Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on this COVID-19 Response (Vaccinations) Legislation Bill. I'd like to just ask a few questions in regards to clause 7. And I guess my first question to the Minister is: we've heard a lot about the traffic lights which have been announced by this Government. And my question here is: is the new section 11AA the empowering provision which the Minister and the Government intends to put New Zealand into reds and oranges and greens—I hear Auckland's meant to be the great red light district next Friday is what they've announced. The rest of the country is going to be the orange light district but we still don't know what green means. The question I've got for the Minister—I've got a number of questions actually.Chris Bishop: That's Wellington Central.SIMEON BROWN: Wellington Central well maybe that will be Green. That's where the Greens hang out isn't it?But I've got a number of questions here. New section 11AA starts by saying (1) The Minister may make a COVID-19 order under section 11AB in accordance with the following provisions: (a) the Minister must be satisfied that the order does not limit or is a justified limit on the rights and freedoms in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;". My first question relates very much to that point which is the fact that all New Zealanders have accepted their rights being limited in the past 18 months in regards to COVID-19. And I think most New Zealanders would accept the need for their rights to be limited in some way going through what has been a global pandemic. But the question I've got coming through this is when it comes to how the Minister is satisfied going forward—because we've spent the last 18 months dealing with what initially was a major crisis a new disease which no one knew much about. Now we're moving into a traffic light system which is apparently safer and we've obviously got the vaccine we've got boosters and we've got rapid antigen tests. We've got so many tools that we didn't have 18 months ago to be able to manage and address COVID-19. And so my question here in regards to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act is: how is the Minister going to be satisfied that an order does not limit or is a justified limit on the rights and freedoms in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act? I do just note that this process that we're going through tonight does not give me much confidence that this Government is actually going to take this seriously. On 23 November the Hon David Parker which I believe was today got sent the Consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990: COVID-19 Response (Vaccinations) Legislation Bill report. And it says in paragraph 2 "This advice has been prepared in an extremely short timeframe due to late receipt of the Bill that was not in compliance"—not in compliance—"with Cabinet Office … [guidelines]." It's not like this bill doesn't address or impact on many people's human rights at all. I mean it only impacts on your right to refuse to undergo medical treatment. It only impacts on freedom of expression freedom of peaceful assembly freedom of association freedom of movement freedom from discrimination right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. That's all the rights which are impacted by this piece of legislation and the letter was received this morning or maybe it was this afternoon. But that's how much thought this Government put into how much impact this has on people's rights and freedoms.We've had 18 months to be thinking through this—well at least if you think Delta arrived in New Zealand in April from April to now to think through what's the framework given vaccinations given all the other tools that have been developed since this pandemic started all that time since April to actually think this stuff through but their letter arrived this morning. So can the Minister give me some confidence and answer the question: what it means to be satisfied that the order does not limit or is a justified limit on the rights and freedoms? And what consultation is the Minister going to undertake with Government departments? Or what legal advice or opinions is he going to seek?Chris Penk: Will he release it?SIMEON BROWN: Is he going to release—it's a very good question from my colleague Chris Penk. Will he release that opinion or that legal advice? Is he required to get legal advice as to whether it is a breach or whether there's a limit or how that's being balanced up? These are questions I think New Zealanders would actually like to have an answer for. These are the types of questions which should have been fleshed out at a select committee but we are having to ask these questions here during this process in the committee of the whole House."