Nimon Katie; Kuriger BarbaraKATIE NIMON (National—Napier): I appreciate the opportunity to reply to what has been spoken about in the House this evening. I just want to acknowledge the cross-party support first—I think it's very important—but just to go through and address a few things as this time affords me to do. Now is not the time for questions; that's question time. Asking questions of the Minister and what he's going to do and how he's going to report on it is for question time. This is a member's bill in its first reading that is going to make a deep impact because one of the other points that members opposite made or questions asked was: why then does this have to be statutory? Because when else does it become so explicitly prioritised than when it is mandated?So I just want to thank first and foremost the Green Party and the member Chlöe Swarbrick for pointing out the hard work that Minister Doocey has done in this member's bill. Like I said earlier I'm really pleased to be shepherding this through the remainder of the process but exactly that cross-party work is what needs to continue to be done. This is the first step in the right direction. Many of the questions raised are maybe the fourth fifth sixth or seventh step but we first have to mandate the strategy. I just want to acknowledge the member of the Māori Party. I think in fact we are all good dudes on this side—I do just want to acknowledge that. I can speak and I do speak with bias but I do think that we are all good dudes over here.Look it might already be in document a mental health and wellbeing strategy but will it always be if we don't mandate it? That's what we are here to do—to formalise the process as it should have been done. Just to acknowledge the irony of saying last year when the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill was going through that it was a step too far now it's not a step far enough. I'm just a little bit confused by that and I think the Minister took the words out of my mouth: you can't just throw money. So without a mandated long-term strategy with continuity we will continue to be just throwing money at problems without having strategic objectives—continuity long-term plans. So let's make it statutory. I think that's vital. But I just want to acknowledge a couple of other things before I finish off. Some of the things mentioned in one example was digital equity. I want to take this opportunity to talk about that because absolutely we have 1737 but that is what a mental health strategy within the health system will help us understand: the broader outcomes; the broader inputs that we need because—and I can speak to this on a public transport aspect and I always find a way to bring that in—how do you expand the ability to have demand-responsive transport if people can't use an app to book a ride? How do you have people access digital mental health services when they don't have access to that? That is all what a mandated statutory strategy allows us to look into.I also want to acknowledge substance abuse. This is absolutely an enormous part of our mental health epidemic in this country—and across the world of course and I did acknowledge that earlier. We are not not acknowledging that but mental health and wellbeing—as is said in the amendment to this bill—encompasses all aspects and that absolutely includes substance abuse.But the one thing I really want to leave on in this last minute of my time is that mental ill health does not discriminate. Now I acknowledge that members opposite talked about the population representation in Māori and young people—absolutely it does. But every single New Zealander is entitled—and that is the worst word we can say but it's the absolute truth—to mental health issues. It is not because of their background their upbringing necessarily. Some of the people you would expect to be the happiest most vital most able people in the country have the most severe mental health issues. A strategy absolutely will target those most in need but will not overlook those that also need it the most. So we need not define every single person by their background but by their mental ill health and that is what the strategy will do. So I am absolutely thrilled to be supporting this through its first reading. Thank you.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is That the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (Improving Mental Health Outcomes) Amendment Bill be considered by the Health Committee.Motion agreed to.Bill referred to the Health Committee.