Robertson Grant; Rurawhe AdrianADJOURNMENTHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Leader of the House): I move That the House do now adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 21 February 2023.I bring this motion to the House reluctantly but Cyclone Gabrielle represents the most severe weather event that New Zealand has experienced this century. The devastation in many regions in the North Island is enormous and we are still yet to understand the full impact of it. Roads and broader transport networks power telecommunication networks and damage to homes and businesses is enormous and will take a considerable time to recover from.The declaration of a national emergency as the Minister for Emergency Management has indicated has only happened twice before and Parliament did adjourn on both of those occasions. I know that members of Parliament across the House want to be in their communities at this time and I want to join with the Minister in acknowledging the exceptional role played by MPs from all political parties in supporting their communities over recent weeks and in particular in the last 48 hours. That is an important role that members of Parliament play and it is one that I believe this House must strongly support to continue.I also want to acknowledge that the declaration of a national emergency means that a large number of Ministers now take on an increased role within the response. This means that Ministers and the full apparatus of Government need to be focused on providing that response particularly in the next 48 hours as we make sure that we get a full understanding of what is happening on the ground. As a result of all of that I believe it is the right thing to bring this motion to the House.Members of the House will be aware that this week was largely to have focused on the Prime Minister's statement and the debate in response to that statement. I am sure colleagues will appreciate that the Prime Minister wants to be—and I believe should be—out and about in the communities that have been affected making sure that the Government fully understands the situation that is there and so that he can provide that leadership on the ground as indeed I know other members of Parliament want to do as well. Equally I'm sure colleagues would appreciate that the Prime Minister's statement is often a very political debate and that now is probably not the right time to be engaged in that kind of debate.I would let the House know that it is our intention when we do return on Tuesday of next week that we will have the week that we had originally planned for this week—that will be the Prime Minister's statement on Tuesday the debate that follows from that and then a normal House sitting programme on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. I would also like to add that the Minister for Emergency Management is providing information to MPs across the House about the response and also about some of the impacts on infrastructure and that material will continue to be provided to all MPs to ensure that that information is available as and when it is needed.So as I say I reluctantly bring this motion. I know that all parties would rather that we were able to carry on but in the circumstances facing many New Zealanders today whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated the right thing to do is to do our jobs in our communities and return here next week.SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.