Foss CraigHon CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki): On 17 September 2005 Chris Tremain and I turned Hawke's Bay the best region in New Zealand National Party blue. Hawke's Bay has the best environment the best food the best wine the best apples the best lamb the best golf courses the best beaches the best restaurants the best cafes the best iwi and of course the best friendliest most laid-back people in New Zealand. The major difference between 2005 and 2017 in Hawke's Bay is the confidence we now have in ourselves across the bay that we can now begin to realise our awesome and amazing potential.To the families of Hawke's Bay thank you so much—thank you so much for the privilege of representing you for the past 12 years. The bay is absolutely humming. Confidence is up job growth is up investment is up—everything is heading in the right direction.To my Tukituki team especially Kevin Trerise and Ian Ellengold—what a successful ride we have had. To my campaign teams: Tony Mossman Todd Hansen Tim Morris Nick Stewart Laurie Harrison Jo Harvey Jackie Black Aimee Stewart—thank you so much to you to your families to your partners and to everyone else who has helped us along the way. We built in 2005 a new campaign model. We beat a Labour Minister and we won and we won and we won and we won. We are all finishing undefeated.To the Hansen family David in particular thank you so much—and of course the entire Shoal Beach gang who have been so supportive but kept me very very grounded.Since joining the Nats—the National Party—in 2000 throughout some initially very tough but later the best of times you could say I have done 17 years hard labour of which 12 years were as a National MP with 5½ years as a Minister. My parliamentary goals were always to be true to my values of honesty integrity trust fairness and empathy; to stay positive; and to always be respectful and never get nasty and personal. None of those attributes tend to rate very highly in the annual marks out of 10" score cards of political success but they matter totally for me and I think they matter a lot for most of New Zealand. For me politics was the price to pay for a better New Zealand. That price has been pretty expensive along the way as I increasingly struggled to fit my value set with the value sets and the values that are recognised and rewarded in politics.Recently on Parliament TV unfortunately it looked like I had a comb-over. I was mortified. I checked the mirror ran the tape again in slow motion and convinced myself that no I did not have a comb-over. It was just the harsh lighting on TV which incidentally also adds quite a few kilos to all of us—I know that all members will agree with me on that one.I entered Parliament to help build a better Hawke's Bay and a better New Zealand—a country that would have a decent chance at sharing our children's future. We have come so far since 2005 when 30000 friends and family were leaving New Zealand every single year. Family and friends are now coming home and staying home. That is the best measure of what a great fantastic country New Zealand is. But there is so much yet to do to lock in our hard-won gains and to continually realise and raise expectations of what is possible in this stunningly beautiful country.To me the "black box" of politics was—and often is still—quite a mystery. Sometimes it does not matter how logical rational good work and positive outcomes might go into the "black box" of politics; sometimes quite illogical irrational and negative outcomes come out of that "black box". But that is politics.When CJ and I first flew into Wellington in 2005 we were greeted by a quite pleasant chap. He offered us a ride into Parliament. He seemed very interested in us and was asking a lot of questions. This was a very early lesson in politics. We later discovered he was from the lobby firm Saunders Unsworth and he used that information to complete a book about new MPs which they went on to sell for about $600 a pop.For the past few months I have been in the "departure lounge" on the ground floor of Parliament House. The press gallery much to our horror recently moved in next door to their very flash newly refurbished offices. Press gallery photos going back over 100 years now adorn our corridor and I could swear that some of the current press gallery members who often advocate for renewal and rejuvenation feature in some of those very early photos.To my wonderful wife Kristal and my darling daughters Sophie and Laura—thank you so much for allowing me to do this crazy job which at times totally took my attention away and blinded me to the things that really matter. Kristal you deserve such thanks such recognition and no doubt a showering of gifts. What incredible strength you have my darling. Sophie thank you so much for all your support. Mum and Dad are so very very proud of you. The world is totally yours for taking—you are so very very talented. Laura thank you so much for all of your support. Mum and Dad are so proud of you. You have only ever known me as an MP but yes I am very keen to be your helper your driver and your chief horse poo picker-upper as long as I am needed. I have practised a lot down here.To my parents Ray and Rosemary who always believed their little boy from Taitā and Naenae and Lower Hutt could become an MP—thank you Mum and I have finally forgiven you for my having to wear the plastic rugby boots when times were a bit tough in our early days. To my brother Brett and his family Leonie Mikayla and Zoe; to my sister Sharon—and happy birthday to Sharon—and her family Alan and Claire; to Ann Benda who looked out for me even as a little boy in Taitā; and also to Kristal's family Graeme Nick David Stefan Kathy and your wonderful families—thank you so much for all of your support.I am a total team player always putting the team before myself and I value immensely the teams I have built and worked alongside. Everyone who has been part of "Team Foss" over the years is very special to me and I am indebted to you.We depend very very heavily on our electorate staff and increasingly so as we become Ministers. Susanna Clark thank you so much. I am sure you will whip Lawrence into shape as much as you have trained me. I so wish Glen was still with us at least to keep you in line! I would even drive a Holden if it would bring him back.Matthew Kenning who has been by my side right from the start—thanks mate. You are an absolute legend. And by the way the only reason I gave you a hard time about your beard was because of my pathetic attempts to try to grow one myself. Judy Young constantly bossing us around and telling us off—thank you so much Judy. Faith Sarten and Susan Palmer from my original parliamentary team Julie Hartnell Leanne Marshall and Jo Lyndon—thank you again so much. To Rachael Kerr who is watching in Dubai I think now—congrats on your new adventure. Your wicked sense of humour was exposed to us all when Judy told us how she worked out how much her husband Alan weighed. To Steph McKay—we had such great fun together and I forgive you for always being that person whom Customs Immigration and security always pull aside for a quick chat. Lauren Newell you have done a great job. Back yourself and you will do very very well.To my oldest and truest friends my mates from primary school and secondary school and of course the legendary Hutt Old Boys J7 Scaley Scumbag Griffith Memorial Trophy winners—sorry for losing touch. Please put a beer in the fridge. I will be coming round for a catch up. Your pride at my success and your messages when I have been under the pump have been so so valuable to me.To our "class of 2005"—the National Party class—we have had a lot of fun together. There were 24 of us who came in. Our whips were terrified of us. They were terrified of the trouble our idle hands could make as we outnumbered the wise heads. They desperately searched for ways to keep us busy and out of trouble. I still remember the classic line from our whip at the time: "Talk to me if you have anything to hide and in the meantime read all of the briefings to the incoming Ministers and select committee reports." Of course we did. Our Wednesday night drinks often finished some time early on Thursday morning as we shared our wisdom strategies and solutions. Most political problems were solved on those nights but were somehow forgotten the next morning.My first ministerial role was as Minister for Racing. On day one having just received my warrant I proudly sat at my desk on the sixth floor of Bowen House contemplating the racing industry. I looked out the window and much to my amusement and surprise there in my direct line of sight mounted on top of the cenotaph was the rear end of a horse.As Minister I represented the Government at numerous national days. For the Russian national day my speech was written phonetically. I thought I had delivered it very well pronouncing all the tough words as they appeared in front of me. I later learnt that I had welcomed the diplomatic corpse instead of the diplomatic corps. Apparently Murray McCully did not notice any difference.As Minister of Broadcasting I attended my first board meeting with Television New Zealand in its offices in Auckland opposite the Skycity hotel. All was going very well as I was seriously laying out my plans and ambitions for broadcasting. Much to my surprise a naked man appeared above the shoulder of the chairman. I am sure this naked bloke had absolutely no idea that at that moment the sun was at just the right angle for us to see him standing starkers at his window looking down on the board meeting of Television New Zealand. And for the record no I did not recognise him.I loved the irony of being driven down at 160 kilometres per hour on a 14-lane freeway of oil-black asphalt between Abu Dhabi and Dubai powered by a deliciously humming V8 combustion engine when with me were the environmental spokespeople from the Greens and the Labour Party who were also enjoying the ride.I leave behind many legendary exploits I say as a member of the Parliamentary Rugby Team. The highlight was playing and beating England at Twickenham. In another game I marked and heroically crash-tackled All Black legend Frank Bunce. I thought I had done very well and I was thinking that the All Black selectors would now realise the error of their ways for never ever picking me. Sadly a photo was taken of the incident. It shows me on the ground wrapped around Frank's ankles holding on for dear life while he is beautifully balanced getting a pass away oblivious to this puffing wreck on the ground below him.Thank you so much to my various private secretaries whose contribution makes all the difference. You are such valuable members of our team. I heard back from a department where an official wrote: "It was an honour to work for a Minister of his integrity and determination."Statistics New Zealand is probably the most undervalued asset on the Crown balance sheet. It is a golden nugget a centre of absolute global excellence of data gathering analytics and stewardship. I hope it can cope with the disruption that is coming. I worked very hard with Statistics New Zealand to change its culture to an open-data environment. On two separate occasions different male private secretaries took this openness a bit too far for literally for a few hours in the Beehive office they decided that wearing trousers was optional.To the staff from the various portfolios and select committees CEOs and chiefs New Zealand and I owe you so much. You are the foundation for New Zealand consistently being at the top of global rankings for public service transparency accountability and excellence.I have had 17 different portfolios and many select committees often as chair or deputy. I drove the reform of the New Zealand financial markets company consumer credit and protection and intellectual property law. We now have world-best commercial and consumer legislation. Watching loan sharks now being held to account in the courts is very satisfying.The Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMC) was a massive piece of legislation—about 700 pages—to update upgrade and modernise the New Zealand capital markets. We introduced new ways and new pathways for capital such as crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending. The FMC is the platform that can enable New Zealand to realise and leverage its excellent position around the world. My reference points were always quite simple and the context of the question I would always pose was what was in the best long-term interest for New Zealand. My mission was always to lower the financial risk premium on New Zealand thereby lowering the cost of capital. Or to put it simply all of these reforms contribute to lower mortgages for us all.The passing of the Patents Act was initially quite a struggle. Feelings got quite heated. One side was saying I was captured by evil American software companies; the other side said the world would end if I did not allow patents for software. We found a solution and the bill passed unanimously. There was always an obvious clue to the direction I was going to take. My surname is Foss—the acronym for free open-source software—and they missed it. Turning off analog TV to make all broadcasts digital was another highlight.I appointed many people to many different boards. I was asked why I kept rejecting the initial lists of finalists for appointees. I replied that there were hardly ever any women Māori Pacific Islanders or Asians on the final lists. Very competent and successful female directors are out there just waiting to be asked. In the end I think I appointed at least 50 percent females in my time. Diversity is not a threat. It is not some trendy silly lefty idea. It is actually quite rational and sensible. Studies demonstrate that organisations that embrace diversity actually outperform organisations that do not. It is not a big deal; just get on with it.Prime Minister I wish you and our team the very very best. Your experience depth intellect and respect on the world stage serve New Zealand so well. In these globally turbulent times stability and experience are exactly what is needed to keep our country safe our economy growing and our family and friends at home or returning home. Your strong family values and your faith serve New Zealand very well.There are many issues that Parliament talks about that much as we would like to we simply cannot fix. An attitudinal and cultural shift is needed to stop so much of the hurt. To begin we need more homes than houses more dads than fathers more mums than mothers more nanas and grandads and fewer caregivers. Far too many partners—far far too many partners—are abusive. Children are getting hurt. Unconditional love is not known not felt not even recognised by far far too many. That must change. That must stop. And the change must start now.My personal highlight in Government was as Minister of Veterans' Affairs. We owe the freedom of this House and this country to so many who were put or put themselves between us and danger. Let me share a story that started at 12.51 on 22 February 2011 in Christchurch. I was in the tragic and incredibly frightening big earthquake. I was so lucky to get out that night back to Wellington. I was attending a business luncheon when the quake struck. I took refuge under a table with would you believe Michael Cullen and about 20 others. As we left the smashed-up restaurant I turned round to Michael and said: "Mate don't take it personally but I really didn't want to spend my last few hours with you." "To be fair" Michael said "the feeling's mutual."When we were safely outside I called Gerry Brownlee. I said there had just been a huge earthquake in Christchurch and asked whether there was anything I could do to help him and his family. He said: "Thanks mate. Sorry but I'm in rehab." I thought: "Really?". I hung up thinking: "Well Gerry's in rehab. We've kept that quiet." Actually as it turned out Gerry was in Riyadh Saudi Arabia not in rehab.There were many many deaths in Christchurch particularly in the CTV Building. New Zealand and Turkey forged an enduring and unique bond at Gallipoli in 1915. What is not commonly known is that a beautiful 31 years young Turkish woman Didem Yaman who was killed in the Christchurch quake was actually from Gallipoli. While I was in Gallipoli in 2015 for the centenary of Anzac Day I visited her dad. There was a shrine to her in his home. Her passport her tandem skydiving photos her library cards and photos she had sent home were all on display. With all the conflict and terror around the world at any time at that moment nothing else mattered as I comforted that dad. He missed his daughter so very very much. We hugged and we cried. Atatürk's famous words that our Johnnies were now safe were now even more true—with a few changes—with this Turkish woman now resting in New Zealand.In April 2015 I took a taonga to Gallipoli. I wanted to take something from Hawke's Bay to the place where so many from Hawke's Bay and the East Coast had served and now lay buried. The whānau of the late great Tama Huata gave me a stone from the Tukituki River that was blessed with the mauri of the Tukituki and Heretaunga. In April 2015 I placed that stone on the mass grave of 632 New Zealanders buried at the top of Chunuk Bair. In August 2015 I visited again for the commemorations of Chunuk Bair. We climbed the Kiwi track and on reaching the top found the stone now well nestled into the ground. Someone had placed a pounamu on top of it. An incredible sadness came up from the ground and enveloped all of us. That very very special moment will stay with me for ever.I am very proud to have led the policy change to allow repatriation of New Zealand soldiers buried outside of a recognised war cemetery. I visited each soldier's grave in Malaysia and Singapore. I paid my respects and placed a poppy on every grave. As I placed my poppy the New Zealand uniformed defence representative accorded his compliments and saluted. I discovered that one soldier's wedding anniversary was on the day we were at his grave in Malaysia. His wife was still alive in New Zealand. I quietly organised a full bouquet of flowers for the soldier and placed it on his headstone.Recently I was asked why I did not tell the press about that type of story—I have many many similar stories. It would have been a great tear jerker of a story for TV and media and fantastic for my political image. I replied that I just did not want the integrity of what I was doing or the dignity of the soldiers to be diluted in any way by a few free headlines back home. I simply did what was right and dignified. Throughout my career I would often weigh up gaining political advantage and profile versus doing what was right and good. I kept the faith that those in the end who truly matter will know of the good that I have done. Some say it is my political weakness; I say it is my personal strength.Finally I have recently completed the advanced management programme at the No. 1 business school in the world INSEAD. That programme was a stunning reminder to me of what can be achieved in a positive stimulating and diverse environment. I am very proud to have been chosen as one of the leaders of 79 CEOs and C-suite people from 33 different countries.I would describe my time in Parliament in one word: awesome. Of course there have been a few bumps and disruptions along the way but they are so outweighed by the amazing opportunities and unique experiences. It has been a total privilege to be the member of Parliament for Tukituki Hawke's Bay. Please take care of yourselves. They say nice guys finish last in politics; on the contrary this nice guy is finishing first. Thank you very much.[Applause]"