Mahuta NanaiaADDRESS IN REPLYDebate resumed from 2 December.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Foreign Affairs): Firstly Mr Speaker can I take this opportunity to congratulate you on being re-nominated to the Chair. I know that fairness will continue to improve as the year goes on—well indeed I hope that's the case. It is a huge privilege to be able to speak in this Address in Reply debate in response to the Speech from the Throne which set out the Government's agenda for the next three years. The election delivered the kind of outcome that we didn't expect in some really challenging times. But voters chose stability and certainty at this election. It's the first time under MMP that we've got a majority Government and we're not taking that for granted. In fact what we're saying is that during these very uncertain and challenging times we will ensure that for those things that will make a difference in the lives of many New Zealanders across many communities in our country we will steward through the kind of plan that will see our way through. There are three things that the Prime Minister has outlined in her speech that I want to speak to: firstly to keep New Zealanders safe from COVID-19; secondly to accelerate our economic recovery; and thirdly to lay the foundation for a better future. On the first issue the Prime Minister has always said when we couldn't have predicted that there would be a global pandemic and it arrived here in New Zealand that we would take the kinds of steps that would give New Zealanders the assurance that we had our priorities in the right place and that was for our people. She said that the best economic response is a health response and we hold to that approach. We committed to an elimination strategy and that elimination strategy doesn't mean that there couldn't be the high prospect of resurgence of COVID-19 during this time but what we're doing is continuing to strengthen what happens at the border. We're continuing to learn and improve processes as people come home and we have quarantine processes in place. We're continuing to build the capacity of our ability to triangulate and identify the extent of an outbreak through contact tracing and keeping a record and through making sure that we've got good testing and surveillance testing happening across our communities and we have established a Minister responsible for our COVID19 response. All those things indicate that it's an important effort. It's one that is conducted across the whole of Government and we're undertaking a purchasing programme for a vaccine when that comes online. But let me step back from that approach because the team of 5 million and how they're continuing to work to ensure that that approach across the whole of Government can be underpinned at a regional community level should be spoken about. I in particular want to acknowledge the effort that's happening across local government to ensure that should they need to support a coordinated effort they are in a level of readiness. The second part of our strategy is accelerating the recovery and a key part of that again is people and we want to make sure that we're investing in our people. During some really difficult times some sectors and industries have been really hit by the impacts of COVID and how it has affected their businesses their sectors their industries and we've signalled very clearly that we want to lean into the space of ensuring that we're investing in people through trades training. We want to make sure that we're removing costs for two years for trades training and we want to ensure that we're increasing apprenticeships training because we know that during this time it's an opportune moment for us to signal that we can get the requisite skills as the economy recovers. I'm also very proud about our intention in vocational education which has been reset over the previous term. We should see now a greater focus on the types of resilience skills and expertise in the effort that we are making to grow back an economy that moves from volume to value and we will see the benefits of that over time. But for women—and I'm really glad about this signal—I was really pleased that we're going to reinstate the training incentive allowance to assist sole parents and disabled people and their carers with the costs of getting a degree-level tertiary qualification. When I came into Parliament National at that time had got rid of the training incentive allowance yet I knew women who went to university and were sole parents and who got a law degree because of that type of support. So we're sending a signal there that we're not going to pull the ladder up. We are going to make sure that we are going to invest in people in training in skills in trades and also in higher qualifications during this time because we know part of that effort is about what we do actively as a Government to invest in jobs. So all the signals that the Minister for Infrastructure has given around leaning into investment and the way in which the Government can be an active investor—$42 billion into infrastructure will start to see the benefits of that roll-out both at a regional and sub-regional level and jobs and opportunities and there will be benefits there. As we prepare for the future it's important to recognise that we're thinking ahead as well because COVID-19 shouldn't be a reason not to do the things that are progressive and that could fundamentally transform the way that our economy works. So again bringing forward our 100 percent renewable electricity target to 2030 I think is significant. Just yesterday the Prime Minister declaring the climate emergency to make clear our Government is really investing in the future for our kids and their kids I believe sends a very very important message to many people. Supporting small businesses: small businesses are the backbone of our economy and each and every day when we go through our town centres and we see yes some businesses have closed but also some have pivoted or are doing things we know that the support that we're providing to ensure that small businesses can continue to operate under this time is so important. Positioning globally is a big part of what we want to do as well; so we need to continue to foster the relationships that are underpinned through various trade agreements. So what we're doing with the EU free-trade agreement and the UK free-trade agreement to ensure that we're getting products to market—again it's a part of a whole comprehensive strategy to ensure that we're investing in people. We're supporting a move from volume to value we're ensuring that small businesses are able to thrive and we're positioning our market readiness in a way that will indeed ensure a successful recovery. As we lay the foundations for a better future I don't think any one of us could really outline that vision any better than as it was given in the Speech from the Throne. But clearly as the Prime Minister set out that vision is about making sure we don't shy away from the challenge of climate change. The impact of what we do will have long-term intergenerational impacts. That's why yesterday's announcement on the declaration of a climate emergency was so important in sending a signal to the Government sector that we will clean up our backyard by starting first with us and we will demonstrate leadership. Child poverty: making sure that we're continuing to overhaul the welfare system and support those that are most vulnerable—our children—and do the very best by them making sure that their health their dental health their mental health and the support for housing will all have a contributive benefit to them and their whānau. Lastly in terms of the things that we will be measured by is housing and this is a really difficult challenge. It's a difficult challenge and we couldn't turn it around in the first term but we will continue to commit to invest in this space because we know that when people have the security of tenure and when they're able to move from insecure accommodation to secure accommodation whether that be to homeownership or papakāinga or the like we've got to provide pathways across the whole of the housing spectrum. I'm proud to be able to speak in this Address in Reply debate. I'm proud to be able to say that we are a Government who have a vision for the future and it's not just about the nows; it's about the next few years ahead and it's about positioning and ensuring both at a local level and a global level that we've got the kind of economy that will do the very best by New Zealanders. Ultimately our health response is the best economic response and we'll continue to pursue that pathway. Thank you.