Logie Jan: Budget Measures (Financial Support for Newborn Children) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLogie Jan: Budget Measures (Financial Support for Newborn Children) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 15 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17973. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAN LOGIE (Green): I would like to follow on from the previous speech and also offer my support for Sue Moroney’s amendment to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks. Obviously as I have been saying the Greens’ policy is 13 months but 26 weeks would be an honourable step towards a society where we are looking after our new families and our babies and giving the best start. Sue Moroney’s bill so far has been through the Government Administration Committee which received almost 4000 submissions and heard from so many people. The select committee heard such personal and compelling stories that convinced the majority in this House that 26 weeks was a fundamental. We as a society were saying that if we are choosing between costs for things actually New Zealanders choose 26 weeks. We have heard that message sostrongly. I absolutely support extending the entitlements. Sadly this bill does nothing to do that; it is just about the length of time. Tonight we have the opportunity to deliver those health outcomes those economic outcomes and those well-being outcomes to our mothers and babies and fathers by virtue of 26 weeks.I would like to remind this Committee again of some of the stories that came to us at the select committee that I mentioned in the second reading only a few minutes ago. Another story I would like to offer is that we heard from a woman who was in a well-paid job and was able to take 10 months’ leave because that was in her contract. She talked about what a wonderful time in her life that was and how privileged she felt to have had that time. She had not really wanted to be a mother and she had felt quite ambivalent about becoming a mother but that time had enabled her to learn to love and connect with her child in a way that she might not have been able to do otherwise.Actually what we are talking about is giving some families some mothers and some babies that ability and that gift of time to connect. Once they have connected that is something that you cannot undo and the good that flows from that is something that you cannot undo. That is something that this society has said it values and it wants. It would prefer us to spend our money on caring for our children and looking after our families. People would rather have that than a larger surplus. They would rather have that than motorways. They would rather have that than most other things because it really really makes a difference.Another story that we heard was from a woman who had extended leave again through her contract and she talked about some of the difficulties that she had had with breastfeeding and post-natal depression. She said that if she had not had that time that 6 months of extended leave she did not know how she would have coped. It is a really difficult time in the lives of so many women and babies and it is a time when we should be investing in and really providing those fundamental supports so that we show that we care and get the best outcomes as a society.I am well behind the amendment from Sue Moroney that would enable that to happen and I am quite excited at the possibility that this Parliament may be able to deliver that for New Zealand tonight. The Green Party is right in there with that vision for a better society.