Like everyone who works in this place, I came here to work for change and to build a better future for the generations that follow us. I never would have thought that I would stand here today and say that the best way to make that happen is to temporarily suspend politics as usual. But it is—it is the right thing to do for the health and the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. The step that we have taken today, though extraordinary, is in keeping with what New Zealanders sent us here to do: to protect their wellbeing, to keep them safe, and to provide support for those who need it the most.