O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): Every so often a bill comes before this House that actually brings the best out in everybody in the House. We've just heard some very rousing contributions. My colleague Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki gave up valuable time on this bill to acknowledge all those who made submissions in the select committee and then went through a list of different committees that assisted and I think it was very unselfish for her to do that. Also I see the member from ACT opposite MP Simon Court—obviously this has brought out the best in him because here he was lamenting a business in Levin a business that may be disappearing to a manufacturer overseas who might be making products a lot cheaper. Obviously as a free-market party he has had a road to Damascus experience that would have him standing in this House lamenting the free market in the way he did. So clearly this is a bill that is bringing out the best in everyone. It's very good to get context to this and I must in all seriousness acknowledge Mr Court's colleague Karen Chhour who I remember from the first reading did relate her own experience. All of us sitting here were very moved by her journey to this House related by my colleague and how she was denied a safe place because of—really from what we heard—the system. So the other thing that this bill does is it brings our attention to those who are a lot less fortunate than us. And I'm not just talking about those less fortunate financially. This year there's been a large number of our colleagues who have made their maiden speeches and it was a very rare person that didn't have someone a family member to acknowledge up there in the gallery. I tried to hear as many of the speakers as I could and I don't think there was anyone that didn't have someone a family member. But the people we're talking about here are people who actually often end up without family members and people that end up alienated from our society. Just imagine—I'm just reading through some of the provisions in this bill and they do acknowledge some of the basics that people who miss out on families do miss out on things like the birthdays things like Christmas presents. I know they've been renamed certainly the Christmas payment has been renamed a 25th of December" I believe or "holiday" benefit—or payment rather than benefit. These are things that I think actually just acknowledge how important it is because if you are in that situation—I always liken it to Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I think we all grew up with it; I think they still teach it in schools—that sight that we can all have of those kids in the workhouses you know looking out who were completely utterly missing out who didn't get anything. I think it's the fact that that novel has traversed the centuries and we're still talking about it here today in this House tonight that just shows how relevant that is; how important it is that we do understand. And I in no way want to make light of the situation that these people we're talking about find themselves in. In preparing for tonight I looked at the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust and certainly all of us as MPs I'm sure that are connected with their communities will have come in contact with this group. I suppose it's a group that probably existed informally but something often happens a change in society that brings about the need for grandparents in this situation to come together; people who in the past may have worked hard all their lives come to the end and expected to sit down and be able to enjoy their final years or enjoy their retirement. But all of a sudden the advent if you have a look at the statistics of methamphetamine in particular is probably the thing alone that has changed. I was just looking at the statistics there of the breakdown of the families that they are dealing with and I was surprised that for 86 percent of the children according to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust New Zealand the issue is methamphetamine. And that's incredible—and even cannabis; 81 percent cite cannabis as the major drug involved. So it gives us some idea of why a bill like this all of a sudden comes it has its day. The other things that cause—or the comorbid factors—this breakdown are identified as domestic violence neglect a parent unable to cope alcohol abuse and mental illness of the parent. A quarter of the children in grandparent care also suffered physical psychological and sexual abuse. So this just gives us some idea of—and again I go back to the theme of my speech which was alienation. For us as a society it's more than just a need or an obligation just to financially support people; it's actually to recognise their need to genuinely recognise their needs. So we're bearing in mind that this bill relates to people who will be in care for less than 12 months or a carer will have these children for less than 12 months and that of course as we will all know many of these children end up in multiple care. So it just means that you know even at this level with this level of need there still existed a two-tier system until we came to this bill because of course of the orphans benefit and the unsupported child's benefit. I notice there has been some talk about orphans and in fact I understand the Social Services and Community Committee were looking for a better word than "orphan". I know the quality of the people on that committee and that they were unable to really come up with a word that was suitable—it is difficult. I mean often with a lot of the systems we had in place I mean the term "orphan" was commonplace. Anyone who's read about affected families after the First World War and the Second World War knows that the word "orphan" was very very commonplace unfortunately because of the sacrifices made by their parents overseas. But it's not just the unsupported child's benefit of course—also it's differentiated for the very reason that there is abandonment by parents. So bringing that in line as this does making sure that extending the eligibility of orphan people on the orphans benefit and those on the unsupported child's benefit just means that at least the one thing we can do we've done. And again it's great to see that in this House—that we're agreeing that the least we can do is bring them into line with those I suppose who are fortunate enough to be cared for or in a situation where at least they have the stability of someone looking after them for more than 12 months. That's certainly what this does. So it gives me great pleasure to be standing here and I'll just reflect on one of the other submissions. It's from Birthright—this probably sums it up and again it's why there's so much support: "Children have needs irrespective of their care agreements and in times of high stress it is especially important that those needs are met. It is also important that there is equity between caregivers who all take on a significant responsibility when they care for a child. Whether a child is cared for for a month or a year in some ways is irrelevant the child's needs must be met. The review clearly shows there are numerous incidents where a child might need to be cared for for less than one year in difficult circumstances whilst more permanent arrangements are made. Illness death and imprisonment may mean that carers also need to make rapid arrangements." And that again is a submission from Birthright.I go back again to what I see as bringing out the best—and of course anyone involved and the committee will have seen this. And some of the people that came and submitted on this bill of course are so much the unheralded heroes of this. I just go back and again I acknowledge MP Simon Court. He mentioned his experience of the intellectual disability sector. Again right across the spectrum there are people there unsung who often for very very low wages display a dedication to those less fortunate than them and for those of us who see this on a daily basis it leaves us nothing less than humble. So if we can do this as a House if we can ensure that at least for those who are likely to become alienated in our society they get to the stage where they'll look back and say "At least my fellow New Zealanders did what they could to get me through a situation that wasn't of my making." So again like everyone else in this House I have no hesitation in commending this bill to the House."