ACKNOWLEDGE GOD. SECONDLY, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS HOUSE THAT
STANDS BEFORE, a warm
welcome to everybody, so I say greetings,
greetings, greetings to us all.
greetings, greetings to us all.
I believe that it's the first time my mother tongue has been spoken in
this House. I extended my heartfelt
thanks and wishes
to everyone, to all those who have supported
me on my journey to Parliament, including
my community in New Zealand. I have
the honour of being the first
Possibly the first who's grown up in Singapore. I acknowledge the role
that both countries have played in
shaping my perspectives in life. I
acknowledge form Labour MPs
who also have links to south Asia and in
whose footsteps I follow. Sir,
congratulations to you on
your election as the Speaker
of this House and to
your presiding officers. I also congratulate our
PM, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. It
is a privilege to stand on this side of
the House and be part of
the Government that I know will create
a fairer New Zealand for us all,
a Government that
Government that will Brisbane kindness
Government that will Brisbane
justice back. This election campaign there was a palpable
mood nor change. Change from the status quo
to a Government that
puts people first. There was a clear appetite
for a more collaborative
style of politics, that focuses
on the wellbeing of the people who elected
us to serve over scaremongering and
political point scoring. I'm
proud to be part of a Government that has
these as its priorities. On the
campaign trail, I met many who
struggled to find a house that they
could afford to rent or buy. The
Housing crisis was a defining issue
of this election as were the mental
health crises and
shocking suicide statistics. I'm told that in
Maungakiekie the electorate where I
stood 10 young people
took their lives over a period of five
months this year. I am proud to be part
of a Government that will
bring about change that will benefit the
lives of the many. I believe
that everyone, regardless of ethnicity,
age, socioeconomic status,
religion or gender, should have acquitable
access to good quality,
affordable housing, healthcare,
housing, healthcare, and education. Everyone should have access
to decent, secure work that allows for
a decent
a decent standard of living. Everyone should be able to
live with dignity and the state has a duty
to protect, provide for, and
invest in its people. The connection
between the personal and the political
is why I'm here. Decisions
that are made in this House have the power to
turn people's lives around. Becoming
a Member of Parliament is a surreal
experience for most, I'm sure, but
it's particularly
it's particularly so for someone like me. I was born in India, grew
up in Singapore, and I moved to New
Zealand as a young adult, at a
time in my life when I wanted to step
outside my confident zone, move
to a country where I didn't know anyone,
and build a life for myself. It
was the best decision of my life
and I am grateful for the
opportunities that New Zealand
has offered me. Opportunities that
Opportunities that should be equally available to everyone. It's
often said that the greatness of a
nation and its more progress can be judged
by the way it treated its most
marginalised. I've spent most of my
working life advocating for
those whose voices are
rarely heard. Ethnic women survivors of violence
and more recently migrant workers
who have been exploited. Just
last year I supported a young man who had
come to New Zealand to work
and was given as accommodation a room with
no ventilation that was just larger
than a single bed. On average,
he was paid
than a single bed. On average, he
not an isolated case and it needs to stop! My first job in New Zealand
was with a national refuge
organisation. It supported and
advocated on behalf of Asian,
after andia Middle Eastern survivor of
domestic violence. It was
the first to fill an important gap, culturally
appropriate services to women from
our growing ethnic communities. And
plays a crucial role in our
national response to domestic violence.
Because
does not work. It is important that we talk about domestic violence,
to lift the stigma that many
women still face, and to ensure that
they have the support and the justice
that they deserve. It is
also important that we don't tar entire
communities with the same brush.
Domestic violence cuts
across ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic
status and
status and educational background. Religion and culture should never be
used to justify violence against
women, because it's not promoted by
any culture or supported by any
major world religion.
Domestic violence is a product
of patriarchal structures. Hear, hear. I
have also worked as a policy analyst with the
Ministry of Women's Affairs, as it
was known then, focusing on
domestic violence prevention. I pay tribute
to my former colleagues
from the public service, who are here
today, and thank all purr lick servants
for the work
and thank all purr lick servants for
work they do behind the scenes. New Zealand has the highest
rate of reported domestic violence
in the developed world. Almost
reported domestic violence in the
homicides in New Zealand are domestic violence murders. Women
are disproportionately represented
disproportionately represented as victims
victims of intimate partner violence. These are facts and they
hold true regardless
of ethnicity. We need to change the way we think
about and respond to this ep demonic
if we are serious about addressing
it in a which that is
meaningful and sustainable. We must
consider the benefits of a truly integrated
system that ensures
benefits of a truly integrated
through the cracks. We must challenge gender norms and stereo
sometimes that hold women back and
We must also better support those who do the work in these
sectors, and ensure that we
support their wellbeing and pay them a
decent wage. I'm generally an
excellent sleeper, but when I first started
supporting survivors of violence I
went for months without
being able to get a proper night's sleep. The
women I worked with, the women I
worked with had experienced
horrific levels of abuse and I struggled
to cope. I lived alone. I was
relatively new to New Zealand. And
was working within communities
that tended to shy
away from talking about domestic violence. I have
been stalked in shopping centres. And
had to call the police on drunk angry
husbands, who turned up at my
office looking for their wives and
children who escaped their violence. Everyone
has the right to feel safe in their
homes, at work, on the streets. Last
week I was mugged. Here in New
Zealand! It happened just after
at a busy time in broad daylight. The police said it's becoming more
common. We know that from
the statistics. We must not become that
society where people clutch their
handbags in fear and look over their
shoulders when crossing the streets.
I was more shaken by that incident
than I initially thought I
would be. I spent most of that Friday
night feeling unsettled and unsafe,
but, for me, it was just that one
Friday night. Too many of our small
business owners have experienced
far worse. They live with that fear
day in, day out. Many have told
me that when they open up their shops
in the morning, they
morning, they wonder whether that will be the day that their attacker
returns to finish the job. That
kind of constant fear is debilitating. We
need to stem the tide,
the rising tide of crime and, indeed,
to reverse it. I'm proud to be
part of a Government that will prioritise
this. I'm also proud to be part of a
Government that is
truly aspirational for
aspirational for all New Zealanders. Having grown up in multicultural
Singapore, I'm very comfortable with
different cultures. That's great
news for me since we have over 200
ethnicities represented and over 160
languages spoken in New Zealand. My
vision for New Zealand is for us to
celebrate our cultural mosaic, to
celebrate what makes us
unique as New Zealanders and not strive to be
a melting pot. A New
Zealand where we respect Maori and acknowledge
it is our responsibility as a nation
to keep Te Reo Maori alive because if
we won't,
the partnership between Maori and the Ukraine. This is the
foundation upon which we celebrate that
which makes us unique as New Zealanders.
Now is the time to build
on that platform. I want us to be a nation
that also
that also values heritage languages. Language connects us to our
unique histories and identities. A
truly egalitarian nation where
everyone is valued regardless of where they come
from or what they sound like. Where
migrants don't feel that
they have to change their names to be
considered for jobs that
they are qualified for. Where people from
different ethnic communities are
well represented in
leadership roles. Our collective strength lies
in our diversity. We are strong
because of our diversity
and not in spite of it. It is afternoon said
that
spite of it. It is afternoon said
the shoulders of those who have gone before us. I acknowledge the role
that my extended family has played
in shaping who I am today. My
unionist, and a proud member of the Socialist Party in India. Both he
and my maternal grandfather were
medical doctors who treated
those who couldn't afford treatment
for free. I've been brought up in a
family that for generations
believed that it is our duty to value
everyone equally, and to serve those
who are less privileged. I stand in
this House recognising that it's
a privilege and with privilege comes
great responsibility. I also come
from a mat yakkal community and a
long line of strong women
who sit up for themselves and fought
for what they believed in. I hope I
do them all proud. Only time will tell
what my contributions in
this House will be. But I didn't get here
through hard work alone. I had
the support of many, and I thank my campaign
team with Ben Ross and
Robert Gallagher at the helm, guided
by Carol Beaumont. I thank the
volunteers and my Maungakiekie LEC.
I thank former MPs who acted as
former and informal mentors. I
congratulate Denise Lee who won
the electorate. I look forward
to working constructively with you
over the years to come. When
you move to a country without any support
networks, your friends become
surrogate family to my
friends here in the gallery, to those
watches afar, you know who you are and I
thank you for your friendship and
your love. Last but certainly
not least, my family. To
some of you are here today, some are watching online. Thank you
for your love and for keeping me grounded. To
my
love and for keeping me grounded. To
strength, thank you for being my strategist, my best
friend and rock. I love you. I could not have
done this without your support. Finally,
my parents
this without your support. Finally,
today in person, but will be watching from Chen
today in person, but will be
they live. I owe everything to you both
they live. I owe everything to you
guidance has made me the person I am today. You taught me that I could be
and do anything I set my
mind to. Most importantly, you instilled
in me the values of honesty, integrity
and a passion for social justice.
These are the values that
make me Labour through
Labour through and through, and these are the values that
will guide my time in this House and indeed
the rest of my life. To you both
my time in this House and indeed the
you and I love you. I end with a saying that I love.
look after people, look after women, look after children, move forward.
Together we will go forward. Thank
you.
. MCANULTY NUT
CALLS OUT. I TOO CALL OUT TO THE WHENUA. I GREET YOU. Two members
in the
WHENUA. I GREET YOU. Two members in WHENUA.
WHENUA. I GREET YOU. Two members in the House, I greet you all.
Salutations and