Allan KiritapuKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour): Mr Assistant Speaker thank you for the privilege of being able to speak on this member's bill the triangular employment bill. I will ensure that I bring the tone down to ensure a debate that is filled with decorum because for us on this side of the House we are the Labour Party because we genuinely believe in the right of all workers to be able to work with dignity to be able to operate in environments where they can show up—all of us can show up do our bit do our hard yards for our employer and that we have all of the rights that we on this side of the House have fought for for generations to ensure that the workplace environment is a safe environment for every single person that shows up.Now I note that there is this constant mantra over on the opposite side of the House that what is good for business is good for the economy. Now in my view what is good for hard-working New Zealanders is good and fundamental for New Zealand's economy in order for it to thrive. Now there doesn't have to be this oppositional tension between business and workers. What we see in a majority of environments is that where there is a good employer where they look after their workers where they ensure the dignity and fundamental rights of that worker well there's no problem. But that's not the case in all environments and that's why this side of the House is absolutely adamant that every single person has the right to be fully protected from the tyranny of any employment practice that undermines their ability to show up do their hard yards and walk away with a pay cheque.Before I turn to the substantive—and it's been mentioned before; I do really want to just applaud the work of Darien Fenton. She's been a lifelong advocate for workers up and down the country. The first time I ever met Darien Fenton was on the floor at AFFCO in Wairoa. She could not be a more diligent and passionate advocate for our labourers out there in electorates like mine in the East Coast where folks might not know the nuances of the Employment Relations Act (ERA) but you have people like Darien who day in day out strap on her boots to go and make sure that our workers are protected and I am absolutely in admiration of her.I too just want to acknowledge my colleague Kieran McAnulty who picked this bill up—and you've actually flown with it. The way that you've engaged with small business the way that you've engaged with unions the way that you have really tackled got to the heart of the issues which is why—and I'm glad that my colleague from across the House Mr Bidois just mentioned a submission that was originally filed by Max Whitehead from Whitehead Group Employment Solutions. Now they had some concerns about this piece of legislation when it was originally tabled. Well because of the hard work of my friend here Kieran McAnulty and others in the select committee going through the process listening to over 180 submissions—this side of the House wanted to make sure that that legislation that's going through struck a balance between ensuring that the rights of workers were protected and not hampering the ability of those good employers to play the role that they do. Now what Mr Max Whitehead wrote in December after the suggested amendments through the select committee were made: Hi Kieran"—he sent this by way of an email—"I'm going to make a short video saying how pleased I am with you for the fair process that you've engaged in." Now that is the type of feedback that this side of the House got from Business New Zealand got from labour hire companies up and down because we are concerned.Now labour hire companies play a critical role in the modern labour environment. Look we're not living back in a day gone by and we're acutely aware of that but what the ERA didn't do was ensure that where we are seeing more triangular employment relationships workers who work in these types of contracts—the original legislation didn't contemplate these in the same way that this bill does. So what it basically amongst other things ensures is that all workers have the right to take things that we all take for granted—the fundamental right to a personal grievance against the people that are in control of us all day every day. And that's not necessarily the hire company—thanks to them for getting us into the work—but it's the people that are controlling us. I applaud this legislation to the House. Good work mate."