Dowie Sarah: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is subject to correctionDowie Sarah: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 08 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11832. Text is subject to correction.]SARAH DOWIE (National—Invercargill): Ms Moroney it is an absolute delight to take a second call on Part 2 of this Parental Leave and Employment Protection (6 Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill. Part 2 as we have heard is about extending paid parental leave from 22 weeks to 26 weeks on 1 April 2018. Notwithstanding the arguments about the finances and the fact that this side of the Chamber believes that our funds are better spent elsewhere at this time and that it is about a suite of measures to give children and families the best start in life and given that this side of the Chamber actually agrees that paid parental leave is a good idea and that I myself have put it on record that the concept of paid parental leave is a very good thing I am going to focus on what the 4 weeks from extending the 22 weeks to 26 weeks would afford to mothers and/or fathers because of course paid parental leave now extends to both parents and to carers.We have already heard in Part 1 about the benefits that paid parental leave affords for breastfeeding. As a mother who could not breastfeed paid parental leave was still very vital in respect of bottle-feeding. We cannot forget that. Yes breastfeeding is considered best—the right vitamins and nutrients provided for baby—but it is still a very intimate experience to bottle-feed your baby and that should not be lost or criticised. Some women cannot breastfeed or choose not to but it is still a very valuable time to bond with baby and an intimate experience to feed baby.Moving on from that in respect of the increase from 22 weeks to 26 weeks those extra 4 weeks afford more than just bonding with baby. It is something that I have focused on in other speeches on this subject. It is the factor of isolation and the part that isolation can play in a young mum’s or young dad’s life or in a first-time mum’s or dad’s life when they first have baby. It can often happen if a person is isolated geographically but it can also happen in cities if people are isolated from family members. For example when I first had my child I had a friend who had migrated from Australia to Southland who did not have the luxury of family and wider whānau support and because of that she was isolated. Coming back to what that increase of 4 weeks from 22 weeks to 26 weeks would afford it is extra time to get involved in community activities with that extra financial support provided through paid parental leave and to get involved with groups that provide support.When you look at groups like Plunket—and for me I have often talked about my involvement with SPACE through Playcentre Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education a course for first-time parents—it is about getting involved with those people who are going through the same changes as you: raising baby looking to bond with baby going through the challenges of the child’s development—Richard Prosser: You’re sounding like you’re wanting to vote in favour.SARAH DOWIE: Well I will round it off Mr Prosser. I will round it off. The extra 4 weeks afford that time to bond with other mothers or fathers and they in turn give support to those parents—that parent who could be isolated. That is a positive thing that the increase from 22 weeks to 26 weeks allows. It extends the paid parental leave period and gives that extra financial support to that family to enable them to do that.