Williams PotoHon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector): Thank you Mr Speaker. Firstly can I say it's been about 18 months since I've been able to make a speech in this House and I'm potentially a little rusty so I call on your indulgence. SPEAKER: Well the member better not read her speech. Hon POTO WILLIAMS: No no—that's one ruling that I do recall from my time as Assistant Speaker. But I do want to say one thing before I get started on the substantive part of my speech and that is that in 18 months as an Assistant Speaker I've heard many speeches across the House and there's one thing I've been dying to say for the last 18 months to the members of the Opposition: cheer up. I've been sitting in the chair listening to the angst and the drama and the chaos that is going on in the National Party at the moment and I really just want to send you my sympathy please. We know what it's like we have been there but we came through it and we came through it stronger and better than we have ever been before.I must acknowledge our Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and thank her wholeheartedly for the honour and privilege she's placed on my shoulders. I'm absolutely honoured to take a role in her ministerial team. I'm absolutely honoured to be the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector because I know that in my role I can contribute to the wellbeing agenda that she has set out the priorities she has to ensure that our community is strong and vital and engaged and will thrive. But I am not here to eat my lunch—I am here sometimes to eat my lunch but that's not all I'm here to do. I'm here to work and I'm here to work hard. I'm here to make sure that the programme that was laid out by the Hon Peeni Henare in this portfolio is not only lived up to but that we can build on that success to create thriving communities because there was a failure with the National Government when they held this portfolio. That was a failure to review the changes from the Charities Commission when it changed on 31 May 2012 to become part of the Department of Internal Affairs as Charities Services. Now I'm not saying that in that time there haven't been great things that have happened in the charity space but there was one thing that this Opposition when in Government failed to do and that was the promised review after five years of the Charities Services. They failed to review their programme and why is that important? Because the act of charity in this country is a vital integral part of how we live our everyday lives. The sports teams the surf clubs the rugby teams the churches all rely on volunteers and they all rely on organisations that can be part of charity services—27000 organisations are charity services 114000 organisations that deliver support and care to the people of New Zealand. It is part of this programme that was started by the Hon Peeni Henare to modernise charities legislation to create the framework from which we can support a thriving social enterprise sector because that is actually the future of delivering charitable services in this country and creating and influencing communities so that they can lead their own development. The 16 projects that are currently under way will show us how communities can actually drive positive outcomes for themselves. But most important why I'm really proud to take this role is that I understand that we need to do more to recognise and support the value of volunteering in this country. Volunteering is an interesting word in itself and it doesn't cover the depth and breadth of support that people give to their communities every single day. I want to acknowledge what happens in the Māori space in the Pasifika space in the faith-based space in the sports arenas those mums and dads those young people who just get out every day and want to do something for their community. It's an absolute honour and privilege as I say to be a newly minted Minister to hold this portfolio. I am grateful and I thank the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. Thank you Mr Speaker.