Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Kia ora Madam Speaker. As the flood waters rose and the storms and the winds blew Cassandra Robson and her six-year-old daughter Skylar were rescued. And as I was reading about their story I was taken by what Cassandra said. She said We're just grateful and thankful for an incredible community coming to look for us and making sure we're safe. And now let's do the same for other people." This was Cassandra and her daughter who had just been rescued from flood waters from the devastation. And this reminds me of the New Zealand that we live in: the wonderful society that we have that cares deeply for our communities. And we've seen that in recent weeks through the devastation and the heartache.Now the weekend before Cyclone Gabrielle came through I attended the Taranaki toughest firefighter event which happens every year run by the Taranaki Provincial Fire Brigade Association. Now I attended that event on the Saturday afternoon and was aware—and it was very pertinent in reflecting in terms of what was going on in Auckland at the time. And there were heightened feelings of concern for their colleagues in terms of the work that emergency services do. I had the opportunity to speak at that event and to encourage and thank the servicemen and servicewomen for their voluntary service for putting themselves on the line every single time a callout is received and they go. And the reason in thanking them that they do that is as Cassandra said for the sake of their community in doing what they can for others.There have been many groups and organisations within our communities and individuals that have shown what New Zealanders are made of. And I think of people like the Red Cross and religious organisations and community groups I think of our police and our ambulance and our fire and emergency services our air ambulances and our rescue helicopters etc. The list can go on and on. And we as a Government and we as members of this House say thank you to everyone who has put their life on the line and sadly to those who have lost their lives. As our Prime Minister spoke this afternoon in terms of looking at where we are and where we're going I'm grateful that we are building back better. Now as we know that can be just rhetoric—it can be words—so I thought I would share a little bit from New Plymouth in terms of how we as a Government are building back better in the electorate of New Plymouth. In terms of housing there are 68 families in New Plymouth who were able to purchase their first home through the KiwiBuild scheme. Now I know that's a small amount but for those 68 families in my community of Marfell that has made a huge difference in terms of getting them into the space of housing of a home a place to call home for their whānau not just now but for generations to come.Then there are the 45 Kāinga Ora houses that are under construction already in the middle of our CBD providing one- and two-bedroom homes for those in terms of the demographic as it changes and people age and we have a number of single people creating that space for 45 individuals couples to have a place to call home—all because of this Government.Then there's the announcement and the work that's under way right now for 100 new Kāinga Ora homes within the city of New Plymouth. This is the most in terms of building around social housing in more than 40 years in the electorate of New Plymouth. Over the past 40 years that's 100 new homes 45 new units 68 homes that people now own in terms of us building back better.Now on my way down this morning on the plane I was reading the Salvation Army's State of the Nation report that's just been released. I was encouraged to read that they say that social housing wait-lists have continued to decline and build consents are up showing that we are addressing the housing crisis and that there have been higher levels of employment and declining levels of unemployment and there are continuing declines in the levels of child poverty not to mention youth offending continues to decline in this country. I'm grateful to be part of a Government serving a Prime Minister that's focused on the bread and butter issues and building back better."