Barclay Todd: Address in ReplyText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBarclay Todd: Address in Reply[Sitting date: 22 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:161. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TODD BARCLAY (National—Clutha-Southland):I am humbled to stand here and speak for the first time in this Chamber. I am humbled by the sense of history tradition and culture but I am also humbled as I look round because from today I am part of this place. It is a true honour to stand before you as the representative for Clutha-Southland. We are proudly the largest general electorate in New Zealand. We embrace Southland South Otago West Otago Fiordland and the Greater Wakatipu. At 38000 square kilometres we are almost the size of Switzerland.I want to acknowledge and thank my family and friends Clutha-Southland supporters who are here today and former ministerial office colleagues—in particular Jamie Gray and Julie Ash. Mr Speaker congratulations to you on your reappointment and thank you for the strong voice you have provided provincial New Zealand throughout your time in this House. I wish to personally thank some very important people who are responsible for me standing here today: Glenys Dickson Tim Hurdle Michelle Boag and the Hon Roger Sowry. Your wisdom advice and sound loyal counsel have guided me throughout my journey thus far. I wish to thank my campaign team under the leadership of Jeff Grant John Wilson and Glenys Dickson. We ran a spectacular campaign and it was thanks to these fine people. I wish to thank my electorate executive under the leadership of Stuart Davies Ailsa Smaill and Nigel Moore. The Young Nats—thank you for all your hard work and support.I would also like to congratulate my class of 2014 colleagues all of whom I sincerely look forward to working with over the coming years—in particular I want to pay special mention to my friend and previous colleague Chris Bishop. You ran a solid campaign and I am truly glad to be working alongside you once again.Although I did not grow up on a farm I do come from good Southland farming stock and I hope to bring this down-to-earth approach to the House of Representatives. Dating back to the early 1900s three generations on my mother’s side farmed sheep in Southland near Winton and three generations on my father’s side were sheep farmers and trained horses at Croydon near Gore. I was born in Gore and my family moved to Dipton when I was about 3. My parents had the Four Square and mail run there before moving back to Gore in time for my final year at primary school. It was there where I completed the rest of my schooling. I completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Wellington while working at Parliament as an intern to Bill English ministerial secretary to Gerry Brownlee ministerial assistant briefly in the Prime Minister’s correspondence team—I think you were overseas at the time—and a political adviser to Hekia Parata. I then moved to Auckland and worked as a public relations and corporate affairs consultant before coming home where I won this election.My home the electorate of Clutha-Southland stretches from Waihola and Taieri Mouth on the East Coast to Milford Sound on the west. Our people vary from the farmers and service providers in and around Tuatāpere Ōtautau Winton Gore Lawrence Balclutha and Milton to the tourism operators in and around Queenstown Arrowtown Glenorchy Te Ānau Manapōuri and the Catlins. We also have innovators entrepreneurs and professionals engaged in business throughout the length and breadth of the electorate. All of these communities have differing social needs and local issues and deserve my unique representation. Despite such a large number of the residents of Clutha-Southland living in our larger centres the major influence in the electorate remains decidedly rural. This is something not to be forgotten. The primary sector is still the backbone of this country and of our economy and I look forward to making a strong contribution on the Primary Production Committee.I consider Clutha-Southland to be particularly fortunate though because in addition to our strong provincial foundation we also include a world-class tourism industry which plays a pivotal role in shaping our nation’s proposition to the rest of the world. Queenstown is unique. Among other things we are incredibly lucky that unlike many other parts of our country our challenge is in managing the pace of growth and development not generating it.I want to talk about the areas where I intend to make my main contribution. These three areas are in my view fundamental to the future growth and prosperity in Otago and Southland. I intend to make a difference in these areas. As a region we are heavily reliant on a strong high-quality and productive primary sector and a savvy supporting service industry. Innovation and a drive to keep doing better are crucial in order to keep pace with the growing international demand.Second in order to move forward attracting and retaining more innovative skilled and qualified workers down south is essential. To achieve this we need to systematically lift achievement at each point throughout the education pipeline. It is here that I want to acknowledge the Minister of Education the Hon Hekia Parata. I strongly admire her relentless passion and conviction to bringing out the very best in every teacher and every school and keeping our best teachers in the classroom so that they in turn can bring out the very best in every Kiwi kid. If you want an example of someone who has entered politics for the right reasons she is that person. Hekia I look forward to joining you in this pursuit and making a strong contribution as a member on the Education and Science Committee because as you say: “If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”My third interest is trade because this is what motivates and drives our demand for primary sector growth and workforce enhancement. We need to be constantly looking for opportunities to expand our export market base which is why concluding a strong dynamic Trans-Pacific Partnership is crucially important for the prosperity of my electorate and the country. As the people of Queenstown understand only too well tourism is an important element in this. New Zealand’s reputation and the experiences our visitors have while they are here play an important role in how our trading partners in the rest of the world perceive our country. It helps that we have an outstanding Minister of Tourism who understands the strength and dynamism of the tourism proposition and is leading the charge in attracting more and more high-value tourists. My electorate’s tourism offering opens huge doors and paves the way to a number of flow-on trade and economic benefits that we as a country enjoy.If I can contribute in any way during my time in this place to the delivery of tangible gains across the primary industries education trade and tourism and how they interact and intersect I will be proud to have helped enhance the ability of my region and our country to grow its economic potential. This is why provincial people deserve a strong voice in Parliament and in Government on an equal footing to the representation enjoyed by those living in New Zealand’s larger centres. I believe the key to the strength and success of the National Party in the future is to ensure that our party’s two core—and indeed at times competing—followings urban liberal-leaning New Zealand and rural conservative-leaning New Zealand both continue to enjoy strong representation on an equal footing at the highest of our party’s ranks. It is important that we remain balanced in our views realistic in our expectations and resonant with middle New Zealand. That is why I believe that our Prime Minister John Key and Deputy Prime Minister Bill English make an exceptional complementary team.Mr Speaker the Rt Hon David Carter when I stand before you in this House representing my view and the view of my people I do so with an appreciation of the true honour and responsibility that privilege brings. I do so with the intention of being a strong fair-minded and informed legislator. Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key when I stand before you in caucus representing my view and the view of my people I do so with an appreciation of the true honour and responsibility that privilege brings. I do so with the intention of being a strong fair-minded and informed member of your caucus.Parliamentary colleagues for those of you unaccustomed to the deep south let me introduce you to the fine people I humbly represent. The people of Clutha-Southland exemplify the best of New Zealand—of course I would say that. We are conservative yet innovative astute yet modest quiet yet ambitious and hard-working yet fun. We are proud New Zealanders. Our values are straightforward straight talking. We are uncomplicated in our views accountable for our actions and solid in our beliefs. My values are simple. They are based on personal responsibility free enterprise and choice. These are the values that I will represent in our Parliament.As British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said we want a society where people are free to make choices to make mistakes and to be generous and compassionate. That is what we mean by a moral society. It is not a society where the State is responsible for everything and no one is responsible for the State. For my part I believe that freedom and choice are the fundamental rights of all New Zealanders but we as individuals need to be responsible for the choices that we make and for the actions we take.I promised my constituents that as their MP I will act in order to preserve those values that they hold dear. Let there be no misunderstanding: I will act and it begins today. I understand that my leadership as a representative requires much more than acting with no conscience. I genuinely believe in my electorate’s values and I believe in my people. I will represent my constituency honestly and strongly.It is here I want to acknowledge the Hon Gerry Brownlee. I had the privilege of working for Gerry over Pike River and for part of the Canterbury earthquakes. Gerry it is your true selflessness humble wisdom and unconditional loyalty to the people of Canterbury that I believe will see the history books mark you down as one of New Zealand’s greatest political leaders.In this place that I call home we believe in phrases like individual responsibility hard work and equal opportunity. Clutha-Southland is a microcosm of the National Party. We are a microcosm of heartland New Zealand. As I begin my political career I ask myself a question: what type of country do we want to be in in 20 years’ time? I know what type of country I believe in—a dynamic innovative determined country; forward looking and forward thinking. That is the vision of my generation.I am 24 years old. Like Marilyn Waring Simon Upton and Nick Smith once were I am the youngest member of this House. People of my age are making choices that will affect them for the rest of their lives—they are marrying buying houses establishing career paths and having children. It is important that when we are in this House we consider these people. I hope that I will provide a strong voice in this place for my generation. Although some people might not realise it politics and other things that the Government does do affect all of our lives. Therefore we must be in constant pursuit of delivering strong stable decisive government consistent government and predictable government. That is what we aim for and aim to deliver as part of team Key. It is an exciting future built on a platform of 6 years of good government. I think it is important and I will aspire to maintain those standards so that the senior generation can thrive so that my generation can thrive and so that future generations can thrive.In 1990 the year I was born Simon William English came to this House. I am the same age as his eldest son Thomas—he and I used to go to the same playgroup. I have known Bill and his family literally my whole life. I want to acknowledge him as the most humble selfless focused politician I have ever met. The Hon Bill English his wife Dr Mary English and their family have served the people of Clutha-Southland very well for 24 years. They are people of true heart and true courage. That makes them truly heroic in the eyes of us all. As our local MP Bill was never afraid to stand up to those he opposed. He was and continues to be a man of judgment who understands what really matters. He was and continues to be a man of integrity who would never run out on the principles he believes in or the people who believe in him. He was and continues to be a man who understands the trust of those whose hopes he carries. Bill English is a man devoted to serving the public interest. Thank you for representing us proudly and strongly and setting such a high standard which I will strive to live up to.Those of you who know Bill will know that he has a reputation for being conservative not only with the country’s finances but also with his own. He is famous for leaving his wallet behind. We were in Queenstown during the campaign and we had just finished visiting some businesses in the industrial zone. On our way back to the office Bill said: “Oh I think I’d really like to take Barbara Swan out for a coffee.” She was his electorate agent. He said he thought it would be nice. I said: “Yes that would be great. I’ll just drop you off.” There was a bit of a pause and then he said: “Hey I don’t suppose you’ve got any cash have you?”. Bill’s staff who are here today will know this only too well.To the people of Clutha-Southland as we look forward and begin shaping our future we must never forget where we have come from nor the people whose blood sweat and tears founded the path upon which we walk today. Nor should we lose touch with the present. As I look up to the gallery I see a group of people who mean the world to me my family—my mum Maree; my dad Paul; my sister Kelsey; Brodie Andrews; and Margaret Williamson. As you all know only too well politics is my passion. The highest tribute I can pay to my family is to say that each of you is a person of warmth support loyalty and unconditional love. Living up to the values you possess is what continues to make me strive to make you proud. Without you all I would not be here today and it is the thought of you that will be bring me back tomorrow. Now is the time for me to stop talking and to start serving. For as long as the people of Clutha-Southland will have me my time is their time. This is their time. I am from them I am them and I am proud to be representing them.Sitting suspended from 6.01 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.