English BillRt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): I move That the House do now adjourn until 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday 7 February 2017 and that the sitting days in 2017 be as follows:February 7 8 9 14 15 and 16; March 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 and 23; April 4 5 6 11 12 and 13; May 2 3 4 9 10 11 23 24 25 30 and 31; June 1 6 7 8 20 21 22 27 28 and 29; July 4 5 6 25 26 and 27; August 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 29 30 and 31; September 5 6 7 19 20 21 26 27 and 28; October 17 18 19 24 25 26 and 31; November 1 2 14 15 16 21 22 and 23; December 5 6 7 12 13 and 14. This Parliament has achieved an awful lot this year. I want to acknowledge first the MPs in this House who leave their homes and their families every week to come here with one purpose in mind—to make New Zealand an even better place to live to work and to raise a family. I also want to acknowledge those families who put up with the demands of the jobs and sometimes the unwarranted opinions of the public. Can I acknowledge those who make Parliament work so smoothly that quite often we do not even notice that they are doing it: the Beehive staff and the Parliamentary Service staff. I acknowledge the ones who do the real work in the buildings: the cleaners the messengers security catering staff—to whom I want to say politicians will always complain about the menu; do not listen—the maintenance staff and VIP Transport Service. And of course I acknowledge those who service the important fundamental constitutional purpose of this Parliament—that is the passing of legislation—the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the staff in the Clerk's Office the Bills Office and the Table Office. I also want to acknowledge my National Party colleagues who have taken part in a historic set of events over the last couple of weeks—that is the resignation for the first time in perhaps a hundred years of a popular successful Prime Minister and the transition to new leadership. Apart from the fact that you did a great job of getting the right result can I acknowledge the civilised and constructive way in which that was handled which is testament to the culture created and left behind by the previous Prime Minister and one that we can honour by continuing it. Can I also acknowledge our coalition partners. People forget because this Government makes it look relatively easy—it is not—that we have to get votes for every piece of legislation that goes through this House. I can assure the public and the Opposition that the respect that is maintained within this relationship is based on the robustness of the discussions that are had in getting our solutions. The Māori Party ACT and United Future have played a critical role in stable Government and the stability of that collective was so ably demonstrated just in the last week or so. The year 2016 has been a great year for New Zealand. We forget some of the highlights. There were the Olympic Games and the fantastic performances like the Joseph Parker triumph—controversial as it was—on the weekend. There was the hardship package which came in on 1 April this year where the 100000 lowest-income New Zealand families got the biggest pay increase they have had in 42 years. Some others may be of lesser note. ACC levies are now $2 billion lower than in 2012 the Government announced Predator Free New Zealand 2050 and the most important thing of all is that the All Blacks thrived after Richie McCaw and isn't there a lesson there? Our opponents have not had such a good year. New Zealand will wake up next year—election year—and find they cannot vote for a mainstream Labour Party because that has disappeared. It is not that those members' ideas are progressive or dangerous but what we need to protect this country from is the bland awful nothingness of the current Labour Party—a party without confidence and without energy in a country that has more and more confidence and energy. And of course it has been drawn into the relationship with the Green Party about which I can only quote Taylor Swift an insightful political commentator who wrote a line for Andrew Little Oh my God … you look like my next mistake"—looking at the Green Party—and a line for James Shaw "I'm a nightmare dressed up as a daydream". So on the basis of Taylor Swift's insightful commentary I say merry Christmas to the Opposition."