SpeechHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): It is my privilege to rise and speak in support of the Prime Minister's statement. Madam Speaker just before you assumed the Chair Speaker Mallard asked me to turn the light or the torch of my phone off. It was a mistake but I'm beginning to think I should have left it on and pointed it at the Opposition because at the moment the Opposition is a very dark dark place. You would think from the Opposition that the efforts of the entire country over the last two years to make sure we can get through a global pandemic have come to nothing. You would think from the words of the Opposition that everything that every individual has done here in New Zealand over the last two years—to scan to vaccinate to boost—has come to nothing. Well I am very proud to stand on this side of the House and to support the Prime Minister's statement and the decisive leadership of the Government to make sure we have weathered on the whole better than any other country in the OECD. I am proud of the decisions we've made. As difficult as they have been the New Zealand public have bought into it because there are 4 million New Zealanders out there who got vaccinated. There are 1.2 million New Zealanders out there who have had their third booster shot because they know that they are doing their part to keep following through on the efforts of the last two years to keep New Zealanders safe from the ravages of a global pandemic—of a global pandemic—something that the Opposition seems to be completely and utterly ignorant of. I am proud of this Government and its actions because at every turn we've acted early and we've acted decisively to prevent the worst impacts of the global pandemic. It is sad because some families in New Zealand have lost loved ones and I want to acknowledge that. But the early and decisive action of this Government has made sure that on the whole New Zealanders have been safe and are faring better than most other countries that we compare ourselves to. In terms of confirmed cases hospitalisations and deaths we have been the lowest in the OECD for the last two years and I want to take my hat off to not only the decisions that we have made but the officials who have helped us implement that the health workers who have worked tirelessly and our community workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and keep people alive. I heard a saying a couple of months ago that might work its way around public health circles: when public health actions work nothing changes. You get to relatively live the life that you want. Now obviously we haven't been able to do that but the decisive public health measures that we have taken have kept us safe when other countries both close and afar have suffered a much higher incidence of COVID much higher hospitalisation rates with COVID and unfortunately much higher death rates because of COVID. I am proud that our Government over the last two years has acted decisively in the best interests of New Zealand to keep us safe.The measures that we have taken have saved lives. There are challenges still ahead of us. But also the work—and I want to acknowledge the Minister of Finance here—that we have undertaken over the last two years has protected jobs and businesses as well. I want to acknowledge—because we can see the number of cases going up—that we're not through all of those challenges but we've got to this point in better shape than most other countries and the plan that we have followed has worked. We've got a more immediate challenge and in this part I'm not talking to the people in this Chamber; I'm talking to the people who are at home who maybe for some strange reason want to listen to my speech. We know the onset of Omicron has grown. We've seen that from the cases that have happened or have been reported in the last two or three days. It's now really important that we support our friends and family to get ready for that and to make sure—importantly—that if you can get a booster shot you do it because we know from some of the numbers we've seen offshore that the rates of hospitalisations and death dramatically reduce if you have had your booster shot. So my main message to people who might be listening or watching is if you haven't got your booster and you're eligible to get your booster please go out and get that done. Then each family—and friends and neighbours—needs to make sure that they've got a plan to look after each other. I'm nearly finished with my plan to make sure I've got all the medication that I need and I've got a plan to make sure that someone is able to look after me or my loved ones if I am asked to self-isolate. But please to those listening—you might be driving; you might be heading home on the bus this afternoon—make sure you are having those conversations so that you've got the absolute basics if you need to self-isolate. It will help you and your family or your neighbours to make sure you can get through what is forecast to be an increase of Omicron. Can we also make sure that we're looking after our health workers. It's been two years and I have certainly heard of stories of the stress that they've been under because of the heavy workload and I want to acknowledge that but also let's make sure we're looking after them in the way that we're dealing with them too because I've also heard stories of them being abused etc. as well. So as we enter this next challenge can I ask that we are kind to the people who are looking after us—to those who work at supermarkets and to those who are making sure essential services continue to run but very much our health workers.Look our economy is in good shape considering the challenges that have been thrown at us. Record low unemployment: I want to take my hat off again to the Minister of Finance and all the support that he has given over the last two years in terms of supporting jobs—so keeping people in their jobs to support family—because that has meant a lot of New Zealanders have been able to stay in their jobs. Record numbers of New Zealanders are moving off main benefits and into work. Over 100000 more people employed now than 12 months ago and some of our sectors are actually having a bit of a boom time in terms of export earnings and I want to acknowledge that because that has assisted us in terms of the economy. Speaking as Minister of Immigration we've also set a path to reconnecting. A couple of weeks ago I joined the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister in Auckland to announce our five-step plan to reconnecting. That begins later this month to allow New Zealanders and those who are able to come to New Zealand from across the Tasman to come here. We open up again a month later to New Zealanders from around the world. Step three by April: I think importantly it allows the likes of working holiday visa holders to come to New Zealand and I think a lot of industries like tourism and the horticulture sector will welcome that. Then step four and five which is from July or from October: we're able to increasingly allow more people into the country especially visitors and able to be fully open from October. I think that is both a very careful and considered and balanced approach to make sure we are managing the public health economic and social factors that we need to when we're opening the border. I'm also proud that we've been able to get on with business and this week I'm especially proud of a piece of legislation that started out as an idea within our party. We went through it and it became a manifesto commitment at the last election and last night it became a piece of legislation around the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. I want to acknowledge all the hard work of Rainbow Labour caucus Rainbow Labour the policy committee and all the advocates who were pushing to make sure that this was something that when we stand up in this House and this Parliament it draws a ring around us and all of us are supporting it. I also want to acknowledge the journey that we have had to get there and also acknowledge the weight of support that that piece of legislation had in this House with 112 members of this Parliament supporting it. I think that sends a very strong message out to the country that no one's sexual orientation or gender identity is broken or is in need of fixing and people who want to love the way they want to love have more protections and freedoms in that respect. That is the kind of thing that we're getting on with as well as protecting the country over the last two years from a pandemic. We've got to keep the course and decisive leadership will do that and that's why I commend the Prime Minister's statement.