Hunt Jonathan: Adjournment Sittings of the House 
Hunt Jonathan: Adjournment Sittings of the House 
[Volume:622;Page:18146] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Fellow members of Parliament as the second session of the forty-seventh Parliament comes to a close I wish to pay tribute to all the people who contribute to the efficient functioning of this House. I particularly want to say how proud I was to be here in the 150th year of our democracy. I want to pay special tribute to the work that was done by Michelle Janse Beverley Cathcart and others in helping that to be such a wonderful occasion. I must acknowledge the support of my colleague and Deputy Speaker Ann Hartley and congratulate her on a very good year’s work. I also thank Assistant Speakers Clem Simich and Ross Robertson both of whom have the respect and admiration of the House. As a team they have been very great to work with. I extend my profound thanks to Clerk of the House Dave McGee QC. Mr McGee is widely respected internationally for his profound knowledge and in my time as Speaker I have come to value very greatly his sound advice and support to me personally as well as his role in the efficient conduct of the House. 
Thank you also to the Deputy Clerk of the House Mary Harris and to all members of the staff of the Clerk’s Office for their professional and administrative skills in servicing the Table of the House compiling  
Hansard 
 records processing legislation questions and petitions and serving select committees. 
I thank the general manager of Parliamentary Service Joel George in this his first full year for the excellent job that he has done for his professional advice and effective administration of this essential area. To all the senior managers of the Parliamentary Service members of the support staff including members’ executive securities support staff of the various parliamentary parties staff of the Parliamentary Library—and I think the library staff this year have been extraordinarily good to work with—Chamber and gallery officers security staff building services staff telephonists travel office staff and the reception and visitor services staff I give my special thanks. 
Thanks to Serjeant-at-Arms Brent Smith and to all those who work with him to uphold the traditions and propriety of the Chamber and to welcome visitors to the parliamentary galleries. They are an essential part of the running of Parliament. Thank you to Chief Parliamentary Counsel George Tanner and his staff for their role in processing legislation. 
My thanks to all those who have worked to support the committees that I chair—the Business Committee the Parliamentary Service Commission the Standing Orders Committee and the Officers of Parliament Committee. I would also like to thank the Controller and Auditor-General Kevin Brady and his staff for the highly professional services they provide and thank you also to the Chief Ombudsman John Belgrave his fellow Ombudsman Mel Smith and their staff for the valuable role they play. 
I wish also to acknowledge today the sterling contribution of Judge Anand Satyanand who recently resigned his Ombudsman role. Thank you also to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Morgan Williams. 
To the leaders of parties in this House their deputies the Leader of the House Dr Michael Cullen—who does occasionally even cause me to have to stop and laugh—and the party whips I give my thanks. I acknowledge the efforts of all members of Parliament. I am one of those who believes that during all the time I have been in Parliament just about every member of Parliament does work enormously hard in the interests of his or her constituents—and with different views but that is part of a democracy. 
A special thankyou to the research services for their work on behalf of MPs in sometimes making the speeches that MPs give vaguely intelligent. I extend a personal thanks to my own staff Sean Rota Pam Reader Roland Todd—who keeps count all the time for me—Bethney McLennan and Nury Olivares as well as to Helen Kennelly from the Deputy Speaker’s Office and Jill Forbes from the Chamber and gallery staff for additional support during the year. Thanks also to my electorate secretaries in west Auckland Christine Schuster Margaret Sutton and Shibo Zhang for their important efforts on behalf of constituents. I thank you all again for all your support and work throughout the year and for the contribution you make not just to this House but also to New Zealand and its peoples. 
I would like to thank the various leaders who have spoken today and I thank them very much for the very kind comments they have made about me. As I draw this session of Parliament to a close and you go to join your friends and family for the coming break I wish you all well until we meet here again in February 2005. 
Motion agreed to.