Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. It is an absolute honour today where history joins us in the present and it is a privilege to speak on behalf of New Zealand First—my caucus has given me that honour today—and on behalf of the leader of the women's caucus of New Zealand First the Hon Tracey Martin. As the deputy leader of the women's caucus of New Zealand First—the deputy leader by default I might add—I am totally thrilled to speak to this the centenary of women winning the right to stand for Parliament.I'd like to begin my contribution with a whakataukī: Ākona a Tama he ringa hāpai parāoa. Ākona e Hine tū mai te whare tangata. He āhuru he ora."—teaching a boy to uphold courage and the determination of the sperm whale; teaching a girl establishes the sacred house of humanity with warmth and life. My great-great-grandmother was a suffragist Edith Marcroft. Now Edith at the tender age of 19 boarded the Matilda Wattenbach and headed to New Zealand. She headed to a place called Albertland in 1863. On board the boat Matilda Wattenbach there was a group of people and they were Nonconformists—Nonconformists in a religious sense but I think that's where I got to learn how to swim against the current. Edith and her husband Edwin they both supported the temperance cause that swept the nation.In 1893 they signed the petition to give women the vote and the petition read: "The petition of the undersigned Women of the age of 21 years and upwards resident in the Colony of New Zealand humbly sheweth:—That large numbers of Women in the Colony have for several years petitioned Parliament to extend the franchise to them." Including my great-great-grandmother 32000 women signed that petition. Why did they sign that petition? Because it was time to give voice to women.Now my great-grandmother died in 1937 but she saw women not only getting the vote but the first woman entering Parliament. I give pause sometimes and I think: did my great-great-grandmother Edith think about any of her descendants—would they ever become members of Parliament; would there be a girl in the family at some point in history that would become a member of Parliament? I'm her descendant now and I think back and wonder what she was thinking when she signed that petition to give women the vote. We have in 2017 elected the largest cohort of Māori women to Parliament. We have increased our overall diversity. MMP has allowed this to happen. We have created pathways to get more women into Parliament and that is something to celebrate. We have party leadership today we have senior MPs in this House who have supported to get women into Parliament. And it is through their support that I stand here today. So I acknowledge my leadership and the support I have had from my senior MPs.I won't traverse the numbers of who came first. That has been spoken of already by those before me. But I would just like on this the 100th year of women entering Parliament to make a couple of comments. We can see how women are transforming our country. We are owning our voices. We are claiming our power like never before. But like the collective power of our forbearers the suffragists we are bringing to the fore unique possibilities new ways of doing politics.The female voice is needed for a balanced contribution to this House to this country. The power of our own stories the power of our own values and the power of our own vision will shape our future. Now until 100 years ago the female voice was silent in this place. A hundred years ago though we were given legal permission to exercise our right to be a member of Parliament and to stand in our own power. What is it that we have to say? It is not enough that women are in the boardroom that women are heads of State and that women are in politics if we're just going to mimic patriarchal nonsense that has kept us down before we got here. We need to stand in our own power and use our voice so that we can challenge the status quo and we are doing that.On this historic day I honour all my sisters who stand and bring their voice to this House of Representatives. Kia ora Mr Speaker."