Luxton CameronCAMERON LUXTON (ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. Today I stand to represent the ACT Party in support of the motion and in expressing our pride for the athletes that donned the silver fern and represented our nation on the world stage.But firstly I'd also like to start by opening up and saying thank you to the host nation France and particularly Paris. Thank you for welcoming the world to your backyard and showing us the beauty of your iconic venues and the rich culture and history held above and below the Parisian streets. I would also like to mention Teahupo'o Tahiti right here in the Pacific. The small coastal town has now hosted the second surfing event at the Olympics after its introduction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The two locals who made their childhood dream come true—congratulations to you both on competing in your home shores and for welcoming the world through their Olympic surfers to the Pacific.My family brought a Sky subscription just to keep up with the Olympics. The kids loved watching the events and keeping an eye on our Kiwi champions. Every morning at breakfast they'd catch up on the events they were already invested in and the ones which they discovered during the games calculating how old they'd be at the next games and I saw how invested the kids were. The Olympics provide a glimpse into our hopeful future showing our children that they too can achieve greatness and excel on the world stage. My hope is that we see New Zealand's Olympic contingent rich in quality and quantity heading to Los Angeles next and then across the ditch to Brisbane for the 2032 Olympics.The games are huge for families and I'd like along with other members of this House to do a big shout-out to the mums dads and all the whānau behind the scenes who helped every one of our athletes reach their potential. Achievements like these take a long time a lot of energy patience and petrol money—not only from our Olympians but also from the people who support them and rally around them. To the parents watching from home with the kids the grandparents babysitting the grandkids and all the support networks that have formed around these world-class athletes—I thank you.Most of all I would like to honour our Olympians. Thousands of hours behind the scenes spent often alone doing the hard yards to achieve greatness—you are our inspiration. You have pushed through adversity sweat and tears to reach the pinnacle of achievement in your field. We stand here in Parliament today to congratulate you and celebrate your success.Our 20 medals came from across a whole wide range of sports from athletics canoe slalom golf rowing rugby sevens sailing track cycling and triathlon. Ellesse Andrews became the second New Zealander to win gold in track cycling after Sarah Ulmer in 2004. She won gold in the women's keirin. Her father and coach Jon Andrews was watching in the Paris Velodrome. Talk about a huge win for their family and the legacy that Ellesse has worked hard to secure.Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis combined to win gold in the women's double sculls. Both athletes took time away from the sport to have children post - Tokyo Olympics and absolutely blew everybody away with their commitment and love for their sport. Both were supported by their children who were present in the stands when they won.We saw the selfless feat of Dylan McCullough falling back during the triathlon to provide much needed support to his team mate Hayden Wilde who ended up winning the silver medal.And who can go past Dame Lisa Carrington? Already an Olympic champion she brought home multiple gold medals. She is one of the greatest kayakers the world has ever seen. She was also part of two rowing teams both securing gold. She leaves Paris having won the same number of gold medals as Usain Bolt.As we wrap up our celebration of the Olympics we can look forward to the Paralympics coming up in the next few weeks. To our flag bearers Anna and Cameron: carry our flag with pride and know that we are proud of what you have achieved and we are excited to see you compete. My family look forward to keeping up with the Paralympics and I wish all our Kiwi Paralympians the best of luck heading to Paris.Behind all these achievements behind all the medals our Olympians captured our heart. From the inspiring stories of new mums competing and winning gold to our young up-and-coming athletes to families training coaching and winning together the future of New Zealand sport is brighter than ever. Thank you Mr Speaker.Motion agreed to.