Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Our Government is working and making great progress as we secure our economic recovery during this COVID-19 pandemic. A case in point: I want to talk today about the New Zealand - UK free-trade agreement (FTA) in principle which was announced last Thursday. That is a monumental deal which our Government has struck with our seventh-largest trading partner which will open up so many new opportunities and increase wealth for our exporters and for New Zealand at large and in particular the Māori economy. This is a landmark free-trade agreement. I want to acknowledge Minister Damien O'Connor and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and their trade policy teams for the outstanding work that they have done in coming to this landmark agreement because in the midst of how COVID is creating havoc around the world we must continue to secure our economic future and we must be able to continue to forge free-trade agreements with our partners around the world to ensure that we can enjoy the standard of living that we all want to ensure is there for us and generations to come and this is a key plank in our economic recovery. Such a great deal for our exporters—97 percent of our current goods that we export to the UK. By the date that this FTA comes into force they will be gone and that means every dollar we save is a dollar we make. More money that goes into our pockets more earnings for our companies and more benefits that can be shared through our jobs and through production as a nation—outstanding. So this is a wonderful agreement not only for our goods exporters but right across our economy. It's been lauded from groups from all sides of the political spectrum all industries. Business primary sector Māori economy exporters—they are lauding this deal because they know how important it is that we have these trade agreements with our partners around the world. This is significant this agreement because with the UK we have a shared history. We have shared values and a lot of our shared institutions that we have adopted here. So there is that history that we have. Of extra significance in this free-trade agreement is the fact that we have an indigenous chapter a chapter which acknowledges the constitutional importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the role that Māori have in creating a future where Māori can participate and be more active and can benefit from these free-trade agreements with the UK and the UK has agreed to that. So for us as a Government to make that a priority and to put that on the table and to ensure that our partners in the UK agree to that—that is a landmark. That is a landmark gain for us and it's a new era of collaboration that we have reached with our trade partners. It started in our North Asian agreement up in Taiwan but we've taken it to a whole step further—a whole step further—with the UK agreement. So Māori are really excited by the future opportunities that this free-trade agreement presents for us. There are so many benefits. It also goes into trade mark protection in the patents copyrights and trade marks field. It also goes into recognition of environmental concepts as well. Te Ao Māori kaitiakitanga mauri—those concepts are embedded now into this free-trade agreement. This is landmark. This is landmark work that we are doing as a Government because we are committed to putting Māori having a true Treaty partnership and participation into the trade negotiation realm. That is reflected in the gains that we are achieving through these free-trade agreements and the ultimate benefits that will now accrue to the whole of New Zealand through our agreement. So as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this is the cherry on the top this agreement. As far as the UK is concerned they are absolutely thrilled that we have struck this agreement. Likewise us here in Aotearoa New Zealand are equally thrilled because we know that we are going to be more wealthy as a result of these agreements. Just as we have achieved that we are working at this stage with the EU as well. That agreement is just around the corner so we are making great gains. We are reconnecting we are rebuilding and we are recovering from COVID-19. These are great steps that we are making as a Government and I am very proud of the work that we're doing. Kia ora tātou.