Address in Reply

What a great day it is to be part of the National-led Government in this House. What a great day it is to be a member of this National-led Government, because in about 15 minutes’ time, this House will be expressing confidence in this Government to continue working for New Zealanders for the next 3 years. This House will be expressing that confidence because the voters of New Zealand expressed confidence in this Government after the hard work of the past 6 years—after 6 years of delivering for New Zealanders, after 6 years of doing what we said we would do, and after 6 years of focusing on the issues that matter for New Zealanders.

When the public went to the polls on 20 September, they looked at the people on the list for the National Party, they looked at the fine members of our caucus—all 60 of them—and they decided that they were fit to govern this country. When they went to the polls and looked at the Opposition, they decided that it was a bunch of parties that could not work together, could not agree with each other, did not support their leaders, and kept focusing on the negative issues that New Zealanders do not care about. Their failed policies and their failed leadership were resoundingly rejected.

This party actually focuses on positive matters. It is all fine and well for the Opposition to say it cares about positive things, but actually you cannot say you are going to focus on positive issues on day one and then forget about it for the rest of the election campaign. We have had 6 years of delivering for New Zealanders. That is why we are sitting over this side of the House, and I am proud to be part of this party.

I sat through many of the maiden speeches that were delivered in this Chamber, and I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by the calibre of the top-quality candidates that we have on this side of the House. We have 14 new MPs from various backgrounds representing New Zealand. Because of the diversity, the knowledge, the integrity, and the huge skill that they bring to this House, I am proud to be standing alongside them.

When you sit here at question time and you look up at the Government members on the backbench, you see a party that is focused on renewal, you see a party that is focused on diversity, and you see a party that has brought huge talent into this Parliament. When you sit here and look at the other side of the House, you see the same old faces with the same old failed policies and the same old negativity that they brought during the election campaign. Listening to question time this week, you would not have thought that we had actually had an election, because exactly the same issues that New Zealanders rejected—rejected—only a couple of months ago were still being talked about by the Opposition members. They have not learnt the lessons. They are still talking about their failed old policies that New Zealanders rejected.

This party is delivering strong, stable government for New Zealanders. That is why we were re-elected. We have a Prime Minister who is a strong leader and who has led this country through some difficult times in the past 6 years. But we are coming out of it, and looking pretty good as a country. We are coming out of it as a country that is more confident and as a country that is achieving more for New Zealanders living in this country. New Zealanders know that. The voters know that.

New Zealanders want to see an economy that is growing. Under the leadership of Bill English as the Minister of Finance, we are delivering a growing economy for New Zealanders. Eighty-three thousands jobs in the past year, growth of 3.9 percent, one of the fastest-growing economies in the OECD—that is what New Zealanders care about the most, and we are delivering for them on the economy.

We also care very much about the housing situation in this country. The Opposition likes to characterise us as not caring, but we are delivering the policies and we are delivering the legislation that will lead to more affordable housing in this country. We need more houses to be built in Auckland. That is what Minister Nick Smith has been delivering in the past few years. We are also focusing on getting more people into housing. The Opposition thinks the only way the Government can help with housing is to own the housing. We are actually focused on the people who will be in those houses, not necessarily on owning the houses. Under the leadership of Paula Bennett with Nick Smith and Bill English, I am confident that housing will improve for New Zealanders in this country.

When it comes to law and order, New Zealanders know that we are safer in this country because of the hard work of the past 6 years. Crime rates are down. Crime is at a 35-year low. Reoffending is down. We are going to be putting more effort into rehabilitation in our prisons and more effort into getting working prisons.

💬 Pita Paraone: What have you done for the north?

That is achieving for New Zealanders, and no amount of squawking from the newer member Mr Paraone in the back will help, because we are delivering for New Zealanders in this area.

In education, I think we have 60 members on this side of the House who were very proud to see policies being promoted in the election campaign that will lift the achievement levels for all Kiwi kids. We are seeing better achievement levels being delivered, but we have to get better-quality teaching. The Labour Party cares only about what the unions want. We care about what the parents of New Zealand want for their children. New Zealand parents want a better-quality education system so their children can achieve at higher levels. That is what we will be delivering for New Zealanders.

When it comes to the health system, the 40,000 more elective surgeries being delivered for New Zealanders means that better public services are being delivered to the people on the ground. Under the health system, more Kiwi kids are going to get the health care they need. More Kiwi kids are getting access to general practitioners. More Kiwi kids are getting immunised. As a parent in this country I am proud to see that we are delivering on the health policies that New Zealanders deserve.

When we look at the Canterbury situation, one of the regions in this country that really delivered for the National Party at the election was Canterbury. Why was that? Because the effort, the hard work, and the investment that we are putting into Canterbury show that this Government cares about the people of Canterbury. They have been through some incredibly tough times. The Opposition again just focuses on the negative. We are focused on the investment, we are focused on getting more apprentices there, we are focused on getting more housing going, we are focused on getting more building happening in Canterbury, and Canterbury is working for New Zealanders as well.

I am incredibly proud to be a member of this National-led Government. I am proud that we have a Prime Minister who is working hard for New Zealanders every single day. We are part of a Government that is delivering for New Zealanders every single day. The National-led Government looks forward to working for New Zealanders for another 3 years.

To the Opposition, if I can give those members some advice, I say stop worrying about the leadership and stop worrying about the infighting. Focus on what the issues are that matter to New Zealanders: the economy, law and order, health, and education. It is a novel idea but it actually works. It is a novel idea but it actually works, because when New Zealanders wake up in the morning they care whether they have a job to go to, they care whether they can put food on the table, they care whether their kids have an education system that is working for them, they care whether they have a health system that will deliver for their children. They want to know that they have a home that they can live in and a home that is affordable. We are delivering for New Zealanders. That is why John Key is the Prime Minister again for another 3 years. I look forward to working with these fine individuals for the next 3 years.

There are just 8 minutes left of the 1,140 minutes allocated for this Address in Reply debate, and I have counted every one of them. The motion that was so ably moved by Chris Bishop and seconded by Barbara Kuriger just 9 days ago—it seems so much longer—notes that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General in reply to His Excellency’s speech, which was delivered earlier that day in the Legislative Council Chamber. The Speech from the Throne demonstrated the continued energy and determination of a competent and busy Government that is focused on the issues that matter to New Zealanders. That verdict was emphatically delivered by the electorate on 20 September. Like my colleague Jami-Lee Ross, I am very proud to be a member of the New Zealand National Party, which is delivering in Government on the promises that we campaigned on in 2008, in 2011, and again in 2014.

There is no doubt that John Key will go down in history as one of the finest Prime Ministers this country has ever known. He and his Government, ably supported in important measures by our confidence and supply partners—the Māori Party, ACT, and United Future—are making a very positive difference in a wide range of vitally important matters for this country. I am delighted to be the final speaker in a debate that supports the proposition and to add my view that we are very well served by our current Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae. I thank him and Lady Mateparae for their dignified and unstinting service to our nation. I want to congratulate all the presiding officers. Mr Speaker, you lead a team of very experienced and capable people who I am sure will serve us well in this Parliament.

Along with others, I want to congratulate all the new MPs in this House. What an impressive batch of maiden speeches we have been treated to over the last fortnight. I echo the comments of the Hon Phil Goff last night that maiden speeches are inspiring and uplifting because they so often reflect the humanity and values of those who are delivering them, in a way that is not always apparent in our subsequent contributions in this House. All 24 of the maiden speeches that we have heard in the past fortnight were of a very high standard. I congratulate the new members on the effort and thought they all put into them, and I look forward to working alongside them in the years to come.

I am especially delighted by the outstanding new National Party crop—the class of 2014. There are many future stars in our caucus, and I know that many of them will be going far. That is great for our party and for a good Government in the years to come. I congratulate all the new and returning Ministers and wish them well in the important duties they will undertake. I especially wish my predecessor as Government senior whip, the Hon Louise Upston, well. She is a very focused and hard-working member who fully deserves her promotion. I enjoyed serving as her deputy from the start of last year. I thank my caucus colleagues for electing me to the position of senior whip—at least I thank them, but sometimes I wonder about it—and also for the commensurate promotion for my good colleague on my left, Jami-Lee Ross, the member for Botany; and we welcome Joanne Hayes as the third member of the Government whips team. Already she is making a fine contribution in our office.

I want to thank the voters of Hamilton West for re-electing me with a further increase in my majority. I do not take their support for granted—firstly, because Hamilton West remains the true bellwether electorate of New Zealand. History shows that where Hamilton West goes, so goes the nation. Once again, our party vote almost exactly mirrored the party vote right across the country. And, secondly, half of the predecessors in my role were defeated after just one term in office. I am only the third MP to have been elected to serve three consecutive terms in Hamilton West, following in the footsteps of the late Mike Minogue, who was a fellow Nat but probably the last member of a National Party caucus who would have been chosen to serve as a whip in any of the Governments led by Sir Robert Muldoon, and my immediate predecessor and good friend, councillor Martin Gallagher. Some of the new members may not know that Mike Minogue’s career was brought to an end by our newest Assistant Speaker, the Hon Trevor Mallard, in the Labour landslide of 1984, which I note was just a mere 6 years before the new member for Clutha-Southland entered the world. Martin Gallagher holds the record for having served four terms—although it was with a 3-year holiday between his first and second terms—so my next electoral goal is to trump his achievement.

We always have to work very hard in Hamilton West campaigns. I want to thank my excellent campaign committee, led by Giles Brant, and the electorate team, led by Stephen King. What a wonderful effort they and all our loyal supporters throughout the city put in. It is humbling to be a candidate in those circumstances and I am deeply grateful for their combined efforts. The credit for our win is deservedly shared by so many. I acknowledge candidates from all parties who stood but were unsuccessful, because their contribution to our democracy was incredibly important and I know full well just what huge sacrifices were involved not only for them but for their immediate families. In fact, as my class of 2008 colleagues never tire of reminding me, I know better than anyone, I think, in this House how to lose an election campaign. If I win again in 2017 I will finally have achieved a 50 percent pass mark in all the elections I have contested.

Last weekend in my electorate Hamilton West School, which is one of the oldest in New Zealand, celebrated its sesquicentenary and I had the privilege of helping to unveil a plaque in a garden featuring a sculpture by the renowned sculptor David Lloyd and to plant a kauri tree in the grounds close to one that was planted as part of the school’s centennial celebrations in 1964. It was a glorious day—well, of course every day is glorious in Hamilton—and the atmosphere matched the weather. I want to congratulate the principal, Mark Penman; board of trustees chair, Rachel Chapman; their staff and trustees; and all the organising committee and school families for the memorable and highly successful reunion. I thank them for the superb contribution that that fine school has made to our city, and the sound teaching and guidance imparted to all who have passed through the gates during the past 150 years.

I am very proud of our constitutional arrangements. Our Westminster system of democracy has delivered stability, freedom, and respect for the rule of law; an appropriate balance between the functions of the judiciary, the executive, and the legislature; and many other features that we often take for granted but are cruelly denied to so many people in other parts of the world. I am therefore a strong supporter of our constitutional monarchy and hope that we will continue to uphold it and respect it for many years to come. The alternatives are much less attractive and far less unifying.

However, I do believe that the time has come for New Zealand to adopt a more distinctive and recognisable flag. Much of the Union Jack is a wonderful design reflecting the heritage of many in this House, myself included. I think it is anomalous for our country to continue to have a flag that has another country’s flag incorporated within it. I understand and respect the concerns of some of our returned servicemen and women in this matter. My own father, uncle, and grandfather all served in the major conflicts of the 20th century. Indeed, the uncle I never knew was killed in action in 1945 and buried in Italy. But the emblem on their tombstones is not the flag; it is the silver fern. I believe it would be appropriate for that to be incorporated into our flag, where it would gain widespread respect and support, I feel sure.

I proudly swore the oath on Monday of last week to commence my third term in this House. As others have noted in this debate, it is a great privilege to serve as a member of Parliament and I and all my colleagues will do our level best to serve not only the good folk of our electorates but all who sent us here in the important work that we will undertake during the course of the 51st New Zealand Parliament.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have got that wrong. We are two votes for. I need to correct the vote. I am a newbie.

Order! The vote has been taken and has been read. The member can now seek leave to change her vote and if leave is granted by the House, the record will be adjusted accordingly.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Apologies to the House. I seek leave to change my vote.

And can you just clarify what your vote now is?

💬 Marama Fox: Two votes for—[Interruption]

Order! This is an important matter. There is an amendment being moved by the Hon Annette King. I am putting the motion to vote on that amendment. The member must now indicate to the House whether she is supporting the amendment that has been moved by the Hon Annette King, which would require her to vote for it, or she is voting against it. I need to know.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. The phone has told me again that we are two votes opposing it, which I thought was right in the first place, but the phone told me otherwise.

I thank the member. She is a new member so I have allowed for this to be sorted out with some patience. The vote as announced therefore stands.