Motions — Black Ferns—Congratulations

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to congratulate the Black Ferns on their Rugby World Cup victory.

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

I move, That this House congratulate the Black Ferns on winning their sixth Rugby World Cup title.

On behalf of the Government, I want to acknowledge and congratulate the Black Ferns on their outstanding 34-31 win over England in the final. Their triumph on Saturday night at Eden Park is, I believe, one of New Zealand’s greatest sporting moments. This has been recognised across the world; international media have dubbed this the best World Cup final in history.

I also believe that beyond the team’s success at the World Cup itself, the Black Ferns have put women’s sports on the front page and have inspired young people—especially young girls and young women all around the country—to play sport and be physically active.

The final itself was an extraordinary game. It was a privilege to watch it at a sold-out Eden Park. The atmosphere was electric; and following on from the nail-biting semi-final the week before, it was another rollercoaster of emotions—a high-quality display of skills and athleticism in a pressure cooker environment from both teams. I want to acknowledge the England team for their superb display, not just in the final or even in the tournament, but in their 30-match unbeaten run that they had coming into the final.

The outpouring of emotion at the ground and in pubs, clubs, and homes all around New Zealand showed just how much the performances of the Black Ferns have brought our nation together. As the Prime Minister has said: rugby has always been thought of as our national game, but the Black Ferns have made it a game for everyone.

I want to acknowledge the whole Black Ferns squad, in particular co-captains Ruahei Demant and Kennedy Simon. This is not only a team of extraordinary athletes, they express themselves as great people connected to each other and their whānau and communities and as proud New Zealanders. The last year has been enormously challenging for the Black Ferns, and to come through and win this tournament is a testament to the character, resilience, and wairua of a group of wāhine toa. We salute them, one and all.

The Black Ferns are the first to say that they stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before them. I, too, want to acknowledge previous Black Ferns who have kept the flame alive when they did not have the support, resources, and recognition they deserve. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. To the team management—and in particular, the coaches: the Professor, Wayne Smith; Wesley Clarke; and Whitney Hansen—the heartfelt thanks of a nation.

I’d also like to congratulate retiring halfback and general organiser Kendra Cocksedge on an outstanding career, being the most capped Black Fern and winning her third Rugby World Cup medal, and to Renee Wickliffe, who also retires after a stellar career for the Black Ferns.

I want to acknowledge the organising committee of the Rugby World Cup, especially chair Dame Julie Christie, chief executive Michelle Hooper, and their team on an exceptional event. I want to make a special acknowledgement of the hundreds of volunteers who worked to make sure that this tournament ran so well.

We are proud of this team paving the way for women’s sport in Aotearoa, proving that yet again it is something that we must support in further development. The Government is proud to have supported the tournament, alongside New Zealand Rugby, and to have invested to the tune of nearly $20 million in the tournament. We are also proud to have developed the first ever women and girls in sports strategy. That strategy gives us the long-term plan to give opportunities for young women and girls to participate, lead, thrive, be seen, and be heard when it comes to sport and recreation.

Finally, I want to challenge all of us to find a way to build on the legacy of this tournament; to support sport and recreation opportunities for women and girls in our communities and at the elite level. This is a turning point for women’s rugby and women’s sport in New Zealand, and we will not let it go to waste. So once again, congratulations to the Blacks Ferns—Rugby World Cup champions—and as Ruby Tui has said, “It’s just the beginning, baby.”

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The National Party is delighted to support this motion. We not only congratulate the Black Ferns on winning the Rugby World Cup; we thank them. Not a lot unites the country at the moment, but on Saturday night, and, indeed, right through the tournament, the Black Ferns captured the imagination of New Zealanders. The Black Ferns’ skill, their heart, their personal conduct, their commitment, and their team spirit have been exemplary. The standard of the top teams at this competition means the playoffs and finals were great spectacles and excellent entertainment. Those teams have taken women’s rugby to a new level, and, simply put, the Black Ferns have brought the joy back to the most Kiwi of pastimes: watching rugby. New Zealand Rugby told me that large numbers of those who went to the opening game had actually never watched a rugby match before, and I’m guessing that must have swelled on finals night, too. The Black Ferns’ passion and gusto has injected such a surging energy into our national game and has been a source of inspiration, particularly for our youngest Kiwis, the emerging generation of our next rugby greats.

National thanks not only the players but also coach Wayne Smith and the whole iceberg below the water that is required for a team of this calibre to perform as they have, and also those involved in securing the event for New Zealand and running it. Thank you. And we thank, also, the women who paved the way for the 2022 competition to reach these heights—so many women over so many years who went before and could only dream of paying spectators filling Eden Park to watch women’s rugby. On Saturday night, that dream was realised.

As a keen follower of rugby, I was personally fortunate to attend the Black Ferns opening game, the semi-final, as well as the final, and I loved every minute of it. It was a fantastic atmosphere on Saturday night, and I thank the whole of the Black Ferns team for their inspiration, to think about the broader role also that this represents, that sport has in people’s health, in their wellbeing, and in social cohesion.

National is pleased to place on record in this House its congratulations, and thanks each and every member of the Black Ferns and their management and their support teams. Well done, and go the Black Ferns.

Congratulations to Ngā Mamaku, the Black Ferns. Pay them. Pay them well. Pay them all of the things. Pay them what they have always deserved. I wanted to make that really clear in my speech today.

My husband knows that it is not my normal behaviour to have kept the scorecard religiously every weekend and written in it every weekend. [Holds up scorecard] This is how excited I was about supporting this team. He’s never seen me even bother to put up any scorecard for any team ever. I did this because what an amazing, beautiful spirit. Ngā Mamaku have always been about brilliant, superb skill and athleticism. For goodness’ sake, this is their sixth World Cup—I mean, what else could they ever be but brilliant athletes?

But, bigger than that, they have had an incredible spirit—we saw that around that park, where I was so honoured to be. And I will say I was proud that, before the tournament even started, I bid at an auction to help a sexual-violence organisation fund-raise. I probably paid five times as much as if I had just gone online, but I was determined to support the team, to support the kaupapa of the organisation, and to take my family out for an unforgettable night. My goodness, I could have paid 20 times for what I got from that incredible night.

We saw Ruby Tui, at the end, say to New Zealand, “New Zealand, kei te pēhea koe?” We saw Ruby Tuna—Ruby Tuna? She’s awesome. We also saw Ruby Tui, who’s also awesome, get everybody singing “Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi” in a way that we have never seen that stadium agree to sing before. We saw people all over the stadium swinging poi. [Swings poi] Mr Speaker, I hope you allow me to break the rules just for this second. This poi was made by Georgia Latu, who was responsible for making over 30,000 of those poi. Mihi to Hinewehi Mohi for coming up with the superb way of uniting us in Te Ao Māori culture that those girls so fiercely upheld. Their haka had them coursing their pride through their veins as they demonstrated that Te Ao Māori is to be cherished, shared, supported, and, mostly, enjoyed for everyone.

I am just so honoured to be here today. I put the bid in for this speech, by the way, Mr Robertson, on Sunday morning, before you even asked—before—before I even knew that this was going to happen in this House.

Mana wāhine—there is no description, it shows itself clearly in front of us. When it comes, we know, and it has been here for quite some time. But, my goodness, through this entire tournament, that team has had the community right in behind them and continued to uphold their leadership. And we need to continue to get in behind Ngā Mamaku and the community to support them being affirmed for who they always have been.

Ngā Mamaku are the best of us. They have brought out the best of us, and we need to continue to support their mana. Kia ora.

On behalf of my ACT Party colleagues, we wish to extend our congratulations to the Black Ferns on their Women’s Rugby World Cup victory. Saturday’s game was spectacular. The last few minutes of play were thrilling for everyone watching in the stands, watching at home on the couch, or at the local pub. New Zealanders united in a collectively deeply held breath that the girls would pull through and claim victory—and did they ever. It was a great game of rugby.

But it wasn’t just Saturday’s game that was spectacular; all the games were. It was a great tournament. The Black Ferns scored 268 points in the tournament overall and had three players in the top five for the most points scored. Portia Woodman, Renee Holmes, Ruahei Demant—and Portia was the top try scorer at the World Cup with seven tries scored. In the words of one of our ACT office staff: what a beast, man! It was also the character of each one of the players that was spectacular. It’s that character that’s inspired a nation. Not only were our Black Ferns talented at what they do, they showed commitment to the game and sporting spirit. They brought people together. Ruby Tui got the crowd singing, and people at the stadium hung around, excited to be there and wanting to celebrate the win with the team.

I think we can all agree that it was an historic moment: Eden Park packed out for a women’s sports team. ACT hopes that young girls up and down New Zealand will be inspired by this new generation of heroes, and can see that rugby is not just a sport for men; it’s a New Zealand sport. We’re pleased for the young girls who have new role models that can inspire them to get outside and share in sport. Once again, we congratulate the Black Ferns on their great victory. Well done to the Black Ferns.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai. Te Paati Māori also is proud to be standing here to support the call today.

Ko wai ngā hine? Ko wai ngā hine?

Ko ngā Mamaku e ngunguru e.

Tū mai rā koe, te mana wahine, te whare tangata,

Ngā Mamaku o Aotearoa e.

[Who are these women? Who are these women?

It's the Black Ferns, rumbling.

Stand tall with pride, women, the house of humanity,

The Black Ferns of Aotearoa.]

I stand in awe of our wāhine toa o ngā Mamaku. Our kōtiro, our tuāhine, our whāea, our kuia were all there, seeing what they live every day: wāhine claiming their space on the field. And, unlike my esteemed colleagues on the other side—Te Paati Māori couldn’t afford a box seat—I had to stand with Pātea Māori Club to get my ticket in there and absolutely enjoyed the vibes, the atmosphere, watching rugby of that level, with wāhine, with our young kōtiro, all leaning up against the side line, all cheering on in a way that, I think, we will probably never ever forget.

That is the norm. The norm is that we saw what our wāhine are capable of, and I guess what we need to think about is how they included and took us all with them via poi. How we saw mātauranga Māori used, how we saw our culture, actually brings pride; it uplifts, and it was an influence that brought about, I guess, the togetherness of Aotearoa. That is Tiriti-centric Aotearoa in the making. That is exactly what we talk about every day. Ruby Tui said, “They said we could never sell out Eden.”—and they ran out to a sold-out crowd. They showed them; they showed us. They shook the old boys’ club and they deserve the bonus, not just for winning but for shattering the patriarchal behaviour that hangs around rugby union. They showed the world, but most importantly they showed us here in Aotearoa, that wāhine are equal on and off the field—that Te Ao Māori is equal on and off the field. And I think, if we were going to do anything, I’m really, really hoping that today or tomorrow we’re going to hear the date for the parade that is going to happen in Wellington—for the event that we hopefully, get invited to, for the fact that we have opportunities here to celebrate the resilience and the absolute exemplar of this team.

I think, from us, what we also saw, most importantly, was our young boys, our young tāne, our koroua, our uncles watching wāhine—together; together. Wāhine and tāne should be taking this world together in sports, together in everything that we do. I think that was the balance that this team did. They had no idea that it was so much more than just playing a game. I think, for us, it’s an extreme honour to be able to stand here and mihi to them and hope that we don’t have to be debating the value of our wāhine in sports ever again, that the young women coming through can see and appreciate the value that we have as a nation for them, and not just in this sport but in every sport. Nō reira, tēnā koutou. Ngā mihi aroha ki a koutou, ngā Mamaku o Aotearoa.

Motion agreed to.