Luxton JoHon JO LUXTON (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. I just want to begin my contribution by responding to a couple of the comments that were brought up today—in particular the one from the New Zealand First member Tanya Unkovich who talked quite a bit about the previous Government's response to the COVID pandemic. Quite frankly I found some of her comments absolutely sickening. When she questioned the efficacy of vaccination and the efficacy of other things that the Government put in place at the time to protect New Zealanders I would ask that member: has she spoken to other members in the community? For example I was in the taxi coming back from the airport one day talking to the gentleman who was the taxi driver who had returned to New Zealand as soon as he was able to when the borders allowed him to from the UK. When he was in the UK he was a police officer. They were doing 12-hour shifts day in day out simply removing dead bodies from homes in the UK—and the member opposite from New Zealand First can shake his head. But—Jamie Arbuckle: The truth's coming out. Hon JO LUXTON: That is the truth—that is the truth as this man experienced it in the UK. So he and his wife returned to New Zealand purely because of our response to the pandemic. Another example I will give that member opposite is a woman whose daughter is a nurse in the UK and the conversations she'd have at night with her daughter in absolute tears and despair because she was in hospital COVID was rife and there were dead bodies in the corridors. There were dead bodies piling up and they simply couldn't manage it. Jamie Arbuckle: Lock us all down—lock us all down. Hon JO LUXTON: And the member can dispute that but this is what people are telling me from their firsthand experiences. The Hon Paul Goldsmith talked about the previous Government turbocharging spending during COVID. Well I would argue with Mr Goldsmith that that turbocharged spending saved businesses saved lives and saved livelihoods and we make no apology on this side of the House for doing so by putting people first. I want to pick up on something that the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins talked about in his contribution about choices and the choices that we see this current Government making. This current Government as he mentioned is choosing to give a $2.9 billion tax cut to landlords. We heard the Hon Nicola Willis talking about the fact that it was important to give Kiwis more of their own money that they earn to put in their back pocket and I'm not disagreeing with that. But what I find really interesting is when the Minister makes comments like that and then we see people on the news at 6 o'clock saying Well actually what I'll get for my tax cut is probably the equivalent of being able to buy two Chupa Chups." So for a Minister to stand there and talk on and on and on about how wonderful it is going to be for people to have more money of their own money to put in their back pocket—I agree that that's a good thing. But for someone to brag when it's only going to be the equivalent of a couple of Chupa Chups for some people and yet a far higher amount for people like us here in Parliament as MPs—we don't need the tax cuts that the Government is proposing or wanting to put in place. One of the things that we definitely don't need tax cuts for is when it comes at the cost of people's jobs and livelihoods because that is what is happening. Ministries are being stripped out. Public servants are being stripped out and are losing their jobs purely to pay for tax cuts—tax cuts that will provide lower-income earners with the equivalent of two lollipops in their back pocket. It is absolutely appalling. I want to also quickly talk about early childhood a passion of mine. We've heard this Government's laser-sharp focus on the cost of living crisis and yet their early childhood policy is simply going to create more bureaucracy for parents when early childhood is one of the most expensive in the world here in New Zealand. I could say more but my time has run out."