Motions — New Zealand Olympic Team—Congratulations

Point of order. I seek leave to move a motion without notice congratulating the New Zealand Olympic team on their achievements at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

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

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I move, That this House congratulate the New Zealand Olympics team, comprising 204 athletes across 23 sports, on their success at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where they won 10 gold medals, seven silver medals, and three bronze medals.

On behalf of all of the Government, I congratulate the New Zealand Olympic team on its incredible performances and achievements at the Olympic Games in Paris. These games were historic for New Zealand, not just for matching our record tally of 20 medals in Tokyo but for clinching the most gold medals New Zealand has ever won and finishing 11th on the medal table, ahead of such sporting powerhouses with far bigger populations, such as Canada, Spain, and Sweden. Our athletes, without exception, performed with skill, determination, and integrity. One brilliant statistic is that of our team of 204 athletes, 42 of them are coming home with at least one medal around their neck.

Now, we had many notable and standout performances across the 17 days of action and competition. But I want to acknowledge a few in particular. Dame Lisa Carrington has etched her name in Olympic history with her eighth gold medal. [Interruption] Yep, between her eight golds and the bronze that she won in Rio, Dame Lisa is comfortably New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian. To put that feat into the historical context it deserves, eight gold medals is bigger than the haul managed by any of Spain, Sweden, Brazil, or Hungary in Paris.

Hamish Kerr also made history by becoming the first New Zealand male to win a field event in the Olympic track and field programme. His jump-off in the final was probably responsible for an increase in heart palpitations right across New Zealand. But what a fantastic result it was in the end.

I have to say, I personally also enjoyed Lydia Ko’s impressive performance, winning gold in the women’s golf. Frankly, for an athlete who has done it all, to see her with immense pride, standing on that podium, hearing our national anthem, was something pretty special.

The super-mums Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors have worked so hard and also juggled family life so well to win gold in the women’s double sculls.

We had Finn Butcher, the boy from Alexandra, whose gold at the inaugural men’s kayak K1 cross event saw him honoured as our flagbearer at the closing ceremony.

And then we saw the cool clutch, mental skills, and poised maturity of 24-year-old Ellesse Andrews winning gold in the women’s keirin and also the women’s sprint, as well as being part of a silver medal - winning team sprint crew.

And then there was our women’s sevens team, whose epic final against Canada resulted in the gold medal in front of an ecstatic Stade de France crowd, thanks in part to a heroic try assist by captain Sarah Hirini, who, despite having several fractures in her face during that game, managed to set it up for a win.

I mentioned Lisa Carrington earlier, but I can’t go without also mentioning her paddling teammates. Our women’s K2 crew of Dame Lisa and Alicia Hoskin were utterly dominant in their final, finishing more than a boat length ahead of their rivals. And our women’s K4 team of Dame Lisa and Alysha, along with Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan came home victorious ahead of European paddling powerhouses Germany and Hungary.

I could keep going for a long time because every one of our athletes, whether they medalled or not, produced performances that, frankly, inspired and delighted us. I do want to echo the remarks of the Minister for Sport and Recreation, the Hon Chris Bishop, when he said that our athletes’ performances had been magnificent and that every one of them exemplified our values of fair play and integrity that New Zealanders are known for across the sporting world. Our athletes’ respect for their competitors, their commitment to fair play, and their ability to forge lasting friendships across nations showcased, I think, the true spirit of the games. In the men’s triathlon, for example, New Zealanders cheered Dylan McCullough for his selfless act which actually ruled him out of the medals to ensure that Hayden Wilde had a shot at a podium finish, and then we proudly watched Hayden’s heartwarming gesture and sportsmanship towards Great Britain’s Alex Yee, despite Alex having just pipped him at the post for a gold medal. I also know that Lydia Ko and Maddi Wesche were acknowledged for their support and their encouragement of fellow competitors, exemplifying the true essence of Olympic values, excellence, respect, and friendship.

Additionally, two former New Zealand Olympians were elected to roles with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Beijing 2008 silver medallist Sarah Walker from BMX was elected as an independent IOC member. And Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Marcus Daniell from tennis will join the IOC’s Athletes Commission. As members of the IOC, they will be instrumental in shaping the future of the Olympic movement.

Furthermore, Barbara Kendall, triple medallist in windsurfing and a Kiwi Olympic icon, has been honoured as an Olympian for Life—one of only five former Olympians to have been recognised in that way in Paris.

It takes a huge team effort to get even one athlete to the starting line at the Olympics, let alone 204 of them. So I do want to take a moment to recognise all of those who have been a part of the team behind the team. Thank you to the New Zealand Olympic Committee, thank you to High Performance Sport, and Sport New Zealand, who all worked incredibly hard to get our team to Paris. Thank you also to all the sponsors and the donors whose generosity helped our amazing team succeed. Thank you to all of those on the ground, including our 75 volunteers who helped establish New Zealand House, our very Kiwi home base situated on the famous Champs-Elysees.

New Zealand House served as a gathering place for around 20,000 people during the games—New Zealand ex-pats, friends and family of athletes, and often the athletes themselves, as well as curious Parisians and international tourists who were keen to see a little slice of New Zealand and to experience some of our food, wine, and hospitality. The team also hosted international sports Ministers and heads of international sporting federations.

I do want to extend a very, very special thankyou to our incredible chef de mission, Nigel Avery, and his team of operations, sports performance, health, psychology, communications, athlete support experts, and volunteers, who worked so tirelessly to ensure that New Zealand not only had a successful Olympic campaign but also a memorable presence in the village and in Paris.

Perhaps most importantly, I want to say thank you to all the families, partners, and the friends of the athletes. I know how many of you have made huge sacrifices to enable your loved one to compete on the international stage. Our athletes couldn’t do what they do without your unwavering support and love, and I hope you feel so proud—and so justifiably so—of them.

In closing, let me remind you that the sporting excitement isn’t over yet. I do want to take the opportunity to wish all of our New Zealand Paralympic team all the very best as they compete in the Paralympic Games beginning in Paris next week. Know that New Zealand is behind you 100 percent and that we’re going to be cheering you on loudly from the sidelines.

Congratulations once again to all our athletes on your very inspiring performances. Thank you for representing and thank you for being the very best of us. I know I speak for all of New Zealand when I say how immensely, immensely proud we are of you all. Thank you.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa. I stand in support of the motion and endorse the words of the Prime Minister in congratulating all of our athletes, who did an absolutely stellar job at the Olympics in Paris. I’m reminded of the cheering that comes from the hallways of this House. I’m reminded of the many conversations that are had in this House and outside of this House about how proud we are, as we cheered on our athletes in their sports. Can I also endorse the words of thanks to their coaches, the administration of sports right across New Zealand, and in particular the families, many who made the trip and many who did not, who stayed home and cheered on their loved ones as they competed at the highest level.

With all those thanks, I’m also reminded of just how important Māori culture is on the international stage. We saw our athletes not only partake in the haka but also speak te reo Māori, marking our difference as we competed on the world stage with athletes from around the world—athletes like Eliza McCartney, who can deliver a full speech in te reo Māori in thanking the support that she received from fellow athletes and also those administrators and whānau who made it there to support her. I’m proud of the way that New Zealand stands on the world stage. That will no doubt continue as our Paralympians make their way to the Games to compete on the biggest stage in the world, and I look forward to making sure that this House supports our Paralympians as we get behind them and they compete against others from around the world to once again hoist the New Zealand flag high above everybody else.

I heard what the Prime Minister said about our track and field gold, and I do want to acknowledge, as was mentioned to me by one of my colleagues, Dame Yvette Williams, who was one of our famed Olympians, a gold medallist in the long jump, if I recall correctly, in 1952, I think it was, in Helsinki, who did us all extremely proud. When I think of the legacy of the likes of Dame Yvette Williams and so many others, we know that the record-breaking attempts and efforts of our athletes in Paris, in the most recent Games, will continue into the future. We now put Paris behind us, and we look forward to supporting our Paralympians and, of course, we have a view towards the next big sporting commitment for our Olympians, which is in four years’ time.

On behalf of the Labour Party, I stand in support of this motion. I thank all of our athletes, their whānau, and administrators, and I say to our Paralympians, “All the very best.”

Kia ora, Mr Speaker, and thank you. I stand in support of this motion and support the words of our Prime Minister and the Hon Peeni Henare. We would like today to congratulate our wonderful New Zealand Olympic Games team for their outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics. It was a historic achievement for us, with Aotearoa’s athletes securing 20 medals, as we’ve heard—10 gold, seven silver, and three bronze. But what makes this all the more special is that 14 of these 20 medals were won by our extraordinary women athletes and women’s teams. They’ve not only inspired us but they’ve set a powerful example for future generations of New Zealanders.

This success comes down to preparation. In October 2018, the then New Zealand Government launched a strategy to address the inequities women and girls experience in sport and recreation, the women and girls in sport initiative. As we can see, the results of this initiative have been massive, and not only in the Olympics. Women’s rugby is now thriving, for example, and I hear Grant Robertson is very pleased down in Ōtepoti Dunedin.

We’ve heard the congratulations for Lisa Carrington, Lydia Ko, and all of our athletes that have done so, so well. I also want to think about tae kwon do, because tae kwon do is my sport. I wanted to see our athletes, and I was sad to see the muck-up that denied Eisa Mozhdeh and Jemesa Landers a chance to compete, but I think it’s really, really important that we recognise that our athletes, their support staff, their families all experience the blood, sweat, and tears of preparation—years of preparation. Everyone who pushes themselves deserves to be congratulated.

We know that competing is a costly exercise, so special mention has to go to rower Robbie Manson, who took to posing on an OnlyFans website to raise funds. For those who don’t know, OnlyFans is a subscription-based service used for publishing adult-themed content, so there are ways and there are creative ways to get to the Olympics.

The success of our athletes in Paris goes far beyond medals and records, however. As we heard, as Rahui Papa highlighted in a speech at Koreneihana yesterday, the culturality that team New Zealand brought to Paris was seen and felt by all. Our athletes didn’t just compete; they carried the identity and spirit of Aotearoa with them, showcasing our unique cultural identity on the world stage. This cultural knowledge and cultural acceptance has been a cornerstone of their success, and we need to continue the celebration of our unique identity here based on Te Tiriti here at home. Our athletes demonstrated kaupapa Māori in their victories, and we in the Greens join in acknowledging and celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of team New Zealand in Paris. They went over there with determination and grit, they demonstrated indomitable spirit, and they came back as world champions, making us incredibly proud.

So I should say, “Congratulations, team New Zealand.”, or possibly, “Félicitations” and “Bravo pour les bons efforts.”, and I hope our House will support the Paralympics just as thoroughly as they have supported the Olympics. Kia ora.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today, I stand to represent the ACT Party in support of the motion and in expressing our pride for the athletes that donned the silver fern and represented our nation on the world stage.

Firstly, I’d also like to start by opening up and saying thank you to the host nation, France, and particularly Paris. Thank you for welcoming the world to your backyard and showing us the beauty of your iconic venues and the rich culture and history held above and below the Parisian streets. I would also like to mention Teahupo’o, Tahiti, right here in the Pacific. The small coastal town has now hosted the second surfing event at the Olympics, after its introduction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The two locals who made their childhood dream come true—congratulations to you both on competing in your home shores and for welcoming the world, through their Olympic surfers, to the Pacific.

My family bought a Sky subscription just to keep up with the Olympics. The kids loved watching the events and keeping an eye on our Kiwi champions. Every morning at breakfast, they’d catch up on the events they were already invested in and the ones which they discovered during the games, calculating how old they’d be at the next games, and I saw how invested the kids were. The Olympics provide a glimpse into our hopeful future, showing our children that they too can achieve greatness and excel on the world stage. My hope is that we see New Zealand’s Olympic contingent, rich in quality and quantity, heading to Los Angeles next, and then across the ditch to Brisbane for the 2032 Olympics.

The games are huge for families, and I’d like, along with other members of this House, to do a big shout-out to the mums, dads, and all the whānau behind the scenes who helped every one of our athletes reach their potential. Achievements like these take a long time and a lot of energy, patience, and petrol money—not only from our Olympians but also from the people who support them and rally around them. To the parents watching from home with the kids, the grandparents babysitting the grandkids, and all the support networks that have formed around these world-class athletes, I thank you.

Most of all, I would like to honour our Olympians. They spent thousands of hours behind the scenes, often alone, doing the hard yards to achieve greatness—you are our inspiration. You have pushed through adversity, sweat, and tears to reach the pinnacle of achievement in your field. We stand here in Parliament today to congratulate you and celebrate your success.

Our 20 medals came from across a whole wide range of sports, from athletics, canoe slalom, golf, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, track cycling, and triathlon. Ellesse Andrews became the second New Zealander to win gold in track cycling, after Sarah Ulmer in 2004. She won gold in the women’s keirin. Her father and coach, Jon Andrews, was watching in the Paris Velodrome. Talk about a huge win for their family and the legacy that Ellesse has worked hard to secure.

Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis combined to win gold in the women’s double sculls. Both athletes took time away from the sport to have children post - Tokyo Olympics and absolutely blew everybody away with their commitment and love for their sport. Both were supported by their children, who were present in the stands when they won.

We saw the selfless feat of Dylan McCullough falling back during the triathlon to provide much-needed support to his teammate Hayden Wilde, who ended up winning the silver medal.

And who can go past Dame Lisa Carrington? Already an Olympic champion, she brought home multiple gold medals. She is one of the greatest kayakers the world has ever seen. She was also part of two rowing teams, both securing gold. She leaves Paris having won the same number of gold medals as Usain Bolt.

As we wrap up our celebration of the Olympics, we can look forward to the Paralympics coming up in the next few weeks. To our flag bearers, Anna and Cameron, carry our flag with pride and know that we are proud of what you have achieved and that we are excited to see you compete. My family look forward to keeping up with the Paralympics, and I wish all our Kiwi Paralympians the best of luck heading to Paris.

Behind all these achievements, behind all the medals, our Olympians captured our hearts. From the inspiring stories of new mums competing and winning gold to our young up-and-coming athletes and to families training, coaching, and winning together, the future of New Zealand sport is brighter than ever. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Motion agreed to.