Motions — Typhoon—Philippines

I seek leave to move a motion without notice in relation to the typhoon in the Philippines.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being taken? There is none.

I move, That the House express its support for the people and Government of the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. We express our solidarity with those waiting for news about friends and family, and our condolences to those who have lost loved ones. Over the weekend one of the biggest storms yet recorded hit the Philippines. It caused major damage and affected nearly 10 million people. The scale of the disaster is staggering, and a full picture of the destruction and the loss of life is still emerging. The images we are seeing out of the affected areas are deeply harrowing, and I know that all New Zealanders will be moved by them. The anguish within our large Filipino community reminds us of how closely this disaster is felt here at home. At this stage we know that more than half a million people have been displaced, the death toll is significant and rising, and many people are desperately waiting for news about their loved ones.

Following the Christchurch earthquakes, many New Zealanders were confronted with these same emotions, and we know firsthand how difficult the response to, and recovery from, a major natural disaster can be. What we also learnt from Christchurch is that no country has to face this alone. The international community always stands ready to help. Last night I called President Aquino to personally extend New Zealanders’ condolences and to assure him that we stand ready to assist in any way that we can.

Almost immediately after Typhoon Haiyan hit, we announced a contribution of $150,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help with the delivery of much-needed relief items. We have now announced a further assistance package totalling $2 million; $750,000 of this funding will be delivered via New Zealand non-governmental organisations, and the balance will be used to address priorities identified by the Philippines Government and the international humanitarian community. In addition, we will be helping to provide disaster management expertise. An official from the NZAID programme will be joining the specialist United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team. We have also deployed a senior consular adviser to supplement our embassy consular response to the typhoon. I have made clear our willingness and readiness to provide further assistance, if required.

Finally, I am due to visit the Philippines next week to lead a delegation focused on building business ties and furthering the already very strong relationship between our two countries. One of the areas in which we cooperate closely with the Philippines and other countries of the region is in disaster risk management. Typhoon Haiyan reminds us why this is an ever-relevant and ever-pressing shared challenge. I have spoken to the President and offered to postpone this visit on the grounds that the Philippines Government will be focusing on recovery efforts. We await its response. Again, on behalf of this House and of all New Zealanders, I extend our condolences to President Aquino and his people at this difficult time. We also pay tribute to the resilience of the Philippines people and of those working to respond to this cyclone.

In this awful time our hearts go out to the people of the Philippines and to their families here and overseas. We stand with the Government on this matter. We are horrified by the scale and devastation of Typhoon Haiyan and by the knowledge of the tragic and immense task ahead. We know from media reports that there are dire shortages of water, food, and medical supplies. We have heard about the cries of the injured, with some having to undergo surgery without anaesthetic; about women having to give birth without proper care; and about the dead awaiting burial days after the event. We have seen the vacant shock on the faces of those who still cannot possibly take in all that they have lost.

We commend the Government for committing $2 million in aid, in addition to the $150,000 initially committed to the Red Cross. Having just been out collecting for the Red Cross with my colleagues, I am personally heartened to see the great generosity and care once again shown by the people of New Zealand. There will be a need to do more in the time ahead, and we offer our support to the Government in any way that we can. We encourage any New Zealand - Filipino families, some of whom I have met today, to contact their loved ones through our Foreign Service, where appropriate. Once again, we offer our deepest condolences. This is a difficult time for them to be so far from home and their families, but please know that you have the aroha of all members of Parliament and all of our nation.

I rise on behalf of the Green Party to speak to this terrible event that has befallen the people of the Philippines. I think that the best way I can acknowledge those who have died and the suffering of those who are currently trying to find their way through the rubble in the Philippines is read out a statement by the Filipino people themselves. This is a statement by Yeb Sano, head of the Philippines delegation to the UN climate talks. He read this statement at the opening of the climate talks in Warsaw in the last few hours. His home has been devastated. Many of his family are missing.

These are his words: “It was barely 11 months ago in Doha when my delegation appealed to the world … to open our eyes to the stark reality that we face … as then we confronted a catastrophic storm that resulted in the costliest disaster in Philippine history. Less than a year [after], we [could not] imagine that a disaster much bigger would come. With a … cruel twist of fate, my country is being tested by this hellstorm called Super Typhoon Haiyan”, which has been described by experts as the strongest typhoon that has ever made landfall in the course of recorded human history. It was so strong that if there was a Category 6, it would have fallen squarely in that box. … we remain uncertain as to the full extent of the devastation, as information trickles in in an agonizingly slow manner because electricity lines and communication lines have been cut off … .

The initial assessment show that Haiyan left a wake of massive devastation that is unprecedented, unthinkable and horrific, affecting 2/3 of the Philippines, with about half a million people now rendered homeless, and with scenes reminiscent of the aftermath of a tsunami, with a vast wasteland of mud and debris and dead bodies.” He said: “Despite the massive efforts that my country had exerted in preparing for the onslaught of this monster of a storm, it was just … too powerful and even as a nation familiar with storms, … Haiyan was nothing we have ever experienced before, or perhaps nothing that any country has ever experienced before. The picture in the aftermath is ever slowly coming into focus. The devastation is colossal.”

I will continue with a quote from Yeb Sano, head of the Philippines delegation at the UN climate talks: “To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of your armchair. I dare you to go to the island of the Pacific, the islands of the Caribbean, and the islands of the Indian ocean and see the impacts of rising sea levels; to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas and the Andes to see communities confronting glacial floods, to the Arctic where communities grapple with the fast dwindling polar ice caps, to the large deltas of the Mekong, the Ganges, the Amazon, and the Nile where lives and livelihoods are drowned, to the hills of Central America that confronts similar monstrous hurricanes, to the vast savannas of Africa where climate change has likewise become a matter of life and death … Not to forget the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico … And if that is not enough, you may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now.

The science has given us a picture that has become much more in focus. The IPCC report on climate change and extreme events underscored the risks associated with changes in the patterns as well as frequency of extreme weather events. Science tells us that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up, that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm.” [Interruption] I am speaking quoting from the Philippines head of delegation who spoke of the typhoon in the last few hours and am quoting from that speech. “Typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action.” He said that the Warsaw conference “should muster the political will to address climate change” and raise ambition.

💬 Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. For all that there is a great deal of chatter, my colleague is entitled to speak on this motion, and I would like it to be heard in silence, because even sitting next to him I cannot hear what he is saying.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Can I just remind the House that this is a very serious motion we are debating. The member has a right to deliver his speech. It would be better if it was delivered without a political message, but the message is in the hands of Dr Russel Norman, for him to complete his speech.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am quoting from the Philippines head of delegation at the Warsaw climate conference. He says: “What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw.” He said that it was the 19th conference of the parties to annual meeting of the UN climate talks, but that “we might as well stop counting, because my country refuses to accept that a COP30 or a COP40 will be needed to solve climate change. And because it seems that despite the significant gains we have [made], 20 years hence we continue to fail in fulfilling the ultimate objective of the Convention. Now, we find ourselves in a situation where we have to ask ourselves—can we ever attain the objective set out in Article 2 which is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system?”.

He went on to say: “We find ourselves at a critical juncture and the situation is such that even the most ambitious emissions reductions by developed countries, who should have been taking the lead in combating climate change …, will not be enough to avert the crisis. It is now too late, too late to talk about the world being able to rely on [developed] countries to solve [it]. We have entered a new era that demands global solidarity in order to fight climate change.” He said that this is why means of implementing support for developing countries is so crucial. He went on to say: “We cannot sit and stay helpless staring at this international climate stalemate. It is now time to take action. We need an emergency climate pathway.”

This is Yeb Sano, head of the Philippines delegation. He says: “Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in my family’s hometown and the devastation is staggering. I struggle to find words even for the images that we see … I struggle to find words to describe how I feel about the losses and damages … [I] wait for word as to the fate of my very own relatives. What gives me renewed strength and great relief was when my brother succeeded in communicating with us that he has survived the onslaught. In the last two days, he has been gathering bodies of the dead with his own two hands. He is hungry and weary as food supplies find it difficult to arrive …”.

He said that he calls on the Warsaw conference “to pursue work until the most meaningful outcome is in sight…This process under the UNFCCC”—the climate change convention—“has been called many names. It has been called a farce. It has been called an annual carbon-intensive gathering of useless frequent flyers … But it has also been called the Project to save the planet. It has been called ‘saving tomorrow today’. We can fix this. We can stop this madness. Right now. Right here, in the middle [here]. I call on the [Polish president] to lead us … Can humanity rise to the occasion? I still believe we can.”

Those are the words of Yeb Sano, head of the Philippines delegation. Let us honour his words and the words of the Government of the Philippines and take action on climate change, as they are asking us to do.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First. New Zealand First members wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the people of the Philippines, who have been affected by the devastating storm that has struck their country. The scale of their loss is hard to comprehend. The estimated number of people who have died from the super typhoon is staggering. There are reports that around three-quarters of specific provinces have been destroyed. Although the extent of the full devastation may take days to assess, we all recognise that the Philippines is now faced with an enormous task of reconstruction and rebuilding.

It is right that, along with other members of the international community, New Zealand should aid the Philippines. Any practical assistance that New Zealand can give should be provided to help the disaster relief effort. New Zealand First supports the decision of the New Zealand Government to give additional support for humanitarian relief efforts in the Philippines, and we continue to pray for the people and their families.

On behalf of the ACT Party and the people of the Epsom electorate, I join with the Prime Minister in extending our condolences and heartfelt thoughts to President Aquino and the people of the Philippines at this significant tragedy and great loss. Also in our thoughts and prayers are the hard-working Filipino citizens and residents of New Zealand. They are good people with great values and are much appreciated in this country. Despite the safety of distance, many will have lost family and friends. The awesome power of nature is matched only by the magnitude of the numbers: 10,000 lives lost and counting, 10 million people displaced and homeless, tens of billions of dollars in property damage. It is indeed a very cruel twist of fate. Thankfully, Typhoon Haiyan has lost most of its force as it makes landfall in Viet Nam. At this time of trial and tribulation, it is right that our Prime Minister has extended the hand of friendship to the people of the Philippines. New Zealand, as a good global citizen and an Asia-Pacific neighbour, should and will do what she can.

💬 Brendan Horan: Mr Speaker.

On this occasion I will certainly take a contribution from Mr Horan. There are no rules. A motion without notice is by convention one that is for party leaders to comment on, but I am aware of the member’s interest in this issue.

I rise to support the Prime Minister’s motion of support and condolence to the people, our dear friends, of the Philippines. I also support any assistance that we can give as a country for those in the Philippines who continue to endure the consequences of this tragedy. The forces of nature can be terribly cruel, and at times of great human need like this, it is important that we demonstrate humanity and compassion and render whatever assistance we can give. To the people of the Philippines, kia kaha, arohanui.

Motion agreed to.