Utikere TangiTANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise and take a call in support of the Medicines Amendment Bill (No 2). Following on from the member who's just resumed his seat Chris Bishop can I acknowledge his contribution and the bipartisan nature of those contributions that he's made and hopefully as we hear from other speakers it might be a multipartisan approach for this particular piece of legislation. There are many tools in the tool kit as Minister Little has referred to in terms of tackling the pandemic. Whether it's around good hygiene practices whether it's around social distancing and the application of that whether it's around contact tracing whether it's around mask use there is no doubt that the country's vaccination programme is the greatest tool in the tool kit by far. The vaccination roll-out here in Aotearoa New Zealand has effectively delivered on two things. The first is that it has provided initial protection but also ongoing protection for our communities. And secondly is that it's been able to adapt and modify and respond to what are changing circumstances and we've all seen that over the last 18 months and then some.We all know that winter is indeed upon us and it's evident in the education settings in our classroom with many people indoors with influenza about to hit. So when we throw respiratory ailments in that mix as well there is a seasonal risk for vulnerable members of our community. Those members who Minister Little has identified whether they are those aged in the over-65 demographic or whether they have underlying respiratory or chronic illnesses they particularly fit that bill. So within the mix it's important that we have available to us an ability to be flexible and adaptable in a way that's easy consistent and in line with legislative instruments. And the bill does exactly that. It allows the Director-General of Health to authorise the administration of a vaccine for COVID by consent based on a number of factors. In this sense the bill is seeking to futureproof the way forward in terms of the application and availability of the COVID vaccine many of which—those circumstances—may not be known at the moment. What's important to note is that the decisions that the Director-General of Health will be required to make must be based on scientific evidence. So this is not a matter of a whim or of a particular day but on the evidence that of a scientific nature.I want to just acknowledge that the bill will also allow for easy and equitable access to the fourth dose which will make it widely available at many of our vaccination sites. Many of our Māori Pacific and other community providers in communities like my own in Palmerston North in the Manawatū and Horowhenua have done a great job and this will assist them. It will mean that people are not reliant on their ability to fund a visit to a GP or a medical practitioner to get a prescription in order to receive the fourth dose.I just want to briefly respond to a suggestive comment that Mr Bishop had referred to in relation to the appropriateness of the IMO—or the immediate modification order—as perhaps being a more appropriate instrument. I guess I would just remind the member that this is not an emergency measure so it should in the fullness of time come to the Parliament for the Parliament's scrutiny and consideration. This bill would effectively replace the current method or mechanism or instrument that lies under the epidemic notice known as the IMO or the immediate modification orders. There is a suggestion from the High Court that that as an instrument should be used infrequently; it should be used or seen as a last resort. And so I encourage members to consider that alongside the tenor of what is a small and short bill and delivers on the primary focus there. Just in terms of my conclusion or concluding comments I think it's important to know that this is as I understand it being referred to the Health Committee. For Mr Bishop's benefit I am the chair of the Health Committee and I am ably supported by diligent and hard-working professionals from all around the House so we look forward to receiving the bill and outlining our scrutiny role as part of that. In terms of the first reading I am delighted to commend this bill to the House.