Hipkins ChrisGENERAL DEBATEHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. It is a great day to be here in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is also a great day to be part of a Government that is focused on the important issues like keeping COVID-19 out of New Zealand like making sure that New Zealanders have access to the COVID-19 vaccine like keeping Kiwis in jobs and like fixing the run-down infrastructure that we inherited as a Government. Great news today: unemployment back to pre - COVID-19 levels. Because of the careful economic management of this Government because of the willingness of this Government to tackle the big challenges keep the New Zealand economy moving despite the global situation and make the big bold calls when they needed to be made we have one of the most resilient economies in the world and I think all New Zealanders acknowledge that and they appreciate that.Another big piece of news today: 2 million vaccines delivered across New Zealand so far. As a result of the speed of the vaccine campaign we have been able to open up eligibility for the 55-plus age cohort five days early—five days early—from next Friday. That'd account for the majority of the members opposite probably! Five days early from next Friday—that's good news and I know New Zealanders are looking forward to booking into the vaccine programme. We are seeing record numbers of people signing up for apprenticeships and trades training tackling the long-term skill shortages that have held those industries back in New Zealand. The Government's programme to support New Zealanders into trades training through free apprenticeships and free trades training has helped 144000 New Zealanders so far. I was delighted only a couple of weeks ago to attend an event held by the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation where they celebrated their 20000th active apprentice—a record number of apprentices in the building and construction industry. That is great news. So when it comes to demanding the debate let's talk about those things. If the Opposition want to debate the economy if they want to debate unemployment if they want to debate healthcare if they want to debate education we are right there with them because I will put our record up against their record any day of the week. But they don't seem to want to debate those things. Apparently it has just come to their attention that some people refer to New Zealand as Aotearoa. Stop the clock. Apparently this is news to them. What a terrifying prospect. Never mind the fact that it's been on our money. It's been on our money since the National Party were in Government. That seems to have escaped their attention. Kiwis—Kiwis—are we still allowed to call them Kiwis" actually? Do we have to call them "New Zealanders"? When our athletes come back do we have to call them "New Zealand athletes" or are we allowed to call them "Kiwis" as we always have? Apparently the language police in the National Party are going to determine what we're allowed to call things from here on in. But also on the other side of the House of course we've got the honest conversations being held up and down the country by the ACT Party—begs the question what kind of conversations they normally have if they've just discovered the value of honest conversations. But we had a new one today from Melissa Lee. What a cracker! Apparently their low polling's all to do with the fact that Kris Faafoi's purchased the media and therefore it's all stacked up against them. It's working really well for him so far! But apparently it's all Kris Faafoi's fault that the National Party's down in the doldrums. Then of course we get the desperate tactics the fake news that we see out of the National Party. Apparently we ran out of COVID-19 syringes this week. Not a chance. Not even close. Made up. Not news. Not true. Capital and Coast District Health Board—SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member's not allowed to accuse Opposition members of making things up. Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The news apparently that the Capital and Coast District Health Board were behind schedule and were going to flow through their vaccination campaign into next year: not true. In fact the chief executive of the district health board went to great lengths this morning to correct that misinformation being deliberately spread about the vaccine campaign. There is enough misinformation about the vaccine campaign out there already from people who should know better. The people who should know better shouldn't be adding to that misinformation as they have been. I am very very proud to be part of a Government that is delivering for New Zealand low unemployment a booming economy people in work boosting trades training and of course vaccines for New Zealanders."