King Colin: Valedictory StatementsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Colin: Valedictory Statements[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19377. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura):Thank you for the opportunity to make this my final statement in the debating chamber of the 50th Parliament of New Zealand. May I begin by acknowledging some of those who have put up with the 4-metre swells across the Cook Strait today to be with us: my electorate chair Brian Moore and his wife Roberta; campaign chair Alan Holdaway; branch chair and hoarding manager Barry Holdaway; and branch chair Don Moore and his wife Sue. May I also acknowledge Sir Doug and Lady Kidd. I also acknowledge my staff—my most valuable staff—in Blenheim and Amberley: Cathie Ferguson Willie Kaulback Rose Parsons and Jan Chisnall and my parliamentary staff over years Margaret Traill and now Karen Scarlett. Thank you for your support. It was just fantastic and well beyond what anybody could possibly expect.I must acknowledge also with great pride and satisfaction the support I have received from my wife Lynnette and our children Nickolas Natasha Laressa and Katrina. I must also take the opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful support that I have received from the National Party while I have had the privilege of being an MP for 9 years both from the political wing and from the party membership. Thank you for the guidance and support over those 9 years. I wish the National Party every success in the forthcoming election and we wait with bated breath for the election result on 20 September. Go well!Last week I did something that I had hoped to do for many a year and that was to visit the whale-counting operation that occurs every year at this time in the Tory Channel and Cook Strait. Fortunately on the day that we went out the observers perched up on Tory Channel sighted a large humpback whale cruising through the Cook Strait on its way to the Tropics. We were able to just motor straight out there and watch these guys in their 4-metre runabout in a 3-metre swell dart the whale to take a DNA sample. Just to give you some understanding about how difficult it was I could hardly hold my camera my iPhone camera to actually capture the moment to post it on Facebook. From the point of view of what has gone before us in history in the context it was most uplifting. You could entitle the situation: “Whaling—from Decimation to Restoration”. These old ex-whalers are now spending endless hours looking into the mist of the Cook Strait to identify that pencil shape of a whale coming towards them. The good news is that about 100 whales came through the Cook Strait during the month and is that not fantastic? There are more ways for the whales to go but through the Cook Strait is a bit like the drafting race—you can count them. So from that point of view it is a good measure.I want to make the point that although we may have a strong view on how people earned their living in years gone by they did sustain themselves and we should neither condemn nor ridicule. Sure the land-based whaling operations did not decimate the whales. The damage was done by the fleets of whaling vessels from other nations that hunted the whale to near extermination taking up to 4000 whales a year year on year. However I make the point because I personally have serious concerns along with many others about our attitude to sustainable management around the coastline. Today there are 10 times as many people out on the coastline collecting kai moana. The targeting of fish the catching of crays the taking of paua and other delicacies has greatly improved and yet we still argue that it is our birthright to help ourselves to such a resource.As rational human beings we know that continuing such a harvest of our kai moana will result in serious consequences for us today and for our future generations. It is therefore with much pride that I draw on the example of the community of Kaikōura who over the last 8 years based on the principles of gifts and giving were able to reach an agreement across the full range of stakeholders: iwi commercial fishers recreational fishers Forest and Bird and the wider community. They were able to agree amongst themselves as to the best way possible of managing their coastline between the Conway River and the Clarence River. I was amazed to witness the cooperation that existed on that group of Te Korowai people. It is with pride that I now look forward to this process of seeing the passing into law of the Kaikōura (Te Tai o Marokura) Marine Management Bill which will enshrine the management plan into law and protect it for the benefit of all Kaikōura and others who visit in the many years ahead.What made this achievement possible was that those involved the community clearly understood what was at stake. Local iwi—that is Ngāti Kuri—led because they held the kaitiaki over the area the commercial fishermen pulled in the same direction because they owned the quota and they knew what sustainable management was all about and the wider community stuck to the task because they knew and valued the employment and they valued their environment. There is no doubt in my mind that this situation is going to have to be replicated throughout New Zealand. Such iconic places as the Marlborough Sounds the Hauraki Gulf the Wellington headlands Bay of Plenty and the Northland coastline—to name but a few—will need to address this situation as pressure remains and grows. Again it will require skilful leadership a willingness to agree and make those gifts and giving. We must face up to the challenge otherwise we will end up in exactly the same position as those whalers who lost their careers their opportunities and their profitability overnight because of a culture of greed and a race to catch the last whale.My second point that I would like to make is the importance of hands-on learning within our education system. We must appreciate these very important students who in the future will continue to fix things build things—be it trucks be it motorcars be it buildings be it bridges be it roads be it essential infrastructure and all other manner of things. To do this the education system must equally value these people as we do doctors nurses lawyers and accountants and design an education curriculum accordingly. I just put it out here in very plain terms. To put it simply we want to create many Einsteins but to create an Einstein you need to also have 1000 skilled technicians to be able to make those things.I wish to mention two people by name at this time. It is always dangerous doing that but two people have had a big effect on my policy development. Firstly Stuart Middleton from the Manukau Institute of Technology who when I first came into Parliament was already talking about what was lacking within our education system. He has gone on to do some wonderful things around empowering youth especially Pasifika youth. I take the opportunity here to say how heartened I am to see the Pasifika people taking grasp of education and being aspirational. I also want to make mention of Stewart Thompson who worked with me in developing the trades academy policy which was introduced by the Government in 2009. Stewart Thompson convinced me that the passion of an inspiring teacher is what makes the difference. Stewart’s technology classes were full to overflowing and total engagement with education existed in spades.I ask those responsible for education in the future to maintain the momentum we have for hands-on learning and skills-based education. Education must be relevant to the learners for them to remain engaged and to develop the skills necessary to be successful in life and that is a pretty high threshold. We must keep them engaged. We are beginning to do better but there is a lot of work we need to do yet.The third point I want to leave with the House is my concern around a growing reluctance in this country—and this is my observation—to undertake physically demanding work. We should be concerned when we see those who want to continue living in one location and are not willing or courageous enough to collect up their families and move to where employment is better and more available where the cost of living is less and the price of providing a roof over one’s family’s head is also less. New Zealand has one of the most generous welfare systems in the world. However for New Zealand to remain a First World country we must possess the attitude as stated by George St John and restated by President J F Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”—that it is good to create wealth and seek ownership.I admire greatly those Eastern European families who came here in the 1950s and 1960s. I was only a child at the time. They made New Zealand their home and they started afresh after experiencing the Second World War the Cold War and the Iron Curtain. It now concerns me that we do bring enthusiastic workers from the Pacific Islands to do the harvesting and cultivation within the horticultural sector and that we need to bring thousands of workers to fill the needs of the dairy industry. Is it not blindingly obvious to all that in doing the work that some of us despise these newcomers end up creating wealth for themselves and their families to enjoy into the future? It is all symptomatic of a nation that is losing its way when a newcomer can come here and see opportunities that we cannot. Individually we hold the key to our own success: careful living and good honest hard work. Personal responsibility and a desire to aspire should be the aim of us all. Lose this and we become no better than a domesticated animal.Sir Henry Maine speaking on social structure put it well when he said: “Nobody is at liberty to attack private property and to say at the same time that he values civilisation. The history of the two cannot be disentangled.” For the institution of private property has been a wonderful institution for teaching man and woman responsibility for providing motives to integrity for supporting general culture for raising mankind above the level of mere drudgery for affording leisure to think and freedom to act. To be able to retain the fruits of one’s labour to be able to see one’s work made manifest to be able to bequeath one’s property to one’s posterity to be able to rise from the natural condition of grinding poverty to the security of enduring accomplishment to have something that is really one’s own—there are advantages with this difficult to deny.” In drafting policy and bringing forth legislation in this House may all members continue to recognise the value of those who toil in the sun or labour under the tin roof neither despising the value of that work or thinking that it is beyond one’s dignity because the wealth of this nation was created on the back of physically demanding labour.In conclusion may I express my sincere thanks to all members of the House for the courtesy that they have accorded me. Thank you too for the joy of working for the best interests of all New Zealanders particularly in the primary sector and in the science and education sector while in Parliament. I am sure though that those who are coming behind us will be more than equal to the task. We do live in a blessed land.To the parliamentary sporting trusts what fun we had in raising money for the most worthy of causes and in the camaraderie of winning two Parliamentary Rugby World Cups—one in Paris and the other in New Zealand. There was also the pleasure of coordinating the parliamentary and diplomats’ annual cricket challenges and winning a few. That was quite good. I always remember Paul Swain leaving the House having won that year against the diplomats. That having been said we have not won for many years for about a decade. I am asking the House to make sure that they support Ian McKelvie as he carries on the mantle of looking after the shield and keeping that cricket match going. It has been going for over 40 years and it is actually quite an illustrious shield with some great MPs’ names on it.If I have one disappointment in leaving Parliament Mr Speaker it is possibly one we share together. It is that wisdom has not prevailed when it has come to storing water in North Canterbury. Sadly—and this again is my observation because I know that some of my Green colleagues would disagree—it is my view that a dog in a manger attitude still prevails making progress slow and difficult.Finally I wish to thank the taxpayers of New Zealand for providing the funding for three new hospitals while I was MP in the electorate of Kaikōura. I am also delighted to have witnessed as MP the Te Tau Ihu Treaty settlement situation that has provided eight iwi with their settlements which will restore their economic base into the future and also to being a witness to and being part of the 8 years’ labour of love—the management of the Kaikōura coastline the result of which is the bill I have here under a pile of papers. I look forward to it being put through the House completely by the time the House rises. I thank the Minister of Conservation and I also thank the Leader of the House for putting that in place. We are very satisfied with everything that is going forward.Just to conclude for the most part from my own point of view what is most satisfying is the momentum that has been achieved around education—the importance that has been put on the hands-on learning situation. Education is relevant. It needs to be relevant. If it is not relevant you will have disengagement.I want to thank everybody for the situation that I have enjoyed over the last 9 years. I acknowledge my wife and children. I acknowledge those people who have travelled across the Cook Strait. I acknowledge those people who are supporting departing members. I also acknowledge all the members in the House. We have worked in the very best interests of New Zealand. Kia kaha. Stand tall. Be proud. Thank you very much.