Pettis Jill: Valedictory Statements 
Pettis Jill: Valedictory Statements 
[Volume:650;Page:19180] 
JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
: 
 Firstly I would like to pay tribute to you Madam Speaker for your infinite patience and for your humour. I extend my deepest sympathy to the family of Brian Donnelly and to his New Zealand First colleagues. Kia kaha! 
I have had the privilege of actively participating in a fantastically exciting and at times challenging journey during the 15 years I have been a member of Parliament. I come from a family that has a history of political activity born out of a strong desire to improve the lives of those who are not among the most fortunate in society. I started asking my mother Jean whether I could go to political meetings with her while I was at primary school. Her instructions were: “If you are quiet and sit up straight you can come.” As members will know I have continued to put her rules into practice here in Parliament— 
Hon Members 
: Ha ha! 
JILL PETTIS 
: Oh well—OK! Perhaps I have deviated from that path once or twice over the last 15 years particularly the bit about being quiet. Although my interest and political activity increased over the years I never contemplated becoming a member of Parliament. I have never hungered for personal recognition but I have always been highly motivated by the need to make life better for those who are less able to advocate for themselves. I contested the 1990 general election missing by a mere 409 votes—who counts? However I was elected in 1993 and there began this absolutely incredible journey that I have been on ever since. 
I am sure there are some who think they got elected to Parliament as a result of their charm and good looks. I know that I am here because Labour principles are at the core of my very being because of the hard work and commitment of the Whanganui Labour team because of my family both past and present and perhaps most important because the word “Labour” is beside my name on a voting form. I thank the voters who ticked my name and “Labour” during the six elections I contested. I worked hard to deliver on their expectations of me and I hope that in most cases I succeeded. “Thank you” are totally inadequate words to describe the debt of gratitude I feel towards the Whanganui Labour team that has worked with me since 1989. We have had some great times together and my heartfelt thanks go to them all. Politics is not really very glamorous—is it Rona—when you are standing out in the freezing cold selling raffle tickets and holding garage sales to raise funds or delivering pamphlets along streets that seem to stretch for miles. It is the Labour team throughout New Zealand that does the graft in the back rooms and on the streets passionate and committed in its desire for a fair New Zealand for all New Zealanders. 
Members of Parliament could not function successfully without the support of their secretarial staff both in our parliamentary offices and in the electorate. I have been extremely fortunate in the calibre of staff I have had working with me. My staff have all been incredibly loyal and hard-working and I know I would not have achieved what I did without them. I say thank you to my staff for being partners in serving the Whanganui electorate for your humour and also for your strong belief in delivering social justice. As my long-serving secretary Lyn Crossley and I used to frequently say when faced with yet another challenge: “It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.” My husband Warren and our children Trent and Megan have continued to be the wind beneath my wings during the years I have been in Parliament. I would not have been able to do the work I have done without you by my side. Through thick and thin you have been there and I know that you have made many sacrifices for me and for the Labour Party. Your love has sustained me. 
I have always had an interest in conservation and environmental issues and I was really proud to have the opportunity to introduce the Wildlife (Penalties and Related Matters) Amendment Bill. This bill increased the penalties for offences against native flora and fauna and the legislation now really does afford greater protection for our native species. The bill received unanimous support in Parliament and that is not something that happens around here every day. I was not so successful with the Housing Responsibilities Bill where I sought to have income-related rents restored for State house tenants and unfortunately the National MPs of the day voted against the bill. However when Labour came into Government in 1999 one of the first policies we passed was a return to income-related rents. This was a lesson in time patience and the privilege of being a member of a party that knows the benefits of social justice across many policy areas and is prepared to put those policies and beliefs into action. 
Although being an active participant in politics is not for the faint-hearted a day in Government is definitely better than a thousand in Opposition. I have had 6 years of being an Opposition MP and 9 in Government—guess which I prefer? As we battle away in the political trenches much of our work is unseen and intangible but it is all part of the political process we must endure. Saving the West Coast’s forests is a very real and tangible Labour policy and I look forward to the day I can take our grandchildren to see them. The political battle to save these forests was a very new experience for me but I learned from it and went on to face others. We could not have instituted that policy without our leader Helen Clark standing beside us. 
The recently opened $30 million - plus Whanganui University College of Learning campus and the new $34 million Wanganui Hospital clinical services building are just some of the policies I have been absolutely delighted to see put into action in the Whanganui electorate under a Labour-led Government. South Taranaki and large parts of rural Whanganui were included in the reconfigured Whanganui electorate following the introduction of an MMP system in 1996. The Labour team got to work and started to bring new services and investment in these areas and we have seen a new hospital I say to Dan and Rose and other investments in this area. A Heartland Services centre was opened and there was massive investment in roads including the Hawera railway subway the widening of the Tangahoe Bridge and the $7 million investment that will improve the Whanganui River Road. I am descended on the paternal side of my family from Ngati Pamoana of Koroniti on the Whanganui River. Te Ati Haunui-a-Paparangi is my iwi. Facilitating economic development opportunities along the Whanganui River is important to me and I look forward to the expansion of farming horticulture and tourism ventures that improved road safety and access will bring to this part of the electorate. 
New Zealand’s relatively small population means that we know quite a lot about each other. Some people here know things about each of us that we do not even know ourselves. Here in Parliament we are inclined to tell each other occasionally too. The small size of our population and our Parliament also means that we have a unique relationship with the media. Before entering Parliament I used to think the media was some lofty all-knowing all-seeing group of people. Well I soon got that naive idea knocked out of me. They are just the same as us politicians. They do not like criticism either; they also like to have the last word and in most cases they do too. In my early days here the press gallery was famous for its parties. We MPs looked forward to these events as we knew no one in attendance would suffer from dehydration or lack of sustenance. MPs from both sides of the House also knew they would spend some time during the next few days engaged in speculative conversation about what went on both during and after these parties. Well that was then and this is now. Just like us the media are also under much greater scrutiny and have become uncharacteristically sedate. Perhaps it is time for renewal! 
MPs are constantly being told by all manner of people that they should improve their behaviour in the House. Some MPs also venture into this territory. In my maiden speech I acknowledged that the debating chamber was a naturally combative place and that I would not remain silent and quietly accept legislation that would disadvantage the people who elected me to Parliament. I have been known to utter the occasional interjection and a journalist once wrote something uncharitable about my voice and paint or some such description—a cutting blow. I was so devastated that I had to have a wee lie down. However I quickly recovered and continued to point out the error of the ways of the National Party and of any other MP whose party was in opposition to Labour. I hope they realise I was just trying to be helpful. 
Although the general consensus among the public is that we politicians spend our whole time attacking each other there have been moments of great spontaneous humour that every MP has enjoyed. We will never see the likes of David Lange again and his one-liners were brilliant. John Carter could always be relied upon for a joke for the bowling club. National’s Gerry Brownlee has been known to make the occasional helpful interjection too. In June last year some of us were looking forward to directing some informative and helpful interjections—sotto voce of course—towards Gerry following a most interesting meeting he had had in his office. Unfortunately we were thwarted in our cause by the code of conduct for MPs documents that were being tabled in the House that day. Not to be outdone by this temporary stay of required good behaviour I had been making meaningful eye contact with and intimations to Gerry below the Speaker’s radar of course. I have here the note that Gerry wrote to me when he knew he was home free: “Jill sharpen up your conduct and stop hassling and intimidating me in the House. Gerry.” I have yet to witness Gerry being intimidated by anyone. This was an exchange conducted without rancour and with good humour from both of us. Parliament should and hopefully always will be a place where people of strongly held opinions assemble and put their beliefs forward for public scrutiny. This is not a place for as Ralph Chaplin wrote the “cowed and the meek Who see the world’s anguish and its wrong And dare not speak!”. 
I have had a variety of roles and responsibilities during the last 15 years and appreciate the irony of being appointed as an Assistant Speaker a bit like the fox minding the chicken coop. I have also been a junior and senior Government whip. You learn a great deal about human nature in these roles. The work a whip does is largely unseen. However it is an exciting and challenging role with constant liaison between the executive and the backbench and with other parties. The Government whips are often at the centre of what is going on in Parliament and their organisational and management skills are tested every day. 
More recently I have been chair of the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development. This all-party parliamentary group views population and development issues including sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender issues as central to the elimination of poverty. The group also promotes sustainable economic growth and environmental sustainability. Much of the group’s work is focused on the Asia-Pacific region and we value the positive relationship we have with NZAID sharing a belief in delivering international aid and development effectively. 
I love the atmosphere of the debating chamber. It is an exciting place even when the bills being debated may seem tedious and at times irrelevant to the wider public. I am conscious of the fact that only about 120 of us have won the right to sit here at any one time and also of how precious our democratic system is. Too often those who criticise MPs and their behaviour would not have the intestinal fortitude to stand for election and be prepared to suffer the often unjustified criticisms MPs receive almost every day. I believe that New Zealand MPs largely conduct themselves responsibly and care about their constituents their electorates their country and the rest of the world. Voters can choose to elect timid candidates who will never be heard of again once they enter this place but I suspect the electors would soon tire of that sort of character. 
Fifteen minutes in which to cover 15 years of parliamentary service requires some discipline. I have had experiences I never dreamt would be possible. I have met and talked with people I would have only read about if I had not been an MP. I have seen firsthand how highly regarded and respected our country and the Helen Clark Labour-led Government are internationally. It has been an immense privilege to work with Prime Minister Helen Clark. Whoever would have thought I could ring one of the most effective Prime Ministers this country has known and say: “Helen Jill here. Ring me when you’ve got a moment thanks.” 
I am proud to be a New Zealander and I am privileged to have played a role in implementing Labour Party policies that have improved the quality of life for thousands of New Zealanders. I have spent too little time with my family over the last 15 years. Warren and I have two precious grandchildren Isabella and Freddie whom we want to see more of. We are excited about our future. I leave this House comfortable in the knowledge that I tried to do my best. I will always value the truly wonderful range of experiences I have had and I sincerely thank all those who helped make it possible. Thank you.