Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Interesting to note and to see a sliver a tiny little ray of positivity coming from across the other side of the House. It was like squeezing blood out of a stone. So to the member who has just resumed his seat Simon O'Connor we acknowledge that acknowledgment that the Budget is providing a greatly needed focus—the lens is certainly focused on mental health in this Budget. Budget 2019 the 2019 Wellbeing Budget is a historic Budget. It is basically a representation of a change in our mentality. It's a change in the way we understand what our economy is for. Our economy is for the benefit of the people and the environment and this is what Budget 2019 does. We are focusing on a major issue in this country. We went into the election at 2017 understanding and recognising that mental health crisis in New Zealand must be addressed. In fact New Zealand First in 2017—at our conference leading into the election campaign our keynote speaker was none other than the renowned mental health advocate Mike King. We understood the focus and the importance and the work that he did. He did receive an honour at the Queen's Birthday awards for the work he is doing as an advocate in this space. So I'd like to acknowledge him most definitely. There is $1.9 million in this Budget towards mental health. Firstly the coalition agreement that we struck was to restore the Mental Health Commission so we're very pleased to see that this will now come into effect—it will be re-established. It was in 2012 that the National Party disestablished the Mental Health Commission so particularly with this Government we are very pleased to see the commission back in action. We are turning up the dial on how people can access mental health services. This is really important to be able to easily effectively access the mental health services that individuals need. Those who have got mild to medium mental health issues will be able to access these services wraparound services for them. We are also providing through Budget 2019 an opportunity to deliver kaupapa Māori services. This is really important that it's by Māori for Māori so that our people our whānau who are suffering have the access to the services not just for those who are suffering mental health issues but also too for those families the whānau who are in stress as well and who have to support our people with mental health issues—they will have the support wrapped around them too. I note Minister Kelvin Davis in his announcement of $128.3 million improving mental health services inside prisons. This is a vital piece of work that needs to be done to get lives back on track—2310 lives will be turned around with this funding that goes into mental health services inside prisons—but also too the whānau are affected by those inside prisons. Where there are mental health issues for those people in prison often there are also mental health issues for the whānau so this wraparound will help them to work through their mental health challenges. Budget 2019 as I mentioned is in fact a historic Budget. We are looking at people being at the heart of this Budget and that is kind of quite a bit different the concept of that. It's not about the big end of town. We're not just rolling out benefits for the big end of town; we're actually looking at the people and what they need and require to have well-meaning lives and to thrive and prosper. Hospital funding—that is receiving over two years $1.7 billion; over five years it's $2.9 billion. This is a massive capital investment. Dunedin Hospital: the funding will be ring-fenced to restore that facility. We are a Government that is investing back into this vital infrastructure. District health boards around the country are very pleased with what is happening there. Under the previous Government there was a lack of infrastructure funding; it ultimately resulted in faecal matter oozing down the walls. We're here now to fix that up and get these hospitals functioning with this capital investment. New Zealand First is also really pleased about how we've been able to relieve the immediate pressure for the ambulance services—$21 million over the next two years will ensure the service of the ambulance is going to enable them to carry on doing the incredible work that they do when they're called upon and that is increasingly as people need their services. So that was something New Zealand First in particular are very pleased about and I note my colleague Darroch Ball who had been working in that space alongside our leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters. So we're very pleased about the funding from the Budget for the ambulances. Health obviously is a big particular area but also too there are a couple of areas that I'd like to focus on now. I acknowledge—and I mentioned him before—the Hon Kelvin Davis in his corrections space but also too something that has affected my family particularly my uncle Pāpā Manuera Tohu QSM. Now he was a trustee of Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust. Previously the Kōhanga Reo National Trust who are responsible for the critical role of the survival and the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori our language were unable to even get a meeting. The trustees were unable to get a meeting with the previous Minister. They sat outside her office in the Beehive. They waited and waited. They sat through many meetings but would that Minister even see them the kaumātua and the kuia of the Kōhanga Reo National Trust? No she did not. She ignored them. In fact she walked right past them as they were sat outside her office and off she went without even looking them in the eye. However this Minister the Hon Kelvin Davis has planted $32 million into Te Kōhanga Reo to ensure that these organisations which are protecting our reo which is a taonga of New Zealand—to ensure that those that are working inside kōhanga reo will be paid particularly those that are volunteers. They will lift the wages with that $32 million. It will restore the ICT capacity and the many buildings that need repairs. So my uncle Pāpā Manuera Tohu would say to me Could you please thank Kelvin for the work he has done in ensuring funding and security for Te Kohanga Reo National Trust?" My Uncle Frank is 91 years old and he's just started learning Te Reo Māori. Incredible—91 years old. That is absolutely fantastic. Frank King—he lives up in Cable Bay. Earlier this year at our urupā cleaning in Utakura in the Hokianga he came down and was very very proud to say that he'd just started learning Te Reo Māori. This Government would like to see 1 million speakers of Te Reo Māori by 2040. Now I don't know if Uncle Frank's actually going to be still alive—he'll be 100 or 111 by then. However no matter what the age of anyone in New Zealand you could learn Te Reo Māori and Uncle Frank is an example of that. What I'd like to acknowledge is the Hon Nanaia Mahuta the Minister for Māori Development and the $14 million which has been put into Māori broadcasting to help reach that goal of having 1 million New Zealanders being able to speak basic Te Reo Māori. What we would like to see is not just a focus on our young people our rangatahi learning but also too the likes of Uncle Frank at 91 years old—reaching out through our Māori broadcasting spaces whether it's iwi radio Māori Television or digital content online so that we are able to help people learn our language Te Reo Māori. Another very small way that this Budget is going to make a difference is $20.8 million that is going to research and find solutions to stop kauri dieback. Kauri are our taonga species in our ngahere in our bush. If we do not ensure the survival of kauri then who are we as New Zealanders if we lose our taonga species? I'm very pleased to see $20.8 million will be invested in further research into kauri dieback. We've had a whole lot more bush and tracks around the Auckland region and up into the Rodney region as well closed over the last month or so because of the spread of this deadly pathogen which is killing the kauri. So I'd like to acknowledge that not only are we looking after our people where our people are at the heart of this Wellbeing Budget but also we're taking care of the environment. So I commend this Budget to the House."