King Annette: Address in Reply 
King Annette: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:353] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of State Services) 
: 
 I am delighted to contribute to this very important debate which will set the scene for the next 3 years. I begin by congratulating Madam Speaker on her election to the Chair. What I like about Madam Speaker is her calmness her sense of humour and her knowledge. I think she is like a fine red wine—she is maturing very nicely indeed. 
I also congratulate Clem Simich. He I think is Parliament’s gentleman. In fact he is a National MP from a bygone era. He is courteous considerate and never rude and he is prepared to listen. He was a Minister of Police and he was incredibly helpful to me when I was in Opposition. I thank him for that. Why did the National Party kick him out? Why did it get rid of a good constituency MP and put him on the list when he was doing a good job here in Parliament? Nobody can understand that. Such are the mysteries of the National Party. 
A moment like this is a good opportunity to thank one’s own organisation for the work it did in the election campaign. I thank my organisation for the fantastic job it did. It delivered a vote of almost 50 percent for Labour in the seat of Rongotai. It is a fantastic seat. I believe that it is the best seat in New Zealand. It has the wonderful coastline of the southern and eastern Wellington areas and it has the Chatham Islands those little gems out there in the sea. Many people love to visit the Chatham Islands. Members of Parliament flock there in their droves to have a little look spend a little time there and bring back a little fish. Rongotai is a tremendous electorate. 
I pay a tribute tonight to my opponent Nicola Young who put up a very good fight. But she too was kicked by the National Party. She was promised a high position on the list. She did not get the Wellington Central nomination—that went to Mark Blumsky—but she was promised a high position on the list. What number did she get? She got No. 61. Fancy doing that to a person who comes from the aristocracy of the National Party! She is Bill Young’s daughter her sister has been in Parliament her other sister stood for Parliament and her brother-in-law was a Cabinet Minister—and how did National treat Nicola Young? It treated her appallingly. I say to Nicola Young that she will have a good future in whatever she does because she is a fine person. 
One of the pleasures of this debate is that we get the opportunity to listen to the maiden speeches of the new members of Parliament. It also gives us the opportunity to reflect on our own speeches which we made when we came into this place. I was fortunate to present an address in this debate in 1984 as was my good friend and colleague Jim Sutton. What have I learnt in 21 years? 
John Key 
: Let’s hear your maiden speech. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Mr Key may well say that because he has not learnt very much in the short time he has been here. But I would like to tell members what I have learnt in my time. [ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the member. I would like the members on the left to look at Speaker’s ruling 57/3. Running commentaries are out of order. If a member wants to make a speech he or she can take the call next time. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I want to tell Mr Key in particular—because this is very important for him—what I have learnt in the 21 years since I was elected to Parliament. I have learnt the value of real friendship. We do not make a lot of friends when we are in Parliament and it is rare to hold on to our old friends so we really value those friendships we make. I tell Mr Key that I have learnt the value of working in a team where people support each other and look out for each other. I have learnt the value of really good leadership where the leader allows people to grow their talents and skills and does not promote them to the front bench when he or she is really going to stab them in the back or put them right up the back when they ought to be at the front. At this point I say to Dr Hutchison that I really feel sorry for him. He is a fine man. He was a good Opposition spokesperson on health. You were dumped— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I never got dumped. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
:—for somebody who does not know where his big toe is let alone know anything about health. I have learnt that it is a privilege to represent the people of my electorate. I have also learnt that people can make a difference if they are in a party that has principles and policies and more important—and this is the part that will hurt—if they get the opportunity to implement those policies. 
I have spent 6 years in Opposition and I am entering my 7th year in Government and the reason why I have spent more time in Government than in Opposition is that the Labour Party learnt its lessons long ago. Dissension division self-interest and superegos lead to long years in the wilderness. In fact I tell Mr Key that they lead to 9 long years in the wilderness. That is where his party is going to be. The public cannot stand divided parties. They hate divided parties. They have no time for petty political backstabbing. They have no time for bad mouthing. The National Party even though it has had 6 years in Opposition has not learnt a darned thing. Its members are still backbiting stabbing each other and whingeing and moaning amongst themselves. They have not learnt anything. 
The self-interest double-dealing and deceptiveness of some of those members especially those who could be the leader mean that they will not spend 9 long years in Opposition but 12 years. In fact the members of the brat pack have aged before my very eyes. I have watched them go from having brown hair to salt and pepper hair to grey hair in the time I have been here. The brat pack has become the rat pack and it will become the geriatric pack in the next few years having gone absolutely nowhere at all. I have never seen such naked ambition as I am seeing at this moment from those who would take Don Brash’s job. I tell National members to give Don Brash a fair go. [ 
Interruption 
] I join in that clap for Dr Brash—he is getting the clap that he deserves at this moment. But I tell Dr Brash that as his members are clapping him they are busy planning his downfall. 
Let us take Bill English. He was a loser when he had the job of leader but he has his eye on Dr Brash’s job. Bill English has set out to recruit most of Dr Brash’s new South Island members of Parliament. Whose loyalty has Mr English bought? He has bought theirs for his bid for Dr Brash’s job. Mr English boasts that he has most of the South Island MPs in his pocket hand-picked by him and his wife and he is determined to win back the leadership of the National Party. Then we have John Key. He is eager he is keen and he has a lot going for him. But I tell him to watch out for his detractors. They are out there already. The whispering campaign has started; they have their eye on him. 
 Then there is Gerry Brownlee. One cannot help but like Gerry Brownlee; he is a nice guy. But he is very ambitious and of course he is being undermined. What did Matthew Hooton—that well-known well-connected National Party person—say about Gerry Brownlee? He said that Gerry Brownlee is an idiot and that the clock is ticking. [ 
Interruption 
] That is a quote from Matthew Hooton I say to Mr McCully. Mr McCully would also like the job if he could get it but he knows he will never get it so he just plots and plans behind the scenes. Then there is Simon Power. Dr Brash needs to know this. Simon Power has already formed his thinktank. He has four people working for him so that he can be the leader to replace Dr Brash. He has already got the strategy written as to how this will happen and he is already set to go early so that he can get the job before John Key becomes too popular. It will be an interesting 3 years. We are going to see a lot of turmoil we are going to see a lot of treachery and we are going to see some changes in the National Party over the next 3 years. 
I conclude my speech by saying that I heard some wonderful speeches from the new members of Parliament. I heard wonderful speeches from the Opposition and from our own side. I commend Shane Jones and Sue Moroney. I commend Maryan Street and Darien Fenton and I commend my cousin in this House Chris Finlayson. He gave an extremely good speech. I did not agree with anything he said in his speech—we are diametrically opposed—but he is a man of talent. The National Party is lucky to have him. He comes from wonderful stock and I know that the Russ clan will be delighted that they have representatives on both sides of the House.