Willis NicolaNICOLA WILLIS (National): What a shameful day. Members opposite should hang their heads in shame. In deciding to vote down this bill they have insulted every parent in New Zealand because they believe they are better placed to tell parents what to do with their parenting and caregiving arrangements. They have insulted them by voting against parents' opportunity to have more choices about how they arrange their affairs to best deliver for their own families.I did not think that in 2023 I would hear a Labour MP tell me that they knew what was best for the birthing parent. That was the phrase that was used by Naisi Chen just now—This is about what's best for the birthing parent." Well I'll tell you what. I've been a birthing parent I have birthed four children and I find it insulting for members opposite to imply that women do not know what care arrangements best suit their family. For Labour to say it is wrong for men for fathers for lesbian partners to say "Well actually we think it's best in our family that we take paid parental leave at the same time." I find that insulting. This is 2023 and members opposite would do well to reflect on what the role of the Government is. Is it to insert itself into the arrangements of families and tell parents who should be at home and who shouldn't and how much time they should spend breastfeeding? Well actually I prefer to leave it to mums and dads and caregivers to work that out for themselves.Let's think about what this bill actually would have done. I want you to think about the mother who sustained a birthing injury who's suffering from terrible post-natal depression and who has no family support and her partner says "You know what? I'm going to stay at home with you for these first few difficult challenging weeks so I can support you and we will take our paid leave at the same time so we can keep this family together. I can look after you and our baby and we can do what is best for our family." What the Labour MPs opposite say to that family in that circumstance is "No. You're not allowed. We know better. There shouldn't be paid parental leave for both of you at the same time."I am shocked because one of the things I think is important in this House is that we do not seek as individuals to impose our particular personal experiences upon others. I am really conscious of that because here I am as a mother of four—and boy oh boy was I lucky that I had a supportive partner and I had the ability to stay at home on paid leave. I know many members opposite had the same thing. But there but for the grace of God go I because I can imagine circumstances—and women have written to me about their circumstances in which things didn't go that well—"I really needed my partner at home taking paid leave at the same time."It shouldn't be beyond the Labour members opposite to have that empathy and that imagination too. What they have done today is take a no-brainer of a bill a bill with no cost to the taxpayer a bill that does no harm to anyone but simply enhances flexibility and enhances choices and they have said "No no. We'll put our own patronising political views first and we will deny it."I think that what's really going on here is that Labour has cast aside their values as they become desperate about the upcoming election. What they really wanted to do today was deny National a win. The sad thing is it's not about National; they're denying parents a win. I would implore the members opposite to think again because actually we're here in this House not for our own selves but for the people whose lives we can have an impact on. With this churlish decision to vote against a pragmatic modernising cost-free bill the members opposite have shown they've left their values at the door and they've put petty politics first and I tell them that New Zealand parents will ensure they pay the price."