SpeechVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. What a privilege to rise and speak in full support of our Prime Minister's statement. There's a saying that goes Crises don't create heroes they simply reveal character." So I'd like to begin my statement recognising our first responders who have been on the ground with every weather event putting themselves at risk to be there for our communities. Even post each one of those events they have been on the ground despite often facing personal circumstances that have affected their homes and their whānau. I particularly want to recognise the loss of Dave van Zwanenberg and Craig Stevens our firefighters out at Muriwai who lost their lives when they headed out to help their community members. These last several weeks I think a lot about how much we have lost and how many people have been affected. I think about those we lost on the North Shore Daniel Miller and Daniel Newth. I think about the businesses—a huge number—who were affected in Wairau Valley side of my electorate. A few days ago I spoke to a community member from Massey who talked to me about how his home in Massey had been flooded four times over the last two years three of those times just in the recent flooding events. He showed me pictures of his home over the course of a few hours where the water rose to two metres high running all through his home taking out his fence through his garage and into his garden. He spoke about his wife and his two children and told me that none of his family members could swim and the trauma they felt when they had to evacuate themselves but also the subsequent trauma they feel whenever it rains stays with them. I think about those who are affected in Greenhithe with the severe rain that occurred on 24 February. I drove through Greenhithe the next morning to see the slips on the main road through Greenhithe as well as on the hills. I think about the community at Muriwai the fire and emergency team led by Phelan their chief. The Prime Minister and I visited the fire and emergency team a while ago and while the grown-ups spoke I met a little boy who'd lost his dad and he stood in his father's boots while he spoke to some of us. Some people have lost everything. Others have lost that which is simply never going to be replaceable. I've been back to Muriwai several times over the last few weeks and the exhaustion is palpable. These are people who need to be listened to. These are people who need support. And that is exactly why the Government has put in support systems. The calling of a national state of emergency made a huge difference and that allowed the allocation of national resources to assist those on the ground. In the days after the cyclone I visited the Trusts Stadium and spoke to a British couple who were visiting New Zealand and staying in the lodge at Muriwai. I drove them out to recover some of their essential items and they spoke about our defence force turning up in the middle of the night and them being very quickly loaded into the back of those defence vehicles. That sense of a swift response was so important. The civil defence payment has been important to so many who can't access their insurance payments. The temporary accommodation scheme set up through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment has been fundamentally crucial for so many who've been displaced matching them with accommodation needs. And the business supports that have been stood up; the $3 million for flood recovery payments to help those who've been significantly affected the $1 million worth of support for mental wellbeing through the First Steps programme and the $1 million for small business advice focused on business continuity and resilience. This isn't just money. This means a lot to our small to medium sized enterprises in particular who've been affected in Wairau Valley. We're also a Government who've identified that there will be a mid-term need to support impacted people through the insurance process. I understand that just in relation to the first flooding events insurers received 47936 claims. Many more would have followed through the subsequent cyclone and other weather events which is why the Government has put in place the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service to support homeowners with insurance claims following these natural events. This service will be there to provide a number of different aspects like legal support technical as well as wellbeing and this will ensure that for those that can they can settle their claims early. In addition to the direct support and response in the short term ours is a Government who gets it. We understand the reason why what were one-in-100-year events are turning into more frequent events. We understand the scale of the climate crisis we face. Possibly about 15 years ago I was interviewed on the Rainbow Warrior II for a job as a climate campaigner which I was blessed to have been offered and then took up. I spent so much time in my role with Greenpeace just sharing information to ensure that people understood that climate change has been and continues to be caused as a result of human action and actually now also human inaction. We are so well beyond the view that persuasion is needed. Now we are well into a period of action and our Government is a Government that has taken this climate challenge very seriously. We have done more in the last five years on climate change than any previous Government but we still do need to do more. In May last year we released the emissions reduction plan which is preparing for what is to come and indeed some may say what has already arrived and it ensures that the country is on track to meet our first emissions budget. Every sector is playing a part and our plan is achievable because it includes a role for Government as well as every community and sector in the economy. Ours is a Government who understands that protecting the environment must be a priority. We've done this through other ways as well: we banned new offshore drilling for fossil fuels; we're decarbonising the industrial sector so more processed heat is from renewable sources not just fossil fuels; we've co-funded over 1300 electric vehicle charges across New Zealand as well as trials for new low-emissions transport options; and we've made 100000 homes warmer drier and more energy efficient through our Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. We are decarbonising the public sector to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2025. We get it—we get it. It's not just about responding now; it is also about planning for the future. I'll end where I began; acknowledging the community members who have been so deeply affected. But I also want to acknowledge those in the community who've actively supported actively followed up who haven't waited a heartbeat to get out there with food support with clothes support anything that the community needed. I also actually want to acknowledge a few colleagues from other parties who have put people before politics. I want to acknowledge Karen Chhour who came to a clinic in Unsworth Heights with me to talk to those affected. I want to acknowledge Chris Penk who has been sharing information with Marja Lubeck and I about those affected in the north-west. People come first. People must come first and that is entirely what this Government is about. I also want to acknowledge the leadership in my electorate in the Upper Harbour electorate who were part of a very stand up group of principals community centre managers community leaders local board members all of whom said "Whatever you need stood up at any time you just tell us we will do it." It is a powerful story about who New Zealand is and New Zealanders are. To the affected communities: kia kaha. We stand alongside you through this recovery process but we also stand alongside you as we plan ahead to minimise any future damage from weather events. Thank you Madam Speaker."