Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National—Whanganui): Mr Speaker and members of the House the general debate is an opportunity to talk about things in general and I'm going to seize that opportunity this afternoon and really start on a lighter note to just share with everybody here that this week apparently is International Cat Week. I mention that because in the House every now and then there's quite a few spats that go on and one could term it as being somewhat aligned with cat fights.But I'm going to move on. Keeping in that sporting vein I happen to be the MP for two sporting teams the Central Pulse netball team who have made it into the finals of the franchise league this weekend—I'm the MP for the electorate so I'm skiting a bit here. As a former franchise netballer from some 30 years ago to see daughters of former team-mates—Waimārama Taumāunu's daughter and Leonie Leaver's daughter who's about to take the court for the Tactix on the weekend—makes me realise how aged I am. But in being aged it's about the level of experience that one brings to the House.Just on that sporting note as well I note that two of my colleagues the Hon Amy Adams and Denise Lee—they're sporting some netball injuries so I'm looking somewhat suspiciously across the House knowing that. The benefit and the joy of these sporting teams—on a lighter note—is that we do have that cross-party engagement and collegiality but I hope that they weren't the victims of anything untoward coming from the Government benches.Just a final note around the sporting element as MP for the Whanganui electorate reaching up Wanganui into the Taranaki boundaries: Ranfurly Shield. That game—the challenge was played in Hāwera on the weekend and I think it's a rare occasion and opportunity to be an MP for the defending team but also the challenging team which is Wanganui. The title-holders Taranaki held that Ranfurly Shield—the old log o' wood. In the 1970s I remember watching the games with my dad and my brothers on the old black and white TV so to be there as the MP was something quite special.I'm just going to move along now to acknowledging the New Zealand firefighters that have gone over to northern California. I say that because what came up on my Facebook stream this morning was a benefactor towards my daughter's rowing team. She attended Paparangi and went to the University of California Berkeley. The university is near the areas that our firefighters have gone to to quell and extinguish the massive life-threatening fires and the damage and devastation they've done there.Moving on to damage and devastation as well my thoughts turn to Lombok the people there in the earthquake. I mention that because I attended the Ranfurly Shield match in the company of South Taranaki district Mayor Ross Dunlop. His wife and his daughter are over there at the moment and they're caught up amongst a number of international tourists but also the local people. We know what devastation is back here in Aotearoa New Zealand with what we've been through so I acknowledge the people there.I'm going to move on to something more on a heavy note and it's been addressed and canvassed in this House: the importance of freedom of speech. As a young student I went to Auckland University and it was about being exposed and the mind being challenged with alternative views and I take the view that it is important. Irrespective of what we may not like to hear it's better the devil we know than that we don't and the devil is sometimes in the detail. So I say that having been interviewed earlier this week by a Taranaki radio station Radio Hokonui asking what my views were around that and I think that it is better that we do put it out there and we have robust hearty debate.In terms of putting it out there I will just hearken and reflect that regrettably the Green Party have sold their souls to the devil by turnabout where their founding member of the party Jeanette Fitzsimons is firmly of the view that the stance that's been taken by the Greens with this toxic decision to support the Electoral (Integrity—Not) Amendment Bill" is something that will draw into question the level of support that Green Party members will have towards their party.Just on another contentious note it's interesting that the co-leader Marama Davidson is talking about trying to normalise the "c" word. One has to question the integrity of those open-debate discussions and really the relevance of that.So I'm just going to wrap this up in conclusion by sharing that "integrity" is very much a key word and focus this week but it continues to be. I will just acknowledge that next Tuesday Dame Tariana Turia—her official formal investiture will be done at our local marae Pūtiki and I'll have the privilege of attending that in support of many. Integrity—Dame Tariana Turia represents that. Kia ora koutou."