Bayly Andrew: Address in ReplyText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBayly Andrew: Address in Reply[Sitting date: 28 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:295. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW BAYLY (National—Hunua):Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. It is an honour to be able to address the House today in this august Chamber rich in history personalities and its politics. But I would like to begin with a thank you to my wife Tina and our three boys who have afforded me this opportunity. I know that Parliament brings challenges to family life and to have your support is important to me. I was just showing my boys around the Parliamentary Library and the first book they picked up was called Twitter For Dummies—that is my boys. I would also like to thank my parents especially my 92-year-old father who is unable to join my mother here today. Mum and Dad you have always been open to the opportunity of the possible. This has been a powerful and liberating force throughout my life. I also acknowledge that I am here primarily because of the strength of the National Party and the support of the good people of Hunua. But first a little about my journey here to Pāremata Aotearoa.I am a fifth-generation New Zealander. The Bayly family origins are a tiny village called Clawton on the border of Cornwall and Wales. In the 19th century three brothers decided that they wanted a better life. Before leaving they walked to the nearest village found three sisters married them and then set sail on the Amelia Thompson arriving in New Plymouth in 1841. My great-uncle was a fluent speaker of Te Reo and ended up acquiring land in Kai Iwi near Whanganui where I grew up. My mother’s connection with New Zealand came through Eliza Pattle who was married to Edward Gibbon Wakefield principal of the New Zealand Company.My identical twin brother Paul and I were the youngest of six boys. Our life on the farm was mayhem but great fun. People often say: “Your poor mother with all those boys.” Here she is in the gallery today and she looks pretty good to me. I can remember going on only one holiday as a family. All of us boys were squeezed into the back of the Rambler Rebel. We got a flat tyre before we left the garage we fought all the way to Napier and it rained all weekend. Never again! But that suited me fine as I loved nothing better than riding horses and mustering sheep and cattle.My first school Waitahinga School had nine pupils. At lunchtime we would jump the fence and go looking for wild deer in the bush. However academically it was less than memorable. But looking back now I do not think it mattered. What was much more important was the sense of community it taught me. My father helped build the school swimming pool and my mother drove the school bus. Everyone knew everyone and helped each other. There is nothing more powerful than the spirit of community.At age 11 it all changed. Paul and I were dispatched to boarding school but we loved it—sport friends and new experiences. The school was steeped in tradition and hierarchy—and I daresay much like this House. After graduating from university I trained as an accountant and then spent 10 years working with merchant banks in New Zealand and in London. It was the heady days of the 1990s. Our firm in England was listing a new company on the London Stock Exchange every week and we also managed some of the world’s largest privatisations. Exciting times. But like many we made a choice. Tina and I came home. Since then we have focused on managing our own businesses. We have been doing that for the past 18 years—some successful some less so—but the experience has been invaluable.Managing a business is a challenge. It is about strategy. It is about products and services and meeting changing needs. It is about dealing with people but most of all it is about perseverance. I want to acknowledge today all the hard-working business owners who spend countless hours thinking and worrying about their own companies and how they are going to pay the wages next week.But life is not all about business. They say you can take the boy out of the farm but not the farm out of the boy. Having a sedentary job I have always turned to the outdoors. I was a Territorial officer in the New Zealand Army and then in the British Parachute Regiment. When I was in my twenties jumping out of a C-130 Hercules at 800 feet was exciting. Nowadays I have got to tell you you would have to push me out. It is not until you have commanded a squadron of Leopard tanks in the desert or seen an A-10 “Warthog” aircraft in action or felt the reverberation of a grenade going off that you can start to appreciate the skill and dedication of our armed forces both current and those who have gone before us. There is nothing more resourceful and tough as a New Zealand soldier. It is no wonder they are in demand by our allies around the world. Recent events in the Middle East have highlighted the need to have a rapidly mobile and credible Defence Force and the investment by the Government now looks well timed. Further developing peacekeeping and civil emergency capability is I believe a natural progression.Like so many Kiwis I love sport. I have competed in three Coast to Coasts and numerous adventure races and marathons. What I like about these long-distance events is the personal challenge and the people. These races are honest. There is no room for ego. You meet amazing athletes who are modest sincere and dedicated—great people to be around.Over time it gradually dawned on me that the young bucks were getting faster than me so I took up mountaineering. You may have to go up but at least you do not have to run. After climbing some of our superb mountains in New Zealand including Aoraki / Mount Cook the summit of my adventuring was a visit to Antarctica in 2013. There is something very special about being the first person to climb a mountain and then to have the privilege of being able to name it or to drag a sledge high up on the exposed polar plateau at minus 30 degrees Celsius to the South Pole. Hauling your own possessions and food knowing you are hundreds of miles from safety is not just exhilarating; it is also enlightening.Speaking of special places this is also true of the electorate that I represent. I state categorically that I am here to serve all the people of Hunua. I want to acknowledge my campaign chair Romi Patel and thank also the many volunteers who came out during the election. It is both humbling and a privilege to follow a long line of great parliamentarians who have represented this electorate—these include the Rt Hon William Massey who as the Prime Minister stood on the steps of this building 100 years ago as the Governor-General announced that New Zealand was at war with Germany. Then there was Sir William—also known as Bill—Birch our hard-working former Minister of Finance and more recently Dr Paul Hutchison who diligently represented our electorate and made a significant contribution to this House as the chair of the Health Committee.When I contemplated a new challenge in my life—that of coming into Parliament—I knew I could do so only to represent an electorate for which I felt a close affinity. This is how I feel about Hunua. It spans the windswept Awhitu peninsula on the Tasman Sea. It takes in the townships of Waiuku and Pukekohe with all its rich red soils and goes up into the beautiful Hunua Ranges. It traverses the verdant green areas of Clevedon and Whitford before finishing up at the Waitematā taking in the pōhutukawa-lined coast stretching from Beachlands and Maraetai to Orere Point.During the election campaign I knocked on 14000 doors. There is a certain honesty you get when you stand on someone’s back doorstep and talk to them about their lives and issues.One particular matter I wish to achieve is to work with the people of Ngāti Te Ata to conclude a just and equitable settlement with the Crown.I hope this gives the House an insight into my journey to this place and the experiences that will inform my views and my conscience as a member of Parliament.It was always an easy decision to stand as a National Party candidate. This Government has shown significant skill and judgment in steering this country through very difficult financial times. I do not think many New Zealanders fully appreciate the gravity of the turbulent international events that have gripped nations around the world over the past 6 years. This Government got us there without compromising the level of financial support provided to families and individuals in need. That took faith. However we can take no pride in the fact that there is a group that feels disconnected. The causes are many and this is one of the issues that drew me into politics. I think that putting the individual and family at the centre of the issue rather than focusing just on government processes is to be commended but more is required. We need to continue to grow our economy as this will deliver more employment and better-paying jobs.For the first time in modern history New Zealand is now well placed geographically to benefit from being on the doorstep of the most dynamic economies in the world. This physical advantage together with the power of digital connectivity and improvements in logistics means that the traditional issue of our tyranny of distance is being transformed into proximity of opportunity and that opens up exciting possibilities.There are a number of ways we might further improve our economic performance. We need to continue to do what we are good at. It is great to have a strong primary sector but our economy is much wider than that. We must continue to value our manufacturing sector and developments such as 3D printing are ideal for niche New Zealand original equipment manufacturers. Expanding the professional and creative industries is also essential given they account for 25 percent of this country’s total exports. We must better link our universities to business by carving a symbiotic and seamless pathway from study to jobs and we need to build capability by supporting and upskilling our entrepreneurs as they are the ones who have the potential to build significant companies over time.Another key area of interest is environmental management. When it comes to these matters talk is cheap. My credentials are that I have established a composting and recycling business processing over 40000 tonnes of material each year into beneficial products for horticulturalists and farmers. I have also worked with a number of clean-energy companies and I wonder why New Zealand is not a world leader in electric car usage in smart home energy systems and in harnessing excess electricity for hydrogen generation. I stand alongside so many New Zealanders who believe the environment is precious and must continue to be protected.In closing may I say that it is an honour and a privilege to be part of this new community here in Parliament representing the people of Hunua. I have never dodged a challenge I am not afraid of adversity and I value open and robust debate but I cannot and will not abide intolerance prejudice and injustice. I intend to follow these principles here in Parliament. Thank you and I look forward to working with you all.