NEW ZEALAND Winter PARALYMPIC TEAM — Congratulations

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to congratulate the New Zealand Paralympic Winter Games team.

💬 SPEAKER: Just with a warning that we take a little longer over these things now. Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.

I move, That this House congratulate the New Zealand Winter Paralympic Team for their outstanding achievements at the Beijing Winter Paralympics.

With one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, this was the most successful Paralympic Winter Games for New Zealand in 20 years. This was the biggest Paralympic Winter Games to date, so for the three person New Zealand team of Adam Hall, Corey Peters, and Aaron Ewen to win a total of four medals is quite remarkable. All three athletes can be very proud of their Paralympics campaign, which saw Corey Peters win gold in the men’s downhill sitting and silver in the men’s super-G sitting, and Adam Hall won a bronze medal in the men’s slalom and in the super combined event, the most technical of the alpine skiing disciplines. New Zealand’s newest Paralympian, Aaron Ewen, finished ninth in the men’s slalom, a brilliant achievement in his first Paralympics.

Corey Peters’ gold in particular was a remarkable achievement, given that that he hadn’t competed in a downhill event for two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also missed the world championships two months ago after catching COVID himself. Adam Hall’s bronze in the men’s standing slalom was described by commentators as “millimetre perfect”, a reflection of his skill in this discipline.

Qualifying for the Winter Paralympics is an enormous achievement, and it’s made New Zealanders so proud to see the skill, determination, and hard work of our Paralympians come to fruition in Beijing. I’d also like to acknowledge the enormous contribution of chef de mission Jane Stevens, head coach Ben Adams, and assistant coach Scott Palmer to the team’s success, as well as Paralympics New Zealand and their chief executive Fiona Allan and all the other team officials and support staff.

The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including the challenge of competing in Beijing without their friends and whānau on the side line for their events, meant that the support staff on the ground played a crucial role in our success at these Games. We have a great tradition of achievement at the Paralympics, and that also serves as a platform to challenge misconceptions about disabled people. These athletes have shown us that achievement can be limitless.

Audiences for the Paralympic Winter Games continue to grow, and this was the first time New Zealanders were able to watch every Paralympic event, with TVNZ providing extensive coverage of the Games. Seeing the incredible performances across the full range of Paralympic winter sports has no doubt inspired disabled people and all New Zealanders. Again, I offer on behalf of the Government our congratulations to the members of the 2022 New Zealand Paralympic Winter Games team. They have made us extremely proud and are an inspiration to all New Zealanders.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. As National’s disability spokesperson, I am delighted to pass on warmest congratulations to the New Zealand Paralympic team as they return from Beijing. New Zealand has a notable history with the Winter Paralympics, attending annually since the second annual games held back in 1980 in Norway. Since then, we have won a total of 31 medals, including 16 gold, six silver, and nine bronze. This year’s team has been small but mighty, bringing home four medals—as Minister Robertson said, the most a New Zealand Paralympic team has won in 20 years. What a great result.

Special credit must go to Aaron Ewen, our youngest competitor, who returned to the Paralympics this year after an injury which prevented him from competing in 2018. This year, despite being unable to finish two events, Aaron still ranked ninth in the men’s super-G sitting and the men’s slalom sitting.

Adam Hall, one of our veteran Paralympians, added two bronze medals to his collection of three, amassed over an amazing 16-year career representing New Zealand.

Corey Peters continued to demonstrate what a special athlete he is with his drive and determination, on his first hectic two days competing in Beijing earning a gold in the men’s downhill sitting competition and a silver in the men’s super-G sitting.

Corey, Adam, and Aaron have made us all proud and have shown us that there really can be triumph over adversity, with the moments of triumph all the sweeter because of the struggles that they each have, as individuals, faced. Living with a disability takes courage and determination, and to then go on and scale the heights that our Paralympic team have done reflects remarkable fortitude. We can all learn from their actions. Despite what life has thrown at each of these men, they have not backed down and have not given up. Instead, they have set goals and focused with determination.

Corey, Adam, and Aaron are a great inspiration to us, but more particularly they are wonderful role models to the hundreds of children and young people across this country who live each day with a disability. These young people will have watched our Paralympians over the past weeks and dreamed of what is possible, and that motivation is indeed a very special gift to share. The camaraderie, enthusiasm, energy, and sheer sense of fun Corey, Adam, and Aaron showed together embodied everything that is good about sport. As the International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said about the competitors in his closing ceremony address, “You produced moments of magic and moments to savour … You thrilled, you surprised, you inspired.”

We know our athletes were the stars, but we acknowledge the support from organisations such as High Performance Sport New Zealand, Paralympics New Zealand, and Snow Sports New Zealand. We also acknowledge and congratulate chef de mission Jane Stevens, her deputy Lynette Grace, head coach Ben Adams, and assistant coach Scott Palmer, who accompanied our Paralympians to Beijing and created the environment for athletes to excel.

Of course, the love and support of family and friends is always key to the success of athletes, and no doubt our triumphant New Zealand Paralympic team will be looking forward to returning home to celebrate their success with those who are closest to them.

We congratulate our Paralympians. We thank them, and we welcome them back to New Zealand. You have made us proud. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. It’s a privilege to rise on behalf of the Green Party to congratulate our athletes who participated in the 2022 Winter Paralympics. Like many, I want to note that this was a very successful Winter Paralympics for our athletes, who brought home four medals. I want to pay tribute to Aaron Ewen, Adam Hall, and Corey Peters for their amazing their performances, as well as their coaches, support staff, and whānau who worked with them along the way.

Like many disabled people have told us across the years, it’s important that alongside congratulating our athletes we also look at the narratives that centre the Paralympics, and as part of that I wanted to take some inspiration from a piece from S E Smith, who wrote a blog—which I’d love to call, but it probably has unparliamentary language in the title. But they wrote The Olympic Paradigm: How the “Inspiring” Narrative Restricts and Fetishizes Disabled Athletes. I want to echo their calls about the language that we use when we talk about the Paralympics and how we must continue supporting disabled people who are constantly advocating to have equitable platforms in terms of coverage with the Olympics.

And so, as in my previous speeches on behalf of the Greens, I resume the calls to have the Paralympics happening at the same time as the Olympics so that they get equal coverage and that we continue advocating for the rights of disabled people so that the narratives about success are not limited to high-performance sports but are taken outside into everyday life. I hope that our future athletes are as successful as this lot, and that we all continue working alongside our communities so that they can thrive. Kia ora.

I’m proud to rise on behalf of the ACT Party as the disabilities spokesperson, to congratulate our Winter Paralympic team and support staff. Welcome home. As well, I’d like to thank their family and friends, who were unable to attend the Games, because they are usually their biggest supporters, but they were unable to attend due to our COVID times.

Firstly, Adam Hall, five-time Paralympic medallist: gold in 2010, Vancouver; gold and bronze in 2018, PyeongChang; now adding two new bronze medals to his tally. An interesting fact I found out about Adam Hall is he is actually a snowboarder at heart, but switched back to skiing to compete in the Paralympic Games in 2006. Corey Peters, four-time Paralympic medallist: silver in 2014, Sochi; bronze in 2018, PyeongChang; and now he’s added a gold and silver. Aaron Ewen, competing in his first Paralympic Games, was unable to compete in 2018 due to an injury. However, we cannot take the pride away that he achieved two ninth places and an 11th place—well done.

You have made us all proud, and I hope you have inspired many able and many disabled New Zealanders to achieve goals that you think are out of your hands. But we can all achieve; we just have to set those goals. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Tēnā tātou e te Whare. Te Paati Māori support this motion to congratulate the New Zealand Winter Paralympic Team for their outstanding achievements at the Beijing Winter Paralympics. E mihi ana ki tā tātou tīma i kōkiri i te mana o Aotearoa i ngā Hākinakina o te Ao.

[I acknowledge our team who bolstered the prestige of Aotearoa at the Winter Olympics.]

I want to join by acknowledging our three sportspeople from Aotearoa who completed in this year’s Paralympics: Aaron Ewen, Adam Hall, and Corey Peters. All three of our athletes competed in alpine skiing. I mihi to Corey Peters for winning both the gold and silver medal and to Adam Hall for winning two bronze medals—a small delegation with a tonne of physical, mental, and X-factor talent. You have all done Aotearoa proud presenting our people on the global stage. You inspire us and you make us scared—a fear of the speed that you went by as well—but it was absolutely motivational. Hoki mai ki ō kāinga.

[Return to your homes.]

Te Paati Māori support the calls for the Paralympics to be held alongside the Olympics to increase the visibility and profile that it receives. All of our athletes deserve the same recognition, praise, and support. It is well past time that organisational structure, coverage, and institutional support reflected that. We also acknowledge that athletes with more severe impairments or disabilities face greater barriers to participation in sports that athletes with less severe impairments need. At the Paralympics the event viability rule often prevents those with more severe impairments or disabilities from competing due to a range of barriers. This needs to change. We need to do better. We must work together towards a world that is inclusive, accessible, and empowering for all people whether it is in sports or any other field. Let us commit to that. Tēnā tātou katoa.

Motion agreed to.