 As members have said, the genesis of this bill is with New Zealand First. It was a 2017 manifesto item. The then member Mark Patterson sponsored the bill—the first reading was on 1 July—and he stated, "It is a great honour to have the opportunity to bring this longstanding New Zealand First policy to the House. In its construct, it is a very simple and narrow bill, but it is a significant one. It seeks to increase the period of residency required to qualify for New Zealand superannuation from 10 years to 20 years between the ages of 20 and 65. At its heart, this bill is about fairness, fairness to New Zealanders who have worked and paid taxes here." The member continued, "It is interesting to note that the current 10-year threshold came into law in 1938, when life expectancy for men was 65 and for women 68. This bill is long overdue." 