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ACT, NZ First hesitant to criticise National over ‘Kāinga Ora’ name
Coalition partners NZ First and ACT say “Kāinga Ora” should be called “Homes and Communities”, but do not appear eager to criticise National over continuing to use the old name.
The National-NZ First coalition agreement demands that the government “ensure all public service departments have their primary name in English, except for those specifically related to Māori”.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop on Monday announced an independent review into social housing agency Kāinga Ora, referring to it by that name rather than its English name “Homes and Communities”.
Asked about it at the time, he said: “Because that’s its, that’s its, that’s how it’s known, that’s its name”.
“You’ve got to remember Kāinga Ora was set up as, essentially, a new entity back in 2018-19. It’s been known as Kāinga Ora from its inception as a Crown entity.”
On Tuesday morning he was again asked to defend the move, and said changing the name was something that would be considered in due course.
“Kāinga Ora is the name of the entity, it was created in 2019 as a new agency – brought together KiwiBuild, Housing New Zealand and a couple of other entities,” he said.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
“I’m focused on sorting out the financial performance issues at Kāinga Ora.
“In due course we’ll consider that. Kāinga Ora is known as Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities, I don’t know a single person who calls it “Homes and Communities”.
NZ First leader Winston Peters was asked if continuing to refer to the agency as Kāinga Ora was a breach of his coalition agreement.
“When it comes to communication, then I’d try and impress upon the media that all communication’s about understanding and comprehension. If it doesn’t fit that bill, then what are we doing?” he said.
“We know that the balance of the population, a significant majority, don’t understand.”
However, he was not particularly interested in taking Bishop to task over the matter.
“Oh look, we’re not going to go around pointing out small mistakes,” Peters said. “They’ll get it right over time if our purpose is to get things right where the public are concerned.
“I’m concerned about the service they deliver, not woke virtue signalling.”
ACT leader David Seymour said it went against the coalition’s policy.
“Government policy is to have English names first in order that people can understand what people do in the government and help navigate the government … I think in line with government policy it should have its English name first, simply because that allows people to understand what that is that each department does in the language that most people can understand.
“I know people try and politicise this but it’s purely practical and pragmatic.”
ACT leader and Minister for Regulations David Seymour Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
But like Peters, Seymour was also not keen to bring the minister to task over the matter.
“Obviously the priority with him, as with me, is actually the result of the department, whatever it’s called. However, I’d just make the point that government policy is to have English names first.”
He said in his experience most people did understand what ‘Kāinga Ora’ did.
“Generally I find that people do, it’s been that for five years, however, I suspect that most people would find it more intuitive to be communicated with in the language that they are used to speaking and fluent in.
“You can talk about what it should be called, but for the record, government policy, it’s ‘Homes and Communities’.”
“If people want to call it Kāinga Ora then I’m hardly going to lose sleep over that … you know, people obviously in a free society can call it whatever they like, and if people understand them then I guess that’s a win-win for everyone.”
The coalition agreement also requires that communications by public service departments and Crown Entities be primarily in English, again except where they relate specifically to Māori, and sets out the plan to make English an official language in legislation.
VIA RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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