Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Kia orana Mr Speaker. I note that it is the Cook Islands Māori Language Week so it is a pleasure to stand on behalf of New Zealand First and this Government as we understand the importance of reconnecting with the Pacific.My leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters has brought a new energy and commitment to our Pacific neighbours. You could say in fact he has become the champion of the Pacific the Rt Hon Winston Peters. As he has said the Pacific is a major focus of New Zealand's foreign policy and it's important that we get into the region and spend time with all members of the Pacific family because every member of the Pacific family matters to New Zealand.I have to say that my leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters would have to be the hardest working and most highly respected Foreign Minister. Today in the House this very day the Prime Minister actually noted that the Foreign Minister is doing an exceptional job as a Foreign Minister for New Zealand and that we should be incredibly proud of him because he's lifting the intensity and urgency of our relationships across the Indo-Pacific like no one has done before. In fact that previous Government were absent in terms of their connection with the Pacific. So it's good to see that we have a Foreign Minister who is totally engaged.But wait there's more. Shane Jones the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries like a modern-day way finder navigating Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa our champion of the regions has crossed the mighty Pacific Ocean distributing the pūtea. You could say in fact he has become the associate champion of the Pacific a little bit like our own Hana Kōkō. Our Māori Centre $50 million has been sent off to the Pacific to support sustainable Pacific Islands fisheries development over the next four years. And this will go some way to address the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into illegal unregulated and unreported—that's IUU—fishing by supporting better capacity and capability for monitoring and combating illegal fishing. So he's out there like the Foreign Minister connecting with the Pacific.In fact my helper next to me will hand me this visual representation of exactly where the Foreign Minister and Shane Jones have been traversing across the Pacific. There we go all the way connecting around some of the islands they've been through—Fiji Australia as well Tonga Cook Islands Samoa Papua New Guinea Vanuatu Tuvalu the Solomon Islands Nauru and Niue. Shane Jones has been to Solomon Islands and Fiji and I myself feature on this very map. I have been to New Caledonia where I was able to attend the Anzac celebrations earlier this year. The first time a Government representative in more than a decade visited Noumea for those Anzac celebrations. Also spreading out some pūtea as we opened up the science lab which will take a look at why these fish under these climate changes warming seas are moving out of the exclusive economic zones of these very Pacific islands and the challenges they bring.But wait there's more—more to come as the Deputy Prime Minister leads another political delegation a cross-party across the House delegation first off to Fiji then of course the Republic of the Marshall Islands the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. In fact he said we have a goal of visiting all other 17 members of the Pacific Islands Forum during 2024 and this visit will mean they have made it up to 14 so far and on the way to 17 of those member nations by the end of this year.But it doesn't stop there. Back home just last week the Deputy Prime Minister and myself attended Radio New Zealand where the Foreign Minister flicked the switch for the shortwave transmission which beams out across from Taupō and that shortwave signal bounces on to the pumice up into the ionosphere and bounces across the Pacific spreading out those wonderful messages into the Pacific Islands which is really important when there are cyclones. As we knew with the Tonga eruption getting those messages through—shortwave does get through.And so in conclusion as it is Cook Islands Māori Language Week and the theme of the week is Connect me to the canoe of my tribe" I'd just like to suggest that if there's someone no longer of your tribe on your waka then it's time to invoke the waka jumping rule."