Little Andrew: Adjournment — Sittings of the HouseText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Adjournment — Sittings of the House[Sitting date: 09 December 2015. Volume:710;Page:8718. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): It is a great pleasure to take this final call for the year. I want to begin as the Leader of the House did by thanking all of those who make the operating of this House—and very important it is to the life of New Zealand—who work and keep it going.The first person I would like to acknowledge is of course the Clerk of the House—the chap known to us as David Wilson—and indeed all of the staff of the Clerk’s Office who do a tremendous job not only in processing all the activity that goes on around here but for the advice that they give as well. I acknowledge those looking after the Table Office the Bills Office and Hansard of course who do invaluable work and pick up the odd difficult word as well and manage to get it absolutely correct.The interpretation and translation services; the Select Committee Services groupwhich keeps that tremendous amount of paperwork flowing and going; the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group including the education group who are always a pleasure to bump into particularly when they have got tour groups with them at the time; and those looking after the organisational performance and information services—all those in parliamentary services without whom this place would not function and the security staff too of course who make this place safe and easy to get around.I want to thank Jim Robb and his team—the buildings team—and all the contractors about whom I will say a little more later who support buildings. I want to thank the Serjeant-at-Arms Brent Smith for lending Lindsay Tisch his jacket just a short while ago and all the security staff too who are in and out of the building. I also want to thank Heather Daly and the tireless messengers and the work that they do.Can I thank the research experts the Parliamentary Library and the Datacom team without whom this place would not function—actually sometimes it does not function—but anyway they are always there they keep us connected and sometimes our computers working. The New Zealand Post staff at the post shop—and this may well be the last Christmas for those staff but they are tremendous. And for those who are transacting the three transactions a day you will just have to go somewhere else.To the Epicure staff whose quality of food rises by the day and has been fantastic the Spotless cleaning team who are here at those very difficult hours and of course who deserve to be paid a living wage. Can we thank the general manager of Parliamentary Service David Stevenson and his team especially Jane McKenzie and the relationship team.I want to thank and acknowledge my chief of staff Matt McCarten the whips’ office manager Emma Williams and the dedicated and talented team of leader’s office staff executive assistants out-of-office parliamentary staff and the issues assistants whom they take care of.Can I just tell you this story which is illustrative I think of the note on which I end this year which is with a note of optimism. As I said before about buildings there is another very important group that has been around Parliament buildings this year which is the construction team from LT McGuinness which is making perhaps the worst leakiest building in the country waterproof yet again giving us dry and healthy accommodation.We know them all they are gathered around—well I see them outside my third-floor office. There they are in their high-vis vests and what have you. What is most important is that they will leave a lasting legacy in this House for the work that they do. But it is thanks to the actions of one of those men from LT McGuinness that as I say gives that air of optimism to me.I was at a meeting a couple of months ago getting one of the briefings from the head of one of our security agencies—an initiative actually that they undertook this year in fulfilment of their statutory obligations. There we were looking at matters of great national sensitivity and security and all of a sudden the head of the SIS who was briefing me threw her hands over the papers on the table and said: “Wait! Is this place secure?”.We looked out on the balcony and there was one of the LT McGuinness men with his high-vis jacket on—and as you all know they have all got numbers on them—and there was the number 007. We established very quickly that it was not Daniel Craig much to her disappointment I am sure and we established that MI6 probably does not have a great deal of interest in the Leader of the Opposition’s office in New Zealand.But here is the point and here is the note of optimism: after all the debate about the Health and Safety Reform Bill this year and all of our challenging the Government that this was not going to create the culture of health and safety here at least at the highest levels of the Public Service here in Wellington we have a senior public servant who genuinely believes that were James Bond to ever make it to New Zealand to do his nefarious things he at least will be wearing his high-vis vest.On that note I want to thank all my parliamentary colleagues and wish them all a safe and relaxing summer break. And to you Mr Speaker—and you frequently say to me I have the worst job in Parliament—there are days when I have looked at you this year and thought: “I am so glad to be the Leader of the Opposition.” And so Mr Speaker to you I wish you all the very best and a relaxing summer break and a well-deserved one and I look forward to seeing all my friends in this House next year.