SpeechAUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Courts): Happy New Year Mr Speaker. As I listened to that speech I couldn't help but reflect on the saying Beware a wolf wearing sheep's skin". And that's the theme for the public: to beware of wolves wearing sheep's skin and I put my finger on that side of the House particularly. I want to say to Dr Shane Reti and the National Party that it does not matter how much you cut up the data life matters—life matters—livelihood matters and I'm proud to be a member of a Government in which we place that as a priority. And as my colleague Kelvin Davis said the best economic response is a strong health response. It's a real pleasure to endorse the Prime Minister's speech. I want to acknowledge her acknowledge her leadership and acknowledge also the manner by which she leads during this period. Make the comparison I would say. I also I want to say that my heart goes out to her. I have seen sort of the kind of rhetoric that we don't want to see in New Zealand. When I see people on social media and on placards where they're threatening her threatening her wellbeing her family and their wellbeing that does not belong to Aotearoa New Zealand. When I see the racism that's emerging—and I don't care who you are: Pākehā European Māori Pasifika rainbow sector elders church leaders; if you are aiding and abetting that kind of rhetoric I say "They do not belong to Aotearoa New Zealand". That's not the kind of New Zealand that this Government is forging forward on. The Prime Minister is right when she was saying these are extraordinary times and it is a testing time for this country; I want to say it is not for the victims of racism to try and address it. It is the culprits the instigators the perpetrators of racism—they must face up to that responsibility and it begins from this House and I say it begins from that side of the House. I agree with the Prime Minister that the people of Aotearoa New Zealand by majority have risen to the challenges that we face. As the Prime Minister said our confirmed cases hospitalisations and deaths have been the lowest in the OECD for each of the past two years. Unemployment is at record lows. Record numbers of New Zealanders have moved off a main benefit and into work with the minimum wage increasing every year lifting families out of poverty. However our Kiwi winter is around the corner and as the Prime Minister has said Omicron will not be the last variant. I take note of what's happening around the Pacific region and I'm so proud that we have a Government that continues not only to be concerned about the roll-out of vaccination for our people of Aotearoa New Zealand but recognising that we also have a place in the Pacific region in supporting what happens in the Pacific region. It remains a key priority of this Government to take pressure off our health services so it's critical that we work together all of us and I want to say to the Pacific community we must commit to getting boosters and getting our children immunised. This Government will support your leadership in all that you do. I want to acknowledge our providers right throughout the motu. They have been a leading arm of the Government's response to COVID. They have been at the forefront. These are the frontline workers. But I'm not just talking about our health workers; I'm also talking about our Pacific communities who are working at the supermarkets in the transportation sector at the airport at the hotel quarantine facilities. They are laying their lives on the line for the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand and I take my hat off to you. It remains therefore that our Government will continue to find ways of empowering and supporting our communities. The leadership that I have witnessed in the last two years—it's just been amazing and I feel a sense of confidence. And I'm not just talking about our traditional chiefs and orators or our church leaders; I'm also acknowledging the leadership of our youth our rainbow sector our women those up and coming clinicians that are graduating from university. I salute the leadership that you have played in these critical two years past. The vaccine plays an important part in our preparations for Omicron. We need to ensure that our 5- to 11-year-old Pacific children are vaccinated and that all of our eligible Pacific peoples get their booster when they become due. It is critical that we vaccinate our children before the coming winter. It is critical to do this so that we can navigate our way through the traffic light system and I'm delighted to say that the Pacific community's response has been excellent. National vaccination figures show that 97 percent have received their first dose and 94 percent are fully vaccinated with two doses. In Auckland using both health survey user and primary health organisation data we are at 94 percent partially vaccinated and 91.5 percent fully vaccinated of the 12-plus. In our boosters in Auckland 30 percent or 49800 people have received their booster. But we still need to do more. At the moment the latest figures show just 42 percent of our Pacific population have boosters. The rest of Aotearoa has reached 52 percent and so we have to make sure that we rally our support stand united put aside any differences and not listen to the rhetoric from this lot here but do the right thing for our families. So with our children aged from 5 to 11 it's the same story that we're hearing—that this Government will continue to support and empower the leadership. I want to be able to make sure that we turn things around and achieve better vaccination and that's why we have been topping up the Prepare Pacific Community Vaccination Fund to the tune of $1.5 million. This will allow our community groups churches and youth to apply for up to $40000 to do their plans in vaccinating boosters children and planning for self-isolation. The fund is run by The Cause Collective. This is one of our key movers and shakers in the Pacific community in South Auckland who works to empower our Pacific people with information and action. So that's available to support our communities. As the Prime Minister has said one of this Government's key planks in terms of policy reform are our wide-ranging health reforms. The speech before seemed to blame everything on us. We inherited inequities. We inherited barriers and all you need to do is listen to Kelvin Davis' speech—all you need to do. Don't listen to me. Go talk to the Pacific communities in South Auckland. Go talk to the people who have suffered in and out of nine years of a National Government. Talk to those people. Talk to the people who were affected under the nine years of that Government. So the reform is about addressing those inequities. District health boards will be abolished and a new public health agency will be established. Along with these measures the new Māori Health Authority will improve entrenched poor health outcomes for Māori. For Pacific people it will see major changes of dedicated policy that will address inequities and supporting leadership throughout the new structure. We also this month have seen a global mission to help Tonga which has been led by the New Zealand Defence Force and our officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I want to acknowledge the wonderful heartfelt response from peoples across Aotearoa including people from across the House putting aside my dislike of their speech—ha ha!—I want to acknowledge just the wonderful way that people have responded. It recognises that we are part of whānau of the extended region and I know that the work has only just begun and I know that the Government of Tonga have been deeply appreciative of our response not only in the volcanic eruption and the subsequent tsunami but also that we're supplying them with the vaccine that they've asked for to roll out for their boosters and of course for their young people. I just want to finish off by saying remember the Prime Minister's words of caring of kindness accepting of diversity of culture of standing together as opposed to the wolf in sheep's skin—that's the voice that I would not be listening to because it takes us to a different kind of country and that country is what is represented outside. That's not New Zealand. That is not Aotearoa New Zealand and any MPs associated with that aiding and abetting that toxic rhetoric out there and on social media don't deserve to be called New Zealand."