Reti ShaneDr SHANE RETI (National): Thank you Madam Chair. I rise to speak to Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 160 on behalf of the National Party which puts a flag in the sand for rural communities under clause 7 and challenges this Labour Government to vote it down today. I'm speaking today on behalf of the 194 rural practices serving 728154 rural people across rural zones 1 2 and 3 and we seek to have their voices recognised in this bill. Locally I challenge the local Labour MP to vote down this bill and failure to offer protection to important rural communities—such as Hikurangi Maungatapere Waipū Langs Beach Ruakākā Parua Bay Matapōuri Tūtūkākā and Whangārei Heads—and to vote this down would be to say that you just don't get it and you just don't care. This SOP requires the bill to ensure that rural communities have three things and we've placed it high up in the bill in amongst the principles attendant to clause 7. The first is we require rural communities to have access to services in proportion to their health needs. The health needs of rural communities are high end and unique. Access distance communication and workforce are all magnified in rural communities. I've been privileged to be a GP in rural communities such as Rawene and Dargaville where you travel long distances for home visits—there were no x-rays or laboratory services at night—where you were the only one doing after-hours at some distance to a main hospital where you get up to road accidents at midnight on Te Kōpuru Hill not because you're on duty but because you're part of a rural community—it is what you do. More recently I've vaccinated in rural communities.Rural health is different and needs to be recognised and futureproofed in this bill. The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network said this after the second reading of the bill: The Minister was unwilling to define rural communities as a priority population in the legislation. It was further galling to see the Minister interviewed on TV3's Newshub and asked to comment on the fact that rural-health professionals were concerned that they were not identified in the draft legislation the Minister commenting that the problem with rural practice is that they are old-fashioned business models that don't work anymore. That disrespects rural practices."Parts 2 and 3 of my SOP demand equitable services to achieve equitable outcomes. National in health wants to talk the language of outcomes not the language of bureaucracy. We understand the unique needs of rural communities. The strategic priorities for rural-health providers are: (1) to improve rural Māori health outcomes; and (2) to grow the rural-health workforce from within the heart of rural New Zealand. And the three principles in our SOP serve all those agendas. I note today that late in the piece an SOP has appeared on the table from the Minister that seeks to recognise—surprise surprise—a rural-health strategy in amongst I believe clause 40A—very late in the piece on the day. I think he's recognised the pain from rural communities in excluding them and having them invisible in this bill.This SOP and the National Party recognise the 194 rural practices serving those 728154 patients and we say "We hear your voice. We want to hear that voice in this bill." And we challenge the Government to vote down this SOP. Thank you."