Simmonds PennyHon PENNY SIMMONDS (Minister for Disability Issues): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm exceptionally pleased to be taking part in this Address in Reply debate after the wonderful Speech from the Throne that we were able to listen to the other day. I want to take this opportunity to say what a privilege it is to be sitting on this side of the House and to thank the good people of New Zealand who voted for change and have given us that privilege.I also want to congratulate you in your elevated position. We took part in a number of debates together and I think that your measured approach and your very sound thinking has been rewarded and I acknowledge that elevation that you have received. Well done.We know that we are entering into Government during a time where there is going to be incredibly tight fiscal constraints due to the excesses of the previous Labour Government and we are all going to have to cope with those constraints. But across the portfolios that I have the privilege to have been given there are some bright spots and they are provided by people on the ground who we know are able to bring life to policy.I want to talk first of all about a young man called Flynn Laker who lives in Arrowtown. I know Flynn and his family well. He is the son of Tracey and the late Tony Laker. He's the brother of Meg Laker. Flynn has Down Syndrome but he has never let that stop him get on in life. Flynn works part time and he also runs his own business and he's something of a television celebrity. Flynn has Flynn's Sox" and on his website Flynn is the boss of that business. If you are hoping to get some socks for Christmas presents from Flynn you are out of luck—he is completely sold out. I talk about Flynn because he is a wonderful example of given the right support and the right encouragement how people from our disabled sector who are living with a disability can be involved in employment and self-employment and the wonderful experience that that brings for our disabled people should not be diminished in any way. And so I take that story and I make that something that will go with me all my time—that I have responsibility for the disability sector. I'm thrilled to be able to give a shout-out to Flynn today.I now want to talk about the environment because I've also been given that privilege of that portfolio. In the previous Government it has made me incredibly sad and disheartened to see how environmental factors and environmental issues have been used to split this country—rural against urban different sectors of our population against each other. The reality is that every one of us regardless of what we do and where we live impacts on the environment and therefore every single one of us has a responsibility to improve the lot of the environment. So whether it is improving the quality of our freshwater minimising the amount of waste that we produce or reducing the amount of plastic pollution we all are to blame for what happens and we must all take responsibility for that. So I think it is incredibly important that we get away from pointing the finger at different parts of our economy at different parts of our communities. We have to be joined up on taking responsibility for improving our environment.So I want to talk about a wonderful example of collaboration which has been in the media today in my part of the world; where collaboration between WasteNet and Phoenix Metalman has seen a recycling initiative to recycle lithium and alkaline batteries in Southland. I note that the Invercargill City Council's manager of infrastructure operations has highlighted the environmental importance of this initiative saying that there have been numerous fires in regional landfills that have been caused primarily by lithium batteries and this recycling initiative will reduce those fires and other environmental risks. I just want to say how pleasing it is to see people on the ground taking initiative being innovative being entrepreneurial and coming up with solutions.The other portfolio that I am very pleased to have is the tertiary education sector. I acknowledge the challenges that a number of our universities are working through in response to declining New Zealand domestic student numbers and international student numbers not yet being back to pre-COVID levels. I recognise that this is a difficult time for staff and I recognise that the universities are playing a very difficult balancing act between being financially responsible and retaining capability. So I acknowledge the universities and the staff during this challenging time.I also want to mention Te Pūkenga the combined polytechnics and industry training organisations' mega-merged entity that we will be working through the process of disestablishment for. Sadly there have been no enduring benefits for the over $200 million that has been wasted by the previous Government on this failed experiment. We will work through this disestablishment sensibly and calmly working a process in consultation with staff with students with community and with industry. And we will listen to what they are saying unlike the consultation that took place during the rogue process which established Te Pūkenga which ignored the advice of officials which ignored the feedback from the sector and which ignored the concerns of communities.We will listen and we will make sensible decisions following that consultation because the industry training and polytechnic education and training in this country is incredibly important. We will make sensible decisions about where economies of scale can be achieved we will make sensible decisions about where shared services actually save money—not cost more—and we will ensure that maximum regional autonomy can be achieved because we know that's where the best decisions are made.I give these examples across those three portfolio areas that I am so proud to have been given by our Prime Minister. Because we know that it is the people on the ground who are innovative who are entrepreneurial who are able to self-determine their future. They are the people making a difference. This Government will stop the top-down one-size-fits-all Government-knows-best mantra that we have had to put up with for the past six years—and it did not work. We will ensure that we are empowering and enabling people to find solutions—people who are on the ground who know how to make things work in their sector. Mr Speaker I am delighted to be given this opportunity to speak. Thank you."