Chhour KarenKAREN CHHOUR (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's an honour to be able to stand here today and address the many issues that this country is facing right now because like it or not there is more going on right now than just COVID. I recall multiple occasions of the Prime Minister standing up and giving the impression that child poverty and New Zealanders' wellbeing were her number one priority. I struggled to find an area where this has improved in reality. We hear and see statistics that sound good but is this a real reflection of what's happening outside the walls of Wellington? So while the Prime Minister and her team sit across from me today patting themselves on the back and celebrating like they've won the war in the real world our children and our people are telling a different story. Well Prime Minister there is nothing to celebrate when we have record numbers of families living in motels cars and on their friends' couches—if they're lucky enough to get this help. For others they're not so lucky and we see this playing out in the form of our people sleeping rough in our city streets. Prime Minister there is nothing to celebrate when we have people waiting record times just to be placed in a stable home. The wait was around 54 days in 2016-17. It is now on average 168 days to house a client. These are families often with children who feel scared and frightened and feel that there is no light at the end of this dark tunnel. There is nothing to celebrate when we have gone from having 5844 people on our housing waiting list to now 24546. Prime Minister there is nothing to celebrate when we have record numbers of families lining up at charities because they can't feed themselves or their children. Since when are we a country that tolerates mothers and fathers having to choose who eats at night because there's not enough food to go around? All of these issues I have mentioned have come under a Labour Government who prides themselves on being kind. This Government has made assurances that they will fix our broken system when it comes to the safety of our most vulnerable children. Well Prime Minister what have you and your Government actually achieved except for another four-year plan to replace the old four-year plan that puts more effort into abiding by the Treaty than focusing on the wellbeing of the children themselves? Surely all our children deserve to feel safe and loved and loved" to me means the same thing in any language. Don't get me wrong culture is a bonus. I'm proud of my culture and I'm proud of who I am but the safety and security of our children should always come first. I have witnessed the heartache and distress of families that have turned their lives upside down to take in children in need. These people have not only provided a home for these children but they have loved them as if they were their own. Then out of nowhere they are now being told they are not fit to raise these kids. Were they neglecting these kids? Were they starving them or beating them? No. The reason was they could not raise them culturally appropriately. This should never happen and this needs to stop.I've been asked by non-Māori mothers with Māori children how long will it be before they are told they are not good enough to raise their own children? I know that this may seem extreme but when you hear things in the public and statements made questioning whether non-Māori should raise Māori children surely we can understand why this has become a real and alarming situation for the parents asking this question. It is high time that this Government stops the lip service and actually creates policies that help the people they're meant to represent. ACT is listening and will continue each and every day to hold this Government to account.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): I call Toni Severin—five minutes."