Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Kia orana. Faakalofa lahi atu. Malo ni. Kia ora koutou katoa. I just want to begin my call on the Social Assistance (Residency Qualification) Legislation Bill by acknowledging our very esteemed guests who are in the gallery today: the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands the high commissioner and the representatives of the Cook Islands Government. I also want to thank Ministers on both sides of the House who have been involved in the progress of this bill from its inception right through to its first reading today.I want to go a little bit into of course the purpose of this bill—what it does—but also some of the constitutional responsibilities that New Zealand has with our Realm nations. I will go into this potentially in a little bit more depth than some of the previous speakers have done simply because I've actually been asked by a few people what the Realm nations" means—sometimes by newer migrants to New Zealand as well but there seems to be a little bit of confusion so I thought I'd take this opportunity to delve into that a little bit more. Also in terms of why this bill is so important I also want to touch upon the importance of this bill a little bit as someone who migrated to New Zealand even if it might not have been from the Pacific nations.Also I speak as the Labour member based in the Maungakiekie electorate which of course is possibly the next electorate after South Auckland that has the largest population of Pacific people; we have close to 14000.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: Hmm I don't know.PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: Maybe? The member for Kelston and the Minister's looking at me so potentially not. But anyway my point is that we have a large population of Pacific peoples—close to 14000—and I know that close to 4000 are from the Realm nations so this is a bill that is significant to them as well.A little bit about what this bill does: it's basically about greater pension flexibility for people who want to retire in any one of these nations—the Cook Islands Niue or Tokelau. I thought also I'd go into a little bit about the eligibility for super. Of course you've got to be a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident 65 years or older and there's a residence qualification criterion as well which basically means that people need to have resided in New Zealand for 10 years after the age of 20 and for five years after the age of 50. It's that latter part of the residency requirement that this bill that we're debating in the House today will change as it were.The way it changes this requirement of course is that previously you would have—not you Madam Assistant Speaker but the person applying—had to have lived in New Zealand for those five years after they turn 50. But once this bill passes—and I'm glad to see that it's supported unanimously—people who are applying can stay in any one of those Realm nations as well and have that residency period count towards the residency requirement for this bill.So as I was saying it allows a lot more flexibility when it comes to the pension. This bill also recognises the special relationship that New Zealand has with Pacific nations. As in fact our Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern said recently at ASB Polyfest this is undeniable because we are part of the Pacific—there is no them and us when it comes to New Zealand. That holds even more true when it comes to the Realm nations of course.At this point I'll just go a little bit into what that actually means. Now with the Cook Islands and with Niue a little bit of history—and I actually found this quite interesting as well. The Cook Islands was a dependent territory—and of course you'll know this very well Madam Assistant Speaker—of New Zealand between 1901 and 1965 after which they became a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand. There was a similar situation for Niue as well although self-governance kicked in for Niue in 1974.Now the self-governing status and free association with New Zealand means of course that people who are born in these Realm nations—and that includes Tokelau as well—are considered New Zealand citizens. But with those from the Cooks and Niue their Governments are of course responsible for the law making and for conducting their own affairs which is slightly different from Tokelau which has been administered by New Zealand since 1926. So that's what it means when we refer to the Realm nations and that's why the constitutional responsibilities that New Zealand has of course are a little bit different again.Now the member Peeni Henare touched upon the importance within Pacific cultures of passing on the unique heritage and unique languages identities and culture that define us. And actually that's something that I can relate to as well coming from originally India and then Singapore. It's something that a lot of the Asian populations here in New Zealand hold on to also. We have multiple homes and there's really nothing wrong with that.What this bill addresses is the upheaval that a lot of families experience when you know they might have come here potentially from one of the Realm nations contributed to New Zealand gone back to say the Cooks or to Niue to be with their family to contribute to those countries as well had businesses there and then they're expected under the status quo legislation to uproot themselves—it's an upheaval for their families—and to come back to New Zealand to fulfil that five-year residency qualification criteria. And that's not just about the person who's applying—it's never just about the person who's applying—it's about their families as well and the repercussions that that upheaval has on their families. This bill when it's passed will remove that and it will allow for a much greater sense of stability in that respect as well.We often talk about how ethnically diverse New Zealand and indeed Auckland has become. We talk about the fact that we have over 220 ethnicities now represented and we collectively speak over 160 languages. We often also say and I strongly believe it that our strength as a nation lies in that very diversity. So if we're going to say that then the onus is on us to actually walk the talk and make it such that this diversity can flourish in New Zealand.I often use a little analogy where if one looks at different threads for example they're unique they have a certain amount of strength and beauty in and of themselves but woven together that strength and that endurance is enhanced and it weaves into a beautiful piece of fabric that's collectively so much stronger. That's how I see the strength that lies in our nation when we talk about the strength of our diversity as well.So this bill basically at the crux of it is about making the system fairer. It's about making it fairer for people from our Realm nations. It's about ensuring that they're not uprooted and that their families—Hon Member: I raise a point of order.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): We were dealing with the matter. [Matt King in Chamber without a tie]PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN: I've kind of lost my train of thought. Yes—it's about making the system fairer for everyone. It's about making the system fairer for people from our Realm nations who will face a lot less upheaval and sense of being uprooted but it's also about making things fairer for New Zealanders because uprooting and expecting people to face upheaval is never in the best interests for us either. So it is with absolute pleasure that I stand today and commend this bill to the House. Thank you.Bill read a first time. Bill referred to the Social Services and Community Committee.Waiata"