Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. It is with great pride that I rise to make a contribution on the Holidays (Bereavement Leave for Miscarriage) Amendment Bill (No 2). I say that for a few different reasons: firstly of course because it is a significant bill that will make life a little bit easier for those who are going through a particularly traumatic time in their lives. I also say that I rise with pride because the bill is in the name of Ginny Andersen who is a fellow class of '17er". I just want to congratulate her for her luck in having her bill drawn from the ballot—a bit of luck that some of us haven't experienced yet. But I also want to commend her for the work that she's put into getting the bill to where it's at today. I also want to acknowledge at the onset of my contribution the role that Clare Curran has played in the genesis of this bill and of course Kathryn van Beek who brought this to the attention of her local MP and who has worked incredibly hard also to get us collectively to the point that we're at today. As others have mentioned before me this is a simple bill—if one were to look at it now it makes a simple change that allows for existing bereavement leave to be made available to those who have had a miscarriage or a stillbirth—but as I said when I started my contribution it makes a significant change to the lives of people and that's what all of us are here in this House to do. It clarifies the law in which previously allowing the leave has been left to the discretion of an employer. It clarifies it and makes things a little bit easier for women who have been in a position where they're unsure as to how that piece of legislation might be interpreted by their employer. We've heard before that we've seen mixed results when employers have been approached by those who want to take bereavement leave after losing their child through miscarriage or stillbirth. Some have been successful and others haven't. There are always good employers who are empathetic and want to support but there's always that problematic minority as well and this legislation clarifies it for everyone involved. Members before me have spoken about the time of trauma when someone has lost their child. There is trauma obviously for the woman who has miscarried or experienced a stillbirth but also for the partner who goes through that time of loss and from what I've heard a time also of loneliness that the couple feels either because they haven't talked about the pregnancy before and therefore feel uncomfortable to talk about the loss of that pregnancy but also because there are issues around shame and guilt. I want to echo a point made by Ginny Andersen in her speech in her contribution today where she talked about the fact that the content of this bill is incredibly important but equally important is the message that it sends which is the fact that it is OK to talk about these experiences. It's OK to talk about women's sexual health and reproductive rights and related issues. I want to commend the women who have supported the passage of this bill to its first reading and who have talked about their experiences in the public domain and that includes my colleagues here in this House from both sides of the House who have shared some very personal experiences and stories. It is incredibly difficult to do that in the public domain and I want to commend you for that. As the chair of the New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development—the focus of that cross-party group here is to shed light on issues to do with women's sexual health and reproductive rights—it makes me particularly proud to support the passage of this bill. Also I just want to touch on the fact that this bill is a testament to the strong democracy that we are in New Zealand. The fact that a constituent takes a matter of importance to a member of Parliament who listens to her takes it seriously and works with her to shape the concern into a piece of legislation which we can now support to first reading and hopefully beyond I think is incredibly powerful. Can I once again acknowledge everyone who's had a role to play in this and those who will have a role to play at the select committee going forward as well. The international community is watching. This is the right thing to do. I commend this bill to the House."