Swarbrick ChlöeCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. I rise today to speak on behalf of the Greens in my call on the Wellbeing Budget and particularly to discuss the topics of mental health and addiction. I'd like to preface what I say about our $1.9 billion investment in mental health and addiction with the logical precedent to it—that being the mental health and addiction inquiry started by this Government in our first 100 days no less.That mental health and addiction inquiry—or He Ara Oranga—heard from over 5000 submitters many of whom were on the front lines of mental health and addiction in this country across a number of sectors treating those at both the top and the bottom ends of inequality in this country treating those in the likes of poorer communities those who are in more wealthy communities and those who are in prisons. What was really fascinating about this mental health and addiction inquiry is that the Government didn't seek to limit its ambit solely to the medical profession. It was the first Government-instigated inquiry of its kind that looked beyond pathologising and medicalising the issues of mental health and addiction. Fundamentally what it found is that the wellbeing of all people—and in this context of all New Zealanders—is predicated on their connection to each other. It's predicated on the feeling that they are contributing to society as though they have a sense of identity as though they have a sense of purpose. Interestingly—or controversially enough as the case may be—this mental health and addiction inquiry also in the addiction part recommended that we stop criminalising people who are caught in the web of addiction. This of course is being implemented through the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill which is what I believe the Hon Paula Bennett is calling the supposed decriminalisation by stealth". I'm not sure where the stealth is given that it's presently in front of the Health Committee.On the topic of mental health that $1.9 billion when broken down particularly as it pertains to addiction response means there will be a $14 million more operating budget for mild to moderate alcohol and drug issues. There will be $44 million more for specialist alcohol and other drug issues. So too we are expanding—or at the very least securing—the funding and sustainability of Te Ara Oranga a pilot project in Northland which is a collaboration between the district health board and police which I might again quite controversially say effectively decriminalises those who are caught in the web of addiction for methamphetamine and instead seeks to turn their life around by seeing that they have access to housing and education and employment and the opportunity to reconnect with their community. The National Party's opposition now to our moving forward with the meth action plan and the likes of Te Ara Oranga is ironic given that they instigated it.So too there is importantly as was announced—I believe it was earlier this week or just last week by Minister Kelvin Davis—the $129 million - odd for the wellbeing and quality of life of vulnerable people in corrections' care. This is crucially important because we know that there are a huge number of people who end up incarcerated who themselves suffer from mental health and addiction problems.Finally I want to touch on the cannabis referendum because this is a crucially important question that will be put forward to New Zealanders in the 2020 general election. There's been $13.4 million allocated to the Electoral Commission to engage and communicate with the public on participation in the referendum process. I think that this is crucially important because this symbolises the first time that politicians will give over the opportunity to the majority of New Zealanders to discern what they think should be the future of our country when it comes to the opportunity to end the war on drugs—at least so far as it comes to the issue of cannabis. There is a lot more I could say but that's my time. Kia ora."