Adams AmyHon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn): Mr Speaker I thank you. I rise to speak in support of Government motion No. 1 and look forward to serving again on this committee. The Intelligence and Security Committee has become a critical part of the oversight and checking of a core part of our democracy and that is the operation of the intelligence and security community of course. As a result of the review carried out by the last Government in 2013 the operation of both the committee that we're discussing today and the wider oversight framework that that committee plays a part of has become significantly strengthened.It is not an exaggeration to say that we live in a world unfortunately of increasingly diverse and complex threats to our economy to our people and to society and we live in a world where intelligence and security agencies like the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau are a very necessary part of our society and they have the privilege of having unique and potentially very intrusive powers. Now while those powers are absolutely necessary and warranted it's equally important for the confidence of society in those organisations that there is proper accountability to this House and to the public more widely.The committee sits of course as part as I said of that oversight framework making up the committee the inspector-general and the Commissioner of Security Warrants. I have been fortunate to sit on the committee for some years in the previous Parliament along with the Hon Christopher Finlayson the Rt Hon Winston Peters and the Hon Andrew Little and it will be enjoyable to have the opportunity to work with them again. The committee in my experience has always worked carefully and constructively and with the best interests of New Zealand in mind and we look forward to welcoming the Hon James Shaw and of course the Rt Hon Bill English and the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern as Mr Robertson has said in their roles of course as automatic appointees as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.This is an important motion. I appreciate it won't be one that is of particular interest to the media or perhaps the public at home but this committee does have that critical role of carrying out oversight often in secret. And while that secrecy is necessary and warranted it does mean that there is an extraordinary level of confidence that needs to be placed both in the protocols of the committee and the selection of the membership to it. It is important that you have members with experience with integrity and with a working knowledge of the legal systems and the operation of our Intelligence and Security Committee. In my experience as I've said the committee functions very well. It is an incredibly important committee. I would want to take the opportunity to repeat my desire that the committee does look to operate in public and to disseminate as much of its findings and conclusions as it can so that the public can learn more about the ways in which our intelligence and security community works.I would like to commend the two agencies that make up the intelligence community for what I've seen is their very genuine desire in recent years to be more open with the public about the nature of the work and the extent of the threat. I think that sort of openness has helped New Zealanders to better understand the threats that we face and the way in which we respond to them. I think that has been helpful and I certainly hope that that openness and transparency continues in so far as is sensible in light of course of their ultimate objective which is the protection of New Zealand and New Zealanders. With those words I am pleased to support the motion.