Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Kua hinga te tōtara i te wao nui a Tāne. Kua hinga he rangatira o ngā reo irirangi o Aotearoa. Ki te whānau pani ki te whānau whānui o Merv Smith ka nui aku mihi aroha ki a koutou. Ki a koe Merv moe mai moe mai moe mai rā. Haere haere haere atu rā. Ki te hunga ora tēnā koutou katoa. Mā Te Atua tātou e manaaki e tiaki e arahi ki te ara tika i ngā wā katoa. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Speaker. A tōtara has fallen in the great forest of Tāne. A great leader in New Zealand radio has died. To the bereaved family indeed to the wider family of Merv Smith I extend to you my deep sympathy. To you Merv rest in eternal peace. Farewell farewell farewell. To all of you who remain I offer you my greetings. May God always bless us look after us and lead us all on the right pathway. Greetings to one and all.]We live today in a society which is very much celebrating the celebrity culture a culture that has coined the phrase famous for being famous". Once upon a time fame was a by-product of actually doing something that was impressive. Back in his day Merv Smith was very famous. He was probably the most famous radio broadcaster this country has ever produced. Being on radio and television was his natural place to be. He was a by-product of incredible talent. He was sharp witted and had an amazing ability for mimicry. But also there was this natural kindness and a jolliness about him and those features enabled his listeners to connect with him. He was relatable and that's an absolute skill that broadcasters who are at the top of their game are able to bring. They are able to connect with their audience and Merv had that. But he was more than that.For 48 years Merv Smith read stories and recorded books for the blind. What a great contribution he made. Also in Auckland he set up a radio station. It was a country radio station. Now in radio we would have a bit of a joke about that station because it played two types of music: country and western. He was most loved indeed was Merv Smith and he also had some amazing qualities. He didn't have any sense of entitlement he didn't have an inflated ego and he didn't seek the limelight. Fame for him was a by-product of being a good and decent man and he had so much to give our society. If anyone in broadcasting should have received a knighthood it should have been Merv Smith. So farewell to you Merv Smith. You will be missed.The radio industry really is a different beast to the days of Merv Smith. We've had to adjust to a global media landscape. But radio has thrived interestingly as traditional media though generally haven't so much. So I turn my mind briefly now to community radio Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori our iwi radio network. They are doing some amazing work in the communities they are connected to. They are protecting the taonga of Te Reo Māori and they are ensuring that the dialects are preserved for our language preservation for us and our tamariki into the future. So I'd just like today to acknowledge the contribution that iwi radio has made and to congratulate all those who work inside that industry. You are the backbone of radio and you're really our last bastion of community radio. New Zealand First is very proud to support iwi radio.Speaking of radio everyone needs a theme song and so I'd like to finish my contribution by making a suggestion or two about theme songs. Just to cheer up the Opposition a little bit I'd like to suggest a theme song for the Leader of the Opposition the Hon Simon Bridges. Now we're not talking about Eminem or anything Eminem-esque at all or any "pretty legal" rendition whatsoever and even too with his gangsta fingers—the finger guns that he's been pointing lately—no Wiggles song for him. No I would like to suggest something really Kiwi for the Leader of the Opposition. Bearing in mind that they're dealing with the leak and the boat is no longer going in the right direction—probably about to sink very fast—I would like to suggest the 1982 hit song from Split Enz those boys from Te Awamutu "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"."