Fox Marama: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFox Marama: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 05 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:684. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Given that I have some experience in this matter I have been quite eager to talk about it. I have as has been widely reported nine children and have worked with all of them. So the duration of parental leave payment the narrow scope that we are sticking to is something that I am very keen to talk about and support.Metiria Turei: 500 kids.MARAMA FOX: Yes the 500 children I have had. Sorry no. It is nine. Just for the Hansard let us get that right. So as a new mum we all know how difficult it is to bring a child into this world and then have to deal with all of the drama. Nobody knows exactly what it means to go sleepless nights until you really have to go sleepless nights. Nobody knows exactly what it means to try to get a baby to latch on to something that should be—I was going to say used for other purposes but in fact no—used for the purpose that it is given to feed that child. And there is stress and there is drama to high heavens and I can tell you some explicit stories about that. In fact I might tell you a couple.Jan Logie: Go on.MARAMA FOX: I will. With No. 1 child—and I have come to numbering them now because it is just easier—I took that child to kōhanga reo when that child was 2 months old simply to get out of the house. It cried for China that baby. That baby had enough tears for the whole of the Yangtze River—is that the one?Jan Logie: Yep.MARAMA FOX: That is right. I would hold that baby for 3 hours just so that child would sleep because every time I put him down bless his little heart he would start crying. Do you know what sort of pressure that is what sort of stress that is on a new mother who does not know what she is doing? Let us fast forward a few years to when I have five children and I bring a new baby home to that house. One morning I remember waking up when that child was about 3 months old realising I had slept a whole night. Then I tried to think how long it had been since I had slept a whole night. I counted back 5 years—5 years since I had slept a whole night. Yes I have had to do this I have chosen to do it and I make no bones about it but if I knew that at some point I could get some leave so that I would not have to work—because I worked with all of these babies. I went back straight back to work with a child feeding in my arms because there was no provision at that time. So I am taking a baby with me getting four other little children ready for school for kōhanga for kura and I am caring for another 10 children in the kōhanga reo while I am feeding while I am changing and while I am doing all of those things because I cannot afford to take time off and stay home.When paid parental leave finally came in and I could take 12 weeks I tried to get back-pay but that was not written into the legislation and so no that was not coming. What a revelation it was to have 12 weeks at home with a baby and not have to worry about trying to earn enough money and going back to work with a feeding child in my arms. If you are a feeding mother 3 months is a pretty standard time but 6 months is the recommended time. I fed all of those children all nine of them except for one until they were 6 months old on nothing else but me. Do you know what that does to a mother? Do you know how much all the goodness that you are taking into you—every bit of food every bit of water every bit of thing that you are eating and consuming in you—is all going to this child? You have just spent 9 months bringing all of the goodness that you have into that child to produce that baby to be a healthy-born child and then for the next 6 months as you eat and drink to produce milk to feed that child do you know what that does to you? I have lost one tooth per child. It is a true story. That is nine teeth gone because of the lack of calcium. The grey hair that I keep trying to dye over which is still here now early—all of those things happen. The thing is you are tired you are bereft and you have a family at home to look after.If we could just have 18 weeks or 26 weeks then you can spend the time—[Bell rung]. No no no. I am not finished and this is very important. I would like to speak again thank you Mr Chairperson and considering it was the first call I would appreciate your diligence.