Baillie ChrisCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's my pleasure to rise on behalf of ACT to speak to the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill. The purpose of this bill is to establish an annual public holiday to acknowledge Matariki. ACT opposes this bill but certainly not because Matariki doesn't deserve its own special day but now that the true cost of creating a 12th public holiday is clear $450 million ACT believes the Government needs to identify a holiday to be removed from the calendar in its place.It was interesting to hear before the Labour member Rino Tirikatene speaking of the day after New Year's Day which he doesn't even know what it's called—let's get rid of that one and we'd all be happy. And listening to the Green member Teanau Tuiono just before talking about making a list of people who don't agree with it and they can come and cut grass and paint the walls is I think quite divisive and certainly won't be helpful in this debate through this process. It's a shame that as a nation we simply just can't afford to add more holidays. Businesses across the country are already fragile from the effects of COVID-19 not to mention the many impositions this Government has inflicted on business in the last few years—impositions that have had very little thought on the effect they will have on the success of a business success that is necessary to employ and look after employees.Employees are currently entitled to 4 weeks' annual leave 11 statutory holidays—that's over six weeks. There is a bill going through select committee at the moment that will require business owners to pay their employees to attend parent-teacher meetings. I find it bizarre that someone's child isn't important enough to use annual leave but that's for another day. Where will it end?Sick leave has just doubled at a cost of almost $2 billion to businesses. There's family violence leave and parental leave. I was just discussing parental leave with an experienced accountant last week and she laughingly reminded me that a large number of women who don't return after their 52 weeks' leave resigning from their position are leaving the business owner liable for four weeks' annual leave. I don't think that's fair and I don't think anyone with a business background would think that's fair. The vast majority of business owners male and female get no leave at all. They're too busy working on and in the businesses so it can survive and keep their employees in a job.The minimum wage is something that vexes this Government and that's because they just don't understand. With any pay rise leave entitlement or other changes in employee conditions we must look at productivity to make sure we can pay for it and unfortunately New Zealand doesn't cut it. We constantly compare ourselves with other countries when it comes to the minimum wage work conditions leave provisions but we constantly ignore productivity the most important factor that enables this country to provide different conditions to employees. Paying people more while expecting no extra productivity is just naive. People who work hard should be paid more.I'm sure we'll hear that an extra public holiday will actually be beneficial and we already have to businesses—again from those who never owned a business; the same people who tried to convince us that having more sick days increases productivity. But the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment reported quite clearly and it states: While the costs can be relatively easily identified and quantified some of the benefits are more qualitative and subjective particularly the estimates of and assumptions made around the value of people's leisure time which is a significant proportion of the benefit input into the net impact calculations."We have a Government that doesn't like business and that can't be disputed. They believe business owners are nasty self-serving people and anyone who actually manages to be successful got there by treating their employees poorly and they're only after that terrible word "profit". The daily spin around the COVID business support has been masterful convincing many members of the population that the Government actually cares about business. I highly recommend a Bachelor of Communications degree! The wage subsidy is for employees topped up by the employers while more annual leave accumulates. The resurgence payment is totally inadequate for most businesses; four or five days' rent in many cases. Businesses are struggling going under their stress is huge and through no fault of their own.Yesterday Minister Faafoi read a letter espousing the virtues of the Government. He left out the last line which read "Love from Grant". Here's a letter from a real hospitality owner in Auckland: "It is chilling thinking how little this Government thinks or cares about the 133000 taxpaying hospitality workers in New Zealand. It has been said that they don't want to provide financial assistance to the hospitality industry as they feel many businesses will fail. These small businesses and the jobs of many of their staff could be saved but this Government is deliberately choosing not to. That in my mind is not protecting its people it is callous grossly unfair and certainly not kind."These are the businesses that these bills affect—good hard-working people who employ New Zealanders and keep so many industries going and they deserve much more respect. ACT has employers' backs and by doing that we have all New Zealand's employees' backs. We know they need tax and regulatory relief and we will fight on their behalf for more sensible sustainable economic policy so that they can grow their businesses and employ more New Zealanders.ACT appreciates the significance of Matariki not just for Māori but for all tamariki of New Zealand who have studied and observed it at schools throughout the country for a number of years. It is part of the curriculum. We appreciate the importance of everyone learning about and acknowledging the New Year and the various reasons for the celebration and especially its use as a navigational tool in the migration of Māori to this beautiful country. Thank you Mr Speaker."