Lee MelissaMELISSA LEE (National): My turn came a little bit more suddenly than I was anticipating. When I first came into this House as a member of Parliament it was back in 2008 at the end of a 9-year Labour Government. It was back when a stadium full of New Zealanders headed overseas for what we called a brighter future". Well things have changed much since then and the economy under National has been growing ahead of our global friends despite the natural disasters that the learned colleague from the Green side has been talking about. Despite conflicts and strife abroad we have worked for New Zealand families and pushed New Zealand on the world's stage and have seen our country get to the forefront of trade and industry across the globe. As a result we no longer have planeloads of our best and brightest leaving our shores and leaving our country. They are staying because this is the country that is providing the brighter future for them.Look at the amazing trade relations we have with countries around the world and the excellent free-trade agreements we have signed with our partners to further both our nation's capacity and economic growth. With recent visits by the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang who agreed to update the China - New Zealand free-trade agreement in a way that benefits both our countries the memorandum of cooperation that allows for exports of chilled meats to enter China will be a huge benefit to our beef and lamb industries as the Chinese population looks for better food alternatives and better access to a greater variety of world-class products from overseas and we are willing to provide that. We are also improving our relations by opening a high commission in Sri Lanka to increase access to business as well as establishing an embassy in Dublin symbolising the growing relationship that New Zealand has with our trade and international partners across the globe and across cultures.This Government's books have again exceeded forecasts with a $1.4 billion surplus for the 8 months to February due to better tax revenue lower expenditure and the Government's strong economic management in the face of adversity from earthquakes floods and other unforeseeable disasters. Our regions are growing as well. If we look at some of the numbers it is quite astonishing. The Bay of Plenty which has the largest ports obtained a massive 7.7 percent increase in GDP. Auckland our largest city has grown 6 percent.I would be a bit remiss if I do not mention a recent trip overseas via the Inter-Parliamentary Union to the European Parliament and the United Kingdom at the end of last month with two of my colleagues. I see one of them sitting across the Chamber—Tracey Martin. A notable part of the visit was meeting with the Scottish National Party MP Angus MacNeil chair of the International Trade Committee and also with a member of the Labour Party Hilary Benn who was chair of the Exiting the European Union Committee and son of a man whom many of those opposite might recognise—Mr Tony Benn. Meeting with these members in Opposition to the current United Kingdom Government obviously was enlightening because their support for New Zealand was spectacular. Our engagement as an international trade partner and as a global citizen was fantastic. The same was true also in the European Union with members of Parliament whom we met in Brussels. They were full of praise for New Zealand and our way of life and our way of doing things. I thank members Tracey Martin and the Hon Annette King who were champions for the virtues of the great free-trading nation that we are. It was a wonderful trip.I do not have a lot of time left but I just want to mention that New Zealanders and our servicemen are still looked upon fondly with reverence by the people of Belgium to whom so many of our youth sacrificed to keep their nation free a century ago during World War 1. In visiting gravesites in Tyne Cot Ypres Messines and St Quentin we came to a brand new burial site of unknown New Zealand soldiers brought there to rest only a few days earlier. I had the distinct privilege of laying a very small scroll there for the Grey Lynn Returned Services Club who gave it to me to do that. In Ieper where they hold The Last Post ceremony under the Menin Gate it was a privilege to read the ode For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon of behalf of New Zealanders veterans and widows and active service personnel. As Anzac Day approaches I just want to say that I will remember all of them and I hope that other members in this House do too."