Valedictory Statements

Members, the process that we will follow for the valedictory statements is that there will be the four National speakers first. Following these, of which the fourth is Shane Ardern, there will be a waiata and the opportunity for congratulatory messages. Following that, we will move to Ross Robertson’s valedictory and there will be a waiata, along with the congratulatory messages, and then the Hon Tony Ryall’s valedictory and the congratulatory messages. For all those giving valedictory statements, there will be a 2-minute bell before the expiry of their speeches. In accordance with the determination of the Business Committee, I call on Dr Paul Hutchison to make his valedictory statement.

Tēnā koe. May I start by paying tribute to our House of Representatives and all who have passed through it, and to those who have died for New Zealand, as commemorated on the walls of this great Chamber. Our democratic freedoms have been hard-won.

On arrival in 1999 I found myself looking towards the Speaker’s Chair from behind Sue Bradford of the Greens on one side and a magnificent display of dreadlocks belonging to Nandor Tanczos on the other. I could only marvel at and celebrate the diversity of our Parliament under MMP. Somewhat wistfully, I feel the Greens look slightly less organic today than they did 14 years ago. But I have played my part. By chance, I happened to occupy the apartment where the Hon Phillida Bunkle got into controversy over her purchase of very expensive hemp curtains. I decided that I would donate them to the Greens and organised a formal hand-over ceremony to both Nandor and Sue Kedgley. A photograph was duly taken by the Dominion Post, with us standing behind a street sign that, by pure coincidence, happened to be called Grass Street.

Even though I have had huge encouragement from my bench mate on “skid row”, the Hon Tau Henare, to be ejected by the Speaker from this House, as well as having gone to the same Onslow College as gold medallist ejectee, Trevor Mallard, I have miserably failed to achieve that status.

I want to take this last opportunity to comment on three areas that have been of particular importance to me, each of which I mentioned in my maiden speech: first, that New Zealand should do everything in its power to restore our status as a country that is a great place for all children to achieve their full potential; second, that New Zealand should significantly grow our science and research base, to better inform policy and broaden our economic opportunities; and, third, that New Zealand should stay firm in committing to our respected, independent foreign policy and continue to celebrate and encourage others to join our hard-won, inspirational nuclear weapons - free status.

Today I am so delighted that my wife, Antonia, and beautiful daughters Clemmie and Daisy are, with other friends and relatives, in the gallery. I am sorry that Natacha and Elizabeth are unable to be here. I pay heartfelt tribute to Antonia and her mother, Pam, who have put so much love, care, and devotion into our family.

I wish to salute the magnificent and diverse people of the electorate that I have had the honour and privilege to represent. The seat of Port Waikato, and then Hunua, includes vast areas of superb farmland that stretches from the east coast to the west. Pukekohe has been the epicentre. It is a multicultural, progressive satellite town—or city—of Auckland, and home of the Ranfurly Shield. Franklin is made distinctive by its people knowing and caring for each other by an incredible network of community organisations and colourful local leaders.

Having spent my previous life near major hospitals in cities, it was a novel and wonderful experience to live on the land. I hardly knew what a heifer was, but I now care for a small herd. On selection day my wife gave me a card and a bunch of roses, and there was a quote from George Bernard Shaw, which read: “He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.”

Countless numbers of A and P shows, calf club days, farmers’ meetings, and interactions with the legendary Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Association have given me a huge respect for our farmers and growers and their love of the land. Their contribution to New Zealand’s economy and our consequent ability to afford good health, education, and social services should always be remembered.

I have had the great good fortune to be supported by a superb electorate team. I thank every one of them—in particular, the longstanding chairman, Ian McDougall, the campaign chairman, Rod McGregor, and the secretary, Glenda Watson, for their extraordinary service to our party. May I thank Alwyn Black, who supported me in Wellington with great professionalism for 13 years, followed by Sarah-Rose Burke and Jennifer Fellows. May I also thank Jeda Wyatt, Raynor Capper, and Lynda Christie at the electorate office, and, in particular, Barbara Knowles, who is sitting in the gallery. Barbara represents the quintessential electorate agent—highly professional, highly knowledgable, and extraordinarily kind to those most in need. She has served our community with distinction. The team has made it possible for me to assist thousands of constituents, which is a very satisfying part of the life of an MP.

Several local issues have been of immense importance to me. I would have dearly liked to have witnessed before I left this House a fair and honourable settlement of the Ngāti Te Ata Treaty claim. I sincerely hope that day will come soon. The amalgamation of the eight Auckland councils was the most divisive issue during my tenure. The thinking behind the draft legislation was definitely urban-centred. There was no provision to ensure the rural voice was recognised at the new council table, despite 70 percent of Greater Auckland being rural. I was glad to have unanimous caucus agreement to move amendments that resulted in the Auckland spatial plan having to take regard of rural issues and the Auckland Council establishing a rural advisory panel.

I had requested permission to cross the floor as a symbolic gesture to the 97.5 percent of people from Pukekohe who polled against amalgamation. I am now of the view that if the Auckland Council has the same sort of determination to achieve efficiencies and cut unnecessary bureaucracy as the National Government is doing with Better Public Services, in the long run it will be a positive move, but there is a long way to go. The only time I did cross the floor was to support the Smoke-free Environments Act, which has been a huge positive step for New Zealanders. It is hard to imagine now the discomfort of smoke-filled public transport, pubs, and restaurants. Although only last night, at the launch of Speeches That Shaped New Zealand: 1814-1956, Tom Scott fondly recalled the rich, earthy atmosphere of Bellamy’s in the past—sodden with beer, bad breath, body odour, smoke, and spittoons, where the spitters rarely reached their targets. Those were, indeed, the days.

Nine long years in Opposition was extremely challenging. On the positive side, formulating good policy was fundamental to winning the public over. As science spokesperson in 2005 and 2008, I was alarmed that New Zealand was well below international benchmarks for research and development both from public and, especially, private industry investment. The only snag was that by the 2008 election, and the sense of the global financial crisis, Bill English had said that there was no extra money for science. I cunningly introduced John Key to Peter Gluckman at his home on several occasions and lobbied hard for science to have greater recognition.

The 2008 science policy had some modest but profoundly important changes. There would be greater funding for basic discovery research. A chief scientist would be appointed. Sir Peter Gluckman has been outstanding. Not only has his massive talent and experience informed the shape of our science system since but he has introduced the idea of having a scientist in each Government department in order to achieve evidence-based policy. Elections and pork barrel politics have, for years, plagued New Zealand with tempting mega-morsels that have little evidence base that they will work. This election cycle has been no exception, with the “porkometer” registering billions of dollars’ worth of doubtful promises.

In my maiden speech I had called for scientists to be better honoured. After all, New Zealand’s three Nobel Prize winners are all scientists. I managed to persuade Don Brash in 2005 and John Key in 2008 to have a Prime Minister’s prize of $1 million per year to be awarded to our top scientists, and also media involved in science. It gives great satisfaction to hear the annual awards and also to hear Prime Minister Key state that “Science will be at the centre of my Government.”

New Zealand would lead the way in the area of climate change most relevant to our country, not by taxing industries that are vital to us, when no other countries are, but by creating a research centre that would look to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. I remember spending hours with Dr Andy West, the chief executive officer of AgResearch, and detailing how this would be done. Tim Groser seeded the idea of it becoming a global centre, and it is hugely satisfying to know that now over 40 countries belong.

In the 6 years of this National Government, public investment in science has increased over 60 percent, international benchmarks have been targeted, and a whole range of efforts to encourage private sector investment has continued, but a quantum leap is needed in the long term. While in Opposition I initiated a select committee inquiry into the quality of care and service provision for people with disabilities. An overarching principle that emerged, which became a major recommendation to the Government, was that disabled people must be given the maximum freedom of opportunity possible to choose their own destiny—as the sector told us “Nothing about us without us”. I am delighted that Tony Ryall and Tariana Turia have since instigated programmes around New Zealand.

Since the change to a National Government in 2008, New Zealand has witnessed some of the most impressive leadership in our history. The combination of John Key, Bill English, and Steven Joyce is unmatched in terms of practical economic experience and personal accomplishment, mixed with informed theory. On all fronts achievements have been made by highly talented Ministers. Paula Bennett has led some of the most important long-term social reforms for children. In health, Tony Ryall, in my view, has done the hardest thing of all—that is, not only to curb the increase in spending on public health but to achieve more services and achieve health targets. This is, indeed, a fantastic feat.

As chair of the Health Committee it has been a privilege to work with all parliamentary colleagues and the sector over the last 6 years. I hope that a small contribution has been made by four further inquiries that I instigated. The submitters and the help of many expert advisers have been inspiring, and I thank them all for giving their time so generously.

I have no time today to discuss the great experiences over the 6 years while on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Extraordinary opportunities and insights have come from chairing the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development and co-chairing, with Maryan Street, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. The Wednesday night ritual of drinking whisky—strictly after 10 p.m.—and discussing the issues with our millennium intake, Phil Heatley, Lindsay Tisch, and Anne Tolley, has been a great pleasure.

I want to go over the four inquiries. The Inquiry into early detection and treatment of prostate cancer led to an overarching recommendation that men and their families should be encouraged to seek up-to-date, evidence-based information from their doctors so that they can make an informed choice for themselves. The Prostate Cancer Taskforce was appointed and the recommendations are being rolled out around New Zealand as we speak.

In terms of the Inquiry into how to improve completion rates of childhood immunisation, I was a bit alarmed when the Dominion Post captioned an article I had written on this subject “A prick in the right direction”. I did not take it personally. It is hardly conceivable that here in New Zealand, as recently as 2007, our completion rates for 2-year-olds were Third World, at less than 70 percent. Today, rates are over 90 percent, and for 12 out of 20 district health boards, Māori rates are higher than non-Māori.

The Inquiry into improving New Zealand’s environment to support innovation through clinical trials—of medicines and medical devices—resulted in most recommendations being accepted. We now have one of the best ethics approval processes in the world, an innovation health hub, better industry relationships with Pharmac, and an improving clinical trials sector.

And finally, we have the Inquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse with a focus from preconception until three years of age (Volumes 1 and 2). Although most New Zealand children enjoy good health and have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, as we all know, there are significant and alarming differences around New Zealand. The National Government has embarked on a suite of profoundly important changes to improve these differences. The solutions are not easy. I thank all colleagues across the political spectrum, where our committee achieved a cross-party consensus over a range of contentious issues, from reproductive health and education to optimal maternity care, and from the socio-economic determinants of health and poverty to an all-of-Government approach to improve nutrition and prevent the impending burden of long-term chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Every member of the committee made great contributions. I really appreciated the collaboration of Kevin Hague and Annette King, who, although we are miles apart on many political issues, see improving all children’s start in life as a national priority for New Zealand, and I thank that always thoughtful journalist Colin James for his positive commentary.

We recommended a proactive investment approach from the work of Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman. The rate of return for the dollar spent on a child is far higher the earlier the investment is made, from preconception on. Since the inquiry, the Government has committed to introducing a range of programmes, from Healthy Families New Zealand to a voluntary star labelling nutrition initiative, and to a strategy to help prevent foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Local government is now talking about handing over the responsibility of fluoridation to the Ministry of Health. Hopefully, our report helped nudge this along.

However, I would make the plea to successive Governments to take our entire package of recommendations very seriously and not just pick up the easy issues. The investment approach is a win for children, a win for adults, a win for the economy, and a win for New Zealand. I reckon that with the political will, within 10 years we could restore our country to being one of the best places in the world for all children to grow up in. We need a comprehensive plan, with key performance indicators, to sit alongside the Government’s excellent Children’s Action Plan and early childhood education initiatives.

I thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me a final say. I thank all the wonderful people who work in this parliamentary precinct for their outstanding services. There is no doubt in my mind that we live in the greatest little country in the world, and I wish all my colleagues the very best in their endeavours to make New Zealand an even better place than it is now, especially for children.

I am absolutely delighted that you, Mr Speaker, are presiding here today. You were the chairman of the select committee that I sat on when I first came into Parliament, and you were there for many years. It was a Primary Production Committee, and no one knew more about agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and biosecurity than you. Of course, those skills you brought into the House. You are the best Speaker I have had of the four that I have had. Your fairness, your knowledge of the rules—Mr Speaker, I cannot read your writing!

When I took over as National’s candidate in Whangarei, National’s majority was 383, and the local team was determined to leave the party stronger than when it found it. Over the five elections, that is what it has done. It has built the membership, it has built the finances, it has built the party vote, and, of course, it has helped me with my successive majorities. I thank it so much for that work. I remember that first campaign, and those people were pretty tough on me. In fact, I left my job in January, and the election was not until November, and I doorknocked, pretty hard, actually. I do not know how it happened, but Jenny fell pregnant that year. One of my team pulled me aside and gave me the hard word, and said: “Clearly, Phil, you’re not working hard enough.”

Actually, there were lots of good reasons for that time spent, not least of all the fact that the photo of my newborn son, Bryn, on the front page of the Northern Advocate a few months out from the 1999 general election must have been worth about 3,000 votes. The truly cynical would say that that was why we had McKenzie in election year 2005. But she would argue that she was worth about 4,000 votes. Nina, my older daughter, was not an election year baby, but then she does like to fly under the radar, with no one quite knowing what she is up to. She is certainly our quiet achiever. In the 15 years of being an MP’s kids, this is all they have ever known. They have had a wonderful experience, quite frankly.

I would like to give credit to my wife, Jenny, who never allowed a single person in our family, a single close friend, a colleague, or anyone to say to our children: “Gee, it must be tough having a father as a member of Parliament.”, “Gee, it must be hard not seeing your dad all the time.”, or “Gee, you guys must have it real tough.” Why would you speak that sort of garbage and bring it into a kid’s life? Actually, my children have been to places most kids have never been. My children have met people whom most kids would have loved to meet, and they have had conversations round the dinner table that are so rich and interesting that I think most kids would benefit from that. I am very proud, actually, of how they have carried themselves, how they have dealt with the issues that their surname has attracted, and how well they are doing at school, at youth group, and at sports. I salute them.

Time forbids me naming everyone in the Whangarei team, but thank you up there in Whangarei. I particularly thank my longest-standing chairman and treasurer, Murray Broadbelt and Ean Brown. They have been stars. They mastered something foreign to political parties and foreign to politics in general: they called meetings only when we had something to decide. That was a real joy.

To those at the National headquarters, Peter Goodfellow and Greg Hamilton. Their teams and their staff are the most professional National has ever had. Quite frankly, in Parliament Wayne Eagleson has put together a really cohesive bunch. They love to work for him and, because of that, they go over and above for us, and I appreciate it.

Jenny and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all these people. But shortly after the last election, we started talking about fresh challenges and opportunities for us both. I came in enjoying what I do, and I have absolutely loved it. I want to pass on the baton still enjoying it. Mike Sabin, my neighbour, arrived in 2011 with single-mindedness for Northland, energy, and lots and lots of ideas. Shane Reti, Whangarei’s new candidate, has a different style from me and Mike, but he shares the same passion for the north as us, and I think he will do very, very well.

Being in Cabinet for 4 years was certainly the highlight. I recall my last meeting, where I told Cabinet colleagues how the camaraderie had been absolutely magic. Many of us who have been in Cabinet have been through the furnace of all sorts of innocent, but mostly self-inflicted, stuff-ups. Mine involved two bottles of wine. In Cabinet it actually gets to the point where it is just your turn to be in trouble. But, truthfully, when the Labour Party or the media are on the hunt, it is much better when it is another colleague’s turn. It is a bit like the two guys who were tramping and came across a tiger when they were in the jungle. One quietly slipped into his Nikes. The other one said: “You’ll never outrun him.” He said: “I don’t have to. I only have to outrun you.” That is what it is like. Although I did not like seeing my colleagues in trouble, it was a damned sight better than me being in it.

All my ministerial office staff were top-notch. As Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture I know they were really pleased with the reforms we drove for marine farming. It is an extremely exciting and pro-environment industry. After all, nothing reacts as badly to poor water quality as an oyster. On top of that, delivering on the aquaculture settlement for iwi with Chris Finlayson was just great.

My favourite question time was actually as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Colleagues might recall the death of Happy Feet, the emperor penguin. Gareth Hughes tried to pin the murder of Happy Feet on me and the fishing industry. What Mr Hughes did not know was that the Ministry and I had been GPS-tracking Happy Feet since the day he was released into the Southern Ocean. We compared his GPS position with that of the fishing fleet in order to keep it well away. Happily, on the day when he accused me of the murder, I was able to declare to the House that the fishing industry was innocent and that, in fact, Happy Feet had quite simply become a Happy Meal.

As Minister of Housing I updated the rental rules of the Residential Tenancies Act, I began the insulation of every State house in the country, and I got rid of the decades-long notion of having a State house for life. That last one was a big policy fish, and we got it through with hardly a murmur. In energy and resources our office team introduced reforms to the Crown Minerals Act to promote exploration. We also introduced the new block offer process for awarding oil and gas exploration permits annually. It is continuing, with more public acceptance year on year, which is pretty much what you get in the long run when you are open and predictable. Interestingly, again we had fun in that portfolio, and again Gareth Hughes was a victim of my office staff’s sense of humour. He sent a parliamentary question to me, asking where in New Zealand oil and gas exploration was occurring. My staff member Kara Isaac and I decided we would send him the answer: “Underground.”

I am pretty chuffed to have done 4 years as a Cabinet Minister and I thank the Prime Minister for that. Very few get that opportunity. Obviously, I was disappointed when John met with me early last year to tell me about the reshuffle, but the meeting was basically one you would expect between pretty reasonable blokes. The Prime Minister is a decent guy. Equally, as leader he needs to be free to do what he thinks is logical. So it was a bit like the missionary in Africa who met a lion. He saw the lion, he dropped to his knees, and he prayed: “Dear Lord, let this be a Christian lion.” No sooner had he stood up when the lion dropped to its knees and prayed: “Dear Lord, bless this dinner.” That was what it was like.

The Prime Minister had to do what he needed to do. He needed to refresh the team. He gave opportunities to Nikki Kaye and Simon Bridges, just as he had done for me. In fact, the trickle-down effect of Ministers moving to Cabinet, new committee chairs replacing those Ministers, and then new deputy chairs replacing the committee chairs is good for the party, good for the country, and good for the Government. I will tell you what—the worst thing was, 3 weeks on, having to put up with Moana Mackey abusing me in the House for housing policy. Quite simply, weeks later I was still getting the abuse; while Nick Smith drew the salary. It was just wrong.

I would like to acknowledge the people of Parliament. Mr Speaker, you will acknowledge the staff here, of course, tomorrow. I have enjoyed working with colleagues from right across the House. I will not name them on the other side as I do not want to ruin their careers. Interestingly, when I first came in, John Banks’ advice was: “Phil, in politics friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.” Well, that might be true for him, but it has not been my experience.

I have loved working with the Māori Party. I remember a great argument I had with Tariana Turia one time in a committee. We left the committee and, as you do, we had a bit of a chuckle down the halls, because what goes on on the field stays on the field. Being demonstrative by nature, I put my arm round her little shoulders as we were walking. I grinned into her face, wanting peace, and basically said to her: “Look, Tari, I’m quite interested. Your first name, Tariana, is very similar to your surname, Turia, and I was wondering what they meant.” With her sparkling, shining brown eyes she looked up at me and said: “Actually, Phil, one of them means stallion.” I thought: “Oh, that’s interesting.”, but I slowly took my arm away. I scuttled down the hall and up the steps to the first floor and then into my office. What she did not know is that “Philip” in Greek means lover of horses.

Anne Tolley, Paul Hutchison, and Lindsay Tisch are part of the “class of ‘99”, who have shared Tuesday nights together. Simon Power and Katherine Rich—part of that class—are here today, and I thank them for coming. So is another former colleague, Roger Sowry. They have all been very good sounding boards for me. Apart from anything else, Sowry taught me how to say: “That’s right!” across the House in support of the Prime Minister.

💬 Hon Member: That’s right!

That’s right! And, quite frankly, no one can do it as well as me. “That’s right!”.

In this House you have humour everywhere. No one is funnier than Chris Finlayson, Maurice Williamson, and Gerry Brownlee. I recall Lockwood Smith, when we were out at dinner once, talking about his waistline. Lockwood was very body conscious. You are not like that at all, Mr Speaker. I remember Lockwood saying: “Colleagues, it’s interesting. My chest and my waist are the same as they were when I was 25.” Quick as a flash, Gerry piped up and said: “Same with me”. It is true that Gerry is pretty headstrong, but in all the times I have stuffed up, he has done something or said something that has made us both chuckle. Although the pressures and constant invective over Christchurch would have made anyone else more thin-skinned, withdrawn, or even bitter, I think he has actually become an even better bloke, and I want to acknowledge him.

The MPs’ spouses have been great friends to Jenny. Gerry’s wife, Michelle, and Mary English have been particularly kind to us both, I recall, on a number of occasions.

No one in my time has held so many offices in Parliament with so much grit and decency as Bill English has. It is unknown outside caucus that he also takes on quite a pastoral role. Bill and Mary have six kids, all of whom will shake your hand, look you in the eye, and hold a decent conversation. I would like to say that Bill’s wider life, not simply his politics, is to his credit, and I acknowledge him.

I thank Whangarei residents for co-opting me into so many fascinating projects, from the bus bay at Whangarei Boys High School, to the building of the new teen parent school, the completion of the Kamo Bypass, and the ongoing upgrade of State Highway 1 through Western Hills, and finally acquiring Ngunguru Sandspit after years of devoted energy by a small team of local residents.

In recent times the Government and the council have built the Ruakākā sewerage system together and the new Hātea River bridge. My being at the right place at the right time saw Cabinet fund an extra $2.5 million for the Northland Stadium so that Whangarei could help host the Rugby World Cup. Being patron of North Haven Hospice and Northland Hockey has also been fantastic.

You cannot do this local work or Wellington portfolios, as you know, Mr Speaker, without great support staff. I acknowledge Lynne and Annika, particularly, and, also in Wellington, Margaret, Simmy, Carol, Vasoula, and Stefan. They have been just magic.

Both Jenny’s and my wider family are all Whangarei people. I am related to hundreds of them. That is why I get elected. Both families are extremely close and they have been very active in our lives and in my career. Candidate selection, putting up signs, manning polling booths, organising fund-raisers, and babysitting on long weekends—they have done it all. My brother-in-law Graeme Kerr has lived it with me, not least of all as campaign manager each and every election. I could never fire him as it would ruin Christmas dinner.

I make a special mention of my mum and dad. Every time I was in trouble, they would come all the way down to Wellington just to be, not to say anything. Such is the love between good parents and an errant son.

Jenny’s parents, Sandy and Hester, have been absolutely outstanding as in-laws to me and as parents to Jenny. I am sure that they believe 98 percent of politicians give the rest a bad name. I can assure you, Mr Speaker, that you are one of the 2 percent, and they are convinced that I am the other.

We also have great friends. Jeff and Steve have been very supportive of me. They are Kipling’s “thousandth men” to me. Dascha and Sarah have been so good to Jenny, and Graeme and Marion Young, our pastors, have been supportive of both of us.

As a last word I would like to say that in previous years I have heard many a valedictorian complain about this House’s robustness and rewrite the history of their own behaviour. We are not elected to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya”, quite frankly. I say that if you are outraged, be vocal; if you are appalled, show disgust; if you are devastated, express grief; but, most of all, be passionate. I have found that this House is like an animal. It is like an animal. It has got personality. Some days it is aggressive, some days it is funny, other days it is just dead flat. So be it, but no constituent I have ever met sends their MP down here to be a wet fish or a mouse or a sheep or a soft touch. Nobody likes rudeness, but they do want you to fight, and they do want you to be passionate.

In my maiden speech I said that the best thing a dad can do for his kids is love their mum. I do. Jenny and I have absolutely enjoyed this role, but now we want to go and do something different. We are told that the grass is greener where you go and water it. That is what we are going to do.

Can I begin with an immortal quote from Ecclesiastes 3 that says there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born, a time to die, and a time to uproot. And so it is that our family is in its season of uprooting and finding some new challenges. I have often said that politics is a little bit like a crayfish pot. It takes a bit of energy to find the opening and to get in, but it is even harder to get out, and it is somewhat more difficult to get out undamaged. Whether I am undamaged or not is for others to say, but certainly for myself I can report I have learnt a lot, I have grown a lot, and I have made some really great friends.

The year 2014 is a significant and pivotal year in our family, but in life’s calendar there have been other pivotal years. I guess this started in another very pivotal year, 1972. Four things happened that were kind of loosely connected: I got married, the Norm Kirk Government swept into power, I bought a tractor—a David Brown 990, white model—and I joined the National Party. The connection was that the tractor salesman was incensed that Labour had the right, after four terms of a National Government, to assume the Treasury benches. He was able to persuade me, with my new responsibilities of a David Brown 990, white model, and a new wife, that I should join the National Party. Little did I know that that would set me on a course where I actually ended up here. I can now report that the David Brown is, to give it a technical term, munted and the membership of the National Party has been an interesting ride, but the real winner of that year was certainly the marriage.

You stand here in your valedictory and you have got an absolute montage of thoughts about what you could do. I thought I might give out a few awards. I will say that these are rhetorical and not material. My first award goes to Elizabeth, who has been my most valued and energetic supporter. Elizabeth has a saying that behind every great man there is a great behind. I am not one to disagree with Elizabeth. At this time I would also certainly like to thank my parliamentary team of Suzy, Michelle, Paddy, and Pauline. I need to also acknowledge my business managers, Felicity, Steven, and Terry, who run our Te Ānau operation and who have uncomplainingly kept things on an even keel. I could spend some 10 minutes naming, identifying, and extolling a number of people who have assisted me. Suffice it to say in the confines of time, I just want to acknowledge people in a variety of communities, committees, and roles who have been generous in their support, help, and advice, and who have been very beneficial to my time here.

It used to be that 21 years was the age of majority, and you got the key to the door. I joined the party in 1972. Twenty-one years later, in 1993, I had the key to the door and I came to Parliament. Since then I have represented two electorates and had two terms on the list. I have been in Parliament, out of Parliament, and back in Parliament. I have been in Government, out of Government, and back in Government. It is 21 years since 1993. I have got the key to the door; I am leaving. One should not try to interpret any reason for that; it is just a time to uproot and take some new challenges. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I want to leave this place before I am subsumed into the fourth stage of manhood. If you are not familiar with that, in stage one you believe in Santa Claus, in stage two you do not believe in Santa Claus, in stage three you are Santa Claus, and in stage four you look like Santa Claus. But it is great that with my maiden speech there were three generations of Roys in the gallery; today there are three generations of Roys again, but they are different generations. It is good to be able to do this amongst family and friends.

Each one of us comes to Parliament representing a kind of matrix of various things we have been involved with. Certainly for me, there was a variety of community groups and activities across a wide range of organisations, a background in agriculture and farming, a strong sense of Christian values that were steeped in Presbyterianism, and a love of the outdoors. Many people know I have got a bit of a passion for hunting. It was not very long until Bill English gave me the brand that this was the Christian who kills.

If I was to give an award for the most hectic time in Parliament, it would certainly be in my first term of 1993 to 1996. Inside a year, because of a transgression of John “Hone” Carter, I was a junior whip. As we neared the first MMP election, with the advent of opportunities that might persist in places other than the various parties that existed, we had an erosion of our backbench and the formation of a number of parties: United Future, the Right of Centre Party, and also the Conservative Party. I ended up as a junior whip with a backbench of 13 people to run the select committees. It was at that time that, as a systems person, I created a number of mechanisms to actually know where people were and what they were doing. That certainly stood as a mechanism that whips used for some time; I am not sure whether it is still used.

I also had to have an overlay of Cabinet committees and the agendas of when various Ministers were involved in those committees so that I could pull people out and man select committees. Over that period of about 18 months when I had those numbers to work with, we never lost a vote in a select committee. It is interesting that during that time, we lost five votes in the House. I think that in a way we think that the world will fall down when that happens. I would predict that under MMP that will happen again. We ought not to get too serious about that sort of thing happening.

Why I say that it was so hectic is that while I was busy as whip, I was also a select committee chair. I ran the Primary Production Committee largely with just myself on our side. The biggest thing we did in that time was a total rewrite of the Fisheries Act. This was a paradigm shift away from the old to a new, sustainable process, with property rights, quota management, and a whole lot of issues that had never been done anywhere else in the world. Although I was not the architect of that bill, our committee was certainly tasked with making it work and making a number of substantial changes that we put into the bill. It was about 19 months’ work.

So it was that before we actually got there, I did something quite interesting. We were kind of bound up and could not find a way through the maze of submissions, advice, and contradictions that were about. So as a committee we put out a position paper. I called in all the parties, which were highly polarised, and impressed upon them what Chatham House Rules were. I then presented the position paper and threatened them with all kinds of things that probably did not exist in Standing Orders if they broke ranks on Chatham House Rules. You have got to remember that in that environment there were the sorts of eco-groups represented by Greenpeace, commercial fishing on the other side, Māori customary groups, and recreational groups. We put out what we thought were ways forward on deeming, setting of total allowable commercial catch, and a whole lot of things we just could not find our way through. Everybody held to the Chatham House Rules, and on the basis of equal screaming we made some decisions that were put in the bill.

The bill came back to the House at exactly the same time in the political cycle as we are in now, as we were closing out for 1996. Then, putting on my whip’s hat, I was able to persuade the House that a 550-page bill could be taken as one question in 15 minutes in the House in Committee and then dealt with forthwith in another 20 minutes in the third reading.

It is kind of interesting that 18 years on, those substantive things that were put in have not been changed, but of further interest is that last month a report on an audit of fishing systems in 53 different countries around the world was put out and New Zealand came out as being the best managed and most sustainable. I cannot give myself an award, but I would certainly give myself a tick for what we did on fishing. That was quite an extraordinary period of time.

The following year the award for greatest adversary appeared. It occurred quite simply. One night I could not eat my tea, and later that evening I was walking up Glenmore Street and I collapsed. Some time later, and I am not sure when, a car picked me up and took me to my flat. That was Thursday night. It was Monday before I could get to the doctor. He pushed and prodded and then got me scanned forthwith. They found that I had lumps inside me as big as footballs, as my entire lymph system had been taken over by an aggressive lymphoma. The oncologist informed me that I had a 20 percent chance of getting through it, which is a kind of code for “Are your insurance premiums up to date?”. They opened me up, then closed me up and said there was nothing they could do. So I went home and I was sitting there—this was Wednesday.

The award for the most surreal telephone conversation I have ever had in my life went something like this. There I was, sitting at home internalising some reasonably significant issues. The phone went ring, ring. “Hello, this is Eric.” “This is Murray McCully.” I thought: “Goodness me. The all-knowing black knight has heard about my predicament and he cares.” I asked: “What’s on your mind, Murray?”. “Um, I have to give a speech in Invercargill on Friday. It’s July, and I’ve got a very bad cold. I don’t think I should be going to Invercargill in July with a bad cold. Can you do it for me?” “Murray, um, do you think I really should be doing this? I’m sorry to hear about your cold, but I’m dying of cancer.” There was a long pause, then he said: “Ha, ha! I’ll send you the notes.”

Much is often said about the dog-eat-dog bearpit of this place. It is certainly my experience that there are genuine people in here, across the House, for whom I have a great deal of admiration. I will give you an example of that. When I was in this battle, the first two MPs through my door at my farm were Damien O’Connor and Jim Sutton. And afterwards there were numerous acts of kindness and areas of support that really were a big part of the fight that I was in—some of them more helpful than others. Some of them made me smile, like the wonderful words of support from H V Ross Robertson: “You’ll be right, mate. Big strong bloke like you, you’ll be right. But you are lucky. If it’s in your lymph, you’re buggered, you know.” So Ross gets the award for the best, or worst, backhanded compliment.

In order to truncate the whole story about the cancer, let me just say that it is a small part in a book I have almost written, called Notes to the Grandchildren, which will be available at all good booksellers presently. There are two ongoing repercussions from this event of a brush with death, and they are not unique to me, but they have impacted on me. One is that when you go through medical trauma, your senses kind of get mucked around emotionally. I do not understand it, but I knew it had happened to me when I found myself crying when Nemo got lost. The second one is that you have an increased sense of your own mortality and you are doing all this self-assessment and appraisal about what you are doing, how you are doing it, where you are doing it, and whether it is the right thing, and that can be a bit of an insomniac monkey on your back.

After an absence from Parliament, I came back and was invited to take up a role as a presiding officer. It is quite a simple job in principle—protecting the rights of the minority and ensuring the will of the majority—but, of course, it all takes place in an environment of wounding, damaging, and getting credibility for yourself. There are layers of passion, and all sorts of things come in there. That is what makes it interesting. I think that in a way, reflectively, there has been a bit of a change since MMP. The battle now is more party to party because, of course, that is the important vote, and we have changed some things we do. When I came in here, general debates were principally opportunities for individuals to raise matters of concern in their own electorate or elsewhere. It is now largely for most parties a themed debate, and I think we are not as well served by that. Is it an issue for change? I believe it is, and I have for some time.

I have an increasing feeling that we should make all third reading votes personal votes. Note well that I am saying personal vote, not free vote. I think that increasingly there is some isolation and dislocation by members in this House from the actual reality of voting. We see that when a vote comes along, sometimes the groupings left and right advise the minor parties of what they are doing. We are seeing increasing times when there is redress sought to either amend the vote or to record in the record of the House what the intention actually was. Even more recently we have been seeing the veracity of proxies challenged by points of order or by interjection. I do not think that that looks too credible in the eyes of the public. It is not what they expect from their representatives in the highest court of the land.

I do realise there would be a time factor involved in actually doing that. I think the Business Committee could think about how that might be done. One suggestion would be to have any third reading votes immediately after question time the following day. Even one more extended hour in a session of a Parliament would cover for any of that time that had been taken up in that personal vote situation.

One of the greatest disciplines about being a presiding officer is curtailing response. Sometimes as you people get involved in debate, I think: “I am just dying to respond in a debate.”, and I have not been able to do that. The other thing is curtailing the desire to actually respond with an interjection at times. That has been so hard. In an emergency I would turn to my right-hand man, Roland Todd, and say: “Roly, this is how it works.” and tell him. Roland always had a three-word response that never changed: “Is that so?”. Thank you, Roland.

The cruellest barb award goes to an occurrence that occurred outside Parliament. I was going to give a speech at a field day in Palmerston North, and the best app on my BlackBerry could not find the memorial hall. I saw a guy in a dirty ute with a tweed jacket and I thought: “He’s got to be going there.” So I asked him where the memorial hall was, and he told me. Then I looked at my watch because I was the opening shot, and he said: “Look, there’s no need to worry. They’ve got a boring old fart from Wellington opening it up.” That is the cruellest barb—old fart, yes, but boring?

Let me just conclude with a couple of issues that I think it would be remiss of me not to mention because they are issues I have as probably my greatest concerns. The first is the sort of ongoing inability of a number of New Zealand citizens to make sensible decisions in relation to their own conduct. I made some comments about this in my maiden address. I can give you some examples. On 16 January this year in Golden Bay hundreds of people had spent 3 nights trying to stop some pilot whales from beaching themselves. So, inherently, there is good in all of us. On 16 January this year, the same day, Mrs Praveet Singh in Papatoetoe was attacked by two assailants and in a crowd of hundreds of people she called for help. No one went. Worse than that, when she escaped and started to flee, some of the onlookers herded her back to the assailants.

There is something inherently wrong with a society that actually cannot make proper and sensible decisions. It is my view that we have stepped away from the reference points that enable us to actually do that. We used to be solidly grounded in Judaeo-Christian values, and that kind of worked for us. We have never had the debate about what we put in their place if we actually want to move away from that. I do acknowledge that it is not the role of this Parliament in any way to be a faith promoter and that there should be that separation between religion and politics. This is where I think it does transcend that: when we deal with issues of conscience, how do we actually make those decisions? When we are on the big issues like euthanasia, trading in alcohol, abortion, or any of those issues, do we do it out of convenience, fairness, or populism, or do we have a basis for choosing right and wrong, and what sort of a message are we actually sending to the wider community?

The last point, which is a big concern for me, would be the award for the biggest lesson I have learnt. Let me reference it a wee bit for a start. Some of you will know that in 1967 I did some volunteer service. I went to Vanuatu and there I, interestingly, learnt about cargo cults. What are cargo cults? “Kago” in Bislama is “possessions”. A phone would be “kago”—anything that you have. What happened was that as these people who had lived there and had lived idyllically for a long time were contaminated by a lot of people who came in with a whole lot of cargo, they got to thinking: “How do we get this?”. During the Second World War was probably the advent of most of these. On the island of Tanna there is a cargo cult called the John Frum movement. One night in Tanna, as people were talking about how they could get the cargo, a man in a splendiferous uniform arrived and pulled a big scam. He said: “Give me your money, and I shall return with money for you, but these are the things you need to do to worship. I am John from America.”—hence the John Frum movement. He took their money and left. Four generations on, some people on Tanna are still waiting.

We laugh and think that that is kind of quaint, but in reality the biggest lesson for me is that cargo cults are very much a part of every part of society. Weekly I have people saying to me: “Why doesn’t the Government do this? Why don’t you do this?”. People have an expectation that there is some other way that they can actually get cargo. I absolutely applaud what Paula Bennett is doing—showing people who have got into a dependency mould that there are other pathways. Here is the real rub, though. As we get into the last 5 or 6 weeks before an election and parties are really, really keen to retain power or earn power, we could use the equity of this country to promise cargo that might be a reward in the ballot box. I think we need to really ponder the motive for how we actually do all of those things coming up through the election. I will not be here so I just make that little call now.

In spite of much encouragement I have decided not to sing a waiata at this point. However, I have written a valedictory poem, which is quite short. It is called “October”, and with apologies to A B Paterson:

There was movement up in Welly, for the word had passed around

That a new Parliament was under way,

They gathered from electorates, new faces to abound

And all the cracks had gathered to the fray.

All the tried and noted members from electorates near and far

Had gathered to the Parly for the fight,

For the members love hard talking where the nation’s fortunes lie

And the MPs sniff the battle with delight.

But in a quiet mountain valley, there’s a stream with crystal flow.

A man with fly rod ready, a trout to be his foe,

Recalled his journey forays and the days of Wellington,

He reflected for a moment on times in House and so

Of democracy and friendships, the privilege to serve,

Of bells and whips and caucus, select committees too,

With Standing Orders, Speakers’ rulings, points of order, “Order! Order!”.

He clears his thought, a trout rises, solitude returns.

I bid you adieu.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Key, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen—tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Prime Minister, after 16 years in Parliament there is quite a bit I could say, but I will not. Do not panic! I was elected to Parliament in 1998 as the result of a by-election following the former Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key—another Freudian slip, Prime Minister. It was Jim Bolger, who had just been replaced by the very caucus that I was now a part of. What I found was that having been his electorate chair and expressing similar views to him was not career enhancing.

For the last time in this Parliament I wish to declare an interest in the dairy industry. I am the son a sharemilker. I worked my way through the industry and bought our first farm at the age of 23. To those who have experienced my determination and unflinching support for the farming community, I say that my late parents, Olive and Noel Ardern, and their late employer, the late Tom Hargraves, are responsible for who I am. I am a farmer, came in as a farmer, leave as a farmer, and—although it does not sit comfortably with many in this place—am proud to be a farmer, and I am prouder still to have represented a rural farming electorate. I know that being a working farmer has served me well as an MP, so it will come as no surprise that I am going to talk about agriculture.

On my arrival one of the most important pieces of legislation was the deregulation of the dairy industry and the debate on what structure should replace the Dairy Board. This was a contentious issue not just for Parliament but among farmers and the wider financial community. The result was the formation of Fonterra, and, despite its many critics to this day, name me one other industry that has performed as well, for as long, and currently is the only opportunity for New Zealand exporters to be truly of an international scale. As the weeks of prolonged caucus debate went on, with economic commentators claiming that the sky would fall if Fonterra was allowed to be formed, I was concerned that the formation would not happen and we would be left with a fragmented industry. You only have to look at other industries that have not taken this step to see how damaging to the sector and the New Zealand economy this would have been.

As I was driving to the airport at 5.40 a.m. on a cold Tuesday Taranaki morning preparing for another caucus debate on the issue, I came across this young mother driving an old Ferguson tractor with a child in a backpack and another child sitting on her knee, with a transport tray loaded with bobby calves, making her way to the farm gate. I realised that it was her that I was fighting for, and it steeled my resolve against those bureaucrats, those economic commentators, economists, and politicians who thought otherwise, because her efforts could reach their maximum opportunity only with the formation of a focused marketing structure that was internationally competitive so that we could capture the highest world market prices.

I told her story to my caucus colleagues because she epitomised the 11,000 other dairy farmers. Despite adverse conditions and personal demands, what I saw was one gutsy young New Zealander out there making it happen. For her sake, I have no regrets at maintaining a non-negotiable position on the type of industry structure that will give the highest returns possible to the farm gate and to “New Zealand Inc.” I know it has not always been career enhancing, but if I had my time again, I would not change my stance. My biggest regret is not being able to see the same structural change in the meat and wool industry.

The question is: was I wrong? If Fonterra had not been formed, could members of this House guarantee that our economy would be growing as well as it is today? The answer is no, they could not. So stop criticising the primary industries, and instead of looking for alternatives that do not exist, celebrate that we are world leaders in agriculture. Why is it that we unite and support our international sporting teams, but when it comes to primary industries, we think that any small provincial structure will succeed? Support the industries that support you.

Some in this House today will remember when Myrtle the “Fergie” came to Parliament. Eric, you should have bought a “Fergie”, mate. I was happy to become known as the “Tractor Man” when I took the old “Fergie” up the steps of Parliament in protest at the proposed introduction of a methane tax, commonly known as the “fart tax”. Some considered that this was the wrong thing to do, but nobody and nothing was put at risk, and that was subsequently proven in court. All I am going to say is that the tax did not happen, it has not happened, and it should not happen. If anyone thinks I was dangerous then, be warned: I will be a lot worse when I am not constrained by parliamentary considerations, and the old “Fergie” is still around.

The only time that I thought I may have gone too far was when I was chairing a select committee and I was greeted once by a leading trade unionist as “comrade”. The other good thing that came out of that, of course, was that it really brassed off Hone. He still has not got over it.

I want to say to this Parliament that Fonterra earns the money that gives us the ability to have a first-class social system. It allows us the luxury of enormous investment in environmental sustainability and conservation. Internationally, our farmers are known as one of the lowest carbon producers with the highest food safety standards and the most sustainable farming practices. If members are honestly concerned with the environment, then work with the farmers and approach this with an open mind. If you really care about the future of New Zealand, I beg you to spend time on farms speaking with farmers and observing what they do. Look at the money that Fonterra spends on research and investment in environmental issues, despite Fonterra remaining, by international standards, a small farmer cooperative. For example, in the last 5 years 23,000 kilometres of riparian margin planting and fencing of waterways has been completed. That is further than New Zealand to London. It is a long fence.

Members have an opportunity to play an important role in keeping New Zealand’s economy growing, with the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic benefits. To tax, restrict, and punish farmers while turning your heads away from the pollution of the cities is hypocritical and does nothing for the future of New Zealand. Abraham Lincoln once said: “You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.”

Over the 16 years I have established my role as representing farmers. I have served as chair of the Primary Production Committee and chair of the agriculture caucus committee. I have represented Parliament overseas as the New Zealand delegate on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and I have served on many other select committees as chair and member. Some of you may not know this, and it will come as a shock, but I was proud when the Hon Bill English appointed me as spokesman on conservation. There are some environmentalists who have not yet recovered. Fish and Game should be grateful to have Nick Smith as its Minister. As biosecurity spokesman, I am delighted that many of the policies I put before caucus have now become legislation.

I came into this Parliament during the first MMP Government and I have a concern about the unintended consequences of our electoral system. My electorate has changed over the 16 years as MMP has forced rural areas to become larger and harder to service. Rural New Zealand has been the biggest victim of the MMP system, and all parties should look to redress the imbalance. It is not fair and it is not right that the areas that produce the money have very little representation in Parliament. When I was in high school, five MPs used to represent the area that is now the Taranaki - King Country. We are in danger of becoming a Parliament of professional politicians, and if that happens, then we forget that we are the people’s representatives. In order to be a worthy representative, to truly be a good MP, I believe you need to remain connected or, if you like, have a vested interest. It is my view that Parliament and the media have become childish around vested interests in business.

As a farmer I am worried about the lack of representation of farmers in politics. This is a message for farmers. If you are not happy with the direction that a Government is taking, then you should stand and be a representative. If you do not and if you stand back, then you are as guilty as those who are doing what you do not like. Farmers in the past have had the reputation of serving their communities, and you will fail if you use the excuse that farming has become more complex and you are too busy. If you do not get involved at all levels, then the price that is paid will be yours.

To my own electorate, I am proud that I have increased my vote each election, despite many boundary changes, because at the end of the day it is the opinion of those you represent that is most important. I thank the people of the Taranaki - King Country area for their loyal support. All MPs know that we cannot do the job without the hard work and support of dedicated people willing to go the extra mile.

My thanks go to everyone who helps make this building work: the Clerk’s Office, the select committee staff and report writers whom I have worked with, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, Parliamentary Library, Hansard, security, messengers, Bellamy’s, and the cleaners. To In Style Travel Taxis, Jane and Paul, thanks—thanks to all of you for your support.

There are too many individuals to thank by name, but, in particular, I would like to single out a few: Leveson Gower, our new electorate chair, and his wife, Vicky, and son, Angus, who are here today; past chair Harry Bayliss and his wife, Helen, who are here today; and special mention must go to the late Matthew Hammond and his wife, Angela. Matthew was my electorate chair for 10 years and, I might point out, a sheep and beef farmer. He said to me one night after an extremely frustrating meat and wool meeting: “Shane, if those meat and wool farmers want to go broke, then I guess you are just gonna have to give them the right to do so.” Matthew was my chair until a few weeks before he succumbed to cancer. Thanks to my electorate secretary, Helen Hoskin, and treasurer, Janette Brocklehurst, who previously worked for Roger Maxwell and then for me, and has continued in a voluntary role throughout my whole political career. As treasurer, Janette’s strength has always been to answer any suggestions from branch members that involved spending money with a no. The Hon Bill English could take lessons from her.

To my executive assistant, Kathy Ker, who was recommended to me by senior whip John Carter as someone who may be able to keep me out of trouble—I suspect that in all her years, this is the only area where she has failed. Jokes aside, she is the one who watched my back and whom I trusted to ensure the work was done. The value of having someone who is loyal and brutally honest to the point where she has told me—right up to, and including, the writing of this speech—when she thinks I am a plonker has made it possible for me to continue to be an effective MP as well as to continue farming. I have seen senior bureaucrats, Ministers, and other officials who have not seen things from my point of view walk away checking themselves bodily after an encounter with my executive assistant. By the way, she has been referred to on many occasions as the “Tractor Woman”. Thank you, Kathy.

To my electorate staff: the first two, the late Maureen Wilkie and Ella Borrows; to those in between; and to my current agents, Sharon, Claire, and Tracey, who are here today, I know that it is not easy looking after a large electorate. Thank you for your work.

To my wife, Cathy, and to my family—sons Jonathan and Cameron—all MPs know that when you make the decision to become a politician, then it has a significant impact on your family, and personal sacrifices will be made. Our occupation is not for everyone, and I am proud of my family, who have embraced farming, for all the good, the bad, and the challenges that it delivers. My family’s love and commitment to the land is best reflected in the words of Princess Te Pūea Herangi, who said: “The land is our mother and father. It is the loving parent who nourishes us, sustains us, and when we die, it folds us in its arms.” We are a typical farming family who know that we must leave the land in better condition than we found it. Thank you, Cathy, Jonathan, and Cameron, for your support over the years. I am returning home, you will see a lot more of me, and I love you.

To those MPs who have ventured into Taranaki - King Country, friend and foe, I notice that not many of them return. But my good friend and colleague Gerry Brownlee is the exception, and Gerry, we still have those gumboots ready for your next visit.

To the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Key, thank you for being an exceptional leader. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a leader who plays golf with the President of the United States, who dines with the President of China, who stays with the Queen of England, and who knows all of the European leaders. As an export nation at the bottom of the South Pacific, that is a rare and wonderful thing. Our leader is exceptional.

To my parliamentary colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today, and may you all enjoy the electoral success that you deserve.

Might I add that it is often said that you make no friends in politics and that you do not meet many nice people. It is just not true. Some of the security staff, messengers, and other people in this place are wonderful people.

I wish to share with you the following verse, which I quoted in my maiden statement: “Seek that which is most precious. If you bow down, let it be to a lofty mountain. Let nothing but the insurmountable turn you from your goal.” It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve as a member of this House. Thank you, members. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am returning back home to the slopes of Mount Taranaki, to the farm, to the land where I belong. Kia ora.

Waiata

Kia ora, matua Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou e te Whare, e ngā iwi, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa, and warm Pacific greetings. I appreciate the opportunity to address this House today as I say farewell to this fine establishment. For the past 27 years I have had the privilege to participate in the ebbs and flows of the ever-changing environment that is New Zealand’s Parliament. I am delighted to welcome my wife, Grace, here today, on her birthday. Without Grace’s support I could not have dedicated my life to my work over all these years. I owe her and my children, Cherie, Daine, Lee, and Lisa, a huge debt of thanks.

When I stood for Parliament, it was for three reasons: to promote productivity, to serve my community, and to encourage ethical leadership. While here, I discovered a fourth: a passion for education, which is crucial for my community, for when South Auckland wins, so too does New Zealand.

In the 1980s I worked in industrial relations and later became an industrial engineer. I went from freezing works management to the Auckland and Tomoana Freezing Workers Union. I want to welcome Mike Nahu here today, who is from that union. At the time, the meat industry was in crisis. It was costing more to process meat than we received for the product. We were converting unsold sheep meat into fertiliser. A group of us realised that the only way to save the meat industry was to dramatically improve productivity. We achieved remarkable results and we showed that the meat industry had a future. Everyone—worker, manager, farmer, shareholder, and the country—won. The experience in the freezing works convinced me that the way to lift our nation’s standard of living is to improve productivity.

Our good work was destroyed overnight when Sir Robert Muldoon issued a decree granting everyone in the freezing industry without a productivity agreement a $20 pay increase. Those who had refused to change were rewarded. One political decision set the industry back a decade. I decided the best way to promote change was to become an MP.

For 27 years I have taken every opportunity to tell this House that the answer to the economic issues we face is to lift productivity. My member’s bill, the Productivity Council Bill (No 3), passed its first reading but never made the carry-over motion in 1990. New Zealand is a rich country, yet we are becoming relatively poorer. The issue I came here to support is not yet won. I am delighted that we now have a Productivity Commission, and I urge all members to study the commission’s reports and implement its recommendations. The secret to increasing productivity that I learnt in the freezing works still holds. It is continuous improvement and sharing the gains. To increase everyone’s standard of living is going to take a continuing effort by this House, and a continuing effort should be something that we can all agree on.

There is no higher honour than to be elected by your friends and neighbours to represent them in Parliament. I feel a special bond with the people of Manukau East, who have twice given me the biggest majority in this House. But what the Boundaries Commission can give it can also take away. The boundary changes have meant my seat has wandered around South Auckland and east Auckland.

As one of the longest-serving members of Parliament, I am occasionally asked what the secret of survival is in politics. The commentators would have you believe that success in politics is charisma. Well, I was standing in another queue the day they handed out charisma. Rather, I have built my career on the principle famously expounded by US Democrat Speaker Tip O’Neill, that “All politics is local”.

Every Saturday for 27 years I have got up at 6.30 and gone to the Ōtara market, the meeting place of my electorate, where my team of volunteers sells quick-fire raffles and I meet the people. Then I travel to the sportsgrounds in my electorate and support the local teams. If parents, players, coaches, and referees can be there every Saturday, so can their MP. Around 4 p.m. I go and visit one of the bowling clubs in my electorate, and have a cup of tea and a chat. Members should try it. You will be amazed at what you learn, and your constituents become your friends. On Saturday nights for 27 years I have been privileged to have an electorate engagement, and sometimes two or three—perhaps as a guest of honour at a dinner, a prize-giving, a wedding, or a birthday—and 50,000 constituents soon become 50,000 friends. Sunday is God’s day, and I give it to my family and my church.

On Mondays and Fridays I see constituents. Rather than always having constituents come to my office, I visit people in their homes because it tells me so much more. I have a programme of electorate visits, so every year I visit every church, temple, and mosque, and every business. I also see each of the more than 40 educational institutions in my electorate at least once a year. Let me give you a tip. Visit at 2.30 p.m. When the bell rings the principal, no matter how enthusiastically he has been lobbying you, will escort you off the grounds, where, of course, you will meet all the parents waiting for their children. I doorknock every week.

I know that Mike Moore tells this story about me. He has a friend who says: “That Ross Robertson is mad. I have a security fence, security lights, and watchdogs. Only one person has knocked on my door—Ross Robertson. I have told him I am voting for him, but every 3 years he gets past my security fence, past my Dobermanns, and knocks on my door.”

From my door-knocking I have found it is not just this House that is often out of touch but also the commentators. I have found my constituents are less concerned about the controversies that captivate this House and are more concerned about the common good.

Some of you, as is the nature of politics, will have polls that say you are facing defeat this election. I have been there twice, in 1990 and in 1996. The year 1990 was not a good year for Labour, and I was 8 percent behind with 3 weeks to go. My opponent, the late Allan Brewster, was the popular local mayor. He was also the chair of the Auckland Regional Authority airport committee, which was advocating a second runway for Auckland Airport. A week before the election my team put a postcard in every letterbox in Papatoetoe. The postcard showed a map of the electorate, with the proposed flight path going straight over. The postcard just asked: “Do you want to share breakfast with a 747?”. Apparently, the thought did not appeal. Twenty-four years later they are still talking about a second runway, and I am still here. All politics is local.

I won because I have a wonderful team. I still have in my team people like Ruth Gordon, Gail and Kay Absolum, Alistaire Hall, Phil Greenbank, and Grace Robertson, who helped me in my first campaign 27 years ago. They say that you cannot leave the Manukau Labour Party. If you die, we expect your children to take your place. I thank the Gush family, Mulitalo family, Johansson family, Lavakula family, Wiki family, Tillotson family, Yvonne Matson, Efu Koka, Michael Clatworthy, and, of course, my children.

The House will understand when I give tribute to the Speakership. This Parliament has indeed been fortunate in the quality and dedication of members of Parliament who have served this House as our Speakers. It was a great honour for me, as a State house, working-class boy from Ngāti Toa - Tītahi Bay and Mangere East, to become Assistant Speaker. I am the only MP to have served as Assistant Speaker in four Parliaments and under two Governments—an achievement that gives me great pleasure. Under MMP the Speakership has become a cross-party organisation. I meet regularly with the Speaker, and what party we come from is irrelevant. I can say that because I have been an Assistant Speaker under four Speakers—two who were Labour and two who were National. I would like to see the day come when the Speaker is nominated by the backbench, as happens in the United Kingdom. In the British House of Commons the Speaker sometimes just calls on an MP to take the Chair. If every MP had to take the Chair, even for a day, not only would behaviour be better but also debate would be better.

MPs complain that debates in this Chamber are not reported as well as they once were. While in the Chair I have been privileged to hear some great speeches, but I have also listened to a lot of rubbish. I can tell when an MP has researched the contribution and has something to say, and so can the public. We owe it to the electorate to lift our game. If MPs do not take every contribution to parliamentary debates seriously, why are they here?

Too many MPs think they are here just to be a Minister, and of course that is important. But there are avenues for MPs who are passionate about issues. I have been able to raise issues such as prostate cancer in 1993 because I am an MP. I worked with the late Eion Scarrow, the gardening guru, in setting up the Prostate Awareness and Support Society to highlight this silent killer of men, and became its first patron. So guys, get a check-up. And then there was the stand against sexual harassment in the Royal New Zealand Navy, which was to make history and guarantee more safety for female sailors.

But it is we, the backbench, who must uphold parliamentary democracy. We are one of the least corrupt parliaments, but we could do better. In the last 10 years two former MPs have gone to jail for things they did while they were MPs. One MP suddenly resigned when questions were asked about the use of the travel privilege, and the Auditor-General has made adverse reports about the use many MPs make of their allowances. Of course, we need a code of ethics. The British, Canadian, and all the Australian parliaments have a code of ethics. This Parliament has legislated that all New Zealand local body politicians have a code of conduct. How arrogant of us to claim that we alone do not need a code of ethics. Will a code stop all scandals? No, of course not. A law against theft has not stopped burglary, but no one is suggesting we drop theft from the Crimes Act. Both of the MPs who went to jail told the court they had done nothing wrong. If Parliament had had a code, they could not have made that outrageous claim. I urge backbench members of Parliament to continue my campaign for an aspirational code of ethics, for leadership at this level is by example.

Worldwide there is agreement that the best protection against the misuse of privileges is transparency. We need more transparency in this institution. We need to apply the Official Information Act to Parliament. If we backbenchers wish to hold the Government and others to account, then we must be willing to be accountable. I have seen many things in the last 27 years that would not have happened if we had had the Official Information Act applying to Parliament. Rather than making it a secret, we should be willing to defend expenditure like MPs’ travel.

When I was first elected from the freezing works of South Auckland, I did not even have a passport. I never put my hand up for any overseas travel. One day Richard Prebble, then a good Labour Cabinet Minister, rang me up and said: “I have a transport calibration flight going to the Pacific Islands. They have a space for an MP. You’re going.” I did not want to tell the Preb that I did not have a passport, so I said: “I have a marginal seat. I’m too busy.” “Nonsense!”, said the Preb. “How can you represent Pacific Islanders when you’ve never visited the Islands? You’re going.”, so I went. It did make me a better MP.

In 1993 the honourable member Kennedy Graham, who was then the secretary-general of the Parliamentarians for Global Action, was coming to New Zealand, and I was invited to meet him. Next thing, I found myself in the Hague with a group of backbench MPs who believed that world peace was too important to be left to Governments. They walked their talk by visiting the world’s trouble spots to promote the democratic, peaceful resolution of disputes.

In 2007 I was honoured to be asked to lead an international delegation of MPs to one of the most dangerous places on earth: the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Looking back, I realise that maybe I was asked because there were not a lot of volunteers. We went to help tackle an issue that no army can help solve: HIV/AIDS. The MPs from the region said that they feared more of their constituents were going to die of AIDS than from the effects of the war, and in such a conservative country, they could not even raise the issue. They hoped an international delegation of MPs could talk about AIDS. Our convoy was stopped by the Taliban, but we got through and met with tribal elders. The hardest challenge was explaining how the disease is spread, but once over that hurdle, we got the elders’ consent for an HIV/AIDS awareness programme. I discovered that I was well-qualified for the mission. I had held similar discussions with the very conservative pastors in Auckland’s south to get their support for an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

Three years ago Parliamentarians for Global Action, comprised of MPs from 139 Parliaments, elected a backbench MP from Manukau East to be their world president. As president of Parliamentarians for Global Action, I have advanced the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and have led a campaign to get Governments to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty, to regulate international arms sales. Since World War II, over 40 million people have died in wars, but it is difficult to fight a war without weapons. More than 2,100 MPs from 114 countries, including 89 from New Zealand, have signed a declaration in favour of the treaty. I believe that the treaty will become international law and will save many lives. To date, 118 countries have signed it and 41 have ratified it—we will this year.

My involvement with Parliamentarians for Global Action has been challenging and rewarding, and I have appreciated the opportunity to work with, and support parliamentarians from, around the world as they have faced rebellions and massacres in countries such as the Central African Republic, and have endured human rights abuses in the name of freedom in Malawi, Bahrain, Chad, and Colombia. These things have reminded me every day of how lucky we are to live in our own country.

I acknowledge that I owe my career to my constituents in Manukau. I have loved every minute of it. For me, work is love made visible. I have given it my best. In my retirement I am going to do some work for my church, I have been elected to my local board, and I will continue to work for the place that I love, South Auckland.

Let me thank again my wife, Grace, and family—Cherie, who is watching at home in Papatoetoe with my granddaughter and grandson, Paree and Reno; my son Daine, who is watching in Singapore with my daughter-in-law Lyanna; my son Lee, who is watching in Ellerslie with my daughter-in-law Sarah and granddaughter Piper; my daughter Lisa and her partner, Mike Cross, who are here in the gallery today—I am so lucky to have you. My sisters Yvette and Vivienne are also here today.

I thank my out-of-Parliament electorate assistants over the years, the late Murray Haliday, the late Mark Nee, Bill Marshall, Rae Waterhouse, and Michael Clatworthy, for a job well done. My parliamentary executive assistants—and, in particular, my first executive assistant, Kath Barrett, and my longest-serving executive assistant, Marilyn Smith, who for 17 years has worked tirelessly on my behalf—awesome. I thank Speaker’s assistant Roland Todd, and those on the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, who have been most supportive, especially Efeso Collins, Lotu Fuli, and Mary Gush. And I know that all MPs will join me in thanking the marvellous people who work in Parliament and look after us so well. I will always appreciate the opportunity and privilege I have been given to serve as a South Auckland MP in this Parliament. It is now time to hand the reins over and wish the Labour candidate, Jenny Salesa, who is sitting in the gallery, every success. I am sure she will do well.

Honourable members, tātou, tātou—together, together. Courtesy is contagious, and we will all prosper if we keep within the spirit of the Standing Orders. The House is a symbol of integrity, the integrity of all honourable members should be upheld, and every voice should be heard in accord with our Standing Orders. Mr Speaker, nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa, ka huri.

Waiata

Can I start by acknowledging three very special people: my wife, Kara, son, Llewellyn, and daughter, Maisie, who are with us here today. Thank you very much for the fantastic support and contribution that you have made to my career. My wife will tell you that in 1997, when we got married, I told her that I was going to do only another 6 years in Parliament. I think I actually said six terms, but she is running that line. I would also like to acknowledge my parents, Malcolm and Lenore, who have come down from Whakatāne today, my mother-in-law, Pam, and the rest of the family who are here too.

Can I say it has been an absolute privilege to work with a group of exceptional and highly talented people in the National Party over the last 24 years. Every one of those people has been an outstanding New Zealander, and it has just been the greatest honour to have any association with them over that time. And, I have to tell you, I think they are all looking absolutely fantastic this evening.

I was first elected in 1990, as one of 32 new MPs who came to Parliament in that stage. That is actually bigger than some caucuses in Parliament. I must say, I am really surprised at just how much I have forgotten in the intervening years, because, actually, I knew everything when I first came here in 1990. I had spent 14 months campaigning, and I would like to acknowledge the support of my parents during all that period of time. I spent 14 months campaigning, and it was a fantastic opportunity to learn so much about the different communities in what was then the East Cape electorate.

We spent a lot of time door-knocking to become known in those days and, you know, you really have to take every opportunity. I was out door-knocking in I think it was Richard Street in Ōpōtiki, just opposite the high school, I think, and it was not the most salubrious part of my electorate. I was out there knocking on this door and then all of a sudden, along from the side of the house, came this pit bull terrier. It looked at me, I looked at it, and it came for me. I got my clipboard and I tried to protect myself. It bit my leg. It hung on my hand. I had this dog hanging off my arm, like this, and I managed to get rid of it. I have got to say, it was really quite a worrying experience.

So I got back in my car and I drove back home to Whakatāne. I rang up Ian McLean—who is with us here today—who was my caretaker MP, and I said: “Oh, well, you know, I’ve had a very bad day. I’ve been bitten by a dog.” He said: “Great.” I said: “No, no, I’ve been bitten by a dog.” He said: “Fantastic. Did you get a photo?”. So I drove all the way back to Ōpōtiki, had my hand re-bandaged, and we got a nice picture in the paper. In fact, that story got on to the front page of the New Zealand Herald, which is no mean feat when you are a new candidate. I think the paper was somewhat attracted to my quote that the dog had bitten me, but if it had been the Labour candidate, it would have eaten her.

I have been supported locally in the National Party by a great team of people over the years. You know who you are, and I am very grateful for all the support that you have given me. When I came to Parliament back then, David Lange and Robert Muldoon were still here. I had dinner with Sir Robert one night. I have got to tell you that after I struggled to make any conversation, we sat there and ate our dinner for 15 minutes in silence. Then he got up and he said: “Right, that was really good. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Look, it has been fantastic. I have had tremendous satisfaction from the work that we have done in the electorate, and I was just reflecting today on some of the amazing things that people ask you to do. I remember that just a few days before Christmas one year a lady rang me up and said: “My husband is stranded on a live sheep shipment in the Middle East and I can’t get him home for Christmas.” You would ring your MP, and so I rang Don McKinnon, and her husband got home for Christmas. That was fantastic. There are also the number of people whom you have assisted at their saddest time, to get bodies back to New Zealand when their children have died overseas, and there is the fantastic support that happens there. I am reflecting on how every year our family gets a Christmas card in an email from some guy whom I helped 22 years ago. Every year, he sends a Christmas card. I have been reflecting for years on what I actually did to help him, but whatever it was, that response has just been marvellous.

I would like to reflect on my electorate agents. I would like to acknowledge them. There is Pam Eglinton, who was actually the best employment decision I ever made, because she is now my mother-in-law. Robyn, Pam, Jenny, Trish, Nigel, and Jackie have been fantastic in the work that we have done. We have had a lot of challenges in our area, and a lot of natural disasters—you know, floods, oil spills, kiwifruit collapses, Labour Governments—and we have got through them all.

I want to also acknowledge the constituents, who have been fantastic. They have been kind and they have been incredibly generous to my family and me over all the years. Often you hear about people having problems with constituents shouting and screaming at them. I have got to say that the people of the Bay of Plenty and the East Cape have shown just the greatest kindness and generosity to me and my family over the time, and I would like to pay great tribute to the people of the Bay of Plenty. It has been a very fast-growing electorate in the Western Bay of Plenty. For example, when I started as the MP for Papamoa, which came into my electorate in 1996, there were 6,000 people. Today there are 21,000. So it just goes to show that if you get a good MP, lots of people shift to the area.

I want to acknowledge Dame Jenny Shipley, who, as Prime Minister, promoted me to Cabinet in 1997. It was my great privilege to play a part in delivering New Zealand’s first woman Prime Minister, and it was a great privilege. We were a group, as we were planning that, called the Te Puke Bypass Committee, as some will remember, and it is a great pleasure to me that we are now spending $400 million on the proper Te Puke bypass, which will be opening shortly.

Mrs Shipley gave me the fantastic opportunity to be a Minister. I have got to tell you that when you have a young baby at the time, your mind is sort of on everything. I remember pulling in at Whakatāne Airport one day, taking the baby out of the car, checking the luggage in, and getting stopped by a constituent, and then we flew off to Auckland. As we were flying, there was an announcement: “Ah, Mr Ryall, we’re just letting you know that your car keys are at Whakatāne Airport. You left them in your car, with the engine running and the driver’s door open.” So it always pays to have a sign-written car.

Being in Opposition was incredibly frustrating—a very frustrating 9 years—but the one thing I learnt there is that it is a great opportunity to listen, learn, travel the country, and find out about things that you did not really know about, and so many people were very generous with their time in helping me in that role. In 2005 Dr Brash—who is here today—gave me the responsibility of being the health spokesperson, and I will touch on that shortly.

I have certainly appreciated the responsibility the Prime Minister has given me as the Minister for State Owned Enterprises, working with Bill English on the mixed-ownership model programme. Bill commented to me the other day that he and I, in my role as Minister for State Owned Enterprises both under Mrs Shipley and in this Government, have privatised or partially privatised $7.7 billion worth of assets. He thought that was more than Richard Prebble had done, but we are not going to tell anybody about that.

The Prime Minister also gave me the job of Minister of Health. I have got to say that this has been the best job in the Government. You work with quality people every day who are dedicated to the welfare of New Zealanders. I wake up most mornings and I turn to my wife and say: “Ugh, imagine being Minister of Education.” Now, that is a really tough job.

Look, I think many people underestimate the size of the health sector in New Zealand. It is 10 percent of GDP. For every $1 spent in New Zealand, 10c is spent in the health sector. There is not only our $15 billion public health service, with 75,000 staff, but a very strong and dynamic private sector—$1 billion in natural health products, $1 billion in health IT and devices—which has some great New Zealand companies. I think it is this intersection of health and technology that is going to provide an opportunity to create untold wealth in the future, and it is really important that New Zealand is part of that.

I am very proud of our Government’s health plan, which we are rolling out and will continue to roll out. I think the seminal decision was that we would stick with the structures that we inherited and really focus on results and improving performance. I think that over the last 6 years our doctors and nurses in the team have delivered exceptional results for New Zealanders across quality, productivity, and the financial domains within constrained funding—those six national health targets. You know, doctors and nurses are very competitive people. No one likes being at the bottom of those national health targets, and that has really driven a much better performance, including 40,000 extra elective surgeries, quicker emergency departments, and much faster cancer treatment.

Immunisation—I noted Dr Hutchison talked about the fact that in 10 of our 20 district health boards, the rate of immunisation for Māori 2-year-olds is now higher than the Pākehā immunisation rate. No one would ever have thought that that was possible in New Zealand. We have shorter cardiac waits.

Tobacco smoking—fantastic work that we have done there. I went to the World Health Assembly in Geneva—I have got to say, Prime Minister, that I have taken only two overseas trips as Minister of Health—and I was there talking about this work that we were doing in New Zealand on Pathway to Smokefree 2025. We have a programme that we have systematised across the whole country called ABC. “A” is when health professionals ask whether you are a smoker; if you are, it is “B” for a brief conversation, because that is quite effective in getting people to quit; and “C” is for when they offer you cessation medicine—ABC.

So I went to the World Health Assembly and I was giving a talk about this. I do not know how many people in this House have ever given a speech where they have lost their audience—it had never happened to me before that time—but everyone from Africa started talking amongst themselves, and I thought: “Oh my goodness, I have caused an international incident.” So I completed my contribution. I sat down next to a lady from Jamaica, and I said: “Why was everyone from Africa quite dislocated by my speech?”. She said: “Well, in Africa, they have ABC for HIV/AIDS—‘A’ for ‘Abstinence’, ‘B’ for ‘Be faithful’, and ‘C’ for ‘if you can’t, use a Condom’—and they couldn’t work out how that stops smoking.” So we have got a lot of acronyms in this area.

Look, it has been a fantastic portfolio, and with the Prime Minister’s support we have achieved quite a lot. I think the decision that we made to fund 12 months’ Herceptin for New Zealand women is something that has made a huge difference to the lives of so many people. I remember an experience I had at a cafe in Tauranga a couple of weeks after the 2005 election. I was standing in the line and this chap whom I had never met before came up and gave me this big bear-hug. I thought: “Well, this is very dislocating, in public.” It turned out to be a guy who said that a month before the election, he had had to put his house on the market to get the money to buy Herceptin for his wife, and the day after the election, he was able to take his house off the market. Fantastic, that contribution. So we have done a lot.

I must say I had a fantastic opportunity meeting a lot of people in the health service. It always pays to be very careful. Jo Goodhew, as the Associate Minister of Health, is doing this hand hygiene thing. I was visiting an endoscopy suite a couple of years ago and I thought: “Well, here is a great photo opportunity with the hand gel.”, which I did, and proceeded to rub my hands, at which every person in the endoscopy suite theatre gasped in horror. I thought: “What is all the worry here?”, and, well, of course, it was lubricating gel. So we ought to get that prostate awareness programme started.

I wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about what the next 10 years in the health area is going to be like. You know, with regard to ageing, the number of people over the age of 80 is going to treble in the next 10 years. So who is over 65 is just not the issue any more, because 65 is the new 45—I am trying to convince myself as I get there.

I think there are five big mega trends and the interaction between all of them is going to just change health care completely. The first of the five is care being closer to home. All this care is coming out of hospitals and into communities and into people’s homes. Pharmacists, GPs, home-care workers, nutrition advisers—all these people are playing a greater role, and there is going to be this much greater responsibility that we are all going to have to take for our health care in something that they call self care. It is a bit like Air New Zealand—it is getting us to do all the work and we like it. This is where we are going to have to take responsibility.

You know, Sir Ray Avery is developing a piece of technology the size of your wristwatch, with a beam that comes on your wrist and measures your temperature, your blood pressure, and your pulse. That information is then transmitted to a device that can be monitored by your general practice. So, as you can imagine, this technology is going to change everything. That is my second point. This “anywhere, any time” use of innovative technology is going to change our health care. This device it is just going to help change everything over the next 5 to 10 years. You are going to be able to plug your own personal ultrasound device into your cellphone, and imagine being able to beam that message to your local GP. These advances are incredible.

Thirdly, intelligence and insight from big data—this work that we are doing, collecting information across Government departments, across patients, and across people, with all the privacy protections—is going to allow us to build a picture on how health care interventions change people’s lives and on the best place to do it.

The fourth trend is personalised medicine. All this knowledge about your genome and your biomarkers is going to allow clinicians to develop very personalised therapies applying solely to you, and they are going to be able to provide you with information about your risk factors in the future. This will have huge ethical issues about whether we actually want to know these risks, but this personalised medicine is going to be amazing.

And I think the fifth big trend that is going to affect health care is that we are going to have this expanding role of non-physicians, and payment that actually rewards the quality of care and the outcome that people provide.

I would like to also just take a moment to thank the fantastic people who have supported me over the years. I would like to acknowledge my ministerial staff—in particular, my “head of filing”, Peter McCardle. I thank them for the wonderful contribution they have all made—officials at the Ministry of Health, the State Services Commission, Treasury’s State-owned enterprises unit, the travel office, the security guards, the Bellamy’s staff, the messengers and the gallery officers, the VIP drivers, the cleaners, and the district health board staff and their chairs, in particular.

I cannot finish off without acknowledging my three comrades: Bill English, Nick Smith, and Roger Sowry. You know, Parliament can be a very lonely place. It can be full of self-doubt and frustrated ambition. I think it is pretty unusual for any member of Parliament to have had three very close friends throughout their whole career. The relationship with those guys has been enduring and sustaining. They are extremely capable people, who have continued to be friends over the last 25 years, and, contrary to public opinion, we have never worked as a group. Frankly, we can never agree on anything. On any issue, it is always two versus two, and the two are always variant. So it has been wonderful to have had that association with them. It has been the most fantastic association anyone in Parliament could have, and I have just really appreciated the support that those guys have given.

Everybody else is going to be going off and I am going to be supporting the Prime Minister by campaigning as well. I wish you all a lot of activity, and I wish all the best for our side for the work that you are going to do over the next period of time. You will all be going out. Many of you may be doing rest home visits. I stopped doing those a few years ago. I remember going to one. You spend a lot of time giving out your card and, you know, shaking everyone’s hand. I had the name tag on and I did all that, and as I left the day room I heard one of the ladies say: “Was that the nice new young doctor?”. And then I discovered that they all had voted 2 weeks earlier.

So thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to be here to thank my fantastic family for the contribution and support that they have made. It has just been marvellous. And thank you for the great privilege it has been to be here, to represent the National Party and the Bay of Plenty, and to have worked for New Zealand over the last 24 years.

Sitting suspended from 6.09 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.