Little Andrew: Motions — Queen Elizabeth II—Longest-reigning British MonarchText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Motions — Queen Elizabeth II—Longest-reigning British Monarch[Sitting date: 09 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6437. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): I rise to register my personal congratulations and the New Zealand Labour Party’s congratulations on Her Majesty’s achievement of this very fine milestone. For the record—and I do not want to embarrass the Acting Prime Minister on his numbers and his calculations—Her Majesty achieves this great milestone at 4.30 tomorrow morning New Zealand time which raises the obvious question of why we have not had legislation in this House allowing Her Majesty’s loyal subjects in New Zealand to raise a glass of Pimm’s on licensed premises at that time so that we can all celebrate the very special occasion. I regard it as an epic fail on the part of the ardent monarchists in this House.I do have a personal connection with Her Majesty going back only a few years when I was at the ripe old age of 11 and she was on one of her 10 visits to New Zealand. She came to the bustling metropolis of New Plymouth. I was at intermediate school. We got the day off school and went down to the main road Devon Street as it then was the main retail precinct—it still is; there are just not as many retailers there. She did one of her walkabouts. Having an eye for youthful talent she came over and spoke to me. I was accompanied by two friends one with the coincidentally apt name of Daryl Prince. So we had a conversation about what we were doing that day and what have you. I did urge her that perhaps she would come back at some later date—very quickly hopefully because we all got a day off school that day.Turning to a slightly more serious reflection there are historians who say it is very easy to understand the Victorian age representing Queen Victoria the last longest-serving monarch. Time during her reign moved very slowly. The achievement of Elizabeth II is that she has reigned during one of the most rapidly changing and dynamic periods of world history. From Churchill to Cameron from the Turing machine to Samsung 6 7 or 8—or whatever it is—and from Elvis to Ed Sheeran she has reigned during a time of great technological change cultural change and political change. And yet after more than 63 years on the throne the monarchy in Britain has never been more accepted never been more secure and never been more respected.Every country every people need their standard-bearer at times of mass celebration and mass grief—a person who can lead and reflect back the feelings and thoughts of a nation. Queen Elizabeth II has done just that and she has done it in a humble and understated way. One of her great achievements is that she has imbued successive generations of the royal family with the same level of humility and public service.I call in aid the words of our national anthem—or national dirge as the case may be—and hope that the praises that are heard in this great House on behalf of our great people will be heard well and truly in the chambers and corridors of Buckingham Palace or Sandringham or Balmoral as the case may be. Congratulations to Her Majesty.