Shaw JamesHon JAMES SHAW (Minister for Climate Change): Thank you Mr Speaker. The former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt said that everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist; everything we do after a pandemic will seem inadequate. We here all agree that the scale of what we face right now is unlike anything that we have seen in living memory. Overcoming it is now our common purpose. So on behalf of Marama Davidson and the Green Party I'd like to start by endorsing the statement made by the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern.Most of us I'm sure remember the people that walked alongside us looked out for us and cared for us at different moments in our lives. Well from today every one of us can do that for every one of us. Most people will know by now that tonight we move together as a nation to alert level 4. That means everything we do from now onwards we're doing to protect the people we know and love and those that we don't.The New Zealanders at home today preparing themselves and their families for the weeks ahead will occupy a unique place in our nation's history. It's the moment when every one of us—as parents as friends as New Zealanders—makes clear just what it is that we value above all else. It is a moment that generations of students and scholars will study to find out what it says about how we as New Zealanders cared for one another and the actions that we were willing to take to care for everyone. Let's ensure that they tell the story of a nation whose people knew that together by following simple rules and taking simple actions they could protect others and shape the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.Like everyone who works in this place I came here to work for change and to build a better future for the generations that follow us. I never would have thought that I would stand here today and say that the best way to make that happen is to temporarily suspend politics as usual. But it is—it is the right thing to do for the health and the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. The step that we have taken today though extraordinary is in keeping with what New Zealanders sent us here to do: to protect their wellbeing to keep them safe and to provide support for those who need it the most.When this Government walked through the door two and a half years ago we said that we would go to work for the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. Over the last few weeks the crisis of COVID-19 has challenged us like nothing that we could have imagined. From the outset we have been absolutely clear about the need for quick decisive and comprehensive action. Any further delay would have been deadly. What we have seen around the world shows how lives are lost or saved depending on a Government's ability to understand risk and its propensity to act for the common good. We have been clear about the risk. We've acted rapidly to contain it and put in place a range of compassionate measures to support those most affected.Declaring a national emergency is the necessary next step for keeping New Zealanders safe. We can now reassure people up and down the country that all our resources will be directed at efforts to solve this and to get back to normal as quickly as possible.I'd like to take the opportunity whilst I can to commend the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance for their extraordinary leadership in this extraordinary time. In two and a half years the Prime Minister has been tested like no other in living memory—and each time she has responded with absolute clarity and with compassion. She has reassured her nation that we were ready to do what it takes even before this global crisis found its way to our shores. Thousands of lives will be saved as a result of the decisions that she has made.I'd also like to acknowledge the words of the Leader of the Opposition. The Opposition has an extremely important job in the coming weeks: to keep an essential part of our democracy going and to make sure the voices of all New Zealanders are heard when they look at whether the Government is getting its response right and how to improve it.Like others some of the most important people in my life—my friends my colleagues and my family—are amongst those most at risk. Like every New Zealander there are people in my life who I love who are elderly. I took great pleasure recently in telling my mother that she's grounded. I have colleagues who come to work and dedicate themselves to improving the lives of others whilst managing their own compromised immune systems. I have friends who live their lives with long-term medical conditions. Never before have my conversations with these people needed to start by making sure that they have not left their home and that they have what they need to get through a period of physical isolation. Never before have I had to say to them that if we are going to laugh together celebrate and comfort each other in the future then they must not be in physical contact with others. Over the last week or two thousands of New Zealanders would have been having the exact same conversations with those closest to them which is why above all else I would like to thank those who are working together in a safe and responsible way to support those most in need. Our nurses pharmacists doctors midwives paramedics medical laboratory scientists kaiāwhina workers social workers aged care and community workers and caregivers more generally our police officers customs officials people providing emergency housing for others our food suppliers and delivery drivers supermarket staff and dairy owners: thank you. Thank you to every one of you for being there for us when we needed it the most.But the truth is though on the front line those are not the only people who are keeping us safe and well. Businesses up and down the country are taking incredible steps to make sure that their staff and their whānau are safe and cared for because work goes on even if there are a few more children and pets in the video conferences we're holding.We will beat this thing because of countless actions taken by all New Zealanders: people staying at home shopping normally and washing their hands. It is these actions that together will make the difference. New Zealanders can be the real leaders here by sticking to the rules that the Government has set and looking out for one another.I trust the compassion and the thoughtfulness of New Zealanders to do the right thing. We are a nation of historical spiritual and cultural connection; of stories that cross thousands of miles and span centuries of history. We are a kind compassionate nation that wants a better future not just for ourselves but for all people. We're a nation that understands that even though we may each tell a different story about who we are or where we came from we all want the same thing: a better future for our children and for our grandchildren. We often talk about this better future as something that we need to work towards over long periods of time but today if we just follow the rules our better future can be a matter of weeks or months away. So to everyone: keep well look out for each other and keep your distance physically but not as human beings. Call people. Connect with friends online. Message your colleagues to make sure that they're OK because now more than ever we need each other. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.