New Zealand Paralympics Team — Congratulations

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to congratulate the members of our Paralympic team.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action? There appears to be none.

Mālō e lelei. I move, That this House congratulate the members of our inspiring Paralympic team on their outstanding achievement of winning 12 medals. I want to, on behalf of the Government, acknowledge all of the Paralympians who were members of the team competing in Tokyo, and congratulate them collectively on their achievements. Our team contained 18 new Paralympians. Their performance gives us enormous confidence for the future of para-sport. This truly has been a Paralympics that has captured hearts and minds of New Zealanders and provided countless hours of incredible and inspiring sporting moments, including six gold, three silver, and three bronze medals for the New Zealand team.

Among the achievements, it is hard to go past New Zealand’s greatest Paralympian, Sophie Pascoe. She once again showed the world what an absolute champion she is, winning two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal from her five events in the pool. She returned the biggest individual medal haul for the Paralympic team, and now sits on a career tally of 19. Sophie is a legend: a dedicated trainer, a tough competitor, a leader, and a mentor. She is truly one of our finest ever sportspeople.

I’d also like to congratulate Tupou Neiufi, the pride of South Auckland, for her breakthrough gold in the 100-metre backstroke S8, a first for New Zealand. Lisa Adams and Anna Grimaldi both set Paralympic records with their gold medals in shot put F37 and long jump T47 respectively, and Holly Robinson claimed a rather nerve-wracking gold in javelin F46 when she left it to her sixth and final throw to move from third to first and claim the title. Holly’s determination after getting silver in both London and Rio has been well rewarded. Holly’s coach, Raylene Bates, deserves enormous congratulations for her commitment to training para-athletes, and shares in the success of this team. Young track stars William Stedman and Danielle Aitchison also shone at these Paralympic Games, with William snaring silver in the long jump T36 and bronze in the 400 metres T36, and Danielle winning silver in the 200 metres T36 and bronze in the 100 metres T36. And, obviously, what a wonderful pedigree Danielle has.

💬 Hon Grant Robertson: Oh, that’s Morrinsville.

Yeah, thank you.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Paralympics New Zealand for all the fantastic work they do to support disabled athletes, in particular chief executive Fiona Allan and board chair Jana Rangooni. Thank you for your continuous efforts to make New Zealand a more inclusive and diverse place for those with disabilities. I’d also like to acknowledge the hard work of chef de mission Paula Tesoriero. I’d also like to praise the work of the team behind the team, who have done a phenomenal job of ensuring all our Paralympians not only were ready and able to perform at their peak but were able to travel and compete safely at the Paralympic Games. Given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the lead-up to these Paralympic Games has been incredibly challenging for all the athletes involved. This team have shown incredible determination and resilience to deliver such great performances, and their outstanding achievements are a great reward for the years of hard work and training they’ve put into their sport. The Paralympic Games in Tokyo had significant and operational safety challenges, and I’d like to commend Japan and the International Paralympic Committee for delivering an event of this magnitude despite the challenges of the global pandemic.

To the members of the New Zealand Paralympics team, I hope that you achieved and even exceeded your aims. Your friends, your family, and the rest of New Zealand are so proud of you, and were right behind you, cheering you on. Again, I offer, on behalf of the Government, our congratulations to all the members of the 2020 Paralympic team. They’ve made us extremely proud, and are an inspiration to all New Zealanders. Thank you for showing us that achievement is limitless, and can I say, personally, I am very much looking forward to welcoming you home, as much as I enjoyed farewelling you as you endeavoured to achieve greatness.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’d like to join the Prime Minister in congratulating our Paralympians on behalf of all New Zealanders. At a time when good news is hard to come by, it’s great to see Kiwis performing so admirably on the world stage. New Zealand’s tally of 12 medals, six of them gold, at the Tokyo games again proves just how much we punch above our weight when it comes to world sport.

Of course, special recognition must go to Sophie Pascoe, our greatest ever Paralympian. With two golds, a silver, and a bronze in Tokyo, Sophie is one of this country’s greatest ever athletes. It’s testament to her pursuit of excellence that she was in tears after taking bronze in the 100-metre backstroke final. Such was her determination drive to be the best, third was below her own high standards. Rather than let disappointment hold her back, Sophie drew on it to push herself even harder and to win gold medals in the 100-metre freestyle and the 200-metre medley. Sharing in Sophie’s success and disappointment was a privilege for all New Zealanders. She did us all proud with her honesty and her desire to be the very best.

There are other great stories from the games. Lisa Adams, a member of the truly remarkable Adams family sporting dynasty, didn’t just win gold in the women’s shotput; she demolished her opponents with multiple world record throws. Anna Grimaldi also set a new world mark in winning the long jump, and Holly Robinson had us on the edge of our seats, winning gold with her sixth and final throw to take gold in the javelin. And, of course, we cannot forget Tupou Neiufi, winning New Zealand’s first gold of the games in the 100-metre backstroke.

It has been another memorable games for our incredible and inspiring Paralympians—these world-class athletes who have let nothing stand in the way of success. In many cases, they have overcome enormous hurdles to be the best, and have never let disability define them. These are our heroes, and we salute all who took part. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s my huge pleasure to rise on behalf of the Green Party and acknowledge the fabulous efforts of the Aotearoa Paralympians at the Tokyo Olympics, with a special shout out to Tonga for a great contribution to our team—mālō ‘aupito.

Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge all 29 athletes who made it, and those who didn’t make it because of difficulties qualifying in the midst of a global pandemic. Elite athletes seem to me like a bit of a breed apart from the rest of us, demonstrating such determination, sacrifice; just sheers guts, as well as that elusive thing called athletic prowess. They say, though, much of the success comes down to mental attitude, and I suspect that has been more true this year than in any other year, what with the delay, breaks in training, and a loss of audience and the usual supports. It was a small team with many—18, in fact—first-time athletes who are now well set up for the next Olympics. So congratulations to every one of them.

As a country stuck to our couches with our chippies and beers, we cheered them on, and they all made us so proud. To be honest, we would have liked to see more of them, and the Greens will advocate for better TV coverage for the next games. I want to acknowledge everyone, but I can’t go past a particular mention to Tupou Neiufi for our first medal, which was so unexpected—to us, at least—and the perfect gift to South Auckland at a time when there was so much bad news.

And, of course, the legend Sophie Pascoe, who left everything in the pool, and a bit more on the side. She brought home two golds, a silver, and bronze after almost pulling out just weeks before the games because she’d not been able to compete in an international competition for almost two years and it had been months since she had been in a serious competition. She said at one point she felt she had let us down. I want to say clearly in this House: Sophie, you did not let us down, you did us bloody proud.

Finally, I also want to acknowledge the words of Chef de Mission, Paula Tesoriero, describing the Paralympic village: “There are more people like me, no awkward stares, and most things are accessible. I wish the rest of the world could be like that. More social inclusion, greater accessibility.” So as the ultimate tribute to our athletes, let’s all take an action to make our country more inclusive, #lifeshouldn’tbeanOlympicstruggle.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT and in particular our sports spokesperson, Damien Smith, who couldn’t be here, being under lockdown in Auckland, to congratulate the New Zealand Paralympic team, including Fiona Allan, the CEO of Paralympic New Zealand; the Chef de Mission; and all the high-performance athletes who performed and their sponsors.

The Paralympics is actually called “Paralympics” because it runs in parallel to the Olympic Games, and the New Zealand teams have been competing in the Paralympics since 1968. Yet television coverage was virtually non-existent until Paul Holmes’ ground-breaking documentaries of the 1992 Barcelona and the 1996 Atlanta games. This team and event have changed the perception of New Zealand disabled athletes for ever.

Ben Lucas, the former Chef de Mission, summed it up perfectly about the Paralympic challenge when he said, “Sport gives people hope. It’s phenomenal to watch what people can do after the curve ball life has thrown at them. And life is different with a disability.” ACT admires the aspiration and uplifting dream to compete. These athletes harness the spirit of the Olympic movement in its purest sense: rising above the odds, super resilient, skilful, and demonstrating the New Zealand way. We’d like to thank Tokyo and Japan for a great and proud hosting. And here’s to Paris in 2024.

The New Zealand team ended the Tokyo Paralympics with six golds, and 12 medals in total. Special congratulations, of course, must go to New Zealand’s greatest Paralympian. Sophie Pascoe returned the biggest individual medal haul, bringing home four, or one in three, of all of the country’s medals—two golds, a silver, and a bronze from five events. She now sits on a career tally of 19. It was the athletics and swimming show for New Zealand, with all 12 of the Kiwi medals coming from those two sports in what was a fantastic return to the Tokyo Paralympics.

I want to especially acknowledge Sophie Pascoe for the 100-metre freestyle gold; Sophie Pascoe, again, for the 200-metre individual medley; Tupou Neiufi, 100-metre backstroke; Lisa Adams, shotput; Anna Grimaldi for long jump; and Holly Robinson for javelin—all returning gold medals.

I think the Paralympics, particularly in a time like this when our little country has faced a lot of bad news—perhaps one of the most beautiful and uplifting things that happen: they show what people can achieve when they put their mind to it. They show what an exceptional country New Zealand is, for its competitiveness and for its ability to get out there and make a difference, no matter who we are. With that, I’d like to conclude by giving ACT’s warmest congratulations to this triumphant 2020 Paralympic team. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Motion agreed to.