Lubeck MarjaMARJA LUBECK (Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Tēnā koutou katoa. It's a pleasure to speak on the Organ Donors and Related Matters Bill. Contrary to some of the previous speakers I have not spoken on this bill in the other readings and I wasn't part of the Health Committee that considered the bill so I had to do a little bit of reading up on it. I also went to the Organ Donation New Zealand website and I found it quite sobering: the statement that the website opens up with. It says In New Zealand there are currently more than 550 people waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Sadly some of those people will die waiting while others will continue to lead lives restricted by long-term treatment." I think that's the submissions that the select committee heard: 16 in total and five submitters came to Wellington to be heard. As a result of considering that feedback the select committee then recommended several amendments to this bill to make clarity and practicability within that bill's provisions.One of the stories of the submitters was particularly touching. It was a person who was very passionate about making organ donation and the whole system easier. Also he wanted to ensure that those people who choose to be donors do not have that decision overturned when they actually die. That person told the select committee a very personal story of a person they loved and who died while they were waiting for such an organ to be donated.There are many more stories in particular on this website that I mentioned: Organ Donation New Zealand lists several stories. One is of a woman called Marcella Russell who inherited a genetic heart condition lived a good life for 16 years but then needed an operation had another 17 years and then slowly started to decline and at some stage quite rapidly. She spent a lot of time in hospital waiting. She couldn't do the things that we all take for granted. She was basically just waiting for a lifeline for someone to come up with a donation that would give her more time. She was very lucky. She was one of the lucky ones for whom an organ became available and after a successful operation and seven weeks in hospital she did end up having a second lease on life if you want to call it that.So it's really clear from reading those stories on the website that organ donation makes a real difference. If there were more donors there would be more people that could benefit from lifesaving operations. So that is exactly what this bill does: it makes the whole system of organ donation easier and it does so in two parts. People have spoken of those already but I quickly want to just recap that Part 1 of the bill provides for increased compensation for live organ donors and it amends the Compensation for Live Organ Donors Act 2016. Basically in the current legislation if live organ donors go back to work earlier than the 12 weeks—perhaps go back into part-time employment or reduced hours—they immediately cease to have their entitlement to compensation. That is a gap in the legislation that this bill is fixing with Part 1. Part 2 establishes a national organ donation function and it will be renamed the New Zealand Blood and Organ Service. Again that is to raise awareness of the organ donation and transplantation needs.So in short the purpose of the bill is to encourage and support live and deceased organ donation and transplantation rates in New Zealand. It can be said that the changes in this bill perhaps are small. They will however make organ donation easier and by enabling people to live fuller lives and to not spend the rest of their lives waiting for an organ to be donated that makes obviously a huge difference. Someone has called it a koha in previous speeches and it is the greatest gift that someone could give.There's of course one first step people can take. They can go to the Organ Donation New Zealand website to have a look at what can be done to perhaps become a donor. You can make a note on your driver licence. I know people have mentioned that in second readings. I too have that noted on my driver licence. Greater awareness is great. I commend this bill to the House."