As Queen of New Zealand, the Queen has always taken a strong personal interest in our nation. She has visited here 10 times between 1953 and 2002. She's also attended many events in the United Kingdom celebrating and commemorating New Zealand and the wider Commonwealth. I have had the honour to meet her both in person and virtually, and I know that she has a deep knowledge of Aotearoa New Zealand and cares sincerely for the wellbeing of our nation. In more recent times when travel has been limited, the Queen has reached out to us here in New Zealand on at least two occasions in the midst of the pandemic. Her motivation was no more than to ask how everyone in New Zealand was doing. Her care and clear affection for Aotearoa and its people has been obvious in every conversation I've had the pleasure of having with her.