Radhakrishnan PriyancaHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Minister for Diversity Inclusion and Ethnic Communities): Tēnā koe e te Māngai. Al salam alaikum. As other speakers have done before me in this House today can I begin by acknowledging the horrific attacks on the mosques in Christchurch the loss of 51 lives those who were injured in the attacks and those who witnessed the unfolding of those horrific attacks on that day and the whānau of all those people. Can I also acknowledge the work of the royal commission and all those involved in the process. It is a substantial report. I want to also say that this week will be a difficult time for all those who have been involved as a result of these attacks. I want to begin by acknowledging their courage and strength and—as has been mentioned by the Hon Gerry Brownlee the speaker who has just resumed his seat—the leadership of the Muslim community in the wake of those attacks where many members of our Muslim community here across Aotearoa spoke about reacting with compassion and forgiveness and also wanting to acknowledge the aroha extended by New Zealanders across New Zealand. The report encourages us to take a holistic view of the changes that need to be made to ensure that New Zealand is a more socially cohesive nation and a safer place for all of us. The report adopts a useful definition of a socially cohesive society as being one in which all individuals and groups have a sense of belonging inclusion participation recognition and legitimacy. In New Zealand social cohesion also includes upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and those are some of the principles that the Government will base our response on. I want to focus much of my contribution today in the House on the issue of social cohesion—as is mentioned by the report—both in my capacity as the Minister for Diversity Inclusion and Ethnic Communities and in my associate social development role where I will be leading some of that work for the Government. I want us to be a society where everyone feels safe valued and heard and is able to participate fully and where we treasure the values that unite us while celebrating our diversity and a society where we protect our taonga of te reo Māori but where we also value and celebrate the 160 different languages that we speak and where we feel safe in dressing in particular ways that may make us feel comfortable even if it identifies the faith that we belong to. Our Government accepts as has been mentioned all of the findings of the report and agrees in principle to all 44 recommendations. Some of the principles that will guide our ongoing work include our vision for Aotearoa to be a diverse inclusive and safe nation and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles. The survivors and whānau of those at the centre of that attack will be integral to our response as a Government and we will strive for safer communities and a New Zealand that is more inclusive with equal protections for us all. I want to in the time I have remaining just focus on a few specific initiatives that have been part of ongoing work that this Government has rolled out since March 15th last year but to also speak to some of the specific recommendations made in the report. One of them in line with recommendation 30 of the royal commission report is that this Government is establishing a Ministry for Ethnic Communities and that has been long called for. The new ministry will take the place of the Office of Ethnic Communities and it will increase the standing and the mana of this agency. It will improve the leadership of the agency across the Public Service and include a direct reporting line to the responsible Minister—in this case myself. It will provide a greater ability to deliver on the ongoing programme of work that this Government has to better support and respond to the needs of our diverse communities and I want to acknowledge the voices that have been calling for this for a while. We will also provide meaningful work experience and pathways into the Public Service through an ethnic communities graduate programme. This in line with recommendation 35 that recommends greater diversity in the Public Service at all levels. Finally I want to speak to the collective impact board that comes out of recommendations 25 and 26 to ensure that our survivors and whānau have the ongoing wraparound support that they need to navigate their way across various Public Service agencies. This has been called for by the group at the heart of these attacks. I just want to acknowledge that this is a Government that will ensure that support continues and will stand alongside them and work with them to design that support. Thank you.