Patterson MarkHon MARK PATTERSON (Minister for Rural Communities): Thank you. Just on behalf of New Zealand First I would also like to follow up on the words of Peeni Henare in passing on New Zealand First's condolences for Efeso Collins' family particularly his wife and two young daughters—what an absolute tragedy—and to our colleagues in the Green Party.I'd also like to—possibly not to converge the two—mention the situation yesterday with the Newshub staff those 300 employees and particularly the press gallery here who coexist in this strange ecosystem. We're all feeling for you as well. It is a foreboding day for our democracy. It is one of the reasons why New Zealand First has always been sceptical about foreign ownership of key strategic assets. We see Warner Bros. Discovery ruthlessly lopping off a key limb of our fourth estate without a second thought—it's so disappointing indeed and a blow to our democracy. So New Zealand First won't have the wool pulled over its eyes; we will always be vigilant to what is in the national interest.But we will find wool is back in Government buildings. New Zealand First in our coalition agreement with National are proud to have secured that and reversed that travesty. There will be no repeat of the shameful situation where rural schools had been forced to put in synthetic carpets—in a kick in the guts to the farmers that send their children to school there and to those rural communities that rely on that wonderful fibre. It has been a sad demise of this proud legacy industry. New Zealand was literally built off the sheep's back. It is a wonderful natural sustainable fibre. Fortunately the cavalry has arrived with this Government. We are going to take this industry very seriously. I'm very honoured—within my rural communities portfolio and as Associate Minister of Agriculture—to have a delegation for wool.I'm pleased to report that I've been out and about around stakeholders all around the country actually—the manufacturers particularly. It's very encouraging to see an incredible amount of innovation going on in a number of areas in fabrics. Carpets obviously are making a comeback—wool carpets as people look to more sustainable fibres. Some incredible stuff is being used around acoustics. They're actually now using wool and 3D printing products—it is quite extraordinary to see. So we will be working with the industry to help return that international demand as well as our local demand—and being led by the Government with that wool in Government buildings policies.Myself and the Hon Todd McClay have announced that during April we will be going round the country to wool sheds up and down New Zealand to engage with farmers to seek their feedback as we look to rally this rather disparate industry where farming leadership has got a little bit fragmented. We're looking to help to pull that together but we want to take farmers with it. We've learnt the lessons from the previous Government: you cannot impose central control. So we want to hear what they're saying; we want to communicate what we're seeing. Together along with the industry along with our work in the trade space we are going to bring this wonderful fibre back contributing to the New Zealand economy contributing to our rural communities and our farmers.So I'd like to pick up also on the point that Carl Bates made in his speech. What I have been absolutely overwhelmed by—and I know that members on this side of the House up and down the country are feeling it—is the wave of sentiment behind us out there in rural and regional New Zealand. They are pleased to have a Government that understands what they're about what their key drivers are how to deal with them and how to engage with them. They are so pleased and it has been a weight off their back. We have been really concerned about the mental health of our farmers and our rural communities and I know that this is only one small aspect of it but it is an important component that they have confidence in their Government and that the Government understands their issues.So it's great to have the adults in the room. It's great for us in New Zealand First to be in this coalition—back in Parliament back contributing and we look forward to getting New Zealand back on track.