Seymour DavidDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I join with my fellow New Zealanders and members of Parliament here today in welcoming the Prime Minister's notice under the Epidemic Preparedness Act. It has come not a moment too soon when the stakes are high—they are literally life and death. We must now carry out the Government's strategy in order to make sure that we come out on the side of life.We should acknowledge that we are fortunate to inherit a very sound set of institutions as a country. The Epidemic Preparedness Act the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act for instance our civil service and this Parliament allow us to face this crisis as a nation and as a team. I believe that our Government is doing the best it is capable of to address this crisis under trying circumstances with limited information high-stakes decisions in a fast-changing situation.It is critical that we all follow the game plan. Sometimes one does not like or agree with the coach's game plan but we also know that if every player doesn't follow the plan then actually we have no plan at all and typically in my experience teams that do that lose. We as New Zealanders should not be aiming just to get through this; we should be aiming to get through it better than any other country because that's who we really are—we are the people who moved further for a better life than any others on earth. If you doubt that just look at the map; there we are having moved the farthest.We can by sticking together and following the plan do better than any other country. It's important that we each play our role. This Parliament has a role to play as well. We feed information from our electorates and from New Zealanders into the political process. It's critical that we continue to do that. My electorate office staff as I wrote to Epsom electorate people will continue working even if remotely no matter what circumstances obtain.There are examples where while we should be following the Government's plan the Government has the opportunity to fine-tune it and improve it. Let me give one example of the kind of discussion that I think we need to keep having. The suburb of Parnell has a perfectly good fruit and veggie store and butcher; it has a dairy which will remain open. It makes far more sense for people to get their provisions at the Gladstone Road shops than leave Parnell—which is effectively an urban island—and go to much bigger stores in other suburbs. I hope that the Government will continue to fine-tune its plans and consider such anomalies and that people again will follow the game plan.Some people wait for the Government to act but actually each of us are able to choose how we act and make our contribution to New Zealanders getting through this crisis better than any other nation. Many people have approached my electorate office in the past few days seeking to interpret various criteria—Can I do this? What is my particular business in relation to essential services?" I can understand that the Government couldn't have total clarity and if it had waited till it had total clarity it would have ignored General Patton's great maxim "A good plan violently executed this week is far better than a perfect plan executed next week."But as those clarifications come through we have to make our own judgments. I've counselled people who have approached me with a simple bit of advice: this is a generational defining period. People will remember how you your household your business your institution makes its choices at this time. They will judge and they will remember. I think the best way to make decisions if there's any doubt about following the guidelines as they become clearer and the right way for people to think is "How will this look as people look back and judge?" With that I commend the Prime Minister's statement. We are all in this together as New Zealanders. Thank you very much."