Motions — Nepal—EarthquakeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMotions — Nepal—Earthquake[Sitting date: 28 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2901. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MotionsNepal—EarthquakeHon BILL ENGLISH (Acting Prime Minister):I seek leave to move a motion without notice in relation to the earthquake in Nepal.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.Hon BILL ENGLISH: I move That this House express its support and condolences to the people and Government of Nepal following the devastating earthquake which struck there on 25 April 2015. On Anzac Day a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the South Asia region centred north-west of Kathmandu. The full extent of the tragedy is now becoming clear with more than 4000 people killed and over 7000 injured in Nepal India China Pakistan and Bangladesh. The scale of the destruction in Nepal is devastating and the images we are seeing from out of the affected areas are upsetting. The damage to infrastructure and the economy has been immense. We know from recent experience the suffering that an earthquake of this magnitude can bring and how difficult the response and the recovery can be. We also know how important it is to work with authorities to coordinate a response to ensure that it is beneficial. We also learnt from the Christchurch earthquakes that no country has to face this alone. The international community stands ready to help.In New Zealand’s case there is immense goodwill between New Zealand and Nepal based on our links through Sir Edmund Hillary and the ongoing work of the Sir Edmund Hillary Trust. In recognition of this special relationship and in response to the scale of the tragedy we have announced an initial contribution of $1 million to the immediate relief effort and we will continue to assess how we can further assist both in the short term and in the coming years because as we know from our own experience recovery takes a long time. This funding will be delivered to agencies that are active on the ground and that have the capability to provide immediate assistance. We have also deployed three consular staff to Kathmandu to support our honorary consul and to provide assistance to New Zealanders in response to the earthquake. We have confirmed the well-being of 236 New Zealanders in Nepal. Given the scale of this disaster and the fact that communications remain intermittent it may take time to account for all the New Zealanders in the affected areas.Again on behalf of this House and all New Zealanders I extend our condolences to the Prime Minister of Nepal Sushil Koirala and the Nepalese people during this difficult time. We also offer our condolences to all of those in Bangladesh China India and Pakistan who have been affected by this tragedy.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour):The Labour Party joins the Acting Prime Minister in expressing our sympathy to the people of Nepal following a horrendous 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Our thoughts go out to the thousands of Nepalese people who have lost family and friends and who have suffered injury. Over 4000 have died and the numbers are still growing. Over 7000 have been injured and 100000 are homeless. We would also want the families of the New Zealanders who are still missing to know that we are thinking of them at this time.The Himalayan Front can produce some very powerful earthquakes. In 1934 there was an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal. The difference this time is that on Saturday the earthquake was relatively shallow intensifying the surface shaking and the epicentre was closer to Kathmandu. It has been reported that the earthquake ruptured under the city creating the worst-case scenario. A massive block of the Earth’s crust roughly 120 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide lurched 3 metres to the south according to a world-renowned expert on Himalayan earthquakes.The result has been catastrophic for Nepal but the effects and the loss of life have also extended as the Acting Prime Minister said to China Pakistan Bangladesh and India. We send our condolences to the families of those countries as well. We think particularly of the five Nepalese employees of the Wānaka mountain guiding company Adventure Consultants who were killed on Saturday and we are thankful that five New Zealanders on an Everest expedition with the company were unharmed. Sir Edmund Hillary said before he died that he wanted New Zealand to look after the Himalayan people—people whom he had devoted his life to and a country that through him we feel close to. His daughter Sarah said on Sunday that Sir Ed would be horrified and saddened by the devastating earthquake. She said however that his first concern would be for the people.I urge our Government to redouble its efforts to help the Nepalese people. Sometimes as happened in Christchurch friends do not wait to be asked to help; they just go. It is not a time to think about what might be done that could be helpful; it is a time for action—to repay the generosity shown to New Zealand and to reinforce our reputation as a good international citizen.I do believe that there is more that we could and should do and I look forward to hearing what further contribution the Government will make. But I also urge New Zealanders to dig deep and to donate whatever they can. I know that Oxfam and UNICEF are collecting now. Every bit will help.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green):The Green Party extends its condolences and sympathies to the people of Nepal and to those in the region who have been affected by this quake. Our thoughts are with the Nepalese community in New Zealand—in particular those who have lost friends and family. Our thoughts are also with New Zealand families who are waiting to hear about people who are still missing. We hope that good news of your loved ones reaches you soon.The Green Party acknowledges the contribution of the Government so far and we hope that the Government can commit further in the fullness of time to support the Nepalese recovery and rebuild. New Zealanders know firsthand about the damage caused by earthquakes and it is not just about bricks and mortar. The confirmed death toll is now over 4000 and the number of people who have lost their homes is already estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Those who lived in the oldest and most unstable buildings will have lost the most. People in Kathmandu are camping in public spaces because they do not feel safe going back into their homes or because their homes have been destroyed.There is a race against the clock to clean up with the monsoon season beginning in just a few weeks. Many people will no longer have a roof over their heads to keep them dry. Slips in the countryside are a real danger on hills and in valleys that have been destabilised by the earthquake and its aftershocks. Reports from rural hospitals have highlighted the lack of diesel to keep their generators going. They are relying on electricity generated by solar panels but they do not have enough panels to light both the operating theatres and the general wards at the same time. This is a reminder that self-sufficient energy sources can be invaluable at times of crisis when normal fuel supplies are not available.It is important that New Zealand helps out as best we can. At this point that may be by simply sending money to the aid agencies on the ground that know what is needed most and we encourage the Government to help. But we also encourage New Zealanders to help. It seems like Nepal may not need our urban search and rescue team but there may be other opportunities for New Zealand to support the people of Nepal in their recovery. The average income in Nepal is less than $500 a year. A lesson from the 2010 Haiti earthquakes is that recovery is even more complex in poorer countries. Even 5 years after the quakes there is still much work to be done in Haiti.Other members have mentioned that there is a rich history between New Zealand and Nepal centred on the work of Sir Ed and Lady June Hillary with the Himalayan Trust. New Zealand will feature in Nepal’s long-term rebuild through the work of the Himalayan Trust.There are encouraging reports that signs of normality are returning in Nepal. Markets are selling food and traffic is slowly returning to the streets of Kathmandu. But we know from our experiences in Canterbury that the human cost—the damage to people’s lives—is not easily repaired. It takes time. New Zealanders know the ongoing dread of aftershocks the anxiety that keeps you awake at night and the unease brought on by the smallest shake. But we also know that over time things get better. We hope that people in Nepal find support and strength in their families and communities at home and abroad as they rebuild their homes and their lives. We send our aroha and best wishes to them.TRACEY MARTIN (Deputy Leader—NZ First):Kia ora Mr Speaker. There is a longstanding and special bond between Nepal and New Zealand. The brigade of Gurkhas only last Friday marched with their pipes and drums alongside our own in the Anzac Day parade here in Wellington. The brigade of Gurkhas then stood alongside our own dignitaries military personnel and tens of thousands at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to commemorate Anzac Day. We hope that they have arrived home safely. We hope that they have arrived home and found their families safe. Our bond with Nepal was enhanced and strengthened through the work of Sir Ed and his family in honour of his good friend Sherpa Tenzing.So New Zealand First stands to join with the other members of political parties in this House to add our condolences to add our best wishes. We also add our voice to the calls for more from the Government for speedy responses. I take on board the comments of the Green Party member that this will go on for some time so we need to be quick not only in the first moment; we need to be there for the long haul for our friends. So New Zealand First will participate in any way that we can to join with the rest of Parliament to support our friends and our neighbours in this time of their need. Kia ora.Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tātau katoa. I te wā e kōrerohia ana ngā mate i roto i Te Ao Māori ēhara i te mea ka kōrero mō te āhuatanga o te hunga i tāwāhi rā anō i tōna kotahi. Ēhara i te mea ka kōrerohia te āhuatanga o ngā mate o te wā kāinga. E pēnei rawa te kōrero ka kōrerohia katoatia rātau i te wā kotahi kia taea ai e tātau te kī ā te hunga mate kōrerohia ana i te wā kotahi kia ngāwari mai ai te āhuatanga o te ngau o mamae ki runga i tēnei i tēnā i tēnā. Nō reira me pēnei rawa te kōrero i te wiki kua hipa ake i tae atu au ki te tangihanga o Martha Taiaroa te wahine te pouwaru o Archie. I tēnei ata tonu nei i rongo nei au mō te matenga o Monte Ōhia matua nei ā rāua rāua ka tāpirihia atu ki ngā mate e kōrerohia ake nei i tāwāhi kia taea ai e tātau te tuku roimata mō rātau katoa.E kore e taea te karo i a mate me tōna haere i te mata o te whenua arā i te rū o te whenua anō hoki i tāwāhi. Kua waia a Aotearoa ki tēnei āhuatanga ā ki tērā o ngā rū i tū ki Ōtautahi. Anā kua waia mātau ki te āhuatanga o mate. Nō reira ko tāku ko te kī atu koutou ki te pō e moe e moe e moe!Ko te hunga ora te tūmanako ia ka rere atu tētahi ringa āwhina ki te tautoko i a rātau. I hara mai rātau ki Aotearoa nei me haere atu tātau ki reira ki te āwhina atu. Nō reira kua ara tonu ngā taringa ki te kōrero a te Pirimia tuarua i tēnei rā he wāhi kai a Aotearoa ki te āwhina atu. Me āwhina atu ka tika ā nā runga i te āhuatanga o tā rātau āwhina mai i a Aotearoa i te wā o te raruraru.Nō reira tēnei te whakatau o te Pāti Māori i tēnei rā ka tautoko ake i ngā kōrero katoa me te tūmanako ia ka mānaakitia paitia rātau katoa e te wāhi ngaro i tēnei wā te wā o te uaua te wā o te raruraru te wā o te tangi ki te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi. Nō reira huri noa tēnā koutou katoa.[Thank you Mr Speaker. Greetings to us all. At the time that deaths are talked about in the Māori world it is not as if references being made are solely upon those some distance away overseas; it is not as if aspects about deaths back home are not referred to. Let me say that all of them are included at the same time to ease the pain upon this one and that one. So put it this way last week I attended the mourning of Martha Taiaroa wife and widow of Archie. Just this morning I heard about the death of this Monte Ōhia and so these two are added to the deaths mentioned here from overseas so our tears can be shed upon them all.It is not possible to dodge death and its journey upon the land in earthquakeshere as well as overseas. New Zealand is used to this situation and to that earthquake that struck Christchurch. We are accustomed to aspects concerning death. So my take on the situation is to address you in the void by saying rest rest and sleep there!To the living the real hope is that some officials fly over there to assist. They came here to New Zealand to help us; we must go there to help them. So the ears prick up with interest at the Acting Prime Minister’s statement today that New Zealand has a role to play in terms of providing assistance. It is apt that we offer aid because they assisted New Zealand in a time of difficulty.Therefore the Māori Party considers and endorses all the tributes today in the genuine hope that all of them will be cared for well at this time by the place lost from view at this moment of difficulty trouble and grief in regard to those lost. So my thanks to you all throughout.]Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future):On behalf of United Future I want to join with other members in supporting the resolution moved by the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the horrific earthquake that devastated Nepal and other countries in the region at the weekend. As the television photos have come through and we have seen the signs of the rubble—we saw the dramatic pictures last night of the avalanche on the lower slopes of Everest and the buildings collapsing in and around Kathmandu—the enormity of that event has started to sink in very deeply. At first it was just a trickle of deaths and casualties but now it is up over 4000 with 100000 homeless many more unaccounted for and even a casualty in respect of a New Zealander confirmed as having died although from a related condition as part of the earthquake drama.I suspect that a few years ago we would have let events like this simply wash over us to some extent—they happened in other places; they were horrific and tragic—but ever since the events in Christchurch they have taken on a new significance for New Zealanders. We know maybe on a smaller scale what the devastation can be what the uprooting of societies is as a consequence and consequently what the need for reconstruction and assistance at times of trouble can be as well.I support the initiative taken so far by the Government in terms of financial assistance. I agree that it probably will not be where the issue ends. There will be more calls made on our assistance in the future and we should be prepared unstintingly to provide that. In that context I acknowledge the readiness and preparedness of our urban search and rescue unit which was to have deployed to Tibet last night but is not required at this time. Those people gave up their weekend at short notice to be ready to go and that is what we would expect of them. I acknowledge their preparedness and their contribution.All of us would share a sense of deep horror at the unfolding events. We wish—I was going to say speedy; that is probably inappropriate—a clear and quick return to a sense of normalcy in Tibet. We hope that the deprivation that has been evident in recent days can be placed under some control and we look forward to working with the international community to restore the tradition of that proud country and to strengthen further the links between our two nations as we help them recover from this tragedy.Motion agreed to.