Chhour KarenKAREN CHHOUR (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the opportunity to speak today in this debate. I often sit and think about all the reasons I came to this place and what I want to achieve. There are many social issues in this country and yes there is a lot more the Government could be doing in this area but it is also up to us within our communities to do our bit. MPs hear from many people from all walks of life when we sit on select committees and get some real insight into what is happening in our communities. What I hear most is the need for more mentorship and support within our communities. When I think about mentorship and support it reminds me of my time volunteering with St John. Considering it is St John's Heart of Gold Annual Appeal this week I thought it would be appropriate to speak about the multiple programmes they provide within our communities. St John as an organisation has a presence in some sort of way pretty much in every major city and small town in New Zealand whether it be an ambulance that comes to your aid in your most vulnerable moments or when they are teaching kids life skills in our schools. When we think of St John many people don't realise that they are a charitable organisation. They receive some funding from Government and the rest is made up from fund-raising. Government and many community organisations are now recognising and speaking to the fact that we need to put more effort into prevention and support for our most vulnerable. We should not be waiting until families are in crisis mode before they are able to seek help. I was lucky enough to be invited to a presentation on a new initiative that St John has started to launch as part of their school programme. Whātuia te Waiora—Weaving Wellbeing—is a wellbeing and resilience programme for year 7 to 8 students. They recognise this is the age where a lot of our young ones are struggling the most. This programme gives children the opportunity to weave positivity into their daily lives. The one thing that stood out for me was their concept that a state of wellbeing is not simply the absence of the negative but the presence of the positive. Students will learn what character strength is and how these are different from values and skills. Students will discover how to use their strengths and identify opportunities in which they can grow. Students will learn how to call on their strengths in times of challenge and build their resilience. Students will develop awareness around positive and negative emotions and ways to boost those positive emotions. Students will discover kindness to themselves in learning how to be their own best friends. Students discover the idea of community wellbeing and explore where there is a call to action that they can be involved in. I am proud that I was part of that organisation for many years and I am proud of the initiatives that they are coming up with. St John has many community programmes mostly staffed by volunteers. Health shuttles which enable patients to get to vital health appointments like chemotherapies that they might not otherwise be able to attend Friends of the Emergency Department community carers ASB St John in Schools youth groups and cadets caring callers and therapy pets—all relying on people within the community to go out and volunteer their time. In addition to that they have a commercial service that provides first aid mental health first aid training courses and medical alarms which help build community resilience. So when you are out and about this week and you see the wonderful volunteers with their Heart of Gold badges standing outside the ASB and selling their sausages at the local Bunnings—which is where I would usually be at this time of the year—you can know that your generous donation is making a difference in a community near you. The ACT Party recognises there are many organisations in this country that are helping to make New Zealand a better place and we would like to express our gratitude to them all. Thank you Madam Speaker. The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.