Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition): Thank you Madam Speaker. National called for level 2 safely and sooner than later. We wanted lockdown it was justified; the lockdown extension wasn't. We've been pleased to see New Zealand open up more and I know how pleased New Zealanders are to see that and to see that that is going to happen.Having seen a low number of COVID-19 cases with a lot of people out of work isn't success; it's a thousand people going on the dole each and every day who are suffering in our country. The focus of our country has to be on turning to save jobs and getting people back to work. Having flattened the curve let's not flatten our economy; let's combat the deepest recession in a generation. We need a strong plan to get out of the economic hole that we are in. Indeed we believe that the Government and its really single-minded focus needs to be on saving those jobs. A big part of that is trusting New Zealanders—as we open up trusting New Zealanders in their businesses and their workplaces all over New Zealand but I would also add and critically when it comes to this bill before Parliament trusting New Zealanders in their sports clubs their shops and cafes their churches and their places of worship; open them up.So for all those reasons—that sense of getting back to work of creating jobs of saving jobs of trusting New Zealanders in their workplaces but more widely in our society—we fully support opening up to level 2. Indeed we believe that every day it is for our Government—the Government of New Zealand—to strongly justify the restrictions that they have in place over New Zealanders and where there isn't good rationale to reduce them. Our Government—this Parliament—should trust New Zealanders unlock our country get us going and get us working again.That said it's with regret that I say we have on this side of the House in the National Party real concerns with this bill. You'll hear from other members of National about I am sure civil liberty concerns—concerns with our freedoms as a people that have been long fought for—in the speeches and contributions. I want to simply place on record my concerns in two areas really but four for completeness: funerals tangi; churches or places of worship; enforcement; and the length of time that this bill—or law as it will I think become—applies for.Before I get to those could I just say this: this bill in coming here has had very limited scrutiny. There will be as it becomes law no select committee. It's a case of on this side of the House—I don't know about the support parties in Government—us having it for less than 24 hours. I think it was Geoffrey Palmer who lamented this Parliament being the fastest lawmaker in the West. Dare I say it to the members opposite in recent times we have got it wrong; passing things that we didn't even know we were passing. So the room for error in this bill I suggest is incredibly high given the legal complexities.Funerals: I have had many messages—I would say in the dozens—from New Zealanders nationwide on the issue of funerals and tangi; from the Deputy Mayor of Invercargill to a family in the North and many a funeral director. Simply put: it's not right that people at level 2 will be able to come together in restaurants at shows at movies on the sports field watching sports in malls in more than 10 but they will not be able to do that in a controlled environment of a funeral home or church for a funeral. This outcome is not kind and in fact it's inhumane. I could read New Zealand some of the emails that I've received that I think would take a brave person not to be upset by. But let me personalise it in my situation where I have an elderly father who is 86 and I know that in our family there are six siblings there are six partners there are 20 grandchildren—including three of my own children—who would want to be at the funeral of someone who shaped our lives in such a profound way. Yet under this law and the powers being given to the Minister of Health—in fact really the Prime Minister—that would not be so.On churches and places of worship whether it's pressie whether it's New Life whether it's a mosque or whether it's a Sikh temple really it's the same simple point. David Parker has crafted a law and the Cabinet has crafted polices that mean that we allow dozens on a sports field or to watch a movie and yet we don't allow them to come together with appropriate rules to worship their god. I say that's not kind it lacks humanity and even given the gravity of this situation it's just not right.Whether it's Marie from Whanganui who said to me When rugby has been deemed an acceptable activity—30 people up close and personal—why should I be banned from attending a mass in my church where social distancing and contact tracing would be very simple for about 50 people at a time?" or Natalie who said "For many people our faith and practise of it is the most important thing in our lives. To brazenly disregard the importance of churches and put their necessity to function beneath the opening of other far less important things is unbelievable. In her comments yesterday the Prime Minister stated that religious institutions are places where people come for fellowship for community and to socialise."—Natalie says—"I never attend my church for fellowship community or to socialise; I only go to adorn and offer sacrifice to God which is not only a fundamental right but an obligation."—she goes on—"I would still go even if I was the only one left in the pews."I acknowledge that in fact the words of these things that I talk about are not in the bill but they are the policies of Cabinet and they're the polices that through this bill the Minister of Health will implement. I say one final time: they are not kind; they are inhumane and they should not pass this Parliament even given the seriousness of the situations and the need and the desire to loosen up at level 2.We've seen some changes to this bill coming in Supplementary Order Papers in amendments that we've seen from Mr Parker—and we appreciate that—on the issues of enforcement although I dare say my colleagues will nevertheless raise some of those issues. Length of time—I again acknowledge that whilst the bill says two years the Minister is changing that and we appreciate that but again I think you'll hear some views from my colleagues on that and on the wider civil liberties issues. That's because the powers in this bill given to the Minister and the police are in a way that we've never seen in a non-wartime situation I dare say in this country with very few checks and balances if any.I'm pleased to see New Zealand open up more. I want to see us save jobs. But I say trust New Zealanders—Prime Minister and David Parker you're not doing that with this bill."