Motions — Air New Zealand—Airbus Crash France Barack Obama—Election as President of the United States New Zealand Sports Teams—SuccessesText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMotions — Air New Zealand—Airbus Crash France Barack Obama—Election as President of the United States New Zealand Sports Teams—Successes[Sitting date: 09 December 2008. Volume:651;Page:18. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MotionsAir New Zealand—Airbus Crash FranceHon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): I seek leave to move two motions without notice.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is no objection.Hon JOHN KEY: I moveThat Parliament expresses its sorrow at the tragic death of five New Zealanders in the Airbus A320 crash in Perpignan France that it extendsits condolences to the family and friends of Brian Horrell Murray White Michael Gyles Noel Marsh and Jeremy Cook and that it acknowledges the excellent work undertaken by Air New Zealand and the French authorities in the post-crash investigation and recovery process.The tragedy off the coast of France came as a massive shock to the new Government and to all New Zealanders. Since then our thoughts have been with the families and friends who have lost loved ones. We can do nothing to lessen the grief but we deeply feel their loss and on behalf of the Government and all members I extend our sympathies to them. The deaths of senior staff of Air New Zealand and the Civil Aviation Authority have been significant losses to those organisations. This tragic accident came 29 years to the day after the Mount Erebus disaster and is a harrowing reminder of that earlier tragedy.I would like to briefly acknowledge the leadership of Rob Fyfe who I think has done an outstanding job given the very very difficult conditions. I spoke to Rob late on Saturday night and say that he was obviously physically exhausted. He has done everything possible that he can do. I would also like to acknowledge all the staff of Air New Zealand who have rallied around in these difficult circumstances.To New Zealanders Air New Zealand and its koru symbol are more than just an airline. They are part of who we are; they are symbols of this country that fly far beyond our shores. The men and women who work for Air New Zealand are in many ways our ambassadors. They greet and care for thousands of travellers and show them a touch of the great Kiwi spirit of adventure. This tragedy has been a real blow but we trust with the good work of Air New Zealand and the Civil Aviation Authority the Kiwi spirit of adventure will live on.Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition): On behalf of the New Zealand Labour Party I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of all those who died in the Air New Zealand Airbus A320 crash off the coast of southern France. Our hearts go out to the families of the Air New Zealand crew of the Civil Aviation Authority representative on the plane and of the two German pilots.I think that the sense of tragedy was highlighted to me by the grief expressed by the expectant wife of one of those who was killed and by the parents who against the whole natural course of events had to go to France to recover and bury the body of their son. As New Zealanders all of us would have been affected by seeing the picture of the tail fin of the Airbus with the koru emblem on it floating in the ocean. It brought back the memory of a crash 29 years earlier of an Air New Zealand plane on Mount Erebus in Antarctica where we saw the very sad picture of the koru on the tail fin embedded in the snow. Some years later I had the opportunity to fly over the site and see the koru still on the mountain.I would like to pay a tribute to the actions of Air New Zealand its chief executive officer Rob Fyfe and the Civil Aviation Authority who I believe responded in an open and a concerned manner. I also pay tribute to the French authorities who have worked in cooperation with New Zealanders in the recovery operation and the investigation.Again I offer our deepest condolences to all those who suffered the loss of family and friends in this tragedy.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green): On behalf of the Green Party I express our sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those who died. On a personal note I say that I understand what it is like because I had a family member who was killed in a flying accident and it is the most shocking and tragic of events. On behalf of the Greens I say that our hearts are with those people and we have been thinking of them.I also hope that something comes out of this accident and we learn something about what caused it so that flying can be made safe. All of us rely on safe flying and if we learn what caused this accident at least something positive will come out of it. Once again on behalf of the Greens I express sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed.Hon RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT): On behalf of the ACT Party I join the other parties in this Parliament in paying our respects and in recognising the grief of families friends workmates and indeed people right around New Zealand. When Kiwis lose their lives overseas in tragic circumstances we all feel it and we realise what a small country we are because we have a connection to the families or the friends at times such as this.Five New Zealanders died: pilot Captain Brian Horrell engineers Murray White Michael Gyles and Noel Marsh and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook. Along with them died two German pilots whose families and friends we should also pay our respects to.I think that it is proper with the other parties to say that the leadership of Air New Zealand and in particular of chief executive Rob Fyfe has been outstanding. The colleagues and the crew at Air New Zealand have had to continue on in their jobs and they have done so. As tragic as this accident is it actually reminds us how safe Air New Zealand has proved to be over the years for all who fly with that company. Indeed it was a check on the safety of a plane that led to this accident. I think too that we should also acknowledge the international help that has been provided to Air New Zealand in this accident—in particular that of the French authorities who have done everything that one could ever expect. Thank you.Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. The 28th of November will be etched in our memories forever and a day and a very sad day in the life of our nation when we take into account an Air New Zealand flight crash on Mount Erebus 29 years ago killing 257 people on board and now this fatal crash of the Airbus in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a tragedy that has touched us all. It moved us last Friday as we travelled around New Zealand noting that staff were wearing black ribbons to mark their grief. Airports had come to a standstill to observe a minute’s silence flags flew at half mast at nearby hangars and tears were shed; hei mau maharatanga.Today we pay our respects to those who lost their lives: senior pilot Captain Brian Horrell engineers Murray White Michael Gyles and Noel Marsh and Civil Aviation Authority inspector Jeremy Cook. While we at home mourned on the beach at Perpignan near where the plane crashed Andrew Baker cultural ambassador performed the haka as the ultimate and unique national tribute to those who were lost.We remember them and we express our sympathies today to their families in Tuatāpere Christchurch Pakuranga Auckland and Wellington. We hope that in days to come the families and the friends of those who have suffered will remember them with pride and remember the high esteem with which New Zealanders have regarded these people who have given so much to the aviation industry and who have paid the ultimate price for their distinguished careers. Tēnā koutou.Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future): United Future joins with others in expressing deep sympathy to the families the friends and the work colleagues of all who died in the tragic Air New Zealand crash just offshore from Perpignan. I am loath to draw too many comparisons with events at Erebus 29 years ago not because both are not huge and significant events in New Zealand’s aviation history that we should respect but because each is unique each saw a significant loss of life each left familiesdeprived of loved ones and each left people suffering in its wake and I think the dignity of each of those events should be respected separately.I want to say a special word about the families and the loved ones who have had to endure the public gaze—inevitably in a situation like this—as they go through their private grief. I guess for them the hardest part at the moment is coming to grips not just with the loss of a very special person in their lives but also with the fact that uncertainty still remains as to what caused the event. My hope is that the authorities who I think are doing a superb job are able to come to some relatively clear conclusions within a defined period of time in order to give those people the certainty and the comfort of knowing what happened so that they can get on with their grieving process and the next stage of their lives as they adjust to the loss of that special person. My thoughts are with them today and I am sure that all New Zealanders would wish them every comfort as they resume their lives with these enormous gaps which have now been thrust upon them.Motion agreed to.Barack Obama—Election as President of the United StatesHon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): I moveThat the House convey its sincere congratulations and warmest regards to President-Elect Barack Obama on his historic election win as the next President of the United States and to Vice-President - Elect Joe Biden on his election win and in doing so expresses its desire to work with the Obama administration to continue building on New Zealand’s already strong relationship with the United States. The election last month of a new President of the United States came at a very challenging time for us all. The world faces an economic crisis and growing threats to the security and well-being of people in many nations. President-Elect Obama and his running-mate campaigned on a message of hope and change. This message was embraced by the American people who elected Mr Obama as their first African-American President.Hon Member: What does Bill think?Hon JOHN KEY: The member will get over it. We congratulate him wish him well and look forward to working with his administration. No President has come into office arguably with greater challenges and greater expectations than President-Elect Barack Obama does.New Zealand and the United States are indeed very very good friends. We have a strong relationship and share many common values. The new Government will seek to build on this relationship in order to further our mutual interests and to promote peace and prosperity throughout the Pacific. In particular we believe that strengthening trade between our two nations and within the region will have significant benefits for all of our people and will help our economies recover from the current crisis. With this in mind we have welcomed the desire of the US to join the P4 free-trade agreement between New Zealand and other Pacific nations which has extended to become the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership. We encourage the new President and his administration to give added momentum to this process.Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition): The New Zealand Labour Party also congratulates Barack Obama on his election as the President of the United States and looks forward to the new era in United States’ politics that his election will open up. I also acknowledge the unsuccessful candidate Senator John McCain. John McCain is a person who I believe is a very decent person a person of real integrity and a person who has been a good friend of New Zealand and he who will continue to be as amember of the United States Senate. We should acknowledge his contribution to New Zealand - American relations.What happens in the United States being the world’s pre-eminent economic and military power is clearly very important to us and for New Zealand. A positive relationship with that country is also very critical. There have been some clear areas of disagreement between New Zealand and the Bush administration. Notwithstanding that the relationship between the two countries has actually moved in a very positive direction over recent years. To quote our ambassador from the United States Bill McCormick the relationship is probably the best it has ever been. We have certainly sought to maximise our cooperation in areas of mutual agreement. John Key mentioned the P4 agreement the trade agreement that I was involved with helping to negotiate. That will be very important to New Zealand and we have worked closely together where we have perceived common areas of genuine security threat.What the Obama administration does in coming months to counter the economic downturn is clearly vital to us and we need to maintain a close relationship and discussion with that country. But I also believe that we will find new areas of cooperation. Barack Obama of course was much closer to the Labour Government in terms of Iraq than the current US administration was. We will also I think more readily be able to cooperate in areas of disarmament human rights and climate change.I note Barack Obama’s very strong speech promoting a “cap and trade” system for carbon emissions which I guess is roughly similar to New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme. About climate change Barack Obama said and I quote: “Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response.” What a pity it is that when we have this new administration with its progressive view on climate change here in New Zealand the National-ACT agreement is offering in fact nothing other than delay and denial. I hope Mr Key saw the little note on the front page of theDominion Post:“John—Obama called looking for allies on climate change. Realised he’d got the wrong number! …”.KEITH LOCKE (Green): The Green Party will join with the other parties in this House in offering its congratulations to the new Obama administration. We think that this Obama presidency will open up a new and better chapter for American and world politics and we are all looking forward to change we can believe in.Hopefully the Obama presidency will provide a broader basis for cooperation with New Zealand on vital global issues like climate change as Phil Goff has just mentioned where Obama has promised a “cap and trade” system; on human rights where he said he will be closing down the Guantanamo Bay hellhole; and in the area of conflict resolution where Mr Obama is putting talking to countries ahead of dropping bombs on them. Hopefully in such foreign policy the new administration will go further and accept and embrace New Zealand’s nuclear-free policies which are a beacon to the world and should not be seen as a restriction on good relations with anyone.Exactly how far this progressive change under the new administration will go is yet to be determined because it is a reality that there are also strong conservative forces within the American body politic and the Green Party does not necessarily agree with the comments of Mr Key and Mr Goff that the response to the global downturn means just opening up channels for global trade and investment. Even more I think the crisis from the Green point of view is a crisis of under-regulation not over-regulation. But that said there is a challenge for our new Government not to get left behind by the Obama administration in making changes for the better. Thank you.Hon RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT): I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to also congratulate Barack Obama on his election as the 44th President of the United States of America. I think that whatever members’ political views are they could not help but beexcited and impressed by that election result in the United States of America. I also pass on our respects to Senator John McCain who ran a fantastic campaign. Also I share the hope—I think of all members of this Parliament—that we have success in the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement and that President Obama does actually keep to a commitment to free trade all around the world particularly with the pressures that are upon Governments and economies now.I hope that the new President of the United States will follow the approach given his campaign of “Change we can believe in” that we have seen from Prime Minister John Key here in New Zealand which is very different from what we are used to here. It is one that accepts that people can have differing points of view that a person is not necessarily always right and that it is as well to have regard to differing points of view and to hear them. That is what Prime Minister John Key has done with the ACT Party and on the emissions trading scheme in contrast to what we have seen from the previous Government under which anyone who had a different point of view from its view was to be shut down abused and not heard from. I am proud to be part of a Government that is prepared to hear the arguments is prepared to hear from the scientists and does not say that politicians decide everything but actually has a debate on the issues. I hope the new President of the United States of America will likewise be open-minded because what we saw here in New Zealand for 9 years had a very chilling effect on the proper debate that should occur about policy. Thank you.Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Tēnā tātou e te Whare. When one enters the Barack Obama website there is a simple statement that says it all. I quote Barack Obama’s words: “I’m asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I’m asking you to believe in yours.” It is a profound affirmation of faith: faith in a future that saw millions of Americans stand up to proclaim “Yes I can”. It is an action of celebration and pride which has had its ripple effects right throughout the world including here in Aotearoa.The motion describes the Obama election win as historic and it is historic on many levels. Obama will of course become the first African-American President of the United States—a fact recognised by the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki who immediately declared a national holiday to acknowledge his Kenyan whakapapa. Indeed the African-American President-Elect inspires the whole world to celebrate as we collectively reflect on the shame of a history of slavery segregation racism and discrimination—a history we must never forget. Obama has broken through the highest ceiling in the land. What greater statement is that? But he is also the first person of colour to govern a country with a white majority.For indigenous peoples across the world the election of Barack Obama has heralded a new dawn of hope that we can find our own solutions. The man named by the Crow Nation as Barack Black Eagle has told American Indians: “You will be on my mind every day I am in the White House”. But his commitment goes further and again I quote: “My Indian policy starts with honoring the unique government to government relationship between tribes and the federal government and ensuring that our treaty obligations are met and ensuring that Native Americans have a voice in the White House. Indian nations have never asked much of the United States only for what was promised by the treaty obligations made by their forebears. So let me be clear: I believe that treaty commitments are paramount law I’ll fulfil those commitments as president of the United States.”I wanted to honour the new President’s commitment to the American Indians as just one of the many attributes that are based on the ideal of creating a better future; transforming the political culture so that it is responsive to the people and not what he describes as the corporate fat cats. Variously described as this generation’s politicalrock star there is no denying that Barack Obama is a transformational figure. And although his campaign inspired people like Oprah Winfrey Bruce Springsteen and even Colin Powell to publicly endorse him his greatest wealth quite literally lay in the millions of Americans who opened their hearts to come together to heal the divides that have hurt their nation; opened their minds to the possibility of change; and opened their wallets to invest in his campaign.The Māori Party is proud to stand with the House and convey our congratulations and our best wishes for the Obama administration and we can do no better than end with the vision articulated in the election night address of the man himself: “The true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy liberty opportunity and unyielding hope.” Thank you.Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future): I want to join with others who have spoken in this debate in congratulating the United States President-Elect Barack Obama on his historic achievement and in wishing him well as he embarks upon his tenure of office from next January.Although it does not behove any one of us in this House to lecture the new President and his administration about what their priorities ought to be lest the burden of expectation that New Zealand places upon them becomes just that much too great to bear it is nevertheless important to note that this new administration takes office at a time of unprecedented international instability and I suspect at a time when America’s reputation in the world has probably not been as controversial as it is at present. President-Elect Obama faces the challenge not only of healing the United States internally—the political geography of that country is extremely divided—but also of restoring the United States’ reputation in the world and showing that the country which for long times has prided itself on being the world’s greatest democracy is in fact able to live up to that challenge. I think it is significant that the President-Elect has drawn from his mentor Abraham Lincoln. There is a delicious irony in that but in terms of Lincoln’s commitment to democracy to freedom and to emancipation the same words and virtues that we see represented in President-Elect Obama give us encouragement about the future.Although New Zealand will be a side player at the very best it is important that we enjoy a good and strong relationship with the new United States administration that we embrace the values that the President-Elect will advance that we work constructively on the relationship with the United States—politically economically and socially—and that we remember he has based his campaign upon the fact that the greatest strength each of us has is the commitment of our people.I join with others in congratulating President-Elect Obama Vice President - Elect Biden Michelle Obama and the two girls on the challenges that lie ahead. I wish them every success in their roles and I look forward to the day when the President comes to New Zealand to enjoy the hospitality that I know this country would love to shower upon him.Motion agreed to.New Zealand Sports Teams—SuccessesHon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): I seek leave to move a brief non-debatable non-controversial motion noting two sporting successes by New Zealand teams.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is no objection.Hon JOHN KEY: I moveThat this House congratulates the Kiwi rugby league team on the outstanding achievement of winning the Rugby League World Cuptournament in Australia and the All Blacks on successfully completing the Grand Slam of test victories over Scotland England Wales and Ireland on their recent tour.Motion agreed to.