Ngaro AlfredHon ALFRED NGARO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): I have come to learn that in politics there are two things in which a politician in their role of responsibility has to do in the community and in Parliament—two words—trust and confidence. I have to say that as I have gone out and had the opportunity to be able to be a Minister it is about asking the question in our community. We know that trust and confidence is there because now we are heading towards a fourth term.Trust and confidence is represented and measured in a number of different ways. You can talk about the polls. Well we will not talk about the polls too much because they are not looking too flash on the other side because consistently over a period of time those polls have continued to be on an average 46 percent 47 percent 48 percent—up there in that percentage which is unheard of in most times under MMP. So you have to say to yourself that out in New Zealand out in the regions and out in the cities there is trust and confidence because the polls determine and show that fact as well. People know it the Opposition knows it and that is important.That trust and confidence also began—and I want to acknowledge the Rt Hon John Key. There was the leadership that he had which he has shown right throughout his time which provided trust and confidence on the things that Kiwis value the things that they regard as very important to them: their families the health of their children education employment opportunities; the growing of an economy becomes critically important. Again it is trust and confidence.The media were asking: What was the favourite moment that you had or an occasion in which you saw that when the Rt Hon John Key spoke out it was important?". I think for me I remember that out in west Auckland at the trust stadium it was the state of the nation speech. When he spoke there he talked about his own story as a young man growing up in New Zealand the challenges that his family faced then growing up in a State house down in Christchurch. And the things that he was taught the values that he had were simply this: every child every young person every adult deserves the same opportunity as anyone else to succeed. That is what we have taken continually to the nation about trust and confidence and the things that we believe that we can deliver.So let us talk about some of those areas around the Better Public Services (BPS). When I am out there in the community I say that the BPS is simply this: we as the Government are holding the mirror to ourselves. In other words before we ask others to change we need to say to ourselves: how do we hold ourselves to account? What are we willing to change in ourselves as a Government as a department in our role to publicly serve the needs of our communities? These are these Better Public Services targets.One of them is in result area No. 1 welfare dependency. I am proud to say that we are unashamed of being able to say that we want to move people off dependency and into an opportunity for employment into an opportunity for training and for higher-skilled and higher-paid jobs as well. There were 8000 fewer people on sole parent support from 2014 to 2016. That is trust and confidence that we can deliver on those targets that we have set for ourselves.There was 10.3 percent of the working age population receiving a main benefit at the end of December 2016—the lowest proportion since 2007 before the global financial crisis. The number of people on main benefits has dropped by 57000. That is worth saying again—57000 since 2010. That has got to be the result that shows that the public has confidence in us to deliver.Along with that under one of my portfolios the community and voluntary sector—it is not just about getting people into employment opportunities but it is also about how we can also help them to look at an issue of social enterprise. It is about an opportunity where they can actually trial something—a hybrid between community and commercial—an opportunity to try their skills. Just today I was at Pomegranate Kitchen down in Wellington where a group of migrant refugee women have come together and along with support from Red Cross and others around them have now begun to sort of show that their skills to be able to cook and manage that provide catering services throughout the wider community now giving them confidence and now a track record of employment. Again social enterprise is one of the things that we are doing well.One of the result areas is around rheumatic fever. We know that is a critical area of concern especially for our Māori and Pacific communities—23 percent reduction in the national rate of rheumatic fever. What are we doing to achieve that—early screening in schools. We are making sure that housing education and health are collectively working together making a difference to our communities. The immunisation rate is at 94 percent. Kiwis care about their kids. They want to make sure that they are cared for and they are immunised so they do not get sick and need those services. That is really important.The last thing I will say in 10 seconds is about the "neets"—the young people not in education employment or training services. The number of 18-year-olds attaining NCEA level 2 is at 85 percent. That is a great result. Trust and confidence is what this Government has. Thank you."