SpeechHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Thank you sir. I thought the Hon Julie Anne Genter was about to enjoy 12 of her allocated 10 minutes. Let me pick up on the comment that she's just made suggesting that the Opposition is spoiling for a fight—or words to that effect. We are fighting for trustworthy law-abiding hard-working New Zealanders who need to get back to work. That isn't putting up petty opposition; that is making a statement on behalf of New Zealanders who are suffering in a whole range of different ways. When he spoke at the start of this debate the Attorney-General the Hon David Parker was quite right to highlight the economic cost of delaying a move from level 3 to level 2. I don't think anybody wants to do that. Businesses and employers throughout New Zealand have been telling us that for weeks. We have all heard stories of how much hardship many are suffering. You only need to talk to our neighbours as they go past us in the parks or on walks down the street or as we contact businesses in our own electorates to know how difficult it has been for them. Livelihoods are at risk—we need to get back to work.But the crucial point is that a move to level 2 is not dependent on the passage of this bill. The Minister of Finance has spoken before of New Zealand's high-trust model and I heard the Hon Ron Mark when he spoke a moment ago also use that term. Well this bill undermines that approach and sends a message to church worshippers—and when I say that I'm talking not just about those in Christian churches but those who worship in synagogues in mosques in Sikh temples Buddhist temples Hindu temples all sorts of places of worship in our multicultural country—that they can't be trusted. That's the message that's being sent to them. In particular that message is being sent to funeral attendees to families who are eager for long-overdue reunions particularly with elderly relatives who have been missing their grandchildren missing their children so desperately and we all know people like that. I send my love through this message to my own mother who's in a retirement village because like thousands of New Zealanders I haven't been able to see her for a long time either and I hope she may be watching now.But it sends a message to all of us that we can't be trusted and that of course is utter nonsense. It's not founded in any evidence. It's insulting and in the case of funerals or those who wish to be with the dying within their families and extended whānau it is utterly heartless and cruel. I've been inundated by messages on this particular topic today and I want to acknowledge to those who may be watching just how many emails how many phone calls there have been to my electorate office messages on social media and so forth I have received from worshippers who are absolutely distraught at being told that even under level 2 they will not be able to resume worship in their chosen church or place of worship. I have 100 percent sympathy with them. I am utterly supportive of their aspiration to be able to go back to worshipping responsibly as I know they all would do. So let me put on record this party's absolute commitment to advocating for them. They should be trusted to do that responsibly. That failing at least in this bill must be rectified and I hope that the Government is listening. I hope that we will see a change to that effect later on this evening.I was particularly moved by a constituent who rang me last night to tell me about the death of his elderly father and the fact that they had planned on the assumption that when moving to level 2 this Thursday they would be able to have a funeral bordering on normality—obviously no hugging still having to observe physical distancing but at least with members of the family and close friends of the deceased able to gather together because mourning is such an important part of the grieving process and of the healing process. It was only a fortnight ago that the Prime Minister spoke about what level 2 would look like and she said at that point—and this is what so many churches and others have been relying upon including those who have been thinking about funerals in recent days—that level 2 would include gatherings of up to 100 people. So they planned accordingly. Many have made arrangements to travel accordingly only to be told now that can't happen. Well that is heartless and more it's inexplicable. They do not understand what changed over the last fortnight—why when it was going to be OK a fortnight ago to have a gathering of that nature did we suddenly find just yesterday that it would be down to gatherings of no more than 10?Then when the Leader of the Opposition spoke this afternoon he put it into sharp perspective because he pointed out the absurdity of allowing 30 rugby players plus a referee to be on the field in very close physical contact. I defy you to find a way of playing even touch rugby without physical contact or say 50 or 60 cinema patrons all appropriately spaced in a cinema—that they can do that but 11 people cannot attend a funeral even spaced out as the Prime Minister repeated several times in her address yesterday. That's not just illogical it's insulting and as I say it's utterly heartless.No one disputes that the risk hasn't passed. We all know that we must continue to do our bit. But New Zealanders have shown that they have been doing their bit they can be trusted to do their bit and as long as the guidelines are fair and well-articulated they will do their bit because they've shown us that they are doing their bit. That does not justify the passage of a Draconian measure. In fact what it does is engender disrespect and contempt for the law which is more likely to lead to problems than it would if they were trusted more. This bill jeopardises that particular public support and understanding and I think we should all be concerned that that public support is being put at risk by this particular measure. We cannot afford to allow contempt complacency arrogance to creep in when we've done so much hard work and now as we hear in that well-worn cliché we must lock in the gains. This bill as it is currently drafted does not get the balance right and we need it to be right. As an Opposition we want it to be right. We would have worked with the Government if only they had reached out to us to get it right.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): I'm sorry to interrupt the member but it's come time for me to leave the Chair for the dinner break. The House will resume at 7.30 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Thank you Madam Speaker and for the benefit of those who may not have heard the debate before the adjournment the National Party is unable to support this bill. We do so largely because we are concerned that the Government hasn't got the balance right on the issue and they certainly haven't got the process right.But I do want to make the point that sometimes reaching a position on a bill is very challenging. It's not as if you just think OK well the Government is going to put this up so we'll say the opposite" Life is seldom that simple and it's particularly challenging sometimes when the options on both sides of the argument contain many unappealing features. I'd like to think that all members of this House would have grave concerns about any measure that effectively—and very significantly—curtails the civil liberties of New Zealanders and that of course is a key feature of this.So we in the National Party didn't reach our position lightly. We gave it as much consideration as we could in the very short time we were given in order to consider the measure. I was making the point just before the adjournment that we would have been willing to work with the Government to get this right because as a country we need to get this right. But unfortunately the Government hasn't reached out to anyone. Not only have they not reached out to us in the Opposition; they have decreed that there will be no select committee process. So whereas they could have been hearing from legal academics from those with expertise in these areas of public law from the police and others and from all the commentators who usually have much to say on this topic they have not heard from them and they have not instigated a select committee process—even if it had only been for half a day. I submit to you that we could have produced a better bill but instead unfortunately we've been shut out of the process ignored by what looks to be an increasingly arrogant Government. Some will have seen the report over the last few days that this is a first-term Government showing arrogant third-term-itis—DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member's time has expired."