Mahuta NanaiaHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister for Māori Development): E Te Kaiwhakawā tēnā koe. Tātou katoa e huihui mai nei tēnā tātou. There's a saying amongst my people and it goes something like this: Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati ki te kāpuia e kore e whati."—when a reed stands alone it can be easily broken but bound together it is unbreakable. I want to thank the team of 5 million New Zealanders who have contributed to an effort where today we can say it's the 11th day with no confirmed new COVID cases. That didn't happen by accident because we're talking about the 2020 Budget which was born out of a specific context. We've been talking about it all afternoon in this House. What the Government had to do over the last few weeks was respond to a global pandemic in a New Zealand way: four weeks of lockdown two weeks of level 3 heading into the second week of level 2 and contemplating where we go to from here. But if we take the signals in terms of the way in which the Government responded and continues to respond to a global pandemic we put the health of New Zealanders first. Why? Because we know that the health of our economy relies on the health of our people and we weren't going to compromise that simple action. That's why even though the measures have been very strong and we acted quickly and swiftly to ensure that they were strong and decisive we knew that if we could get on top of what the impacts were here in New Zealand New Zealanders in the long run would be better-off for it and so would our economy and that's the context within which the Hon Grant Robertson set this Budget. It's a unique Budget because we have the circumstances and the impacts of COVID19. But what I can say is that throughout New Zealand in our communities even today Kiwis are kind to one another. They are shopping locally. They understand the pressures that have been impacted on by individuals communities and across our communities in various different ways. I want to thank the essential workers also. They were quick to respond. In the Māori communities our Māori health providers Whānau Ora health providers again were quick to stand beside the civil defence emergency groups to say we will put our hand up and act quickly to ensure that there is a welfare response. I also want to thank the local government sector because they too provided the essential services that as we move through the alert levels are a key part of the recovery. Now this Budget is very simple in its intent. As we have observed the response and the need to respond to the health needs and the impacts of the pandemic here in New Zealand and build up the strength of the health system—early vaccinations more testing the capacity to be able to do contact tracing and ensuring that we have a health system that will not be overwhelmed were a second wave to occur—we are ready. But then we're also in a position now to say that as we move down the alert levels and plea to New Zealanders for vigilance around observing still our health-related expectations in the way a new normal is created we must turn our minds to the economy.Actually there is a plan because that plan was rolled out right from the first week of lockdown when a wage subsidy scheme was introduced and that was a clear signal we recognise that businesses are struggling and we will step in—not back; in and forward. We extended that wage subsidy scheme. We've got a small-business package that is able to support those businesses that many members across this House talk about but we care about. We're also ensuring in practical ways that we are supporting communities to be able to build their resilience to create what this new normal starts to look like. When I think about the plan that we're talking about it's one that involves people and communities. It's one by sector that we're making sure we're responding to.But I take a point that was made by Grant Robertson in his Budget speech. It's about protecting jobs and that was in the early quick response. It's about creating jobs. I want to thank all the various sector stakeholders who contacted members of the Government to actually identify what the issues were going forward as we were creating a recovery plan. They told us very clearly how they thought the sector could pivot and what the impacts might be foreshadowed for the next two years—as borders may or may not be continued to be locked down—but also gave us solutions. Those are the things that Ministers and members of the Government have been engaging with so that we could continue to emphasise our role in being able to support the creation of jobs.Then there's the sustaining of jobs. Now what we heard today from Minister Chris Hipkins—and what we've been doing in terms of signalling our intent around apprenticeship training cadetships trade training schools—is those are all fertile areas where many many New Zealanders young and old will benefit from the Government's investment because we know that in order to prepare New Zealanders for the impacts of COVID-19 now is the time to invest in skills training for the new economies that are emerging which many members on the Government side have talked about.Let me come to the Māori budget. I want to commend ministerial colleagues. Firstly in the area of jobs and sitting next to me is the Minister of Employment. He's been really clear that we've got to get alongside industry and we've got to get along specific sectors like forestry like agriculture and like horticulture to be able to support them to pick up our young people. That's why growing job opportunities across those sectors through He Poutama Rangatahi and Mana in Mahi are going to be really valuable investments.Then take my colleague the Hon Peeni Henare. As I said earlier the first groups to put their hand up to say "We will help in a welfare response" were Māori health providers Whānau Ora providers. The increase in the Budget in that area will enable those providers to continue their work with some of the most vulnerable and challenged members of our communities and strengthen the ability of those providers to be able to support where it's needed most. Then we've got a real focus on culture and identity because we do believe here on this side of the House that the core of an economic recovery is what makes us unique and different—our language our culture and our stories to our places and things like that. So Minister Davis in particular in the area of education through the gains in the Budget I believe will make a strong contribution in this area.In my own area supporting a Māori housing strategy and housing outcomes will definitely make a difference. But here's the thing: when we go out into our communities it's that and it's doubling the winter energy payment as we're heading into winter. Those are the things that people respond to and have reacted to very positively. But in the Māori housing space we know that if we can give people the security of housing the ability to move from homelessness up the housing ladder perhaps to homeownership—building public supply of housing—that is going to make a critical difference as the economy starts to turn over. There are so many good things to talk about but I just want to come back to this single point. You would think on that side of the House that New Zealand was the only Government facing these issues; this is a global pandemic. Every country has had to close their borders in order to respond. Every business in many countries have had to come to the same point of grappling with the challenges—do they pivot do they hibernate or what? Do they substitute the work that they are doing—their business that they have? What we've signalled very clearly is that the backbone of our economy actually helps to sustain our export-led focus. We want that to thrive and survive. It's important that the small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) package that our team are leading is able to help businesses in a practical way move towards what that new normal looks like. We're being very active in that area. There are so many things that Minister Nash has brought in that help to provide relief for the SME sector that I know. If any of the feedback from many colleagues on this side of the House is anything to go by they have valued the way in which we have continued to be agile to support what we believe will continue to be the backbone of the New Zealand economy and that's our SME sector.I want to end on this one simple point and it is this—and it goes back actually to what the Prime Minister said all along: if we take care of the health of our people then the health of our economy can continue to thrive in a way that we will be more confident more resilient and able to rely on each other in our deepest darkest time of need. I think there's something in that—I think there's something in that. I believe that is the case because as I move around New Zealand people do respect the way in which leadership was shown on an issue where there was no room to dither—you had to be decisive. That's why I'm proud to support the Budget 2020 that has been outlined by the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and our Minister of Finance Grant Robertson.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The next call is a split call I'm advised."