Key John: Election of Speaker 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Key John: Election of Speaker 
[Sitting date: 31 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7681. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Mr Speaker-Elect can I be the very first in Parliament to congratulate you on your successful election and to wish you the very best for your time as Speaker of this Parliament. 
Members of this Parliament know you well but some members of the public may not know you so well so for the purposes of that I thought it would be useful to summarise David’s achievements so far before taking up the role as Speaker-Elect soon to be Speaker of this Parliament. He was of course elected to Parliament in 1994 as the MP for Selwyn. In the 1996 general election he won the Banks Peninsula electorate before becoming a list member based in Canterbury in 1999. David was elected junior Government whip in 1996 before being promoted to be a Minister outside Cabinet in 1998. He returned to the Opposition benches as spokesman on finance housing and tourism from 1999. Following the 2008 general election David’s ministerial responsibilities included Minister of Agriculture Minister for Biosecurity and of course Minister of Forestry. David was appointed Minister for Primary Industries incorporating agriculture biosecurity forestry fisheries and aquaculture following the 2011 general election and Minister of Local Government in early 2012. 
As he himself mentioned he is a former student of St Bede’s and this Parliament today has four other members who went to St Bede’s: Peter Dunne Clayton Cosgrove Gerry Brownlee and Damien O’Connor. I say to those members congratulations on your world-class education and commiserations for not going to Burnside High School. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: The rugby wasn’t good enough. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No the rugby possibly was not good enough but I understand that it has improved since I left. In terms of further education David went to Lincoln University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree. He had a varied career in farming and business before coming to Parliament. He established New Zealand’s first commercial cattle embryo transplant company so he shares a great interest with the former Speaker of course who also has a strong interest in agriculture. In David’s spare time he farms beef and sheep properties on Banks Peninsula and in Cheviot in North Canterbury. David is married to Heather and they have four children all of whom are in Parliament today to witness David’s election and we welcome them here today. 
Mr Speaker-Elect I congratulate you on behalf of the Government on your election as Speaker of the House. You come to this role with 18 years of experience as a member of this House including as a Minister a member of the Opposition and of course a Government whip. You bring to the House your wisdom of your time both in Parliament and prior to that. In my experience you are someone who is extremely fair someone who is thoughtful and someone who has a real passion for the parliamentary process. In my time as Prime Minister I have seen you work with both officials and other Ministers to try to achieve good balanced and sensible outcomes for New Zealand. You have had the guiding hand in the largest industries in New Zealand in terms of agriculture. I have found your counsel always to be sensible and wise. I was delighted when you indicated that you would accept the nomination as Speaker and I am equally delighted that you have been elected today. 
Like you can I take a moment to reflect on the great contribution of the now former Speaker Lockwood Smith. Lockwood is someone who has been in this Parliament for 29 years. He came to the Speaker’s role somewhat out of surprise when I rang him and indicated to him that I thought it would be a great opportunity but he came to this Parliament and demonstrated his enormous intellect and his great passion for the parliamentary process and the role that it plays in New Zealand’s democracy. He brought to this Parliament I think some real standards and some expectations. We on the Government side did not agree with every decision that he made and I am sure Opposition parties did not either but what he attempted to do and was successful in doing was to ensure that this Parliament was perceived by other New Zealanders who watch this occasion—shall we use that word—that they could see that there was a great deal of importance about what was going on in this Chamber. He will be sorely missed as our Speaker although he will take up his role of course as High Commissioner in London. I wish him the very best for that. 
Finally let me say that those who have not had an opportunity to read John Armstrong’s column this morning in the  
New Zealand Herald  
would be well served in doing so. I think he points out not only the great contribution that Lockwood Smith has made but also the great confidence that he has in you Mr Speaker-Elect to do a wonderful job in the years ahead.