Radhakrishnan PriyancaPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Ko te mihi tuatahi ki Te Atua ko te mihi tuarua ki Te Whare e tū nei he mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[The first tribute is to God the second one is to the House standing here and a warm tribute to all of you. Therefore salutations acknowledgments and accolades to you collectively and to us all.]Ella suhrithukkalkum ente sneham niranja ashamsakal. Ellavarkum ente nanni areekyunnu.I believe that is the first time my mother tongue Malayalam has been spoken in this House. I extend my heartfelt thanks and wishes to everyone to all those who have supported me on my journey to Parliament including the Malayali community in New Zealand.I have the honour of being the first Indian-born woman Labour MP possibly the first who has grown up in Singapore. I acknowledge the role that both countries have played in shaping my perspectives in life. I acknowledge former Labour MPs Dr Ashraf Choudhary and Dr Rajen Prasad who also have links to South Asia and in whose footsteps I follow.Sir congratulations to you on your election as the Speaker of this House and to your presiding officers. I also congratulate our Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. It is truly a privilege to stand on this side of the House and be part of a Government that I know will create a fairer New Zealand for us all—a Government that will bring kindness and justice back. This election campaign there was a palpable mood for change—change from the status quo to a Government that puts people first. There was a clear appetite for a more collaborative style of politics that focuses on the well-being of the people who elected us to serve over scaremongering and political point scoring. I'm proud to be part of a Government that has these as its priorities.On the campaign trail I met many who struggled to find a house that they could afford to rent or buy. The housing crisis was a defining issue of this election as were the mental health crisis and shocking suicide statistics. I'm told that in Maungakiekie the electorate where I stood 10 young people took their lives over a period of five months this year. I am proud to be part of a Government that will bring about change that will benefit the lives of the many.I believe that everyone regardless of ethnicity age socio-economic status religion or gender should have equitable access to good quality affordable housing healthcare and education. Everyone should have access to decent secure work that allows for a decent standard of living. Everyone should be able to live with dignity and the State has a duty to protect provide for and invest in its people. The connection between the personal and the political is why I'm here. Decisions that are made in this House have the power to turn people's lives around.Becoming a member of Parliament is a surreal experience for most I'm sure but it's particularly so for someone like me. I was born in India grew up in Singapore and I moved to New Zealand as a young adult at a time in my life when I wanted to step outside my comfort zone move to a country where I didn't know anyone and build a life for myself. It was the best decision of my life and I am grateful for the opportunities that New Zealand has offered me opportunities that should be equally available to everyone.It's often said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its most marginalised. I've spent most of my working life advocating for those whose voices are rarely heard: ethnic women survivors of violence and more recently migrant workers who have been exploited. Just last year I supported a young man who had come to New Zealand to work and was given as accommodation a room with no ventilation that was just larger than a single bed. On average he was paid just $4 an hour. This is not an isolated case and it needs to stop.My first job in New Zealand was with a national refuge organisation called the Shakti Community Council which supports and advocates on behalf of Asian African and Middle Eastern women survivors of violence. Shakti was the first to fill an important gap—culturally appropriate services to women from our growing ethnic communities—and it plays a crucial role in our national response to domestic violence because a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. It's important that we talk about domestic violence to lift the stigma that many women still face and to ensure that they have the support and the justice that they deserve. It is also important that we don't tar entire communities with the same brush. Domestic violence cuts across ethnicity religion socio-economic status and educational background. Religion and culture should never be used to justify violence against women because it's not promoted by any culture or supported by any major world religion. Domestic violence is a product of patriarchal structures.I have also worked as a policy analyst with the Ministry of Women's Affairs as it was known then focusing on domestic violence prevention. I pay tribute to my former colleagues from the Public Service who are here today and thank all public servants for the work they do behind the scenes.New Zealand has the highest rate of reported domestic violence in the developed world. Almost 50 percent of homicides in New Zealand are domestic violence murders. Women are disproportionately represented as victims of intimate partner violence. These are facts and they hold true regardless of ethnicity. We need to change the way we think about and respond to this epidemic if we are serious about addressing it in a way that is meaningful and sustainable. We must consider the benefits of a truly integrated system that ensures no one falls through the cracks. We must challenge gender norms and stereotypes that hold women back and work towards a New Zealand that is truly meritocratic. We must also better support those who do the work in these sectors and ensure that we support their well-being and pay them a decent wage.I'm generally an excellent sleeper but when I first started supporting survivors of domestic violence I went for months without being able to get a proper night's sleep. The women I worked with had experienced horrific levels of abuse and I struggled to cope. I lived alone I was relatively new to New Zealand and I was working within communities that tended to shy away from talking about domestic violence. I've been stalked in shopping centres and had to call the police on drunk angry husbands who turned up at my office looking for their wives and children who'd escaped their violence. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes at work and on the streets.Last week I was mugged here in New Zealand. It happened just after 4 p.m. on a Friday on Ponsonby Road a busy road at a busy time in broad daylight. The police said it's becoming more common and we know that from the statistics. We must not become that society where people clutch their handbags in fear and look over their shoulders when crossing the streets. I was more shaken by that incident than I initially thought I would be. I spent most of that Friday night feeling unsettled and unsafe but for me it was just that one Friday night. Too many of our small-business owners have experienced far worse. They live with that fear day in day out. Many have told me that when they open up their shops in the morning they wonder whether that will be the day that their attacker returns to finish the job. That kind of constant fear is debilitating. We need to stem the tide the rising tide of crime and indeed to reverse it. I'm proud to be part of a Government that will prioritise this.I'm also proud to be part of a Government that is truly aspirational for all New Zealanders. Having grown up in multicultural Singapore I'm very comfortable with different cultures. That's great news for me since we have over 200 ethnicities represented and over 160 languages spoken in New Zealand. My vision for New Zealand is for us to celebrate our cultural mosaic to celebrate what makes us unique as New Zealanders and not strive to be a melting pot a New Zealand where we respect Māori as tangata whenua and acknowledge that it is our responsibility as a nation to keep Te Reo Māori alive because if we won't who will? Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the founding document for New Zealand the basis on which the partnership between Māori and the Crown was established. This is the foundation upon which we celebrate that which makes us unique as New Zealanders. Now is the time to build on that platform. I want us to be a nation that also values heritage languages. Language connects us to our unique histories and identities—a truly egalitarian nation where everyone is valued regardless of where they come from or what they sound like where migrants don't feel that they have to change their names to be considered for jobs that they are qualified for and where people from different ethnic communities are well represented in leadership roles. Our collective strength lies in our diversity. We are strong because of our diversity and not in spite of it.It is often said that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. I acknowledge the role that my extended family has played in shaping who I am today. My maternal great-grandfather was a unionist and a proud member of the Socialist Party in India. Both he and my maternal grandfather were medical doctors who treated for free those who couldn't afford treatment.I've been brought up in a family that for generations believed that it is our duty to value everyone equally and to serve those who are less privileged. I stand in this House recognising that it's a privilege and with privilege comes great responsibility. I also come from a matriarchal community and a long line of strong women who stood up for themselves and fought for what they believed in. I hope I do them all proud.Only time will tell what my contributions in this House will be but I didn't get here through hard work alone. I had the support of many and I thank my campaign team with Ben Ross and Robert Gallagher at the helm guided by Carol Beaumont. I thank the volunteers and my Maungakiekie Labour electorate committee. I thank former MPs who have acted as formal and informal mentors. I congratulate Denise Lee who won the electorate of Maungakiekie. Denise I look forward to working constructively with you over the years to come.When you move to a country without any support networks your friends become surrogate family. To my friends who are here in the gallery and those who are watching from afar you know who you are and I thank you for your friendship and your love.Last but certainly not least my family. To my in-laws—some of you are here today and some are watching online—thank you for your love and for keeping me grounded. To my husband Ewan thank you for your strength. Thank you for being my strategist my best friend and my rock. I love you. I could not have done this without your support.Finally my parents Usha and Raman Radhakrishnan who couldn't be here today in person but will be watching from Chennai India where they live. I owe everything to you both. Your love support and guidance have made me the person I am today. You taught me that I could be and do anything I set my mind to. Most importantly you instilled in me the values of honesty integrity and a passion for social justice. These are the values that make me Labour through and through and these are the values that will guide my time in this House and indeed the rest of my life. To you both thank you and I love you.I end with a whakataukī that I love: Manaaki whenua manaaki tangata manaaki wahine manaaki tamariki haere whakamua."["Show respect for land person women and children; go forward."]Care for the land care for the people care for the women and children and together we will go forward. Thank you. [Applause][Traditional drumming]"