Kanongata'a-Suisuiki AnahilaANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour): Madam Deputy Speaker can I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your role as the Deputy Speaker. It's definitely a privilege that I follow on from that 1½ minute contribution by the member Stuart Smith across the floor. Yes I'm not a Minister either so I'm fresh off the front line. I am fresh off the front line so it's definitely a privilege to be involved in this debate.My first speech in the House is about the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) a bill that allows—I want to echo all the speakers before me—amendments to be made that would usually receive sufficient priority to progress individually. As a new member I love the fact that this is achieved through the support of all parties involved in this great Parliament of ours.Madam Deputy Speaker I'd like to bring to the discussion—as I said before I'm fresh off the front line—my involvement as a registered social worker a care and protection statutory social worker a youth justice social worker and a person who led and managed within the ministry that you were last head of the Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki. I understand the principle—they talk about the paramountcy principle. It is the paramountcy principle in the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 and the Care of Children Act 2004—the principle talks about the child's best interests and welfare as the first paramount consideration.So if we look at Part 3 what I want to bring to the House's attention is where it says a lawyer"—so the Care of Child Act 2004 and the bit that talks about "a lawyer appointed to represent a child". When we go into Part 4 in terms of the Child Support Act 1991 it also has "a lawyer appointed to represent a child". Then if we flip the page and go into Part 5 the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 it also says "a lawyer appointed to represent a child" and if we continue on to Part 11 which is on the Domestic Violence Act it talks about "a lawyer appointed … to represent a child". Then if we continue to Part 13 it talks about "a lawyer appointed to represent a child". Being fresh off the front line I think this is a principled approach and I support the amendments in the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) because it is about resourcing appropriately the people that represent the voices of children—of children who these Acts actually talk about representing their voice.I am not a lawyer as such but as a social worker if I can offer an insight in terms of working within the Family Court and working within the Youth Court on what the lawyers go through. Actually as an ex - social worker we couldn't progress things without hearing the children's voice and the people that represent the children in court are the lawyers. So I firmly commend this change not just to fast track things but to take a principled approach that we should put in systems that support the principle of the paramountcy of the child and support those who actually chose those professions because they are about the child.I look forward to all the discussions that will be coming through the select committee. I look forward to those discussions on this bill before the House and that's where I offer the insight in terms of common sense. This is what common sense looks like. A lawyer in Auckland—I could just say a lawyer for a child—could travel in the Auckland traffic from the Family Court to an Oranga Tamariki office to attend a family group conference then they are back again at 2.15 to the Youth Court to represent a young offender. Then on top of all of that if they are attending Manukau court or Auckland court they would have to send two separate invoices to all those courts. So it does make sense to have one door where it's all about a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. So I commend and appreciate the changes in this bill.Justices of the peace have served this nation New Zealand for 203 years since 1814. I would think that the members opposite would spend time to acknowledge the work that justices of the peace do. As a justice of the peace in Auckland I forgot to change my number but I think they have my work number from my last place and they're probably getting the calls at six o'clock or three o'clock in the morning to witness documents. As justices of the peace we volunteer and we do this because it's a community service—it is a service that is needed. So I've been a justice of the peace for a number of years and I must admit that I haven't had the opportunity to check whether I can continue on with that role of community service while I now stand privileged to be here in this House.I just want to acknowledge the work of Gary Nichols. He's the ministerial duties training coordinator at the Auckland Justices of the Peace Association. He puts in 200 percent effort in getting all our justices of the peace trained and that includes myself. I must admit Gary that I haven't been to a few trainings in the last year; now you know why I haven't come to training on a Saturday morning. Justices of the peace attend training in Auckland where there is no parking—so they have to pay for parking out of their own pocket. But thank goodness the refreshments are provided—the least you could do. So as a justice of the peace it's something that we take as a responsibility—to serve our community whether it's one o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the morning.But when there is a time that we are sick—I quite agree with Part 19 if you are unable to carry on those community services that you've put your hand up for and that you quietly go about doing your business and stamps and everything. When you put your hand up and you can no longer do it you can no longer provide that community service that you love doing—you love servicing the community—it is great to see that you can put the "JP (retired)" next to your name even though you haven't done your 10 years. I really commend that to the House. I look forward to seeing justices of the peace come through this House to see whether the Opposition have something to say about those things because I know as a justice of the peace that when it comes to lots of functions we used to see the people across the bench in those meetings.In my experience as a statutory social worker in care and protection and youth justice and in my community involvement as a justice of the peace I totally support the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) and I look forward to hearing it come back to the House for further debate. On that note I just want to acknowledge again the efforts in terms of the Auckland justices of the peace—I can only talk about Auckland because I'm a member of the Auckland justices of the peace—their work in terms of tirelessly arming our community service people who are in the community day after day morning after morning night after night; that have done this community service for New Zealand for the last 203 years.Now come on guys I'm sure that you can make an effort to get up and represent the views of those people that have done that. And again I want to acknowledge the Auckland Justices of the Peace Association for the efforts that they have made to make sure that justices of the peace in New Zealand—in particular in Tāmaki-makau-rau—are well trained. On that note I would like to take my stand and say thank you very much. Malo 'aupito."