Mahuta NanaiaHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): Madam Deputy Speaker first of all can I congratulate you on your ascension to your role. I know that you will do a good job. I'm kind of hopeful that you will mediate over question time; I'm not too sure about Mr Speaker's use of taking questions or supplementaries here and there at will.I also want to acknowledge two contributors to this House—as translators as people who have stewarded through various Prime Ministers and Governors-General in their role—and acknowledge their passing: Matua Lewis Moeau and Rangi McGarvey. They have served this Parliament very well and leave a legacy of leadership in the work that they have done.I want also to pick up on the points that were belaboured by the previous speaker Paula Bennett. Now let's take the issue of paid parental leave. Let's not lose sight of why Sue Moroney led—led—petitions on behalf of communities of mothers who wanted to move towards the World Health Organization number of 26 weeks' paid parental leave so that they could breastfeed their children. At the heart of that petition at the heart of that campaign was 26 weeks of paid parental leave so that mothers could breastfeed.Now I acknowledge and many of us on this side of the House acknowledge there are many variations of parenting that can be provided for in legislation but let's start with what will matter most: that children young children have the ability to have their mum able to breastfeed them for a period of time that will set them up for life. I'm really glad; #26weeks—it's done and we can then move to the other policy issues matters that have been raised in this House for further consideration around provisions for other carers. Now we will look at that within the context of our policy development but hang on let's not stop a good idea on other issues because at the nub of 26 weeks' paid parental leave it was about breastfeeding. It was about giving our babies the best opportunity to start their life healthily by their mums being able to breastfeed them for that period of time.Secondly the point made about people in motels. I acknowledge that because when we were last in Government I knew many people that because of domestic violence reasons were housed in motels as a transitional arrangement in order to move them from one region to another or in some very dire circumstances to move them from New Zealand over to Australia. But that was a short-term fix. The problem with the situation that we had under the previous Government—that short-term fix ended up being a long-term solution towards the lack of housing availability in many of our communities. It's not good enough—it's not enough—and we don't believe that motels should be used in a wide-scale way where people are staying longer than a week longer than two weeks and sometimes up to a month in a motel because there are no homes available within their local community. We'll do something about it and we're proud to be measured on what we will do in this space.The other point around partnership schools: now again we argued this matter very strongly in the House but partnership schools have set up a two-tiered treatment of opportunities for kids. Some of the difficulty when you look at some of the partnership schools that are currently able to deliver some of the red tape under section 156 to transition them into a designated character school is actually one of the reasons why people went down that avenue. Now in terms of outcomes for kids if schools have got registered teachers if schools are delivering outcomes that are going to lift outcomes for a lot of our kids many who are Māori then we should be looking at it in a way that within the context of our public education system we're not setting up a two-tiered system.But I am really pleased and I want to acknowledge the Prime Minister's opening speech in Parliament because she made a really clear statement and we all heard it: things will be different. We have a different approach a new energy and a different generational shift that is not afraid to stand and be measured by our values and what we believe in. It is about people first not profit for profit's sake but actually investing back into what will ensure the sustainability of our whānau our communities our provinces and our regions—that if we lift the well-being and opportunities for people then everybody else can get on. It is about building a sense of community because there's a little bit of disconnectedness that has really impacted on a number of ways in which things aren't quite working right at this moment. We'll do things about that.It is about caring for our environment talking about sustainability but making it happen. And we're proud—the Prime Minister is showing that—of our place in the global community and being a responsible citizen. But more importantly in the hallmark of this Government make-up—because good things come in threes: Labour New Zealand First and the Greens—we're confident of our support for Māori and Polynesian identity and its place in New Zealand founded on the Treaty.The election result in the Māori electorates and across the regions indicated a seismic shift in sentiment—a seismic shift in sentiment. The gap between aspiration and action was simply too wide too great. Too many people were suffering finding themselves worse off when they were working—worse off when they were working. How could that be? You'd only need to go to your local Society of St Vincent de Paul and they would tell you that the changing profile of people coming to pick up food parcels were people who were working. Sleeping in cars became tolerable—we didn't think so—and they were unable to get a home unable to get work in their small town. They had to go to a city struggling to survive there. So the gap between aspiration and action had just got a little bit too wide too great people were hurting and that was the message about voting for change that we certainly heard.Now we have work to do. There is no doubt about it—there is no doubt about it. But that message of change has to be one where people see that hope is not just a word—that it provides some opportunity to people; that action and aspiration are about making a difference and getting things done not just talking about it; and that our priorities and values if we are given the opportunity to govern for the period of time that will see critical change especially when we talk about child poverty reducing inequality and poverty will see some tangible shifts within households.It is at this point that I really want to talk about some of those opportunities under our 100-day plan of action. I'm really pleased about this because there are a number of hashtags: #26weekspaidparentalleave—done.Hon Member: Oh yeah.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: Yeah. #banningofspeculatorsbuyingexistinghomes—done. In the new year #threeyearsfreeducation will be done starting with the first year in 2018. Young people love it and they know we're backing them for their future. This is about investing in people and opportunity not just talking about it. So turn up to a tertiary institution in your region—against any one of the other Wellington MPs on this side of the House—and you will see people love that initiative alone.But there are other things: ensuring that we are building more homes; working within regions with iwi to ensure that we are not only building homes but getting people migrating from rentals into homeownership as a tangible pathway; making sure that rentals are warm dry and healthy places to bring up kids. I'm really proud about those things in the 100-day plan of action where people will really feel the difference.Working for Families: ensuring that those whānau who are working can still be supported at a level where it can make a difference for their people. But there are other things in our communities where actually we're sending a clear signal that things have to be different.In the mental health space alone—and we know in our communities the rates of youth suicide and what's not happening in mental health—being able to set up a ministerial inquiry in order to fix the mental health crisis will make a fundamental difference. This in many of the communities that I represent is one of the key policies that signal things will not only be different. We'll do something about it and we will make sure that the investment into support for people in their communities—so that they can live a better life—will alongside the rest of our 100-day plan of action be the hallmark of a Government who cares about people puts them first and is committed to doing something different so that aspiration and action can be felt on the ground in our communities where it matters most.