Kanongata'a-Suisuiki AnahilaANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour): Kia ora te Mana Whakawā. It's always a privilege to stand here and contribute in the House and today is a day for celebrations. Today is the third reading of the Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill in the name of Ricardo Menéndez March. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the member. There are some people who come into this House and not have a member's bill go into law. So I want to acknowledge the member for bringing this matter to the House—shepherding it through the House. And also acknowledge his humility in terms of acknowledging the former member Mojo Mathers who first submitted this bill in December 2015. If we count seven years from then I think in dog years—if I get my maths right—it's about half a century that it's taken for the unfortunate experiences of Murray Whittington to come to the House and today indeed is the day to celebrate along with every other celebration that everyone spoke about. I would also like to acknowledge the chair Angie Warren-Clark and the members of the Social Services and Community Committee. It's a very collegial committee and I want to acknowledge the speaker that has just finished the Hon Louise Upston—she also showed leadership in terms of shepherding this through the House. So I want to thank all 75 submitters who submitted to this very important piece of work and also the 20-odd people and organisations that we physically heard them voice their submissions. Organisations such as the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Inc. (SPCA) Parents of Vision Impaired (New Zealand) Inc. Animal Evac New Zealand Blind Low Vision New Zealand and many other submitters in those 75 submitters that had clearly identified that this was an area that we needed to look at. I want to take this opportunity too to thank the officials who advised us and the parliamentary team who advised us. Because all of us who are in the Social Services and Community Committee did not have any visible—except for one member who had temporary—disabilities. So as much as we can talk about things as much as we can talk about it and listen to people the voices of those experienced in this area is important and it's vital that we speak about it. So I stand in support of this bill. So the Labour Party support this bill because it is important. So the bill amends—as we heard from members—the Human Rights Act of 1993 to enhance protections from discrimination for people who rely on disability assist dogs. Currently section 21of the Human Rights Act only makes references to guide dogs" in the definition of "disability". So in the submission of the SPCA—and I think it's best that I quote word-for-word in one of the paragraphs because it actually describes why this is needed: "The current wording of the Act means disabled people may experience unfair treatment because of the support they receive from a disability assist dog unless that disability assist dog is a guide dog. For society to be fully inclusive and value disabled people as equal participants it is imperative that the changes proposed in the Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill are accepted. This will ensure protection for those with hearing physical and medical impairments (in addition to those with visual impairments) who rely on the support of a disability assist dog." I really needed to say that because we want to hear the voices of people who experience working with disability day in and day out.I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who are in the area of looking after and caring for our disability assist dogs. In the committee of the whole House I had asked the member many times to name those eight people who train the disability assist dogs in the bill and we've heard members name the eight groups today but I think it's important to make mention of the groups because it is really important that we acknowledge what they do and that none of us in this House can read and talk about it but we don't know what it's like to live in there. So I just want to acknowledge the disability assist dog organisations. There are eight organisations outlined by the Schedule as being able to certify dogs: Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust Hearing Dogs for Deaf People New Zealand K9 Medical Detection New Zealand mobility assist dogs trust New Zealand Epilepsy Assist Dog Trust Perfect Partners Assistance Dogs Trust and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. I want to go back to the contribution by the member Penny Simmonds of her Supplementary Order Paper (SOP). I want to make a record on this stage I've had often people—I mean I'm from the women's sector I'm from the Pacific sector often we cry out "Nothing about us without us." The SOP that was submitted by the member was on the day of the committee of the whole House so we weren't sure whether these groups were consulted because the SOP suggested that we include other groups in terms of certifying these disability assist dogs. So I want to acknowledge the effort that the member had gone through but I also want to acknowledge that we diligently debated that in the committee of the whole House. So I just wanted to put it on record that we did consider it and that we did diligently provide an opportunity for those debates to happen. And I want to acknowledge the member Maureen Pugh; she really did a good job on that at the last sitting of the committee of the whole House.So I'll go back again just to remind us what the bill does. In terms of what the bill does the bill amends section 21 "Prohibited grounds of discrimination" of the Human Rights Act by replacing the words "guide dog" with "disability assist dog". And of course—and I've said this before—it broadens the category of dogs captured under this section. As I come to the end of my speech I want to again go back to acknowledge those who are in the field of training the dogs. I know that I don't have the patience to do that and I want to—as a person with not very much patience—acknowledge those who day in and day out train our disability assist dogs. And in the disability community the Government is doing a lot of work in terms of disability issues. There is always more to do but today I want to acknowledge our disability community. Today is a celebration it's the day to celebrate that this important change of words in the Act will actually make meaningful changes for our disability community. I know that the gallery is filling up and I want to take this opportunity—as a member based in Papakura as a member who has had a bill passed into law—because of the help of the Hon Simon Bridges who when I came to him to discuss the bill in terms of judgment debt with people with disabilities without his support that member's bill would not have gone through the many stages of Parliament. Because at the time it was a coalition Government and a certain party—the other party in black—wasn't supportive. So I just want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Hon Simon Bridges for respecting me as a new member in the last term coming to him to talk about judgment debtors for disability. So I just want to wish him luck in his next adventure.But I want to come back here to congratulate the member Ricardo Menéndez March. I want to say congratulations that in your first term you have shepherded this bill. It has been seven years in the making you've shepherded this bill and I want to acknowledge everyone who has partaken and provided their voice into this exceptional piece of work to say congratulations. I commend this bill to the House."