Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Statistics New Zealand today reported the number of employed people rose by 19,000 in the March quarter, while the number of unemployed was up by 5,000. The employment rate rose to 67.5 percent, while the unemployment rate also rose slightly from 4 to 4.2 percent, remaining near its lowest level in a decade. The fact that nearly 20,000 New Zealanders entered work in the first three months of this year shows the economy's underlying strength heading into the COVID-19 pandemic. Wages were also rising at an annual rate of 3.6 percent, with average ordinary-time hourly earnings up $33.14. All of these things reflect the position New Zealand was in before the worst of COVID-19. It was a strong position, and it will enable New Zealand to come through this crisis well.