Sepuloni CarmelHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Deputy Prime Minister): It's my pleasure to take a call in what is the first general debate of the year. It is a pleasure to take a call and can I just acknowledge what a whirlwind start to the year we have had. I did not expect in January to be 2IC to the ginga boy from the Hutt in the leadership team for the Government. I have to start the speech by acknowledging our outgoing Prime Minister who today will give her valedictory in the House. I acknowledge her for her leadership during what have been very challenging times I acknowledge her for her friendship I acknowledge her for the kindness that she not only spoke about but that she demonstrated daily and I acknowledge her as a woman as a mother as a politician and as a parliamentarian. We wish Jacinda Ardern well for everything that she goes on to do and we take pride in the way that she has led our country and represented us on the international stage. It has been a tough start to the year. After getting sworn in two days later we were hit by floods in parts of the country including Auckland. What we did see from that was the very best of humanity on the ground with our community groups rallying together to help the families that had been impacted. We also saw the best of politicians. In the time during an event like that when New Zealanders have been affected where people come round—shared humanity—we aren't playing politics; we're there to support the communities that have been affected. However the politics obviously come later. We've also faced challenges because of the global events that are happening and the impacts that they are having on inflation across the world including in New Zealand and we recognise that many whānau were struggling with the cost of living challenges before that. Much of the rationale for why we're experiencing that is out of our hands but we've certainly done everything that we can to respond to the realities for families on the ground. On 1 April we were proud to announce what was put in place to support families: superannuitants are better off students are better off beneficiaries are better off the minimum wage was lifted again and also childcare assistance thresholds were changed so that more whānau could get access to childcare assistance subsidies and we know that that is one of the biggest in-work expenses that families have. Also I'm really proud of the fact that as of 1 April 8000 community nurses will get pay parity with the nurses that are in our hospitals and I'm acknowledging that many of those nurses are Māori and Pacific nurses who choose to work for Māori and Pacific community providers. Many of them have been working in our rest homes and in our hospices. I'm proud to be part of a Government that has finally rectified—fixed—that situation and ensured fairness for those 8000 nurses. Much of what we have recently done builds on what we had already done. We often get criticised by the other side of the House with regard to the measures that we've put in place over the last five years. Many of those measures were not supported by the other side of the House and yet how would we as a country have responded and how would our families and communities have been served if we hadn't done things like invest in our welfare system like lift benefits like continually increase the minimum wage like invest in Working for Families and Best Start and like introduce the winter energy payment? How would our families have been served during these difficult times if our Government—our responsible Government—hadn't already done those things? It's very rich to listen to the other side of the House talk about the cost of living and the realities for families on the ground when they never supported any of the policies that are actually propping up New Zealanders at this very time. They are still putting out their messages on tax cuts and still opposing the things that really matter and that make an impact on the lives of New Zealand families. We never shy away from the fact that there is more to do. But we are very proud of our track record and very very excited about continuing that work.