Lee DeniseDENISE LEE (National—Maungakiekie): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. It's an absolute pleasure and privilege to speak on the KiwiSaver (Foster Parents Opting in for Children in their Care) Amendment Bill in the name of my colleague Hamish Walker who sits beside me. It's a real pleasure for many of us in the class of class of 2017" new MPs to have members' bills drawn. I was one and now Hamish—congratulations Hamish.As parents—and I'm one of them—you can barely get your kids to think about school let alone their future. We could sit here and imagine kids owning their own home having retirement savings and imagine that also for kids in State care. That's quite a picture and that's quite something that we should aspire to and can aspire to. So what this bill does is project into the future aspiration and future thinking for kids who truly and very much understandably need some support.I had a quick refresh of Hansard because this is a debate that was interrupted and I read Hansard from when Minister Stuart Nash first spoke. He was the first speaker from the Government side on this bill and I really was confused on where he stood on this bill because he said in all sorts of places "We support the bill but"—there were many "buts". And he said that that Labour may be able to support KiwiSavers being open with a zero balance but then asked why kids can't just wait until they're 18 and working. That's a confusing statement. He said that it shouldn't just be about these vulnerable kids; it should be about all vulnerable children. Well actually we're just talking about foster kids kids in State care. It's OK for us to just talk about this particular cohort of children. He also said that over nine years as an MP not enough foster parents have approached him on the topic. That's also a very confusing statement. Who cares how many people have approached him on the topic? This is the right thing to do and we should pursue this.When you talk to those that are in the sector they'll tell you the same patterns and the same themes for the children who are in State care. One is that they are deprived of options. The other is that they wanted to be treated the same—understandably—as other children. The other is that they would love more self-empowerment—for us to empower them to have the options that other kids have and that through a various range of circumstances they don't have. If they don't have a KiwiSaver this is something that we can do on their behalf—we can set up the legislation to get this on the road—and they can take it and build on it themselves.Speaking of building it is Hamish Walker's intention to ask the select committee—should this go through to select committee—for those who are approved foster parents to also have access to getting birth certificates and IRD numbers for foster children. Now if that should happen and if a select committee process should absorb that then that will of course mean that this is not just a move in and of itself. It can then open up an entire wider package of citizenship rights—a package of rights—and we know that VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai the advocacy group for this particular sector is asking for this. So let's see where we go with that.I'd like to in relation to VOYCE acknowledge someone who is very near and special and dear to my heart. Her name is Tracie Shipton. I started in my charitable trust a few years ago a few projects with Dingwall Trust. She's been the director there and has just very recently stood down and is pursuing a full-time position with VOYCE. Tracie Shipton was presented with a korowai and a pounamu the other day and just a few days later her husband of 40 years died. Tracie what you've done for the foster care community is nothing short of incredible. I'd also like to acknowledge Chris Kelly the first person I met at Dingwall Trust which is an incredible bunch of foster parents doing amazing work for kids in State care.Kids in State care don't have often visible identity. They're deprived of options. The principle of this bill is fantastic and we should be supporting this—all of us—wholeheartedly through to its next stage. Every foster child in New Zealand—it could be up to 6000 of these particular children—deserves the same rights to access KiwiSaver as any other. Thank you."