SpeechHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise in response to the conversation by the last member Chris Penk about the word unprecedented". I have to say it gives me absolute pleasure and delight as the Minister for Veterans and the Minister of Defence to be able to speak on the 2020 Budget and a little bit more broadly on what we've been able to do over the three years of this amazing term—a term which in defence circles has already been labelled as the golden years for the New Zealand Defence Force the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and veterans.I'm very proud of this Government. I'm very proud of the way in which they've picked up the challenge and seen those challenges off. In the last three years there have been some massive challenges confronting both New Zealand and our partners in the immediate region more globally and here domestically at home. At home we've faced things like the 15 March attack the White Island disaster Australian bushfires and most recently Cyclone Harold in the Pacific and the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the community across the nation across the world the women and men of our Defence Force have served this nation loyally and professionally and proudly and I am absolutely privileged to be their Minister.During these periods of uncertainty one thing remains very clear and that is that the Defence Force is prepared to respond to these events and the direction of Government. They're always prepared to respond but very often they've not been equipped to be able to respond in the way that they needed to; well that's all changed.I want to take this opportunity before I go any further to congratulate the Defence Force on attaining their ranking in the Colmar Brunton poll as the second most trusted Government ministry Government department. That's actually a goal that I'd set for myself at the start of this term. It's nice to know we hit it before the three-year mark is up. It's no surprise to me because it comes on the back of their dedication and their professionalism as I said.It pleases me that in Budget 2020 we've been able to announce a substantial continued investment in defence and veterans. Budget 2020 has provided a boost of $1.77 billion in operating and capital funding to enable defence to continue to deliver on its outputs. With the strong backing of this coalition Government we've seen the greatest injection of defence funding in decades with $4.3 billion in operating and capital funding allocated in total across the past three Budgets.We've allocated $676.5 million in additional Defence Force operating funding over four years. It's been allocated in Budget 2020 to support the delivery of the Strategic Defence Policy Statement a policy statement that's been hailed internationally as the most forward-leaning and forward-reaching policy statement in New Zealand's history. This recognises the crucial role Defence plays in promoting the overall wellbeing safety security and prosperity and resilience of our nation. They do this in the space in the frame of serving their community serving the nation and serving the world—and I might add one more—and playing their role in the protection of the environment and in the protection of our resources.This year's Budget included $666.3 million of spending for the army navy and air force readiness and front-line capability vital military enablers such as information communications technology as well as much-needed defence estate maintenance across all the New Zealand Defence Force camps and bases. In fact just recently I announced the $206 million being pumped into Ōhākea just on infrastructure alone. That's aside from the total $2.4 billion that's going in there in air platforms plus new infrastructure to cater for the P-8s. I want to highlight that $63.9 million of this funding is for defence estate maintenance and defence estate and infrastructure work which is going to be crucial and which will provide a crucial boost in the regions as tradies pick up on those opportunities.I've got to say I found absolutely—well it was despairing for me as a former soldier to go to Waiōuru to walk into the very barracks that I went into as a 16-year-old soldier and even the lino on the floor is still the same. The walls of the barracks brown varnished: still the same. That does not reflect well on past Governments over the decades who have not lived up to their part in looking after the women and the men who serve their nation—and do so in some pretty austere and challenging roles and environments.There's an additional $7.6 million over four years secured for the Ministry of Defence to meet increasing policy demands to continue to maintain and develop what is becoming renown as an international example of how to manage projects how to scope projects and how to manage whole-of-life costings and manage some massive projects worth billions of dollars.A further $10.2 million is being provided to improve the Defence Force's internal security capability. Budget 2020 also contains contingent funding to support the delivery of the Defence Capability Plan 2019—once again a very forward-reaching capability plan built on the back of the coalition agreement whereby in this coalition Government Labour agreed that we would review the last Government's capability plan and we'd put some oomph into it. So we are looking forward down the line to seeing this country own its very first landing platform dock which will be a heck of an asset when it comes to dealing with humanitarian disaster and relief operations something that we're seeing more and more of as the climate has changed. The Defence Capability Plan—I covered that. Moving on.Investment in defence capabilities is critical to our national resilience and as I've said it's been deferred for far too long. Speaking of deferred far too long: Budget 2020 includes contingent capital funding of $898 million towards the replacement of New Zealand's ageing C-130H Hercules fleet with the new C-130J Super Hercs. As I've previously said this was my highest priority as the Minister of Defence. I'll just say that there'll be further details announced soon on that matter.Veterans: $840000 being provided to Veterans' Affairs from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to access information exchange systems all aimed at improving health services to our veterans who fit in that very vulnerable group. Many of our veterans are over the age of 80 particularly the pre-1974 lot entailing the Second World War. These are the vulnerable people. They deserve to have their services and their health cared for better than it has been in the past. This funding is going to be crucial to make that happen.In terms of defence veterans' budgets and MOD look there's been a raft of announcements over these three years so many that I started listing them here but I haven't got enough paper. Just recapping on the purchase of the four P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft; the purchase and delivery of the dive and hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui for the navy; the doubling in size of the Limited Service Volunteer scheme; the ground support fleet vehicles for the army navy and air force that are replacing the light operational vehicles; looking into protected mobility as we step forward.The frigate systems upgrade—Labour and New Zealand First signed off on that business case being produced in 2007 when we were in coalition Government. Imagine my shock my horror when I become the Minister 10 years later and the project has not started. But no mind it wasn't a big project; it was only about the protection safety and security of our navy actually; about our ability to operate at Rimpac alongside of our strategic partners with vessels that didn't need protecting in order to be able to be there. So yes we kicked off that massive project and those vessels were in Canada. COVID off to one side we would've seen them back a bit earlier but you know COVID has intervened in a way. But that was not a small project—some $640 million pumped into that.Additional funding for Veterans' Affairs new funding across Budgets 2018 and 2019 for defence estate regeneration—overall indicative capital budget there in 2030 of $2.1 billion. That's an increase from what the previous Government set up—it was $1.7 billion.I could go on. Suffice to say that thanks to this coalition Government the Defence Force is looking at being totally re-equipped the air force totally rebuilt the navy—a six-year gap in capability with the loss of the dive and hydro vessels has been filled. We're looking down the line at a very bright future for the New Zealand Defence Force as they advance forward picking up new capabilities able to with confidence deploy into whatever theatre they are asked to deploy in. The Government should take some confidence and some heart knowing that we are deploying our women and our men with capabilities that will give them the highest surety of completing the missions safely and coming back home. Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The following call is a split call."