Maiden Statements 
Maiden Statements 
[Volume:651;Page:356] 
Maiden Statements 
NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) 
: 
 Mr Speaker I congratulate you on your election to office. I speak to you today as the first-ever National member of Parliament for Auckland Central. I am conscious of the history that we have made in taking this seat for the first time. I would like to thank all of those people who helped on my campaign who made this victory possible. I thank the family of Alfred Kidd the first Liberal Party member of Parliament for Auckland Central who supported me during my campaign. Alfred left Parliament almost exactly 100 years ago and I acknowledge his contribution to this House.  
I would like to congratulate New Zealand’s 38th Prime Minister the Hon John Key. The Prime Minister’s legacy has already been to change the face of the National Party and in doing so he has changed this Parliament and probably the future direction of this country. Our 38th Prime Minister will go down in New Zealand’s history for forming a strong Government at lightning speed.  
I also want to acknowledge and thank the Maori Party. In supporting this National Government the Maori Party MPs have shown they are not bound by rigid left or right-wing ideology in their pursuit of better lives for all Maori. In an ability to work with both sides of the House the Maori Party has shown great leadership. I know as a nation we have a lot of work to do to help lift many Maori out of hardship and often our debate focuses on that but I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the Maori MPs in this House in the contribution they have made.  
I acknowledge my colleagues and I thank the National Party for this tremendous opportunity. I am here only because of the hard work of former presidents of the National Party including Michelle Boag and John Slater the current president Judy Kirk and the other officers and MPs who worked so hard to build this party.  
Today I want to share with you who I am and what I wish to achieve as the member of Parliament for Auckland Central and as a representative of the people of New Zealand. I am the person I am today because of my family and the values I have been taught. I believe in freedom hard work determination courage an ability to question and challenge and a commitment to help those most in need. I work hard every day to try to be a person with these attributes. Born in 1980 I am a 1980s baby and proud. As part of the first intake of the 1980s MPs I am proud to represent the next generation of New Zealanders.  
Probably one of the most defining moments of my life was when my parents split up around the time of my seventh birthday. My heart goes out to all Kiwi kids out there who have been through this. Grappling with what feels like the loss of a parent and often being highly suspicious of one that you are gaining is not an easy thing to go through. However I consider myself very lucky. Had it not been for this event I would not have the diverse bubbly challenging and sometimes maniac family I have today and I would not be who I am. With two half-brothers four half-sisters one stepbrother a full brother a full sister a mum a dad and two current step-parents created not by marriage but rather by convention I have one full brood. I do not intend to name my siblings as it would be hugely embarrassing to miss one out. They are all very special to me and I want them to know that wherever I am they are a part of me and I love them very much.  
It is this interesting family make-up that has formed my belief about families and probably has made me the liberal being I am today. I am not judgmental about how families should be structured—if it works it works. I think that regardless of who you are whether you are bringing up a child as a parent a grandparent a dad and mum two mums or two dads if you have the skills love and commitment to bring up a child then I support you in what I am told is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life.  
At this point I want to acknowledge that there are limits to my liberal philosophy. P has caused massive heartbreak and destruction in my family. There are many families across New Zealand silently suffering with little support. In some instances they wait anxiously day by day for the next car crash theft or violent event. My heart goes out to those families who are suffering because of P and I am committed to working hard to get rid of this drug.  
I want to acknowledge my mum. My mum has devoted her life to Gen Matty Clinton—my stepfather—and me and I am in absolute awe of her ability to perform mini-miracles and overcome so many hurdles. My mum’s drive to deliver us opportunities that often seemed impossible to our reach has always inspired me. She scraped and borrowed to pay the school fees to give me a first-class education she worked several jobs to support my sister and I do not remember her ever complaining. In fact I remember that she often had the energy to be an ear to some of the many people who passed through our house needing help. That constant ability to give to others in need is a value I cherish.  
I thank my big sister for looking after me during those years when mum was by herself and working. I was not particularly grateful at the time and I felt rather bossed around. But I think she did pretty well for an 11-year-old. My brother Matty is a legend a great husband and a great father. I thank my stepfather for instilling in me the values of hard work through the wheelbarrows of sawdust I carted at a mere 10c a barrow to earn some cash and through barrowing away late into the evening. He would have expected nothing less. To my grandmother Micky I say that if I ever had to work out where my determination came from I have only to look at her sitting in the gallery. Three days after an accident and subsequent hip operation she insisted on being wheeled in for this speech. Thank you for coming.  
My professional and academic background has been diverse. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Otago majoring in genetics and I hope to complete a law degree soon. My professional experience includes working in Parliament. The people who work here in Parliament often go on beyond the call of duty and I thank them all for their service.  
Like many New Zealanders I have done my OE. I moved to London in 2003 and came back last year. I have worked in central and local government in transport and social policy roles overseas and in the private sector in project management where I ran a major information technology project for a financial institution. In my spare time I launched a company utilising Internet technology. It is this diverse public and private sector experience that I hope will give me some perspective and an open-minded approach to all the businesses and community organisations that I try to assist in my role as a member of Parliament.  
Since being a youngster I have always run and played sport. I am proud of my sporting achievements. For me like many Kiwis sport is not just a hobby; being physically active is a way of life. In my lifetime I would like to see New Zealand host an Olympic Games. For a nation with so many successful athletes this would be a tremendous moment in our history.  
I am fortunate to have travelled the world and I have had a great time doing it. I have represented the National Party as a vice chair of the International Young Democratic Union. In this role I met many young outstanding future leaders and members of Parliament. I have fought for the freedom of others as the leader of the Belarus freedom campaign. I acknowledge those who do not have the freedom we have in New Zealand and I am committed to continuing to work to raise awareness of the struggle of these people.  
Though I am 28 I think I have crammed a lot in. It is very humbling to have been voted in by the hard-working and good people of Auckland Central. I want to thank them for the opportunity they have given me. It has been a privilege to meet so many Auckland Central residents on the doorstep. Some of them shared with me snapshots of their lives—the good the bad and the sometimes out of focus. For those who have opened their hearts and homes I am grateful that they gave me a better understanding of the challenges we face as a nation. The people I met on the streets of Auckland Central were hard-working passionate people who care deeply about the future of New Zealand.  
One issue that was raised with me by many people in Auckland was the reform of Auckland’s regional government. I am committed to working hard on this. We cannot afford to get it wrong. The reform will require strong leadership from local and central government politicians. If people revert to preciously protecting their patches then Aucklanders and New Zealand will suffer and a once-in-a-generation opportunity will be lost. The solution will need to balance the move towards a more simple structure while ensuring there is a structure that supports strong community representation. If we achieve this it will be a legacy of this Government and its support parties.  
Auckland Central is not a typical urban electorate. The diversity of the electorate is reflected in its geography from the urban jungle to the gulf islands and the inner-city suburbs. The Auckland Central business district drives our nation’s economy but it is also where people live work and play. Over 120000 people come into the city to work every day. The residents of the central business district live in over 100 apartment dwellings. I look forward to working hard to improve the relationship between local and central government to ensure that people in the inner city have a good standard of living.  
The gulf islands are one of the greatest assets Auckland has and part of my focus as a member of Parliament will be to try to enhance and protect them. Waiheke Islanders—the Waihetians—are a strong smart vocal community that needs a good advocate on the national stage. Waiheke faces a delicate balance between sensible development and preservation of the natural environment. While I am in Parliament I intend to work hard with other parties such as the Greens to help steer this course and contribute on environmental issues. Our environment is the greatest gift we have been given as a nation.  
There are people who think the environment is an issue that can be put aside when times are tough. I would ask those people to look deeper and realise that from a social and economic point of view our environment is the most precious asset we have. Great Barrier Island is an untouched piece of paradise a rough nugget with some of the most resourceful people we will find in New Zealand. The pioneering resilient spirit of the Barrierites is alive and kicking. I am committed to working with local iwi and the community to advance the basic infrastructure of the island and deliver better marine protection. 
The western bay suburbs have developed with Auckland. These are not cookie-cutter subdivisions such as those you might see in the rest of the country. The communities such as Grey Lynn Ponsonby Westmere Freemans Bay Arch Hill and Western Springs all have their own story and character. The people are multicultural multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan. Young families and young professionals are in abundance. This electorate does not just have large corporate headquarters. Some 18000 small businesses make their living here and part of my focus in Parliament will be to work with the private sector to promote policies that support these businesses.  
The electorate is also home to many arts and creative sector professionals. At this point I would also like to acknowledge the Rt Hon Helen Clark for her dedication and commitment to the arts. The performing arts are part of the vibrant heart of Auckland City. I am committed to ensuring that their voice is heard in this Parliament.  
I want to look briefly into the future. The next 30 years like the last 30 years will see immense change in New Zealand. Although I have no doubt that the issues of health and education will continue to dominate the debate in our  
Hansard 
 in 2038 I predict that other issues may be just as prominent as those of the last 10 years as we have started to see them emerge. The information age has provided immense power but with that power and insight come the inevitable challenges of using that information. In our pursuit of technology to do things smarter and to provide solutions in medicine and medical-care application we will need to be aware of the impact on society and the challenges we may face as a result. In our pursuit of smaller smarter devices to manage our lives to entertain us and to communicate with each other we must realise that these great things come with deposits of information capable of mapping every move of a person.  
The recent Google application is an example of this—great technology but the social moral legal and ethical implications could be immense and need to be adequately thought through. Medicine is an area where this is just as applicable. Most people would applaud when they see genetics providing information that can help treat diseases such as cancer; however our ability to obtain information about children not born yet is an example where not all of society may be on the same page.  
This Parliament and Parliaments of the future will grapple with these issues. As someone with a background in information technology and genetics I hope to be able to contribute to these debates. As part of the next generation of New Zealanders I know we will have to work smarter and harder than the generation that came before us. With an ageing population we will be thin on the ground.  
At this point I want to finish by acknowledging the thousands of Kiwis living overseas who long to come home to our nation. The voice of these people is at times muted by distance but they are passionate New Zealanders. 
I thank the people of New Zealand for this opportunity. I am proud—so proud—to be the first National member of Parliament for Auckland Central. Thank you. 
KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI (National) 
: 
 Mr Speaker I congratulate you on your election as the Speaker of the House. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh. That is the greeting Sikhs first exchange when they meet each other or when they part company. It is a reminder to always stay humble and never forget that God has supreme power. Namaste salaam alaikum kia ora and Pacific greetings to all. 
Today I congratulate our leader the Prime Minister the Hon John Key on winning the trust of the people of New Zealand to lead our country through these difficult times. It is by virtue of his leadership that I stand here today addressing this House of Representatives as a member of Parliament. I shall always remain humbled by the trust shown by the leader the Hon John Key; the National Party President Judy Kirk; and all my National Party colleagues who have shown trust in me. I will do my best to honour their trust. 
During the election campaign I made new friends and supporters like the electorate chair Ray Strong; the campaign chair Kit Parkinson; the campaign manager Jill Spooner; and Gurvinder Singh my financial agent. I would like to thank them and all the supporters from all communities for their immense support and hard work. I also want to thank all my friends well-wishers and supporters who have come all the way from Auckland—and also from Wellington—to join me on this historic day. 
I would like to pay special tribute to my father the late Bakshi Jagdev Singh and my mother the late Basant Kaur Bakshi who instilled in me the invaluable qualities of honesty of integrity and of extending a helping hand to whomever wherever and whenever I can. I know they would be proud to see their son carry on the family tradition of politics and representing communities. 
I thank my family. Without their love support and sacrifice I would not be here today. To my wife Irvinder Kaur and my sons Gawanjit Singh Bakshi and Rijakjit Singh Bakshi who are here today I say they have been a source of my strength. Thank you very much. My brothers Karamjit Singh and Paramjit Singh and my sisters-in-law visited me from India to support me during the election and bless me. I am also grateful to my father-in-law and mother-in-law for their true guidance and moral support. 
I would also like to acknowledge tangata whenua and all the New Zealanders who have opened their hearts to migrants like me and made us a part of this nation. This country has a proud history. It is a history in which my own people have played a part since 1890 when a fellow Indian Sikh Phuman Singh Gill migrated here. He married a Pakeha and worked as a confectioner. His descendants today live in Auckland and I acknowledge Peter Gill amongst them. Indians have served and contributed to New Zealand society in many spheres like farming business and the medical and legal professions. Today our community stands proud in having produced its first Indian Sikh member of Parliament. 
I would especially like to acknowledge the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Air Force for having integrated the Sikh turban and our five articles of faith commonly termed as the “Five K’s” into their respective uniforms. They are kesh uncut hair; kanga a comb; kirpan a small sword; karha a steel bracelet; and kachhera cotton underwear. Thank you Mr Speaker for allowing my baptised brothers to come to Parliament wearing kirpan which our religion requires. 
I entered politics many years ago because of a burning desire to make a difference in the fields of trade law and order and inter-ethnic relations. I identify with Mark Twain’s statement: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did not do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. AND discover.” Exploring dreaming and discovering are an innate part of every Kiwi’s world view. That is what makes us a rich nation—rich in innovative talent rich in exploring new scientific frontiers and rich in extending individual freedom. Time and again we have led the world in these areas. It is my belief that under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister the Hon John Key and the brilliance of our Minister of Trade the Hon Tim Groser we can create conditions around the world that favour our innovators our manufacturers and our producers. 
After the free-trade agreement with China and given that talks are in progress for a free-trade agreement with the USA I think it is time to turn our attention to India one of the biggest democracies and the fastest-growing economy in the world. I would like to see a free-trade agreement between these two countries. 
It may not be out of place to say that the prosperity that trade brings to a country becomes meaningless if the person on the street does not feel safe. The deaths of hard-working Kiwis like Sergeant Derek Wootton retailer Navtej Singh cafe owner Joanne Wang young student Krishna Naidu and others remind us of the work that needs to be done in the field of policing in the social sector in education and in inter-ethnic relations. This is not only to safeguard our country’s reputation as a tourist heaven but also to lead the world in providing solutions to tackle crime. 
Tackling the causes of criminal behaviour to prevent it from happening is cost effective and prevents human suffering. We must never lose sight of the fact that even if we put a criminal behind bars the victims and their loved ones are already sentenced for life. That sense of having been wronged for no fault of their own can spread bitterness in all corners of our society. I humbly offer my intimate knowledge of the South Auckland communities and their specific issues to help prevent crime before it is committed because that is the only way to prevent the suffering of the victims. I would like to take this opportunity to stress the need to not lose sight of individual freedom while trying to tackle crime. As Thomas Jefferson pointed out two centuries ago “A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both and deserve neither.” 
Now I come to the growing ethnic diversity of our New Zealand society. Our first Asian Cabinet Minister the Hon Pansy Wong my National Party colleague Melissa Lee and I are examples of the growing ethnic diversity of New Zealand society. I also acknowledge Dr. Ashraf Choudhary Dr. Rajen Prasad and Raymond Huo on the Opposition benches as part of this ethnically diverse Parliament. I humbly pledge to work with our Minister for Ethnic Affairs the Hon Pansy Wong and others to keep the diverse ethnic mosaic of our society harmonious and respectful of each other’s differences. I have come to this Parliament carrying the responsibility of looking after the interests of the people of this great country and I am fully committed to do my best to serve this great country and its people. 
I have come to the conclusion of my maiden speech. I would like to share with the House the ideal city from Sikh scripture which is a guiding light to me and my fellow Sikhs: 
Baygumpura ‘the city without sorrow’ is the name of the City. 
There is no suffering or anxiety there. 
There are no troubles or taxes on commodities. 
There is no fear blemish or downfall. [1] 
Now I have found this most excellent city. 
There is lasting peace and safety there O Siblings of Destiny. [1] [Pause] 
God’s Kingdom is steady stable and eternal. 
There is no second or third status; all are equal there. 
That city is populous and eternally famous. 
Those who live there are wealthy and contented. [2] 
They stroll about freely just as they please. 
They know the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence and no one blocks their way. 
Says Ravi Daas the emancipated shoemaker: 
whoever is a citizen there is a friend of mine. [3] [2] 
That is the vision I bring to this Parliament and I shall do my best to work alongside my esteemed colleagues to achieve it. Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh.  
JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 Mr Speaker I congratulate you on your election to the position of Speaker and I know that you will serve this House in an excellent manner. Ladies and gentlemen fellow members of the House I have always been proud to be a New Zealander. I am now honoured humbled and privileged to speak in this House.  
I am very proud to be a member of the National Party. I was convinced some time ago that New Zealand would be extremely well served by the forward-thinking leadership of the Prime Minister the Hon John Key. I now find myself with this opportunity to serve under him in his Government. I count that as a great privilege. I would like to thank Judy Kirk the president of the National Party. She is a wonderful woman who leads with great skill insight and warmth. I thank Jo Stuart and Alastair Bell two of our regional chairs who have encouraged me in my journey to the House. I thank the great team in New Plymouth who wholeheartedly threw their support behind me. Special thanks go to Jan Mason and Orm Greensill my campaign co-chairs for their tremendous support and of course to all the campaign team and the many volunteers who literally did the hard yards. My thanks also go to John and Helen Armstrong who have been great personal supporters throughout the rigours of the campaign. My family has been a tremendous encouragement to me. Of course I would like to thank my wife Maura for her steadfast support her brilliant analysis of situations and her unrelenting belief in me.  
I am very proud and honoured to be the member of Parliament who represents the people of the New Plymouth electorate. This electorate which goes from Okato in the west to Waitara in the east and to the summit of Mount Taranaki is an amazingly beautiful part of New Zealand. The New Plymouth electorate is truly a jewel in the crown of New Zealand and its time has come. Only 2 months ago New Plymouth was voted New Zealand’s top city heading off Christchurch Wellington and Auckland as the best place in New Zealand in which to live love work and raise a family. I know that some of the members from those lesser cities want to rise to their feet right now but I understand that interjections are discouraged during maiden speeches. Added to that New Plymouth won three out of the five possible gold medals at the UN-endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities which were recently held in China.  
I bring this to members’ attention because it was not always the case. New Plymouth was described by author E W Payton in 1876 as the “dullest place in the colony … which all the other great bustling cities had a patronising way of snubbing”. As we wonder about those words we realise they underscore a story that all New Zealanders can be encouraged by. As a consequence of New Plymouth’s distance from those great bustling cities it bred a people who possessed what we would all see as a noble trait: self-reliance. With the earliest Maori settling in Taranaki around AD 800 the people of the region have always been resilient and resourceful. When describing the magnificence of New Plymouth and the area Mayor Peter Tennent said: “It’s because of our heritage of innovation and determination that we have ground-breaking facilities extensive parks and reserves a magnificent programme of events and festivals and a very strong local economy—which combined with our fantastic landscape makes for a lifestyle that is unequalled anywhere.”  
The success of New Plymouth and its surrounding region is not just because we are a cow town or an oil town. It is because we are innovative and determined to make the most of opportunities that come our way. Being so far from the bustling cities of the north and south the people of the New Plymouth region were compelled to develop their own strong sense of community their own expression of art and culture and their own excellence in industry. That is evidenced today by events such as WOMAD—the World of Music Arts and Dance festival—and the Taranaki Rhododendron and Garden Festival which attracts tourists from all over New Zealand and around the world. Pukekura Park in the centre of the city has been named a garden of national significance and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery the home of the collection of internationally acclaimed kinetic artist Len Lye is world renowned. Taranaki has a world-class stadium Yarrow Stadium—carrying the name of the late Noel Yarrow one of Taranaki’s great philanthropists—where we recently enjoyed the All Blacks playing Samoa. The Davis Cup round against China was also played in New Plymouth. It is also evidenced in the world-class engineering companies that support the oil and gas industry and export their expertise around the world not just in oil and gas engineering but in the leap that has been made to manufacture some of the best superyachts in the world.  
I would suspect that if Edward W Payton were to visit New Plymouth today he would see a thriving creative expansive exciting and bustling city. He would write an addendum to his previous statement which would say: “even if they were snubbed … they wouldn’t notice anyway!”.  
New Zealanders like the people of New Plymouth have a great heritage of innovation and determination. It comes from the challenges we face from living on the far side of the world. State-of-the-art innovation and best practices are critical to us. We have huge oceans to cross to the bustling cities of the north and if we are not committed to excellence and if we are not resourceful and determined we simply cannot compete. It has always been our ingenuity and resourcefulness that has given us the winning edge. As the world is facing severe economic conditions it is this heritage—it is this heart—that will pull us through with strength and confidence. It is the story of New Plymouth which I am proud to represent in this House. It is also the story that New Zealand will win on.  
The story of New Plymouth’s future success is yet to unfold: developing greater national and international transport links through the port; the ongoing development of New Plymouth’s infrastructure; continuing development of tourism features and opportunities; the continual increase of opportunities through our educational institutions which will inspire our young graduates to invest their skills in our region; the ongoing development of New Plymouth’s unique arts and cultural heritage; the ongoing advancement of industries such as agriculture and oil and gas and all the associated industries that experience the multiplying benefit of their success which are opening up opportunities for more New Zealanders; and the ongoing enrichment of our communities and the development of community support organisations. People love living in New Plymouth. It is rich in its relationships and sense of community. It has a great can-do attitude. It is a world-class city in so many ways.  
I am a son of Taranaki a returned son. Mount Taranaki is our great landmark. It gives us a sense of location and anchorage. By it we know where we are and where we are heading. I was born in Hawera South Taranaki to Venn and Margaret Young. Like all good parents they too were landmark people in my life. I would like to acknowledge members of my family—my mother Margaret who is here today. I would also like to acknowledge Catherine Young whom many of you will also know. I acknowledge my siblings—Adrienne Audrey Simon and his wife Carly and Geoffrey. I have family members who cannot be here: Andrew and Lynne Peter and Tracey and Matthew Lauren and Francis. They continue to play a very important part in my life. I thank them for all their support.  
My parents were dairy farmers in Otakeo and when I was about 4 years of age they shifted to Cambridge to farm in the Waikato. In 1966 my father was selected as the National Party candidate for Egmont which later became Waitotara and then Whanganui. He was successful and spent the next 24 years serving his constituents and this House. My first recollection of Parliament was coming here as a 7-year-old and meeting the late Sir Keith Holyoake the then Prime Minister. I remember that meeting vividly. I remember my father’s first office. I remember the shoeshine stools in the men’s toilets which are still there today. I remember sitting up in the gallery as a small boy wondering what this was all about. I remember eating in Bellamy’s with the silver butter knives the rolls and the fish that so often seemed to be on the menu.  
Throughout my growing years my parents instilled in me a very basic philosophy: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”—the golden rule of life as my mother said. Later I learnt that this simple philosophy was at the heart of practical Christianity which later dramatically shaped my life. I was educated in Hawera and New Plymouth and later in Palmerston North.  
Throughout my student years I enjoyed what many young men enjoyed doing—that is working in the holidays. My jobs ranged from haymaking to cheesemaking in the Kaupakanui dairy factory then to churning out the very first butter from Whareroa—which is now Fonterra’s Hawera plant and is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere—and to spending a summer in the Patea freezing works followed by a couple of summers in a high country cattle station called Molesworth which straddles North Canterbury Marlborough and Nelson Bays. During my time in Palmerston North I was training to be an educator a teacher. It is a noble profession—perhaps not earth-shattering but definitely world shaping. I discovered to my surprise that I was an excellent teacher. I think I was surprised at that because I was not a particularly excellent student. I have been most gratified to receive emails from students even this year who still count me as their best teacher 30 years later.  
Later in my life I served the people of Waitakere City west Auckland as a church minister. I found that to be challenging and rewarding work. It connected me to families and single people to young and old alike to business people tradespeople labourers factory workers and professionals—people in all walks of life. I was their mentor and friend. I shared their happy times and their heartaches. I listened to their stories and stretched my perspective to see theirs. That has helped me to understand where people are at. Through that I discovered what it is to not just live in a community but lead a community. The challenge as our Prime Minister has articulated well is to encourage people to have a life of aspiration rather than of envy—to grasp the opportunities that come each person’s way.  
It reminds me of the story of a young ambitious man asking an experienced salesman for the secret of his success. The salesman said: “There’s no great secret. You just have to jump at every opportunity that comes along.” The young man replied: “But how can I tell when an opportunity is coming?”. The salesman replied: “You can’t. You have to keep jumping.” I think that is what aspiration is about. It is not just seeing the opportunity; it is jumping for it. It is not just aptitude and education; it is attitude and determination. Education and encouraging and leading people forward into a brighter and better future has always been my core purpose no matter what profession I have been engaged in. I trust I can continue this passion as a member of Parliament.  
As I come to a close I say that much of the world is focused on reducing its carbon footprint. We want it to be balanced so we live in a sustainable world. I would like to describe the political footprint I hope to make. When my time comes to leave I want to leave this place better off than when I came. I want to leave New Zealand better for my contribution than without it. I want to leave a political footprint that is an indelible impression of someone who carries genuine concern and care for his constituents colleagues and all New Zealanders.  
Firstly I want to tread carefully with my constituents and colleagues. I believe the best parliamentarian is one who seeks to serve his or her constituents and communities without fear or favour. The leaders whom people admire are those who continually put the benefit of others first. I am not here for myself; I am here for the people of New Plymouth. No one will feel my footprint on their toes. I believe it is important to respect the opinion of others especially when they may differ from my own. Arrogance is ultimately a step towards ignorance. There is a certain wisdom in understanding that those who disagree with us can often educate us. They challenge our perception and knowledge and it is only by embracing challenge that we truly grow. I want to be open-minded.  
However I believe it is important to have strength of character so that we remain true to our convictions whether others agree with us or not. I appreciate the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson who said: “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion. It is easy in solitude to live after one’s own. But the great men or women are they who in the midst of the crowd keep with perfect sweetness the independence of their character.”  
Secondly in stepping out I want my footprint to be seen in strategic advancements that will improve people’s lives. I believe in freedom. I believe democracy offers New Zealanders the best political opportunity for freedom. True freedom requires that people live in social responsibility and concern for one another. Caring is not the prerogative of a socialistic philosophy; it is a universal responsibility. As I tread my political footprint in my community and in this Parliament I want to support and promote the goal of financial success and independence alongside a pursuit of personal aspiration and excellence that also seeks to live in social concern for others. Though we live with governmental oversight and organisation we organise because the social concern for others is often lower than it should be in our communities. Therefore as we build responsible and mature communities Government can become smaller because communities become stronger.  
Thirdly and finally in establishing my political footprint I want to leave a pathway for others to follow. I aspire that my service and leadership would be an inspiration to others that my life would serve as a worthy example to follow. We must never forget that above all things we are leaders. We will leave a legacy. Some legacies will last days some will last months some will last years and some will never be forgotten. May our monuments be ever seen in the vitality and success of those we seek to serve. The things worth living for will always be the things that outlast us.  
I want to be a part of something great that is worthy of the investment of our lives. That is why I am here that is why I am honoured to serve in the National Party and that is what I aspire to do. Thank you Mr Speaker for this opportunity. May God bless us all. Kia ora. 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 Kei te Manu Korero the Hon Dr Lockwood Smith tena koe. Tena koutou katoa. E nga mana e nga reo rau rangatira ma tena koutou. E aku matua e aku whaea nga karanga maha me koutou kua tae tawhiti mai i Te Wai Pounamu tena hoki koutou. Huri noa i te Whare nei tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Speaker the Hon Dr Lockwood Smith greetings. Greetings to you all. To the powers languages and the many leaders greetings to you. Greetings also to my parents aunties and the many callings including those of you who came from afar in the South Island. To you throughout this House greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you all. 
] 
I am the Maori Party manifestation of a 100-day plan. In true Maori Party style our plan took us only 84 days to complete. With the outstanding 16 days we have made a start on our 1000-day plan. The 84 working days between when I was selected to represent the Maori Party in the Te Tai Tonga electorate on 16 July and election day have been a journey like no other. It has been a journey with one aim in mind: I am here to serve my people and because of the love I have for my family. That life of service to and love of others is a lesson well learnt as a member of my whanau hapu and iwi as well as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was 12 when I first started to serve by playing the piano and the organ at church. Later I taught and led in various Church auxiliaries. I continue to serve others by being here in this House and representing my people and my loved ones to the best of my ability. 
The calling to serve flows within my blood. As I stand here today I am aware of the legacy I owe my father John Hippolite of Ngati Koata Ngati Kuia and Ngati Toa. His influence on my life was profound. Dad was at the forefront of the Maori renaissance in Nelson and later in Hamilton. He was always a strong union and Labour man. In fact in 1967 after the death of Sir Eruera Tirikatene dad stood for selection for Southern Maori but missed out to Sir Eruera’s daughter Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan. Today 41 years later the daughter of John Hippolite completes the circle. 
In the late 1960s with Dr Oliver Sutherland dad undertook research in the Nelson District Court on unrepresented defendants many of them Maori. His action eventually led to the legal aid scheme being opened to criminal defendants. The pursuit of justice and his determination to fight for the people led dad to Korea where he served alongside some 6000 other New Zealanders who took up the duty on our behalf to serve their country. He was always a proud member of the RSA but he could not support New Zealand’s involvement in the war in Viet Nam. His anger was never about his military colleagues—those who did the hard yards on foreign shores. How could it be? He too had been driven by duty and by honour to serve our country. Dad condemned the fact of Western intervention in Viet Nam and served his time instead as a passionate advocate for peace and justice occupying the protest lines. 
In the 1980s my father joined the protest line again in the largest civil disturbance since the 1951 waterfront strike. This period in which 150000 New Zealanders took action to oppose the racial policies of South Africa has been described as a watershed moment in our history. It was the juxtaposition of two ideals that were firmly established in the identity of the nation. Rugby the national icon crashed head first into the national myth that New Zealand had the finest race relations in the world. While the policy of apartheid was played out on South African shores questions inevitably arose at home about how we could allow Maori to be described as “honorary whites” or label those who protested as stirrers and troublemakers. It was a theme that was repeated just 4 years ago in the reactions to those who marched in the hikoi to oppose the Foreshore and Seabed Act. 
My father hated injustice wherever he saw it. He marched in the 1975 Land March and was one of the original claimants in Wai 262 the flora and fauna claim for which we still await the Waitangi Tribunal report 17 years after it was first lodged. Dad was arrested at Bastion Point and at Raglan. This key I wear is his. It opens the padlock on the chains on the statue erected by Aunty Eva Rickard at Whaingaroa to commemorate their land struggle and those arrested there. He worked with social and Government agencies to encourage them to find better ways to work with Maori. He supported his Uncle Rangi Elkington to establish Whakatu Marae in Nelson. And he always tried to interest his children in his activities. I know that he is watching and smiling proudly today from heaven. 
My mother June Gray of Kai Tahu and Ngati Mamoe was also always very politically active. It was never enough to be enrolled in our family; you voted and you supported your candidate any way you could. I have thought about mum as we reflect on the low turn-out rate by Maori in this year’s general election. I wonder how it is that 80 percent of the general population turned up to vote but only 62 percent of Maori eligible to vote on the Maori roll turned up on the day. Representation in a democracy is not only a basic human right. It is also a sign of faith to move forward together as a nation. 
Mum was a member of the Labour Party right up until Labour took its great leap right in the 1980s when she stayed left with her Jim and thereafter she doorknocked for him took petitions out sat at cake stalls drove her children to distraction with her devotion to him and did everything she could to make sure that he was re-elected election after election until she became too sick to carry on. Mum was also a prolific letter writer—writing letters to the editor on local and national issues. I wish she was well enough to be here today; she would be so proud to know that I am here in the House with her Jim even though we have different politics and philosophies. 
So our family was programmed to be political. One of my brothers previously stood unsuccessfully for election to this House. Another has stood unsuccessfully for election to his local council. I am really proud of them but I am even more pleased that my record is better than theirs. 
At about 14 I joined the Labour Party and when I was old enough to vote I faithfully voted Labour for many years. As a young teen I joined the protests against our involvement in Viet Nam. Later raising a young family scaled back the time I could devote to political activities but as a university student I protested against the Springbok tour in 1985 against the education policies of scaling Maori down and against other discriminatory practices. It was at about this time that I stopped voting and supporting Labour. 
My politics have always been defined by my upbringing and my experiences as a Maori a Maori woman and a mother of Maori children. I have always supported parties that provide the most support and benefit for our whanau hapu and iwi. Career-wise I have made the same choices. Although university had not been part of my life plan when our children were of an age that meant I was ready to return to the workforce I decided that I needed to set the example for my children and further my education. I started a Bachelor of Arts degree at Waikato University but after just 1 year turned my focus to the law. It was a decision motivated by the injustices I had observed through my involvement with a group of women involved in Women’s Refuge. While some in the group decided to help through social agencies I wanted to make the law work for our women. 
It was Martin Luther King who said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” It is a principle I believe in wholeheartedly: the principle of collective responsibility not retribution. I cannot be a bystander to life. I chose to immerse myself in the mechanics of law and now the machinery of Government in order to ensure that the powerful and the powerless are reconciled and peace and justice prevail. 
And so our whanau moved to Wellington and my adventure with the law started. It was only a matter of time before the Treaty became my passion. The light switched on through the legal system course and turned to full beam during the constitutional law course. Helping to turn on that switch was Alex Frame who made the Treaty components of my study so vivid and so compelling. It was all about the timing. While I was learning the theory of constitutional law at university that topic became even more vivid because that was the year that Sir Graham Latimer led the Maori Council on its most controversial case when it took on the Labour Government over the sale of State-owned assets and won. 
I spent many hours in the Court of Appeal being educated in the practice and impact of constitutional law. Twenty-one years later the ruling of the Court of Appeal in  
New Zealand Maori Council v Attorney-General  
is worth repeating for the record. In summing up the president Sir Robin Cooke said: “We have reached two major conclusions. First that the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi override everything else in the State Owned Enterprises Act. Second that those principles require the Pakeha and Maori partners to act towards each other reasonably and with the utmost good faith.” Our nation is better for the vision and courage of Sir Graham Latimer and the New Zealand Maori Council in pursuing that case. 
That was a time also when I first watched David Baragwanath QC; now Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias for whom I was later privileged to act as junior counsel in the High Court and Court of Appeal for the Maori electoral option case; and Martin Dawson who was to become counsel for Ngati Koata’s tribunal claims. I mihi to them and to Martin’s whanau. We still miss him and he was never far from our thoughts when 3 weekends ago the iwi hapu and whanau of Te Tau Ihu received the final report of the Waitangi Tribunal into our claims. In the tribunal’s report it traced back the whakapapa of the claims put forward by people such as Martin—claims dating back to as early as 1860 when the people of Te Tau Ihu had already lost most of our original estate. The report describes the after-effects of the Crown’s failure as being evident in grinding poverty social dislocation and loss of culture. But impacts were also evident in the Crown’s failure to protect or to provide for Maori interests and rights in their customary fisheries and other resources. 
I worked at the Treaty of Waitangi policy unit which is now the Office of Treaty Settlements where I observed firsthand the Crown’s attitude and behaviour towards and policies on the Treaty and Maori. I thought it would be the obvious springboard to make change—change for the betterment of our people. Hope reigns eternal. It was a brutal initiation. It is very easy to become cynical and defeatist in that sort of environment. I still think it is vital that Maori keep working within the system to effect change. But it is equally vital that Maori have strong support systems both inside and outside the system in order to keep focused on who we are and why we are there; otherwise we risk system capture or total meltdown. 
While I was working there my husband and I were privileged to represent Ngati Toa at the Maori Congress—for a while with my father who represented Te Runanganui o Te Tau Ihu. Through our involvement with the Maori Congress we were able to represent Maori at various UN conferences. The biggest eye-opener about our participation in those fora was how hard the Crown worked internationally at maintaining the fiction that New Zealand was a harmonious community that our race relations were the best in the world and that the Crown upheld the Treaty of Waitangi. Would that that were true! I mihi to Moana Jackson and Aroha Mead in particular for the work they did and continue to do with the indigenous networks and the UN and say kia kaha. 
Finally after 9 years I finished my law degree and was admitted to the bar. How proud my parents husband and children were that day! The first law firm I worked for as a barrister and solicitor was Woodward Law Office. I remember long days and nights working in Auckland and Wellington—sometimes so long that I would have my youngest daughter curled up asleep under my desk waiting to go home. Like many young mothers I know about the tension between having a career and wanting to be with your children. 
And just to prove what a glutton for punishment I was at that time I was also one of the tutors for the Maori laws and philosophy course at Te Wananga o Raukawa became the director of the course for 1 year sat on the manawhakahaere for some years and for several years tutored the Maori legal entities course there. I mihi to Professor Whatarangi Winiata who has touched so many lives through his influence. 
I moved to the Crown Forestry Rental Trust where I met the most amazingly committed people both those working at the trust and those working for their whanau hapu and iwi. I later was employed by Te Ratonga Ture—the Maori Legal Service—and became involved in the community law centre and met more committed if not driven people. These were people like Tariana Turia Pita Sharples Hone Harawira and Te Ururoa Flavell; people like the absolutely dedicated members of Te Tai Tonga whom I have worked with over the last few weeks; and the 23000 members of the Maori Party who believe they were raised to advocate for positive change and who want a better world for us all. 
It is also right for me at this time to acknowledge the passing of two great totara: Monte Ohia and Rangitihi John Tahuparae. These two men exemplify for me a dedication and love that positive change can make. Haere atu korua me nga mate puta noa te motu ki te Atua. Moe mai i te aroha. 
[ 
Depart you two and the deaths from throughout the land to God. Rest there lovingly. 
]  
I also acknowledge their wives Linda and Rose who truly were their pou tokomanawa—tena korua. 
I began my korero by remembering that there is no greater calling than to be a servant of the people. That calling is not just an individual pursuit; it impacts on my whanau: my husband Selwyn my five children my son-in-law and daughter-in-law my five mokopuna and all the mokopuna to come. And so I end in acknowledging them and their commitment their dedication and their love which I know will fulfil me through the challenges I know will accompany me every day in the life of the MP for Te Tai Tonga.  
No reira kei te Manu Korero e te Whare tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
So to you Mr Speaker and the House greetings to you all 
.] 
Waiata; haka 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour) 
: 
Aum bhoor bhuwah swaha 
Tat savitur varenyam 
Bhargo devasaya dheemahi 
Dhiyo yo naha prachodayat. 
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life  
Remover of pain and sorrow 
The Bestower of happiness 
Oh! Creator of the Universe 
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light 
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction. 
E nga iwi o tenei rohe tena koutou katoa. E nga iwi o te motu ka nui te mihi ki a koutou a no reira tena koutou tena koutou a tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
To the tribes of this region greetings to you all. To the tribes of the country a huge greeting to you as well. So greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to us all 
.] 
To my friends and colleagues Raymond Huo Ashraf Choudhary Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi Melissa Lee and the Hon Pansy Wong I give my warm greetings. Mr Speaker I add my voice to others who have congratulated you your deputy and your two associates on your appointments. Even as a new member I can see the importance of the role and the demands it places on you. I wish you all well.  
In this my maiden speech I want to recall my journey to Parliament and the many voices that have travelled here with me. I remember my arrival in New Zealand on 21 April 1964. The TEAL Electra flight took 300 minutes from Nadi in Fiji. It landed at Whenuapai airport in Hobsonville west Auckland. On the walk from the aircraft to the air force hangar which doubled in those days as the international terminal the cold of that early autumn morning had frozen the toes of this Pacific Indian. I just wanted to go back home. My grandparents however before me had taken a much more hazardous journey from Uttar Pradesh in India to Fiji as indentured labourers under colonial rule. My father was born in Fiji and there he pioneered public transport. I come from a large family—I am No. 11 out of 14—which includes also an extended family across several generations.  
As an immigrant I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to New Zealand for the decent education it gave me and for the series of opportunities it provided to work with thousands of its citizens in my various professional and public roles. To now enter New Zealand’s forty-ninth Parliament as a member is an honour beyond belief because this Pacific Indian from Fiji had no business dreaming of this possibility in 1964. To have become a citizen was a privilege; to serve its people a duty; and to now represent them an honour.  
Many people have been part of my journey and in a sense they are here with me today. My journey to Parliament is essentially their journey and those with whom I have travelled here will always remain my reference point. My maiden speech is a tribute to them and to all they have contributed to in my life. The best way I can say thank you to them for their generosity over the years is to ensure that my privileged knowledge of their experiences informs the next generation of policies and programmes that are devised here in their interests. My wife Prem and my two children and their partners are extremely important to me. In exactly an hour from now Prem and I will have been married 40 years. Prem has been my constant companion and the bedrock of our family. She often tells others—I think in jest—that the only reason I married her was for the “green card”. I do not often get a chance to tell her that I appreciate all she has done and continues to do for me and for our family but I do so today.  
I also have two very special children who together with their partners are wonderfully principled adults who seek to make their special contribution to our society. My mother-in-law—God bless her—who lives in Auckland has a unique relationship with me. When Prem is not around I am treated like a prince and I thank her for that. When Prem is present I take my place in a different pecking order.  
My life in New Zealand however did not have a smooth beginning. Soon after we got married I was asked by the Immigration Service to return to Fiji as I did not qualify for residence. Despite a 3-year battle to have this decision overturned we were unsuccessful. We made preparations to leave New Zealand to have our first child in Fiji and to set up home there.  
A group of community leaders from west Auckland—and the Hon Pita Sharples knows them well; kia ora Pita—where we lived led by the principal of the school at which my wife taught decided to question the decision and ask for it to be reversed. They believed that an injustice had occurred. On 24 December our dear friend Nigel Langston arrived at our home with a letter to say that I had been granted permanent residence. The power of advocacy was alive. I have never forgotten what this group of friends did for me and I owe a debt of gratitude to them to this day. But out of this act of kindness grew something I will always value. Nigel Langston who lives in Henderson and Elwyn Richardson who lives in Taupaki in west Auckland are both pioneers in the field of education and have remained close friends of ours. They have taught me social conscience and they have taught me about sustained work principles and values contribution to society and the value of a good education.  
I have often wondered why people go out of their way to assist strangers and expect nothing in return. They were of a culture very different from mine yet they could see what I could not see—that is the contribution I could make in the years ahead. They nourished me accepted me into their families and developed my imagination about how things could be in New Zealand. They demonstrated to me their faith and commitment to the human spirit the human family and the communities in which we were embedded and they expected nothing in return. They are mentors today. They gave me confidence to have faith in people especially the poor and the powerless. They taught me that it was a privilege to serve those people and never to give up on them. I thank them sincerely.  
For some people this is not a particularly remarkable story but when I try to understand my life in New Zealand and what I bring to Parliament it takes on a significance that is sometimes beyond comprehension.  
I acknowledge my mother who lives in Vancouver—90 years old—and my brothers and sisters and their families 140 of them who live around the globe. My mother is the matriarch of the family and holds us together exceptionally well. This is a proud moment for her too and like other members of my family she travels in this Parliament with me.  
I remember a particular family I worked with as a child welfare officer. I had been visiting this family of mum dad and three children for several months without any real idea of how I might be helpful to this family. The father was not well socialised and was reluctant to engage with welfare officers. The children attended special classes the house was filthy and the mother had serious disabilities. Without fail every week produced complaints to us from teachers health nurses visiting teachers doctors and others to do something about them. Even my head office inspector said to me: “Rajen don’t bother with this family; you won’t change them.” A crisis occurred with the family when the mother was to be admitted to hospital and the father was desperate for someone to look after the three children. I was able to place the eldest daughter in one children’s home and the two boys in another. The children missed each other so terribly and were so unhappy in their respective foster placements that I took them back to meet each other. When I saw them interacting with each other the first time I brought them together I realised what an awful option we were pursuing and concluded that the emphasis should always have been on supporting the family intensively. I took the children home to dad. I made a case to my head office to provide 20 hours of home help so that this family could be assisted and the Lions Club agreed to commercially clean the property. When head office refused to provide support for a family in work I made another case to head office with an estimate of what it would cost the State to care for the three children in foster homes. They then approved it immediately.  
A lady from the local church offered to take on the job. She became a role model. The children quickly learnt new behaviours. The mother despite her disabilities became more involved and life changed dramatically. Complaints from the school and others ceased. Family outings became regular and my “inspector” was proved wrong. A few years later I followed up the case. The family had won the lottery. I wish that all my clients had won the lottery. The mother who had succumbed to poor health had died and the children were doing just fine. For me this story confirms the resilience of families and that we should never be too eager to write off families when we find them at a low ebb.  
The importance of the early years for children and their implications for families is now accepted as the best approach to social well-being and positive human development. In my opinion the best out-of-home site to locate support systems for our children and families is the school. New Zealand has an excellent framework for the delivery of education that locates our schools in the midst of the communities they serve. The huge plant and infrastructure that schools represent can be utilised much more effectively for the delivery of support during the early years. I had a role in pioneering school social work in New Zealand in the early 1990s and now it has been generalised to several hundred schools. The potential for schools of the 21st century to be family resource centres is enormous and provided they are appropriately funded they represent an opportunity that has yet to be maximised.  
Most recently I was privileged to help establish the Families Commission. We are fortunate in New Zealand that we have an institution that is growing in stature with the unique but simple mandate to advocate for all New Zealand families in a manner that enhances their well-being and resilience. It is required to do this in consultation with families and the institutions that support them. They are also expected to undertake research examine international systems and provide policy advice and information to families. This is a very effective commission that quietly goes about delivering a high standard of work in a timely manner. In my view it has one of the most talented and committed staff in this field and their independence enables them to make proposals that are evidence based.  
Those who criticise this commission have not had the benefit of fully understanding its legislated mandate its completed work and its ongoing work programme. The commission operates a solid scientific model to bring forward policy advice and provide information to families. I have the privilege to have worked with this group of people and they walk with me in this Parliament as well.  
Since the 1975 and 1987 reviews of immigration and a shift from a white immigration policy to a merits-based policy the cultural landscape of New Zealand has changed dramatically and irreversibly. I acknowledge the significance of New Zealand’s ethnic communities and the sizable contribution they make to our society. Their impact on the lived experiences of New Zealanders is quite pervasive and extends beyond diet language friendships and celebrations to impact on those who are included in our families and the ethnicities of our future grandchildren. This has happened in my observation with considerable speed and is a good omen for cultural acceptance and integration.  
The real future challenge however for New Zealand is to develop a new cultural policy based on our creative diversity. According to one writer: “Unless a country is united and cohesive it cannot act as a single community able either to take and enforce collectively binding decisions or to regulate and resolve inescapable conflicts between its constituent communities. It also needs unity and cohesion to provide a focus for collective self-consciousness to encourage a sense of common belonging and citizenship and to foster a spirit of shared national identity without all of which its members lack mutual trust and goodwill to make sacrifices and accept compromises required by the pursuit of the common good.” I say thank you to the many ethnic groups that I have worked with over the years and especially members of my own community for their support and guidance. You all travel with me today to the forty-ninth Parliament.  
Much has been said in the past few months about our troubling incidents of violence. Many promises have been made about how this will be fixed in quick time. While acknowledging the depth of concern about this and the need to address the problem I want to caution against developing solutions that do nothing for the complex reasons behind violence. The record of Draconian measures that receive public support as the only response is not impressive in changing national performance. Well-thought-out measures on the other hand should be developed implemented evaluated and reviewed as the considered response. The unintended consequence of producing a fractured society even when trying to address a problem must always be factored in. There are no silver bullets to resolving this problem but it requires careful thought and planning. The stories of the victims of violence including the children we have lost also travel with me to the forty-ninth Parliament and I commit to doing all I can to alter our national performance in this area.  
A final group of people who travel with me to Parliament is made up of those who are the victims of leaky buildings. In particular I think about those for whom their buildings are their homes as opposed to those for whom they are an investment. The problem has been well publicised and many of us know of families whose mental health has suffered; some have taken their lives in desperation. Honourable members if you have not done so already I ask you to find out the extent of the problem in your areas and meet some of the desperate people who are victims. You will find their stories compelling. Many currently live in limbo and are out of pocket while lawyers builders and developers are benefiting enormously from their situation. I hope this can be resolved.  
In concluding my first address in this House I acknowledge friends and supporters from my community who are here today and thank them all for their friendship and guidance over the years. The well-being of all New Zealanders depends on a strong economy strong families and strong communities. The formula that national development is the product of a balance between economic development and social development is the most persuasive aspect of Labour Party philosophy and therefore in my view the best vehicle to advance the interests of the people who have brought me here. I look forward to working with them over the next 3 years. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. Dhanyabad and thank you. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
:  
E te Pika tena koe. Ki nga mema o tenei Whare tena koutou katoa. Tenei e mihi ana ki nga tangata whenua o Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara. Koutou no Taranaki Whanui no Te Ati Awa. Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Speaker and to all members of this House greetings. I acknowledge the local tribes of Wellington those of you of Taranaki Whanui and Te Ati Awa. Greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you all 
.]  
Mr Speaker I first of all want to acknowledge and congratulate you on your election to the position of Speaker and I want to pay my respects to the mana whenua of this place. I feel an enormous sense of privilege gratitude and history to stand here today in the House.  
In 1954 and 1957 my grandfather Bob Wilkie ran as the Labour candidate in the Wairarapa electorate—a somewhat thankless task at the time. His advertisement in that long-lamented journal the  
Featherston Chronicle 
 just before the 1957 election reads in part: “I believe it is the responsibility of all in prosperity to care for those in adversity; that the welfare of the nation in the future depends on the children of today and every assistance financial and otherwise should be given to those who have undertaken the responsibilities of parenthood.” Although times may have changed the core values of social justice community and family that lie at the heart of my grandfather’s words and the Labour Party’s existence remain as important as ever today. I hope that Bob who is in the gallery today is proud that his grandson has made it to this place—and I wish him a happy 89th birthday for tomorrow. 
These values of social justice that drew me to the Labour Party a party of principle and vision are what drive me today. I believe that the fifth Labour Government took giant strides in the journey towards social justice. History will judge programmes like KiwiSaver Working for Families and 20 hours’ free early childhood education as landmarks in our economic and social progress. I felt privileged to work with and for Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. They are true campaigners for social justice and people who have dedicated their adult lives to the betterment of New Zealanders. 
I stand here today—I hope not unluckily—as the 13th representative of the Wellington Central electorate since it was named as such in 1905. I am humbled by those who have gone before me. My predecessors have included people of remarkable talent and vision such as Peter Fraser whose legacy in the area of education I will return to; Frank Kitts and Dan Riddiford men who played significant roles in shaping this great city outside of this House as well; and Fran Wilde who showed enormous courage and fortitude in sponsoring the Homosexual Law Reform Bill through this House. Fran of course left Parliament to play a key role in the development of this absolutely positively wonderful city and she continues to serve the region today. 
My immediate predecessor the Hon Marian Hobbs was a tireless advocate for Wellington and for Labour values. She is principled passionate and honest. I could not have had a better teacher when it comes to representing the diverse communities of my electorate. I cannot promise to call everybody “darling” “dearest” or “thingy” as Marian did but I do give my commitment that I am first and foremost the MP for Wellington Central and that I will stand up for all Wellingtonians and for the city and its beautiful environment. 
I acknowledge in the House the two other cast members from the campaign that we called “Survivor: Wellington Central”. The Hon Heather Roy and Sue Kedgley are both articulate and principled advocates for the causes they believe in and they were warm and friendly in what was from time to time a difficult campaign. I venture to suggest that not many other campaigns dealt with water pistols and exploding Taser guns but that is Wellington Central for you. I look forward to working with all MPs from the Wellington region to advance the well-being of our constituents. 
I also acknowledge those who have broken ground in Parliament. In particular I salute my colleagues Maryan Street and Chris Carter. In his maiden speech 15 years ago Chris Carter said that he hoped his presence in the House would make it easier for other gays and lesbians to aspire to political office. For my part I can say that it has. I am proud and comfortable with who I am. Being gay is part of who I am just as is being a former diplomat a fan of the mighty Ranfurly Shield - holding Wellington Lions and a fan of New Zealand music and New Zealand literature. My political view is defined by my sexuality only inasmuch as it has given me an insight into how people can be marginalised and discriminated against and how much I abhor that. I am lucky that I have largely grown up in a generation that is not fixated on issues such as sexual orientation. I am not—and neither should others be. 
I am here today on the strength of support from my friends and family. In particular I acknowledge the support and love of my partner Alf. We are living proof that it pays not to stereotype—we met playing rugby. I was the number eight and he was the half back; a great combination. I also have had the pleasure of sharing in the growing up of Alf’s two children over the last 10 years and of being part of his wider whanau. Taku aroha i a koe.  
I also take this opportunity to acknowledge other new and returning members across the House. For all the differences that we may have over the direction of this country and the policies that we need in order to get there I know that they are here to do their best and that they have worked hard to be here and I salute them for that. 
My ability to make it through the campaign and win in Wellington Central was down to the hard work and sacrifice of hundreds of people. Some of them are here today. I thank them all again. My campaign team in many ways mirrors the Wellington Central electorate—argumentative informed creative energetic and young. And yes we also had a few public servants in the campaign. Public servants have a right to participate in the political process and I look forward to the new Government upholding its campaign promises to support and respect public servants. I suggest that a good place to start might be to stop referring to hard-working public servants as useless bureaucrats. I have been a public servant in this town and I know that almost without exception public servants give their total commitment to the Government of the day whichever Government that may be. 
Wellington is of course more than—as Don McGlashan put it—“the suits and the briefcases along Lambton Quay”. It is our most sustainable city. More people walk to work or take public transport than anywhere else in New Zealand. We need to do more to encourage that through better integrated more reliable public transport services. Wellington Central is also home to the wonderful Karori Wildlife Sanctuary which I encourage all members to visit and other fantastic outdoor education facilities. A significant part of this is the town belt a tremendous legacy to the city that surrounds the inner suburbs in green space. There are some questions around the legal status of the town belt and from time to time land has been taken from it for other purposes. In consultation with the Wellington City Council and interested parties I plan to sponsor legislation in this House to ensure that the town belt remains in and just as appropriate is returned to public ownership. 
Along with the outdoor activities Wellington’s vibrancy is built around its creative sector. It is not hard to be swept along by the rich creative energy of this city. As the poet Lauris Edmond has put it “This is the city of action the world headquarters of the verb.” I believe that one of the great legacies of the fifth Labour Government is the growing sense of pride and identity expressed through our arts and culture. This is more obvious in Wellington than perhaps anywhere else. Our creative industries not only are the centre of our social life and tourism but also are part of the growing businesses of this city. The future of the Wellington economy as with the rest of New Zealand relies on those who can establish sustainable businesses that leverage off our natural advantages and capitalise on innovation. In Wellington the self-styled Silicon Welly a group of businesses led by young entrepreneurs is leading the way in the development of software and information technology solutions that are being picked up around the globe. 
There are of course many people in Wellington Central whose lives are a world away from selling software on the world stage. For many of them substandard housing is a problem. Too many homes in this city are poorly insulated and overcrowded. This makes them unhealthy and energy inefficient. I believe we must as a country make a key priority the quality of our housing stock and the provision of adequate social housing. 
Wellington is also a place where many migrants and refugees begin their lives in New Zealand. We are a nation of migrants that benefits so much from each new wave of migration yet I do not believe we do enough to support and welcome our newest New Zealanders. The bursting pride I saw from graduates at the Multicultural Learning and Support Services English language course last week here in Wellington needs to be matched by a strong commitment to support and work with them as they find their feet. 
I arrived in Wellington 14 years ago looking to find my feet. I had grown up largely in Dunedin in the cloak of a Presbyterian family where my parents—who are here today—raised my two brothers and me to believe that we are all created equal to treat others as we wish to be treated and to work hard for our goals. They gave us love and support and allowed us to dream but be practical with it and I thank them for that. 
I was interested in politics from an early age—not however as early as my colleague Darren Hughes whose first words as a baby I understand were “Mr Speaker”. My political consciousness grew around some key events. I swelled with pride and too many sausage rolls from the school canteen as I saw David Lange on television at the Oxford Union debate. Not only could an overweight guy with glasses succeed but also New Zealand could stand up to world powers hell-bent on destroying each other and us in the process. I was proud then of our independent stance on the world stage and I was proud to play my part in later years working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and representing New Zealand at the UN in New York. 
Through the late 1980s and into the 1990s I became distressed at the direction I saw Government take. The unfettered market-knows-best laissez-faire user-pays philosophy did untold damage to my community. The Employment Contracts Act arrived in 1991. At the supermarket where I was working at that time to pay my way through school and university I experienced firsthand our penal rates disappear our conditions lost and the value of our wages sink. I have never forgotten the impact of that law on working New Zealanders and I have worked ever since to support the rights of workers. 
At university I became involved in the fight against user-pays in education. I ended up as the student president at Otago University and in turn here in Wellington for the New Zealand University Students Association. I learnt a great deal as a student politician. I learnt to organise I learnt to campaign and I learnt what it meant to stand up for what you believed in. After one particularly rowdy but peaceful protest I was accused by a policeman of being the biggest quasi-terrorist in Dunedin. I told him I was trying to lose weight. 
Above all I learnt that it is education that will make the difference to people achieving their potential in life. Peter Fraser and Clarence Beeby laid out the vision for the State’s role in education in 1939: “the government’s objective broadly expressed is that every person whatever his level of academic ability whether he be rich or poor whether he live in town or country has a right as a citizen to a free education of the kind for which he is best fitted and to the fullest extent of his powers.” Although much has changed in the intervening years Fraser and Beeby’s vision is the one that I come to Parliament determined to develop and make real for the 21st century. 
We have a great education system in New Zealand staffed by dedicated professionals. We must build on that to ensure that it provides the basis for a strong inclusive society going forward. There is not enough time today to talk about all the areas where we can work on this but I want to make mention of one in particular. The current arrangements for funding of special-needs education need an urgent and serious review. Although successive Governments have put more money into this area I know of parents who are still going through extreme stress to get the resources they are entitled to and in some cases those resources are not sufficient. The Education Act says that every child in New Zealand has a right to an education. We have a responsibility to make that real. 
My vision for making real the ideals of social justice that I spoke of earlier is a vision for a modern inclusive New Zealand where we equip our people with the skills and knowledge to succeed in an ever-globalising world where we celebrate and promote diversity and where we truly are our brother and sister’s keepers. The solutions and ways to achieve this will not all be found in Wellington or in Government. My generation of politicians must be open to a range of potential solutions. They will be found in our communities and our families on marae and in workplaces. It is the job of Government and of politicians in general to bring those solutions together and to provide leadership and support. 
I want to help build a modern inclusive New Zealand where we do not accept children growing up in poverty. I believe we should set goals to eliminate poverty in New Zealand and work out a programme of redistribution that will see incomes and spirits lifted together. A modern inclusive New Zealand also needs to be one that looks after our environment. The health of our natural environment is critical not only to our way of life but also to our economy. If we want people to stay in New Zealand we need clean water to swim in and clean air to breathe. If we want carbon-conscious consumers across the world to buy our goods or tourists who are spoiled for choice to choose to come here then we need to be able to show that our 100 percent pure clean green image is a reality. Sadly in many cases it is not. 
A modern inclusive New Zealand will be one where we do not build more jails but where we work with and across communities to ensure that people do not end up in prison in the first place. A modern inclusive New Zealand needs to ensure that we acknowledge the place and role of Maori in New Zealand as tangata whenua in the Treaty of Waitangi. I would like to promote one small step in that regard. I believe that te reo Maori should be taught in all schools for all pupils up until at least age 14. Learning a language is one of the keys to understanding a culture and in this case it is our own culture. This is one small step that we could take to build a more harmonious society. A modern inclusive New Zealand will harness the best of being a Pacific nation. The emerging Pasifika communities in New Zealand need to be supported and developed and those communities will also play an important role in New Zealand’s place as a peacemaker and conflict-resolver in our region. 
In conclusion I say quite simply that the reason I entered the political arena was my belief in social justice. My desire is to play a part in making my community city country and world a fairer and more equal place because it is that equality that will drive aspiration opportunity and success for all. In my time in this Parliament it is my commitment that I will work to build an ever better fairer New Zealand where we seek to ensure that achieving one’s potential is not just the preserve of the privileged but possible for all. No reira tena koutou tena koutou kia kaha tena koutou katoa. 
Waiata 
CHRIS TREMAIN (Junior Whip—National) 
: 
 I seek leave to extend the House sitting time into the dinner hour in order to allow the maiden speeches to be completed. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is none. 
BRENDON BURNS (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 As I stand to speak in this House for the first time I wish to pay tribute to what has brought me here and to give some sense of what I hope to achieve as a member of this House. May I also Mr Assistant Speaker acknowledge your elevation and the Speech from the Throne from the Governor-General.  
Like some other new members mine is a migrant’s story. In the early 1920s my dad’s Uncle Mick fled grimy Liverpool determined to find a better life than England offered him as a working man. He landed in Wellington working and saving until the Depression hit. Only with the first Labour Government’s election was he able to put a deposit on a house and send for his wife and the son he had never met. They had been separated 15 years. Uncle Mick later encouraged my father Jim and my dear late mother Julie to come here. He told them it was a great place to bring up a family and he was right. I still regularly thank my parents for having the courage to bring me and my five brothers and sisters to New Zealand when I was 4 years old. We were almost wholly bog Irish by extraction Catholic and working class.  
Hon Phil Goff 
: And proud of it.  
BRENDON BURNS 
: And proud of it. Fear of nuclear holocaust was another key trigger for leaving England at that time. As well as being early anti-nuclearists my family shared other Labour values. We kids all got the opportunities afforded by a good Catholic and State education and apart from a bit of teasing as our accents faded we were treated to genuine Kiwi fairness and tolerance. These values remain fundamental to the sort of Aotearoa New Zealand I wish to work for and live in.  
I remember as a teenager making an unkind comment about someone being different. My father gently reminded me that our forebears had arrived in England from the potato famine poor dirty speaking a strange language and professing another faith. They were treated like scum because they were different—“And remember” he said “people are just people.”  
What was true more than 150 years ago for émigré Irish peasants is as true today in my electorate of Christchurch Central which hosts 100 ethnic minorities. Just last week one of my dedicated office staff assisted four Ethiopian orphans to arrive somewhat wide-eyed from Addis Ababa. An already resident family member is helping them start their new life in Christchurch. And so the cycle repeats. I think every one of us who is given opportunity and succeeds owes it to the next generation to provide the same equality of opportunity to ensure that the same fairness and tolerance are provided to every New Zealand child whether born in England Ethiopia Samoa or Shirley. That must be the measure of a fair and caring society. You do not just take the opportunities provided to you and then pull up the ladder; you drop it down further so even more can come aboard. The engine room of our economy the key to our future is what happens in the classrooms of every State school within this country.  
I want to thank the voters of Christchurch Central who supported me and Labour on 8 November. I assure everyone who lives in this wonderfully eclectic and diverse electorate that I am here to represent them and their interests. My first priority is to do all that I can to help employers unions and business groups to retain any jobs that come under threat as the recession bites in Christchurch Central. It was very sobering to read the maiden speeches of some illustrious predecessors—Sir Geoffrey Palmer David Caygill and Lianne Dalziel—and be reminded just how recent was the scourge of high unemployment in my electorate.  
I also wish to acknowledge the extraordinary work of Tim Barnett. Tim was legendary in his devotion to the constituents of Christchurch Central. He was also generous accommodating and supportive of me as a candidate right up to doorknocking on election day. Just hours before he left the country we bundled him out of the electorate office still trying to pass on files and notes. He and his partner Ramon are now enjoying a well-earned break before taking on new challenges. I am sure that this House wishes them well.  
The Christchurch Central electorate is the jewel in the crown of Christchurch. It encompasses all of the splendour of Hagley Park the city’s museum and hospital complex our new iconic art gallery and the country’s best Edwardian heritage buildings as well as apartment complexes. If you have not had a recent holiday in Christchurch then come and experience all that it has to offer. The electorate is also home to AMI Stadium and to the mighty Crusaders so perhaps you might time your visit to come and see your home team play—and be beaten.  
My electorate includes some of the country’s wealthiest streets. But it is home too to some of the nation’s poorest people. We have among the highest figures for those renting those living alone and those on sickness and invalids benefits. Some of the housing stock in Christchurch Central is shameful. Too many houses are best described as wooden tents. They are among the 1 million New Zealand homes that still have no insulation or are not properly insulated. This is unacceptable in a First World nation in the 21st century especially in a city where winter daytime temperatures can sometimes numbingly remain in single figures. To be warm in the place you call home is a basic human right.  
The Labour-led Government forged an agreement with the Green Party to address this through a 15-year programme. I say to the new Government that there are few other initiatives with so many benefits: lower power bills less pressure on the health system from cold people getting sick and reduced demand on our energy system and on our planet. The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development has just reported that nearly $5 billion in energy savings could be had in the next decade through insulating every home. That is $300 per household every year. This is infrastructure every bit as beneficial as roads and broadband. And with building firms laying off staff in the face of recession I say now is the time to insulate New Zealand homes especially in Christchurch.  
Another matter of prime importance to Christchurch Central is reform of the liquor laws. At weekends our city’s numerous bars and cafes attract thousands of people locals and tourists alike. Unfortunately many people arrive there in an already grossly intoxicated state. Often they are refused access to licensed premises but despite a ban on drinking in our inner city streets people can then buy alcohol from nearby dairies and supermarkets. Police and hospital authorities estimate that 70 percent or more of weekend crime and injuries in Christchurch are accounted for by alcohol. I suspect it will not be greatly different for any other community represented in this House. Liquor legislation is difficult to get right. In part I think that is because it remains a conscience vote for members a residue from the pro-temperance push early last century. As further liquor legislation looms in the course of this Parliament I suggest it is timely for parties to consider whether such law changes should become matters of party policy.  
I am very pleased to have water quality among my Labour spokesperson duties. Water will be a defining issue for our future as climate change hits and as demand increases. Christchurch enjoys perhaps the best drinking-water in the world. Meanwhile Canterbury accounts for two-thirds of the nation’s irrigation. Much of the new demand has been driven by corporate-scale dairy farming with Canterbury farms nearly twice the national average size.  
I am far from being opposed to development. I was instrumental in setting up an economic development trust in Marlborough but we must have development that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Dairy farming is already a key contributor to making it dangerous to swim in many Canterbury streams and rivers let alone to drink the water. Effluent is a real problem but more sinister are the poisonous nitrates from urea fertiliser that can take decades to seep into water supplies. When water allocation is on a “first in first served” basis with little real cost to the user we are simply encouraging rampant growth where the environment is always going to come second. We need a new allocation model for water that recognises its primary importance to every New Zealander not just the landowner who owns a thin mantle of soil above an aquifer or adjoining a river. Water is a common good. It belongs to every one of us and we should all have a say in how it gets used and what for.  
My other shadow portfolio is broadcasting. My working life began as a broadcasting journalist and I still regard Radio New Zealand as a national taonga. In an ever digitising increasingly commercial and converging world it is imperative to retain State-owned radio and television to ensure New Zealand content is delivered and our sense of identity is developed.  
I come to this House with strong established beliefs in its traditions and its democratic values. For 12 years I sat up there in the parliamentary press gallery—there were probably a few more of us in our time: I am not sure whether that makes me gamekeeper turned poacher or vice versa. I believe I am the first former gallery member to be elected to Parliament since Sir Frederick Doidge 70 years ago. Although I was never shy of expressing strong opinions as a journalist as some may attest I always retained a healthy respect for members of Parliament on both sides of the House not least for the onerous workload I can only now truly appreciate.  
I wish to acknowledge my former profession but observe it is increasingly difficult for journalists to do justice to their calling in an environment of endless cost-cutting. To give just one example there is now virtually no coverage of election candidate meetings in main centres by major media. How can the media be a public watchdog when the chain keeps getting ever shorter? Many embark on this journey to the House—some of us more than once—but rather fewer arrive. I am here now only because in early 2002 I went as a newspaper editor to a Marlborough mussel factory. Helen Clark opened it and she made everyone in that audience me included feel just so proud to be a New Zealander. I got a lift back into town with her. A fortnight later I was the Labour candidate for Kaikoura. I was privileged to then work for Helen in the Prime Minister’s office.  
But the greatest honour and privilege of all is entering this House being part of a strong and well-led Labour caucus and I hope being of service to my electorate to this Parliament and to the nation. Being able to do that results from a harmonious and hard-working Labour team in Christchurch Central ably led by our campaign manager Pam Wheeler and secretary Coral Hodgson. To them and many others I cannot name thank you. Can I say also to my National opponent Nicky Wagner that I look forward to working together in the wider interests of Christchurch.  
Finally I want to acknowledge my wife Philippa who is here in the gallery today with friends and family and with whom I have shared every step of this journey and to thank our daughters Hannah and Rachel and my sister Julie for their love and support. Sadly my mother passed away in August during the election campaign and my father is too frail to travel but I know they are also here in spirit with me today. In the same way as they and my Uncle Mick came here to give others opportunity I come to this Parliament to help ensure my daughters’ generation and those that follow can enjoy all the opportunities that this blessed nation of Aotearoa New Zealand can and must provide to all its people. 
KEVIN HAGUE (Green) 
: 
 Ki te whai ao ki te ao marama. Tihei mauri ora. Ko te mea tuatahi me mihi ahau ki Te Runga Rawa nana nei nga mea katoa. Tena koe. Papatuanuku te whaea e takoto nei Ranginui e tu nei tena korua. Ka mihi mo nga mate ka tangihia e tatou i tenei wa. No reira e nga mate haere haere haere ki Hawaiki nui ki Hawaiki roa ki Hawaiki pamamao. Apiti hono tatai hono te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. Ki te hunga ora tena koutou. Nga mihi mo nga mana whenua o tenei rohe Te Ati Awa me Ngati Toa Rangatira hoki tena koutou. Nga mihi ki nga tangata whenua o Aotearoa mai i Te Ika a Maui tae noa ki Te Wai Pounamu me nga iwi katoa tena koutou. Inaianei ka huri ahau ki te korero e pa ana ki te kaupapa o tenei wa.  
[ 
To the world of light and enlightenment ’tis the sneeze of life. The first thing for me to do is to acknowledge the Almighty Above who created everything. Bless you. To Mother Earth lying here and Sky Father standing before us greetings to you two. I pay a tribute to the departed whom we mourn for today. Farewell depart journey on to the great Hawaiki the long Hawaiki and the distant Hawaiki. Let the dead be bound and bonded to each other. Greetings to you the living and the guardians of this region Te Ati Awa and Ngati Toa Rangatira greetings. I acknowledge the indigenous people of New Zealand from the North Island to the South Island. To you and everyone greetings. I turn now to the topic of this address 
.]  
I opened in Maori because I believe my first words in this House should be in the first language of this country. Earlier this week I took up my place in the House declaring allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen but I take this opportunity to also declare my intent to honour the commitment made by her ancestor which is the Treaty of Waitangi. 
I come to this House hoping to make a significant personal contribution to those issues that are important to me most especially the future of the planet upon which we live and depend and the type of society that our children and our grandchildren will inherit. It is perhaps fanciful to think of my own personal contribution and more appropriate to instead acknowledge that my role is as one of many: those who have come before and those who will come after me and those many working today in the very many aspects of the national and international Green movement. I salute you all. 
Being elected as a list MP perhaps brings a particular awareness that my being here is not a result of my work but a result of the work of very many others. I want to particularly acknowledge some of them. First of all I acknowledge my family: my father Chaz Hague; my brother and my sister-in-law Stewart and Bronwyn Hague who are in the Gallery today; and my partner Ian and my son Thomas who are not here today. I owe you all a great debt. I express my love and I promise to do my best to repay that debt. I acknowledge those others in the Gallery; Green Party staff members and supporters; my fellow Green Party MPs; those who may be listening or watching in New Zealand and around the world; my wider family; my friends; those who worked so hard to maximise the Green Party vote at this election particularly in West Coast - Tasman; and indeed members of the worldwide movement of Green parties. 
I want to explicitly acknowledge that I have friends from other parties in this Parliament and previous Parliaments. We all come to this House with differing personal philosophies but I hope a shared commitment to those whom we serve and to future generations. I give you an undertaking that I will listen to what you have to say and I hope that you will offer to reciprocate that commitment. 
I am conscious that I come to this Parliament bringing with me the hopes and expectations of many and I want to itemise some of those. There are cyclists who want to see roads safe and well-engineered for all road users or who see the fantastic potential of a national network of off-road cycling tracks. I acknowledge the Kennett brothers who have launched today their latest edition of  
Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides 
. There are those who love wild rivers who hope for a new economics that values intrinsic natural characteristics and recreational use instead of just easily measured short-term financial gain. There are gay men lesbian women and the wider rainbow family who demand truly equal rights and equal opportunity. There are those who work in public health who know that the health of a population is largely a reflection of the power it has over its own circumstances and the environment surrounding it and that good health improvement can result only from political will. Let us provide that. There are those people who understand that the same formula of empowering communities and creating supportive environments is also the answer for problems in education in social welfare in criminal offending and in many other areas. Indeed these are not separate problems but all in large part manifestations of a common cause—marginalisation. Let us fix that too. Also there are those many New Zealanders who believe that our collective future depends on a relationship between Maori and non-Maori that honours the Treaty of Waitangi and finally the many who hope for a better future for our kids and for our planet. 
That is what I call a politics of aspiration. I guess my potential to disappoint is great! But I do not experience these expectations as a crushing or repressive weight but rather as a surging wave that lifts me up and sustains me. 
The challenges we face are very great indeed. Our biggest obstacle as  
New Scientist 
 recently reported in a grim edition that pales the international credit crisis into insignificance is a world economy geared to the sole aim of economic growth. Growth is not inherently bad but the indiscriminate approach to growth that sees any type of growth as good is our problem. Growth based on the increased use of non-renewable resources is by definition unsustainable and occurs at massive and irreversible cost to future generations. Growth achieved through the bubble economics of speculation is exploitation of another sort where the non-renewable resource is human dignity and human happiness. We must change to an economy of sustainability as a matter of urgency. We know this but we have not done so because of investment in the status quo—both direct financial literal investment and emotional investment which brings fear of the changes that will be necessary to achieve sustainable living. 
One of the strengths brought to this House by the Green Party is our charter which is based on four solid principles: ecological wisdom social responsibility appropriate decision-making and non-violence. I absolutely reject the idea that ethical or moral behaviour has its only source in religious faith. On the contrary my personal philosophy presupposes that there is no higher power that has for some reason disadvantaged some people and conversely privileged others or that will intervene to rectify this disparity or compensate its victims. In the absence of such external power the responsibility for determining how we should live together and the responsibility for acting to achieve that state is solely but collectively ours. 
Only two coherent philosophies are possible: survival of the fittest with no regard to the effect on any other person or a world in which we recognise our interdependence and have respect for the equal and inalienable rights of every person. I have a passionate adherence to the second of these belief systems. Effectively this personal belief of mine is the equivalent of the social responsibility principle in our charter. It has echoes in the idea of “to each according to their need; from each according to their means” or in my personal motivator “If not me then who? If not now then when?”. This is for me at the heart of my feelings of self-worth—that I have acted in an ethical and honourable way. 
What are these inalienable rights that each person is entitled to? Eleanor Roosevelt who was the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights talked about equal justice equal dignity and equal opportunity without discrimination. Another valuable right to conceptualise is autonomy provided that the exercise of that autonomy does not reduce that of another person. For me the opportunity to make decisions affecting one’s own life tempered only by the effect of those decisions on others is driven directly from this idea and is exactly the idea captured by our principles of appropriate decision-making and non-violence. 
However it is the principle of ecological wisdom that is my greatest motivation for standing here today. In the same way that first-principles thinking leads me to a bedrock belief in universal human rights this thinking also leads me to consider the rest of the natural world not only from the perspective of resources that are necessary for the sustenance of human life but also from the perspective of the rights or intrinsic value of entities in their natural state. My personal principle is to take only what resources I need from the natural world and to harm the natural world to the least extent possible. This is the thinking behind my being vegetarian for nearly 30 years. But regardless of whether our attitude to the natural world is driven by philosophy as mine is or by the more pragmatic considerations of what is required for human beings to survive the logical consequence is ecological wisdom. 
My sense of urgency comes from the growing unease and certainty that I have that the human race is reaching or has reached some fundamental limits to its ability to take from the natural world. But we are not yet responding appropriately. Human beings are not well adapted to deal with gradually unfolding risk or dangers that are rare but catastrophic and our inaction now imperils the human rights of those generations yet to come. In the words of Lester Brown “We are crossing natural thresholds that we cannot see and violating deadlines that we do not recognise. Nature is the timekeeper but we cannot see the clock. … We are in a race between tipping points in the earth’s natural systems and those in the world’s political systems. Which will tip first?”. In the past we have been saved from the consequences of our inadequate responses by technological advance. Although technology may now help us it is currently ill-directed and it will not be enough. 
At a time when across the world a small flame of hope has been kindled for the future of the human race and for the planet by the election of Barack Obama I am reminded of events that are 40 years old. One of my childhood memories is from 1968 in my grandparents’ house: a hush upon us all and tears streaming down my mother’s face as we heard of the death of Bobby Kennedy. 
As a new Green Party MP I am particularly conscious that I am standing on the shoulders of giants. When I greeted those who have passed on in my introductory remarks I thought of course of Rod Donald. But I also thought of my mother and my sister both of whom also died too young and did not live to see this day. I dedicate my time in Parliament to them. 
I know that some of you will look at the size of the problems we face and see them as insurmountable—that nothing that any one person can do will make any difference. Margaret Mead pointed out that in fact it is only the actions of individuals that make any difference. My own experience has incorporated many issues where the odds seemed hopeless but the steadfast application of individuals made all the difference. The most notable of these was the anti-apartheid movement where the apparently impregnable fortress of apartheid was brought down by the actions of individuals. 
In June 1966 Bobby Kennedy spoke in Cape Town to the National Union of South African Students’ Day of Affirmation and said this: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Let us now cast our pebbles into the pond. No reira tena koutou tena koutou huri noa tena tatou katoa. 
Sitting suspended from 6.08 p.m. to 7 p.m.