Mallard Trevor; Chen NaisiSPEAKER: I call Naisi Chen for her maiden statement. NAISI CHEN (Labour): Tēnā koutou e aku rangatira. Ki ngā mate haere haere haere atu rā. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ki a tātou e tau nei kia ora. Tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Distinguished members greetings. To those who have passed on rest in peace. I acknowledge the tribes of this land and I acknowledge those of us here today. Greetings one and all.]Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. I want to congratulate you on your election. It's people like you that make it a little bit easier for people like me a 26-year-old who has hopes of one day also being in this House and to form a family and have children of my own—so thank you. To tangata whenua I acknowledge you. I have always believed that as migrants we need to build a stronger relationship with Māori and gain a rich appreciation of tikanga in order to truly understand the land to which we want to belong. I'm also really excited that a part of your history involves the Chinese people. Since the first Chinese person Appo Hocton came to New Zealand in 1842 our whānaus have been interconnected. This is a story which I look forward to telling more. I commit myself to you as an ally as someone who upholds the principles of Te Tiriti and hopefully one day as your whānau too. I acknowledge the Chinese that have come before me both in this House but more so in this country especially the ones that have been here for generations. They have been a community despite adversity like the poll tax and have thrived in all endeavours including the goldmining age in agriculture in the laundromats and in fruit and vege stalls. I acknowledge you all for your spirit and hard work and look forward to working together to help preserve that knowledge and history. My journey to this House started with my father who is in the gallery here today arriving on the beautiful shores of Aotearoa in 1996 with just $200 in his pockets. After two years of hard work and lots of challenges along the way like having his files lost by immigration—I'm sure Kris Faafoi is running a better department now—my mother and I joined him here in 1999. My parents practised as an osteopathist and a gynaecologist in China but didn't even think twice when offered the opportunity to come to New Zealand. My dad had always had a soul that longed for freedom and Aotearoa was his perfect little country. Being new citizens of a country brought huge challenges. My parents were never engaged in politics. Being migrants they could not understand the complicated MMP system or keep up with the fighting adversarial ways we talk in this House. Unlike many colleagues politics was not discussed at our dinner table but our community was. Whether it was how to better help a patient they saw that day or the details of the next event they had to organise for our local church I knew my parents were always focused on their neighbours' needs above their own. Often I'd wake up in the middle of the night to find that they had been called out to mediate in a domestic dispute—now that I recollect that it was probably a little bit illegal. They installed in me a never-ending commitment to serving those around me. Despite sometimes facing betrayal and disappointment they have always demonstrated to me how to persevere in hard times how to hold on to integrity and stay true to the vision from above and I acknowledge them in this House today. Growing up in New Zealand as a young migrant was a bit like a social experiment. I was trying to balance the stereotypical Asian piano-practising and the good math grades—for those who know me that's a joke—against the really Kiwi side of always disappointing my mum when I came home barefoot and with no books in my bag and all the while often playing translator for my parents as well in dealings with our landlord utility companies and at parent-teacher interviews. They stopped going once I reached intermediate school because they realised the information they had been getting was somewhat single-sided. I am not unique in these experiences as they are shared by most 1.5 generation migrants. I want to be able to celebrate and cheer on each one of them in this House as they take their rightful place in our community. Whether it be on the 6 o'clock news being made partner in large firms or in leadership roles within our community we have been and continue to be bridges back to our families and our communities. I cheer them on also because it is us who will be the people who contribute more fully to New Zealand and help shape a new New Zealand. I stand here today as the only MP of Chinese ethnicity despite 5 percent of the population identifying with this ethnicity. So I say that with regret. There are huge barriers for migrant communities in getting into politics. Our stories are often not told by ourselves. With my platform I will fight to have our voices heard and fight against the racism that we experience. But the Chinese community needs to look within as well. The Chinese language media is often selective in the information that it portrays and has demonstrated sometimes a slight misunderstanding in our country and our system. What gives me hope is that I'm the first 1.5 generation Chinese standing here in this House and I can see a new tide coming in. My perhaps most taken out of context quote is that I have no interest in politics." Taken at face value it is still rather true. In fact my whole entire journey of leadership was quite a passive one. All my life I had one dream really and that was to become a housewife. I was always shoulder-tapped to get involved and to hold leadership positions. That started with our high school committee. My good friend Max then a complete stranger to me offered me the role of girls school leader when looking back the only leadership quality I possessed at that time was just a really loud voice to silence a room full of rowdy teenagers. The Office of Ethnic Communities then approached me for me to join the young leaders' programme something that has shaped my passion for public service and then a year later Max came back to me and said I should be joining the New Zealand Chinese Students' Association (NZCSA). Thank you Max for always opening up new opportunities for me for installing in me a love of all things strategy for teaching me how to think rationally and independently and for being my biggest critic. Being president of the New Zealand Chinese Students' Association was something I never wanted but it was one of those "If not me then who?" moments I often find myself in. In NZCSA I realised that most Chinese students never really integrated into the mainstream. They come to New Zealand from their own country but still hang out in their own groups seeking employment from Chinese businesses which I soon realised reflected the wider Chinese community. I believe that every migrant needs to integrate into New Zealand by adopting Kiwi values. Perhaps the substance of those values requires further discussion but I would like to suggest the principles Te Tiriti kindness and diversity. This does not mean we forbid people from practising their own culture or religion—far from it. Rather we must celebrate every culture knowing that it strengthens us as country. In a society as diverse as New Zealand we shouldn't ever condone racism but instead be able to let each culture adapt to New Zealand so that it becomes a uniquely Kiwi version of that culture. The harmonisation of New Zealand values and cultural heritage—that's what I see as the biggest challenge in our society during the years I will serve in this House. The passivity continued in the story of how I joined the Labour Party. I still think it was borderline reckless that Raymond Huo two weeks after hearing me speak at a function asked whether I wanted to be a Labour Party candidate. I still remember at our meeting at his law firm that I had a CV in my bag thinking he would be offering me a job there and then. He laughed at me when I said I wanted to become a criminal lawyer but I don't know whether being an MP was anything better than that. Thank you to the Labour whānau. Thank you for accepting me for who I am for being always so generous in your support for trusting me to represent our values here in this House. Thank you to our leaders in the party—to Claire to Nigel to Andrew Kirton to Paul and the entire New Zealand council. Thank you for trusting me then as a 23-year-old and thank you for trusting me now.I was lucky enough to have the Rt Hon Helen Clark as a Prime Minister growing up. The little bit of extra help my mother got from Working for Families was put towards my piano flute then eventually double bass and tuba lessons. Music played a huge part in my upbringing. It gave me a platform to build my confidence to search for the deeper meaning of beauty and to make lifelong friends. I'm deeply passionate about the arts sector and borrowing what my colleague Rachel Boyack said to the youth choir who sang so beautifully at our State Opening last week when the arts are strong then our nation is strong. Thank you Helen for the leadership you showed in supporting Kiwi talent. I hope to continue your legacy in the promotion of our unique New Zealand identity through music and the arts—and thank you for always replying to my Instagram messages.Being the second youngest in this House—although I think Chlöe and I are four months apart and we settled on calling ourselves the "young people of Parliament"; shout-out to Chlöe because I know what I'm about to say you are definitely passionate about too—I would like to leave this place seeing my efforts in supporting the next generation of young politics come to fruition in young politicians from all communities. My leadership philosophy has always been to facilitate excellence and that means I will put in the mahi to make politics more accessible by taking the time to break down jargon to actually explain concepts and to model the behaviour I expect of leaders. I invited all my guests today to bring their young children so that at an early age they know Parliament is their Parliament too. I hope they are as fortunate as I am in their journey.Being a young person means that we are the bearers of the decisions made today into the future. As this House makes laws to navigate through one of the biggest economic challenges in our lifetime I want to bring new ideas to the table. I see the recovery period as being a unique opportunity to redefine our economy—build it up to be stronger and more resilient than before. I believe that high tech but green tech will lead us into economic prosperity. I believe this time the world is looking for inspiration and we need to push bolder policies that support these industries by attracting innovative firms to our shores encouraging Kiwis to really think outside the box and giving them practical tools to do it. Although we are a small country we can influence. I hope this House never forgets that power. Over the last few weeks during the induction process we've been told how difficult it is to have good personal relationships while holding public office. So today I ask forgiveness of all my friends and whānau in advance and tell you that your friendship and aroha means a lot to me. In the gallery sits my best friend since intermediate. Our friendship began with one single question: "Can we be friends?" She's been backstage at all of my most important events. She was the first to cry when she found out that I got a really high list placing this year; my mum didn't even bother! Thank you to those who stood with us over the many many tough years to Yingrui Tracy Ken my 2017 team in Liangliang Bill Martin my new Botany family Ben and Judy. I acknowledge you also Chris and also Damien here in Botany and the whole greater east side—and Simeon; the east side whānau. And thank you to Song to Ed for all of the support that you've given me in hooking me up with all the coolest collateral in town and picking up the balls when I've dropped them. I stand here because of the love they've given me and I want to pass that love on to all the people I come into contact with and serve. Thank you to all my team and the team that will be coming on alongside me of Ming and Ben and every other person in my office. I know we've got a big job ahead of us. I'm privileged to serve in the largest ever caucus in MMP history and I'm extremely thankful to our leader the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern for the words of encouragement you've given me in the past three years. Jacinda you're the best boss any young girl could ask for. You look out for us you encourage us and you make sure that we don't feel overwhelmed in this place.At the end of the day if there is any praise for anything that I am or eventually will become then let it be reflected in my maker. May God bless our nation and let it be a beacon of light to the world and a haven from everything that's been going on—all of the contrast that we will bring to a global perspective. Ko koe te hanga e hiakai ana e hiainu ana ki te tika e mākona hoki rātou.[Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.]Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Applause]"