SpeechHon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister for Seniors): I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to address the COVID-19 Public Health Response Bill. There are certain powers inside this piece of legislation that are required for the country to keep moving forward down the alert levels. The majority of New Zealanders understand the need for those powers. The majority of New Zealanders over alert level 4 and alert level 3 have followed the instructions for the betterment of the nation and—as the Minister for Seniors—they've done so to protect those who they love who are over the age of 70. They have seen some New Zealanders flout those requirements and put the law abiding"—was the phrase that was used by Mr Mitchell—at risk. There will always be among us some of those who wish to push the boundaries. These boundaries and the powers that have been placed inside of this bill were placed there under the direction and advice of the medical profession of the Director-General of Health. They are to keep us moving back to what is a post-COVID environment where we look out for each other. But I don't know a single member in this House that would stand and say that there has ever been a time where every single citizen has obeyed the law. Therefore the very reason why we have police or people who enforce the law is because we know that that will be so.The Government is shifting this legislation now and they're doing it under urgency—and the Opposition knows this. The Opposition has placed many pieces of legislation when they were in Government under urgency—one for example to actually sell off trees that had fallen in a storm I remember very clearly to foreigners at the time. But the purpose of this legislation is that we are going to alert level 2 on Thursday. We don't want to go back up to alert level 3. For the majority of New Zealanders they must have the confidence that this House has provided the appropriate legislation and powers to ensure that those who will put their communities at risk by not following the simple requirements that are outlined in the legislation can and will be dealt with.So there's no point to going on much more. New Zealand First will support the bill because it's a practical reasonable and responsible outcome to the circumstances we are in and the time frame is the time frame created by COVID and the advice around health and the calls from businesses in New Zealand calls from the Opposition to get us to alert level 2 as quickly as possible and the calls—Chris Penk: You don't need this bill at level 2.Hon TRACEY MARTIN: No Mr Penk but we need the legislation to ensure that all of us are protected under an alert level 2 situation. That is the purpose of the legislation. We could move to alert level 2 on Thursday and then we could have parties as we had seen under alert level 3 that put people at risk. I cannot believe that that is what Mr Penk and the Opposition are asking us to do. I cannot believe that the Opposition is advocating for a free-for-all at alert level 2. I cannot—I cannot believe that that is what Mr Penk is advocating for.Chris Penk: Don't be ridiculous.Hon TRACEY MARTIN: But Mr Penk apparently is shouting out across the House to say that we do not need this legislation so I'm not quite sure how he juxtaposes those two statements. New Zealand First will support the legislation."