Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): E Te Māngai o Te Whare tēnā koe. Ngā mema o Te Whare nei tēnā tātou katoa. This Government is demonstrating a new kind of leadership: a leadership that is both a very good manager of the economy but also showing the values of care compassion and empathy. I'm really proud to be associated with a Government that is a good manager of this economy as well as ensuring that we are delivering outcomes for all in New Zealand.There are two topics I want to talk about in this year of delivery. One is housing and one is the opportunity to expand our trade including indigenous people's trade. The question is What have we been doing here on this side of the House?" Well let me share what this Government's done around housing. We've stopped the sale of State houses—we have stopped the sale. We have invested $100 million into ending homelessness. We're making rentals fairer and have announced 6400 new public housing spaces across the motu. This side of the House is committed to having warm dry affordable homes for every Kiwi.But we also know that for some of our communities Māori particularly that is a dream yet to be realised. So I stand and celebrate the Hon Nanaia Mahuta's work in the papakāinga space. Papakāinga is a policy started under a Labour Government—$20 million to ensure that we are utilising underutilised Māori whenua to build houses for Māori. Let's share some of the success stories in this Government in the years that we have taken control. I want to acknowledge the whānau of Tākou Bay from Whangaroa Northland who received a $2.3 million investment to ensure that we've got affordable homes in the Far North. I want to congratulate the Rapihana Hawaikirangi Ahu Whenua Trust in my own electorate for the new papakāinga development through an investment by Te Puni Kōkiri for $995000. I want to acknowledge the Lemuel whānau of the small town of Raupunga just south of Wairoa who received $1.2 million from this Government to build on papakāinga.You see this Government is committed to ensuring that we are utilising Māori land where it is and working in partnership with whānau hapū and iwi. That's what this side's doing to address the housing crisis we inherited from that side of the House. But I want to touch on the economic growth opportunity to regions through acknowledging Māori iwi ownership of $50 billion in assets: fishing forestry and farming. There is huge potential in the regions and just the other day—I want to acknowledge Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. for buying out Hawke's Bay Seafood now known as Takitimu Seafoods to go alongside their deep-water fishing vessel which processes fish out at sea. But now we have onshore fish processing. With King Tūheitia there to open it and every iwi around the motu it is real that iwi want to partner with the Crown to explore more economic opportunities in the region.Therefore the trade opportunities—because at that opening we also had the Pacific people there. We have a shared whakapapa to Asia to China to Taiwan because our people say we came from those parts of the world and we journeyed across the Pacific into South America and right through the Pacific. There are relationships already happening that iwi are leading with nations like the United Arab Emirates because they believe that there is an opportunity here leveraging off the assets creating those relationships based on whakapapa relations to bring economic benefit for their own here in Aotearoa New Zealand.It's an exciting time to be Māori right now with this coalition Government. They want to work with us. As I travel up and down the country there's a sense of excitement that at least this Government is prepared to listen that this side of the House is prepared to act as an enabler to open the doors so that we can realise the economic potential that iwi can play and are playing in partnership with local government in regions. So I commend and I support this Government's programme. Kia ora."