Halbert ShananSHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote): Thank you Madam Speaker. Just to open my kōrero this afternoon can I acknowledge those that lost their lives in the mosque attack in Christchurch on March 15. Secondly it's the first opportunity I've had to speak in the House this week and I'd like to acknowledge the Tasi family who lost their son Joshua in the terrible incident in Beach Haven last Friday. Can I just offer our sympathy our love and our heartfelt acknowledgment to all of them and the Beach Haven community at this particularly sad time.I think Minister Robertson summed it up this afternoon quite well: when in fact we put this particular Budget Policy Statement together and it was released prior to Christmas of course we didn't really know what 2023 had in front of us. The challenges of Cyclone Gabrielle—and I acknowledge my family down in the Hawke's Bay the challenges that they have faced but also those in Tāmaki-makau-rau Auckland who have faced their own challenges in the floods at the start of the year. Quickly life changed for us this year; and albeit we expected 2023 to be somewhat easier it's certainly put our challenges in front of us.This Budget 2023 will be delivered on Thursday 18 May. This year's Budget will be delivered in the shadow of Cyclone Gabrielle and will be focused on the cost of living—something that's very important to all of our communities—and also the cyclone and flood recovery across our country. We're committed to working with local communities to get affected families and whānau and businesses back on their feet and their regions moving forward. And when talking to people in Hawke's Bay this week they reminded me—my family reminded me—to say: We're still operating. We've been hit by this flood of course but remind New Zealand that we are still operating and we're still open for business" largely in the areas that they are able to at this time. But Budget 2023 will continue this Government's commitment to providing New Zealanders with economic security through what will be a difficult year in the global economy facing both the challenge of inflation and a forecast economic slowdown and the combination of a global economic downturn and high inflation here at home and around the world. As many of us saw—in Canada the stories that they shared: a geopolitical situation dominated by war trade disputes and ongoing supply chain issues are about to test our strength in our country and our resilience economically. However we're well positioned as a country economically to manage some of the challenges in front of us and to respond recover and rebuild in the challenges that have faced us. And this Budget Policy Statement that was presented by the finance Minister—and that our Finance and Expenditure Committee heard—is of course a setting of the scene for Government's expenditure what priorities matter and how effectively Government will invest in New Zealanders moving forward. Our wellbeing objectives—our values—are one of the most important things when we experience challenging times because they are the things that we come back to: our kaupapa; what we value the most when we're making decisions between spending on this or spending on that when there's not enough money in the kete overall to do everything that we want. But now we know we have to invest in the challenges that Cyclone Gabrielle and our flood response require of us. But these objectives are about wellbeing they are about people and communities and that's particularly where a Labour Government does well for Aotearoa New Zealand. The first objective is around just transition supporting New Zealanders to transition to a climate resilient sustainable and low-emissions economy. Secondly physical and mental wellbeing: this was something that was important to me when I stood for Northcote in 2020—that we continue to support improved health outcomes for all New Zealanders particularly the mental wellbeing of our rangatahi; our young people. The future of work: equipping New Zealanders and enabling New Zealand businesses to benefit from new technologies to lift productivity and wages through innovation. And the last one is around Māori and Pacific peoples something particularly from this Government—and under the leadership of Jacinda Ardern—with investment in Māori communities enabling Māori to see the lowest unemployment rate that we have ever seen in this country. So this Wellbeing Budget will continue that theme. It will continue to lift Māori and Pacific peoples: their incomes their skills and opportunities—including through access to affordable safe and stable housing. And still when we talk to those communities that is the number one priority for them to do well and to look after their families. And lastly is around child wellbeing: continuing to reduce child poverty and improving child wellbeing including through access to affordable safe and stable housing once again. These are the things that are important. But again I come back to wellbeing. That's where the value proposition is and where some of the decision-making propositions are when we have to choose between spending on this or spending on that and how we make some very difficult decisions moving forward. So we already know that this Budget's focus will be prioritising the cost of living challenges that our communities and people face with a short-term cost of living payment for up to 2.1 million people to help with the impact of rising prices. We've increased support for families we've boosted superannuation and increased student allowances through our 1 April changes ahead of us. We've extended our fuel tax cuts reduced road-user charges and continued half-price public transport. We've permanently kept it at half price for community services card holders and that's something that's particularly important to Aucklanders.As we continue the work on transport—and I always say that our transport portfolio is one of the most political yet one of the most challenging and the most expensive portfolios that any Government will ever experience. But I'm really proud of the work that we are doing that the future Budget will invest in: helping Aucklanders to address congestion and to reduce the emissions that go into our atmosphere. Transport is vital for us and we are on track for Auckland's first electric ferries—and I know the member across the House Simon Watts on the North Shore values the ferries—and they will serve over 200 passengers at any one time across the Waitematā Harbour. Auckland Transport will receive $27 million in grant funding from this Government to pay three-quarters of the costs of constructing my and member Watts' new electric ferries to serve the Waitematā. It's a first step in decarbonising our transport fleet in Auckland and I'm very proud of it. But it's not just on water; we will continue to invest in public transport. At a local level we have safer school streets. The Safe school streets programme has seen innovative solutions and I see that locally in my electorate in Willow Park primary in Hillcrest—again that I'm very proud of. But we must continue the work of the additional Waitematā Harbour crossing. It's one that all residents across the North Shore are asking for urgently yet no Government has invested in ensuring that it's a part of our short- to medium- term future. We'll be seeing these options soon in April and Aucklanders will have the opportunity to be consulted and to provide their feedback around which system meets their needs best. And actually I do think it's a good idea that we have aligned—even more so—Auckland's integrated public transport system with Auckland Light Rail City Rail Link and of course the additional harbour crossing moving up to Ōrewa over time. But again today I come back to our investment in people. I talk about our housing story in Northcote: the hundreds of houses that were built for social houses and for first-home buyers the daylighting of the local stream the new infrastructure that we saw in Northcote during the Auckland floods compared to the devastation in the suburb next door in Wairau Valley. These are the things that matter for our Wellbeing Budget moving forward and I'm really grateful to speak on this tonight."