Hipkins ChrisHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): To work my way through the various issues that have been raised at the moment there are no provisions in the bill that relate to gangs specifically. In terms of the transport to and from managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities the bill does provide further clarity around the ability to require people to comply with the public health measures put in place. They're to keep them safe whilst they are in transit. I can confirm that we use buses because the gap between Auckland and Rotorua is a long way to walk.In terms of the other issues that have been raised Erica Stanford raised issues around why the Government's not removing MIQ requirements. Nothing in the bill prevents the wind back of MIQ requirements when that is justified.In terms of the issues from Chris Bishop around compliance with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act the Government has taken the view which has been supported by the courts in many of the court cases raised so far and I'm aware that there are several of them ongoing that the requirements around MIQ are a justified limitation where there are public health grounds for them to be in place. Now where there are not of course then nothing in the bill prevents the Government from winding back when that advice changes. In terms of David Seymour's question around why a requisition power is needed the existing legal framework provides the ability to requisition some things but not others. So the Director-General of Health the Government those leading the pandemic for example could requisition a building for the purposes of treating a patient but couldn't requisition the use of a laboratory for the purposes of processing tests. So there's an inconsistency in the legislation around what can be requisitioned. There is a gap in other words and this addresses that gap.In terms of why we're not being more specific about the circumstances under which it may be required one of the realities of dealing with a global pandemic is you don't know what you don't know and we don't necessarily know what situation we may be faced with in the future. The Act as it exists now specifies the criteria on which the powers within it can be used which is around the global pandemic and around the needs of managing the global pandemic. It is limited to those. There are safeguards in place. Orders made under the Act need to be endorsed by the House of Representatives. As Minister I am ultimately accountable for any such orders that are made under the Act so there is a check there in the sense that I as the Minister have to sign off on the use of those powers. I am accountable to the Parliament. Orders that I make under the law have to be confirmed by the Parliament. My ability to issue those orders as the Minister responsible for that has to be regularly renewed by Parliament. This bill extends the life of the Act but it will still have to be regularly renewed by the Parliament and when it is no longer required of course the Parliament won't renew it and therefore all of the provisions enacted underneath it will disappear at that point. One of the reasons that we are seeking to extend the Act for a reasonable period of time or extend the ability of Parliament to extend the Act—I should be very clear about that; this doesn't automatically extend the Act until the middle of 2023. Parliament will make that decision on a regular basis as to how long it is extended for. This extends the maximum time Parliament can do that. And the reason for that is that many of the transitional provisions that will be required as we move into different phases of the pandemic will still require the powers under the Act—for example the power to require pre-departure tests the power to require people to be fully vaccinated on arrival in New Zealand. Those things rely on this Act continuing to be in existence. If the Act disappeared we wouldn't be able to do those things. The power to require people to self-isolate at home if that is justified under public health grounds that requires this Act in order to do that. So that is why we are continuing the Act. It does not mean that the Act will continue to be used with all of the existing orders still in place. Orders will be removed when they're no longer justified.