Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. So much doom and gloom from the previous speaker who just resumed his seat Lawrence Yule; although if he were to just put his mind to it if the previous Government had actually built houses nationwide at the rate that this Government is there would be no public housing waiting list. But today's a day for celebration. There is so much that we have to be proud of on this side of the House and I want to focus on that and not the doom and gloom from the other side. Today brings great news for our parents because from today onwards paid parental leave goes up from 22 weeks to 26 weeks and with a higher maximum payment as well. This allows parents to spend extra time that is precious with their little ones with their babies and that is so crucial to the growth and the development of their babies. I want to quote my colleague Willow-Jean Prime in one of her first speeches in Parliament—because this was of course the first bill that our Government passed way back when. Willow-Jean Prime said and I quote:  'Te piko o te Mahuri tērā te tupu o te rākau.'—the way in which the young sapling is nurtured determines how the tree will grow." And to quote Dame Whina Cooper "For how the children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa." So can I just acknowledge everyone: former MP Sue Moroney the 26 for Babies coalition and everyone who worked so incredibly hard—and the Government on this side of the House that actually made it happen at the end of the day. Can I acknowledge them all for this incredibly monumental movement.Today's also a day of celebration for homeowners with cheaper building levies and more freedom to make alterations without a building consent. It's also a great day for teachers with pay increases for qualified early childhood education teachers as well. This builds on the exceptional work that this Government has done and continues to do in terms of responding recovering and rebuilding in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. I just want to touch upon the border because there's been a lot of talk about the border of late. The border remains our main line of defence against a second wave of COVID-19 here in New Zealand because it continues to be rampant overseas and cases continue to increase globally. The border remains our protection against community transmission and can I say this for the record: we have no community transmission in Aotearoa. The cases that we've seen are at the border and that is indication that our border regime which is one of the strictest in the world is actually working. It would be reckless and it would be risky to reopen our border now as many have called for including the Opposition. I just want to take a moment here though to acknowledge the fact that it's been tough for many including migrants here in New Zealand and members of our ethnic communities who have family overseas because there's a huge amount of anxiety for many. I know that the border closure represents them being cut off from their family and I just want to acknowledge that. However we've always said that a strong health response is what we need here. It is also the best economic response for us. In the time that I have left I also want to touch on another change that comes into effect today and that is specific support for foreign nationals who are here in New Zealand who are facing serious hardship. We know that there are many here in New Zealand who have lost their job. Many of them are on temporary visas with the eligibility to work. There are many who are unable to find that work and find themselves in serious hardship. For them there is a specific fund that is open today if they are unable to return to their home country because of COVID-19 restrictions if they were on a temporary visa that was valid as of 23 March 2020 if they are in serious hardship and if they have exhausted all their means of any other financial help. I just want to make note of that. I also want to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for what was the most significant consular exercise during the lockdown period and now. We've seen 70000 New Zealanders return and 70000 foreign nationals who've been helped to go back to their home countries as well. I thank MFAT for their considered response any time MPs have contacted them to support individuals as well. I'm incredibly proud of the work that this Government has done under the leadership of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and our Ministers and of the work that is ongoing to support the rebuild as we rebuild together in New Zealand. Thank you."