Swarbrick ChlöeCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central): E te Māngai tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. As we have gone about debating this bill through its first reading tonight and now into the second reading and the theatrics from the National Party on the notion of a select committee I've been working through in my head how best to articulate the history that brought us to this point. I want to begin by referring to a situation in our relatively recent history.So I want all MPs to put themselves in this situation. There are hundreds if not thousands of New Zealanders who are contracting HIV/AIDS from intravenous drug use. Heroin usage is becoming rampant throughout the country and we know based on international research and what is being recommended by domestic experts and professionals and academics and those who work in addiction services that the best way to deal with this spiralling out of control issue of HIV/AIDS being contracted amongst intravenous drug users is to legalise needle exchange services. Well we did just that in 1987. We were the first country in the world to do just that and as a result we have amongst the lowest rate of HIV/AIDS amongst intravenous drug users in the entire OECD. But if that same decision were confronting the National Party of today they would be standing in the way of that drug harm reduction procedure in the same way that they are standing in the way or at the very least attempting to given that they are a small minority in this House—they would be standing in the way of it in the same way that they are today.The National Party also keep riling themselves up about the notion of consultation. And on this I'd ask them where they were in October of last year when I presented to the Health Committee—which the National Party was supposed to make up approximately half of—a petition on behalf of 6200 New Zealanders those New Zealanders that they claim to represent calling for the legalisation of drug-checking services at festivals ahead of the summer festival season. Yet they decided to leave empty seats and not turn up. Yet here they are yet again railing against the lack of opportunity to engage in this debate in a thorough way that they pretend to want to.This isn't at all about anything to do with any form of progress or conservativism at least as far as I can tell. It's just that the National Party want to take a position of opposition. They just want to stand in the way of the inevitable direction—David Seymour: Simon Bridges has crossed the floor!CHLÖE SWARBRICK: —towards harm reduction. And Simon Bridges was also asking about other forms of research—where else this has been happening. So I'd refer the National Party to the Netherlands which has been doing legal drug-checking services since 1992. I'd refer them to Austria which has been doing it since 1997; to Switzerland which has been doing it since 2001; to Spain and Portugal since 1999; and to the UK which they invoke in quite a cheeky way having done so since 2013. And here I'd like to give them another spin on the research that they are dubiously putting forward through a very specific very niche and very interesting lens which is that study from the University of Durham in 2018 published in the International Journal of Drug Policy that showed demonstrably that in the years subsequent to the implementation of legal drug-checking services provided by The Loop which they invoke there has been a 95 percent reduction in hospital admissions for those who have used illicit substances. Simon Bridges also spoke about me not using research or evidence and I sought to respond to that point by way of a point of order or otherwise. I understand that the processes of this House do not enable such things. However what was so frustrating about that is that we have multiple National Party MPs standing up tonight and saying that they want to do this by virtue of good faith. I think they demonstrated just how little good faith there genuinely is in a debate like this when they are willing to stand up and say the complete opposite of the reality which is that I have multiple times over referred them through to six years' worth of domestic research out of KnowYourStuffNZ. I have also referred them to the New South Wales chief coronial report which came out after more than a dozen young people had died. We also had the Hon Simon Bridges saying There hasn't been a death yet. Waah!" You know what are we supposed to do Simon? Are we supposed to wait until somebody does die? Because that's exactly what they've done and that's the impasse that they have seen in New South Wales. Over 13 young people have died in the past year. The Chief Coroner has reported on top of multiple coronial reports that legal drug-checking services will save lives and they need to do it. Yet you have the Premier of New South Wales saying exactly the same things that the National Party is saying right now.So it would seem as though it doesn't matter if we have a death count or not. In fact the National Party just don't want to see this change occur for the same rationale that would have seen them opposing the changes to legalise needle exchange services in 1987 which has resulted in us having the lowest number of HIV/AIDS amongst intravenous drug users in the OECD.I don't know what that is when you are unwilling to engage with the research and the data on that level but purely ideological purely retention of the status quo for sake of holding on clinging on to some life raft of how the world works. Well I just really really hope that those National Party MPs that I know for a fact want to vote for this tonight are really looking into their consciences. I really really appeal to those MPs including some of those who I know sit along the front bench right now to really think about what you believe in think about the research the data the evidence your past statements the conversations that you have had the tents that you've gone into with Wendy from KnowYourStuff. And on that point on this second reading tonight I also want to say thank you to those who have stood up constantly—Wendy Ellison from KnowYourStuff—despite constantly being shot down talked down to patronised for continuing to persist in building the evidence base that is bringing this to the House tonight that is enabling us to pass a measure that will reduce harm.Just finally if I may—because it seems as though many National Party MPs who are speaking about this tonight have not engaged with this process and have no idea how it occurs—when you go in to get your drugs tested at these currently legal grey area drug-checking services the first thing they say to you is "Don't take drugs. Do not take these drugs. The best way to reduce harm is to not take drugs at all." That is far from the green light that the National Party Opposition is mythologising tonight and to be honest I'm just thoroughly gutted. I mean I'd hoped that with this new term we'd have the opportunity for some good faith evidence-based debates but it would appear as though the likes of the Hon Nick Smith are just really keen to lean back on old behaviour.I am incredibly proud to have worked alongside those grassroots activists those who have been pushing to build the evidence basis for the past three years to bring legislation like this to the House tonight. And I hope that it definitely leads to a complete repeal and replacement of the absolute demonstrably unworkable Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. I commend this bill to the House."