Ardern Jacinda; Mallard TrevorADJOURNMENTRt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): I move That the House do now adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 8 February 2022.Without doubt this has been an incredibly hard year but as has been the case every year that I've been in politics 2021 has taught me a lot. I've learnt that Barry has deadlines. I've learnt Mr Speaker that you love making rulings and you also love making rules sometimes in that order. I've learnt that with Mr Brownlee in the role of foreign affairs spokesperson for the National Party and with Damien O'Connor as the Minister for Trade and Export Growth diplomacy truly is for everyone. I've learnt that Carmel Sepuloni is equally calm when presented with a challenge be it the distribution of a wage subsidy or a carrot. I've learnt that spread your legs" meant exactly what it's always meant and that it's actually only the member for Remutaka that was confused on that one. I've learnt that no two Opposition leaders are the same. In fact there are quite a few differences between Chris Luxon and David Seymour and I've been reminded once again to never ever underestimate New Zealanders and for me that is the real story—that is the real story—of 2021.Today for instance marks the day that Aucklanders are able to move beyond the boundaries that they have maintained for the better part of four months—for four months. That boundary has without question kept the rest of New Zealand safe. It has slowed down the movement of Delta. It has saved people's lives. And so to Tāmaki-makau-rau from all of us we say thank you. In fact as we stand here today New Zealand has achieved the rate now of 90 percent of our eligible population now being double vaccinated against COVID-19. With that 90 percent that puts us above places like the United States the UK Israel places that use emergency approvals and of course started their roll-outs before us. We are now finishing with a rate much higher than them and we have not finished. In Tāmaki-makau-rau we are seeing some DHBs reach first dose rates of 97 percent. So let's keep going.I want to specifically acknowledge in this roll-out the role of our hauora providers and our Pasifika providers. Today in the statistics I saw that our Pacific peoples for first dose overtake the general population and we continue to see some of the fastest growth in vaccination amongst Māori. We must keep going. This puts us in the best possible position to continue to move forward with confidence. But that is not the only remarkable thing that has set New Zealand apart during this year. As Delta took hold as it found its way here—and there is no question that it's been tough—Tāmaki-makau-rau bore so much of that but through that hard work and sacrifice we have now finished the year once again with the lowest rate of hospitalisations and the lowest number of deaths in the OECD. In fact we are one of only three places that through this pandemic have seen our life expectancy increase. And while all of that is actually the strongest possible rationale for the steps that we've taken as a nation and as a Government they weren't the only rationale.Our economic recovery is outstripping that of Australia Canada the European Union Japan and the OECD. Export forecasts today are at a record high as are milk payouts to farmers and of course terms of trade are positive. A statistic that represents people's livelihoods and their overall financial wellbeing is that we have seen unemployment down to record lows of 3.4 percent. And for every person that has stayed in work or has moved into work that represents thousands and thousands of employers business owners business start-ups all working hard to support one another and their staff. It has truly been a team effort. But those numbers are also recognition of the hard work foresight and passion of this country's finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and I pay tribute to you Grant. On a day when we release numbers that show projected net debt is lower and our return to surplus sooner we say thank you.But in the same way that we should never underestimate Kiwis in a crisis I don't underestimate either what we can achieve together on our long-term challenges. No one is sitting here in this Chamber because they were motivated into politics to take on a pandemic. We're here because we believe that we have it in us to keep fixing the challenges New Zealand has long faced as a nation. On child poverty 109000 families are now on average $175 better off a week because of this Government; 40000 children have been lifted out of poverty because of the actions of this Government. On housing we've now added 8700 extra housing places; 3100 extra transitional homes. And consents: consents for new homes have broken record highs for eight months in a row this year. On climate we have increased our ambition and quadrupled climate aid. Because of our clean-car discount more electric vehicles were registered in New Zealand in the past six months than for each of the past four years. We've seen 6.6 million tonnes of emissions cut from our industrial process heat sector. We've quadrupled the Green Investment Fund. And just in the last two weeks—just in the last two weeks—you will have continued to see progress on establishing the Māori Health Authority. Minister Marama Davidson released our country's first ever strategy on family and sexual violence. And we've taken action to make New Zealand smoke-free in our lifetimes.All of that is because we will be measured by what we do in a pandemic but also what we do in spite of it as well. I never underestimate the passion and the energy of New Zealanders to take on every single challenge that comes our way. And that is why I look to 2022 with optimism. No one knows what next year will bring but what I do know is that we will rise to the challenge of whatever comes our way.So I conclude in the way that is customary in this place at the end of the year and for good reason by acknowledging those who work alongside us and help us to do our jobs to the best of our ability. Thank you to our electorate office teams who support members of our community through thick and thin. Thank you to the people who work in these walls: the Office of the Clerk; the team at Parliamentary Service; the Hansard team who try to make head or tail of what we say; the cleaners who are here before we arrive and after we leave; the buildings team who move us in and sometimes move us out again; the staff at Bellamys who sustain us; the security staff who keep us safe; the messengers who can always spare a smile; the VIP drivers who keep us company on long days; our ministerial office staff; our executive support; and a special acknowledgment to those who when this building got a little bit quieter in August were still here: sign language interpreters IT and sound technicians and journalists in the press gallery who no matter what have a job to do just like us. And to my Cabinet and caucus colleagues thank you for being strong for being united and showing up every day with a singular focus on making sure we do everything to serve the people who elected us into this place.And finally Mr Speaker a special thankyou to you. Despite the unprecedented change of procedure this House has seen you've never failed as parliamentarians to ensure that we are united mostly through our shared experience of "alert level Trevor"!But let me finish where I started and it is by thanking Kiwis. It's been hard. People have been weary but Kiwis have done what it takes to put us in the best possible position to keep moving to take on whatever comes next. And I for one will never underestimate New Zealanders. So to everyone I wish you a wonderful break. You bloody deserve it.SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to."