Young Jonathan: Maiden Statements 
Young Jonathan: Maiden Statements 
[Volume:651;Page:362] 
JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 Mr Speaker I congratulate you on your election to the position of Speaker and I know that you will serve this House in an excellent manner. Ladies and gentlemen fellow members of the House I have always been proud to be a New Zealander. I am now honoured humbled and privileged to speak in this House.  
I am very proud to be a member of the National Party. I was convinced some time ago that New Zealand would be extremely well served by the forward-thinking leadership of the Prime Minister the Hon John Key. I now find myself with this opportunity to serve under him in his Government. I count that as a great privilege. I would like to thank Judy Kirk the president of the National Party. She is a wonderful woman who leads with great skill insight and warmth. I thank Jo Stuart and Alastair Bell two of our regional chairs who have encouraged me in my journey to the House. I thank the great team in New Plymouth who wholeheartedly threw their support behind me. Special thanks go to Jan Mason and Orm Greensill my campaign co-chairs for their tremendous support and of course to all the campaign team and the many volunteers who literally did the hard yards. My thanks also go to John and Helen Armstrong who have been great personal supporters throughout the rigours of the campaign. My family has been a tremendous encouragement to me. Of course I would like to thank my wife Maura for her steadfast support her brilliant analysis of situations and her unrelenting belief in me.  
I am very proud and honoured to be the member of Parliament who represents the people of the New Plymouth electorate. This electorate which goes from Okato in the west to Waitara in the east and to the summit of Mount Taranaki is an amazingly beautiful part of New Zealand. The New Plymouth electorate is truly a jewel in the crown of New Zealand and its time has come. Only 2 months ago New Plymouth was voted New Zealand’s top city heading off Christchurch Wellington and Auckland as the best place in New Zealand in which to live love work and raise a family. I know that some of the members from those lesser cities want to rise to their feet right now but I understand that interjections are discouraged during maiden speeches. Added to that New Plymouth won three out of the five possible gold medals at the UN-endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities which were recently held in China.  
I bring this to members’ attention because it was not always the case. New Plymouth was described by author E W Payton in 1876 as the “dullest place in the colony … which all the other great bustling cities had a patronising way of snubbing”. As we wonder about those words we realise they underscore a story that all New Zealanders can be encouraged by. As a consequence of New Plymouth’s distance from those great bustling cities it bred a people who possessed what we would all see as a noble trait: self-reliance. With the earliest Maori settling in Taranaki around AD 800 the people of the region have always been resilient and resourceful. When describing the magnificence of New Plymouth and the area Mayor Peter Tennent said: “It’s because of our heritage of innovation and determination that we have ground-breaking facilities extensive parks and reserves a magnificent programme of events and festivals and a very strong local economy—which combined with our fantastic landscape makes for a lifestyle that is unequalled anywhere.”  
The success of New Plymouth and its surrounding region is not just because we are a cow town or an oil town. It is because we are innovative and determined to make the most of opportunities that come our way. Being so far from the bustling cities of the north and south the people of the New Plymouth region were compelled to develop their own strong sense of community their own expression of art and culture and their own excellence in industry. That is evidenced today by events such as WOMAD—the World of Music Arts and Dance festival—and the Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival which attracts tourists from all over New Zealand and around the world. Pukekura Park in the centre of the city has been named a garden of national significance and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery the home of the collection of internationally acclaimed kinetic artist Len Lye is world renowned. Taranaki has a world-class stadium Yarrow Stadium—carrying the name of the late Noel Yarrow one of Taranaki’s great philanthropists—where we recently enjoyed the All Blacks playing Samoa. The Davis Cup round against China was also played in New Plymouth. It is also evidenced in the world-class engineering companies that support the oil and gas industry and export their expertise around the world not just in oil and gas engineering but in the leap that has been made to manufacture some of the best superyachts in the world.  
I would suspect that if Edward W Payton were to visit New Plymouth today he would see a thriving creative expansive exciting and bustling city. He would write an addendum to his previous statement which would say: “even if they were snubbed … they wouldn’t notice anyway!”.  
New Zealanders like the people of New Plymouth have a great heritage of innovation and determination. It comes from the challenges we face from living on the far side of the world. State-of-the-art innovation and best practices are critical to us. We have huge oceans to cross to the bustling cities of the north and if we are not committed to excellence and if we are not resourceful and determined we simply cannot compete. It has always been our ingenuity and resourcefulness that has given us the winning edge. As the world is facing severe economic conditions it is this heritage—it is this heart—that will pull us through with strength and confidence. It is the story of New Plymouth which I am proud to represent in this House. It is also the story that New Zealand will win on.  
The story of New Plymouth’s future success is yet to unfold: developing greater national and international transport links through the port; the ongoing development of New Plymouth’s infrastructure; continuing development of tourism features and opportunities; the continual increase of opportunities through our educational institutions which will inspire our young graduates to invest their skills in our region; the ongoing development of New Plymouth’s unique arts and cultural heritage; the ongoing advancement of industries such as agriculture and oil and gas and all the associated industries that experience the multiplying benefit of their success which are opening up opportunities for more New Zealanders; and the ongoing enrichment of our communities and the development of community support organisations. People love living in New Plymouth. It is rich in its relationships and sense of community. It has a great can-do attitude. It is a world-class city in so many ways.  
I am a son of Taranaki a returned son. Mount Taranaki is our great landmark. It gives us a sense of location and anchorage. By it we know where we are and where we are heading. I was born in Hawera South Taranaki to Venn and Margaret Young. Like all good parents they too were landmark people in my life. I would like to acknowledge members of my family—my mother Margaret who is here today. I would also like to acknowledge Catherine Young whom many of you will also know. I acknowledge my siblings—Adrienne Audrey Simon and his wife Carly and Geoffrey. I have family members who cannot be here: Andrew and Lynne Peter and Tracey and Matthew Lauren and Francis. They continue to play a very important part in my life. I thank them for all their support.  
My parents were dairy farmers in Otakeo and when I was about 4 years of age they shifted to Cambridge to farm in the Waikato. In 1966 my father was selected as the National Party candidate for Egmont which later became Waitotara and then Whanganui. He was successful and spent the next 24 years serving his constituents and this House. My first recollection of Parliament was coming here as a 7-year-old and meeting the late Sir Keith Holyoake the then Prime Minister. I remember that meeting vividly. I remember my father’s first office. I remember the shoeshine stools in the men’s toilets which are still there today. I remember sitting up in the gallery as a small boy wondering what this was all about. I remember eating in Bellamy’s with the silver butter knives the rolls and the fish that so often seemed to be on the menu.  
Throughout my growing years my parents instilled in me a very basic philosophy: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”—the golden rule of life as my mother said. Later I learnt that this simple philosophy was at the heart of practical Christianity which later dramatically shaped my life. I was educated in Hawera and New Plymouth and later in Palmerston North.  
Throughout my student years I enjoyed what many young men enjoyed doing—that is working in the holidays. My jobs ranged from haymaking to cheesemaking in the Kaupakanui dairy factory then to churning out the very first butter from Whareroa—which is now Fonterra’s Hawera plant and is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere—and to spending a summer in the Patea freezing works followed by a couple of summers in a high country cattle station called Molesworth which straddles North Canterbury Marlborough and Nelson Bays. During my time in Palmerston North I was training to be an educator a teacher. It is a noble profession—perhaps not earth-shattering but definitely world shaping. I discovered to my surprise that I was an excellent teacher. I think I was surprised at that because I was not a particularly excellent student. I have been most gratified to receive emails from students even this year who still count me as their best teacher 30 years later.  
Later in my life I served the people of Waitakere City west Auckland as a church minister. I found that to be challenging and rewarding work. It connected me to families and single people to young and old alike to business people tradespeople labourers factory workers and professionals—people in all walks of life. I was their mentor and friend. I shared their happy times and their heartaches. I listened to their stories and stretched my perspective to see theirs. That has helped me to understand where people are at. Through that I discovered what it is to not just live in a community but lead a community. The challenge as our Prime Minister has articulated well is to encourage people to have a life of aspiration rather than of envy—to grasp the opportunities that come each person’s way.  
It reminds me of the story of a young ambitious man asking an experienced salesman for the secret of his success. The salesman said: “There’s no great secret. You just have to jump at every opportunity that comes along.” The young man replied: “But how can I tell when an opportunity is coming?”. The salesman replied: “You can’t. You have to keep jumping.” I think that is what aspiration is about. It is not just seeing the opportunity; it is jumping for it. It is not just aptitude and education; it is attitude and determination. Education and encouraging and leading people forward into a brighter and better future has always been my core purpose no matter what profession I have been engaged in. I trust I can continue this passion as a member of Parliament.  
As I come to a close I say that much of the world is focused on reducing its carbon footprint. We want it to be balanced so we live in a sustainable world. I would like to describe the political footprint I hope to make. When my time comes to leave I want to leave this place better off than when I came. I want to leave New Zealand better for my contribution than without it. I want to leave a political footprint that is an indelible impression of someone who carries genuine concern and care for his constituents colleagues and all New Zealanders.  
Firstly I want to tread carefully with my constituents and colleagues. I believe the best parliamentarian is one who seeks to serve his or her constituents and communities without fear or favour. The leaders whom people admire are those who continually put the benefit of others first. I am not here for myself; I am here for the people of New Plymouth. No one will feel my footprint on their toes. I believe it is important to respect the opinion of others especially when they may differ from my own. Arrogance is ultimately a step towards ignorance. There is a certain wisdom in understanding that those who disagree with us can often educate us. They challenge our perception and knowledge and it is only by embracing challenge that we truly grow. I want to be open-minded.  
However I believe it is important to have strength of character so that we remain true to our convictions whether others agree with us or not. I appreciate the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson who said: “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion. It is easy in solitude to live after one’s own. But the great men or women are they who in the midst of the crowd keep with perfect sweetness the independence of their character.”  
Secondly in stepping out I want my footprint to be seen in strategic advancements that will improve people’s lives. I believe in freedom. I believe democracy offers New Zealanders the best political opportunity for freedom. True freedom requires that people live in social responsibility and concern for one another. Caring is not the prerogative of a socialistic philosophy; it is a universal responsibility. As I tread my political footprint in my community and in this Parliament I want to support and promote the goal of financial success and independence alongside a pursuit of personal aspiration and excellence that also seeks to live in social concern for others. Though we live with governmental oversight and organisation we organise because the social concern for others is often lower than it should be in our communities. Therefore as we build responsible and mature communities Government can become smaller because communities become stronger.  
Thirdly and finally in establishing my political footprint I want to leave a pathway for others to follow. I aspire that my service and leadership would be an inspiration to others that my life would serve as a worthy example to follow. We must never forget that above all things we are leaders. We will leave a legacy. Some legacies will last days some will last months some will last years and some will never be forgotten. May our monuments be ever seen in the vitality and success of those we seek to serve. The things worth living for will always be the things that outlast us.  
I want to be a part of something great that is worthy of the investment of our lives. That is why I am here that is why I am honoured to serve in the National Party and that is what I aspire to do. Thank you Mr Speaker for this opportunity. May God bless us all. Kia ora.