Mahuta NanaiaHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Foreign Affairs): I join this general debate and want to acknowledge just how challenging it is for whānau and communities at this time. New Zealand is not immune to the impact of unstable global inflation rates especially the impact on mum and dad mortgage holders those renting and those on fixed incomes. There's also the constrained supply chain which is having an impact on certain goods that consumers here in New Zealand are reliant on like food and fuel and a low unemployment rate where some sectors are still finding it difficult to attract the right skills in the right place with greater certainty. Times are tough and the Government's efforts to build a stronger and more equitable New Zealand during this challenging time means getting our priorities focused on families on communities on services and on cost of living. A report recently released by the Ministry of Social Development shows that for those receiving a main benefit total incomes after housing costs are 48 percent higher inflation adjusted than at the end of 2017. We cannot have those most vulnerable less assured and less secure about how they make ends meet. Our plan makes a huge difference for them.This Government's focus has been on easing the pressure of living costs for families. We continue to champion tangible steps towards making our welfare system fairer so that our fellow Kiwis on benefits do not fall further behind. These are the hallmarks of a fair and decent society that our Government will continue to stand up for. In addition to that take our Families Package where benefit increases and changes to Working for Families have made a vital difference in the lives of many low-income and modest-income whānau who work hard and want to get ahead. We've also seen record numbers of people moving off benefits and into work aided by the significant increase in the minimum wage. And as part of our plan to build a future where all whānau can get ahead we're making investments in areas that are critical to growing our economy: skills science and technology and infrastructure. We want Kiwis to seek out opportunities in low-carbon growth areas and that's why we're backing for example the video games sector to expand and optimise the talent we have here in New Zealand and the global network of opportunity they can plug into across a rapidly growing tech and creative sector. We want to create high-wage jobs for the future and for that to happen we have to back the talent we have here at home and keep it here. We continue to navigate through COVID-19 even better than the global financial crisis (GFC). I can remember when members on that side of the House from the same party took an approach after the GFC of austerity: Cut cut cut."Hon Michael Woodhouse: No they didn't.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Oh yes they did. And it's no surprise that that same message is being reflected and mirrored by the same party right now even though we're facing more difficult challenges. I know that it's important to ensure that the Government responds to the real needs that families are facing right now. Food security is real to whānau so increasing our investment in food banks is a small measure to continue to reflect that we're hearing and responding to the growing needs in our communities. It's a short-term measure because we must have a more sustainable approach to helping whānau out of hardship. We're providing the funding to community organisations on the front line and it will help to ease the burden on families through these community organisations working tirelessly—tirelessly—to respond after the extreme weather events that have been felt by families.We're aware that many households are still finding it tough. However we remain optimistic that New Zealand's future is dependent on our economic plan and that's why we have to ensure that we're doing things practically at a local level like scrapping the $5 co-payment for prescription medicines extending 20 hours early childhood education a week to two-year-olds and cutting public transport costs for our young people. These measures might not solve everything but they will most definitely make a difference in the lives of many Kiwis right now. We're also wanting to ensure that we have an economic plan that seeks to build and lift opportunity. Tourists are returning. Overseas workers are filling job vacancies. We're upskilling more Kiwis and our debt levels are among the lowest globally and in comparison to those that we would compare ourselves with. We'll continue to push ahead to diversify our export markets through the EU free-trade agreement (FTA) through the UK FTA and through other trade agreements. We remain committed so that we can ensure every New Zealander can have opportunity. But we know that it's about having a plan. We know it's about doing things locally while having our eye towards our economic strategy. We have a plan. We know where our priorities lie and we know we have more to do so that everyday Kiwis can feel the benefit of a Government who cares."