Boyack RachelRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson): It is a pleasure to take a call on the Births Deaths Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill. I want to thank Minister Tinetti for her leadership on this bill and the former members of the Governance and Administration Committee and officials for their work.While this bill has been in the public eye for a number of months due to the amendments surrounding self-identification on birth certificates the bill also makes changes to how New Zealand operates the Births Deaths and Marriages register. Put simply the bill makes changes to the register to allow greater electronic access to information while also mitigating the misuse of information through robust criteria and evidence of identity that can be verified online. This will ensure the right balance is struck between individual privacy and access to personal information for New Zealanders.Since this bill was first introduced and considered by the select committee the committee—following submissions—reported back to the House with suggested changes that would remove unnecessary barriers for people to self-identify their gender on their birth certificate. Under our current law transgender and intersex New Zealanders have to undergo a complex and inaccessible process based on medical evidence to amend the sex on their birth certificate. This process excludes people who are unable or unwilling to undertake medical treatment as part of their transition. This means that many people who are transgender do not have their correct gender represented on their birth certificate. The bill will allow people to change the sex on their birth certificate by moving to a self-identification process.Some of the criticism pointed at this bill suggests that the current process is working fine and doesn't need to change. However I note that New Zealanders can already currently self-identify their gender on their driver's licence or passport.It has been unfortunate and distressing that some groups have sought to demonise trans people by claiming that men will change the sex on their birth certificate so that they can access women's spaces such as prisons changing rooms and women's refuges.Before entering Parliament I was a board member at the Nelson Women's and Children's Refuge. It is not the policy of Refuge to require a birth certificate to access the lifesaving services of Refuge. Our policy is inclusive of diversity. The Nelson Women's Refuge's diverse-needs policy states and I'll read it The Refuge understands that gender identity can be non-binary and is open to providing services to cis wāhine transgender genderqueer intersex or people who choose to live with a more fluid gender identity." Furthermore it states "The Refuge respects the right for clients to choose not to disclose their sexual identity."For so-called women's advocacy or rights groups to suggest that the work of Women's Refuge will be put at risk and that women will be unsafe because of this bill is outrageous it is wrong and it is disgraceful. As a woman who has campaigned and worked for women's refuges I'm offended that these people suppose to speak for me; they do not. Likewise it would be most unusual to ask a woman to produce a birth certificate in order to enter a public toilet or a changing room. I have never been asked to produce a birth certificate to enter a women's space and it's disgraceful to suggest that this bill would make women's spaces unsafe for women.Another area of further consideration that the Government is looking into is access to self-identification for people who were born overseas. This is a difficult task. It's a situation that causes distress for people including one of my own constituents.Our young members of our rainbow community can be subject to discrimination as they go about their daily lives at school at work at church and in the community. For transgender New Zealanders this discrimination can be even tougher.In Nelson over 100 people—many of them young—protested against this campaign of misinformation. I want to acknowledge the work of Q-Youth Nelson Pride and all their allies for their work in pushing back on the damaging and hurtful misinformation put into the public domain. I am incredibly proud of them and I want them to know that I have their back.As a member of the Governance and Administration Committee that will be considering this bill I look forward to hearing from our diverse communities about how we can continue to make Aotearoa a safer and more inclusive country. I am very proud tonight to commend this bill to the House."