Mapp Wayne: Valedictory Statements 
Mapp Wayne: Valedictory Statements 
[Volume:676;Page:21751] 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 Fifteen years ago following the formation of the first National-led coalition under MMP three members of Parliament were invited by Ngati Hine to Otiria Marae. Each member was presented with a gift. Two of the gifts were weapons of war; one was a waka huia. The three members were the Rt Hon Winston Peters the Hon Tau Henare and myself. There is no prize for guessing who received the waka huia. 
The kaumatua told me to fill this treasure box with those things I most valued from my parliamentary life. So what have they been? First and foremost I have greatly valued the support of North Shore over five elections. North Shore is a vibrant place where people roll up their sleeves to achieve for their families and for their community. As their representative I have listened to the voice of the Shore through clinics through meetings through coffees and through catch-ups. I have carried their voice to this Chamber. It has been a great honour to serve the people of North Shore. 
I came to Parliament believing in the power of ideas to improve people’s lives—here those ideas could actually be actioned. Freedom of choice is a fundamental tenet of a free society. That has been at the heart of so many debates in this Chamber. I believed then as I do now that New Zealanders are best served by an open and free economy to enable them to take charge of their own lives. Ideas for change and their implementation can occur whether in Government or in Opposition. My Volunteers Employment Protection Amendment Bill which had been a member’s bill was subsequently implemented by a Labour Government. The 90-day bill reached a select committee and was the precursor of Government bills in 2008 and 2010. 
To have the opportunity in this fifth National-led Government led by Prime Minister John Key to be both the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Science and Innovation has been a great privilege. In the area of innovation during our time in Opposition a North Shore group and I had prepared a blueprint to get our country moving. We believed that New Zealand had failed to take advantage of the 10 years of relative prosperity preceding 2008 to really lift our country. Yes there had been some useful initiatives but there had been no real sense of urgency. Other countries had not been so complacent: Finland Denmark Israel and Singapore and Queensland with its Smart State Strategy just to name a few. As a result they have achieved faster growth and greater confidence in their future. 
So my focus as Minister of Science and Innovation has been pushing an agenda for growth. We have simplified the system and provided strategic direction. That is why the Ministry of Science and Innovation has been established. We have provided a long-term approach for Crown research institutes and crucially this Government has connected science to a broader economic agenda. I believe the effects are starting to be seen. There is a greater sense of aspiration particularly amongst younger science entrepreneurs. There has been an increase in total expenditure on science and innovation from 1.2 percent to 1.3 percent of GDP. Whilst that is a modest gain it is a start and in fact it has been achieved during a period of recession. This is actually an area of political consensus but a committed national effort is required. That is the key lesson from the countries that I cited earlier and it is the biggest opportunity that faces our nation. 
The defence portfolio was likewise in need of reform. There had not been a white paper for 13 years. The last significant work had been the cross-party select committee report  
Inquiry into Defence Beyond 2000 
 on which myself and the Hon Derek Quigley had worked very closely together. The previous Government had implemented some of those changes but new challenges emerged. The 2010 defence review and the capability plan launched this week provide a coherent Defence Force relevant to New Zealand’s needs and our place in the world. The most significant challenge in the next two decades is the changing balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region. I believe that as a small country we can make a vital contribution to enhance stability and prosperity within our region. 
However it is not reform that is the most testing part of defence. It is that we ask our young men and women to put their lives on the line in the service of our country. Over the last 3 years nine young New Zealanders including last week Lance Corporal Leon Smith have died either in operations overseas or in fulfilling their roles within New Zealand. I know that their loss is keenly felt by all of us in this House and by all New Zealanders. 
A valedictory is a time to reflect on lessons learned. The most important of those lessons is that trust and integrity are the guiding values for decision making. It is how we develop our party’s policy it is how we debate our ideas in caucus and Cabinet it is how we serve the people and it is the expectation that each of us should have of ourselves. These values are critical when making the hard decisions some of which relate to New Zealand’s place in the world. 
In Afghanistan we are part of a coalition of 49 nations. Virtually all of these nations share common democratic values and are the most internationally engaged nations in the world. These are the nations with which we have our strongest links. All of these nations have experienced acts of al-Qaeda terrorism. I remind this House and indeed the country that seven New Zealanders have been killed by acts of terrorism in the last decade. We have a common commitment to Afghanistan so that it can become a functioning member in the family of nations rather than an outlaw State harbouring al-Qaeda as it was under the Taliban. On this I stand with the Prime Minister. We do not honour our fallen by running when the going gets tough. We do not honour our country by shirking from our responsibilities. And we do not honour each other when we resile from our principles. 
We are all part of a team. The leader of our team John Key has the vision and sets the direction for our Government. I thank you Prime Minister for giving me the opportunity to serve in Cabinet. I also thank you—and I believe this will be shared by all of my colleagues—for allowing us such a large degree of autonomy to develop the direction in our portfolios. I believe that the freedom you have given each of us is one of the secrets of your success as leader. The Prime Minister’s sense of what New Zealanders expect from the Government and my colleagues’ steady competence have engendered confidence and stability in these difficult times including dealing with the Canterbury earthquakes and the Pike River mine disaster. 
MPs arrive in this Parliament as a group. In my case it is the “class of ‘96”. There are now only three of us left out of 10—Gerry Brownlee Georgina and myself. On 27 November there will be only Gerry but he is big enough to stand alone! I have appreciated working as a team with my fellow North Shore MPs: Murray McCully who has been a friend since the age of 18 and Dr Jonathan Coleman. I wish my colleagues every success in the upcoming election including a future colleague Maggie Barry on the North Shore 
The team of course extends well beyond parliamentarians and I pay tribute to my parliamentary and ministerial office staff who have put in so much hard work over the last few years. I also thank the many parliamentary staff whom we all depend on and who are always quick I might add with a cheery word—the messengers security receptionists Bellamy’s cleaners Parliamentary Library staff the travel office and the VIP Transport Service. 
I especially want to thank Adrienne Frew who has worked with me for 10 years. She has been very efficient and at times I think she has had quite a bit to put up with. I also acknowledge my ministerial adviser Stuart Boag. We have known each other for many many years and he has been invaluable as we have chewed over a wide range of political and defence issues. On this occasion I also acknowledge Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones and his predecessor the Governor-General Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae. I also acknowledge Rear Admiral Jack Steer who has been Vice Chief of Defence Force throughout this time and the service chiefs but especially the wider defence family in which I believe that all of us in this House have so much pride. I acknowledge John McKinnon Secretary of Defence. He has provided as all senior civil servants do wise counsel from time to time. It often goes like this does it not: “What the Minister really meant to say was …”. I also acknowledge Dr Brook Barrington for his work on the defence review and Des Ashton for some pretty difficult procurement issues.  
I have been particularly fortunate in the last 3 years to work with a person of Sir Peter Gluckman’s stature in science and innovation and in the ministry with chief executives Dr Helen Anderson and Murray Bain. I say to Murray that he has a tremendous opportunity to lead real change in science and innovation.  
The National Party in the North Shore has been one of my fundamental pillars of strength. There are too many to name—many of them are in the gallery—but from my electorate office I thank Joan Finlayson Mel MacDonald and the current team of Tracy Kirkley Jane Taylor and Sean Topham. I acknowledge longstanding friends—president of the party Peter Goodfellow Peter Kiely and Andrew and Vicki Caisley. All have been my mentors. I also acknowledge members of the North Shore team specifically: Joan and the late Ross Finlayson Terry Dunleavy—Terry has been known to test a few National Party leaders—Bob Keating Barrie and Fay Mason and Jean Allen. From the current executive team I thank Lorraine Campbell Matt Kemp Richard Gates and of course Cam Calder who is now here as a member of Parliament.  
At this time thanks must especially go to one’s own family—the Mapp and Henare whanau particularly to my parents Heather and Gordon my sisters Sheryl and Wendy my brother-in-law Chris my late sister-in-law Darlene whom I miss greatly and also of course especially to my wife Denese. Denese has always provided her love and support and her wise counsel—and in a typical Henare fashion Tau—in a rather forthright fashion. I could not have entered political life without her support.  
I say to all members of this House that I wish them well. I also acknowledge my colleague Allan Peachey for his decision today. As we who are giving valedictory addresses all know it is a bittersweet moment in leaving but the waka huia that I received some 15 years ago now brims with treasures that I will long remember. But it is a time for new beginnings and I have often found that some of life’s greatest rewards come from making a fresh start. Thank you.