O'Connor Simon; Salesa JennySIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I mean always a pleasure to speak after that member O'Connor. We're looking forward to Minister Damien O'Connor coming in after this and finishing the trifecta. Granted I get into trouble with the O'Connors. A certain Damien O'Connor the other day made a rather injudicious comment to our Australian cousins and took a bit of heavy flak until they realised I was on their side. But I will actually pick up on one thing that Greg O'Connor's rightly mentioned—in fact I think it does happen across the House and often in those select committee processes which is the thanks which the committees do give to those who run our Civil Service. And we've certainly seen over the last year particularly those in the health sector but not alone who have done a fantastic job and at the risk of putting one public servant in the spotlight above others—but she'll be someone that's well-known to this House. I'll just use her first name which is Alma who did an incredible job liaising with us as MPs to try and help our constituents—so to acknowledge that.Now that the bouquet has been given it's time to throw the bricks. So we're here obviously debating the Speech from the Throne and the Address in Reply. As the member of Parliament for Tāmaki it was fairly important that I go back to the locals and ask them what they think about what the Government's doing what's happening in the world and what are their priorities. So I thought I'd use my time to indicate what I've heard back from them and maybe the Government in time will pick up on that. Look transport remains a massive issue in Tāmaki. Well I'd welcome all of you to come and visit. Please keep off Tāmaki Drive. There's more orange cones there than you could poke a stick at. The fact that there's lots of orange cones and no one doing any work remains a great mystery to me—and to my wife and I that we didn't invest in orange cones years ago. We'd all be retired and millionaires.I want to acknowledge what's happening at the moment around our local parks and playgrounds—granted I will admit not the purview of the Government but as a responsible MP I want to acknowledge that our people locally want to see those upgraded and certainly want to send a message to Government and to council that they want to see their rates better spent. A lot of concerns developing in the community around—well Kāinga Ora but a lot of people would understand it as Housing New Zealand and I'll come to the Government's failures in the space in a moment. But there are real concerns about the way that Kāinga Ora is engaging in the community. There's been some positive signs in Glendowie and Ōrākei around how they are discussing topics" from now but I suppose there is an encouragement in this speech to listen to people. One thing that other colleagues have certainly picked up on is around crime. This is a concern that's coming out of this Government. We look at the crime stats. We look at the decisions around no longer pursuing cannabis and other drugs. The pursuit policy has dropped. Elements around gun changes are not affecting actually the crime rates. I know it's only one electorate but the amount of crime in my electorate is going up and up and we're one of the better areas in Auckland if you want to phrase it—well if I'm going to phrase it that way. So it's a problem right across the country and I would encourage the Government to actually do something about that. They're obviously concerned as constituents as I am about the economy. Many are business owners and they understand that we always want to pay people more. But when a Government increases minimum wages increases sick leave introduces new holidays all on top of a COVID crisis it's not the most prudent of times. They certainly have issues around the managed isolation. It's very much a heart thing I would say. Many families—and I'm sure those particularly who are constituent MPs here will understand—are trying to get back to New Zealand or have loved ones return to this country and are finding the managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system lottery at the moment inhumane to a degree. It's probably slightly inflammatory language but they are finding it immensely immensely difficult. They do understand that you know no Government no system can make it perfect but the current system of MIQ feels like a lottery. To those families who are coming to my office desperate to bring their loved ones home and are finding that it's probably not until May even into June now—highly highly disruptive. And it has to be noted granted that the decision of a single member of the Green Party at the moment to travel and to return and then to blame everyone else does need a little bit of spotlight and is causing angst—angst—within my own electorate mainly as a point of leadership because they look towards members of Parliament to take the right and moral high ground in this space. Certainly there is concern about the vaccines. Look I like the science of it. Vaccines are good. I think it's really important where things are headed in that direction. But there is again concern within my constituency of what the Government says and what's been achieved and at the end of the day—and we have on this side been pushing it for a few days now—the Government said we would be at the front of the queue. There is a proverb that talks about the first being last and it turns out that that is the case. We are well behind the eight ball on this and so many other countries—so many other countries—have it. The Minister is at length trying to say that we're not using emergency provisions. Well last time I checked by definition a global pandemic which is infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands probably fits within the purview of an emergency. And that's probably been the overall theme which has been coming back around the Address in Reply and what this Government is doing: it's what they say versus what they do and by and large there is a massive massive gap. Child poverty is getting worse. The housing crisis is getting worse. Look I've said it so many times in this House I'm probably now even boring myself. But you know National left about 5000 people on the waiting list when we left Government. It's now well over 20000. If by definition we were decried as managing a crisis three four years ago what word does the Government want to use now when it's four times worse? And having looked after housing for National all the promises in the world do not build houses. The Prime Minister recently has trumpeted we're going to build 8000. Well that's lovely as a concept but we know last year that the Government was only able to build about 1300 homes and that's great—1300 more—but it didn't even reach their target last year let alone the 8000 that's been promised. I touched on about knowing business. They talk a lot about business and great words of sympathy and kindness—though I've almost banned the "k" word from my home I have to say. But as I say adding higher wages—Angie Warren-Clark: Oh that's awful.SIMON O'CONNOR: I know. Isn't it awful really? Just sometimes in the English language we can far overuse a word. But the great thing is we all have thesauruses and we can all be nice gentle and understanding.The tenancy changes—an absolute muddle of the highest order which is again I've said to this House only going to actually hurt the tenants and the very dynamics that the landlords and other associations and myself pointed out would happen are going to happen. Great concerns in the electorate around hate speech legislation—very very concerning. No one in this House myself included wants to see speech which is hateful. But speech which other people hate is not by definition something that should be criminalised. It needs to be put on the record and I'm sure we'll get to speak to it many many times but at the end of the day free speech is one of the key foundational underpinnings of a liberal democracy. And I do worry and fear as do a lot of Kiwis that any hate speech legislation is going to undermine that. Then finally around—it's all the education changes. I've got real concerns about the curriculum changes. Teach history for sure; teach New Zealand history for sure. But boy the decision to say that one of the three aims is to promote the idea of Marxism and Hegel that everything can be seen through power—that's not education; that's called indoctrination. Very worrying. Then obviously around the Māori wards—[Interruption] Around the Māori wards—I hear some cries from the other side. It would be really good for them to do some Philosophy 101; it's incredibly helpful. And the Māori wards—there's all this funny Orwellian speak about democracy and what they're doing. Well the great thing is about words and actions—if we truly believe in democracy then you follow the actions. And this Parliament's usually about debating legislation allowing the public to have their say but that's been explicitly denied by this Government. The last point I need to make because it has been raised with me by a number of constituents is around how New Zealand engages in the world with its partners. I'd be remiss if I don't speak to sovereignty and our national interests. I think we need to continue to speak up for democracy not just here at home and to challenge the Government but to throw one brick and one bouquet in—and why don't I start with a bouquet: I want to acknowledge the Minister in the House and the Government for taking the right stand around Myanmar or Burma. It was a pleasure to be out there with the community last night and to hear the New Zealand Government condemning the military coup and putting other steps in place. I encourage though that New Zealand continues to stand with its allies robustly in speaking against the Chinese Communist Party. I have far too many of my constituents raising this with me with their concerns and their fears. What's happening in Hong Kong must continue to be condemned. And I want to say particularly to the 11 who are in jail that you are not forgotten. And as per the recent BBC reports of the persecution of the Uighur people they too are not forgotten. I may only be a simple and humble MP in Tāmaki but to my constituents who demand I speak up for these things I will continue to do so.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): The next call is a split call. I call Jamie Strange."