Tisch LindsayVALEDICTORY STATEMENTSLINDSAY TISCH (National—Waikato): I rise to deliver my last speech in this Parliament. After 18 years as a member my career now comes to an end. I have had an interest in politics since my school days last century. My parents were involved and this influenced my participation. We listened to the Budgets huddled around the radio. I vividly recall election night 1972. While I was meant to be at a function I spent much of the evening in the car with my girlfriend at the time listening to the 1972 election results on the radio. I have spent much of my working life working for the National Party in various roles because I believed—and indeed still believe—that it offers the right direction for New Zealand.I have not always agreed with everything but I have always been one of those loyal to the cause. My active participation in party affairs started in the mid-1980s and carried through until I was elected in 1999. In the late 1980s the political spectrum changed. The right moved to the left; then the left moved to the right. The right I think has now gone right and the left is left—and thank goodness for that.Following the referendum on the electoral system when it changed to the mixed-member proportional system MMP I became the party president in 1994 and during my time set in place the structures and rules on how National would operate under MMP. It was also at this time Mr Speaker that you were elected in a by-election following the resignation of Ruth Richardson. I managed the party's 1996 election campaign—the first under MMP—and the biggest challenge was an attitudinal one: to put the party vote ahead of the personal vote or candidate vote. Hence I coined the slogan First Tick National".MMP has done away with the power of provincial areas which has now moved and is influenced—very much so—by the urban sector. The political landscape has changed and so participation in party politics has waned. I am fortunate to have had a solid support at all levels during my party and my political career. In the party I worked with many whom I regard as salt of the earth pragmatic focused and dedicated. President Peter Goodfellow is one and I thank you Peter. I wish you the board and the team every success in the campaign. Andrew von Dadelszen my regional chair has the challenge of keeping the central North Island blue. To Jason Howarth the Waikato electorate chairman and Tim van de Molen our candidate in Waikato: all the best. I am sure you will do well. I acknowledge with gratitude the people of the Waikato region who have voted for the party and me and have elected me by majorities of such dimensions as to make me feel small. In the Waikato I have had the privilege of working with a team whose energy is outstripped only by their enthusiasm.Mr Speaker it is a great personal thrill to me—and I trust that you will permit me the liberty of referring to them—that many from the Waikato are in the gallery this afternoon. My long-serving staffers Debbie Sankey Toni Grace and Maxine Viggers along with her husband Stephen have been the nucleus of a great team. Here in Parliament Margaret Hunter Suzy Klement and Jane Nixon have kept me focused on the role deciphered my handwriting and have rescued many an email from the deleted box. I say thank you for your talents your support and your inspiration. By your active participation in the parliamentary process and in the commitment by which you live and work you have made democracy come alive and shrugged off the notion that politics is not another highly entertaining spectator sport.The participation of family in public affairs depends in large on the tolerance and encouragement of wives husbands partners or spouses. My family has played a crucial role in my political development and involvement. The girl in the car in 1972 is here today: my wife of 43 years Leonie. Leonie you stood by me through all the challenges and sacrifices of political life and I say many thanks. My daughter Andrea her husband Dallas and their children Maya and Luca have continued to take an interest in the political process. Two-year-old Maya when asked "Where does Lindsay work?" states: "In a castle." They are still trying to get here from Christchurch at the moment so unfortunately they have missed being here. When I first arrived here to my horror there was a computer on my desk. I did not know how it worked. It was Andrea who saved the day when she taught me how to switch it off rather than my switching it off at the wall. Why would you go to "Start" when you want to turn it off? Technology is not my forte. But then the younger generation Generation Y have the future ahead of them. My son Karl his wife Hani and little Lidia living and owning businesses in London are watching today. And I say thanks to you from this side of the world. I tell you when grandchildren arrive the world view changes.On entering Parliament in 1999 along with me came another seven members—The Magnificent Seven plus one. The eight of us became known as the "millennium club" and met every Tuesday night to chew the fat. Our intake was close-knit and we became close friends. Only Anne Tolley remains and I thank you Anne for your friendship and the whiskies we have shared together on numerous occasions—do not drink when I am gone. Ha ha!We all have our priorities and prejudices and one must come to one's own conclusion as to what is best according to criteria and consensus. I have placed much emphasis on the role of representation. It is often said that politics is people and representing constituents and their concerns has been rewarding and satisfying.On the economic stage the 102 kilometre Waikato Expressway of which 96 kilometres is in the Waikato electorate had its genesis in 2008 when I convened a meeting of Waikato mayors with the Leader of the Opposition at the time John Key at the national Fieldays. The result is for all to see and when it is finally completed it will be a major economic investment in the Waikato region.In my maiden statement I stated that the clean-up of toxic waste on Mount Te Aroha was a priority and while this mountain is no longer in my electorate it is pleasing that the contaminated site has been addressed.To be part of a Government that encouraged the production of movies has been quite remarkable for the economic development of the Waikato especially in Matamata where I live. I am often referred to as the MP for Hobbiton. I am one of the few who can walk into a hobbit hole without bending down.I have mentioned the role of the representative and alongside this is the role of legislator. The two roles are interrelated. I have immersed myself in the activities of this Parliament and have found enjoyment and satisfaction from that involvement. The Business and Parliament Trust is an organisation that has wide support from the business community. The involvement of the corporate sector alongside parliamentarians is quite unique and I have been a trustee and board member for 15 years. I encourage you to attend the seminars guest speaker evenings and the corporate attachments plus field days to the corporates showcasing how we each operate. Sir John Goulter the chair for many years was farewelled last night. I thank you John for your commitment as a driving force for the trust. To the team of Mike Fokker the CEO; new chair Peter Griffiths; and trustees I wish you continuing success.A highlight in a recent policy decision has been the travel assistance programme for school visits to Parliament. I would encourage members to inquire about the financial assistance available from the secretariat. I had a school from Huntly here on Tuesday that had assistance through this scheme.In January 2004 I was sent to Beijing to represent the New Zealand Parliament at the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum APPF the parliamentary equivalent of APEC. I had no idea what this was about. My wife and I had to find our own way into the city. Our ambassador did not even know I was coming but we made it. This was the start of a very rewarding dialogue and association over 12 years for me and the parliaments of the 26 eligible countries. Some of you in this House have travelled with me and I am sure the exchange of ideas gave members a wider and better understanding of the issues and challenges facing other democracies and how New Zealand is looked to for guidance in many areas.After two visits to the Russian Federation—first to Moscow and Saint Petersburg and then secondly to Vladivostok—and the annual meetings with their delegations the Speaker of the Duma the Parliament presented me with a medal which entitles me should I ever wish to live in Russia to not need to pay any tax. Leonie is not keen; she would rather stay in Matamata. It was recognition of the high respect our Parliament has on the world stage.I have chaired the New Zealand - German Parliamentary Friendship Group which we re-established as a stand-alone group from the European Union Parliamentary Friendship Group to acknowledge the important role that Germany plays in Europe and our strengthening ties. We have hosted visiting delegations and I have been a guest along with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin. To my German colleague Volkmar Klein in the Bundestag—thank you for your friendship and trust. The ties between our countries I trust will continue to grow.I have served this Parliament as a presiding officer for 9 years both as an Assistant Speaker and a Deputy Speaker. It has been a great honour to serve. I have learnt to respect the institution of Parliament—something quite separate from the political activities of politicians and political parties. Very few appreciate or understand this institution that is Parliament. The 21 years that we have had MMP representation has changed the culture of this place. There is no doubt that we have broader representation and that is good but in my view the power has shifted to parties to have legislation progressed and this House has become a House more of political parties and less of a House of Representatives.There have been many humorous occasions during my time presiding. In the early days when I wanted the House to settle down I would stand and boldly say "I'm standing." to which there were some unparliamentary comments and laughter. So I changed the terminology and I have said for many years now "I'm on my feet." and there has always been silence.The biggest challenge for me was the Committee of the whole House stage dealing with the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill in May 2009 which lasted 33 hours in which I presided for 26½ of those hours and had to deal with 30000 amendments. The Hon Rick Barker on his return from overseas was a welcome addition to the Chair and it is good to have Rick here. It was a cat-and-mouse game where spreadsheet technology was being used—and I think Mr Robertson had something to do with that—to produce thousands of amendments. The Government had to be careful about moving closure motions as it needed the Minister's amendments to be drafted and lodged first. The Opposition's amendments could be lodged right up until the closure was accepted. The Opposition began deliberately collapsing the debate in order to prevent the Minister lodging an amendment to block its amendments. The Government had to continue putting up speakers on a bill it wanted to close down. On a practical level simply keeping on top of the volume of amendments and where they came in the bill was a major challenge. I resorted to using colour-coded stickers indicating the status of each batch of amendments. The House rose after its third reading at 9.42 on Saturday night after some 33 hours in Committee; 30046 amendments were lodged 16 agreed to 946 defeated and 29084 were ruled out of order. I grouped the amendments which allowed me to rule them out in their thousands but this provoked the Opposition and the Speaker was recalled twice. Fortunately he supported my ruling. The taking of such a controversial bill through all stages under urgency and the use of technology to swamp the Committee with amendments did not produce an entirely satisfactory result. While the Opposition certainly flexed its muscle the public perception of Parliament was not enhanced by the time spent voting. The consensus seemed to be that the focus on amendments rather than on debating the issues represented unnecessary time-wasting. Debate is an acceptable delay tactic particularly when a bill has not gone to a select committee and is being considered under urgency. The Opposition has very few options available to it other than delay. The lodging of thousands of computer-generated amendments just at the conclusion of each debate in the Committee was a smart political tactic but one that could ultimately bring the House into disrepute. The Standing Orders Committee has dealt with this and we are now seeing a more reasoned focused debate in the Committee of the whole House. The use of extended hours as we saw this morning has reduced urgency periods. The tabling of documents not the telephone directories that Gerry Brownlee used to table and themes for debates are all moves to improve the quality and functionality of Parliament. I encourage this process and evaluation to continue.I have presided for 1378 hours representing over 30 percent of House time over my 9 years. Presiding gives one a great opportunity to view and experience behaviour and the many different styles that members have. It has improved I would have to say with the advent of the television live feeds. I have viewed the role of a presiding officer as a referee in the game and have tended to play the advantage rule bearing in mind that this is a debating chamber for debates and not a speech contest. There is also no television match official the TMO. I have ruled as I have heard it or seen it. We are a House of common thinkers each supporting our individual views and values. Whether a liberal or conservative we are New Zealanders all so who will ever forget the uplifting waiata filling this Chamber when I announced the vote on Louisa Wall's Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill? To date there have been nearly 1.6 million views on YouTube. It was quite unforgettable and uniquely New Zealand. The Telegraph in Britain posted footage of Parliament breaking into song after the debate saying: "Good on New Zealand. They get everything right—Lord of the Rings plus their House of Commons Deputy Speaker Lindsay Tisch playing a cameo role sounds exactly like Murray out of Flight of the Conchords." That may be my legacy here.Many have helped me in this place and in particular those in the Clerk's Office with whom I have daily contact. David Wilson and the Clerk's Office are the guardians of the political processes and the protectors of the democratic process. Parliament is not here for the executive's dictates; it belongs to the people. It is the scrutineer of the executive. To David Andie Lindsay and your highly motivated and very professional team I say thank you for your guidance and support and to David McGee and Mary Harris and those who served the office in their time my grateful thanks. It has been a pleasure and honour to work with you Mr Speaker and your predecessor Lockwood Smith along with your staff and particularly the unflappable Roland Todd. My fellow presiding officers—it has been a great relief Trevor not to have to pull you up on points of order. I am grateful to have worked with former Prime Minister John Key and to Prime Minister Bill English and colleagues I say thank you for your friendship for the opportunities and for the commitment you make to New Zealand. I wish you all a successful and rewarding campaign. I thank all those who make Parliament function and who have been so generous with their time and advice to me. Thank you to those who have served here with me from all sides of the House for your friendship good humour and often fierce debate. With an election pending I am reminded of what I said in my maiden statement. The American politician Dick Armey when asked "How does it feel to have people give you power?" replied: "No the people have given us responsibility. We are their servants. They retain the power." Mr Speaker colleagues one and all I bid you farewell.[Applause]"