Upston LouiseHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō): Thank you Madam Speaker. I'm pleased to rise and stand in support of this legislation the Accident Compensation (Maternal Birth Injury and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. Sixty thousand babies are born in this wonderful country we live in and what most people don't realise is that 85 percent—85 percent—of women in New Zealand experience an injury in the process of giving birth. Some are substantial and some aren't. It's one of those areas that I think it's really important that we explore further because there will be far too many women whose lives are permanently affected by this. The member before me Sarah Pallett spoke in terms of her professional experience of the physical and physiological impacts of giving birth but actually just as important is then the impact on women's maternal mental health as a result of some of these injuries and I think it's important that we consider this.It's been interesting to see the number of women who have come forward to raise these significant issues. During the course of the work that I've done on a member's bill to increase post-natal stay we had a session here in Parliament a breakfast of which there were a number of speakers and the part that stood out for me was one of the speakers a scientist talking about the most dangerous time of a woman's life being when she was giving birth and the most dangerous time of a child's life was when they are being born. I was quite shocked and I think that we haven't paid enough attention to the fact that it is a very physical and a very traumatic experience that can have a lasting impact on mother and therefore on baby. So I do think some of the changes that have happened in ACC's approach in terms of decisions they've made around birth injuries recently have had a significant impact in a negative way on women.What that has led to is a number of petitions and it's interesting because before the review in June 2020 perineal tears topped ACC's list of the 10 most common childbirth-related injuries for women and claims at that time were about 30 per month. After that review unfortunately though the number of claims accepted went down to about four. So I do want to acknowledge Kirsty Watt with her petition in June 2020 asking for improvements in the rehabilitation care of New Zealand women post-birth. Because I was involved heavily in the National Party's policy around the first 1000 days this was a component and hearing the experiences of women and just how significantly it had affected them was quite devastating. It affected their relationship with their baby. It affected their relationship with their partner. It affected their ability to enjoy life in very basic ways. The very level of physical incapacity was quite staggering.So I do want to acknowledge Kirsty Watt for bringing that petition initially and just to take this opportunity to say petitions actually do have a significant impact on our parliamentary democracy and I would really encourage people not only to consider creating a petition but to sign one. There was a second petition and I want to acknowledge the Green Party and the organisations that supported them many I have been involved with with my three-day post-natal stay but more broadly on the campaign for women's health and particularly in the first 1000 days understanding the importance of a baby's brain development while a mother is pregnant and post-birth. Everything that affects the mother affects the baby and I think that potentially in more recent years the pendulum has swung too far in favour of the child and away from the mother. So I commend the Minister for bringing this bill to the House for putting some of the emphasis back on the mother and ensuring through this change to ACC that the mother is able to get the support and treatment they require to support their ability to function and function well in life not just as a mother.I was quite staggered actually at that 85 percent of women experiencing an injury giving birth and there are far too many examples where it was yet one more thing that women just put up with and in absolutely hideous circumstances in some cases. One of the most challenging cases I spoke with was a women who was just unable to leave the house. Her injuries were so substantial she was unable to leave the house at all and so her ability to function as a mother as a woman as a human being—the process and the system really disrespected her. So I do think this is an important piece of legislation to ensure that—and part of what raises women's frustrations is their having to fight the system and when you are physically so debilitated in levels of agony that are quite unimaginable in an injury that many women are uncomfortable talking about even with their closest family to then have to fight the system to get access to financial support for treatment is for many the final straw. So I do think this is an important measure to enable women to get the support they need.One of the areas I do think and hope is explored in this select committee is where the line is: what injuries are covered and which ones aren't. And just as I have acknowledged those who have initiated the two petitions that have been a significant part in changing the law—or the introduction of this legislation—I would really encourage women with real stories and real experiences to consider submitting. A submission is a very powerful way to bring real experiences into our ability to change the law and in this instance to make sure that the line that is drawn in terms of which injuries are covered and which ones aren't will be really important. I'm not on that select committee but I would reiterate to women's organisations—actually not just women's organisations because this is not just a women's issue; if a mother raising a baby has a significant injury like this it affects her whole family—to make sure that we have those voices to ensure that the changes to this legislation cover more of the injuries rather than less.The other thing I would consider—because one of the aspects of the National Party first 1000 days policy was to actually enable women to get assistance through specialist physiotherapists. So for some pelvic floor damage might not be through significant tears or damage but still cause significant issues that have an impact on their quality of life. So I would really encourage people to come forward to submit for the organisations that were involved in supporting the open letter including groups like Mothers Matter and Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa for example. The College of Midwives will obviously be there—and the Council of Women to name a few—to make sure that women's voices are heard. This is a great opportunity and we need to get it right.