Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): [Uses New Zealand Sign Language] Thank you, Mr Speaker—in acknowledgment of New Zealand Sign Language this week. Yes, in particular our announcement today for pay parity for early learning teachers. The Minister announced today that Budget 2021 will see funding of $170 million over four years to help deliver pay parity. This builds on the $151.1 million provided for improving teacher pay in Budget 2020. This will see certified teachers on the lowest pay in early education and care services take another large step towards pay parity with their equivalent in kindergartens. These changes will address difficulties with recruitment and, we hope, reduce turnover in education and care services, enabling teachers to provide the consistent and secure relationships children need. This is an important part of our economic recovery plan, further shows our commitment to addressing inequality by delivering salary increases to lower-paid workers and supporting pay parity while carefully managing our way through the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the books, and on our people.