Radhakrishnan PriyancaHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Minister for Diversity Inclusion and Ethnic Communities): Thank you Mr Speaker. As the member before me—Minister Verrall—pointed out and it's been said before in this House there's absolutely no doubt that people are doing it tough at the moment. Many of those factors that have exacerbated the situation that we're facing collectively lie outside of our sphere of control. Things like the impact of a global pandemic on global inflation rates things like Russia's invasion of Ukraine—all of that has led to an increase in the cost of living. I know that. I've spoken to people in my electorate of Maungakiekie who tell me how they're doing it tough. As Ministers we've seen that through those that we engage with outside of the ministries as well. Now as I mentioned previously these aren't things that lie within our control but what we are doing is taking steps to address the cost of living to support New Zealanders to get through it. In the same way that we had a plan to support New Zealanders through the COVID-19 health crisis now we turn ourselves towards accelerating our recovery in the face of this global pandemic. So what are we doing? I had a chat with some of the students who live in my electorate pensioners families and beneficiaries about some of the steps that we've taken that came into effect on 1 April—for example the fact that student allowances have gone up by $25. While members on that side of the House may scoff because it doesn't make a huge amount of difference to them given their pay packets the one thing that the students I talked to told me without doubt was that they would spend that increased money on food—something quite so basic. What they said to me was Now we no longer have to go to KFC with our coupons. We can actually buy some vegetables and meat and have a more nutritious meal."—something quite that basic. The minimum wage has increased progressively from $15.75 in 2017 to $21.20 as of 1 April this year. I think from what Minister Wood said earlier in a response in the House was that that is $218 per week more since we took Government on this side of the House. I often share with people who question that increase to the minimum wage the story of a woman I met some years back. She was an E tū delegate. She had worked for a company which I won't name for 26 years. She was in her late 50s. For all of those 26 years she was on the minimum wage. For people like that if we don't progressively increase the minimum wage they will suffer as they've done under previous Governments. Superannuation goes up by $52 per fortnight for an individual and $80 for a couple. A pensioner that I spoke to in my electorate talked about the fact that this will give him a little bit more security as he goes into his later years and without me even asking he talked about the winter energy payment and the difference that that will make when it kicks on 1 May as well. This of course is in addition to various other steps we've taken over the years to ensure that people are a little bit better off as the cost of living increases. For example we introduced the Families Package which provides targeted assistance to improve the incomes for low and middle income families with children. We reversed the tax cuts that National promised in 2016 and diverted that into the Families Package. I'm experiencing a moment of déjà vu because what we're hearing now from the same old National Party is the tired old line of tax cuts to those who earn the most. This is exactly what they trotted out in 2016 it's exactly what New Zealanders rejected at the 2017 election and they still can't see that this will not make a difference for the majority of New Zealanders. This is in addition to the fact that we have a record number of people moving off a main benefit and into work and that is important. We're not just shoving them off the benefit but we're actually getting them into work—so listen up National Party. We've got a number of initiatives that actually support employment. We've got an employment strategy that will build a skilled workforce and will support workplaces to modernise and I lead as the Minister for Diversity Inclusion and Ethnic Communities an employment action plan that will lift the employment outcomes of former refugees recent migrants and ethnic communities more broadly. In the last 30 seconds that I have I will say that I am so proud of the work that the Ministry for Ethnic Communities is doing. I just want to point out to the leader of the ACT Party a quote that he said about a longstanding policy that they have had to disestablish the then Office of Ethnic Communities. So perhaps as he trots around to ethnic communities events in the weekend maybe our communities should ask him a question or two about his support for population agencies like the Ministry for Ethnic Communities."