Bennett GlenGLEN BENNETT (Labour—New Plymouth): Whakataka te hau ki te uruWhakataka te hau ki te tongaKia mākinakina ki utaKia mātaratara ki taiKia hī ake ana te atākuraHe tio he huka he hauhūTīhei Mauri Ora[Cease the winds from the westCease the winds from the southLet the breeze blow over the landLet the breeze blow over the oceanLet the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened airA touch of frost a promise of a glorious dayI know begin]Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Ki te atua tēnā koe. Ki a Papatūānuku tēnā koe. Ki te Pāremata tēnā koe. Ki te hunga mate ki te hunga ora tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Greetings one and all. Abundant greetings to all. Greetings to the Lord. Greetings to the Earth Mother. Greetings to all in Parliament. Greetings also to the deceased and the living greetings one and all.]My life's work has been all about serving people and serving our community. However I am an unlikely politician. I've always stood for people's rights. I've been a voice for those who have had no voice. But power and titles they mean very little to me. Sometimes I've seen them in such a bad way—that power and title oppress instead of liberating. I always said No no no." to the idea of running for Parliament but that no was eventually massaged by many people in this room including the Prime Minister's own auntie and local New Plymouth identity Marie Ardern. So here I am.My approach to life is best summed up by the Aboriginal artist and activist Lilla Watson who said "If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time but if you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine then let us work together." I've followed this mantra in my life and in my work not by fixing everything for everybody and doing everything but by walking alongside them working together for our liberation. Now I say that I wasn't into politics and here I am but let's be honest 1984 was quite a big year for me. I was nine years old and David Lange was this larger than life character. His passion his oratory his humour it captured this nine-year-old school boy from Dominion Road School in Mount Roskill. The year 1984 was also the year that I wrote in my school journal—don't look too closely at the crosses. It said this: "When I grow up I want to be like my dad. My dad's a Salvation Army officer. My dad helps people. When I grow up I want to help people."My parents' Salvation Army work was rather hectic. Take aside the timbrels and the tubas the Red Shield Appeals knocking on doors and moving every few years as mum and dad gave themselves to the work; there were also the unique experiences that my parents gave me: the drunk who spent a few nights sleeping in our garage sobering up the family from overseas who had experienced trauma and were staying with us and the skinhead having Sunday lunch with us for his birthday as well as the countless prison girls that came and went from our home. The year 1984 was also the year that I have a vivid memory that's changed me—the person that I am today. My mum was the chaplain at Mount Eden women's prison. Times were different back then Kelvin and we used to get easy access down the corridors of the prison into the cells and into the common areas. It was quite regular after school for mum to swing by home pick us up and take us to the prison to visit some of these girls or to visit some of those who'd recently been released. This one afternoon mum swung by home and I was just there by myself and off we went to visit one of the girls who'd just got out of prison and her baby. Now this was nothing different or unusual—and then we arrived at the old Onehunga rubbish dump. I was confused—we were visiting a mum and her daughter. We drove through the dump to a working shed out the back. We hopped out of the car and I can still smell the smell of that dump and remember the confusion thinking "What are we doing here in this dump?" We knocked on the door and this mother and her child answered it. We went inside. We sat on the edge of the bed in the shed in the back of the dump and it was immaculate. What little she had she took great care of. Mum had the conversation. We left and went home.Now I don't remember the conversation that mum and I had in the car that day but I do remember thinking that something is wrong that a women and her baby in New Zealand are living in a shed at the back of the dump. That experience changed me and it's never left me. I now also think it will shape my work here in Parliament.My life's call to serve people has led me to being a foster parent over the past 20 years. I want to acknowledge some of those tamariki who are here and those who aren't here. Kōwhai Tainui Nigel Dennis George Kevin and Blaide to you and to your whānau I love you. I've committed my life to you which means that it's a sacred honour for me to be here serving you in this place and for me now at this beautiful young age of 45 to be koro Glen. But I stand here because of you. Every day that I walk into this House I think of you and of the chances that you never had of the trauma that is your unwelcome friend of a system that wasn't responsive to your needs or your culture.I think also of the children today who are going through similar things. I stood for Parliament to make a difference on a larger scale than just my community work. I want to see a transformed society where my mokopuna will have more opportunities face less prejudice and be part of a country that loves and looks after our most vulnerable.This place is a place of power where decisions are made to change people's lives; I'm a living example of that here in Parliament today. Because this place as I said has the power to oppress but it also has the power to liberate. Today I feel liberated standing here wearing this korowai due to the courage of this House that yesterday I was able to marry the man that I love and cloak myself in his whakapapa represented in this korowai. Man my nine-year-old self in 1984 would've been pretty happy but pretty confused about this whole experience. I actually still am to be honest but I feel liberated in this place. This place of power has liberated me. So thank you to all those who work for liberation.I know what it's like to be on the margins to be mocked. Sadly I know that there are still some in this country who struggle with their bigotry and old thinking. John and I have been called "faggots" over the fence of our own home. When on the campaign trail I was challenged for my perversions one person wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I was gay because then no one would vote for me; that didn't work. This man denied my Christianity and tried to wield the Bible against me that day. That day Minister Andrew Little stepped in and he said to this man "This is not about your religion. This is about your prejudice." Our society has come a long way but we have a long way to go. Thank you Andrew.Louisa Wall thank you for your fight for us that we can be married here and those who go before you before us.Today I'm proud to stand here as the member of Parliament for New Plymouth. I also want to acknowledge that it was 34 years ago that the last MP for New Plymouth gave a maiden speech in this House—Harry Duynhoven thank you for being here. I'm humbled that the constituents of New Plymouth have placed their trust in me to champion their causes their needs especially the needs of our most vulnerable.There's a few thankyous which is a risk I know but none the less—Hon Member: Good luck!GLEN BENNETT: Yeah luckily this isn't being recorded. Our campaign team Grant Hassall Bali Haque Lorraifne Webber Colleen Hammonds Esme Eastment Gordon Gower Antony Rhodes Colin Bell thank you so much. To Bruce Gatwood-Cook Virginia Winder Shelley Baldwin Mike Baldwin Brendan Lister—this is where I go rogue and name a few people I probably am going to muck it up now but anyway—Lesley Olley Marie Ardern Troy Ryan Eileen Kiffin: gold star volunteers. But you all are gold star volunteers because here we are and here I am standing in front of you. To the New Plymouth LSC to members and supporters we got there. To Andrew Little again thank you for putting your trust in me and for you Prime Minister thank you so much for allowing me having faith in me and probably getting some texts from your aunt every so often to tell her what things I've been doing wrong.I also want to thank to Tu Tama Wahine o Taranaki who have been on my journey with me. To Community Taranaki who have helped me empowered me to be here as your representative and as representative of our people. To Incedo my faith community who always keep me grounded thank you.And to my family to Mum and Dad to Drew and Delwyn Jackson Montana Leo Charlie to Mark and Nikki to Ezra to Micah to Judah—I think I got them all. Lucky we're a Pākehā family! And to Jon my rock my world I wouldn't have run if it wasn't for you walking alongside me. Thank you—I love you husband. Most of all I want to thank the people of New Plymouth of Waitara of Ōākura of Ōpunake and everywhere in between for putting your trust in me. Our electorate is blessed with natural beauty resources and talented hard-working down-to-earth people. To my constituents as your member of Parliament I will work for you all. I will be an MP for you even if you voted for me or did not vote for me and I am brimming with ideas and how we can bring the possibilities of our community together; my door is always open. My vision for New Plymouth is a city that leads New Zealand's green energy future that we ensure that it is a just transition. I will continue to ensure that everyone has a place to call home that we have a world-class medical-care system for our people in our region and that our communities rediscover and reimagine the connectedness between neighbours and communities. I want to serve our region and our country where it's not about just talking about issues and problems but it's talking about possibilities and the assets of the people within our communities.I spoke earlier about a woman and child living by the dump and today we have a housing crisis in New Zealand. I strongly believe in this Government's vision that everyone has a warm dry place to go home a vision of houses that shelter them from the wind and the rain and one where the young people of Taranaki can afford a house to raise the whānau.I stand here proudly as a Labour Party MP and see the wonderful challenges and excitement we have: the fact that we are going to be teaching our own history in schools that we have our own public holiday that represents this nation and that tonight in this House legislation begins to deal with Māori wards and allowing councils to have a better representation. Many of you in this room have fought for that so thank you.I close and to speak to this korowai and to this te raukura that I wear. I especially want to thank Māori women in my life who have guided me. They give to me this raukura the three feathers of Parihaka and so it is with this taonga front and present with me today that will guide me as I serve this House. The raukura connects me to our creator and grounds me to love and the service of the people of Aotearoa honour and glory to God to our creator peace on Earth and goodwill to all people.He hōnore he korōria ki te atua he maungārongo ki te whenua he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa. Kia ora.[Honour and glory to God peace on Earth and goodwill to all mankind. Thank you.Kia ora.][Applause]WaiataSitting suspended from 6.14 p.m. to 7.00 p.m."