VANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour): Thank you, Madam Speaker. A couple of months ago, the president of the UN General Assembly opened the annual general debate reflecting on the darkest days of the pandemic. He spoke of when cities were shuttered and vaccines still a dream, and how the world's people came together as never before. These have been entirely unprecedented times, and here in New Zealand, we have come together. While our COVID response has its foundations in law—the Act, and soon the amendments—what we've achieved is something New Zealanders have done together, demonstrating the strength of our social contract. These are unusual powers being legislated for in unusual times, and they are entirely in sync with the duty of a responsible Government to weave into legislation time-bound laws of exception, to address unprecedented circumstances.