SIMON WATTS (National—North Shore): Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to the Minister for being here today to answer some questions in regards to local government. I want to start, firstly, by following on from the MP from Nelson, Rachel Boyack, to acknowledge the good work that local government have undertaken in Nelson, in Marlborough, and also in Tasman in regards to the response to the flooding and the natural disasters that have occurred there and, obviously, the broader team in regards to local government executive, but also civil defence and other first responders within those communities. I also acknowledge those in Northland and also in Taranaki who have also faced similar aspects. That really personifies, I think, the importance of our local communities and our local government in our country, and only those based locally can respond in the way in which we've seen in the past week to deal with local issues, and the importance of us making sure that we maintain and strengthen that is so very important.