"\u003C!DOCTYPE html\u003E\u003Chtml xmlns:xlink=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\u0022 xmlns:xsi=\u0022http://www.w3.org/2007/XMLSchema-instance\u0022 xmlns:mml=\u0022http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Chead\u003E\n    \u003CMETA http-equiv=\u0022Content-Type\u0022 content=\u0022text/html; charset=utf-16\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cmeta name=\u0022viewport\u0022 content=\u0022width=device-width, initial-scale=1\u0022\u003E\n  \u003C/head\u003E\n  \u003Cbody style=\u0022font-family:sans-serif; font-size:100%;\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b57ee10c484a407ba1171aa743b7fb73\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00227a6195faaf9e43c0be4f82f5a98fd004\u0022\u003ETHURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2021\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022267715f5986c4db49c5331a01a9a46a3\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c18846947a294f87b0d4c2ac2338556e\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u00221ef6db000018447f9100bd8c27259194\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221ef6db000018447f9100bd8c27259194\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the Queen and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom, justice, mercy, and humility for the welfare and peace of New Zealand. Amen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022745eb2071b8247cfb26458df7f27dde4\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229e02b3e1dfc14c809effef6da06dd351\u0022\u003EBusiness Statement\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u0022532c017a7d1a4cbabada4fbc1fcfe649\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022532c017a7d1a4cbabada4fbc1fcfe649\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Deputy Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E Next week, legislation to be considered will include further stages of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill (No 2), the Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, and the Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Bill (No 2), and the first reading of the Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill. On Wednesday, there will be a special debate that makes up time lost in the Estimates debate while Wellington was at higher alert levels. Wednesday\u2019s sitting will be extended into Thursday morning.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022 data-id=\u00228106e1f19dd248dc891a13d9674dfb56\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c83012b4-3939-4753-80fc-1956a3e2bd1e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228106e1f19dd248dc891a13d9674dfb56\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National):\u003C/span\u003E I thank the Deputy Leader of the House for that update. The Minister for COVID-19 Response has indicated that it\u2019s the Government\u2019s intention to introduce a past legislation to give effect to the traffic light framework. I wonder if the deputy leader could inform the House when that legislation might be introduced and whether it\u2019s the Government\u2019s intention to pass it through urgency.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002241334cc9d52044c7afa1165a0776f64d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002241334cc9d52044c7afa1165a0776f64d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Either Minister can answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u0022cd4aa61b6f2e4db7a7e869bb8bbe99db\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cd4aa61b6f2e4db7a7e869bb8bbe99db\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E The reason I was late, of course, is actually Chris Bishop\u2019s fault. He held up the media before me so they were late in questioning me. The Government\u2019s intention next week is to pass the current COVID-19 bill that is before the House and to introduce legislation the following week that deals specifically with vaccinations and the response framework.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00227d38380d8a4e45fd886e8d166dc8817a\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022a12aca282ddc4db08e04ff1dd657e3df\u0022\u003EPetitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022a7df4042a6be4e90846f97572de7f862\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a7df4042a6be4e90846f97572de7f862\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: A petition has been delivered to the Clerk for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022db7f83dbc61e4bb5bb6407dee22be902\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022db7f83dbc61e4bb5bb6407dee22be902\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Petition of Angelo Dumlao requesting that the House urge the Government to grant permanent residence class visas to residence from work applicants who have been in the non-priority queue for 27 months or more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022f154a54afbed49b59829a0c46db37e9b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022f154a54afbed49b59829a0c46db37e9b\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: That petition stands referred to the Petitions Committee. A paper has been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00224b0847d047fe458c876429a74ebc3b00\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224b0847d047fe458c876429a74ebc3b00\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, and the accompanying national interest analysis.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u002237f71151b301437c9238aeeb6f8182a7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002237f71151b301437c9238aeeb6f8182a7\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I present the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment entitled Space invaders: A review of how New Zealand manages weeds that threaten native ecosystems. Those papers are published\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225411ad485d6b4c9f9fed55a6cba2455d\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002229a632cbfd3f43048635de0e1c5044eb\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No pleading guilty! Those papers are published under the authority of the House. Select committee reports have been delivered for presentation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002252d74e1cb1354f229f2da44ad14a222a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002252d74e1cb1354f229f2da44ad14a222a\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: Reports of the Health Committee on the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill (No 2), on the petition of Simon Wallace, and on the report of the Controller and Auditor-General, Preparations for the nationwide roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022fa8b2aeba5174d0fae596d195ab9894f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fa8b2aeba5174d0fae596d195ab9894f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The bill is set down for second reading and the report is set down for consideration. The Clerk has been informed of the introduction of bills.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002246cbbf1e5e0445afbf65b085217a7e2c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002246cbbf1e5e0445afbf65b085217a7e2c\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThree Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill, introduction\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECanterbury Regional Council (Ng\u0101i Tahu Representation) Bill, introduction.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022 data-id=\u0022c1b58548fb584a888b22d70c2214f88f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c1b58548fb584a888b22d70c2214f88f\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Those bills are set down for first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00227212ad5345f740079f34cc8d99d99ee4\u0022\u003EOral Questions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00223f3429f648954c5a8f39914b11cfaabb\u0022\u003EQuestions to Ministers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022b85d707c2f37424997d5b837721ea64b\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 1\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022 data-id=\u0022499915796e8448d8908bb9778ae34e3f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E1. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022499915796e8448d8908bb9778ae34e3f\u0022\u003EBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader\u2014ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: What actions, if any, will she take in response to revelations that an upcoming political candidate was used in a K\u0101inga Ora promotion, and does she believe the culture of K\u0101inga Ora is upholding what is expected of the Public Service?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u0022d420ff7d444f41efaa4ebdc02c54f7ba\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d420ff7d444f41efaa4ebdc02c54f7ba\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E I have already taken actions. On 3 August, my office wrote to K\u0101inga Ora in response to receiving a departmental Official Information Act request that K\u0101inga Ora was processing. That email outlined my concerns that the conduct reflected in the information release did not meet my expectations for how K\u0101inga Ora should operate. In particular, I emphasised that my expectation was that K\u0101inga Ora should operate on the same basis that I do: once you know something, you cannot un-know it. I also made explicit in my email that K\u0101inga Ora fell well short of my expectations in dealing with this. I have also discussed the matter with the chair of K\u0101inga Ora, who is clear that what happened was wrong and is committed to ensuring it never happens again. And finally, as a belts and braces approach, I requested the Public Service Commission for some advice on whether anything further needs to be done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e3255edfea6d44c79476003525514361\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: Will she hold an independent inquiry into the culture of K\u0101inga Ora, and, if not, why not?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224bee859f217b4ca694db00486aeec04b\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: As I indicated in answer to my primary question, I have taken the precautionary approach of asking the Public Service Commission for some advice on whether anything further needs to be done. In terms of this instance, as I\u2019ve made clear, it fell well short of my expectations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EPoint of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to table an email from my office dated 3\u00A0August to K\u0101inga Ora making clear that the conduct described in the questions fell well short of my expectations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264070bd5ca9f49aa815f7a6b3ad650f0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Is there any objection to that document being tabled? There appears to be none.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229afcb9b3c9c94ac091397e86effb5735\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: Does she agree that senior K\u0101inga Ora staff were attempting to cover up the politicisation of a Government agency in the promotion of a future Labour Party candidate, and, if not, how would she categorise this statement made by a senior K\u0101inga Ora staff member, \u201CShe\u2019s understandably nervous about people perceiving this as her electioneering ahead of her campaign announcement [but] we can just act as though we don\u2019t know anything!\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220654bd4426ac45708849526b7aada6bb\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I think what that statement shows is that the candidate in question did everything that she needed to do to inform the agency that she was seeking selection for a political party. As I\u2019ve made clear in answers to subsequent questions to the member, the way in which it was handled by the department fell well short of my expectations. In particular, I have already written to the department saying it is simply not possible to un-know something once you know it, and I expect the agency to adhere to that principle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226f27b8e5ff2640d7aa157d659136e4c9\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Can she confirm she in fact learnt about this conduct in June, according to emails released by K\u0101inga Ora, and why has it taken until today for her to engage the Public Service Commission into what are grave matters of integrity in the housing entity she is responsible for?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226562de9a5b0e4578a94f26fc0e86ae91\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: On 23 July, my office was copied into Arena Williams\u2019 reply to K\u0101inga Ora\u2019s consultation on information to be released. As I\u2019ve said in the House, on 3 August, as soon as I read the Official Information Act request and the documents that came through to my office, I sent an email to the organisation. My reason for contacting the Public Service Commission today is that responses to media queries over the last 24 hours by the agency suggest to me they\u2019re not taking the matter as seriously as it needs to be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022afd1c75739a048aaa4267fcb73e0582d\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: How can New Zealanders have faith in the culture of K\u0101inga Ora, when part of its half-million - dollar deal for advertorial content was arranged publication of a future Labour Party candidate that senior staff knew about?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002212d371811091423498317de331b489af\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: The public can have faith in K\u0101inga Ora, not only because it is delivering on housing for New Zealanders but also, as I indicated in the answer to the primary question, that the chair of K\u0101inga Ora, Vui Mark Gosche, has made it clear that what has happened is wrong, it cannot happen again, and it is the board\u2019s responsibility to ensure that it does not happen again.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002266f06e7e-afa8-457f-a105-048b86a13282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220c780e5dbbc6412eb8f171ae54bdf53e\u0022\u003EBrooke van Velden\u003C/span\u003E: What does it say of the standards of this Government if she won\u2019t hold an inquiry but simply writes a letter, and can she describe what actions she would find unacceptable enough for her to open an inquiry?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228a85c2754e6740ffaa9ef8f9c315148b\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: What it says about this Government is that when we proactively see a problem, we take action on it. On 3 August, I wrote to K\u0101inga Ora exercising my ministerial duty to make it clear that the behaviour and conduct was well short of my expectations. Furthermore, when I saw responses to media queries over the last 24-hour period that I felt were not of the standard that I expected, I did contact the Public Service Commission and asked them for some advice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dba743c2c5bb4bb9b79139ffb367f557\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What responsibility does she take for allowing a culture to emerge at K\u0101inga Ora that made this sort of unethical conduct acceptable not only to a senior communications adviser but to a general manager?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223265c6ea4e2f4addb7c85a39fb725ea5\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I take my responsibilities very seriously and that\u2019s exactly why I wrote to the organisation on 3 August, making it clear that this was well short of my expectations as the responsible Minister. It is exactly why I raised the matter with the chief executive. It\u2019s exactly why I raised the matter with the chair of the board.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022cae4e86df5034378bdfbea1ed214f1ef\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 2\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u002210b6780dc7574aaa85d766c4742c1642\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E2. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210b6780dc7574aaa85d766c4742c1642\u0022\u003EDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u0022b475c8b650bf4fcab6ab679177f6ce42\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b475c8b650bf4fcab6ab679177f6ce42\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Confidence among New Zealand investors has returned to pre-pandemic levels according to the latest ASB Investor Confidence Survey. This shows that net investor confidence rose from 14 percent to 25 percent for the three months to October, matching the last peak in the March 2017 quarter. Confidence in Auckland reached a seven-year high, up from 18 percent to 31 percent. ASB said, \u201CInvestment confidence [had] remained resilient, in a similar way to the strength that we have seen in other business confidence surveys over recent months\u201D. The huge uncertainty and volatility experienced during last year\u2019s lockdown has not been repeated through investor confidence. Our approach that the Government has taken to support the economy and give people confidence through the period of restrictions is clearly contributing to this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c74e91d90da840b3a1053c1e11ee32c6\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on the resilience of the labour market and its impact on the economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230f4fe64fc974f3d95136abd306bbced\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The SEEK NZ Employment Report rose at a faster pace in October, up a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent from the 0.3 percent gain in the previous month. The annual rate of growth was 36.8 percent, which BNZ said was \u201Ccomfortably above\u201D pre-COVID levels. Auckland job ads eased by 0.6 percent in October, despite the stricter restrictions, and followed an 8.1 percent drop in September. The Waikato also registered a 4 percent fall in job ads last month as part of that region went into the higher alert levels. Every other region saw gains in October after rebounding in September, as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022066618a759d144ce952958eef40ecc20\u0022\u003EDr Duncan Webb\u003C/span\u003E: What reports has he seen on international comparisons for our economy?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224993411e6c80446dbb49f86eca7f4921\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, the results show that New Zealand has performed favourably against the countries we measure ourselves against. If we just look at unemployment, on comparable measures, New Zealand\u2019s 3.4 percent rate stands against 4.6 percent in Australia, 4.5 percent in the United Kingdom, 5.1 percent in the United States, and 7.2 percent in Canada, with the OECD average at 6 percent. Overall, New Zealand\u2019s unemployment rate is among the lowest in the OECD, ranked fifth equal among the 38 countries in the September quarter, moving up from eighth place the last quarter. And New Zealand\u2019s employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 years old was 79.1 percent, placing us third among the OECD rankings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226b56d644cf9e4beb90644b1523eed91b\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 3\u2014Finance\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022 data-id=\u00222fa6a7bb7d9c4001a6260a2ce475d232\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E3. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222fa6a7bb7d9c4001a6260a2ce475d232\u0022\u003EANDREW BAYLY (National\u2014Port Waikato)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Finance: Is he satisfied with the level of openness and transparency around the Government\u2019s spending? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022 data-id=\u002283ce06353ca24e87a961735634a87a52\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002283ce06353ca24e87a961735634a87a52\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance):\u003C/span\u003E Yes. However, there is always room for improvement, and the Government is seeking to address this, in part, through our Public Finance Act modernisation programme. This programme is aimed at addressing issues which have been a feature of the system since the Public Finance Act was passed in 1989. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224d1304395ddb426ab09105416f16bb3d\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: What is his response to the fact that the Auditor-General could not find any reference at all to the mental health component of the $300 million Homelessness Action Plan in his 2021 Budget documents? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228c811d24235540b4b54382e13a975d96\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve noted the letter from the Auditor-General. What that speaks to is exactly the issue I am referencing with the Public Finance Act reform programme. The way we do individual votes and individual appropriations means that when a particular piece of work is part of a programme such as that programme, that is how we will describe it. It, however, will appear differently in the appropriations. I do agree that that\u2019s an issue we need to work on together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fcf9615db0f245ada09b327c61762e07\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: How can he explain why the funding for the $100 million conifer control programme was not separately disclosed in the 2021-22 Estimates of Appropriations, and who is to blame for this mistake? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d43632b334dc428897cfb86b91d54e09\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: Well, I can quote, in fact, from the Auditor-General\u2019s letter on this matter, where he says, \u201CWe have contacted the Ministry for Primary Industries about this, and the Ministry acknowledges that there was an oversight in providing information on this initiative.\u201D I would note that the Auditor-General says that this does not affect legality under the Budget Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002259974331170b43bd824f6fcc74000ce4\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Auditor-General\u2019s assessment of his $57 billion COVID fund that it was difficult and sometimes not possible to reconcile where the money was being spent, making it hard for the public to see where taxpayer money is being spent? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022189b72b612b446939c443d28138671a5\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: As I said in my answer to the first supplementary question, the way in which we organise the public finances there\u2014the Public Finance Act and through the Budget\u2014means that when funds are created that include expenditure undertaken by a range of different agencies under a range of different votes and appropriations, their Budget documents will not necessarily reflect the way that programme is announced. The same issue arose in the establishment of the Future Investment Fund in 2012, also a notional fund; also one where you would have had to have gone looking in individual votes to find the actual expenditure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f2ee48d60a9c4fd8bba08dfd70a3cf03\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Is he suggesting that Treasury, with a staff of 650 people, is not sufficient to produce a Budget without mistakes? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221af7a45ab3334660899b6c77488a2791\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The Treasury does an excellent job of pulling the Budget together. As noted in the Auditor-General\u2019s letter, the two issues that the member raised were the responsibility of the Ministry for Primary Industries and Land Information New Zealand. That is acknowledged here, and I reiterate that according to the Auditor-General, this \u201Cdoes not affect compliance with the Budget Act, or the amount and type of expenditure\u201D authorised under these votes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cd05177ed6f24409a3d2fbcc8340be17\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Why has the Auditor-General had to raise concerns regarding the lack of details of Government spending on three separate occasions over the last 18 months, and why does he continue to make mistakes? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210affd60d4f2436b989d5ccb7d873562\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I reject\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ab0540ea9e246df85e41dcf6b001daf\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! There\u2019s an assertion at the end of that question which is certainly not justified. Ask it again. You\u2019re lucky that I\u2019m not taking it away. I think the member does know that he\u2019s breaching the rules. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ad4397753cac4b79a832ca11c399dc72\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Why has the Auditor-General had to raise concerns regarding a lack of detail on Government spending on three separate occasions over the last 18 months? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224ee1bdec07fa48208d0351c78195597f\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: The Auditor-General is raising concerns about the way in which the Public Finance Act operates. It has operated this way since 1989. What we have been trying to do in Government is modernise the Public Finance Act so it actually reflects the fact that our goal here is to provide services and achieve outcomes for New Zealanders. In the words of the Minister for the Public Service, as he often says, New Zealanders don\u2019t wake up in the morning and say, \u201CI am now going to use services provided under Vote Health, followed by services provided under Vote Education, followed by services provided by Vote Social Development.\u201D This Government is trying to break down the silos of Government. Unfortunately, the Public Finance Act still keeps those in place. We\u2019re committed to working with the Auditor-General on improving that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022859e13f9-33bb-41bb-b2f0-d848eaf25407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262ba1f912b294116a4c9672394cb33ad\u0022\u003EAndrew Bayly\u003C/span\u003E: Can he assure the House and the public that there are no other mistakes in Budget 2021? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e6a2a6d0d48c480b9e976df4d5e4e2ee\u0022\u003EHon GRANT ROBERTSON\u003C/span\u003E: I can assure the House that Budget 2021 went through the same processes that all of the Budgets under the previous National Government went through, and from time to time there were mistakes in those Budgets. He might want to give Jonathan Coleman a call. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f940e0a5e3874798a8f9b52ea52f03d4\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 4\u2014COVID-19 Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022 data-id=\u002218ddcc509914462aa33eefe833e102dc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E4. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002218ddcc509914462aa33eefe833e102dc\u0022\u003ESHANAN HALBERT (Labour\u2014Northcote)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: What recent progress has been made on New Zealand\u2019s COVID-19 vaccine programme across the regions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u00228c73fb0ad1fb496f844625c8322415f6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228c73fb0ad1fb496f844625c8322415f6\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response):\u003C/span\u003E We continue to steadily move towards our goal of 90 percent of the country being fully vaccinated. Currently, 89.6 percent of the eligible 12-plus New Zealand population have now had their first dose; 79.6 percent have received both doses. I want to pay particular acknowledgment to the efforts of the people in Waitemat\u0101, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Capital and Coast, Canterbury, and Southern DHBs, all of whom have reached 90 percent of their first doses being administered. I can\u2019t overstate the importance of those 3.35 million people who have now all been fully vaccinated. It is a hugely significant step forward for the ongoing protection of New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224653708170c44179b1088d0d1fe474d3\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert\u003C/span\u003E: How is the vaccine programme progressing across northern regions, particularly for different age bands?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab1541d0ae4c4e589fd75d412344a27f\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: One point four million - plus people across Northland and the Auckland metropolitan DHBs have received at least one dose of the vaccine\u2014that\u2019s 91 percent of the eligible community\u20141.3 million have received both doses and are now fully vaccinated. We\u2019re also seeing really positive numbers from those 65 and over in the North. Over 244,000, or 95 percent, of that age cohort have had their first dose, while 237,000, or 92 percent, have received their second. Northland DHB is looking to utilise every opportunity to increase demand. They\u2019re currently operating weekly prize draws, they\u2019ve engaged with all sorts of community groups, and they\u2019ve got the mayors and businesses in the district highlighting support for the vaccination programme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229c069cdb-968c-4f11-b126-92f9c655148b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226963c74c4d73499997e6b829706e0f09\u0022\u003EShanan Halbert\u003C/span\u003E: And how is the vaccine programme progressing across the southern region, particularly for different ethnic communities?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c6f5044880424e7ab8985e257a343061\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Nine hundred and two thousand people across the South Island have received their first dose, or 91 percent of the eligible community; 789,121 individuals have received their second and have, therefore, been fully vaccinated. Commendably, 99 percent of eligible Pacific people across the southern DHBs have had their first dose; 82 percent have received both. Seventy-nine percent of eligible M\u0101ori have had at least one dose, and 61 percent have had both. The South Island is focusing on each DHB in the region reaching 90 percent first doses, and the five DHBs have developed a joint campaign to make sure they reach that target. There\u2019s great work happening in communities across the southern region, including with M\u0101ori health providers, iwi, and DHBs. They\u2019re working in partnership on locally led, innovative solutions, and that includes young people from ethnic communities running targeted vaccination clinics to vaccinate their communities in Christchurch and the establishment of more after-hours clinics, which has been particularly successful with some of our ethnic communities, including Middle Eastern and Latin American communities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229d8bf76a3aa440c3ba7174d4ee72df55\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 5\u2014Health\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022ccf5acf7eb4e43dd83df21fb63848409\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E5. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ccf5acf7eb4e43dd83df21fb63848409\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Health: What is the average length of time between someone testing positive for COVID-19 and public health staff getting in contact with them regarding isolation arrangements, and is he satisfied with the management of the home self-isolation system?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022b1d4fe0d5a8a47ca8a5c9b209e2d04a6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b1d4fe0d5a8a47ca8a5c9b209e2d04a6\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health):\u003C/span\u003E The care in the community system in Auckland currently has a target of contacting at least 80 percent of individuals with a positive COVID test within 24 hours. The Ministry of Health has informed me that for the seven-day period from 4 November to 10 November 2021, 85 percent of Auckland cases were contacted for their case interview within 24 hours of the positive case notification. What I continue to say to officials is that any delays are not acceptable outside of the 24-hour target, and we will continue to improve the system until we are satisfied that people recovering from COVID in the community are receiving the level of support we expect and in a timely manner. In terms of my satisfaction, I accept that any new system that is required to rapidly scale up, in the context of this pandemic, is going to hit speed bumps. The effort to constantly improve must continue. With this in mind, I\u2019m continually seeking advice on how best to do that. The Ministry of Health, district health boards, public health units, and all the other parts of the support system continue to iterate and develop the system at every stage in this pandemic. I want to acknowledge that there are people in the northern region, in particular, who have been working hard to respond to the challenges that they face and to deliver on them. Finally, I would acknowledge that delivering care in the community is only possible because of the work we are all doing to drive vaccination rates, which are the cornerstone of community protection.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002275524578fee34d269edbfcab85b90423\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Did public health units meet the target of 80 percent being contacted within 24 hours in the weeks prior to the week of 4 November to 10 November, which is the time period he just gave in his answer to the primary question?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022318318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f6ea6a989585481bae7d923d26ddc024\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The question that I received simply referred to the average length of time between someone testing positive for COVID-19 and public health staff getting in contact with them. So it did not have any confined time frame to it. I thought I was helping the member by making it as current as possible\u2014certainly, in terms of the recent events that have hit the news about the scheme. So I stand by that answer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2d3c244775f40e19e27a866b7290e45\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order. I think, Mr Speaker, you know what I\u2019m about to say, which is: my primary question did not give time frame; the Minister, in his primary answer, gave a time frame from 4 November to 11 November. I asked about the weeks prior to 4 November and whether or not the 80 percent target was reached in those weeks, and if the Minister could tell us what those numbers were.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002233128afef8d84e6baf90345777ed81ea\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: And he said he can\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022adcf6022cfa84a278316e65aae10612c\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Did he say that?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223353a84c78af472fb64ca031b87b4aa4\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: He did, because he didn\u2019t have the information, I think. I\u2019ll just check my understanding. I understood from the Minister\u2019s answer that he indicated that he couldn\u2019t tell the member because he\u2019d just brought the latest information to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022878abe27b1644e59a253d536fa8b486d\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, in fairness, Mr Speaker, I interpreted the question in a way that I thought was most helpful. But I do not have that data relating to the earlier period.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218154239da9a4eedbc7e51588aa65897\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Does the Minister know what the longest length of time a COVID case has gone between testing positive for COVID-19 and having contact from the relevant public health unit, and, if so, what is the longest length of time?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ddcfb39c31e44f2b8d70d34b2189a4d6\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: My office has been directly advised by somebody that it took two days for them to be contacted. I have had a journalist suggest to me that they\u2019re aware of someone for whom it took six days, but I haven\u2019t seen that information verified.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226b3fa286c7914532905628937bbc3568\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the health system struggling with only 150-200 cases a day, when Professor Michael Baker said yesterday that when it was discussed last year, the intention was that it could manage up to a thousand cases a day?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002223bb90bd2a774ab68639c353f47767c0\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The arrangements for care\u2014whether it\u2019s managed isolation and quarantine, whether it\u2019s in the community\u2014have been developed as the passage of the pandemic has evolved, and as all elements of it, including the vaccination programme and what we\u2019ve observed now with the Delta variant. So the planning has been on the basis of projections of daily case numbers, and it was expected that they would ramp up over September, October, and hit a peak over the kind of November, December period. The reality is: the number of daily cases that are now happening are ahead of projections, and the systems that have been in place have struggled to keep up with the rapid escalation in daily case numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e781e9d7a1fd4ddebc97b04d590d8af3\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: How can he be highly critical of the home isolation programme, saying, just now, that the system hasn\u2019t kept up and that he expects changes to be made immediately, when the Director-General of Health said yesterday that the system is working well?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222e03617fbd8848508f769df6630c9e23\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Well, one case telling me that it took more than 24 hours to be notified, or to be given their first call so that they could be assessed for the appropriate place for their care, is one case too many. And as I deal with officials and they advise me that there are still issues to iron out, I go on the basis of that advice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ac79db0bf9a84693ba097bcf4f792581\u0022\u003EChris Bishop\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Director-General of Health that the home isolation system is working well?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022203c1cdb274a465983a2064cf0b6e637\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: It is, by and large, working well but there are still problems to iron out, as officials advise me, and they are getting on to doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224f2004f2fb1a4162a5a6f1dbf6fdda8b\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 6\u2014GCSB\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022 data-id=\u002286c1b3fbf7f44f9594e804db8537ee83\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E6. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002286c1b3fbf7f44f9594e804db8537ee83\u0022\u003EGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour\u2014Hutt South)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister responsible for the GCSB: What recent announcements have been made in the GCSB portfolio?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7a62617f62e4a4b8f26f31704b2a555\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7a62617f62e4a4b8f26f31704b2a555\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister responsible for the GCSB):\u003C/span\u003E This morning, the GCSB\u2019s director-general announced the agency\u2019s operational decision that two of the satellite communications interception dishes and radome coverings at Waihopai will be retired and deconstructed, while the station near Blenheim will remain an operational facility. The nature of telecommunications has changed over the past 30 years, and our needs and capabilities have overtaken the sort of satellite communication interception that has been carried out at Waihopai. This Government has invested $150 million in Budgets 2019 and 2020, with about half of that funding going to procure new capabilities and maintain New Zealand\u2019s technological advantages in intelligence gathering. The announcement by the director-general shows a contemporary intelligence agency being open about the national security challenges we face today.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228030ed9c7e144c8cb85ce35006b64b98\u0022\u003EGinny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: Will the functions of the GCSB change now the domes are being retired?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022310361379b8144b5aebe658a45fc70a2\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: No. The mission of the GCSB has not changed. Technology changes and the retirement of the domes reflects that reality. The GCSB collects signals intelligence and is primarily externally focused. Their intelligence insights help keep New Zealanders safe and help Government to better direct resources and manage risks. The GCSB also has a number of non-covert functions\u2014for example, hosting the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that helps New Zealand\u2019s nationally significant organisations to protect their information systems. Over the past 5 years, the NCSC has prevented more than $284 million of harm to those organisations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022c21f4beb-20c4-4b12-bc6f-fdc931e2dc96\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221eb434f92d6840f380b76e67c5638a4e\u0022\u003EGinny Andersen\u003C/span\u003E: How have New Zealand\u2019s Five Eyes partners reacted to the GCSB\u2019s decision to remove the domes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226a128eb0abf84a57ba2b56e9b3cd59f0\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: The GCSB discussed their plans and operational decision with the Five Eyes. Our partners understand the domes are obsolete and their removal is part of the normal operational evolution and modernisation of the intelligence agency. I\u2019ve seen the contribution New Zealand makes to the Five Eyes. Just recently, intelligence collected by the GCSB disrupted terrorist attack planning overseas. Our partners value the unique work New Zealand does as part of the Five Eyes partnership.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022105b8251128e44c4bc6b136a42cd0e9a\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 7\u2014Social Development and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u00226c173f3a62494e988f068eaa360499c3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E7. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226c173f3a62494e988f068eaa360499c3\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Is she confident the Government is adequately supporting wh\u0101nau in hardship through COVID-19?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022 data-id=\u002235bea78caa614423a4214512fb2339b7\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002235bea78caa614423a4214512fb2339b7\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI (Minister of Internal Affairs)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Yes. This Government is deeply committed to ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a child, and addressing family poverty is essential in achieving this. The Government has been proactive and responsive to hardship through the pandemic. Following the original COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 where the Government invested $80 million over three years into community support and resilience, we have also supported the sector to respond to COVID with an additional $38.15 million during our response to Delta. We have also extended the eligibility criteria for hardship assistance so that families on low wages can receive hardship assistance from the Ministry of Social Development and Employment. The rapid roll-out of the wage subsidy has also kept New Zealanders in work. Because of this, we have seen unemployment remain low and only a small rise in the number of people receiving job seeker assistance. We know we\u2019re not out of the woods yet and will continue to keep an eye on what is happening and respond where there is a need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a20ab1b1deb044a5a23e3f2eb36bcd3c\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Would extending the in-work tax credit component of the Working for Families package to beneficiaries make a more significant reduction in poverty levels than the Government\u2019s recently announced package?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022bcf6cb006c06446a934cadfa792b1fa0\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: COVID-19 has been tough on families and has contributed to the increase in the cost of living. Increasing support for low and middle income families to help cover the basics is a fair thing to do. Working for Families tax credits were scheduled for an inflation increase on 1 April, and we have put in additional money to make an increase more substantial. This change will mean that 346 families are estimated to be better off by an average of $20 per week. This change combined with our already announced benefit changes and indexation will mean that families with children will be significantly better off from 1 April.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d30f69607852437c8b3f5ff895ac16c2\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Why does the Government continue to discriminate against families with tamariki who are unable to work 20 hours or more because they have care obligations or for reasons of health or disability?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220442b0cc50734ecf805eca12fe00bd97\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: This Government has a range of supports that go into supporting those particular families. This action that I\u2019ve just spoken about is just one of the actions that the Government has taken to improve family incomes and support people with need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213d07699ce38413291212824438d11bd\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: What is her response to the Child Poverty Action Group, who said, \u201COverall, low-income families will be just $5 per child better off in April next year than they would\u2019ve been without this announcement [and] \u2026 well short of the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229acd2611f86b40178c4677f2f9f2f068\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: As far as the recommendations from the welfare advisory group, Working for Families is still under review, and this was extra money that was put into an existing change in order to make a bigger difference for families. More information on the Working for Families review will be released next year.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022377c4fd110ab45db832d63632714cae7\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Does she acknowledge that some families will actually be worse off because the Government decided to increase abatement rates to Working for Families to help fund the $5 increase to other struggling families?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af0b22039e3440bd8ddf60359efcedf2\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: No families will be worse off because of these changes. This is about targeting those people who are of the lowest income and making sure that we are absolutely targeting those people who are most in need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e67aafbf42e64cab99c493ef98a05f94\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Is it true that currently the Government is offering less lockdown-related support to low-income families than it did last year even though the cost of essentials has gone up and inequity has increased?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a9b1eab2d89a46caa09a7e00e76ef9a1\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: If this was all we were talking about and all that this Government has done to support those families with the greatest need, then, yes, there might be an issue, but this is one of a raft of packages that is supporting those families that are most in need. This is around the changes that have been made to Working for Families as it stands already. This is around, also, aspects and packages like our school lunch programme, and like free period products, like the women\u2019s fund that has gone into support those women in the greatest need. There is a full range of packages that are going in to help these families.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222aa5b88647d24e6f8440a5e9b46fff34\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. That was a great answer but to a different question. My question was about less lockdown-related support. It was about the whole\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210a1443fce624ba3bed1d21a205192c2\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I think that was answered in the first sentence.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228ac22487f70a40928c7247b2815a172f\u0022\u003EJan Logie\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022767e9e9a0e1b47dc8e518017cc3ab2d0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: We\u2019re not going to discuss it. I think it sort of\u2014that may have been the case, but the member should consider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022002abb0192c84b01ba50f010c21b6c7c\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 8\u2014Transport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u002294f09bf8ac394b888a7828bf3cb32a9f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E8. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002294f09bf8ac394b888a7828bf3cb32a9f\u0022\u003EGREG O\u2019CONNOR (Labour\u2014\u014Ch\u0101riu)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Transport: What recent progress has been made to improve transport in the regions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022 data-id=\u002239c121aa25f142c2ae11dd5046e07cc6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002239c121aa25f142c2ae11dd5046e07cc6\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport):\u003C/span\u003E We are making progress on a number of important projects around the regions to keep New Zealand moving and support the economic recovery. The first of three new safer link road connections into Tamahere opened recently, as the Hamilton section of the Waikato expressway drives towards completion. Later this year, stage 2 will see the on-ramp over Cambridge Road bridge open, and, next year, stage 3 will see the on-ramp from the link road to the city open, completing the southern interchange connections. Looking to the Coromandel, I\u2019m also happy to report that Tairua locals have safer walking and cycling options, following the opening of a new footbridge across Grahams Stream at the northern end of the town.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f6b16cb80aa4268a94471eaf329b654\u0022\u003EGreg O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: What other regional projects have reached important milestones?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287c2494fde714f3f847b4af8eaca2e67\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: Te Ahu a Turanga, the Manawat\u016B Tararua highway, has completed its first earthworks season, with over 650,000 cubic metres of earth moved since construction began in January of this year. The landscaping team have been out in all weather and have met their goal of getting close to 250,000 native plants in the ground. Around 630,000 plants are growing at a number of nurseries for planting next year. Work is also starting on a new walking and cycling path in Napier, on State Highway 50 between Battery Road and Prebensen Drive roundabout, and work will include the construction of a pedestrian and cyclist - shared path, level crossing upgrades, and new road markings to improve safety and efficiency for everyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022247d3058be2140bd89385ce9872087b0\u0022\u003EGreg O\u2019Connor\u003C/span\u003E: How are other transport projects supporting the regions?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022098b8334-57f8-4062-bac6-bfbc3474e88e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002202c03321cb5e499892811c80d818a6eb\u0022\u003EHon MICHAEL WOOD\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m pleased to note that our investment to reopen the Napier to Wairoa rail line is supporting the Hawke\u2019s Bay. While log trains have generally been running on weekends, due to increased demand to get logs to port, KiwiRail is now running log trains every weekday on this new line. This helps to reduce the number of heavy log trucks on regional roads, which boost the forestry supply chain, improves safety, and cuts emissions. Work is also about to begin on sealing State Highway 43, the Forgotten World Highway, which will create jobs and support the recovery. The project is estimated to contribute up to $45 million in economic activity to the region, while improving safety for everyone on the route. This is a Government that invests and delivers for our regions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022971c6f45ffb543f48edbceb3510f7656\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 9\u2014Housing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022 data-id=\u0022191cd175865b4f489b8c59166174ed53\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E9. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022191cd175865b4f489b8c59166174ed53\u0022\u003ENICOLA WILLIS (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Housing: How did she make it clear to K\u0101inga Ora that she is \u201Cnot comfortable with them using political candidates\u201D in their advertising, and what actions have been taken by K\u0101inga Ora to address her concerns?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00228edbe1ac3c5144e2bded89674f98febb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228edbe1ac3c5144e2bded89674f98febb\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing):\u003C/span\u003E As outlined in my answer to question No. 1 from the ACT Party earlier today, on 3 August, my office wrote an email to K\u0101inga Ora outlining my concerns with the conduct reflected in the information released under the Official Information Act. I\u2019m advised that at the time, the face-to-face meeting was held with the staff member involved, who was reminded of their obligations under the Public Service code of conduct. Again, as outlined in my answer to question No. 1, I have also discussed the matter with the chair of K\u0101inga Ora, who was clear that what has happened was wrong and is committed to ensuring it never happens again. Finally, again, as outlined in the answer to question No. 1 today, as a belts and braces approach, I\u2019ve asked the Public Service Commission for some advice on whether anything further needs to be done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a20e6505e4f4e8e9be44308fe406bf4\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Why did her office wait until August to convey this displeasure, when documents released to me show she first asked for clarification about this matter on 23\u00A0June?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227ab79159341c43aaa901ff9c1b419b5b\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: It was on 2 August that my office received a bundle of documents that would be released by the agency under Official Information Act requests, that was the back and forth correspondence within the agency about the article that appeared on OneRoof. My discomfort was with the way it was dealt with, in particular the way that there was a suggestion that we could un-know about something that had happened. That is exactly what I conveyed to the organisation within 12 hours of reading those documents.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264e68d8d9d9e4d8ab8641a3518adeadd\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What follow-up, if any, did she do following the token email her\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221aea67c5eca142bb9aa8f24280667d43\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order! Right, the member knows that\u2019s not in order, doesn\u2019t she? Right, well, she\u2019s used a supplementary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213e6442f1315496f82f2ae9de02ffa44\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Ah, Mr Speaker, point of order. I don\u2019t think my question was out of order. I think that I could have\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e0292da01c942d181479e357c079254\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No, you\u2019ll now resume your seat. I asked the member whether she knew that it was out of order. She nodded her head to confirm that she did. You can\u2019t be right both ways.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002204fb61c0284547e7af3613d0776f758d\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What follow-up, if any, did she do following the email her office sent in August to ensure K\u0101inga Ora had done anything to address the grossly unprofessional conduct that had occurred; and isn\u2019t it the case that precisely nothing has changed at K\u0101inga Ora since she sent her email?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d6b8837e24064770bd6a488f1515f67d\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: I think, actually, I\u2019ve covered what follow-up has occurred over numerous answers that I\u2019ve given in the House today. The email was sent on 3 August. I raised it at a meeting with officials, both with K\u0101inga Ora but also with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, who is the monitoring agency for K\u0101inga Ora. I have subsequently spoken to the chief executive again, I have spoken to the chair, and I have asked for advice from the Public Service Commission.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022650c83a1aed54450afc5a1b8a4b0657a\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: Does she consider that K\u0101inga Ora takes her as Minister seriously, when in the past 24 hours, a senior communications adviser has released grossly misleading statements to the media claiming that a K\u0101inga Ora staff member made a personal judgment call on this matter, when there is documentary proof a general manager signed it off?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f0b9e174928944538b2095a53423e87f\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I do have confidence that this matter is being taken seriously, and that my expectations as Minister are being taken seriously.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022 data-id=\u0022b2b6f2ce34084167889e28e8a386d1a6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b2b6f2ce34084167889e28e8a386d1a6\u0022\u003ENAISI CHEN (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f12da0af-dc73-4870-8f77-1d50a75eb44c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227d37ed12ddb84c388ea05ca07996a006\u0022\u003ENicola Willis\u003C/span\u003E: They don\u2019t take you seriously.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228951de6943b44d7dbedfd12297221fb0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! That\u2019s another supplementary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002227d1292d81ce4337b6fa540bd02e8053\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 10\u2014Commerce and Consumer Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022 data-id=\u00221e8debc87096406eb16ec690ef841bfe\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022\u003E10. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221e8debc87096406eb16ec690ef841bfe\u0022\u003ENAISI CHEN (Labour)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What recent progress has been made towards regulating merchant service fees?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022 data-id=\u002206a8dfdf465b4d71849fca5cba09989b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002206a8dfdf465b4d71849fca5cba09989b\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs):\u003C/span\u003E This Government is following through on its manifesto commitment to take action on merchant service fees. COVID-19 has changed the way we all spend our money. Online and contactless transactions are now the norm. The Retail Payment System Bill has progressed through first reading and is now at select committee. It\u2019s expected to result in savings of approximately $74 million each year for New Zealand small businesses and consumers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b073a9af1e34cc6987e45293d89f5fa\u0022\u003ENaisi Chen\u003C/span\u003E: What benefits will these changes deliver for businesses?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002207e396fa771c4cccae572a888efb5b73\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: Whilst all merchants benefit from these changes, it\u2019s small businesses that will breathe the biggest sigh of relief. There\u2019s growing demand for all shops and services to offer contactless credit or online transactions. Many have faced a choice of absorbing higher fees or risk losing customers. This Government does not believe that\u2019s fair and that\u2019s why we\u2019re doing something about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cc477162-e622-4c94-add7-36a586729e51\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022703d779e13784d6b94a9f50613825374\u0022\u003ENaisi Chen\u003C/span\u003E: How will these changes benefit ordinary consumers?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225bbd9f26-fdb0-4b85-a836-0fc46e1bba3c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267c60973637a41c6acc74f4fbe943ebc\u0022\u003EHon Dr DAVID CLARK\u003C/span\u003E: These changes will mean being able to go to your local dairy, greengrocer, or butchery knowing your payment options aren\u2019t likely to be limited to EFTPOS or cash. COVID-19 has changed the way we spend our money. It\u2019s also made us much more conscious about how to keep each other safe when going about our daily lives. Therefore, it\u2019s essential all retailers feel they have affordable access to contactless payment services.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dfd58d36193a41dab046f9f71f40fe39\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Now, before I call Harete Hipango I\u2019m going to indicate that despite my displeasure with Nicola Willis, I accept that the next question is one where there is a lot of public interest and the member can have supplementaries that she would otherwise have. But can I just say that yelling at members while other members are asking questions is something which is not acceptable.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022827dfe79c01c4f748fdf50448e2c0146\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 11\u2014Health (M\u0101ori Health)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022 data-id=\u002223e0b2bb669b498a8735ccd2fa83962b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E11. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002223e0b2bb669b498a8735ccd2fa83962b\u0022\u003EHARETE HIPANGO (National)\u003C/span\u003E to the Associate Minister of Health (M\u0101ori Health): Will the Ministry of Health release M\u0101ori health data in the manner requested by the Wh\u0101nau Ora Commissioning Agency, and how much have Government departments spent to date on legal costs in relation to this issue?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u002289b7d7faa75e4dc1b98643690a2b6587\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002289b7d7faa75e4dc1b98643690a2b6587\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health) \u003C/span\u003Eon behalf of the Associate Minister of Health (M\u0101ori Health): This morning, I have been advised the Wh\u0101nau Ora Commissioning Agency have filed further legal proceedings with the High Court on this matter. Accordingly, I am limited in what I can say related to an ongoing matter before the court. The Wh\u0101nau Ora Commissioning Agency\u2014the commissioning agency\u2014has asked for personally identifiable data for all people recorded as domicile in the North Island and identifying as M\u0101ori in the COVID-19 vaccine and immunisation programme\u2019s data set, specifically requesting data of M\u0101ori who have had no or only one vaccine dose. In the High Court\u2019s recent decision, the court accepted that the ministry must carefully weigh the public health need to maximise vaccinations against COVID-19 with its obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, as an agency in possession of personal information.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIn reconsidering the commissioning agency\u2019s request, in light of the High Court\u2019s judgment, I\u2019m advised that the ministry has considered evidence provided by the commissioning agency, as well as a wide range of views from M\u0101ori leaders, M\u0101ori health experts, and representatives from M\u0101ori organisations, including iwi. I\u2019m confident that the ministry has been carefully weighing its obligations in all respects. What is important to everyone is increasing M\u0101ori vaccination uptake. It\u2019s my expectation that Te Tiriti principles and the application of tikanga will result in appropriate data sharing. I expect that a way forward will be found, however, now the legal process must play out and discussions are ongoing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ERegarding the legal cost associated with this matter, I\u2019m advised that as at 27 October 2021, the Ministry of Health\u2019s external legal costs have been $72,174.26 exclusive of GST. A more recent figure is not available due to billing cycles. As Associate Minister of Health, I am only able to speak to the Ministry of Health\u2019s costs and not costs accrued by other Government agencies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c3eecffb40074abb9669316859c31aab\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Minister for M\u0101ori Development that \u201Cwe\u2019re in an emergency situation and Wh\u0101nau Ora should be given that information.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002291950709c7044bec8c34a3dcd2af790e\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, yes. The High Court in its judgment said that this was an emergency situation, and the Minister for M\u0101ori Development was reflecting that sentiment. I think if you have a look at the court judgment, the fact that the court did not order specific disclosure of data but in fact ordered the ministry to reconsider its decision, suggested that the court struggled with where the line was to be drawn between data that should be released that was appropriate and in accordance with the ministry weighing its competing obligations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a005531d82f04f5b9d7213b059e019d7\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: Does he agree with the Minister of Health that the court process is a waste of time for all involved and that he \u201Chopes the ministry will give Wh\u0101nau Ora the data they need.\u201D?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220939011aaa7d490ba19ec51a8f8c04e5\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Minister, I know that the Minister of Health takes a very considered view on these things, and, as a former litigation lawyer, he understands, truly, how much litigation can be a complete waste of time and money. Both the Minister of Health and I urge the parties to continue their discussions so that additional data can be released so that we can get the vaccination campaign for M\u0101ori continuing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b28909a632ea4cc5a6d2fda57dca88e4\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: Why is the Ministry of Health able to share individual patient data, personally identifiable information, with Healthline but not with the Wh\u0101nau Ora Commissioning Agency?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225e214e47cf8d49b9b7251977f9be0a77\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: Again, on behalf of the Minister, that was a factor that the High Court drew attention to in its decision on this matter, released this week. But I, again, draw that member\u2019s attention to the effect of the court decision, which was not to order disclosure of any specific information, but to order the ministry to reconsider its decision, so that it went through that weighing process of the competing obligations that it must consider.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b681a9bbd103437b91b7d0cb2a1625a0\u0022\u003EHarete Hipango\u003C/span\u003E: Does he acknowledge that the M\u0101ori vaccination rates would not be 21 percent below the general population if the data had been shared with Wh\u0101nau Ora nine months ago, when earlier requested?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002273889dcfe55543b6aee6ce7dd7090a9d\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: On behalf of the Associate Minister, we know that the vaccination campaign, when it comes to M\u0101ori vaccination, has worked very hard and struggled in many quarters to lift those vaccination rates. There are a lot of reasons for that\u2014perfectly justifiable reasons\u2014and we always anticipated that it would take extra special effort involving a whole range of parties, but, most importantly, kaupapa M\u0101ori health providers, iwi, and others connected to M\u0101ori communities so that we could get those vaccination levels up. That is happening. It will be assisted by the release of more data, and I am confident both the ministry and the various other parties that it\u2019s engaging with will reach that end.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022f9efc5976b5f40f6b4057a8e9cc1cabc\u0022\u003EQuestion No. 12\u2014Justice\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022 data-id=\u002246c17cfee86b48e587a96376a626cb9c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E12. \u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002246c17cfee86b48e587a96376a626cb9c\u0022\u003ENICOLE McKEE (ACT)\u003C/span\u003E to the Minister of Justice: How many prior convictions on average does a third-strike offender have?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022 data-id=\u0022e7795368174e45d0b34d0a46b3d383f6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e7795368174e45d0b34d0a46b3d383f6\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Justice):\u003C/span\u003E Today, the Government announced we are delivering on our 2020 campaign commitment to repeal that law because it hasn\u2019t worked. It has created some manifestly disproportionate sentencing outcomes. And after the repeal, judges will continue to have tough sentencing tools for when they require them. Cabinet considered retrospectivity, but decided to protect victims having to go through a legal process if resentencing occurred. Based on available data, I\u2019m advised that the average prior convictions of third-strikers is 74.3. Under our law change that is proposed, judges will continue to have serious tools to deal with serious offenders, and that discretion is for the judiciary. Prior convictions are already an aggravating factor under our sentencing practices, and this will continue to be the case.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227103a644773b4c528e766e11e932430d\u0022\u003ENicole McKee\u003C/span\u003E: Does he accept that his changes will mean that violent offenders who commit multiple violent offences will likely receive less severe sentences than they would have under the three-strikes regime?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002247f8d0e544054c1597a84e4827039b92\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I think what will be assured by the changes and the repealing of the three-strikes regime passed by ACT and National is that judges will continue to have serious tools to deal with serious offending and that the discretion for the judgment will be with the judiciary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002238309c697e814d518903d2cb5c8f18c0\u0022\u003ENicole McKee\u003C/span\u003E: Why should violent offenders, like Dylan Davis, who brutally beat the victim to death and received a third strike, be given anything less than a maximum sentence possible under law?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d4d8847847df4765981442b58c01c4b4\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: As I have maintained, under the law, if there is serious offending, the sentencing tools are still available to the judiciary. Those tools will still exist and that discretion is for the judiciary. As I mentioned in the response to the primary question, there have also been some manifestly disproportionate sentences handed out to people under the three-strikes regime, one which recently had the attention of the Supreme Court.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc2c7d350e884c338463574e951dcbc8\u0022\u003ETeanau Tuiono\u003C/span\u003E: What specific investments in the justice system will the Government make to support rehabilitation and community-based alternatives to imprisonment?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002228609f74075e40a28ac6f8a279aac3d0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. Order! Order! That\u2019s sort of a good question, and if there had been something heading in that direction it would have been an OK supplementary, but this is a quite specific area of questioning rather than a general one on the justice system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002258baa209-edaf-42a5-92d6-b2613c144bfb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ce14b857f0d047238d04b92240758fbe\u0022\u003ENicole McKee\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, Mr Speaker. How many victims of violent crime did he speak to in the process of preparing his proposed repeal of the three strikes?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022756cca5684aa40eca7ca86724b046f13\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I speak on a relatively regular basis to the likes of the Chief Victims Advisor, and, of course, Justice had an interaction with stakeholders as the policy was being put together. I will remind the member that Cabinet had the plight of victims very much at the front of its thinking, which is why, as I mentioned in the beginning of my answer, there is no retrospectivity, we do not want victims to be re-victimised through a process which might include resentencing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fb05fcd4eba44f0983b49d2ab140d1fa\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: In light of his discussion on ongoing tough sentencing, is he ruling out, today, any retrospectivity and, indeed, any compensation for prisoners who have been sentenced under the existing three-strikes law and who are found to have served sentences which, following his law change, are deemed too long?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221a8d5da260ca4184b3bca2e82ec5585c\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I think I\u2019ve already addressed the issue of retrospectivity. There\u2019s no mention of compensation within the proposed law changes that we\u2019ll make. I\u2019d also note that\u2014to reiterate\u2014for serious criminal offending, there will continue to be serious sentencing tools available to the judiciary. For those who believe that they may have been subject to a disproportionate sentence, the Supreme Court has recently ruled on that, and there may be an avenue for them to take there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f5d71749-ae91-4af7-b2bd-77260398912a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002230172209f38a42e283f9381b288dcfe3\u0022\u003EHon David Parker\u003C/span\u003E: In terms of the sorts of offences that are covered by the three-strikes law, does the offence of stealing the identity of a dead baby to obtain a false passport count?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d1d941963e914c45a988e224b603996e\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: I don\u2019t believe that is a strike offence, under my understanding. But I will note that the architect of this bill, former ACT member\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002262e3bd6fdb944602a1e97ee9495f1b63\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: No. No. Order! Order! We\u2019ve now gone past the point of answering the question and to the point of using a question to attack an Opposition party, and we\u2019ll stop it there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229d60d51b87a446179d7fce67220fff4f\u0022\u003ETeanau Tuiono\u003C/span\u003E: Does the removal of the third-strike law demonstrate a new approach, including more effective community-based rehabilitation initiatives?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a8f6131a0ca4992b0fdff298e6933db\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Much better.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226d6eba0b4f444430b7e8cf110dcde6f5\u0022\u003EHon KRIS FAAFOI\u003C/span\u003E: Yes it does. I think, instead of taking a gimmicky approach to law and order and making sure there are fewer offenders, it\u2019s time to start investing in the likes of things like the alcohol and other drug treatment courts, which actually has metric proof that it is reducing reoffending.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002290ea1538-43e8-4257-bd80-df3ccd1e5f27\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002251e08da59229477b94efa1e92f0e5b73\u0022\u003ESpecial Debates\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00226c61c173364a453499bb7d5be455beca\u0022\u003EM\u0101ori Affairs Committee\u2014150th Anniversary\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022 data-id=\u00228fd6fb435ad1404b983de9c1efa3626d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228fd6fb435ad1404b983de9c1efa3626d\u0022\u003ET\u0100MATI COFFEY (Chairperson of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That this House take note of the briefing on the commemoration of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee\u2019s 150th anniversary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI mark 150 years of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee in this House of Parliament. It is a significant day, but it\u2019s also a day that, as we look back over our shoulder and figure out where we started and how far we\u2019ve come over the last 150 years, actually, we take stock and realise that whilst we\u2019ve come a long way, there\u2019s still a lot more to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe Native Affairs Committee was established 150 years ago on 5 October 1981 by a motion in the House of Representatives. The House agreed to the motion without discussion or debate. There was no reason recorded for its establishment, but it was generally accepted that it was probably to meet the demands of a flood of petitions from M\u0101ori to the House. The Native Affairs Committee met for the first time on the morning of 9 October 1871, with the first item of business: 10 petitions that had been transferred by the Public Petitions Committee, and the committee\u2019s first report to the House was entirely about petitions\u201417 of them, in fact. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EPetitions made up the majority of the committee\u2019s work. A lot of our people that were out there at the time were mostly concerned about things like the confiscation of M\u0101ori land, the imposition of M\u0101ori land laws, the Native Land Court. All of these played an important role in communicating M\u0101ori concerns, and by 1900, just 28 years later, it had considered around 2,500 petitions. That was the size of the problem at the time and the reason for the establishment of the committee, to the point where the committee\u2019s workload was much larger than most other committees. You see, the newspapers at the time described the chairperson\u2019s role as \u201Carduous\u201D and not to be desired by any member with many duties. In fact, in recognition of the workload of the chairperson of the Native Affairs Committee, from 1876 to 1880 and again after that, they were paid a little bit extra in their salary to compensate them for the extra workload that they were having to go through at the time, when few other chairpersons actually were privy to that funding.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI want to talk about the actual room itself, and when I say \u201Croom\u201D I mean \u201Crooms\u201D, because we have two of them here in Parliament. It started out as the native affairs select committee room and it was named Matangireia. The meeting room was created in 1922; a kawanga whare was attended by the Prime Minister of the day, William Massey; and there were also other people that were there, including Te Arawa leaders Mita Taupopoke, Te Naera Houkotuku, and Te Kiwi Amohau. They were the ones that created the carvings for the room, and they attended. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe chairperson of the committee considered it only fitting that the room be designated as a whare r\u016Bnanga in recognition of the committee\u2019s mana and the committee\u2019s place in Parliament. In his address to the kawanga whare, the Minister of Native Affairs at the time described the committee as one that was \u201Cgoverned by the highest traditions of justice and fair play to both races and the administration of its affairs.\u201D He expressed the hope that the high traditions of the past would always remain with the room where they were about to enter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe room was redecorated in 1955 by Ng\u0101ti T\u016Bwharetoa carvers and chiefs. Red and black k\u014Dwhaiwhai were added to the decorative ceilings and the cornices of the room, and tukutuku extended all around the walls. Reproductions of Te Tiriti o Waitangi were cast up on to the walls alongside portraits of distinguished M\u0101ori members of Parliament: Sir James Carroll, Te Rangi H\u012Broa\u2014Sir Peter Buck\u2014Sir Maui P\u014Dmare, and the Hon Sir Apirana Ngata. There were also portraits of Sir Eruera Tirikatene, the Hon Matiu Rata, Iriaka Ratana, and the Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, which have been added since.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe meeting room was closed from 1992 through to 1995 as part of a refurbishment of Parliament House. When it was reopened, it was given that name \u201CMatangireia\u201D, meaning the 13th, or the upper-most heaven. And although it\u2019s no longer used as a committee room, it continues to have great significance to all of those that come through and get to see it for themselves. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ECue the second M\u0101ori Affairs Committee room, which was a baby of Koro W\u0113tere, who, back in the day as Minister of M\u0101ori Affairs from 1984 to 1990, decided that, actually, we needed a room that was closer to the front of Parliament House and more accessible for wh\u0101nau to be able to get there. M\u0101ui Tikitiki-a-Taranga was blessed and formally opened at a dawn ceremony, November 1995, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and it was more prominently positioned as the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee room.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThree master carvers were chosen to complete the room: Te Warihi Hetaraka, Albert Poai Te Pou, and Rangi Hetet. The carvers organised groups of weavers from North Auckland and from Te Wh\u0101nau Paneke of Lower Hutt to complete the tukutuku panels, and I want to acknowledge my colleague the Hon Peeni Henare, whose mum actually had a part in some of the weavings and the stories that are contained in that room.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s important to acknowledge the room itself, because we recently, as part of this commemoration, the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, held an online commemoration. There were two guests that were invited to commemorate alongside us. One of them was my colleague, our colleague, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. She was chosen because this year also marks her 25 years of service to this country and to this House. Once upon a time, she served as the chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and it was right and fitting that she came and presented to the committee, telling us about some of the trials and tribulations that she faced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EWe also chose to invite to the meeting the legend\u2014I\u2019ll call her a legend because that\u2019s what she is\u2014and wahine toa, the great Annette Sykes, who, for my reasons, I thought it was incredibly important that we had somebody who\u2019d been working inside the system for so long, fighting for the rights of M\u0101ori, but, equally, somebody that\u2019s been standing outside on the steps of Parliament for just as long, again, fighting for the rights of M\u0101ori. Between them, they shared the k\u014Drero. In fact, one of the lines that was used about \u201Cif these walls could talk\u201D\u2014and it was used by Annette Sykes. When she said that, I thought about it; I thought about \u201CIf these walls could talk, what would they say? Whose stories would they hark back to?\u201D There would be a lot of stories, because both committee rooms have heard the pain, the anguish, the upset, the happiness, and the comedy that often takes place in that committee room as well, but, actually, they would have some pretty poignant things to say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe Hon Nanaia Mahuta reflected on her time. As a newbie into this House of Parliament, she was put straight on to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and, actually, one of her initial jobs was to see through one of the first of the Treaty settlements that we\u2019ve become so accustomed to now. The Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement was up and she was in as a member of the committee at the time. She talked about how outside in the real world, outside of this House\u2014the protection of this House\u2014actually, it was incredibly confronting and there was some vandalism and there was some not nice things said out there in the media about this process of Treaty settlements, but, actually, it was the right thing to do. So she used that example of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Treaty settlement to really indicate some of those struggles.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EI want to mention the great Annette Sykes as well, who talked to us about one of her first trips down to Wellington, where she was invited down by Bruce Gregory, as we were trying to make M\u0101ori an official language. She was brought down to help draft up the bill, so that she did. But she told us that in her experience, she finally understood what this place was all about. She finally understood that if you were given a 10-minute speaking slot, that, actually, you should only take five minutes of that and leave five minutes for questions afterwards. But what she also noted in the meeting was the compassion of the members that were sitting around the table. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003ENow I want to acknowledge all of those members past and present of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and the Native Affairs Committee, who have sat there and listened to the heart-wrenching stories of so many people that have come to this House looking for justice. I want to acknowledge those ones that have passed on, that have done the hard yards over the years, and I want to mention and state the great work that they did. We stand on their shoulders. As the current chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, I prepare my shoulders for those coming after us that will join the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and will continue to work for change within these hallowed halls of Parliament. I look forward to the change that they are able to bring. We\u2019ll do our bit for the time that we\u2019re here, but I\u2019m aspirational for the future and I\u2019m aspirational that, actually, we have a generation of young M\u0101ori activists out there who have grown up absolutely understanding who they are, where they come from, how they tie into this world, and learning from some of the mistakes of the past.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226590faa0-f76b-4386-84f3-9b06296cc772\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Affairs Committee is the place where rangatiratanga intersects with K\u0101wanatanga, and for that reason, the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee members are, and always have been, the front line of M\u0101ori politics. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving us this time in the House to look back over our shoulder. T\u0113n\u0101 koe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022 data-id=\u0022790372c9a38144678738c19c4ed49cdb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022790372c9a38144678738c19c4ed49cdb\u0022\u003EHARETE HIPANGO (National):\u003C/span\u003E I rise to take this call, and am humble and honoured to do so, to speak in this special debate reflecting on and commemorating 150 years of the Native Affairs Committee\u2014the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. On 5 October 1871, the Native Affairs Committee was established. Today, 11 November, in 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns of World War I fell silent. We sit, and I stand, in this Chamber of commemoration and the commemoration is of those who gave their lives, those who were wounded, those who acted in honour, duty, and service\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002279db8b64-1f9b-4416-9b81-a12963db9cbf\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e809bdc1e885476f8b679d5e7a846aef\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! I apologise to the member. Please continue. Masks on and sitting down\u2014the members should know that they shouldn\u2019t be meeting like that. Go outside if you need to have a discussion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c34f84324dfe4cb691fc46fb4f1cfdc1\u0022\u003EHARETE HIPANGO\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014those who fell and gave their lives in duty, honour, and service for our nation Aotearoa New Zealand. This Chamber, every day we come into it, is in memory and honour of them. I pause to reflect and to pay respect on Armistice Day, and on 150 years, in commemoration and celebration of the contribution of the Native Affairs Committee, the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, to this Parliament and to our nation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EI\u2019m humbled because I am among many, 340 to be precise, members of Parliament who have served on the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, as it is known today. It is amongst that distinguished company\u2014and I say distinguished because our people, when we gather around the table at the select committee of M\u0101ori Affairs, we are not there as any one individual. We carry the memory but also the responsibility of those who have gone before, those here in our present, and those who are to come. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EMy colleague has spoken to the detailed information that has been provided for the benefit of all New Zealanders. It\u2019s a briefing report on the commemoration of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and the 150 years\u2019 service and duty that it\u2019s given. It names those individuals who have given service over the course of time since 1871, and I stand here as uri of Whanganui and also a list member of Parliament for the National Party. I\u2019ve reflected and gone through and looked at the names of those who have gone before, and all of us as M\u0101ori who come to give service in this Chamber, in this Parliament, are related to those who have served, and that is a big part of why I\u2019m humbled to stand here to speak, because there are many who cannot because their time is due.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EOne of those persons who has given service\u2014and, as I said, I speak today as uri of Whanganui. This morning I telephoned and spoke to one of our kuia, Dame Tariana Turia. She reflected by saying that she was but one of many, and the special and unique nature of us when we gather around the table of that M\u0101ori Affairs Committee is that we come together. Despite the political affiliations that we have, what draws and binds us is our whakapapa, and that as M\u0101ori we have a duty and service of care to our nation and to our people.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003ESo if I may just briefly reflect on Dame Tariana\u2019s recollection. She says, \u201CThose of us who come, come with lived life experience, not just of our time but as those who have gone before, of our people. And always first and foremost, the important message is always, always, put our people first, not be driven so politically and not to forget why we are there\u2014to serve.\u201D The briefing report details petitions and also significant inquiries, and Tariana was the champion for Smokefree Aotearoa, but she did not do that alone, and she reiterated the importance that Hone Harawira drove that campaign as much as she did.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EIt is interesting, also\u2014I talked about our whakapapa and our relationships, the whakawhanaungatanga. On 13 October 1975, some 5,000 M\u0101ori, some 5,000 people\u2014New Zealanders\u2014arrived at Parliament. That land march was led by Dame Whina Cooper, and we know that Hone\u2019s mother was there as well\u2014Titewhai\u2014along with many. My father was one of those who marched. That\u2019s why I say, \u201CThose who have gone before.\u201D We may be here for the moment\u2014but those who have gone before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003ESome 2,000 petitions were put to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee in the early days, and that was the loading and the bulk of its work. I requested of the Parliamentary Library if they would please do some research in terms of my whakapapa and association to those who have served on the select committee. The research that came also happened to reveal\u2014and I did not know this\u2014that back in 1888, petition No. 276 was lodged by my great-grandfather Waata Wiremu Hipango. He was persistent, like many M\u0101ori who came before the Native Affairs Committee at that time, because it was a place to come to address M\u0101ori land confiscation grievances and many others, particularly concern about the Native Land Court, as it was at that time. So my great-grandfather, again, lodged petition No. 452, and then the final petition, No. 228\u2014bearing in mind it started in 1888, the last in 1914, signed off on 23 May 1916\u2014was to pray that land be granted to the children of Hoani Wiremu Hipango, deceased, my great-great-grandfather, and that owing to the death of the petitioner, his son, the petition was to be withdrawn. I was unaware of the personal petitioning by our t\u016Bpuna, but we all have that personal association and reflection, and thus the significance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EThere is much that can be addressed. Time does not give the benefit or the merit of that service in 10 minutes, and I invite members of the public to go to the parliamentary website because information is there and it is available. This is a significant part of our history as a people and as a place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EI opened by reflecting on this Chamber as one of commemoration. It is a place where there is a melting pot of diversity in our representation, but also in the feelings, the emotions, that go with that. I finish off by acknowledging that on Armistice Day, which didn\u2019t come to be celebrated with the contribution that was made by New Zealanders in the First World War\u2014and M\u0101ori made a significant contribution. By the end of that war, 2,227 M\u0101ori had served in what was known as the M\u0101ori (Pioneer) Battalion. Of these, 336 died in active service and 734 were wounded. In the scale of our population today that may not sound much, but for the size of our population at that time it was significant, as was the epidemic of influenza.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EThe influenza epidemic\u2014I reflect back 102 years, and now here we are as a nation wrapped and caught up in a pandemic of COVID. History is repeating itself, and what I do say is that with repetition of history, those of us here to serve today do so knowing that we have a duty of care and service\u2014but with the pandemic our nation is in; we have a duty of care and service to look after each other, not just around the select committee. Mr Speaker, it has been an honour. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u002245aa14bb45e94226b57cc4a0ac173b49\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002245aa14bb45e94226b57cc4a0ac173b49\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO (Green):\u003C/span\u003E E te P\u012Bka, hari huritau. Hari huritau, hari r\u0101 wh\u0101nau ki t\u0113r\u0101 komiti o t\u0101tou, ki t\u014D t\u0101tou nei kotahi rau rima tekau o ng\u0101 tau m\u014D te komiti whakarite ng\u0101 kaupapa ki t\u0113nei o ng\u0101 Whare P\u0101remata. E mihi ana an\u014D hoki au ki ng\u0101 kaimahi, ki ng\u0101 ringawera n\u0101 t\u0113nei kaupapa i p\u012Bkau i roto i \u014D t\u0101tou nei mahi. M\u012Bharo hoki t\u014D r\u0101tou rangahau ki t\u0113nei kaupapa m\u014D t\u0101tou katoa. I a r\u0101tou i wh\u0101ki mai i \u014D r\u0101tou nei rangahau ki a m\u0101tou he nui ng\u0101 k\u014Drero i puta; ng\u0101 piki, ng\u0101 heke, ng\u0101 k\u014Drari t\u016B\u0101huatanga katoa o \u0113nei komiti.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI te rima o te Oketopa o te tau kotahi mano waru rau whitu tekau m\u0101 tahi ka m\u014Dtini te mema P\u0101remata o te \u014Ctautahi ki te R\u0101whiti, a Edward Jerningham Wakefield, ki te P\u0101remata ki te whakat\u016Bria he Komiti Take M\u0101ori. I tumeke katoa au ki te whakarongo ki t\u0113r\u0101 ingoa. K\u0101tahi i ruku ki roto i te rangahaua me te mea atu ko t\u014Dna p\u0101p\u0101 ko Edward Gibbon Wakefield. He ingoa rongonui, rongo kino nei puta noa i Te Ao M\u0101ori i te mea ko t\u0113r\u0101 whara he purari p\u014Dk\u014Dtiwha, he p\u014Dk\u014Dtiwha i t\u0101hae i ng\u0101 whenua M\u0101ori n\u0101 runga i ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga o te Kamupene Nui T\u012Breni. N\u0101 runga i t\u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 \u0101hua i tumeke katoa aku nei piropiro ki t\u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 m\u014Dhio. K\u0101ore i te m\u014Dhio m\u0113n\u0101 i p\u0113r\u0101 a Edward Jerningham Wakefield, k\u0101ore i m\u014Dhio p\u0113hea te tata o te takanga o te \u0101poro mai i te r\u0101kau. Heoi an\u014D ki runga i ng\u0101 h\u012Btori me m\u014Dhio mai t\u0101tou ko t\u0113r\u0101 te horopaki i whakaturea e r\u0101tou te Native Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHe mea \u0101rahi te Kamupene o Niu T\u012Breni e Edward Gibbon Wakefield, te p\u0101p\u0101. Ka whakapono a Wakefield ko ng\u0101 whenua M\u0101ori me hoko atu ki ng\u0101 P\u0101keh\u0101 kia rahi ai te moni m\u014D t\u014Dna kamupene. Ko te rautaki a te kamupene, m\u0101 ng\u0101 P\u0101keh\u0101 whai rawa e hoko whenua hei tuku mahi ki te hunga kaimahi, \u0101, whiwhi mahi ai hoki hei hoko whenua \u0101 t\u014Dna w\u0101. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EKo te mea k\u0113 ko \u0113nei ingoa ko Wakefield, ko Tory, t\u0113r\u0101 te ingoa o te kaipuke i haere mai r\u0101tou ki t\u0113nei whenua, i noho k\u0113hua nei ki runga i ng\u0101 waitohu t\u0113n\u0101 i ng\u0101 tiriti puta noa a Whanganui-a-Tara, puta noa i t\u014D t\u0101tou nei motu. He mea kirimoko ana ki a t\u0101tou i t\u0113nei w\u0101 i te mea he k\u0113hua an\u014D i te w\u0101 i raupatuhia te P\u0101keh\u0101 i \u014D t\u0101tou nei whenua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EKo t\u0113tahi o ng\u0101 k\u014Drero o Edward Gibbon Wakefield i noho mauhere ia i roto i ng\u0101 tau e toru i te w\u0101 i Ingarangi a ia, i te mea i k\u0101whaki ia i t\u0113tahi k\u014Dtiro. T\u0113kau m\u0101 rima \u014Dna tau. T\u0113r\u0101 te momo o t\u0113r\u0101, t\u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 whara. N\u014D reira ki roto i t\u0113r\u0101, t\u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 horopaki i whakat\u016Bria te Native Affairs Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI rukuhia e ahau ng\u0101 pikinga i roto i Te Ara, te pae tukutuku o Aotearoa wh\u0101nui. E p\u0113nei ana ng\u0101 k\u014Drero m\u014D Edward, te p\u0101p\u0101\u2014me Ingarangi taku mita\u2014\u201CEdward Gibbon Wakefield was known for his appetite for power and influence. As a child he was brought up under extreme habits of liberty. This lax environment fostered a love and aptitude for bending the will of others through obstinacy, charm and fast talking.\u201D T\u0113r\u0101 ki roto i te Encyclopaedia o t\u0101tou o Aotearoa nei. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EKo te tama, heoi an\u014D, ko ia te tuatahi o ng\u0101 Heamana o te Native Affairs Committee. K\u0101ore au i m\u014Dhio i ngau tana ng\u0101kau i ng\u0101 hara n\u0101 t\u014Dna p\u0101p\u0101. Heoi an\u014D kua m\u014Dhio mai ki roto i ng\u0101 tau t\u012Bmatanga o te Native Affairs Committee, n\u0101 te hora o ng\u0101 p\u0113tihana i tae ki te komiti i te w\u0101 o te i te mea kei te haere huri haere ana ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga o te pakanga whenua, ng\u0101 raru katoa i te puta i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, er\u0101 \u0101huatanga katoa. T\u0113r\u0101 te take i muia te komiti m\u014D \u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 petihana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EN\u0101 ng\u0101 pakanga me te raupatu ka noho r\u014Dr\u0101 \u0113tahi iwi. Ka haere te kai\u0101 o te whenua ina hoko ng\u0101 whakahaere o te K\u014Dti Whenua ng\u0101 tikanga whakahaere whenua hou me ng\u0101 ture whenua. T\u0113r\u0101 te \u0101hua o taua r\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHeoi an\u014D, i t\u012Bnihia te ingoa ki te M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. Me mihi atu ki t\u0113r\u0101 tipua, ki t\u0113r\u0101 m\u0101tanga, t\u0113r\u0101 tohunga o t\u0101tou, T\u0101 Apirana Ngata, mai i Te Tai R\u0101whiti, mai i maunga kore rawa taea te neke. Ahakoa te k\u014Drero atu ki a r\u0101tou, me mihi atu ki t\u0113r\u0101 \u0101huatanga o t\u0101tou i te mea ko m\u0101tou ng\u0101 mema P\u0101remata e whai ana i \u014Dna tapuwae. Ko ia te tauira.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI te tau tahi mano iwa rau rua tekau m\u0101 ono r\u0101 an\u014D ka hopua te heamana M\u0101ori tuatahi o te komiti, ko T\u0101 Apirana. t\u0113r\u0101. Ahakoa i whai w\u0101hi a ia ng\u0101 mema M\u0101ori i p\u014Dtitia ai ki P\u0101remata n\u014D te tau kotahi mano waru rau whitu tekau m\u0101 tahi ki te komiti, ko Apirana Ngata te tuatahi. Heoi an\u014D, kua rerek\u0113 ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga i t\u0113nei w\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI a au e k\u014Drero ana ki ng\u0101 mema o mua, n\u014D reira me mihi atu ki a Metiria Turei, mihi atu ki a Marama Davidson, ki roto i te r\u0101rangi, ko r\u0101tou an\u014D he mema p\u016Bmau ki te komiti. Mihi atu an\u014D hoki ki t\u0113nei w\u0101hanga o te P\u0101remata ki a Jan Logie, ko ia t\u014D m\u0101tou nei tangata Ttiriti, m\u0113n\u0101 ka kore te P\u0101keh\u0101 e tautoko ana ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga o Te Tiriti ka ngaro an\u014D t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EE mea mai a Marama ki a au, ko te mea rerek\u0113 o t\u0113nei o ng\u0101 komiti ko te mahi ng\u0101tahi o te tangata, ko te manaakitanga o te tangata, me te mea an\u014D, merekara, ka huaki t\u0101tou i te k\u016Baha, i te k\u0113ti, ko t\u0113nei komiti te k\u0113ti m\u014D t\u014D t\u0101tou nei ao M\u0101ori ki te P\u0101remata nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EKo t\u0113tahi mea e rongonui t\u0113n\u0101 komiti ko te kai. I te w\u0101 o Marama Davidson i mea mai ia i \u0101hua whakataetae a Chester Borrows me Nuk Korako. Ko t\u0113tahi hari mai te k\u014Dhua kai ko t\u0113tahi hari mai te t\u012Bt\u012B. Ko t\u014D m\u0101tou nei w\u0101hanga ki roto i t\u0113nei P\u0101remata, i te mea ko te nuinga o te w\u0101 ka noho rata m\u0101tou ki te Zoom hui. Heoi an\u014D me mihi au ki te \u012Bkara o ng\u0101 \u012Bkara, P\u0101ora \u012Akara, i te mea i t\u014Dna w\u0101 m\u014D te whakarite te kai i hari mai ia i te k\u014Dura. Engari k\u0101ore au i te m\u014Dhio m\u0113n\u0101 i rukuhia ia ki t\u014Dna kotahi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113r\u0101 te rerek\u0113 o t\u0113n\u0101 o ng\u0101 komiti o t\u0101tou, i te mea me whai t\u0101tou i ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga o te tikanga, me whai t\u0101tou i ng\u0101 \u0101huatanga o te manaakitanga. Ka aro an\u014D Te Ao M\u0101ori, ka tiro Te Ao M\u0101ori. E p\u0113r\u0101 an\u014D te \u0101hua o t\u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 komiti.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EMe mutu au me t\u0113nei o ng\u0101 whakatauk\u012B. \u201CKo te manu e kai ana i te miru n\u014Dna te ngahere; ko te manu e kai ana i te m\u0101tauranga n\u014Dna te ao.\u201D Ko te manu e kai ana i te kaimoana, t\u0113n\u0101 pea ko ia t\u0113tahi mema p\u016Bmau ki te Komiti Whiri ng\u0101 Take M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koe, e te P\u012Bka.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E[Mr Speaker, happy birthday. Happy birthday to this committee of ours, to 150 years of its dealing with issues in this House of Parliament. I want to acknowledge the hard work of those who bore the brunt of carrying this work forwards. I was truly amazed by the research undertaken for all of us. While they were sharing their research with us many stories emerged; the ups and downs and the many situations encountered by this committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EOn 5 October 1871, it was moved by Edward Jerningham Wakefield, the member of Parliament for Christchurch City East, that Parliament should establish a M\u0101ori affairs committee. I was flabbergasted to hear that name. Then I dipped into the research, finding out that his father was Edward Gibbon Wakefield. This is a well-known name, and an infamous one throughout the M\u0101ori world because that fella was a thieving bugger, a thieving bugger who stole M\u0101ori land under the name of the New Zealand Company. On learning this bit of information, I was quite emotionally distressed. I didn\u2019t know whether Edward Jerningham Wakefield would be the same, I didn\u2019t know how close the apple had fallen to the tree. However, for the sake of history, we need to know the context around the establishment in law of the Native Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThe New Zealand Company was headed up by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the father. Wakefield believed that M\u0101ori land should be sold to the P\u0101keh\u0101 in the interests of making money for his company. The company strategy was for rich P\u0101keh\u0101 to buy land to provide work for the working classes, and for them to obtain work selling land in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThe strange thing about these names like Wakefield and Tory\u2014the latter was the name of the ship that brought them to this country\u2014they have stayed hidden away on street signs all around Wellington, and all around the country. This is something that is only skin deep to us all today because it has been hidden away since the time the P\u0101keh\u0101 confiscated our lands. One of the stories about Edward Gibbon Wakefield was that he was in prison for three years when he was in England for abducting a girl; a 15-year-old. That\u2019s the sort of fella he was. So those are the circumstances under which the Native Affairs Committee was established.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI followed some of the links on the Te Ara website. This was said about Edward, the father\u2014I should speak with an English accent\u2014\u201CEdward Gibbon Wakefield was known for his appetite for power and influence. As a child he was brought up under extreme habits of liberty. This lax environment fostered a love and aptitude for bending the will of others through obstinacy, charm and fast talking.\u201D That came from New Zealand encyclopaedia.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EAs for the son, he became the first chairman of the Native Affairs Committee. I don\u2019t know if his heart was affected by the sins of his father. However, it is known that in the early years of the Native Affairs Committee they were swamped by a high number of petitions at the time of, and because of the constantly changing circumstances of the land wars, all the problems that arose from the Treaty of Waitangi, all those things. That is the reason the committee was overrun with petitions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EBecause of the wars and confiscation, some tribes were left powerless. Land sale dealings under the Land Court were just theft, due to the procedures and legislation regarding land. That\u2019s how it was in those days.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHowever, the name was changed to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. We owe this to the experience and skill of the great Sir Apirana Ngata from the East Coast, from the great mountain that cannot be moved. Although I\u2019m saying this to them, we must acknowledge this attribute of ours because we members of Parliament are following in his footsteps. He is the exemplar.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EIn 1926, the first M\u0101ori chairman was selected; that was Sir Apirana. Even though any M\u0101ori member of Parliament could have been selected since 1871, Apirana Ngata was the first. However, things were different then.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EWhile I have been talking to some previous members, I must acknowledge Metiria Turei and Marama Davidson who were both staunch members of the committee. On this side of the House, I also acknowledge Jan Logie, she is our tangata Tiriti. If the P\u0101keh\u0101 did not support aspects of the Treaty, we would be lost. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EMarama said to me that the difference in this committee is the collaborative work and the care for each other with the result that, miracle, we can open up a gateway. This committee is the gateway for our M\u0101ori world to enter into Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EWhen Marama Davidson was on the committee there was somewhat of a competition between Chester Borrows and Nuk Korako. One would bring a boil-up, and the other, muttonbird.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHowever, I must acknowledge the eagle of all eagles, Paul Eagle, because when it was his turn to arrange food he would bring crayfish. But I don\u2019t know whether he dived for them himself.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003ETherefore, Mr Speaker, that\u2019s the different nature of this committee of ours, because we follow M\u0101ori protocol, with the kindness and respect of manaakitanga. We look at and focus on the M\u0101ori world. That\u2019s what that committee is like.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI should finish with one of our proverbs. \u201CThe forest belongs to the bird who feasts on the miro berry; the world belongs to the bird who feasts on education.\u201D The bird who feasts on seafood, they are a potential faithful member of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EGreetings, Mr Speaker.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022 data-id=\u0022d487ae729ec74c009ccd7577b672b5bc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d487ae729ec74c009ccd7577b672b5bc\u0022\u003EKAREN CHHOUR (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I stand here today to speak on 150 years of a committee that was formed to bring a stronger voice to our people. I didn\u2019t know much about the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, so I myself wrote to the library and asked them to do a bit of research into how this committee was formed and why it was formed, and I was quite surprised that there was actually no reason given to why this committee was formed and there were a few assumptions as to why that happened. I\u2019d like to think it was because more M\u0101ori were showing an interest in having a voice in the way that their people were being represented. Petitions were being presented and voices were being heard, and I think that\u2019s huge progress. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EI stand here, proud, speaking about my ancestors, who paved the way for somebody like me to be able to stand here today and represent New Zealanders and the M\u0101ori people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003ESo T\u0101mati Coffey has spoken to the facts of how this all happened and the progress of the select committee rooms and representation within this building. But I\u2019d like to speak to the fact that the fight to get here and the fight to be able to speak was a hard road, but now I am so proud that even if the M\u0101ori select committee was no longer here and the M\u0101ori seats weren\u2019t here, look at the representation we\u2019ve managed to achieve and the pride we can have standing here because the people of our past made this happen. We started with four MPs 153 years ago. That was 3 percent representation. Look at where we are now, in 2021: 21 percent representation in this House. We might have different opinions and different views and come at it from different angles, but that\u2019s what democracy is. It\u2019s about representing the wide variety, and M\u0101ori now have a voice here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EI would like to make a commitment that in my time here, I want to make my ancestors proud, I want to make my grandmother proud, and stand up for what I believe is right for my people. We are overrepresented in a lot of statistics that we\u2019re not proud of, but we are doing well in other areas, and just fighting for better opportunities for our people to make the fight that they went through mean something. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003ESo thank you for the opportunity to stand here today, and I will make sure that the ACT Party fights just as hard for our children to have the opportunities that everybody in this country has. That includes, for me, the education system, because unless our M\u0101ori children have better opportunities within education, we will always be overrepresented in these statistics. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EI would like to finish off just by a prayer that was read out by Joseph Gordon Coates, actually, at the opening of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee room: \u201CHe hoped that the race that owned the country previously, the race that we were proud of as fellow-citizens and as brothers, would long continue to flourish, and that the two races, Maori and pakeha, would always live together in unity. When they entered the room as members of Parliament they entered it as equals,\u201D and our hope is that that is what people see here today. Every time we walk in here, we enter as equals. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u0022972d0565d6f74814a71ed9eb9058c7f9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022972d0565d6f74814a71ed9eb9058c7f9\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister for M\u0101ori Development):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Mr Chair. E mihi ana ki a koe, e te tuahine, m\u014D t\u014D k\u014Drero \u0101taahua. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E[Thank you, my sister, for your beautiful words.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAlthough I don\u2019t support your party, obviously, I support your journey and your struggle in terms of what you\u2019ve done in your life. Well done, congratulations. Te Ao M\u0101ori is proud of what you\u2019ve done. E mihi ana ki a koe. [Thank you.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThat k\u014Drero sort of sums up a lot of what I want to say. I remember coming to Parliament in 1999 and sitting on the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. I should have been the chairman, but, sadly, John Tamihere ended up as the chair, and I ended up as the deputy chair. I wasn\u2019t too happy about that, but we all know what happened to JT. But it was a fascinating time for me, because we went on to this M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and we looked across at the Opposition, and I came in as bit of a lefty and I couldn\u2019t stand Tories\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223834399ccb1c47ad89691b3d7083bf55\u0022\u003EHon Simon Bridges\u003C/span\u003E: Look at him now!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022886e00836d5340edbf3c4e27e78482d6\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014not like now, you know. Simon Bridges and I get on OK. In those days, you know, we\u2014no, seriously, I was young and a bit militant and just wanted to bash the Opposition all the time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESo we came on to this M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and we looked across the other side and we saw Richard Prebble and Murray McCully. And these guys are the Ministers of everything, as you well know. We saw John Luxton, we saw Doug Kidd, and we saw Georgina te Heuheu. And JT and I thought we were going to have a ball, you know, smashing into the Opposition. The problem is, we started agreeing with a lot of their k\u014Drero. In fact, Prebbs was making a lot of sense in those days, and it really got our Prime Minister, Helen Clark, very worried about the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee at the time, because every time we\u2019d sit down we\u2019d be going, you know, here we went in wanting to deal to the Prebbles of this world and the McCullys of this world, they made so much sense we started putting inquiries in to every Government agency going. And it wasn\u2019t a good look for the Labour-Alliance Government at the time, but it was an example of the whanaungatanga that Harete Hipango talked about. Here we were sitting down, but we could actually respect and embrace the knowledge. And even though we had different politics, there was experience there from these guys. So, sadly, we put in, too, an inquiry into my own agency, Te Puni K\u014Dkiri, the Crown Forestry Rental Trust, fisheries commission, education board\u2014I mean, it just went on and on and on. Doug Kidd and then John Luxton were so clear with their k\u014Drero. So it was a fascinating time for me, as sort of my politics changed\u2014they didn\u2019t change completely, but I also realised that you could all work together in that sort of whanaungatanga-type space.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIt was a time, of course, that was a bit feisty at times, too. Richard Prebble threatened to punch out JT because JT wasn\u2019t wearing a tie one day. So that wasn\u2019t a good look in terms of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee at the time. JT threatened to punch out Mahara Okeroa who was on the same side as JT\u2019s, and I got promoted to chair that day. Then the select committee that John Tamihere had defamed a kaum\u0101tua of ours, a guy\u2014you\u2019ll remember this\u2014Dennis Hansen, and JT very bravely in the House called him a drunk and a liar. And Dennis Hansen demanded the opportunity to come back to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee so that he could have that opportunity to respond. The letter was put to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee that the kaum\u0101tua could come back. Of course, unanimously we supported his request to come to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and so he came. And the kaum\u0101tua walked in, and, of course, I got to chair the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee that day. We had a totally full room, it was absolutely packed out, and John Tamihere had to sit behind me. The kaum\u0101tua walked into the room, and he said to everybody, there must have been 50 there, \u201CThere\u2019s only two things that I would\u2019ve done in my day if anyone had called me a drunk or a liar, and that would\u2019ve been me hitting that person and that person hitting the ground.\u201D And, of course, the room burst into laughter, and we all clapped, showed JT no loyalty whatsoever. Audrey Young after that said that at every M\u0101ori Affairs Committee there should be a charge put on, because it was so entertaining.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIt was a great day. But believe it or not, you learn a lot off some people\u2014as you know Mr Speaker\u2014and whether it was McCully or Luxton or Doug Kidd or Prebble, I learnt something off them. On our side, everybody else became a Minister\u2014Dover Samuels, Mahara, Mita Ririnui, John Tamihere, and even I got there in the end. So they were wonderful days, and, as Harete Hipango talked about, a wonderful example of whanaungatanga and how this Government and Parliament can get on at different times.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ET\u0113nei te mihi ki a t\u0101tou katoa m\u014D koutou kaha ki te tautoko ki te whakanui t\u0113nei komiti i t\u0113nei w\u0101.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAn\u014D, ki a koe e te tuahine, Karen, mihi ana ki a koe, e hoa, m\u014D t\u014D kaha ki te k\u014Drero e p\u0101 ana ki Te Ao M\u0101ori. N\u014D reira t\u0113n\u0101 koutou t\u0113n\u0101 an\u014D t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E[This is an acknowledgment to us all, for your energetic support to commemorate this committee today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAgain, to you my sister, Karen, I acknowledge you, my friend, for your courage to talk about the M\u0101ori world. Therefore greetings, greetings once again, one and all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022 data-id=\u00224fa9cbdc68ae44fe83663e4eba75013c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224fa9cbdc68ae44fe83663e4eba75013c\u0022\u003EHon SIMON BRIDGES (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E Well, it\u2019s great to commemorate 150 years of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. I was on it for a term, and that makes me\u2014according to the briefing on the committee in its 150 years\u2014one of the 341 members of it. I can remember in that term, which would have been 2008-11, touring marae, a lot of kai, a lot of kai moana, touring all over the place\u2014places I\u2019ve never been before, frankly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI just want to say it\u2019s funny because the Hon Willie Jackson has stolen a bit of my thunder there\u2014I had a very similar experience to him. I can remember, in addition to the Treaty settlement work, some very important work\u2014seminal work, actually\u2014the work on smoking, the tobacco inquiry. I can remember about that. It was independent. The Ministers would get very nervous about it, and old Tau Henare, who some of us will remember, he was chairing it. He didn\u2019t give a stuff what the Ministers thought; he was going to do whatever he thought would get his name in the paper in that inquiry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EOf course, as my friend Harete Hipango has said, what\u2019s also true is there behind the scenes was Dame Tariana Turia, and also\u2014a real force, actually\u2014someone I got to know well on the committee, Hone Harawira. It was interesting, because, a bit like Willie said, I probably came in with the opposite views and values and principles to Willie Jackson, but seeing guys like Hone Harawira\u2014who I still, obviously, disagree with on probably many, if not most, things\u2014I could see his genuineness, that he was concerned about the issues. Actually, I still say that that report, in terms of my backbench experiences in Parliament, and the one I was involved with on alcohol, were a couple of the most important things I\u2019ve been involved in. But still, when I think about the work when it comes to tobacco, I also identify with what Willie Jackson says, because I can remember Tau Henare was the chair of the committee. He would get so angry, he\u2019d be swearing at members; I thought he was going to beat them up or punch them\u2014yeah, we won\u2019t go there, Mr Speaker! And then I can remember, on occasion, he would literally just\u2014he was so angry, he\u2019d walk out, and suddenly I was the chair. And there\u2019d be Parekura Horomia there yelling at me in te reo\u2014I had no idea what he was saying, and here was this young whippersnapper who just wanted to be a Cabinet Minister and wasn\u2019t really sure what to do about it all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EBut it was a good committee; it was a real learning experience for me. I already made the point, but whether it was Parekura Horomia or whether it was Hone Harawira, or whether it was Tau Henare, there were some great characters on the committee who I learnt a lot from. As has been said, the whanaungatanga\u2014it ran differently than other committees. Other committees\u2014obviously, I suppose, Western committees, we\u2019d say, were more formal, and it was more adversarial. But on this one, one was expected to be not like that and to be more collegial and, dare I say it, friendly, although, as I say, sometimes the passions ran very high on it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI just want to note what T\u0101mati Coffey said. In a way, it may seem like a superficial point, not the most important point given the substance of the work on the committee. But I do think, when I think of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee over the years\u2014and not just over the years, and not when I was on it, but even today\u2014of the rooms. It seems to me that first one, which I think I\u2019m right to say was built and put together in the 1920s, and then the next one, the larger one, with the windows facing the forecourt in the 1990s\u2014these to me are the rooms in this place that have the most mana. Funnily enough, having been here 13 years, I don\u2019t know Parliament that well. I don\u2019t actually walk around and see the various parts of it. But if I\u2019m doing a tour, if there\u2019s a Simon Bridges tour going, they are always top of my list for people to see, because they are special; they have mana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003EI want to reflect very briefly on the work. Obviously, the lion\u2019s share of it these days is the Treaty settlement bills. But that\u2019s been a process where it\u2019s non-contentious, it comes with the spirit of wanting to improve those laws and do the best for iwi. Just on that note, I would note that it\u2019s appropriate that today, my iwi has signed a deed of settlement, Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto, and that\u2019s a great day after some 30-something years, I think, in the making\u2014obviously much longer than that in terms of the grievance and the mamae there. But I\u2019d just note that that\u2019s a real achievement, and I commend Minister Andrew Little for that work and being the Minister who got Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto to deed of settlement stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022badb0a39-849c-462a-b32f-77fc017c9fc2\u0022\u003ESo it\u2019s a unique committee; 150 years is a great achievement. It\u2019s had much more prominent members on it, dare I say it, than Willie Jackson or me, with the likes of Apirana Ngata and many others. Long may that continue. It\u2019s a proud part of this Parliament; it\u2019s a proud part of Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s culture and fabric.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022 data-id=\u0022d6ac20bb187f4120b36f9f1d1f76d363\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d6ac20bb187f4120b36f9f1d1f76d363\u0022\u003EHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister of Customs):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou. T\u0113n\u0101 koe, otir\u0101, ng\u0101 mema o te Whare nei, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. I\u2019m absolutely honoured to take a call on the 150-year anniversary of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EBut before I turn my attention to contribute to the debate in the House, can I also acknowledge the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when we saw the end of the Great War, the First World War, Armistice Day. I\u2019d like to acknowledge sharing, at 11 a.m. this morning, the laying of the wreath with Our Excellency Dame Cindy Kiro, our new Governor-General of Aotearoa New Zealand, at a ceremony at Pukeahu. Can I acknowledge current and former servicemen and women who continue to serve our great nation with pride.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EAs we just heard from contributions in the House around the significance of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, I myself did serve on the committee. I want to acknowledge those that have been on it, who continue to be on it, and I want to join with members that say the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee is a special type of select committee. I\u2019ve enjoyed the years that I\u2019ve had on that select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EMy journey into Parliament, when I came in in the middle of 2013, the Hon Mr Shane Jones actually said to me, \u201CMeka, which select committee do you want to go on?\u201D Of course, I went, \u201CThere\u2019s only one select committee, and that\u2019s actually the primary industry.\u201D, not because I didn\u2019t think the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee wasn\u2019t important; it just had very, very mighty members on that committee. So he gave me about three months on the primary industry select committee, and after three months I got tailed back to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ECan I acknowledge the significance of the committee formed in 1871. I thought I\u2019d just use this time to take members back on a little historic journey, particularly as it relates to my electorate of Tai R\u0101whiti, Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti, in that the Treaty was signed in May 1840 at a place that\u2019s 10 minutes from my home in Manutuke, Gisborne\u2014a place called Manutuke. It was a thriving economic township in Aotearoa New Zealand, T\u016Branga-nui-a-Kiwa\u2014or today known as Gisborne. We had schooners, we had traders, and people were living, I would say, with our new settlers rather well, until the Crown turned up 25 years later in 1865 and everything went to custard. The Poverty commission was set up. Land was confiscated. We had the Waerenga-a-Hika siege in 1865 and land was confiscated back then.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EIn 1867, we had the passing of the Maori Representation Act, which saw the formation of four M\u0101ori seats. I was going to say the naming of them is a bit like North Island and South Island. So we had Northern M\u0101ori, Eastern M\u0101ori, Western M\u0101ori, and Southern M\u0101ori. I\u2019m pleased to see that we now have seven M\u0101ori electorate seats in this Parliament today. I want to acknowledge the first Eastern M\u0101ori MP in this House, T\u0101reha Te Moananui, who served Eastern M\u0101ori back when those seats were formed. It made me think that in 1867 this House moved to establish the four M\u0101ori electorate seats, but the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee wasn\u2019t up and running until 1871. So it would be interesting to know how that particular piece of legislation that was really groundbreaking was considered by the House as a whole, or which committee it went to. It definitely didn\u2019t go to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, because it wasn\u2019t established until four years later.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003EHaving said that, though, like I said, significant pieces of legislation have gone through the select committee. I can\u2019t do the time justice to acknowledging what legislation went through the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee; however, I want to acknowledge the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, as a previous speaker has talked about. The fisheries settlement Act was significant for M\u0101ori. Te reo M\u0101ori as an official language is another significant piece of legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022073496a0-73b7-426f-97f8-916bd542b0fa\u0022\u003ELike I said, there are so many pieces that this select committee would have examined and had open public to submit on. It is a great committee. I recommend all members of this House, if they ever get a chance to either be on a select committee or to sub in for people who can\u2019t\u2014I really strongly recommend the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. It is a unifying committee. We do have our political differences but we look at the kaupapa and the issue. All members that I have sat with in the time that I\u2019ve been on that committee have come with that approach. It is a great committee to be part of, to belong in. I celebrate with all members in this House its 150-year anniversary and its contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022 data-id=\u0022211e1f6698e54fc9b380dc1bd38520d2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022211e1f6698e54fc9b380dc1bd38520d2\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland):\u003C/span\u003E It\u2019s a real privilege to rise today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, which was formed on 5 October 1871. At that time it was called the Native Affairs Committee and later became known as the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, and was created by the House of Representatives. It\u2019s a real honour to be here in the House of Representatives this afternoon, commemorating it on what is also the day the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War on 11 November 2018. I heard from my colleague Simon Bridges as well and I join him in congratulating Ng\u0101ti Maniapoto and Minister Little on signing a deed of settlement today\u2014that\u2019s a great, momentous occasion as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI listened with great pleasure, actually, to Willie Jackson as he told his stories about the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee in his time. We haven\u2019t had anything nowhere near that entertaining, but there is one commonality that flows through, though, and it\u2019s a spirit of cooperation between the different political parties, because although we have our different ideas about how we should do things and what\u2019s the best approach, we all have a common focus on what\u2019s best for M\u0101ori and how to achieve that. And that creates a real spirit of whanaungatanga, I think, in the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, which has been there for, it seems, a very long time and continues, and I hope will continue for the next 150 years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EIt brings me to think of the whakatauk\u012B:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EKia whakat\u014Dmuri te haere whakamua.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI walk backwards into the future with my eyes firmly fixed on the past.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThis whakatauk\u012B or proverb speaks to M\u0101ori perspectives of time, where the past, the present, and the future are viewed as intertwined. This conceptualisation of time does not leave the past behind, rather the past is carried into the future. And I really feel that resonate here in the House of Representatives this afternoon.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EIn the 19th and early 20th centuries, the committee acted as a check on both judicial and executive decision making, ensuring a degree of parliamentary accountability and oversight of two powerful and dominating actors in the area of 19th century land alienation and governance: the Native Land Court and the Government itself. All select committees have an important accountability and scrutiny function. What makes the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee special is what Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Justice Matthew Palmer describes as the historic role of the \u201CM\u0101ori land ombudsman\u201D. For a large part of its existence, petitions drove the bulk of the committee\u2019s work. This responsiveness to petitioners defined the committee\u2019s constitutional role as a check on the actions of the Crown in relation to M\u0101ori land, at the very least, ensuring that grievances were formally communicated to responsible officials as well as compelling some level of explanation from the Land Court and Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI also wanted to take a moment to remember and commemorate all of those who have served on the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee over time, both past and present, and for all of the hard work that has gone into bringing us to where we are today. I note that it also has maybe a somewhat unique record in that 16 former members of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee served as Premier or Prime Minister of New Zealand. In the brief time available to me I\u2019ll quickly list them: William Fox, Frederick Whitaker, Harry Atkinson, George Grey, Robert Stout, John Balance, Richard Seddon, Joseph Ward, Joseph Coates, George Forbes, Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser, Keith Holyoake, Norman Kirk, David Lange, and Jim Bolger. Quite a list of people who have led New Zealand and also played their role among others in the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI would also like to just note that the very first M\u0101ori chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee was the National Party member Sir Apirana Ngata, often described as the foremost M\u0101ori politician to have ever served in Parliament and known for his work in promoting and protecting M\u0101ori culture and heritage and setting up land development schemes to encourage M\u0101ori to develop their land, and played a very important role. I would also like to give particular note to Jim Bolger\u2014a past Prime Minister who chaired the committee between 1976 and 1978. He was chair during the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee\u2019s consideration of Dame Whina Cooper\u2019s petition calling for the end of the alienation of M\u0101ori land. The committee, after two years of listening and deliberations, recommended to the Government that an inquiry be held. As Prime Minister he oversaw major Treaty of Waitangi settlements, including the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu claims in 1995. Reconciling the historic injustice that M\u0101ori have suffered and supporting a brighter, more aspirational future for M\u0101ori has always been important to National and it will continue to be, as it is to all members in this House. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022 data-id=\u00227f523591945745bbbcf062fb839568c5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227f523591945745bbbcf062fb839568c5\u0022\u003ERINO TIRIKATENE (Labour\u2014Te Tai Tonga):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe, Madam Speaker. T\u0113nei te mihi nui wharahirahira ki te Komiti M\u0101ori o te P\u0101remata. Kotahi rau, rima tekau ng\u0101 tau o te Komiti M\u0101ori. E mihi ana ki ng\u0101 Komiti M\u0101ori tawhito me te Komiti M\u0101ori o t\u0113nei w\u0101, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E[This is a very important acknowledgment of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee of Parliament which has been in existence for 150 years. I wish to acknowledge all past committees as well as the current committee, thank you all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s an absolute delight to be able to speak in the special debate as the chair of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee in the last Parliament. I want to endorse all of the contributions that have been made today. It is a taonga the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Affairs Committee and its work traces the history of Aotearoa, the legislation which has come through this House\u2014good and bad\u2014the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee obviously played a part through those processes, and so it has traced that journey. I do acknowledge the mamae and I do think of our ancestors past when we walk through these hallowed halls and we go past Matangireia. All of those M\u0101ori politicians of yore we have connections to. Every M\u0101ori has a connection to those politicians and the work that they have done through their time, right the way up to the present. So there is a rich history of this committee. Yes, the 19th century and the 20th century, it was a lot of grievances. There were tumultuous times, as we know, in Aotearoa. Petitions such as Harete\u2019s tupuna and my own grandfather, who presented the petition of 40,000 M\u0101ori in 1932 under TW R\u0101tana for the statutory recognition of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That is really the root of the mahi of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, it\u2019s being able to advance that Treaty journey that we have as a country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EFrom those days, we moved to the 20th century. We must celebrate the significant achievements that have been achieved, particularly over the past close to 50 years. I think of the landmark work of the Treaty of Waitangi Act and the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, which enabled the Government to actually address and accept responsibility for its actions and breaches of the principles of the Treaty, right through to what we have today, which is we continue the work to try to revitalise the M\u0101ori economy, to deal with those inequities through passages of legislation, recapitalisation of our iwi, driving resources through the likes of Matua Willie Jackson and his good work. The work is ongoing; it is continuing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI\u2019m very proud that we are carrying the torches at this time of the race. The work of the committee is special. It isn\u2019t just M\u0101ori, too. All politicians from all parties in this House are members of the committee. Great contributions have been made in my time. I think of members like Chester Borrows and Jonathan Young, they were great members who made very good, solid contributions to really help the mahi of the committee. So it\u2019s not just a M\u0101ori committee, although, it is the mahi that we do to really advance the Treaty journey, as I say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI want to, in my short time that I have\u2014I like to say that I brought a bit more decorum back to the proceedings of the committee from JT and Willie\u2019s time. There were no punch ups. There were no scuffles. There was plenty of h\u0101kari, plenty of feasts that we had. Every week we were having great kai from all around the country. So I\u2019m pleased that I was able to bring that to the committee during my tenure as chair. But the work does continue, it is serious mahi. It is a privilege that we are able to do and to try and move the needle forward on Treaty matters for Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EI do want to spend the remainder of this time just to acknowledge the members past and present who have sat on the committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira, e mihi ana ki ng\u0101 mema h\u014Dnore katoa kua noho mai ki te Komiti M\u0101ori o Te P\u0101remata. Me p\u0113nei te k\u014Drero, hoki wairua mai, hoki wairua mai koutou ng\u0101 m\u0101tua. N\u0101 koutou i kawe te rama, n\u0101 koutou i kawe te kaupapa o te Komiti M\u0101ori. Ka nui t\u014D koutou tokomaha kua hipa te tahi rau rima tekau ng\u0101 tau. \u0100piti hono, t\u0101tai hono. Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. \u0100piti hono, t\u0101tai hono. Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002281825190-fd5d-4ed0-bb80-f12f3c93e653\u0022\u003E[Therefore, I wish to acknowledge all the honourable members who have sat on Parliament\u2019s M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. Let us say this to our predecessors: come back to us in spirit. It is you have carried the torch. You who have carried the initiatives of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. And there have been many of you in the past 150 years. The lines are unbroken. Let the dead rest with the dead. The lines are unbroken. Let the living be with the living. Greetings one and all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022 data-id=\u00222bdbe9b0f50045a680a7dbb3fae7c88f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222bdbe9b0f50045a680a7dbb3fae7c88f\u0022\u003EPAUL EAGLE (Labour\u2014Rongotai):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113na koe e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare. It is a privilege to be able to, I guess, have the last word on this special debate for the 150th celebration of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee. I\u2019m here because Te Paati M\u0101ori aren\u2019t here, so, you know, when they aren\u2019t here then our Labour M\u0101ori team and the party are here. So I want to say that, though, in the spirit that\u2019s been talked about for this session, and that is that everyone comes to the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee with that joint kaupapa of advancing all things M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003ECan I acknowledge the 341 previous members, all of those chairs, and people who have held senior roles on there as part of advancing things M\u0101ori. For me personally, it\u2019s been a bit of a hoot just to hear just some of the history, and it\u2019s always been marred by, as our Minister of M\u0101ori affairs says, a few punch-ups, some aggression, but lots of kai and whanaungatanga just to put into balance how the values of the select committee operate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EI asked our chief whip if I could be on the committee when the new term came. I said to our chief whip: \u201CLook, this is the committee that I would most like to be part of.\u201D I said that because when I reflect on where I\u2019m from, Waikato-Tainui, when I look at the journey I took to come here and\u2014can I not only acknowledge the Minister for M\u0101ori Development, but also our Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little. It was a phone call prior to being selected as the candidate for Rongotai, where we both live. He essentially said, \u201CLook, I\u2019m not standing, but no guarantees, but the selection is there.\u201D That really opened the door for me to advance my journey in.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EI knew that there had not been a M\u0101ori male who had won a general seat for the party in a century, so this would be historical in some ways, and so I knew the mantel there was going to be heavy. I also knew that I wasn\u2019t from Wellington, so mana whenua being Taranaki Wh\u0101nui; Ng\u0101ti Toa Rangatira; our people on Wharekauri R\u0113kohu, the Chatham Islands\u2014it was important that I had their support, because I wanted to ensure that things were done in a genuine way that reflected the values of me and things M\u0101ori. I haven\u2019t been let down. I\u2019ve been on that committee\u2014we\u2019ve had to re-induct Harete Hipango into the ways of collaboration and compromise, but our aunty has done a fantastic job, and we have worked together very strongly to ensure that our ideology, sometimes, and the way that we want to get things advanced is done with a kaupapa M\u0101ori spirit. That spirit has been in the spirit that our ancestors and those who have gone before.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EI want to just pick up on some of the things that the Hon Willie Jackson has said because I was expecting some of this, but now I\u2019ve heard that Rino Tirikatene had brought some peace and calm and some patience and a whole lot of other adjectives too to the former feral and rough nature of this select committee. That calm has prevailed and has been brought across. So I think maybe Rino has been a shining light in bringing that change of values and brought it back to that stately presence and manner that the select committee should operate in. But in saying and talking about Minister Jackson, I do want to acknowledge his father, Bob Jackson, who passed away on this day in 1994. So I know he had established Waatea Marae in Manukau in M\u0101ngere there, and so. Moe mai r\u0101, Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022217f4585-f6ef-408d-9318-8a6b8506920b\u0022\u003EBut as my time comes to an end, it is, as I said at the start, a privilege to be a part of the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee, the journey of the 341, and I hope forever that the values that underpin the operation of that select committee stand apart from other select committees. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022a794833e2d924984bd2798b2bf06f6cb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a794833e2d924984bd2798b2bf06f6cb\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EBriefing noted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022\u003EBills\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225765e2bd13f7450ebc05357fb821134e\u0022\u003EOversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubproceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022dc90144adf4a428cb763723c0d72d892\u0022\u003EFirst Reading\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022 data-id=\u0022e4a8a3ad541c4c8fa275253cde676996\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e4a8a3ad541c4c8fa275253cde676996\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health)\u003C/span\u003E on behalf of the Minister for Social Development and Employment: I present a legislative statement on the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224c254ad70a274d3086732c8d0ac77a86\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225a05a2a9b67f49bb910c903145ce6658\u0022\u003EHon ANDREW LITTLE\u003C/span\u003E: I move, That the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill be now read a first time. I will nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider this bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThis must be a bill with one of the longest titles. There is no confusion about what it actually is about. It is pretty much provided for in the title of it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThis Government is dedicated to improving the wellbeing and the lives of children in Aotearoa New Zealand, and that means that for those who require or come into the care of the State, or come under the agency of the State, we have appropriate safeguards around that system for children. What this bill does is, effectively, it adds a third leg to the stool\u2014not that we\u2019ve been sitting on a stool with two legs so far, but it does create a stool with three legs on it, and the third leg is this one, which is a dedicated oversight body of Oranga Tamariki to make sure that it conducts itself not only in accordance with its own laws and the laws of the land but in an appropriately ethical and acceptable way, given its multitude of relationships with all sorts of communities, including M\u0101ori and Pacific people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESo this is a very important bill, and it adds the third leg to the other two legs. One is the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman retains responsibility for accepting complaints about the conduct of Oranga Tamariki, and then the third leg remains the Children\u2019s Commissioner, who is the advocate for children\u2019s policy\u2014good, effective, healthy children\u2019s policy and advocacy to Government and to all the institutions that make up our democratic society on the interests of children. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe reason for this bill is that the current system is fragmented and lacks accountability and it\u2019s not well-established around a common purpose. So this bill reflects the Government\u2019s commitment to establish a more comprehensive and more cohesive system of oversight arrangements that will help to improve outcomes for children and young people\u2014tamariki and rangatahi and tai tamariki\u2014across New Zealand, and it does so in the ways I\u2019ve explained. It sets up this new body, this independent monitor of the Oranga Tamariki system, as a statutory officer with specific functions and duties that it has to undertake to monitor those outcomes for children and young people who are in the care of\u2014who are receiving services from Oranga Tamariki. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe current care system isn\u2019t achieving the best possible outcomes for children, young people, and their families and wh\u0101nau that New Zealanders expect. So we\u2019ve heard the message from New Zealanders and from a variety of communities, including from M\u0101ori, that we need greater accountability and better advice on the Oranga Tamariki system from a trusted monitor who can provide evidence of how the system is meeting the needs of tamariki, rangatahi, and their families and wh\u0101nau. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe objectives of the monitor are to carry out objective, impartial, and evidence-based monitoring on the performance of Oranga Tamariki and to provide authoritative and trusted advice to the Government and the public. In that respect, the monitor will be able to gather information from agencies and providers on the Oranga Tamariki system, as well as from children and young people themselves and their wh\u0101nau, with their consent and in accordance with its code of ethics. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe monitor will also be required to assess the Oranga Tamariki system in the context of wider systems of support and services that are provided to children under other legislation or where there has been a report of concern to Oranga Tamariki for people who are in the youth justice system. This broad scope reflects how the outcomes for children and young people in the Oranga Tamariki system do not just depend on the services delivered through that system but on the wider range of services provided by other agencies. The bill reflects this by requiring the monitor to take account of this wider context in monitoring this work. The information collected by the monitor will inform regular, publicly available reports to help identify strength and areas for improvement in the Oranga Tamariki system, including an annual report on outcomes being achieved for tamariki and rangatahi M\u0101ori and their wh\u0101nau. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIn combination with a general obligation to develop arrangements with iwi and M\u0101ori organisations, the bill also creates a legislative framework to operate in a way that best supports better outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi M\u0101ori, as informed by M\u0101ori. This includes meaningful and effective engagement with an appointed M\u0101ori advisory group under the bill. The monitor will collaborate and have regard to the views of the group when developing its priorities, work programmes, and monitoring approaches. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003ESecondly, the bill designates the Ombudsman\u2014as I\u2019ve said, the second leg of the stool\u2014as the body responsible for independent complaints and investigations of the Oranga Tamariki system. We need a stronger complaints process that is easy to navigate for all system participants, including children and young people, families and their wh\u0101nau, as well as caregivers and delivery partners. I believe that focusing the Ombudsman\u2019s role on complaints and investigations will help reduce complexity for people navigating the system and allow the commission to have a greater focus on systemic advocacy for all children and young people in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe bill will empower the Ombudsman to provide a timely and child-centred complaints and investigation mechanism that is separate and independent from the internal Oranga Tamariki processes and governance. Individuals will now have the option to go directly to the Ombudsman if they wish to complain about their approved care or their custody partner. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe bill supports the Ombudsman\u2019s role by providing additional powers and duties that will augment the Ombudsman\u2019s existing investigatory powers under the Ombudsmen Act 1975. The Ombudsman has stringent information-management procedures, reflecting their strict statutory confidentiality requirements, as well as robust processes for engaging ethically with complainants and other parties, including children. I\u2019m confident that this existing strong framework precludes the need for explicit information-management or ethical engagement requirements in the bill. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EUnder the Ombudsmen Act, the Ombudsman can exercise its powers over any of the Public Service agencies and organisations set out in Schedule 1 of that Act. I note that the bill extends the Ombudsman\u2019s jurisdiction beyond Schedule 1 of the Ombudsmen Act to include partners providing care or holding custody under section 396 of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The select committee process will provide an appropriate opportunity to more fully consider the views of stakeholders that may be affected by this, or any other broadening of the Ombudsman\u2019s jurisdiction. It is going to be very important to hear from those who are in those partnership roles who aren\u2019t formally part of the State apparatus about what they think about the Ombudsman\u2019s reach being extended into their operations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EFinally, this bill strengthens system-level advocacy for all New Zealand children and young people by establishing the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission\u2014the commission\u2014to replace and enhance the existing Children\u2019s Commissioner\u2019s functions, with that being the third leg of this very important stool. Currently, under the Children\u2019s Commissioner Act, the Children\u2019s Commissioner has key functions to monitor the Oranga Tamariki system, investigate decisions, report on children\u2019s issues, and advocate for children generally. This bill shifts the role of the Children\u2019s Commissioner away from the monitoring of complaints and strengthens its systemic advocacy role. It means that we don\u2019t have one organisation spread thinly across all those functions, but we make each of those very important functions, when it comes to children, discrete and self-contained. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EBut, knowing that, the system as a whole will need to operate effectively together. Children and young people\u2019s issues span a huge diversity of sectors, including education, health, care and protection, and the justice system. The bill will replace the current commissioner-sole model with a new, enhanced Children and Young People\u2019s Commission governed by a board that reflects the diverse skills and experience required to advocate on a broad range of issues. Parts of the bill that relate to the commission will become its own separate Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EThe commission\u2019s role will be to promote the interests and wellbeing of the children and young people of New Zealand and to advocate for their rights. These rights will include those under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other child-specific local and international obligations such as Te Tiriti o Waitangi and, indeed, other documents. In addition, the commission will have more clearly prescribed and expanded responsibilities to encourage and facilitate the participation of children and young people in matters that affect them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EAs noted earlier, the Ombudsman will have a strengthened complaints and investigation mechanism, and so the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission will not duplicate this function. So there is a strengthening of those functions all around. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s to be noted that the bill also includes a requirement for a five-yearly review of the commission\u2019s and the monitor\u2019s functioning, so this will ensure that we continue to evolve, grow, and adapt as children\u2019s issues change. This is a reasonably common feature now, when we\u2019re setting up these new oversight bodies and advocacy bodies, it\u2019s to provide for a review so that we stop and check to see that things are working as intended, and we can refine things and improve things and make them better. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022106966ef-8cc3-434a-9dbe-dd76b708c2a1\u0022\u003EI believe this new bill will further strengthen this Government\u2019s commitment to ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world to be a child. I commend this bill to the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022533793a860804b8bab930c6e229afd1c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022533793a860804b8bab930c6e229afd1c\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022 data-id=\u0022213c565a71ca432f97f1d8acf87a9af2\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022213c565a71ca432f97f1d8acf87a9af2\u0022\u003EHARETE HIPANGO (National):\u003C/span\u003E I rise and take a call as spokesperson for the National Party on children, Oranga Tamariki, and Wh\u0101nau Ora. I\u2019m not as confident as the Minister was in his address that this will improve the system. Having received the bill late on Monday evening, it\u2019s a bill that is 82 pages long, 122 clauses and four schedules. I haven\u2019t had sufficient time to scrutinise thoroughly this bill. However, should this bill progress to the select committee, the scrutiny will take place there, and I think the judgment will come from the stakeholders who are invested in this specialist area and field.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EI do know a little bit about child welfare, and I do know a little bit about the review systems within Oranga Tamariki as it is now. There are issues, as we know, about the organisation of Oranga Tamariki. There are issues about the leadership. There are issues that have come under the scrutiny of the Family Court and also the media recently. That is part of the oversight in terms of accountability as to the functioning\u2014or the dysfunctioning\u2014that has occurred within our child welfare system. I acknowledge that social workers are tasked with an onerous responsibility. I acknowledge that it is a most complex and highly fraught area. However, I also acknowledge that another level and layer of bureaucracy charged with some form of oversight may not be the remedy that\u2019s required for this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EHaving perused this bill\u2014as I say, 82 pages long\u2014I\u2019ve seen the explanatory note of the bill, and I acknowledge the Minister for the contribution that\u2019s been made in the House this afternoon. However, having perused this, I have to draw to the attention of members in the House and the public that the fact that the Ombudsman has been given additional powers to look into, deal with, complaints and investigate complaints around child welfare is not something new. The Ombudsman has those powers under the Ombudsmen Act 1975. What\u2019s proposed in this bill is to make that more specific.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EI draw to the attention of the House and the public that the Chief Ombudsman, Judge Peter Boshier\u2014a former Family Court judge and Principal Family Court Judge with immense and considerable experience in child welfare\u2014has the powers under the Ombudsmen Act 1975, to the extent that he has already conducted two major pieces of work supporting children in care. That is supporting tamariki and rangatahi and also investigating the removal of newborn babies.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003ESo to premise that this piece of legislation is going to empower the Ombudsman to conduct those inquires with a more honed lens, I think, could be questionable. However, this bill does prescribe and set out in detail what is expected of the Ombudsman, which, effectively, a person of the ilk and calibre of experience of the Judge Peter Boshier, New Zealand\u2019s Chief Ombudsman, has already conducted himself accordingly to do so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EThe bill is in two main parts. One is about the oversight in terms of monitoring, of conduct within the organisation, and dealing with complaints and investigating into those. The other component of the bill is the establishment of a Children and Young People\u2019s Commission. On 1 November this country welcomed to the role the new Children\u2019s Commissioner, Judge Frances Eivers. I do not know whether Judge Eivers had been briefed of this bill and that this was going to come about effectively with the disestablishment of the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner. So with that, what are the powers that the current Children\u2019s Commissioner has under this bill? As I\u2019ve read it, my eye has been drawn to Schedule 2, which effectively says that the Children\u2019s Commissioner is going to become just one of up to six board members on the commission. The select committee, should this bill advance to them, will need to seriously scrutinise and consider what the significance of the role of the Children\u2019s Commissioner will be.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EThis is a very detailed bill. The hesitancy that we as the National Party have about this bill, as I said, is that it\u2019s another level and layer of bureaucracy, something that the Labour Government is very proficient at. Looking at reforms of the Ministry of Health in the middle of a pandemic\u2014and I know, within this House as I stand, we acknowledge that we have a crisis in terms of child abuse within our nation. We also acknowledge in the National Party that with the country being in lockdown for so long and our children and our families being in lockdown, mandated that they must stay at home, that is going to undoubtedly\u2014and we\u2019re not seeing the reports that are coming out on the extent of family violence, family harm, and child abuse. So with the bill being introduced at this time, it would be inappropriate of the National Party not to support it. So I declare that this does have the support of the National Party at the first reading and to the select committee. It will be at the select committee that there will be that examination and scrutiny of the bill as to whether this really is just another layer of bureaucratic intervention that is not necessary.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EAs I\u2019ve glanced at this, I\u2019m not diminishing in any way the importance of addressing the serious concerns we have about the system in dealing with child abuse, but it\u2019s not just about the system within Oranga Tamariki. It\u2019s about the systems within our communities and how we address child abuse, and that\u2019s the important factor that I will be seeking to come from this bill\u2014it\u2019s what level of enabling and empowering our communities will address that very issue. It is all very well to again have an overlay and another piece of legislation that looks at strengthening a complaints and investigation system. The importance has to be about what is the solution and the remedy, so that it reduces the level of child abuse within our nation, and it also strengthens the organisation of Oranga Tamariki to deal with appropriately providing the child welfare care and protection for our children.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s acknowledged by way of background that in 2017, in response to reforms for Oranga Tamariki, there was a commissioned review of independent oversight arrangements, and that review found that it was important that there was a system-level advocacy. This is what this bill will attempt to address. However, it also looks at diminishing the power of the specialist agency of the Children\u2019s Commissioner. So, as I say, Judge Eivers was appointed to the role on 1 November. It will be interesting when it comes to that engagement at the select committee, and the extent of the concern that not only the Ombudsmen\u2019s office may have about this and what level of support or lack of support there is, but also from the Children\u2019s Commissioner. The detail within the bill is outlined, as I say, in 82 pages. The proposed amendments, or the proposed implementation of this new oversight system, and the formation of a commission, a Children and Young Peoples\u2019 Commission, will have bearing on 21 other pieces of legislation. That\u2019s profound. That\u2019s significant. I would encourage the Government not to rush this through the select committee and through the House. This is too important a matter when it comes to our children\u2019s welfare and this is the Government, this is the Labour Party as a Government, that says it has its children\u2019s welfare at the forefront, and that child poverty is an issue at the forefront.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022868f3a11-6a23-474f-a25e-6bc1d4c6e93f\u0022\u003EI just remind everybody that under this Government\u2019s leadership child poverty has amplified. It has intensified, it has increased, as has family violence\u2014which we haven\u2019t had the reporting of the statistics put to the public for attention, because everything is about COVID as a health crisis. We fundamentally have in this nation a child welfare crisis, and it will be interesting if this bill will make a jot of difference to that and to handling complaints. The National Party\u2019s focus is on providing solutions on what childcare welfare really is, and enabling our communities to do that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022 data-id=\u002262039c57af7e45918055f720d1266e0c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002262039c57af7e45918055f720d1266e0c\u0022\u003EANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is a real pleasure to rise and speak to this bill. I am delighted to hear that the Opposition will support this bill through the first reading\u2014quite surprised, after hearing that speech, that they were going to do so. This is a bill that I believe the community has been asking for for quite some time. I want to acknowledge the Minister bringing this bill, the Hon Carmel Sepuloni, and also the good work of the Hon Kelvin Davis, who is working to improve Oranga Tamariki and what we all know, and having heard from many people over many years, is a system that is groaning under the need to change. We know that the people who work at Oranga Tamariki often do that with the best of will, but this is a system that has been recognised under the Kahu Aroha report as needing significant change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003EWe have, at the select committee that will hear this very important piece of legislation, heard a number\u2014a number\u2014of petitions, and those inquiries looked into the briefings and those inquiries into what was happening at Oranga Tamariki. We all, each and every one of us at select committee, in the 52nd Parliament and also here in the 53rd Parliament, were greatly moved by the stories, by the commitment of the families that do the work to look after our most vulnerable children. So I am personally delighted that this piece of legislation is here and that my select committee, along with my colleagues, will work to get this into its best shape. What I can assure this House is that we will give it the scrutiny that it certainly needs. It is an omnibus bill. It is large\u201482 pages, as previously recognised\u2014and there are some really interesting processes that will come out of this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003EThis bill does something I believe that is long overdue, something that has been thought deeply about by this Government in its recognition that New Zealand should be the best place for children to grow up. As a consequence, the three things that it sets up, it strengthens absolutely the oversight of Oranga Tamariki. Many of us on the select committee have the experience of having worked in the system or having been in the system or having been a caregiver or a person who has been a foster parent, etc. So we inherently know some of the issues that happen, and what we know, from our own experience and from what people have told us, is that the system needs more accountability, and this is what this bill seeks to do. This bill seeks to strengthen that oversight. There\u2019s a monitoring of the system, there\u2019s an investigation and resolving of complaints, and there\u2019s advocacy for all of the children in this country but in particular for the specific role of our children and young people who are under Oranga Tamariki. Because those pieces of work interact between each other, it\u2019s right and it\u2019s appropriate that they are in different models or they sit in different organisations. That is because independent scrutiny and support of these processes is best managed in that way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e60c1237-5e2d-4d0a-9678-ab10db67d1b7\u0022\u003EI am, as I have said, really delighted that we have this piece of legislation. I think that it will improve the systems that we are putting in place with Oranga Tamariki, the systems that already exist in Oranga Tamariki, the accountabilities, the monitoring, and the support for our families who are most vulnerable in this country. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022 data-id=\u0022d0af6da6a50f415196c1ebe7fb6957c6\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d0af6da6a50f415196c1ebe7fb6957c6\u0022\u003EMAUREEN PUGH (National):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I stand to speak to the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill in its first reading this afternoon. Before I head into the detail within the bill, I would like to take the opportunity to remember the commemoration today, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Great War ended 103 years ago with the signing of the armistice agreement. We remember the 9 million who died across the planet, the 21 million who were wounded, and that the sacrifice of our allied soldiers was so that we could live in freedom. Let us maintain respect and defend that freedom always.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003EWith the tabling of this bill, once again it\u2019s a very big piece of legislation. It covers six Acts and 15 Acts simultaneously within Oranga Tamariki and the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission. There is a huge list of the Acts that it deals to, which I won\u2019t go into detail about, but basically what it does is it\u2019s going to set up another level of monitoring, and that monitor will look to the performance of Oranga Tamariki. But already\u2014and my colleague and friend Harete Hipango has referred to this in her speech, is that what it looks like on the outside is that we are introducing yet another layer of bureaucracy into the system. There\u2019s already been, in terms of the conversations with entities in the initial feedback that the Minister sought, some quite critical comment about this imposition. One of the things that this bill will look to do is it will authorise staff members to enter homes, properties, residence, or offices that are contracted or approved providers to Oranga Tamariki. And when those types of freedoms start to be compromised, we need to be very careful about the scrutiny of the legislation that empowers that, which is appropriate, given the commemoration of today. And always when we are talking about the freedoms of individuals and families, we need to exercise extreme caution. Of course, the ultimate goal of this is to ensure that the safety of the children is always paramount. So there is a fine balancing act that will need to be found, and I anticipate that this will be part of the discussions around the select committee table.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003EClause 99 identifies in this bill the functions and duties of the commission, and they will include, and I quote, \u201C[promoting] the interests and wellbeing of children and young people by\u201D, among other things, reporting on issues, advocating, raising public awareness, and conducting inquiries; promoting and advancing the rights of children and young people by, among other things, monitoring the application of the Children\u2019s Convention by departments and other instruments of the Crown, making reports to the United Nations, and encouraging children and young peoples\u2019 participation and voice. I recall when the Oranga Tamariki legislation was going through this House several years ago that that was one of the issues that was identified and introduced: that the voice of young people would be included in that legislation. So, appropriate, I hope, that the monitoring will also look to see that those young people are being adequately heard and that their voice in the system is not lost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003ENow, in this time that we\u2019re under, the families that are probably going to be using the services of Oranga Tamariki are under huge pressure. We\u2019ve had nearly two years of pressure on those families and a lot of insecurity and uncertainty about their future. As a consequence, the regard for the anticipated family violence and abuse of children is one of the consequences that we must stay alert to. So National is going to support this bill to select committee. And I do hope that given the Government\u2019s majority on that select committee, there will be sincere, open conversation and negotiation about the details in this bill. One of the things that we have come to realise is that when select committees have an absolute majority of Government members, it has not been unusual for all of the contributions that are made in good faith to take us nowhere. So this is one of those issues, because it relates to the care and the monitoring of Oranga Tamariki and, therefore, the safety and the welfare of children in their care that we hope the good faith negotiations and the voices of submitters will be heard and, as a consequence where needed, the legislation will be adjusted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003EThe focus of the monitoring is to look at the performance and those other issues that I raised before, but they\u2019re also the issues that have already happened. So, from my humble opinion, they are very backward-looking. But one thing that we certainly would hope\u2014and I speak on behalf of my National colleagues\u2014is that we don\u2019t treat this like an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We hope that there will be a focus on solutions to the causes of family violence and the stress that families are under, and therefore the consequences that fall upon the children. So National is always looking at solutions, and that will be part of the contribution that we make to the discussions at the select committee table.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003ENow, one of the issues that I\u2019d like to raise is around the uncertainty that has crept into the discussions already before this legislation was tabled. And one of those I\u2019d like to focus on is the actual need for this new monitoring regime. We keep going back to the fact that it seems, on the face of it, to be another layer of bureaucracy, even to the point where initially, when the discussions were under way, the Minister indicated that the children\u2019s monitor and the monitoring function would have an in principle intent to sit with the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner, but in actual fact that\u2019s not what\u2019s being proposed. And I\u2019ll just point out some of the quotes that were made by the former Children\u2019s Commissioner about creating an autonomous Crown entity. He thought that having an autonomous Crown entity was the best watchdog, because it had to be able to bark\u2014\u201Ca watchdog \u2026 that can bark\u201D were his words.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003EAlso there were M\u0101ori leaders who were concerned about the decision for where this entity is going to sit, which is in the ERO\u2014the Education Review Office. It does seem to be quite a disjointed relationship when you think about the work that this monitoring is going to be doing. So it doesn\u2019t seem like a comfortable fit. But they weren\u2019t alone in their concerns, because one of the issues that was raised by some of the people that were initially consulted was that if the monitoring function is perceived to be too closely affiliated with ERO\u2014the Education Review Office\u2014this may impact on the willingness of communities to engage with and trust the monitoring agency. And I think that\u2019s a really valid concern. There was also VOYCE who made their comments about this relationship: \u201CIt feels to me it\u2019s the strangest place of all to have it sitting\u201D. There\u2019s a lot of work to do on this bill; let\u2019s take it to select committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022 data-id=\u00224aff8c40342b4c91b9831e8460628194\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224aff8c40342b4c91b9831e8460628194\u0022\u003EGLEN BENNETT (Labour\u2014New Plymouth):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Speaker; thank you. I stand with enthusiasm to speak on the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill. This very much is a bill that reflects the Government\u2019s commitment to strengthening advocacy for all New Zealand children and young people, including oversight of Oranga Tamariki and its system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EThe previous speaker, Maureen Pugh, was just questioning around it sitting within the Education Review Office. And I was curious that when the ministry was originally established in 1972, the Child Welfare Division was actually part of the Ministry of Education. So obviously it\u2019s been a natural fit for many years to sit in that place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003ENow, this legislation, and the work it does, makes me think about the saying that we all love, that it takes a village to raise a child. Now, for this piece of legislation, I think we can flip that and say it takes a child to remind us that we\u2019re part of a village. It takes a child to remind us of our responsibilities, of what we need to do. And with this legislation, the work being done here is very much about that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EThis afternoon, the piece I want to focus on is the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission. Now, we\u2019ve had two speakers from the opposite side talk about another layer of bureaucracy that\u2019s been thrown in\u2014that old chestnut\u2014but it\u2019s actually, for me, around getting the bureaucracy right and getting it in the right places. The Hon Andrew Little, as he spoke earlier, talked about how currently the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner is spread really thinly in what it does. And this legislation, with the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission, was able to focus it far more in what it does, and then allow the Ombudsman to focus more on what they do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003ENow, I got involved in this space in the 1990s, when it was called the Children and Young Person Service (CYPS). Obviously, it\u2019s transitioned now to Oranga Tamariki, but back then, in the late-1990s, I was involved in a mentoring programme and got involved in family group conferences that were facilitated and run through our child protection agencies\u2014CYPS. And then I got involved in the early 2000s as a foster parent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003ESo this is important legislation for me, as I reflect back and put my hat on as a foster parent. If there were issues, if there were struggles, if there were challenges in dealing with a social worker, in dealing with the system, it was often hard to know where to negotiate, and how to advocate, because often it was just going up the chain\u2014which, then, was Child, Youth and Family, if I remember rightly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003ENow, back in 2003, a young person who was just turning 12 ended up in my care. It was a challenging situation, and we had some real struggles. School didn\u2019t work out, the situation was tough, and I needed support. Due to some circumstances, things weren\u2019t going well, and I didn\u2019t have many options in terms of where I would go and what I would do in terms of the support I needed. But looking at what we\u2019re doing here, having the Children and Young People\u2019s Commission, it feels like a space that would fit naturally for me, if I was in that position today, to work with.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221cd33f16-add4-4363-a2d4-f457841a5c4c\u0022\u003EI support this because I want to make sure that we do all we can to protect our tamariki, our rangatahi, and with this new commission\u2019s role, it\u2019s around promoting the interests, promoting the wellbeing of children and young people in New Zealand, and it\u2019s around advocating for their rights. And I was really lucky to be with the Children\u2019s Commissioner a little while ago, and he gave me this little book, which is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and it reminds me\u2014it sits in my desk here in Parliament\u2014of what our responsibilities are. Article 20 says, \u201CA child temporarily or permanently deprived of his or her family environment, or in whose own best interests cannot be allowed to remain in that environment, shall be entitled to special protection and assistance provided by the State.\u201D And this work is around providing that support and that protection by the State. I commend this bill to the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022 data-id=\u00220e1d2685828347a891fded60e25c7f60\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00220e1d2685828347a891fded60e25c7f60\u0022\u003EJAN LOGIE (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Green Party to speak on the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People\u2019s Commission Bill. I\u2019d like to start my contribution this afternoon with a mihi from the beginning of the report H\u0101h\u0101-uri, H\u0101h\u0101-tea \u2013 M\u0101ori Involvement in State Care 1950-1999, a report released today. I\u2019ll start with that:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003E\u201CTo all those children who were taken from sanctuary and\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003Ethrown in to the mouth of the state\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThose of you who have experienced the dislocation of your\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003Einnocence physically, psychologically and spiritually\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWho have died within State Care\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWho have survived State Care\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EAll of that which has happened to you, without your permission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWe have reached a reckoning\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWe see you\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EIn this report, they\u2019ve told us what we have been told for many years\u2014that our children have not been safe in our collective care. They found that for tamariki M\u0101ori, the reasons for that were structural and systemic racism across several Government organisations, Government policies over successive Governments dismantling M\u0101ori communities, and undermining wh\u0101nau, hap\u016B, and iwi structures, and that M\u0101ori in care were subjected to racist and inequitable treatment, including being prevented from seeing their wh\u0101nau. The voices of tamariki M\u0101ori and their wh\u0101nau were not heard in decisions about their care by the State. M\u0101ori were, and continue to be, overrepresented by up to 10 times in the State care system. It showed the impact on M\u0101ori of the Crown\u2019s lack of response to the work done in the 1980s to present a solution to this problem in the form of specific actions for the Crown to take in P\u016Bao\u2011te\u2011ata\u2011t\u016B, a document that if you speak with people in our communities around the country, till today, they will tell us that the solutions are in that document and that future solutions must involve the Crown working in partnership with survivors, iwi, and M\u0101ori across State agencies. I start this speech with that context because that is what we are talking about. We are talking about the lives of our children and of wh\u0101nau right around this country. We know this is a very long history and this problem is deeply embedded in our State agencies and it will not be solved quickly or easily.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EThe Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner, more recently, was raising the alarm back in 2015, saying clearly at that time that they could not be sure that children were safer in State care than what they were in the homes that were causing them harm. The public calls arose around the same time for the royal commission into abuse in State care. A key driver of that call for us to have this royal commission was survivors wanting their voices to contribute to a sense of protecting tamariki from that future, to protect those children in care now and in the future from having those experiences that they\u2019d had. Thousands of tamariki and wh\u0101nau have, for generations, raised complaints, raised the alarm, suffered in silence, or resisted in ways that hurt themselves or others, because our system was and is causing harm. That is why this piece of legislation is so critically important, because we know\u2014and at a very deep level\u2014we are causing harm in our so-called child protection system. We need checks and balances that will change that and that will create a future where our children can all be safe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge, too, the voice of\u2014I\u2019ve mentioned the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner and that they have raised their voice and the alarm multiple times in recent years. And they have apologised to children abused in State care for their failure to protect them due to underfunding by Governments and acknowledge that this was successive Governments, not specific Governments, and they have called for a truly independent monitor of the care and protection system, empowered, when necessary, to speak out publicly as a watchdog. When we know that in the recent reporting from Oranga Tamariki at the moment, the reports are that 7 to 10 percent of children now are still being abused in State care, that is definitely an under-report of the reality, because of the challenges of reporting. If we are going to do a service, to stop what has been happening for generations, to stop the harm of the State, we have to ensure independent and strong monitoring.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EBut what this proposal does is it establishes a semi-independent monitoring agency, making the monitoring body a departmental agency. It does prohibit the Minister of the Crown from preventing the monitor from carrying out any activities they deem necessary, but it still sits within the structure of Government agencies who, report after report after report, have been identified as failing M\u0101ori. We know that the normal business as usual of Government agencies is proven, yet, so far, to be unable to partner effectively with M\u0101ori, unable to work with and include, on a comprehensive basis, the voices of disabled people, unable to work with wh\u0101nau, to put the needs of our communities before the interest of Government, the Crown, and their own agency. We know that. That is an undeniable history.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002269dfdffa-4227-42b6-875a-fc8033bc25cc\u0022\u003EWhat we have seen is a Children\u2019s Commissioner causing trouble, raising voice, challenging Government for not getting it right, not being able to do that effectively enough because they were under-resourced. What we\u2019re being told with this piece of legislation is: well, they were stretched too thinly, so we\u2019re going to take that role away from them, even though, in recent times, they have been that voice within the system, alongside M\u0101ori who have raised the alarm. It was not our Government agencies raising that alarm, was it? I don\u2019t think anybody in the House could say that it was our Government agencies\u2014any of them\u2014raising the alarm. It was M\u0101ori, communities, wh\u0101nau, and the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner. The fact that they were stretched too thinly\u2014now, who\u2019s fault is that? That was the decision of successive Governments, and to restrict their role, I would suggest, when, actually, the M\u0101ori advisory group set up to support Government in making the changes to Oranga Tamariki said that their first preference was for the monitoring agency to be within the Office of the Children\u2019s Commissioner. So now we\u2019re saying that we\u2019re going to be partnering and showing a new way forward, but we\u2019re not going with their first choice; we\u2019re going with something that they\u2019re willing to accept, and we\u2019re building-in an advisory body to that new department, telling everybody that that\u2019s going to provide the model of partnership that\u2019s needed, that will address that tenfold increased likelihood of tamariki M\u0101ori being in care. And yet we\u2019re not actually taking the advice of the M\u0101ori advisory group who are sitting there already. Can\u2019t say I buy it. So the Greens, unfortunately, will be unable to support this bill at this stage.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022 data-id=\u0022ff7c1df95f2f4c1a8e3216ba6c157660\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ff7c1df95f2f4c1a8e3216ba6c157660\u0022\u003EKAREN CHHOUR (ACT):\u003C/span\u003E I stand on behalf of ACT, and I\u2019m saying we will support this bill through the first reading because I think we need an opportunity to actually scrutinise this a bit better. It\u2019s an omnibus bill, it\u2019s 82 pages long, and it\u2019s actually quite complicated, and it covers a lot of areas and a lot of laws and legislation that it will affect. Unfortunately, a few days is not enough time for me to look through the whole thing and understand it completely, so I look forward to going to select committee and scrutinising this and giving it the attention it deserves. It\u2019s well known that I came here because of the issues with Oranga Tamariki and my personal dealings with the organisation through lots of name changes and lots of promises that have never come to pass. So, for me, I\u2019m very sceptical when we say we\u2019re going to make changes, and I really hope that this is not just another making changes just for the sake of making changes and not actually getting any results.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EWe hear a lot about M\u0101ori, and I understand M\u0101ori are overrepresented within Oranga Tamariki, but we as a country are very diverse and we have multiple cultures in this country that also come through Oranga Tamariki, and we need to see it through their eyes also. So we need to make sure that this organisation is looking at people as people, not just the colour of their skin and who their grandparents were but see them as children. All children feel hurt the same, feel abandonment the same, and feel that their voices aren\u2019t heard the same. Pain is pain. We need to make sure that we are hearing the children\u2019s voices.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003ESo I am all for oversight of Oranga Tamariki and more accountability with Oranga Tamariki and making sure that they are actually achieving what they were created for: protecting our children, making sure our children are safe. No child should be hurt or abused in State care; it\u2019s absolutely unacceptable, but what we also need to accept is that we should be ashamed as a country that we have got to the point where we have children dying at the hands of their own family. Why, after all these years of talks and discussions and promises, even from when I was a child, are we still having children die at the hands of their parents? Where are we as a community and in society, standing up and saying enough is enough, our children deserve better than this? It\u2019s not just up to Government or Parliament to deal with this; it\u2019s up to us as a community to look at our children and see them as they are: vulnerable, unable to stand up for themselves. Any policy that can be brought into place to help our children have a voice, stand up for themselves, and say, \u201CYou are not doing right by me.\u201D is good in my eyes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EAs I say, I\u2019m sceptical, but I look forward to hearing the voices of the people that this actually affects, because we sit here and we talk about the adults, the grownups, making decisions for our children, but I look through paperwork over and over again and we hear about all the bureaucrats and all the grownups that can make their own decisions, but the best interests of the child seem to have disappeared. Their voices are not being heard. I\u2019ve heard promises about how we\u2019ve got to give our children a voice, but it\u2019s just not happening, and we should be ashamed of ourselves that it\u2019s taken so long to actually have this discussion. Let\u2019s stop discussing it and actually make sure we put some action in place so that it happens.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EThe only way we\u2019re going to do this is by coming together, all parties coming together and deciding that this is the best path to go down, because every time a new Government comes into place, it goes backwards again because we haven\u2019t come together for what\u2019s in the best interests of our kids. We\u2019ve let political views and political opinions interfere with what\u2019s in the best interests of our children. So I hope that as a select committee we can work together with all the submitters in good faith, listen to people from all different views of life, and actually come together. Left or right, it doesn\u2019t matter; what matters is that our children are safe. What matters is that we are listening. What matters is that we should not have children on the front page of our newspaper dying at the hands of their caregivers, their parents, and the people that are supposed to love and care for them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EWe also need to acknowledge the fact that not all parents are good parents, and sometimes the State does have to interfere. Blaming the State for all the issues is just not fair. We need to acknowledge that sometimes parents need to take that responsibility on board and parents need to do the right thing by their children and, if they can\u2019t, seek the help. There\u2019s so much help out there. Community organisations that will take you under their wing and give you the resources you need to be a better parent. Reach out to your neighbour. Reach out to your friends and your family. Tell them you\u2019re not coping, because once your child dies, there\u2019s no coming back from that. Whether you meant to or not, whether you were stressed and not coping or not, that does not bring a child back. Let\u2019s as a community look over your fence, talk to your sisters, your brothers, your cousins, your aunties, and your uncles. If you think something\u2019s not right, say something. If you think Oranga Tamariki in their organisation is not doing their job and not stepping up where they should, speak up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003EThis is a piece of legislation that will help you speak up. It will give you a better avenue to go to look for help and have a voice. If we put this in place, there is no excuse for society to not step up and seek help and let Oranga Tamariki know where they are failing\u2014where they are failing you, where they are failing your child, where they are failing your community. But at the end of the day, Oranga Tamariki\u2019s only there because the child has got to the point where we need to step in and we need to do something to protect your child. Don\u2019t let it get to that point. Ask for help, because no matter how much we mess around with this organisation, it\u2019s not going to change if society doesn\u2019t say enough is enough.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002286ae9a20-33bd-4912-8dc1-5b4eb670be44\u0022\u003ESo we will support this bill, and I look forward to hearing from the community, families, about how we can improve your voice and improve the help we can get out there for prevention, rather than us having to come in and take over and ruin lives and communities, because that\u2019s the last thing we want to do. We\u2019re here to protect your children. We\u2019re here to protect your community. We\u2019re not here to pull you apart. Oranga Tamariki needs to get to the point where it has the respect of the community, where it knows that they\u2019re not going to be manipulated and lied to, where they know they can get the help they need. Hopefully, some of this legislation will make people feel more comfortable reaching out for help, so I\u2019ll support this through to the first reading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022 data-id=\u0022d77c1b87e7a84d06b876fcb19d2688c9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d77c1b87e7a84d06b876fcb19d2688c9\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, this debate is interrupted and set down for resumption next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 16 November.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 5.04 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id2021111146a85d4ce04d47b487d5d4ee27596402000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224a25943b-cb3b-49c3-bd10-74316fae17f1\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"