Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. It is with a heavy heart that I stand here today to acknowledge the passing of our colleague and friend MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins. He embodied openness humility and strength. His life was a testament to the values of peace love and service—he embraced that wholeheartedly every day. He was fundamental in shaping the social and cultural landscape of any space that he was in.Fa'anānā Efeso Collins was a central pillar in his community. Born and raised in Ōtara he had humble beginnings in a religious family—the youngest of six children. He viewed the world as fundamentally full of grace and compassion. He understood the importance of collaboration and often referred to himself as the bridge between the Pacific Island community and the rest of New Zealand.Efeso often found himself encouraged by his community to step forward to inspire and advocate for them. From his time as a youth leader in the church all the way to Parliament he actively inspired change and collaboration for Pacific communities and around New Zealand. He was a man of action and improvement always making sure he took action when he saw the need. He was an advisor to the Minister of Education for Pasifika learning and to the Ministry of Social Development on Pasifika youth development. He wrote blog posts for the Daily Blog. He sometimes was found hosting segments on radio shows on Radio 531pi and Radio Samoa.Something Efeso and I had in common was our love for the work that local government does having both served Auckland Council. He saw the way local government could make a difference in people's lives and his focus always remained on serving the community. I was lucky enough to attend an event with Efeso just a few weeks before his passing. It was an event hosted by Local Government New Zealand where members of Parliament who had either served in local government or worked for local government had an opportunity to get together—out of the spotlight of politics and Parliament—to share our ideas our values and our aspirations for what local government could do for communities and New Zealanders. We shared pizza some of us drank a beer and we told some stories about all the things that we loved and some of the things we loathed about our time working in local government. It was a really special time and reminded me of all the good things we can do when we find ways to collaborate together in politics.When we left the event I looked at my watch and thought Excellent my taxi will be here in a minute. I will make it back before the end of the dinner break. I won't end up in trouble again." I said to Efeso "How are you getting back?" He said "I don't know." I said "Well you'd better jump in with me because you're new here and you don't know how dangerous being late back to the House can be." So that gave us another opportunity to have a chat and share some of the things that were important to each other. Efeso talked about his family how much he was missing his children and how much he looked forward to getting home at the end of the week in Wellington to spend time with them.Efeso wanted all New Zealanders to better understand the concerns and aspirations of his local community his friends and his family and those who supported him to be here as a member of Parliament. What I hope is that we can work together and continue to build those bridges and to form those friendships that underpin the best work that we do as members of Parliament. Efeso was a deeply religious man whose faith guided his life. He had the ability to listen to people's stories and connect with them in a way many politicians fall short. He had the beautiful ability to speak to his ever-changing perspectives on life as he learnt and he had spoken often about his own journey of understanding and empathy.As we mourn his passing together I hope we can uphold his legacy by encouraging the spirit of unity and sympathy that he exemplified. May we always strive to recognise the interconnectedness of our roles and the lives of those that we serve. In honouring his memory let us work together for a future where we feel compassion ensuring that his impact endures in the foundation of our shared history. Thank you Mr Speaker."