Hamilton RyanRYAN HAMILTON (National—Hamilton East): Thank you Mr Speaker. I was recently driving down the Waikato Expressway at 110 kilometres per hour on cruise control listening to the uplifting harmonies of Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. The sun was coming in through the window and it was gently warming my face balancing the cool air conditioning on my arms. Blue skies stretched to the horizon and I thought "How great is this?" as I pondered my upcoming maiden speech. But the road is so smooth so efficient—frankly so delightful—that I got to my destination before I could even complete my contemplations. So bear with me as I continue on.Congratulations Mr Speaker on your role and your position—certainly very well deserved—and I look forward to your guidance and counsel in this special place based on your vast experience. E ngā mana e ngā reo rau rangatira mā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa—to the authorities to the language esteemed ones to you all greetings greetings greetings. Kia whakahōnoretia te kīngi Māori Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu—let the Māori King be honoured Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII. Kia tau iho ngā manaakitanga ki runga ki a rāua ko tana makau ariki me te kāhui ariki nui tonu—may his wife and the royal family also be blessed. May our Commonwealth King and royal family also be blessed.I would also like to acknowledge our new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon for your new role and your leadership of both our party over the last two years but also your leadership through the campaign and a work ethic which was tireless. You give personification to the relentless pursuit of excellence. May you your wife Amanda and your family also be blessed.I also acknowledge our party president Sylvia Wood and the board and their commitment to the party and the wellbeing of New Zealand; and our party leadership particularly Nicola Willis Chris Bishop and the role Jo de Joux has played.To the coalition and the leadership of Winston Peters and David Seymour thank you for your integrity and unity to work together cohesively. I look forward to working with you and your MPs as we unite under a broader korowai of mutual values and aspiration for our country.To my brother the dark knight of Hamilton West that super Māori fella now the Hon Tama Potaka I wish you every success in your portfolios and the wero and challenge of reconciling and uniting the National Party values with Māori and iwi aspirations. If anyone can do it you can and know that I am here to support you also. Kia kaha kia māia kia manawanui.Salaam alaikum kamusta namaste dajia hao kia orana talofa lava mālō e lelei ni sa bula vinaka—just a few of the greetings of the over 160 ethnicities that make up Hamilton East one of New Zealand's fastest-growing electorates. I would firstly like to thank the people of Hamilton East the 17950 people who entrusted me with their vote and to those who didn't know that I am still here for you also. My aim is to be an MP that you will get to know and that is accessible hard-working and advocates relentlessly for our awesome patch of New Zealand. I acknowledge my predecessor David Bennett who held the seat for the longest in history and has set the door-knocking bar impossibly high.To all party members and volunteers thank you for your tireless support but in particular the executive—Sarkaw Randhawa and her husband Jay; Ron Williams; Ian Black; Anne Aitken; Bernard Powell; and to Ella Sun Q Barb Joshua Marilyn Jan Antoinette Veronica Nathan Liam Jim Tony and to everyone else—and of course New Zealand's fastest-growing digital billboard company Globox. Thank you. Our work is just getting started but I could not have done this without you.Hamilton East is home to the world famous Hamilton Gardens a 54-hectare public garden that was once a rubbish dump but now has 23 international gardens 1.2 million visitors a year and is in the top 1 percent of Tripadvisor's international travel experiences in the world. Or Tainui Group Holdings: one of the real success stories of the Jim Bolger Treaty settlement in 1995 is the Ruakura Inland Port a project of national significance—a 490-hectare development of logistics industrial commercial and future residential. Long-term projections forecast this site to remove 65000 long-haul truck journeys off the road—with an associated 66 percent reduction in carbon emissions for each container movement—for international companies like Maersk and of course New Zealand's distribution hub for Kmart—which moved out of Auckland just to comment on that—and New Zealand's own Waitomo Group.The University of Waikato's Artificial Intelligence Institute has created some of the world's most popular open-source tools for machine learning and imagine if we can housing New Zealand's long overdue and first graduate medical school.Only last week I had the privilege of attending the opening of New Zealand's first accessible and inclusive playground in Claudelands which removes all barriers for those with physical and neurological disabilities by the Magical Bridge Trust.BCD Fosters Stark Property Momentum and more—our city is transforming. If anyone wants to visit the new Made Market which is a food market with glorious river views I'll shout the coffee and depending on the time of day the wine.Hamilton the city of the future the Goldilocks of New Zealand in the wider mighty Waikato region is an integral part of the golden triangle and a city and region to watch. Hamilton is keen to see a sensible return to law and order where people are made accountable for stealing and damaging property that is not theirs. Business owners and shop keepers have had enough. Residents are keen to feel safe again in their own communities and indeed this is one of our party values and part of our policy plan to deliver on which we desperately need not electronic bail with very little accountability or resource to support. Equally supporting prisoners on remand with their rehabilitation they need straight away is a proactive measure which will no doubt help those that are prepared to choose a different path.New Zealand has had a short-term view on infrastructure—roading that has been built just in time too little too late or simply not at all. I am so pleased we are proposing a national infrastructure agency that will have a long-term and evidence-based approach to what investments we need to make to take New Zealand forward to support productivity livability and employment not driven by ideology with unintended consequences and unmanaged financial waste. As to the interrupted and long overdue Southern Links connections Hamilton says "Thank you yes please and about time." Tama and I say "Chur." Waters infrastructure and other essentials that address our estimated $200 billion infrastructure deficit will now start to be pragmatically addressed under this National-led coalition Government. We are moving on from the binary rates and development contribution models that have stymied our ability to unlock growth faster and we will now enable special purpose vehicles infrastructure funding and financing tools tolls overseas investment where appropriate and value-capture models which can be appropriately deployed on a case by case basis.City deals present a unique opportunity to additionally add to this mix of tools with the proviso that local government and regional councils can align and articulate a shared value proposition and investment strategy that unlocks growth for employment and housing opportunities. I will work hard for Hamilton East and indeed our region to foster and advocate for these types of opportunities utilising my local government expertise and relationships for maximum yield.I believe we are well positioned with the fantastic groundwork of Future Proof Waikato Housing Initiative our economic development agency Te Waka with Hamish and Fiona and a vocal and vociferous chamber of commerce led by Don Good.Born to Kiwi parents in Canada in 1979 with my brother and two sisters I came to New Zealand at the tender age of eight with a very cute accent. I've attended Frankton School Southwell School—and acknowledge my mate Ben who is here today; friends since standard 4 1990—one year at Hamilton Boys' High School where the legendary Susan Hassall was my English teacher and then four glorious years at Fraser High School where I had the privilege of becoming head boy.I have chaired Te Whare Korowai Hamilton Christian Nightshelter and turned a non-existent business with a $2000 start-up loan from my dad into a million-dollar enterprise. Shout-out to the good buggers at Grime Off in Hamilton and Tauranga improving your place in the world. To all the small-business owners out there I am one too. I can relate. You are the backbone of the New Zealand economy. Help is coming. If employers are doing well then employees have the opportunity to thrive also. We can't penalise one and not expect it to impact on the other.More recently as a Hamilton city councillor I understand the challenges of local government and I have seen how central government has disrespected local government for the last six years with disingenuous engagement and how we must do it differently and work together to achieve good and sustainable outcomes.My father Dr Graeme Hamilton—born to a Kiwi mum and Irish father; his mum my nana living to 100 years old and only passing three years ago—a civil engineer from Ōtāhuhu he was in the same class as David Lange although they shared different views had an extensive overseas career and business journey. He taught me the value of community having spent decades as part of Rotary groups all over New Zealand and the world but would also extend his hand in greeting people and would pull over to the side of the road if someone had car trouble. Look someone in the eye when you shake their hand and give them a firm handshake he taught me. I know he struggled to put me through private school which I had the privilege of going to for three years. I hope the investment has paid off dad.To my mum who passed in June this year but got to see me win my nomination—I know she was very proud. She was a staunch National Party supporter and community advocate and like me an ex-Hamilton city councillor. She had a key hand in ensuring the internationally acclaimed Balloons Over Waikato remained by pursuing sponsors when things were drying up. As a Hamilton librarian in the late 1980s and early 1990s she started up a local reading programme sponsored by Hamilton's first McDonald's franchisee Brian Old in several low-decile primary schools. I shared in her eulogy how she would be proud of our party's policy of one hour of reading writing and maths in the school curriculum. Former Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe was the celebrant at the funeral and although he has officiated many funerals over the years for people with strong political connections he said he'd never before seen a policy announcement woven into a eulogy. I know she would have approved.To my children here today: Anika-Skye Beckam my future son-in-law Jordi and Diesel. Thanks for your support. Know that I am very proud of you all.My sister Ashley—been a big year. Thanks for being here also.To my parents-in-law—as far as in-laws go they don't come any better.To my wife Marie who has stood unwaveringly beside me for 23 years and this being my 10th political campaign counting local government and local board campaigns—by the way my success rate is improving. Thank you. I am truly blessed by your love and support even when politics was the last thing you wanted to be involved with.We all want a better brighter future one where our children and tamariki are loved and cared for and can develop their full potential. I believe in less government personal choice and responsibility—a Government that sets up the right macro policy settings that enables success and then gets out of the way. Of course success means different things to different people.Please don't misunderstand me. For those that can't fend for themselves we absolutely need to provide the resources and supports to help them—assist them for as long as it takes. And we have a sacred duty to look after our most vulnerable and those that fall on hard times. But to those of us that can we should; we must. What's wrong is always available but so is what's right.Ultimately though it still requires the individual to foster hope for a brighter future—a desire even a mustard seed of faith ambition and desire for more or better—and they must be the ones that pursue it. They must push ahead. They must choose a different path. And I know some people don't start at the start line and I know some people aren't born with the same opportunity. But if they have that desire the coaches the mentors the community leaders and the aunties and the uncles the business community will emerge. If that person regardless of their background holds on to that hope within their soul I do believe they can and will find a better way. A way forward. Because this is still a beautiful country with endless opportunity and support structures. To that end with my ability resources and positions I commit myself in service to helping those individuals rise. Because when one individual rises up and breaks through it gives those around them permission and courage to do the same. Thank you.SPEAKER: The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 12 December 2023. Debate interrupted.The House adjourned at 6.01 p.m."