Sowry Roger: Valedictory Statements 
Sowry Roger: Valedictory Statements 
[Volume:627;Page:22185] 
Hon ROGER SOWRY (National) 
: 
 The time has come for me to say my last words in this Chamber. It is fitting I think that I say them immediately following question time because question time is still one of the most robust parts of this Chamber. 
In fact I can well remember my first parliamentary question written for me by the research unit and delivered to me. With much excitement I rang home and alerted my family to the fact that I was about to ask a question and that they should listen on the radio. The question was to the Hon Denis Marshall the Minister of Conservation at the time. It was my maiden question the House was quiet and I stood and asked the Minister what he was doing to keep rats off Kapiti Island. The House remained silent and Mike Moore who was then the Leader of the Opposition leaned forward and in a loud voice shouted: “Stopping the member from visiting!”. To laughter that I thought at the time was far more vigorous from my side than that of the Opposition I learnt an important lesson: never ask a patsy question. I am proud of my record during my first 3 years in Parliament in that I asked the least number of questions as a Government back-bencher. 
Like many here I worked my way through the party organisation for a nomination to a seat and a place in this Parliament. I have had the privilege to serve as both a constituency member of Parliament and a list member and I have had the opportunity over the last 15 years to serve on the Government back bench on the whips’ desk as junior and senior whip as a Minister as the Leader of the House as a minority Government manager as deputy leader of the National Party and then as an Opposition back-bencher. 
Throughout it all I have had a great opportunity to work with some outstanding and dedicated staff. At the risk of leaving someone out I would like to thank in particular Susan Palmer my secretary here in Parliament who has worked for me for 12 of those 15 years and Sue Reid my constituency office secretary who has worked for me for 14½ of those 15 years. They both deserve medals. I thank my ministerial office staff many of whom are here in the Chamber today: Sarah Boyle who came to me from the Clerk’s Office who has worked for me in a number of capacities and who has been an outstanding friend; and Belinda Milnes Susanne Joyce Vanessa Simpson Kathleen Lambert Celia Roundtree Debbie Sturmfels Louise Dooley and Kathy Kerr all of whom worked for me over a period of time in Parliament. I think back on those days with fondness; we were I believe a great team. 
In my electorate I have been blessed with a wonderful electorate and campaign organisation and I want especially to thank today my electorate chairmen over my period of time in Parliament David Gibbons Vaughan Chetwynd Alan Wells Eric McCabe and Ted Cobb—Ted in particular has done a sterling job for the last 6 years. I thank my campaign chairs: Jack Wilson my first ever campaign chair who taught me a lot; Trevor Roberts who has campaigned with me for three elections; Paula Tessarero; and Lorraine Pollark. To them I owe a great deal of thanks. There are many others too many to name—people who have worked in my organisations my branch committees and my electorates who have been branch chairs and treasurers who have run the membership organisation and who have done all the tasks that have needed to be done. One simply cannot function in this House without their support and I thank them all very very much. 
Fifteen years ago when I delivered my maiden speech my oldest daughter Katherine was 1 year old. Katherine Erica David and Phillipa have known nothing other than politics in their father’s life. My wife Shirley like all parliamentarians’ spouses has carried the responsibility of—and cared for—our family all too often on her own. The hours of work are long; it is not always easy and I thank her and the family for all their huge support. 
I have enjoyed my time in Parliament but I have to say that I miss the pre-MMP debating chamber. I miss the tactics. I miss being able to go into the caucus and spring urgency on it. I miss the voting in the lobbies and the comradeship that developed by our going through the lobbies. I miss the debates in which both sides of the House used to participate rather than one side participate and the other side move closure motions. I miss the speeches from the heart and sometimes even from the head that were given in this Chamber—speeches that were not read from some research unit paper but that were delivered with passion and with feeling. I miss all those things and find today’s Chamber somewhat formulaic. The House today is far more representative than the House I walked into 15 years ago but it has far less flavour in it. I loved the ebb and flow of this Chamber; it was unpredictable. 
I remember—and some of my colleagues will remember well—my speaking on a welfare bill from the Government whip’s desk. It was a small piece of legislation in the early 1990s that was going to stop the payment of invalids benefits to people who were on an invalids benefit and overseas for more than 4 weeks. The Labour spokesperson at the time was Clive Matthewson. He had put up an amendment in the Committee stage that allowed disabled athletes to go overseas and spend a longer period of time there because they might be training. Neroli Fairhall was the example given in the Chamber during the debate. 
During the Committee stage in those days a speech was 10 minutes. I was giving a damn good speech and was 5 minutes into why we were not going to buckle on that legislation—why our ideas were pure and right and correct—when I noticed that Don McKinnon had slid out of the seat in front of me and Michael Cullen the Opposition Leader of the House had slid out from the other side. About 5 minutes into my speech Tony Ryall passed me a note that said we were accepting the Matthewson amendment.  
Hansard  
will show that in the first 5 minutes of my speech I totally opposed the amendment and in the second 5 minutes I gave all the reasons why we would then be voting for it. 
The biggest opportunity I have had in politics was given to me by Jim Bolger. It was a huge privilege being the Minister of Social Welfare and I cannot leave here without saying two things about that role. The first concerns the Family Start programme of which I am immensely proud. It is an outstanding programme it is a programme that is world-class and world-leading and it is a programme that Labour has been too slow in expanding. 
The second concerns the people I met when I first became Minister of Social Welfare who not only are the real heroes in the welfare area but are I think often unsung unseen and unsupported—the group of New Zealanders who are foster parents. They do an extraordinary amount of good work in mending the minds and bodies of young people and in helping young people who are at risk. Foster parents are some of our greatest assets in this country. I found that the time when I was Minister of Social Welfare was a very humbling experience and my time in dealing with foster parents was something that not only made me humble but made me very proud to be a New Zealander. 
I could not leave here today without reference to the brat pack: Bill English Nick Smith Tony Ryall and myself. I do not know how we got the name “brat pack”. I see that several people have claimed to have given it to us the latest claimant being Michael Laws. All I can say to that is that success has many fathers. 
We were four of a big intake. We came in here in 1990 as part of the largest new intake of MPs this country had ever seen. We became great friends. We were the youngest of that intake and we have been able to offer I think great support to each other. I certainly have received a huge amount of support from Bill Nick and Tony. 
More importantly our wives and families are here today. We have holidayed together. We have had outstanding times together. It has not been all politics; there has been a lot of fun. You could not ask in any job or any career to find such great friends. We do not agree on everything. I wish we had; it would have boosted the numbers a lot particularly on the conscience votes on my side. I have been bench mates with all three of them at various times. In any work environment anyone would count themselves privileged lucky and honoured to be able to work with those three colleagues and to have such friends as Bill Tony Nick and their families. I certainly count myself as being very fortunate. 
Finally today I want to wish Don Brash the National Party caucus and Otaki candidate Nathan Guy all the very best for a successful election. I came here 15 years ago excited about playing a role in a National Government. I leave here older wiser balder and heavier but I leave here excited about the prospect of a National Government and excited about some new challenges with Arthritis New Zealand.