Seymour DavidDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party in support of the Births Deaths Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill. This is a piece of legislation whose original genesis might have been described charitably as pedestrian. Rearranging some of the administrative provisions in law for the registration of births deaths marriages and relationships may not have been the kind of political projects that brought the original Minister to the House and made them want to pursue a political career. Needless to say as people who have followed this issue will be aware at select committee stage it entered into political controversy that is best located in a long tradition of New Zealanders moving toward the light of liberty a tradition that has seen New Zealanders over time gradually gain additional freedoms and additional equality between different New Zealanders. It's a very proud history although it has often been a fraught one.Perhaps New Zealand's greatest political achievement votes for every adult New Zealander—the first truly world-leading political achievement of our country—was none the less controversial in its time difficult as that may now be to imagine. As we have gone on equality in terms of sexuality in this House the civil unions and then marriage equality and dare I say it the End of Life Choice Act have each increased the freedom of New Zealanders to live as they wish to live to be who they want to be and to have autonomy over their body. It is a very proud tradition but in each case there have also been people that have objected for a range of reasons—some valid; some not. So has been the case with this piece of legislation.It is clear that there are many New Zealanders who feel that their identity at birth does not represent their true identity and the way they feel about that may change over time. I think it's important and I think it's important to put on record for people who doubt that that those feelings are sincere and genuine and are supported actually by considerable objective evidence too. None the less it is important that we also listen to a variety of voices. This is where I would like to commend the Minister for not only the policy changes that she's proposed in this Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) but the procedural dexterity that she has shown in being prepared to send the bill back to select committee to hear more voices and give it further consideration.I hesitate but I can't help myself from comparing that to some of the instances of legislation that has been rushed through the House in this and the previous term of Parliament by this Government. But the Minister responsible for this bill Jan Tinetti has chosen to do the opposite. She's chosen to send the bill after a long period of consideration having previously been to a select committee back to select committee again with a considerable number of changes proposed. Most critical among them takes into account some of the objections that have been raised and acknowledges that there will be times when for some legal purposes by some entities the sex identity that was given at birth may still be relevant to some people for some purposes and I think that the Minister has artfully allowed for that possibility in the way that that SOP is drafted. That I think is not only good lawmaking it's actually good citizenry to promote a process that allows all voices to be heard and all considerations to be made in what has been a sensitive issue for people on both sides of a debate.The ACT Party looks forward to the bill being considered in select committee. We look forward to this legislation progressing to achieve the many noble—if pedestrian and perhaps perfunctory—tasks that it was originally launched to do but also to resolve what has been one of the more controversial issues in New Zealand politics. That is the kind of progress that New Zealand has always managed to make in the end. It's one of the things that makes me proud to be a New Zealander to live in a country where through civil conversation we ultimately resolve issues and manage to live together in relative harmony. With that I commend the bill to this House on its second reading. I look forward to the select committee process and a further committee of the whole House process where we'll be able to truly say that this piece of legislation has been given the full complement of consideration that a piece of legislation can have from our democratic process and that we will be a better and stronger country for it a more compassionate and inclusive society for it and that is lawmaking at its best. I commend the Minister in particular and this bill to the House at its second reading. Thank you Madam Speaker.