Mallard TrevorSPEAKER: I call Steph Lewis for her maiden statement. STEPH LEWIS (Labour—Whanganui): E rere kō mai te awa nui mai i te kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa. Ko au te awa ko te awa ko au. E ngā mana e ngā reo e ngā waka maha o tēnei motu tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. [The ancestral river flows from the mountains to the sea. The river and I are one.To the leaders the representatives and the descendants of the many ancestral canoes among us greetings.] Mr Speaker congratulations on your re-election. It's an honour to be in the House today making my maiden statement. I was born in Whanganui the eldest of Bob and Kim Lewis' five children. Dad was a prison officer at Kaitoke and we lived in the village next door. My earliest memory is of prisoners escaping. Dad woke me in the middle of the night and took me into our lounge where our neighbours were huddled together. I can recall the sound of the prisoners jumping the fence into our backyard and the thud of their footsteps as they ran. They didn't get far though because they tried to swim a lake and needed to get fished out.When I was a bit older I remember asking the grown-ups around me what a prison was and being told that it's where bad people go. Why?" I asked. "Because they did bad things." "Why?" I asked again and was never given a satisfactory answer. But I've learnt that the answer is more complex than "because they did bad things." Many in our prison system have been hurt themselves often as children by people they trusted. We must break the cycle of children growing into adults who harm others.Dad's dream was to become a full-time farmer. When I was four my parents bought a 1200 acre hill country bare block on Omahina Road in Waverley. They dreamt of building a home for us there but those dreams slipped away because the road to the farm was a path a track too dangerous to use when it rained. The money they saved to build a home for us went on lawyers' fees trying to fix the road. I still remember the look of defeat when my parents came home from court one day. It was then that I resolved to do all I could to help people like them get a fairer go.Growing up the cost of living kept increasing. Mum's contract wasn't renewed. Dad's salary didn't go far to feed and clothe five children. I was bullied at school for wearing hand-me-down clothes on dreaded mufti days. Some mornings I would go to make my lunch for school and realise that there wasn't enough bread for us all to make sandwiches; without telling anyone I chose to go without so that my siblings would have something to eat that day. Sadly my experience was not unique. I was a child of the 1990s who bore the brunt of the austerity of the times. While things were tough for us at times for many others their situations were far worse. Government decisions do make a difference. Initiatives like Working for Families under Helen Clark's Government made life better. I remember in my last year of high school we had what felt like the first proper Christmas in years with a roast meal and presents for everyone—a welcome change from the Christmas where I cooked my family fish fingers for dinner. The reforms we made last term through our Families Package will have equally benefited people's lives but there is still more work to do.One thing we need to remember in politics is the power of our words. I worked hard at school but I knew my parents couldn't afford to send me to university; my only way to get there was with a scholarship. So I spoke to one of my teachers about taking scholarships exams. He said he wasn't interested because they were for gifted students or kids who went to schools like Collegiate and I was neither. His words hurt but with my parents' support I went to Whanganui City College where I finished as dux. With the help of scholarships I completed a Bachelor of Arts and law degree becoming the first person in my family to graduate. I still believed that with a law degree I could fix the farm road and Dad could live his dreams; sadly he passed away before I finished. I was just 21 and my youngest sister was five.Like many professions being a prison officer is hard. It takes a toll physically and mentally. Many of my dad's workmates died before they were old enough to retire. Dad was 54 having served for 32 years. That's why it's important that we provide universal super at 65.I finished university following the global financial crisis and moved home. It took me seven months nearly to find a job. I picked up casual work at the Waitōtara dairy but I couldn't find anything full-time or permanent. I made the difficult decision to go into Work and Income. They looked at my CV and said that they had no work for me. Deflated I went to Community Legal Advice Whanganui (CLAW) to volunteer. Thanks to Sandra I left CLAW with three days a week paid work as an employment advocate. Since then I've been a lawyer an investigator a privacy adviser and have resolved disputes between individuals and large agencies.In 2017 I had the privilege of being Labour's candidate for Whanganui. We ran the campaign of our lives and came close but missed out by 1700 votes. Last term I was elected to Labour's Policy Council where I chaired the economic development policy committee. I applied the lessons I've learnt from talking to people in Pātea Hāwera Whanganui and Stratford to develop policies to help our regions grow.I haven't shared my story today to seek pity. I'm not claiming to have grown up in severe poverty. There were hard times but there were good times full of love and laughter. I have shared my story so that those listening today know that I understand what it means to have to choose between paying for food or petrol or power. It is exhausting having to fight every day to survive. My hope though is that in this House it doesn't always have to be a fight and that we can work together to put people first. I fought my way through and so can you. No matter how hard things get—and sometimes they get bloody hard—there is always a way through. It doesn't matter how much your parents earn it doesn't matter what clothes you wear and it doesn't matter if you live in a flash house or drive a fancy car—those things don't matter. Take risks pursue your dreams then it matters how you treat people and how hard you work.I've come here to fight for people like the three-year-old boy at a kindy I saw in Whanganui whose teacher told me that he's been sleeping in a car with his mum and dad at the local cemetery. I'm here for the year 9 students I met in a math class one day who were sitting slumped in their chairs heads bowed or in their hands. They already looked like they believed they were failures at 13 years of age because they had heard again and again that "you don't meet the standard; you haven't achieved." I'm here for the solo mum I door-knocked this campaign who had been struggling for years to make ends meet and thanks to a Labour Government could study to build a better future for her kids. During the campaign I met Ruby a 10-year-old girl interested in learning about politics. It's our fundamental duty to support the next generation to reach their dreams. I want girls like Ruby to grow up knowing that they can do anything.My electorate encompasses the great Whanganui awa. It spans from the Whangaehu River to Monmouth Road north of Stratford. It includes Whanganui Stratford Kaponga Manaia Eltham Hāwera Pātea Waverley Waitōtara Fordell the outskirts of Ōpunake and the settlements up the river. It is a true privilege to represent Whanganui New Zealand's most beautiful city for two years running and Taranaki which was named the second-best region in the world to visit in 2017.I've been asked if I'm excited to have the biggest-ever majority in the Whanganui seat and I am but I also feel the weight of the responsibility that comes with it. That is to advocate for everyone in my electorate to help them achieve their potential so as hopefully they get a better ending to their story than my dad got to his. I know that to work here you've got to be prepared to do some long hours. My grandpa Frank Lewis worked here as a security guard. I have some of his notes from that time. His final entry in June 1984 after dealing with a midnight prank call starts "Just my luck to start my retirement." and ends "Third floor cleared. Complete search of the area. Nothing unusual was found. I can relax again. Police departed the complex at 10 past midnight."I'm not here to make bold promises; I'm here to work every single day to make sure we get the basics right so that no family falls through the cracks again. We need to keep putting our people first and that means keeping investing in our regions making sure that no matter where you live you have access to quality health services that our tamariki and our rangatahi are getting a world-class education and that all our people have healthy affordable homes to live in.In our regions we need to keep building more affordable housing to take the pressure off that's been created by the influx of people. We need to make sure that we're attracting and retaining health professionals in our regions making sure that they're connected through broadband cellphone reception and our roading networks. Places like Pātea on State Highway 3 should have at the very least cellphone reception.This Government's investments in the Whanganui Port Hāwera's civic hub Stratford's community pool and the green hydrogen plant in Kapuni have made a difference. Although COVID-19 has been devastating it's presented us with an opportunity to build back better. I'll work with my communities in my electorate to ensure that they thrive as we recover and rebuild from COVID.I'd like to finish with some thankyous. Firstly to the voters in Whanganui South Taranaki and Stratford thank you for the faith that you have placed in me. I will represent everyone in our electorate regardless of who they voted for. My door is open. I acknowledge all of the mana whenua in our electorate and I look forward to working with you. Thank you to our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for all that you've done to support the people of Aotearoa in the last three years and for showing us there is a place for kindness in politics.I'd like to acknowledge some of the teachers from the nine different schools I went to. They helped me to grow and to find my voice. Adela Stiles Rae Karipa Lia Tuffield Tara McIlroy Sue Marr Bronwyn Bullock Jenny Shaw Doug Davidson and although not actually a teacher Jason Tamm. Thank you to the Whanganui Labour electorate committee for your incredible support over the last four years—in particular to Rhona who suggested I stand. I acknowledge those who have contributed over the years like Dave Vallely Bill Walmsley Jocelynne Labrum and Neville Pollock who can't be here and also Murray Wright and Dave Fieckert who are no longer with us. To my campaign team David Katrina Craig Jude Irving Rosemary—happy birthday by the way—Barbara Emma Jo Josh Bob Diana Steve and Helen you've stood by me through two gruelling campaigns. You've run a marathon at a sprinter's pace and I can never thank you enough for your support. To our volunteers who helped door-knock make phone calls staff our campaign shop run street corner meetings run events deliver leaflets take up and down signs donated or had a sign on your property I thank each of you. You are the heart and the soul of our campaigns. We could not have achieved this result without you.Thank you to the members and supporters who have come here today to see me. To my predecessors Russell Marshall and Jill Pettis I acknowledge you for the efforts and sacrifices you made for our electorate. To Hamish McDouall thank you for mentoring me at CLAW for your friendship and support. You started this journey by chipping away at National's majority. I also acknowledge Chester Borrows and Harete Hipango. I wish you and your families well. Thank you to Nicole Jane Tiffany Carla Emma Kean Sakura Ben Andreas Jennifer Kelly JP Dean Yvonne Jackie Mike and Nimmi for being part of my support crew. To my mum in the gallery and my dad thank you for your unwavering love and support for teaching me to dream to be humble and for the sacrifices you made for us kids. It's hard to believe that as of Saturday Dad's been gone for 11 years. I'd love to know what a National-voting farmer would make of his daughter being elected as a Labour MP!To my brother Robbie and my sisters Vicky Catherine and Mikaeyla thank you for your ongoing support and love and for keeping me grounded. To my husband Rob you are my rock. You've stood by me through thick and thin and always have a hug and a smile ready at just the right moment. I love you I adore you and I'm proud of you. To my wonderful daughter Scarlett you are and always will be my number one. You give me a reason to smile every day. I love you. I'm so proud of you and I hope that in the future you're proud of your mum too and that you look back and don't just remember missed bedtimes but lots of love and laughter too. Kia kaha kia māia kia manawanui hoki. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā rā tātou katoa.[Be strong be courageous be steadfast too. Greetings to one and all thank you.][Applause]SPEAKER: The sitting is suspended until 7 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6.04 p.m. to 7 p.m."