Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a proud moment for me to speak in support of Budget 2020 in this Appropriation (2020/21 Estimates) Bill. I want to address the member who just resumed his seat the Rt Hon David Carter. He claimed that this Government never went hard and we didn't go early. Well that flies in the face of the team of 5 million Kiwis up and down this country who for the past three months have rallied together as a nation communities all of us to keep out COVID-19 and to protect our communities protect our nation and to ensure that we are able to bounce back. But we had to keep COVID-19 at bay and I want to acknowledge our outstanding leadership from our coalition Government under the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and the Cabinet for the incredibly credible decisive action that they've taken throughout this whole episode. It's been a one-in-100 year shock a one-in-100 year global shock to our society and our economy and you know we have lived through it.I do want to acknowledge the whole nation all of our whānau up and down the whole motu who have kept COVID-19 out and we have the proof—we have the proof. We haven't had any cases for some 12 days now. We have come through the most severe restriction level—level 4—and all going well level 1 will be beckoning soon and we've done that all together. Underpinning it all has been the decisiveness and the economic decisions that our Cabinet has made through this Budget. And right from the get-go right from when this COVID-19 hit we responded through wage subsidies through targeted support for our small businesses. We needed to cushion that blow. We've had many supports right through our key infrastructure whether it's through our health system right across the board and now we're continuing that with a focus on jobs and infrastructure and our environment through this Budget. So that is continuing with strong investments whether it's in our training and apprenticeships which are most desperately needed. We know that our tourism industry has been greatly impacted by COVID. I know. I've travelled around my electorate since we've been in level 2 right from Blenheim all the way down south all the way to Queenstown. I've spoken to business owners. They are actually very appreciative of the decisive measures that our Government has taken. They have utilised the measures such as wage subsidies and other supports that have been made available to them. They're very grateful for that. They know that it's been tough times but they're also very grateful that we have kept COVID at bay. One just has to look at the devastation that's wreaking havoc around the whole world. The last thing we need as a nation is for a second wave of COVID to come and invade our shores and for us to go back. And that's what we're not doing. That's why I want to acknowledge our Government—the wise decisions that they've made weighing up so many difficult decisions the risks that are out there. We have slowly but steadily and surely seen the way forward as we've come down these restriction levels. We're seeing it again through this Budget: record investments. Yes we have had to make record investments. There's a $50 million COVID recovery fund and that is desperately needed. This is a one-in-100-year shock as I mentioned and those investments are going on across the board. As I've mentioned record investments into our health into training into employment into jobs support to all directly impacted sectors such as tourism. Māori have been huge beneficiaries too and I'm sure my colleague who is to follow will be covering the support the great support that Māori have received under this Budget. We know that despite the sacrifices that we have made over the past few months with COVID the people across the country know that this Government has been fantastic in its leadership of our waka as we've gone through these tough times and we're looking forward to going ahead into the future. Kia ora tātou.