Valedictory Statements

I rise to deliver my last speech in this Parliament. After 18 years as a member, my career now comes to an end. I have had an interest in politics since my school days, last century. My parents were involved, and this influenced my participation. We listened to the Budgets huddled around the radio. I vividly recall election night 1972. While I was meant to be at a function, I spent much of the evening in the car with my girlfriend at the time listening to the 1972 election results on the radio. I have spent much of my working life working for the National Party in various roles because I believed—and, indeed, still believe—that it offers the right direction for New Zealand.

I have not always agreed with everything, but I have always been one of those loyal to the cause. My active participation in party affairs started in the mid-1980s and carried through until I was elected in 1999. In the late 1980s the political spectrum changed. The right moved to the left; then the left moved to the right. The right, I think, has now gone right, and the left is left—and thank goodness for that.

Following the referendum on the electoral system when it changed to the mixed-member proportional system, MMP, I became the party president in 1994, and during my time set in place the structures and rules on how National would operate under MMP. It was also at this time, Mr Speaker, that you were elected in a by-election, following the resignation of Ruth Richardson. I managed the party’s 1996 election campaign—the first under MMP—and the biggest challenge was an attitudinal one: to put the party vote ahead of the personal vote or candidate vote. Hence, I coined the slogan “First Tick National”.

MMP has done away with the power of provincial areas, which has now moved and is influenced—very much so—by the urban sector. The political landscape has changed and so participation in party politics has waned. I am fortunate to have had a solid support at all levels during my party and my political career.

In the party I worked with many whom I regard as salt of the earth, pragmatic, focused, and dedicated. President Peter Goodfellow is one, and I thank you, Peter. I wish you, the board, and the team every success in the campaign. Andrew von Dadelszen, my regional chair, has the challenge of keeping the central North Island blue. To Jason Howarth, the Waikato electorate chairman, and Tim van de Molen, our candidate in Waikato: all the best. I am sure you will do well.

I acknowledge with gratitude the people of the Waikato region who have voted for the party and me and have elected me by majorities of such dimensions as to make me feel small. In the Waikato I have had the privilege of working with a team whose energy is outstripped only by their enthusiasm.

Mr Speaker, it is a great personal thrill to me—and I trust that you will permit me the liberty of referring to them—that many from the Waikato are in the gallery this afternoon. My long-serving staffers Debbie Sankey, Toni Grace, and Maxine Viggers, along with her husband, Stephen, have been the nucleus of a great team. Here in Parliament, Margaret Hunter, Suzy Klement, and Jane Nixon have kept me focused on the role, deciphered my handwriting, and have rescued many an email from the deleted box. I say thank you for your talents, your support, and your inspiration. By your active participation in the parliamentary process, and in the commitment by which you live and work, you have made democracy come alive and shrugged off the notion that politics is not another highly entertaining spectator sport.

The participation of family in public affairs depends in large on the tolerance and encouragement of wives, husbands, partners, or spouses. My family has played a crucial role in my political development and involvement. The girl in the car in 1972 is here today: my wife of 43 years, Leonie. Leonie, you stood by me through all the challenges and sacrifices of political life and I say many thanks. My daughter, Andrea, her husband, Dallas, and their children, Maya and Luca, have continued to take an interest in the political process. Two-year-old Maya, when asked “Where does Lindsay work?”, states: “In a castle.” They are still trying to get here from Christchurch at the moment so, unfortunately, they have missed being here.

When I first arrived here, to my horror, there was a computer on my desk. I did not know how it worked. It was Andrea who saved the day when she taught me how to switch it off, rather than my switching it off at the wall. Why would you go to “Start” when you want to turn it off? Technology is not my forte. But then the younger generation, Generation Y, have the future ahead of them. My son, Karl, his wife, Hani, and little Lidia, living and owning businesses in London, are watching today. And I say thanks to you from this side of the world. I tell you, when grandchildren arrive the world view changes.

On entering Parliament in 1999, along with me came another seven members—The Magnificent Seven, plus one. The eight of us became known as the “millennium club” and met every Tuesday night to chew the fat. Our intake was close-knit and we became close friends. Only Anne Tolley remains, and I thank you, Anne, for your friendship and the whiskies we have shared together on numerous occasions—do not drink when I am gone. Ha, ha!

We all have our priorities and prejudices, and one must come to one’s own conclusion as to what is best according to criteria and consensus. I have placed much emphasis on the role of representation. It is often said that politics is people, and representing constituents and their concerns has been rewarding and satisfying.

On the economic stage, the 102 kilometre Waikato Expressway, of which 96 kilometres is in the Waikato electorate, had its genesis in 2008 when I convened a meeting of Waikato mayors with the Leader of the Opposition at the time, John Key, at the national Fieldays. The result is for all to see, and when it is finally completed it will be a major economic investment in the Waikato region.

In my maiden statement, I stated that the clean-up of toxic waste on Mount Te Aroha was a priority, and while this mountain is no longer in my electorate, it is pleasing that the contaminated site has been addressed.

To be part of a Government that encouraged the production of movies has been quite remarkable for the economic development of the Waikato, especially in Matamata, where I live. I am often referred to as the MP for Hobbiton. I am one of the few who can walk into a hobbit hole without bending down.

I have mentioned the role of the representative, and alongside this is the role of legislator. The two roles are interrelated. I have immersed myself in the activities of this Parliament and have found enjoyment and satisfaction from that involvement. The Business and Parliament Trust is an organisation that has wide support from the business community. The involvement of the corporate sector alongside parliamentarians is quite unique, and I have been a trustee and board member for 15 years. I encourage you to attend the seminars, guest speaker evenings, and the corporate attachments plus field days to the corporates, showcasing how we each operate. Sir John Goulter, the chair for many years, was farewelled last night. I thank you, John, for your commitment as a driving force for the trust. To the team of Mike Fokker, the CEO; new chair, Peter Griffiths; and trustees, I wish you continuing success.

A highlight in a recent policy decision has been the travel assistance programme for school visits to Parliament. I would encourage members to inquire about the financial assistance available from the secretariat. I had a school from Huntly here on Tuesday that had assistance through this scheme.

In January 2004 I was sent to Beijing to represent the New Zealand Parliament at the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, APPF, the parliamentary equivalent of APEC. I had no idea what this was about. My wife and I had to find our own way into the city. Our ambassador did not even know I was coming, but we made it. This was the start of a very rewarding dialogue and association over 12 years for me and the parliaments of the 26 eligible countries. Some of you in this House have travelled with me, and I am sure the exchange of ideas gave members a wider and better understanding of the issues and challenges facing other democracies and how New Zealand is looked to for guidance in many areas.

After two visits to the Russian Federation—first to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and then, secondly, to Vladivostok—and the annual meetings with their delegations, the Speaker of the Duma, the Parliament, presented me with a medal, which entitles me, should I ever wish to live in Russia, to not need to pay any tax. Leonie is not keen; she would rather stay in Matamata. It was recognition of the high respect our Parliament has on the world stage.

I have chaired the New Zealand - German Parliamentary Friendship Group, which we re-established as a stand-alone group from the European Union Parliamentary Friendship Group to acknowledge the important role that Germany plays in Europe and our strengthening ties. We have hosted visiting delegations and I have been a guest, along with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin. To my German colleague Volkmar Klein, in the Bundestag—thank you for your friendship and trust. The ties between our countries, I trust, will continue to grow.

I have served this Parliament as a presiding officer for 9 years, both as an Assistant Speaker and a Deputy Speaker. It has been a great honour to serve. I have learnt to respect the institution of Parliament—something quite separate from the political activities of politicians and political parties. Very few appreciate or understand this institution that is Parliament. The 21 years that we have had MMP representation has changed the culture of this place. There is no doubt that we have broader representation and that is good, but in my view the power has shifted to parties to have legislation progressed, and this House has become a House more of political parties and less of a House of Representatives.

There have been many humorous occasions during my time presiding. In the early days when I wanted the House to settle down I would stand and boldly say “I’m standing.”, to which there were some unparliamentary comments, and laughter. So I changed the terminology and I have said for many years now “I’m on my feet.”, and there has always been silence.

The biggest challenge for me was the Committee of the whole House stage dealing with the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill in May 2009, which lasted 33 hours, in which I presided for 26½ of those hours and had to deal with 30,000 amendments. The Hon Rick Barker on his return from overseas was a welcome addition to the Chair, and it is good to have Rick here. It was a cat-and-mouse game, where spreadsheet technology was being used—and I think Mr Robertson had something to do with that—to produce thousands of amendments. The Government had to be careful about moving closure motions, as it needed the Minister’s amendments to be drafted and lodged first. The Opposition’s amendments could be lodged right up until the closure was accepted.

The Opposition began deliberately collapsing the debate in order to prevent the Minister lodging an amendment to block its amendments. The Government had to continue putting up speakers on a bill it wanted to close down. On a practical level, simply keeping on top of the volume of amendments and where they came in the bill was a major challenge. I resorted to using colour-coded stickers indicating the status of each batch of amendments.

The House rose after its third reading at 9.42 on Saturday night, after some 33 hours in Committee; 30,046 amendments were lodged, 16 agreed to, 946 defeated, and 29,084 were ruled out of order. I grouped the amendments, which allowed me to rule them out in their thousands, but this provoked the Opposition, and the Speaker was recalled twice. Fortunately, he supported my ruling. The taking of such a controversial bill through all stages under urgency and the use of technology to swamp the Committee with amendments did not produce an entirely satisfactory result. While the Opposition certainly flexed its muscle, the public perception of Parliament was not enhanced by the time spent voting. The consensus seemed to be that the focus on amendments rather than on debating the issues represented unnecessary time-wasting.

Debate is an acceptable delay tactic, particularly when a bill has not gone to a select committee and is being considered under urgency. The Opposition has very few options available to it other than delay. The lodging of thousands of computer-generated amendments just at the conclusion of each debate in the Committee was a smart political tactic, but one that could ultimately bring the House into disrepute. The Standing Orders Committee has dealt with this, and we are now seeing a more reasoned, focused debate in the Committee of the whole House. The use of extended hours, as we saw this morning, has reduced urgency periods. The tabling of documents, not the telephone directories that Gerry Brownlee used to table, and themes for debates are all moves to improve the quality and functionality of Parliament. I encourage this process and evaluation to continue.

I have presided for 1,378 hours, representing over 30 percent of House time, over my 9 years. Presiding gives one a great opportunity to view and experience behaviour and the many different styles that members have. It has improved, I would have to say, with the advent of the television live feeds. I have viewed the role of a presiding officer as a referee in the game and have tended to play the advantage rule, bearing in mind that this is a debating chamber for debates, and not a speech contest. There is also no television match official, the TMO. I have ruled as I have heard it, or seen it.

We are a House of common thinkers, each supporting our individual views and values. Whether a liberal or conservative, we are New Zealanders all, so who will ever forget the uplifting waiata filling this Chamber when I announced the vote on Louisa Wall’s Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill? To date there have been nearly 1.6 million views on YouTube. It was quite unforgettable and uniquely New Zealand. The Telegraph in Britain posted footage of Parliament breaking into song after the debate, saying: “Good on New Zealand. They get everything right—Lord of the Rings, plus their House of Commons Deputy Speaker, Lindsay Tisch, playing a cameo role sounds exactly like Murray out of Flight of the Conchords.” That may be my legacy here.

Many have helped me in this place, and in particular those in the Clerk’s Office, with whom I have daily contact. David Wilson and the Clerk’s Office are the guardians of the political processes and the protectors of the democratic process. Parliament is not here for the executive’s dictates; it belongs to the people. It is the scrutineer of the executive. To David, Andie Lindsay, and your highly motivated and very professional team, I say thank you for your guidance and support, and to David McGee and Mary Harris and those who served the office in their time, my grateful thanks.

It has been a pleasure and honour to work with you, Mr Speaker, and your predecessor Lockwood Smith, along with your staff, and particularly the unflappable Roland Todd. My fellow presiding officers—it has been a great relief, Trevor, not to have to pull you up on points of order. I am grateful to have worked with former Prime Minister John Key, and to Prime Minister Bill English and colleagues I say thank you for your friendship, for the opportunities, and for the commitment you make to New Zealand. I wish you all a successful and rewarding campaign. I thank all those who make Parliament function and who have been so generous with their time and advice to me. Thank you to those who have served here with me, from all sides of the House, for your friendship, good humour, and often fierce debate.

With an election pending, I am reminded of what I said in my maiden statement. The American politician Dick Armey, when asked “How does it feel to have people give you power?”, replied: “No, the people have given us responsibility. We are their servants. They retain the power.” Mr Speaker, colleagues one and all, I bid you farewell.

[Applause]

E Te Mana Whakawā, e ngā iwi, e ngā reo, e ngā mana, tēnā koutou kua tae mai nei ki te manaaki i te kaupapa o te rā nei, nō reira, nau mai, haere mai!

[Mr Speaker, to the tribes, voices, and authorities, and to you collectively who have arrived here in support of today’s topic, therefore welcome, come hither!]

To the many peoples—all voices, all mountains, all rivers—thank you for coming to support this auspicious occasion. Welcome, welcome. I begin this, my last speech in the House as MP for Rangitata, with pride, having been part of something very special for 12 years, and still with the passion for the things that I care about. As such, today I have some stories to tell, some messages I want to record in Hansard one last time, and, of course, some thankyous to deliver.

I leave here having been part of the huge “class of ‘05”: 12 years the parochial MP, first for Aoraki then for Rangitata; 5 years a Minister; and one of the renowned East Coast blondes. I arrived in this place determined to be a fantastic electorate MP. I would later realise that I was up to the task of being a Minister, but I never wanted to be PM. I am a team player and I relished being part of such a wonderfully strong and talented National Party team.

My maiden speech recorded that water was a major issue in my then seat of Aoraki. That speech also recorded my huge respect for, and support of, volunteers—more on both soon. I was elected on 17 September 2005, having campaigned for 10 months and knocked on 12,500 doors across the seat. Delegates questioned me before my selection, and they did not hold back, even asking: “Who will cook for your husband and children?”. I was not long into my time as MP before our teenage daughters asked me to stop cooking meals at the weekends to leave for them for sitting days; they informed me that they preferred their father’s cooking. You know, it took me a while to get over that, but I did.

Later in the campaign I had help out door knocking from two fabulous women, Anne Steele and Robyn Hewson. They got me out of bed when I was almost too tired to go out and keep going. It has been the commitment of tireless volunteers just like these two women that has kept me going through the tough times and encouraged me when the going got rough. The 2005 effort paid off, and on election night we recorded a 13,000 swing in the candidate results. I have always thought that timing is everything, and whilst the swing back to National was strong that year, I would spend my first 3 years as an MP as an Opposition backbencher. I was disappointed at the time, but, on reflection, it is actually the best way to start a political career.

Campaigning and being seen does bring challenges. Our Ford Falcon was sign-written and also had my photo on it. Supportive up until then, this was a step too far for our teenage daughters. How embarrassing to be taken to rowing in that—that is, until one of their friends dubbed it “the Jo-inator”. Apparently, it was suddenly quite cool. Huge boundary changes made 2008 another tough campaign. When 80 percent of the territory and 40 percent of the people change, you have a lot more work to do. I was welcomed by the people of mid-Canterbury, and I thank them for that.

Some MPs get to experience a local issue that makes people take to the streets against the Government. In my case, it was the statutory management of Hubbard Managed Funds and Aorangi Securities and the later failure of South Canterbury Finance (SCF). The taxpayers of New Zealand shouldered the burden of paying out SCF investors, but the people in the electorate took the issues personally. I got through that by hearing everyone out, respecting their strongly held views even when not agreeing with them, and not hiding away. I was certainly the stronger for that experience.

There have been many amazing opportunities afforded to me as an MP and a Minister, and I will share some of them because they have a wider message. Like most MPs, I have opened a few conferences and buildings. I have opened quite a few dementia units, including one in a prison. I am not sure how I feel about having my name on the outside of dementia units. Dementia touches almost every New Zealander in one way or another, and it robs people of precious years. New Zealand needs to acknowledge, plan for, and learn to deal with this as respectfully and sensitively as possible.

I opened, on behalf of the then Minister, both the Timaru and Ashburton Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Community Link offices. The Ashburton site would, on 1 September 2014, become the scene of tragedy when my constituents Peg Noble and Leigh Cleveland were, quite literally, gunned down doing their jobs. I would return to that site as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector to open Ashburton Community House. Out of that tragedy a strong community, while still mourning, dusted itself off and combined its efforts to fund-raise and turn the building into a wonderful facility for the people. Out front stands a carving that marks the loss of Peg and Leigh.

I proudly presented New Zealand’s seventh report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to the UN in 2012. I was questioned for 4½ hours by a 25-person committee, dedicated to pushing New Zealand to do more in this space. The committee was certain that New Zealand would be better off with gender quotas. I still totally disagree with that approach, and, for myself, I would be absolutely mortified if I suspected I was ever chosen for a role because I was anything other than the equal to the male candidate, or even better.

New Zealand has more to do in this space, but much to be proud of. I think there are a number of ways we can move the dial for women and girls, including one that I think we can do for ourselves. The female of the species is wired differently to the male, so we need to recognise what in that creates hurdles for us in achieving equality of outcomes. Some of the hurdles are literally innate—not put there by others. Before I get shouted at for blaming the victim, hear me out. We need to understand and confront our own unconscious bias, make it conscious, and then deal with it. When I automatically think to myself that I do not have all the skills required to apply for the job, I need to recognise that neither does the guy next door, but he will apply, intending to learn on the job. When the performance review rolls around, I should not take the oft-times approach and expect that my skills and value will have been recognised already, instead, I need to do what guys do and describe my value to the organisation on a regular basis so that there is no doubt. Sometimes we need an internal rewire to compete on an equal footing. It is only one of a number of fronts we should tackle, but it is an important one.

I wish the media focused on attitudes, intentions, and results instead of labels when it comes to bridging the gender divide. Who gives a continental whether I label myself a feminist or not? Let deeds speak for the determination to shift the dial towards equality. Prime Minister Bill English has been the driving force behind the social investment approach. We know that women are grossly over-represented in domestic violence statistics. Women and girls who do not achieve in education will likely become part of a low-income family. Teen pregnancy can lead to poor outcomes for that woman and the child or children. So who cares if Bill English labels himself a feminist? Under his and Paula Bennett’s watch, teen pregnancies dropped by 57 percent. The approach is to get in early and help women to change their path and achieve their potential.

To all of those out there who cry poverty, and think how much better off these families would be with more money, I say that we are the Government that raised the benefits for the first time in 43 years. But a dysfunctional family with an extra $50 in their hand a week will still be a dysfunctional family. They need so much more than money. That is where the social investment approach comes in.

I was patron of the Goodhew Class SO 3/14 Limited Service Volunteer (LSV) course at Burnham Military Camp. You know, I was moved to tears by the stories the participants told me about how their lives were changed by that experience. I know there are others in this debating chamber who have been patrons as well. That course, however, was only the start for them. Without employers willing to take them on afterwards, without training for them to go into, a golden opportunity could well have been lost.

As Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector for 5 years I had innumerable chances to recognise and thank New Zealanders for their efforts to enrich our communities and help others less fortunate than themselves to achieve community goals and projects—our largest workforce. I am proud to have, amongst other things, developed the Government Position Statement on Social Enterprise, and then launched a cross-agency working group to further promote it. Social enterprise allows social or environmental objectives to be achieved using a social enterprise or business approach. It is not a new approach, but there are many more examples of it today. I ask you to think of Pomegranate Kitchen, Eat My Lunch, Wilding & Co, Kilmarnock Enterprises, and Patu Aotearoa and think of businesses that are literally making a huge difference. The more social enterprises that flourish here in New Zealand, the more social and environmental objectives will be achieved without the Government getting involved, and certainly not getting in the way. Discerning spenders want to support those approaches to achieve the outcomes that they believe in.

As senior citizens Minister I had enormous frustration when hearing older New Zealanders described as a looming natural disaster—a grey or silver tsunami, or even a landslide at times. This characterisation diminishes older New Zealanders. We often speak of young people fulfilling their potential. Well, it is time we did more to encourage older people to fulfil their potential across their whole life.

For those who would like to keep working—and I emphasise this; for those who would like to keep working—there could be flexible hours, mentoring or training roles, and leave without pay for retirement travel and then them going back to roles where they feel respected and valued. I am tired of hearing that the workforce is ageing and all will retire at once. To employers, I suggest they offer an alternative for those who want to stay in the workforce.

My food safety portfolio gave me the scariest moments. New Zealand has an enviable reputation for food safety technology and practices, but things can still go wrong. In late 2014 a threat to contaminate infant and other formulas with 1080 was received. A huge Police and Ministry for Primary Industries response commenced, called Operation Concord.

When Prime Minister John Key, Nathan Guy, and I faced the cameras early in March, we knew significant protections were in place. When I was asked to give a message to mums and dads, I urged them to keep using the formula, even though I knew that if I was wrong, a child could die. There is no antidote or treatment if 1080 is consumed. The Police got their man—amazing work. The whole supply chain is now better protected from threats of a similar nature, and consumers now know to check products they buy for tampering.

At Christmas 2015, frozen berries contaminated with hepatitis A hit the headlines. Tracing and the recalling and additional testing of imported product followed, and my message on this front is simply that country-of-origin labelling gives no assurance of food safety, or otherwise. Almost every single one of those frozen products was already labelled with its country of origin. It is not so long ago that New Zealand apples were also contaminated by a worker with hepatitis A. So the answer is to have health and food safety officials working closely to identify and trace food-borne illnesses fast. Excellent traceability systems on the part of producers are essential and country-of-origin labelling is a marketing tool that works only when the country of origin has a great reputation, which is exactly what New Zealand has.

I worked hard to progress the National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry. The gestation was far too long, but worth the wait, I believe. This will reduce, by thousands, the numbers of consents required each year.

Back to water—New Zealand has certainly woken up to the value of water. At the heart of the issue is the need to look after our fresh water and use it wisely and efficiently. We have an abundance of fresh water. Now the focus is on repairing degradation that has happened over many decades and preventing further lessening of water quality. The National Government is the first Government to have the intestinal fortitude to tackle thorny issues like allocation, reliability of supply, quality measuring, cleaning up of poor-quality fresh water, requirements to exclude stock from waterways, and mapping a path to restore degraded waterways.

One last thought for the primary sector: it is high time New Zealanders woke up to the importance of genetically modified organisms to our future in the fields of health, plant, and animal genetics, and, through that, environmental protection. Gene editing can help us cure cancers, eradicate wilding pines as well as four-legged pests, develop grasses that assist us to reduce methane emissions, and so much more. The debate has to be less about fear of the unknown, and more about safe and proven science.

So what am I proud of? I absolutely loved the electorate work, and people tell me it showed. The people of the electorate encouraged me to connect, and I feel connected to them. I have relished meeting regularly with leaders, businesses, non-governmental organisations, schools, rest homes, and individual constituents, because I believe I needed to know them to represent them. I have shared their celebrations, their tribulations, sought solutions for them, listened to their stories, and advocated for them. What a privilege it has been.

I will proudly claim to have been part of the team that progressed the social investment approach. It was a team that was not afraid to measure the cost of unfulfilled human potential in not taking action. It was not afraid to insist on measuring whether actions taken really worked. In targeting where resources can effect the most change in lives, we get to do what we came here for: make a difference.

From the time I came to Parliament I have often held the aged-care responsibility. In the Opposition health team under Tony Ryall, I rose to his challenge. He exhorted every one of his health team to know their particular issue better than anyone else in this Parliament. I held forums across the country, inviting all stakeholders, and I asked what had been going well and what we could do better. In September 2007 the document discussing options was launched by leader John Key. Entitled Choice Not Chance for Older New Zealanders, there followed many hundreds of submissions. Then came the policy launch: more money for respite for exhausted family caregivers, and unannounced spot audits in rest homes, eventually leading to all audits being put up online for the public to see. Over time there was extra money for dementia care, and that resulted in a 25 percent increase in the number of beds. A standardised assessment tool was implemented and accelerated. So that is why it was a very proud day for me when the National Government announced that more than $2 billion over 5 years would recalibrate the pay rates for caregivers, so that their work was given the value it deserves.

Time is running out, so a couple of very brief messages: New Zealand, plant more trees—lots more; build more wonderful buildings using our timbers; use engineered timber to build tall, strong buildings. I was delighted to read page 3 of the Dominion Post today and to see that Sir Bob Jones is leading the way, with a 12-storey timber building.

In the health sector, I am a strong believer of the quality and safety markers, and that it really matters. It does not just save money and resources; it saves lives. All practice should be best practice.

💬 Thankyous: to former party president Judy Kirk, who believed I could win—thank you, my friend. I thank president Peter Goodfellow; the board members; regional chair Roger Bridge; and former regional chairs Ailsa Smail and Kate Hazlett for their friendship and support. To my current and former electorate chairs Allan Booth and Mark Oldfield, and campaign chairs John Rushton and Mark Oldfield: you have had great committees doing a wonderful job for me. I thank you. I really appreciated the farewell party last weekend.

To former Prime Minister John Key: thank you for the opportunities you gave me, first as junior whip and then as Minister. I made the most of them and had an amazing time. I will always know I was part of a caucus led by an amazing Prime Minister, who helped New Zealand recover from huge adversity with his unfailing belief in New Zealand, New Zealanders, and a positive and exciting future.

To Prime Minister Bill English, who now gets the opportunity that he undoubtedly earned and is superbly equipped to accomplish: I wish Bill and all the candidates for this election well in the contest of ideas, so you can continue to deliver what we have started to achieve, and what we as a nation are capable of. I hope, come 23 September, that the people of Rangitata elect young and energetic Andrew Falloon.

To my “class of ‘05” classmates—good buggers all—Wednesday nights after 10 p.m. will never be the same. To friends who are here today: there will be more time for us now. Thank you for hanging in there.

An electorate MP struggles to be effective without great electorate agents: Don McCully, Janet Bates, and Robyn Hewson; then came Annette Ireton and Barb Aitken; now Alison Driscoll, Tracey Miron, and Robyn Hewson. Robyn still has my back, all those years after helping me doorknock. I have been blessed. Thank you all so much.

To the Wellington crew: first, Heather Henderson, then Elizabeth Neilson, Micheal Warren, Annette Ireton, Susan Palmer, and now Erin Taylor—what a time we have had. To my “SPS Supremo”, Rebecca Tane, and the whole “Ministerial Gonzo” team that you knitted together: those 5 years were incredible. I learned so much from you all. Thank you. I am honoured that so many of you are here today.

If things are not going well at home, it is impossible to do your work well. Thanks to the incredible support of my husband Mark we have made the juggle work. To our daughters, Abi and Harriet in the gallery, and Emily in London: thanks, guys, for cutting me enough slack to do my job, for making me so proud of you, and for making sure we kept talking to each other. Happy birthday, Harriet and Emily.

I grew up on a farm. Dad and I would drive round the sheep in the little truck, the radio always on the Parliament station. Maybe I was brainwashed there, or maybe it was just entertainment for us both. My mum and dad, Bruce and Winnie, have found a myriad of ways to support me. Dad just retired from the electorate executive at the last AGM. Mum and Dad, I cannot thank you enough for all of the ways you and our extended family have helped me.

Once upon a time, an experienced MP warned me against telling anyone that my maiden name was McCully. It is OK, Murray. I have been my own person and I do not think it turned into a burden. But perhaps that is because I do not have a scary nickname—that I am aware of.

People have asked me what I am going to miss. I will miss the people in this Parliament. No matter what your role is, I thank you for your cheery smiles, your warm greetings, your help, and your courtesy.

I finish with the whakataukī that has never been so true to me as now:

He aha te mea nui o te ao?

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

[What is the most important thing in the world?

It is people, it is people, it is people.]

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Applause]

Waiata

Kia ora tātou katoa. As I farewell this place I again give my acknowledgment to this House, those who have gone before, the tangata whenua of this region and, indeed, Aotearoa.

I acknowledge my parents—both no longer with us; Ivan passing away in 2006 and Alice unfortunately just a week and a day before the election that brought me here. I would have liked them to be with me during this phase, and my late half-brother Trevor, also. And a very fond memory to my beautiful friends who have passed away—too many from cancer; part of my theme today.

Mr Speaker, I wish to acknowledge you and your work in your role, and my cross-party colleagues, especially those whom I worked with on the Primary Production Committee. I especially want to acknowledge my son Jordan, who has travelled from Melbourne for today, as did his brother Jamie for my maiden speech in 2012. I love you both and I am looking forward to spending more time with you and your wives, Leah and Dannielle, my grandchildren, Seneca and Ada, and those to come.

I am humbled by those people who have come today: my partner, Birte, my whānau, friends and colleagues, and experts and acquaintances from the sectors and campaigns during my two terms here, including Meredith. Thanks for keeping a sharp shirt on my back when I tired too often of ironing at 1.30 in the morning.

Thanks also to those who could not be here but have been such a supportive part of my parliamentary time: Holly, Brendan, Marion, Philippa, Susie, Meriel, Hana, Deborah, Kyra, the Van Pallandts, Bob, Jen, Kerry, Tim, Ally, Ali and Nozz, Franzi, James, Mark, and, of course, Damien at the Grovetown Pub. Pam Nichols, your huge help during previous campaigns is of particular note. Thank you all. Thanks to those whom I have stuffed up on and missed out. I love you all.

My fellow Green MPs, I acknowledge you all: our fantastic predecessors and my colleagues now deeply engaged elsewhere, Holly Walker, Kevin Hague, and Russel Norman. Wow, we have collectively done some good stuff. We have a huge amount to be proud of, often at huge personal cost. I acknowledge the passion, the skills, that drive you all.

To the great Green team in the party, the great staff, and the great volunteer crew reaching out to other New Zealanders, particularly in this very difficult election phase, inspiring hope for a great future together, you are putting so much in. That work is so important, and I admire you hugely.

Of super significance here have been my executive assistants, starting with Angela McLeod, Dianne Parker, Tara Forde, Frances Mountier, Julian Borman, Tim Onnes, and, to finish, Tracey Gallagher, and most of you are in the gallery today. You have all gone on to great things. To the other Greens parliamentary staff in Bowen House, your skills, support, and commitment to change are hugely valued. I look forward to some celebration with you later.

I acknowledge the parliamentary support staff, the cleaners, the feeders, the library, the messengers, HR, security, the receptionists, ICT, the travel office staff, the Chamber staff, and those I have omitted unfairly. You are fantastic, and I really do appreciate you and your collective work to keep this place functioning well. I saw some of you, cleaners and security, in the middle of the night all too often—a work habit that I have not quite overcome. The Greens will continue to try to get fair pay for your important but all too often undervalued work.

To my leaders, Metiria, James, and Russel before—well, we have had our moments, as could be expected with my just slightly anarchic and just somewhat passionate expression of my interests and world view. I admire you all for what you have been passionately committed to and what you passionately strive for.

Metiria, I want to acknowledge your personal sacrifice, as you have recently been so harshly judged for what is real life, real survival, real whānau care, and, effectively, youthful real-time decisions. You have been hammered by the media and those who just do not know what it was like—what it is like. For those in poverty, those who are learning, who are striving, or those who cannot, but from places of difficulty, often intergenerational, that is hard, and it further aggravates the injustices that we here all know should be behind us. Metiria, I understand you all the more. Metiria, you have been courageous. You have given a lifeline of hope to those who need it the most. We can reverse the growing income and wealth gap in Aotearoa New Zealand and eliminate poverty and the harm that flows from it. Thank you, Metiria, James, and my colleagues, who are committed to these changes.

And then there were my moments of notoriety—it is coming—moments of parliamentary time that felt so hard and so unfair. The most striking encounter with the doubters, the risk-averse, or overly confident consumers of very narrow interpretations of science, or just plain industry-fed scientific propaganda, was when I curiously put homeopathy and Ebola together. Wow, didn’t the sky fall for Steffan Browning!

What I was not able to articulate at the time was my love of science and my openness to the advances of science, in time, possibly being more able to measure and explain and accept the mechanisms that may be at play with homeopathy—see, I have not learnt. I note the acceptance and widespread use of homeopathy in Europe, including some State support of homeopathics, and by British royalty. I cannot pretend not to have seen significant effect in a non-placebo situation with one of my own children. I cannot pretend not to be aware of Brazil and Cuba’s use of homeopathic nosodes for effective use in some epidemic situations. Check it out.

There are many whom I respect but who may not share my view or experience. However, science is a wondrous discipline. We should be hesitant in our discounting of longstanding practices that do give safe benefit, although are less understood. I give my respect to the gallery and media beyond when the issues are well researched and the community is accurately informed. Our Government agencies are struggling with the ability to select and use the independent science and treat with appropriate caution that of the agrichemical industries. So there is another side to it.

Cancer increasingly eats through our communities, from the very youngest to everyone. Our health Minister is being laughed at by cancer charity bosses because he wants New Zealanders to believe we have got a health system that is the envy of the world. But the Minister is not on his own. Some of us are not laughing but crying, sobbing, because of the unnecessary rise in cancer perpetuated by other ministries that are doing everything to continue, and increase, the use of a probable carcinogen through the streets and parks and food of New Zealanders. Chemical cowboy country. The machinery of government is broken. There is no pesticide reduction strategy. Successive Governments have allowed the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to run amok with numerous new pesticide registrations and very few withdrawals.

All of you but the Māori Party and the Greens voted for an extension of data protection to new pesticide applications from 5 to 10 years, keeping those who care in the dark about those toxic formulations. Minister Smith will not tell us which of the 75 percent of the over 90 probable carcinogenic glyphosate herbicides have the adjuvant polyethoxylated tallow amine in them, which magnifies the toxicity inherent in glyphosate hundreds and even thousands of times and is now banned in Europe. We cannot find out. Chemical cowboy country.

Our Ministry of Health relies on the EPA for guidance on carcinogenic substances, yet the EPA and MPI are sucked into the vortex of an echo chamber of agrichemical industry science acceptance and speak. Our communities are awash in cancers, but our EPA chose to dismiss the finding of its own authority, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)—the world’s gold standard in carcinogen classification—when IARC found that the EPA’s friend Monsanto’s product glyphosate was a probable carcinogen.

My proudest parliamentary achievement was this 183-page critique of the EPA’s review of the seemingly inconvenient IARC finding. I question why the New Zealand Government ignored the advice of the IARC’s 17 international expert scientists and used a retired New Zealand toxicologist who had previously underplayed the risks of cancer from the now banned DDT and endosulfan pesticides. Why? Chemical cowboy country.

I want to acknowledge the huge part played by my very dear friend Jodie Bruning in writing and researching my critique—Jodie Bruning of Ritedemands.org.nz; that is spelt R-I-T-E demands.org.nz—and those many scientists who support what we did. Some are here today.

We point out that the New Zealand EPA does not consider the full formulation of these Roundup-type herbicides as actually used. Our critique outlines how the other overseas agencies that our EPA chooses to align with—such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)—also selectively use unpublished industry selected and supplied science, such as Monsanto’s.

Our EPA is wrong when it accepts JMPR advice when its glyphosate working group was chaired by two men with serious conflicts of interest, as part of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), primarily funded by chemical companies including Monsanto, but our EPA listens to that. ILSI specialises in designing industry-friendly risk assessment methods for incorporation into regulations worldwide. No wonder we have problems.

And it gets messy here in Aotearoa New Zealand too. The once chief executive and managing director of PGG Wrightson, described as an outspoken advocate of genetic engineering and all over Monsanto, got PGG Wrightson involved with the GE grasses and also GE trees. He now heads our EPA, which is the very agency that will decide on releasing GE trees and grasses—the two crops, along with the William Rolleston - linked GE animals dominating New Zealand’s GE research and promotion activity. William Rolleston in science funding at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and Allan Freeth, the chief executive of the Environmental Protection Agency, make the independence of science and regulatory control absolutely questionable. That chief executive chose not to accept the world’s gold standard in cancer classification, by doing a sham review that is probably illegal in New Zealand law. It is like the Wild West with Monsanto advocates at the helm, and cancers are running amok. Chemical cowboy country.

Auckland Council—note, Mayor Phil Goff—used the EPA as an excuse to introduce the probable carcinogen-based herbicide into new areas where 1 million people reside, 1 million people of your city, just to save dollars. And you knew better. But what is the real cost when our friends are getting cancer at younger and younger ages? What is the cost of neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption? Possibly the biggest epidemic facing our country is the fallout of pesticide use—cancer, through to antibiotic resistance—yet Governments are letting the Monsantos make the calls.

I could have easily done another huge speech about the huge work I have done on biosecurity: oysters, myrtle rust, Theileria, great white butterfly, velvetleaf, fruit fly, and kauri dieback disease. I have been deeply through each of those, generally pre-empting the MPI’s ponderous approach. I predict that myrtle rust—and I am very sad about this—and kauri dieback will be defining issues for the future New Zealand landscape.

I negotiated the foreign charter vessels legislation as the last bill of the last Parliament to speed fishers out of slave-like conditions sooner. I negotiated to remove the excesses of the Food Bill, and got genetically modified foods included as a possible food safety issue. I continue to expose the lack of enforcement of GM food labelling regulations since 2003.

I have worked for the artisan food producers who are increasingly put out of business because of ridiculously high MPI demands and compliance costs. That same MPI paranoia meant that most raw milk producers stopped their businesses from selling their nutritious milk to the public. I grappled with the complexities of the Fonterra executive’s attempt to get Fonterra exposed on the stock market. The same executive stymied my attempts to keep the Kaikōura cheese factory open and transition to a more sustainable and very best value organic production.

I have supported efforts trying to set an organic standard in regulation. I have hosted the release at Parliament of the New Zealand Organic Market Report 2012 and the launch of the United Nations International Year of Family Farming in 2014. My bees campaign resulted in thousands asking the EPA for a reassessment of bee-killing neonicotinoid insecticides, used unnecessarily on most commercial seed. Chemical cowboy country. The rapidly expanding honey industry needs you all to make some hive-density regulation to quickly curb the spread of both disease and crime.

At about 8 p.m. on 13 November last year I made a Facebook post: “Sorry to see the world’s biggest seismic blasting ship the Amazon Warrior off my beach, Rarangi in Cloudy Bay tonight. Hiding from Wellington’s protestors today, this ship has been allowed in by energy and resources Minister Simon Bridges as part of National’s deep-sea oil gamble. Spoiling our super moon viewing, this ecological thumper needs moving on out of New Zealand’s EEZ.” That is what I said, Simon. I have never had so many Facebook shares—2,037—following the incredible earthquakes that night—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: The member has 2 minutes to complete his speech.

—as that ship headed out on its dirty mission. Good on you, Russel Norman, for chasing it and getting into the water in front of it, just as I did earlier this year in front of the clam boat that MPI has now allowed to thrash the seabed off that same beach. We are not going to stop fighting the unsustainable practices of the National Government.

I have consistently tried to get the National front bench to more humanely assist the quake victims of North Canterbury, Kaikōura, and Marlborough. I worked with Tina McIvor against a second carcinogenic, neurotoxic and ozone-depleting methyl bromide fumigation operation at Port Tauranga, right through to winning in the Environment Court. Now the focus is on the current sloppy fumigation practices there. Chemical cowboy country. This is another EPA disaster, following its sham reassessment of methyl bromide for increasing log fumigations. The chair of that panel was, 6 years later, the methyl bromide fumigators’ lawyer I faced off with. Chemical cowgirl country.

Cutting right across—what a great Green moment when my country of origin labelling of food bill was pulled from the ballot. Sue Kedgley’s petition of 30,000 had championed COOL—country of origin of food labelling—years before.

The vote at first reading was 120 for and just one mean-spirited ACT vote against. Meaningful support really could have had COOL passed before Parliament rises next week. However, this Government has stymied the progress of this great Green bill. We hope for better in the next Parliament.

What is my future? I have not been searching for my next life phase, but the issues that brought me to Parliament are unlikely to be—

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am sorry to interrupt the member, but the member’s time has expired.

Kia ora, my friends and colleagues. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Waiata

I understand that the family of the Hon Annette King is now coming into the gallery, so if those supporters who have supported the last speaker could move from the gallery I would much appreciate that. [Interruption] Honourable members, the family has assembled. I call on the Hon Annette King to make her valedictory statement.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I could not start before the grandson arrived.

Where to begin? It has been 33 years since I was first elected—11 elections, nine leaders, 15 portfolios, 985 speeches in this House, so many debates, so many challenges, so many stories, and so much fun. I have often asked myself how “Skinny” Robinson from the small South Island town of Murchison ended up in a place like this. So, like with any good yarn, you have got to start from the beginning.

I joined the Labour Party in 1972 following the victory of Norman Kirk and the third Labour Government—a Government that was full of ideas, passion, and hope. I joined in Hamilton. I went to my first branch meeting, and I was immediately made the secretary. That is what happens in the Labour Party. Throughout the 1970s I did most of my party work in Hamilton. I was instrumental in setting up a new branch in Hamilton East called the “Trendy Leftie Club”. It was called that because the Prime Minister of the day, Rob Muldoon, called everybody who was in the Labour Party a “trendy leftie”. For our inaugural meeting we invited the up-and-coming leftie of the day: Richard Prebble.

💬 Hon Members: Ha, ha!

It is possible to get things wrong in politics. It was Richard Prebble, the then Minister of Railways, who, when I excitedly told him that the Waikanae railway station had just been painted, said “Ah! That means we’re gonna close it.”, and he did.

But my real political activism started in March 1974 when I joined around a thousand school dental nurses, in white starched uniforms, red cardigans, veils, and seamed stockings, and marched up Lambton Quay to Parliament in support of a pay claim. I was petrified. But I have never forgotten a carload of young blokes who called out as we passed them: “Hey, hey, you Waikato sheilas—best looking in the bunch.” I can tell you, it put a real spring in our step that day. We had waited years for a pay rise. With the support of Dan Long and the PSA, we walked away that day with a 24.4 percent pay increase from Norm Kirk.

💬 Carmel Sepuloni: Great.

Yes, it was great—an increase of $8,000 in today’s money. It was unprecedented at that time, and I can tell you that the Silver Fern railcar rocked and rolled its way back to Hamilton that night, with the help of a few bottles of golden sherry.

I learnt from that day the value of leadership and courage—leadership from people like Maggie Morgan, Pam Horncy, and Sheila Brown. Pam and Maggie are those two who have dressed in that uniform up there tonight. It showed me the value of standing up and fighting for what you believe in and the value of belonging to a union. Now, 43 years on, I am ashamed we still do not have pay equity in New Zealand. Women have waited long enough. No more excuses, no more half-baked measures, no more litigation. It is time for us to once again lead on women’s issues. Our country used to be a leader. There is so much more that we need to do.

In 1981 I shifted to Wellington. I packed up my old Chevette, the TV, the dog, and my young daughter, Amanda, and I headed to new challenges. I joined the Mount Victoria branch of the Labour Party, and I was immediately made the secretary. That is what happens in the Labour Party. It was there that I met the formidable Kath Kelly and her husband, Pat. I also met Helen Kelly. She became my babysitter. One of the sadnesses for me is that I leave this place and Helen Kelly is not sitting here with us.

I worked on Fran Wilde’s campaign, and it was with her encouragement, along with Helen Clark, that I put my name in for the 1984 election. The party had decided that we needed more women in Parliament, because we were sick of being tea ladies, Mr Joyce. We wanted to make policy, and we wanted to make decisions. Before the 1984 election women made up 8 percent of Parliament—8 percent. It then increased to 15 percent—the biggest increase ever. And 33 years on it is now 31 percent. That is not good enough. All political parties need to commit to making this place truly a House of Representatives.

I supported MMP, because I saw it as a way to achieve diversity and fairness in our voting system. It has changed the make-up of this House, but we have still got a long way to go. President Jim Anderton selected me for the seat of Horowhenua, but I never expected to win. I called myself the accidental MP. We had never held that seat before, and I was swept in on the popularity of David Lange with a majority of 447. We put together a fantastic campaign with 1 month to do it in—after the calling of the “schnapps election”—for 14 July, Bastille Day, and the result was a political revolution. The campaign was short, it was sharp, and it was furious. It was led by my long-time friend and campaign manager for all but one of my 11 campaigns, Lloyd Falck and his wife, Marea. Lloyd, who is larger than life, was my chief of staff for 9 years, and Marea my electorate secretary. I owe them so much.

It was during that campaign that I met the 8-year-old Darren Hughes. He was Lloyd’s neighbour, and, yes, he was already a political junkie, delivering my pamphlets. He will deny this, but both he and his brother Bryce curtseyed when they first met David Lange. Darren is one of the most talented people I have ever met, and this House is the poorer for him not being here.

They used to say the softest thing about Ann Hercus was her teeth, but she was the person who gave me my first break in Parliament after the 1984 election. She put me on her working party to establish the first ever Ministry of Women’s Affairs and she made me chair of the Health and Welfare Committee. I was a real novice, up against the wily old fox Venn Young, who was the former Minister, and he gave me a real lesson in the art of politics. I quickly learnt that you had to hold your nerve if you were going to survive in this place.

I was also put on the Finance and Expenditure Committee. I was the only woman, and I was scared stiff, because sitting opposite me was a line-up of heavy-hitting former Ministers led by Rob Muldoon. I did not open my mouth for 6 weeks. After a while I got enough courage to ask a question, and I cannot remember what it was, but I can still see Muldoon fixing me with that stare and saying: “Who’s she?”. I quickly learnt you need a sense of humour if you are going to survive in this place. I did have an odd relationship with Muldoon. He was the person who said I had put the horror into Horowhenua. But just before the 1990 election I passed him in the old billiard room, and he grunted, and he said: “I hope you win.” He often got things wrong.

For the first 3 years I was seated next to Trevor Mallard. We have fought and scrapped with each other for over 33 years, but he is one of my oldest mates, and a passionate politician. I will always remember the day when we had shifted seats to sit behind the front bench for Trevor to speak. He was speaking with volume on full when his front teeth, which were attached to a plate in those days, flew out of his mouth and landed on Richard Prebble’s shoulder. He leant forward, he grabbed them, he put them back in his mouth, and he carried on speaking without taking a breath, or hesitation.

It was a tradition back then for two new members to propose the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. I was chosen to do the Address, and Jim Sutton, my old mate, was chosen to do the Reply. It was not till afterwards that Mike Moore told us there was another tradition: those who were chosen usually lost their seats—and we did, in 1990. But, as they say, we came back. We came back as the retreads of 1993!

The years between 1984 and 1990 were both distressing and exhilarating. We became a deeply divided caucus and party by the end of 1990. I am not going to dwell too long on those years, but the fourth Labour Government made some of the most significant changes seen in New Zealand—economic, social, and constitutional. Rapid and radical economic changes included removing agricultural subsidies, removing controls on foreign exchange, introducing GST, removing import tariffs, corporatising many of our State assets, and much more. It took my dear old Dad years to forgive the changes we made to the Post Office, a place he had worked for 40 years, and it was not until Kiwibank was opened that he felt his money was safe again. There were changes that were needed, but not enough thought was given to the consequences on families and communities, and some of those consequences are still with us today.

But there are highlights I do want to remember. Homosexual law reform, 1986—I believe one of the most courageous politicians in this House was Fran Wilde. She withstood the vilest of campaigns against her and her family, and I was proud to stand with those who voted in support of reform. I was told that I was going to lose my rural seat in the 1987 election if I voted for reform; I increased my majority. I learnt that you can only ever vote with your conscience. There is no such thing as a collective conscience in your electorate. The old adage “To thine own self be true” comes to mind. And there are many more reforms that are needed in this area, particularly for transgender people, who continue to be discriminated against.

You know, we too often forget some of the reforms of the fourth Labour Government—over-shadowed by those economic changes. They were reforms such as the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act, thank you, Dr Cullen; fully abolishing the death penalty; this one is amazing, making rape in marriage a criminal offence; the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act; Homestart to help people buy their first home—what a novel idea; Treaty claims dating back to 1840; and, of course, nuclear-free New Zealand. Today the nuclear-free policy is owned by all New Zealanders, something most people are proud of. I believe that our nuclear-free stance, the failure of Britain and the US to condemn the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour, and our refusal to send troops to Iraq without a UN mandate were some of the actions that have led to New Zealand having a more independent foreign policy today.

A little-known story, however, is the part I played in restoring diplomatic relations with France after the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. After the 1987 election Peter Dunne and I were made parliamentary under-secretaries. Cabinet decided that we needed to get our relationship with France back on a better footing. It decided to send the lowliest ranked member of the executive—me—to reopen dialogue. I was dispatched to Paris to meet their Minister of Foreign Affairs. She spoke in French, I spoke in English, and I have not a clue what we talked about. But the message was clear: New Zealand was giving France a silent one-finger salute—I will not do it—while at the same time showing we had forgiven, but not forgotten.

In 1989 I was elected to Lange’s Cabinet. Well, that lasted 7 days before David Lange resigned. I do not think I was the reason. I became a Minister in Geoffrey Palmer’s Cabinet, and later Mike Moore’s. I had responsibility for immigration, youth affairs, employment, and was the Minister assisting the Prime Minister with responsibility for caucus relations. Dark clouds were already gathering over the caucus, and as a peacemaker I turned out to be an absolute failure.

As Minister of Employment I had to front up to the media every month to announce the increase in unemployment figures, and they were rising at an alarming rate. It was a political nightmare. You Ministers have it easy these days. But from my 1 year in that role came one of the highlights of my political career: the setting up of the community employment development unit, the brainchild of Garry Moore and a number of other fantastic community development workers, including the late Parekura Horomia. It was an agency that was outside the Department of Labour, and I have to say it caused the then Secretary of Labour a lot of angst. But many of the economic and job opportunities that started under that policy endure today—think Whale Watch Kaikōura.

In 1990 I lost the Horowhenua seat by 624 votes. There is nothing more devastating to a politician’s ego than to be defeated at an election—rejected by your constituents. But, on reflection, it did me good. With the help of Steve Maharey, who had just been elected to Parliament, I got a job as the CEO of the Palmerston North Enterprise Board, a business and economic development agency. I learnt the value of small business as a generator of jobs in New Zealand, and I met two people who were very influential in the next steps of my political career and are now lifelong friends: John Harvey, who became my press secretary, and his wife, Dr Judy McGregor, someone who has fought for equal opportunities all her adult life. They took over the publicity for my re-election in Miramar in 1993. Their bumper stickers remain the best I ever had: “Miramar Needs A King”. The other one was “A King for Miramar”, and they worked, because I won the seat back for Labour at that election.

John and I had many adventures in my 9 years as a Minister in Helen Clark’s Cabinet, like the time John convinced me, when I was Minister for Racing, to ride a horse out the front of Parliament dressed as a jockey—by now I was hardly “Skinny” Robinson. Several of us, including Helen Clark, Darren Hughes, Rick Barker, Damien O’Connor, and Paul Swain, owned a race horse during the 3 years I was Minister; it was called Bowen Arrow. It was well-named because it could only run straight and it was scared of corners. The damn thing never won a race until we got rid of it.

The fifth Labour Government—1999 to 2008—brought the next set of progressive reforms in New Zealand, many of which endure today. I must credit Helen Clark for the many opportunities and challenges she gave me over the 9 years I was in her Government and Cabinet: health for 6 years, transport, police, State services, justice, and food safety. I must thank Michael Cullen for giving me funding in every one of those portfolios. In fact, my colleagues used to say “follow the money” when I got a new portfolio. Not only was Michael an outstanding Minister of Finance, he has a keen sense for the ridiculous. He often used to send me little notes in the House. I have kept them all, and most of them are not for publication, but I will always remember the one he sent me on the day I was authorising the irradiation of peanuts. It read: “Nuts to be irradiated, Labour Women’s Council happy”.

I held the food safety portfolio for 9 years and the work undertaken by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Andrew McKenzie, and his staff was world leading. I regret that the Government dismantled the agency at a time when the rest of the world was responding to consumer demand for food safety, transparency, and independence from food producers. I hope there will be a rethink by the new Government.

The health portfolio remains my passion and my greatest challenge. People often say that health is a hospital pass; actually, it was a privilege. The people who work in health are the most committed of any I have ever met. We have had some outstanding leaders in medicine, in nursing, in midwifery, and in many of the allied health services. I was fortunate to have an outstanding Director-General, Dr Karen Poutasi, and a strong Ministry of Health to advise me. After we came into Government we set out to tackle the inequities in health that had emerged after the health experiment of the 1990s. We were becoming a “care-less” society. With the help of my associate Ministers, Ruth Dyson, Steve Chadwick, and Tariana Turia, we set in motion many reforms to re-establish a public health system focusing on preventing disease.

We developed long-term strategies, such as the Primary Health Care Strategy, which endures today—well, at least in name. It set out the direction to make primary healthcare services more accessible and effective, particularly for those who historically had missed out on such services. It focused on both financial and non-financial barriers, and it needs to happen again.

There are many challenges in health, and I urge the incoming Government to address as soon as possible the growing crisis in mental health. Mental health has always been the Cinderella of health. What we are seeing now is a repeat of the 1990s, which led to the Mason inquiry and the need to double funding, to train, and to increase the mental health workforce.

One regret I do have is that we still do not have affordable dental care for adult New Zealanders. Dr Clark, I expect you to deliver that.

I was fortunate to attend the annual World Health Assembly for 6 years, and a lasting achievement was New Zealand being one of the leaders for the UN Framework Convention on Tobacco Control—a set of policies that have helped to save millions of lives around the world.

I married Ray in 2000, and I took him with me on my first assembly in Geneva. Rodney Hide, the perk-buster turned perk-taker, labelled it a “golden honeymoon in the Mediterranean”. Ray’s response was that if Rodney thought that listening to dozens of speeches on the evil of smoking was erotic, he had a very strange life indeed.

It is often said that bricks and mortar are not important, but I can tell you that they are when it comes to hospitals and health centres. We set out to rebuild hospitals from Kaitāia to Invercargill, many of them under threat of closure. Murchison was to be closed, and I got a phone call from Dad. He said: “You can’t close Murchison. I was born there, you were born there, and so was your sister.” It was rebuilt under my gentle guidance, and I got to open it as Minister of Police.

I do have to admit to one major failure in the health portfolio—and I am sure Hekia Parata will relate to this. Helen Clark told me that as Minister of Health, I had to talk to Parekura Horomia and convince him to lose weight. I went to Pare’s office and I said: “The Prime Minister said you need to lose weight. You’ve got to go on a diet.” His response was unprintable. I said: “You’ve got to join Weight Watchers, Pare.” There was another outburst of bad language, and then he said: “OK, OK. I’ll join, but only if I can do it by correspondence.” The impossible we did immediately, but I have to say that miracles took a little longer.

The police portfolio brought some particular challenges: the Bazley report into historical police conduct; the recruitment and training of 1,200 extra police, as per our agreement with New Zealand First; an increase in pay for police officers—and Greg O’Connor was a skilled and relentless union negotiator; he will go well in this place—and the passage of the new Policing Act. We have an outstanding police service in New Zealand, and many of the changes in attitude and practice were led by Howard Broad, Rob Pope, and Lyn Provost, three commissioners who brought vision and ideas and what I called head and heart.

There was one thing I was not prepared for as Minister of Police, and it was a bad case of shaver’s rash that I got after 100 UK recruits kissed me on the cheek at the police college when I welcomed them to New Zealand. It was the closest I ever got to an operational matter. My one regret is the manner in which the Urewera raids of 2007 were carried out. Although the Minister of Police has no involvement in operational matters, I have gone to Tūhoe and I have made my peace with their people.

In 2008 we were back in Opposition and I had two stints as deputy, first with Phil Goff and then Andrew Little. Phil Goff is one of the hardest-working people I have ever met. He is the original “Energizer bunny”. I left him in charge of the health portfolio when I went overseas, but I only did it once. My staff begged me to never do it again. He demanded everything that was on the internet for every oral question that was asked. We sat together in this House for 20 years, and we are good mates.

Andrew—Andrew, you brought unity to our caucus and renewal to our front bench. Look at this line-up. The average age is 47 years—I have not added what the Government’s is. But I have to tell you, the front bench is brimming with talent. And, Andrew, you have ensured our next caucus will be made up of close to 50 percent women.

Jacinda, I am so proud of you. I have a feeling that you are going to lead the party for years to come, and you are going to be one of our most loved and effective leaders and Prime Ministers.

I have been privileged to represent the Miramar-Rongotai electorate for 24 years, including the Chatham Islands, a unique part of New Zealand. The Chatham Islands are very independent, and proud of their islands, and they are also very innovative. They were asked to provide land for a nuclear test monitoring station by the UN as part of the international Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. They responded that the only land available was at the airport, 20 minutes from town, and, unfortunately, there was no reticulated power there. There is now, and half the cost was paid by the UN.

My electorate is one of the most diverse in New Zealand and a sanctuary to new settlers and refugees from many parts of the world, and I have been proud of New Zealand’s commitment to receiving United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - mandated refugees. They make a fantastic contribution to New Zealand. In 2001 our Government welcomed 40 unaccompanied minors from the ship Tampa to New Zealand. They had been rejected by Australia. That was a proud moment. I want the next incoming Government to make us proud again—double the refugee quota.

Rongotai is the home of creativity, ideas, and jobs arising from the film industry—old factories were turned into studios and workshops. I say to my colleagues opposite, it was the fifth Labour Government that kick-started the film industry in Wellington, contrary to popular propaganda.

Rongotai is the home of social housing. If any Government wants a good model, look no further than the partnership between our Government and the Wellington City Council that resulted in warm, dry, affordable apartments for the most vulnerable citizens.

I leave this seat with a sense of achievement—Wellington has only had to wait 50 years for its new hospital—but also with a sense of sadness. But it is tempered by the fact that Paul Eagle will become the next member of Parliament for Rongotai.

💬 Hon Christopher Finlayson: What about me?

I know my cousin Chris Finlayson would want a recount if he was to win.

Many things have changed in the intervening 33 years. The bars have all but disappeared. The all-night sittings have gone. Gambling schools have closed—although I still owe Jim Sutton $60. Time-wasting procedures in this House have been done away with. The Parliament now sits more days of the year, and Bellamy’s food is healthier. When I arrived, we were offered two roasts a day, and I set about putting salads on the menu. Muldoon went on TV and he complained. He said: “There’s this woman in Parliament, and she’s put salads on the menu, and it’s not good for you.” And there are now enough toilets for women. That was not always the case. This is a better place for members, for their families, and for staff.

So in conclusion, it is time for me to go. I had 15 years in Government and 15 years in Opposition. I have now been informed that I am the longest-serving woman member of Parliament. That officially makes me the “Grannie Annie” of the House. The people I have met, the places I have been, the chances to make a difference—it has been a privilege.

It is time to acknowledge and thank those who have been with me over 33 years. To the Labour Party—you gave me the chance to be an MP. I would not be here without you. To members and supporters—thank you, particularly my Labour electorate committee chairs Peter Noble; the late Mike Herne; Peter Franks, the longest serving of them all; and Eileen Brown. To my electorate staff—the formidable late Tilly Hunter, Marea Falck, Robin Boldarin, Bill Nairn, and Sophia Shanks. My patient and talented parliamentary team—Jennifer Rose, Emma Williams, and Angela Bray, who made today possible. I could not have done it without you, Ange. They all have one thing in common: they know my PIN number, and they know where to find things that I have lost. And Jenny happens to know my bra size. She was once dispatched on urgent public business to buy me a new one.

My loyal friends, who have stuck with me even when I have forgotten to phone them—and my four closest are here today: Mary, Jenny, Marie, and Liz. My family—Dad, who is now 95 years old, who will be watching. I hope I have done you proud, Dad. My late Mum, who loved politics—she watched everything I did and said, and she would phone and tell me whether she liked what I was wearing, or whether I had enough curl in my hair. I hope it looks all right today, Mum.

To my two wonderful sisters—Raelene and Pauline, and their husbands, Bill and Pete. They were forced to work on all my campaigns.

To my new family, gained when I married Ray—Christopher, Daniel, Ben, their partners, and my four step-grandchildren, who do call me “Grannie Annie”.

To my daughter Amanda: I am so proud of you, darling. I hope you have forgiven me for the times I put politics ahead of you. You married a good Aussie bloke, Tim. He is my favourite son-in-law, and you gave me my grandson, William, the most beautiful boy in the world.

And, finally, to my husband and lover, Ray—after 18 years, yes, we are still on our honeymoon. When I told you on our first date that I never intended to marry again, you replied: “I didn’t know I’d asked you.” We have been laughing ever since. I think I am the only person who asked to look at your teeth before I would marry you. You are my best friend.

Finally, to my colleagues—people often think politicians do not like each other. It is not true. I have liked and respected many colleagues from all sides of politics—many I call friends, who have made life in this place enjoyable, fun, and, at times, challenging. I respect those who have the courage to put themselves forward in an election, to be open to scrutiny and criticism, and to be accessible. Where else in the world would you meet your member of Parliament at the fish and chip shop on a Friday night in their slippers? I do believe people come here wanting to make our country a better place.

I cannot finish without a special mention to my Wellington colleagues: Grant, “Chippy”, Kris, and Trevor. We have been a great team, and I am sorry, Peter, but we intend to paint the whole of Wellington red at this election—

💬 Hon Member: Dreams are free.

—ha, ha—and with a good tail wind we want to take Wairarapa as well.

Finally, to the fantastic staff who make this place work: thank you. As MPs we are so well served by caring and professional people.

A person who exemplifies commitment to this place by our staff is Sheryl Grace, our senior security officer, who is retiring in September after 38 years of service. Congratulations, and thank you, Sheryl, wherever you are.

So, Mr Speaker, it is goodbye from me—over and out.

[Applause]

“Bread and Roses” sung

The House adjourned at 6.28 p.m.