Grant Robertson - Maiden speech

GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): E te Pika, tēnā koe. Ki ngā mema o tēnei Whare, tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei e mihi ana ki ngā tangata whenua o Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara. Koutou nō Taranaki Whānui, nō Te Āti Awa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. [Greetings to you, Mr Speaker, and to all members of this House, greetings. I acknowledge the local tribes of Wellington, those of you of Taranaki Whānui, and Te Āti Awa. Greetings to you, greetings to you, and greetings to you all.] Mr Speaker, I first of all want to acknowledge and congratulate you on your election to the position of Speaker, and I want to pay my respects to the mana whenua of this place. I feel an enormous sense of privilege, gratitude, and history to stand here today in the House.

In 1954 and 1957 my grandfather Bob Wilkie ran as the Labour candidate in the Wairarapa electorate—a somewhat thankless task at the time. His advertisement in that long-lamented journal the Featherston Chronicle just before the 1957 election reads, in part: “I believe it is the responsibility of all in prosperity to care for those in adversity; that the welfare of the nation in the future depends on the children of today, and every assistance financial and otherwise should be given to those who have undertaken the responsibilities of parenthood.” Although times may have changed, the core values of social justice, community, and family that lie at the heart of my grandfather’s words and the Labour Party’s existence remain as important as ever today. I hope that Bob, who is in the gallery today, is proud that his grandson has made it to this place—and I wish him a happy 89th birthday for tomorrow.

These values of social justice that drew me to the Labour Party, a party of principle and vision, are what drive me today. I believe that the fifth Labour Government took giant strides in the journey towards social justice. History will judge programmes like KiwiSaver, Working for Families, and 20 hours’ free early childhood education as landmarks in our economic and social progress. I felt privileged to work with and for Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. They are true campaigners for social justice and people who have dedicated their adult lives to the betterment of New Zealanders.

I stand here today—I hope not unluckily—as the 13th representative of the Wellington Central electorate since it was named as such in 1905. I am humbled by those who have gone before me. My predecessors have included people of remarkable talent and vision, such as Peter Fraser, whose legacy in the area of education I will return to; Frank Kitts and Dan Riddiford, men who played significant roles in shaping this great city outside of this House as well; and Fran Wilde, who showed enormous courage and fortitude in sponsoring the Homosexual Law Reform Bill through this House. Fran, of course, left Parliament to play a key role in the development of this absolutely, positively wonderful city, and she continues to serve the region today.

My immediate predecessor, the Hon Marian Hobbs, was a tireless advocate for Wellington and for Labour values. She is principled, passionate, and honest. I could not have had a better teacher when it comes to representing the diverse communities of my electorate. I cannot promise to call everybody “darling”, “dearest”, or “thingy”, as Marian did, but I do give my commitment that I am first and foremost the MP for Wellington Central, and that I will stand up for all Wellingtonians and for the city and its beautiful environment.

I acknowledge in the House the two other cast members from the campaign that we called “Survivor: Wellington Central”. The Hon Heather Roy and Sue Kedgley are both articulate and principled advocates for the causes they believe in, and they were warm and friendly in what was from time to time a difficult campaign. I venture to suggest that not many other campaigns dealt with water pistols and exploding Taser guns, but that is Wellington Central for you. I look forward to working with all MPs from the Wellington region to advance the well-being of our constituents.

I also acknowledge those who have broken ground in Parliament. In particular, I salute my colleagues Maryan Street and Chris Carter. In his maiden speech 15 years ago Chris Carter said that he hoped his presence in the House would make it easier for other gays and lesbians to aspire to political office. For my part, I can say that it has. I am proud and comfortable with who I am. Being gay is part of who I am, just as is being a former diplomat, a fan of the mighty Ranfurly Shield - holding Wellington Lions, and a fan of New Zealand music and New Zealand literature. My political view is defined by my sexuality only inasmuch as it has given me an insight into how people can be marginalised and discriminated against, and how much I abhor that. I am lucky that I have largely grown up in a generation that is not fixated on issues such as sexual orientation. I am not—and neither should others be.

I am here today on the strength of support from my friends and family. In particular, I acknowledge the support and love of my partner, Alf. We are living proof that it pays not to stereotype—we met playing rugby. I was the number eight and he was the half back; a great combination. I also have had the pleasure of sharing in the growing up of Alf’s two children over the last 10 years, and of being part of his wider whānau. Taku aroha i a koe.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge other new and returning members across the House. For all the differences that we may have over the direction of this country and the policies that we need in order to get there, I know that they are here to do their best, and that they have worked hard to be here, and I salute them for that.

My ability to make it through the campaign and win in Wellington Central was down to the hard work and sacrifice of hundreds of people. Some of them are here today. I thank them all again. My campaign team in many ways mirrors the Wellington Central electorate—argumentative, informed, creative, energetic, and young. And yes, we also had a few public servants in the campaign. Public servants have a right to participate in the political process, and I look forward to the new Government upholding its campaign promises to support and respect public servants. I suggest that a good place to start might be to stop referring to hard-working public servants as useless bureaucrats. I have been a public servant in this town, and I know that almost without exception, public servants give their total commitment to the Government of the day, whichever Government that may be.

Wellington is, of course, more than—as Don McGlashan put it—“the suits and the briefcases along Lambton Quay”. It is our most sustainable city. More people walk to work or take public transport than anywhere else in New Zealand. We need to do more to encourage that through better integrated, more reliable public transport services. Wellington Central is also home to the wonderful Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, which I encourage all members to visit, and other fantastic outdoor education facilities. A significant part of this is the town belt, a tremendous legacy to the city that surrounds the inner suburbs in green space. There are some questions around the legal status of the town belt, and from time to time land has been taken from it for other purposes. In consultation with the Wellington City Council and interested parties I plan to sponsor legislation in this House to ensure that the town belt remains in, and, just as appropriate, is returned to, public ownership.

Along with the outdoor activities, Wellington’s vibrancy is built around its creative sector. It is not hard to be swept along by the rich creative energy of this city. As the poet Lauris Edmond has put it, “This is the city of action, the world headquarters of the verb.” I believe that one of the great legacies of the fifth Labour Government is the growing sense of pride and identity expressed through our arts and culture. This is more obvious in Wellington than perhaps anywhere else. Our creative industries not only are the centre of our social life and tourism but also are part of the growing businesses of this city. The future of the Wellington economy, as with the rest of New Zealand, relies on those who can establish sustainable businesses that leverage off our natural advantages and capitalise on innovation. In Wellington the self-styled Silicon Welly, a group of businesses led by young entrepreneurs, is leading the way in the development of software and information technology solutions that are being picked up around the globe.

There are, of course, many people in Wellington Central whose lives are a world away from selling software on the world stage. For many of them, substandard housing is a problem. Too many homes in this city are poorly insulated and overcrowded. This makes them unhealthy and energy inefficient. I believe we must, as a country, make a key priority the quality of our housing stock and the provision of adequate social housing.

Wellington is also a place where many migrants and refugees begin their lives in New Zealand. We are a nation of migrants that benefits so much from each new wave of migration, yet I do not believe we do enough to support and welcome our newest New Zealanders. The bursting pride I saw from graduates at the Multicultural Learning and Support Services English language course last week here in Wellington needs to be matched by a strong commitment to support and work with them as they find their feet.

I arrived in Wellington 14 years ago, looking to find my feet. I had grown up largely in Dunedin, in the cloak of a Presbyterian family, where my parents—who are here today—raised my two brothers and me to believe that we are all created equal, to treat others as we wish to be treated, and to work hard for our goals. They gave us love and support, and allowed us to dream but be practical with it, and I thank them for that.

I was interested in politics from an early age—not, however, as early as my colleague Darren Hughes, whose first words as a baby, I understand, were “Mr Speaker”. My political consciousness grew around some key events. I swelled with pride and too many sausage rolls from the school canteen as I saw David Lange on television at the Oxford Union debate. Not only could an overweight guy with glasses succeed but also New Zealand could stand up to world powers hell-bent on destroying each other, and us in the process. I was proud then of our independent stance on the world stage, and I was proud to play my part in later years, working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and representing New Zealand at the UN in New York.

Through the late 1980s and into the 1990s, I became distressed at the direction I saw Government take. The unfettered, market-knows-best, laissez-faire, user-pays philosophy did untold damage to my community. The Employment Contracts Act arrived in 1991. At the supermarket where I was working at that time to pay my way through school and university, I experienced firsthand our penal rates disappear, our conditions lost, and the value of our wages sink. I have never forgotten the impact of that law on working New Zealanders, and I have worked ever since to support the rights of workers.

At university I became involved in the fight against user-pays in education. I ended up as the student president at Otago University and, in turn, here in Wellington for the New Zealand University Students Association. I learnt a great deal as a student politician. I learnt to organise, I learnt to campaign, and I learnt what it meant to stand up for what you believed in. After one particularly rowdy but peaceful protest I was accused by a policeman of being the biggest quasi-terrorist in Dunedin. I told him I was trying to lose weight.

Above all, I learnt that it is education that will make the difference to people achieving their potential in life. Peter Fraser and Clarence Beeby laid out the vision for the State’s role in education in 1939: “the government’s objective broadly expressed, is that every person, whatever his level of academic ability, whether he be rich or poor, whether he live in town or country has a right, as a citizen, to a free education of the kind for which he is best fitted and to the fullest extent of his powers.” Although much has changed in the intervening years, Fraser and Beeby’s vision is the one that I come to Parliament determined to develop and make real for the 21st century.

We have a great education system in New Zealand, staffed by dedicated professionals. We must build on that to ensure that it provides the basis for a strong, inclusive society going forward. There is not enough time today to talk about all the areas where we can work on this, but I want to make mention of one in particular. The current arrangements for funding of special-needs education need an urgent and serious review. Although successive Governments have put more money into this area, I know of parents who are still going through extreme stress to get the resources they are entitled to, and in some cases those resources are not sufficient. The Education Act says that every child in New Zealand has a right to an education. We have a responsibility to make that real.

My vision for making real the ideals of social justice that I spoke of earlier is a vision for a modern, inclusive New Zealand, where we equip our people with the skills and knowledge to succeed in an ever-globalising world, where we celebrate and promote diversity, and where we truly are our brother and sister’s keepers. The solutions and ways to achieve this will not all be found in Wellington or in Government. My generation of politicians must be open to a range of potential solutions. They will be found in our communities and our families, on marae, and in workplaces. It is the job of Government and of politicians in general to bring those solutions together and to provide leadership and support.

I want to help build a modern, inclusive New Zealand where we do not accept children growing up in poverty. I believe we should set goals to eliminate poverty in New Zealand, and work out a programme of redistribution that will see incomes and spirits lifted together.

A modern, inclusive New Zealand also needs to be one that looks after our environment. The health of our natural environment is critical not only to our way of life but also to our economy. If we want people to stay in New Zealand, we need clean water to swim in and clean air to breathe. If we want carbon-conscious consumers across the world to buy our goods, or tourists who are spoiled for choice to choose to come here, then we need to be able to show that our 100 percent pure, clean, green image is a reality. Sadly, in many cases, it is not.

A modern, inclusive New Zealand will be one where we do not build more jails but where we work with and across communities to ensure that people do not end up in prison in the first place. A modern, inclusive New Zealand needs to ensure that we acknowledge the place and role of Māori in New Zealand as tangata whenua in the Treaty of Waitangi. I would like to promote one small step in that regard. I believe that te reo Māori should be taught in all schools for all pupils up until at least age 14. Learning a language is one of the keys to understanding a culture, and in this case it is our own culture. This is one small step that we could take to build a more harmonious society. A modern, inclusive New Zealand will harness the best of being a Pacific nation. The emerging Pasifika communities in New Zealand need to be supported and developed, and those communities will also play an important role in New Zealand’s place as a peacemaker and conflict-resolver in our region.

In conclusion I say, quite simply, that the reason I entered the political arena was my belief in social justice. My desire is to play a part in making my community, city, country, and world a fairer and more equal place, because it is that equality that will drive aspiration, opportunity, and success for all. In my time in this Parliament, it is my commitment that I will work to build an ever better, fairer New Zealand, where we seek to ensure that achieving one’s potential is not just the preserve of the privileged, but possible for all. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.