Little AndrewHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Defence): Thank you Mr Speaker. I don't want to take up too much more of the House's time on this matter and it is a most unfortunate matter not just for members on this side of the House and former Cabinet colleagues of the Hon Michael Wood but actually for this House as well as indeed the loss of a member in these circumstances often entails.I agree with the member who's resumed his seat Chris Bishop in one important step and that is that probity in public life matters. It is a matter of public trust and confidence in our public institution. And as I think Golriz Ghahraman also said a fundamental principle that underpins our democracy is that those in public office and those in public life conduct themselves to a set of standards that maintain public confidence people know that those exercising power and making decisions in the public interest do so un-conflicted and unaffected by personal interests.That's why this is very unfortunate. When I think about the Hon Michael Wood who I also consider a friend—I've known him a long time—he is someone who is ordinarily incredibly diligent incredibly conscientious and has acquitted himself as a Minister in that way as well and has done some great things. He has pushed along the transport portfolio the immigration portfolio and made some great gains at a time when we most needed it too. But he has transgressed the rules.The reason we have rules is that in the conduct of human affairs there are standards we expect to be kept we send a clear signal about the standards we expect and when we transgress them when we breach them when we step outside them there is therefore the grounds to net out a consequence. Michael Wood has met a consequence. He has lost his role as a Cabinet Minister. It sounds trite sometimes but being in the role of being a Cabinet Minister is an extraordinary privilege and it is an extraordinary honour but it carries responsibility and it carries requirements. Being in the role of a Cabinet Minister is an example-setting role that we have in society and in our community. When you don't meet the standards then there's only one course of action and that is loss of office and that is what has happened in this case.The members opposite have quite rightly drawn attention to the transgressions of the rules of course and the House should consider that and that is what we are focusing on in this discussion and in this debate. But the reality is: that transgression having been identified has been met with a consequence. A person has lost their job. That's what should happen and that is what has happened. It is unfortunate. There have been two or three others as well. But that is the Prime Minister upholding the rules and upholding the standards of public office that he demands and that New Zealanders expect. That is the right outcome and the right course of action in this case. It will be a distraction to some but I can reassure the House that it is not a distraction to the rest of Cabinet. We as a Cabinet are getting on with addressing the challenging issues that New Zealanders have: the issues of cost of living making sure that income support is there; the issues of our health system adding to the additional 1300 mental health front-line roles that we now have and didn't have three years ago continuing the record investment in upgrading our health facilities; continuing our record of adding more teachers increasing their pay adding more classrooms; adding more public houses because those are the things that matter to people. Those are the things that change people's lives for the better. The rest of this Government is getting on with that work. Let us stop and reflect and lament about the conduct of this particular Minister and the unfortunate breach of standards that he himself was responsible for but let us also reflect that the right outcome has been achieved and that standards of public office have been properly upheld with a consequence that he has now suffered. Thank you Mr Speaker.