Sio Hon Aupito WilliamHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Associate Minister of Justice) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: I move That the Family and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill be now read a second time. I've not been part of the discussion on this particular bill but for me and for this Government when we're talking about the Family—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: —and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm sorry to interrupt the member.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Madam Deputy Speaker this seems a little bit on the messy side. I wonder if you might explain to people who could be looking on who might want to understand just what has transpired here. You called the Hon Mark Mitchell after a period of silence from the Government. He began his speech at which point you interrupted him and made it clear that the process was that there should be a Government Minister moving the second reading. Now that has occurred but does it naturally follow on a second reading that a Government Minister then has a speech? It's normally the chair of the select committee that has the speech at that point.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Unfortunately Mr Brownlee in order to have something debated on the floor there does actually need to be a motion. So we did actually have to call on the Government to move the motion and only a Minister can move that motion. So I do regret having to interrupt the Hon Mark Mitchell but we did need a motion for him to debate. His turn will certainly come.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Madam Speaker—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Speaking further to the point of order?Hon Gerry Brownlee: Yeah I'm just wanting to be clear myself because I'm still learning about parliamentary process. It would appear then that the motion was not initially put after that period of silence because the Government didn't know what it was doing.Kiritapu Allan: Speaking to the point of order—DEPUTY SPEAKER: I don't need any further discussion on this. We now have a motion on the floor. The Hon Aupito William Sio is speaking to the bill at the second reading.Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker and I'm happy to make a contribution with regard to the Family and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill. This bill is about the Government position on preventing and eliminating family violence and is one of the greatest opportunities to improve New Zealanders' well-being. I'm going to allow my other colleagues to tackle the specific parts of the bill.Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at a Faith2Move mountain conference. The first time it was held it was organised by Affirming Works. At this conference the Pacific communities had brought together a number of church ministers to look at what the Pacific community does about eliminating family violence and in particular looking at how we go about eliminating sexual violence. It is the feeling and the belief of all New Zealanders that until we eliminate family violence eliminate sexual violence in our families and in our communities we are not going to be in a position to realise the fullest potential of this country of ours and in particular provide opportunities for the next generation to achieve greater well-being than they have ever had.One of the issues that I've been determined to raise with Pacific peoples and that has been raised from time to time in my ongoing engagement with Pacific peoples throughout New Zealand's regions is that this is an area that many are afraid to talk about openly because often it involves family members. Often both the offender and the victim are members of our family. For far too long—and this is the voice certainly that is coming from our young people who often find themselves in situations where they are disassociated from families and their communities. We have one of the highest suicide rates. That is nothing to brag about but they're just hard truths that this bill attempts to address.We often find ourselves as members of the Pacific community feeling that we disassociate ourselves when we're talking about family violence and sexual abuse in the family because of the shame that comes upon us when we're talking about family members. I've asked and will continue to ask Pacific communities throughout New Zealand at all levels of our Pacific infrastructures and social structures to provide the leadership that is necessary to enable the next generation of Pacific peoples in New Zealand to be able to achieve their fullest potential as contributors to New Zealand's economy at all levels.I have found that our Pacific communities have to move on from this space of feeling the whakamā as would be the word in Māori o le mā in Samoan or basically just feeling a sense of shame to talk about these things. But until our communities confront these issues head on until we recognise the harm that it causes our family members—our young people in particular and our mothers our sisters our aunts. Until we confront these head on until we recognise the harm that it causes we're not in a position to be able to be receptive to the works that many many organisations are involved with at the moment—namely Affirming Works Le Va the work that Pasefika Proud are leading. These—Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. We are debating the Family and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill in the second reading after the Justice Committee has given this bill extensive consideration. The Minister has spoken for almost five minutes without any reference to the bill or any reference to the select committee report on the bill and is out of order.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes I do understand the point of order and I will say to the Minister speaking that the second reading is a really important part of the process whereby the recommendations from the select committee from the work that has been done in the select committee are actually accepted by the House. Therefore during his speech he does have to make some reference to the select committee and the changes they have made the recommendations they are making in order for the second reading to then accept the work that the committee has done. So whilst he is making comments on the wider aspects of family violence I do ask him at this stage if he would come to at least make reference to the work that the select committee has done so that the House can then debate whether to accept those recommendations or not.Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO: The point I was making in making the general reference is that in the Pacific communities this is a particular issue that is of concern to me. I have said in the opportunities that I've had to speak directly with the Pacific community that we need to take on board the thrust that this bill is now bringing forward.So I make reference now to the specific amendments of this bill. The Supplementary Order Papers that will be introduced at the committee of the whole House ensure that victims have enough time and protection to seek support services they need to better identify family violence offending and to recognise the evolving status of society's understanding of family violence—who it affects and how. The definition of family violence is being clarified and new offences introduced. A better recognition of the situation in which family violence can occur is also reflected in the Supplementary Order Papers—modernising the Domestic Violence Act by updating the structure and language.While that is important and while the work of the select committee is to be commended and certainly will guide the debate here and in the committee of the whole House in terms of protection orders applied for by a child—and I make reference also to the programmes and the prescribed services and orders relating to property—many of the details of this bill will go over the head of many communities. I made reference specifically to the Pacific community because of my own responsibility in the portfolio that I hold. I see this as a matter that I called on Pacific communities for that we have to be the authors of our own solution within the frameworks of this particular bill.I don't want to take too much time off the House but simply I say that the statistics that this bill attempts to address speak for themselves. One in three Kiwi women experience physical or sexual violence from a partner in their lifetime. More than a quarter of our country's children have witnessed family violence. Between 2009 and 2015 194 New Zealanders were killed as a result of family violence. Whilst this bill provides some of the answers ultimately the answers lie in our communities because it will be our communities our families and our leaders at all levels who must pick up the mantle of what this bill produces and implement it.I make reference also to the difficulty of some communities particularly my own where violence and sexual abuse in the families is a thing that is often kept in the dark because of the shame it brings. And yes we might feel confident in supporting everything that is in this bill and saying that this is going to be the solution but I want to say to this House that this is only the start of the process. The real solution is when minds are changed. The real solution is when people recognise that there is a wrong being committed. The real solution is for all of us to do our part not necessarily to rely on this House and the solutions that this House comes up with by legislation. But the real solutions lie when we're able to change the mind-set of communities that are often bound by cultural norms and will not allow them to see the darkness and the harm that are often caused. So without further ado I commend this bill to the House.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call the Hon Mark Mitchell and you have the full 10 minutes.