Roberts AngelaANGELA ROBERTS (Labour): Kia ora Mr Speaker. It is a great pleasure today to rise and reflect on the wonderful things that this Government has done for workers and their employers. I took a few moments over Labour Day to reflect on the significant work this Government has done and will continue to do to improve working conditions and pay for workers across the country and indeed across the world. I'd like to take a few moments to reflect on the very real impact that it is having on my community. This Labour Day was one that I know my father-in-law would have been proud of; he was a strong unionist. We will not feel embarrassed about having connections with workers and doing what we need to do to support workers and support the work that workers do to support workers. So I'm really clear—we are very clear on this side of the House—the most important resource in our society and our economy is our people. We have to ensure we invest in them not consider them a waste of money—invest in them through fair pay and conditions and training and development. This Government has done that and we will continue to do so and do it proudly. Despite the global pandemic and uncertainty we have continued to fight because workers deserve us to do that. Employers workers and their families have been provided with greater opportunities because of the work of this Government.So I just want to start at the beginning—shall I?—with our babies. Paid parental leave has increased by $40 a week all right? And we've made improvements to family tax credits: the Best Start payment that provides an extra $65 a week. Giving just a little bit more breathing space for families means that they're more able to do their best when they're trying to get our little ones off to the best start in life. Our young people: free period products and school lunches. It's solid; it works. We know every time we go into a school and we talk to the students and we talk to their teachers the very real impact it is having on their lives. Our workers: the minimum wage has increased to $21.20 an hour. We've worked hard to bring about legislation to protect our most vulnerable workers. We've stepped up to support industries to provide better conditions for our Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme workers. We're working to end modern slavery both domestic and international supply chains—the introduction of the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill. We passed the Screen Industry Workers Bill. And of course there are other bills that we won't mention that we will continue to progress quite possibly today. It's 50 years since the passing of the Equal Pay Act and the amendment that was made in 2020 meant that we have finished six equal pay settlements and we've got 19 more in progress. There is still more to be done and we will continue to fight for that.Lastly I want to talk about our future. Significantly we have supported employers and their workers to invest in their workers. This is about lifting productivity. We don't lift productivity by cutting wages and cutting conditions. We lift productivity by investing in our workers and our young people by lifting their mana and making sure they know they are valued and what they contribute to their workplace for their employers and to our society. I've been with young people. We've heard about the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Mana in Mahi the Apprenticeship Boost. I have been with young people when they've been given their pair of work boots and some tools. It isn't just about health and safety and having the stuff you need to do your job; these kids look you in the eye their chins are lifted up and they know that they are valued. They know that they are going to be supported to become productive members of our society and our economy. That's what lifts productivity.But wait there's more. Discover Waitomo have been able to take advantage of programmes like Jobs for Nature and that has meant that they're better connected with their whenua and they are ready for the tourism reset. I could go on. Shout-out to all of the workers and the unions in the House. I'm going to finish there because you are the highlight of our day and it's great to see you here.