Sepuloni CarmelHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development): It's a privilege to be speaking on the third reading of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill—now the Child Poverty Reduction Bill and Children's Amendment Bill. The legislation reflects this Government's commitment to the children of New Zealand. It embodies our focus on prioritising our tamariki and outlines how the well-being of children will be upheld now and for generations to come.I really want to take this time to acknowledge the Prime Minister and our Minister for Child Poverty Reduction the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern who led the work on these bills and as has already been indicated through the words that she used in her speech and from the time that she has been in Parliament who has been committed to ensuring that as a Government and as a Parliament we genuinely work to address the issue of child poverty in this House. So I want to acknowledge the Prime Minister for that.I also want to thank everyone who has contributed to this work: the policy analysts and officials my colleagues in Government and on the other side of the House the Social Services and Community Committee children advocates from across the country and across various sectors and the over 600 people who provided their feedback through the select committee process.The feedback we have received throughout this process has resulted in what we perceive as being the best possible legislation that really does put children at the centre of what this Government does. It holds us all accountable for the well-being of our young ones. The experiences shared by the submitters during the select committee process emphasised the importance of acknowledging the specific needs of different groups of children.As a result of this we have made changes to align the child well-being strategy with the international obligations we have as a country including fulfilling our requirements under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Alongside this the legislation now requires child poverty reporting to include particular population groups of interest specifically Māori children and if the data is available other groups such as Pacific and children with disabilities. This is a really important acknowledgement that actually some groups in this country are overrepresented amongst those in poverty.As the Minister for Disability Issues I've been hearing firsthand that families of children with disabilities often face increased financial hardship due to the high and fluctuating costs of services and supports. This is why it is crucial that we take real steps to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of Aotearoa. All of our children deserve to have their rights and well-being upheld. For our children with disabilities or health issues having access to the right supports and feeling like a part of the community is so incredibly important. One of our next steps as we continue to develop our child well-being strategy will be to set out how we can keep making progress for children with disabilities so that they can live their best lives.In addition to developing a child well-being strategy this legislation also requires Government to report each Budget day on progress made in reducing child poverty and on how measures in the Budget will affect child poverty. This legislation will also put in place a measurement framework for child poverty and establish four primary and six supplementary measures of child poverty. Overall this legislation will establish an enduring legislative framework for Government action on child poverty and ensure transparency and accountability for progress in reducing it. This really is a transformational piece of legislation that solidifies our commitment to a better future for our children.One thing that I'm especially proud of is the ambition that we've demonstrated as a Government. We are unashamedly setting goals to halve child poverty in 10 years. The three long-term goals we've set for ourselves are: to reduce the proportion of children in low-income households before housing costs from roughly 15 percent of all children to 5 percent; reduce the proportion of children in low-income households after housing costs from around 20 percent to 10 percent; and then to reduce the proportion of children in material hardship from between 13 and 15 percent now to 7 percent.We all know in this House that child poverty imposes considerable social emotional physical and economic costs. There is robust evidence that growing up in poverty can harm children in multiple predictable substantial and often sustained ways. Addressing child poverty is essential not only to secure the well-being of children in the here and now but also to invest in their futures and improve their future outcomes. However what I know from working with my colleagues on this side of the House is that we are actually primarily driven by a moral imperative to make a better New Zealand for our children. In fact our Government is so driven by this that we have explicitly stated on a number of occasions that making New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child is a priority for us.We've already started taking real steps to address some of the hardship that we see in our community. Our Families Package which was implemented on 1 July this year will improve incomes for 384000 families by on average $75 per week and will lift 64000 children out of poverty by 2021. Under the Families Package 26000 more people are eligible for Working for Families providing extra support for families with children. There are 65000 children who will benefit from the Best Start payment each year with the Best Start payment providing additional support for families in those critical first three years of their child's life. We've also increased the accommodation supplement extended paid parental leave and introduced a new winter energy payment to provide extra weekly support for parents and grandparents in winter.The Child Poverty Reduction Bill is relevant across all Government agencies. All of us have a role to play. The Families Package measures that I've outlined include things that the Ministry of Social Development have been integral to implementing in the last year but it doesn't start and end there. There is also other work under way to create a better fairer welfare system. Upholding and uplifting the well-being of children has been one of the key drivers behind this Government's decision to overhaul the welfare system and I acknowledge the Greens for ensuring that was part of our confidence and supply agreement. We've already started making positive changes on the front line to make sure people have positive interactions with Work and Income feel that the environment is friendly welcoming and offers privacy are provided with all the support they are eligible for and are able to access financial support as early as possible.I think surely we can all agree that if people are treated respectfully and provided with the supports and opportunities that are meaningful to them the likelihood of success and positive outcomes increases. That has to be critical to the well-being of our children. While as a Government we are already taking so many steps to make New Zealand the best place to be a child we all know there is more to do. This bill will help drive the work we do in the future and will create enduring and sustainable change that lasts for decades to come. This is an achievement we can all be proud of and I am pleased to be able to be here today to see this monumental piece of legislation passed through this House. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker.