Smith Lockwood: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
Smith Lockwood: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
[Volume:669;Page:16492] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Honourable members I thank you all for your kind comments especially the kind wishes some of you have expressed to my wife Alexandra. I also thank members for the expressions of thanks from all around the House to the hundreds of people who make this place operate. 
I first thank my presiding officers’ team. The Deputy Speaker Lindsay Tisch does extraordinary hours in the Chair and does a remarkable job of organising the team and I want him to know how much I appreciate that. The Assistant Speakers the Hon Rick Barker and Eric Roy do a great job in maintaining the kind of style I have tried to bring to the role of the Speakership. I really appreciate their commitment as well. 
I acknowledge the work of the Leader of the House the Hon Gerry Brownlee the shadow Leader of the House the Hon Darren Hughes and the whips from all around the House. Many of those people are members of the Business Committee and I really appreciate the constructive approach they bring to that committee as well as to the work of the Standing Orders Committee—a number of those members are also on the Standing Orders Committee. In that light can I acknowledge the Hon Trevor Mallard. Some people may have noticed the odd terse exchange— 
Hon Member 
: Really? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: —very occasionally—which the member himself referred to in his contribution this afternoon. I acknowledge that the Hon Trevor Mallard brings a wealth of experience and a very constructive approach to both the Business Committee and the Standing Orders Committee. I want to acknowledge that because I am sure that not many members of the public would be aware of that very valued contribution. 
I thank all members for the courtesy they extend me as Speaker. I know that it is impossible to get everything right. At times I apologise when I do not get things right but you extend extraordinary courtesy to me from the Prime Minister on down. To tell the Prime Minister at times that he is being a bit naughty and needs to sit down is sometimes quite daunting. I am always very gratified by the way that the Prime Minister Ministers and all members of the House treat me with extraordinary courtesy. I am very grateful for that. 
I thank the Clerk of the House. Mary Harris is an extraordinarily competent—extraordinarily competent—Clerk. We are so lucky to be served by her. I mention also her executive assistant Andie who is just a gem. I think the two are a formidable team. I thank the staff of the whole of the Clerk’s Office from the Deputy Clerk right down. So many of them keep this House operating at times in quite challenging circumstances. I thank the select committee clerks and the whole team: the Parliamentary Counsel Office the Bills Office the Hansard team the Parliamentary Library staff our loyal Chamber and gallery officers our interpreters the messengers the security staff the building maintenance and cleaning staff our reception and visitors team—they all play a vital role in how this place operates. I thank our sound radio and television technicians who are working right at this moment to bring our telecasts and broadcasts to the public. We have had a bit of a challenging year this year with the sound system in this place but I think we have overcome most of those problems. I thank the travel office which has to put up with our bookings changing up to five times for every trip we make. I thank the Bellamy’s staff and the behind the scenes team of Geoff Thorn and his Parliamentary Service staff and I include there our electorate office staff who work so hard to support us. Last but not least I thank our remarkable kaumatua Rose White Tahuparae who does her job with extraordinary dignity and actually great organisational skills as well. 
I thank my Serjeant-at-Arms Brent Smith and my own office staff: Roland on my right here Trish and Beryl who now is in her 25th year of working with me—a quarter of a century. She started in this place ahead of me. She worked in the office of one of Sir Robert Muldoon’s Ministers before I arrived in this place so she has an extraordinary trove of knowledge. Those of you who interact with my office will know how valuable she is. I thank my team because we continue to run the office on just 50 percent of the cost of the office when I arrived in that place. 
To 11 o’clock this morning you people had worked in this place—the House had sat—for 595 hours and 58 minutes. That is 30 hours more than last year. A total of 127 bills received the Royal assent and 12 of them are waiting for the Royal assent at the moment which is double last year’s 66 in total. Written questions lodged have doubled from 19822 to 39817. I say to all members that I think you do deserve a break. 
So too does the press gallery. I acknowledge that its members have also worked hard. I am sure all members of this House would acknowledge that they do not always see eye to eye with everything the press gallery does but its members are committed to what they do and they work very hard. 
All I would say is that it is at times very easy to criticise our Parliament but as someone who has been to many Parliaments in many supposedly democratic places around the world I know that this place has many strengths and to me it is a shame to endlessly criticise it. 
As we depart to enjoy some relaxation this Christmas I am sure that we will all want to remember the families of the Pike River miners so tragically killed just a few short weeks ago. Christmas for those families will not be the same. Such a family-focused time will reinforce their awful loss. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them this Christmas. Colleagues go forth and do enjoy yourselves. Go well and I look forward to seeing you all next year. 
Motion agreed to.