van Velden BrookeBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. This is the last week of Parliament for the term and it is the last week that this Government has to rush through laws. Change is on its way. Change cannot come soon enough because I've been out in the community of Tāmaki; I have been doing street corner meetings door knocking public meetings going and talking to people on their doorsteps and what I have been doing is listening. I'm here to bring the people of Tāmaki's voice to Parliament. What I have heard are their concerns and their hopes and they are ready for change. But I'm not just meaning a change of Government; they are ready for a change locally too.What is on the minds of people in Tāmaki and why are they looking for change? Well the cost of everything is going up. I'm talking petrol mortgages rents clothing childcare food and even when people I meet are not struggling themselves they know that their neighbours are and they're worried for their neighbours' futures as well. They see that Government spending is going up and yet we're not getting any more value for the money that this Government is spending. Why is it that we keep increasing and increasing and increasing spending but it's not actually delivering more value? People are asking that question. We know that the local shops and businesses are being terrorised by criminals. It feels like the criminals are running our community. People feel afraid to even walk to the supermarket in broad daylight. People don't want to send their kids out on their bikes to the local parks. When I was out in Glen Innes doing my street corner meetings someone was shot the night before in the local community. People do not feel safe raising their kids around this lawlessness and that has to stop.People talk about going to Australia. I hear so many people threatening to leave and their kids are threatening to leave too. We've got to turn that around. I'm hearing about division. People are over division being forced on us by this Government and we want to live in a society that's united where everybody feels welcome no matter if your family came here 15 generations ago or one. We are all welcome we are all equal and we all have the same vote. That's what we need here in this Parliament. I've heard from parents who are worried about the politicisation of their kids' classrooms and just want us to get back to basics: stop doing so much poorly and just focus on the basics and do them well. I've heard about people wanting proper local voice and people don't say it as publicly as they may wish to but they're saying it on their doorsteps: that they haven't felt like they've had democracy in Tāmaki for years. I have met so many people who have said I have lived here for decades and I've never met my local MP. You are the first person who's knocked on my door and has actually listened." And that's what I'm here to deliver. I'm here to bring back common sense and democracy to the people of Tāmaki and it matters who speaks for you in Wellington.So this year we have the opportunity of delivering real influence—the real influence of Tāmaki in Parliament—because democracy is important and together we can deliver that change for the better. There are two votes; there's the party vote and there's the electorate vote. If you're like me and you're wanting a change of Government it's your party vote that will deliver that. But if you're also wanting change for the better locally—and I know many neighbours are—it's your electorate vote that delivers that. It's only the party vote that delivers a change of Government. Your electorate vote gives you change for the better locally and I'm asking for your electorate vote for the people of Tāmaki.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ms van Velden you're not asking me for anything. Anything goes through me so just no "you" please.BROOKE VAN VELDEN: I'm asking the people of Tāmaki for their electorate vote. Now if you are sick of division of costs of crime and you are looking for change—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No I'm not sick of those.BROOKE VAN VELDEN: —then it's a party vote for ACT. Mr Speaker you may be interested in a party vote for ACT too! But the people of Tāmaki are looking for a change of Government and we're looking for a change locally. I cannot wait to get back out on to the streets and meet more people."