Question Time 13.02.2024

Woke up at 4:30am, and I've been having a terrible day filled with paranoia that a bunch of pricks are going to try and detransition me. I'm going to reiterate that regardless of what one thinks of my gender identity, it's actually irrelevant to my basic right to wear whatever clothes I choose. So, you can see me as a man in a dress or as a transfeminine person; that's your prerogative, but it's my right to choose clothes that conform with my sense of self... I mean, would you force someone to remove their nose ring? To be fair, Question Time is a place I go to be myself, and I've felt very supported in that goal by the security team. - 1. Redmayne to Willis. Finance (yawn). Debt increased by 18% of GDP 2019-2023. Australia's rose by 2%. Denmark and Ireland's debt reduced. The average increase across 32 economies was only 4%. 'Covid is no excuse' - Willis. It's difficult to read the room while watching from home. Net debt of 44% - the highest in 30 years. Robertson with supplementaries... people quoting documents at each other. SR 5/10, NW 6/10, GR 5/10 - 2. Hipkins to Luxon More Treaty Principles bs... Luxon got off a quip about Hipkins and the leadership. 'If David Seymour doesn't believe the public should trust the word of the Prime Minister, why should the public?' - Hipkins. That's a good one. CH 7/10, CL 7/10. - 3. Debbie to Luxon Cultural reports... they're on the way out. I love Debbie's hat. Very striking. More on 'supporting the victims of crime' from Luxon; that's the new slogan. Rawiri had a supplementary about incarceration rates; he felt that Luxon didn't answer his question -- this is the third question that's been derailed by that view. DN 6/10, CL 5/10. - 4. ... to Reti I missed the name of the first question! 🤣 NZ-trained doctors, rural doctors. Important stuff. 'A medical school that further considers the needs of rural areas will improve rural healthcare' - Reti [roughly]. 'We will train more homegrown, culturally competent New Zealand doctors.' - Reti. Verrall was asking about that new medical school and the cost-benefit analysis, but the answer was vague. SR 6/10. - 5. ... to Simeon Brown 'local water done well' - Brown I'm on my second beer for the day. Will it be cheaper for ratepayers? - McAnulty. 'The last government thought there was a magic money tree' - Brown. This might be the most intelligent conversation about Three Waters that they've had for ages... it's a pity that it's too late. Simeon is doing quite well, but I thought that McAnulty's questions were very incisive. SB 7/10, KMA 8/10 - 6. Ricardo to Upston How does reducing benefit increases protect the purchasing power of beneficiaries? Tamatha looks very cranky in the background. 'What we won't do is allow a young person .. to have a forecast of 24 years on welfare' - Upston. Yeah, I caught that line on Q&A as well. Ricardo had a supplementary about lifelong medical conditions and whether those should be proved each year to renew a benefit. RMM 7/10, LU 6/10. -

7. Katie Nimon to Simeon Brown. Why is the Government repealing Three Waters? 'mega co-governed bureaucracies' .. 'divisive' .. same as always. KN 5/10, SB 5/10. - 8. Tinetti to Stanford I haven't given a 1/10 or a 2/10 yet... the standard is generally quite high. 'This government wants students to succeed' - Stanford. How many schools are facing cuts to building projects? - Tinetti 'There was an enormous pipeline ... building costs had skyrocketed ... I am still coming to grips with the total number' - Stanford Tinetti is very knowledgeable on this subject. 'The pipeline... that runs into the billions of dollars, includes architecturally designed buildings that teachers have spent many hours outside the classroom dealing with' - Stanford, plugging modular building. JT 8/10, ES 6/10. - 9. Trask to Van Velden 'Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 lessons' - Brooke. 'All Kiwis were impacted in some way by the previous Government's policies ... I've heard from principals who say they've seen the effect of kids not being able to attend school ... businesses having a lack of certainty ... Aucklanders who were plunged into extended lockdowns and not able to acces non-urgent healthcare ... we want to hear from New Zealanders.' Slightly listless question. It's really more of a PR event. Covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz LT 6/10, BVV 5/10. - 10. Utikere to Brown. 'Removing the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax will save Aucklanders at the pump $150 million a year' - Brown. This was a slightly nastier question than the previous transport ones. Roads of National Significance... we'll see how many of those they actually build. 'We're going to be a Government that delivers, not just talks' - Brown. TU 7/10, SB 5/10. - 11. Catherine Wedd to Mark Mitchell. Cyclone recovery question. The anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle is tomorrow. $63 million to assist with silt and debris. The funding will be split across respective councils: $40 million to Napier Council, $23.6 million to the Gisborne Council. 'The clearing of silt and debris is a high priority for restarting the region's economy.' 'We are behind you' - Mitchell. CW 6/10, MM 6/10. - 12. Chloe to Luxon Is urban sprawl good or bad for climate mitigation? Will the Government's policies increase or decrease urban sprawl? - Swarbrick 'We are determined to solve housing in New Zealand' - Luxon. CS 5/10, CL 4/10. That wasn't a great question.