Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Scientists have been at the coalface of the immediate COVID-19 response, and their critical capability will need to be maintained as more research is undertaken into the virus itself and as global efforts coalesce in the hunt for a vaccine. These investments will support the production of high-value products, knowledge-intensive high-paying jobs, and help New Zealand make a strong recovery from COVID-19. It will provide certainty to our entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers that this Government backs them and their work, and we will not repeat the mistakes of the past, particularly following the global financial crisis, by cutting funding to the sciences in response to an economic downturn.