Lee MelissaMELISSA LEE (National): Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill. I am going to be taking the higher ground and will not respond to the Hon Damien O'Connor's comments although they actually do require some response. I am just going to take the higher ground.I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the work that the Fire Service has been undertaking in the Port Hills of Christchurch and in the Hawke's Bay over the past few days. Their tireless dedication to the people of New Zealand is commendable and they truly are in fact heroes in our communities. I actually see several of them sitting up there in the gallery and I would like to salute them: thank you for what you do.I would also like to share in the condolences that were given in this House to the family colleagues and friends of the helicopter pilot David Steven Askin known as Steve. It was such a tragedy to have lost him while he was actually fighting the fires in Christchurch and our aroha—I am sure all members will agree—goes out to the family friends and colleagues of Mr Askin.This bill will repeal and replace two outdated Acts the Fire Service Act of 1975 and the Forest and Rural Fires Act of 1977 and will give the Fire Service a modern and future-proofed legislative framework that acknowledges the changes in our country over the last several decades. It will ultimately establish a single united fire service organisation for the New Zealand people.The role of the Fire Service has moved on significantly from only fighting fires—not that that is anything to diminish but you know it is no longer just rescuing cats either. It has a significant role in urban search and rescue motor vehicle assistance and community engagement—and education in our community as well. The Fire Service whether in rural towns or in our local suburbs is in fact a key community organisation and it should be thanked and acknowledged. It does an incredible amount of work for the people in our country. Across New Zealand there is a mixture of professional and volunteer firemen and women and our firefighters wherever they are and whatever their role need a system that works best for them and the communities they work in.This bill will mandate those non - fire-related services that firefighters undertake and it acknowledges that they do much more now than was their traditional role. The Government has also been heavily engaged with stakeholders to ensure they will be involved in working out how local services can best operate in their communities once the unification of the fire services takes place. These changes will also ensure the maintenance of volunteers as an important part of our Fire Service tradition. Our volunteers especially in smaller towns are a vital part of the fire service industry.Earlier this evening Scott Simpson and I were having a conversation about how I was so envious of a girlfriend who during university volunteered as a volunteer fireperson fire—you know—Scott Simpson: Firefighter.MELISSA LEE: —firefighter—and it was probably the fact that she carried a pager. This is long before mobile phones came out—I am actually showing my age.Scott Simpson: Pager?MELISSA LEE: Pager yes—one of those things that went off went beep beep" and the Fire Service would actually ring her. She was so responsible. She would not drink when we went out on a Friday night because she was waiting for that call just in case it actually happened. I was so envious I even tried out for the volunteer Fire Service. Back then I was apparently a little too small and so uncoordinated that when I held the fire hose I actually fell over backwards and water went everywhere. So I was not allowed to join the volunteer Fire Service. But I digress.I think this is a great bill and I commend the work that the Government Administration Committee has produced. I think it has done a wonderful thing and I salute the Fire Service once again. I commend this great bill to the House."