Motions — New Zealand Commonwealth Games Team—Congratulations

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to congratulate the New Zealand Commonwealth Games Team.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being taken? There is none.

I move, That this House congratulate the New Zealand Commonwealth Games Team for their outstanding achievements in Birmingham, including winning our country’s largest ever gold medal haul at a Commonwealth Games and our largest medal total at an offshore Commonwealth Games.

It was an absolute privilege as the Minister for Sport and Recreation to be able to attend some of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to support our athletes and to see them perform so well. The team has made New Zealanders proud. Across the full 11 days of the games, our team has shown exceptional talent, determination, and resilience. They have also upheld our values as ambassadors of our country, exhibiting fairness, humility, and empathy.

It has been a truly exceptional games for New Zealand. The team has won an incredible 49 medals, including 20 gold medals, 12 silver, and 17 bronze. This is all the more remarkable against the backdrop of COVID, which has disrupted the preparations of most athletes over the last two years—and much more recently in some cases. The performances of our athletes to win medals across such a variety of sports, including mountain biking, track cycling, road cycling, swimming, athletics, squash, judo, bowls, boxing, triathlon, wrestling, weightlifting, rugby, cricket, and netball, has been nothing short of remarkable. It has also been truly inspiring and exciting to see so much young talent coming through and medalling in their sport or achieving personal bests.

Singling out athletes in this team is hard, but I do need to acknowledge the staggering performance of our closing ceremony flag-bearer, Aaron Gate, who won four gold medals, the most by an individual New Zealand athlete at any games. He was part of an exceptional performance by our cyclists—13 medals won in the velodrome—and mountain bikers Sam Gaze and Ben Oliver, who won gold and silver respectively, as well as Georgia Williams’ bronze in the time trial and Aaron’s brilliant gold in the road cycling, making it 17 medals overall for our cycling team.

Our New Zealand swimmers also rose brilliantly to the occasion, winning nine medals, five of which were gold, swimming’s highest gold medal total at a games. Lewis Clareburt was the star performer, winning two gold and one bronze. He, along with cyclist Ellesse Andrews, equalled the previous record for an individual athlete of three medals at a games.

We watched other athletes make history, with Hamish Kerr becoming the first New Zealander to win gold in the men’s high jump, and then Paul Coll becoming the first New Zealander to win gold in the men’s singles squash—backing it up with gold in the mixed doubles alongside Joelle King, who became our most decorated female Commonwealth Games athlete, picking up gold in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

The games also saw a huge number of New Zealand records broken and personal bests set. For me, a highlight was witnessing Sam Tanner run the second-fastest-ever 1,500 metres by a New Zealander, and a personal best by three seconds. As Sam described himself, as the “Happiest sixth-place getter ever”, he was representative of a number of performances by younger athletes that bode well for the future. The team’s value and spirit were also on full display during these games. Just one example for me was witnessing Jacko Gill going around and shaking hands and thanking every official who had worked on the shotput event before he began any celebrations for his silver medal. This was a superb example of true humility and sportsmanship.

I want to thank and acknowledge the leadership of the New Zealand team—in particular, the chef de mission, Nigel Avery; New Zealand Olympic Committee president, Mike Stanley; chief executive Nicki Nichol; and High Performance Sport New Zealand leadership and their teams. There was a renewed focus on athlete wellbeing during these games, both before and during the event, and I believe it is a model for how a team can be looked after.

I also want to make a special acknowledgment of Tā Derek Lardelli and his whānau, who provided cultural leadership and supported the strong sense of manaakitanga that has guided the team.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the coaches, trainers, whānau, and friends who supported our athletes, not just at the games themselves but over their lifetimes, often making significant sacrifices to support them in their sporting endeavours. I extend my thanks and congratulations to the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team and to the Birmingham 2022 organisers for the terrific effort they did in putting the games on. The games have given us such joy and pride over the last 11 days; well done to each and every one of the New Zealand team on a truly inspiring campaign.

💬 SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. On behalf of the New Zealand National Party, it’s my great pleasure to join with the Minister in his congratulations for our athletes and to strongly support this motion. As a young boy, I have a strong memory of huddling around a 14-inch TV with about thirty other people as the whole country stopped and watched the opening ceremony of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974, and then, of course, seeing that fantastic 10,000-metre event won by New Zealand’s Dick Tayler. It’s a lifetime memory, and I’ve got no doubt that it sparked a passion in young athletes to be like him and those athletes, and compete for New Zealand on the world stage.

I reckon there are a lot of youngsters around the country this week who have been similarly inspired by the fantastic performances of our team at Birmingham in 2022, and boy, wasn’t there a lot to inspire us: from the cycling team who did so phenomenally well, to our swimmers, shotputters, squash players, cricketers, boxers, bowlers. There’s so much that I can’t go through them all, but I do want to single out a few of them, starting with the whole cycling team.

Now, cycling has had a pretty torrid time over the past few years, and to perform so consistently well throughout the Games, both on the track and on the road, is, I hope, a sign that things are changing there. Both the Minister and I agree that we owe it to the Podmore family and to Olivia’s memory for that to occur, and if Birmingham is anything to go by, we are heading very much in the right direction, not just for winning but for the obvious joy in competing and the support that they showed each other that was on display. Cyclist Aaron Gate comes home as our most successful individual competitor at any Commonwealth Games, wining an amazing four golds in his cycling races, and he was deservedly awarded the honour of carrying the flag last night at the closing ceremony.

The swimmers were great. In Lewis Clareburt, Joshua Willmur, Sophie Pascoe, Andrew Jeffcoat, and others we have genuine world-beaters. But it’s not just the gold medals we should acknowledge. I love watching the women’s pole vault: Imogen Ayris, our 21-year-old pole vaulter, bringing home bronze. We learnt afterwards that not only was she competing with a broken hand that she knew of; she was competing with a broken foot that she didn’t know about, and that’s an amazing feat of resilience and character. After the disappointment of the T20 semi-final loss to Australia, the White Ferns delivered what I think was one of the most imperious performances against the highly fancied home team, England. While not winning, the bowls team brought home nine bronze medals, and, as the Minister said, Sam Tanner’s self-assessment of his personal best in the 1,500 metres really summed up those games.

I join with the Minister in thanking all of those who have supported the athletes in Birmingham, but also to their family members at home and the tremendous amount of community support that is provided to our athletes as they train tirelessly hour after hour after hour. They’ve no doubt lit a fire in so many young Kiwis, and for that they deserve our heartiest thanks and congratulations.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s a privilege to rise on behalf of the Greens to congratulate Aotearoa’s athletes who participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. I reiterate the very wholesome list of athletes presented by the previous speakers and just acknowledge their amazing work. As with the previous speakers, I want to also acknowledge the athletes’ family members and the support staff who were there for them and who are a core part of the team. It’s been heartening to hear that athlete wellbeing was such a big focus for the New Zealand team in Birmingham, and I hope that this emphasis continues in future games and in other spaces.

It was also great to note the wide range of diversity represented in the games: 54 percent, or 125, of our athletes were women, which is the highest representation in New Zealand Commonwealth or Olympic history. The team members came from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, including athletes from Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Philippines, China, and Australia, and people from African heritage as well. There were 46 Māori athletes selected too. I also want to note that, compared to the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games are the only multisport event of their kind with an integrated parasport programme. I do hope that the Olympics and other multisport events move towards this approach in the future.

I also want to reflect on the shared history of colonisation and dispossession of indigenous peoples that we have with so many other nations participating in the games. It was called the British Empire Games until the 1950s, after all. But, as we move forward, I also think we can find solidarity with each other in the work that is happening across so many nations who are fighting for justice and healing from the harms of this shared history. I want to shout out to the activists, the athletes, and the indigenous groups who have long demonstrated during the games and aptly called them the “Stolenwealth Games”. I want to recognise that today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Another aspect that I want to reflect on as part of this motion is how we can best ensure that the public has access to the broadcasts of the games in a way that is ethical and does not contribute to harm. I was somewhat disappointed to hear the Minister of Finance say on Morning Report this morning that he wanted to maintain the ability for broadcast sport—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will come back to the motion, please.

RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: Well, I do think that for the wellbeing of our athletes and the sporting—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will come back to the motion. There’s another matter which is before the House at some stage in the future—it’s not now.

RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH: Ngā mihi. Well, I will end, then, just putting a hearty congratulations to all the athletes, and that we can all work together towards a better, fairer Aotearoa. Thank you.

I rise on behalf of ACT as sports spokesperson and a most obvious and proud Kiwi. I’d like to congratulate, on behalf of the party, all of the 232 athletes we sent to the 2022 Commonwealth Games under the chef de mission, Nigel Avery. The total haul was 20 gold medals, 12 silver, 17 bronze—that’s 49 medals in total, ranking fifth overall—and congratulations must go to the Indian community, who pipped us to be fourth in the rankings.

Ten of the gold medals were in cycling and, as my colleague said, it’s great to see cycling taking off again and getting some positive recognition and a positive light, considering past experiences. We got a few golds in swimming too, and well done. And my other colleague Ricardo Menéndez March is right, it was called the British Empire Games, and it’s great the Commonwealth Games were successful in Birmingham in 2022 and New Zealand did its bit. Next, the games will be held in Victoria—the first games in history held in a decentralised way across four cities in Victoria, from 17 to 29 March 2026, so let’s all book our flights for that one.

The ceremony included the handover of the Commonwealth Games flag to the Australians, who are the next hosts, and after a record-breaking games, it was a pleasure to see Aaron Gate take on the role as the country’s flagbearer. Gate won four gold medals at the games—three at the velodrome and one on the road. The New Zealand flag was held high. The 31-year-old Aucklander being named Te Pou Hapai, the flagbearer, was the icing on the cake of the successful games. Gate, who also competed at Delhi in 2010 and Glasgow 2014, as well as the Tokyo and Rio Olympics, follows in the footsteps of Joelle King and Tom Walsh, who carried the flag at the opening ceremony.

Congrats to all those involved, especially the paralympians, and, on behalf of the ACT Party, we think it is a wonderful event across those countries.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Te Paati Māori supports this motion to congratulate the Aotearoa Commonwealth Games team for their outstanding achievements and record-breaking success at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Kā tū ahau hei tō whaea ki te whakanui ki tā tātou tīma i kōkiri i te mana o Aotearoa i ngā hākinakina o te ao.

[As your aunt, I would wholeheartedly like to celebrate our team who championed the prestige of New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.]

I want to begin by acknowledging all our sportspeople who competed at this year’s Commonwealth Games.

E mihi nui ki tā tātou whā tekau mā ono ngā kaipara ki ōu whakapapa.

[A huge acknowledgment to our 46 athletes, to your ancestry.]

And those who have won medals during this campaign, you all did us extremely proud. In particular, I want to mihi to squash competitor Joelle King, of Ngāti Porou, who became Aotearoa’s most-decorated female Commonwealth Games athlete, picking up gold in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Ka nui te mihi kei a koutou Ngāti Porou.

[A huge acknowledgment to you, Ngāti Porou.]

For someone whose whānau wakes up early and takes our mokopuna to their sporting competitions every weekend, it’s truly inspiring to show them what is possible, and we truly appreciate you all.

Finally, I want to mihi to their whānau, communities, and supporters who believed in them to get to this point, and may you continue to inspire them in their up-and-coming future, and may our Governments continue to invest more in sports to make all that happen. Nō reira, tēnā tātou katoa.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.