Severin Toni; Kuriger BarbaraTONI SEVERIN (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker and congratulations on your ascension to that role there.Hon Member: That's right.TONI SEVERIN: Ha ha! The COVID-19 Public Health Response (Extension of Act and Reduction of Power) Amendment Bill—to me this is a bill of two halves or a tale of two halves; a good half and a bad half depending on where you look at it and from what perspective. Now ACT has been calling for COVID orders to be gone since October 2021. So we're very happy to see quite a few reductions of the powers. So that's fantastic but the extension—to still carry on through to May another two years; so 2025—it gets to me. We do need to be careful; however I think New Zealanders have grown immensely. You need to see how well people now behave when they are sick compared to only a few years ago where people would turn up at work sick. So I think most people are getting that message that they are adults and they do know how to behave—that we don't need to be told what to do. Most people now do wear masks when they feel sick or if people are visiting loved ones or friends that we know that are immunocompromised because nobody wants to get them sick. I think some people are even now wearing them even if they're not sick because they are afraid to pass anything on. From my previous background working in serology which dealt with quite a few infectious diseases—we've always had viruses and viruses have always been around. It's just how we learn to handle it. And I know COVID—yes it is a new virus; it's a new beast. However we have had other virus outbreaks that have caused much damage within New Zealand with measles outbreaks as well. So it's not just COVID that New Zealanders have to worry about. So the thing is that yes we do need to watch out for this but then again we also have bacteria that can cause a lot of damage as well like meningococcus; it's a bacteria. We do have vaccinations and if people choose to have been vaccinated that is great but again it's a choice for a lot of people. And as we've moved through these COVID orders we've also had viral drugs now arrive in New Zealand which help people.But with this bill as we're saying there's the tale of two halves—the likes of removing the powers of warrantless entry to private dwellings and marae. This is fantastic. Why should people be able to enter anyone's house? And yes I understood that it was because of health issues but still that's treating us like we don't understand the rules and to stay at home. Yes there's always going to be people out there that always break rules. But that to me was encroaching on people a little bit too much. Reducing the maximum penalties for infringement of criminal offences: now when you look through this bill I'll bring up later how high those penalties were you know for the average person especially now that we're in a cost of living—and even having them dropped and if they do come back into force that's a huge amount of money out of an average person's pay packet if they were fined.And then you also have—which makes most people really happy—the removal of managed isolation and quarantine. Now this was heartbreaking for a lot of New Zealanders and it caused a lot of anxiety of loved ones not being able to get back here during this time. So we applaud the good because that anxiety—I had family that had huge anxiety trying to come back to New Zealand for a job; they were 13 years away and I felt sorry for those that couldn't make it back for their loved ones that passed away. Now the bill retains some of the existing safeguards of the Act such as the prerequisites for the COVID-19 orders and the requirement that all COVID-19 orders be consistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Anything to do with New Zealand rights and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act; we have to give you guys a tick for that one as well. So this is it: I'm not just opposing all of it. There are some really good things in here that we're very very happy to see that have been removed. But as we're saying we have to start treating New Zealanders as adults. We have to make sure that they understand what it's going to be like to live in a world with viruses and also variants of COVID-19; the strains. By understanding and giving them the great examples of what is happening around the world and following the best practices that are occurring—because we are lagging behind the rest of the world with how COVID is progressing.So we can learn from that for hopefully when it comes back. But to have this for another two years on top from 2023 I think it's a little bit too long as well. So I think we could've dropped that back a little bit because I think that we should be seeing more information data probably by early next year. The biggest thing of all is that there are so many more questions and I think I'm going to leave it at this stage and wait for the second round because I've got three more rounds to go and if I use up all my information in the first round—Chris Penk: Ha ha! You haven't used any yet.TONI SEVERIN: I know you guys want to speak. So ACT cannot support this bill; we oppose it. ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Barbara Kuriger): Debbie Ngarewa-Packer—five minutes.