Ardern JacindaADJOURNMENTRt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): I move That the House do now adjourn.Hon Members: Oh!Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: With much disappointment that motion has been received. Tradition would have me start my speech with a vote of thanks for you but given you can't knock five supplementaries off me and the Government at this point in proceedings I'm going to buck tradition. I'm going to start where you Mr Speaker would start if you were standing in my chair right now and that is with a vote of thanks to the people who keep this place running.Every morning when I come into the office and even if no one else appears to be there at the time without fail the floors are clean the kitchen is clean and there's a jug of water sitting on my desk. To the cleaners in this place we say thank you. To the Prime Minister's office messenger a lovely man called Alex—I can attest he gets up earlier than a newborn—I want to say my special thanks to him for his service and his smiles.Thanks to the people who keep us fed and watered and thanks to the people who help us get from A to B and that includes VIP Transport Service who smile through my excessive use of vans to haul Ministers around. To the people who deliver us papers—mountains and mountains of papers—the Clerk; the select committee team; those who write down our every word even when they don't make sense; the IT team who help resolve our queries even when we don't make sense I say thank you. To Parliament security who keep us safe but still accessible; to the Diplomatic Protection service team who I know find me challenging with my tendency to hug random strangers as a small vote of thanks to you I'm taking you out for Christmas lunch—in Morrinsville.Thank you to our electorate office teams who are us when we are not there and who help people often at their most vulnerable and in their times of need. To the press gallery: this year we have seen freedom of the press challenged once again. I'm proud to live in a country that will and does defend your rights and we must not be complacent or negligent when it comes to the importance of that principle and of your role.To my team—if you'll indulge me Mr Speaker. They keep me moving they keep me fed they make sure I see and hear what the public are reaching out to us about. This year they have had the added challenge of helping me juggle being a mum. Thanks team. I'm incredibly grateful for you.To our public servants who are professionals and are driven by what they do especially to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; the Policy Advisory Group; my ministries with a special acknowledgment of Howard Broad and Andrew Kibblewhite who are moving on; the Ministry for Culture and Heritage; the child poverty unit; the child wellbeing unit; and those who support me with national security work I say my very sincere thanks.Mr Speaker to you our referee our newly discovered statesman and our grandfather of the House—and I do mean that quite literally—I say thank you. You've brought a new style but also a new approach. I've never been one for tennis but I feel like I've entered into that sport in this House with your new awarding of points for and against. But beyond that you've committed to making this place a fairer and more family-friendly environment and I recognise you on both counts.To the Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First it would be an injustice to simply acknowledge that six-week period of cover you provided for me this year. The role of Deputy Prime Minister—it is a constant one and I thank you and your team for your work and your support. To the leaders of the Green Party and to the Green Party who have helped progress significant reforms and worked incredibly hard on difficult policy areas I give my thanks.And to my Labour team including the wonderful deputy leader of Labour Kelvin Davis I could not be prouder to be the leader of this parliamentary team. Your enthusiasm—it's not just me—is infectious. Anahila I'm looking at you. You're probably the only one in this Parliament who's used a selfie as a Christmas card. I want to acknowledge every single one of you for the true joy that you bring to me in doing this role. And finally to the families of everyone in this place: supporting an MP is an exercise of endurance tolerance and constant frustration. Thanks for sticking it out. To my family especially you're exactly the village that me Clarke and Neve needed and I just wish the same love and support for every family in this House and in Aotearoa.At the last adjournment debate a senior member of the Opposition—and no I won't name names Mr Brownlee—said a couple of really mixed things about me and this Government. He called me competent and likeable—and thank you for that—but also claimed that this wouldn't necessarily translate into political leadership and you could infer that means there is this persistent belief that you cannot be for instance kind and strong that you cannot be pleasant and effective. And I accept Mr Brownlee may have been basing that on personal experience.Now I could stand here and disagree or I could just say this about the last 12 months: 3.9 percent unemployment a Budget surplus 73000 more jobs 2.7 percent GDP growth including 1 percent in the June 2018 quarter alone 111 Provincial Growth Fund projects 60 million trees planted $917 million contributed to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund after almost a decade of nothing 384000 families better off with the Families Package 774000 New Zealanders now receiving a winter energy payment 4000 KiwiBuild homes under contract 1200 new public housing places more than 200 new or rebuilt classrooms 1500 new teachers 600 new learning support coordinators 600000 New Zealanders with access to cheaper GP visits and hundreds of new police officers already.But those are just the numbers. What of the stories? Now if you'll indulge me I want to share some of the feedback that I've had from members of the public. I've talked a little bit about this. I've been honoured to hear from people who want to share some of their views on some of our policies including on things like KiwiBuild. For example a mum wrote to me to say We've been looking off and on for nearly six years. We pulled out all our savings from KiwiSaver and home grants as well as some other things. My husband runs his own business and I work at the hospital. I work four days a week and I study. We aren't rich. We've just struggled and saved and gone without. Whatever the media says this isn't for rich people. It's just for people who want it bad enough. We will forever be grateful and thankful for the KiwiBuild programme."It's also been amazing to hear time and time again from families who benefited from the Families Package like this from a single mum: "I am a single mum of three on a benefit and today is payday. I'm truly grateful for what you've done for us. The extra income is truly a blessing. With the extra money I'm able to buy my kids some more schools socks with no holes in them. I'm able to buy warm sheets and blankets so they're warmer at night. I'm able to fill up my car with petrol instead of wondering if I can afford to put $40 in this week to get the discount or not. I am able to increase payments on my loan power bill and other bills to keep on top of them as well as savings account for those unexpected costs. I'm able to afford to go to the doctors. Being able to pay off my debts a bit quicker is going to help my family and I so much. My kids will be able to pursue their dreams and play a sport they've been begging to play. I'll be able to go back to school and pursue my career within a year and be working well before my youngest is three. So thank you so much for the extra help."And on the winter energy payment—and there's been lots of these—"I am what you would describe as a typical middle-class 70-year-old who was born and has lived all my life in New Zealand. I've voted for different political parties during my life. I've been always able to pay my power bills. However with this new payment it is such a relief and a pleasure to be able to turn the heater on without hesitation and fear of what it will do to the next power bill which hasn't been the case in the past."These letters they speak for themselves. So as this year draws to a close I am grateful for the help of the few people in this place and around us who have helped us achieve so much for so many. Have a wonderful Christmas break and rest assured that as the new year begins we will keep doing this."