Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Well thank you Madam Speaker. I want to make it clear at the outset as the House has now moved into urgency to consider this piece of legislation that the National Party and His Majesty's loyal Opposition will be supporting this piece of legislation. We do so for a number of reasons many of which have been already canvassed by the Minister in his introductory remarks. Normally when the House goes into urgency to debate and pass a Government bill it's for reasons not of this sort. This is a unique event in the lives of most New Zealanders in that as the Minister has said for the 70 years and for Her Majesty to have passed away in her 71st year of reigning as our Sovereign lady is something that most of us have never had to consider or contend with or be involved with in the past.I'm like many New Zealanders a little bit sleep-deprived today because I spent quite a long time last night completely mesmerised and in awe of the television coverage of the royal State funeral—the processions and the pageantry and the appropriate farewell that was given to our late Queen Elizabeth II. So I think—and we think on this side of the House—that this is an appropriate piece of legislation to establish what will be a one-off memorial day marking the remarkable service and dedication over such a long period of time of our late Queen.But in doing so we also acknowledge that there is a cost and that is not something to just ignore or to pretend isn't occurring. But I would contend that even in a time of financial difficulties that our current economy is in and when we have a cost of living crisis I think actually on balance most New Zealanders and most New Zealand businesses will think that this is an appropriate way to mark—as a nation as citizens as communities as families and as a country—the remarkable dedication and dedicated service that Her Majesty gave to us over that period of time.So this piece of legislation means that like the Sovereign's birthday Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day will be treated as a day on which for instance schools will be closed under the Education and Training Act. It'll be surprisingly enough a non-release day for people who are involved and incarcerated in Corrections department facilities. So they'll lose a day and that may be something that they're not initially aware of.There will be other impacts as well but I'm pleased to see that the Government has not gone so far as to restrict trading. Alcohol will be available to be sold retail premises will be able to—Ian McKelvie: We'll be able to drown our sorrows.Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: Ha ha! My friend and colleague Ian McKelvie says that we'll be able to drown our sorrows. Well maybe a small toast to our late Queen might be appropriate; just a small tincture. I know that in your case Mr McKelvie it will only be a small tincture.But I'm pleased that the Government's taken a view that this one-off memorial holiday should be treated in much the same way that we acknowledge the monarch's birthday each year in New Zealand. And in an area like mine—in the beautiful Coromandel—that ability to trade on the day is actually quite important. That will be of some benefit to people who will choose to mark this day by actually visiting other parts of the country and turning it into actually a memorial weekend rather than just a memorial day. Some of us will be attending here in Wellington at St Paul's cathedral where there will be a memorial service. That will commence with a period of silence across the nation and we also think that's appropriate; we think that's the right and proper thing to do under these circumstances.We on this side of the House have—as part of our values in terms of our principles as a party—loyalty to our Sovereign. And Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was without doubt a big stable influencing factor in pretty much all our lives. I don't think there are any members in this Chamber who would recall—with the possible exception of Ian McKelvie—a time when Her Majesty had not been our Queen and he would have been far too young at that stage to remember that period of time.So this stable factor in our life in our community in our nation has been very very important. She devoted almost her entire adult life to fulfilling the pledge of service that she made as a young princess: that her life would be devoted to service of her people of her subjects and to the Commonwealth and the Realm nations. As our leader Christopher Luxon said The strength and stability of Her Majesty's leadership of the Commonwealth was a reassuring anchor for New Zealand and New Zealanders in uncertain and changing times. Through both the tumultuous and the good her dedicated service embodied the values of duty commitment and strength." And I think that there would be very few New Zealanders who would not concur with that view from Christopher Luxon.So on this side of the House we acknowledge and support the motion that is before us. We understand the reasons why this piece of legislation is not going to a select committee process. This is a unique occasion when the processes of parliamentary procedure can with legitimate cause be put aside. And I don't think that there will be too many New Zealanders who will be troubled by the actions that we are taking in the urgency debate tonight.There will be some however who will want to use the opportunity once the memorial day is passed to open a broader debate about New Zealand's constitutional arrangements. I would simply say to them: please have the dignity and grace to allow that debate to occur—if it is to occur—after a suitable and appropriate period of mourning when we as New Zealanders can acknowledge with all the appropriate manner and customary care that we want to do as a Commonwealth country to mark Her Majesty's memorial. Because it will be a day for us to celebrate and commemorate her wonderful life.Like many other people in New Zealand I'm of an age where I can remember being taken by my mother to the footpath outside what was then the Mercury Theatre in Auckland. My brother sister and I waited patiently for what seemed like an eternity for a fleeting glimpse of a magnificently dressed gloved woman with jewels and all sorts of things—a vision that most of us had never seen before. In a fleeting moment she passed before us with a gloved wave.I'm very thankful that my mother had the fortitude to do that for us as young children. We may not have appreciated it so much at the time but looking back with reflection and fondness it's a very fond memory of mine personally. I know that there will be literally hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who will have similar fond memories of an association with a much-loved and admired monarch who many of us felt actually we had an almost personal relationship even though we may never have met her. We knew her from magazines from news reports from television and from the many and varied activities that she and her family had undertaken during her long years of reign.So I want to conclude by reconfirming that His Majesty's loyal Opposition are going to support this piece of legislation. We do so understanding that it comes with some cost but in this case we think that that cost is something that can be appropriately borne. And so we support this legislation."