Sio Hon Aupito WilliamHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): As I listened to that speech I thought Why is it that right-wing parties when they're not getting traction with the community start focusing on scaremongering and particularly on migrants in this case?" That's what I was hearing from that particular speech. It's just doom and gloom moaning and whining and I have to say there are some wonderful things happening in this country. First of all this is Niue Language Week and so can I say to you fakaalofa lahi atu ki a mutolu oti. Right across the whole country our Pacific communities are celebrating and I see that you are wearing the beads of Niue particular to that particular island Mr Speaker. I acknowledge that.It's coming on two years since this Government came into office and many of you will recall the naysayers particularly on that side of the House who often would say "That lot would never last. They're not going to be able to work out their differences." I am proud to stand here today and say how wrong they were. I am proud and it's a privilege to be a member of a Government a strong coalition Government a Government that is led by Jacinda Ardern who is promoting and holding all of us accountable to have good strong stewardship of the economy but also promoting compassion principles of te aroha. Again the naysayer says that doesn't work in politics but I have to say proudly as we work our way round the country round the Pacific region on the global stage the leadership that she is providing and the principles that she is providing and holding up are so refreshing in the political arena and people are looking to us here in New Zealand.I want to acknowledge the wonderful support of the coalition partner—and love working with the Rt Hon Winston Peters the Deputy Prime Minister as well as our support partners the Greens. We have inherited a mess off the last Government but it's a mess that we're not shying away from. It's a mess that we're prepared to tackle. It's a mess that we are realistic enough to know we're not going to be able to fix in one Budget or two Budgets. We need to look not only three years out but 30 years out and at the moment we've started to lay strong foundations. This year's Wellbeing Budget was one of those strong foundations that we will now continue to build on.Mental health is a big issue. I was amazed at the UN General Assembly this year: we are one of only five countries in the entire world that is including mental health in our speeches and seems to be promoting it. This was the feedback from the United Nations and how wonderful it is that we've begun that work involving that.Cancer care: new investment. Cleaning up our rivers: new investment. Making schools more affordable: more investment. We're doing all of this while keeping the economy in good shape despite the uncertainties at the international level. I just want to say again despite what they've said this Government the coalition Government is strong. We can look at wages—they're rising unemployment is falling. The most recent Quarterly Employment Survey shows that average hourly earnings increased by 4.4 percent the biggest increase in 11 years. Our Stats New Zealand say the reason for the big increase is the boost the Government has made to the minimum wage and the effect of some big collective agreement settlements like the nurses coming into force. We've got a goal of lifting the minimum wage and we've done that last year. This year we are on track to achieving $20 an hour by the year 2021. On 1 April this year we made the largest-ever single increase to the minimum wage raising it by $1.20 and putting an extra $48 a week in the pockets of a full-time worker. When workers earn more their families are better off. When families are better off the whole economy is better-off.Some people particularly that lot there—they said that when we would increase the minimum wage somehow we would see more and more unemployment. They are wrong. The statistics show that. Our economic appraisers show that. They are definitely wrong. We now have the lowest rate of unemployment in New Zealand in 11 years and there are now 92000 new jobs coming. So again—pleasure to be part of this Government."