Valedictory Statement

I rise to give my valedictory speech. When I first rose in Parliament to deliver my maiden speech on 11 May 1967, I said: “As the member of Parliament for New Lynn and as a member of the Labour Party, I believe that every child has the right to a free education of the kind for which he is best fitted and to the full extent of his natural ability. No accident of colour or creed must stand in his way. Our cultural progress, our living standards, and our democracy itself depend upon a sound educational system. In particular I would stress our living standards. A nation which wishes to foster a rapid rate of economic growth cannot afford to neglect education. As Professor F. W. Holmes said to the Commission on Education in 1962, ‘Expenditures on developing the capacities of human beings are at least as important from a purely economic point of view as those expenditures on building, plant and equipment, which are classed as investment or capital formation in the official statistics of income and expenditure.’ ” In fact, Professor Holmes was saying what many of us tend to overlook—namely, that all the machinery in the world is no substitute for know-how.

When I reflect on that first statement that I made to the House, I should perhaps have said “his or her”—one probably would have to say that these days—but apart from that, I like to stand by those remarks that I made then. I have all my life had a passionate belief in the need to promote the highest standards of education in our community, and I have thought that that is one of the things I would like to have done over the years I have been in Parliament.

When I reflect on 38½ years—and it is difficult not to be slightly nervous at this occasion, and not to be moved by the occasion—and thank all those people who have come to listen to me, I reflect on some of the changes since 1966. On the whole they are for the better. First, the hours we sit have changed. I remember when October and November were terrible months to be a member of Parliament, because the House would sit from 2 o’clock on a Tuesday sometimes right through until 5 o’clock on a Friday without any break, at all. When we changed the hours of Parliament to ensure that at least we got a 9-hour break, we actually led the world in doing that. A lot of advanced democracies still have all-night sittings, which I think are crazy. So Parliament has improved in terms of its hours.

Second, I am very pleased that there are now so many more women in Parliament. When I first came into Parliament there were just four or five. At the back of the gallery there was a Speaker’s gallery before the House expanded. Women could not even sit there. I can remember raising a point of order at the time, in 1967, about why Mrs Esme Tombleson could not bring one of her guests on to the floor, and shortly afterwards the rules were changed. I think it is essential in a country where 50 percent of our population are women that we have strong representation from women, and we certainly have had that. This Prime Minister and the previous Prime Minister are both women. A large number of our positions in Parliament are filled by very talented women, and we have a lot of younger women, as well. I think of Katherine Rich, who had the great sense to call her son Jonathan. She has had two children while she has been in Parliament. I can remember when the Hon Whetu Tirikātene-Sullivan—I was Deputy Speaker at the time and she was Minister of Tourism—said: “Jonathan, I think I’m going to have to go, because the baby’s arriving.” She was probably one of the first women who ever gave birth while serving as a Minister. It was just one of those unique things that happened at the time.

There is now very little smoking in Parliament, except outside the buildings, and that is a good thing. I am one of those who have never smoked. I had a very intelligent father who never told me not to smoke, but who never smoked himself. I can say that when I attended my first two or three Labour Party caucus meetings one could cut the air with a knife. I remember taking a point of order when Norman Kirk was there, and saying: “Point of order, Mr Kirk. Couldn’t we have just a little less smoking?”. At the morning tea break that followed, Bob Macfarlane, a former Mayor of Christchurch and former Speaker, who had had a very tough war in Europe, came up to me and said: “Now listen here, young Jon Hunt. I fought to make the world safe for people like you, and I’ll bloody well smoke if I want to.” So I never raised that subject again, but since that time we have had an amazing change in people’s views.

I like to see that there are a lot more younger people in Parliament. When I first became an MP there were just three of us under 40: myself, aged 28; Brian MacDonell, aged 33; and Whetu Tirikātene-Sullivan, in her late 30s. Now a large number of younger people are in Parliament, and I think that better reflects New Zealand as a whole.

That leads me to my last point, which is about MMP. I was one of those who opposed MMP, and I certainly voted against it. I was wrong, and I admit that fact, because I believe that MMP has made Parliament more accurately reflect New Zealand as a whole. Fifteen percent of our population are Māori, and 15 percent of our members are Māori—the largest number, of course, being in New Zealand First. We have three Pacific Islanders. We have two members of Chinese extraction. We have a Muslim. We are, I think, people who have improved in that regard. Our Parliament is now very much more representative of New Zealand than it used to be. I often reflect on the fact and tell people that Sue Bradford, whom I have a great admiration for, was arrested many times outside Parliament Buildings. She became a member of Parliament, and my goodness she has been a very good member of Parliament in her time in this House.

I look back on my successes. My major success in this Parliament was fighting for and finally getting the Adult Adoption Information Act passed in 1985. I had about eight or nine goes at it. Sometimes that is not a bad thing, because I finally got the bill right and very little amendment to the Act has been needed since that time. All I wanted was a vote on the bill. The then Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, said one night out in the lobbies: “You’ll never get a vote while I’m Prime Minister.” He was right, because in those days the Government could move halfway through the session that Government business take precedence, and private members’ day would disappear. So when we became the Government in 1984—I was Deputy Leader of the House—I said to Geoffrey Palmer: “Right, my bill’s first. I’ve tried the largest number of times.” I had to get another member, Fran Wilde, to introduce it on my behalf, because by then I was a Minister. Eventually, when we got to the final vote on the third reading a division was not even called, so I did not even have to have the necessary vote. It was a very proud moment to get that bill passed. I have had thousands of people from all over New Zealand write to me about that Act, which I think enabled two things to happen: first, adult adoptees to find out a bit about their birth parents, and, second, birth mothers to find out about their adult adoptees. We deliberately called it the Adult Adoption Information Act because we were not disturbing the family. I must say my friend the Hon Koro Wētere, who is sitting on the floor today, was one of the strongest supporters of my bill.

I introduced a private member’s bill between 1973 and 1974 to liberalise film censorship, and when the Hon Allan Highet had the legislation passed in 1976 it contained a large number of the measures that I had championed. As Minister of Broadcasting, I like to think that I helped to save the National and Concert Programmes. I have always thought the National Programme and the Concert Programme are as good as any programme of their type in the world, and that includes quite a few countries—even the United States has National Public Radio. I think that what we have in our system are two very fine stations, indeed. We also have some other very good stations, as well.

My other success that I like to talk about broadly is New Zealand Parliament. I have tried very hard to contribute as a member of every Standing Orders Committee and of the Parliamentary Service Commission since it had its first meeting, and I just like to think that the New Zealand Parliament today is a very much better place than it was. First of all, its surroundings are very much better. When the old Parliament building was here and the workers started to pull it down, they discovered they had never finished part of it right at the back wing. In fact, after a couple of earthquakes here it was really only held together with Telecom wire.

The present building is something that we can be very proud of. I remember, when I put the proposal up to Cabinet with the Hon Stan Rodger, that there were all sorts of comments about how it would be a waste of money, and all that type of thing. The very people who were strongest in their opposition were those who were able to highlight its success. I think the changes that have been made to this Parliament building make it one of the finest buildings of its type in the world. I see our historian sitting in the gallery today. The book that we produced last year was a very, very fine book, indeed. I must say that to John Martin that his book is a great source of material for everybody.

What regrets do I have? First, I regret not being able to pass a bill to protect the Waitakere Range and foothills. I tried in 1973. I could not even get the bill introduced, because it did not have the support of the local authority. I am hopeful that that will be able to be done. I am unashamedly a “westie” who lived out there for 30 years, and I think the Waitakere Range is amongst the finest of its type in the world. I would have liked to see a law passed to prohibit the Minister of Finance also being the Prime Minister. I hope that the people who are looking at proposing changes to our Constitution Act can think that one through. I do not think that so much power should rest in one person’s hands. I think that the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister should be separate, and, by and large, in our history they have been. I would like to pass a bill that would make it compulsory for every citizen on election day to go to a ballot box and collect a ballot paper. What people do with that ballot paper is their own business, but I believe that when we have something as precious as democracy—and let us remember we are the world’s oldest democracy—that should be something that we have and accept.

I regret the decline of various areas of the media in New Zealand. One of the biggest disappointments for me is the fact that there is now only one newspaper in Auckland and one in Wellington. When there was the New Zealand Herald and the Auckland Star, and the Dominion and the Evening Post, we had genuine competition. We could get our stories in either newspaper, and we chose. I think a city the size of Auckland that only has one daily newspaper has one newspaper too few. However, I do not want to denigrate the New Zealand Herald, which has some reporters who are as good as anyone we have.

I want to mention quite a few friends of mine. First, I will pay a tribute to my mother, who is 94, my sisters Judy and Philippa, and my brother Bob. They have been a tower of strength to me all the time that I have been in Parliament. I am very proud to have a mother who is also a twin sister. Her twin sister lives in Whakatāne. Their real aim is to make sure they get the telegram from the Queen, and I am sure they will. I mention my very good friends Gael and Bill Warren, who have been looking after my place in Auckland, and my next-door neighbours Karel and Caroline Witten-Hannah and their family. Their children have been part of my family throughout the time that I have seen them grow up. Now one of them has a PhD, one has an honours degree in engineering, and the other is a very fine teacher. I have loved having them as a family so close at hand. There are so many people to thank, including my lawyer Jock Irvine. We started at Auckland Grammar on the same day when we were both in the sixth form. He has been a very good friend of mine. There is Bob Jones, for whom I have a great admiration. He is a person I disagree with a lot, but at least he speaks his mind and writes some books. Brian and Lindsay Corban have been very close personal friends of mine. I would like to acknowledge their friendship and support, and that of Hylton and Angela LeGrice also.

My first mentors were the late Norman Douglas and the late Arthur Faulkner. I had a room in Parliament Buildings in 1966 where I could put my hands out and touch both sides. In it I had a desk, two chairs, a bookcase, a telephone, and that was about it. I used to go over to Norman Douglas’ room at 10.30 p.m. after the House rose and we would have a spot together. He and Arthur Faulkner really did help me in my early years, and I have to pay tribute to them for being such very good mentors to me. I like to think that I was able to help some people, bearing on the experience that they gave me in that regard. I pay tribute to Roger Douglas, who is also a very good friend. We stayed at the same place up in Brooklyn. We would walk down to Parliament between 1969 and 1972 and solve the problems of the world. I always regarded him as a person who had an outstanding mind. Koro Wētere was my very good friend indeed, and was on the Committee of Supply. He will tell members what that means some other time, but he was a very good organiser of it. He used to get the fish on the bus down to Wellington, and it was a great thing to have. Helen Clark and Michael Cullen have been two special friends of mine. I have known Helen for many years, and I have known Michael for just about as long. I think they are very fine parliamentarians, and they are very fine personal friends of mine.

I cannot pick out everybody, but I note special friends whom I have had in Parliament: Mark and Carol Burton, George and Jan Hawkins, David Benson-Pope, Chris Carter, and Peter Kaiser. Charles Chauvel and Dave Hollander have been very kind to me. Of course, the artist Peter Siddell and his wife Sylvia, who is also an artist, are people I have had a great deal of occasion to benefit from. They are very good, sound people. They invite one to their place, and then they will have opinions—which is good—and put on a very nice dinner party.

I would also like to mention all my other parliamentary colleagues on all sides of the House. Margaret Wilson, as Speaker, has taken over from me, and I must congratulate her on the job she is doing now. In Ann Hartley, Clem Simich, and Ross Robertson I had three very loyal supporters while I was Speaker. The best three members in the House at asking questions are the Hon Peter Dunne, the Hon Richard Prebble, and the Rt Hon Winston Peters. The best two at giving answers are Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. The best-behaved party in Parliament is the Green Party—there is no doubt about that—with United Future very close behind it. I want to pay a special tribute to my friend the Hon Peter Dunne, because we have been friends ever since I was his buddy MP before 1984. I predicted he would win, and he can tell an interesting story about that. I have to look at the best Government whips—Jill Pettis and Darren Hughes—from whom I am hoping to get leave tonight. I would have to say that the best Opposition whip I ever worked with is John Carter. He has been a good friend, and we could tell a lot of stories—none of which we will. I think a reunion of the whips would be at hand.

Dave McGee, Mary Harris, Joel George, and John O’Sullivan are executives whom I am very proud to have worked with. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Dave. He is the most thoroughly professional person I have ever known in a position in the public service. I was the person who signed his appointment when I was Deputy Speaker when Stan Whitehead was ill. I signed his appointment to this building in 1974. I pay tribute to the research units, and there are people here who go right back to Norrey Simmons’ time. They include James Bews-Hair and his wife Jodi, Sifa Taumoepeau, Moerangi Vercoe, Keri Iti, Trish Donnelly, Sarah Clark, Polly Schaverien, Antony Rhodes, Don Badman, Ashley Edge, Jeremy Land, and Margaret Dagg, among others. From within Parliament itself I have to mention Beverley Cathcart for all the help and support she has been to me, and her husband Robin. I would also say to Michelle Janse that she really does do a great job by doing all the things that sometimes other people do not do. I ask her to put four or five paintings somewhere, and she somehow does. If Alison Gravenor is listening, I give her my special wishes.

I started off in the Princes Street branch of the Labour Party, and there are too many people to mention by name from there. They range from my old friend Harold Moores, the founder of that branch, and his wife Brenda Hartill, who is a fine printer and with whom I hope to have dinner next week in London, right down to the two most recent people, Conor Roberts and Xavier.

I pay tribute to the secretaries I had in Parliament. Before 1984 there were Sybil Heine, Iris Highet, Kerry White, and Shona Robb. As Minister, I was lucky to have for all my 6¼ years Marion Grey, Marie Cabrey, Trevor Cudby, Roman Herbst, Rosemary Pool, Robin Brooks, and Alison Preston. I have managed to stay friends with most of them since that time. I thank them very much for all the help they gave me.

I turn my attention to the whips’ office, and I have to mention Pam Reader. Pam is one of those people who is a real institution in Parliament. I do not like cats and she does, yet she has managed to tolerate me. She has been a wonderful person to have. Sandra Cody and Carolyn Gould worked with me in the time that I was in the Opposition whips’ office, and Margaret McDonald.

Then I look to my electorate and my first and great supporters, although some of these people have passed away: Annie Schuler, Joyce and Allan Grieve, Eddie and Eileen Mansfield and their family, and Pat and Dot Eyre. It is not known that Pat Eyre, who was my organiser in 1966, has a brother who is still alive. That is Dean Eyre, a former National Minister. So there is a lot of interchange.Pat was one of those proud people who had the 151-day certificate of the waterfront dispute of 1951. I thank Noel and Doreen Murray, Mike and Lorraine Daly, Lorraine Wilson, Suzanne Sinclair, Elayne Tennent, Ailsa and Edwina Leech, Algar O’Brien, Cath McCarthy, Bill Guy, Jens Hansen, and Tim. I had my first electorate office in 1985, and what a great forward step that was. I was able to have the services of Chris McKain for some considerable time, and now I find that she is in London, in one of the departmental offices that I will be visiting when I go there. I also thank Margaret Sutton and Christine Schuster.

In the Speaker’s Office, I thank Ipi Cross, who is known to just about everybody in New Zealand. Ipi did a wonderful job. I thank Sean Rota, who is a great person for the promotion of parliamentary rugby. Sean supports the Hurricanes, which is unfortunate, because I am sure the Blues will do better. Nevertheless, I just want to thank him for his help. One could not have a better person than Roland Todd to sit on one’s right hand. When I could not remember the name of a person or it had just slipped my memory, he would always tell me, and he would also say: “Oh, no. They have had all their questions.” I thank Nury Olivares, Shirley Stout, Debbie Hannan, Bethney McLennan, Helen Kennelly, and I had an intern last year, Jason Knauf, who was exceptional.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is so much more I could say, but I am not going to take my full time because I reflect on the wonderful times that I have spent in this Parliament. It has been a great privilege to be a member of Parliament. The average length of time a parliamentarian serves is about 6¼ years, and I have extended that out to about 38 and a bit years. My predecessor, the Hon Rex Mason, was the longest-serving member of the New Zealand Parliament. He sat for 40 years, and I never thought when I succeeded him in 1966 that I would come anywhere near close to that. But I leave to take up a post in London as our High Commissioner and as our Ambassador to Ireland, and also as High Commissioner to Nigeria—I did not know about that until a relatively late stage. I have had my 37 or 38 briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and I must say that its officials are very thorough. I hope I will get to see in Great Britain a large number of people from this Parliament. They will be very welcome to come and see me. I want to promote “New Zealand incorporated”, and I think it is essential to do that.

I see the Rt Hon Paul East is here, who was a predecessor of mine. He has given me some very, very valuable advice and help, as has Russell Marshall who, I think, left today. I would also like to acknowledge the presence of a former Speaker, the Hon Doug Kidd. We have had many good discussions.

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much indeed for giving me the opportunity to make a valedictory speech. I leave this place as an optimist. I leave this place as a person who is convinced of the strength of our democracy. I leave this place as a place that we can be proud to show to anyone in the world as an example of one of the finest and the most open democracies in the world. I wish you all the very best. [Applause]

Sitting suspended from 5.55 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.