Goldsmith Paul: Address in Reply 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Goldsmith Paul: Address in Reply 
[Sitting date: 21 December 2011. Volume:677;Page:29. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) 
: 
 I second the motion that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General in reply to His Excellency’s speech. I begin by joining my colleague Alfred Ngaro in congratulating you Mr Speaker on your election to the Chair. You bring honour to your office. 
No reira e nga rangatira e nga waka e nga karanga maha tena koutou.  
The first member of my family to reach New Zealand was Charles George Goldsmith who settled in Poverty Bay in the mid-1840s. He was a typical big-hearted pioneer and a trader and over the 50 years or so he lived in New Zealand he had four wives—two Ngati Porou and two Pakeha—and 16 children. That is the sort of spirit that built this nation. But it was not easy for Charles George Goldsmith. Two of his children—Maria aged 15 and Albert who was just 4—were executed on the orders of Te Kooti during the Matawhero massacre of November 1868.  
On my mother’s side her great-grandfather Edward Turner came to New Zealand in 1883. Like many migrants he was fleeing trouble at home and looking for a fresh start in a new land. He went on to found the great enterprise Turners and Growers which amongst other things pioneered the export kiwifruit industry. One hundred years later as a schoolboy I worked down at the markets in the holidays and was inspired by my family’s enterprise. It feels fitting on a day like this to pay tribute to my forebears; their lives and their struggles bind me to this land.  
My parents Lawrence and Margaret are here today. As a maths teacher and a palliative care nurse they did not have to navigate such a precarious existence as the early pioneers but they made sacrifices and laid a strong foundation of love and a set of values that have guided my brother my sister and me and for which I am truly grateful.  
My history does not begin with the generation who chose to come to New Zealand or in 1840. It stretches back into the culture of the British Isles and includes the formation of this institution through which we all serve our community today. I am proud of that heritage of representative democracy and the rule of law which although by no means perfect has been Britain’s greatest gift to the world. Equally I value the unique blended culture that has evolved in New Zealand and that continues to evolve today.  
This is my only home for although I celebrate my English and Scottish roots those countries have long since turned their backs on my family; I have no special rights to return. New Zealand is my only home and what a wonderful home it is.  
I am very conscious of the honour the privilege and the burden granted to me to serve as a member of this Parliament. I am honoured to be a member of a team led so positively by John Key—a team that includes such a talented group of New Zealanders with a broad set of views and outlooks.  
As some members may remember my primary focus during the campaign was the party vote. As for the electorate vote that was up to the people of Epsom to decide and I congratulate my new colleague and old friend John Banks on his victory. I arrive courtesy of the National Party list and thereby as a result of men and women all around the country voting for National although I am bound to say that it is gratifying to have received such strong personal support from the Labour and Green voters of Epsom. I do look forward to continuing that spirit of bipartisanship.  
Epsom has been at the sharp end of MMP politics for several elections now but it is also my home. It is a superb part of Auckland a series of villages—Remuera Parnell and Mount Eden—circling around the busy hub of Newmarket. It is my intention to base myself there and to be Epsom’s voice within the National caucus—to listen and with my family to be active in the community. Although I am not the member for Epsom I do want to acknowledge the efforts of its recent MPs: Rodney Hide Richard Worth Chris Fletcher and Sir Douglas Graham.  
My goal in coming to Parliament as I am sure it is for all members is to make a serious contribution to a Government that through wise reform and new initiatives helps this country to grow and to prosper. I will be pleased if after my time here I have been part of a team that has advanced in practical terms those core National Party principles of valuing the importance of enterprise individual freedom and choice and its flip side personal responsibility. I will not measure my success by the number of new laws I have introduced. In fact I would be happier if we could thin out the statute book. The State’s powers of coercion it seems to me should be used sparingly and as legislators I believe we should resist the temptation to take too many decisions out of the hands of New Zealanders. The liberty to decide and responsibility go hand and hand. If we chip away at the former we inevitably weaken the latter.  
I want to talk briefly about the big issues that I anticipate our cohort will need to confront in the next decade or so if given the opportunity by the voters. Of course the economy is centre stage. While some members of the House suggest that all this focus on economic growth and material things is misplaced I do not doubt its central importance. The reality is we live in a competitive world. Young New Zealanders are mostly well educated and ambitious. They want to be part of an economy that is dynamic. Most want to live in cities that are exciting and to have the opportunity to do well. They will not be satisfied with a future wearing hand-me-downs from our Australian cousins. So we absolutely need a strong economy. 
Fundamentally that comes down to producing things or offering services that the world wants to buy. We create wealth by figuring out how to deliver those goods and services more cheaply than our competitors or preferably by commanding a premium in the market place. We can also increase our wealth by unlocking more of the potential stored in the human and natural capital available to us.  
I have been fortunate to spend much of the past 10 years writing the histories of many New Zealand businesses and business folk several of whom have succeeded as manufacturing exporters. The overwhelming theme is that it is hard. It is very hard. The hurdles are high and the competition relentless. Over the decades Governments have tried to help in various ways through export incentives subsidies and encouragement for research and development but I firmly believe that the best thing Government can do is ensure that we have good physical technological and intellectual infrastructure; sound laws that are policed; low inflation; and an educated and willing workforce—and then get out of the way. I have no desire to follow the political tradition of talking grandly about helping but at the same time stripping cash from struggling companies through taxes and piling on the costs to comply with all manner of “nice-to-have” regulation.  
It feels to me as if we have reached the end of an era. All around the Western World the big-spending welfare States are being forced to face reality. Our way of life is being challenged by too much Government spending too much debt and too much drift as we fall behind other more dynamic countries. It falls to this generation to stand up and draw the country back to a more sustainable way of life. We do not need to turn the world upside down but we do need to get greater productivity out of the public sector. We need to make it easier for entrepreneurs to do their thing and above all to inject some realism into the big areas of Government spending. I believe that the National-led Government has made good progress in difficult conditions in the past 3 years and I look forward to being part of the team to carry on the work.  
The second defining issue it seems to me is welfare reform. When Michael Joseph Savage introduced welfare in 1938 he said it would do two things: end poverty and bring about the kingdom of God on earth. Sadly neither of those visions has been realised. Instead we now face entrenched multigenerational dependency. We have to change the system not because we do not care about human suffering but precisely because we do care. The “no questions asked” “as long as you like” welfare mentality is rightly being challenged and in my view change must surely accelerate to target assistance to those who really need it and to restore a strong sense of accountability to the rest of society.  
When we look at education it is worth remembering that when my parents were young a man could leave school with only his muscles to offer the market and still provide for his family relatively well. That is not the case today and it certainly will not be the case in 20 years’ time. In a rapidly globalising world the premium put on internationally transferable skills is rising. The big challenge in order to maintain a cohesive society is to find ways to engage everyone in meaningful education. It does not mean that everyone should have to go to an expensive university or polytechnic course but at the least we should insist that all or nearly all people emerge from their schooling sufficiently numerate and literate to engage in the modern world.  
I was fortunate to attend Auckland Grammar School where we were encouraged to strive for excellence in whatever we set our minds to. I refuse to believe that that attitude is appropriate only in some parts of the country. Life is full of successes and failures and I would have thought that a good education prepares children to face up to that honestly and shows them what it takes to succeed.  
Finally I suspect we will be talking a lot more about New Zealand’s view of itself and its place in the world. During the past few decades we have moved away from the Fortress New Zealand of pre-1984 to become a more outward-looking country that is part of the global mainstream. The transformation caused heartache but the outcome has been for the better.  
At the same time we have concentrated more on what makes us unique particularly the special place of Maori within our culture. Again this has been much for the better and has enriched us. As a historian whose first job was at the Waitangi Tribunal I have had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to that re-examination of our past. I do worry however that along the way and always with the best of intentions there has been a tendency to elevate the importance of ethnicity in our political and legal arrangements. It seems to me there is a danger if we are not careful that we allow ourselves to become increasingly drawn to focusing on internal differences. I see myself as standing for an open outward-looking multicultural dynamic and democratic New Zealand where our institutions are based on equality and accountability.  
I would like to finish by thanking a few people: my teachers in politics the three Ministers for whom I was a press secretary in the 1990s: John Banks Simon Upton and Phil Goff. Each in their own way inspired me as did my colleagues on the Auckland City Council led by David Hay. Michael Bassett introduced me to politics when I was a post-graduate student.  
Some of my biographical subjects helped shape me such as Alan Gibbs who once told me to stop living vicariously by writing about other people and to get out and do something myself. National Party leaders have also encouraged me led by Peter Goodfellow Alan Towers Peter Kiely and Alastair Bell in Auckland. I want to thank my wonderful campaign helpers in Epsom some of whom are here today who willingly gave up so much of their time for the cause. There are too many to name them all but I especially want to mention Tom Bowden Grant Plimmer Lesley Going Beth O’Loughlan Elizabeth and Roley Rackley and Tim Woolfield.  
Finally my family: my parents Margaret and Lawrence; David and Jenny my elder siblings who through their achievements prompted me to compete; and my wife Melissa without whom nothing would be possible. The thing I am most nervous about standing here today is the possible effect of a parliamentary career on our family. I hope it will open many opportunities for our children and expand their horizons but I do worry about my absences. I dare to try only because I know Melissa’s strength.  
This is a proud day for me and my family. I pledge to work constructively with my colleagues on all sides of the House as we try to do our best for the people of New Zealand. Thank you very much.