Costello CaseyHon CASEY COSTELLO (NZ First): I would first like to acknowledge Teanau Tuiono for bringing this bill to the House. I think it's an important piece of work the Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill. I would also acknowledge—and I think it must be with great sadness—that this bill is being brought to the House without Efeso Collins being here to share it with you.New Zealand First is here to listen to the Pacific community our leader—and excuse me for my pronunciation—Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters has advocated through initiatives such as the Pacific Reset and continues to advocate for our Pacific communities. We support our Pacific neighbours and the communities that make up our country. That is why New Zealand First will be supporting this bill to select committee. It is the select committee process that will give us an opportunity to consider and make amendments that are necessary.The bill is attempting to restore citizenship to those in Western Samoa that lost it when the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 was passed. We acknowledge that yes for over 40 years the effect of this bill has been reviewed and considered and reflected upon. It will mean that approximately 5000 people who lost citizenship in 1982 will be able to apply for and receive citizenship by grant. We acknowledge this doesn't confer citizenship directly but creates automatic eligibility to apply for and receive citizenship.We know there's been numerous attempts to repeal this Act and I acknowledge the petition in 2003 and again the former MP Arthur Anae for his work.Now this member's bill is before the House we think it is an important consideration. I myself enjoy wonderful whānau members who are in New Zealand from the Samoan community. I've lived and worked most of my life in South Auckland and we are enriched and blessed by the contribution the Samoan community makes to our schools to our communities to our collective organisations.I would like to see robust conversations. There will of course be considerations we have to reflect on. We have to understand the impacts and of course being a Government we have to consider the financial implications. We know that will be a process and that process should take place in select committee where we can hear fairly calmly and rationally from those who are affected. We will not lose; I think we will gain from the opportunity of this conversation.I think it is really important to reflect that we have all been blessed. I have worked with wonderful men and women who have come from Samoa some of whom have saved my life on a couple of occasions so I acknowledge that completely.When I think many of us gave our maiden speeches in this House we talked about the opportunities to work in a bipartisan way to work across the House to find our common ground to talk about what brings us together rather than divides us. I think this is an opportunity to demonstrate how we can do that. I look forward to the opportunity and New Zealand First look forward to the opportunity of having these discussions and really analysing what we are going to achieve here.The fact that this matter has been sitting around for 40 years should not be something that we're afraid of. It should be the reason that we actually take the initiative to sit down. So again I commend the member for bringing this to the House. I acknowledge the sadness that must exist because Efeso's not here to join in this but I take pleasure in supporting this bill to the select committee.