Wedd CatherineCATHERINE WEDD (National—Tukituki): Thank you Mr Speaker and congratulations on your role. We first officially met when you visited Hawke's Bay just after Cyclone Gabrielle devastated our region and your experience compassion and guidance was greatly appreciated.SPEAKER: Thank you very much. It's kind of you to say.CATHERINE WEDD: We all know how hard it is to get a seat in this House. It's a privilege and honour to represent the electorate of Tukituki—Hastings Heretaunga the fruit bowl of New Zealand the heart of my electorate. I'm proud to stand here as the first female National Party MP for Tukituki and wow did we turn Tukituki blue—a record majority of over 10000; the biggest majority the seat has ever had. Thank you Tukituki and provincial New Zealand. You spoke for positive change and a Government which will reward success and be aspirational for all New Zealanders.I want to congratulate our inspirational Prime Minister the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon and our amazing deputy leader Nicola Willis who I am proud to stand behind as they lead our team to get New Zealand back on track. To our party president Sylvia Wood: thank you for your trust and confidence in me. I won't let you down. Thank you to my Tukituki campaign team: Jo Harvey Bel Ben Kadin Andrew Dennis Lisa Ian Trevor and Rosie. It takes a team and your commitment has been incredible. I would like to acknowledge our former Tukituki National MPs: Craig Foss for his guidance and Lawrence Yule for backing and mentoring me all the way. We come to this House because we want to make a positive difference. I respect the privilege of being here and I will make every moment count.As a former broadcast journalist I've always been a storyteller telling others' stories. Now this my maiden speech is a chance for me to tell you my story outlining the chapters that have already been written and the chapters I am yet to write. I am Catherine Wedd; I was Catherine Loft. My father is Simon Loft a farmer from Ōhura near Taumarunui in the King Country. My mother was Joanna Tolhurst from Whanganui. My grandfather Bill Tolhurst was the National MP for Whanganui in 1969 and my grandmother Jeni Tolhurst also ran for Parliament in 1981. Grandma never got a seat in this House but she was a woman before her time when it wasn't common for women to be MPs with just eight female MPs being elected that year. I know she would be so proud to see her granddaughter standing here now among 57 other female MPs in this 54th Parliament.I share a simple quote from my grandfather's maiden speech: Action is better than words." I joined the National Party because I respect the value of rewarding hard work and getting things done. Enough of the ideology and the bureaucracy and the talk; it's time for more action. With politics in my blood I've wanted to be an MP since I was a little girl. When I was 10 years old I buried a time capsule at our primary school and I wrote a letter to myself that I opened 10 years later. In that letter I wrote that I wanted to be a lawyer a broadcast radio journalist and a politician—perhaps the three most unpopular professions of this century! I'm no crystal ball gazer but that's what I did. I did law I became a TV reporter for One News and then the BBC in London and now the political chapter begins. Personal responsibility creating your own destiny and limited government are the National Party values and why I'm here—having a goal and making it happen.I am one of five children and I want to acknowledge my siblings and their wives and husbands—Jeremy Matt and Julia Rachel and Murray and Georgie—who have all supported my journey. My older brother Jeremy is intellectually disabled and has never been able to talk. We learnt sign language as kids and were always taught that we can overcome adversity. All my life I have been protective of my brother standing up for him when he was challenged at school standing up for his rights to a normal life. I understand the challenges faced by families who also have loved ones challenged by a disability. But my brother is an absolute inspiration for our family. He's had successful jobs at trucking companies and is now working on a dairy farm. This is someone who has never been able to talk in his life but he has never been held back by his disability because we focus on his ability self-responsibility and independence. To my brother Jeremy you make our family proud every day. Thank you to the amazing work of IHC and all the carers for the past 46 years. You have such an impact on the lives of so many families across New Zealand including ours and I will always be a strong advocate for those with disabilities.To my mother Joanna who trained as a teacher but never finished her training; instead at 19 she had three children under three and put all her efforts into teaching us. My mother knows the power of education to create equality. Mum has been behind me all the way never accepting mediocrity encouraging me to go higher and higher. Living nearly an hour out of town along the Forgotten World Highway down 10 kilometres of gravel road education often isn't easy but a parent's commitment can make a good education possible. To my farmer dad I thank you for my softer side my sense of humour and my relentless optimism and for teaching me that we should always treat others as we wish to be treated. I've walked alongside you in my gumboots across the King Country hills. I know how hard Kiwi farmers work to make a living. Growing up a farmer's daughter I was taught to work hard spending my school holidays rouseying in the shearing sheds docking lambs and chipping thistles. I had a wonderful rural upbringing and never wanted for much. But life hasn't always been easy. I've seen those closest to me struggle with alcohol and addiction. So many families in New Zealand struggle with addiction. It's destructive and dangerous but admitting my mother to rehab was positively life changing for her and our family. I want to acknowledge the amazing work of the Salvation Army rehabilitation programmes which have helped turn the lives of so many New Zealanders around. I'm a strong supporter of community rehabilitation and programmes where we can support victims and offer more opportunity for people to make positive choices. Our communities get the best outcomes not centralised bureaucracy. This is not the first time that I've stood in this House. In 1997 I stood here as a Youth MP in my final year at school; and after completing a law degree at Canterbury University and then becoming a TV reporter I've also stood up there as a journalist. In front of the camera I was telling the stories holding the politicians to account. Now on the other side I want to acknowledge the media and the work you do to ensure the New Zealand public have transparency and accountability. Fair balanced reporting is so important and upholding the integrity and independence of our fourth estate must be a priority and I will stand up always to ensure the lines of balance aren't blurred. During my time as a journalist I connected with thousands of people whether it was the mum with a brain tumour who was appealing for funding for cancer drugs to give her more time with her little girl the parents who lost their son in a drink-driving accident and who wanted more education to save lives or the rape victim who wanted tougher sentencing and more support for victims. As a journalist I had the power to influence as a storyteller. It inspired me to now become a story-maker being part of a team creating the action for a positive narrative. As a strong debater at university and school I'm a big believer in free speech. If we aren't delivering strong arguments for the policies we believe in we aren't doing our job. I respect that across this House we want the best outcomes but we just have a different way of achieving them. Growing up in an extremely competitive family I've played competitive sports. Sports teams have shaped me and continue to play a large role in our family's life but I believe that politics is the supreme team sport where we must work as a team to achieve positive outcomes. I would like to congratulate my Hawke's Bay team-mate Katie Nimon for Napier. We turned the Bay blue and as a team I know we are going to do great things for Hawke's Bay. Across the House I'd also like to acknowledge Cushla Tangaere-Manuel MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. I also look forward to our working together. I arrived in Hawke's Bay 13 years ago. Living in London and working for the BBC I met my Kiwi husband Henry. We were Kiwis travelling the world before we moved back to the best place in the world—Hawke's Bay—where we settled down and had our four children. It's here I became heavily involved in the horticulture sector head of marketing for one of our largest exporters and sitting on the board of New Zealand Apples and Pears. Tukituki is the engine of horticulture in this country and in my roles I've been responsible for promoting our premium produce adding value to the amazing produce we grow and helping diversify the overseas markets we send our products to. Spending time in China's high-end supermarkets and walking the bustling wholesale markets of Vietnam I've seen firsthand the potential and opportunity for our New Zealand exports seeing how an ordinary apple grown in the orchards of Hawke's Bay can be brought to life on the red carpets in Asia. As a small food-producing country we need to be aspirational for our primary industries. At the bottom of the globe we're never going to feed the world. We need to play to our competitive advantage and that's growing the most premium produce in the world. I'm proud to be part of a National Government which will drive more productivity in this country by stopping the war inflicted on our farmers and growers. It's time to reduce the red tape regulation and compliance and get our economy going once again. It's time to make it easier for our farmers to farm our growers to grow and our exporters to export. This is the way to get ahead. But we can't grow our economy at the expense of the environment. After working for an organic grower and exporter I know we can run profitable businesses while also enhancing our environment for future generations. We must protect "New Zealand Inc." and harness our pure green image so we maintain our competitive advantage on the global stage. After Cyclone Gabrielle we saw the powerful destruction of mother Nature and the importance of having resilient infrastructure. Our cyclone victims are still hurting and I will continue to stand up for you as we work hard to build back better. There are several projects for Hawke's Bay that I support and will fight for and want to put on record in this House. The four-lane expressway between Hastings and Napier has to happen a new Hawke's Bay hospital must be a priority and water storage in Hawke's Bay is an absolute must. If we're going to continue to grow as a region these three infrastructure projects are critical to Hawke's Bay's future. As a mother of four children education is also an area I'm really passionate about. It's the pathway to a job and a lifetime of success but currently we are failing our vulnerable children. We need to move away from the bureaucracy and focus on what matters inside the classroom. I've had a diverse education going to both the lowest- and highest-decile schools but at the core of it all I had amazing teachers who focused on literacy and maths and on teaching the basics brilliantly. We need to lift education in this country and get back to basics. Tukituki—Hawke's Bay—is the best place on earth to live and we are so proud to call it our home. Although we have some rebuilding to do after the cyclone Tukituki's best days are ahead. It's an honour to serve the people of Hastings Flaxmere Havelock North Clive Maraekākaho Te Awhanga Haumoana Waimārama Ongaonga Ōtāne and Tikokino. We have a diverse electorate representing a diverse range of people. Ki a koutou ngā hapū me ngā marae o Te Matau-a-Māui kia ora kia kaha tātou. [To you the hapū and marae of Hawke's Bay thanks be strong.]I'd like to acknowledge Ngāti Kahungunu. I look forward to working together and standing together to ensure our region Te Matau-a-Māui grows together. I support a multicultural New Zealand. Our country is enriched by migration. With growing Hawke's Bay industries immigration is so important and I've been a relentless supporter of the Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) scheme which sees thousands of RSE workers from the Pacific Islands coming to our Hawke's Bay orchards every year—labour shortages are filled our economy grows more jobs are created and our Pacific neighbours are enriched as they return with money for their families and communities. I'd also like to acknowledge our Hawke's Bay - Hastings Sikh community for welcoming my family into yours. New Zealand is your home and your dreams for a better life here should be supported and fulfilled. As I make my closing statement I turn to my family. To my darling children—Sophie 13; Hugo 11; Hannah nine; and Charlie six—I apologise in advance for Mum not always being there but I promise to be there when I can and to make sure that New Zealand is a country where all children can pursue their dreams. I love you all so much and I am determined to make you proud. Being a working mum isn't always easy—the time sacrifices we make can hurt—but the positive difference we can make can also be great. Finding the balance is the art we must master as mums. I'm proud to be representing the working mums of young children in this House. It is time to stand up for Kiwi parents respect hard work and help families to get ahead. I believe that families should be at the core of our policy decision-making. Finally my biggest thanks and my acknowledgment goes to my husband Henry who is my absolute rock. You are the reason I am here. Your commitment to our community is just as large as mine. Although you don't like the limelight the work you do behind the scenes is immense. We are a strong team and I wouldn't be standing here today without the sacrifices you have made. We love Tukituki. It's the best place on this earth to raise our family and we are so proud to represent all families. I will ensure I always back provincial New Zealand. I won't accept mediocrity. I'm aspirational for our country of New Zealand so now is the time to serve and get to work. Thank you. [Applause]SPEAKER: To make a maiden speech to the House I call on Tom Rutherford."