SpeechHARETE HIPANGO (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. As the last speaker for the National Party I speak in support of the Coroners Amendment Bill at this first reading—no wrong one. I'm referring to—oh it is the right one the Coroners Amendment Bill. I've got a number of notes before me and I'm glancing at a speech that I gave on 20 May this year about the Coroners (Coronial Cap) Amendment Bill. In that speech addressing the House I referenced the fact that it's taking quite some time to get these changes that the Government has talked about doing. So we're now seeing this come before the House and of note and interest was Minister Sio talking about a review that is to be undertaken and that's a longer-term review which will look at other aspects that will need to be addressed to make access to justice in the coroner's court much more effective and efficient.It's interesting: the legislative statement that has been made on this bill is that this in amending the Coroners Act of 2006 will facilitate better access to justice. I think the issue is that this bill is going to facilitate the appointment of a coronial associate in the same way—again on an earlier bill that I addressed the House the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill when I spoke to that on 2 August of this year—it's appointing another cog in the wheel or in the machinery of the court system. Whether or not it's going to facilitate better access to justice is yet to be evidenced and the whole point is that there hasn't been a risk assessment analysis in relation to this bill. There's the anticipation that it will provide better access to justice by the appointment of a coroner's associate but as I've addressed this House previously on the Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill and also the Coroners (Coronial Cap) Amendment Bill they are but additional cogs to the wheel. It doesn't necessarily mean to say that it will improve the access to justice. So by the appointment of a coronial associate it's placing and positioning in within the whole machinery of the coroner's court system another function to ease and to relieve the workload of the coroners.But there are other elements to the coroner's court. I was interested to hear my parliamentary colleague Nicole McKee talk about her experience of having served in a coroner's office and also make notably the point that there's only 19 coroners when it was addressed in the House earlier this year to lift the cap from 20 to 22 for a full complement of what at the time was 17 coroners. And yet we only have 19 coroners in nine branches or regions throughout the country. Now that is not utilising to the maximum capacity what is available. So there are 22 positions yet there are only 19 appointments. What does that say? Again we've got a Government that's underperforming in its delivery. The legislation's been put in place but it's not been fully complemented.And again in May 2019 I remember addressing the House after Minister Little had announced the appointment of eight relief coroners and I spoke about the importance of that. I conferred with a former law student friend who was the Deputy Chief Coroner at the time—now appointed elevated to the Māori Land Court bench as a judge; Brandt Shortland—and again saying that despite the under-resourcing there was the competency of the coroners in those positions who although heavily burdened with the workload were performing to the highest of their capacity. But we've got a Government that's not doing that. We've got 22 coroner's positions and only 19 of those have been filled. We have a Minister who is talking about a longer-term review of the coronial system. We've got a royal commission of inquiry into those abused in care. But this Government is not prepared to listen to the very people who are competent and who know best how this works.I'm going to refer also to an article because I've talked about—it's all very well to dress this up and present the appearance that this is going to facilitate better access to justice. What it does is just put another cog within the whole machinery; it doesn't mean that it's facilitating better access to justice. There are a whole lot of other tiers and levels. Legal aid is one of them. So an article that I have referred to in looking at the delays that family members are experiencing says that the delays are associated with the time. It's thought that this bill is going to help alleviate the time burden by placing a coronial associate in to alleviate the workload of coroners and therefore reduce some of the workload timeliness burden that goes with it.Part of the problem also is that there are other inter-agency systems that are part of the overall coronial system—police investigations Health and Disability Commissioner inquiry investigations—and when there is a case that comes before the coronial court if there is a pending police investigation awaiting findings or further evidence or a Health and Disability Commission investigation requiring findings from that the coronial system gets put on hold. It is delayed because of those other agencies who are significant parts within this whole machinery of the justice system.Coming back to the coronial courts there are only 19 coroners when we've got 22 for full capacity that need to be appointed. So the Government needs to up their game make the commitment to New Zealanders follow through and deliver. We're not seeing that.I don't have the privilege of sitting on the Justice Committee. My colleagues in the House tonight will scrutinise and importantly listen to the public submissions not just dispense and cast them aside because it suits a particular Government agenda driven by this Government. You know appearances are all well and good but it's about the genuine intent of listening and representing the interests of the New Zealand public. So I challenge the Government to do that because the National Party—and I have confidence in my colleagues at select committee—that's what we do. We don't just hear; we listen we take heed and we hold the Government to account in Opposition benches—and again are doing that very thing this evening.So although the National Party is supporting the Coroners Amendment Bill Government members around the select committee: listen to the New Zealand public with the submissions and the place that they come from which actually is of greater experience than most of the members who are sitting around the select committee. In saying that the detail of this bill in the Coroners Amendment Bill—it's in two parts 37 clauses and two schedules. I have every confidence in my National Party colleagues to scrutinise and hold this Government to account whilst also listening to our New Zealand public and their submissions. I commend this bill to the House Mr Speaker.