Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Could I congratulate Priyanca Radhakrishnan because that speech was one minute and 40 seconds long and she is part of the Labour Party's class of 2017 most of whom tonight have taken calls of between two and seven seconds. The intriguing thing about that is it's been their finest work in their to date fairly undistinguished parliamentary careers. Certainly they have been their most memorable and yes Kiri Allan has been one who has done that and Dr Deborah Russell has taken several. And I have no doubt at all that she will look back on some of the previous speeches she made—and I'm making a serious point here—during the—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is it about the bill?Hon TIM MACINDOE: Yes well it's relevant to the bill Madam Speaker. You know me—it's always relevant to the bill. [Priyanca Radhakrishnan gestures to Hon Tim Macindoe] Ha! I'm not quite sure what the body language is Ms Radhakrishnan but the point I'm making is that if they hadn't spent 2½ years filibustering in the most ludicrous way they wouldn't be now in the position of having to rush this bill and many others through the House.Those who are seasoned watchers of Parliament will know that we are sitting tonight under urgency considering the second reading of this bill which they could have got on with some considerable time ago and then they wouldn't have had to take two-second speeches in which they say precisely nothing; they could have indeed paid some attention to the important aspects of the bill because there are some significant aspects and I would like to acknowledge—I'm going to look in this direction because one cannot bring the Speaker into the debate but in all seriousness I want to acknowledge the member for East Coast the former Minister for Social Development under whose watch much of the important aspects of this bill commenced.Hon Scott Simpson: A very good Minister—a very good Minister.Hon TIM MACINDOE: And she was a very good Minister and I hope I'm not in breach of the Standing Orders in doing it in that way. But I think acknowledgement needs to tabled—credit where credit is due.So here we are under urgency rushing a bill through. Now like Mr Penk who is now our veterans' spokesperson in the National Party I too didn't get to hear the submissions on this bill; I've only recently joined the Social Services and Community Committee and it's fairly unusual I think for the first two Opposition spokespeople both to have been in that position where they didn't hear the submissions on the bill. But in reading the report and in reaching the fact that here we are now I—well I can't be sure that it's entirely unanimous but I presume there's almost unanimity in the House about the bill; clearly they've done some good work and paid respect to those submitters and I acknowledge them.Could I also acknowledge Gareth Hughes the Green member who is the chair of the committee. In the short time that I've been a member of the committee I've been very impressed by Gareth Hughes' style of chairmanship—I think he's very collegial and fair and that deserves to be acknowledged and I'm sure he did a good job in chairing the submissions process.Hon Scott Simpson: A big loss to the Green Party.Hon TIM MACINDOE: He will be a big loss to the Green Party and I'm sure the Green Party would acknowledge that and I congratulate him on the new job that he's recently secured with his wife.Could I also—Hon Members: What job?Hon TIM MACINDOE: The new job that he has recently been appointed to.Hon Members: What job?Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well sorry I think it's public knowledge but if not I'm just going to move on very quickly. I understand that they have a new job and they're looking forward to it and I wish them well in their post-election employment. I hope that I'm not leaving to find new employment myself post-election—ha ha!I did just want to acknowledge as Mr Penk did that it's particularly appropriate that we're dealing with this particular bill the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran's Pension Legislation Amendment Bill today as we mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. I'm sure that we all would want to acknowledge our veterans even with the passage of time and it is quite extraordinary to think that 70 years has passed since that particular conflict. I'm sure we would all want to acknowledge our veterans and say that we are for ever in their debt and hugely grateful to them. I just hope that within our lifetimes the tragedy that is North Korea may see a similar sort of restoration of human rights and a semblance of democracy because what a horrific situation it is in that country.Now many of the members who have spoken have quite rightly commented on the fact that the important aspect—or perhaps the most significant aspect—of this bill is the spousal deduction issue and I know that that has been a long time coming. Those of us who have been electorate MPs will have heard from constituents over many many years how unfair some of them had found it and I don't know whether other MPs would say it but for some reason in my case it's been mainly Dutch constituents who have brought that particular issue to my attention and so I'm delighted to be able tell my Dutch constituents when I next go home We've heard you and we've acted and we've acted in agreement and this longstanding grievance that you feel will be at last overcome."It's also worth noting that New Zealanders of course are living longer and that's a great thing and as long as we have a degree of quality of life I'm sure we all welcome that. When superannuation was first introduced I understand way back in the days of the first Liberal Government and with some extraordinary sort of moral qualifications and other things at the time it was set at 65 years—the age of entitlement—and the average age of life expectancy for a man in those days was 58 and for a woman it was 63. So you had to have exceeded the life expectancy before you could even be considered for a pension. Well how times have changed. It's still at 65 but now most New Zealanders can expect to live about 25 percent of their lives on superannuation and in fact I would like to acknowledge if I may Alan and Alice Hodgson of my electorate who yesterday celebrated 70 years of marriage and I think that is a tremendous achievement; I had great pleasure in talking to Mr Hodgson last night and passing on my congratulations to both of them. And may I also mention that today is the diamond wedding anniversary of my parents-in-law Joan and Michael Murray wonderful parents-in-law love them dearly and they are in Havelock North and I look forward to seeing them over the weekend. [Madam Deputy Speaker gestures to member to speak to the bill.] Yes but Madam Speaker—they're pensioners Madam Speaker. Actually because I've already talked about the class of 2017 from the other side and he wasn't so kind in the collegial spirit for which Waikato MPs are so well known could I also wish a happy birthday to Labour list MP Jamie Strange.Hon Member: He's nearly a pensioner.Hon TIM MACINDOE: He's nearly a pensioner—that's right. In fact he texted me earlier to say that he was about to nod off in his office and if he wasn't before I'm sure he is now.I am interested by the fact that there is one issue where there is going to be disagreement and that is that the Minister has signalled that she is going to defer the introduction of a Supplementary Order Paper to do with the spousal deduction from 1 July and she's claiming that she's doing that because of the COVID-19 impact and the suspension of Parliament. And I don't agree that that's fair because it has been well signalled and I know that New Zealand First doesn't think it's fair either so let's see what can happen there. I've got a quote from Dr Claire Dale who is a research fellow at the retirement policy and research centre in the Department of Economics at the University of Auckland Business School who was talking about the anomalies in the policy for superannuitants with overseas pensions and in particular said "Of these multiple anomalies the most egregious is the spousal deduction. This policy reduces a person's superannuation when their partner has an overseas pension. A woman could have lived and worked all her life in New Zealand and entered into a second or may even a third relationship later on only to find she gets less New Zealand super or even none at all and so loses precious financial independence. Increasingly men who marry women with long working histories from other countries are affected as well."So that is just one example of why we need to modernise this legislation we need to simplify it and we need to take into account the fact that many people's living arrangements are very different nowadays. And it's appropriate for us to recognise the social changes; after all when my father retired that meant that my parents effectively retired because he was in the old traditional way the breadwinner. I think that my mother's role as an active mother home maker was every bit as important—Hon Scott Simpson: When's their wedding anniversary?Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well sadly Mr Simpson my father has been dead for some years but their wedding anniversary was 4 August and I still remember each day—ha ha!Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: Please don't encourage him.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well it was kind of him and in fact my mother is probably watching this so could I wish her a very happy birthday for a couple of weeks ago. But anyway—you can blame that one on Scott Simpson; blame that one on himBut it's also important to recognise that single people do still need to enjoy a slightly higher rate because it costs as much to heat a room for one person as it does for two; it costs as much to power a fridge or an oven for one person as it does for two; it costs as much to register a car which a couple may have owned as it does for two. And that is why the difference between the single and the couple's rate has always existed and must continue to exist. We're sometimes asked that—that's the reason. I'm out of time and Madam Speaker I know you're absolutely disappointed about that! Ha ha!"