Henare Peeni; Dean JacquiHon PEENI HENARE (Minister for ACC): Madam Speaker thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute. Can I first start off by congratulating the Prime Minister for once again alongside the Minister of Finance delivering a Budget that actually delivers for our people. Over the last week we have visited a number of places around the country to talk about the Budget and I'm really proud of the work that we've done. I want to start by talking about the $168.1 million investment into Whānau Ora. A small journey over the six years I've been the Minister for Whānau Ora—I can hand on heart say that that is a 145 percent increase in funding going to Whānau Ora. We know Whānau Ora have stood up right across the country to support communities during crises that have sadly afflicted our communities right up and down the country. Whānau Ora stood into the breach Whānau Ora delivered for them and we're continuing to deliver for Whānau Ora. What's interesting when you look at the Whānau Ora aspiration plans for community one of the things that they continually bring up is our kaumātua and kuia who not only for themselves but also for the many grandchildren that they care for—as they go to the pharmacy they continue to talk about the high costs of actually getting the medicines that they need to look after themselves and their tamariki mokopuna. On this side of the House removing the $5 fee for prescriptions is a huge move and I want to point out two particular people who have already spoken to me about this matter. There are only a handful of qualified Māori pharmacists in this country. I'm proud to say that one of them is my nephew a young fellow by the name of Hemi McKechnie named after our grandfather. He said to me Uncle this is one of the most amazing things for the community in the Far North that you will ever see." It's for those rural whānau it's for the whānau who simply can't afford prescriptions and what they end up doing is having to make a call on whether or not they're going to buy food or whether or not they're going to buy medicine. What this particular initiative did in this year's Budget has made it clear that we care about those families receiving the medicines that they need. We need our kaumātua and kuia to be healthy. We want our tamariki to be healthy as well and this goes a long way to making sure that there is equitable healthcare for those people who are looking for the medicines that they need to be well for their families.The other one is a place called Horouta Pharmacy owned by Māori and run by Māori. When I was in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa I got to have a chat with them about what this means to their people. In a place like Tairāwhiti which has been hit so hard by the recent weather events they are saying that whānau are coming in celebrating and talking to them about how much this means to them. Five dollars to that side of the House might not mean much but when you're a kaumātua a kuia or a family member trying to weigh up meeting the challenges that they have in their household $5 goes a long way. What's clear on this side of the House is we've made it clear that this particular initiative is one that we will not back down from and we will continue to support. On that side of the House they've made it clear that it's gone. They've made it clear to our families out there that actually "No no. You should be able to afford it and you should just go and get it." Well that's not the reality. I've been around the country spoken to these pharmacies and spoken to those who work in the sector and that tells me and it tells them that on that side of the House those members don't actually care whether or not our families receive what they need. I'm really really proud of this Budget: continued support for Te Matatini. What was interesting is while the other side might bemoan the fact that we're giving money to Te Matatini they weren't shy in showing up to Te Matatini in February with their blue T-shirts on trying to look for support from the Māori community in what was an event that brought together not only Māori communities but actually people right across this country. So $34 million is an investment not just in Te Matatini but in te reo Māori mātauranga Māori and Māori enterprise which supports Te Matatini which many on that side won't know because they don't fully understand how Te Matatini works in our communities and how important it is. I encourage them to simply head up to Tairāwhiti where it's known as one of the bigger areas that participate in Te Matatini. There is also Te Arawa waka my good friend Mr Tāmati Coffey—one of the most successful areas in Te Matatini. They've made it clear to us that not only will that money support Te Matatini and those groups that go there but it supports the whole industry around it. It supports whānau it supports those who compose and it supports those who make the outfits. It is really really important to them that we show that support. On this side of the House I'm proud on what this Budget delivers. But we know that there's more work to be done and we don't shy away from the challenges that have already been brought to us but we stand by our Budget. Thank you Madam Speaker. ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The Hon Ginny Andersen—five minutes."