Little AndrewGENERAL DEBATEHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister responsible for Pike River Re-entry): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. Thank you Mr Speaker. The Pike River re-entry project is one of these Government projects that reflect the very important values that hold this Government together. They are values about treating people with respect—in this case the families who were ignored for so long. It's about treating people with compassion and with kindness. It's about not being afraid to step up and deal with difficult issues and this issue has been one of the trickiest that we've had to deal with but the families had been shut out for so long in their pursuit of justice and it was important to do it. It also reflects the fact that doing justice in this day and age in our type of society is more than about what happens in our courts. It is about the way that New Zealanders get to live their lives. It's how citizens are treated by their Government. That's what justice is about. The Pike River re-entry project is a classic example of all of that and all of those values coming together. The Pike River re-entry project is an act of justice. For most of the families they have yearned to have the promise that was made to them fulfilled which is that everything that could be done would be done to better ascertain the reasons for that dreadful tragedy and if possible to recover any human remains. But the reality is there was something else that they wanted too. They wanted to stop being ignored. They wanted to be brought in and made part of the decision making about what has happened to their loved ones. And this Government with the agreement of every party that makes it up has extended to those families that simple act of respect. We've seen incredible progress. I've outlined in the last day or so just what has been done to prepare for the real commencement of that project: the installation of a nitrogen plant the fixing up of the bridges laying lines in some of the most difficult terrain you will find across the country getting a workforce on board that is totally skilled deeply skilled and has had more training in how to undertake this very difficult task. All along the way another very important value that binds our three parties in this Government together is putting the safety of people doing the work first. That's important too and the families wanted that to be the absolute bottom line. It is the absolute bottom line. We have taken time to make progress with this project but we have done so safely and we are now on the cusp of delivering the promise that was made to those families so long ago. The point is this: every party that makes up this Government has signed up to this project. That actually reflects something else very important and it is about what holds this Government together. It is what this Government does; the achievements that it is making. It is about the unified purpose that this Government has which is about more justice better justice for many many New Zealanders who have missed out for so long: the people who couldn't get a house; the people who couldn't get a job; the people who couldn't get a decent pay rise—all of those issues are right at the forefront of what this Government is doing. The people who have missed out for so long because they've been on a benefit—they've lived in poverty they've lived in hardship—the people who have lived in families where domestic violence has been an issue now see a Government prepared to take that issue seriously. This is a Government about providing for those who have missed out for so long and that contrasts with what we've had before because the reality is opposite we've had a party that has looked after the big end of town that's looked after the wide boys the roosters the boosters the shysters the zoot suit wearers the tax dodgers. That's who the National Party actually represents. No wonder they make a big deal about the people they speak for doing more to avoid their tax responsibilities. That's what they stand for. It's not about including people; it's about shutting people out and it's about looking after the wealthy and the privileged at the expense of everybody else. Well I'm pleased to be part of a Government that in its acts of compassion and kindness and looking after people is doing the right thing for families up and down the country—not just the Pike River families and doing justice for them but the many thousands and hundreds of thousands of others who have missed out for so long. This is a Government united by those good standard Kiwi values of looking out for each other of treating everybody fairly and equally so everybody gets a chance—a country where people are proud of the Government they have to live in the country they've got to be part of the communities they're part of. That's what this Government is delivering on; that's what this Government stands for.