Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise as a member of the National Party to support the District Court (Protection of Judgment Debtors with Disabilities) Amendment Bill. I want to take the opportunity to commend the member Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki for bringing this bill to the House. This is an important one and it's apt that in the week of sign language we have this bill and we speak on it here today. The bill makes a compassionate and common-sense amendment a relatively simple amendment to the District Court Act 2016 to protect those with disabilities who owe money under a court order. Although it's simple sometimes a simple amendment to an Act can make a significant difference to people's lives and it's appropriate that we make this amendment as those with disabilities in our communities already face significant challenges and difficulties in their day-to-day lives. I can attest to that as I have extended family members who have lived with disabilities and continue to do so and I know that there are big challenges that they face in dealing with day-to-day lives that those of us who are fortunate to not have disabilities do not face. It is a pleasure to rise to speak in support of this amendment. It makes a meaningful contribution to protecting those New Zealanders who have a variety of disabilities should they come in contact with the court system in terms of being judgment debtors. I want to acknowledge also the disability commissioner's advocacy which has helped give visibility to this important issue. Further although I'm not a member of the Justice Committee I'm aware that they have applied some careful thought and attention to these amendments and I note that they have recommended changes to the initial bill which extend the definition of those protected—importantly recognising that often it is family members and other support members in the community who make sure that the disabled members of our community are able to live fuller lives. As a nation we are reliant on these whānau and family members for for example helping make sure our disabled members of our communities are able to get to the shops able to get to medical appointments able to take their children to school and many other facets of their lives. We are often reliant on their support for making sure that these things are done and that is a big contribution they make to our community and our country as it would cost our State significantly more if we didn't have that support from those family members. So I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those family members who make such a very big contribution to our community and recognise that the amended section of this bill protects the items that are necessary for the care support or independence" of disabled persons or the principal caregiver for a disabled person to ensure that those people are able to be fully included and participate in society. I note that the bill also has taken a rather elegant approach to the definition of a disabled person rather than simply referring to the definition in section 21(1)(h) of the Human Rights Act. Its definition is "a person who has [a] long-term physical mental intellectual or sensory impairment … that in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others". That I would say is a broad and inclusive definition which is in accordance with the definition and intention of section 21(1)(h) of the Human Rights Act. It is important that we get the balance right in terms of protecting various interests in our society. It's important that we care for those who are vulnerable in our society and certainly those with disabilities as I've spoken to earlier are much more vulnerable than others. I want to acknowledge finally all those who have advocated for that support and protection. I thank again all those who care for those members of our community and commend this bill to the House."