Hudson BrettBRETT HUDSON (National): Astounding forbearance Mr Speaker. It's a pleasure to stand and take a call in this adjournment debate—a time to thank all the people that work so hard for us and enable us to do what we do. Before we get there let's reflect on a year and what a year it was—a year full of ups and downs twists and turns and campaigns of two halves both in the nation and indeed in that small burg of Ōhāriu just north of where we sit. But you know coming through the campaign in the last few weeks in particular reminded me of just how glorious Wellington is. We've treated MPs from around the country to the very best that New Zealand / Godzone has to offer—the bright blue skies the sun the bearing heat. Then late this morning as I returned from select committee duty in Auckland I was reminded of the gentle zephyrs that Wellington has to offer—something like 60 knots from the south. The plane was bucking all over the place—up down left and right—and all I could think of was that it's an absolute joy to live in a city with no air pollution. Of course Mr Speaker you would know well from cycling to and from Wainuiōmata that you get a whole lot of extra bang for your workout with those Wellington zephyrs and the one today will give you a bit of trouble on the way home I would imagine. But in reflecting on that campaign at the national level we had a campaign of two halves. The second half went fairly well for National. We ended with just under 45 percent of the vote—the largest party in Parliament. Alas MMP doesn't quite work that way so we find ourselves on this side. In Ōhāriu it was a campaign of two halves. The first half went the way of MMP campaigns in Ōhāriu for the last 21 years. The second half was a little bit different. I didn't quite get the result I was looking for but it was possibly the most exciting 4½ weeks of the three years or so that I've been fortunate to be in Parliament. While going through that campaign and in the weeks since I have been reminded as I work within the communities of Ōhāriu dealing with our people of just the diversity of the people and their backgrounds their aspirations their jobs and their challenges. We have an electorate that is a microcosm of all that New Zealand has to offer. It is without question an absolute joy to work with the people in our community and to help where one can to support them in whatever their ventures are and what they're doing and it serves to remind constantly of the reason we are all here. For if we are here for one thing it is to do what we can to make the lives of those people better—the people in Ōhāriu who are just like the people across New Zealand. Whatever we do what policies we have the positions we take the things we advocate for the occasional heated arguments that take place in this Chamber—they all serve in the quest to deliver for the people of New Zealand to support their aspirations and to give them all hope in their brighter future that there is potential for them and certainly potential for their children. Every day—every day—in Ōhāriu I'm reminded that that is what I and we are all here for. It's an absolute pleasure to serve in this House and I want to take a moment now to thank all of the people that serve on the precinct to help us do what we do. Whether it's our office staff such as my new executive assistant Sue Locke—a woman of great experience around the business of Parliament. The first thing I did after the election was drive to Tawa and employ Peter Dunne's long-serving electorate agent Sue Locke and she's an absolute godsend of information and connections with our communities. She does a great job for me in my role just as Gay Ballance does for me in my Johnsonville office. But they are also supported indirectly by so many other people on the precinct. Whether it's our security team which is helping to keep us safe here but also to keep our staff safe in our electorates; our gallery and Chamber staff who help to make sure that our business is facilitated in this Chamber; the people in Hansard who are dutifully recording and making sure that we capture accurately what we do; the people across the Parliamentary Service in IT and facilities; human resources—across all of the elements that enable this place to function and enable us to do our jobs I wish them all a very merry Christmas and give them my very hearty thanks. To you Mr Speaker congratulations and I look forward to perhaps being told off once or twice. I look forward to our return in late January for another round of this. Thank you.