SpeechJO HAYES (National): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. I'm privileged to stand in the third reading of the Hamish Walker bill the KiwiSaver (Oranga Tamariki Guardians) Amendment Bill. I just want to acknowledge Hamish on the work that he has done—a really passionate young man. I see that on many many occasions in his discussions within our caucus within a number of meetings where he is speaking and this bill is really a reflection of the passion that he gives to his role within this Parliament. I also want to acknowledge the submitters to this bill and the passion that they gave in their submissions and the time that they took to formulate what they wanted to say in their contributions at the select committee process. I just want to make a few comments around some of the things that I've heard in the House tonight. So I'm just going to start around the idea of equity of opportunity which my colleague Alfred Ngaro spoke about in his contribution and I want to talk a little bit about that from a personal perspective. So our family many years ago we had a foster child. He came to us when he was seven years old and he became my stepbrother. We asked his parents my aunt and uncle if we could adopt him and they said no so he remained as our foster brother. He died two years ago and all of the times we sat around the tūpāpaku we recited some of the things and recalled some of the things that happened when he was our foster brother—or our stepbrother.A couple of things around this bill and KiwiSaver and access for foster kids to KiwiSaver accounts. So when my brother came to us—as I said he was seven years old—we had bank accounts as children. Our parents made sure that we had bank accounts and my stepbrother or my foster brother actually got access to the same privilege of being able to have his own bank account—very much similar to what a KiwiSaver account is today. He was able to have that. It started for him a habit of saving and a very good habit. All of that was squashed when he went back to his real parents but anyway the point being is that back then—and this was a few years ago—we had and he was given an opportunity to have his own bank account that only he could access that my parents would put money into every week through the school banking system. So this bill actually reflects a lot of what happened back then today and I think that it's really good and a lot of foresight's gone into this bill and thank you very much to Hamish for doing that for the foster children of New Zealand. Somebody does need to speak up for them. As we've heard many of them have come from traumatic backgrounds. They've seen things that there'll be many of us in this House have never seen and will never see in our lifetimes. And so this KiwiSaver bill is an opportunity for them to be able to have savings for their future and so I do applaud Hamish for this.I also want to just comment a little bit around what Greg O'Connor talked about over trusting foster carers. You know if we have foster carers that we trust enough to be able to look after or foster children then surely we are able to trust them to be able to open a KiwiSaver account for those foster children if they wish. Remember this is not compulsory; it just opens a way through. Surely we are able to trust them enough to be able to put money in and open a KiwiSaver for the foster children that they have. And I think it's very honourable when foster carers do that. And I've known a number of foster carers since my parents were ones as I went through my adulthood and some of the love and the care and the support that these foster carers give to the foster children is nothing short of admirable. I also want to make a comment around access to the KiwiSaver. As far as I know the only person that can access KiwiSaver is the person that the name of the KiwiSaver is in. And so you know if there is fear around corruption or coercion around that savings scheme then that is actually why the benefit is in the name of the foster child or children. And so I think that this bill you know it's an opportunity. It would be great if it went more as Tracey Martin said—there are not 500 but 700 foster children of the 6000 that will be able to have a KiwiSaver account. It would be great if that could actually broaden out and give an opportunity for all foster children to have a KiwiSaver account. I want to make a comment around a contribution that was put in the House around undermining guardians and the role of guardians through this bill. I don't think this bill undermines guardians. I think the guardians should be very pleased that people are taking interest in their child right through—so giving them an opportunity. So I don't think you know—all the negatives that I've heard. This bill does not have any—very few if not no—negatives about it. It is empowering and that's at the end of the day why we're here in Parliament. It is to be an empowering Parliament to empower children to look after children. And I always thought that you know the wellbeing and the welfare of children was one of the mantras of this Government. It seems that that may not be the case; we've heard some of the contributions from that side of the House.As the sponsor of the bill talked about—the name change. He's done everything he can to get his bill through: Oranga Tamariki Guardians" to place it there with Oranga Tamariki so that the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki can actually—it's about part and parcel of this. Everything that Hamish has tried to do to appease everybody's concerns he has done and you can only but admire the guy for the work that he's done. And so I am so pleased that I can stand here today and be part and parcel of commending this bill to the House and the work that Hamish has done. He has done a number of other amazing mahi in his electorate and I think they're very lucky to have him and I as I said commend this bill to the House. Thank you Mr Speaker."