Pugh MaureenMAUREEN PUGH (National—West Coast-Tasman): Thank you very much Mr Speaker and I've got to say this feels like a very strange vantage point to be speaking from in the House today. Today I want to focus on some of the great things that are happening in West Coast - Tasman and as the newly elected electorate MP for West Coast – Tasman and formerly a list MP based there I know it's been tough. It's been tough for many communities as they've had to deal with the torrent of unpopular and damaging Government policy. On top of the consequences in the aftermath of closed borders which has left New Zealand with massive supply chain issues and massive staffing challenges the cost of living has gone through the roof and it's being fuelled largely by domestic inflation and many businesses are struggling to climb out of that hole. But never fear: our new Government is here. Common sense is back and we're going to get the economy thriving again—back on track as we say. Hon Member: Tax cuts that are inflationary. MAUREEN PUGH: There's now—we know it and we understand fully. There is no one silver bullet so we're going to use every opportunity we can to create economic gains and we will do that in a small way by using my member's bill as an example. It just makes another demonstration of economic common sense and that's my member's bill which has gone into the ballot today: the Adverse Weather-affected Timber Recovery on Conservation Lands Bill which will enable the Director-General of Conservation to decide on the harvesting of parts of trees irreversibly damaged in weather events. Now this system was extremely well tested after Cyclone Gita when some temporary legislation went in place but it only lasted five years. This bill will give a permanent arrangement in legislation to enable the director-general to make those decisions about harvesting trees that come down in adverse events. This is how we on the Coast can make the best of a bad situation. It is a bit of a silver lining but what we want to do is create an economic benefit from an adverse event helping to build the New Zealand economy. Even as we speak we may be testing this theory because the West Coast is currently experiencing a severe weather event. We're no stranger to them—we know that—and we do understand that damage does get done but if we can extract some economic benefit then we should and I'd like to take this opportunity to give a big shout out to Mayor Helen Lash the emergency management teams civil defence police NZTA and all the volunteers and community groups that mobilise during these severe events. Unfortunately they're very well practised but they do work closely to keep the roads and the businesses open and they have done exactly that. The West Coast is still open for business even though there is an orange weather alert coupled with king tides but they want to make sure that everyone still understands that 300 millilitres of rain does not shut the Coast down.One of the most effective things a Government can do is give people hope and hope is now what we have in abundance in West Coast - Tasman. Much of that hope comes from the proudly proclaimed support for the mineral sector. With growing demand for minerals we on the West Coast are home to an abundance and it makes good common economic sense to reap the benefits of those minerals. I am unashamedly in support of the mining sector and if we want to use an example of how well the mineral sector supports a country we only need to look across the Tasman to see Australia and how they have benefited. They navigated the global financial crisis well because they have a mineral sector that backs their country. It enables them to do things like invest in their schools their hospitals and their social services to make sure that they maintain their standard of living. If we're going to unlock the economic potential of New Zealand we have to unlock the door to minerals and that is exactly what this Government is doing. Mining is essential if we're going to enjoy our modern lifestyle and that is why this Government has introduced the Fast-track Approvals Bill. We've got to get this country moving. We've got to unlock the potential that we've got. The people on the West Coast have a skip in their step.