Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National): Thank you Madam Speaker. Taking this call this evening—I only have a short call but I will share with you Madam Speaker the House and listeners that it's somewhat galling to hear people in the House this evening speak on something they do not know other than based on what they have read.So I speak having been a Family Court lawyer and also lawyer for children and I speak from experience and I'm not going to talk about politics; I am going to talk about good law. This in my submission is not necessary and therefore it's not good law. We as Family Court practitioners have been directed by Family Court practice notes—as lawyer for children as counsel for children. This bill is not necessary. What it replicates again is the State telling Family Court specialists Family Court lawyers—those lawyers who are in continuing legal education; we prize the relevance and the significance and importance of learning more about what we do as child advocates and giving the best of what we do to the children their welfare their best interests and articulating their view. This bill is not necessary to do that.Also it's somewhat galling that the members in this House and Government fail to deliberately listen to the views of the experts in this field. The submissions that were made by the New Zealand Law Society family law section representing 1100 family law specialists—half of whom have 20 years' experience in this field; I happen to be one of those—and referencing to my former colleagues the fact that this Government and regrettably the Justice Committee declined to listen to the relevance of their views and the application of what we know best in terms of advocating and representing the welfare and the best interests of the children. Apparently this Government seems to know better.The National Party for good reason did not support this bill. It is not necessary. When it came to the committee of the whole House there was just total dismissal of some amendments that were proposed and it's interesting because this bill is flawed in many ways. It highlights the fact that there should be evidence-based research as to how best to deliver the representation of the children's interests and the children's views. This bill is also deficient when it highlights that there's amendments just to the Care of Children Act and just to the Family Violence Act. Interesting because as a Family Court counsel appointed specialist for children our practice note actually talks about representation under the Care of Children Act the Family Proceedings Act the Oranga Tamaraki Act the Family Violence Act the Property (Relationships) Act the Child Support Act the Marriage Act the Civil Union Act. However there's only two amendments that have been expressed within this view overlooking the application of counsel for children representing them in all those other specialist areas of law that impact on the child.So as I say it is somewhat galling to hear members in the House advocating as if they know best but interestingly enough as I said in the first reading and in the second reading of this bill—and I do happen to know more about this than any other member in this House—Kieran McAnulty: Ha ha!HARETE HIPANGO: —in this area of law and it's interesting that those who laugh and smirk and sneer are actually not doing that to the member as I stand and address this House but to the children and to the advocates. That's why I'm passionate and so fired up because the members in this House are doing a disservice to our children.I gave my career in making sure that our children and our vulnerable were given the best service were given the best articulation of that representation and regrettably this bill fails to do it. That's why I'm disheartened and I'm disheartened that members in this House who laugh and who smirk and who toss discourtesies across the House are unbecoming and inappropriate because this is not about the member who's addressing the House or the public; this is about our children. As I said this is a done deal and irrespective of what other members in the House will express I shall continue to articulate and to advocate for those who are most subjected to vulnerabilities. This is a done deal and I am saddened and do not support this.