Seymour David; Mallard TrevorDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT in support of Parliament's adjourning for the year. In doing so I wish to thank all those parliamentary staff: the cleaners the people in Buildings who have been so accommodating to ACT's growing whānau that Grant Robertson mentioned to those in the Library and security the messengers clerks the House Office those in Bellamy's Coppers and even 3.2—not that I'd know. I'd like to thank my staff in the Epsom electorate who have done such a good job in helping my neighbours with Government-related problems and the staff that we have supporting our new ACT caucus here in Wellington for your fantastic work.I'd like to thank the press gallery. I think the role of a fourth estate particularly with such tumultuous times this year has been important. Now I think there's been varied performance at doing that but I'd particularly like to point out the work of Michael Morrah from Newshub and Matt Shand from Stuff. I think those guys have done really really good work—and I should add Guyon Espiner to that as well.I'd like to thank in the case of the parliamentary staff the hard-working taxpayers who pay for all of this. I'd like to thank those in particular ACT voters—over 200000 up and down New Zealand—who have chosen to ask ACT MPs to represent them in this House. This new ACT caucus will be speaking strongly over the next three years for free speech for a better standard of lawmaking to raise our productivity to stand up for the basic rights and freedoms of New Zealanders and the belief that we can do better and demand better public policy from our institutions to not only hold the Government accountable for what are some glaring failings but also to propose that better way forward.We should acknowledge the year that our country has been through and in particular all of those New Zealanders—the nurses the medics the caregivers who have been there working double shifts those supermarket workers—who went the extra mile and showed the amount of I guess social capital and community that our great country has to pull together and do the right thing in difficult times. That is what has made it so seemingly easy for New Zealand to come through this crisis as well as it did.To my new ACT caucus I heard the Minister of Finance say that they had chips on their shoulder and I thought That's rather brave of Grant Robertson to mention chips; I wonder where all his went." But I can tell him that we have the most extraordinary caucus of talented individuals coming to New Zealand to stand for the values of ACT for individual freedom and for personal responsibility in this Parliament under the ACT banner.I should also acknowledge a for me momentous event—and I believe a momentous event for New Zealand. That was the confirmation by a margin of nearly two to one of the End of Life Choice Act. Now I was humbled and proud to have my name on that particular piece of legislation but the reality is that it was a team effort by a range of people not least of all my then staffer now deputy leader and MP Brooke van Velden; by the group of members of Parliament; by Lecretia Seales; by her legal team; by Yes For Compassion; by the End-of-Life Choice Society; and ultimately by 1.9 million New Zealanders who voted to ratify the End of Life Choice Act so that we live in a country where in years to come thousands of New Zealanders rather than suffering excruciating pain near the end of their life will have choice and dignity and control under the rule of law. I think that is a tremendous achievement for our country and one with which I am very proud to be associated.In contrast Mr Speaker you may recall that this time last year I addressed you and said that while you have enormous power and privilege in that seat one thing you can't control is the way that people will judge your character for the choices you make and the way you behave while there. I'm afraid to say that in my view the choices you've made over the last 24 hours have diminished that character further than even I could have imagined. The simple answer is: if you feel unable to explain those events to the House then maybe you should not take the position or maybe your colleagues on the other side of the House should take it from you.But so much for you. Merry Christmas New Zealand—SPEAKER: Order! The member's time has expired in more ways than one."