I've listened to a lot of the speakers on the other side of the House this evening talking about how important those first thousand days are, but they seem to only be important to those parents who are on a benefit. I think that both the aims are equally important—the issue of parity and equity. An expectant new mum or parent on maternity leave from employment has to return to the workforce often after a year's leave, but this bill differentiates the expectations of a new parent on a benefit. The last thing that I want to see in New Zealand is mothers, particularly of young children, being pitted against each other, risking festering resentments about each other, and this signals a differentiation that we shouldn't underestimate in terms of what it means for either parties. 