COVID has demanded much of us. We've gone through lockdowns together and it has challenged us to become better people. As a nation, I think we've chosen to put our most vulnerable first. I love the people of Taieri who cared for our seniors when they could not leave their homes to shop for food. We sprinkled some magic into the lives of our children with small gestures like the teddy bear hunt endorsed by our Prime Minister. You would be hard pressed to find an electorate with more soft toys peering out their windows than Taieri, and many remain to this day. Not only do we have the most teddy bears, we also have the largest ones. Created from hay-bales by the tireless farmers who kept New Zealand fed during the lockdowns, those kaitiaki watch over State Highway 1 between Milton and Balclutha, and that says something about our big, generous, caring, southern hearts. So it is humbling to stand before this House as the elected member for such a hard-working, community-minded place. 