Ghahraman GolrizGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green): Thank you Madam Chair. It is a pleasure to rise to speak actually on immigration and in particular on this line item that may have gone unnoticed by many but is incredibly important profoundly important to those that it affects. That is the line item in the last Budget that affected the reunification of refugee families. It is a Green Party win that came out of our confidence and supply agreement with the Government. It affects the lives of refugee families that were separated from one another often with the immediate family left behind in precarious situations facing persecution and facing war for years at a time. What we did in the review of the family reunification policy was not only to double the numbers of family members who would be reunified with their refugee family members here in New Zealand but for the very first time in the history of this policy there is funding to support the reunification of refugee families. At a time in global politics when we see refugee families forcibly separated at various borders and children caged New Zealand gets to stand as a counterpoint to the politics of prejudice.We put in $21 million in the last Budget in a time of pandemic. I couldn't be more proud that we actually stood for the rights of people most downtrodden at a time where there is another crisis also facing the globe which is the displacement of people and it has been recognised by experts by the United Nations by anyone who can count as being the biggest displacement crisis since World War II. So people fleeing persecution based on their race based on their religion based on their political beliefs and those fleeing war are now displaced at such enormous numbers as to per capita be rivalling the crisis that the world faced when European Jewry had to flee World War II Europe.New Zealand gets to stand for reunifying these families. We know that it's in fact good for New Zealand when we stand for the rights of all of our communities minority and marginalised communities included and those who are just resettling here as new Kiwis. We know that within a couple of months of having their immediate family members being able to join them refugees who are here alone will dispense with accessing mental health care and so that's incredibly profound. We know that each one of us has learnt what it feels like to be disconnected from our immediate family under the COVID-19 lockdown; and that's what people are facing. You know people are facing separation when their loved ones are ill when there are birthdays when there are family events and when people pass away. We are putting resource into reunifying those family members so that that stress and that trauma at least can end for them.So that is an incredible win. It is a historic win and it will mean something to 300 more new Kiwis every year. They will remember that and it will change their lives. I do hope that having learnt with COVID-19 that the wellbeing of each of us is interconnected and inextricably linked to the wellbeing of us all we will start to look at the prejudices in our systems and to address them when it comes to migrants.The other aspect of our immigration policy that we do need to address is the parent category visa. We do need to acknowledge that there shouldn't be a price tag attached to people being reunified with their immediate family member their parents. Grandparents take care of children. That means that migrants can return to work the families can function better and that shouldn't be a right that's open only to those who can afford it.The other thing that we are yet to address as a Government and that the Green Party will continue to advocate for is that migrant workers who are usually resident here who are filling essential skill gaps whether it's in the regions whether it's in highly skilled jobs whether it's workers that we don't quite even pay enough will have access to the emergency benefit when things like the COVID-19 pandemic hit because leaving anyone out is not really good for any of us. It is a weakness for us also. So standing for wellbeing I do celebrate the win for refugee families to be reunified. I hope that we continue to do that work for equality in our next Labour-Green Government.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I'll just remind the member that this is no longer an opportunity for five-minute speeches that range right across areas that aren't even related to the Estimates. This is an opportunity for question and answers of the Minister on the Estimates for 2020-21.