"\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=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224ffdc1cbe1814e3db0b0e928c7b34d06\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2023\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ab55560b809b4fb0a05d0610b36cb097\u0022\u003EWEDNESDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2023\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000002\u0022\u003EThe Speaker took the Chair at 10.30 a.m.\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c2816b682bbd4166b9fc8c0b750bbfb6\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e34d3035ee7c443a852bdc53e231052a\u0022\u003EKarakia/Prayers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00227169157a30144616ac9561789049552b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227169157a30144616ac9561789049552b\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 King 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 the peace of New Zealand. Amen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00227dc409a5075f494795db5ec57d6b78dd\u0022\u003ECONFIRMATION OF Election of Speaker\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229162ba80b6634a51afb2ed7fec24775f\u0022\u003ECONFIRMATION OF Election of Speaker\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002254828c2bce29489b9430aaf81b17a75d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002254828c2bce29489b9430aaf81b17a75d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have to report that, accompanied by members, I waited upon Her Excellency the Governor-General at Government House yesterday when I addressed Her Excellency as follows: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EFollowing Your Excellency\u2019s request, the House of Representatives has elected me as Speaker and I now present myself for Your Excellency\u2019s confirmation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EHer Excellency replied as follows:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, it is with much pleasure that I confirm the choice by the House of Representatives of you as its Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI congratulate you on your election to this distinguished office, marking as it does the appreciation of the House of Representatives of your impartiality and ability. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI then replied to Her Excellency as follows:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI thank Your Excellency for your confirmation of the choice made by the House of Representatives of me to be its Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EI now, on behalf of the House, lay claim to all its privileges, and especially to freedom of speech in debate, to free access to Your Excellency whenever occasion may require it, and to the most favourable construction being put on all its proceedings. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EHer Excellency replied as follows:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, I confirm all the rights and privileges of the House of Representatives which have ever been granted. I assure you that the House of Representatives shall always have ready access to me, and that I will at all times place the most favourable construction upon its proceedings.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00224a269427ee97429a91d41adad1fd0d49\u0022\u003EAUTHORITY TO ADMINISTER OATH\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00225bf105efdfdc435e881de666035e3380\u0022\u003EAUTHORITY TO ADMINISTER OATH\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00228c897ee36db04f95939e546548c4e619\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228c897ee36db04f95939e546548c4e619\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I have received the following authorisation from Her Excellency the Governor-General to administer the Oath or Affirmation prescribed by law to be taken by members of the House:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EIn accordance with section 11 of the Constitution Act 1986, I, The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand, authorise you,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThe Right Honourable Gerard Anthony Brownlee\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ESpeaker of the House of Representatives\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003Eto administer to members of Parliament the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance to His Majesty the King required to be taken or made by every such member before that member shall be permitted to sit or vote in the House of Representatives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EChristopher Luxon, Prime Minister.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003ECindy Kiro, Governor-General\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E5 December 2023\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00221ff9d93aa2174f4dbb32fe6856dc130c\u0022\u003EResignations\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00224e99857574154967a2ac30934d49127d\u0022\u003EHon Andrew Little, New Zealand Labour\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022392bfc15929c48deb0bbbc266d240a41\u0022\u003E the Hon Andrew Little\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u00222b2ed7ebe74b406c9bb46bab0ff5bc03\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222b2ed7ebe74b406c9bb46bab0ff5bc03\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I wish to advise the House that I have received a letter from, resigning his seat in the House with effect at 6 p.m. on 5 December 2023.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d56a4bf67f8d4d108eb733274c2c526a\u0022\u003EMembers Sworn\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002214c510e70c5646378b54458f2a0cfa9d\u0022\u003EMembers Sworn\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022754e1605eaaf49a8a77565bd63ae7521\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022754e1605eaaf49a8a77565bd63ae7521\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I understand that the Hon Phil Twyford is present and wishes to make an affirmation. Would he please come forward to the chair on my right. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022 data-id=\u0022425cd69fb14047c793a4a46a1d566768\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022cbc37df2-57ae-4536-94ed-a2e39eecd585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022425cd69fb14047c793a4a46a1d566768\u0022\u003EHon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour\u2014Te Atat\u016B):\u003C/span\u003E I, Philip Stoner Twyford, solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, His heirs and successors, according to law. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d6f3cdeed7f14be994d91c0765d60266\u0022\u003EMihi\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002220fb30c1f95149779b5dec0a3ca78e83\u0022\u003EMihi\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022df856789834d4084bb9cd9e8de829372\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022df856789834d4084bb9cd9e8de829372\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I call on a senior M\u0101ori member to give a mihi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022 data-id=\u00222e6d8f7193534129a6788a874e154d00\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00222e6d8f7193534129a6788a874e154d00\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA (Minister for M\u0101ori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti):\u003C/span\u003E Karanga ki a Ranginui ki a Papat\u016B\u0101nuku, ihi, wehi, wana, mana. T\u016Broa Royal m\u0101 ng\u0101 rironga kua karapinepine atu ki tua o P\u014Dhutukawa, ko te p\u014D te kai-hari i te r\u0101, ko te mate te kai-hari i te oranga! Ahumairangi, Tangi te Keo, Wh\u0101taitai, Te Whanganui a Tara, me \u014Dku ake o Taranaki Wh\u0101nui me Ng\u0101ti Toarangatira whakatau mai. He h\u014Dnore he kororia ki te Atua, maungarongo ki te whenua, whakaaro pai ki ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EK\u012Bngi Ti\u0101re te Tuatoru, K\u012Bngi T\u016Bheitia, me ng\u0101 punua k\u012Bngi me ng\u0101 kuao ku\u012Bni katoa o Aotearoa, ruahine, ruanuku, rangatakap\u016B, rangatahi m\u0101, e oati ana au ki te nuku me te whenua. Kei te Tiriti o Waitangi, kei te Magna Carta, kei te Bill of Rights me te Whakapuakitanga Wh\u0101nui o Ng\u0101 Mana o te Tangata, ng\u0101 pou tuhinga me ng\u0101 pou tikanga o t\u014D t\u0101tou whenua e kitea ana ng\u0101 ture K\u0101wanatanga o te w\u0101 nei, hei \u0101p\u014Dp\u014D ko wai ka m\u014Dhio, ko wai ka hua. Heoi kia rarau atu t\u0101tou ki ng\u014Dna whakatakotoranga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei taku manu t\u0101t\u0101k\u012B a Adrian, taku manu t\u0101t\u0101k\u012B a Gerry, me te k\u0101hui rere i hang\u0101 i t\u014D k\u014Dhanga, n\u0101u t\u014D t\u0101tou k\u014Drero i whakam\u0101unu atu i te ata nei, kia ita, mau tonu, e te rangatira, e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare Gerry. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EE rere ana te reo-\u014D-mihi me ng\u0101 takoha ki ng\u0101 manu tautoko ar\u0101 ng\u0101 \u0101piha h\u0101pai-\u014D o te Whare Miere, o te Whare P\u0101remata nei me \u014Dna whare katoa. E ai ki te k\u014Drero m\u0101 mua ka kite a muri, m\u0101 muri ka ora a mua. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei te Pir\u012Bmia Kiritopa, e whakakahurangi nei i t\u014D t\u0101tou K\u0101wanatanga e rere nei hei manu topatopa ki \u0113nei h\u0101pori ki t\u014D t\u0101tou \u014Dhanga. \u0100na, kua k\u014Drero te motu, ko koe a runga i te Whare nei, hei manukura m\u014D te motu nei. Kia ora e te Pir\u012Bmia hou!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKo t\u014D t\u0101tou manu noho m\u0101t\u0101rae a Winitana hei tuarua m\u014D te hawhe tuatahi\u2014e mihi ana ki t\u014D pakanga ki te pae o te k\u014Drero me ta p\u0101ti a New Zealand First. Kei taku k\u0101hu k\u014Drako tarar\u0101 matua a Shane me te amokura Casey, koutou katoa hoki mai an\u014D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EK\u0101tahi ko t\u014D t\u0101tou manu kaewa a Rewi m\u014D te hawhe tuarua. K\u014Dwhai rawa a Remuera me T\u0101maki i te p\u014D, haria mai te kahu p\u016Bkorokoro i \u014Cr\u0101kei, i Remuera kia tae ki t\u014D taunga m\u0101whero i te r\u0101. Heoi kia t\u016Bpato, ko ng\u0101 pou\u0101kai o te \u0101p\u014Dp\u014D \u0113tahi whakaaro hei kai. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei te P\u0101ti K\u0101k\u0101riki, ki a H\u0113mi, Marama, koutou m\u014D t\u014D koutou r\u0101ngai nui a haere, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou me te pikau nei i ng\u0101 kaupapa taiao, aha atu r\u0101. Tamatha me Julie Anne i k\u0101napanapa mai i Te Pane o te Motu, t\u0113n\u0101 mauria mai te k\u0101rikiuri kia tupu matomato te taiao. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei te R\u014Dp\u016B K\u0101k\u0101kura, me t\u014D koutou k\u0101k\u0101 tarahae a Kiritopa, t\u014D koutou k\u0101k\u0101 parakiwai a Carmel, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou e k\u0101wai nei i ng\u0101 ringa rehe o te K\u0101wanatanga tawhito. Kei \u014Dku ngutu k\u0101k\u0101 a Matua Willie, Matua Rino, Kelvin, Peeni, Willow Jean, kia \u0101ta rere kata mai ki ahau e t\u016Bturi nei ki \u014D mahi. Ehara au i te tame heihei, otir\u0101 he tangata pekapeka k\u0113! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei \u014Dku ake o te P\u0101ti Amokura M\u0101ori nei, e taku Toroa nui Debbie me te Korimako a Rawiri, koutou ko te tokowha tapu, taku rau huia Tarsh hei huruhuru m\u014D k\u014Drua, e kore rawa e wareware ng\u0101 take e kawe nei koutou ki te mura o te k\u014Drero, toutoua t\u0101tou i te ahi k\u0101 ki kore e m\u0101tao \u0113ngari m\u0101 te ahi hoki \u014D t\u0101tou waewae e tahu! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKi ng\u0101 mema o te P\u0101ti Kahurangi, e rere mai i ng\u0101 pae maunga o t\u0101whiti pur\u016B o tata pur\u016B. Kawea mai te rau o te rere ngatahi kia kotahi atu t\u0101tou ki te arahi i te k\u0101wanatanga, ki te k\u014Dkiri i ng\u0101 take nunui roroa o te w\u0101. Koinei te w\u0101 m\u014D te rere a k\u0101rearea, haunga ko te rere a p\u012Bpipi nei, a korukoru nei. Mate ururoa m\u014D Niu Tireni, m\u014D Aotearoa New Zealand, m\u014D ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata katoa. E taku manu hauora Shane, manu p\u016Btea a Nicola, manu pihopa a Kiritopa, kia manawa wera e hoa m\u0101! Kia miere te k\u014Drero. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKei ng\u0101 manu p\u014Dkai me ng\u0101 tamariki katoa a T\u0101ne M\u0101huta a Hineahuone, kia rarau atu t\u0101tou ki ng\u0101 k\u012Banga a t\u014Dku koroua a Rangit\u0101kuku Metekingi! He ao an\u014D \u0101p\u014Dp\u014D, he Aotea! Utanga nui t\u0101tou ki te Manu T\u0101whiorangi! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003ET\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0101tou katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E[Hearken the sky father, hearken the earth mother, I call upon our spiritual connections to bless us with vitality, passion, and awesomeness. I acknowledge T\u016Broa Royal and others dead who have gathered beyond P\u014Dhutukawa. Night brings day, and death brings life, those who have passed are released and set free. Tinakori Hill, Mount Victoria, the great harbour of Tara, and my kinspeople from Taranaki and Ng\u0101ti Toarangatira, I heed your welcome. Honour and glory to God, peace on earth, and goodwill to all humankind.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EKing Charles in England, King T\u016Bheitia in Waikato, little queens and little kings all of Aotearoa, elders, peers, and youth, I pledge allegiance for our fine country. The Treaty of Waitangi, Magna Carta, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with other constitutional documents and conventions, underscore our constitution. Who knows what tomorrow brings? But today let\u2019s take root, and gather to our constitutional arrangements in place. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EI acknowledge our previous Speaker Adrian and our new Speaker Gerry and those who have prepared your nest. You have launched our discussion this morning, I implore you to preserve the protocols of our forebears.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EMy acknowledgments stretch to those officials and teams who provide for our Parliament, Beehive and related buildings. The proverb says, \u201CThrough the front, you can see the back. Through the back, the front will survive\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EPrime Minister Christopher, who has turned the Government blue and swooped in to support communities and our economy. The country has spoken and you are our honoured leader. We acknowledge you, Prime Minister. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EOur esteemed sentinel Winston is the Deputy Prime Minister for the first half. We greet your effort to battle for New Zealand First. To my harrier hawk and Dalmatian-M\u0101ori elder Shane, and the sentry Casey, all of you, welcome back. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003ECongratulations and acknowledgments to our revered trailblazer David as the Deputy Prime Minister for the second half. Remuera and T\u0101maki have gone yellow overnight, and you have returned to your pink perch in the daybreak. Bring the ancient mythical soaring bird of \u014Cr\u0101kei with you. However, let\u2019s take care as some musings may attract significant attention from other future mythical birds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EThe Green Party, James and Marama and your flying crew, you have brought many environmental and other issues. I acknowledge Tamatha and Julie Anne, who turned central Wellington green, bring the dark green so that our environment can grow healthy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EThe Labour Party, your expert orator Christopher and spearhead Carmel, welcome back with the knowledge and skills of the former Government. My red-beaked speechmakers elder Willie, Kelvin, Peeni, and Willow-Jean, chuckle away like birds as I kneel in acknowledgment of your work. I am not a rooster; however, I could be the Batman. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003ETo those of our M\u0101ori Party, my albatross Debbie and the bellbird Rawiri, along with your four wings and support crew, my huia feather Tarsh, we will not forget the critical needs facing people and which you have recently amplified, ensure our indigenous fire continues, yes, but let\u2019s all be aware that our feet can get singed in flames if we do not take care. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003ETo those of the National Party, who have flown from blue mountains near and far. Bring the focus on unity in leadership and address the massive economic and social issues of these times. This is a time to soar with the falcons and not squawk with the turkeys. We must be prepared to die like a thresher shark for New Zealand and all Kiwis. My health pigeon Shane, fiscal feathered friend Nicola, and the bishop bird Chris, we will burn our hearts for the country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000064\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003ETo all flocks and children of the forest lore parents T\u0101ne M\u0101huta and Hineahuone, check in with the words of our elder Rangit\u0101kuku Metekingi, who said, \u201CTomorrow is a new day, and it will bring clarity\u201D. Load up like the Aotea waka and gather around the spiritual bird of peace.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000065\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003EWaiata\u2014\u201CTe Aroha\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000066\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002232601127-a1e9-4ba0-b6af-99865a84a209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022616f3e41786e4c908080c957ed83f332\u0022\u003EHon TAMA POTAKA\u003C/span\u003E: Kei taku M\u0101ngai, e mihi ana. [Mr Speaker, I thank you.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u002282284defd39e4b3da2f0e95dff0aa658\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000067\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002282284defd39e4b3da2f0e95dff0aa658\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The House will now wait for the summons to attend upon Her Excellency the Governor-General.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000068\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022d26d7acf9d384732832df8419f45da9a\u0022\u003ESUMMONS TO ATTEND GOVERNOR-GENERAL\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000070\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002210b0361e547245cbb60e9e9b753333fc\u0022\u003ESUMMONS TO ATTEND GOVERNOR-GENERAL\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022124e78c3f6604ca69c02d1bb56dc3c33\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000069\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022124e78c3f6604ca69c02d1bb56dc3c33\u0022\u003EUSHER OF THE BLACK ROD\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Speaker, Her Excellency the Governor-General commands the immediate attendance of this honourable House in the Council Chamber.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000071\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAccordingly, the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives, preceded by the Serjeant-at-Arms, proceeded to the Legislative Council Chamber, and, after a short absence, returned.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000072\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u0022283b3595546a468ea9a70d648adcaa70\u0022\u003EGovernor-General\u2019s Speech\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000074\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022e7ad1b767d4a46238f30af7a88283007\u0022\u003EGovernor-General\u2019s Speech\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022a6f1c58b2cc346989e0f6ad21bb5ea91\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000073\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a6f1c58b2cc346989e0f6ad21bb5ea91\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: After Her Excellency the Governor-General made a speech to the House in the Legislative Council Chamber today, she handed me the text of the speech, and I now lay this on the Table of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000075\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKaranga ki te rangi\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000076\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKaranga ki te whenua\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000077\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKaranga ki ng\u0101 p\u016B ngahere\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000078\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKaranga ki ng\u0101 maunga k\u014Drero\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000079\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKaranga ki ng\u0101 wai e tere nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000080\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EE ng\u0101 rangatira, e ng\u0101 mema P\u0101remata, e ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata katoa o Aotearoa, ka nui ng\u0101 mihi matakoakoa ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000081\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo the chiefs, Members of Parliament, and all New Zealanders, hearty greetings to you all. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000082\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHonourable Members of the House of Representatives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000083\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIt is my privilege to exercise the prerogative of His Majesty the King and open New Zealand\u2019s 54th Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000084\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIn October\u2019s 2023 general election, New Zealanders voted for change \u2013 not just a change of government, but a change of policies and a change of approach. Following constructive negotiations to form a strong and stable government, a coalition between the New Zealand National Party, ACT New Zealand and the New Zealand First Party was agreed with a commitment to deliver that change.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000085\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThis is the first time since New Zealand\u2019s Mixed Member Proportional electoral system came in nearly 30 years ago, that there has been a three-way coalition government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000086\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIt took office on Monday last week when I swore in the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, and the ministry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000087\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government enjoys the confidence of a clear majority of members in the 123-seat House of Representatives, but it is the people outside Parliament who will be the Government\u2019s priority in decisions made over the next three years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe new Government is committed to delivering; to getting things done. It wants people to see demonstrable, measurable results that make their lives easier, and help them to get ahead. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000089\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will work alongside local government, businesses, community groups and iwi, believing that all of us can achieve more by working together, and that co-operation will enable greater reach into communities, particularly those with high needs, to effect change.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000090\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government\u2019s aim is to improve outcomes for all New Zealanders, while leading a unified and confident country. The Government will encourage independence and reward hard work, while retaining a comprehensive safety net for those in need of support. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000091\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe new Government will show its respect for New Zealanders by spending public money carefully and with a clear purpose. The Government has many priorities and among them are rebuilding the economy to ease the cost of living, delivering tax relief and increasing prosperity for all New Zealanders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000092\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will restore law and order and personal responsibility so Kiwis feel safer where they live and work.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000093\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIt will deliver public services so they are more efficient, effective and responsive to all who need and use them.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000094\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will also strengthen New Zealand\u2019s democracy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000095\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIts policy programme will be extensive and ambitious, reflecting the amount of change necessary to provide hope and opportunity for more New Zealanders, and for this great nation to realise more of its potential. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000096\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EEconomy \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000097\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo lift New Zealand\u2019s productivity and economic growth, and in order to increase opportunities and prosperity for all New Zealanders, managing a strong economy will be a key focus for the next three years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000098\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERestoring discipline to government spending will help the Government achieve its fiscal plan and ensure that public money is being spent effectively, using rigorous cost benefit analysis, where applicable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000099\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will reduce Core Crown expenditure as a proportion of the overall economy \u2013 with savings in government agencies targeted to deliver tax relief for hard-working, low-and-middle-income workers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000100\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThese savings will be informed by the increase in back-office head counts in each agency since 2017, but Ministers will be expected to work with individual chief executives to achieve their respective savings targets.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000101\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EWith the Official Cash Rate hitting its highest point since 2008, creating stress and worry for many mortgage holders and businesses, the Reserve Bank Act\u2019s dual mandate has patently not worked at containing inflation. The Government will amend it within 100 days so monetary policy is quickly returned to having a single focus on price stability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000102\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERed tape is adding costs to businesses that get passed on to consumers. A new government department, reporting to the Minister for Regulation, will be established to assess and improve the quality of new and existing legislation and regulation. A Regulatory Standards Bill will be passed to ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000103\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAs part of restoring fiscal discipline, the Government has already axed the expensive Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme, and the Government will also stop work on Industry Transformation Plans, the costly Income Insurance Scheme, Auckland\u2019s Light Rail project, and Let\u2019s Get Wellington Moving.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000104\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECost of living\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000105\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EOverwhelmingly, the public\u2019s main concern is the high cost of living.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000106\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EReducing wasteful spending will contribute to taking pressure off inflation. Tax relief targeted at middle and lower-income workers will be of practical help to households. It will meet the Government\u2019s objectives of encouraging people into employment, and people enjoying more take-home pay in return for their effort. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000107\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will provide income tax relief to compensate for the increase in the cost of living, increase Working for Families tax credits, introduce the FamilyBoost tax credit to support young families with the cost of childcare, and widen eligibility for the independent earner tax credit.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThese changes will see a median wage earner better off by at least $50 a fortnight - and more for many with children.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000109\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMortgage interest deductibility for rental properties will be restored. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000110\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo further help with the cost of living, the Government will cancel planned fuel tax increases by freezing them for three years, while also removing the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000111\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFunds raised from the Emissions Trading Scheme will be paid back to taxpayers through a climate dividend. They will no longer be used to unnecessarily subsidise the climate initiatives of profitable companies that should be making these investments themselves. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000112\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will re-write the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act to protect vulnerable consumers, without unnecessarily limiting access to credit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000113\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EA select committee inquiry will be held into banking competition and the Government will explore options to strengthen the powers of the Grocery Commissioner to improve competitiveness in the sector.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000114\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ELaw and order\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000115\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHonourable members,\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000116\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealanders are wearied and worried by brazen offending, particularly against retailers. All New Zealanders are paying for this offending but those working in fear are bearing the highest personal cost.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000117\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe explosion in gang numbers is concerning communities everywhere.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000118\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government believes a good education is the best way for young people to have better life opportunities than the mayhem and brutality offered by gangs and criminal offending. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000119\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo support Police and ensure New Zealanders are safer, the Government will train no fewer than 500 new frontline Police within the first two years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000120\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will introduce legislation to provide Police with additional powers to tackle gangs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000121\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThat legislation will:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000122\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EBan gang patches and insignia in public places Give Police the power to issue dispersal notices requiring gang members to immediately leave a public area \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000123\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAllow Police to issue Consorting Prohibition Notices to stop known gang offenders committing serious offences \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000124\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EGive Police power to issue Firearms Prohibition Orders making it illegal for a gang member with serious convictions to enter certain premises where firearms are present, and give Police increased search powers for people who are subject to such an Order.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000125\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EToo often, sentences do not reflect the gravity of offending so the Sentencing Act will be amended to ensure appropriate consequences for offenders. This will include making gang membership an aggravating factor in sentencing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe \u201Cthree strikes\u201D rule for serious repeat criminals will be restored, with a tighter definition of offences that qualify as strikes.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000127\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo deter young people from a life of crime, the Government will create a new Young Serious Offender category and establish Young Offender Military Academies to help young offenders turn around their lives. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000128\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAdditionally, over the term of this Parliament, the Government will increase the number of trained Youth Aid officers and will consider a Youth Justice Demerit Point system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000129\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFunding will be increased for the Department of Corrections to ensure there is sufficient prison capacity and, where appropriate, prison officers will be equipped with body cameras and protective equipment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000130\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFirearms legislation will be reviewed, including rewriting the Arms Act 1983 for greater protection of public safety and to simplify regulatory requirements. The Firearms Registry will be reviewed to see whether it is improving public safety. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000131\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPublic services\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000132\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EWhile spending on public services has increased in recent years, and the head count in government departments has grown, the delivery of public services has, in too many cases, declined. This decline is seen in measures that matter to individuals, and to our country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000133\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETargets will be set for important measures - like wait times in hospitals and waiting times for cancer treatment. These will help focus resources on the Government\u2019s priorities, which are achieving better results in the things that matter to New Zealanders\u2019 daily lives. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000134\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe pay of public sector chief executives and their deputies will be linked to outcomes to encourage high performance and ensure accountability. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000135\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EEducation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000136\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EEducation is essential for opening up young people\u2019s life opportunities, but current school achievement rates are worryingly poor. For example, half of Year 10\u2019s do not meet the basic literacy and numeracy standards the OECD says are needed to succeed in further learning, and in life. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThis Government will not stand by as cohorts of young people see their life horizons shrink because of a lack of schooling.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000138\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will require every primary and intermediate class to be taught an hour of reading, an hour of writing and an hour of maths, every day, because a good grasp of the basics is the essential foundation on which to build further education.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000139\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo help teachers, the curriculum will be rewritten with clear requirements on what needs to be covered each school year in reading, writing, maths and science, and the curriculum will be focused on academic achievement, not ideology. Student progress will be regularly assessed. Cellphones will be banned in classes. Every child will be taught to read using a structured literacy approach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000140\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPartnership schools will be reintroduced and state schools will be allowed to become partnership schools. Further options to increase school choice and expand access to integrated and independent schools will be explored. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000141\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIn tertiary education, Te P\u016Bkenga will be disestablished with control over polytechnics restored to the regions they serve.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000142\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe first-year fees-free policy for tertiary education will be replaced with a final-year fees-free-policy, but not before 2025. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000143\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHealth\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000144\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe health system and the health workforce have been under enormous pressure and more support is required for the frontline. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000145\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo encourage more graduate nurses and midwives to stay in New Zealand, the government will establish a system to pay their student loan repayments, up to $4,500 year for five years, in exchange for them agreeing to work here for at least five years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000146\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo further boost the health workforce, the Government will increase the number of doctors, psychiatrists and clinical psychologists being trained. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000147\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will undertake a cost benefit analysis on the proposed third medical school, based at Waikato University. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000148\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo support the health workforce in hospital emergency departments, security will be increased. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECancer patients have better survival rates in Australia than in New Zealand. To help narrow that gap and to improve management of breast, ovarian, bowel, and prostate cancer, the Government will invest $280m over four years to fund 13 cancer treatments recommended by the New Zealand Cancer Control Agency. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000150\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFree breast cancer screening will be extended up to 74 years of age. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000151\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPharmac will be required to take the voice of patients into account in making decisions, and its funding model will be reformed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000152\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EApprovals for new medicines will be made easier by requiring Medsafe to approve within 30 days new pharmaceuticals approved by at least two overseas regulatory agencies recognised by New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000153\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo support mothers and babies, a new entitlement will be introduced to enable every mother of a new baby to have three days in-patient post-natal care. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000154\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will fund the Gumboot Friday/I am Hope charity with $6 million a year, ensure Plunket is adequately funded to do its job properly, allow appropriately qualified pharmacists to prescribe certain treatments, and permit the sale of cold medication containing pseudoephedrine. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000155\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori Health Authority will be disestablished. There will be no co-governance of public services and emphasis will shift to the frontline rather than the back office. Services will be delivered on need, using a range of effective providers, including iwi and community groups who have the best reach into the communities they serve.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000156\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EWelfare and work\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000157\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHonourable Members, \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000158\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHaving 11 per cent, or one in nine New Zealanders of working age on a main benefit, means too many people are dependent on the effort of their fellow citizens instead of being self-supporting. The Government will encourage those who are able to work, to do so. The Government will uphold New Zealanders\u2019 rights and expect individuals to demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000159\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe welfare system will be focussed on helping get Jobseekers who are assessed as being able to work, into jobs. There will be sanctions for those who refuse to do their bit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000160\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E90-day trials for all businesses will be brought back to encourage employers to give workers a go. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000161\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Fair Pay agreement legislation will be repealed because employers and their teams are best able to negotiate for their own circumstances. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000162\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESeniors\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000163\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETurning to superannuation, the age of entitlement for New Zealand Superannuation will remain at 65. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000164\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe universal winter energy payment will be maintained. The Building Act and resource consent system will be amended to make it easier to build granny flats or other small structures up to 60sqm.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000165\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHousing\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000166\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESuccessive governments have struggled to make housing more affordable for more New Zealanders, with house prices and rents rising particularly quickly over the last six years. The Government will require councils in major towns and cities to zone for 30 years of housing demand because getting more houses built is essential to having a more affordable housing market.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000167\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Acts will be repealed and replaced with genuine reform that will make it easier to build. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000168\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Medium Density Residential Standards rules will become optional for councils, with councils required to ratify any use of the measures, including in existing zones. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000169\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETurning to social housing, the performance of K\u0101inga Ora is a concern. There will be a review of its finances, procurement, development and asset management practices.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000170\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe lives of some neighbours of some K\u0101inga Ora properties are being made miserable because of inadequate action against anti-social behaviour by some K\u0101inga Ora tenants. Under the new Government, there will be appropriate consequences for tenants who engage in repeated anti-social behaviour. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000171\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EInfrastructure and Transport \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000172\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHonourable members, \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000173\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand has a significant infrastructure deficit and needs to improve the way it funds, procures and maintains infrastructure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000174\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will set up a National Infrastructure Agency. It will coordinate government funding, connect\u00A0domestic and offshore investors with New Zealand infrastructure projects, and improve funding, procurement and delivery. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000175\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAs part of amending the Resource Management Act 1991, the Government will make it easier to consent new infrastructure including for renewable energy, building houses, and enhancing the primary sector \u2013 including fish and aquaculture, forestry, pastoral, horticulture and mining. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000176\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThere will be a fast-track one-stop-shop established for the consenting and permitting process for regional and national projects of significance. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000177\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will deliver marine farming permits of longer duration to provide investment certainty, and remove regulations that impede the productivity and potential of the seafood sector. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000178\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will partner with local government to create long-term City and Regional deals so there is an agreed, visible pipeline of priority projects underway across the country. Public/Private partnerships, tolls and other funding mechanisms will be considered to speed infrastructure delivery.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000179\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAs promised, the Government will repeal the Three Waters legislation and restore council ownership and control with stronger central government oversight, and strict rules for water quality and ongoing investment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000180\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will invest in better transport infrastructure including progressing 13 new Roads of National Significance, with a focus on unlocking land for new housing developments and easing congestion in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000181\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government commits to a four-lane highway alternative for the Brynderwyns in Northland, and it will investigate the use of private finance to accelerate construction. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000182\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will establish a Regional Infrastructure Fund with $1.2 billion in capital funding over the Parliamentary term. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000183\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMajor public transport upgrades will be delivered to reduce congestion in Auckland and provide people with more options for moving around the city. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000184\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThere will also be upgrades to transport infrastructure in Ashburton, Queenstown, Otago and Southland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000185\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPrimary sector / Emissions\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000186\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAs mentioned earlier, across government, red tape will be cut in order to get things moving and to remove costs that have been imposed for little or no gain.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000187\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECutting red tape will unleash the investment in renewable energy that is needed for the country to meet its emissions reduction targets, aid primary sector production and improve the productivity of small businesses.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000188\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will reduce the regulatory burden on farmers, who are spending an increasing amount of their time on paperwork. The implementation of new Significant Natural Areas will cease and existing Significant Natural Areas will be looked at as part of the reform of the Resource Management Act. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000189\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 will be replaced to ensure a local approach, allowing district councils more flexibility in managing environmental limits. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000190\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will lift the effective ban on gene editing and genetic modification and encourage the use of these technologies. This will mean the advantages of technological progress, for example in reducing the production of methane by farm animals, will be available in New Zealand, just as it already is in many other countries. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000191\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe ban on live animal exports will be reversed, while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000192\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EBy December 31 this year, the Government will end the clean car discount scheme and, with it, so-called ute tax which has been particularly unfair on the rural sector and tradespeople.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000193\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government is committed to New Zealand meeting its greenhouse gas emissions targets. To encourage more renewable energy production, the Government will fast track consents. Consents will no longer be required for upgrading transmission lines and infrastructure. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000194\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will undertake a cost benefit analysis on investing in a nationwide electric-vehicle charging network. The provision of more charging stations will encourage more people into electric vehicles, which will help reduce New Zealand\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions from transport. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000195\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETo further reduce emissions, by 2030 the Government will implement a fair and sustainable pricing system for on-farm agricultural emissions. As part of the Emissions Trading Scheme, 100 per cent recognition of on-farm sequestration will be introduced.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000196\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will limit the conversion of productive farmland to forestry for carbon farming purposes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000197\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECitizenship \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000198\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government believes in equal citizenship with all citizens sharing the same rights and obligations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000199\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will work to improve outcomes for all New Zealanders with public services delivered to people according to their need, and not advance policies that seek to ascribe different rights and responsibilities based on race or ancestry.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000200\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EA Treaty Principles Bill will be introduced and supported to a select committee for the public to have their say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000201\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EWaitangi Tribunal legislation will be amended to refocus the scope, purpose and nature of the tribunal\u2019s inquiries back to the original intent of that legislation. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000202\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will also review legislation \u2013 except where it relates to full and final Treaty settlements - that includes reference to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Reference to the principles will be replaced with words that explain what Parliament intends, in the context of that legislation, or will be removed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000203\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EForeign Affairs/Trade\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFinally, the Government should not \u2013 and will not \u2013 focus its efforts only within New Zealand\u2019s borders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe world is increasingly complex and contested. There are risks to be managed, but also opportunities for New Zealand to make the most of, to ensure our country makes more of its potential. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000206\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThis requires New Zealand to have an active foreign, defence and trade policy agenda:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000207\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethat enhances our security\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000208\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethat signals that New Zealand is open for business and outwardly engaged\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000209\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethat makes us a participant in major global and regional developments, not a spectator, and\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000210\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ethat sees us working tirelessly to grow trade and prosperity.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000211\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe coalition Government is committed to getting offshore and raising our profile on the world stage. The Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Ministers will strengthen relationships with key partners, advance New Zealand\u2019s interests and promote our businesses offshore.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000212\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EThe Government will be bold in defending New Zealand\u2019s interests, and vigilant in the protection of the values of democracy, freedom, and security.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000213\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHonourable members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000214\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPerhaps New Zealand\u2019s strong sporting traditions help New Zealanders to be generous in defeat, and humble in victory. Whatever the reasons, few countries in the world change governments as smoothly as New Zealand does. It is something of which New Zealand, as a nation, can be justifiably proud. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000215\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIt has put the Government in a good position to start on its 100-day plan of action. The 100-day plan is a forerunner of three years of action because New Zealanders voted for change, and the Government will be tireless in executing it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000216\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIt has started work and will hold itself accountable for delivering results that make a positive difference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000217\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENo reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000218\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u00222ae89a3308cc43cebe57ca7c4ea6d63b\u0022\u003EPETITIONS, PAPERS, SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLS\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000220\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022c55ca306740c4efe98b10839aae8dfd2\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=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002208a29edce2a34dd4bfe885d7e68b054e\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000219\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002208a29edce2a34dd4bfe885d7e68b054e\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: There are no petitions. There are papers to be presented. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022c301b48b86154979be844cf1a5a9827b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000221\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c301b48b86154979be844cf1a5a9827b\u0022\u003ECLERK\u003C/span\u003E: \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000222\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EGovernment responses to the report of the Petitions Committee on the report of Arthur Yeo on behalf of New Zealand Equestrian Advocacy Network \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000223\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereport of the Regulations Review Committee on its inquiry into COVID-19 secondary legislation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000224\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003Ereports in relation to selected non-departmental appropriations for the year ended 30\u00A0June\u00A02023:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003EMinister of Social Development, Vote Social Development\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBItemSL1\u0022\u003EMinister of Police and Tourism, Vote Business, Science and Innovation\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000225\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2021-22 annual report for the Takeovers Panel\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000226\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2022-23 annual reports for:\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EArts Council of New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000228\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAgResearch\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000229\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAirways Corporation of New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000230\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAnimal Control Products\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000231\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAsureQuality\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000232\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EAuckland Light Rail\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000233\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EBroadcasting Standards Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000234\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECity Rail Link\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000235\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECivil Aviation Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000236\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EClassification Office\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000237\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECrown Infrastructure Partners\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000238\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ECrown Irrigation Investments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000239\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EDepartment of Corrections\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000240\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EDepartment of Inland Revenue\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000241\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EDepartment of Internal Affairs\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000242\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EDepartment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EEducation Payroll\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000244\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EEducation Review Office\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000245\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EElectricity Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000246\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EElectricity Corporation of New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000247\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EElectoral Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000248\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EFinancial Markets Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000249\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EGambling Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000250\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EGenesis Energy\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000251\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EGNS Science\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000252\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHeritage New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000253\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EHuman Rights Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000254\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EIndependent Police Conduct Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000255\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EK\u0101inga Ora\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000256\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKiwiSaver\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000257\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EKordia Group\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000258\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ELandcorp Farming\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000259\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ELaw Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000260\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ELicensing Authority of Secondhand Dealers \u0026amp; Pawnbrokers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000261\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ELocal Government Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000262\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMental Health and Wellbeing Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000263\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMaritime New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000264\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMeridian Energy\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000265\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMetService\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000266\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry for the Environment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000267\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry of Business\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000268\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EInnovation and Employment\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000269\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry of Defence\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000270\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000271\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry of Social Development\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000272\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry of Transport\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000273\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000274\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Defence Force\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000275\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Forest Research Institute\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000276\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Growth Partners\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000277\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Lotteries Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000278\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Police\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000279\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Post\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000280\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Qualifications Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000281\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Trade and Enterprise\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000282\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand Transport Agency\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000283\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENgarimu VC and 28th (M\u0101ori) Battalion Scholarship Fund Board\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000284\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ENew Zealand On Air\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000285\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPharmaceutical Management Agency\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000286\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPredator Free 2050\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000287\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPrivacy Commissioner\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000288\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPublic Service Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000289\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EPublic Trust Office\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000290\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EQuotable Value\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000291\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERadio New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000292\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ERau Paenga\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000293\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EReal Estate Authority\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000294\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EResearch and Education Advanced Network New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000295\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESerious Fraud Office\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000296\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESouthern Response\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000297\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EStatistics New Zealand, Takeovers Panel\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000298\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETe M\u0101ngai P\u0101ho\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000299\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETe Taura Whiri i te Reo M\u0101ori\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000300\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETelevision New Zealand\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000301\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETertiary Education Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000302\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETransport Accident Investigation Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000303\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ETupu Tonu\u2014Ng\u0101puhi Investment Fund\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000304\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2023-2027 Statement of Intent for ACC\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000305\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E2023-2024 Statement of Performance Expectations for ACC, Maritime New Zealand, and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000306\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMinistry for the Environment and Stats New Zealand environmental reporting series 2023: Our Fresh Water, and Our Atmosphere and Climate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u002234a08acb894c46f58715f764976c976a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000307\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002234a08acb894c46f58715f764976c976a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: I present the 2022-23 annual report of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Parliamentary Service, the 2022-23 annual report and the 2023-28 strategy intentions of the Office of the Ombudsmen, and the 2022-23 annual report and the 2023-27 strategic intentions of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Those papers are published under the authority of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000308\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EThere are no select committee reports and no bills to be introduced. We come now to business of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000309\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002298251947ca1c4f3f9c93de3a84ebf4df\u0022\u003EAppointments\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000310\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022801a22a2197c43d0a36caf5a45a508f3\u0022\u003EDeputy Speaker\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022a69841eaad9542cf8e0809fd8d675a11\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000311\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a69841eaad9542cf8e0809fd8d675a11\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That Barbara Joan Kuriger be appointed Deputy Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000312\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, can I take this opportunity, as my first contribution to the 54th Parliament, to congratulate you, sir, on your election to\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000313\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221302560a57504a168e804b0039be90d6\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, take your time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000314\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002287b7d27b695e4004b68555e64190a282\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s perhaps a comment you may not be repeating during the rest of this Parliament, but thank you. It gives me great pleasure to nominate and move that Barbara Kuriger be appointed as Deputy Speaker. I well recall when Mrs Kuriger was an inexperienced member of the Parliament, as she entered Parliament the same year as I did, in 2014, but she\u2019s now been here for nine years, entering her fourth term as the member of Parliament for Taranaki-King Country. She has served on a variety of select committees over the time, including the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee, Environment Committee, Finance and Expenditure Committee, Health Committee, as well as the Standing Orders Committee and Officers of Parliament Committee. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000315\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EThere have been times in the last Parliament, the 53rd Parliament, where Mrs Kuriger acted as a temporary Assistant Speaker and has discharged that duty very well indeed. I think she enjoys the respect of the entire House for the gentle and diligent way she chairs meetings, both in committees but also in the House. She brings a real gravitas to the role as Deputy Speaker and can I say, in closing, in nominating Mrs Kuriger, the symmetry of today is not lost on me because it was nine years ago that Mrs Kuriger and I moved the Address in Reply debate, which two National backbenchers will move this afternoon, and it\u2019s nice to see Mrs Kuriger ascend to the august office of Deputy Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000316\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000317\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022ae2d6ce11d9e41fd8adaeacd93dc9929\u0022\u003EAssistant Speakers\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u00224566899c6a5142bead09a4b5b845b71a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000318\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224566899c6a5142bead09a4b5b845b71a\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That Maureen Helena Pugh be appointed Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000319\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMaureen Pugh is the MP for West Coast-Tasman. She was in the invidious position at least twice of being elected on election night only to be\u2014not unelected, but not quite have that result confirmed after the special votes. So she entered Parliament the first time on 21 December 2015, and that happened again after a subsequent election. She\u2019s a member of Parliament who comes to the House with experience on the Westland District Council, first elected in 1998, before she became the first woman mayor elected as the mayor of the West Coast. She has served in a variety of committees over the last few years in the Parliament, and for the last three years she has been junior whip for the National Party. She\u2019s someone who I think also enjoys the confidence of the House to do an excellent job in the very important role as Assistant Speaker, so it gives me great pleasure to move her nomination.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000320\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022184a41183d7c4e98ac3c700ad6db0805\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000321\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022184a41183d7c4e98ac3c700ad6db0805\u0022\u003ECHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That Gregory Eamon O\u2019Connor be appointed Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000322\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s wonderful to see a fellow member of the parliamentary cricket team ascend to the august office of Assistant Speaker. But, of course, Mr O\u2019Connor has been acting as Deputy Speaker in the 53rd Parliament and, of course, I think all members of the House would agree he did an excellent job in discharging that important job\u2014someone who brought his experience in the Police, and the Police Association, with a firm but fair handling of the House. I\u2019m sure that he will continue that diligence as the Assistant Speaker of the 54th Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000323\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00223de17f9c4e6244c0bccce56565d00fe5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000324\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00223de17f9c4e6244c0bccce56565d00fe5\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Congratulations to those members.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000325\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002292c7647bf5da4625835171ec4a254012\u0022\u003EReinstatement of Business\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000327\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u00229dda12defd9440768eab78582ff20650\u0022\u003EReinstatement of Business\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u0022d63213eefee94f049675af88b0d27f73\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000326\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d63213eefee94f049675af88b0d27f73\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, Government notice of motion No. 4 in my name relating to the reinstatement of business.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000328\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EMembers, if they pick up the Order Paper, will notice Government motion No. 4 is a very long motion and I\u2019m not intending to read it out for the House. Basically, what we\u2019re doing here is reinstating every item of business from the last Parliament on to the new Parliament. Now it may be that\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000329\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022904e90d871a447e189b69bdc43294a5d\u0022\u003ERt Hon Chris Hipkins\u003C/span\u003E: All quality legislation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000330\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022255ebeee577045cdb5a8c88d951a8da4\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP\u003C/span\u003E: Ha, ha! Well, some of it\u2019s OK; some of it isn\u2019t, Mr Leader of the Opposition. There have been debates in the past, including the last Parliament, about the appropriate course of action for a new Parliament dealing with the business of the last Parliament, because, by definition, it reflects the business of a Parliament that has expired, and the people have spoken in the interim and given a new sense of direction to the Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000331\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EFrankly, I think it was regrettable that the onset of the last Parliament discharged\u2014made some changes to the business in this interregnum period. What we\u2019re proposing to do is reinstate every item of business from the last Parliament so that Ministers\u2014and members, actually, for that matter\u2014can have a good opportunity to look at what they may wish to proceed with and items that they may wish to discharge. I think that\u2019s the appropriate constitutional thing to do. I think it\u2019s right in principle and right in a convention sense that that is what happens. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000332\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003ESo every item of business is being reinstated, and Ministers and members, in due course as the weeks go by, will be considering whether or not bills and items of business get shunted further up the priority list or whether or not things make their way down the Order Paper to the tail end where things may not be advancing so quickly or may, in fact, be discharged.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000333\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003EBut I think the constitutional thing to do is to reinstate the items of business and that\u2019s what this motion does.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022 data-id=\u0022b8541d46dc13494db996241d86e8d736\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000334\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b8541d46dc13494db996241d86e8d736\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you. The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000335\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e6b4dc55-3561-49a8-a871-ae005354ef90\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000336\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002240a7f919b4a24dc885535ff477efa391\u0022\u003EStanding Orders\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000337\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u002279a0a811cc0e4af4aa892249a6f80d7a\u0022\u003ESessional\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00228924b9731a1b4758bd92c6bee1cd96e0\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000338\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228924b9731a1b4758bd92c6bee1cd96e0\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: According to a determination of the Business Committee, I call upon the Leader of the House to move a motion regarding entities deemed to be public organisations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022 data-id=\u00226237cde32e6c415dbf7c57057dc5f312\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000339\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002257e41e9d-285b-4fb3-847d-a63820ae7137\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226237cde32e6c415dbf7c57057dc5f312\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS BISHOP (Leader of the House):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That Air New Zealand Ltd, Genesis Energy Ltd, Meridian Energy Ltd, Mercury New Zealand Ltd, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the Judicial Conduct Commissioner, the M\u0101ori Television Service, Te P\u016Bkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, and Te Aka Whai Ora - M\u0101ori Health Authority be public organisations for the purposes of the Standing Orders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00228775b5a47f1c47148ccebcdcbe82cfe8\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228775b5a47f1c47148ccebcdcbe82cfe8\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The question is that the motion be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000341\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003EMotion agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022cfe4641d143947bf8c0b9b7f0c6efeca\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000342\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cfe4641d143947bf8c0b9b7f0c6efeca\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The House is suspended until 2 p.m. today for the Address in Reply.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000343\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 11.46 a.m. to 2 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022HpsHansard\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000344\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsProceedingHeading\u0022 id=\u002217c19e0105b3491d9982193cd23758dc\u0022\u003EAddress in Reply\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000346\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsSubjectHeading\u0022 id=\u0022119fcfd9e08444479ec06023f3bf9cbb\u0022\u003EAddress in Reply\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022 data-id=\u002246691ed7482f4d9b8c79b2c3adeeb210\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000345\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002246691ed7482f4d9b8c79b2c3adeeb210\u0022\u003EJAMES MEAGER (National\u2014Rangitata):\u003C/span\u003E I move, That a respectful Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor-General in reply to Her Excellency\u2019s Speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000347\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EE ng\u0101 mate, koutou e iri nei i ng\u0101 p\u0101t\u016B o t\u0113nei Whare, koutou i whawhai m\u014D te here-kore o te manapori, e mihi ana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000348\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo the fallen heroes, whose final resting places adorn these walls, and who fought for our freedoms and our precious democracy, I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000349\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EE mihi ana ki a koutou o Aotearoa, koutou i whakapono mai hei whakakanohi i a koe, e mihi ana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000350\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo the people of New Zealand, who put their faith in us to represent them in this great House, I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000351\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EE mihi ana ki te Pir\u012Bmia hou, ki a Christopher Luxon. T\u0113n\u0101 koe i eke panuku hei \u016Bpoko m\u014D te K\u0101wanatanga, e mihi ana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000352\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, congratulations on your victory. I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000353\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003E Prime Minister, with great power comes great responsibility, and I know that you will discharge that responsibility as a man with great courage, conviction, conscientiousness, and compassion.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000354\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EKei \u014Dku hoa mahi, t\u0101tou e p\u012Bkau i te taumahatanga o \u0101 t\u0101tou kaupapa nui, e whakam\u0101nawa ana, e mihi ana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000355\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo my colleagues across the House, who now carry the burden of great purpose, I acknowledge and congratulate you all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000356\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EThis is a special place, one which bestows upon us the power to make the laws of our land and exert great control over the people. Please use that power lightly and infrequently.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000357\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EE mihi ana ki a koe e te M\u0101ngai, t\u0113n\u0101 koe i tohua hei kaik\u014Drero m\u014D t\u0101tou, e mihi ana.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000358\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo you, Mr Speaker, I acknowledge and congratulate you on your election as our Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000359\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, I have known you for almost a decade now\u2014not as long as others here, but longer than some\u2014and in that time I have known nothing but generosity, wisdom, and fortitude from you as a leader in this House of Representatives.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000360\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EYou are selfless, you are generous, and, in my view, you will go down as one of the most important politicians the South Island will have ever seen.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000361\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022af159aad3a8845cbbd8986d4e9c19a6a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: You\u2019re going to go a long way in politics!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000362\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022450a543cd3f4441f8bdb5f5a4248fc70\u0022\u003EJAMES MEAGER\u003C/span\u003E: Do I get to reclaim that time back, Mr Speaker, to the end of my speech?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000363\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f9bef5886314a38acf6762ba99b356d\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Most certainly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000364\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022344f6f3a1ffe45b19857b01021853589\u0022\u003EJAMES MEAGER\u003C/span\u003E: E mihi ana ki t\u014Dku wh\u0101nau, otir\u0101, ki \u014Dku hoa tata. Mei kore ake ko koutou, kua kore ahau. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000365\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003ETo my family and my friends, I acknowledge you. Without you, I could not be here. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000366\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EKa mutu, ki \u014Dku taniwha ake, ki \u014Dku nawe, ki \u014Dku nawe-rau, e mihi ana. Ki te kore \u014Dku nawe, kua kore ahau.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000367\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EAnd to my flaws, of which there are many, I acknowledge you. Because without my flaws, I would not be me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000368\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003E I am flawed, perhaps a little more than some, perhaps a little less than others, but flawed still the same, much like we all are. It\u2019s our flaws that make us who we are, and it\u2019s the flaws in our society that I think bring us here to this House. For some, it\u2019s the urge to right the wrongs of our predecessors. For others, it\u2019s the drive to seek out and eradicate injustice. For some, it\u2019s to simply and gradually move society in the right rather than in the wrong direction. It is the flaws that we see in everything that I think brings us to this House. Our purpose is to fix what we see is wrong in the world. Our purpose is to seek a brighter, more prosperous future for all New Zealanders. And so I stand here, flaws and all, in the most powerful room in the land\u2014humbled, completely humbled. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000369\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EMy family has never sought the limelight. This entrance into public life won\u2019t come easy for us. We are simple, straightforward people from a simple, straightforward part of the world. My dad is Ng\u0101i Tahu, a freezing worker most of his life, a little M\u0101ori kid who was kicked out of school at 14 and who never told his parents, hiding in bedroom closets and spending afternoons down the river until he was old enough to convince his folks to let him go to work at 15. Until yesterday, he had never stepped foot in the North Island. His father, my grandfather, was a truck driver and a freezing worker, and my nana was a seamstress and a wool carder in Ashburton. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000370\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EDad\u2019s a hard worker. He\u2019s a bloody hard worker. You can\u2019t stand on your feet for hours on end on the chain and in the boning room for 40 years without knowing what hard work looks like. Dad wasn\u2019t around much growing up and that\u2019s put a strain on our relationship, which has never healed and which may never heal, but I don\u2019t blame him for that. We are products of our upbringing. We navigate through the world with the tools that we are given, and sometimes those tools just aren\u2019t fit for purpose. Forgiveness and redemption are words that are often overused, but they are words that are fit for this moment. We should never judge people based on who they once were. We can only judge someone on who they are today compared to who they were yesterday. And I know my dad is making up for lost time. I\u2019m so glad he\u2019s here today and I love him dearly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000371\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EOn my mum\u2019s side, our family come from Devon and Cornwall in the South of England. Grandma was a cleaner; Granddad fixed fridges. Their parents were farmers, mechanics, inventors, and also freezing workers. To be fair, it\u2019s hard to find someone from mid-south Canterbury whose family doesn\u2019t have some connection to the meat and wool industry in one way or another. And Mum\u2019s done a few jobs in her life\u2014cleaning, teacher aiding, and now very proudly works at Countdown in Timaru. I\u2019m glad she is here today and I love her dearly.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000372\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EMy mum and dad split up when I was in kindergarten, so Mum brought me, my younger brother, and sister up on her own\u2014a single mum in a State house on the benefit with three kids. So I know what it\u2019s like to be poor. I know what it\u2019s like to grow up sharing a bedroom with my brother until I was 18. I know what it\u2019s like to have to walk everywhere because we didn\u2019t have a car until I was nine. I know what it\u2019s like to see a father struggle to pay his bills and borrow money from his kid\u2019s school savings account. I know what it\u2019s like to see a solo mother juggle three kids, part-time work, correspondence school, and all the other worries that a single parent living in South Timaru has.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000373\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EI know what it\u2019s like to have your very first memory be of the police trying to coax you to come out from under the bed, telling you that everything would be OK. But make no mistake, we had a great life. We never went without. My mum has steel in her bones and grit in her soul. My recollection is that, yes, we were poor but we were never in poverty. My mum always made sure there was food on the table, clothes on our backs, and books in our school bags. Mum made sure schooling was everything. We always went to school, every single day. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000374\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EThere is no doubt in my mind that I would not be here today if it weren\u2019t for my education. I would not have practised law. I would not have gone to Otago University. I would not have had the privilege of being head boy and dux at Timaru Boys\u2019 High School. And that\u2019s what brings me here. It\u2019s why I\u2019m in politics. It\u2019s why I\u2019m in this place. Because I know that in New Zealand today, not every child will have the same opportunity that I had 30 years ago. Not every child has a mum like I had, someone who drove home the importance of education, of working hard, of being a decent person and living a decent life. Too many children in our country will grow up without that opportunity. Some won\u2019t grow up at all. So that\u2019s why I\u2019m here. That\u2019s the injustice; that\u2019s the flaw in the system that I want to change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000375\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EPerhaps to some I am a walking contradiction\u2014you know, a part-M\u0101ori boy, raised in a State house by a single parent on the benefit, now a proud National Party MP in a deeply rural farming electorate in the middle of the South Island\u2014but there is no contradiction there. Members opposite do not own M\u0101ori. Members opposite do not own the poor. Members opposite do not own the workers. No party and no ideology has a right to claim ownership over anything or anyone.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000376\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EWe, on this side of the House, are a broad church: town and country, liberal and conservative, old and young, and professionals and workers. What unites us is our fundamental belief that it\u2019s the individual family unit that knows what\u2019s best for their family\u2014not the State, not the Government, and not us. It\u2019s not the State that saved my family; it was my mum. She took responsibility for our situation. When we fall on hard times, as we all will at some stage, it\u2019s our neighbours and our community that should rally around in support. Only after that does the State become our safety net, as the neighbour of last resort.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000377\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EOur system should be one which helps pick us up when we fall but which then gets out of the way when we\u2019re back on our feet and lets us lives our lives. The job of Government must be to create a system which makes it as easy as possible for good people to make the right decisions. But, instead, we have a system which creates broken families and turns good people into lost souls. It\u2019s not right, and it must change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000378\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EI truly believe that social investment is that change. When we see people as having agency and dignity in their own right, rather than just as numbers on a spreadsheet, we will have a just society. When we look at spending as an investment rather than a cost, we can focus on outcomes that benefit not only the health and wellbeing of the individual but also the back pocket of the taxpayer. That\u2019s what social investment does.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000379\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EIf we invest thousands in supporting the first thousand days of a child\u2019s life, we can save millions in long-term costs that stem from poor health and poor education. If we can give more people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to accident compensation, if we can get them the treatment they need as quickly as possible, not only will we improve their health and their wellbeing and change their lives, we can get them back working, earning, and paying their way. If we are sensible with the rules and the regulations that we put in place about who can work in our education and health systems, for example, by allowing those who train in CANZUK countries\u2014Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom\u2014to work here as a right, we will save millions in costs associated with burnout and the constant under-resourcing of those sectors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000380\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EBut this approach only succeeds if we are willing to follow the evidence so we can prove what works. Good programmes should be enriched, and bad ones should be cast aside. We don\u2019t need complicated audits and reporting mechanisms for community organisations to administer taxpayer-funded programmes. The Government has this information. It can do the work to measure those programmes against long-term individual outcomes in health and education, in reduced welfare-dependency and better housing, in lower crime and in lower drug and alcohol use. All we need is to be more reasonable, be more sensible, and be more savvy with the use of this data.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000381\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EThe Privacy Act, with all of its good intentions, is a major barrier to getting New Zealanders the help that they need, and our approach to how we share information deserves a serious rethink.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000382\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EThis is why we are all here: to debate freely; to have an open, robust contest of ideas; to challenge one another in an environment where disputes are resolved by the showing of hands and not by the throwing of fists. We are here to represent the people who put us here. And some of us are here to disrupt and to challenge the status quo, and I get that\u2014I really do. But in doing so, we must respect this institution, we must respect its traditions, and, importantly, we must respect those who have come before us and who have cleared the way for our many voices to be heard. We are here to fight for what we believe in, each and every one of us, without fear or favour, laying aside all personal interests.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000383\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ef094bb1-be4f-48b8-bb53-52ce955a1c2d\u0022\u003EWe are a Parliament of the people, by the people, and for the people. Much faith has been placed in me by many people. I intend to work hard to repay that faith\u2014flaws and all. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022 data-id=\u0022c562f6ed0f7f467d99c8a2b9b9967a04\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000384\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c562f6ed0f7f467d99c8a2b9b9967a04\u0022\u003EKATIE NIMON (National\u2014Napier):\u003C/span\u003E I second the motion that a respectful Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor-General in reply to Her Excellency\u2019s speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000385\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, may I first congratulate you on your successful election as Speaker. I know you will bring respect, fairness, care, and honesty to the House and to the role, particularly given the number of new MPs that enter Parliament alongside me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000386\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to congratulate the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, and say how proud I am to be a member of his Government. The Prime Minister\u2019s leadership from the day he became the leader of the National Party has been nothing but motivational: integrity and intelligence, and relentless dedication to delivering better outcomes for every New Zealander.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000387\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI look forward to giving everything I have to help get New Zealand back on track. It is important that I start by thanking the people of the Napier electorate for putting their confidence in me as their representative in the 54th Parliament. I want to acknowledge my intention when I say \u201CNapier electorate\u201D rather than simply \u201CNapier\u201D. I am the representative of Napier City, yes, but also the Wairoa District and parts of the Hastings and Gisborne districts. Every township and settlement is equally important to me and I commit to staying connected to all 9,482.6 square kilometres of it. I started the way I wished to continue, being positive, approachable, connected, and always taking the high road. I am now privileged to officially represent you in that way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000388\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI want to thank my opponents\u2014plural\u2014for a competitive campaign that constantly kept me on my toes. I also want to acknowledge Cushla Tangaere-Manuel for her successful campaign in Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti. I look forward to working with you for the communities that we share. I want to acknowledge Catherine Wedd, the new MP for Tukituki\u2014while we have multiple neighbours, the partnership between Napier and Tukituki needs to be strong and united. I look forward to working with you for our twin cities and region.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000389\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EWhile the people of Napier elected me, I am here today because the National Party believed I was the right person to contest the Napier seat in 2023, after first contesting it in 2020\u2014but we won\u2019t talk about that. What is most humbling is having people believe in you so deeply that they sacrifice their time and join the fray. To call these people volunteers is an understatement. They\u2019ve become family. Some of them are here today while some of them are watching from home. While I\u2019m now part of a team of National Party members of Parliament, you are the team that got me here, and I thank you for everything.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000390\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EWhile I\u2019m saying thank you, I want to acknowledge the Young Nats. I was a Young Nat and so were my parents, so I know why you do what you do, but your tireless dedication to the party and its candidates is astonishing and I will continue to learn from you and absorb your energy, so thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000391\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EFinally, to my family who are here today, thank you for your unwavering support in ways too many to list. My parents, Bill and Sue Nimon, never stood in the way of me becoming myself, no matter where it took me. I am strong-minded, often outspoken, and always questioning. I was never going to be a housewife. Despite that, my husband, Jeremy, still married me a year ago, and has been my constant reprieve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000392\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI am a Nimon before I am Katie. My surname has always defined me. My family\u2019s history is their legacy and my responsibility. My father\u2019s maternal great-grandfather, William John Geddis, his namesake, came to New Zealand on the British Trident, and during his career in journalism, bought or established several newspapers including Napier\u2019s Daily Telegraph. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000393\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EIn 1917, during World War I, William was chosen as one of six delegates to represent New Zealand at an Empire Press Conference followed by a tour of the British and French fronts. I have a copy of a treasured photo of him with his two sons, Clifton Geddis, and my great-grandfather Trevor, where they were fighting in the war when he visited. Having a visit from family during the war is a privilege denied to most soldiers. In 1918, William was appointed by the Massey-led Reform Government to the Legislative Council, and he was the representative for Napier until his death in 1926. The Napier Daily Telegraph was survived by my great-grandfather, his son, and grandsons, and merged with The Herald-Tribune in 1999 to form the Hawke\u2019s Bay Today. My great-grandfather Trevor, chief Rotarian and chair of the Napier Harbour Board after the 1931 earthquake, was responsible for setting up the Napier Reconstruction Committee and launching the village settlement scheme. Trevor received an OBE in 1952 for his service to local government and journalism. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000394\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EJohn Giles Nimon, known as Jack, is dad\u2019s paternal great-grandfather, and started the bus company that has shaped who I am today. He came to New Zealand in the 1880s via Dunedin, settled in Hawke\u2019s Bay, and through work as a stable hand, bought a bus service in 1905 and started Nimon and Sons. From horse-drawn carriages, to Studebakers, Seddons, and Bedfords, the business evolved with the community, as did the family. Jack\u2019s son, John Joseph\u2014known as Joe\u2014carried on the business, also serving as the Mayor of Havelock borough, receiving the coronation medal in 1952 and an MBE in 1972 for services to the community. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000395\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMy grandfather, also John, an engineer, went to England to join the air force, returned for a surgery, met my grandmother, and appropriately stayed in Hawke\u2019s Bay. At the time, he decided there were too many family members in the business for it to sustain his family as well, so he started a new business, Roadair, a nationwide refrigerated trucking company. He went on to run the bus company as well and was heavily involved in the Bus and Coach Association, being awarded an MBE for services to business management and to the community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000396\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMy mother\u2019s maternal great-great-grandfather, Thomas Wilmor McKenzie, was known as \u201CThe Father of Wellington\u201D. He came to New Zealand with his mother in 1839 on the Adelaide. Shortly after his arrival, Thomas and a friend inadvertently strayed on to a tapu site in Thorndon. To prevent them from being killed by Te R\u012Br\u0101 P\u014Drutu, the paramount chief of Ng\u0101ti Awa, Ruhia\u2014his daughter-in-law\u2014threw a cloak over them to make them tapu. That cloak, alongside the story, is now in Te Papa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000397\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EAs an apprentice, he helped produce the first papers of the New Zealand Gazette and started the Wellington Independent newspaper. I do appreciate the coincidence that McKenzie and Geddis both started newspapers, and often wonder if during their time in Wellington they knew each other well. I imagine the furthest thing from their minds would be that they\u2019d share a descendant that would become a member of Parliament, and even less so a great-great-granddaughter. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000398\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMy mother\u2019s paternal ancestry is largely unknown, due to her grandfather dying before her father was born. However, we have found out since that they were storekeepers. One thing my ancestors all had in common was service to community; something I have inherited, along with my interest in transport, business, and writing. I share with you this history, because who I am, my values, my experience, and my passion, was set in motion by their actions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000399\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMy personal history is somewhat dichotomous. During high school, I was simultaneously racing ministocks at Meeanee Speedway, and tracking through the grades in speech and drama. My favourite subjects were classics, art history, and history, but on the weekends I watched rugby. I worked in the weekends at an information centre, and in the school holidays for my parents at the bus depot. When the time came for university, my interest and persuasion led me to study towards the advertising industry, and I spent two years there as part of the Clemenger Group Graduate Programme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000400\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EIn Auckland, I became known as the ambassador for Hawke\u2019s Bay. When I got the chance to come back and work in the family business, the decision was simple\u2014Auckland wasn\u2019t my place, and I wanted to work on my own legacy, not Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn\u2019s.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000401\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003ETourism was turning a corner in Hawke\u2019s Bay, and I wanted to be part of it, smoothing out the peaks and troughs of the seasons. Being part of the passenger transport industry, the regional tourism industry, and the local school network showed me that provincial communities are powerful and that service is my calling. I went from business development to general management, and I managed to jam an executive MBA in there somewhere as well. After a rocky two years, including an election and another career change, I continued to serve my community by becoming the transport manager at Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council. My time in local government was insightful, impactful, and enhancing. It aged me, but in a good way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000402\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EAlthough it sounds like it, work isn\u2019t my entire life. I am passionate about mentoring young women. I have been on a journey of self-awareness and understanding my whole life. My brain is my favourite feature, and I feel strongly that knowledge is power. The world benefits from more powerful women, and the rising tide lifts all boats. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000403\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EThere was no one day where I thought, \u201CAh ha! I\u2019m going to be a politician.\u201D; rather, it was a natural progression based on the life I was leading. There is only so long you can serve a business, an industry, or a community before you reach the limitations of your own influence. While I didn\u2019t know I was going to be a politician, my parents would argue that I did. What I do recall was secretly wanting to be an All Black and be part of a high-performance team. Sadly, I\u2019m not an athlete, but I am part of a high-performance team\u2014not in black, but in blue. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000404\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI would never call myself a political junkie; politics just happens to be neatly\u2014or not so neatly\u2014intertwined with life. Unfortunately, the more involved a Government becomes in people\u2019s business, and businesses, for that matter, the worse things seem to get. In life, I have seen how different Governments have impacted communities through business. I have seen years where small businesses have become untenable, mum and pop owners sell to corporates, corporates grow, employment relations break down, unions grow, and service diminishes, and at some point along the way, the wind changes and the sun comes out. Instead of playing political whack-a-mole, I strongly believe in Adam Smith\u2019s theory of the invisible hand. The argument for limited Government is a strong one, which is one of the many reasons why I stand here on this side of the House. I don\u2019t claim to have all the answers, but you can\u2019t spend your way out of every problem, nor can you regulate your way out of it. All you get is debt and dependency. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000405\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EMy political values have come from growing up in a family where work was life, not just a job, and seeing the real-life impact of theoretical experiments. When you grow up in a house where your landline is the after-hours phone number for a transport company and your holidays are bus conferences, you see the importance of competitive enterprise and reward for achievement. Business owners, landlords, and farmers take risks to provide goods and services. When there\u2019s no reward, why would they take that risk? Sadly, in the last six years, a growing number of these people no longer see the risk worth taking. Economics 101 will teach you that when suppliers leave the market, supply doesn\u2019t match demand, and you lose market equilibrium, and it doesn\u2019t take much to learn who loses in that scenario. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000406\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EYou might consider me a liberal conservative. I\u2019ve been told I\u2019m fiscally conservative but socially progressive. What I hope is to help more people see that you can deliver improved outcomes for those that need it most, with more localised delivery and in partnership with the private sector. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000407\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EThere is a book I used to frequently check out of the Wellington Library called The Secret Language of Birthdays. Whether you believe in astrology or not, my birthday is the day of the bridge. Whether it\u2019s written in the stars or because I was the middle daughter in a family with parents less like Venus and Mars and more like Mercury and Pluto, I\u2019m known to help people see eye to eye. Whether it\u2019s helping the Government understand the needs of Napier or helping Napier appreciate the intention of Government, my job is to be the bridge between them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000408\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EIt hasn\u2019t been an easy road since 14 February, but regardless of the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, the provinces have been left behind. It is unjust to prioritise the niceties of urban Wellington and Auckland when the locals of Tiniroto and Ruakituri are still taking a two-hour detour because the roads have been closed for nearly 10 months. The top half of the Napier electorate is cut off on a weekly basis, and without access to healthcare and education, it is hit and miss. Napier City was an island once again after the cyclone crumbled or closed every surrounding bridge, cutting off power, supplies and medical care. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000409\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EThe Napier electorate has all the ingredients to be the place to move for opportunities. It is the place that people could stay for their dream career. From Onekawa to M\u0101hia, the industries are there\u2014energy, space, tourism, film, ag-hort, construction\u2014and we just need to get out of their way. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000410\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI want this for the whole region, but I want to make a special mention of Wairoa, the heart of the Napier electorate. Wairoa has endless potential and its people are strong, but what I want for Wairoa is for its rangatahi to not have to leave to find opportunities. Wairoa will achieve this for Wairoa, but we can meet them halfway with health, infrastructure, and services that make life there not only possible but enviable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000411\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI am here today as the representative of the Napier electorate. For Napier City and Matawai, for rural and urban, for employer and employee, for landlord and tenant\u2014for every person, no matter how they cast their vote. I want the region to flourish for the sake of the rest of New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000412\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002230f9e8fe-eafb-4967-8d4d-306525ae2340\u0022\u003EI intend to start the way I wish to continue. While I have spent the last 15 minutes talking, I will spend the rest of my career listening, advocating, and delivering, because the Nimon family motto states \u201CI show, not boast\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022 data-id=\u00226a9c4f69171e474388f4352527f2141d\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000413\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226a9c4f69171e474388f4352527f2141d\u0022\u003ERt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move, That the following words be added to the Address \u201Cand expects, over the next three years, to see action on the cost of living pressure Kiwi families are facing, with inflation falling faster than Treasury\u2019s pre-election projections, interest rates falling, real incomes continuing to grow, near record-low unemployment being sustained, the Government\u2019s books being returned to surplus at least as quickly as previously forecast, the number of affordable homes built increased, all those on State house waiting lists being accommodated, significant reductions in crime, climate emissions continuing to decline, school attendance materially improving, rates of literacy and numeracy amongst 15-year-olds improving, and material improvements in the overall living standards of all New Zealanders.\u201D Anything less than those things will mean that this Government has failed to deliver on the promises that it made to New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000414\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ESitting and listening to the Speech from the Throne, I listened very carefully, hoping to see some shred of vision, some shred of hope for the future for New Zealanders, but what we heard was a plan to take New Zealand backwards\u2014repeated use of words like \u201Cstop\u201D, \u201Crepeal\u201D, \u201Creplace\u201D, \u201Creverse\u201D, and \u201Cdisestablish\u201D\u2014a plan to go backwards, not a plan to take New Zealand forward. What we also saw was a confused set of priorities: a Government that has chosen to prioritise mega landlords over renters and first-home buyers; a Government that has chosen to prioritise the tobacco lobby over the health and wellbeing of young New Zealanders; a Government that has chosen to prioritise oil and gas companies over our environment; a Government that has chosen to prioritise millionaires instead of salary and wage workers; a Government that has chosen to accept conspiracy theories instead of policy-based facts, evidence, and science. Not only does the Government have its priorities wrong, this could well be the most shambolic beginning of any Government in New Zealand\u2019s history.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000415\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EFirst, we had the coalition negotiations, with, as predicted, Winston Peters and David Seymour running circles around Christopher Luxon. I don\u2019t think I have ever seen anything quite as pathetic as the incoming Prime Minister literally sprinting out the door of Parliament to fly back to Auckland because he had been summoned by Winston Peters, because Winston Peters decided that he didn\u2019t want to come to Wellington; he wanted instead to summon the others to come to Auckland\u2014not exactly a strong and stable start to coalition negotiations. But then, of course, when the Government finally took office and we thought things might settle down a bit, it actually got worse, because in those signature moments in the formation of the new Government Winston Peters once again stole the show, upstaging the Prime Minister throughout the entire process.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000416\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EOn a serious note, though, I respect the fact that New Zealanders at this last election voted for change. I don\u2019t think the change that they\u2019re getting is the change they thought they were voting for, though. I don\u2019t think that this was the change that they had in mind, because, when we look through the coalition documents that form the basis for this incoming Government, we see a mishmash of confused priorities and broken promises literally weeks out from the election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000417\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EFirst, let\u2019s start with the fundamentals. Let\u2019s start with the economic fundamentals that underpin this Government: tax cuts that are simply unaffordable. Bigger tax cuts for mega landlords than what was promised before the election and smaller tax cuts for working New Zealanders than what was promised before the election\u2014that has been the upshot of the coalition negotiations. Mega landlords, around 300 of whom stand to get over a million dollars in tax cuts each under this incoming Government, actually get their tax cuts brought forward so they are going to get more while working New Zealanders see the tax cuts they were promised by National starting to erode away through the wheeling and dealing of the incoming Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000418\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ENew Zealanders discovered late in the election campaign that the tax cuts that were being promised by National were actually a hoax to begin with: $250 a fortnight is what National promised the average working family\u2014$250 a fortnight\u2014and not \u201Cup to\u201D. In fact, we can go back and we can watch the video. It was $250 a fortnight. But then we discovered late in the campaign that actually there were only about 3,000 families that were going to benefit from that, and for the rest of the country it was going to be significantly less than that. And now we know it is going to be even less than what they were promised before the election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000419\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI do want to welcome one change, and I want to congratulate New Zealand First for the change, and that is the reversal of National\u2019s policy to allow foreign homebuyers back into the New Zealand housing market. It was the wrong way to fund tax cuts. It made a mockery of National\u2019s claim for the last six years that tax cuts were affordable, because they had to raise a new revenue source in order to pay for them, but also it was a complete fiction that never would have raised the revenue that was promised. If anything, I think Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon were relieved that New Zealand First drew a line through that one, because they were soon to be found out that it was simply a fiction. There was a reason why they never released their costings during the election campaign\u2014because I don\u2019t think they actually had any. I don\u2019t think they actually had anything more than a few back-of-the-envelope calculations that simply did not stack up.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000420\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EBut what I think New Zealanders will be shocked by is what they have replaced it with: the idea that more young New Zealanders should take up smoking in order to pay for tax cuts is morally reprehensible. I don\u2019t think New Zealanders thought that was what they were going to get. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the change they were voting for when they voted at the last election. National\u2019s decision to wind back the smoke-free Aotearoa agenda is a disgrace to New Zealand as a country. It is an international embarrassment, and it is making headlines around the world for all the wrong reasons. Members opposite should think carefully about where they are positioning themselves when even the Conservatives in the UK think that they have made the wrong decision. When the Conservative Party in the UK are progressing an agenda which this Government are now choosing to abandon, it should surely have them questioning their priorities.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000421\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EBut that is not the only reason that the incoming Government are embarrassing New Zealand internationally already, trashing New Zealand\u2019s international reputation. Live animal exports is another area. It is cruel and it is wrong, and it was banned for a reason. This is a Government that proposed to reverse all action on climate change, and that is an embarrassment to New Zealand, a country that trades on its \u201Cclean, green\u201D reputation. What we are seeing is a Government that says that you can have all the emissions reductions and yet do nothing that has actually contributed to achieving those things. It is an embarrassment to New Zealand internationally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000422\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s then turn to the core of their promises during the campaign. There is no doubt that this was a cost of living election. The increase in inflation that we have seen post pandemic has hurt Kiwi households, and hurt Kiwi household budgets in particular, but what are we seeing from this incoming Government? Will their policies that they have signed up to actually reduce inflation? Tax cuts that aren\u2019t properly funded and the catalogue of spending commitments that we\u2019ve seen in the coalition agreement are more likely to stoke inflation than see inflation coming backwards. There is a reason that the Government are now so desperately thrashing around trying to blame the outgoing Government for everything they possibly can\u2014because their numbers didn\u2019t add up before the election and they certainly don\u2019t add up after the coalition negotiations.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000423\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221772412842824017b68cb5197a027671\u0022\u003ERt Hon Christopher Luxon\u003C/span\u003E: Smoke and mirrors.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000424\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d2eba5295a4c4912a9471977b2771ba6\u0022\u003ERt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: So let\u2019s talk about smoke and mirrors, and let\u2019s talk about some of the smoke and mirrors that we\u2019ve seen in the last few days. The idea that Pharmac\u2019s funding and that the funding for school lunches was somehow a new surprise to the incoming Government despite the fact that it was in their own fiscal plan before the last election. Suddenly, somehow, this is all news to them now, and somehow the outgoing Government was wrong in not grouping up all of the time-limited commitments into a nice easy summary that was easy to read, because apparently nobody on the other side of the House bothered to read the last Budget as they put together their alternative fiscal plan. It\u2019s not that long, and I\u2019m sure that someone on the other side has an attention span that can make it from the start to the finish, even if the incoming finance Minister doesn\u2019t. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000425\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EAs for cost overruns, I don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s escaped the incoming Government that there has been an increase in inflation and that as they were talking about the cost of living facing New Zealanders, it\u2019s somewhat surprising that they didn\u2019t factor that into their fiscal plans\u2014because Government costs have gone up during that time as well. We factored that in to our fiscal plans, and during the campaign made it very clear to the National Party that they\u2019d underprovided for that\u2014\u201COh no, no\u201D, we were told, \u201CWe\u2019ve got it all right.\u201D Now they know their numbers don\u2019t add up, they\u2019re trying to blame everybody but themselves when their numbers did not add up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000426\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ESo let me begin with my first pledge for this Parliament: we will not let this incoming Government rewrite history. They have inherited a set of Government books that are on track to getting back into surplus. They have inherited an inflationary track that will mean by this time next year, inflation will be back to the 1 to 3 percent target range. They have inherited near-record low unemployment that has been sustained for a prolonged period of time. They have inherited strong wage growth that means working Kiwis are able to work hard and get ahead. They have inherited an economy that is growing faster than many economists had predicted it would grow\u2014and it was never in recession, despite the fact that the new Prime Minister went up and down the country preaching doom and gloom. In fact, he went around the world preaching doom and gloom, saying that New Zealand was \u201Cwet, whiny, and miserable\u201D, and that \u201CKiwi businesses have gone soft\u201D and we were \u201Cin recession\u201D when we never were. Not only did we do all of those things but whilst we were doing those things, we ensured that we were investing record amounts in fixing up New Zealand\u2019s run-down infrastructure. We also made sure that health and education was being properly funded, something that we could not say when we became the Government in 2017.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000427\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EBut I also want to make the second of the pledges that I want to make in this House today: that as an Opposition and as a future Government, we will seek to bring New Zealanders together, not drive a wedge between Kiwis. The three most egregious examples of that that we see from the incoming Government are this: first, the adoption of COVID-19 conspiracy theories as apparent Government policy. I say to the members opposite who have pledged to end all COVID-19 mandates: can they name one that\u2019s still in place? Can they name one? I hear crickets on the Treasury benches, because there aren\u2019t any\u2014but they want to buy into the conspiracy theorists\u2019 view; they are now questioning the efficacy of vaccine science. I think this House should be proud of the fact that we, as a whole Parliament, said to New Zealanders that vaccines were safe and effective and Kiwis should do that, and I think it is a massive step backwards that this Government are now officially questioning that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000428\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI also think that it\u2019s a stain on New Zealand\u2019s international reputation that we are one of only two or three countries in the world saying that we don\u2019t want to be part of the system that the World Health Organization are setting up to stop future pandemics\u2014a system set up to stop future pandemics\u2014and this Government are saying they don\u2019t want New Zealand to be part of it, making us an embarrassing international outlier. We see outright attacks from the incoming Government on our gender diverse community that are frankly a massive step backwards. I want our schools to be a safe place for all young New Zealanders, including our gender diverse young people. I want all of our young people in New Zealand to be free to be who they are; to not feel like they have to be someone who they are not when they walk through the school gate. And I want New Zealand to be a country where young people learn to be respectful of diversity and difference, not one where they are encouraged to judge and persecute others who are not like them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000429\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EBut perhaps the most egregious and divisive policies that we are seeing from this Government are when it comes to issues around M\u0101ori. During my lifetime, I\u2019m very proud of the fact that New Zealand, under successive governments\u2014blue and red\u2014has made enormous progress towards righting some of the wrongs of the past, towards bringing New Zealand together, towards celebrating M\u0101ori culture and identity in ways that we haven\u2019t in the past. And I am very disappointed that, based on what we\u2019re seeing in the coalition documents of this Government, this could be the first Government in a generation to go backwards on those issues. New Zealanders have nothing to fear from M\u0101ori thriving in New Zealand. When M\u0101ori thrive, all New Zealanders will thrive. I believe that te reo M\u0101ori is a taonga for New Zealand; we should be proud of it, we should celebrate it, we should foster it, and we should encourage New Zealanders to take it up in greater numbers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000430\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThe rhetoric that we\u2019ve seen in the last 24 hours\u2014of suggesting that those who speak fluent te reo M\u0101ori in public service roles should have their pay docked\u2014is simply disgraceful. We pay extra allowances to teachers who are fluent in te reo M\u0101ori because there is so much demand for it, because so many young New Zealanders want to learn it. And I am proud as a Minister of Education to have seen an expansion of te reo M\u0101ori provision in our schools, so that future generations of New Zealanders\u2014including P\u0101keh\u0101 New Zealanders\u2014can learn te reo M\u0101ori, something I didn\u2019t get the opportunity to do when I was at school and I wish that I had; and I want to make sure that future New Zealanders get to have that. I say to members opposite that non-M\u0101ori New Zealanders have nothing to fear from a M\u0101ori Health Authority focused on improving the health outcomes for M\u0101ori New Zealanders, and we have nothing to fear from a by M\u0101ori, for M\u0101ori approach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000431\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThis Government, in the Speech from the Throne and in their coalition agreement, set out all of the areas where they want to take New Zealand backwards; very few where they want to take New Zealand forwards. Repealing the Resource Management Act (RMA), which the last National Government said was flawed and needed to be changed, and putting it back to what it was before\u2014so repealing the repeal and going back to the RMA\u2014isn\u2019t going to take New Zealand forward, particularly when they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to eventually replace it with. Dialling back workers\u2019 rights isn\u2019t going to take New Zealand forward. Removing fair pay agreements that had the potential to lift salary and wages for some of the lowest-paid New Zealand workers isn\u2019t going to take New Zealand forward. Reinstating 90-day fire-at-will trials isn\u2019t going to improve the lot of working New Zealanders, and watering down contractors\u2019 rights will simply return us to the race to the bottom. I think one of the big challenges our economy faces in recent decades is that we\u2019ve seen a decoupling of effort and reward. We actually have to make sure work pays, and this Government wants to turn back the clock on all of the things that have seen rising incomes for working New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000432\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EAnother area where the Government want to take us backwards\u2014tragically for New Zealand today, but even more tragically for New Zealand tomorrow\u2014is the area of climate change. This Government inherit a climate emissions reductions profile that is trending down for the first time in New Zealand\u2019s history, and has been for the last three years. And yet what they want to do is remove the three things that have actually contributed to that reduction. They want to abolish the Climate Emergency Response Fund, they want to abolish the Government investment in decarbonising industry, they want to abolish the clean car rebate\u2014all examples of things that will take New Zealand backwards, that will turn back the clock on our effort to combat climate change. And they have nothing to replace those things with. It\u2019s all hollow rhetoric\u2014greenwashing, if you wanted to call it that\u2014which is actually going to see New Zealand\u2019s climate profile getting worse again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000433\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EGiven that it was the cost of living election, I looked closely in the Speech from the Throne and the coalition deals to see what they were actually going to do about it. And there\u2019s very little in there that is actually going to help New Zealanders to tackle the rising cost of living, particularly given the things that are in there are likely to keep inflation and interest rates higher for longer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000434\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThey\u2019re off to a shambolic start, but sadly there is a lot more to come. I am looking forward, for example, to seeing New Zealand First\u2019s response when the ACT Party brings the legislation to the House\u2014that they have promised and that New Zealand First have pledged to support\u2014to repeal changes to the Overseas Investment Act that the last coalition Government introduced, at the behest of New Zealand First, to introduce the national interest test into the Overseas Investment Act. I\u2019m not sure they were fully awake at that part of the discussions, where they literally signed up to that and said that they were going to vote in favour of repealing the provisions in the Overseas Investment Act\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000435\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d819b2cccbc44509e509c251e751247\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Mere detail!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000436\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a87ef5fe6d0749dca4b3c7a15fdbb430\u0022\u003ERt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014that they wanted to put in place in the first place. \u201CMere detail\u201D, Shane Jones says. I think we\u2019ll hear a bit of that in the next little while. I look forward to hearing what New Zealand First has to say about rail investment, given that the incoming National Government have made very little provision for any increased investment in rail\u2014and I know that that\u2019s something that matters a lot to them. Although I did notice Nicola Willis railing against the increase in the cost of replacing the inter-island ferries. Fortunately for her, she could speak to the Minister who initiated the replacement of the inter-island ferries: he\u2019s sitting two seats down, the Rt Hon Winston Peters, who kicked off the procurement process for the replacement of the inter-island rail ferries.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000437\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EOf course, we know that the New Zealand First Party say they want to increase the minimum wage while the ACT Party say they want to have it frozen. So I\u2019m sure that\u2019s going to be an interesting debate around the Cabinet table. It will be very interesting to see where they land on forestry conversions, given New Zealand First seem to want more of it for forestry, and ACT and National seem to want less of it. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing them progressing their legislation on the Kermadecs after six years of complaining about the lack of progress on that under the last Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000438\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220d4b254a61784cef8191ac93328df101\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Haere r\u0101! Haere r\u0101!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000439\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022546848b9dfdf494e8983897e3f9d03be\u0022\u003ERt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: Don\u2019t give in so early, Shane. Although there\u2019ll be a few people saying \u201Chaere r\u0101\u201D when New Zealand First vote in favour of bringing back 90-day trials, something they voted in favour of removing in the first place; and actually some tenants saying \u201Chaere r\u0101\u201D when they bring back no-cause evictions for tenants\u2014something, again, New Zealand First previously voted to abolish. New Zealand First, of course, have also signed up to reintroduce charter schools, something they spent nine years in Opposition being vehemently opposed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000440\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EUltimately, it is a Government that wants to take New Zealand back, but I do want to\u2014given this is my first contribution in this House\u2014take a moment to say thank you. Because whilst this marks the beginning of the new Government, it does also mark the end of the last Government and I want to take a moment to thank New Zealanders for their support over the last six years through some extraordinarily challenging circumstances; to thank all of those staff who worked for us in the Beehive who now find themselves seeking other employment\u2014one of the perhaps more brutal parts of this democratic process. I do want to take a moment to say thank you to all of them for their contributions, and I do want to take a moment to reflect on what they helped us to achieve in that six years that we were in Government, because it does very much set the context for what this Government is inheriting.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000441\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThere are more New Zealanders in work than ever before. We have the highest rate of Kiwis in jobs, with a 69.8 percent employment rate, having created 281,000 new jobs during our time in Government. I\u2019m proud of the work that we did to close the gender pay gap, and I hope\u2014all politics aside\u2014that that is work that will continue under the incoming Government, because it is simply wrong that for generations women have been paid less than men for doing work of the same value. We have made significant progress in closing the gender pay gap; in resolving historic pay equity claims. I hope that work will continue, because I believe that it must.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000442\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EWe extended free doctors visits to 14-year-olds. We extended paid parental leave to 26 weeks. We significantly increased health funding, including to Pharmac, and we abolished prescription charges, which resulted in 3 million free prescriptions for New Zealanders, something that I believe stopped New Zealanders ending up in our emergency departments with avoidable illnesses because they weren\u2019t getting the medication that they needed. We significantly increased the pay for our public sector workers like nurses, like doctors, like teachers, like police, like firefighters. We introduced new options for mental health support, including 1 million free Access and Choice mental health sessions, and I hope that the momentum on those things will continue.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000443\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI hope that the momentum that we had in rebuilding our apprenticeship scheme continues: 274,000 New Zealanders benefiting from free apprenticeships and targeted trades training. I hope the work that we started to rebuild our schools and hospitals will continue: 2,200 more classrooms, 3,800 more teachers, Mana in Mahi and programmes like that helping to get young New Zealanders into work and into education and training. One million free and healthy school lunches, 77,000 fewer children living in poverty, emissions in New Zealand falling for three years in a row, record levels of renewable electricity generation, 110,000 low-income Kiwi households getting cheaper power bills because of the Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000444\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s been a 70 percent increase in the number of electric vehicles on our roads. When we became the Government in 2017, just 2 percent of the cars coming into the market were electric or hybrid vehicles. As we leave office, that is 37 percent\u2014a huge improvement. We\u2019ve been replacing coal boilers across the country with renewable energy sources. I want to highlight the key work of David Parker and Damien O\u2019Connor, our trade Ministers\u2014two of the most successful trade Ministers in New Zealand\u2019s history. When we became the Government, less than half our exports were covered by free-trade agreements. Now, nearly three-quarters are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000445\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EThe work that we have done in public housing deserves particular mention: 13,000 new public homes under our Government since 2017. The work that we did to put extra police on the beat: 1,800 extra police on the beat under our Government\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000446\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e31ac0d9040d4259bf549ed429b18761\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: It was never your policy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000447\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223f19861e3ae745568d4da42ce4028ad3\u0022\u003ERt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS\u003C/span\u003E: \u20141,800 extra police on the beat under our Government. Firearms reform, including the introduction of the firearms registry: something that the New Zealand Police have asked for for a long time. There have been record investments in transport, including fixing a record number of potholes over the last year; completing legacy infrastructure projects like Transmission Gully that were left in a heck of a mess by the outgoing National Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000448\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003EI want to say that I\u2019m very proud of our track record in delivering for M\u0101ori and delivering for Pacific New Zealanders. On that last note, I want to say that Pacific New Zealanders are a growing and significant part of the New Zealand economy, a growing and significant part of New Zealand society, and I think it\u2019s telling that the incoming Government didn\u2019t mention them once in the Speech from the Throne today\u2014not one single time. That does not bode well for Pacific New Zealanders in the future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ESo we leave Government proud of our track record, committed to holding the incoming Government to account, concerned about the direction that they are taking New Zealand in\u2014which is backwards on all of the important measures that should be important to New Zealand\u2019s future\u2014and absolutely resolved that for the first time in New Zealand\u2019s history, this will be a one-term National Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000450\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221dbd2811-8e58-4ffb-848d-31c0eaa9690a\u0022\u003ESPEAKER: The question is that the amendment be agreed to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022 data-id=\u0022b067b9fb93ff4a78a4be522f34fbbfb1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000451\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b067b9fb93ff4a78a4be522f34fbbfb1\u0022\u003ECHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Well, it is great to be back. Not just back, but back with a bigger team, more talent, fresh ideas, committed coalition partners, and a big programme to deliver, and a big mandate from voters to get New Zealand back on track. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000452\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESpeaking of more talent in National, before I go further, can I say thank you to both James Meager and Katie Nimon for those outstanding and inspiring maiden speeches. James, I am moved to know that both your parents were watching here in this space today. Having met both of them, I can only imagine their pride. You are the embodiment of the belief on this side of the House that education can change lives. I want to acknowledge your mother\u2019s foresight, as you do too, because in instilling the value of education in you she gave you a gift. You stepped up and you made the most of it and you worked hard as a result. You are here today because of it, and I know you are going to make great contributions to this place. So congratulations, James. Well done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000453\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EKatie, you were also instrumental in helping National win back the Hawke\u2019s Bay, and we can all see why. Like James, you too have been strongly shaped by your family\u2019s circumstances, and, in your case, through business, service, and a love of the place that you call home. I also want to acknowledge your family on what is a proud day for them too, and for you, and for National. So congratulations, Katie, as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000454\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EJames and Katie\u2019s paths to this House have been very different, but their values, I believe, are very similar. They are National Party values that cherish independence, that cherish aspiration and effort, and that call to public service. It is for all 123 of us MPs an honour and a privilege to serve the public from this very place which is the beating heart of New Zealand\u2019s democracy. We represent different parties and we come from different backgrounds and experiences with unique life stories, but in this House each of us is heard, our voices count. Across the House, I genuinely want to congratulate every new MP on your election to Parliament and I urge you to use your time here well. Congratulations again to you, Mr Speaker. Your guidance, experience, and sense of fairness will serve all of us in this House and New Zealand very well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000455\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENow, I have to say: New Zealand is under new management. We are here because people believe that we are the parties that can get things done; that\u2019s why you elect parties on this side of the House. Just like there are laws of nature and there are laws of physics, there are laws of politics. Because if you want lower tax, you vote for us. If you want the Government books managed well, you vote for us. If you want to create more opportunities for everyone, you vote for us. New Zealanders get it, and New Zealanders want it, and that\u2019s why they elected the parties in this coalition Government. They know that we will get things done, and that those things will be the things that matter to them. New Zealanders want National, ACT, and New Zealand First to be the strong Government that New Zealand needs. They want us to deliver, and I am telling you\u2014we will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000456\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo let me take a moment just to acknowledge the National team in this House, and you\u2019ve already met two of our class of 2023. But from Grant McCallum in Northland to Miles Anderson down South in Waitaki, from Dana Kirkpatrick in the East Coast to Maureen Pugh on the West Coast, National MPs reclaimed from Labour so much of New Zealand in this year\u2019s election. I welcome two National MPs who are here for a second term: Northcote MP Dan Bidois, and Paulo Garcia. Didn\u2019t Paulo Garcia do well turning New Lynn blue for the first time in 60 years? It is great to have you both back. We also welcome Nancy Lu off the list after a happy by-product of Andrew Bayly smashing the Port Waikato by-election. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000457\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENow, in the North Island our new MPs are Carl Bates in Whanganui, Cameron Brewer in Upper Harbour, Mike Butterick in Wairarapa, Carlos Cheung for Mt Roskill\u2014Mt Roskill, what a win that was as well. We\u2019ve got Tim Costley in \u014Ctaki. We\u2019ve got Greg Fleming from Maungakiekie. We\u2019ve got Ryan Hamilton\u2014aptly\u2014in Hamilton East. We\u2019ve got David MacLeod in New Plymouth, Rima Nakhle from Takanini, Suze Redmayne from Rangit\u012Bkei, Tom Rutherford from the Bay of Plenty, and Catherine Wedd from Tukituki, who you heard Katie talk to in her remarks.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EIn the South Island, where we already have a strong showing of MPs, we\u2019re adding Hamish Campbell in Ilam, and we\u2019re adding Vanessa Weenink in\u00A0Banks Peninsula\u2014what a great win that was, too. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000459\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd on top, there are all the returning MPs, some now with seats that they\u2019ve won back. I want to say congratulations to you all. It was an excellent election for National, but the pledge of the coalition Government is that whether you voted for us or not, we will govern for you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000460\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EI do also want to take this opportunity to welcome back to Parliament the expanded ACT and also New Zealand First teams. Thank you for sharing National\u2019s commitment to doing the practical, the important things that will make this a better country for all New Zealanders, to growing the economy, to governing with common sense, and to making people\u2019s lives easier. We are the parties with different priorities and different concerns. But there is a strong alignment on our core values, like believing in the dignity of independence, and that if you work hard in the best country on planet Earth, you should be able to get ahead. I have to say I am looking forward to working together with our three teams, putting New Zealand\u2019s interests first as we deliver our shared policy programme. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000461\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENow, on this side of the House, we all came to politics to make a positive change for the country that we love, that we are proud of, and that we see so much potential in. We are going to manage the economy well. Now that we\u2019ve rescued it from Labour, we\u2019ll nurse it back to health. We will ease the cost of living\u2014in fact, we\u2019ve already started. We will restore law and order. The coalition parties separately and together as a Government are absolutely committed to offenders facing real consequences for their crimes, and are committed to New Zealanders feeling safe in their homes and their businesses and in their communities. We are going to get public services working better, because when you care about people\u2014and we care deeply about people\u2014you don\u2019t just wring your hands and look anguished and spout rhetoric. Looking anguished doesn\u2019t take an hour off an emergency wait-list in an emergency department. You need to actually get stuck in, sort it out, and actually get things done to make the difference.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000462\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003E We are about attitudes on this side of the House, not platitudes. Our attitude to public money is to respect the people who actually earn it. We\u2019re going to do that by letting the people who earn it keep more of it. That part of it that they hand over in tax, we will spend on helping New Zealanders get ahead, and on making this great country even better, with better education, more support for the stretched health workforce, better and faster roads, less red tape, more renewable energy, and more initiatives to increase New Zealand\u2019s prosperity so that we can all get ahead. We\u2019re about increasing incomes and outcomes. I have to say that I\u2019ve had many impressive briefings already with very good senior public servants in the past few days. When they come in with their good ideas for actually achieving what the Government wants, I say to them, \u201CThat\u2019s great, but how do we do it faster?\u201D Because good execution matters, and that\u2019s measured by results and it is measured by outcomes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000463\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThe first result I actually want to talk about is the election result, and specifically Labour\u2019s. Because the swearing-in yesterday was my very first day in the House on the Government\u2019s benches. The view from here is still of Labour, but now there\u2019s just a lot fewer of them. I have to say what we just now heard from Chris Hipkins was not righteous indignation. It was not righteous indignation; it was ritual humiliation. Because I\u2019ve got to say, Chris Hipkins started the last term with 65 MPs, and he\u2019s starting this one with 34. Think about it: Chris Hipkins started the last term with the biggest majority in MMP history in New Zealand, and is starting this one with one of the most humiliating defeats for the Labour Party. I have to say, Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson, they started this last term with everything that they needed to actually set up a political dynasty for a decade, and they squandered it. They squandered it. No reason they shouldn\u2019t have been in power for 10 or 12 years, they didn\u2019t make it. They squandered the opportunity that they\u2019d got. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000464\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EAnd I recall when he lost Meka Whaitiri and he said he didn\u2019t know where she\u2019d gone. Well, he\u2019s lost around 30 MPs\u2014he\u2019s lost 30 MPs. But he knows where they are\u2014he knows where those 30 MPs are: they\u2019re out looking for jobs. And I have to say, they\u2019re not bad people, but they served in a very bad Government. New Zealanders saw it, and New Zealanders paid for it, and New Zealanders kicked them out. And make no mistake, Labour earned its loss. It worked hard for it. Labour wasted time, they squandered public money, and they made this great country and its people miss out on opportunities. MPs on that side of the House put Labour ideology and dogma ahead of New Zealand\u2019s interests and New Zealand punished them for it. Let it be a reminder to all of us in this House that we are actually here to represent the people and their needs\u2014that\u2019s what we\u2019re here to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000465\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo I have to say, Labour is sitting over there wondering who to blame for them going from 65 MPs\u2014the most ever in the history of MMP in this country\u2014to the 32 uncomfortable people over there with survivors\u2019 guilt that I see opposite me. You got two new MPs and I say congratulations, but we heard from a bitter and a twisted and a negative Chris Hipkins, the one we saw during the campaign over there. But you can see he\u2019s sitting over there asking the question, \u201CHow has he survived when nearly half of his caucus lost their jobs under his leadership?\u201D Why is he still here when so little was achieved and so little was delivered? Why is he still here? Why is he still here after squandering and decimating an absolute majority in just three years\u2014squandering an absolute majority in three years, and so many Kiwis said, \u201CI\u2019ll vote for anyone but Labour\u201D, and they did. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000466\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve been thinking about it. I\u2019ve been thinking about Chris Hipkins a little bit. I just have to say, he is like\u2014he is actually like an arsonist who, having thrown an accelerant all over the joint and lit the place up, he doesn\u2019t just slink off, actually leaving the scene, realising he\u2019s caused a huge amount of damage, he doesn\u2019t actually fess up, put his hand up, apologise to the New Zealand people and actually say he got it wrong, he just simply loiters and hangs around at the scene of the crime, actually just waiting and watching everything. Meanwhile, the good news, I\u2019ve got to tell you, is the fire brigade is showing up and we\u2019re going to deal with it. That\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen. But you have to ask the question, \u201CWhy is he here?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000467\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThen Grant Robertson, he\u2019s also got survivors\u2019 guilt, and he\u2019s sitting there saying, \u201CWhy me? Why did I survive when I was the Minister of Finance who delivered food price inflation of 28 percent?\u201D\u201428 percent, faster than at any time since the 1980s\u2014\u201CWhy did I survive when weekly rents went up $180 per week?\u201D Why? Why is he still here? When the official cash rate hit its highest point since 2008? You tripled mortgage interest rates, you crippled family budgets, and the question Grant Robertson has got to ask is \u201CWhy am I still here?\u201D Why? Why is he still here after spending more, borrowing more, taxing more, and delivering worse outcomes? He\u2019s got nothing to show for it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000468\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019re asking the same question. Why, having done a terrible job, is he still here? Ginny Andersen probably isn\u2019t asking herself why she survived because self-reflection may not actually be her thing. But she should be asking why she is still here, because crime got a lot worse on her watch and Kiwis feel a lot less safe on the street and in their own neighbourhoods. Ayesha Verrall, she should also have survivors\u2019 guilt because we know so many health outcomes went backwards under Labour: immunisation rates, wait-list times in emergency departments, first specialist appointments, surgeries\u2014all went backwards over that time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000469\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo let me, just in the spirit of being supportive, help Labour with where they went wrong, because we heard a diatribe from Chris Hipkins and some revisionist history going on, but let me just get you some help. While Labour was wasting billions of dollars and achieving nothing, while they were distracted building a big new health bureaucracy as health outcomes went backwards, while they were alienating the public by progressing co-governance without ever explaining it, and while they were talking gibberish in the draft science curriculum\u2014which didn\u2019t even mention the words physics, chemistry, or biology\u2014New Zealanders were actually struggling\u2014actually struggling. Families were facing rising bills, they were going backwards, and Labour was busy, busy, busy on new taxes and hate speech. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000470\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EI point this out merely to help Labour work out what went wrong, and also to say that on this side of the House we understand what matters to New Zealanders. The things that impact their daily lives are the things that matter the most to all of them. Those are the things that we need to be talking about in this place, those are the things that the public elected us to talk about here, those are the things that matter the most to them. And along with the billions of dollars of wasted public money, there was the Cabinet chaos, the underperformance everywhere, and New Zealanders\u2019 fear, genuine fear, that they could lose their homes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000471\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EDon\u2019t tell me it wasn\u2019t so because I spoke to those people on the election campaign, and I listened to them, and I literally held the hands of some of them\u2014like that small-business owner who was trying so hard, but her business was going under and she hadn\u2019t told her team yet because those families depended on those incomes. She cried telling me how hard it was, and that\u2019s how it was to be a small-business owner after six years of Labour. I met people who owned dairies where terrible thigs had happened to them, and I truly hope that the children in those families recover from those experiences. I met farmers who used to spend a couple of hours a week on paperwork and they were dedicated to running their properties in the most environmentally sustainable way they could, and now they spend a day a week complying with the Government bureaucracy and the rules telling them how to do their jobs. This Government\u2019s going to show a lot more respect than the last Government did to those people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000472\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ESo, I have to say, there is hope. There is a Government that appreciates that businesses provide jobs and opportunities for other New Zealanders. Business owners and managers understand that their greatest resource is their team. It is by working together that the team grows the business, and it creates better wages and more opportunities and more jobs. That\u2019s the National way of looking at it\u2014it\u2019s the aspirational way. We say it takes a lot of courage to start a small business and to employ people, and those who do it well should be extremely proud of what they do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000473\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s similar with private rentals. Over here, we know that landlords are mostly New Zealanders who are trying hard to get ahead by investing their savings and providing homes for other families. Here\u2019s what Labour has never understood: many of the tenants that they see as the perpetual victims of the so-called \u201Cevil capitalist\u201D landlords have aspirations too. They have aspirations too. Not only to own their own homes but perhaps one day maybe to become landlords themselves. So they voted for us as a Government of aspiration. We are a Government that says this will once again be a country where you can realistically go about achieving your dream. Your path might be trades training, it might be tertiary education, a business you started at the dining room table, or on a fishing boat, or just a really good idea to solve something that bugs you, but whatever the motivation, and whoever and wherever you are, we want to encourage people to have a go in this country. We will not be a Government that slams people with rules and costs that makes even the most hopeful entrepreneur lose hope, as they have been doing. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000474\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENational campaigned on three key areas that concerned us before the election, and I\u2019m telling you we\u2019re going to continue to drive improvement in Government, and I want to thank ACT and New Zealand First for their support in doing that. The first thing is we\u2019re going to rebuild the economy to make it work for all New Zealanders, because we know on this side of the House that the living standards of every single one of us depends on a strong and growing economy. A strong and growing economy provides individuals and families with the opportunity to get ahead, and it generates the value and the wealth that lets us invest in this country, in the infrastructure, and the public services that we so well deserve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000475\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EOn the other hand, when the economy stagnates, as it has for the last six years, things become harder for more of us. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been left with by Labour. An economy in a mess where high inflation has wreaked havoc on people\u2019s budgets, where the price of food, housing, and groceries has risen faster than wages, meaning so many Kiwis have been going backwards, where interest rates have had to climb to eye-watering levels to try and put the lid back on inflation. But inflation has become so entrenched and embedded from six years of reckless, wasteful Government spending that the Reserve Bank is already foreshadowing rates will have to stay higher for months to come. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000476\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThat is Labour\u2019s legacy, and it\u2019s felt most keenly by anyone with a large mortgage, which they had to take on after the record increase in house prices under Labour. It\u2019s a legacy felt by families and workers who are struggling to make their paycheck stretch for another two weeks. It\u2019s for those people that we promise to work. It\u2019s for those people that we will be better than our predecessors. We will stop the wasteful Government spending and get the books back in order, because we know that every dollar the Government spends had to actually be earned by someone going to work and working hard. That\u2019s why Simeon Brown has already instructed officials to stop work on the ridiculous $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme. When we\u2019ve said we\u2019re going to stop doing things that are stupid and wasteful, we mean it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000477\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s more of that coming because people who are working out there in the rain, or people who are cleaning our offices here late at night and paying their taxes expect us to treat that money carefully, just like they would themselves\u2014and you didn\u2019t do it. We\u2019re going to let them keep more of their own money to encourage and reward hard work and to help ease the cost of living so that life gets a little bit easier for workers and families. Let\u2019s be clear: Labour should have adjusted tax rates a long time ago. That would have actually been the fair thing to do, but they had such an insatiable appetite and an addiction to spending. They wanted more and more of the public\u2019s money, and they took it off people who deserved to be paying less tax, not more.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000478\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to cut red tape, because we actually want to make life easier, especially for small businesses and especially for farmers, but also we\u2019re going to cut that red tape so that cost stops getting passed on to consumers with higher prices. In some sectors, getting things done is more expensive in New Zealand than it is anywhere else in the world, and, yes, we want to be world leading, but not for the cost of doing business. We\u2019re not a wealthy country, so we need to stop making things even more expensive by loading up unnecessary costs. That means we\u2019re going to simplify planning rules so people who want to build stuff and get things done, from a new deck to an offshore wind farm, can actually get on and get it done.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000479\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to get going on infrastructure, including 13 new roads of national significance and public transport projects that actually get progressed, not just talked and talked and talked about by consultants. We\u2019re going to unleash significant investment in new renewable energy generation so we can meet our climate targets without shutting down our most important economic sectors. Given the scale of the infrastructure deficit New Zealand faces after six years of a Labour Government, we\u2019re going to be unapologetic about getting the private sector involved where that makes sense too. We know there\u2019s a lot of money sitting around with institutional investors both here in New Zealand and overseas\u2014investors who are looking for safe, stable, long-term projects to invest in. So one of the first jobs of our new National Infrastructure Agency is going to be to set up a better matching of investors with projects to get things done faster.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000480\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENow, let me turn to law and order, because ensuring people are actually safe in their own homes, businesses, and communities is a pretty basic responsibility of any Government. But the Labour Government didn\u2019t live up to that responsibility, and over the past six years violent crime went up 33 percent; serious assaults went up\u2014I think it doubled; gang membership went up over 70 percent. I\u2019ve got to tell you, gangs wreck lives and they are responsible for enormous social and community harm. Under Labour, they were allowed to overrun entire towns, take over motorways, and actually beat people up in public daylight. That growth in gangs is troubling, especially for communities with a large gang presence, but also troubling for anyone who truly cares about our country. As I\u2019ve said before, if you care, you do something about it to help. So this Government is going to focus on law and order and restoring personal responsibility as part of our commitment of making our communities safer. Of course, we\u2019ll focus on the causes of crime too, but also on law and order, because here\u2019s another stat for you: 60 percent more gang members are on home detention under Labour, and they\u2019re responsible for one-third of the breaches. Here\u2019s another one: retail crime has been impacted by an incredible 92 percent. It\u2019s cost us actually $2.6 billion extra, and we\u2019re all now paying for that crime with higher, higher prices and more inflation.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000481\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EWe are going to combat youth offending. We\u2019re going to make sure we get our young offender military academies in place. We\u2019re going to make sure we actually put young people\u2019s lives on a better and a much more productive path going forward. I tell you our parties here on this side of the House are all aligned in amending the Sentencing Act so that we make sure you get appropriate consequences and you actually get serious time when you actually cause pain and suffering for people across New Zealand. We\u2019re going to restore the three strikes and we\u2019re committed to training no fewer than 500 new front-line police officers in our first two years.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000482\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003ENow, Labour said the 2017 election was going to be a new beginning for our education system. Remember that? Remember that one? That was what they said\u2014transformational Government, going to be fantastic, going to deliver outstanding outcomes for education. They were right, but not in a good way, because essentially it was a new beginning for our education system, and a sad one. What we\u2019ve seen is a rapid slide in academic achievement and the beginning of an enormous problem with absenteeism. Around 40 percent of our kids are not attending school regularly. That is startling and shameful\u2014absolutely shameful. Just last night we had the shocking and more sad news\u2014not surprising\u2014that actually in the Programme for International Student Assessment test, which is how countries are benchmarked against each other, in reading, maths, and science New Zealand has slid even further, and in all three of those subject areas, our results are the worst that they\u2019ve ever been. That is Labour\u2019s legacy in education, and that is Chris Hipkins\u2019 legacy as education Minister for 5\u00BD years. All talk, all rhetoric, lots of hiring of bureaucrats\u2014no delivery, no outcomes. I am determined we are going to turn it around, because every pupil\u2014every pupil\u2014whether they\u2019re M\u0101ori, non-M\u0101ori, urban, rural\u2014whoever they are, whatever they hope for\u2014needs for the education system to do better by them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000483\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EOur results in health have also declined. There is just so much for us to do, and we\u2019re up for it. We are going to boost the health workforce, encourage nurses and midwives to stay, train more doctors. We\u2019re going to focus on results, because results matter; they save lives. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000484\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ea31fdd3-90e9-47d7-92a4-20b6a3109eef\u0022\u003EWe are delighted to be back with a big team. We are delighted to be back with a big programme and big ambitions for New Zealand at home and overseas. New Zealand has everything it needs to be successful, and now with a Government committed to making it happen. New Zealanders can be positive about the future. Change won\u2019t be easy and it won\u2019t be quick, because Labour has left us a lot to repair and to rebuild, and the books are not in good shape. But I tell you there\u2019s nothing that can\u2019t be done by a Government that actually knows what it\u2019s doing. There\u2019s nothing that can\u2019t be done when we put New Zealanders first. That\u2019s what all this is about, and what this Government\u2019s going to do. That\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. It\u2019s what we came here to do. Our team is in place, our partners are ready, the people have given us the mandate, and we are ready to go to work. Thank you very much.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022 data-id=\u0022188ad237e4fc469ea70b7b62ee46473c\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000485\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022188ad237e4fc469ea70b7b62ee46473c\u0022\u003EHon MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader\u2014Green):\u003C/span\u003E Ko te oranga o te reo te take. Ko te mana o Te Tiriti te take. Ko te pai o Aotearoa te kaupapa. N\u014D reira t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai t\u0101tou katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000486\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E[The health of the language is the purpose. The power of the Treaty is the purpose. The good of New Zealand is the issue. So greetings, acknowledgments, and thanks to us all.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000487\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, let me begin by congratulating you personally on taking the Chair. Like all of us here, you have been elected as a member of a political party but as Speaker you have made a promise that you will set that aside and you will be neutral. To be strong, a democracy relies on fair and honest debate. Mr Speaker, your job is to make sure those debates move us forward as a country. People at home look to us to uphold the highest possible standards, and whether we like it or not this House is at the heart of our democratic process. Our words and actions in this House travel through the media and social media into our communities. We owe it to everyone to create a safe space for public debate. I trust, Mr Speaker, that you will preside over the debates that happen here with good grace, humour, and a fair and even hand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000488\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EIt is the single-greatest honour of my life to be standing here as part of the largest Green Party caucus ever. This is important because smaller parties traditionally lose support after being linked up to a larger party in Government. This has happened every time. But the Greens have now not once but twice grown our support after being in a Government arrangement\u2014unheard of. This is an achievement that is unheard of anywhere in the world, and we did it with heart, with values, and with a vision that uplifted people instead of berating them, in a way that appealed to the best of our humanity rather than to the worst of it. The leaders of our two biggest parties spent more time telling you who not to vote for, trying to scare people with how things will be under the other lot than they spent time talking about how we build the beautiful future our mokopuna deserve. But not us\u2014not us. The Green Party ran one of the most hopeful campaigns we have ever seen in Aotearoa\u2014a campaign that inspired hope rather than fear, Uncle Winston\u2014a campaign that focused on well-thought-out long-term policy, not just soundbites, a campaign we fought\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000489\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002267f7494af4254d7d8cd8ef854bd5128b\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I rush to defend myself. That relationship is not true, and it\u2019s obvious from the speech it\u2019s not true. I\u2019m not her uncle.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000490\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d29eaed4ac2249b48f66fa649a5d2a3f\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: We will call people by their formal names please.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000491\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222f2081ad95614f47bccca604f4a84fd5\u0022\u003EHon MARAMA DAVIDSON\u003C/span\u003E: Certainly, Madam Speaker. We ran a campaign that inspired hope rather than fear, Mr Winston Peters. We set out clear solutions to the challenges people face and for a climate-friendly future that will make our tamariki and mokopuna proud, and people voted for it in record numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000492\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge every single one of the nearly 8,000 volunteers around the country who got us here today. Door by door, conversation by conversation, community by community, to all of you: thank you. You turned up for the kaupapa. Thank you for showing up, thank you for making your voice heard. These 15 seats are your seats too. You are the reason we take our seats here as the third-largest party in Parliament with the biggest caucus we have ever had. It is a team that includes, for the first time ever, three Green Party electorate MPs.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000493\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThe first Green Government may have drawn to a close, but I promise you this. From these seats and in our work we will fight for an Aotearoa where everyone can get by, where our native wildlife and oceans thrive, where we take bold climate action, and where we honour Te Tiriti, a record\u2014record\u2014330,000 people voted Green. Your voices will be heard and they will be loud.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000494\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThe journey that brought me here actually began on the steps just outside this building where my parents met for the first time. They came to protest the loss of land and language that our people had endured. It fills my heart to continue their fight for the tino rangatiratanga our t\u016Bpuna maintained as part of the largest M\u0101ori and Pasifika caucus that the Green Party has ever had. Our m\u0101t\u0101waka caucus of M\u0101ori and Pasifika members of Parliament has grown from three members to seven. Every one of us, along with our wider caucus, will emphasise and prioritise tino rangatiratanga, mana motuhake, and kaitiaki responsibilities by pushing this Government to have equitable relationships, devolve power to M\u0101ori, and hear the calls from our people and communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000495\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EA commitment to Tiriti justice is absolutely integral to everything I and the Greens do, but it needs to be integral to the work that all politicians do. We must strive for a world that keeps the p\u0101 harakeke nourished and bursting with health. We must insist Tiriti justice is upheld across all our work, and we must be clear that tino rangatiratanga is key to healing relationships across communities and our reconnecting all of us with our seas, our rivers, our bush, our mountains, and our whenua. These fiercely proud tangata whenua and tangata moana MPs take their place alongside me as part of a wider team of 15 tireless, experienced, staunch community leaders who will stand strong on the issues that matter most to our people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000496\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ELook, I know that many of you have had to travel long distances to get here, often spending weeks away from wh\u0101nau. It never gets easier; I know because I do it too. I love my job and it breaks my heart to say goodbye to my mokopuna and tamariki every week. To all of you in a similar position, but especially to Mr Luxon, Mr Seymour, and Mr Winston Peters, I do hope you will take some comfort in knowing that every time you arrive in Wellington for work, you are arriving in the Green electorate of Rongotai and you travel through another Green electorate, Wellington Central, to get to Parliament. There is not a street, not a single street from here to the airport that is not represented by a proud Green MP fighting to make life better for everyone and for future generations\u2014won convincingly, might I add. I hope Ministers remember these electorates when their Crown limos get stuck in the inevitable traffic jams resulting from his decision to defund the Let\u2019s Get Wellington Moving programme. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000497\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWhen I look across our new, super-charged caucus, I am struck not just by the breadth of skills and experience they bring to Parliament but also by their personal stories. Lan Pham, who proudly takes her place as the first MP of Vietnamese heritage that Aotearoa has ever had and brings with her a deep knowledge of Tiriti justice and ecological justice. Steve Abel, a grassroots activist of grit and unbreakable determination. Darleen Tana and H\u016Bhana Lyndon, proud Ng\u0101puhi mates for me, w\u0101hine M\u0101ori and daughters of the north whose roots, life, and career are firmly grounded in the whenua and protecting te taiao, including Tai Tokerau. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000498\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EKahurangi Carter, another wahine toa and powerful voice for our \u014Ctautahi wh\u0101nau and the health of Papat\u016B\u0101nuku herself. Efeso Collins, a proud descendant of Samoa whose longstanding commitment to strengthening the family, community, and cultural connections between Pasifika families and peoples living in Aotearoa and the islands, found his rightful home here with the Greens. Our man from the deep South, Scott Willis, who knows as well as anyone how to bring together a community for positive, local-led change. And, finally, Tamatha Paul, MP for Wellington Central and a new generation of w\u0101hine M\u0101ori political leaders who make Auntie Marama\u2019s heart burst with pride.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000499\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EJames Shaw and I are truly honoured to be leading these eight new MPs and the seven who return for another three years. They have each made it their life\u2019s work to challenge the status quo and change Aotearoa for the better, and I am pumped to see what they will do in the House. Whatever they do and however they use their power, I can assure this House of one thing: the members opposite are not going to get away with their political violence lightly. If they think they have a problem with their own team leaking confidential papers to the media in the very first week, they best buckle up. It is over here on this side of the House where they will find their real challenge.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000500\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EOne of the things that makes the Green Party unique is that we do not make a choice between action outside of Parliament and inside of Parliament\u2014we need both. We have to engage in protests and rallies and raise the voice of our communities, but we do also translate our passion and our causes into laws, policy, and practice. That is why the 15 of us ran for Parliament, and I promise you this, to the country and to this House: we are going to give it everything that we have got, absolutely everything, because everything a Government does is a matter of political choice. These choices reflect the underlying values of the people in charge, the people who are making decisions that affect our lives and the lives of people we love.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000501\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EUnburdened by what is to come, the Speech from the Throne was the best chance this Government will ever have to make clear to people why it is actually in power, to set out its vision for Aotearoa that it wants for our mokopuna to grow up in, to explain how it plans to allocate resources where they are needed the most so we can build the kind of communities and society that are good for all people to live in, to create the conditions we need to support each other, to care for our native wildlife, and to cut climate pollution. Instead\u2014instead\u2014what we got is a random, visionless, and harmful grab bag of laws that are more about politicians\u2019 pet projects and petty grievances than they are about addressing the challenges we face right now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000502\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWatching this Government take shape over the past few months has been hard and dispiriting for thousands of people up and down Aotearoa, myself included, but now more than ever we need to be willing to overcome cynicism and disappointment and take the hard work of change forward. The fear and uncertainty of what lies ahead is made so much worse by the all too frequent reminders that prejudice and inequality still shapes so much of our politics. What matters most in politics isn\u2019t the headlines, the meetings, or the speeches; it is people, and I have to say, watching as people and wh\u0101nau have come together across the motu in recent weeks, including yesterday, to call for peace and speak up for Te Tiriti makes me hopeful. It reminds me that all our actions, no matter how small or large, are powerful, worthwhile, and capable of delivering lasting change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000503\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThousands and thousands of you have shown up in your communities to demand this Government uphold our shared values and an end to the atrocious and enduring killing of children and innocents happening in Gaza that requires lasting, just peace for the mokopuna of Palestine and Israel to be able to cherish their whenua together. And if you ever doubt you can make a difference, just look at what you did when this Government dared to say it would reopen our moana and our oceans to oil and gas companies. Nearly 30,000 of you, so far, took an immediate stand and signed a petition telling the Prime Minister and his co-deputies that they had no mandate to tear up climate action. Days after promising it, lifting the ban was nowhere to be seen on the Government\u2019s 100-day plan. People power won the oil and gas ban, and it is people power that is going to save it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000504\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThese are the reasons why I am optimistic, and as I stand here today I am absolutely clear about one thing: this Government and its programme of performative cruelty does not represent our future. That is up to us. Yes, the path ahead will have some ups and downs, but we remain focused on our journey towards an Aotearoa that upholds Te Tiriti, heals te taiao, and ensures everyone has what they need to live a good life, though this Government is wanting to put obstacles in our way, like unwinding the freshwater standards that are finally restoring the mauri to our awa; like tearing up fair pay agreements (FPAs), a move that will disproportionately harm young people, women, M\u0101ori, and Pasifika. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000505\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EFPAs would have put more money in the pockets of people who work tirelessly to teach our mokopuna, keep our workplaces clean and safe, stock the supermarket shelves, and get us around on the bus. Ending FPAs is a big political middle finger to all of those workers. Like raising the price of electric cars by ending the Clean Car Discount\u2014but only after the PM himself had benefited from it. Like winding back protections for people who rent and giving tax cuts to landlords. Like raiding the money raised from our biggest polluters through the emissions trading scheme to pay for their tax cuts for wealthy people, a decision that is about as far away from a climate dividend as you can possibly get. A dividend would give the same amount to everyone, not higher tax cuts for the wealthy while people who need support the most completely miss out. This is a cynical, dishonest policy that speaks to National\u2019s gross incompetence in both climate policy and financial policy. Though we face these obstacles, we are absolutely clear about where we are heading as a country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000506\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWe have overcome obstacles and changed this country before. We stood up as a small nation and made a promise to future generations that the Aotearoa they grow up in will be safe and free from nuclear power. We stood up to the harms of the past and through the Treaty of Waitangi Act enabled some redress for land wrongly taken from tangata whenua and M\u0101ori. We have won marriage equality, stopped the harms of conversion therapy, ended the logging of native timber, revitalised te reo through k\u014Dhanga reo and kura kaupapa, decriminalised abortion, and built thousands of warm, dry homes. These changes only happened when people got involved and came together to demand them. Now is not the time to stand by and let the future just happen to us. The time is now to take charge of it and to do everything we possibly can to pass on to our tamariki a planet that is stable, cleaner, and based on equity and Tiriti justice.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000507\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EThose of us in this House have a choice to make. We can reject a politics that breeds division and hatred and whips up fear and disinformation. We refuse to spend all our time talking about the next outrageous thing Mr Seymour or Mr Peters said instead of focusing on what matters to people\u2019s daily lives. We do not allow spectacle to take the place of robust, good faith, public debate. We say k\u0101ore to all of that that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000508\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EInstead, we can work for change\u2014change that means that every child always has enough to eat, a safe bed, warm clothes, and decent shoes. To support the wh\u0101nau all over the country who are being forced to cut back on kai just to pay the bills. To address the homes that are cold and damp all of the time and making children sick. We can debate how we restore our native wildlife so every generation, and the seven generations that come after them, can enjoy the astonishing beauty of our natural world. Native birdsong in our backyards, streets lined with trees our playful tamariki can climb, and an ocean once again full of fish, dolphins, whales, and healthy underwater forests. How we make sure tamariki can ride their bikes or scooters to school without worrying about noisy, fast moving, polluting traffic. How we protect our communities from a climate crisis that is turbocharging flooding and extreme weather in places like Auckland, Northland, Tair\u0101whiti, and Hawke\u2019s Bay. How we honour the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, celebrate te reo M\u0101ori, and support tangata whenua to live long, healthy, and happy lives. How we affirm the tino rangatiratanga of wh\u0101nau, hap\u016B, and iwi over their whenua and their taonga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000509\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo we all have a shared responsibility for the whenua we live and rely on, and to care for each other and make decisions to benefit the many and not just the few. As a Parliament, we should be debating how to achieve these things, not whether to even try. We can be that beautiful, inspiring country. I believe with all my heart that the vast majority of people want Aotearoa to be that country too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000510\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EOur success depends on how we use our power at this moment, how we use our voices, and how we organise and mobilise collectively to channel our justifiable anger into sustained and effective action. Our job of caring for Papat\u016B\u0101nuku, so she is thriving in her own right, can only move forward if we move forward together. Change will never come from turning on each other, but by turning towards each other. It will never come from sowing hatred, division, and lies, but by staying true to our values and sharing the truth. It will never come from abdicating our responsibilities to whakamana Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but by embracing those responsibilities so our tamariki and mokopuna can grow up in an Aotearoa where their language and whakapapa is celebrated, their health is prioritised, and their whenua is protected.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000511\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EDemocracy is about more than just gimmicky announcements\u2014things politicians say for attention\u2014and it\u2019s even about more than just Parliament. It is about coming together to bring about real and lasting change. And that is what the Green Party is here to do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000512\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ESo, to anyone listening at home today, I want you to know you have to stay encouraged\u2014we have to stay encouraged together. Wh\u0101ia te tika [Pursue truth]\u2014we can always make a difference. Fighting for what is right is always, always worth it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000513\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003ENow, no one doubts that it will be tough. This Government is actually saying the truly nasty things out loud, like they care more for the ability for unhealthy programmes and rolling back Auahi Kore numbers and targets and aims. They care more for allowing that than they do for solid public-health policy that also acknowledged inequities. They\u2019re saying that out loud\u2014that and so many more things. This Government is showing and telling us who they are actually here for. And I can tell you, not for the people I see in my community in South Auckland. They are not here for students, for single parents, or for people with disabilities. They\u2019re here for people who make money from exploiting workers, renters, and our taiao.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000514\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EFor more than 30 years, we have known better than anyone that there is only one way to change Aotearoa for the better, and that is together. Aotearoa needs us. All those people who need support to pay the bills and live a good life need us to fight for them. The children who go to bed hungry tonight and every other night need us to fight for them. The wh\u0101nau who cannot pay the rent and are sending their tamariki out to work instead, need us to fight for them. The young people growing up worrying about what their future holds on a planet where extreme weather becomes a new normal, need us to fight for them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000515\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWe will be stronger, we will be tougher, and we will be more compassionate. We will be more staunch than we have ever been before\u2014and we have already been staunch. These Green MPs, here, will carry with them the voices of our communities and ensure they are heard loud and clear in the halls of Parliament and power and beyond.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000516\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EWe live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We have everything we need to create the Aotearoa we all want to live in\u2014an Aotearoa where everyone has what they need to put kai on the table, and a safe place to call home and live a good life. We can reduce the outrageous and immoral level of income- and wealth-inequality we have in this country. We can confront climate change with the urgency and the scale that it demands, and invest in action to protect our rivers, land, forests, beaches, and oceans. We can uphold Tiriti justice and return resources directly back to iwi and hap\u016B so tangata whenua can finally have the autonomy and authority over our whenua and wellbeing that our t\u016Bpuna always maintained. This is the Aotearoa we must continue our journey towards. Our actions, no matter how small or large, are powerful, worthwhile, and capable of delivering lasting change.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000517\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003EE te iwi, don\u2019t sit this one out. Don\u2019t sit this one out. Let\u2019s get out there and fight for the future we all deserve. N\u014D reira, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, kia ora mai t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022 data-id=\u0022fd4772374c844b14819140b0d8d84d1b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022fd4772374c844b14819140b0d8d84d1b\u0022\u003EHon DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader\u2014ACT):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I\u2019ve got to say, if you\u2019ve ever wondered why the Green Party needs to have two leaders, that speech by Marama Davidson was all the evidence you would ever need! It felt like it was written by an ad agency but, at the end of it, no one had a clue what they were actually selling\u2014platitude after platitude\u2014and that\u2019s why they\u2019re over there. I hope that they stay over there, for the sake of New Zealand, for a very, very long time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000519\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003ETurning to you, Mr Speaker, I want to congratulate you again for your election, after a long and winding road to today, where you are our Speaker, and we think you\u2019re going to do a very good job. To the other leaders of political parties who have been elected again\u2014the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins; to Chris Luxon, Prime Minister, along with Nicola Willis; and to the Rt Hon Winston Peters and Shane Jones\u2014congratulations on the results. To Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, congratulations on leading your party back to this place in Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000520\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003ETo all of those people who are new to Parliament, it is a wonderful institution, and it is whatever you make of it. You are given enormous privileges to speak freely and debate, but you are given those privileges by the people of New Zealand to do your best for them. I look forward to hearing the maiden statements, as we\u2019ve heard two excellent statements this afternoon. I look forward to hearing as many as I can of what new members are bringing to this House, to use those privileges for the betterment of those who have given them to them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000521\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI particularly want to acknowledge ACT\u2019s MPs\u2014the six of us returning. Nicole McKee, now a Minister, the Associate Minister of Justice, and for Courts, is going to fix so much of what has been done wrong in firearms law in particular but is also going to be a formidable opponent of crime in her role, making the courts work better and faster for all those people who seek justice in our country. To Karen Chhour, who completes an extraordinary journey from being a victim of mistreatment at the hands of the Children and Young Persons Service, then the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, then Oranga Tamariki, to being the Minister for Children, in charge, with the capacity to do something about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000522\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003ETo Mark Cameron, our farmer MP; to Simon Court, the only person I know who has applied for complex Resource Management Act consents in this Parliament and who is now in a position to make them a little bit less complex for the people trying to build this country. And to our new MPs: to Todd Stephenson, the pocket rocket, straight from corporate Australia and fitting in just perfectly in the parliamentary environment, we welcome him\u2014and a strong presence for ACT in the lower South Island. To Andrew Hoggard\u2014they say, \u201CIf he walks like a farmer, if he talks like a farmer, guess what!\u201D He\u2019s going to be a fantastic Minister for Biosecurity, and for Food Safety, and Associate Minister of Agriculture. It\u2019s fantastic that those people in rural New Zealand, across the three parties of Government, have such strong and experienced advocates, where they have been neglected for so long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000523\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EParmjeet Parmar is coming back to Parliament with a new playing strip! I\u2019m really pleased to have her as an experienced member\u2014and one of the most qualified people to be in this Parliament, perhaps in decades, with her deep knowledge of science, along with her business and broadcasting and political background. Laura Trask, someone who runs a business, something we haven\u2019t heard on the Government side of this House for quite some time. Laura Trask is someone who runs a business, as does Cameron Luxton, a builder. Cameron Luxton, I think it\u2019s probably true, has built more houses personally than the Government built in the six years that it had! This is the ACT team that I want to congratulate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000524\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EBut, in case you think I\u2019ve forgotten, last but most certainly not least is Brooke van Velden, my good friend, my deputy, now the MP from T\u0101maki, who has just had a whole electorate of people see what we have seen in Brooke for such a long time. I might add that I think Richard Wagstaff has seen a new side of her in the last 48 hours, too. I\u2019ll just say that, if you\u2019re going to go on camera and lie about your interactions with Brooke, you probably won\u2019t be doing it again. Brooke is a formidable politician, a formidable intellect, and someone with an enormous future that is going to bring about tremendous change in her ministerial portfolios. I believe\u2014and I haven\u2019t researched this, but from memory\u2014I saw Simon Upton over there before. I believe that Brooke may be the youngest Cabinet Minister in the history of our country, certainly in any memory that I have\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000525\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002253f86481-33c1-48b2-893b-c11cc0bd673d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ee9be0fe375a4793b1d3e6cd856bd476\u0022\u003EHon Paul Goldsmith\u003C/span\u003E: Phil Goff.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000526\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022472a703e39604a5e9c580eeb25cae7ba\u0022\u003EHon DAVID SEYMOUR\u003C/span\u003E: Paul Goldsmith\u2014this is why you don\u2019t have a historian next door! He says it\u2019s Phil Goff. But there you go; she\u2019s going to be the best and youngest.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000527\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI also want to thank those many people outside Parliament who have made possible what just happened: another peaceful transition of power, a contest of ideas, a battle of words rather than of weapons. There are so many countries where so many people are literally fighting to have the things that we in New Zealand so easily take for granted. And it\u2019s often the people who take the practical steps to make it happen. ACT\u2019s volunteers\u2014and we seem to have appealed to practical people\u2014put up so many pink signs in some parts of the country that we actually got safety complaints from the local authorities because there was more pink than road signs on large parts of New Zealand\u2019s highway network. It\u2019s those people who came to streetcorner meetings, who came to townhall meetings\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000528\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224a30e5a698cb41469c4bbaf47c06d942\u0022\u003ERawiri Waititi\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s what money will do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000529\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fbd29a58c01f40babd92272c58770ced\u0022\u003EHon DAVID SEYMOUR\u003C/span\u003E: And I\u2019ve just heard Rawiri Waititi say, \u201COh, that\u2019s what money will do.\u201D Well, let me tell Rawiri Waititi that a skin for a billboard or a hoarding costs about 30 bucks. It\u2019s the volunteer labour of the people who got out and did that. But you wouldn\u2019t ask Rawiri Waititi if you wanted to know about hard work, would you? We also saw people who attended townhall meetings, who came to streetcorner meetings. We had people who argued with their colleagues and their family and persuaded, eventually, a quarter of a million New Zealanders to trust ACT with their party vote, beyond those in the Epsom electorate, who I am incredibly grateful to and thank for sending me to this place for a fourth time. It is humbling to be elected by your neighbours to speak on their behalf, and what wonderful neighbourhoods they are in the electorate of Epsom.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000530\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI also want to thank the ACT Party board. They are the head of a great membership of volunteers, activists, donors\u2014all of those people who give up their time for nothing but the feeling that they have made our democracy possible. Nobody forces any of them to do it. Almost none of them is paid a cent and yet they show up every three years and make our democracy possible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000531\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThere are also many candidates from all parties who gave it their all and were not returned to Parliament. That is the reality of any contest, but I want to say to them that, if you\u2019ve missed out this time, it may be that next time is your time, or the time after that. Some people stand many times and go on to have tremendous parliamentary careers, but your efforts have been noticed and they will contribute to whatever you want to do in a future election.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000532\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI think the reason that so many people came out and were prepared to work so hard towards ensuring the Government changed is that, well, frankly, they were motivated by the Labour Government and its allies, and its potentially allies, who made such a hash of New Zealand. If you look at just the raw numbers, Grant Robertson, as finance Minister, was reduced to trying to explain why perhaps a boondoggle might actually be a good thing! I mean, it was hard to believe today, but that actually happened.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000533\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EYou had a Minister of Finance saying, \u201COh, no; boondoggles could be good. Here\u2019s the dictionary definition and if I can contort myself enough I might even convince myself.\u201D That is Grant Robertson\u2019s legacy. but it\u2019s also by the plain numbers list. Grant Robertson, as Minister of Finance, had the job of ensuring that the taxpayers dollar went as far as possible to deliver the services and alleviate the suffering of New Zealanders in a range of areas. And the bottom line is that from 2017 to this year, he increased the amount Government spends above inflation, above population growth\u2014you know, there\u2019s no jiggery-pokery here. Per person, after inflation, he increased expenditure by 30 percent. New Zealand taxpayers need to ask themselves: am I getting 30 percent better real service from Government?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000534\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EIn which area might they look for it? They might look in education. Chris Hipkins\u2014it was kind of interesting today. It\u2019s almost like he has the most wonderful form of selective amnesia. I listened to him and I thought this can\u2019t be the same guy who is predominantly responsible for the state of education today. But he was the Minister of Education for five years. He was responsible for Te P\u016Bkenga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000535\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe challenge for this Government laid down today could not be starker. The Programme for International Student Assessment examinations of 15-year-olds in science, literacy, and mathematics have been tested every three years since the turn of the century and we have just had the worst results ever for New Zealand. The damage that has been done over the past two decades will take another generation to fully turn around. And yet we had not 2,500 bureaucrats in the Ministry of Education but 4,400. That\u2019s the growth under Labour and our results got worse. Our school attendance got worse. So Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins\u2014thick as thieves; in fact, taxpayers might say that\u2019s exactly what they were\u2014were conniving together to get fewer kids going to school, learning less for more money. That\u2019s the big problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000536\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EProductivity right across the economy was in the tank. You might have thought that all these schemes they had to invest in this and invest in that would somehow make New Zealand more productive. The truth is that if Labour MPs knew how to invest capital, they wouldn\u2019t be Labour MPs. They\u2019d be rich. The reality is they had no idea how to transform an economy, but they inadvertently transformed it to have some of the highest inflation in living memory.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000537\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI think Grant Robertson and a possible exception\u2014no offence\u2014Adrian Rurawhe were probably the only people in that Labour Government old enough to remember the last time inflation had been as bad as they left it. But that is one of the outcomes of Grant Robertson\u2019s unproductive spending spree.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000538\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EBut perhaps more than anything, the previous Government was elected to solve the problem of housing. It\u2019s one of the biggest drivers of the cost of living crisis, one of the biggest drivers of poverty, and one of the biggest drivers in crime and educational under-attainment\u2014people getting moved as students from uncle to aunty, from one term to the next, and never settling in one school. The Labour Government was elected more than anything to solve the shortage of housing and build more homes. And how did it go? Well, KiwiBuild was so politically and policy-wise disastrous that it almost became unfair to raise it in politics. I mean, it was so bad, you sort of thought: oh come on, go easy on them. You know, their Resource Management Act reforms managed to make the resource management law more complicated, but with novel terms such as te Oranga o te Taiao, which would need to be interpreted in new jurisprudence by the Environment Court, by which time we would probably be economically overtaken by Indonesia. Yet that was the Labour Party\u2019s idea of how to get more houses built.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000539\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EIn just about every area we found a Labour Party that spent more money and made more rules and got worse results. I have to tell you that they returned today so rundown and clapped out that if this Labour Party was a used car it would be illegal to import them to New Zealand. They just don\u2019t go any more\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022445e541c9e4e4126bd043728aba59498\u0022\u003EHon Simeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: They hate cars anyway.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000541\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e08a578f47d4be8af83e73ec69cc881\u0022\u003EHon DAVID SEYMOUR\u003C/span\u003E: And they also hate cars anyway, the Minister of Transport tells us; it\u2019s an excellent point. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000542\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI raise all of this because we heard from Chris Hipkins a couple of things in his speech. He said that the Government doesn\u2019t have a vision; it just wants to delete so much of what the previous Government has done. That second part is true. Three waters\u2014we do want to cancel. Te P\u016Bkenga was a disaster under Chris Hipkins\u2019 watch that does need to be unravelled. Fair pay agreements, so-called, will be gone by Brooke van Velden, no matter how eager and quickly the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions are to find out about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000543\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe reason that we want to get rid of these damaging policies like the Natural and Built Environment Act and the Spatial Planning Act is that Labour\u2019s vision was one of central control: centralised politics, centralised healthcare, centralised three waters\u2014give the Minister for the Environment more power over what is built in your street. That is certainly a vision in Labour and perhaps the Greens and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2019s eyes, because their vision is about politicians doing things. It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t have a vision; it\u2019s just that we have a different vision from the point of view of the New Zealanders who have to live in this country and are trying to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of those that they care about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000544\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s why this Government will be strongly committed\u2014more committed than any Government in history\u2014to dealing to the red tape and regulation that wastes people\u2019s time going through compliance activities that add nothing to the public welfare but dramatically impoverish people and, eventually, all of us in their private welfare. If we want to raise productivity, we must spend more time producing and less time complying with rules that don\u2019t make sense. And I\u2019m proud to be the first Minister for Regulation, with a Ministry for Regulation and a Regulatory Standards Bill setting out the principles of how you make laws that do make sense and then go through the enormous stock of out-of-date rules and regulations that waste our time and money. That is what I call a vision. But it\u2019s a vision of empowerment for ordinary people, not a vision of meddling for the few politicians and the not so few bureaucrats that Labour hired. Our vision is that people get to spend more of their own money. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000545\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EYou see, as I mentioned, the Labour Party spent like drunken sailors and were about as effective at getting useful things done. The previous Labour Government has given us a massive fiscal headache and, sadly, that is pain that in different ways will be shared by all New Zealanders. But I have great confidence in Nicola Willis along with Chris Bishop and Shane Jones and myself as Associate Finance Ministers to get this ship back on course.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000546\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EI\u2019m pleased to see that 2017 baselines for the number of public servants will be a starting point for getting costs under control. Because you don\u2019t just have to pay these people; they then get bored and make you jump through extra hoops which further damages our productivity. And just as that could be a lose-lose, removing unnecessary expenditure and activity is a win-win, and that\u2019s a vision for everyday New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000547\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWhen it comes to crime, it is time to call time on the experiment of Labour. That is, if only we are kind to criminals, they\u2019ll be kind back. Now, I can understand\u2014I like to be kind too, but it\u2019s a little bit harder when you meet the victims, when you go to liquor stores, when you go to dairies, when you go to retailers, when you talk to storeowners who keep a boutique fashion place that they\u2019re afraid to lock up at 6 o\u2019clock in winter, because it\u2019s dark then and they don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to be around and they heard what happened to one of their colleagues in the alley just a few weeks back\u2014something the police are still investigating. I\u2019m sorry, but these stories are real and they\u2019re not from some place where people think there\u2019s a lot of crime. They\u2019re from places where people would otherwise think there wasn\u2019t a lot of crime in central Auckland.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000548\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThis Government is going to increase prison capacity. This Government is going to give the courts and the police options for young offenders. This Government is going to make sure that if you attack someone in a sole-charge workplace or a workplace attached to their dwelling house, then that\u2019s an aggravating factor, or if you\u2019re a member of a gang, you\u2019re going away for longer, because being kind to crims hasn\u2019t worked. It\u2019s time to put them back in their place, and that is behind bars. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000549\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe talked about education, and I think we have an excellent education Minister and an excellent commitment to shift the way that education policy is done. You see, for far too long, we have had an education policy that is driven by a burgeoning ministry that meddles endlessly in the inputs. They\u2019ll tell you how to teach. They\u2019ll tell you what shape the classrooms should be\u2014hint: it\u2019s three classrooms joined together with lots of beanbags. They\u2019ll tell you what to teach\u2014hint: it\u2019s usually politically motivated. But they don\u2019t actually ask the hard questions like: how many kids showed up to school yesterday, how many of them are passing, and how many of them are prepared for the modern workplace, to be citizens in the most knowledge-rich century that humans will ever exist in? Well, this Government is going to flip that switch. We\u2019re going to empower educators to actually be in charge of their schools, with their cellphones safely away, and then demand that the kids show up and the results are achieved. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000550\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThe Labour Party has said that there isn\u2019t a lot of vision. Well, I can tell the Labour Party that I know a few parents and I know a few kids, and, actually, the vision of being enabled to navigate the 21st century with the basic skills that these guys neglected\u2014that\u2019s a vision. If only we had had that vision six years ago and had started earlier, there\u2019d be far fewer kids who have been sent out into the world, cruelly, without the basic skills to navigate that world. The purist version of demanding results and giving flexibility and empowerment to educators is partnership schools, kura hourua, colloquially known as charter schools, which will be back and better and bigger than ever\u2014teacher unions, you can hear that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000551\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe have an excellent Minister of Health, not only because he\u2019s a doctor but he\u2019s also a seriously passionate and good guy. We are going to see a healthcare system that is not focused on the vision of reorganising the wiring diagram in Wellington, but, instead, on a Ministry of Health and a health system that treats all New Zealanders equally, based on need, using good data\u2014not lazy and bigoted discrimination based on race\u2014and that focuses on ensuring that the patients are getting the results, not that administrators are happy or that the health system is doing right by identity politics. We\u2019re also going to see Pharmac dragged into the modern age, with an attitude that is friendly to those people going through difficult times and in need of pharmaceuticals so that they can get by, and we\u2019re going to see their funding model reflect the impacts of funding on the rest of the Government\u2019s books. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000552\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EImmigration: we\u2019re a nation of immigrants. We\u2019re going to lift the cap on recognised seasonal employers so we don\u2019t have the constant interjurisdictional fights over who has quota to have people to get the work done. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000553\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to redeem a promissory note made to thousands, or in fact hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders that this is a country that wants you, and, if you come here and if you cover their costs, you can bring your parents. I was speaking to a woman not so long ago who was a prominent person at a major university\u2014in fact, it probably doesn\u2019t harm to say that she was running her department. She said, \u201CI\u2019m an only child. My mother is in the United Kingdom. If I can\u2019t get her here, I\u2019m going home, and I know that\u2019ll have an impact on my career, it will have an impact on the university, and it will have an impact on my students.\u201D Well, this Government says that if she\u2019s prepared to pay the costs of the healthcare and if she\u2019s prepared to guarantee there\u2019ll be no costs on the State, her mum can have a five-year visitor visa to come in and out of New Zealand as much as she likes and be in this country. Doesn\u2019t that restore the faith that new New Zealanders who have come from all over the world have put in this country? That is our objective. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000554\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s another group of people who have been a bit marginalised. They\u2019re people who own a house and let another New Zealander live in it in return for money. Now, I would have said that that was a beautiful example of human cooperation, but the Labour Party and allies have been so myopic that they thought that the way to help the people living in the house was to attack the people that owned the house. I think their philosophy is that beatings would continue until morale improves. Well, plot twist: morale did not improve. People pulled back from being landlords, and tenants were the ones that suffered, with record increases in rent over the six years that we\u2019ve just seen with this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000555\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWell, we\u2019re going to say that if it\u2019s your house and you want to evict someone, you can\u2014that\u2019s just how property works\u2014but it has the enormous advantage in that it makes people more willing to let someone else live in a house that they own in the first place, and especially someone that they may have some questions or causes for concern about. That, to me, sounds like the civilised way to go about doing business in New Zealand, and it\u2019s actually going to help the most disadvantaged tenants when we have no-fault evictions. It\u2019s also going to help landlords enormously when the amount of mortgage interest that they can deduct from their tax bill is increased more rapidly than any other party had promised, and that is an enormous benefit, not only to landlords but also to tenants, because they go together. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000556\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s another group of New Zealanders who have been neglected for reasons I struggle to fathom: those who go out of their way to give food to other New Zealanders and to about eight times as many people who are our export customers overseas, and yet we have seen rural New Zealand\u2014the likes of Andrew Hoggard and Mark Cameron\u2014beaten around the ears as public enemy number one for year after year for having the temerity to use the land to produce food, to employ people, and to try and feed the world and earn export receipts. Well, they now have a Government that actually has some farmers, that actually respects farmers, and that is going to get rid of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and replace it with something sensible that actually has regard to local conditions. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000557\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to stop putting significant natural areas (SNAs) where some pimply teenager out of planning school looks at your farm on Google Earth and says, \u201CThat looks like a bit of biodiversity. You can\u2019t have that any more.\u201D, because if you do that, people won\u2019t want to do conservation because the pimply teenagers at the local council will take your property rights. So no more SNAs. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000558\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to have a split-gas approach to methane and other greenhouse gases because we actually do follow the science, and the science says that methane has different characteristics from carbon dioxide. Now, you\u2019re not going to get that from the Green Party, who have not elected an MP who has studied science past high school in 12 years. The ACT Party has more scientists than the Green Party has elected, probably, in its history. But I will watch the maiden statements to see if any of you guys have actually studied science, because if you have, you\u2019ll be the first Green MP that\u2019s done that for a very, very long time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000559\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s another group of people\u2014licensed firearms owners\u2014scapegoated, punished, and pushed beyond reason by this previous Government. They were almost blamed for our nation\u2019s tragedy in Christchurch. The Government pushed hundreds of thousands of what they deemed the most dangerous firearms into the grey and black market in what may have been one of the stupidest, most irresponsible policies that any Government has rushed through this Parliament. But Nicole McKee, for 25 years a firearms safety officer, is\u2014it\u2019s difficult to think of a better person to be in charge of firearms law. Now, I feel much safer already, and we\u2019re going to see clubs and ranges have the most egregious regulations gone. We\u2019re going to see a new arms Act, and we\u2019re going to ask a very basic question that you should ask about any policy, which is whether this firearms registry is actually making us safer, because there\u2019s a good school of thought that it\u2019s not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000560\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EIn housing, we\u2019re going to see the Resource Management Act gone and replaced with a law based on property rights. Speaking of property rights, the medium-density residential standard\u2014a folly that invaded the peaceful enjoyment of so many people\u2019s property, or it would\u2014will become optional, with councils required to re-ratify it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000561\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EWe are going to see a constructive debate about what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi mean, and people will get into enormous hysterics about this, because, you know, some people aren\u2019t what you\u2019d call intellectual. Those people who aren\u2019t so intellectual, they tend to be afraid of debate, and so they will call you racist and they\u2019ll shout you down and they\u2019ll try and block the motorway. But those of us who do enjoy the contest of ideas are looking forward to having a discussion about what those principles mean and what the lens through which we view the Treaty from 2023 actually means, and I suspect that if they do their study and if they read and they take the time\u2014and some of those people shouting in the background might actually enjoy the discussion and find that it is mana-enhancing for Te Tiriti and M\u0101oridom. But I\u2019m not sure that they\u2019re up to it. The challenge\u2014the wero\u2014is now laid down for them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000562\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227e22bb95-9afb-449c-bcd2-de9fd4f2277c\u0022\u003EThis Government has a vision of empowerment\u2014a vision of New Zealanders as people who are treated alike in dignity, regardless of their identity, and who have the ability to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of those that they care about\u2014and with that vision, we are all going to be wealthier and happier for it. Thank you, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022 data-id=\u0022a5a73451f5364478b191676d32f106f3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000563\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022a5a73451f5364478b191676d32f106f3\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister):\u003C/span\u003E Mr Speaker, right here, right now, something that the political experts said could never happen is happening. So congratulations to you\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000564\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224543cee58370439ba85e4a0f5b04a2c3\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah, what do they know!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000565\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002264a07b23e6514b62a2d3811293155ca1\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and also congratulations to Chris Luxon and David Seymour in the formation of this Government, and their political parties\u2014something that, also, the experts said could not happen. So if we\u2019re going forward, can we just have a look in the future at these experts and start examining their record of being right? Because, so many times, they have been wrong.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000566\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EI say, also, that hearing Mr Hipkins today was actually an astonishing event. This is somebody that came to power and had his own bonfire\u2014a bonfire of the stupid vanities that his party had in place. But then, today, he came along and defended it. The extraordinary thing is he didn\u2019t seem to understand that the forward forecast for GDP for next year by the IMF has us at 159 in the world\u2014just in front of Equatorial Guinea and doing less than 1 percent in terms of GDP\u2014and he said that that was a success story. Well, you can see why they are so troubled now and in such small numbers.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000567\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ECongratulations to every member of Parliament that\u2019s here, whatever the party that might be, and for the time that you are here, because it\u2019s a very privileged place to be. We\u2019re all here to do one thing: despite what some of your leaders or your manifesto might say\u2014and what your past colleagues might say\u2014you\u2019re here to represent everybody as one people called New Zealanders, regardless of our DNA, our gender, our background, or our creeds. This country was made being one country. Or, as Dame Whina Cooper said, we signed the Treaty so that we could become one people. I\u2019ll remind some people that were posing here yesterday\u2014as though they\u2019re the new vision, they\u2019re the new light, now they\u2019re the epiphany of what M\u0101ori is\u2014oh no, you don\u2019t. No, you don\u2019t. Let me tell you: if you\u2019re looking for trouble, you\u2019ve come to the right place. We came back to Parliament doing the impossible.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000568\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d689e60bdf9b4af08640347dc281d901\u0022\u003EDebbie Ngarewa-Packer\u003C/span\u003E: We got back from Parliament, too. You\u2019re not the only ones.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000569\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ec79fd13d874666a193207acffdb950\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: True; it\u2019s true. But let me tell you two things: you\u2019re heading for 54 years, if you\u2019re on the Greens, of never having been in Cabinet if your party was formed in the first contest of 1972 under the name \u201CValues\u201D\u201454 years\u2019 never being in Cabinet is a long time to wait. Even Moses was only 40 years. For 54 years\u2014and the Green Party is never going to make it back at all, and nor is Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. I\u2019ll tell you why it is, it\u2019s because you\u2019re heading straight to the bottom pile claiming to be what you\u2019re not: the voice of M\u0101ori. Uh-uh, no you\u2019re not and never will be, and certainly not someone who is so decolonised he wears a cowboy hat\u2014so decolonised he wears a cowboy hat. Amazing. Every pretension he\u2019s got can be found out in five seconds flat.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000570\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EWhilst we\u2019re at it, the $350,000 that came from a charity, why on earth did Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori get that money? So $303,500 charity money to Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, and what is going on when that can be allowed to survive in this country\u2019s democracy? [Interruption] Oh yeah, not too happy now. Well, there\u2019ll be somebody knocking soon, believe me. The same law will apply to them as applies to every other political party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000571\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ENow, can I just say this. We survived the last campaign having been marginalised, Cinderella-ised, demonised by too many who were in the Public Interest Journalism Fund\u2014paid off in the media. But we\u2019re back. No, no, no. We want a democracy where there is a fourth estate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000572\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002271d8bbd7f65447b281db7472168b8192\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: You don\u2019t like them.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000573\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ff1d22c385c240b5af017b615d75fb51\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh no, somebody else didn\u2019t like them either, did he? He would threaten somebody on TV, if you please. Of course, he wasn\u2019t obeying, according to the way the fund should be already according to Willie, the Minister of broadcasting. It was the most embarrassing circumstance.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000574\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b7917ec425f3440a8f427a108168c842\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: You did the worst interview in history.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000575\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002213e607474709422388df1c87f93cdcb7\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, I do like journalists. I like journalists who understand that it\u2019s a profession and that they are critical to any democracy. But I do not like fifth columnists. I don\u2019t like people, for example, who go out, who have politically motivated commentary, day in, day out. It reeks. Their questions reek of their preference. They\u2019re not professionals.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000576\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002265cd6979bfa94c6f9ed6859f57e12f01\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: What are you talking about?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000577\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00229b5d58cb6ec04b9683e9ea4cfcceab95\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019re not professionals. Well, I can see why Mr Jackson wouldn\u2019t understand. Because Mr Jackson has been the key voice in the Labour Party these last six years, and he\u2019s sent them to their demise. He\u2019s their M\u0101ori leader\u2014he\u2019s their M\u0101ori leader\u2014and there\u2019s one left now in the M\u0101ori seats. Oh, and by the way Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori: only one party has ever taken all of the M\u0101ori seats off Labour, and you\u2019re looking at it. Only one party\u2019s ever done that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000578\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EYou know, before the 2020 election, New Zealand First was attacked by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It\u2019s April in 2020, we\u2019re on about 4.5, 5, almost 5.5 percent, and we were attacked by the SFO. Then the media relentlessly, as an organisation, went after New Zealand First and one outlet\u2014and publicly owned, it was, too\u2014no fewer than 27 times attacked us. Yet when we beat the SFO; when we beat the Serious Fraud Office\u2014not once, but twice: before the election and after it\u2014and put out a press statement about our rights, the rights of the victor in this case, they never printed a word. They claimed to be balanced; never printed a word. After hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal costs and expense, they expect me to forgive them and go back to treating them like the way they should be treated.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000579\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fdf29cf07d7c4834a54c20bb4446dfb7\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Go on Radio Waatea.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000580\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022401aa8c3146c49c7a0113247bf9e04db\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: When they understand\u2014no, Radio Waatea didn\u2019t do that. You\u2019re quite right. Radio Waatea didn\u2019t do that because of the guy called Dale Husband that understands fairness. He\u2019s one of those guys that, despite his colleagues, he\u2019s professional. Despite people like Willie Jackson, he remains professional. I salute that, and that\u2019s why I go on his show every second week\u2014like the farming show. All those that talk to us will get to talk to us after the election. But those new-found that turn up the day after\u2014or they did the day before the election, this is true: I was on there, turned up the day before the election, and journalists, they wanted to interview me. I said, \u201CWell is there any chance of any vote being affected by your comment?\u201D \u201CNo.\u201D \u201CSo what the H are you doing here, then?\u201D That\u2019s what they thought was fair. Then, all of a sudden, now, they wanted Chris Luxon to rule Winston Peters out\u2014he\u2019s misbehaving himself. Oh no I\u2019m not\u2014I believe in democracy and I believe in the media, and I want to see them back to doing what they should do and not becoming an unelected political party in this country sitting up there [Points to press gallery]. That\u2019s all I want. [Interruption] Ha, ha!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000581\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ELadies and gentlemen, look, can I say that we were out there packing the halls in Tauranga. We got 750 in Tauranga. Not one journalist there. Then we\u2019re on to places like Dunedin, Papamoa, Dargaville, Invercargill, Hawke\u2019s Bay, Kaik\u014Dura, Nelson. Everywhere we\u2019re packing the halls and no journalists at all. Do you think that\u2019s commentary? Do you think that\u2019s fair? Oh, they say, \u201CWe sent somebody.\u201D No, you didn\u2019t. I can show meeting after meeting after meeting where they wouldn\u2019t give us any coverage whatsoever.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000582\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022ad7ccb58-34d9-4340-9b9d-6523bc4dda32\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022edac182c0e534b59913517102c8ca896\u0022\u003ECushla Tangaere-Manuel\u003C/span\u003E: They were there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000583\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f7d4fe065a2d43aba81cde251698a95d\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh no. Unlike that member\u2014she couldn\u2019t fill a telephone booth. But we packed the halls\u2014not enough chairs or anything. My point is: why were they gaslighting us out of the campaign? This is not what a democracy looks like. Whether people agree or not, they\u2019re entitled to hear, as Phil Collins sang, they\u2019re entitled to \u201Chear both sides of the story\u201D. Not one side\u2014both sides of the story.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000584\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250540efbfcf948f498684ff6018074bd\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Democracy\u2019s changed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000585\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002216d53e6f1fe74513b5ecb8631a824cb6\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: And here\u2019s Willie trying to defend them now. He knows in his heart of hearts, as he goes from this job very shortly\u2014and he will. Oh no. They\u2019re calling it\u2014look,  when you\u2019re in a game and, in the end, they look around and say, \u201CWho\u2019s responsible?\u201D and you think to yourself, \u201CMaybe it\u2019s the guy I\u2019m looking at in the mirror,\u201D then the time staying here, Willie, is not going to work for you. And the sooner you go, the better, so that somebody can step up and start to rebuild what was once a great party, but it\u2019s forgotten the workers. They wouldn\u2019t know a worker if they fell over one. Totally forgotten the working people of this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000586\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ELadies and gentlemen, we got back because we went to the social media and we didn\u2019t use any boosters\u2014at all\u2014but we knew out there, at least unfiltered and unedited, we could get our story away. But had we got a decent go, we\u2019d be sitting here with far more than the members we\u2019ve got now. And that\u2019s a fact. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000587\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EWhy, the Greens never had a meeting. They never had a meeting. They go down to the beach, get a few starfish, and they\u2019re headlining the 6 o\u2019clock news. What was political about that? Pray tell me, if you\u2019re a media person: what was political about that? Unbelievable\u2014deafening! And they never had any public meetings anywhere in the whole campaign, and there they are, sitting there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000588\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa9132b-a783-45c9-8207-a84b9bc03e22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002244ae77264ef94cd68182c2ba1707e611\u0022\u003EFa\u2019an\u0101n\u0101 Efeso Collins\u003C/span\u003E: We had plenty in \u014Ctara.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000589\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222cfd7994520d473eb529626c274a98cf\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: But I tell you what, Mr Collins\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000590\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229fa9132b-a783-45c9-8207-a84b9bc03e22\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227e8d394490dc4f98be6521a20b32c53b\u0022\u003EFa\u2019an\u0101n\u0101 Efeso Collins\u003C/span\u003E: Yep?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000591\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022720846775d3b469b9cbd4ef797132e64\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: This is the high point. It\u2019s going down now. I\u2019ve been around\u2014I\u2019ve been around a long time. I know a bunch of losers when I see them. Any money you like\u2014you\u2019re going that way, because these people want their seats back, and they\u2019re better organised, and they will be, when the time comes. So enjoy the next three years, try to do the best you can, but it won\u2019t be long.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000592\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003ELadies and gentlemen, can I just say to those in the media who wrote us off and relentlessly attacked us: guess what! New Zealand First is back. Now, I know Willie\u2019s charmed by this, because Willie came to a speech where he was giving a farewell speech that was put on by FOMA, the Federation of M\u0101ori Authorities\u2014in case people think M\u0101ori authorities don\u2019t understand how much we\u2019ve done for them over the years. Willie gave my farewell speech, and I said to him: \u201CWillie, you\u2019re being premature. Anybody who even dreams New Zealand First is going to get beaten should wake up and apologise.\u201D So, Willie, wake up and apologise now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000593\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223c9f46527db3403ebdbb249eb27c5990\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Give me another example.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000594\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fc93dfa0e71b45779e016bad47ee81a4\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Another example? Well, actually, Willie, having spanned six decades, I can give you a few examples. If you know anybody else who has\u2014right? See, I respect the people that you should respect, like, for example, Ngata and Pomare and Buck and Carroll. These are political geniuses. Their view of the Treaty of Waitangi is written in the book from 101 years ago by Ngata himself, not by these people over here making it up as they dream it up at some sociological class at university. It\u2019s balderdash. Oh, no, you can wave and do all the hongi and put the huia feather in your hair, but it doesn\u2019t belong there. Ask Ratana. Ask the man himself. What\u2019s the huia feather doing on your head? No, no, the immodesty knows no bounds.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000595\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve got to tell you: I\u2019m pleased New Zealand First is back, and not a day too soon, because that sort of humbug is going to stop. And we\u2019re going to go back to calling our country New Zealand. We\u2019re not going to have a French Polynesian name that\u2019s an insult to everybody in the South Island. And there\u2019s a South Island member of Parliament for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori and he can\u2019t even defend his people\u2019s name for their part of the country\u2014Te Wai Pounamu is the name; it ain\u2019t Aotearoa. Oh, but he\u2019s too new and too unlearned to even make a defence of it. Did Ngata think that? Did Pomare think that? This genius called Buck, who ended up as a major anthropologist\u2014a doctor first and an anthropologist, all the way to Hawaii. Did he think that? No. He\u2019s my authority. What\u2019s yours? What\u2019s your authority? They haven\u2019t got one. And so no more of this darn humbug, and you can put the t\u0101 moko on and dance around and carry on in a way that we find very strange because where I come from, that\u2019s conferred upon you; you don\u2019t just paint yourself like some tattoo shop. That\u2019s what they\u2019re doing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000596\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EAnd I saw yesterday\u2014to walk into this place and take over the traditions of a great democracy that\u2019s been going since 1854, one of the great democracies of the world.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000597\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a4449fc0516743ecb92118582df538da\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: I thought it was wonderful!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000598\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228fc03e83cb0440a3b020fae30efc3697\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh, Willie thought it was wonderful. No consultation\u2014no. Here comes \u201CJohnny Come Lately\u201D\u2014or, in this case, \u201CRawiri Come Lately\u201D\u2014and he\u2019s going to design the whole thing anew. I\u2019ve got news for you, sunshine, and it\u2019s all bad. We\u2019ve got news for you and it\u2019s all bad. We\u2019re not putting up with it. And some of us have done far more for M\u0101oridom than you will ever do; that\u2019s a fact. Who settled the central North Island Tribes\u2019 14-iwi settlement? Who settled that? The M\u0101ori Wardens\u2014who gave them their start? The M\u0101ori Women\u2019s Welfare League, Mt Hikurangi\u2014I could be here all day on what we\u2019ve done for M\u0101ori, not like these people: all talk and no action; all talk and no action. And we\u2019re not coming back here to listen to this humbug any longer. We want this country to be called New Zealand, and if we\u2019re going to change the name, then we\u2019re going to ask all New Zealanders first. We\u2019re not going to have a little bunch of the minority who say, \u201CWe\u2019re the M\u0101ori voice.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000599\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa86730f291b48b48a7cbb654b989d64\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: Woo hoo!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000600\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022419c015e2fd4466184542f625224eb1d\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: OK, so if they\u2019re the M\u0101ori voice and they got only 3 percent of the vote most of the time, and yet they say the M\u0101ori people are 18 percent of the population, it means that one-sixth of the M\u0101ori people might support them and five-sixths don\u2019t. How can they call themselves the M\u0101ori voice? And why does Willie sit by and allow them to do that? But we knew from the word go that when these people arrived, there would be a race to the bottom between Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori and the M\u0101ori members of the Labour Party. And that\u2019s a tragedy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000601\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s tragic because, at the end of the day, what we get from that is not what people want out in the M\u0101ori world. You know what they want? They want an affordable house. If they feel sick\u2014hopefully not them, their parents, or their children\u2014they want to get medical treatment as soon as they possibly can, and they want to get on the escalators that take you, with education, as far as you\u2019d want to go. And the fourth thing M\u0101ori want is First World wages. These people never even talk about that at all\u2014it\u2019s all their highfalutin Auckland University sociology department claptrap\u2014making it up as they go along. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000602\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EAnd the moment you challenge their authority, they start shouting out the easiest, most cowardly answer\u2014racist. Oh no we\u2019re not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000603\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00226560cb19c81742149539bdea3fceb17e\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Are you not racist?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000604\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220743e0cc533e4ab7ad588c6f1dac6dff\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: No, as the founder of the K\u014Dhanga Reo said, \u201CWinston is not anti-M\u0101ori; he\u2019s just anti-nonsense.\u201D Remember her name? Leni Kapa said that, didn\u2019t she? And also somebody\u2019s mother said that too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000605\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002210093d5f81704371a11e86943b26d56f\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: My mother!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000606\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002215a6c51c70f545ba8db7456bf36020cb\u0022\u003ERt Hon WINSTON PETERS\u003C/span\u003E: Yeah. Somebody\u2019s mother said that too. And I wish he was as bright as his mother, and paid more attention. Ha, ha! You know, your mother was a very bright woman, and she had high hopes for this party and New Zealand First, and, all of a sudden, her son is going his own way and thinks he\u2019s smarter than mum\u2014oh no, he\u2019s not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000607\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003EI was going to make a lot of statements today, but the reality is that we\u2019re out to turn this country around. This was an inflection election\u2014make no bones about it. If we\u2019d not got back, these three parties, we were heading off to be Venezuela or Myanmar. [Interruption] They\u2019re there clapping at the back\u2014that\u2019s what they want: clearly with no idea that it was once the most successful economy in South America, and look at the cot case it is today. Those sorts of policies took them there. Same with Myanmar\u2014after being the most successful economy in Asia\u2014and look what sort of policies took them there. We just got back in time, and we\u2019re proud to have joined this coalition to save this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u00221bcc5f5033db40bb937403769813d258\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000608\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221bcc5f5033db40bb937403769813d258\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: This is a split call. The first 15 minutes will be taken by Rawiri Waititi, and it will be immediately followed by Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022 data-id=\u002203aa7a6a15064ac2876ed12dac97260a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000609\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002203aa7a6a15064ac2876ed12dac97260a\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader\u2014Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka. Otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare. Wow! That was entertaining. You\u2019re asking us to compare CVs with somebody who\u2019s been here 50 decades. You know, that\u2019s a long, long time, and a long, long time in a House that has done a lot of damage, and he admitted to that. He admitted to being here and damaging a whole lot of things\u2014for tangata whenua\u2014as we\u2019ve moved on in this democracy. Anyway, you\u2019re going to see this moko and his hat for a long, long time there, Winston, and you\u2019re going to get used to it\u2014you better get used to it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000610\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ESo, anyway, I stand in this House to give a speech from the throne of K\u012Bngi T\u016Bheitia. I stand here to speak on behalf of tangata whenua of Aotearoa. The true mana of this nation does not live in this place; it resides on marae and papa k\u0101inga right across this country. It resides in the hearts and the minds of te iwi M\u0101ori.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000611\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ETo our people, thank you. Thank you for believing in yourselves. Thank you for believing in your own mana. Thank you for being magic people. Thank you for being proud to be M\u0101ori. You have elected the largest Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori caucus in the history of this Parliament, and may I remind Winston: you only won five seats; we won six. The largest contingent of fighters for mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga. From Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. From T\u0101maki Makaurau, we have Takutai Tarsh Kemp. From Hauraki-Waikato, the youngest MP in many, many years, we have Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. In Te Tai Tonga, we have T\u0101kuta Ferris, and in Te Tai Hau\u0101uru, we have Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The k\u014Dhanga reo generation is here, and we will carry your dreams and aspirations in this place. We will continue to be unapologetically M\u0101ori\u2014thank you, Chris, for using our words. We will always remember why you put us here, ahakoa te aha [no matter what]. This is our pledge to you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000612\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAs our t\u012Bpuna remind us, ours is a struggle without end. Against all odds, tangata whenua have resisted colonisation and imperialism for more than 200 years. We are the descendants of navigators who traversed the largest ocean on the planet. We are the innovators who have time and time again proven to be cultural, social, and economic leaders in Aotearoa. We are rangatira who never ceded our sovereignty, never bowed down to a foreign power.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000613\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe Government\u2019s agenda is a flashback to the 19th century. This Government\u2019s agenda for the first hundred days is taking us back a hundred years. The coalition documents read like a manifesto of white supremacy and cultural genocide. There are attacks on M\u0101ori and Te Tiriti right across health, education, welfare, employment, justice, the environment, and the economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000614\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ERepealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act will undo all the progress that has been made to try and fix a systemically racist organisation that, over generations, has stolen our kids.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000615\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ERemoving the prison reduction target and cultural reports in the justice system proves that this Government is intent on locking up more brown people and throwing away the key.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000616\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EScrapping Aotearoa\u2019s world-leading smokefree laws will sacrifice M\u0101ori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Repealing fair pay agreements and bringing back 90-day trials will guarantee that wh\u0101nau are stuck in low wages and our rangatahi are exploited in insecure work. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000617\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ERolling back progress on climate change and taiao protection is co-signing our mokopuna to a future of chaos and instability.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000618\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ELeaving the door open to a referendum on Te Tiriti\u2014the constitutional right for this Parliament to even exist\u2014highlights just how extreme and dangerous this Government\u2019s policies are.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000619\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EBut if all of that wasn\u2019t bad enough, it goes even deeper than what is written on paper. The racist signals that the election of this Government has sent are so strong that Public Service departments are pre-emptively wiping te reo M\u0101ori from official documents and rolling back years of progress overnight. This Government has opened the floodgates of hatred towards M\u0101ori. You have given all Government departments the permission to hurt our people. White supremacist radicals who sent M\u0101ori leaders death threats are celebrating. They are over the moon that their political champions now hold the levers of power. It is disgraceful. These attempts to erase our people and our culture from public life hark back to the colonial philosophy that tried to smooth the pillow of a dying race.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000620\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003ETo this Government, my message is simple: you will not succeed. M\u0101ori will not be assimilated. M\u0101ori will not be subjugated. M\u0101ori will not be silenced. M\u0101ori will not be erased. We will not cede. Your weaponising of racism and prejudice will be resisted with the full force of the M\u0101ori nation. You have been put on notice, Mr Shane Jones. Ka whawhai tonu m\u0101tou, \u0101ke, \u0101ke, \u0101ke. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000621\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E[We will continue to fight, for ever and ever and ever.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000622\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThis coalition presents the last gasp\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000623\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f603d008c6d6451793d5e36af0f37a31\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: This is pinko rubbish.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000624\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002286a7fb6ce75e45828520cfeeb31ad5c7\u0022\u003ERAWIRI WAITITI\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014Mr Peters\u2014of a generation and demographic who are terrified of no longer being the majority; terrified of being treated the way they have treated us. But what they don\u2019t realise is our tikanga informs us to rise above hate, rise above division, rise above radical supremacy, and rise above imperialism.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000625\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EThe 21st century will be remembered for the rise of generation Tiriti\u2014\u201CGen T\u201D. It will be remembered for the kotahitanga of tangata whenua, tangata moana, and tangata Tiriti, unifying to forge a nation that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It will be remembered for the treaty revolution. It will be remembered for the rise of an Aotearoa hou. Our Aotearoa hou gives us space to realise how things should be; an Aotearoa hou that makes you feel like you would when you come on to our marae. We will welcome you. We will feed you. We will house you. We will connect you. We will educate you. We will care for you. We will hear you. We will love you. And, yes, Shane Jones, we will farewell you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000626\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EOur Aotearoa hou looks like every wh\u0101nau in Aotearoa having a warm, secure, and affordable home. Not just a house, but a home. An Aotearoa hou looks like future-proofing our communities, protecting our pepeha, protecting the whakapapa of Papat\u016B\u0101nuku. An Aotearoa hou looks like wh\u0101nau being able to swim and drink from their own local awa without getting sick, gather kaimoana from their local p\u0101taka without worry, and not having to deal with flooding week after week. An Aotearoa hou looks like taking climate change seriously. It means investing in clean energy and restoring our taiao, protecting and preparing communities for climate adaptation, transitioning to regenerative and organic culture, banning seabed mining. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000627\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EIn an Aotearoa hou, everyone will know their rights, and everyone has a right to know their whakapapa. If you don\u2019t know your whakapapa, you can rest assured that your whakapapa knows you. If you do not know your maunga, your maunga knows you. If you do not know your awa, your awa knows you. If you do not know your marae, your marae knows you. If you do not know your reo, your reo knows you. We are the solutions to be realised. In an Aotearoa hou, no one is left behind. Whether you are tangata whenua or tangata Tiriti; tangata hau\u0101, takat\u0101pui, wahine, t\u0101ne, rangatahi, mokopuna\u2014you are wh\u0101nau. You are good enough, because your t\u012Bpuna made it so.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000628\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EWhile Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori will resist the racist agenda of this Government at every step, our core mission remains the same, and that is to realise this vision of an Aotearoa hou. It is the manifestation of the dreams and aspirations of our t\u012Bpuna, who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi and laid the foundation for peace and prosperity in this country. Te Tiriti is not to be settled. It is not to be rewritten. It is not to be questioned by referendum. Te Tiriti is to be honoured. We are the movement that will fight for Te Tiriti - centric Aotearoa. In the words of the black American author Toni Morrison, \u201CThe function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.\u201D And that\u2019s what I heard in the last speech.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000629\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EAs tangata whenua, we cannot allow the racist agenda of this Government to let us lose focus from what matters: the realisation of our tino rangatiratanga. As Moana Jackson laid out in the Matike Mai kaupapa, we must strive for self-determination, self-sufficiency to be implemented by 2040, on the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. That must remain our steadfast goal, our guiding light, our pae tawhiti. We must make mokopuna decisions. How best can we create an Aotearoa hou that will ensure my mokopuna\u2014whom I will never meet\u2014are able to thrive and live in abundance? How do we maximise the opportunity for success and prosperity? Those are the questions that we must grapple with as tangata whenua. Colonial Governments come and go, but we remain. Racist policies come and go\u2014and then come again\u2014but we remain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000630\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EWe will continue to stand as the unbreakable force of mana motuhake. This will not allow P\u0101keh\u0101 to determine our rights as tangata whenua. This Government must prepare for a M\u0101ori revolution if a referendum ever does go ahead. Every Government has the right to govern, but they do not have the right to undo 30 years of progress for M\u0101ori. Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori will fight on all fronts to protect our people from policies that seek to erase our whakapapa and whitewash our history\u2014policies that privilege the wealthy and punish the poor. We will fight against the short-sightedness of a Government that would allow oil and gas exploration during a climate crisis\u2014absolute foolishness. We will ensure this Government\u2019s reign is short. Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori are calling on our nation, tangata whenua, tangata moana, he tangata Tiriti, to stand as one to protect what it is that makes us Aotearoa. We need not fear what we might lose, but have the courage to stand for what we might gain. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000631\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00220f7d126e-c18d-4466-9ebe-d424ae5c4bf6\u0022\u003EToit\u016B Te Tiriti. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022 data-id=\u00228e4a315b60224c9eb85df9bf59cc7ec5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000632\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228e4a315b60224c9eb85df9bf59cc7ec5\u0022\u003EDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader\u2014Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te P\u012Bka. T\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou e te Whare. Koinei te w\u0101 tuatahi ka t\u016B ahau hei [Indistinct]. Ka whakanui ahau i te taenga mai ki konei i t\u0113nei w\u0101 ki te whakakanohi i ng\u0101 reo me ng\u0101 kanohi o t\u014D t\u0101tau iwi n\u0101 r\u0101tou i tuku te mana kaha. E whakapono koutou katoa te Aotearoa hou. E whakatau t\u014D t\u0101tou iwi me whawhai ki t\u0113tahi K\u0101wanatanga e kaha ana ki te whakahoki ki whakamuri i a t\u0101tou. N\u014D reira kua tae mai m\u0101tou. Toit\u016B Te Tiriti. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000633\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Speaker. My greetings to the House. This is the first time I\u2019m standing to [Indistinct]. I acknowledge our arrival here to represent the voices and faces of our iwi, who inspire us with great mana. You all believed in the Aotearoa hou. You decided that we should battle a Government that wants to ensure our regression. So, we are here. Honour the Treaty.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000634\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EIt is an honour to be the largest indigenous party today. First of all, I want to mihi and thank the Government made up of parties funded and supported by the hyper-rich, the 2 percenters who own more than 50 percent of the wealth, the hyper - anti-M\u0101ori, the hyper - Hobson Pledgers, the Julian Batchelors, the anti-environmentalists, and the anti-minorities. I want to mihi to you all\u2014hugely mihi to you all\u2014for providing the greatest opportunity for Te Ao M\u0101ori. Your hatred has encouraged us to unite. Your attacks on our culture have motivated our standing in solidarity for ourselves. Your calls to take us back have been a drive to advance. Ka nui te aroha m\u014D t\u014D k\u016Baretanga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000635\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E[I express my regret for your ignorance.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000636\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EA Government awarded Fossil of the Day award\u2014how awesome are you guys! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000637\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EIn 72 hours, Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori tested our people\u2019s capacity and capability to step up and be counted, to mobilise at the shortest of notice and show each other what we are capable of. All this was done using nothing but our social media. We too are not fans of and not covered by the press, but we did that, and do you know what? At the beat of our whanaungatanga, we didn\u2019t need the press. We didn\u2019t \u201Cwah-wah\u201D and tangiweto about the fact we didn\u2019t have that. We didn\u2019t need billboards in pink sponsored all over the place\u2014centrefold adverts in the New Zealand Herald. As the drum beat, all the planning was going on behind the scenes, with not a single leak\u2014not a single leak\u2014until we were lined and we were ready. Who said M\u0101ori can\u2019t keep a secret? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000638\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003ETe P\u0101ti M\u0101ori is as proud as heck of all our wh\u0101nau who dropped everything and believed in themselves. We know more will jump on as we continue, and you know we will because you have given us the sole mandate to be the undisputed, unapologetic, unshackled voice in Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000639\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003ERemember, wh\u0101nau, just because those men over there in Government have w\u2019akapapa, it doesn\u2019t mean they are mandated to talk on behalf of Te Ao M\u0101ori. They don\u2019t take pride in being M\u0101ori; they take pride in being labelled as professional politicians, but they belong to parties that don\u2019t have the best interests of M\u0101ori at heart\u2014proposing to review, rewrite, and referend our Te Tiriti. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000640\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EI come from a community where our women have had to stand and hold the line. We are not victims, and despite our natural development being interfered with, we are here, thriving. We are resilient and we are beautiful, huia feathers or not, and we will not be bullied or stood over by men on that side of the House who embarrass themselves, who ridicule our culture. I wish you healing and I hope you find strength in your culture unity as we do. I hope that you don\u2019t continue to isolate yourself from the Generation T, because Generation Te Tiriti are here. Our kohanga generation has arrived and we\u2019re as excited as heck.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000641\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EYou see, those whose hearts are full of hate and envy don\u2019t understand that the more you attack us, the stronger we will grow. This Government started with a policy platform made up of 15 policies which stand to disestablish, disband, disconnect our Tiriti, our reo; undo inequity solutions, prison their way to justice\u2014oh, how unoriginal, how uninspiring. There is nothing else; no new solutions. Just look back in the manifesto of 1840.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000642\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EThen, themselves\u2014you have attacked our reo. You have dressed up as helping those confused to find themselves through their reo. You have attacked it and dressed up as a Trojan Horse. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000643\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227308344b1ad44917a96abc33012961aa\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Drama.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000644\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cec740b356bf41e3bfba9dc61ca96124\u0022\u003EDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER\u003C/span\u003E: That is so\u2014absolutely. It\u2019s the stuff you can\u2019t pull off, because what you have done is use the typical colonisers\u2019 tools. The first thing they do\u2014what do they do? They destroy indigenous people\u2019s culture. By what? By removing, demoting, and demonising their language. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000645\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EMy goodness, does this Government really think we can\u2019t see your policies for what they are? I\u2019m sad\u2014no, truly. I am sad that for some politicians in the eve of their political profession. This is your last mark; I\u2019m sad for you. I feel aroha that you represent voters who are not worldly, who do not embrace indigenous peoples, who are anti-M\u0101ori, and who are unable to embrace the reo anywhere, but I also get that you will now be comfortable calling yourselves flightless birds and hope that you can handle it when the M\u0101ori version comes off and the English signs are up for places like Urenui, English for Uretiti, Rahotu\u2014but wait, Shane, I have one more\u2014and the English sign for Kait\u012Beke. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000646\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EThat is what these small parties who make up this Government, ACT and New Zealand First\u2019s combined vote is less than the 20 percent who you have offended the hell out of\u2014the hell out of. This population who make up M\u0101ori and our amazing tangata Tiriti have come back at you and they will fight. They will fight side by side. Tangata Tiriti will fight side by side to represent a united dignified Aotearoa hou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000647\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EI am proud as heck that we showed those who paid $440,000 to get a single MP in that our little $17,000 per candidate goes a long way. See, that is the resilience of Te Ao M\u0101ori. If you really want to know how to do economic development, we can show you how to do that. Do not be hateful or angry, wh\u0101nau m\u0101. Do not be hateful or angry at this new Government\u2019s treatment and disrespect. Be inspired. Be motivated to be more ourselves. Unlike the elite, flightless birds who want to focus on protecting the rich, we care for all wh\u0101nau in Aotearoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000648\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EWe want to end poverty. We want to have a tax policy where we would have 2.2 million people living better. We want to look at those people who are deliberately being put in poverty because you do not see or care about them. We want to see it as absolutely a choice. We want to focus on putting more money in the pockets of those struggling. But no\u2014no, we\u2019re being told to smoke more and get taxed to help the rich. What the hell have I arrived in?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000649\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EBut that\u2019s OK\u2014that\u2019s OK. We wanted to see GST off kai. We wanted to see an end to duopolies in supermarkets. We wanted to see the end to seabed mining\u2014protect our environment; I know, for your mokopuna. But some of you are so far removed from your mokopuna, you\u2019ve forgotten who they are. I look opposite me and I see tobacco lobbyists, I see gun lobbyists, I see Hobson\u2019s Pledge lobbyists, I see absolute profiteers, landlords, conspirators, and climate change deniers. Moana Jackson said that if there is proof of the ongoing presence of colonisation, it is the constant Crown interpretation of redefining of what Te Tiriti promised. That is what we are seeing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000650\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EWhat is unfair to our new Prime Minister is that you have started your legacy as a Prime Minister by attacking M\u0101ori and attacking our environment, but, worse, attacking our mokopuna. I know some of those who are with this Prime Minister and I actually believe that he\u2019s a decent bloke. But the sad thing for him is that he is alongside people who do not have as long a career in politics as he has, and I urge this Prime Minister to take balanced counsel and immerse himself in communities who are proud of their culture, who have their own solutions, and are not embarrassed about who they are, rather than live only in the past\u2014they respect their past and they use that to focus on their future.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000651\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003EFinally, to ourselves, to our reo speakers, to those who carry our reo rangatira, our t\u014Dhunga: you and your commitment to promote and strengthen our reo was one way we were able to feel our whenua and our t\u016Bpuna. You are futuristic, you are the beacon for all of us, you are what we all aspire to be, and how the Government is targeting you is kino. We will stand with you; we will stand with the unions to protect your rights and all workers\u2019 rights. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000652\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003ETo our wh\u0101nau standing for Palestine\u2019s freedom, to end this horrific genocide and the sights that we see going on for these babies, these children\u2014innocent civilians. Keep active, keep sharing, keep the pressure on, because we as indigenous peoples must look after each other. We know the atrocities of colonisation. Stay strong in your unity for kotahitanga. Free Palestine. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000653\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003ETo our wh\u0101nau who are out there who have had to watch the atrocity of this new Government clumsily coming through, trying to pretend that it knows what is right for M\u0101ori. Take heart, some of these politicians are on their eve. Some of these politicians are new, and we need to manaaki them, and we need to help them. We need to help them to be better politicians, we need to help them to be great Prime Ministers. I believe we have the ability and the influence to do that. Ignore the loudness, look after our wh\u0101nau who are in that party. Help them to think past one term, because these buddies that they have, they don\u2019t stay around. They\u2019re like the kutu, you can spray and walk away. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000654\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00227a76db18-baa4-41c1-b366-89e2c753a1e7\u0022\u003ETo our wh\u0101nau, protect the whenua between your taringa. Reflect on the collective strength of your past: Tohu, Te Whiti, Tahup\u014Dtiki R\u0101tana, the K\u012Bngitanga. Most importantly, grab all of that, look at your mokopuna, embrace your rangatahi, and you focus on what it is that\u2019s required to protect your rights to be the best people in the world. Toit\u016B Te Tiriti. Kia ora r\u0101. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022\u0022 data-id=\u0022078c9614882e425cb2d82ad0fe978a63\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000655\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022078c9614882e425cb2d82ad0fe978a63\u0022\u003ESPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Just before I call the next speaker, can I just remind the House that\u2014and I haven\u2019t wanted to interfere with anybody\u2019s speeches or interrupt them\u2014the use of the word \u201Cyou\u201D in speeches does refer to the Speaker. I know it\u2019s difficult at times, and I will have continued leniency throughout the debate so that we get a free flow of things, but just bear that in mind. That would be good, thank you. I know the member down there didn\u2019t mean all those things she said about me. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022 data-id=\u0022297034a8d0b440d09286a0816402890b\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000656\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022297034a8d0b440d09286a0816402890b\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour): \u003C/span\u003EKia ora, Mr Speaker. Tuatahi e hiahia ana ahau ki te mihi ki a koe, Gerry, kua riro te t\u016Branga rangatira. E mihi ana ki a koe. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000657\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI t\u0113nei w\u0101 kei te p\u012Brangi huri atu ki Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. Me mihi ki a koutou m\u014D t\u014D koutou kaha in\u0101nahi ki te k\u014Dkiri i te kaupapa. Rawe. Tino whakah\u012Bh\u012B ahau ki te kite i \u014D koutou mahi m\u014D t\u0101tou te iwi M\u0101ori. E mihi ana ki a koutou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000658\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EKoutou katoa kua tae mai i t\u0113nei w\u0101, t\u0113nei te mihi ki a koutou. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000659\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E[Greetings, Mr Speaker. First, I\u2019d like to congratulate you, Gerry, on your new appointment. I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000660\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAt this juncture I\u2019d like to turn to te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori. It is only right to commend your strength in supporting the call. Fantastic. I am very proud to watch the work you do for the M\u0101ori people. I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000661\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ETo all who arrived today, I\u2019d like to acknowledge you all. I acknowledge each and every one of us.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000662\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a shame Gerry Brownlee has left the Chamber, because I came into Parliament in 1999 and never would have thought he would have got up there. But he will be, I think, a very, very good Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000663\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve really enjoyed\u2014I think we\u2019ve all enjoyed\u2014the entertainment this afternoon. But I did want to mihi\u2014and I\u2019m sincere here, and I\u2019m sure Peeni Henare and others in the Labour M\u0101ori caucus are\u2014in all seriousness to Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori for what happened in the House yesterday. I know we\u2019ve had different descriptions, haven\u2019t we? That it was about theatre. We hear the brother over there\u2014Shane\u2014saying it was Matatini. No, it\u2019s not; it\u2019s about tikanga M\u0101ori\u2014bringing tikanga into the House. This House was set up for us as Treaty partners. M\u0101ori have never had the opportunity to exercise our tikanga, and I mihi to Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, because this is an evolving of our culture. This is an evolving of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000664\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EWhile I used to have old, fuddy-duddy sorts of views, like Shane Jones and Winston Peters\u2014I can\u2019t help it, because our ages are not that far apart\u2014I was taken by some of our young P\u0101keh\u0101 w\u0101hine who came into our offices, and they loved what happened yesterday in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000665\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f44431ef-b505-4e94-9f57-a60b0a569bf7\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002217882419984a4f3a85e22c1e498b193b\u0022\u003EHon Shane Jones\u003C/span\u003E: Hippies, hippies. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000666\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220edc05eb9e0f49a9bcd992671ae34027\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: And I explained to them\u2014shush up, Shane\u2014that this is meaningful. This is about challenging what happens around the Oath. I too would prefer not to take the Oath, but I\u2019m a bit older now, so I\u2019ve got to leave it to the younger ones to do the performance. I just do the business. But, when I see that performance yesterday, it\u2019s a reminder to te iwi M\u0101ori. So mihi nui ki a koutou\u2014mihi nui ki a koutou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000667\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI want to say to the two old fuddy-duddies over there that they\u2019re two of the great personalities in terms of our people. We are a bit embarrassed with some of their actions lately, but they remain great personalities for our people, and I think it\u2019s our job to get them on the right track over the next three years. Because, as you can see, Winston has gone off track somewhat and Jonesy just can\u2019t shut his mouth. So I want to say today that, when I woke up this morning and I read about Nicola Willis talking about te reo and cutting back in terms of some of our bureaucrats getting paid extra for speaking te reo M\u0101ori, I was shocked. I was shocked, because I was the Minister who was in charge of overseeing the language, and part of that strategy is getting 1 million speakers by 2040. I think it\u2019s all going to go out the door now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000668\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EI\u2019m disappointed with Nicola Willis. I know that National, in the past, have supported the reo. John Key and Bill English were good supporters of the reo when they embraced the more conservative M\u0101ori Party in past years\u2014different from today\u2019s party of course. National was hugely supportive of the language\u2014hugely supportive of the language\u2014and I don\u2019t mind saying that I think there\u2019s a lot of good National people. I know I go a bit tough on the Chris Bishops and call them Tories and the \u201Cdirty rotten\u201D\u2014all that sort of stuff comes into campaigns, but there has been a support for the M\u0101ori language. Nicola Willis does not understand how important the language is. She does not understand. And I mihi to all our people who have made that effort to get their reo up to scratch, and they go into the workforce and they become examples for other to learn the reo\u2014for others to learn the reo\u2014and so to threaten the workers with reducing their wages is, I think, a shame and an embarrassment to this Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000669\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EOur people are latching on. We saw that yesterday with the most wonderful expression from our people, and that was only the beginning. That was only the start. We are talking about our people rebelling on the streets. You imagine when iwi M\u0101ori get together and work a strategy out. You think about that: when we have the North come on, and the East Coast come on, and all around the nation, you\u2019ll get a h\u012Bkoi 10, 20 times bigger than yesterday. That\u2019s the key. Our people are tired of it. What they\u2019re seeing here is an attack on our people. These attacks are around the M\u0101ori language. These attacks are around M\u0101ori health, where they\u2019re shutting down our M\u0101ori Health Authority.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000670\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022a3552b8e67514373b19658a13a103c7b\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: No, they\u2019re not.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000671\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cf67ca2f1cf84650a2fe86bdf1089550\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Yes, that\u2019s an absolute attack on M\u0101ori. M\u0101ori health professionals have been very clear that a M\u0101ori Health Authority is important, and these attacks are around the Treaty of Waitangi. It is a shocking strategy from Seymour. Seymour knows nothing about the Treaty. He\u2019s been expelled by his own iwi. He got kicked out of the tribe the other day. You know this, Shane Jones. Mana Epiha kicked him out of the tribe. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000672\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ENow we have this expert on the Treaty telling us that we must revisit the principles. The principles were not even supported by my uncle Moana Jackson and all the activists that Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori talk about. The principles are in there for the Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000673\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EYou know this, Shane Jones. You argued for the principles. You\u2019ve been a supporter of the principles. The principles are there for the Crown so that they can exercise status quo. Tell that stupid Seymour this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000674\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003ESeymour doesn\u2019t know. He\u2019s this expert! I asked him, \u201CWhat was your legal training, David Seymour?\u201D He has none. Unlike you, Winston Peters, you know? You\u2019ve got a law background, haven\u2019t you? You\u2019ve got to talk to this Seymour. He knows more than Jim Bolger, he knows more than Jenny Shipley, he knows more than Bill English, he knows more than Jacinda Ardern\u2014he knows more than every Prime Minister who has supported the Treaty principles since 1987! It is a disgrace the way he is approaching this\u2014it\u2019s a disgrace. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000675\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EThis lot over here are not into the principles; they\u2019re into the articles of the Treaty. They\u2019re into tino rangatiratanga. They\u2019re into article 2 of the Treaty.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000676\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d49aeac-8adf-497b-9400-ab7bb077bb8d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002218e112197dab477fb5a450f4cc6a4b8d\u0022\u003ERt Hon Winston Peters\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019re into apartheid\u2014they want apartheid.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000677\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c96d60703219423f9abc772b4275d84c\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: Does Seymour know what he\u2019s doing? No, it\u2019s not apartheid. [Interruption] Shush, Jonesy!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000678\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022dc651d4271c64631ae25a6ffac374d60\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: Order! Order across the House. The Hon Willie Jackson is speaking. It\u2019s OK to have debate, but just be careful at the back.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000679\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293f1317f065f45498bc1876d9f48eb1c\u0022\u003EHon WILLIE JACKSON\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve got to make it clear to the House about the dangers around this Treaty principles thing, because Winston tried to get a crackpot principles thing up a few years ago, and now he\u2019s trying to do it, I think, through Seymour.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000680\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EAll that the principles talk about is partnership. They talk about good faith. They talk about participation. That\u2019s what the principles are about. They were brought in to stop the Government in terms of privatisation. You know all this, Shane. You were working at the time. They were brought in because this dirty, rotten Government\u2014I think you were representing them at the time, Winston\u2014were looking at privatisation. So they had to bring in something: \u201CWhat shall we bring in? Oh, we\u2019ll bring in principles.\u201D M\u0101ori didn\u2019t want that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000681\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EMatike Mai is very clear. They don\u2019t want that. M\u0101ori want to talk about the articles. They want to talk about article 2: tino rangatiratanga. So the funny thing here is that Seymour and this Government will be playing into M\u0101ori hands, who never supported the Treaty principles anyway. It\u2019s a dangerous, dangerous area, and I\u2019m surprised that the Prime Minister has gone along with this and supported this, given the type of information he\u2019s been given by Anne Salmond, who has walked away from David Seymour, and by experts out there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000682\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003EBut my point is, as was pointed out by Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori, that our people are ready. They\u2019re ready on the streets. There was a great representation yesterday. They will not put up with nonsense from this Government. I said very clearly about three weeks ago that M\u0101ori would revolt in the streets. I said there would be civil disobedience\u2014not my choice. I said you\u2019ll get protests worse than the Springbok Tour. That\u2019s all going to come to fruition, all because of this Government\u2014this Government who said they\u2019re going to get rid of division; they\u2019re going to make things equal for everyone. Now we have the most separatist Government we\u2019ve seen in history, the most dangerous Government we\u2019ve seen in history, and we\u2019re committed as a M\u0101ori caucus and as a Labour Party to fight it and advance the aspirations and rights of our people. Kia ora t\u0101tou.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022 data-id=\u00221e941b6070104726b9678febf2daa480\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000683\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00221e941b6070104726b9678febf2daa480\u0022\u003EHon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Labour\u2014Wigram):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. As I embark on my first contribution to this 54th Parliament of New Zealand, I\u2019d like to offer my congratulations to the presiding officers\u2019 teams. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000684\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EThis afternoon we saw the Leader of the Opposition, Chris Hipkins, lay out an amendment to the motion that was put that spelt out exactly what it is that we, as a Labour Opposition, will be holding this Government to account on. That is the job of an Opposition\u2014it is to hold the Government of the day to account, and that is what we will be doing. We have seen the trilogy that has emerged through the coalition agreements, the 100-day plan, and today, the Speech from the Throne, the actions and priorities that this Government has spelt out at the beginning of its term. They laid that bare today, and I\u2019ll go into that in some more detail. That is exactly what we will be looking to hold the Government to account on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000685\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EFirst and foremost, this is a Government that says it is going to deliver relief for New Zealanders on the cost of living. The tax cuts are a package looking for a way to be funded. This Government came in with all kinds of\u2014on the campaign trail, the National Party had all kinds of grand plans for how they were going to fund that tax package. But that did not survive the coalition talks. It did not survive the coalition agreements. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000686\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003ESo instead, what have we seen? What we have seen from the Government that is sitting on the Treasury benches today is a decision that they are going to roll back world-leading smoke-free legislation\u2014that would have seen smoke-free generations in New Zealand\u2014with a Minister of Finance who thinks it is OK to baldly say that the revenue is needed to fund the tax cuts. I don\u2019t think there are many New Zealanders who voted\u2014thinking they might like a tax cut\u2014that thought they were voting for a tax cut that was premised on increased revenue from cigarettes and rolling back world-leading legislation. That is something that we will be holding this Government to account. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000687\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EBut it is not only looking to increasing rates of smoking to fund tax cuts. We\u2019re also seeing flip-flops on things like the app tax. We were told\u2014all through the election campaign\u2014by the National Party how this was a measure that would impose costs on New Zealanders. But, already, we\u2019re seeing a backflip on that as well. We will be looking for more of these backflips. That is our job, and one that we will prosecute with precision. We will be looking for what it is that this Government is doing to fund the huge fiscal hole that has opened up over their tax package. We\u2019re no longer hearing the Minister of Finance, the Hon Nicola Willis, tell us that it is a fiscally neutral tax package. So we look forward to hearing more detail on how that is going to be funded. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000688\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EThe other thing that we saw today in the Speech from the Throne\u2014I thought what was also telling was what was not mentioned, what did not receive priority. One of the things that I saw that really was missing from this was a decisive plan for how it is that New Zealand will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. What we\u2019ve seen in the 100-day plan and the Speech from the Throne is great lists of things that this Government will undo. But what we are waiting to see is great lists of what this Government will do. That is fair enough; that is the prerogative of the Government of the day to reverse decisions of previous Governments. It is what Governments do. But what is beholden on them is to come forward with their own positive agenda. So if I go through the 100-day action plan, we see it\u2019s stop this, it\u2019s cancel this, it\u2019s reverse that. But what is it that this Government is going to do? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000689\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EIn the area of climate, we\u2019ve heard that they\u2019re going to scrap the Climate Emergency Response Fund, which was money set aside for funding initiatives to reduce New Zealand\u2019s emissions. We know what those initiatives are doing, how many emissions they are saving. The National Party anyway agreed to carbon budgets in the previous term of Government. So what measures are being put in place to replace those emissions? That is something that we will push this Government hard on, because this is a party that signed up to multi-partisan climate legislation that puts in place carbon budgets. So we will want to see what their detailed plan is there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000690\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EBut what we\u2019re seeing in climate is really just indicative of the great leap backwards that is going to happen under this Government; progress that has been made that is being unwound. The other thing that I didn\u2019t hear in the Speech from the Throne, I haven\u2019t seen in the coalition agreements, and I certainly haven\u2019t seen in the 100-day plan is what the party is going to do in terms of housing. Now, they\u2019ve made grand promises. They\u2019re going to get everyone out of emergency hotels in Rotorua within a year. We\u2019ll be watching that one closely. They\u2019re going to clear the public housing waiting list. We\u2019ll watch that closely. We\u2019ll also be watching to make sure that they didn\u2019t do what they did last time that National was in Government, and that is just kick people off it, and then not let people be put on the public house waiting list. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000691\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EWhat we are going to have to see is a programme of work to deliver housing. The previous Labour Government made it easy for this Government. There is funding to deliver more houses right through to June 2025. It is funded. It is in the Budgets. There are 21,000 new public housing places funded by the previous Governments between 2017 and 2023. We delivered over 13,000 of them in the six years that we were in Government; the most public housing of any Government since Walter Nash, I think it was, or did we update that? This is something we will be watching closely to ensure that this Government not only delivers through to 2025, but what are they going to do after that. What is the new commitment for more public housing places? Because on the campaign trail, the National Party certainly would not commit to any more. So we will be watching that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000692\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003EThe other area that we will be watching is: what are we going to do to ensure that we can continue to progress as a country? Now, obviously, we have different ideas on this side of the House than the current Government in terms of what progress looks like. But I think, by anyone\u2019s definition, backsliding, and becoming an international laughing stock is not going to be the way forward for New Zealand. Already, we have seen, at the current climate talks, that New Zealand received the \u201CFossil of the Day\u201D award. But the thing that marks this out: this was the very first one of the meeting. This was the very first country to be singled out, and it is because of this Government\u2019s winding back the clock to bring back oil and gas exploration. Now, banning new offshore exploration was something that I was proud that we delivered in our Government. It was very much driven by our Labour belief that we have to ensure that we are planning for a secure future for those workers who are engaged in those industries. That is something that we will be monitoring this Government to ensure\u2014what is a sunset industry, whatever tinkering that they make with the rules, that we are seeing globally that this is a sunset industry, and we will be watching to see what provisions are being made for those workers and those communities in areas that are reliant on that for economic wealth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000693\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002237a99b65-4919-4800-830d-3dd7c920d5cd\u0022\u003E So it is the job of an Opposition to hold the Government to account. We\u2019ve seen a shambolic start to Government from this three-headed being that is our Government. We\u2019ve seen the two junior partners in the coalition running rings around the Prime Minister. Hold their Government to account\u2014we on this side of the House will do.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022 data-id=\u0022cb68bb10d43c4307995ee9cb000547bf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000694\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cb68bb10d43c4307995ee9cb000547bf\u0022\u003EHon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s great to be back in the House and it\u2019s great to be back on this side of the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000695\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EFirstly, Madam Speaker, can I congratulate you on the role that you have taken up. As chief whip to the National Party, it was always your wise counsel that we appreciated so much. For those of us\u2014maybe me\u2014who got ourselves into shtook sometimes, you were outstanding in leading us and helping us. I\u2019ve always appreciated that, and I think you\u2019re going to be outstanding in this role.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000696\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ETo our Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon: I am so excited for Christopher Luxon to be the Prime Minister of this country. His drive, his determination, his commitment to this country\u2014I am very proud to serve under his leadership.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000697\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ETo Chris Hipkins: can I say to you, Chris Hipkins, welcome home. Because no one has ever looked so at home than Chris Hipkins in Opposition. He slotted right back in like it was an old shoe. So welcome home, Chris Hipkins. But his speech today about this coalition was a bit rich. Because if you\u2019re looking for chaos, if you are looking for a lack of direction, look no further than the previous Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000698\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ELabour were a party at the election who stood for nothing. Everything Jacinda had built\u2014or tried to build\u2014over 5\u00BD years: gone. Everything she had tried to stand for: under Chris Hipkins\u2019 leadership, gone. The worst defeat of any Government in this country ever was this previous Government because they stood for nothing. They were confused, they were chaotic, and the people of this country were the ones who suffered because of it. Chris Hipkins\u2019 Prime Ministership was a legacy of backflips, of U-turns, and it\u2019s no wonder the public lost confidence. Because they didn\u2019t know what Labour stood for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000699\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EWe remember the ex - finance Minister and - Deputy Prime Minister\u2019s social insurance scheme. He worked on it for 2\u00BD years. I think there were more Ministers involved in that scheme than anything else. The vision of Grant Robertson; the vision of Carmel Sepuloni: gone by lunchtime. David Parker, the most senior Minister in Government, threw his toys, gave up his revenue portfolio, because his vision for tax reform: gone by lunchtime under Chris Hipkins. Willie Jackson, the second-highest M\u0101ori Minister, worked on broadcasting reform for years. His vision: gone by lunchtime under Chris Hipkins. The bonfire was not so much of a bonfire, but a towering inferno full of Woods, Sepuloni, Parker, Robertson\u2014all of their visions up in smoke. This was a party that stood for nothing and continues to stand for nothing.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000700\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ENational is a party that stands for delivery; we stand for outcomes; we stand for evidence, front-line results, and improving people\u2019s lives. In education, we stand for achievement, ambition, success, and equality of opportunity. We know that education is the great enabler, and we will be relentless in our drive to improve achievement. We will be ambitious\u2014unashamedly ambitious\u2014in the targets that we\u2019ve set for this nation\u2019s children. The most egregious thing that happened under the last Government\u2014in fact, under Chris Hipkins\u2019 watch as Minister of Education\u2014was the fact that our achievement went backwards.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000701\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EThere was a reason that in Chris Hipkins\u2019 speech today, when he listed all his perceived achievements, what did he say about education? \u201CWe built some classrooms.\u201D Nothing about improving achievement outcomes for our kids. Nothing about how many kids we got to curriculum. Nothing about how we improved our NCEA results. Nothing about getting our kids to school. And there\u2019s a reason for that. It\u2019s because they failed abysmally.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000702\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s egregious because it\u2019s not just like they said they\u2019d build a bridge and then they didn\u2019t. These are the lives of our kids; it\u2019s their futures that they have taken away. That is what is so egregious, and we will not, as a Government, stand by and allow that. It should have lit a fire under them when they saw the declining results over time. The Programme for International Student Assessment results last night just confirmed that decline. Under our Government, the trends of decline, the decline in performance, the trends of teacher retention: they stop. They stop under our Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000703\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EI have set a very ambitious target of getting 80 percent of our kids to curriculum by the time they leave intermediate. We owe it to our kids; we owe it to their families to make sure that every child has the opportunity to succeed at high school, to go on to live the life that they want, and take on the world like we know that they can.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000704\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EFor decades, we have had a curriculum that has been very loose; that has been a paper-thin document devoid of knowledge. National will return a curriculum that is knowledge-rich; that lays out the core content knowledge, every year, in order of how it should be taught to ensure that there is consistency across the country. So no matter where you go to school, no matter which school you are in, no matter which teacher you have, you have access to the same core content knowledge as a child. We will ensure there is consistency across the country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000705\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll tell you what: chemistry, bio, and physics will be in the science curriculum. I can\u2019t believe that I actually have to say that. I tell you what: the Government will just say, \u201COh, it was just an idea that we had.\u201D It was just a fast draft that they worked on and spent money on for months to remove those core areas out of science. That will not happen under our watch. We will ensure that the methods of teaching literacy and numeracy are based on the science of learning; about how the brain learns. We will ensure that every single child in this country at primary school will learn to read through structured literacy, and we will ensure that structured mathematics is embedded so that the basic concepts of maths are taught in a structured, and with a scope and a sequence, and that those basics are mastered.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000706\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ELet me just remind this House how Labour proposed to teach mathematics through a critical awareness of wider political and ideological and economic issues, addressing issues of power, social justice, and equality. That will not happen under this Government, I can tell you that. We will ensure that we assess progress of our learners along the way so that we catch our kids before they start to fail, and make sure that they can go on to be at curriculum by the end of year 8 and go on to experience success at high school.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000707\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EIn our first 100 days, we are taking the very first steps on this journey. We are ensuring there will be consistency across the country in terms of reading and writing and maths time spent. We already know that most schools do this, but we are ensuring that it\u2019s formalised and that there is consistency across the country so that every child\u2014no matter where they go to school\u2014has access to an hour a day of reading, writing, and maths.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000708\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EWe will remove the distraction of cellphones in our schools, because we know that the evidence shows that our kids improve their achievement and also their wellbeing. We will start the job of rewriting the curriculum and the Common Practice Model.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000709\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ECan I say to the hard-working and passionate teachers and principals and teacher aides up and down this country, this Government is here to support you; to provide you the tools, the resources, and the time that you need to do what you do best: helping our young learners to succeed and achieve at school, to grow up to live the life that they want.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000710\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003EWhen Jan Tinetti said on the news, after Labour\u2019s defeat, that she felt a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she lost her job as education Minister, I say it is my great privilege and great honour to take on this huge responsibility: of ensuring that our children experience academic success and we bring it back to the heart of our education system. I will never describe this job as a \u201Cweight\u201D or a \u201Cburden\u201D.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000711\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022275c91f8-c6b8-42fd-b3ab-d8fc000dd41f\u0022\u003ECan I finish by quoting a great principal that I visited last week\u2014the first week on the job\u2014Iain Taylor at Manurewa Intermediate School. The thing that he says to the learners at his intermediate is, \u201CThere is no time to lose.\u201D Every minute counts. It\u2019s a school that doesn\u2019t allow cellphones; that has an hour a day of reading, writing, and maths; it is a school, under his leadership, that values academic success and has high standards for their children. When he says \u201CThere is no time to lose\u201D to his young learners, I say that to all my colleagues. We have no time to lose because this job is too important. Thank you, Madam Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022 data-id=\u00224fd325c10fe945508227329739aafa1f\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000712\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224fd325c10fe945508227329739aafa1f\u0022\u003EHon Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour\u2014Christchurch Central):\u003C/span\u003E Kia ora, Madam Speaker, and congratulations on your role. Given the time we\u2019ve spent together on parliamentary duties, I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll get on fine. I wish I could say the same for Gerry Brownlee. When I was standing in Christchurch Central for the first time, he called me an ambulance chaser and I called him deeply offensive. I don\u2019t chase ambulances anymore, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s not deeply offensive anymore either. So I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll get on fine as well.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000713\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EThe last speaker, Erica Stanford, said she has no time to lose. And you know what? Maybe that\u2019s why National is trying to turn the clock backwards. I have seen nothing new from the National Party in this incoming Government. I listened to the Speech from the Throne, I got back to my office, and I wanted to get the details right, so I quickly googled, you know, let\u2019s get the Speech from the Throne. And here it turned up, I\u2019ve got it here, I\u2019ve printed it off. And here\u2019s one of the things that this Speech from the Throne says: \u201Cfor the past several years the number of people employed in the public service has grown at a rate that has not been matched by a commensurate increase in the level of services provided to the public.\u201D Does that sound like Christopher Luxon to you? No, that\u2019s the 2008 Speech from the Throne. So we\u2019ve got a retread\u2014I think he might have used ChatGPT, but he needs to be a bit more careful, because when you google \u201CNational Party Speech from the Throne\u201D you basically get the same speech every single time.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000714\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ESo, sure, he\u2019s got in the new speech \u201Cspending on public services has increased in recent years,\u201D\u2014it\u2019s just lifted from John Key\u2019s Government. But that\u2019s not John Key that you\u2019ve got over there; that\u2019s a corporate middle manager who himself said today, from that chair, that the Government\u2019s \u201CUnder new management\u201D. We don\u2019t want a managerialist approach to Government here; we want a proper, careful governing approach\u2014and this is not what we\u2019re going to see. We\u2019ve got no vision\u2014\u201CVision Impossible\u201D. And what did the John Key Government say about the Resource Management Act in 2008? \u201CThe first stage of this reform will be on improving the consent process\u201D\u2014it will, \u201Cstreamline and simplify the Act, including priority consenting for projects of national significance.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000715\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EWell, if this was a law school essay, it would be thrown out for plagiarism: let\u2019s have a \u201Cone-stop-shop established for consenting and promoting processes for \u2026 projects of national significance.\u201D\u2014straight out of 2008. Not an original thought in this Speech from the Throne. This is the great leap backwards. You can\u2019t turn the clock back\u2014New Zealand in 2023 is a different country, it\u2019s moved on.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000716\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EIn fact, a lot of what the Key Government did was more progressive than what that Government\u2019s proposing, so you should be utterly and totally ashamed of yourself. And even better\u2014even better; it just gets better and better\u2014regulatory reform. I\u2019m very excited about my spokesperson role in regulatory reform. You know, because \u201CThis Government will undertake a regulatory review programme\u201D, John Key said, in 2008. \u201CThere\u2019s superfluous regulation. Regulation should be used sparingly.\u201D So what have we got now? A new Government department. This is like Kafka, but worse. It\u2019s written worse than Kafka\u2014a new Government department with a Minister of Regulation to cut regulatory costs, ha ha! It is laughable. You know, so you\u2019re going to have an entire machinery to cut costs. That is absolutely ridiculous.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000717\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EAnd here\u2019s a new idea, a regulatory standards bill will be passed\u2014like this one from 2011 that wasn\u2019t passed, or this one from 2021 that wasn\u2019t passed. It\u2019s rubbish. It\u2019s absolutely rubbish. And what\u2019s more, it\u2019s reckless. As Richard Ekins said in the New Zealand Universities Law Review, it\u2019s \u201Creckless lawmaking\u201D\u2014it\u2019s unconstitutional, it politicises the Public Service, and it threatens the rule of law. You can\u2019t take a neoliberal approach to law and enshrine it in legislation. It\u2019s utterly wrong. It\u2019s a neoliberal straight-jacket and it\u2019s been roundly criticised by anyone who knows anything about it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000718\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EAnd as for climate change, you know, way back in 2008, the great thought of the Key Government was \u201Cinvestment in research and development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions\u201D because we\u2019ve got a \u201Cunique agricultural emissions profile\u201D. What have we got now? Exactly the same approach. In today\u2019s Speech from the Throne, they will use the \u201CTechnological advantages to progress the reduction of emissions including methane by farm animals.\u201D It\u2019s school childish. I cannot believe it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000719\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EBut you know what, the one I\u2019m going to go to that really bugs me is smoking. Here was the Key Government\u2019s approach on smoking, as agreed with Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori: \u201CFurther work will be done on plain package smoking and other anti-smoking initiatives.\u201D Something progressive from the Key Government that made real change in lowering smoking rates. It wasn\u2019t mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, for good reason. Because it\u2019s shameful. It\u2019s utterly shameful that a party with a number of medical doctors in its ranks will vote to increase smoking. The member for Banks Peninsula, Vanessa Weenink, GP, would have had people come into her practice with emphysema caused by smoking addiction. Will she vote for it or will she uphold her Hippocratic Oath that says \u201CDo no harm.\u201D? This is a harmful piece of piece of legislation. It will cause death. Death by taxes is what we\u2019ve got here. It is utterly shameful, embarrassing and I know that that member, the member for Ilam,\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000720\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00221eba517d0fcc418cb74e7fba00fddb44\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: It\u2019s just like KiwiBuild.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000721\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022510dac36031344f999f6a1b3113e3e26\u0022\u003EHon Dr DUNCAN WEBB\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014the Minister himself, will have to swallow this.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000722\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s nothing like KiwiBuild. KiwiBuild might not have built enough houses, but it didn\u2019t send people to their graves. It\u2019s utterly shameful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000723\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EAnd as for bonding, we\u2019ve got a great new idea. Let\u2019s get people into work in nursing and doctors by helping them pay off their student loans. It might not be a bad idea, because in 2008 John Key said, \u201CWe\u2019re going to introduce voluntary bonding schemes based on student loan write-offs.\u201D Wow. I really, you know, I would have thought that this Government could do something better. It\u2019s like d\u00E9j\u00E0 vu, but worse, you know?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000724\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003ESo why don\u2019t you have an original idea of your own to face the real problems that are facing New Zealand today: the problems of climate change, the problems of housing, the problems of the health system. Not rewarming, reheating, and retreading policies from 2008.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000725\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EBoot camps. I cannot believe that this is still happening. Back in 2008, John Key said we could have \u201CA new youth court, a Fresh Start programme incorporating military style training and intensive mentoring.\u201D I heard Erica Stanford say she wants an evidence-based approach, and there is evidence on boot camps. The evidence on boot camps is that it disenfranchises and alienates the young people that go there. It makes them network with other disenfranchised young people and it makes reoffending greater and it puts those people into a cycle of crime. If you want to have boot camps, be honest and say you want to have boot camps because you don\u2019t like these people. The people, the families, the communities that they come from are not your communities, so you don\u2019t care about them and you want to shut them off and you want to cart them off and shut them away. Well, don\u2019t do it, because it doesn\u2019t work. It\u2019s not good for you, it\u2019s not good for our community, and it will be bad in the long term for everyone. It\u2019s a reheated, failed policy. So wake up and get on board.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000726\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EAs for consumer credit, again, the Key Government took on consumer credit, started the progress on vulnerable borrowers, started the work that Kris Faafoi finished in terms of loan sharks. And here we\u2019ve got an incoming Government\u2014Andrew Bayly, who seems to be saying that he\u2019s going to loosen lending rules so more money can be given to vulnerable borrowers. Rolling back the protections that John Key started, that Kris Faafoi finished, that means that you don\u2019t have truck shops cruising around South Auckland selling essential goods on 100 percent interest rates. That is, again, a shameful approach.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000727\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f7fc7ac3-5ce1-43ca-8cd6-dbb0941bf3ae\u0022\u003EAs for M\u0101ori, this Government is intending to do nothing other than roll back: roll back the Treaty, roll back the equity progress that\u2019s been made, roll back the functions of the Waitangi Tribunal\u2014which has a fundamental role in pointing out the missteps of Government\u2014and roll back the M\u0101ori Health Authority. Unlike John Key, who in the Speech from the Throne in 2008 said \u201CM\u0101ori face\u201D\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u0022981f9f2cf3b84017ab4d81ef8c5ff8cb\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000728\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022981f9f2cf3b84017ab4d81ef8c5ff8cb\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The member\u2019s time has expired. Thank you, Dr Webb.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022 data-id=\u002264916c51bd084115b1c3d4434878fecd\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000729\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002264916c51bd084115b1c3d4434878fecd\u0022\u003EHon MELISSA LEE (Minister for Economic Development):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. I\u2019d like to begin my contribution today by first of all acknowledging you, Madam Speaker. As my colleague the Hon Erica Stanford has actually said earlier, your history with the National caucus is tremendous in the sense that you have been a nurturing senior whip, who actually looked after the newbies coming in. Whoever was actually ever in trouble, you were always very generous with your time and your energy and wise counsel. So I\u2019m sure that you will do tremendous work as the Deputy Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000730\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI just want to comment on the very lacklustre contribution by the Hon Dr Duncan Webb. You know, I love speaking in this House, and often when I speak, I actually tag on to something that the opposite member has actually said, and we can have our, you know, tit for tat, and you feel absolutely energised. I just felt completely drained after that speech because I was like sitting there going, \u201COh my goodness, can he just drone on?\u201D\u2014something that my mother would actually say, \u201CPut a mirror in front of you to look at your history, and see what you have done before you criticise someone else.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000731\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EOn that note, I\u2019d like for him and his colleagues to, potentially, actually think about how, under the previous Labour Government, they had a 65-seat majority\u2014it was a complete majority ever in the history of, you know, MMP, and they haven\u2019t actually achieved anything, really. They haven\u2019t delivered for New Zealanders. They couldn\u2019t even deliver something that I think Michael Wood actually calls\u2014it\u2019s the light rail all the way to the airport down Dominion Road that was supposed to have been completed last year\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000732\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002255d0b7a4-a2c9-4c38-9b77-475311a48a89\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022fa4cfd41815e4bbaa703d15e40e1dcd4\u0022\u003EHon Simeon Brown\u003C/span\u003E: 2021.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000733\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c1fa6feaca6b4a9e9f283e9d94162c06\u0022\u003EMELISSA LEE\u003C/span\u003E: 2021! Oh my goodness, two years ago. It was supposed to have happened in 2021, all the way to Auckland Airport, that they were so happy about and championed that they were going to deliver. They had 65 members, a complete majority in this House; they could not deliver a centimetre of that light rail\u2014it\u2019s a light fail.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000734\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EKiwiBuild\u2014100,000 KiwiBuild homes they said they were going to deliver. Instead, what did they deliver? 14,000 public servants and 1,400 KiwiBuild homes. It\u2019s nowhere near the 100,000 that they actually said. And I know that Duncan Webb actually talked about emissions, and I think, you know, as somebody mentioned something about a dud, you know, COP28 award that New Zealand actually got; I thought awards were actually given to the country for the performance in the previous year. So I guess it\u2019s actually\u2014I think we need to look at the emission profile of the previous Government\u2019s performance when they have to import so much coal from Indonesia because they couldn\u2019t actually power the generators, so they had to actually import coal from overseas. So the profile for emissions in New Zealand was worse under that Labour Government.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000735\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI was thinking that maybe the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee was going to be sitting on this session, and I had some funny quips about him, but I\u2019ll have to leave that for another time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000736\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to acknowledge my colleagues\u2014well, actually, acknowledge the people of Mt Albert who came very close to electing me as their MP. They came very close, but not close enough. But I\u2019d like to acknowledge my colleagues the MP for Mt Albert, Helen White, and I have to say the Mt Albert community actually have two list MPs and one MP of the electorate who will actually work for the benefit of the Mt Albert community. I think we are blessed to work there, but I think the people of Mt Albert will be very, very pleased to actually have three MPs who will actually work to their benefit in representing them across the House in this Parliament.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000737\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s an honour to have made the Cabinet of the coalition Government, and to join the ranks of my distinguished colleagues right across. It\u2019s an absolute privilege, and since this is the first time, I had some Labour colleagues\u2014former Ministers, who have also given me some tips about how I should actually take on my role. I think that\u2019s very kind of them to actually do that, you know, in terms of the overwhelming amount of paperwork that you tend to get buried in, and the ability for Ministers to actually read and actually understand the responsibilities that come with the role. I thank those colleagues from across the other side who have actually been very kind to give me their counsel. So thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000738\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge former Ministers, as I said, who held the portfolios, you know, that I currently hold. But I just want to actually say to Willie Jackson, who was the former Minister for Broadcasting, and broadcasting is no longer the word that we\u2019re using, we\u2019re using Minister for Media and Communications. I can just guarantee that I won\u2019t be wasting $20 million trying to actually dream up something called ANZPM\u2014Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media bill\u2014and literally pay nearly $20 million to consultants who had absolutely no clue about broadcasting. The ANZPM was literally about bringing Radio New Zealand and TVNZ together, and he couldn\u2019t actually give us a realistic answer as to why he was doing that. You know, there was no reason to bring Radio New Zealand and TVNZ together, and they weren\u2019t going to deliver for New Zealanders something that they didn\u2019t already deliver separately as Radio New Zealand and TVNZ.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000739\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EThere is so much that we have to do, and, you know, I\u2019m looking forward to working very closely with the Under-Secretary for Media and Communications, Jenny Marcroft. We look to address a wide host of matters during this parliamentary term. As a Minister, I have to think about the delegation, but I started off talking about her passions and where she would like to work, so I think we\u2019re going to work really, really closely, and really well to deliver better outcomes for the media and communications sector.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000740\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EAs the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon stated, our 100-day plan is focused on rebuilding the economy, easing the cost of living, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services. These are things that New Zealanders voted for and expect us to deliver. Unlike the previous Government who couldn\u2019t actually deliver on, as I said, light rail, couldn\u2019t really deliver on ANZPM, couldn\u2019t really deliver on KiwiBuild\u2014or anything, actually. They didn\u2019t deliver on anything when they had a majority. I think that\u2019s dire indictment on their ability to deliver. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000741\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003ESo we won\u2019t take any advice on that delivery aspect of the work that they did, but I think, on this side of the House, we know that we have a commitment that we have made to the voters of this country that we will deliver together as a coalition Government. And I know that my colleagues actually are going to be working really, really hard. I know that Ministers have actually been pulling like really, really long hours. Like, I didn\u2019t realise that I had to get up at 4 o\u2019clock in the morning, and sometimes it\u2019s actually going until 2 o\u2019clock in the morning\u2014but hey, we\u2019re on to it, right?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000742\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI think we need to get on with the job of delivering for New Zealand that they expect, and they voted for, and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues to deliver that. I would like to acknowledge particularly my caucus colleagues, actually. They\u2019re all amazing, but I want to actually pick off a couple of very special ones. Dr Carlos Cheung\u2014it\u2019s amazing that he won Mt Roskill. I want to actually welcome back Paulo Garcia\u2014it\u2019s amazing that he managed to get New Lynn, which is a Labour seat. I\u2019d like to acknowledge Rima Nakhle\u2014amazing\u2014you know, three ethnic MPs. I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m the worst one, I didn\u2019t actually win Mt Albert\u2014you guys won a Labour seat. I didn\u2019t quite make it, but what a turnaround it was. I literally, literally came very close. But having said that, the member for Mt Albert has actually said to me that we will work together for the benefit of Mt Albert, and I hope to keep her word\u2014I hope to make her keep her word, and I promise that I will do the same.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000743\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002218f9e3ea-81c5-4414-af48-d6bb843a9227\u0022\u003EI look forward to working with everyone across the House, and I know that sometimes it has been frustrating in Opposition when you try and actually go see a Minister and they say, \u201CYeah we\u2019ll take good ideas\u201D and they never do. I\u2019m saying, if you have good ideas, come and see me. I\u2019ll listen to you. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022 data-id=\u0022b29a7e98c01846edaf8cb9151f6b28d1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000744\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022b29a7e98c01846edaf8cb9151f6b28d1\u0022\u003EDEPUTY SPEAKER\u003C/span\u003E: The House will suspend for the dinner break and will resume at 7:30 p.m. to continue with the Address in Reply debate.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000745\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261720d2e-5b1d-4742-b4f0-30424316ccc1\u0022\u003ESitting suspended from 5.57 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022 data-id=\u00227977c6d94a974215b6366e785bf5ca45\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000746\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00227977c6d94a974215b6366e785bf5ca45\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\u003C/span\u003E: Members, the interrupted debate on the Address in Reply is resumed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022 data-id=\u0022cff0ca2f26e54e5a9a3189aabecbe7b9\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000747\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022cff0ca2f26e54e5a9a3189aabecbe7b9\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Tuatahi, ka k\u014Drero au i te reo M\u0101ori. [First, I will speak M\u0101ori.] \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000748\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EJust to advise the House, I\u2019ll speak in M\u0101ori at first if you choose to listen or otherwise.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000749\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003ETuatahi, m\u0101ku e mihi atu ana ki a t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000750\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKi roto i \u014Dku t\u016Bnga katoa i t\u0113nei Whare ko t\u0101ku mahi tuatahi kia mihi poroporoaki atu ki te hunga mate kua riro atu ki te p\u014D.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000751\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EAn\u0101, ki roto i ng\u0101 rangi tata kua pahure ake nei, ko T\u016Broa Royal, ko t\u014Dku p\u0101p\u0101, a Moka Puru, \u0101, i te rangi nei ko t\u014Dku matua, a Waitai T\u016Boho.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000752\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira r\u0101tau ki a r\u0101tau.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000753\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKa whakahokia mai ng\u0101 r\u0101rangi k\u014Drero ki a t\u0101tou e \u014Dku rangatira. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000754\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E[First, I\u2019d like to acknowledge us all.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000755\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIn all of my speeches in the House, the first thing I do is acknowledge those who have recently passed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000756\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIn the very recent days that have passed, they include T\u016Broa Royal, my elder, Moka Puru, and today, my uncle Waitai T\u016Boho.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000757\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EMay you rest peacefully.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000758\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI would now like to return the relevant topics of conversation, my esteemed colleagues. I thank you all greatly.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000759\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EKia ora and greetings to the House. I\u2019ve become accustomed, just as I do on the marae, in my chance to contribute to the House, I always start to acknowledge those who have passed on and I can see everybody in this House who just acknowledges how special that is. When we consider our time in this House, we think that we do walk in those people\u2019s footsteps, so it\u2019s important to acknowledge them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000760\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EMadam Speaker, I want to acknowledge you and of course your colleagues who preside over our House. It is indeed a huge honour that\u2019s been put upon you all to make sure that the House certainly lives up to the expectations that many have already spoken about today, calling and describing this place as an august institute. So it\u2019s important that we acknowledge you all and wish you all the best through this sitting term. I also want to acknowledge all of the new members who have come into the House, in particular our own on this side. I do want to acknowledge my new colleagues, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, who comes in from the mighty East Coast, winning the seat of Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti. I also want to acknowledge our very good friend down in the south, Reuben\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000761\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225b521f199631463895ba385d2eb08130\u0022\u003EHon Grant Roberston\u003C/span\u003E: Davidson.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000762\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab6ad54eff354d44b8153106bdf79b08\u0022\u003EHon PEENI HENARE\u003C/span\u003E: Davidson, that\u2019s right, yes. I keep confusing him with Kelvin Davis but Reuben Davidson, yes, who\u2019s a lot better looking than my former form 2 teacher, Kelvin Davis, and I want to acknowledge them both because coming into, as I did in 2014, as a small number into an Opposition\u2014the Labour Party\u2014it was a difficult time but also a very exciting time. So I want to acknowledge them and of course new members right across the House. I want to acknowledge also my colleagues from the M\u0101ori Party. Why? Because, sadly, I didn\u2019t hold on to my seat but I want to acknowledge them who have received the mandate from T\u0101maki Makaurau and a number of the other M\u0101ori seats, and I acknowledge them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000763\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge my two beautiful tu\u0101hine here, my relatives from the far north: H\u016Bhana Lyndon and Darleen Tana. We come from the same whakapapa. In fact, if colleagues in the House are interested and you looked at Te Tiriti o Waitangi, you\u2019ll look at the first name right at the top; it\u2019s Kawiti. The three of us are descendants of Kawiti. So it\u2019s really special to have my tu\u0101hine, my relatives, here in the House joining me and walking in the illustrious footsteps of our ancestors. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou. Kia ora t\u0101tou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000764\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIf I can offer any advice to the new members, it is: it\u2019s always true, the only time you get to say what you want is on your maiden speech, so good luck, and the only other time is in your valedictory speech. I say this as an Opposition member: I hope that for you that comes a bit sooner than later. But I do want to acknowledge all of the new members, and I also want to take this opportunity to apologise. What I witnessed earlier in the House isn\u2019t the House that I think represents our people. Bringing a bit of decorum to our debate and making sure that we actually are here to debate what matters to our people. It\u2019s far better than a slanging match. I apologise for the new members because we don\u2019t want you to see that as the example for you to follow into the future. Let the debate be robust. Let the debate be about the facts and the matters that are important to our people. But let\u2019s always keep it correct. Let\u2019s always keep good decorum in our house. T\u0113n\u0101 koutou, welcome. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000765\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI want to start my contribution, after all of the thanks and all of the praises across the House, by reading something very brief, if you\u2019ll indulge me. The M\u0101ori people are opposed to any sort of referendum or process in this, our House of democracy, for the obvious reason that we are numerically inferior to our other treaty partner. If taken, the result is a foregone conclusion. The choice for the Government is quite clear: to honour or dishonour, between treachery and good faith, and that we have at last reached the dividing line which makes or tarnishes a nation worthy of the name. Now I wish those eloquent words were mine, but they were indeed the words of my grandfather, the late Sir James H\u0113nare, who in September of 1988\u2014in Parliament House, here\u2014addressed the members of Parliament and used those words 35 years ago. Here we are today debating the very same thing. After years and years of progress between the Treaty partners, progress for M\u0101ori and our communities, our country moving forward into a bicultural and a multicultural society\u2014and sadly, here we are 35 years later. It would appear that my grandfather\u2019s words continue to ring in the halls of Parliament. My hope is that they continue to ring in the ears and the hearts of the members of this House, in order for us to make sure we have a debate moving forward on the issues that matter and that we do not take our country back into the past.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000766\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EThat is the premise and the basis for the rest of my contribution here today, and that is to say that the Government has made very clear their agenda for the nation. However blunt that might be to some of the ears, in particular my colleagues on this side, it has become very clear to me that a very regressive M\u0101ori policy agenda is going to beset this nation, and I want to make sure that we are here for the fight. I want to make sure, as many members across the House have already said, we look towards scientific proof, we look towards the facts, we look towards good research in order to make good decisions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000767\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EI was but one of the former Ministers from this side of the House who was part of the architecture of Te Ata Whai Ora, the M\u0101ori Health Authority. The reason we did that was based on sound research over many, many decades. In fact, the person who I\u2019d like to call the godfather of M\u0101ori health, Sir Mason Durie, was the leader of that particular kaupapa and initiative\u2014not me, not the Minister of Health in the day, but actually Sir Mason Durie. In fact, we went to his house and, as you do when you go into a home you take goods, so I took some muttonbird and some p\u0101ua, just to grease the old man up a little bit, but more importantly to make sure a man who has dedicated his life to ensuring M\u0101ori health in this country was able to work with us and lead this particular initiative.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000768\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EIt makes me sad to think that Te Aka Whai Ora has not been given a chance; that Te Aka Whai Ora is not just about the delivery of equitable services in our community, but more importantly\u2014and we\u2019ll approach this when we come to the debate\u2014it is about holding the P\u0101keh\u0101 system or the actual health system in this country to account, making sure that that system can continue to deliver better services for our people. Because what became abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic was that it didn\u2019t serve our people. The data wasn\u2019t there in order for us to reach M\u0101ori communities. It wasn\u2019t there in order for us to reach rural communities, not just M\u0101ori communities.  We called it the \u201Cpostcode lottery of health\u201D and that is very clear when we look into how we on this side\u2014the Labour Party in power\u2014actually made significant changes to the health system. Of course we want a health system that delivers for all. My plea for this House, and we\u2019ll come into this matter when we debate Te Aka Whai Ora, is that we do give it a chance; we make sure that it does meet the well-worked-through intentions of Sir Mason Durie and many others before him to give something equitable for M\u0101ori healthcare in this country.  \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000769\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EThe other one is of course smoking, and I heard today in the House many people say, \u201CIt\u2019s just smoke and mirrors.\u201D Well, from where I\u2019m sitting in a M\u0101ori community, it\u2019s more smoke and less mirror and it\u2019s really sad to hear that. You know, I grew up in a household that smoked and it was just one of those intergenerational things. I don\u2019t smoke and I\u2019m proud of that, and my tamariki don\u2019t smoke, my nephews and nieces, they don\u2019t smoke\u2014simply because of the changes that a brave Government in their day made many years ago. It would be a real shame to see that reversed. But we\u2019re here, on this side of the House, to hold the Government to account, and I\u2019m fortunate to sit amongst many great members of this House, many who have served as cabinet Ministers, many who have worked really hard in their communities, and it will be our job as the Opposition to make sure we continue to hold the Government to account. And they can bet that we will do that. We will do that by discussing the facts; we will do that by discussing, of course, the sentiments and the feelings amongst our communities that we bring and represent here in this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000770\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022e77494a0-1be1-432f-b492-fd160f4c119d\u0022\u003EFinally from me, I am looking forward to this term of Government\u2014this is my fourth term here in this House\u2014continuing to serve M\u0101ori, continuing to serve our country, and may we all look towards making sure that this country does move forward together, and certainly doesn\u2019t leave anybody behind. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022 data-id=\u002202280a525b8547b894196844011f9691\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000771\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202280a525b8547b894196844011f9691\u0022\u003ERICARDO MEN\u00C9NDEZ MARCH (Green):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to start by acknowledging the legacy and the shoulders that we stand on of all the people who have built our movement, the Green Party. That has enabled us to return as incumbent MPs and to bring our biggest caucus ever, and I want to say just how exciting it is to be working with some of the best organisers and campaigners in this country to work towards a fairer future. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000772\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EToday, we\u2019re here to discuss the Government\u2019s agenda and what was said in the Speech from the Throne. I think there is as much being said when there is a speech where something is omitted, and something that was not said in the Speech from the Throne was anything in relationship explicitly to poverty. In fact, the words \u201Cpoverty\u201D and \u201Cinequality\u201D did not get a single mention in today\u2019s speech. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000773\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EWe are talking about the communities who have been underserved by successive Governments, who have been kept in poverty by political decisions from politicians in this House\u2014from people who have said that countless families deserve to live below the poverty line. The myth that has been spoken for far too long in this place is that all it takes is hard work to get ahead. What has been said by Christopher Luxon in referencing someone else\u2019s maiden speech in his speech, which was that all it takes is to have good parents, is a myth, because, actually, we have designed a House that is designed to keep those families in poverty and that has been designed to keep disabled people living below the breadline\u2014and I see that people are going \u201CNo\u201D, and nodding and rejecting what I am saying, but look at the numbers. Look at the evidence. Look at how much someone earns when they\u2019re on a benefit, and then match it up with the median rents across the country. Tell me that the incomes that we\u2019ve decided to give to people who deserve support are livable\u2014they are not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000774\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EThese are decisions and it doesn\u2019t have to be that way, and yet while there was talk about reducing red tape and subsidies for landlords, there was nothing in today\u2019s speech about how we\u2019re going to eliminate poverty, let alone continue meeting our child poverty reduction targets, which were\u2014yeah\u2014a first of a kind, but were not even ambitious enough to actually commit to eliminating poverty. They simply were there to reduce poverty, and it didn\u2019t even get a single mention. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000775\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EThe Green Party has a proud legacy of working and fighting to end poverty. It has been our mahi in this place from previous MPs that secured those child poverty reduction targets and that secured increases to benefits and the removal of some of the punitive sanctions, and yet despite poverty not getting a mention in today\u2019s speech, if we trawl through the coalition documents, we can find what\u2019s in this Government\u2019s agenda. We can find that this Government intends to introduce punitive sanctions\u2014sanctions that have no evidence of working. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000776\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EI think back to 2017, when we were finally having a more sensible public discussion on sanctions on sole mothers. We were talking about 17,000 mothers who were being sanctioned at that time for not naming the father of their children. The Government at the time was unable to produce evidence that those sanctions were working towards supporting wh\u0101nau, or towards supporting people to actually have a relationship with their partner, or the father or mother or caregiver, of the children. There was no evidence that punishing beneficiaries or that leading them further into poverty was working towards the benefit of anyone in our society, and all it was doing was criminalising the same people that were being scapegoated. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000777\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003ESo all the talk about getting tough on crime is simply a scapegoat. It\u2019s a dog whistle that hides the fact that this Government will be criminalising people, because when you strip people of their only legal source of surviving, you put people in a position where their only way to survive is to commit a crime, and so this Government is actually working against the goal of reducing crime by creating a generation of people who will have no means of surviving. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000778\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EWhen they say that they want to get tough on people on the benefit by putting those obligations on jobseeker beneficiaries, they should spend some time talking to those people who attend those work seminars. Do they even actually support people into meaningful employment? No. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in Wellington has been unable to even keep track, for example, of the number of people that attend those seminars. MSD has been unable to actually quantify the wages that those people go on to, and yet successive Governments have been eager to punish people who are not deemed to go into the types of jobs that policies from Governments have chosen to push people into. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000779\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EBy sanctioning those people who you deem to not meet those obligations, you will be leaving them without any source of income or any ability to pay their rent. Shame on this Government and their agenda to wage a war on the poor. The Green Party will be working to eliminate poverty, not to continue to increase it, as this Government is intending to do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000780\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EFor all the talk of this Government about personal responsibility and people needing to learn to make good decisions, it\u2019s quite frankly insulting when the goal of this Government on those on the lowest incomes is to monitor their expenses more closely, and to give people less agency and less opportunity to make those decisions in life. Forcing people to go to Work and Income, to queue at Work and Income, to prove every single expense in order to get a food grant\u2014a measly food grant that has not even been properly increased in countless terms\u2014is insulting. It\u2019s both a waste of time for the person sitting at the Work and Income office and it\u2019s degrading for the families that have to queue up just to survive. This is a Government that, by omitting the words \u201Cpoverty\u201D and \u201Cinequality\u201D from the Speech from the Throne and from its opportunity to set an agenda, has told the whole country that its interests lie in protecting landlords\u2019 ability to evict people without any reason and to give them more money. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000781\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EI also want to reflect as a migrant to Aotearoa on the fact that for far too long, the Government parties\u2014all of them\u2014have chosen to pit our communities against each other. I don\u2019t want to hear any celebration of the new migrant members of the Government\u2019s caucus, who are complicit\u2014who are completely complicit\u2014in driving a divide between our migrant communities and M\u0101ori. What many of us know is that our struggles for liberation are absolutely connected and that the only people\u2014the only people\u2014who have something to lose from our migrant communities by strengthening the ability for people to recover their reo and to actually have a partnership approach in the way that we do things are the people who have gained from the direct exploitation of those communities. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000782\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EAs migrants, we should be working towards supporting our companions and their struggles for liberation, whether it\u2019s in Aotearoa, whether it\u2019s in Palestine, or whether it\u2019s in West Papua. By standing together towards the common cause of taking climate action, ending poverty, and having a true Te Tiriti partnership, we\u2019ll be able to actually create the society that this Government proposes to represent and to aspire towards. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000783\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EIn pre-colonial times, immigration policy was not based on the exploitation of workers, and I did want to quote Professor Khylee Quince, the dean of law at Auckland University of Technology, who spoke at length about how in pre-colonial times immigration policy was actually led by concepts around manaaki, aroha, and utu\u2014policies that we actually have a lot to learn on, and, actually, it could be time for the Crown to think more about devolving power and resources so that those values can be restored. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000784\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll end with a whakatuak\u012B which I think represents the solidarity and the connection that we can build with one another, rather than the division that this Government wants to create with one another.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000785\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002219ed20db-5d6c-4464-9327-6cdd072bb4fe\u0022\u003EM\u0101 whero, m\u0101 pango ka oti ai te mahi. Kia ora. [With unity, the task can be achieved. Kia ora.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022 data-id=\u0022604399b1eb254c4984b5b708c479c3b4\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000786\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022604399b1eb254c4984b5b708c479c3b4\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Madam Speaker, can I start by offering my congratulations to you. As someone who hails from the West Coast, it is wonderful to see a fellow West Coaster in that chair, so congratulations, Madam Speaker, and I wish you all the best in it. And can I also say congratulations, especially to all the new members in this House\u2014and what you bring to this place. It is something I was thinking about listening to the speeches today, but also in the swearing-in yesterday\u2014of my time six years ago, and what a very special time that is. And so I just want to reiterate my congratulations to you, and I look forward to working with you over the next term of Parliament. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000787\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s where, unfortunately, I have to sort of take a little bit of a diversion, now, because listening to that Speech from the Throne today; devoid of vision\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000788\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022713ccc5b-7ff0-4fa5-ab58-4780620184fe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022376f955dbf614415809802395ab82f51\u0022\u003EHon Simon Watts\u003C/span\u003E: Tell us about education!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000789\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222476424a35af4cbab16c53c694e25a77\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: Just wait, I am going to talk about education, and I will happily talk about education and the smoke and mirrors that we are seeing coming from the current Government at this point in time, because what we heard about today was a turning back of the clock. New Zealand is going backwards under this Government and will go backwards and not forwards. Do you know, I actually had a time before, when I was listening to some of the speeches, that I thought, \u201CDo the Government realise they\u2019re in Government now, or are they still thinking they\u2019re in Opposition?\u201D\u2014because their speeches were more about us, and more about Labour than what they\u2019re going to do, and that is what I have heard all day: I have heard only about us, repealing, and going backwards. I haven\u2019t heard anything about going forwards whatsoever. And I\u2019ve heard a whole reinvention of history where facts have been slightly put out there and maybe not quite as the reality is\u2014nothing about the proud record of this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000790\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003ESo let me remind you, Madam Speaker, of just a few things that have come through from the previous Government. In jobs: more Kiwis in work than ever before. All of the wonderful things happening in health: things like three million free prescriptions; the increase in Pharmac\u2019s funding by 51 percent. Child poverty: 77,000 fewer children in poverty than when we took office. Climate change: emissions have fallen over the last three consecutive years. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000791\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EAnd let\u2019s talk about education. Let\u2019s talk about early childhood, because have we heard much about early childhood from the current Government? No, we haven\u2019t. The previous Government strengthened curriculum in early childhood. We strengthened oral language provision, because we know that that\u2019s where it starts: it starts with early childhood. It isn\u2019t about saying \u201CLearning and education starts at age five or six\u201D, it starts well before that\u2014in fact, it starts at birth, and some say prior to that. We put an early learning action plan in place\u2014something that the previous National Government had got rid of. We worked towards pay parity and because of the absolute complexity around that, we committed to a funding review\u2014I\u2019ve heard nothing about that in this Government\u2019s plans. In fact, as I say, I\u2019ve heard nothing, or very little, about early childhood.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000792\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003ELet\u2019s move to the schooling. We put in an evidence- and research-based strategy developed by experts on literacy, communication, and mathematics because we know that it takes time to turn around the results that we have been seeing declining over decades. We made certain that we had the experts there to bring in that evidence-based and research strategy, and implementation had well started. I heard the Minister saying just recently that, \u201CWe need to make certain that teachers know what they are teaching.\u201D Well, guess what! That\u2019s exactly what the refresh of the curriculum has been doing, so teachers know what to teach and when, but that Government does not deal with facts at all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000793\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EWe have put in place\u2014or had put in place, ready to be released\u2014the common-practice model, which has the core teacher requirements. I challenge that to be released now. That work is right there, ready to go. Teachers are crying out for it, it is already there. But what have I heard from the Government? They are bringing in one hour of teaching of reading, writing, and mathematics every day. Nothing about professional development for teachers\u2014to increase the professional development so they know what they\u2019re teaching, when they\u2019re teaching it, how to teach, and how to be better teachers\u2014nothing about that. We\u2019ll just say, \u201COh, we\u2019re going to bring in one hour of teaching of reading, writing, and mathematics every day.\u201D, and even the sector are finding that confusing. Does it mean integration; does it not mean integration? I\u2019ve even heard that the Minister has been saying, \u201CWell, most schools do teach an hour a day of reading, writing, and mathematics; it\u2019s just the odd few that don\u2019t.\u201D So what\u2019s the problem that we\u2019re trying to solve here?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000794\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EThe banning of cellphones, which schools have been able to do for ever\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000795\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00226007dc96-f459-4cdd-9972-4fde2c994088\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223eb27ec8204442ed81a2e47567565ddd\u0022\u003EHon Grant Robertson\u003C/span\u003E: They don\u2019t trust schools.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000796\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222ff00a28b23f4448b9c8790d1d800fb3\u0022\u003EHon JAN TINETTI\u003C/span\u003E: They\u2019re obviously not trusting of schools. But when I do ask schools around the country\u2014if there are schools that haven\u2019t banned cellphones\u2014\u201CWhy don\u2019t you?\u201D, they reply \u201COh, because there is a bit of a digital divide there and cellphones are a way that we\u2019re able to breach that.\u201D So why is nothing being done about that? We\u2019re just going to put a whole ban on cellphones in that time. I think the real smoke and mirrors are the one hour of teaching reading, writing, and mathematics and the banning of cellphones, to take the real focus away from what really is insidious, and has been hidden in the documents so far that we have seen: the assessment, the measuring progress along the learning journey. Well, guess what! That sounds like national standards mark two, and how well did that work out for the Government last time? What a failure for our kids, and they are still feeling the outfall from that, even today. Those young people that started under National\u2019s standards had the worst start in education that any young person could ever have, and that\u2019s what this Government wants to bring back. It\u2019s the smoke and mirrors around charter schools, an attack on public education\u2014we will create this system over here and fund that, but let\u2019s not put the resourcing over here into the majority of young people who are in the public system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000797\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EBut what I\u2019m really concerned about is that\u2014and here is sort of the irony that can happen sometimes\u2014the statement that has been made in both coalition agreements and in the Speech from the Throne today, to refocus the curriculum on academic achievement and not ideology, including the removal and replacement of the relationships and sexuality guidelines. Well, first of all, what are charter schools if they are not ideology? That\u2019s exactly what charter schools are\u2014exactly; they are exactly ideology. Secondly, I would ask what is ideology in the relationships and sexuality guidelines? I challenge anybody to show me the ideology. My thoughts are that they are going to say that it is \u201Cgender diversity.\u201D Go tell that to our community who are seeing themselves represented\u2014but saw themselves represented in the 2015 guidelines that were released under the then National Government. The 2020 guidelines brought a bigger focus on to consent, not gender diversity\u2014gender diversity was already there. And I can remember speaking to the Hon Nikki Kaye in about 2018 and her talking of pride of bringing those guidelines into the education curriculum. But here, we\u2019ve had this flip-flop already, coming through and saying that we\u2019re going to make sure that they\u2019re age-appropriate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000798\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00229eef65cd-ce82-441c-af1b-954ea0782a04\u0022\u003EWell, the Government need to go through and make certain that they read those before they make such rash statements, because they are only harming communities who are already under threat and in a minority in this country. And it just beggars beyond belief that those statements have been made. People are getting upset about what isn\u2019t in there rather than what is, but what I want to finish with is what has not been mentioned by this Government: I said early childhood education, I\u2019m going to say learning support, M\u0101ori education, Pacific education\u2014where are they in this Government\u2019s plan? They are being let down.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022 data-id=\u0022e0ffb2d97e994cbeb703f956984bffaf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000799\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022e0ffb2d97e994cbeb703f956984bffaf\u0022\u003EHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. May I join the other brownnosers and acknowledge your appointment as Assistant Speaker and hope that it may pay dividends in years to come! But, in all seriousness, I am very pleased for you, because you have been a solid contributor to this House and you really deserve this, along with Barbara Kuriger, Greg O\u2019Connor, and, of course, the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee\u2014delighted with the group of presiding officers. To those who are new to this House: welcome. You will enjoy yourselves. We did, and we will. And to those who have returned: congratulations. Because it truly is an honour to be here.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000800\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EI do want to start my first contribution since the election by acknowledging Mike Butterick, who won the Wairarapa seat. I think that\u2019s only right.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000801\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ab7dd4041cb04f1c87eade8bba2f50b2\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: What a great man.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000802\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022673be41f5af847af859eb3c0cf2e2d5e\u0022\u003EHon KIERAN McANULTY\u003C/span\u003E: Yep; that\u2019s right. Thank you\u2014thank you. What they may not have picked up at home is that the reason members were clapping is because they said I\u2019ll win it back next year! So I appreciate your support. Thank you for that!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000803\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EToday is a special day. It is a day when we have the Speech from the Throne. It is a day, one might think, that members of the Government might celebrate\u2014celebrate the speech that outlines what they intend to do over three years\u2014and the time in which to do that is the Address in Reply. Have we heard that? Have we, my foot! We have heard three contributions from the Government, and each and every single one of them slagged us off. They talked about what we did, and I think I know why: because all they\u2019re going to do is reverse what we did. They are going to bring this country backwards, and if they were proud of what they\u2019re going to do, I reckon they\u2019d want to talk about it. But they don\u2019t.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000804\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EI wonder why they\u2019re not talking about tax cuts that don\u2019t add up. I wonder why no one on that side has mentioned te reo M\u0101ori. I wonder why no one has mentioned smoking. What about fair pay agreements? They campaigned on those. They\u2019re supposed to be proud of those. I wonder if the reason why they haven\u2019t mentioned those is because, within the first week, their Cabinet had leaked the document to the media that contained advice that said very clearly that repealing fair pay agreements would disproportionately disadvantage women, M\u0101ori, Pasifika, youth, and low-wage workers. I wonder if that\u2019s why they\u2019re not mentioning it. Why have they not mentioned that they are going to bring in a rule that allows employers to sack people within 90 days without giving any single reason? Why? Why haven\u2019t they mentioned that, because of what they plan to do, ratepayers will face bills that they simply cannot afford? If they had mentioned those, they would be being upfront and being consistent with what was in the Speech from the Throne today. None of them has mentioned it, and I would wager that not many of them will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000805\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EWhen you serve in this House, be it for a short time or a long time, there are occasional moments when you reflect on what you have achieved, and I am sure that, when our time collectively is finished in this House, we will talk about what we did when we were members of Parliament, be it with our children, our grandchildren, or, for some of us, great-grandchildren. And I wonder if we would be proud, when we spoke to those young people, if we told them that we got elected on the basis of talking about doing something about climate change but, when we had the opportunity, we actually took away the things that were working. I wonder if we would be proud if we told those young people that on the one hand we said that we should encourage te reo M\u0101ori but then we removed the measures that actually did just that\u2014actually punished those workers who should be rewarded for having a particular skill that is in demand, that requires them to work more hours and do more tasks than other workers because they speak M\u0101ori, and they don\u2019t like it. And if they take exception to that, I would ask them to refer to some of the statements and some of the policies that they have signed up to.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000806\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003ERiddled throughout the coalition agreement are things that will push M\u0101ori backwards. The reason this Government wants to get rid of the M\u0101ori Health Authority is because of the first word in those three words. That\u2019s it: \u201CM\u0101ori\u201D. They know it works. It\u2019s been proven to work. They know that it\u2019s backed up by stats. They know it\u2019s backed up by evidence, but they don\u2019t like it because it focuses on M\u0101ori. Where\u2019s the talk of repealing the rural health strategy? That\u2019s what I want to know. Where\u2019s the talk of that? They won\u2019t do that, because they know that rural people vote for them, and they know that M\u0101ori people don\u2019t, and they know that they can kick them, and I think it\u2019s bloody disgraceful.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000807\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EFair-pay agreements will help people\u2019s wages go up. It is proven. Their advice says so. It is the reason why our wages in New Zealand and Australia are so far apart. They don\u2019t care\u2014they don\u2019t care\u2014because the people that back them don\u2019t want to pay higher wages. They don\u2019t care about low-wage workers, and if they take exception to that, don\u2019t bring in policies that will hurt them. Fair-pay agreements advantage large businesses and disadvantage people who work for a living. But guess what! The vast majority of New Zealanders work for a living. So how on earth can they stand up and say that they are the party for New Zealanders? The proof is in the pudding, and in three years\u2019 time, New Zealanders will see what it is that they\u2019ve actually brought in here. Because they\u2019ve campaigned on broad promises, but what is in the coalition agreement is actually the guts of it, and the guts of it is going to hurt people. It\u2019s going to hurt workers. It\u2019s going to hurt women. It\u2019s going to hurt M\u0101ori, Pasifika, and young people. It\u2019s going to hurt the majority of New Zealanders.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000808\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EThey have an opportunity now to actually do what\u2019s right, to back New Zealanders and be upfront with Kiwis and say, \u201CWe can\u2019t deliver tax cuts, because we overpromised. We can\u2019t do what we said we were going to do, because our numbers don\u2019t add up.\u201D They didn\u2019t add up before the election; they certainly don\u2019t add up after they\u2019ve given Shane Jones $1.2 billion and given the ACT Party interest deductibility backdated to April. None of that was campaigned on. So when you\u2019ve got a $10 billion hole in your transport budget and at least a $2 billion hole in your tax budget, and then you add on $1.2 billion for Shane Jones and God knows how many millions for the ACT Party, that\u2019s a massive hole\u2014a massive hole that Nicola Willis is desperately trying to put on us, even though the thing she\u2019s pointing to was already out there in the public domain, and two of them are already factored into their fiscal plan. That\u2019s not going to wash. New Zealanders aren\u2019t dumb. They know a fiddle when they see it, and that is exactly what they\u2019re trying to do. Their numbers don\u2019t add up. They cannot deliver what they\u2019ve promised, and they\u2019re trying to shift the blame, but Kiwis will see right through it. Kiwis will see right through that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000809\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EWhat we\u2019re seeing right from the start is a pushback on what has to be the shortest honeymoon in a new Government\u2019s history, be it leaks or be it policies that no one campaigned on but they decided to do, not for health reasons but because it gave them money. It plugged the hole. It made the massive hole in their fiscal plan just a little bit smaller, and what it will mean by reversing the smokefree rules that have been coming in is that, for those young people who wouldn\u2019t have taken up smoking, some of them will, and some of them will die from it. We know smoking kills. Successive Governments, National and Labour led, have done things to decrease the number of people smoking, and just like climate change and just like wages and just like the promises they\u2019ve made to working people and the elderly and women, it all sounds good, but when you look at what the detail is, none of it helps. This is exactly the same. On one hand they say that they want to discourage people from smoking and on the other, because it\u2019s convenient and it brings money in, they actually scrap the things that will help.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000810\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003EIt is shameful, and I think, when that comes in, in years to come, they\u2019ll look back on that, and I wonder whether the members opposite, when they are speaking to young relatives and reflecting on their time in Parliament, will mention that. I wonder whether they will think back on that with pride and say it was financially and fiscally convenient to change rules that we knew deep down people would die from. It\u2019s a disgrace.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022 data-id=\u00228479817d262f4a63a077a473dffdc219\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000811\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00228479817d262f4a63a077a473dffdc219\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS PENK (Minister for Building and Construction):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. May I start by congratulating you personally, as well as your fellow presiding officers who have been elected to this higher office. As a partner in crime in the last term of Parliament, I\u2019m delighted to see that you\u2019ve risen to this lofty station and hope that my remarks now will stand us in good stead as you make rulings throughout the parliamentary term. Congratulations, too\u2014if I may be so bold as to bring you into the debate\u2014on the election win that you had in the area that you now represent.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000812\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EI wish to join others who have congratulated our new members of Parliament from across the House\u2014both from the National side, of whom there are many; and also from those of other parties based in the same area that I am fortunate enough to continue to represent: my friend Jenny Marcroft, of course, returning to Parliament; also H\u016Bhana Lyndon of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. I also wish to acknowledge the maiden speeches that were made earlier tonight by my colleagues James Meager and Katie Nimon\u2014look forward very much to the maiden statements of other members of the class of 2023.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000813\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EI do wish, also, to acknowledge, particularly, Dr Weenink and Mr Costley\u2014new colleagues. They have very recently served, in one case; and for a long period of service, in both cases, in the New Zealand Defence Force. So I\u2019d like, as the newly minted Minister for Veterans, to thank them for their service, as well as all of our New Zealand Defence Force personnel. I know that the defence Minister, the Hon Judith Collins, would wish to do so, likewise. I do also wish to acknowledge\u2014as we\u2019re being reflective about this wonderful institution of Parliament and even the building itself\u2014we stand here in a war memorial with such auspicious but moving reminders of the sacrifice made by so many New Zealanders. I look around and I see Afghanistan, I see Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and many other reminders of the history that we should always bear in mind when we speak in this House, exercising our freedom of expression and so forth.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000814\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EI also wish, of course, to congratulate the right honourable Prime Minister for the formation of Government. I\u2019d also like to congratulate him on his choice of ministry, in the case of an excellent Minister for Building and Construction, and, as I said, veterans and various others. I do actually want to speak about some of the things that I would like to attempt to do in in those various portfolios and areas going forward.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000815\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EIt is important, however\u2014notwithstanding Mr McAnulty\u2019s speech\u2014that we do reverse some of the unpopular policies that have been put forward by the Government in the last six years. Indeed, we campaigned on those; we gained a mandate on the basis of doing so. It would be strange, and indeed anti-democratic, were we not to follow through with those policies\u2014so we will. So when Mr McAnulty says that we can\u2019t go through and provide tax relief, I say to him: not only is it not true that we can\u2019t; we should, we can, and indeed we will.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000816\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ESo on a positive note, then, in terms of the various briefings that I\u2019ve received so far in relation to portfolios, I note that there are, in some cases, longstanding issues that face our country. Other ones are more in the category of things that have been somewhat let slide these past six years, or certainly, particularly, the last three in a couple of cases.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000817\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ESo in relation to the veterans\u2019 affairs portfolio, major question marks remain in relation to even such a basic and fundamental question of what is a veteran, what length of service, what type of service\u2014operational or otherwise\u2014should qualify a person who puts himself forward in service of this country to be regarded as such. Some valuable work was undertaken two terms ago, led by the Hon Ron Mark, who was very passionate about this work, and consultation was undertaken in relation to the idea of a covenant\u2014or a kawenata\u2014to reflect that special bond of service between New Zealand and these fine women and men who put themselves forward. That work needs to be progressed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000818\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EFrankly, we let down people who have served our country if we don\u2019t come to some manner of conclusion in relation to that question, as well as very specific questions about how we regard the service of those who witnessed nuclear testing at various different places around the globe. That\u2019s a question that the Government will need to resolve in terms of how we recognise the presumptive injuries that have come about for people who were placed in that terrible position some decades ago.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000819\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EIn building and construction, we\u2019ve seen far too little progress lately on the question of how we can allow the building sector to be more productive, less bound by regulation; while acknowledging, of course, where safety is an issue of workers, but of course in terms of the abilities of buildings to be safe and secure environments too. Of course, there is a balance to be struck there. But I\u2019m pleased to say that along with other aspects of the Government\u2019s programme in removing the wasteful industry transformation plans, or ITPs, likewise in the building construction sector, while we commit very firmly and strongly to talking with the sector, we won\u2019t do it through a mechanism that has not been productive at all in the way that the Government had intended. We will save the taxpayer money by doing so, and therefore we will make a contribution to reducing those cost of living pressures that we rightly talked about during the campaign and on which basis New Zealanders have given us a mandate to go forward and govern.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000820\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EOther issues, I\u2019ll leave perhaps for another day\u2014perhaps as early as question time tomorrow; I might be fortunate enough to be asked a question about these, so sort of just throwing it out there in case the Leader of the House is watching.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000821\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c57440ca056e4c5c8bb6b352c600869b\u0022\u003EArena Williams\u003C/span\u003E: Are you on Regs Review?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000822\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220a489d488ecf4c028eedeee34861b93b\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m not on the Regulations Review Committee.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000823\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222cc22a97db524533aa69cfac08e7c2b6\u0022\u003EArena Williams\u003C/span\u003E: You love it!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000824\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002296a82ad5c441441ab9c7f26d2379419a\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: I know, I know, I know. Ms Williams has asked if I might be on the Regulations Review Committee and I\u2019m so committed to the idea.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000825\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b464a62e-d900-452a-b842-e3cf4ccc6149\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00223ec68fbd0f7f4d5ea4658adb88544159\u0022\u003EArena Williams\u003C/span\u003E: Tell us what it does.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000826\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022f4596410e01b44bd95d32b9d2619e3cf\u0022\u003EHon CHRIS PENK\u003C/span\u003E: Ask what it does. Well, look, we\u2019ve only got 3\u00BD minutes. Even though, in a funny kind of way, if I were to talk about it, it would seem like a lot longer. Anyway.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000827\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ESo we are in a phase, though, actually, in all seriousness, of discovering\u2014as every new Government does when they come in and they find exactly the state of things and, on occasion, that might be better; more often they will be worse. But, actually, I do have a very serious point to make in relation to this. It concerns at least one school in my electorate. It\u2019s Kaipara College, which has had planned for many years a major new innovation centre. They need the space; this is an important project, but it turns out that through considerable mismanagement, over-promising, under-delivering, announcements being favoured over the hard reality of delivery, and a mismatch of rhetoric and reality, this project now appears not to be able to be funded given the state of the books that have been left with us. I\u2019ve sought advice. The Minister of Education, I\u2019m very pleased to say, is seeking briefings to understand how the situation has risen, how it might be resolved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000828\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003ECan I just make a plea on behalf of that community, of which the school is a really important part, and of which this project, in turn, is a very important new innovation, as I say: we simply need to be non-ideological in the way that we commit to providing services and facilities to New Zealanders. So if it is able to be the case that we can have this built in a way that is perhaps through a public-private partnership programme or some other creative mechanism of ensuring that the kids of that area get what they need to actually be in school, learning and so on, then we should absolutely go ahead and do it. So my plea to all concerned is that they recognise the importance of that. I know the Minister of Education does. I\u2019m very grateful that we have, in Erica Stanford, someone who gets it; someone who will be deeply committed to those.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000829\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EWith all due respect to Ms Tinetti, when she talks about issues and decries our focus on ensuring that at least one hour of math, reading, and writing takes place every day, well, it\u2019s not very much help if we don\u2019t have school classrooms in which to be able to actually conduct those. So I say to her: it would be helpful for her to reflect on her legacy and her Government\u2019s legacy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000830\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve heard a lot about smoke and mirrors\u2014no doubt it\u2019s in the talking points; that\u2019s fine. But, actually, some of those Government Ministers should be looking in a mirror and reflecting, quite literally, upon the cause of some of the malaise across this country and including, particularly, as I say, in the education system. It\u2019s an absolute crying shame. Goodness knows so many kids haven\u2019t been turning up to school, so they probably barely even know what they\u2019re missing. But they should know, and they should know who\u2019s caused that problem.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000831\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f96cdca1-b63c-4602-b2b3-276f58ebb518\u0022\u003EMy remaining time, I commit, again, on behalf of the Government, and as a member of that Government, we will work hard to reduce the cost of living issues. We will improve the situation with law and order in our New Zealand cities, towns, and indeed rural areas. We will improve health and education services. You\u2019ve heard about some of those measures we\u2019ve undertaken through the Speech from the Throne. More importantly, it is a speech for the people. It will get New Zealand back on track and I can\u2019t wait to see how we, on the National Party side of things, along with New Zealand First and ACT, can achieve that in the next three years. Thank you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022 data-id=\u002243530af58a4a4c5e80da89b3c9a001ab\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000832\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002243530af58a4a4c5e80da89b3c9a001ab\u0022\u003EHon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. Otir\u0101 t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa kei roto i t\u0113nei Whare o t\u0101tou i t\u0113nei p\u014D. \u202F\u202F\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000833\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0E mihi ana ki ng\u0101 mema hou kua hau mai nei ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare, \u0101, ka mihi hoki ki a t\u0101tou kua hoki mai an\u014D ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare. E m\u014Dhio ana ahau he h\u014Dnore t\u0113nei m\u014D m\u0101tou, m\u014D t\u0101tou katoa e whai w\u0101hi ki te hau ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare hei mema P\u0101remata ki te t\u016B ki te k\u014Drero i roto i t\u0113nei Whare.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000834\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0Ka k\u014Drero ahau i roto i t\u014Dku reo rangatira n\u0101 te mea i t\u0113nei ata i ara ahau, i kite ahau i t\u0113tahi k\u014Drero k\u0101tahi an\u014D ka puta mai i t\u0113tahi Minita hou. Ko tana hiahia ki te whakakore i te utu m\u014D ng\u0101 kaimahi o te Karauna e matatau ana ki te reo M\u0101ori. Ka tino riri ahau. Ka tino p\u014Duri ahau. Ka tino p\u0101 mai te mamae ki ahau n\u0101 te mea ko t\u0101ku e kite ana, e takahi ana koutou te K\u0101wanatanga hou, ahakoa e ono r\u0101 noa iho, e whitu r\u0101 noa iho koutou e mahi ana, i t\u014D t\u0101tou reo rangatira.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000835\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0E tika ana te k\u014Drero a Chris Hipkins i te ahiahi nei: he taonga te reo M\u0101ori. Me patu te whakam\u0101, ki taku whakaaro, koutou e tautoko ana i t\u0113r\u0101 \u0101huatanga, n\u0101 te mea e hoki muri ana t\u0101tou.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000836\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I te w\u0101 o \u014Dku t\u016Bpuna kar\u0101ni, i a r\u0101tou e haere ana ki te kura, i patua m\u014D te k\u014Drero i te reo M\u0101ori. I akiaki i a r\u0101tou ki te ako i te reo P\u0101keh\u0101 kia whai hua i roto i t\u0113nei ao. Waiho t\u014D reo M\u0101ori ki te taha, ki te k\u0101inga.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000837\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0N\u0101, i tae mai te petihana me te h\u012Bkoi i te tau 1985 m\u014D te reo M\u0101ori. E tautoko ana ng\u0101 p\u0101ti, t\u0113nei Whare, kia motuhake te reo M\u0101ori m\u014D Aotearoa wh\u0101nui. Engari n\u0101 t\u0113nei kaupapa here, n\u0101 t\u0113nei k\u014Drero i puta mai i t\u0113nei ata, e tino \u0101wangawanga ana ahau, e tino mataku ana ahau e hoki muri ana t\u0101tou.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000838\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EHe taonga te reo M\u0101ori n\u014D reira kia kaha t\u0101tou katoa ki te tiaki i t\u014D t\u0101tou reo M\u0101ori.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000839\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I kite ahau i \u0113tahi k\u014Drero i runga i Pae\u0101hua inanahi, i runga i Pukamata inanahi, i runga an\u014D i te porot\u0113hi m\u014D te reo, m\u014D te whenua, m\u014D te Tiriti o Waitangi, me te au\u0113 o ng\u0101 m\u0101m\u0101 m\u014D w\u0101 r\u0101tou tamariki, m\u014D w\u0101 r\u0101tou tamariki M\u0101ori. E kite ana r\u0101tou i ng\u0101 hiahia o t\u0113nei K\u0101wanatanga, i rongo i te k\u014Drero i puta mai i te K\u0101wana-Tianara mai i te Tor\u014Dna i t\u0113nei ahiahi, te hiahia o t\u0113nei K\u0101wanatanga ki te whakarerek\u0113, ki te tutu i te Tiriti o Waitangi, ng\u0101 m\u0101t\u0101pono, ki te whakakore i Te Aka Whai Ora, te pai ora m\u014D w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki, ko te tango i te 7AA i te ture Oranga Tamariki m\u014D te wh\u0101nau, te hap\u016B, te iwi, te whakapapa, te reo o ng\u0101 tamariki, o ng\u0101 mokopuna.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000840\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EE m\u014Dhio ana ahau he aha t\u014D r\u0101tou \u0101wangawanga, t\u014D r\u0101tou p\u014Duri, t\u014D r\u0101tou mamae m\u014D w\u0101 r\u0101tou tamariki n\u0101 te mea e kite hoki ana ahau i t\u0113r\u0101 i roto i te rautaki o t\u0113nei K\u0101wanatanga hou. He h\u014Dnore m\u014Dku te whiwhi i ng\u0101 kaupapa o te tamariki, o ng\u0101 taitamariki, me te m\u0101tauranga w\u0101hanga M\u0101ori an\u014D hoki.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000841\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I taku hautanga mai ki roto i t\u0113nei Whare, i taku k\u014Drero tuatahi i k\u014Drero ahau m\u014D w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki. I whakahua ahau i te k\u014Drero a Dame Whina Cooper. He aha tana k\u014Drero?\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000842\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u201CTake care of our children, take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take of what they feel, for how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.\u201D\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000843\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0E tautoko ana ahau, e whakaae ana ahau ki ng\u0101 k\u014Drero a Chris Hipkins i te ahiahi nei. I a au e whakarongo ana ki te K\u014Drero mai i te Tor\u014Dna, kahore ahau i rongo, kahore ahau i kite i t\u0113tahi paku whakakitenga m\u014D w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki mokopuna. Horekau.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000844\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EE ai ki te k\u014Drero a Te Puea, \u201Cki te kore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te iwi\u201D. N\u014D reira e tautoko ana ahau i w\u0113r\u0101 m\u0101m\u0101 i runga i Pae\u0101hua e tangi ana m\u014D w\u0101 r\u0101tou tamariki, e tangi hoki ana t\u0113nei m\u0101m\u0101 m\u014D waku tamariki, me \u0101 r\u0101tou tamariki hoki.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000845\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI a au e whakarongo ana ki te k\u014Drero, ka p\u0101 mai te mamae m\u014D w\u0101 t\u0101tou taitamariki me ng\u0101 hiahia o t\u0113nei K\u0101wanatanga ki te mauhere i w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki, taitamariki e taka ana ki te h\u0113. Me te hanga i t\u0113tahi kaupapa hou, ko ng\u0101 boot camps. Horekau he rangahau e tautoko ana i t\u0113r\u0101, engari he k\u014Drero e mea ana e h\u0113 ana w\u0113r\u0101 mea katoa, kaua e mahia. Ka hoki an\u014D ki te h\u0113. Ka tino p\u014Duri ahau ki te rongo i t\u0113r\u0101 k\u014Drero.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000846\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI rongo ahau i t\u0113tahi atu o ng\u0101 rautaki, ko te hiahia kia \u0101ta titiro, \u0101ta k\u014Drero, \u0101ta wetewete i ng\u0101 m\u0101t\u0101pono o te Tiriti o Waitangi. E, n\u0101 t\u0113tahi uri o r\u0101tou m\u0101 i haina i te Tiriti o Waitangi. E t\u016B ana t\u0113nei uri i t\u0113nei p\u014D ki te k\u012B atu ki a ia, koutou katoa i whakaae ki tana hiahia ki te tutu i te Tiriti o Waitangi. T\u0113tahi k\u014Drero n\u0101 te tupuna, n\u0101 Kawiti, kua whakahua i tana ingoa i roto i te Whare i t\u0113nei r\u0101. I waiho t\u0113nei k\u014Drero m\u0101 m\u0101tou, ng\u0101 uri.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000847\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u201CWaiho kia kakati te namu i te wh\u0101rangi o te pukapuka, hei konei ka tahuri atu ai.\u201D E kakati ana te namu i te wh\u0101rangi o te pukapuka, t\u0113r\u0101 namu. Kahore i konei i t\u0113nei w\u0101 engari m\u014Dhio ana t\u0101tou katoa ko wai e kakati ana i te wh\u0101rangi o te pukapuka. I roto i t\u0113r\u0101 whakatauk\u012B, kei takahia e koutou te papa pounamu a \u014D koutou t\u016Bpuna e takoto nei.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000848\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EN\u014D reira kia t\u016Bpato t\u0101tou. He kawenata tapu te Tiriti o Waitangi, te Whakaputanga an\u014D hoki. E titiro atu ana ahau ki ng\u0101 taumata o te moana, ka hua mai i reira he ao hou m\u0101 t\u0101tou. K\u0101ore e kore ka porot\u0113hi tonu te iwi M\u0101ori. I porot\u0113hi inanahi, ka t\u016B mai t\u0113tahi hui n\u0101 te K\u012Bngitanga i karanga i t\u0113nei r\u0101, ka t\u016B ki R\u0101tana, ka t\u016B an\u014D ki Waitangi. Kahore r\u0101tou e noho noa iho me te, \u0101e, noho puku, kahore.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000849\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EEngari ehara ko ng\u0101 M\u0101ori anake e t\u016B ana ki te whakah\u0113 i t\u0113nei. E t\u016B ana ng\u0101 t\u0101ngata Tiriti ki te tautoko n\u0101 te mea he whakakitenga m\u014D Aotearoa. T\u0113r\u0101 te mea e hiahia ana m\u0101tou i t\u0113nei taha.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000850\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, kua tata pau te w\u0101 ki ahau. Kotahi wiki anake t\u0113nei K\u0101wanatanga e mahi ana i t\u0101 r\u0101tou rautaki, kua kite i \u0101 r\u0101tou mahi takahi i w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki, taitamariki, te momi paipa, te whakakore i te ture m\u014D te auahikore hei utu i ng\u0101 nama o \u014D r\u0101tou kaip\u014Dti, kaitautoko \u0101-p\u016Btea nei hoki. He aha te utu i te mutunga o t\u0113r\u0101? Ko w\u0101 t\u0101tou tamariki, taitamariki, he mate. Patua e te whakam\u0101.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000851\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0N\u014D reira e te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000852\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0[Thank you, Mr Speaker. Indeed, greetings to all of us in this House of ours this evening.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000853\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I acknowledge the new members who have entered this House, and I acknowledge those of us who have returned to this House. I know that it is an honour for us, for all of us to have the opportunity to come into this House as members of Parliament to stand to speak inside this House.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000854\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I will speak in my noble language because this morning I rose, I saw a statement that has only just come out from the new Minister. His desire is to do away with the funding for staff of the Crown that are proficient in the M\u0101ori language. I am very angry. I am very sad. I truly feel hurt because of what I see you are trampling, the new Government, even though you\u2019ve only been in the job for six days, seven days, our noble language.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000855\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThe statement of Chris Hipkins this afternoon is true: the M\u0101ori language is a treasure. You should be stricken with shame, in my opinion, you who support that phenomenon, because we are regressing.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000856\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0In the time of my grandparents, when they were at school, they were beaten for speaking the M\u0101ori language. They were encouraged to learn the English language so that they could be successful in this world. Leave your M\u0101ori language to the side, at home.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000857\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EWell, the petition and march for the M\u0101ori language arrived here in the year 1985. The parties, and this House, supported the initiative that the M\u0101ori language become an official language for all of New Zealand. But due to this policy, and this statement that came out this morning, I am very concerned, and I am very fearful that we are regressing.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000858\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EThe M\u0101ori language is a treasure so let us all be resolute to protect our M\u0101ori language.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000859\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I saw some statements on Instagram yesterday, on Facebook yesterday, on the protest for the language, for the land, for the Treaty of Waitangi, and the cries of the mothers for their children, for the M\u0101ori children. They saw the desires of this Government, they heard the speech that came from the Governor-General from the Throne this afternoon, the desire of this Government to modify, to mess with the Treaty of Waitangi, the principles, to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora, the healthy futures of our children, the removal of section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki legislation for the family, the hap\u016B, the iwi, the genealogy, the language of the children, of the grandchildren.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000860\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI know what their concern is, what their sadness is, what their pain is for their children because I also see that in the strategy of this new Government. It is an honour for me to hold the portfolios of children, of youth, and M\u0101ori education also.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000861\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0When I first came into this House, in my maiden speech I spoke about our children. I quoted Dame Whina Cooper. What did she say?\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000862\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u201CTake care of our children, take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take of what they feel, for how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa.\u201D\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000863\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0I support, I agree with the statements made by Chris Hipkins this afternoon. While I was listening to the Speech from the Throne, I didn\u2019t hear, I didn\u2019t see a single vision for our children and grandchildren. Not at all.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000864\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EAccording to Te Puea, \u201CIf there is no vision, the people will be lost\u201D. So I support those mothers on Instagram that are crying for their children. This mother is also crying for my children, and for their children too.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000865\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0While I was listening to the speech, I was afflicted by anguish for our youth and the desire of this Government to incarcerate our children and our youth that fall into trouble and to create a new initiative that is boot camps. There is no research that supports that, but there is a statement that says all those things, don\u2019t do it. They will only fall into trouble again. I was very sad to hear that statement.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000866\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EI heard another of the strategies, the desire to closely examine, to deeply discuss, and to analyse the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Well, it was by a descendant of those who signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This descendant stands here tonight to say to him, to all of you that agreed with his desire to mess with the Treaty of Waitangi, a quote from the ancestor, from Kawiti, whose name has been mentioned in this House today. This quote was left to us, the descendants.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000867\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u201CWait until the sandfly chews on the pages of the book, that is when you must act\u201D. The sandfly is chewing on the page of the book, that sandfly. He is not here at this time but we all know who is chewing on the pages of the book. In that proverb, don\u2019t trample the sacred ground of your ancestors that lie here.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000868\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003ESo we must be careful. The Treaty of Waitangi is a sacred covenant, the declaration of independence also. I look at the peaks of the ocean, a new world for us will originate from there. Without doubt the M\u0101ori people will continue to protest. They protested yesterday, a meeting will assemble that was called by the K\u012Bngitanga today, they will stand at R\u0101tana, and stand again at Waitangi. They will not merely sit, and yes, do nothing, not at all.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000869\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003EBut it is not the M\u0101ori people alone that are standing up to condemn this. Our Treaty partners are also standing up in support because there is a vision for Aotearoa. That is what we want on this side.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000870\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00221ebd1031-ea10-4c3d-bb56-2cd99528ae91\u0022\u003E\u00A0Mr Speaker, my time is almost spent. Only one week has this Government been working on their strategy and we have seen their abusive actions to our children, our youth, the smoking, the repeal of the smoke-free legislation to pay the bills to their voters, their financial supporters also. What will the price be at the end of it? It will be our children, our youth, a calamity. Be afflicted by shame.\u00A0Thank you, Mr Speaker.]\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022 data-id=\u00226024dd321cfe4495a681df07e4e93fdf\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000871\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00224d83c8a5-2f48-4991-9c45-b1a6060daedd\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00226024dd321cfe4495a681df07e4e93fdf\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Maureen Pugh)\u003C/span\u003E: Before I call the member, can I just make a reminder, especially for some of our new MPs, that we do not permit filming in the House. You can watch it again later on Parliament TV, if you so wish.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022 data-id=\u0022ef231c152d9043169b42f5369d3e56e3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000872\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022ef231c152d9043169b42f5369d3e56e3\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO (Green):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Madam Speaker. Let me join with members from across the House with congratulating you on your recent ascension into the seat, and I look forward to supporting you, of course, with other members across the House in your executing your duties over this parliamentary term. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000873\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to extend my greetings to all new members of the House, those who have come here if this is their first parliamentary term. Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000874\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E[Welcome.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000875\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s an honour and a privilege and also a massive responsibility to be here to represent our diverse communities, our different communities, and I wish you all the best in how you do that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000876\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI was thinking about a whakatauk\u012B, and it goes \u201CHe toka t\u016B moana koe\u201D. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000877\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E[You are a sentinel rock in the ocean.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000878\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThis whakatauk\u012B translates as a rock standing firm in the sea, and it refers to a person who is steadfast and strong in their culture, beliefs, and/or position, against all oppositions. They are likened to the rock in the ocean that stands against strong elements, against all elements. The Greens\u2014we\u2019re a bit like that. This is my second parliamentary term, and in my first parliamentary term in 2020, we were here when the red wave kind of swept through, and now here, after the 2023 election, we\u2019ve got the blue wave kind of sweeping this way as well. But guess what! The rock that is the Greens is here and there are more of us, and we\u2019ve got a couple of electorate seats on the way.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000879\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI want to also acknowledge the anxiety that many of our people are experiencing, the anxiety of the people that gathered to protest yesterday, who gathered under the whakaaro of toit\u016B Te Tiriti. I do want to acknowledge the words by my whanaunga Willow-Jean Prime, me \u0101na kupu katoa i te mea kei te tautoko au i \u0113r\u0101 kupu, kei te mihi atu au ki \u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 kupu i te mea kei te rangona, kei te rangona \u014D t\u0101tou nei iwi ki \u0113r\u0101 o ng\u0101 whakaaro.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000880\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E[and all of her words because I support those words. I acknowledge those words because they are heard, those ideas are heard by our people.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000881\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EIn English, they say \u201CSticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me\u201D, but in te reo M\u0101ori we have a saying that goes \u201CKo te kai a te rangatira he k\u014Drero\u201D\u2014k\u014Drero, conversation is the food of chiefs. Words have power, words have meaning, and they clothe our intentions, and it is important that in this place we give each other a bit of a hard time. It\u2019s part of the job. We\u2019re here to debate vigorously the issues and vigorously the bills and all that kind of stuff as well, but I think it\u2019s really important that we\u2019re mindful that words trickle out of this place into social media and they trickle down into rabbit-holes as well, and I think it\u2019s our responsibility to be mindful in the way that we use our words. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000882\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EI was reflecting on some of the words that we\u2019re saying about cultural theatrics as well, around the kapa haka application of some of our politics. I say this as someone that didn\u2019t make it into the fifth-form kapa haka group. Some say I did not have the\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000883\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a5f0fe84-01e8-4eb3-a590-0025017c4243\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00225db3a31f69084986825cb1ee8c6dd056\u0022\u003EHon Marama Davidson\u003C/span\u003E: He\u2019s got other skills\u2014it\u2019s fine.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000884\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e63c95693a0b4e9e8a6fadbf0c93ca4a\u0022\u003ETEANAU TUIONO\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019ve got other skills. Some of us do not have the coordination. Actually, my kids won\u2019t be watching this, but we have waiata practice in my wh\u0101nau and my kids put me in the back row of a song that I taught them 30 to 40 years ago, as well. But here\u2019s the thing: our kids love kapa haka. They love those cultural expressions. That is the way that they can help to build their identity and that strength as well. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000885\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003ESo I just wanted to support some of what people would call the theatrics or antics of our whanaungas in Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori and say, \u201CHey, you know what? This is how many of our people express their politics.\u201D, and we should be free and able to express our politics in the way that we feel comfortable. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EWhat I would say to those protesters as well is thank you very much for not blocking the Wellington motorway as I was coming down from the mighty Manawat\u016B. Wellington traffic sucks at the best of times, and I was reflecting on that Speech from the Throne where they were going to get rid of Let\u2019s Get Wellington Moving and replace it with \u201CKeep Wellington Stagnant\u201D. We\u2019re going to go from Let\u2019s Get Wellington Moving to \u201CKeep Wellington Stagnant\u201D, and that was the theme in that Speech from the Throne. But fortunately for Wellington, Wellington Central has got a new member of Parliament who will be doing everything that she can to keep Wellington moving\u2014Tamatha Paul\u2014and also somebody who has a bit of experience in terms of transport issues, the Hon Julie Anne Genter, as well. So this Government might want to keep Wellington stagnant, but we\u2019re going to try to keep it moving. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000887\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EAs I was listening to the Speech from the Throne, I\u2014like, honestly, I just felt it was like a grab-bag of policy gimmicks. I felt that it ruined Christmas for many people: for workers, for M\u0101ori, and for Pasifika who were listening to that speech. This Government is shaping up to be the Grinch who stole Christmas\u2014the \u201CGrinch who privatised Christmas\u201D. Sorry, kids, nothing under the Christmas tree this Christmas but pseudoephedrine, cigarettes, and guns, and especially bad luck if you wanted a Government that would give us a stable climate. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000888\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHow embarrassing that up at COP28, this Government got called to account for wanting to reverse the oil and gas exploration ban. How shameful\u2014how shameful. That was echoing the sentiments of leaders at the Pacific Island Forum as well. How did our new Minister for Climate Change keep his head high? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000889\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EBut here\u2019s the thing: the science tells us that we need to stop extracting oil and gas. We need to stop that. We need to focus on making sure that we stabilise the climate, an here\u2019s the thing which concerns me: this Government loves oil and gas so much that they\u2019re going to use some of that gas to gaslight the workers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000890\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThey\u2019re going to use it to gaslight the workers. They want to get rid of the fair pay agreements\u2014shameful\u2014and I want to say this to all the workers who are out pulling double shifts tonight and might have the misfortune of hitting the wrong remote button on the remote control and happen to be tuning in to our speeches: the Greens will always listen to you. The Greens will support you. The Greens will back the unions and fight back against the stripping back of workers\u2019 rights. Our lowest-paid people deserve a pay increase, not a Government that is deliberately deciding to put the profits of big business ahead of making sure working people are paid what they deserve\u2014paid what they deserve. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000891\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EFor many people, the cost of paying the bills and putting food on the table has been going up, but their wages have not. Fair pay agreements were designed to raise the bar for pay and conditions for poorly paid industries. The idea is simple: people working alongside each other who are doing a similar job in the same sector should be able to work together to make sure the minimum pay in their sector is fair for everyone. But there\u2019s one person I actually feel especially sorry for in this whole fair pay agreement debacle, and that is the new Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, whose colleagues are already leaking on her within the first five minutes. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000892\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EThe fair pay agreements would have put more money in the pockets of people who really need it and who really deserve it, who tirelessly teach our mokopuna, keep our workplaces clean and safe, stock the supermarket shelves, and get us around on the bus. This Government has not given a second thought to whether or not these people are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. All they care about is making it easier for businesses to get out of paying proper wages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000893\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EHere we have the official advice that was leaked, and I\u2019m not sure who it was. I\u2019ll scan the room\u2014maybe they are here. All we have is the official advice to the new Government that spells out in black and white that young people, women, M\u0101ori, and Pasifika will be harmed most of all of this legislation is removed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000894\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00223d42e8cf-544e-415d-892b-f4ef8014d80f\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got a long three years ahead of us. The Green Party will be resolute, standing up for the workers, standing up for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, standing up for our taiao, and standing up for our mokopuna. N\u014D reira e te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 koutou, t\u0113n\u0101 t\u0101tou katoa. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022 data-id=\u002286468dcf3aeb49d08759976cb02ed220\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000895\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002286468dcf3aeb49d08759976cb02ed220\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY (National\u2014Southland):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to rise for my first speech in this new Parliament. Madam Speaker, may I congratulate you on your elevation to a well-deserved role, and also if I may take the liberty of congratulating you for winning the great electorate of the West Coast-Tasman, the only general electorate in the country bigger than my own great electorate of Southland. Congratulations, Madam Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000896\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EMay I take this opportunity to congratulate every member of this House, regardless of your political persuasion. The people of New Zealand have put you here to be a voice for them, and it\u2019s a real, sacred honour that we have. As others have said before me, we look around and we see the memory of those who have gone before us, and sometimes have made the ultimate sacrifice so we can have this Chamber, we can have this democracy, and we can have these discussions and these debates. We need to contest robustly with one another, but there\u2019s also a collegial respect, I think, that we also develop in this place, and so I look forward to working with all of you to ultimately work towards a better New Zealand, which is what we are all here about.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000897\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EThis is a new Government. New Zealand has chosen a change of direction, a change of policy, and we are here to deliver. This is a Government that is focused on action, it is focused on results, it is focused on delivery, and we will deliver on what we have promised. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000898\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI congratulate the new Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, the Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and New Zealand First, and David Seymour, the leader of the ACT Party, and the ACT Party members of Parliament, who have all come together with differing ideologies and different promises we\u2019ve made to our electorates. We\u2019ve come to a comprehensive agreement\u2014the first one of its kind in New Zealand\u2019s history\u2014to deliver a comprehensive policy agenda for the people of New Zealand, and I\u2019m very excited to see this done because this country does have some major challenges that we need solved. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000899\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI spent three years in the Opposition before this, and I saw a Government that had a lot of, I think, well-intended\u2014I think there was a lot of good intentions in terms of many of the things they were trying to do, and there\u2019s the different lenses that we bring to the roles that we have in this place. But what I didn\u2019t see in many cases was delivery on those results, and that is something that we actually have to get for New Zealand. So I think in many cases we agree on the ultimate outcome that we\u2019re trying to seek for the people of New Zealand, but we have different ways of doing that. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000900\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ENow, I speak for myself. I am someone who experienced severe poverty in the mid-1980s in New Zealand, when we had high inflation. I know how much high inflation hurts poor people; I\u2019ve experienced it myself. We need to solve that, and we have made a commitment that we will refocus the Reserve Bank. We will narrow its focus to focus on inflation, which is the real killer for the household budgets of people across New Zealand, and it puts people into poverty. It puts children into poverty\u2014children who do not have food on their table. Now, it\u2019s absolutely critical that we solve it. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000901\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EWe need to focus on small businesses and, again, inflation crushes small businesses more than most. The fair pay agreements is a well-intentioned idea, but the reality is that the majority\u201497 percent, in fact\u2014of firms in New Zealand are small businesses. They are businesses that have 20 or less employees, and this is what our country is made up of. There are about 546,000 small businesses in this country, and this well-intentioned but misguided aim to try and lift up the minimum wage\u2014and I\u2019ve talked to many, many small businesses\u2014makes it actually impossible for many of them to hire new, young people to give them a chance. It puts them out of business in some cases because their margins are so small, and if one has not been in business, one does not know how tough it is to run a small business. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000902\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI have built and run small businesses and I know how tough it is. Those margins are small. Small-business owners work long days and long nights, they absolutely believe in their staff, they sweat bullets for their staff, and they mean everything. The business doesn\u2019t work for them; it\u2019s actually a family. These small businesses are families. They care deeply about them, and so we want them to succeed. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000903\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going to be focused on delivering an economy where they can succeed and we\u2019re going to celebrate aspiration\u2014aspiration where people can set up their own business where they can provide employment. Those people can have good jobs and they can put food on the table for their children, and that\u2019s one of the things that drew me to this place and drew me to being a member of the National Party, because I know from my childhood that the Government doesn\u2019t solve all things for poor people\u2014it really doesn\u2019t. What you need is for people to have a chance. They need to have a good education. They need to have a chance to get a good job, or to build their own business and provide jobs for people to put food on the table so their kids can have that opportunity. The kids can see an opportunity for themselves to build that mana in their own family and in their own selves, and this is something that our Government will be very relentlessly focused on. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000904\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ENow, if I touch on education, we have a relentless focus on actually making sure our kids can read and write and do science well. Unfortunately, New Zealand has been going backwards. In fact, the most recent PISA tests\u2014the Programme for International Student Assessment\u2014show that we have dropped back. In fact, in reading and science, our 15-year-olds are now a year behind where they were when testing first started. It takes a year longer for them to get up to standard. They\u2019re at the 14-year-old standard now, our 15-year-olds, so they\u2019re a year behind. In mathematics, they\u2019re a year and a half behind where they were when testing first started. So this is actually a blight on our country. It\u2019s a blight on the opportunities for our young people to get ahead. It\u2019s a blight on the chance for them to build that opportunity for themselves, and for those who follow them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000905\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s absolutely critical, and I hear in terms of our aspiration for M\u0101ori, rangatahi\u2014the biggest opportunity for so many of our young people, our rangatahi, is education. Again, I speak for myself. I am someone who failed high school. I went out and I did every tough, rough job you can talk about. I eventually made my way to university and I eventually got an honours degree in law, and it\u2019s taken me to this place. I know how important education can be. I know the doors it can unlock. This is something we want to unlock for all of our people in New Zealand, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re going to have an absolutely relentless focus on education in this House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000906\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EWhen I hear the concerns expressed about M\u0101ori and the approach this Government is taking, now, let me just say that I know the Opposition has a role to take to criticise the Government, to raise issues, and to try and give themselves a chance to win back again, but let\u2019s be responsible about the terminology we use here, because this is a Government that is focused deeply on what it\u2019s going to deliver for M\u0101ori. M\u0101ori want jobs, they want education for their children, they want healthcare for their young people and for all of their wh\u0101nau, and they want homes for all of their people. These are the things that we need. This is what we want, and we celebrate te reo M\u0101ori. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000907\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ELook, let\u2019s just keep in mind that there have been some people who\u2019ve felt left behind in the last three years, and who have felt that things have been\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000908\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002293d3e267fb3249d681ced754e3994d10\u0022\u003ERachel Boyack\u003C/span\u003E: Why?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000909\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022cc4e1b735e834ebc8b9ab62c3b79decf\u0022\u003EJOSEPH MOONEY\u003C/span\u003E: Why? Co-governance. The previous Government, without a mandate, introduced co-governance provisions without discussing it with New Zealand. Now there\u2019s also: what does co-governance mean? What does co-governance mean? Does it mean that some will govern others without being electorally accountable for them? There are so many questions that hang in the air that need to be answered and that need to be discussed, and we need to have a rational, considered debate about this and discussion about this. Let\u2019s not shout at each other; let\u2019s have a k\u014Drero with each other, like we have on the marae. Let\u2019s discuss it with each other and let\u2019s be sensible and careful, because the words we say reverberate across the nation and it affects the 5.2 million people who call this great country home. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000910\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re all passionate about this place. There\u2019s only a few of us who live here, far from the rest of the world. We need to take care of each other. We need to belong together differently, be proud of our differences, and be proud that we have different lenses and points of view, but let\u2019s work with each other. Let\u2019s have a respectful discussion with each other, and let\u2019s not create fear where fear does not need to be had in the debates that we have. So let\u2019s have those careful discussions.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000911\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003EI heard some discussion about climate change. I\u2019m very pleased to say that my great colleague from the 2020 intake, the Hon Simon Watts, is our great Minister of Climate Change. As I say, I heard criticism about oil and gas. Let\u2019s just keep this in perspective. We jumped a generation, previously, from coal, in many cases, straight to trying to find renewables which we didn\u2019t actually have, and as a result we started importing record amounts of coal. Gas is used as a transition fuel across the world to transition away from coal, which has a high-emissions profile. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000912\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00222170b5bd-171f-4d9f-bfa6-cab72178f108\u0022\u003ESo we\u2019re actually about doing things sensibly. Again, we\u2019re recognising that we need our energy in this country to look after our people, to make sure that our elderly can turn on the heater, for example, and have their home warmed in the depths of winter. We\u2019re not the warmest country in most of the land, but we need to do it in a sensible, staged way that actually makes sense in our economy. So, with that, I\u2019m pleased to be part of the Government that is going to deliver for New Zealanders, and they\u2019ve got an exciting three years ahead. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022 data-id=\u00224747ab0eb48444d2bc3c9d699ae9e5f5\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000913\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224747ab0eb48444d2bc3c9d699ae9e5f5\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour\u2014Mana):\u003C/span\u003E Talofa lava, Mr Speaker. Malo le soifua maua malo ma le lagi e mama. Can I congratulate you first, Mr Assistant Speaker O\u2019Connor, on your appointment as an Assistant Speaker. You served us well under the previous Government and were very fair in your rulings. But also I really want to congratulate you on your win in \u014Ch\u0101riu. That was a well-fought campaign, and I know the people of \u014Ch\u0101riu have absolutely acknowledged and appreciated your contribution in the bowling clubs, in the different RSAs, and in the markets every Sunday. So congratulations, Mr Assistant Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000914\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also open with my congratulations to the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee. My favourite part of being an MP in the last three years was watching the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee interject with a lot of humour from this side of the Chamber when he was here. So I really hope that the Speaker will take it in mind to allow our interjections to bear with humour as well\u2014and also to the Deputy Speaker and to the Assistant Speaker, Barbara Kuriger and Maureen Pugh.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000915\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI want to thank the people of Mana for re-electing me as your member of Parliament. A little over three years ago, I gave my first speech in this House and I gave my commitment to my electorate of Mana to be a tenacious, empathetic, and strong advocate. That will continue in Opposition. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000916\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ETo the new members of Parliament, welcome. This is a place of privilege, where there have been more All Blacks than parliamentarians. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000917\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also wanted to especially acknowledge two of my new colleagues, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, the MP for Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti, whose \u201CPush for Cush\u201D campaign saw her take the seat emphatically. I also want to acknowledge my good friend Reuben Davidson, the MP for Christchurch East. We saw you take the seat from our very good friend the Hon Poto Williams, and we know you will take care of that electorate. For many of you in the House who don\u2019t know, Reuben is an acclaimed award-winning TV producer\u2014oh, I\u2019m looking forward to the goods that you\u2019re going to produce here, my brother.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000918\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also wanted to just acknowledge two other MPs who are not necessarily from my party but whom I have had some history with. To Kahurangi Carter, she is one of our ex-Carmel girls, which is a school on Auckland\u2019s North Shore, in Milford. It\u2019s a strong school, and I\u2019m really proud to have you, my Carmelite sister, here with me in the House. We are the first two MPs from that formidable school, so welcome.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000919\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also want to acknowledge, surprisingly, Andy Foster, who was a former Mayor of Wellington City, who took the surprise decision not to run for any of the Wellington City electorates, but actually came up north to Mana to try and give me a go. So I just want to acknowledge that and thank you for being a respectful candidate on the campaign, and sorry you didn\u2019t get that many votes instead.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000920\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also wanted to acknowledge two people who have now retired from this House: the Hon Andrew Little, who has done remarkable work over his time as a Minister but also in his very courageous and brave act in 2017 to allow the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern come through. We thank you, Andrew, for your decision to allow the depth of the caucus come through\u2014so thank you very much for that, Andrew\u2014and I also wanted to really quickly actually acknowledge the Hon Michael Woodhouse. My first years here in the Beehive were actually spent working for the Hon Michael Woodhouse. I know he has not been able to give his valedictory speech, but I wanted to acknowledge him here today. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000921\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EIn my maiden speech, I spoke of different love stories that were weaved throughout my name, and they say in this place that new Governments get a somewhat of a honeymoon period when they get elected in. If anything over the last few weeks, it\u2019s a story to tell: if that was a honeymoon, I wonder what this marriage is going to be like. From a leak of a Cabinet paper from someone on the other side, to protests on your very first day, I suspect and I think many other people in this House suspect that this marriage is going to end in divorce.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000922\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI also want to turn to the Speech from the Throne. As I was sitting there\u2014and this is probably from my family experience of holding a poker face; we did many poker nights when I was growing up as a child\u2014my poker face wasn\u2019t as strong as Chl\u00F6e Swarbrick\u2019s poker face, but I waited in anticipation for a vision, for some inspiration. I waited for the principles and the values on which this new Government was going to govern. I waited for a \u201Cp\u201D\u2014I waited for a \u201CPacific\u201D\u2014and I waited and I waited for that \u201Cp\u201D. The only thing I heard was \u201Cpseudoephedrine\u201D, and that was the vision that was lacking from that Speech from the Throne. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000923\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThen I thought, \u201COK, maybe give the Prime Minister another chance. You know, he is new at this.\u201D\u2014I\u2019m really good about giving fair chances. But when we came into the House, all I heard was, \u201CRing-ring, ring-ring. Hi, it\u2019s 2008. We\u2019re calling\u2014we would like our Speech from the Throne back, please.\u201D, and that\u2019s what we heard. We heard time and time again a repetition from a 2008 Speech from the Throne. It was absolutely devoid of vision. There was no inspiration, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so quiet on that side of the House, because it\u2019s true, and you know it\u2019s true. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000924\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EWhere was \u201CThis is our vision for New Zealand. This is what we\u2019re going to do to build it back better.\u201D, as they say? No, they\u2019ve spent most of the time on that side of the House, basically, trying to personally attack us\u2014basically, they just spent it on us. That is one lesson that you should learn as a Government: you need to focus and look at yourself and figure out the principles and the values on which you are going to fight for this country.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000925\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EWhen I thought about how there was division and it was devoid of \u201CPacific\u201D, it\u2019s because of a very simple reason: there is no Pacific representation in the Government. It is here, on this side of the House. I see the representation here, and it\u2019s important there is representation, because if there was a Pacific person on that side of the House, perhaps when they were reviewing the Speech from the Throne on behalf of their Prime Minister\u2019s office, they would have said, \u201CBy the way, you\u2019re missing something for Pacific.\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000926\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EI\u2019ve sort of thought really hard and I thought \u201CI\u2019m waiting, I\u2019m waiting.\u201D, because I thought that maybe it\u2019ll be in the foreign affairs policy\u2014nope, there was nothing there. Even when the Rt Hon Winston Peters was the Minister of Foreign Affairs under our Government in 2017, there was a focus on Pacific\u2014on the Pacific reset\u2014because we knew how important the Pacific would be to our geopolitical outcomes here in Aotearoa New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000927\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003ESo, again, it was devoid of vision, devoid of aspiration, and devoid of inspiration, and what I\u2019ve seen over the last few weeks is, basically, a Government scrambling to pay for its promises\u2014a Government that, one, clearly didn\u2019t read the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) and didn\u2019t actually have the competency or the ability to read and see what was in it, to interpret it, or to actually understand what the difference between time-limited funding and baseline funding is. That\u2019s important, because these are the people who are supposed to be looking after this country, but they can\u2019t even read the PREFU. Everyone else could read the PREFU, but perhaps the Minister of Finance will now have a strong Treasury bench that might be able to help her out\u2014maybe.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000928\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EBut then the other factor that I was concerned about was the smoke-free policy. Is that\u2014yes\u2014trying to scramble to find money, to find $800,000 from taking away te reo bonuses, and trying to find money through smoke-free? I just thought, again, this is where the lack of representation fails us, because who are the people who are most affected by those rules? Who will actually most benefit by keeping those smoke-free rules in? It is Pacific and it is M\u0101ori people. But, again, the lack of representation concerns me and it concerns a lot of people out there, and then what do we get? The international view of this new Government in the last couple of weeks has been, one, getting rid of world-leading smoke-free rules\u2014that\u2019s the representation. Every single one of you on that side of the House, when you say yes to that bill going through repealing it, that is what you\u2019re saying to the world\u2014it\u2019s that we\u2019re no longer world-leading.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000929\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003EThe second thing that the international view of New Zealand will probably be now, because of this Government, is Fossil of the Day. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000930\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a1f7bbd1-b6ae-41c0-963b-dbe1251f5540\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00220e000e081cae4d578611b6b995995568\u0022\u003EHon Kieran McAnulty\u003C/span\u003E: Here\u2019s here\u2014oh, he\u2019s gone now.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000931\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002269808e53f03e455c93eece989946521c\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: No, he\u2019s gone now. Fossil of the Day\u2014this is the representation you are leaving with for the world for the first few\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022c956e46c34bc4cf6a3d4b5d08e85d841\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000932\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c956e46c34bc4cf6a3d4b5d08e85d841\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Just for the sake of new members, we don\u2019t comment on the fact that members are not in the House.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000933\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002280e17e3cdafb40699b01dea84b288f2f\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: We didn\u2019t refer to a specific member, but nevertheless. There was no one\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u002202e646fd63634308a3fd0aeb781214dc\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000934\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002202e646fd63634308a3fd0aeb781214dc\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: We don\u2019t answer the Speaker back, either.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000935\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002261725fea-7d5e-4d1f-8fd3-e5779bb7a14d\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00228eda0f9bbdb744c6882a98a422d331c7\u0022\u003EHon BARBARA EDMONDS\u003C/span\u003E: There no was reference at all to what the vision is, what the aspiration is; instead, just wait. Just wait until the rest of the world finds out that we are peeling back some of our world-leading gun reforms. Then what will the world say to us? That we are not world-leading in being smoke-free, that we are the Fossils of the Day, and that we\u2019re peeling back our gun law reforms. Shame on you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u002248238476bc714c4797d044dab6038b7a\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000936\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002248238476bc714c4797d044dab6038b7a\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Dan Bidois\u2014welcome back, Mr Bidois. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022 data-id=\u0022aee07d80500f4c9fb81b66811eb764ae\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000937\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022aee07d80500f4c9fb81b66811eb764ae\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS (National\u2014Northcote):\u003C/span\u003E E te M\u0101ngai o te Whare, t\u0113n\u0101 koe. It\u2019s my pleasure to join the chorus today of congratulations to you, Mr Assistant Speaker O\u2019Connor, in your elevation to Assistant Speaker, and also, dare I say, for winning and holding your seat. We on this side of the House know how hard it is to do that, and I commend you for winning the people of \u014Ch\u0101riu\u2019s support once again. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000938\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EI\u2019d like to acknowledge the new MPs across the House\u2014it is a fantastic privilege to be back here with you\u2014and also to the new MPs here in my own caucus team. How great were the speeches from Katie Nimon and James Meager? Excellent talent. We\u2019ve got excellent talent, with principles, with vision\u2014just like what Barbara Edmonton wanted, but she did not choose to comment. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000939\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s my first contribution, actually, to this House since I left, and I\u2019ve been in the political wilderness for the last three years. I return to this place with a little bit more humility, with a little bit more resilience, and better listening skills. I also return having reflected deeply on the challenges that our country faces in this present time and in the future. I\u2019m a little bit wiser, slimmer\u2014having not been to Copperfields as much\u2014and above all, I think, I say for the benefit of my new colleagues in the House, I\u2019ve reflected on how short political careers are. So my one piece of advice to those of you who are in the proud 2023 year group is to make this job count. Make this job count because there are so many members of Parliament that leave here having achieved nothing, and our goal in this Parliament and in this term is to actually effect change for people out there.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000940\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ENow, we\u2019re here debating the contribution of the Prime Minister\u2019s Speech from the Throne here today, and I can maybe just take a step back and I want to thank the voters who have elected us to be here. In particular, I\u2019d like to thank the voters of the Northcote electorate, who have instilled in me the ability to be here and to speak on behalf of them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000941\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to thank the many volunteers who got out, day after day, and campaigned for all of our seats across New Zealand. It is an immense privilege to have people that give up their time and their effort and their resources because they believe in you\u2014not you, Mr Speaker. They believe in us, and they believe in what the National Party stands for.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000942\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EI\u2019m a really proud member of the National Party. Katie Nimon has made reference to Adam Smith, of whom I am a lifelong admirer. In my belief, Adam Smith\u2019s values are the core values of a centre-right National Party\u2014a classic, economically liberal National Party.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000943\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EMr Speaker, the take-aways that I see from the election are, I think, pretty clear for us to see. But I want to give you and this House some observations from the bellwether seat of Northcote. The desire for change was strong. We did a poll locally, and three-quarters of the Northcote electorate said they were unhappy with the way the country was going. That is something that that side of the House\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000944\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f317ee7d-f040-44ec-8f2f-ad0a9f206d75\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b366b04251d94012b87ded444fe87c74\u0022\u003EHon Willie Jackson\u003C/span\u003E: Can\u2019t believe that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000945\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002246d9b974574e43ac8d7c91f546875b9b\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: You can argue all you want, Willie Jackson. You can argue all you want, but the voters in Northcote and the voters in the wider public were very clear that they were not happy with the way this country was going. They wanted change, and they\u2019ve got that through ACT, National, and New Zealand First. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000946\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ENew Zealanders are very clear: they want hope for a better tomorrow\u2014that\u2019s the first thing. So it\u2019s what Barbara Edmonton said: hope for a better tomorrow. But they want a Government that can actually deliver for them and they want a Government that presents real solutions to the problems that they face. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000947\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ENow, my community wants meaningful change, particularly around areas like law and order, and it\u2019s a great privilege to call Mark Mitchell the current Minister of Police\u2014and you\u2019re doing a great job, Mark. Crime is up 50 percent in the last six years under this Government. I\u2019ve got shops in our community of Northcote that have been ram-raided, and I\u2019ve just had today, by the way, a jewellery shop that has decided to close because they\u2019ve been ram-raided three times. So that\u2019s a key area of priority of focus for delivery for us.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000948\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EThe next area is the economy. The cost of living is biting. I met a person on the campaign trail whose husband actually had to leave this country and take a job in Australia just to pay the mortgage here in New Zealand. That is not the type of country we want to live in; that is not the type of country that we want our kids to grow up in. So I\u2019m really pleased with the package around tax, and I\u2019m very confident that our finance Minister will find the money in order to pay for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000949\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EEducation is another one. It\u2019s a disappointment that the former Minister of Education Jan Tinetti didn\u2019t want to talk about the Programme for International Student Assessment results that have just been released. She didn\u2019t want to talk about 20 years of educational decline in this country, but here on this side of the House, we will, and we are committed to reversing that trend. It\u2019s a trend, I will say, that successive Governments have contributed to in this country. So we have a huge task ahead of us in Government to reverse that multi-decade decline in educational underachievement.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000950\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EHealth and mental health is another one. On the North Shore of Auckland, we\u2019ve got wait list after wait list for emergency surgery, elective surgery\u2014the basics are all there. In mental health, I have people contacting me over the phone, crying because their son or their daughter cannot access the appropriate mental health solutions that they need. This is an abomination in this country, and it is something that I\u2019m convinced our new Ministers Shane Reti and Matt Doocey are committed to improving on and getting delivery in that area.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000951\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EThe list goes on: transport on the North Shore. Simeon Brown, the Minister of Transport, has already talked about how expensive the previous Government\u2019s options were for the third harbour crossing, or the second harbour crossing. We have to deliver a real, practical solution for transport in Auckland to futureproof\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000952\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e549cbe3404f4a4781889322f882cf4b\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: What is it?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000953\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca90e53f337b427eb809a2a72d8d842c\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: Well, it\u2019s certainly going to be a lot cheaper than putting tramways down Dominion Road, and right up to ghost trains that never happened.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000954\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003ERight, then we\u2019ve got environment and climate change. Can I say, this House is absolutely committed to the targets in the Paris Agreement and to actually delivering on our climate change commitments\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000955\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6489ff5-e18c-4c19-958d-3cec5c52c0cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e82223ce0ca84d899be56537df3f7ab6\u0022\u003EScott Willis\u003C/span\u003E: What\u2019s your plan? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000956\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022923c5885a7df4123a65ea2bddf9f1188\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014and, actually, we\u2019ve got some fantastic policies around electric vehicles (EVs). Do you drive an EV, sir? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000957\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a6489ff5-e18c-4c19-958d-3cec5c52c0cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022d0135c2d86cf43a8b17bb4a92dd64ef0\u0022\u003EScott Willis\u003C/span\u003E: I do. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000958\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022c81097ae5ed8443995d645705db757d1\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: Oh good\u2014excellent. So you\u2019ll be happy with the EV roll-out that we\u2019ve got.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000959\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022864b730479be4effbe09c24db07bde61\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: Mr Bidois, one rule that hasn\u2019t changed while you were away is we don\u2019t use the word \u201Cyou\u201D across the board\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000960\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002295d4b863b18946daa108c29a7e92148e\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000961\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002272a92088f12c4132bba3eb3c8cf7ff13\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014but we address the Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000962\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227d87e0ae0a884aa19e1d738765fb9a4d\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much. So we have a lot to do, and Barbara Edmonton\u2014Edmonds\u2014said, actually, where were the principles of this Government? Well, I will give you some principles. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000963\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022123d5815214c442986b09c42d9e7ad74\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Point of order, Mr Speaker. The member is required to call the other member, my colleague Barbara Edmonds, by her correct name, which is Edmonds, not Edmonton.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000964\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e31524b86ea54fccb26273e4b0d06ad5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s something for the Speaker to decide, I think.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000965\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002296f5f6b7-c116-477e-88a9-ea17aa616886\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022baf1ae2f70054165a99ffcb2f8a649a4\u0022\u003EIngrid Leary\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you, sir. I\u2019d just to point out that it was three times.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000966\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022e31c3b965eae4dcebe44fafcb93456c5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m sure the member, as he gets to know the new members in the House, will take note of their correct names, and we will add 20 seconds on for that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000967\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00224f036607083542f6babe1603d3f39977\u0022\u003EDAN BIDOIS\u003C/span\u003E: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. That\u2019s very generous of you, so I can spend 20 seconds talking about the principles of this Government. The first principle is a return to equal citizenship in this country. Principle No. 2 is liberty\u2014economic and individual liberty. Principle No. 3 is the value of the private sector and the farmers in this country as the engines of economic growth. Principle No. 4 is equal opportunity. I believe in the economics of opportunity, not the economics of envy. The last core principle of this Government that I want to highlight is that we will restore consequences for those that break the law. Those are the types of principles that we will seek to uphold in this National, ACT, and New Zealand First Government, and I\u2019m really excited about the coalition arrangement that has been announced. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000968\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022f429fecb-a955-4d95-8105-e5144e651204\u0022\u003EI\u2019m immensely optimistic about the future potential of this country. We have a liberal democracy, as was indicated. It is one of the few places in the world where people, the people of New Zealand, get to pick who sits here. We are well placed geographically. We\u2019re friendly to all nations around the world. We\u2019ve got industrious people. We\u2019ve got a lot of work to do, but I have no doubt that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the whole team\u2014with ACT, New Zealand First, and National\u2014are committed to delivering for New Zealand and delivering for the people of Aotearoa. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022 data-id=\u002210dc03da31d74f5dbfa5ddd4c8f781af\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000969\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002210dc03da31d74f5dbfa5ddd4c8f781af\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK (Labour\u2014Nelson):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I begin my contribution this evening, Mr Speaker, on congratulating you on your appointment as Assistant Speaker. I look forward to you remembering all of our names throughout\u2014I\u2019m skating on thin ice already, I know, Mr Speaker\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000970\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022b5d1fbbf61fe4c68b58fd230a69d08f5\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: That\u2019s not a special skill of mine, I might say! \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000971\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022105eb138982d449997ce97e4999d4893\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014but I do want to congratulate you, and I look forward to working with you and the rest of the presiding officers throughout this term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000972\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003ECan I begin by acknowledging a former member of this House who was also unable to deliver her valedictory speech, and that is the wahine toa who is the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Can I acknowledge the contribution she has made to Aotearoa over many, many years, the bravery, the vision, and the foresight she has had, and her tenacity, quite frankly, in dealing with what were some unprecedented attacks on her and her wh\u0101nau throughout the previous term, which was distressing to witness. So I want to thank her for her support of me and many others in this House and for her commitment to the people of New Zealand and to having a better country for all of us. Thank you, Nanaia, for your service.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000973\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003ECan I also acknowledge the new members of this House, and, in particular, a friend of mine\u2014a good friend of mine\u2014from the other side of the House, Tim Costley. Now, Tim and I have been friends for over 30 years, and all I will say about that is that what happens at church youth group stays at church youth group. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000974\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002235bc6dea2b2c47d1b2f963592db90d1c\u0022\u003EHon Members\u003C/span\u003E: What? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000975\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00227933cf71ac634f85971a1cdb6759119c\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK\u003C/span\u003E: I\u2019m not insinuating anything. Let\u2019s not have any\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000976\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002262ff759d-9586-405a-a6e6-208ad65adeb5\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022ca576626dc9540038062e3a9875bc6a0\u0022\u003ETangi Utikere\u003C/span\u003E: Not in Palmerston North? \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000977\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022581f9863800549e88121f65f85991cef\u0022\u003ERACHEL BOYACK\u003C/span\u003E: Definitely not in Palmerston North. But we now have three members of this House who are proud to be former students of Ross Intermediate: myself, Tim Costley\u2014we were in the same class together\u2014and then a very slightly younger member, Mr Tangi Utikere, who was always called on to give the thankyous to the visiting guests. I just note that Mr Costley and I were not. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000978\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EOn preparing for this speech, I wanted to reflect on the maiden speech that I gave to Parliament, to this House, nearly three years ago, and, to begin, I wanted to talk specifically about my love of te reo M\u0101ori, and my love of Te Ao M\u0101ori and Te Tiriti. In my maiden speech, I talked about my father, Jonathan Boyack, who hasn\u2019t been back to New Zealand since I\u2019ve become a member of Parliament because he lives in the United Kingdom, but I\u2019m very pleased that he will be here next week to come and spend some time in this House. When I was a child in the 1980s growing up, my father was one of a new crop of area health board chief executives, and he was the chief executive of the Wanganui Area Health Board. He was part of a crop of young chief executives who began work on delivering M\u0101ori health services, and I was really privileged, as a young P\u0101keh\u0101 girl, to spend time running around at marae, listening to my father speak in the wharenui, listening to waiata, and being taught waiata by my mother. I reflect on that and I reflect on this new Government\u2019s decision to can Te Aka Whai Ora, and it distresses me greatly. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000979\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EOn the campaign trail, I took the then Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, in to meet with Te Piki Oranga, one of our M\u0101ori health providers, and here\u2019s what they said to me. They said to me and to Chris Hipkins that the new M\u0101ori Health Authority was allowing them to get money and services out to wh\u0101nau who needed it so much faster. One of the reasons was that no longer did money go from the ministry to the DHB to the primary health organisation and then to the M\u0101ori health provider; it came straight from the centre to the organisation. It meant they had more money that wasn\u2019t being clipped by the tickets of bureaucracy\u2014more money to actually spend on those who need it.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000980\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EI say to the members on the other side of the House, why is it that we need to focus on this? This is because M\u0101ori, as a whole, die so much earlier than those of us who are non-M\u0101ori, and that is a disgrace. That is a shame on our nation. The Labour Government took steps to actually try and address that, and it\u2019s going to get thrown away on the basis of some kind of idea that somehow other people are going to miss out. Well, I\u2019ll tell you what M\u0101ori don\u2019t miss out on: they don\u2019t miss out on dying younger, because of their ethnicity. That is not OK. That is not equality. That is not equal rights in this country, and, as a P\u0101keh\u0101, I say it is not OK for me to have a greater life expectancy than my youngest brother, Piers, who is Ng\u0101ti Kur\u012B. I don\u2019t talk about him much in this House, but there should be no difference in the expectations and the life expectancy that he and I have, based on our ethnicity. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000981\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003ESo I am proud of the work that we did, and it\u2019s work that I think should be continued. There is nothing those of us who are P\u0101keh\u0101 have to lose.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000982\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve also talked a little bit tonight about kapa haka. I talk about kapa haka because I\u2019ve had the privilege of being a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir for five years, and then been the holder of a music degree. It\u2019s one of the reasons I asked to take on the arts portfolio, and I\u2019m very, very proud to have that portfolio and to finally use the skills that I learnt at university here in this House. I\u2019ve had the privilege of representing New Zealand all over the world, singing kapa haka, having been taught by amazing people like Ng\u0101p\u014D Wehi\u2014\u201CBub\u201D\u2014and Aroha Cassidy, and I just want to acknowledge their memories and their contribution to our country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000983\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EDo you know what? When we stood there, we sang English cathedral repertoire, which is my favourite stuff to sing, and we would sing European art songs, but do you know what everyone stood up and gave us standing ovations for? It was when we sang waiata. It was when we sang I Te Timatanga and told the story of the creation of Aotearoa. That was what got people overseas talking, and it\u2019s the story I tell people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000984\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EIn my electorate of Nelson, there are people who do not always understand why we are embracing Te Ao M\u0101ori in the way that we are, but I tell you that when Mr Watts and Ms Grigg and Mr Waititi and the former member for Northcote Shanan Halbert and I were in Canada recently, do you know what everybody loved us doing? Finishing our meetings by singing waiata. It is what puts our country on the world stage. It helps our trade. It helps our identity. We should embrace it; we should love it. We shouldn\u2019t allow ourselves to be divided in the way in which, unfortunately, so many politicians have been leading us down that pathway. We have obligations as members of this House\u2014M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101; people who were born here, people who are new here\u2014to uphold what is so special: the taonga that is te reo, that is Te Ao M\u0101ori, and that is Te Tiriti. That is my pledge to this House for this term.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000985\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EThere are a couple of other things I wanted to mention, and I\u2019m going to run out of time, which is unfortunate, but I\u2019m going to focus quickly on a couple of pieces of correspondence I\u2019ve had from my constituents specifically about smoking. Now, I\u2019ve smoked cigarettes. I was a child of the 1990s, when we could get down to the dairy and get them pretty easily and cheaply without ID, and successive Governments over many, many decades have worked to make it harder for people to access cigarettes and to make it less of a sexy option, shall we say. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000986\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003ESo here are a couple of emails I\u2019ve had from constituents. One constituent, who wanted to specifically talk to Dr Shane Reti, said, \u201CUntil very recently, I saw you as someone with the mana to lead the National Party. This makes me even more disappointed with your complicity in repealing the progressive smoke-free legislation. Are you really OK with people dying in order to fund the party\u2019s tax cuts?\u201D\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000987\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EHere is an email I received from a doctor in Nelson: \u201CDear Rachel, I am sure you are registering the absolute outrage that front-line health workers are expressing around the prospect of repealing the smoke-free legislation. As an emergency specialist in Nelson Hospital Emergency Department, I daily see the damage done and years lost of people and their family, both as a direct and indirect result of smoking. To see patients fearfully approaching a premature, smoking-related death is an unpleasant and avoidable experience. The tobacco industry has a lot to answer. Aotearoa New Zealand has been a world leader with its enlightened approach toward a smoke-free country. You must do all you can as a member of the Opposition to appeal to the consciences of those on the Government benches to do the right thing for our people.\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000988\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b8550e1a-ed25-44a2-b0e2-b0a8d52a7a80\u0022\u003EThat is what I do tonight. I appeal to the consciences of those on the other side. Every other time we\u2019ve introduced legislation, any colour of Government, the next Government has not repealed it when it comes to smoking, until now. I began by talking about M\u0101ori health, and that\u2019s where I\u2019ll finish, because it is our M\u0101ori and our Pacific people who will suffer as a result of this. We have obligations to ensure we are making decisions for all New Zealanders, and this legislation will ensure that M\u0101ori life expectancy increases. Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022 data-id=\u002220703e4a377d48a48e910fe208d21d84\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000989\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u002220703e4a377d48a48e910fe208d21d84\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE (Labour\u2014Mt Albert):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to rise in this House, and this is my first speech as the MP for Mt Albert. Now, the first thing I wanted to do was to was say congratulations to you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s a pleasure to have you in this position. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000990\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI also wanted to congratulate Melissa Lee, who has become a Minister in this Government, and she was quite right when she said earlier in her speech that I reached out to both her and to Ricardo Men\u00E9ndez March, who were candidates in Mt Albert\u2014a hotly contested seat\u2014to say that it is absolutely important that we work together as far as that is possible. She has met me in the spirit of that, and I hope to work very well with her. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000991\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EIt was a very tight race, and I\u2019d like to thank the voters of Mt Albert for seeing me back into this House. I intend to do everything I can to earn their respect.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000992\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EYesterday, when we were sworn in, it was one where I took the step of speaking my affirmation in M\u0101ori. I had done that before, and it was when I was a very new MP and I was very nervous. I was equally nervous yesterday. I don\u2019t take to languages well. I find them pretty scary, actually, and I\u2019m worried that I\u2019ll be judged for my terrible pronunciation. But I thought it was really important to do so on this occasion, because I am concerned that there is an attack, and I think it is really important that we push ourselves. We do that as parliamentarians all the time. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000993\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI recently had my uncle and aunt visit from Australia, and I took them around this Parliament, and they were so impressed with it. We are actually privileged in this House to work together and to work, quite often, in very much a consciousness of the tikanga and in an integrated way in that around the House. I think we actually come on our journeys in this place towards a much greater respect and engagement with M\u0101ori culture, so I will be very, very sad if that is undermined in the currency of this Government. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000994\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI wanted to talk about my greater concern about that because of what I heard from Winston Peters today. He said\u2014and I was listening to him carefully\u2014that what M\u0101ori want is First World wages, and I wanted to say to him that that\u2019s exactly what the people of Mt Albert want, too. That is a common need of people\u2014we do want First World wages. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000995\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022bf71a65e-c9f0-4856-902f-1a15c4274e94\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002250382b9569bd43fe8b9ad6859bcb17f7\u0022\u003EHon Mark Patterson\u003C/span\u003E: That was the point. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000996\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u0022993e116b278c4fdfa8a3b63f062f6753\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE\u003C/span\u003E: The point, absolutely, is that Winston Peters has got into bed with ACT and got into bed with National, and they have made an agreement\u2014\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000997\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u00222b333dff18074fc699eb64e39fb9c113\u0022\u003EHon Member\u003C/span\u003E: To fix the economy.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000998\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsBy\u0022 id=\u002236391ecd3fd640859963c059b6e22a40\u0022\u003EHELEN WHITE\u003C/span\u003E: \u2014which I am concerned\u2014and I will now talk about in my speech why I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to achieve that, sir. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c000999\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EWe have an issue in this country with productivity. One of the things I saw on the list that will be over is ITPs\u2014the industry transformation plans. Those are our long-term plans for our industries. What on earth was wrong with them? What on earth was wrong with keeping plans which actually make sure that there are skills pathways for people and make sure that all the flow-over effects from those skills pathways affect other people? You can look at something like the digital transformation plan. Digital industries\u2014it\u2019s a really good plan, and it feeds out a high-paid workforce. But the decision of this coalition is that we will not have them. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001000\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EDo you know what else we\u2019re going to get rid of? The Productivity Commission. It\u2019s going. It\u2019s going on order to pay for a new Minister for Regulation. It is laughable that the Minister for Regulation is, in fact, setting up a Ministry for Regulation, which is sort of more regulation, isn\u2019t it? But we\u2019re going to get rid of the Productivity Commission for that, which actually is the body that recommended long-term planning for productivity\u2014for things like ITPs. I am really sad to see that. I\u2019m going to be the spokesperson in the Labour Party for manufacturing and small business. These things are critical to the development of these incredibly important things, and that is what pays the wages of people in this country. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001001\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003ESo it is very sad to see those moves go\u2014those forward-thinking, future-thinking moves go\u2014for something that is so backward-looking, because there is an ideological background to the decision to do things like this, which is that we just have to get out of there and cut all the red tape and everything will come right. Well, it didn\u2019t. It didn\u2019t come right in the 1990s, and it\u2019s not going to come right now. What we need to do is make sure that we\u2019re supporting our businesses and supporting our workforces, and making sure that we build high-wage work in this country. That is what we were doing because we had a vision, and what it\u2019s being replaced with is a 1990s ideology which is long since out of date, long since disproved.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001002\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI want to talk about wages a bit more because I was an employment lawyer for 25 years and I saw the pain low wages caused people. There has been a halt and a suggestion\u2014softened, I think, by the New Zealand First Party\u2014that perhaps the minimum wage might have to go up a little bit. Well, that\u2019s not just good enough. The Labour Government made sure that wages stayed ahead of inflation and they made sure the minimum wage went up. I am proud of that, and I will be very sorry if it gets slipped backwards, and so will the working people, including the M\u0101ori people that Winston Peters talks about\u2014so will they. They will be very sorry to see their wages slip backwards while the majority of tax cuts go to the wealthy in this country because, again, ideologically, the fundamental underpinning is a belief\u2014an outdated belief\u2014in trickle-down economics. Long since has that myth gone and long since has most of the world lost interest in that ridiculous philosophy, because it\u2019s never worked and it never will. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001003\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EI want to talk to you about contracting. That would have been a very big piece of work that needed doing. We needed to get a handle on the back door to paying bad wages, which was basically subsistence contracting, or dependent contracting. Instead, a deal has been done that we\u2019re not going to look behind the words\u2014it was called the status quo in the agreements. But we aren\u2019t going to look behind the words of what people call themselves. So I am fearful that what the coalition Government has decided to do is ignore utterly what the real relationship is between people and whether there is exploitation, whether they are actually, really in business on their account, or whether they are actually just dependent and subservient and exploited. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001004\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EIf you do that and if you go through with that, that\u2019s going to hurt working people in this country, so please don\u2019t. Think twice. Think twice, because\u2014again, I quote the Hon Winston Peters\u2014\u201CI understand that M\u0101ori want First World wages too.\u201D, because so do I and so do the people of Mt Albert. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001005\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003ENow, I want to talk about an issue that is related, and that is housing, because another thing that people need is they need a decent house. They need a decent place to live. There has been so much work done on that and it is about to be undermined, and that is my fear. My fear is that we have a situation where we are going to see rents rise in this country but also insecurity of rent\u2014insecurity. You cannot deny that if the proposal is to bring in a 90-day, no-fault termination, because that means that it doesn\u2019t matter if you can now bring your dog to the rental\u2014which I\u2019d love\u2014you could get kicked out in 90 days for doing nothing and for doing no harm. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001006\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EWe need to make moves towards treating rentals as homes, not investments. If we did that, and if we stuck to the plan and moved on that, what we would end up with is homes for our children\u2014secure homes for our children\u2014and, yes, I welcome the idea that we would bring pets into them. That is a really nice move, but you have to have base security first. You have to have a rental that you can call your home and that you can bring up your kids in, so that they can go to Mount Albert Grammar School and know that they\u2019re not going to get kicked out tomorrow. It\u2019s a really important part of security for people. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001007\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u00225ec01d23-b55e-45b9-a668-d3bf14212126\u0022\u003EPoor first-time home buyers. What\u2019s going to happen to them in the next little while, because they\u2019re now going to be competing\u2014they\u2019re going to be competing\u2014with a whole lot of rental investors, because that\u2019s where the money is going to go. You know where it\u2019s not going to go\u2014and I\u2019m going to return back to my speech here. It\u2019s not going to go into the productive economy, is it, where we would really like that money. That money, if it was in the productive economy, would boost wages and productivity in this country\u2014something that we sorely need to do. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022 data-id=\u00224573a9271f3d4eccbe96ac0dcb9133b3\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001008\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u00224573a9271f3d4eccbe96ac0dcb9133b3\u0022\u003ESAM UFFINDELL (National\u2014Tauranga):\u003C/span\u003E Thank you, Mr Speaker. It\u2019s great to be able to stand here, and I\u2019d like to congratulate everyone who is a part of this 54th Parliament. To all of the new MPs, welcome to Parliament. I wish you all the best in your career here in this place, and I hope you are able to deliver for your electorates and for the people of New Zealand. To all the returning MPs, well done on your re-election and I also wish you all the best, and to all of those from the 53rd Parliament who haven\u2019t made it back, thank you for your service to New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001009\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EI would like to send my congratulations to the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, to the Deputy Prime Minister, and to the Speaker and the Assistant and Deputy Speakers, including yourself, sir. Well done on your roles. I\u2019d also like to congratulate the coalition Government: National, ACT, and New Zealand First. It\u2019s very good to be on this side of the House. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001010\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EI will give a little mention to two other MPs who are here, who are from my neck of the woods: Tom Rutherford, from the Bay of Plenty, and Cameron Luxton, also from the Bay of Plenty. I\u2019ve had a fair bit to do with you both in varying degrees over the past couple of years. I know you will bring a lot of passion and enthusiasm to this place and will represent the people of the Bay of Plenty and, by extension, Tauranga as well, so that we can continue to make it the best region in New Zealand. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001011\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWell, it\u2019s been a real sigh of relief, I think. I know that I\u2019ve noticed it, and I know probably a few other members have when they\u2019ve walked around their electorates and they\u2019ve had a lot of people coming up to them and saying, \u201CWe are so happy that National is back in Government.\u201D We hear it over and over again, and I definitely hear it when I\u2019m walking around Tauranga. We got in there because we\u2019d campaigned on what the New Zealand people were interested in. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001012\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EI think that when people look back on the 53rd Government and why those members are no longer on this side of the House\u2014and this is just my opinion\u2014they will probably see that they didn\u2019t deliver on what they talked about when they were in Government, and when it came to the election campaign they failed to talk about the things that actually mattered to Kiwis. As a result, they were resoundingly rejected by the electorate, and we have been given a mandate on this side of the House to deliver for New Zealand. We have a very ambitious 100-day plan. I think this will be one of the most transformational Governments in New Zealand\u2019s history, and I am very proud to be a member of it and I\u2019m very proud to represent the people of Tauranga. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001013\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003ENow, there are four key things we are focused on, and that is to manage a stronger economy for New Zealand, to ease the cost of living crisis, and to deliver tax relief; secondly, to restore law and order; thirdly, to deliver better public services; and, fourthly, to strengthen our democracy. You will see in our 100-day plan that we\u2019re quite clear around some of the things that we wanted to do. We needed to rein in Government spending. It was out of control under the last Government and that delivery of service wasn\u2019t there. Look, I think most people would be all right if you were willing to spend more as long as you actually got something back in return, but we didn\u2019t see that, so we are going to be reining in that spending there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001014\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe have committed to repealing some of what we would consider to be poor or misguided legislation from the previous Government around the fair pay agreements, three waters, and projects like Let\u2019s Get Wellington Moving and Auckland light rail. We\u2019re committed to returning the Reserve Bank of New Zealand mandate to prioritise price stability, which is very important and is almost one of the most important things that we need to get on top of, because if we don\u2019t get on top of inflation quickly, it is going to continue to erode the wealth of New Zealanders. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001015\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve been in a cost of living crisis for far too long. We\u2019ve seen rents up $180 a week over the past six years. We\u2019ve seen grocery prices continue to eat away and petrol prices continuing to increase, and Kiwis have really been doing it tough. But good news: we have some sound fiscal discipline back on the Treasury benches.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001016\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re also committed to making New Zealanders safer, so we are getting rid of the prisoner reduction targets and cracking down on gangs. I know that the Hon Mark Mitchell is going to do an absolutely fantastic job as the new Minister of Police. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001017\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe are committed to delivering better public services, and I think in this House we would all agree that we want to see excellent, First World health and education services. We might have different ideas around how we want to get there, but we all share the same concerns that we want our children to have a First World education. We want them to graduate from school and be able to compete in the 21st century, where skills and knowledge are going to be more important than they ever have been. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001018\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe want a healthcare system that looks after people and can deliver for them, so if they get sick or they fall ill or whatever it may be, they know that they can get these services that they need to get them through, and we haven\u2019t been seeing that in education and we haven\u2019t been seeing that in health. So we are going to restore health targets. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001019\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe are going to lift educational performance. From 2024, I know Erica Stanford will make an excellent education Minister, and we are going to ensure that New Zealand children at primary and intermediate level are spending an hour each day on reading, writing, and mathematics. As a parent of three young children, that makes me very happy indeed.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001020\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe are ambitious for all New Zealanders. We are very ambitious, and we want to raise the standard of living for all New Zealanders. We want all New Zealanders to have a fair shot at their version of the New Zealand dream, whatever that may look like. So we are going to be a Government that enables that. We are going to be a Government that reduces restrictions and reduces impediments. For too long, we have seen red tape\u2014nonsensical red tape that adds more pain instead of benefits\u2014getting in the way. We have hampered our primary industries, which contribute enormously to the wealth and prosperity of New Zealand, and it\u2019s through those sectors that we are able to pay for the health and education and police and all of those other services that we need.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001021\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022b978dee7-18cf-424c-8004-b165bda971ff\u0022\u003EWe are ambitious for New Zealanders on this side of the House, and I look forward to working very strongly with all of my colleagues. I look forward to working with members on the other side of the House. I know that they may have different versions of how to make New Zealand a fantastic country, but we will work together and I am confident that the 54th Parliament will be a fantastic Parliament for New Zealand, and I wish us all the best going forward. Thank you, Mr Speaker.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022 data-id=\u0022d2ff759a1e064d4d93747031052c3954\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022d2ff759a1e064d4d93747031052c3954\u0022\u003ERt Hon ADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour):\u003C/span\u003E T\u0113n\u0101 koe e te Mana Whakaw\u0101. Ka tuku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa; te Whare nei, tae atu ki ng\u0101 mema hou, anei ahau e tuku mihi atu ana ki a koutou. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001023\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ETae atu ki a koe, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel me Reuben Davidson. T\u0113nei te mihi ake mai i ahau ki a k\u014Drua tahi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001024\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EHe tika hoki kia tuku mihi atu ki aku whanaunga n\u014D M\u014Dkai P\u0101tea. Tuatahi, te mema hou m\u014D T\u0101maki Makaurau, ki a koe Takutai Tarsh Kemp, t\u0113nei te mihi.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001025\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EKo te hokinga mai an\u014D o Hon Tama Potaka an\u014D hoki. N\u014D reira t\u0113n\u0101 k\u014Drua aku whanaunga.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001026\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EKi a koutou katoa. Kua roa te wa ka t\u016B ake ahau ki te k\u014Drero i roto i te Whare nei. Tata ki ng\u0101 tau e wh\u0101. N\u014D reira he tino h\u014Dnore t\u0113nei kia t\u016B ake au, kia tuku atu aku whakaaro ki te Whare nei.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001027\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003E[Thank you, Mr Speaker. I acknowledge you all; this House and its new members. I commend you all.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001028\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EEspecially Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and Reuben Davidson. I would like to welcome you both from me to you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001029\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EIt is only right that I address and commend my M\u014Dkai P\u0101tea relatives. First, to the new member for T\u0101maki Makaurau, to Takutai Tarsh Kemp, I acknowledge you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ETo the returning Hon Tama Potaka as well. I acknowledge you my relations. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001031\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ETo you all. It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve had to stand and make a speech in this House; just about four years. So it is an honour to stand here to give my contribution to the House.]\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001032\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EAs I said, it\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve made a speech in this House. I do want to, Mr Speaker, congratulate you on becoming an Assistant Speaker this time. I think you were an excellent Deputy Speaker to me when I was Speaker. I now become the former Speaker, and I hope to carry it out as well as the Rt Hon Sir David Carter did when he was the former Speaker. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001033\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI acknowledge the other presiding officers as well, especially the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee, Barbara Kuriger, and Maureen Pugh. I think you\u2019ve got a great presiding officer team, and I hope the House sees it upon itself to give the new team a good start. So congratulations again to you.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001034\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI want to acknowledge the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, who has given me the responsibility in Opposition to be the spokesperson for the Labour Party on Wh\u0101nau Ora. So I do mihi again to my whanaunga, the Hon Tama Potaka, who holds that portfolio. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001035\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s one that is really dear to my heart, and I think back to before I came to Parliament of the work that I did as the chair of Te R\u016Bnanga o Ng\u0101ti Apa, and also chair of Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority, chair of Te K\u014Dtuku Hauora, and a member of the Whanganui Regional Primary Health Organisation as well. Throughout that time, Wh\u0101nau Ora was an important kaupapa for all of those organisations, because we knew it was a great way forward. Tariana Turia\u2014now the Hon Dame Tariana Turia\u2014was the first CEO of Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority. She was the architect of that plan, and I was right there when that was happening. I feel honoured to have witnessed its emergence into a Government policy. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001036\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI\u2019ll be making certain that my cousin Tama also upholds that. I think it\u2019s important that his colleagues in the Government support him in that. He\u2019s got a lot of portfolios that are going to attract a lot of attention, because when I saw and I heard the speech that was made today, I heard a lot of things there which bothered me\u2014bothered me a lot\u2014because I know from experience how difficult it is for wh\u0101nau M\u0101ori without those mechanisms being in place. I know it because I\u2019ve been part of it. I\u2019ve seen it, I\u2019ve walked in that world, and it\u2019s difficult. It feels like we\u2019re going to go backwards after hard-fought gains to address the inequities that clearly exist in our society. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001037\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI heard today that the Government would govern for all people, for all New Zealanders. M\u0101ori are New Zealanders. I just want remind everyone in this House: M\u0101ori are New Zealanders. Not only are we New Zealanders; we deserve to have the Treaty relationship and the promises in it upheld and acknowledged. There is nothing less that will do. We deserve nothing less. This country deserves nothing less. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001038\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EWe have to do the best that we can do, so we will oppose\u2014we will oppose\u2014for those things that have been hard gained and fought for and that have made a difference in our people\u2019s lives. For example, in the last six years, funding for Wh\u0101nau Ora has increased by 145 percent. It has gone from servicing 13,000 families to 30,000 families\u2014a huge increase\u2014because the need is there. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001039\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003ENow, I hear a lot of things that are going to be taken away. What I don\u2019t hear is how those inequities are going to be addressed. There are mountains of evidence, even in this House\u2014evidence. In the 52nd Parliament, there was an inquiry by the M\u0101ori Affairs Committee into the inequities in health for M\u0101ori. The report was tabled in this House. It recommended by majority that a M\u0101ori health authority be established to address that. That was the evidence that was collected over that inquiry. I can point to the Simpson report\u2014again, evidence; not just making up stuff. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001040\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI just feel it\u2019s an absolute tragedy to go backwards after gaining so much. We will lose much more, it will be much harder to regain a M\u0101ori health authority, and the impact on M\u0101ori families will be huge. I want all of us to know that.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001041\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI line it up directly alongside the impact of removing smoke-free legislation. When I was the Speaker of the House, one of the proudest moments I had was presiding over the passage of that legislation. It will change lives if it\u2019s left alone. By that, I mean we all know the evidence: smoking kills our people. There\u2019s no way of dressing it up so it looks nice and feels nice. It doesn\u2019t\u2014it\u2019s not nice. Too many of us have gone to hospitals and hospices to witness the impact of smoking. I can take you around the urup\u0101 at my home and I can point to the graves of those who have passed away from smoking. Removing the barrier that is going to prevent more of that is a horrendous thing to do. I would be ashamed to vote for the repeal of that legislation, and I think every single member in this House should actually ask themselves, \u201CDo we want a future where the impact of such an activity as smoking should be legislated for or against? What is the best outcome for our people? What is the best that we can do for the future generations?\u201D \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001042\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022a434482b-7ac1-4862-9ce7-13e63289dee3\u0022\u003EI don\u2019t know, but I think that if it is repealed, then the next time that we have a progressive Government that wants to make a difference about the number of kids that take up smoking and then eventually die from it, it will have to be a lot stronger in the legislation that we put up\u2014like, let\u2019s just ban the stuff. Kia ora. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022 data-id=\u0022c3ff136b9f4247b88fdcef4efe3dc0b1\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001043\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022c3ff136b9f4247b88fdcef4efe3dc0b1\u0022\u003ELEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour\u2014M\u0101ngere):\u003C/span\u003E Talofa lava lau Fofoga Fetalai. Malo le soifua maua ma le lagi e mama. Mr Assistant Speaker O\u2019Connor, congratulations on your new role. It\u2019s really good to have you there today, and I\u2019d also like to congratulate the rest of the presiding officers that will look after us in this House and in the debating chamber. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001044\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EI\u2019d also like to congratulate all the new members of the House, the members of Parliament that are new. It\u2019s really good to see the diversity across the House and also to hear the different languages that we heard yesterday. I\u2019d like to acknowledge two of my new members of caucus in the Labour Party, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel from Ikaroa-R\u0101whiti, and our colleague Reuben Davidson, Christchurch East. Also, I\u2019d like to acknowledge another brother from South Auckland, Fa\u2019an\u0101n\u0101 Efeso Collins, and we have a history of working in previous roles. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001045\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EThis is my first contribution to the House in the 54th Parliament, and it\u2019s a real pleasure to be the final speaker tonight. We heard today from this Government the Speech from the Throne and their 100-day plan, and as a member on this side of the House, I actually had real trepidation about the progressive initiatives from the last Government. On this side of the House, we heard the leader, the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, speak about how we are going to be a strong Opposition pushing back against the changes that are coming up. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001046\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EIt is important that we hold this Government to account on the many announcements that have been made today, because New Zealand wants to move forward and not backwards. Where is the hope in vision for New Zealanders\u2014particularly young New Zealanders\u2014in all the repealing of many of the progressive legislation that the Labour Government has worked on since 2017? I want to acknowledge the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins for his words of wisdom that he shared today, and we will continue to hold the Government to account. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001047\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EThe Labour caucus will be building the machinery towards 2026, and we may be down but in no way are we out. We believe on this side of the House that the Government has the wrong priorities and that they are out of touch, and I will tell you why. There\u2019s a couple of areas that I want to focus on, specific to my community\u2014specific to where I come from in South Auckland. I really listened intently to the speech that was shared today, specifically around Pasifika, because we know that in a lot of the stats across the country, Pasifika feature really low in those stats, whether it comes to socio-economic environments, the health stats, or education. I have a very strong interest in Pasifika, and in the document that I read afterwards, there was very little mention of Pasifika. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001048\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EIt is important to hold the Government to account and that they understand Pasifika communities, because that\u2019s the community that I represent. That is the community of M\u0101ngere in South Auckland, who put me in this role, and I\u2019m very proud and feel very privileged to have this role. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001049\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EThe Pasifika communities are diverse. They\u2019re actually the fastest-growing and youngest population of Aotearoa, and it\u2019s a real shame that there is no member of the Government who is of Pasifika ethnicity, because on this side of the House, we have the Labour Pasifika caucus. I interpret today\u2019s announcements as being that the Government has no commitment. It just does not understand that kaupapa. We heard that on the campaign trail, and if you were in M\u0101ngere and you were out there doorknocking and talking to the people of that community, they\u2019re very worried, because when you don\u2019t have that commitment, what next?\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001050\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003ESo the research and the evidence that has been provided in many of the Government agencies led by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples really tells it black and white: Pasifika are tu\u0101kana and tu\u0101hine to M\u0101ori, and if M\u0101ori are worried, as we\u2019ve seen very recently as of yesterday, then Pasifika need to be worried as well. So how do we hold the Government to account? I will be one of the members on this side of the House, asking those questions every time I get to speak. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001051\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EAs a second-term member of Parliament, I say that culture and language is our very being. That is what we represent. Our young people\u2014Pasifika, M\u0101ori, ethnic\u2014are really welcoming in terms of expressing themselves as young New Zealanders being able to speak their reo, speak their language, and being able to present their skills and talents in the education sector, in the arts and culture sector, and in the sporting sector. If you take Pasifika people out of all those sectors, it will be a very dire picture. Our young people are very proud of their identity, not just in metropolitan areas but also in the regions. They are growing fast.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001052\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003ESo I just want to reflect really quickly in my time left. We saw yesterday that many members of Parliament, right across the House, when they did their oath or when they did their affirmation, either they spoke in English or they spoke in te reo, and then they spoke the language of their culture, and that was very special. That is a taonga. We need that reflection in the policies and legislation that we see across, because New Zealand is a growing, diverse population. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001053\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EWe shouldn\u2019t be afraid of people expressing their cultural identity. That is something that we need to celebrate because when you have a member who understands where they come from, where their origins come from, that is something that is woven in their work, and as a member of Parliament, that is really important to my kaupapa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001054\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003ESecondly, I just want to quickly acknowledge where I came from, which I mentioned earlier. I am here because the people of M\u0101ngere voted me to be in here. I am a very proud member of my local community, and I want to just do a shout-out to the Labour members but also to the community that voted me in with such a high percentage. I\u2019ll just share with you that I just wanted to get over the line, but the percentage of voters that voted for the Labour Party and that voted for a Labour member to represent our local community is a very proud moment for me.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001055\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EVery quickly\u2014the Government needs to understand that there is a lot\u2014a ton\u2014of research and evidence that points to all different factors, be it social or be it economic, about the different populations in various communities. I want to remind members that it\u2019s not just in the metropolitan areas but it\u2019s actually right across Aotearoa.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001056\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EThe last point I want to just stress is the smoke-free legislation, and there have been a lot of members on this side of the House who have really expressed why we need to have that legislation continue and for it not to be rolled back. I am sure the Government can go back to its books to see where else it can take some revenue and leave the smoke-free legislation that is impending where it is. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001057\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EA lot of young people were represented when we had a select committee hearing in M\u0101ngere. A lot of young people came and spoke to us as to why they want to see a progressive, smoke-free environment in their local community. They are tired of seeing many members of their families, and going to tangi\u2014and just seeing them reduced with their health implications. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001058\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EIt will be a real travesty if that legislation goes in those repeals. It is something that the Government really needs to think about in terms of the representation from our communities specific to M\u0101ori, specific to Pacific, and specific to other parts of our communities. I do want to remind members that our young people really want to stress that having smoke-free environments are really important, especially in this day and age. We no longer want to lose many of our community, many of our family members. We want a smoke-free generation because it\u2019s good for Aotearoa\u2014it\u2019s good for New Zealand.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001059\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u0022db7fcb82-2c50-44e1-9f32-d9138c14006e\u0022\u003EJust as I finish up, Mr Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity, but I do want to stress that a smoke-free environment for Aotearoa as we move forward is something we need. Thank you. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ca name=\u0022member\u0022 data-type=\u0022article\u0022 data-memberid=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022 data-id=\u0022080fe0213a7f472b8b0f8709bfaf3e88\u0022\u003E\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001060\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsByToc\u0022 id=\u0022080fe0213a7f472b8b0f8709bfaf3e88\u0022\u003EASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O\u2019Connor)\u003C/span\u003E: This debate is interrupted and is set down for resumption next sitting day, and can I congratulate members on the quality of debate tonight. It\u2019s been excellent. The House is adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001061\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EDebate interrupted.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001062\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003EThe House adjourned at 9.59 p.m.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp id=\u0022id20231206932e0b5b40f24d4ba18123127f16a90c001063\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022HpsNormal\u0022 id=\u002202e74c40-9529-4e15-adc2-c032eadc2205\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n    \u003C/div\u003E\n  \u003C/body\u003E\n\u003C/html\u003E"