Rurawhe Adrian; O'Connor SimonExternal SectorCHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Members I understand the responsible Ministers are available to speak to the Votes in the external sector. Therefore the question is that Vote Customs Vote Defence Vote Defence Force and Vote Foreign Affairs stand part of the Schedules.SIMON O'CONNOR (Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee): Thank you very much. I understand as the Chair I have to be slightly—Erica Stanford: Thank you very much!SIMON O'CONNOR: Thank you very much!" Yeah I've never really been any good at mimicking. I have to be relatively neutral so this is going to be—I'm sorry Minister—somewhat familiar but also boring at the start but also very important. If I could though—on behalf as far as I can of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee—I thank all those officials civil servants and obviously those who serve for what they are doing. If I'm going through in order I'm very conscious of the work that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has been doing particularly around the COVID crisis. I think too it would be fair to say for those members of the committee great work providing us advice. It always goes without saying but it must be said to our defence forces and to those in the Ministry of Defence: for the service that they give the Realm we are grateful as well—as too to those in Customs. Things are—we could debate whether it's quieter or not for them; let's just say different. But we're very grateful for the work that they do at the border. It won't surprise you that when we looked at the Vote for foreign affairs a big amount of focus was in and around COVID. There was a lot of interest from the committee on how that was being managed and in particular how New Zealanders were able to come home and what assistance MFAT was providing to our friends and allies and others around the world to get their people repatriated. We were grateful to see and understand now Minister that particularly in the diplomatic core they are able to travel. They always were around New Zealand but they can now if you will refresh their missions. But I will signal it was an element that was beginning to come up in the committee and the Minister may want to address it later around diplomats and their families—they've been isolated from their families for a long time particularly when you're thinking of their sons and daughters and so forth—of whether MFAT's looking into that.There were obviously discussions on the committee around the various free-trade agreements particularly around the EU and the United Kingdom and of course a lot of questions were being raised around Hong Kong. Again members during the debate might bring up the specifics of that but the committee at the time was very very interested about how New Zealand was approaching the laws imposed by the communist party of China on Hong Kong and perhaps it will be commentary later that I can't do now of just how the Government's reacting with that. And I'll signal too to the Minister: the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation loomed large.Defence: obviously a lot of focus was on the new assets that were purchased. I've been happy and on the record even as a member of Her Majesty's loyal Opposition to acknowledge that the Government has funded a new fleet of P-8s. We're going to be purchasing the C130Js. I'm really pleased to see the Bushmasters bought. The Minister will recall if I allow the indulgence us driving one in Kabul as one does. There's the sentence you possibly weren't expecting tonight: "when I was driving in Kabul". Obviously you've had the Polaris purchased and obviously the frigate upgrade. But probably the biggest debating point in the defence area—or discussion point; always discussions on the committee of foreign affairs—was around the defence estate. I think there's a general acceptance that it's rundown and I think all sides of the House in that committee were interested in how that would be better engaged.Customs was the final area that we touched on as a committee—or the final one that I will address. A big element was really just questioning money. Customs does a great job but the committee had noted there were no extra funds being given to Customs. That was seen as perhaps—I can't speak for all the committee but there was a line of questioning of the oddity that post-COVID with the border as if you will our first line of defence there didn't appear to be any extra money or necessarily planning. But the committee was very pleased once we moved away from COVID to see the continued work to try and address the drugs coming into the country but I think really importantly the sexual exploitation of children. I know that's been a focus of the Government or Governments and the ministry so that was seen as exceptionally positive.So I thought it was robust as a committee but we always work I think relatively collegially so I acknowledge all those members as well. Thank you."