Sio Hon Aupito William; Dyson RuthHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): It's a pleasure to rise to speak in support of the Prime Minister's statement. I'm proud to be a member of her Government. Can I say at the outset that her outstanding leadership is wonderful to behold and it is a privilege to be part of the wonderful work that we are driving for all of New Zealand. I think she is one of the few leaders that genuinely has concerns for children for families for the wider community for all of our region not just Aotearoa but the Pacific.As I get out and about in our communities it never fails. From the Pacific community they refer to her as a leader O le Toa meaning that she is courageous E Malosi meaning that her voice is strong E Fa'amaoni meaning that she has a genuine concern for people and E Alofa and that is somebody who provides compassion in all that she does. I think for all of us irrespective of the opposition from that side we see that in the way that she has conducted herself in the way that she led this nation in response to the March 15 crisis last year in the way that she represents us in the Pacific region and more latterly in the way that she stood up for New Zealanders to those mean Australians across the ditch.I'm proud as a member of a coalition Government a coalition Government of three distinct parties about whom at one point in time at the very beginning that lot there said it would never work—and the media bought into all that fake news. But we've proven in 2½ years how despite our distinctive identities despite our passion for a number of different views that we come together united because we are generally concerned about lifting the wellbeing of all peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.We are making fantastic good progress: big investments in mental health big investments in housing big investments in education big investments in the Families Package to support families with children big investments in the regions big investments in infrastructure and in transport to boost economic development and equally big investments for Māori and Pasifika. I have to say to my colleague here Minister Jackson: last year there was an unprecedented amount out of the Wellbeing Budget for Māori and Pacific.After nine long years of that lot they're sitting now with their heads down in shame and embarrassment. I hear them suddenly take an interest in what happens in the region. Suddenly they've taken an interest in housing. But for nine years they ignored the regions. They ignored the housing crisis. They ignored people in homelessness situations. They ignored the challenges of our hospitals. They ignored the cries from teachers and from principals about more investment in that sector. They ignored generally the cry by the public sector and everybody who supports the public sector for more money.We come along and we're putting a stake in the ground. We're not only lifting the investment right throughout that sector but we're also raising wages. The minimum wage is on track to achieve $20 an hour next year. We will increase it to $18.90 in April of this year. So far the evidence of that: economic growth is steady at 2 percent debt is manageable surplus for a rainy day but more people are in jobs people are earning more money there is confidence there is hope in the regions.I can say for Pacific communities they really pride the fact that this Government stands with them in supporting languages and cultures. That's because that's an integral part of our next generation's wellbeing. That lot when they were in Government they were determined to get rid of the Pasifika Education Centre. We've come along now and we're investing money in the Pasifika Education Centre to provide community-based education not just to Aucklanders but right across the Pacific region. Mana in Mahi is a project that's working across the region to provide young people into employment into education into the trades. That's working hand in hand in the regions with Tupu Aotearoa where we're lifting the age groups from 15 to 39. You see my definition of young people Minister Jackson is as long as your parents mum and dad are at home you're a young person. So 15 to 39 in the region giving them opportunities to support further positive pathways in education further positive pathways into good high-quality jobs where they're earning better incomes. But we're also last year and this Budget now making sure that Pacific Business Trust is able to get the investment it can to be able to grow the business sector—not just in Auckland but right across the region—to support the organisations that are on the ground not just making profits but also responding to the various social needs of our community. I have to say in the justice sector when we came into power we inherited a backlog of cases in the Human Rights Review Tribunal. The appalling thing was that lot there when they were in Government they were given high-quality advice by our officials about the changes that they should implement in order to address the backlog of cases but they didn't—they didn't. They didn't heed the advice. They didn't because they didn't want to spend the money to make sure that everybody had access to justice and so—as the Associate Minister and with support of all the Ministers of the different organs of this coalition Government—we moved through quickly with change. We appointed five deputy chairs of the Human Rights Review Tribunal giving them full powers equal to that of the chairperson. We appointed a number of members of the Human Rights Review Tribunal. Training was conducted last year and we're on course to addressing the backlog of cases and making sure that everybody who needs to be able to access justice is able to do so. I come back to the work that the Deputy Prime Minister is doing in the region with the Pacific Reset. For a very long time the Pacific leaders in the region have felt a lot more confident that there is a New Zealand Government that understands them understands the challenges they face and understands the need to work together to lift all of our people's wellbeing in this vast Pacific region. I have to commend the understanding and the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon Winston Peters because under the Pacific Reset we are working in partnership with those leaders and being led by their priorities. In addition to that we're working collaboratively on a number of fronts—in defence in immigration in the health sector. And we've shown in the recent measles crisis of last year that there is a need for New Zealand to take greater interest in what happens in the region because whether that side likes it or not we are all part of the Pacific region and this Government has put a stamp on the map to say that Aotearoa New Zealand is a Pacific nation it is a member of the Pacific region and how proud the Pacific region is to have a Prime Minister of the kind like the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern to be championing and amplifying their voice when it comes to climate change not just in the Pacific regions but also at the UN level. And that is so important because rarely—other than the previous Labour Government but under the last National Government they didn't understand the region. They didn't understand the region and they were superficial in how they engaged. Under this Government with the leadership of Jacinda Ardern there is hope there is confidence there is joy and let it continue because that lot there I think whatever happiness and joy they once had it's all got sucked in by the darkness of their leader. And let me just now issue a warning. I've listened to three of their speeches; they all seem to want to mention the coronavirus. And I get it they've got to oppose. But let me just say: stop scaremongering. Stop the scaremongering and stop generating the herd mentality.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The following call is a split call—Maureen Pugh.