Robertson GrantADJOURNMENTSITTINGS OF THE HOUSEHon GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Leader of the House: I move That the House adjourn until 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday 9 February 2021 and that the sitting programme for 2021 be:February 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 and 25;March 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 and 25;April 6 7 8 13 14 and 15;May 4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 and 20;June 1 2 3 8 9 10 22 23 24 29 and 30;July 1 6 7 and 8;August 3 4 5 10 11 12 24 25 26 and 31;September 1 2 7 8 9 21 22 23 28 29 and 30;October 19 20 21 26 27 and 28;November 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 and 25;December 7 8 9 14 15 and 16.I want to begin as is the tradition in this debate with a round of thanks. Firstly to you Mr Speaker for your role in leading us in the House as our referee—you've landed somewhere between Wayne Barnes and Nigel Owens in that regard.SPEAKER: That's quite a range thank you very much.Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Hopefully more towards Mr Owens' end than Mr Barnes' end. I want to thank the Clerk of the House and all of the staff who look after us both here in the Chamber and in the other work that we do. I particularly want to acknowledge all Parliamentary Service staff: our security the messengers our select committee staff the cleaners our Hansard staff and the Parliamentary Library who counted my questions today. I want to give a special thanks—a personal thanks—to the staff of Bellamy's and ICON and hope not to see them as often in the coming months. I want to pay tribute today particularly to those who guide the school groups around our Parliament. This is something that is a really special moment for many young people to come here and they do the most tremendous job of opening up the mysteries of this place and so I thank all of them and our tour guides as well and all of the staff in the offices here in Parliament ministerial and parliamentary offices and especially our staff in our outside-of-Parliament offices who do the most incredible job for all members across the House in terms of supporting the people in our community. I want to pay a special tribute to the VIP drivers who those of us who are Ministers rely on so much to get us from A to B and look after us along the way. I want to acknowledge the press gallery. Have a break! Seriously take as long as you want. I want to acknowledge the friends and family—that means I'm still coming this evening though so yeah. I want to acknowledge the friends and family of members. We've heard so much in the recent maiden speeches about the importance of family and the sacrifices that they make. It keeps making me and the Prime Minister cry whenever members do that but I think what that shows is just how important it is for us to acknowledge the role that our families play. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.At this time of the year it is also hard for those who have lost family and my mind turns today to those who have lost their nearest and dearest in particular the 25 New Zealanders who died from COVID-19 and those who passed in the mosque terrorist attacks and at Whakaari / White Island. With respect to the last two the report of the royal commission and the first anniversary respectively will be drawing huge emotion forward. I want to reaffirm our desire to wrap our aroha around all of those who have been affected by these tragedies and attacks and work together to live up to New Zealand's reputation of inclusion and support but make sure that we make that real.My final word of thanks today is to a group of workers whose title has been used more this year than in any year before: our essential workers. In June when we first emerged into alert level 1 I stood on the side of the first Super Rugby Aotearoa game—notably won by the Highlanders over the Chiefs; she's not here today—and had the job of thanking our essential workers. And as I looked at the firefighters and the ambulance officers the checkout operators the security guards the police the doctors the nurses and more who were assembled I felt humbled. Our team of 5 million has been extraordinary this year and none more so than those who kept us safe and fed and well during those uncertain times. I continue to hope that one of the legacies of COVID-19 will be a greater appreciation of the roles that these workers play especially the lower-paid workers among them. It is why I am so proud of a Labour Government that has lifted the minimum wage is paying the living wage to our workers and to more and more of those who contract to us and is going to double sick leave. We will not forget how hard-working our essential service workers are.As I prepared for this adjournment speech today something strange almost mystical occurred. A gift arrived unannounced wrapped in a kimono with a ham and cheese panini and a bowl latte on the side. I was provided with a list. My sixth sense told me it was indeed what I thought it was: newly minted real estate agent Paula Bennett's listings for December 2020. Now as you would expect in the portfolio of a budding real estate agent there are a mixture of those wanting to sell and those wanting to buy. One large sale stood out: the Blue family are looking to downsize—dramatically. The blurb for the Blue family's house says After having one careful owner for nine years and then a series of bad short-term tenants the Blue family house is a renovator's dream. Tired with a bland colour scheme and desperately in need of repiling and rewiring to come into the 21st century." Paula Bennett has scribbled a note on this listing to say a recently arrived tenant has flown in saying he may want to make an offer fairly early in the new year—watch this space Mr Speaker.There are of course always other purchasers in the market. Paula's listings include the Yellow and Pink family of 10 who are seeking a place after their bachelor pad has been outgrown. There are some very specific requirements including 10 individual rooms some of which have to be outfitted for people with giant chips on their shoulders. They also need a dance studio and the house needs off-street parking for a speedboat. The Green family are also on Paula Bennett's list. They are seeking a communal living space also for 10. It needs to be close to public transport routes. In fact ideally on a public transport route—literally they want it on a cycleway. The Red White and Black whānau are also looking for a new whare. It requires a large walk-in wardrobe with space for a number of hats but no tie rack is required. And then there is the Red family. Now they are seeking a much much bigger house after the arrival of a number of unexpected members. I want to pay tribute to the Labour team. As you will have seen from the maiden speeches so far those who are joining us are adding exceptional qualities to an already exceptional team. This has been a huge and difficult year but the dedication commitment support and discipline of the Labour team has been extraordinary. In a year like no other this team has delivered and I am so proud of them. The Labour team understands the mandate that we have been given. We are humbled by it and we know that every day we must work hard to maintain the trust of those who have supported us and indeed of every New Zealander.I am proud of what this Government has done this year but nothing we have been able to achieve this year would have been possible if it weren't for the team of 5 million New Zealanders. Every New Zealander as they reflect on this tough 2020 can stand proud that they have been part of putting a country in a position so that today we stand here as one of the most open countries in the world with an economy that is recovering. That is the work of every single New Zealander and we should all be very proud about that.From the Government's point of view faced with the most dramatic health and economic crises of our lifetime our Government has responded with speed compassion and pragmatism. I want to acknowledge the role of the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern in her leadership of that. Witnessing that up close I know that the life and death decisions weighed heavily on our Prime Minister but at every step of the way she has kept her values strong. She has listened to evidence she has listened to science and I believe she has led New Zealand through one of our most difficult times with extraordinary skill and talent.As we now look towards the end of 2020—and we are all looking forward to putting a line through it—and going into 2021 this Government is clear about what our priorities are. We must continue to keep New Zealanders safe. It is the message delivered in this election that New Zealanders want continuity and stability and certainty with making sure that we keep COVID-19 out and we keep our people safe during this period of time. But we must also now continue to accelerate and build on the economic recovery that we have. The 1.7 million New Zealanders who we supported through the wage subsidy scheme many of whom are still in work need our support but so do those who lost work and lost jobs and we have to recognise that for many families this year will be difficult. Our commitment as a Labour Government is to work alongside all of those people to create jobs to support them and their families through this difficult time. And yes we will also address those longstanding issues around housing around climate change and around child poverty. We know on this side of the House that New Zealanders have high expectations of us. We will take this time over summer to recharge and return in 2021 to deliver on that agenda of keeping New Zealanders safe accelerating our recovery and building the foundations for a future that every New Zealander is part of. Merry Christmas Mr Speaker."