Ngarewa-Packer DebbieDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): Kia ora thank you. Tēnā tātou e te Whare. I rise on behalf of Te Paati Māori to make a short call on this debate on the inquiry into New Zealand's aid to the Pacific.I te tuatahi ka tuku mihi ki ā mātou tuakana o ngā moutere o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ngā kāranga i roto i ā tātou whakapapa me te kotahitanga i waenga i a tātou ngā iwi taketake o tēnei pito o te ao.[Firstly let me acknowledge our elder relatives of the islands of the Pacific Ocean our genealogical links and the solidarity we share as indigenous peoples of this side of the world.]Te Paati Māori have always stood shoulder to shoulder with our Pasifika whanaunga. We acknowledge the tuakanatanga the whakapapa that binds us including my three Ngāti Hāmua mokopuna and the struggles that unite us. We note the recommendations of the report from the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee and support strengthening our relationships with Pacific nations and increasing the level of aid we provide. As a leader of the Asia-Pacific region we have a duty to do so.This duty is more important and urgent than ever as we confront the reality also of the climate crisis and the catastrophic effects it is already causing in the Pacific. Climate change is putting the lives and livelihoods of some of our closest neighbours in low-lying Pacific nations at extreme risk. People in the Pacific are the least responsible for rising seas or for climate change yet Pacific leaders are at the forefront of fighting for no warming of above 1.5 degrees Celsius in saving us from the worst effects of sea-level rise. But there is a growing number of people who have no choice but to consider leaving their home islands. This problem is only going to get worse if the world leaders including our Government here in Aotearoa don't immediately change direction and transform our global economy. Aotearoa has an international responsibility under the Paris climate agreement to support developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change. We must start meeting our obligations to our Pasifika whanaunga.One way we need to do that is by ensuring Aotearoa plays a greater role in supporting Pasifika leaders to the world stage through aggressive diplomatic efforts. It is our view that we must significantly increase our climate-related aid to the Pacific. This has to be one of the top priorities of our international aid programme. This needs to include a review of our migration policies to ensure that Pasifika displaced by climate change are prioritised in terms of resettlement. While the fight has to be to limit warming and prevent relocation we also have to prepare for the worst and the likelihood that more and more low-lying Pacific nations will have whenua become uninhabitable.As one of the largest Pacific nations we have a leading role to play in this. We must assist the migration of communities at risk of rising seas and coastal erosion. Even internal relocations are likely to be expensive and extremely challenging exercises. It is crucial that tangata whenua are at the forefront of this policy discussion and that as Te Tiriti o Waitangi affirmed tangata whenua are making the decisions on how we manaaki our whanaunga and manuhiri to these shores. Te Paati Māori looks forward to further discussion on how we can implement the recommendations of the report and go even further to ensure we are doing everything we can in this space. Nā reira ko te tūmanako ka whawhai tēnei Whare me te whenua o Aotearoa ki te tautoko i ā tātou whanaunga o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me te panoni o te āhuarangi e ngau kino nei ki ngā iwi taketake o te ao. Tēnā tātou e te Whare kia ora rā.[Therefore my hope is that this House and the nation of New Zealand will continue to advocate for and support our relations of the Pacific Ocean with regards to climate change that is causing devastating effects on the indigenous peoples of the world. Thank you everyone in the House.]