Lu NancyNANCY LU (National): I am so pleased for this opportunity to speak about the National Government's latest policy Family Boost. It is a policy that so many Kiwi young parents with young children in New Zealand have been waiting for. It is a policy that the National Party campaigned on really hard during the 2023 election and it's a policy that I campaigned on with fellow National candidates and volunteers through many communities. It is a policy that will bring real help to Kiwi parents.The Family Boost policy is what we need in New Zealand right now and I will give some context for everyone who is listening in. In the global environment New Zealand families are paying some of the highest childcare costs in OECD countries. Most OECD countries pay about 14 percent—14—of average income. However the highest costs are observed in New Zealand where net childcare costs for working families can reach as high as 38 percent of average earnings.So the National Party is working very hard on delivering on the mandate that has been given to reduce the cost of living crisis faced by ordinary Kiwis by the previous Labour Government. Ordinary Kiwi parents will be getting direct financial assistance with the reimbursement of up to 25 percent of early childhood education (ECE) fees that they've paid for. That is up to $75 a week for working families with young children directly reducing the out-of-pocket expenses incurred for early childhood education.The way it's been set will provide financial support for many families across the income spectrum but targeted to support the low and middle income families who have been squeezed so hard under the last Government.Finally help is here. The National Government's Family Boost policy will provide financial assistance to those who really need it the most reducing the burden for low- and middle-income families. You may ask how we do that. We do that by targeting those families that need it the most. What we won't be doing is a one-size-fits-all blanket policy like the Labour Party suggested during the election regardless of family need and status. But we will be targeting our support to the low- and middle-income earners and give them the maximum level of financial support that we can provide up to 25 percent of ECE fees. So the higher the income the less support they will get so that we can target the low- and middle-income families. Why is this particularly important for me and many of my friends in my community? It is because I am also a mum of young children. I have two young children who are two and four years of age and the photos of my young children remind me how important it is for me to send them to the early childhood centres. I will share a story as to why young children need to go to ECE and should not be sacrificed because parents have to choose between education for young children or the workforce for their career.I remember one day my oldest daughter Amber when she was two ran towards me from the playground. She came and hid under my legs and basically started crying. I asked her why. I said What's wrong Amber?" She responded to me in Chinese. She said "妈妈有人有人". She said "Mum there are humans. There are humans." Before that she'd never been to early childhood education because I was unemployed and I didn't have a chance to send her to it. She was frightened to meet and play with other children and interact with their families. That was the moment that I decided no my children my child my daughter Amber needs to go to ECE and learn how to communicate learn how to socialise learn how to be a good Kiwi child and learn about the many many cultures that we offer in our community and also in our ECE.This is why this policy is particularly important and helpful to many many of the families and since the policy was announced I've received an overwhelming amount of support from the communities and from parents and friends around me. They cried out for help and the National-led Government is delivering the help with the Family Boost support. So with that I am so pleased I have the opportunity to speak on this today."