Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National—Whanganui): Kia ora. I take this brief call this evening and my mind is somewhat distracted. I have a heavy heart because as the member of Parliament for the Whanganui electorate my thoughts turn to the community in Waverley South Taranaki with the double fatality car accident six deaths there in the worst car accident in 13 years. So my aroha to the families there and also to the community of South Taranaki.I now turn to the business before the House and it is a privilege to be able to address the House and acknowledge my colleague Joanne Hayes here as the sponsor of this legislation or this proposed legislation the Marriage (Court Consent to Marriage of Minors) Amendment Bill. It's no minor matter in addressing the court but it is a bill about minors. It's proposed legislation and it does have cross-party support so it will I anticipate see it through to the third passage with a final reading.This is legislation that is not gender biased although I acknowledge my colleagues who have addressed the House this evening in terms of the particular concerns about young women and forced marriages—some may have considered at a previous time arranged marriages but this legislation is specifically about ensuring that the most vulnerable become the least vulnerable and are protected by this legislation. I also am pleased to be able to address the House because the safeguards the checks and balances in this legislation are very much premised on much Family Court legislation that I've advocated in my role previously as lawyer for children youth advocate and also court-appointed counsel for those incompetent and incapacitated persons. I turn to what this bill is about. It's proposing changes specifically to the Marriage Act 1955 and the Care of Children Act 2004. For three decades I advocated represented children. Many of the abused are children in welfare—the most vulnerable—and to ensure that they were represented well before the court their interests their views and their welfare were not only undertaken but the court took great heed of those through the advocacy and the responsibility that I had and many of my former colleagues as well.So the protections and safeguards that are outlined within this Act-to-be very much align with other procedural checks and balances that I've talked about: for example the Care of Children Act; the Family Proceedings Act; guardianship legislation; the former Children Young Persons and Their Families Act now Oranga Tamariki Act; and also the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act. So the safeguards and the checks and balances that I talk about are very much what's outlined in this bill as well. It's focused about reducing the risks of minors young persons 16-year-olds and/or 17-year-olds. So it aims to reduce the risk of minors being forced into marriage by requiring court consent. So in effect the consent of a Family Court judge is now required replacing that of parents to ensure that again with the checks and balances those most vulnerable become the least vulnerable. The court will seek to run through this checklist of ensuring that the young person's views are represented that there is the appropriate cultural report that is sought that—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): I apologise to the member. I didn't advise it was a split call. You have about a minute left on your call.HARETE HIPANGO: Right. It's outlined there in the bill but just to say that in terms of the safety checks and balances there they are aligned with what has been before the court and that this bill is very much about the most vulnerable becoming the least vulnerable minimising risks associated with their compromised positions. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker.