BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to speak to the inquiry into New Zealand's aid to the Pacific, which is reported back by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. The report from the committee highlights a few areas where we must do better in aid to the Pacific for the resilience of our neighbours in the Pacific and for those of us here in New Zealand. We must ask the question: what is the purpose of our aid programme? ACT believes it is to build alliances, to strengthen our position in the world, and to protect the freedoms we enjoy. It is also to improve the lives of those less fortunate than us.