Twyford PhilHon PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū): Why hasn't the Government issued a special humanitarian visa for the families of Palestinian New Zealanders who are stuck in the war zone in Gaza after Israel has killed 40000 civilians and displaced 1.9 million people from their homes in Gaza?Now in times of war and crisis New Zealand has always tried to do the right thing and offer a safe haven so people can escape danger. Remember the 800 Polish refugees—733 of them children—who arrived in Wellington here in 1944 having fled wartime Europe. In the 1970s we gave a home and a haven to the refugees from Pol Pot's genocide in Cambodia. Our Government resettled 1700 Afghans who escaped the Taliban in 2021 and we issued a special humanitarian visa for the families of Ukrainian Kiwis who were able to flee Russia's invasion and make a home in New Zealand and shelter from the war.But all year the Palestinian community in New Zealand has been begging this Government to do the right thing and allow their family members the chance to take shelter in New Zealand. Is it any wonder? We can see on our screens every day the carnage the destruction the mass starvation and the slaughter of civilians. Israel has reduced Gaza to a pile of rubble. Is there anyone in this House who cannot understand why Palestinian New Zealanders are desperately asking for the right to have their family members take shelter here?And the Government's response is an embarrassing silence and some feeble excuses. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said that Issuing special visas would merely give Palestinian New Zealanders false hope as they could not leave Gaza." Now that's not only patronising but it's wrong. Actually while travel outside of Gaza is difficult having a visa makes a difference. It can facilitate the approval from the Israeli authorities and there are other ways out. I know a case of four young children orphaned in Gaza who used a private firm to cross into Egypt and they simply need visas now so they can come and join their relatives in New Zealand. If they go back to Gaza they could well be killed.The Government needs not only to issue a special humanitarian visa for Gaza; it needs to use all of the diplomatic channels at its disposal to get Israel to allow those people to cross the border at Rafah into Egypt. Private sector firms have been charging huge amounts of money to get people out of Gaza and into Egypt so we know it's possible.These people are facing unimaginable horrors. The Government could help them to safety but it is choosing not to. Erica Stanford's explanation that she took this issue to Cabinet and Cabinet decided not to create a special visa suggests that it was rejected on political grounds and I think the Minister owes this House and the public an explanation of what the reasons were. Why did her Cabinet colleagues not support a special visa?For this Government doing the right thing somehow is too hard and too complicated but not for others. Canada allocated 5000 special visas to the people of Gaza. Australia has allocated more than 2800 visas to people so they can get out of Gaza and go to Australia and already more than 1200 of those people have arrived in Australia. If they can do it why can't New Zealand?And I say to the Government—I say to the Government—listen to the cries of the Palestinian community in New Zealand do the Kiwi thing and give these people a lifeline. Issue a special visa for the families of Palestinian Kiwis desperately trying to escape the war zone and make every diplomatic effort to help those people come to safety in New Zealand."