Stanford EricaERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you Madam Speaker. On a very unusually beautiful day in Wellington yesterday out here on the forecourt a protest came to Parliament: the split - migrant families' protest. They came from all over New Zealand. They made the journey yesterday. They held placards. They held photos of the children they hadn't seen in a year. The placards told us how many days they hadn't been able to hold their children for. I said to one man when I looked at his son's picture—I said Oh my gosh he's so young." His boy was the same age as my boy and when I said that he turned away from me in tears. They have no voice. They came to Parliament yesterday to call for an urgent select committee inquiry so that they would have a voice—and we heard them yesterday. The National Party MPs that went down there to the forecourt yesterday—we heard them. The Green Party members to their credit heard them as well and so did the ACT Party members. In fact almost every party in this House heard their message. But where were Labour? Where was Priyanca Radhakrishnan the Minister for ethnic communities sticking up for ethnic communities? Where was she yesterday? Was she there? No she wasn't there. What about Ibrahim Omer—a migrant himself who told us this wonderful story in the House during his maiden speech which brought me to tears. It was a fantastic speech of his struggles in this country as a migrant. Where was he yesterday to stick up for the migrant families who were here yesterday telling us about their struggles? Well he wasn't there. Where was Marja Lubeck? Where was Vanushi Walters? Where was Naisi Chen? Where was Dr Gaurav Sharma? Not a single Labour MP yesterday came down to care for these split migrant families. Not a single one of them yesterday.The PM has always heralded her super-diverse caucus—this wonderful UN of a caucus that she has. But where was this wonderful diverse caucus yesterday in probably the first opportunity they've had here in Parliament to stick up for our migrant communities our ethnic communities—where were they? Well they weren't there. As usual all talk and no delivery as yesterday our migrant families were utterly let down by this Government. Where was Minister Faafoi—our Minister of Immigration? Actually I have to say I'm not surprised he wasn't there. Who would want to go down and look in the face of the abject human misery that is a result a direct result of his absolute failure in this portfolio? How could he go down there and look in the faces of the people he's been ignoring for nine months? Question time after question time the Minister hides behind excuses for his inaction. His number one excuse—managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) capacity. Well not any more—the trans-Tasman bubble's open; 1800 spots every fortnight are being freed up. Even yesterday our Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern laughed and smiled as she said "And look MIQ spaces are not being used at the moment because it's winter and it's getting colder and people don't want to come." You don't think migrant families know that? They look every single day at the number of MIQ spaces that aren't being used and they cry for the children that they have who can't get in through MIQ because this Prime Minister doesn't care about them.Her second excuse: our borders are closed. Of course our borders are closed. Well actually no they're not. Not if you're a band or a nanny or a comedian or a children's entertainer or a Lion King dancer. Why Jacinda Ardern hey presto quickly found room for the Wiggles to come in. She gets directly contacted by The Amazing Race producers. They've got a direct line to her. Stephen Colbert gets heard by the COVID committee the highest court in the land when it comes to COVID issues. We let in drag queens we let in the Queen tribute band but our split migrant families have no vehicle. They can't pick up the phone to the Prime Minister. They can't tell the Prime Minister about their heartache. They can't go to the COVID committee. Another phrase that the immigration Minister uses constantly in question time as he did yesterday: "We understand their difficulties." He says it every single time. The split migrant families don't want to hear this because Minister you don't understand—sorry he doesn't understand. Let me give him some insight. They gave up everything to be here. They are maintaining two homes on separate sides of the world. They've lost all their savings. Their kids have mental health problems. Their relationships are breaking down. They've missed kids' milestones. They have mental anguish at not being able to hold their babies who they haven't seen in a year. And what does he say to them? He says "Be patient." I would have loved to hear him say that yesterday to the face of the man who left his four-day-old baby in South Africa to come here whose kid is now 14 months old. I would have loved to hear Minister Faafoi say "Just be patient."Every day the Prime Minister got up at 1 o'clock and told us to be kind. But as it turns out they were empty words: "Do as I say but not as I do." Here we have now the choice to do the right thing manage the risk reunite migrant families and do the right thing for once. Be kind."