Faafoi KrisHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media): Before I start rubbishing everything that Simeon Brown the previous speaker said can I just congratulate him on becoming a new father recently. It's a big thing for a member of Parliament to take on while you're sitting so the very best wishes to you and for fatherhood. I would like to talk numbers. I know they don't want to talk numbers over there. There are some numbers over there that they don't like and there are some numbers probably being done over there that they don't like either. But I would like to talk about some numbers that are important to our Government and what we have achieved in our 18 months in Government. The first numbers I want to talk about are $17.70 200000 and $48 a week because they are the numbers that will matter to those who are on the lowest incomes in New Zealand. On 1 April the minimum wage went to $17.70. That affects 200000 New Zealanders and that will see for a single person their pay before tax go up nearly $50 a week. Now they are numbers but the difference that that will make to some of our lowest-earning New Zealanders is huge. It will mean that the ability to put some food on the table will be easier for those families. It will mean the ability to pay bills like power is easier for those families. It will mean that if rents are harder to deal with then they will be able to deal with those issues as well. Some might be able to save for the first time. As a member of this Government who has even more aspirations to lift the minimum wage I am extremely proud of those numbers. The second number I would like to speak about is $130 per month because that's what people who are eligible for the winter energy payment are benefiting from as a result of this Government—$130 a month with the express purpose from the Government to ensure that those families are safe and warm in their houses. For far too long we have heard stories of the elderly and of beneficiaries who have made the choice not to turn on heaters because they can't afford to do that. Their families have gone cold. Their houses have become damp as a result their families get sick as a result and the ability for those families who are on low incomes and for superannuitants to be able to not worry about that cost and to know that the Government is backing them to make sure that they have the simple thing of keeping warm is also something that I am extremely proud of. Can I give a hat tip to my Green colleague who is also from Mana—Jan Logie—because her bill for greater support for the victims of domestic violence means another number coming up which is that workers will now be eligible for 10 days' domestic violence leave that wasn't there before. I think that is one of the most humane things that this House has done in the last 18 months—to ensure that those people who are victims of domestic violence can have that time to make sure that they can look after themselves if they have had an episode of domestic violence. So can I take my hat off to Jan Logie for progressing that piece of legislation through.Also another hat tip to my colleague the Hon Dr Megan Woods who I think is gallivanting around Europe on behalf of the Government at the moment because also on 1 April the R & D tax credits that she has introduced a $1 billion investment from this Government have come in to force to ensure there is innovation and to ensure that those businesses who do want to invest more in innovation grow their businesses and therefore grow the economy have access to more support.Can I also give a hat tip to my colleague the Hon Stuart Nash because his work in and around a taxation bill now means that New Zealanders have more options in terms of contributions for their KiwiSaver. So the numbers we're talking here now are that they can have contribution rates of 6 and 10 per cent as opposed to the limited amount of rates that they had before that. Those numbers I think and that ability to invest more and have more options in your KiwiSaver I think is a good thing. On 1 April too superannuitants and veterans had their contributions go up by 2.6 percent and I think again that is another example of this Government and the numbers backing up the compassionate way we are making sure that the most vulnerable in our community are looked after. I'm extremely proud of those things that happened on 1 April. It's ensuring that those New Zealanders who are cold and have been cold and have taken that choice to not turn the heater on can now do a simple thing of turn the heater on because they've got enough money to pay their electricity bills. That means those people who are on the lowest of wages now can have a little bit more in their pay packets to make sure they can pay the rent they can get more food on the table they can simply pay the power bill to support their families. For businesses who want to innovate they are going to have more support from this Government through the likes of the R & D tax credit. On 1 April a lot of those things came into force and on this side of the House we have been delivering and we will continue to deliver for Kiwis. Again in health housing and education whether it's keeping people warm whether it's giving them enough money to buy food and pay the rent we're extremely proud of those efforts and you can expect more about hard work and delivery of results for New Zealand over the next 18 months.