Lubeck MarjaMARJA LUBECK (Labour): Tēnā koe te Māngai o te Whare. Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity to take a call in the third reading of the Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill on such a wonderful day where we've have had a farewell and a welcome all in the space of a couple of hours.My colleague Kieran McAnulty talked about this member's bill just before the dinner break and he said this is a member's bill that actually makes sense. Reflecting on this—I didn't take part in select committee deliberations nor in previous debates but learning more about this bill and what it has gone through it is really clear that what this bill does is modernise out-of-date language so that it helps protect basic rights of Kiwis living with a disability and helps them keep free from discrimination—those that are relying on disability assist dogs.So as the 12th speaker in a third reading debate a lot of material has been said. But I think it's important that I sort of tie those trends together and talk a little bit about the history as well. So it starts then with the bill being drawn as a member's bill in the name of Ricardo Menéndez March. So congratulations Ricardo on having that bill drawn. The bill was subsequently introduced on 8 April 2021 completed its first reading and was then referred to the Social Services and Community Committee on 22 September 2021. I understand the select committee received a total of 75 submissions made up of 61 individuals and 14 form groups or organisations and they heard a total of 20 of these submissions orally as well.Now I should also of course acknowledge—like many others have as well—former Green MP Mojo Mathers who first submitted this bill to the ballot in December 2015. She has been thanked extensively and I will do this again on the record for her advocacy on the issues. I think it was Ricardo Menéndez March who said her continued contributions—sorry Jan Logie in her first reading speech ran us through the whakapapa of this bill. In her first reading speech she spoke about Mojo Mathers drafting up the bill and the previous speaker spoke about some of the history of that issue leading up to this bill being drafted.I'd like to repeat the words of Jan Logie because I think they say it really clearly. She said It's a pretty simple bill that will make a small but nevertheless tangible difference." She called it the perfect member's bill. So it's been clear from the debates that there is unanimous support for this bill. Of course as Labour we support this because it is absolutely in line with the positive change it makes according to our values. I've said this before but it is really important that we make sure that we protect the basic rights of disabled New Zealanders to be able to live their lives free from discrimination.So the bill makes that very simple but at the same time very effective change—as I mentioned before—to our human rights law to help ensure that it covers a much broader range of support dogs that assist disabled New Zealanders today. So currently as it is under the Human Rights Act disability is a prohibited grounds of discrimination and that includes reliance on a guide dog. But while the Human Rights Act at the moment makes specific reference to guide dogs it doesn't define guide dogs under the clauses that relate to discrimination against disabled people. So basically the term that the current legislation uses is too narrow and hence the fact that disabled New Zealanders—who are assisted by a much wider range of support dogs—need to have that reflected in the law; it's not just guide dogs alone. So the exact nature of the support that they're getting is diverse. It depends on the dog and the owner's need and we've heard plenty of examples of what that can relate to. The broad range goes from helping to alert Deaf people to sounds like fire alarms and doorbells helping people with epilepsy manage seizures retrieving objects for people in wheelchairs interrupting undesirable behaviour like self-harm and providing support for New Zealanders with impairments like autism or cerebral palsy. Disability dogs then significantly enhance the quality of life for those they help and they can support disabled people to live much more independent lives. In some cases as I've mentioned in the examples it can even save lives. So it is also important as we've heard from previous speakers that in that aspect these dogs are much more than a pet or a mutt as I think Jan Logie called it before. They play a very crucial role in these people's lives and are very trusted and loved companions. So then in short what this bill does is it amends the Human Rights Act 1993 by including the insertion—and it's only small but it states "disability assist dog has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Dog Control Act 1996". So that ensures that those who rely on the other kinds of disability assist dogs are afforded the protections that currently exist only for those who are relying on the assistance of guide dogs. The bill's explanatory note states that the intention of the change is to make it clear that discrimination against a person because of their disability assist dog is discrimination on the basis of disability. So this particular change that we're making here will help protect more Kiwis from discrimination under the Act. Now there were some particular issues mentioned in submissions—in particular around 20 submitters explicitly supported the term "disability assist dog" as a hugely useful expansion over "guide dog" but there were four submitters who expressed concern that people would falsely claim other dogs to be disability assist dogs. It's important to note that the change to the definition that this particular bill is making still sets a really high standard for a dog to meet to be included under the Human Rights Act. They must be certified by one of the eight organisations that have been mentioned several times in this House in previous debates. I don't intend to go through those eight organisations but it is clear that it must meet specific criteria in order to be certified. And just to reassure the people that have brought up this point in submissions it is not the case that any person will be able to claim that their animal is a disability assist dog just to try and get that kind of protection under the Act. I think that's an important point to make.A disability assist dog as it's set out in the Dog Control Act 1996 is a dog certified by those eight organisations that I won't go through again as being a dog trained to assist or as a dog who is in training to assist a person with a disability. That change is needed because disability assist dogs perform and as I said previously provide an invaluable service to many New Zealanders living with a disability who rely on the skills of their disability assist dogs to enable their participation in society on a daily basis. Now trained disability service dogs are able to perform a wide variety of skills depending on the particular disability of their owner and that can range from retrieving objects for people in wheelchairs and I think I mentioned before alerting those with a hearing loss to noises—alarm clocks or door bells fire alarms kitchen timers. So they are really important skills that could potentially save lives as well. These are just a few examples I've mentioned here in which disability assist dogs play a critical role in enabling many New Zealanders to fully participate in society and as I said before that purpose is quite different from the function of an everyday domestic animal or pet.I think lastly I just want to acknowledge those who submitted on this bill but also the Social Services and Community Committee superbly chaired by Angie Warren-Clark officials from the Ministry of Justice and we also have a special acknowledgment to the Office of the Clerk here in Parliament because they worked very carefully to ensure that accessibility for those that came to submit. I think it was a really important part of the process and very thoughtful for that committee to ensure that that was done in the way they did it.This bill is building a more inclusive and more accessible society for all people and I again commend it to the House. Thank you Madam Speaker.Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time."