EventMAIDEN STATEMENTSPAULO GARCIA (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. Te mihi nui ki ngā mana whenua katoa o Aotearoa. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[I extend respectful courtesies to all the customary tribal authorities of New Zealand. Greetings greetings greetings to you all.]Nagmamahal na Panginoon kami'y buong pusong nagpapasalamat na minarapat mong mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang inyong mga anak na makapaglingkod sa bayang New Zealand. Hindi lamang sa mga nursing homes at ospital sa mga dairy farms at construction sites sa IT engineering at hospitality. At ngayon pati na rin sa larangan ng pambabatas. Pagkalooban ninyo po kami ng puso isip at katawan na matatag upang maisatupad namin ang inyong layunin para sa amin sa bansang New Zealand.We thank our loving God that he has given his children the opportunity to serve New Zealand not just in nursing homes and hospitals in dairy farms and construction sites in IT and engineering and hospitality but also now in the New Zealand Parliament. Grant us a steady heart mind and body that we may help bring your will for us in New Zealand to fruition because this is what this country of New Zealand has done for me and the migrant community from the Philippines that I am a part of. This country has welcomed us into corners of this society that our Asian community is not normally associated with—dairy farms the mainstay of rural New Zealand life that so much of our country's myths and legends stem from and yes I refer to the Colin Meads and other farming legends of our national All Blacks team. That farming Filipinos will uphold the tradition of farmers supplying rugby players to the All Blacks is an aspiration I have not entirely given up on!I am Paulo Garcia I am Catholic I am a Filipino and a New Zealander and I am happy excited and blessed to be standing here before you. It is a privilege and an honour to work with all of you and it is a testament to this great nation that migrants can become New Zealanders and represent this nation in our House of Parliament—a greatness that was sorely tested earlier this year when a man determined to drive division and intolerance into our midst entered two mosques and killed 51 people 51 people who had chosen to make this great nation of ours home 51 people of faith of Islam who were expressing the convictions of their beliefs. The evil man who aimed to drive religious intolerance into our midst must not be allowed to succeed. Equally those who aimed to do the same in Sri Lanka when they attacked and killed hundreds of Catholic worshipers sought too to drive religious intolerance. Equally they must not be allowed to succeed.They will not succeed because this nation allows migrants of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds to succeed and to be represented within this hallowed Chamber. That I am here tonight as the first member of the New Zealand Parliament of Filipino descent is a tribute to the National Party's recognition of strength in diversity and the value that ethnic communities bring to New Zealand—a New Zealand that holds itself out as open to all where people from the world over are able to live without fear in the practice of their faith and values and in observance of their cultural norms. This makes for a multicultural and ethnically diverse New Zealand. There is not a day that I wake up without giving thanks for being in New Zealand. To be sure not everything has been simple and rose-coloured. I have also experienced hatred. I have been slandered and have been ostracised. Yet I do not have a monopoly on this experience. In reality many of us do experience this as well in various forms on a daily basis not just migrants but many of our displaced youth who seek connection from gangs; emotionally isolated people who seek refuge in drugs alcohol and gambling; the old who live alone and die without seeing their family and friends and who may soon be encouraged to die without seeing family and friends.Even though we have evolved to be just and compassionate we also have the evolved capacity for greed anger and hatred. All of us have the seeds of prejudice within us but it is a question of which seeds we water and grow. There have been people who say my views are intolerant. Why? Because I am pro-life? Because I believe in the sanctity of life? Because I take the great Māori proverb literally and to its logical conclusion? He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the world? He tangata he tangata he tangata—it is the people it is the people it is the people. Just as Māori have such a beautiful saying so too do I stand on the words of Mahatma Gandhi when he said that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. When it comes to human beings we cannot pick and choose which ones are protected and which ones are not and we cannot say some vulnerable lives must be protected but others not.I am thankful for and proud of the wonderful response to the Christchurch attacks that were made by many in politics and the media who were open and understanding to the Muslim community in New Zealand my fellow travellers in faith and just as we should be aware of the underbelly of ethnic intolerance in this country we need to be equally aware of the prejudice of religious intolerance often used as a handy tool in debates. It is insulting for some in this Chamber to suggest that the sole motive to retrograde policies such as euthanasia are religious ones which is akin to saying that people of faith do not have intellect and shouldn't also take their place here and contribute to society. We live in a day when we have put our own interests ahead of our children and this modern society will continue to do so to its own detriment.Men are particularly to blame. Women are often left abandoned uncertain and pressured to get rid of unexpected children or to raise them on their own. I salute in absolute praise all single mothers. I can honestly say that if either my wife or I had had to raise our daughters alone we would have struggled severely as well. Despite the due importance we all attach to this task in our hands—that of governing this country—parenting is the most important job we really have. As mothers and fathers and collectively as a Parliament and as a nation we need to support our parents we need to support our families and we need to support our children but I highlight that the men of this country need to do more. We as men need to stand strong in our relationships. We must be reliable providers and protectors. We must show tamariki the way to respect and honour women.Whatever laws we might pass in this Chamber the pro-life voice must no longer be despised and discounted as offensive. Preachers of tolerance and inclusion must no longer seek to silence and condemn those with opinions that make them uncomfortable but are nevertheless opinions based on another person's own beliefs and values systems. While we need to stay vigilant and investigate people who post offensive material online we need to be equally concerned about any move in this House to restrict freedom of speech a move which has all too often been used by those in power to silence those with differing opinions or ideas. This doctrine peddled by those who pretend to be progressive asserts that the mere expression of ideas itself is a limitation on the rights of others. This is preposterous. We must always run the risk of being offended in the effort to afford each citizen their freedom of expression their freedom to be wrong and yes unfortunately even nasty. We must let the punishment of those with hateful messages be their own undoing.As representatives of our people it is important to be able to faithfully fulfil at each moment the duties of love and justice we owe to all of New Zealand despite the difficulty of applying such principles to this contingent world. Keeping this sense of loyalty constantly active is the best defence against an ageing of the spirit a hardening of the heart and a stiffening of the mind that threatens us all. We need to be truly aware of our real motivation as to why we are here. Are we here just to promote self and self-interest or are our actions ultimately driven by what will benefit our in-group only? Our answers may reveal that we may then not truly be representative of all people in New Zealand and we must and may rectify our intentions.I would not be here without the help of amazing examples of fortitude and courage. My mother Anna as she personally took loving care of my father over the 10 years he suffered dementia until his death. My father-in-law Rene who personally took loving care of my mother-in-law as she was struck by ALS until her passing. Lawyer Lilia B. de Lima in the Philippines for fearless integrity in doing what is right. Ambassador Virginia Benavidez for her selfless dedication to the service of others. Jesus Domingo our ambassador now for his friendship. Lawyer Richard McLeod and Corban Revell Lawyers National Party president Peter Goodfellow MP Melissa Lee and Roger Bridge who all took a chance on this lawyer from the Philippines. My deepest gratitude and prayers go to MP Nuk Korako for him and his family to go well for his retirement allows me to stand here before you tonight.Finally I thank every single person who helped in the 2017 campaign—too many to name many here tonight—who helped without measure day and night in rain and cold despite busy schedules and family commitments moving concertedly towards an intangible goal doing tasks that none of us have ever done before. The love of my life Malu and my beloved daughters Maryana Rocio Lucia and Ana Carmela who inspire me to give myself to others more and more every day leaving nothing for myself. Fourteen years ago I was a struggling student at the University of Auckland law taking papers and the bar exam. Those were tough times. We were a single income household of six but now here I stand as a Member of Parliament of this great nation.Many will say that I am living a dream. I disagree. This is not a dream; this is a Kiwi reality. May I end with the words of inspiration that drive me and give me hope for all New Zealand lives words written by my daughter Maryana in her poem entitled Identity".A migrant house is built tall on foundations filled with sky stacked with the hopes of generations into storeyed bastions that testify to us. We were made to hold together. I stand proud in the shade of a roof made for me to raise high by proclaiming I have a Spanish name an American accent and an Asian face.And I have been welcomed in Aotearoa.Thank you Mr Speaker. Mabuhay.WaiataSitting suspended from 6.04 p.m. to 7.30 p.m."