Reti ShaneDr SHANE RETI (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. The health system is in crisis and the only two people who don't know it are Andrew Little and Ayesha Verrall. It's just six letters but they don't want to say it; they don't want the crisis on their watch. And you know if we look at some of the numbers some of the data around first specialist assessments and those on surgical waiting lists and emergency department times it really is a travesty how bad those numbers are.And while we're talking about numbers let's talk to the numbers that Grant Robertson just put up—OCR Grant Robertson"; "official cash rate Grant Robertson"? No "open cheque book Grant Robertson". Let's talk about those numbers he just put up and contest them for a moment because I'll tell you something for nothing I'm not going to be taken to task by a health Minister who several months ago said that the emergency department (ED) wait time to target in Northland was 99.4 percent—that is no wait time—at the same time they're trying to call in the army. Highly unlikely I'm going to accept her data or any messages from her. Furthermore she then put up the data; that terrible performance data that she took down she eventually reposted. We said to her "Was the original data accurate? Were resourcing decisions made on the original data that you put up?" and she said yes it was accurate. She reposts the data that she has relooked at about six weeks later and surprise surprise it's all different—to which she says "Oh no there's just administrative differences that's what administrative data does." Well you know 4500 extra people—and I think it was Middlemore ED: that's not administrative that's an error; that's a mistake that is wrong. I do however—when we're talking about the data that's been in contention this week—I do want to thank the Minister. We've had a great media run on this announcement; they have been able to stretch it through further and more people are looking at this big number than we would have quite anticipated. So I thank them very much for that.Look we announced a policy to address the beginning of the nursing pipeline and we understand that of course it needs more experienced nurses. But what we're saying with our nursing announcement is that we value nursing students and we want to retain them. The policy that we announced—that we would give student loan relief to students in their five years post-graduate—was a policy of $4500 per year bonded to the system every year for five years or $22500. And what we've heard is several things but let me come back—certainly it's been well received but let's look at where the impact was. The impact was at the front end; that is we're hoping to make nursing more attractive. Secondly for those nursing students who are finding it tough with cost of living who haven't maximised the amount of the student loan that they can attribute to cost of living—which is about $300 a week—we're hoping that seeing some remedy when they graduate will encourage them to maybe take that up further if they need it. Thirdly we're wanting to retain nurses for those five years when they graduate. And this has been very well received; if we look at the commentary from the Aged Care Association (ACA) and let's remember they've got probably the second-biggest amount of nursing shortages across the sector. Hospitals around 300—aged residential care at least 1000 probably 1200. ACA chief executive Simon Wallace says the policy is well targeted and will support the aged-care sector to recruit the nurses it desperately needs: "We are pleased that National … has taken time to understand the issues and developed [the] policy". Very pleased with this policy. As we stand here today what a mess this Government is in. More in-fighting in the Labour caucus; the timing is unbelievable—as soon as the PM leaves no one in the Labour caucus knows anything about it. I do want to say to Meka: I wish you well on your next journey and wherever you may land I hope that goes well for you. You know as I was leaving Parliament last night I heard some soulful music coming from the direction of Meka's office and when I listened it was the Engelbert Humperdinck song "Release Me" is what I was hearing. And if you recall the lyrics: "Please release me. Let me go because I don't love you any more. To waste our lives would be a sin. So please release me and let me love again." So to the Labour Party from Meka Whaitiri's office please release Meka Whaitiri from the shackles of incompetence. Please release Meka Whaitri from the addiction to spending. Please release Meka Whaitiri from the bonds of socialism. And to the Labour Party please release Meka Whaitiri and let her love again. Thank you Mr Speaker."