Luxton JoJO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata) (remote): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to take a call in the general debate. Can I firstly say that I am extremely grateful that we've had a stable and united Government that has led us through some of the most difficult times in the last few years that New Zealand has actually ever experienced. As the Hon Andrew Little mentioned today the best economic response has been the health response that this Government has taken.I take issue with some of the comments that the Hon Paul Goldsmith made with regard to the Government's addiction" to spending and he referred also to the amount of money that has been borrowed. I would say to Mr Goldsmith that that money that has been borrowed that has been spent has allowed businesses to continue to operate during this global pandemic. That is not to diminish that many businesses have done it extremely hard. That is happening without a doubt and some have also even closed up. However that money that has been provided to business has allowed some to continue operating. It has allowed them to continue to employ New Zealanders to keep New Zealanders in jobs during what has been an awful time globally and nationally.He also referred to the Jobs for Nature scheme—about how it was taking people that were workers away from jobs where there were job shortages into this Jobs for Nature - type programme. I also take issue with that Mr Goldsmith. I met two young intelligent outstanding women at the beginning of this week who were employed by the Jobs for Nature programme. One had been an outdoor guide whose job had been affected by obviously tourism and the fact that tourism was no longer happening so much in this country. She is absolutely loving and thriving in this role in the Jobs for Nature programme.I also spoke to a gentleman who oversees some of these young people coming into this work and he talked about the benefits the increase in confidence that he was seeing in these young people who may have been unemployed for many years: the confidence that he was seeing come through this type of work; the improvement in their mental health. So I think it is wrong to diminish the Jobs for Nature programme in any way shape or form. I would encourage Mr Goldsmith to actually get out of there get out of the area that he lives in and talk to some of those people that are undertaking that work. I commend our Minister Kiritapu Allan for the work that she has undertaken in that area.But I would like to move on to some of the things that this Government has continued to do throughout the pandemic. It has continued to focus on things like housing child poverty improving health outcomes and climate change. Yes there is more work to do in that respect and we are going to see some huge improvements as we move through the rest of this year starting on 1 April. We are going to see one of the biggest increases in our main benefits here in New Zealand. We're going to see an increase in our superannuation payments student allowance payments and other such things—a huge increase in the minimum wage.We have members opposite disagreeing with the increase in the minimum wage saying it's going to hurt businesses. Yes there will be a cost to businesses. However those people we know that when they have an increase in their wage they spend it locally and they spend it locally at a time when our businesses are screaming out for customers to come in and purchase from them and spend with them locally.We have an Opposition who is simply like a stuck record reverting back to tax cuts tax cuts tax cuts. It's like they are stuck in a time warp and cannot think of anything better to improve the lives of New Zealanders other than tax cuts which will actually only benefit those that are higher income earners—unlike this Government who wants to see everyone benefit particularly those who may be doing it a little bit harder than others at this time. They are the ones that need our support the most and they are the ones that will see some real benefit from 1 April. We are going to be opening our borders very soon and the whole country will be seeing the benefit of that tourism right across New Zealand.It's been a tough couple of years. This Government has a plan and they are putting it in place and continuing on as they intend to."