Kaye NikkiHon NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central): Madam Deputy Speaker it's a privilege to be here and speak in this debate. Today is a celebration. It's a celebration and a reflection. It is a privilege to give a bit of a roll-call to acknowledge that we are here 149 female members of Parliament on in the footsteps of Dame Jenny Shipley the Rt Hon Helen Clark Marilyn Waring Katherine Rich Hekia Parata Dame Annette King. Some extraordinary women have come before us and they have fought so hard for our rights but the only reason that we have been able to be in this House is because of a group of suffragettes. We need to take a moment to acknowledge their courage their perseverance but also the men who fought alongside them.We also need to acknowledge that it is not just about us. It is not about this House and I want to acknowledge all of the women in this debate who have said Yes it is a time for celebration to talk about what we've all done but to acknowledge that we're not there yet." Today is the day that we reflect on that woman who doesn't get the promotion because her male colleague is out there playing golf with the boss.We reflect on the young woman who doesn't go into engineering or doesn't become a builder because she is discouraged by those males that say "Don't do that." We reflect on the woman who is regularly beaten and broken because we have too high rates of domestic violence in this country. We reflect on the extraordinary public servants and they are there busy working away today and there many women who have never become the heads of our agencies. We take a moment to reflect on them and we see them—and for those of us that have been Ministers they come into our offices and we know that they haven't quite got those roles. We also reflect on those women who have been strong in business for many years and we've got some incredible business leaders in New Zealand from Dame Rosanne Meo to Joan Withers to many other women who never quite make those boards in New Zealand. We reflect on the women in many of our communities that never get paid quite as much and they don't know exactly why but they know that there's a ceiling. We reflect on those other young women in our schools that are self-harming because they don't have the confidence because maybe they have been bullied. And it's not just about men; there's many other things that cause discrimination in our society and I want to acknowledge that—as someone who like the many people who are telling stories in this House and I think stories are powerful—I remember when I was considering standing for Auckland Central for the National Party and a longstanding National Party delegate pulled me aside and said "Look you're a young women. Really maybe you should go off and have children. And by the way if you really are interested in this politics thing maybe you should stand for local government." I reflect on those stories because we have all had those stories. I reflect on being a young female Cabinet Minister walking into a function thinking I was going up to give a speech when someone turned to me and said "Could you just get me a drink love?" We have all had those moments but our legacy in this House is not just about us and we must—and I do want to reflect on the Prime Minister's comments—fight for equality in this House. We are not there yet. We can treat each other better and we can make this place much more female friendly for the people that come after us. But our true legacy in this House will be about those women that I have mentioned: those women who exist in our communities; those women who need equal pay; those women who should have the equal rights in terms of boards; reducing domestic violence; ensuring that more young women are not self-harming. That will be our true legacy. So I want to leave this House with two quotes. I want to have a quote from Kate Sheppard because I think it is powerful: "All that separates whether of race class creed or sex is inhuman and must be overcome." She said that and we must acknowledge what a visionary and what a courageous person she was. But I also want to quote Helen Clark and I want to acknowledge both Dame Jenny and Helen because they have both been very kind to many members in this House including myself. She said "Someone's got to break the glass ceiling and once [it's] broken everybody else [clamours] up behind." and we need to smash through those ceilings. Thank you."