Arbuckle JamieJAMIE ARBUCKLE (NZ First): Thank you Mr Speaker and congratulations on your role as Speaker. I would like to begin with some acknowledgments. Thank you to Bruce Partridge who's in the gallery today my Kaikōura campaign chair for the last three general elections. Bruce is a long-time New Zealand First supporter. The many hours we have spent campaigning at meetings delivering pamphlets and putting up hundreds of hoardings has today been rewarded. The reason for Bruce doing this work has been simple and it's one I will not forget—as he says it's not for him but for his children and grandchildren. He believes the New Zealand First Party has the right principles and policies for our future.I would also like to thank the rest of my campaign committee Bess and Greg Colquhoun Jack Reddan and Bill Holvey. For the hours you have volunteered over the years I am for ever grateful. To the many supporters in the Kaikōura electorate thank you. Jessica Bagge; for the political journey we have been on since 2010 when we were both elected to the Marlborough District Council. The many highs and lows along the way you have continued to support my endeavours and I will be forever grateful for the belief you have in me. The Rt Hon Winston Peters—the legend of New Zealand politics. You have my full respect for your hard work energy and drive to stand for what is right and put New Zealand and New Zealanders first. A moment he may not recall but one that I do is from my younger years of my late mother grabbing him and giving him a hug on the campaign trail on one of his early visits to Blenheim when the party was first formed.The New Zealand First Board and President Julian Paul; thank you for your time and commitment to seeing New Zealand First returned to Parliament and now Government. And to the members and supporters of New Zealand First who have put your faith in myself and the New Zealand First caucus to represent your voice in Parliament thank you.My wife Sally and our four children—Jaxon Paige Dale and Keira—your understanding of the many interrupted moments that occur from being a politician where even the simple tasks of going to the supermarket can mean a long drawn-out discussion on the politics of the day. To my wife Sally who said she would never marry a suit": well you have! When we first married over 20 years ago you will remember the early years of my rather bad dress habits of ripped Barker pants and jerseys while working endless hours on the orchard to pay the bills. Even the consistent resistance to using a cellphone and then my attachment to my old flip phone—so much has changed. With our recent achievement of both being elected at the same time to the Marlborough District Council which is something rarely if ever heard of I am so proud of your achievements.I would like to acknowledge Sir Douglas Kidd the 25th Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002. He represented the Marlborough and Kaikōura electorate from 1978 to 1999 and then was a list MP until his retirement in 2002. He was also one of the pioneers of the Marlborough aquaculture industry in the iconic Marlborough Sounds.I would also like to acknowledge former MP Colin King who served as the Kaikōura electorate MP from 2005 to 2014 who has been very supportive of my time in local body politics and my ventures into central government. And MP Stuart Smith the current Kaikōura MP for your commitment to the electorate and as you often say when we are debating that "politics is a contest of ideas".My wider family tree is difficult to explain at the best of times. What I would like to say is I have always been loved. My mum was in her way the greatest politician you would ever meet. She had a knack of knowing how to press someone's buttons and the skill to walk away and watch the all-mighty eruption happen while someone else would be taking the blame. Through no fault of my own I don't know exactly who my biological dad is but I have two that say they are. One of those who has now passed would be super proud of this moment; the other is a local legend in his own right. The traits they both share is working the land and being practical hard-working people.In my early years until my late teens I was raised in Rapaura in Marlborough now known as the golden mile of the world-proclaimed Marlborough wine industry. My family owned multiple orchards and was heavily involved in exporting apples and cherries. As a young boy I would spend endless hours picking fruit helping in the packing shed or acting as the shopkeeper in our fruit stall. I attended a small rural school Rapaura School and played various sports with cricket athletics and rugby being my favourites.I then spent my college years at Marlborough Boys' College. In Year 12 at college I remember studying business studies and doing the Young Enterprise Scheme. We were tasked to set up a business and invent a new product. The inventing of a new product was lost on me but the thought of making money did very much appeal. Soon I had organised our small group into selling fruit at the local markets. My teacher of the day didn't seem to mind as we had sold shares in that business to get it up and running. When the final dividend was paid with something like $100 return for every dollar invested the teacher's $5 investment looked very good. Instead of finishing the business I decided to carry it on in a personal capacity and 22 years later I finished my weekly ritual at the Redwood markets but continue my fruit growing today with a horticultural block I am developing in Renwick.I remember being in my garage bagging fruit at the tail end of the global financial crisis when it was suggested to me to stand for local council. Though I knew very little about local politics I did have a lot of local media exposure with my time at the markets. I decided to run and as no one else was standing against the incumbent mayor it was suggested that would be a good platform to get some free coverage of my campaign. After a bit of study about local issues such as locals missing out on tendering contracts and closed-door council meetings I was set for my campaign. The result was that I was the highest polling Blenheim Ward councillor something I have achieved now five times in a row.My early local government career was difficult and controversial. Obviously standing for mayor may have helped to gain a seat as a councillor but it also exposed me to the full force of some unhappy longstanding councillors and bureaucracy. Soon came attacks on me to put me in my place. Instead of being quiet and sitting on my hands and keeping my mouth closed for the first term I spoke out. Doomsday was about five months into my first term when discussing council tendering when my comment replying to a question on whether council staff were tampering with tender papers I replied "That could be the case." The resulting report and conflict of this was something rarely experienced in Marlborough. Standing up for those who I saw had no voice or ability was my duty. The resulting report that cleared the council of wrongdoing did change the council moving forward for the better. In 2017 I was a late inclusion to stand for New Zealand First in the Kaikōura electorate. The experience was fast paced and one I enjoyed. The ability then to tap into MPs in the 2017-2020 Government was appreciated. I thank Mark Patterson especially for your time and commitment. From my perspective the New Zealand First caucus performed well and was the handbrake on bad ideas and the accelerator for good ideas such as the Provincial Growth Fund. The Provincial Growth Fund in Marlborough helped to fund a number of incentives including the now completed Blenheim Library. The Working for Nature programme was a great incentive for local jobs and the improving environmental outcomes.After the disappointment of the general election in 2020 I was eager to help New Zealand First back into Parliament. I joined the New Zealand First Board in 2022 and developed the ground game blueprint that was rolled out in the 2023 campaign. The announcement of the New Zealand First list and being placed at number six with the successful election result means I stand before you today.Over my 14 years in local government the past three years on council have been the most stressful and uncertain times. The constant and major reforms like three waters and many more have taken a major toll on the relationship between councils and central government. The central government approach of "big brother knows best" needs to be seriously questioned. The constant demands of the previous Government in the case of Marlborough saw many councillors at the last local body elections retire and the loss of many key council officials and staff who delivered vital services to the community. This is a constant cry from councils across New Zealand. The new Government has a major challenge to repair this relationship and we need to work together as it is both local and central government's roles to deliver positive outcomes for our constituents. Consultation—the most rewarding aspect of being an elected member is hearing from your community. I have sat through many annual plans and long-term plans. Such processes can always be refined but the importance of democracy and being heard is undeniable. The previous Government often called for submissions but in many people's views did not take the time to hear or listen to what people had to say. Three waters reform was very much a case in point of "we know better than everyone else". I look forward to my select committee work and hearing from New Zealanders. The thing for all of us to remember is to not take this process for granted. Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms—I have been an RMA hearings commissioner since entering local body politics and have sat on hundreds of consents and really enjoyed the opportunity to hear and make decisions on some key Marlborough activities such as marine farming. The role of decision maker is very much dependent on the legislation and the case law to grant or decline an application. The RMA reforms proposed by the previous Government I would need to question whether they streamlined that process or made it more difficult and complex than ever. The new legislation looks less user friendly. What has happened to the concept of the average New Zealander being able to put together a resource consent without the help of costly consultants and being able to submit this to your local council? The answer to that is that the consenting regime has become a gravy train for consultants and lawyers. It is often a money game and not about the environment. I think of growth industries such as aquaculture which needs a much more permissive status. We need to back opportunities that will deliver growth potential high-paying jobs and increase our export earnings. I have witnessed the worst of the RMA when those wanting to expand or try something new were stonewalled by legislation and environmental scaremongering.Offshore aquaculture should be an industry we encourage and grow. The major hurdles we have seen on recent applications are something I want to see legislation change on. When offshore farming is being halted by amenity values and outstanding natural landscapes one needs to question who benefits from those outcomes. Many of those remote sites will never be seen by the majority of New Zealanders so to stop development on amenity or landscape values in my view needs to be reconsidered.In Māori affairs I see us all as one. I find it very difficult with the current tensions between some Māori and Pākehā. We all need to work together. In my lifetime we all had the same opportunities and it's what one does with those opportunities that should define us. I want us to move forward as one but we seem to be a country with an identity crisis. How we resolve those tensions of the past is something many New Zealanders are struggling with. In my time in Parliament I would like to think we will all come closer to being "Kiwis" regardless of how long some of us have been here for.With our rural regions and primary production it is important that we don't forget that our rural regions account for much of the country's GDP. If our rural regions are supported our economy will grow. Investing in infrastructure—whether that be road rail flood protection or strategic assets—is good investment in the health of our rural regions. Finally the horse racing industry: my favourite pastime is harness racing. I have a fond memory of going to the Marlborough races with my family when I was young. The atmosphere mingling with the people on course and the thrill of the odd win is something I enjoy. For a lot of New Zealanders a day out at the races is a symbol of New Zealand's culture. I look forward to being back on course over the summer holidays to hear the race calls of Matt Cross and get in amongst the racing community. Thank you Mr Speaker for this opportunity today. I look forward to my new role and standing up for the issues that are important to New Zealanders and New Zealand First."