Macindoe Tim: Address in ReplyText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMacindoe Tim: Address in Reply[Sitting date: 30 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:434. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West):There are just 8 minutes left of the 1140 minutes allocated for this Address in Reply debate and I have counted every one of them. The motion that was so ably moved by Chris Bishop and seconded by Barbara Kuriger just 9 days ago—it seems so much longer—notes that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General in reply to His Excellency’s speech which was delivered earlier that day in the Legislative Council Chamber. The Speech from the Throne demonstrated the continued energy and determination of a competent and busy Government that is focused on the issues that matter to New Zealanders. That verdict was emphatically delivered by the electorate on 20 September. Like my colleague Jami-Lee Ross I am very proud to be a member of the New Zealand National Party which is delivering in Government on the promises that we campaigned on in 2008 in 2011 and again in 2014.There is no doubt that John Key will go down in history as one of the finest Prime Ministers this country has ever known. He and his Government ably supported in important measures by our confidence and supply partners—the Māori Party ACT and United Future—are making a very positive difference in a wide range of vitally important matters for this country. I am delighted to be the final speaker in a debate that supports the proposition and to add my view that we are very well served by our current Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae. I thank him and Lady Mateparae for their dignified and unstinting service to our nation. I want to congratulate all the presiding officers. Mr Speaker you lead a team of very experienced and capable people who I am sure will serve us well in this Parliament.Along with others I want to congratulate all the new MPs in this House. What an impressive batch of maiden speeches we have been treated to over the last fortnight. I echo the comments of the Hon Phil Goff last night that maiden speeches are inspiring and uplifting because they so often reflect the humanity and values of those who are delivering them in a way that is not always apparent in our subsequent contributions in this House. All 24 of the maiden speeches that we have heard in the past fortnight were of a very high standard. I congratulate the new members on the effort and thought they all put into them and I look forward to working alongside them in the years to come.I am especially delighted by the outstanding new National Party crop—the class of 2014. There are many future stars in our caucus and I know that many of them will be going far. That is great for our party and for a good Government in the years to come. I congratulate all the new and returning Ministers and wish them well in the important duties they will undertake. I especially wish my predecessor as Government senior whip the Hon Louise Upston well. She is a very focused and hard-working member who fully deserves her promotion. I enjoyed serving as her deputy from the start of last year. I thank my caucus colleagues for electing me to the position of senior whip—at least I thank them but sometimes I wonder about it—and also for the commensurate promotion for my good colleague on my left Jami-Lee Ross the member for Botany; and we welcome Joanne Hayes as the third member of the Government whips team. Already she is making a fine contribution in our office.I want to thank the voters of Hamilton West for re-electing me with a further increase in my majority. I do not take their support for granted—firstly because Hamilton West remains the true bellwether electorate of New Zealand. History shows that where Hamilton West goes so goes the nation. Once again our party vote almost exactly mirrored the party vote right across the country. And secondly half of the predecessors in my role were defeated after just one term in office. I am only the third MP to have been elected to serve three consecutive terms in Hamilton West following in the footsteps of the late Mike Minogue who was a fellow Nat but probably the last member of a National Party caucus who would have been chosen to serve as a whip in any of the Governments led by Sir Robert Muldoon and my immediate predecessor and good friend councillor Martin Gallagher. Some of the new members may not know that Mike Minogue’s career was brought to an end by our newest Assistant Speaker the Hon Trevor Mallard in the Labour landslide of 1984 which I note was just a mere 6 years before the new member for Clutha-Southland entered the world. Martin Gallagher holds the record for having served four terms—although it was with a 3-year holiday between his first and second terms—so my next electoral goal is to trump his achievement.We always have to work very hard in Hamilton West campaigns. I want to thank my excellent campaign committee led by Giles Brant and the electorate team led by Stephen King. What a wonderful effort they and all our loyal supporters throughout the city put in. It is humbling to be a candidate in those circumstances and I am deeply grateful for their combined efforts. The credit for our win is deservedly shared by so many. I acknowledge candidates from all parties who stood but were unsuccessful because their contribution to our democracy was incredibly important and I know full well just what huge sacrifices were involved not only for them but for their immediate families. In fact as my class of 2008 colleagues never tire of reminding me I know better than anyone I think in this House how to lose an election campaign. If I win again in 2017 I will finally have achieved a 50 percent pass mark in all the elections I have contested.Last weekend in my electorate Hamilton West School which is one of the oldest in New Zealand celebrated its sesquicentenary and I had the privilege of helping to unveil a plaque in a garden featuring a sculpture by the renowned sculptor David Lloyd and to plant a kauri tree in the grounds close to one that was planted as part of the school’s centennial celebrations in 1964. It was a glorious day—well of course every day is glorious in Hamilton—and the atmosphere matched the weather. I want to congratulate the principal Mark Penman; board of trustees chair Rachel Chapman; their staff and trustees; and all the organising committee and school families for the memorable and highly successful reunion. I thank them for the superb contribution that that fine school has made to our city and the sound teaching and guidance imparted to all who have passed through the gates during the past 150 years.I am very proud of our constitutional arrangements. Our Westminster system of democracy has delivered stability freedom and respect for the rule of law; an appropriate balance between the functions of the judiciary the executive and the legislature; and many other features that we often take for granted but are cruelly denied to so many people in other parts of the world. I am therefore a strong supporter of our constitutional monarchy and hope that we will continue to uphold it and respect it for many years to come. The alternatives are much less attractive and far less unifying.However I do believe that the time has come for New Zealand to adopt a more distinctive and recognisable flag. Much of the Union Jack is a wonderful design reflecting the heritage of many in this House myself included. I think it is anomalous for our country to continue to have a flag that has another country’s flag incorporated within it. I understand and respect the concerns of some of our returned servicemen and women in this matter. My own father uncle and grandfather all served in the major conflicts of the 20th century. Indeed the uncle I never knew was killed in action in 1945 and buried in Italy. But the emblem on their tombstones is not the flag; it is the silver fern. I believe it would be appropriate for that to be incorporated into our flag where it would gain widespread respect and support I feel sure.I proudly swore the oath on Monday of last week to commence my third term in this House. As others have noted in this debate it is a great privilege to serve as a member of Parliament and I and all my colleagues will do our level best to serve not only the good folk of our electorates but all who sent us here in the important work that we will undertake during the course of the 51st New Zealand Parliament.