Allan KiritapuKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour): E tū e tū ngā pou o toku-u whare pouwhenua poutaiohi tipu-u tua-hākiri e-e.Kirikiri rangaranga tukutuku kōrero hei here i ngā pou ō toku-u whaere e-e.Kamōkia e-te iwi kia whangō kia kai i te reka ō hu-a e-e![Rise up arise indeed the pillars of my house pouwhenua poutaiohi tipu-u and tua-hākiri.Stories handed down in the ornamental lattice and panel work will indeed secure the pillars of my house.Blink at it oh tribe until you are hoarse so that you may indeed devour the sweetness of your outcomes!]He tino hōnore ki te tū i roto i tēnei Whare o Te Paremata mai tēnei uri o Te Pirirākau o Ngāti Ranginui o Ngāi Te Rangi o Tūwharetoa mai i ngā waka o Te Tākitimu Mātaatua Tainui. Ki a koutou e ōku nei rangatira i roto i tēnei Whare ā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou.[It is a real honour for this relative of Te Pirirākau of Ngāti Ranginui of Ngāi Te Rangi and of Tūwharetoa of the canoes Te Tākitimu Mātaatua and Tainui to be standing in this House. To you my esteemed ones in this House: salutations acknowledgments and accolades to you collectively.]First Mr Speaker may I acknowledge your elevation to the bench sir. It wasn't that long ago that I heard your remarks in the closings of the 51st Parliament where you put forth your aspiration that you might have the opportunity to have wee Heeni and Hiwaiterangi on your knee in this Whare as Speaker of this House in the 52nd Parliament. To see that vision come true last night during our first legislation going through its first couple of readings—the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill—it was truly and indeed an honour to see that so congratulations sir.To my friend colleague and contemporary who unfortunately just had to leave the Hon Anne Tolley from the mighty mighty East Coast who too has been elevated to the bench in the role of Deputy Speaker I want to acknowledge her. My whanaunga Adrian Rurawhe from Rātana Pā and my colleague Poto Williams: ka nui te mihi ki a koutou ā e ōku nei rangatira [much appreciation to you collectively and to you my esteemed ones].Like many monumental events in my life you could describe my entry into this House as somewhat accidental. As a high school dropout of the age of 16 I entered into the full-time workforce at KFC with the aspiration to work in every single KFC in this country so that I might see the world! Incidentally I might add that I joined my first union at that time. I didn't really know what it was at that point but that was the Service and Food Workers Union and that began my journey into this place.The hint of the adventure and the thirst to know New Zealand beyond the small confines of my humble East Coast beginnings of the mighty Paengaroa led me to taking a job as a cherry picker in Blenheim when I was 17 years old. With dreadlocks flying 50 bucks in my pocket a second-hand backpack on my back and a borrowed tent strapped to my pack I commenced my first long-distance hitchhike down country towards those cherry fields. En route I came through Wellington. I remember walking down to the ferry terminal gazing up at this odd shaped building to my left kind of compelled to take that little meander up that track and sitting outside on that forecourt outside this House gazing up wondering: wonder what they do in there. I said to myself that day I'm going to find out and I kind of want to work there.I could not have anticipated that that would come in the form of being a member of this House. So to those in my party that have put your trust your confidence your faith in me to represent our values and our vision for a greater New Zealand I thank you.I'm one of 10 children from a relatively mixed family that transcends race class and geography. My dad—up there in the gallery—is a son of a solo mother who raised four boys in Gore to be resilient hard-working and decent men. Her ancestors arrived here in 1848 aboard the vessel the Blunder landing in Port Chalmers from Scotland. My father's father was the son of migrants from Aberdeen that came via Sri Lanka where they were the owners of a tea plantation.My mother's father: a fisherman and World War II veteran. Her mother: a Pirirākau princess who was raised in the centre of our universe Te Puna. And I just briefly want to acknowledge the member Todd Muller who was the first member of this House to be from that centre of the universe and I'm proud to join him as the second.I have the honour of carrying my grandmother's name: Kiritapu. Now my nana spoke only Te Reo in the home until the age of five when she entered into the native schools system. On her first day at that school her name was changed to Kitty" a name that she would carry for the rest of her life and she was strapped for speaking Te Reo Māori. Whatever the intention it was nevertheless the effect that my nana's cultural identity was whipped out of her at that school and so too some might say was her voice.So Nana I stand here in this House to honour your name to give voice to the voiceless who for whatever their circumstances cannot speak for themselves.Growing up central government politics wasn't really a part of our daily discourse but standing up for what was right and honourable was of absolute fundamental importance. Now I swear I didn't swap notes with my colleague here Willow-Jean. This was truly epitomised by my mother Gail. During my formative years I saw my mother lead a walkout from our community a community that we loved and that we cherished but nevertheless whose leadership she perceived to be abusing its power. It was a stance that took courage and the support of my dad.Mum for standing up for what you believed in in the face of all adversity I thank you for giving me in turn the courage to stand up for what I believe in.I'm an extraordinarily proud New Zealander. Now we come from a country that punches above its weight; a country that in 1893 in a movement led by Merepeka Mangakahia and Kate Sheppard became the first country to give women the right to vote; a country that stood for being clean and green by taking a nuclear-free stance when it was politically unpalatable; a country that has been bold enough to face its past and embark on a process for reconciling of our history by in part trying to establish the Waitangi Tribunal and engaging in the Treaty settlement process; a country that is the home of Weta Workshop Flight of the Conchords Lorde and—my cousin by dint of marriage—the director of Thor: Ragnarok.In 2016 I was fortunate enough to marry my best friend because this Parliament was one of the first in the world to recognise marriage equality. I am indebted to the members of this House from both sides and particularly Louisa Wall and the Hon Grant Robertson for championing something so simple as the right to marry the person you love.We are a small but mighty nation. However despite our proud history there is still an incredible amount of work to be done. During the course of the campaign and indeed throughout my electorate the East Coast I met with people that share their stories. In the words of one of my constituents: "There is ugliness in the shadows if you take the time to look." Indeed I look.I saw the family of seven living out of their cars at the beach in Thornton. I saw the working-aged man in Ōpōtiki who'd waited four years for a heart operation. I saw the nine Gisborne families who in a period of just a few weeks lost loved ones to suicide. I saw the kids who are left parentless by their mums and their dads who are lost in the irrationality that is P. I saw the strain on the face of the full-time working mum in Kawerau who can't afford the gas to get the kids to school to sport to participate. I saw the forestry worker from Ruatōria who passed away in a workplace accident exactly one year to the day from his first cousin. There is ugliness that lurks in the shadows but sadly this is not unique to the East Coast.They say that it is easier to invest in building strong children than it is to fix broken men and women. I am committed to giving my all in this Government that invests in ensuring that our kids reach their true potential. I am not one of those people that think that Government has the answers to everything or can do everything. But I believe that the role of the Government is to work collaboratively with the communities that we serve to enable the many and not just the few to reach their full potential.The law—it's a funny thing. Although we don't actively think about it when we go about our day to day lives the law sets out the parameters and rules by which we collectively live. The law touches many aspects of our lives from telling us to stop at a stop sign to influencing the way in which our economy performs. The impact of the written word of law is pervasive and deeply felt when it is working well but it is much more so when it is not.As a lawyer I learnt to operate within the confines of the existing words of the law. But as a member of this House we are privileged to influence and determine the content. This is not a privilege I take either lightly or for granted. I am filled with genuine hope entering into this House as part of the sixth Labour-led Government and particularly under the leadership of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Prime Minister Ardern has compassion and empathy and connection to the people that we seek to serve and under her leadership and indeed the leadership of our executive I feel like we are on the precipice of true change.Recently I met a young man from Tāneatua who had just finished high school and he came up to me on the street and said "Oi Kiritapu if I vote for you will you help fellas like me get a job?" This is the type of kid who is all too easily written off as being a future burden on the system and not an asset to invest in. I am proud to be a part of a Government that will give kids like this—and indeed really kids like me—a shot. We know that to do this we must do the basics and do those basics right: by stimulating our economy—and in particular our regional economies—by focusing on our core industries and nurturing community buy-in to our local workforce and ensuring that the infrastructure is there to support such growth. While it's positive I'm not talking just about the growth of the shareholders' bottom line. I'm talking about the successful growth of people in meaningful jobs and industries and community that works together for the benefit of all.There are many people on my journey that have helped me to reach my potential. First I want to acknowledge my constituents of the East Coast and in particular my members who worked doggedly for nine months on our campaign for change. You all know who you are and I am deeply indebted to you all. In particular to my campaign chair—campaign mentors—Sir Michael Cullen and Lady Anne Collins sitting here in this gallery today I embark on my journey in this House and I am indebted to you both for the wisdom patience and guidance that you have graciously bestowed upon me. To my mum my dad my aunties my uncles my brothers my sisters my cousins and to you know a few of you fellas up there thank you all for grounding me holding me and loving me because we are but a sum of each other. Finally kai koe e te tau [to you my beloved one] who's probably had to step out with our baby—she's somewhere. There she is. Natalie for the love guidance wisdom patience and everything else that you give to me and our whānau: ka nui te mihi aroha ki a koe [much affection to you]. And I know I owe you for this one mate.I commenced my remarks in this House today referring to my 17-year-old self stumbling across this Parliament. On that same day that young girl penned a short spoken-word piece outside on this lawn that seems appropriate as I stand in this House.We are raising a nationof beautiful babies.This is our generationwhere we lift our heads high.Be gone the days of our forebearswhere they were taught to be shy.Because this landyes Aotearoait is our promiseand that is for sure.Being strong in our identitiesfostering visions of equalitystrong peopleand strong communities.Yeah.We named our daughter Hiwaiterangi. Hiwaiterangi is one of the nine stars of Matariki and it is the star that we cast forth our dreams hopes and aspirations to for the crop of the year ahead. My prayer is that the work I do in this House alongside my colleagues lays the seeds so that my daughter and indeed all children in this nation will fulfil the dreams and aspirations of our forebears for a fairer more equitable Aotearoa New Zealand. Nō reira e te Whare tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Applause]WaiataThe House adjourned at 6.20 p.m."