Barnett Tim: Valedictory Statements 
Barnett Tim: Valedictory Statements 
[Volume:650;Page:19191] 
TIM BARNETT (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou. A valedictory is essentially a once-in-a-lifetime affair—a privilege denied to those departing after an election defeat or after an early and rushed poll of the 1984 variety—so like all rare objects a valedictory should be treated with respect and care. Our maiden speeches may be flushed with naive and outrageous optimism but our valedictories are where the rubber hits the road. One of those watershed moments is described powerfully by Eminem in “Lose Yourself”: 
Look if you had one shot or one opportunity  
To seize everything you ever wanted—One moment 
Would you capture it or just let it slip? 
We politicians are practitioners of the mysterious art of representative democracy. We the departing Labour “nine guitars” know how hard it can be to explain that art to potential employers yet the skills of listening and acting of guiding people and causes to solutions of managing committees and portfolios and of promoting values are all real and all valuable. How does one meaningfully summarise 12 intensely busy years doing this work of democracy? I have long tortured my Christchurch colleagues Lianne Dalziel and Ruth Dyson by dividing speeches on every conceivable topic into three points so it would now be entirely unreasonable to disappoint them. Of course this all comes with a warning. With certainty the American humorist Ambrose Bierce defined history—the subject of most valedictories—as “An account mostly false of events mostly unimportant which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves and soldiers mostly fools.” 
First one can attempt to tell the story of democracy with numbers—election results casework achieved changes experienced—the vital statistics of the job. The business of democracy can be brutal: elected MPs live and die by majorities. I first stood for Parliament in 1996. Then mobile phones were as large as bricks people communicated with MPs by visits and letters and websites were places where spiders lived. My campaign volunteers were a little mystified by the potential but irritated Labour voter who phoned my campaign office to complain that when she searched for me on the web all she could find was an admittedly impressive full frontal picture of the US porn star Tim Barnett. My win then was maybe understandably the narrowest of any electorate member of Parliament—with a majority of 653. Survival was my total focus for that first 3 years. By the last election my majority reached 7836 and sleep was a lot easier. 
At the heart of New Zealand democracy are local and personal concerns. I represent Christchurch Central. It is home to vibrant neighbourhoods the urban heritage heartland of our nation and a succession of superb Thai restaurants that have sustained me through the years. It includes the most valuable real estate in the South Island and for many generations some of the poorest people. Those who fall through the net come to a local member of Parliament. We comfort strategise inform advocate and even link people together to create a campaign. This is eternal work. The task of responding to such presented need is as deep as the ocean and as vital as fresh air in areas like Christchurch Central. In the 12 years representing that electorate my staff and I have opened 10400 case files. Health immigration and Work and Income matters make up about a third of them. The sheer range of other matters reaching us as electorate MPs is unrivalled in other Western democracies. The profile of cases has changed and the success rate has increased because for the past 9 years we have had a Government that cares more for communities like mine and that has invested political energy and funds in making government work for the people rather than work against them. 
The business of democracy is about improving lives. Numbers help to show just how dramatic those 9 years have been for real people living real lives. The minimum wage for young people has risen from $4.20 an hour to in nearly all cases $12 an hour. The average young family has seen annual doctors’ bills cut by 70 percent. Nearly 3000 people fewer in my electorate rely on an unemployment benefit. Over 4000 children have been lifted out of poverty. But the business of democracy does not come cheap. Just last week I gazed out at the glorious snow-covered Seaward Kaikouras on the Wellington to Christchurch flight. I worked out that I had flown that route 1800 or so times in the last 12 years experienced over 1000 question times and expended more money than I care to imagine to employ staff and run offices. This is a style of political representation that New Zealanders seem to want and that has produced the results to date. 
Describing democracy by numbers is one way; another is to talk about achievements. Margaret Thatcher once claimed that her greatest achievement was to reform the Labour Party dragging it in her political direction. A glance at recent policy positioning in New Zealand suggests that that has happened here—in political reverse. But sometimes of course appearances deceive. 
Democracy is about creating laws. I sponsored one significant member’s bill the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 and had a big part to play in the Civil Union Act 2004. They are laws with real-life outcomes. To date those outcomes include 600 fewer arrests of sex workers the setting up and monitoring of health and safety standards for the sex industry and 2814 people—led by John and Des up in the gallery today—who are living and loving secure in civil unions. 
Democracy is about scrutinising proposed laws and inquiring into important matters. For 6 years I chaired a significant select committee that tackled such seminal matters as setting up the New Zealand Supreme Court; ensuring that unfair discrimination was removed from public law Government policy and day-to-day activity—and from merely playing catch-up to the rest of society—and establishing a clean slate regime. 
Democracy is about making an extraordinary codependency relationship with the media work well. In that respect I have long ascribed to the advice that if one is going to invite a tiger to lunch there is little point in pouring the sauce over oneself. 
Democracy is about working together whenever possible. For the past 3 years I have been the senior Government whip: the person who sweeps up after the elephant counsels the elephant helps it to make friends with other elephants and occasionally polishes its toenails and feeds it bananas. Our Labour caucus has been the most united and positive of teams—49 strong personalities with a love of humour a passion to deliver change and a strong and enduring culture of diversity. One could ask for no more from one’s colleagues. In Christchurch Central I have a special political and personal relationship with our city’s strong and vibrant occasionally argumentative refugee communities—Afghani Eritrean Ethiopian Kurdish Nepalese Somali and Zimbabwean. Their people’s personal journeys are humbling. When they break through the barriers my pride as a Kiwi knows no bounds. 
Democracy is about inspiring and empowering people. Over the years in the House I have run about 400 lobby training sessions involving nearly 5000 people. Recently I have trained members of Parliament in Papua New Guinea Bougainville Timor-Leste and the Cook Islands—with Zimbabwe to come in a couple of months—in how to do their jobs better strengthening democracy in the process. I note that when I was in the Cook Islands just a few weeks ago I was intending to do that training with the Hon Brian Donnelly but he announced the day before his resignation as High Commissioner. He came to farewell the members of Parliament when I was with him in that Chamber; it was an extraordinarily moving moment—kia kaha! It is immensely gratifying to promote the genuine virtue of a contemporary Kiwi democracy: the significant influence of smaller political parties powerful select committees and a reasonably corruption-free environment. 
We can explain democracy by numbers and by achievements but people are my enduring memory. There are some whose names I have long forgotten such as a sex worker who speaking to a select committee described her role with her client behind the closed door of the brothel room as being “a social worker who went all the way”. There are some whose names I will keep private such as a delightful Maori man born as it happens 2 days after I was who was dreadfully abused at Lake Alice Mental Hospital and who was supported through my electorate office to make his public housing tenancy succeed and to avoid blowing his new compensation payment in the 4 weeks it had taken to spend the last one. And there are many whose names I say with pride. My 12 years here have been under the extraordinary inspiring utterly principled leadership of Helen Clark who is now the world’s longest-serving progressive leader. None of us will see better than her in our lifetimes. Back in 1996 I was one of the MMP intake fresh from a roadshow arguing—successfully in my view—for first past the post against my sadly missed soulmate and MMP advocate Rod Donald. Long term he was of course right. My last 3 years here have been enriched by my daily 1 o’clock meetings with Madam Speaker Margaret Wilson—my confidante my mentor and even an extremely young mother substitute who gave me away at my civil union. 
I feel obliged at this point to mention my assistant Darren Hughes; my life here and beyond would not be worth living if I did not. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Well done ambassador! 
TIM BARNETT 
: Kia ora! 
Through these 12 years I have been served so much better than I deserved by my wonderful parliamentary and electorate office staff: Amanda Bridget Bruno Gareth Geoff Greg Ingrid Jay Jeremy Kimberly Kate Lynne the two Pams Rose Steve Sue Tony and Yani; and star interns: Ben Heida Oliver Pete Polly Tor and Stacy. They all gave more than they could reasonably be expected to give they were all honest with me and they all offered aroha and protection when that was needed. I hope that all of them have grown a little through the experience. Fortunately I leave the Christchurch Central Labour Party strong buoyed by the various leaderships of Andrew Dallas Ray Murray Robert Watson and Duncan Webb and I leave a candidate Brendon Burns who will make a great and devoted new member of Parliament for Christchurch Central. 
When I was elected in 1996 I was the only openly gay member of Parliament and I was labelled by the  
Evening Post 
 as “Parliament’s gay Pom” as though every institution needed one. Now I am one of a good half-dozen rainbow MPs here. Thankfully being gay or lesbian will never be irrelevant; the journeys of self-discovery and public advancement that we travel give us special insights and strengths. The venom poured on us by more than a few in New Zealand and by the great majority in some countries shows that we are different and the fact that some equate difference with threat means that discrimination and oppression will follow. Our sexuality comes alive with those we fall in love with. I say to Ramon Pare who is up in the public gallery today my life changed forever after meeting you in the parliamentary swimming pool with Nanaia Mahuta—I will tell the story after. Ramon you have been with me for most of my time here in Parliament. I still remember a few weeks after we became partners pointing you out to my dearly remembered colleague Helen Duncan when you were sitting in the gallery. After peering up at the gallery she cautiously and somewhat anxiously asked in that gravelly voice of hers: “Tim how old is he?”. Ramon you have from your very slightly younger perspective been my rock and my sponge through this strangest of lifestyles—and it is only 7 weeks until our OE starts. 
Democracy is too often about ambitions frustrated. I am happy to report that I leave satisfied at the time and in the manner of my choosing and in a very positive mood. I am well aware that few depart from here in that way. Do I have regrets? There are a few maybe but none that eat away at me. For all that I did not do here there were other things that I did do and I regret none of those. 
So what next? I have always tried to build on what has gone before in my career from voluntary work to local voluntary sector management from that to national-level non-governmental organisation leadership and from elected local body membership to Parliament. The challenge left for me is to work for a while in an agency on some of the biggest issues of the world maybe at the United Nations with the resources and authority to make a difference. The fearful challenges for all our futures are great. The solutions are clear even if the routes to them are far from easy. If I can play a helpful part in working through some of those and then come back to Aotearoa then I will be very happy indeed. 
Democracy is about moulding and marketing visions for the future so what are my messages? I will offer just a couple. It was on my first visit to the United States in the mid-1980s that an inspiring Chamber of Commerce president in Hartford Connecticut—a city riven by a searing social and economic gulf between white rich and brown and Hispanic poor—surprised and delighted me when declaring that a society is best judged by the way it treats its most marginal people. New Zealand does well by this standard. Five years ago we became the first nation in the world to decriminalise prostitution 3 years ago we became the first nation outside Europe to legislate for equal rights for same-sex couples and a year ago we took the brave and necessary step of protecting children the most powerless people in our society from parental cruelty. Such a reform agenda is about creating clear law to deal with the wrongs that keep people on the margins. In my view that reforming energy needs to move on to voluntary euthanasia—righting the wrong of deaths made ghastly by massive pain which is in a sense a complete helplessness and powerlessness—and to a revolution in our drug laws which generate the nonsense of $4 being spent on prevention for every $1 spent on treatment with 90 percent of the cannabis crop remaining undetected and keeping gangs rich and courts full. The fundamentalist lobbies in our society seek to veto debate on such matters. Acceding to that veto is to avoid problems that it is Parliament’s duty not to avoid. 
Second New Zealand forgets at its peril that the region in which it is nearest to being a dominant influence is the Pacific. On offer to us in the Pacific is tremendous goodwill and what is best about our nation feeds opportunities to inspire and resource those fragile States in a distinct post-colonial partnership rather than in a colonial style. As—thankfully—we increase our development aid to those States we must greatly lift our game in strengthening their democracies by working directly with politicians and by asking them and not officials what their needs are. It is not happening now and it needs to happen. 
Ramon my MP whanau around me here my friends in the gallery watching and listening and even those reading this afterwards including my dear mother Faye in Britain we all know that wisdom is all around us if only we would take the trouble to learn. I have grasped the opportunity learnt to my capacity in these 12 years and now I am moving on wiser seeking and spying new horizons. The experience has ended. In Eminem’s words: 
You only get one shot do not miss your chance to blow  
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo … 
You own it you better never let it go.