June 2026

  What consideration will the Public Service Commission give to whether the Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project was structured so as to remain below the $35 million threshold requiring Cabinet approval?

• 28816

  Question published 17 June 2026

  How will the Public Service Commission's investigation address the independent review's finding that whole-of-life costs for the Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project were not put to Ministers for proper approval?

• 28817

  Question published 17 June 2026

  How will the Public Service Commission's investigation examine the independent review's finding that Ministers were not given full information, and were in some cases misled, in relation to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and…

Asked by

Willie Jackson

List MP · Labour Party

• Over this term, how much funding has been spent finding a resolution at Ihumatao?

Asked by

Willie Jackson

List MP · Labour Party

• How many times has the Minister meet with the steering group of Ihumatao since becoming Minister?

Asked by

Chris Hipkins

Member for Remutaka · Labour Party

• What is the policy, if any, for Ministers or ministerial staff charging alcohol to the taxpayer on overseas trips?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Has he been briefed on the Public Service Commission's review of its expenditure on Facebook advertising relating to bargaining, what is the total cost of that review to date and its estimated final cost, and on what date will it be…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• On what date was he, or any Minister, first informed of the concerns regarding Immigration NZ's failed biometrics project, and what action did Ministers take in response?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Is he satisfied that his record-keeping practices are consistent with the record-keeping standards the Public Service Commission sets for public servants, and what advice, if any, has he received on whether those practices comply with the…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Does he keep notes or file records of the conversations he has with public service chief executives or Crown entity chairs in which he seeks information about public sector performance, and if not, why not?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• What evidence does he hold that the adoption of artificial intelligence will deliver savings in the public service, and does he stand by the statement of the then Government Chief Digital Officer, Paul James, in February 2026 that there…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• What proportion of the $2.4 billion in savings forecast from public service efficiencies is attributable to the adoption of artificial intelligence, and will he release any analysis quantifying the savings expected from artificial…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Do the exclusions of Oranga Tamariki, health, education, defence and intelligence agencies from the Budget 2026 baseline reductions also exclude those agencies from full-time-equivalent staff reduction targets, and if not, what staff…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Will he guarantee that no frontline service will be reduced as a result of the full-time-equivalent staff reductions in Budget 2026, and if not, which frontline services, if any, are excluded from those reduction targets?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• Which services or functions currently delivered by the public service, if any, does he expect will no longer be delivered as a result of reducing the core public service to 55,000 full-time-equivalent staff?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• What analysis of the impact on public services, if any, did the Government undertake before adopting the target of reducing the core public service to 55,000 full-time-equivalent staff?

Asked by

Glen Bennett

List MP · Labour Party

• As of today, how much, if any, unallocated funding, across all years, remains in the Major Events Fund?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has the Minister received, in his capacity as Minister for Space, on space-related cooperation or projects under AUKUS Pillar 2?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• 28915

  What advice, if any, did the Minister receive in his former capacity as Associate Minister of Defence, prior to 7 April 2026, on New Zealand's nuclear-free policy or on AUKUS?

• 28922

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the costs, benefits and risks of New Zealand joining Pillar 2 of AUKUS?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the application of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 to any visit to, or transit through, New Zealand waters or ports by nuclear-powered or…

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• Has the Minister received any reports considering amendments to New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation or policy?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has the Minister received on whether New Zealand's participation in any AUKUS Pillar 2 project would require amendment to the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 or any change to New…

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has the Minister received on potential changes to New Zealand's nuclear-free policy?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What meetings or briefings, if any, have the Minister, the New Zealand Defence Force or officials participated in regarding AUKUS Pillar 2 projects or work streams, since 7 April 2026, by date and location?

Asked by

Damien O'Connor

List MP · Labour Party

• What discussions, if any, has the Minister or officials had with foreign counterparts regarding New Zealand's potential participation in Pillar 2 of AUKUS, since 7 April 2026, by date and location?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• What advice, if any, has the Deputy Prime Minister or his predecessor in this parliamentary term received on potential changes to New Zealand's nuclear-free policy?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following Reply 27676 (2026), when will the "Wild Animal Information Management System" be operative?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following Reply 27676 (2026), how much money is allocated to the development and management of the "Wild Animal Information Management System"?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following Reply 27676 (2026), when did work on the "Wild Animal Information Management System" start?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

• Following response 25764 (2026), is the Minister aware of any water quality monitoring sites managed by regional councils that have shown improvements in water quality as a result of the action of a catchment group or catchment collective?

Asked by

Scott Willis

List MP · Green Party

• Further to Reply 20053,of the total grant expenditure how much has been allocated to heating grants and insulation grants respectively since 2019/20, listed by year?

Asked by

Scott Willis

List MP · Green Party

• Further to Reply 20052, how many insulation grants does EECA expect to make to Decile 5, 6, and 7 homes over the next four years, and at what cost in each year?

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• How many additional Immediate Access to Transitional Housing places have providers requested, and how many of those requests have been funded?

Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

• How many clients engaged with Housing First services were reported to be rough sleeping, broken down by region, and how does this compare to the 423 reported across four regions in September 2025, as at 16 June 2026?

Asked by

Kahurangi Carter

List MP · Green Party

• How many, if any, children with disabilities and complex needs are currently in the Te Oranga Care and Protection Unit in Christchurch?

Asked by

Kahurangi Carter

List MP · Green Party

• What advice, if any, has Minister received relating to the Te Oranga Care and protection unit in Christchurch?

Asked by

Celia Wade-Brown

List MP · Green Party

• What advice reports, briefings, aides-memoire, or any other documents, if any, has the Minister or any member of their Office received regarding specific spending for the Regional Events Promotion Fund, by title and date received?

Asked by

Celia Wade-Brown

List MP · Green Party

• What advice reports, briefings, aides-memoire, or any other documents, if any, has the Minister or any member of their Office received regarding the use of the International Visitor Tourism Levy to fund the Regional Events Promotion Fund,…

Asked by

Ginny Andersen

List MP · Labour Party

• 28735

  Question published 16 June 2026

  Further to her reply to Question 19983 (2026), how many email addresses were contained in the email list of all principals and board chairs to support an email to the sector?

• 28878

  Question published 17 June 2026

  Further to her reply to Question 19983 (2026), what is the file name for each of the Ministry email lists that are automatically distributed to her Education Private Secretaries and how many email addresses are contained in each list?

Asked by

Chris Hipkins

Member for Remutaka · Labour Party

• 28777

  Question published 16 June 2026

  Further to his answer to written question 20419 (2026): prior to media reporting on 24 May 2026, had he had any discussions regarding the Smith v Fonterra case with any official, if so, who?

• 28860

  Question published 17 June 2026

  Further to his answer to written question 20419 (2026): prior to media reporting on 24 May 2026, had his Chief of Staff had any discussions regarding the Smith v Fonterra case with the Chief Executive of the Department of Prime Minister…

• 28865

  Question published 17 June 2026

  Further to his answer to written question 20419 (2026): prior to media reporting on 24 May 2026, had he had any discussions regarding the Smith v Fonterra case with the Chief Executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, if…

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• When was the Public Service Commission first made aware of concerns about the viability, governance or financial management of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• What is the estimated total cost to the Public Service Commission of its investigation into the integrity issues arising from the failed Biometric Capability Update (BCU) project at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment?

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

• What is the total cost of the independent review of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's biometric projects (the Biometric Capability Update (BCU), BCCU and In-Person Enrolment (IPE) projects) on which the Public Service…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Further to reply 25040 (2026), how many, if any fatalities have been recorded since 1 January 2024?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 28828

  What estimate, if any, has the Minister received of the value of council expenditure that may be duplicated or wasted as a result of sequencing local government reorganisation alongside resource management and water services reform?

• 28831

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the risk that councils will incur expenditure on governance arrangements or service delivery models that later require redesign as a result of reorganisation under the Head Start or…

• 28835

  What is the Minister's estimate of the costs councils will incur in implementing a reorganisation proposal approved under the Head Start pathway?

• 28836

  What is the Minister's estimate of the costs councils will incur in developing and submitting outline proposals under the Head Start pathway?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 28829

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the risk that water services delivery plans or entities established under Local Water Done Well will require redesign as a result of local government reorganisation?

• 28839

  Are water services council-controlled organisations established under Local Water Done Well required to align with the boundaries of any new unitary authorities created under the Head Start pathway, and what advice has the Minister…

• 28840

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the implications for water services delivery entities established under Local Water Done Well if the boundaries of their member councils change as a result of reorganisation under the Head…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 28830

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the risk that first-generation plans prepared under the new planning system will need to be redone if councils are reorganised after the 2028 local elections?

• 28838

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the implications for regional spatial planning boundaries if local government boundaries change as a result of reorganisation under Simplifying Local Government?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• Will the Minister release any departmental costing of the Head Start pathway and resulting reorganisations; if not, why not?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 28833

  What financial support, if any, will central government provide to councils to meet the costs of implementing approved reorganisation proposals?

• 28834

  What financial support, if any, will central government provide to councils to meet the costs of participating in the Head Start process, and in what form?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

• 28837

  What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the status and validity of first-generation plans prepared by councils that are subsequently amalgamated or reorganised?

• 28843

  What analysis, if any, has the Minister received on the interaction between the new regional spatial planning system and local government reorganisation under the Head Start pathway announced on 5 May 2026?

• 28844

  What analysis, if any, has the Minister undertaken or received on the interaction between local government reorganisation under Simplifying Local Government and the new regional spatial planning system?

• 28845

  What analysis, if any, has the Minister undertaken or received on the interaction between local government reorganisation under the Head Start pathway and the water services delivery entities established under Local Water Done Well?