Rutherford Tom; Brownlee GerryTOM RUTHERFORD (National—Bay of Plenty): Thank you Mr. Speaker. [Clears throat] As I—wow what a way to start. As I stand to deliver my maiden speech I'm aware of the privilege that comes with serving in this House of Representatives as a new member of Parliament—it won't last 15 minutes I promise. I firstly want to acknowledge Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the work he has done and will continue to do on behalf of all New Zealanders. On our first day here as brand new National Party MPs the Prime Minister reiterated to us that there have been more All Blacks than members of Parliament. Unlike many others my dreams never revolved around becoming an All Black despite currently being a rugby referee. Instead of aspiring to don the black jersey my dreams were focused on serving my community and bringing about change. Standing here now it appears that dream has become a reality.This place can often resemble a sports field where various members compete shout and disagree—with you Mr. Speaker serving as the referee. Yet it can also be a venue for common sense teamwork and positive change. Serving on this sports field I am committed to working to secure significant victories for the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand.There are two MPs in the House I would like to acknowledge. Firstly Cameron Luxton who ran as the ACT Party candidate in the Bay of Plenty and is now also an MP. Cam I'm looking forward to working alongside you so that our home can be the best place for people to live work and play. Secondly my friend and colleague the MP for Tauranga Sam Uffindell. Our wider Tauranga and Bay of Plenty community needs us as the two local MPs to have a strong working relationship. Thank you Sam for your ongoing support and friendship.In the process of crafting my maiden speech I delved into the speeches of various current and previous members. I even went into the archives and found yours Mr Speaker which in fact was delivered one month after I was born. [Bell rings; laughter] Pause the clock—pause the clock! I learnt that this speech needs to genuinely reflect who I am: what propels me the journey that has brought me to this place and my aspirations during my time here.Firstly I must thank the wonderful people of the Bay of Plenty electorate. Our electorate wraps round the city of Tauranga and is made up of the communities of Te Puna in the west; the Kaimai Ranges Ōropi and Ōhauiti to the south; Welcome Bay Maungatapu Arataki Ōmanu Matapihi Mount Maunganui; and in the east Pāpāmoa. I'm proud to say I'm Bay of Plenty born and raised. I have seen our region grow exponentially over the last 20 years. Gone are the days of the Bay of Plenty only being for newlyweds and nearly deads today we are a vibrant and diverse community. I am aware of my responsibility to represent the views and values of my constituents. The bay embodies the values that have contributed to making New Zealand the great nation that it is: equal citizenship and opportunity individual freedom and choice strong families and caring communities personal responsibility and recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand. Thank you Bay of Plenty for taking a chance on a 26-year-old local who simply wants to serve the community he is immensely proud to call home. In the coming three years and beyond I'm committed to working tirelessly for you.The campaign trail was undeniably a journey and one from which I gleaned invaluable insights. I was fortunate to have the support of an energetic and resilient team who worked tirelessly contributing significantly to the successful outcome we achieved. Many of them are here today and I want to acknowledge Mike Chapman Mary Webster Jim Miles Sheryl and Bill Lauchlan Sandie Ferguson Bonnie Roger Helen Allan Robbie Hodgkinson and our incredible campaign team and outstanding electorate executive. These people are not volunteers; they are family and I would not be here without their unwavering commitment—to me as their local candidate and to the National Party.I'd also like to acknowledge my predecessors Todd Muller and Tony Ryall. There seems to be a commonality between the three most recent Bay of Plenty MPs with our names being Tony Todd and now Tom. Thank you both for your commitment and service to our community. Tony Ryall played a pivotal role in my local campaign serving as my unofficial mentor. Throughout the campaign Tony would call me a couple of times a week offering sage advice which I knew I was so fortunate to receive. Thank you Tony your optimism and belief in me means a lot.My parents instilled in me the importance of working hard and ensuring that I always took responsibility for my actions. As a child I struggled with anger and self-control issues where I would often let my emotions get the better of me. Today I can recognise the challenges and pressures that must have placed on my family and I thank them for supporting me through that period of my life and helping me to grow into the caring calm and reflective person I am today.At age 12 my parents separated. While that's not an experience I would wish on anyone I look back and reflect on the learnings I took from that time in my life. I know what it's like to live on a week-about schedule and I know what it's like to seek counselling to help relay how things have made you feel. This experience made me grow up. It showed me that whilst life can bring about so many challenges it's your reaction to adversity not adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop. At 18 on my first day as a new student here at Victoria University I was punched and knocked out by an intoxicated stranger when I stood up for an older gentleman who was just trying to get his groceries home safely. This is my drive to serve in this place: to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves and to risk taking a few punches if you will to ensure those in my community can have a better life.I would like to express my gratitude to my parents: my mum Sharon who has always put family first and given me my tenacity and strength; and my dad Chris whose calm and reflective characteristics I have acquired. I feel fortunate to also have two caring stepparents and I extend my thanks to my stepdad Glenn and stepmum Kathie for accepting me as their son thank you—I promised I wouldn't cry Ha ha! My sister Jade who is here today and my brother Ben—thank you both for putting up with me as the annoying younger brother.To my partner Hannah I want to thank you for always being in my corner. I distinctly recall mentioning on our first date together my goal to one day serve in this place and now here we are—probably a bit sooner than we both thought. Hannah allowing a partner to enter the realm of Parliament is a selfless act and I am fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead for us. I take comfort in the knowledge that our relationship is founded on trust communication and compassion. The most important vote I can ever win is yours and I hope to earn it every single day. You're my best friend and I love you.I graduated from Victoria University where I studied public policy and political science. Following this I spent four years working for the National Party which gave me an incredible insight into the operations of the party and what characteristics are needed for someone to be a successful MP. I then spent 2½ years working for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and then most recently I worked for Tania Tapsell the Mayor of Rotorua. My local government experience has helped shape my perspective on local issues and the belief of local communities having a say on local decisions. Outside of work I'm proud to have been a volunteer firefighter with the Mount Maunganui Fire Station and to have firsthand experience in attempting to keep people alive. In New Zealand we have around 1700 career firefighters and nearly 12000 volunteers. Volunteer firefighters represent 86 percent of the front-line workforce and they respond to 70 percent of all vehicle accidents 71 percent of medical call outs and 85 percent of vegetation fires. I want to put on record my thanks to all those firefighters who each day make a personal sacrifice to help keep their communities safe.I'm also a proud member of the Greerton Cricket Club a New Zealand hockey umpire and Bay of Plenty rugby referee. My refereeing has taught me a lot about dealing with conflict remaining calm under pressure and having a thick skin. I'm often the smallest person on the field but that doesn't stop me from stepping in when I am needed.I am one of three new MPs from Generation Z—the first time this generation has ever had representation in Parliament—and I am proud to be the youngest MP in the National Party. The messages and conversations I've had with people especially in the aftermath of the election where they've expressed sentiments like We knew this would happen." or "We're delighted to see you representing our community." have been remarkably humbling. While I always maintained a belief in myself that I could bring about change I never anticipated that this opportunity would materialise at 26 years old. I acknowledge that unlike many of my colleagues in this place I don't have the working career experience of someone who is 36 56 or 76 years old but I have done my best to build my experience to ensure I can function as the best MP possible.Having been born in the late 1990s means I have lived predominantly most of my life in the social media era. I have in my early time here been assisting some of my more technologically challenged colleagues with helping them understand what their Apple ID is and how to turn off the keyboard haptics so I don't have to listen to every word they are typing in their messages. It also means that having grown up in the social media era I have learnt the challenges that come with today's technology. Mistakes and errors of judgment today are far more permanent and I for one have certainly experienced this. I'm not perfect but I am learning.Throughout the election campaign I spoke on the four big local issues that most of the community had been raising with me. I called them the four Cs: cost of living crime congestion and council. I gave my word then and I give my word now that every day I serve in this place I will turn my mind to helping to resolve our local Bay of Plenty issues. Our local community is presently facing some significant challenges. From the year 2000 our population has surged by 72 percent far surpassing the nationwide average of 38 percent. In the same period our GDP saw a remarkable increase of 142 percent compared to the national average of 82 percent. Despite this large influx in growth our community has not been adequately prepared or planned. For example our infrastructure lags 25 years behind where it should be and to meet housing demand it is estimated that over the next 30 years our Western Bay of Plenty subregion will require 40000 new homes. On top of this we have the least affordable rental market in New Zealand.I also cannot stress enough how important the upgrade of State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Ranges is for our community. This transformation of a current bottleneck into a road of national significance has the potential to unlock opportunities for building 20000 new homes. It will also create a more efficient and resilient freight route connecting Tauranga with the Waikato and Auckland. I am proud to be a part of a National-led Government that wants to see a transport system that boosts productivity and economic growth and allows New Zealanders to get to where they want to go safer and faster.I am also excited about the prospect of a regional deal that will significantly benefit the Bay of Plenty. The transformation of the relationship between central and local government facilitated by a long-term partnership agreement known as a regional deal opens the door to establishing enduring pipelines of regional projects. Such a deal would foster shared strategic objectives collaboratively developed to reflect the unique characteristics of our region. Importantly it would secure long-term funding commitments and provide the certainty needed for an effective planning approach. The Bay of Plenty is the gateway for trade from New Zealand to the world with the country's largest seaport horticulture production and links to the primary production heartland. We are one of the fastest-growing regions with a vibrant developing culture.A regional deal holds the potential to drive economic growth. It would establish a well-defined programme of infrastructure and offer opportunities to leverage outcomes for increased funding. Our community is ideally positioned to execute a regional deal and I am committed to working diligently to get one across the line.I believe successful politicians actively listen engage in reflective thinking and delve into extensive reading. They should also—always—be prepared and willing to change their minds. My dad regularly tells me that none of us have a mortgage on being right and having an occasional serving of humble pie isn't necessarily a bad thing. I plan to always listen engage and reflect during my time in Parliament. Public service is about serving all the people including those who may not have voted for you. I will work tirelessly to repay the confidence that has been shown in me by my party by my leader and by my local community.When the time comes to deliver my valedictory statement my aspiration is to reflect on a legacy where I contributed more than I criticised. I aim to affirm that I consistently chose courage over comfort remaining steadfast in my commitment to serve. My intention is to build on the efforts of my predecessors and ensure I play my part in creating an even better New Zealand. The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it and I intend to do just that. [Applause]SPEAKER: To make a maiden statement to the House I call on Grant McCallum."