Henare PeeniHon PEENI HENARE (Labour): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker and thank you for the opportunity. I just wanted to address one thing: there are a number of grumbles in the House about some of our colleagues who haven't been here through the debate. I just wanted to acknowledge this morning the passing of Rawiri Waititi's father which is a sad time for him; he's lost both his parents now in the last six months. So I want to acknowledge him; he will be returning to his marae Kauaetangohia in the coming 24 hours. So I just wanted to farewell him. Haere e te matua. Haere haere haere.Now back to our bill that we have in front of us here today. I stand in Opposition to this bill. You know I don't claim to be a tax expert. But most of our whānau out there just want to know the simple things. They want to know: will they be able to get ahead? They want to know: is the cost of living going to ease so that they can support their families? They want to know that systems are simple in order for them to get on with their daily lives so they can be productive. What I've heard throughout this entire debate and it was a robust debate—and I want to acknowledge the speakers on this side of the House in particular who went through this with a fine tooth comb and challenged the Minister on so many aspects and couldn't get an answer.So let's paint it quite clear. For our whānau out there what's happening today is the tax threshold changes. Everyone has said on that side of the House that you're going to be better off. Well what's clear to me and as I look through those threshold rates I look and see who's really missing out. Well I can tell you and the regulatory impact statement supports this: Māori are missing out. Pacific peoples are missing out. Families in low socioeconomic communities are missing out. They are the ones who need it the most. They need the support the most and what we've heard throughout this entire debate is that that support is being stripped away but that's OK because we're going to give you a pittance in your pocket.Not only that though: what I heard in particular on that part of the debate was Oh no that's all right. We're going to give it back to you but you have to work for it again. You've got to go through the administration of making sure you can get a rebate for a child." Now that's just absolutely ludicrous and absurd. And I heard some of those kōrero from the other side of the House saying "Oh well you know if they want it badly enough they'll go and do it." This is to my point. Our people want to know that the tax system is simple easy to understand so they can get on with their daily lives. That's not what's happening here in this bill.We also talked about a number of other reasons why people are leaving this country. Well I say "Gidday mate!" because a lot of our people are leaving this country simply because the cost of living burden is just far too great. And what was advertised in the entire election was that relief was going to be given to them they'll have more in their pocket they'll have more to spend in our local economies they'll be able to stay here and support their families. Well record numbers are going to Australia record numbers are heading to greener pastures so that they can get the necessities of life: better healthcare better support in education better support for their families. This bill does not do that for our families out there. It might do it for the privileged the wealthy few it does it for the people at the top of the ladder but it does not do it for the people who need it the most and that's the point that I need families out there in our communities our hard-working families to get through tonight. That is it does not support them. When the tax thresholds come into enforcement they're going to look at their pay packet and say "Well is that all? Was that worth it? Did we make the right choice at the election?" My point to them is well sadly the election was the election. But they get a choice again in the future. They get to choose whether or not they back better education outcomes they get to choose whether or not the cost of living crisis will be eased so that they can look after their families and they can do all the aspirational stuff that we talk about in this House where at the moment they've been stripped of that aspiration.They'll have a choice to make in the coming years and I encourage them to have a good hard look at what's in this bill have a good hard look at what was left to them at the end of the day in their back pocket and I'll remind them that it was bugger all. And when they've been given a little bit as my colleague has rightly said they've been given a little something with one hand and I can say that they've been punched in the puku with the other because you might get a little bit more in the pocket but you've got to pay more because subsidies for transport have gone you've got to pay more because healthcare's going up and that's just not good enough. The community aren't silly; they'll see this bill for what it is. They'll see this tax movement from this Government and what it's for and they'll make a better decision into the future."