Davidson ReubenREUBEN DAVIDSON (Labour—Christchurch East): Kia ora koutou.Ko Reuben tōku ingoaNō Ōtautahi ahauI tipu ake ahau i ngā tahataha o te ŌpāwahoI tipu ake ahau i Ngā Kōhatu Whakarakaraka o Tamatea Pōkai WhenuaKo toku kainga noho inaianei Ōrua PaeroaKi au nei ko Te Tiriti te mana motuhake o AotearoaAhakoa e ako tonu ana au i te reo Māori he aroha tonu ō āku kupu.I acknowledge you Mr Speaker and congratulate you on the elevation to the only role in the House that apparently comes with a sheepskin seat. Just don't let them pull the wool over your eyes. I acknowledge Christchurch East. Thank you. I feel lucky every day to be your MP and I will work hard to serve you. We swear an oath to become an MP. It's a few short words delivered in the language of our choice on a taonga that we choose. It's a pretty succinct contract—one of the many things about this place that seems more Harry Potter than Aotearoa. But I see the role of this the maiden speech as the fuller oath. It's my opportunity to tell you who I am and to tell you why I'm here. And I also ask that you hold me to this—my longer oath my maiden speech.In the late 1970s my parents left Auckland with my brother in a van with a tent. They put a pin in a map and they stopped in Christchurch. My dad rode his bike to work shifts at Boon's Bakery and my mum worked as a delivery driver for the gas works. I don't know why that's emotional. After my sister and I were born they capitalised their child support entitlements and bought our family a home in Woolston. It was a combination of good Labour Government policy and good luck—I'll come back to that.We have a family history of hard work. My grandparents were coal miners nurses and teachers. My father John Davidson trained as a teacher dedicating his life to education across New Zealand and Australia and coming to this very House to ensure special character schools survived. My mother Glyn Abott—she will kill me for this—is hospitality royalty. She's an amazing baker who opened incredible cafes and this meant friends were always too scared to ask us over for dinner but she was always in demand to come and cook on our school camps. Hard work is in our family DNA.My parents separated and our family grew. New relationships brought new siblings. There are a few of us—a coalition if you will—and I'd like to thank and acknowledge them all—the siblings not the coalition—and it's safest if I do that by order of age. So Michelle Delaney Naomi Jessie Marina Francis Carlos and Joseph thank you for your support your friendship and your love.Now when you tell people you're from Christchurch they always have one question.Hon Members: What school did you go to?REUBEN DAVIDSON: That's the one: What school did you go to?" And my answer is often a little bit of a curveball because I went to the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner school. So the next question is usually: "What's that all about? How long have you got?" and that's best explained succinctly by Rudolf Steiner himself who said "Life as a whole is a unity and we must not only consider the child but the whole of life; we must look at the whole human being." That education shaped my life and in part my approach to politics—to look at the whole issue and to look at the broader solution. Now the Steiner philosophy also meant I grew up in a house without a television—most of the time. We were allowed to watch Gloss. The 80s were full of contradictions. We all did things that we regret in the 80s—even Labour.At high school I was elected onto the board of trustees as the student representative campaigning for equality arguing that it wasn't fair that the teachers could smoke on the school grounds but the students couldn't [Laughter]. Some allies in the House tonight. It didn't seem fair to have one rule for teachers and another for students. It really didn't seem right that anyone smoked at a school. The result was a win: smoking was banned on the school grounds—a great way to endear yourself to those teachers who smoked and marked your work.So after a blissful TV-free childhood and a successful smoke-free crusade at high school I left school got a broadcasting degree and became a TV producer that smoked. True story. And it gets better and worse because I stopped smoking and I started producing TV shows especially for children. I spent almost 20 years working with children and animals. A few people have suggested that that might help me in this place. I worked with so many talented people to produce What Now? and create shows like Fanimals and Brain Busters. A huge thanks to Janine and Jason for the belief the support and the freedom. I loved creating content for children. They tell you what they like what they don't like they tell you why and they don't wait until an election to do it. You don't have to take my word for it; I've bought evidence: "I'm writing to tell you that the Muppets do not live in Sesame Street. Elmo and his friends live there! Kermit lives in the Muppet studio. Please if you're going to ask any more Muppet questions make the answers true. From Billie." The request is pretty clear: make your answers true—good advice for this place. And another which ends "Thanks so much for the amazing experience prizes (and the food!) I will never forget it! From Lola."People know when you care and they will never forget it. That's the same in this place for the decisions we make and for the people we are here to serve. And our kaupapa in serving children was a simple one: first do no harm; and second ensure our tamariki and rangatahi leave walking taller. Dame Whina Cooper put it best: "Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear take care of what they see take care of what they feel. For how the children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa." It's the same here in this House. We need to take care we need to show care as we work to grow Aotearoa. I was originally going to deliver this speech on 22 February. It's an anniversary. Christchurch people all know where they were at 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011 because it's the day that everything changed. It's the anniversary of the earthquake that took 185 lives and changed the future for everyone in Christchurch. This is the first year I didn't spend that anniversary back in the car park that we ran to as the ground literally roared and the building buckled underneath us. We lost a lot: lives homes large parts of the central city and whole suburbs erased into a red zone. But we actually gained something too. Our communities came together and many got stronger. Strangers helped each other hugged each other dug liquefaction out of homes and shared stories tears and the contents of our defrosting freezers. There was an energy and a spirit that got us through and gave us strength. I think that spirit is called "community".And there was a challenge to community—that challenge was called Government. Because whilst locally there was a willingness to work together to reimagine redesign and rebuild our city too much was done to us. Top-down decision-making often didn't hear or respect our strong and proud communities. The answers weren't always true; the care wasn't always shown.In Christchurch East we lost eight schools thousands of homes—thousands. Our roads and bridges were broken some still haven't been replaced. Many people felt like they were left behind or forgotten—some still do.I want to acknowledge the hard work and care from Lianne Dalziel the local MP for Christchurch East at the time and later as the Mayor of Christchurch. And I celebrate Poto Williams—and her team Heather and Leeann—who took up the baton as the MP for Christchurch East for a decade with a proud legacy of earthquake recovery strengthening our social services and an enviable set of completed shovel-ready projects that will serve the community for decades. You leave very big—and fast—shoes and I am so grateful for your work your advice and your support. Thank you.No one ever gets elected on their own. [Blows nose] They blow their nose on their own though. Thanks to my family who helped with fund-raising deliveries doorknocking and such good food. It means a lot to have you stand with me.Thank you to the amazing team who worked so hard on my campaign for the opportunity to represent and serve this community. There are so many to thank but I'll try and do that now: Joe Davies Tim Baker Omer Shadich Alana Pidgeon Douglas Shaw Jenny Hughey Sarah Whitcombe-Dodds Bebe Frayle Yani Johanson Jackie Simons Paul McMahon Simon Lawrence Maryanne and Craig Roland and Jackie Chris and Ken Emily Caygill Joe Sole Tracie Palmer John and Mary Norm and Chris Liam Bateman Colleen Philips Jackie Simons Kirsty McNab David Close Ihorangi Reweti Peters Anne-Marie Reynolds Alex Hewison and Jen Miller. David Jenny and Sarah for that very long meeting this time a year ago—thanks for digging in. To Ruth and Martin for your rock-solid guidance and constant support. David Lawrence for being an unstoppable doorknocker. Hugh Perry for your wisdom as campaign chair. And especially to Libby Caygill for being the best campaign manager a candidate could ever wish for. A huge thank you to every deliverer caller sign waver and hoarding host across our campaign.I am so grateful for all of the love and hard work we put into this campaign for Labour and most importantly for the people of Christchurch East. Because that's what we worked for: the opportunity to serve the people of Christchurch East. The mighty Christchurch East [Voice wavers]—I don't know why that one gets me—the mighty Christchurch East. Communities with diversity opportunity energy and passion. Communities that need more warm healthy dry and safe homes that people don't just call home but actually own; that recognise that schools are at the heart of community they're about so much more than an hour a day of reading writing and maths—without a cell phone—and they're better with a healthy school lunch. Amazing entities like The Loft that provide wraparound services for families who need help and support. Community organisations like the Aranui Community Trust Incorporated Society and the Shirley Village Project that set targets of a 100 percent family violence - free community—because how could we aim for anything less?And why should we? We shouldn't be making cuts to our social services—the scars will outlive the cuts. We need to work with community not against it. That's what I'm here to do for Christchurch East: to serve you to work for you by working with you.I talked at the beginning about my parents having good Government policy and good luck to be able to buy our family home. Today is day 99 of the first 100 days of this coalition Government. Take the time this weekend to compare the last 100 days with the first 100 days of our last Labour Government. The actions taken in your first 100 days means that there are already people in New Zealand who will now need good luck to make it through the day—good luck to make it through the day. You can shrug and blame your coalition agreement—but know that you will be held responsible. Because it's not about the people in power; it's about the power in the people.I'm proud to be here as part of a united Chris Hipkins - led Labour team that will work hard to serve people—I know we can and I know we will. A team that doesn't divide but that brings people together. A team that understands the immediate challenges like how we ensure local media survives the current crisis so that democracy thrives—and so they can report on our plans to deepen our commitment to Te Tiriti act with pace on the climate crisis ensure fairer tax deliver better health and education outcomes and look after workers and people that can't work. Because people don't fall into poverty; they're pushed there—and you are pushing. I commit to ask the right questions for true answers and through my actions show that I heard and that I care—because I do.When my mum was growing up in Waitomo her family was often joined for dinner by Wiremu Te Tau Huata. He wrote a song for his children a song about working together seeking knowledge love for others and always staying united. I want to finish with a song—but don't worry I'm not going to sing it. We can all do that together at the end. But I will read it as my oath—in te reo Māori first. E Winiata kaua e mataku.Tūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eTūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eWhāia te māramatangaMe te aroha e ngā iwiKia ko tapatahiKia kotahi rāTātou tātou eLine up togetherAll of usSeek after knowledge And love of others—everybodyBe virtuousAnd stay unitedAll of usAll of usNō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.Waiata—"Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi"[Applause hongi and harirū]"