Penk ChrisCHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi): Thank you very much Mr Speaker and good afternoon to you all. I'd like to start by thanking those who have done most to make likely National's election next year: Christopher Luxon Nicola Willis all of the National caucus in fact and most of Labour's Cabinet.It's been a hard year for many in this country. Doing their best to ensure Labour remain on track is an army of spin doctors even as the number of actual doctors and the actual army get smaller and smaller. But I do want to acknowledge actually on a serious note the men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force; along with police; Surf Life Saving New Zealand; St John Ambulance; firefighters professional and volunteer alike; Coastguard; and all those others who help to keep Kiwis safe including over the summer that we are all hopefully about to enjoy.The lessons that we can learn on this side of the House from the performance of the Labour Government these five years of failure as we say date back to the nine long years that they spent in Opposition—I don't think spent very well. They were a dog chasing the car and now it's dogma chasing karma as the ideological chickens come home to roost.The laws that have fared best in this place haven't been those passed by the Government but Murphy's law as everything that could have gone wrong has indeed gone wrong. I think particularly of their claim that inflation would be transitory. We were assured by the Minister of Finance that is was caused by the war in Ukraine but also that it was transitory making us wonder how he could possibly have known that. It turned out he didn't. In echoing Franklin Delano Roosevelt's maxim that the only thing we need fear is fear itself the only thing that proved transitory about inflation was Grant Robertson's claim that inflation was transitory.We've heard much particularly from our colleague and friend Melissa Lee about a certain merger due to take place. She's been asking diligently all year why TVNZ and RNZ should be merged. As she has continued to ask that question and it has continued not to be answered we grow used to the idea of a different merger taking place late next year the new entity to be known as the left-wing Opposition. While the Government's focused its attention on anti-competitive practices it seems determined to make the election more competitive and we thank them for that.I'm at the halfway mark and I've got a lot of people to thank so I'll move on quickly. I was going to say something about pot holes but if anyone wants to hear my line on pot holes I'll fill them in later.I will conclude however with—Simeon Brown: That's the pot hole of the week.CHRIS PENK: —remarks—pot hole of the week there we go. I thought very deeply about that.I do want to thank everyone in Parliament; others from the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition onwards have done so. It's right to thank the cleaners; the House staff; security; buildings as they're known; IT; and all those others who support our endeavours in this place—you are important in allowing our democracy to function at least as well as it does. I want to thank—again as others have done—the staff who work for our members of Parliament the electorate and community offices no less so you are part of Parliament notwithstanding that you are spread across the country of course. I'll ask the House to indulge me by mentioning by name Cheryl Emily Mel Jo and Louis being those who I've worked with most closely myself. They will understand even if no one else does when I say that this place isn't perfect but very often it is utopia—good show that Utopia by the way I recommend binge watching that over summer.To whips and musterers from other parties I say thank you very much for the opportunity to work with you. To each of those people I have greatly enjoyed that I've learnt a lot about the institution of Parliament as well as a lot about the way that parties can work behind the scenes—we keep it as well-guarded a secret as possible from the public that politicians can get on behind the scenes and actually commit to making the place work as well as it's in the Opposition's interest to allow it to work at least.I also want to thank the staff and also the members of the Regulations Review Committee. Again on a somewhat personal note I had the privilege of serving on that important body. I think it performs a hugely important constitutional function. I also look forward to the ongoing work of the Standing Orders Committee. I think next year it would be great to have MPs around the House continue to commit to making this place the best place that it can be on behalf of the people of New Zealand.I want to thank you Mr Speaker and the Office of the Clerk and all those wonderful people who work in it and for it and therefore for New Zealanders. You have as others have remarked restored great mana to and dignity the role and we thank you for it. We wish you and all other MPs indeed all New Zealanders a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.