Maiden Statements

Mr Speaker, my thanks for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address you for the first time and to address this House, my colleagues, and, through this House, the wonderful people of New Zealand. I acknowledge John, Haley, Taye, and Lisa, and other family and friends who have travelled from all over the country to be here today to support me and who are in the public gallery—thank you. Thank you all so much for being here. I have a special greeting to my friend Russell Wilson, who could not be here today.

The significance of this occasion is not lost on me, nor is the privilege of now being a part of the 51st Parliament of New Zealand. As you and my colleagues are all aware, the journey that brings us all to this point is the result of the efforts of a successful team, and I take this opportunity to thank my hard-working electorate and campaign teams in West Coast - Tasman, my regional chair, Roger Bridge, and the hard-working Young Nats, who are such a joy to work with. We are all motivated and guided by a strong Cabinet, but it is the leadership of our Prime Minister, John Key, whose principles, high standards, and unfailing belief in New Zealand and her people, and the goals he and his Government are setting, that inspired me to be part of this National Party.

The philosophy of the National Party means more to me than simple politics. It is personal. My humble beginnings and life lessons resonate so well with the philosophy of the party. As we know, even those of humble beginnings can, and do, change the world. My ancestors include amazing pioneers who helped shape New Zealand into what it is today. I can trace them back to include Thomas Bracken, journalist, poet, and politician. He was the first person to publish the words “God’s own country” when referring to New Zealand, and the man who wrote the words to our enduring national anthem. I am a fifth-generation Coaster, brought up in Cobden. The lesson of my upbringing was how focus and drive are keys to capitalising on the opportunities available to all New Zealanders. Having a plan, taking calculated risk, and never being afraid of hard work delivers dreams.

This Government represents each individual New Zealander. It has a real investment in supporting our fellow citizens, sometimes with a simple helping hand up, so that they too can realise their dreams, while never ignoring the reality that some of our more vulnerable Kiwis need extra support to improve their individual situations. Access to high-speed internet, filling in the cellphone reception gaps, safe roads, always aiming higher for educational achievement and delivery, quality health care and housing, and effective policing are all areas that this Government continues to have in its sights. These are the basics that build strong communities. They are made possible by ensuring we have thriving businesses and jobs for all. The regional growth strategies are an exciting new opportunity to assist regions to identify opportunities, and I am very keen to assist with the West Coast one launched last year.

I have been involved throughout my adult life in improving the health of communities. It started more than 35 years ago by taking an interest in my own town of Kūmara, very proudly the home of Richard John Seddon. Through the years the interest in building community resilience has become a mission for me. My involvement in community health has taken many forms, and I am more committed now than ever before to ensuring that community leaders are empowered and supported to develop and realise their collective’s vision for their place. I know that with the policies of this Government, supported by another strong voice around the table, we will support communities and continue to make this country greater and more successful—one person, one business, one community at a time.

As a list MP coming into Government 16 months after my colleagues, I understand the enormous task of catching up. I also know, based on the recent past, that I will have the assistance of my colleagues from the intake of 2014, along with the rest of my National colleagues and our support staff. Between all of us, I will soon be up to speed. I am starting off the bench and relish the opportunity of playing on this team. I look forward to never dropping the ball, never scoring an own goal, nor ever giving away a penalty.

Naturally, I have aspirations, so for the record I wish to note just a few. In 2014 the West Coast - Tasman electorate was hit by Cyclone Ita. The storm left thousands of hectares of forest broken and lying on the ground. I championed this issue, and thanks to the Hon Nick Smith and a very pragmatic Government we saw urgent legislation passed through this House, enabling the harvesting of some of those trees off the conservation estate. With good stewardship by Department of Conservation ecologists and management, we have seen a world-class harvesting programme create jobs and provide high-value timber to the market. No devastating haul roads built, no destruction of waterways; just consideration for our native forest within the conservation estate. By working together, we made the most of a disastrous event. A review is due within the next few weeks, and I believe it will support the recent operations and provide an extremely effective template that can be used to expand the programme. This is one of the many positive topics I look forward to discussing with my colleagues.

Further to the Department of Conservation estate, there is an opportunity to pick up the work on stewardship land. Assessing stewardship land and making appropriate areas available for land swaps or sale so that it can reach its productive best makes good sense, as does ensuring stewardship land with high conservation value is afforded the level of protection it deserves.

For 12 years I served as a trustee on the West Coast Primary Health Organisation. It complemented my interest in optimising the physical and mental health of Kiwis, along with encouraging all to make better lifestyle choices. I have witnessed people improve their health without always relying on heavy medications. I see people increasingly incorporating holistic and integrated health disciplines that are more in harmony with their heritage or cultural values. Greymouth is looking forward to a $65 million investment into a new hospital and integrated family health centre. This is one of the bigger investments this Government is making into rural New Zealand, and I totally support that investment. I will also support further investment in educating families to take a more responsible path with health care by including other degree-qualified health practitioners, lifestyle choices, and healthier food options as part of regular health care. To me, that makes good economic, social, and health sense, and fits well with the current legislative programme supporting the health practitioners bill. For the past 25 years I have personally enjoyed chiropractic as my sole form of health care.

From health care to tourism—there is no question of the role tourism plays in New Zealand’s economy. It is now contributing $10.6 billion, or 4.9 percent, to New Zealand’s total GDP. We are enjoying one of the best summer tourism seasons in history. We have quality operators in this country and are blessed with a natural environment that visitors come to enjoy. The protection of that environment is paramount in protecting our tourism future. At the same time, new products and experiences will continue to keep us at the top of the world’s most desirable places to visit.

I have a vision of a sustainable West Coast - Tasman region, neither disrupted by nor vulnerable to commodity downturns—a unique and beautiful region that substantially adds not only to the visitor’s experience but also to the local and national economies. A key to making that vision a reality is bettering the road network around the South Island. Not only would improving this route provide new tourism experiences; it would expand opportunities into the small communities of West Coast - Tasman. I am referring to the development of a road through South Westland across the Cascade River, and from Buller through to Tasman via the Wangapeka—something that, as an MP based in West Coast - Tasman, I will go into bat for. Improving this route would be a game-changer for some small towns. Tourist numbers would multiply exponentially in Haast, glacier country, Hokitika, Greymouth, Karamea, Mōkihinui, Hector, Ngākawau, Waimangaroa, Westport, Tapawera, and Motueka. With the right support, these roads would provide an entirely new, core, and economic alternative, creating jobs, businesses, and the amazing experiences tourists seek. These are reasons why I will advocate for more work in this area. Many of these towns would shift from being a siding to being on the main route for visitors.

I talk about visitors, but it is not just international tourism that is important. We must also focus on how regions can benefit from domestic visitors who are drawn to areas by events. Many regions are natural playgrounds, and events like the Wildfoods Festival, the Buller Gorge Marathon, the Buller Festival in Murchison, the Woodstock motorcycle rally, the Coast to Coast, our cycle trails, and many more are examples of how communities and leaders can capture opportunities. Events are an area where we can work together to get even better visitor support. I look forward to assisting communities to develop new opportunities in this tourism space.

Last year I visited the United States with my family and we were fascinated by the unprecedented economic growth happening in the state of New Mexico. This growth is openly credited to the partnerships and working relationships forged between the Republicans and Democrats. We have the same opportunity to facilitate progress across this country. A great example is free trade and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I look forward to a return to the bipartisan position on free trade, particularly when it will have such tangible benefits for New Zealand exporters, businesses, and the country as a whole. This will in turn flow on to support our regions to flourish. The apple industry is a significant player in the Tasman area. When fully implemented, the national savings on tariffs for apples will be $1.2 million. That is more money staying with our growers and helping to grow that industry.

I recognise that provincial New Zealand is the powerhouse of this country. The West Coast - Tasman regions have a long history of exporting and welcoming investors and tourists from other countries. It is important that we continue to build on that history for the benefit of jobs and higher incomes in our region. We can achieve so much when we focus less on who gets the credit and more on who gets the benefits. As we heard recently at Rātana, the stars are able to align; we can too. As a former member of the board of Local Government New Zealand, I have witnessed where the partnership between central government and local government could be improved. Between the 78 local councils, they own and maintain assets valued at $134 billion. The councils are a valuable partner in ensuring the continued growth of this country, while being the guardian of the assets for our residents. This is an area I am happy to contribute to.

The area in which my family and I live is a remote part of the West Coast surrounded by mountains, a river, and native bush. I have learnt that one must have ultimate respect for the power of nature. Our environment is so precious, and activities on that resource must be managed with care—I get that. However, the pendulum has swung too far, so I support changes to the Resource Management Act. It has become the new Bible, and some practitioners are its new disciples.

In conclusion, while I am late to the 51st Parliament, I am excited to take on the challenges. I fully understand and respect the responsibility our country’s leaders have to our communities. I am honoured with having the opportunity to serve them well. As my Ailish Roughan, bee-inspired jewellery signifies, “bee” the change you wish to see. For me, that means being constructive, positive, loyal, and hard-working. I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.