Simon Bridges MP for Tauranga - Speeches

Animal Welfare Bill - Committee Stage - 16 June 2010

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:54:00 +1200

Maori and Parliament - conference paper 2009, Diversity Enriches the View

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:02:02 +1200

Diversity Enriches the View, Simon Bridges MP

Before I make some general comments about Maori in general seats, can I begin by noting where I whakapapa to? My background in itself I believe sheds some light on some of the differences between Maori in general seats today and Maori in Maori seats. My mother’s history is simple. She comes from British stock who came to New Zealand and were dairy farmers in Waikato. My father’s background is more exotic. His father was a Pakeha plasterer, Alf Bridges, also of British stock, but his mother was Naku Joseph of Ngata Maniapoto. She grew up in rural Oparure near Te Kuiti, and as I learnt upon a recent visit there my (I think) great-great-grandfather on her side was in fact a Jewish man who in Aotearoa gained himself a couple of Maori wives, from one of whom I come. Politics was in his blood, and I understand he eventually left New Zealand and was a reasonably successful local body politician in Sydney.

As I said in my maiden speech, Naku Joseph remained in an unhappy relationship with her hard-living husband, but did so because in those days, early last century, she thought marriage to a Pakeha man was bettering herself and her children’s prospects. She continually told my father that she wanted her children and grandchildren to have letters behind their names, without really understanding what that meant. I think her move from Oparure to Hamilton, where my father grew up, severed the link in my family to matters Maori until reasonably recent times.

With that personal background, can I turn to discuss Maori in general seats? A basic point I make is that Maori in general seats are different to Maori in Maori seats. We, I think as a general rule, want to be different, but even if we didn’t want to be, we have to be. I think the nature of general seats is such that we have to do things differently.

The Hon. Shane Jones, while not a Maori who has held a general seat, has previously made – I think – related points to those I would like to make. Namely that Maori in the two large parties must be pragmatic and prepared to compromise. We must appreciate that to most of our colleagues what might be called Maori issues are but one very small set of issues in most MPs’ minds. That then raises an issue of one’s integrity: does one do what Tariana Turia did and leave the tent because you can’t keep going if things get so inconsistent with what you believe? How much compromise is too much?

Let me come back to those themes relating to the difference between Maori in Maori seats and Maori in general seats shortly. But first a point that surprised me upon looking into the issue of Maori in general seats: the rarity of such MPs. By my count, there were none in the last Parliament, and there have only been eleven ever. I am tenth equal with the Hon. Paula Bennett, both of us having won general seats this last election.

I think that these numbers hold even when we take a fairly broad view of who can be said to be Maori. The eleven in order are:

1. James Carroll – Waiapu then Gisborne in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
2. William (Rex) Austin – Awarua 1975–1987
3. Ben Couch – Wairarapa 1975–1984
4. Winston Peters – Hunua then Tauranga from 1978 onwards until 2005
5. Leslie Ian Peters – Tongariro 1990–1993
6. Clem Simich – Tamaki 1991–2005
7. Sandra Lee – Auckland Central 1993–1996
8. Jill Pettis – Wanganui 1993–1996
9. Georgina Beyer – Wairarapa 1999–2005
10. Paula Bennett – Waitakere 2008–
11. Simon Bridges – Tauranga 2008–

The rarity of Maori in general seats runs up against another contrary generalisation, in my view. Of the eleven, five have been ministers, so far! And I say ‘so far’ because I am reasonably optimistic. That must be better than the general proportion for members, at nearly half.

This leads me to a tentative conclusion that Maori in general seats find it harder to get there but once there do well. Put another way, there are not many of us, but if I can say so immodestly, those of us there are of high calibre. Arguably, we have to be to make it. We have got through the rigours of a tough selection process, and in my case, and in Winston Peters’, where the seat is ‘blue ribbon’, that’s often the hardest battle. We’ve been selected by all ethnicities in our electorate. From then on we are prepared for anything.

Another interesting factor is that of the eleven I would argue that eight were clearly right of centre, or at least started political life that way! Moreover, those who were left of centre did not hold their general seats for long. With the exception of Georgina Beyer, it was only for one term each.

I want to stress that I am exceptionally tentative about the potential significance of this. But it may say something about the kind of Maori that put themselves forward for general seats, and of course the kind of Maori general seats are prepared to accept. So is it Maori self-selecting or general seats self-selecting? Are Maori who want to stand in a general seat more likely to be conservative? I am, so is that how that works, or is it that electors in general seats prefer conservative Maori? Or is the reality that because there have only ever been eleven Maori in general seats we cannot say either thing safely – and I am clutching at straws?

Whatever the case, these are interesting issues that I would like to flesh out with reference to my own and other MPs’ experiences. I recall back earlier in the 2000s when the Maori Party was considering whether to run candidates in general seats: an argument against was that doing so could potentially water down the party’s core principles. In Maori seats one can run as being solely or mostly for Maori interests. Such a position is impossible in general seats, where you represent everyone. As I say, the Hon. Shane Jones has made related points previously regarding making it in one of the two big parties, where you have to be for everyone’s interests and not running solely on a Maori platform.

As was often said about Winston Peters, arguably Maori in general seats may tend to play down their Maori-ness, and more often than not have not been fluent in te reo. I, for example, do not see myself as a Maori politician the way my Maori Party colleagues do. Rather I am a politician who is Maori. I believe there is a difference, although it is one that’s difficult to pinpoint.

In my maiden speech I quoted from Winston Peters’ maiden speech, in which he said: ‘I am a New Zealander, I am a Maori, and I am also a lawyer. New Zealand is not a monotonous garden where every flower is the same; it is a garden where the diversity of the blooms enriches the view.’ This is a lovely quote, but for my purposes today note the order in which Winston Peters stated matters. New Zealander first (perhaps even then he knew what he’d be calling his future party?), Maori second. Interesting – and different I think to the view of some Maori in Maori seats.

Lastly, can I note a few points about the history regarding Maori seats. I do so because in thinking about Maori in general seats I came across this history, and it was news to me – and perhaps even to others. From 1896 until 1967 Maori (except ‘half-castes’ such as James Carroll) were not allowed to stand as candidates in European seats. The law was changed that year by a National Government, but it was not until 1975, when National’s Ben Couch and Rex Austin were elected, that Maori were successful in general electorates. The 1967 changes were important.

In the debates in the House at the time of the changes, J R Hanan, the then Minister of Justice, stated:
<Q>It has been said on many occasions by Maori spokesmen [sic] both inside and outside this House that they would consider a change in the system of Maori representation only when they saw Maoris [sic] nominated as candidates for European electorates where they had a chance of being elected, and this is not an unreasonable attitude. If that happened it would prove that European voters were prepared to vote for a Maori candidate.

I think this argument, combined with the rarity of Maori in general seats, even in 2009, provides a strong justification for the retention of Maori seats, accepting that MMP party lists also provide an avenue for Maori into Parliament.

Can I say in conclusion, Maori in general seats are different to Maori in Maori seats. Of course neither is more important than the other, except perhaps if they come from Tauranga. But maybe given the differences, by having both, we ensure all Maori across the spectrum are represented, and Maori representation is not a monotonous garden where every flower is the same.

SPCA National Conference 2010, Rotorua

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:03:25 +1200

SPCA National Conference 2010, Rotorua
9am Saturday 1 May 2010

Address by Simon Bridges MP for Tauranga

Introduction

Good morning Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentleman

It is wonderful to be here this morning.

On behalf of all New Zealanders the first thing I want to do is thank you for all you’re doing all over this country, as well as internationally in some cases, to protect and care for animals.

Everyone in this room knows – and the latest research continues to confirm – that animals are much smarter than we give them credit for – and much more like us than we have historically thought – save for one thing.

Animals haven’t devised as many ways as humans to be cruel and inhumane.

My story

Today I want to candidly tell you the story of how New Zealand has almost gotten one of the best pieces of legislation against animal cruelty in the world.

I reckon if a PR person had taken hold of a draft of this speech they would have changed and sanitised a lot of what I am going to say to you.

A PR person might have made the story a bit better – a bit less warts and all if you like.

Nevertheless, in only a few months a few people in this room, aided by me, the Minister of Agriculture, the Prime Minister, and ultimately every Member of Parliament, made some pretty big changes to animal cruelty law.

You may have noticed just before, I said we’ve almost gotten one of the best pieces of legislation against animal cruelty in the world.

I said almost because the bill is currently about to come back to Parliament for what is called its second reading.

It is not law yet but the good news is we can be confident it will be.

I also want to acknowledge through my use of the word almost that there will be some who think we should be doing more still.

That is a discussion we could have, but we can nevertheless all agree that this law takes justice for animals that have suffered ill treatment much further than the past law did and does give us one of the toughest laws I know of.

On that front, I can tell you I’ve had correspondence with academics from around the world impressed by what we have achieved.

But I digress. Back to the story.

The best place to start is in the Koru Lounge, Wellington Airport.

And no there weren’t any animals in there – not unless you count Politicians!

I couldn’t give you a date but it was well into the second half of last year. It was a Thursday.

Much earlier that day Paul Henry had probably been mean to me about something on Breakfast TV and I had just finished Parliament for the week so I will have been tired as I always am by that point.

I was hungry, and was eating mince on toast.

I don’t think I finished my mince however as before I could I was engaging in conversation with Anita Killeen, SPCA board member from Auckland, who had tapped me on the back.

She was on to me about animal welfare. Law changes were needed.

I remembered back to my prosecuting experience.

I knew anecdotally of the strong link between cruelty to animals and criminal offending across the board.

Anita kept talking, and talking, and talking.

We exchanged business cards and I agreed to look into the matter and come back to Anita.

As a former Court room lawyer I’m both conservative and pedantic.

I over analyse things from every conceivable angle before acting.

I did this in relation to animal welfare.

I read books, academic articles, more books, and more articles.

They made it clear to me that at a basic, if you like, intrinsic level, we haven’t been achieving sufficient justice for animals who suffer ill-treatment.

I could today quote you research, philosophy, even poems that have made this clear.

But these following statistics say it all.

Despite the heinousness and frequency of acts of cruelty perpetrated on animals not just every year or even month but daily, less than 3% of prosecutions result in imprisonment.

The most common penalty is the lowest possible, a fine.

We can state this even more starkly. In the history of this nation only ten people have been sentenced to imprisonment for animal welfare offending.

And I also thought about my Tibetan Spaniel, Tilly, and my Pomeranian, Bruce.

It may sound like sacrilege to say so in this audience but I have never been an animal person.

I’m the youngest of six children who grew up in West Auckland. My father always reasoned he had enough mouths to feed without pets.

There was a strict no dog or cat rule but one sister (who went on to marry a vet) did keep a menagerie of mice, budgies, guinea pigs, rabbits, gold fish, an axolotl, frogs and lizards over the time of our growing up.

Nevertheless, my wife wanted a puppy and we ended up with two. Now I’m a born again dog lover.

Why am I telling you all of this.

Because for me at both a head and heart level change had to come.

The cold hard logic made it plain; my knowledge and companionship of Tilly and Bruce made it clear.

So I got back in touch with Anita, and then met and obtained invaluable advice and support from Bob Kerridge and then Robyn Kippenberger.

A bill was drafted lifting the maximum penalty for the wilful ill-treatment of animals from three to five years imprisonment.

My aim was to raise public awareness so that there would be less offending and to send a message to everyone, but especially Judges, to toughen up and do better justice for animals.

Media, starting with newspapers, began to cover the bill and I believe it captured the public’s imagination, or perhaps more accurately, their conscience.

Social media started kicking into gear with Facebook supporter pages getting thousands of members.

The campaign also gained massive momentum due to a public outpouring in relation to some very well publicised but horrific cases in January not long after I had announced my member’s bill.

In fact there were a number of cases over the period but two stand out:

First was Te Ahu Aaron Mankelow’s horrific case involving the feeding of five kittens to his dog.

Second was the Wellsford Dog Killing involving 33 dogs shot dead.

In combination all of what was going on prompted decisive action from the Prime Minister who was appalled by what he saw and decided my bill and probably a strengthened version of it needed to be fast tracked.

At a National Party Caucus meeting on 2 February this year it was unanimously agreed to take on the bill and make it law. It was also agreed to more systematically deal with animal offending and so under the care and attention of the Minister of Agriculture who has responsibility for animal welfare more work was done, a more comprehensive bill approved by Cabinet and then introduced into the House.

In hindsight it was crucial that the bill be a Government one rather than an ordinary member’s bill.

My bill was subject to chance – the random ballot process which determines when member’s bills will be debated.

A Government Bill is a much more controlled affair with priority accorded to it, as is right in this case given that the law will I believe deter more cruelty to animals in our nation.

The first reading was on 18 February. The bill received the support of every political party and every Member of Parliament.

An historic day

I may sound overly cheery, but I believe 18 February was an historic day for Animal Welfare in New Zealand.

In the end result we are not getting a law that simply lifted the maximum penalty for the wilful ill-treatment of animals from three to five years as my member’s bill would have.

That would have been a good start. It would have made some difference and would have, I believe, achieved my goals of raising public awareness and sending a message.

We are getting much more.

We are getting a substantially strengthened law that simplifies and rationalises offences, increases offence penalties across the board, and does more to protect the welfare of animals.

There was, if I am frank, the possibility that my member’s bill would have had more symbolic than real effect. Our Government bill will certainly do more than that, improving the law across the board.

I will come to the detail of the law very shortly but before I do I want to give one more reason why this law is historic.

All 123 MPs – MPs with different backgrounds and very different political views –

All 123 MPs – whether Green or staunchly libertarian, as some of the Act members are, voted for this.

In other words, the entire Parliament of New Zealand came together on this and reached a consensus against animal cruelty and in support of what you do at SPCAs from Kaitaia to the Bluff.

Let me tell you this doesn’t happen often on issues of substance. It did here against animal cruelty.

And exactly what is it that the bill achieves?

Penalties for offending across the board have increased:

- As I had originally sought, the penalty for the worst offending, wilful ill-treatment of animals, has increased from 3 to 5 years imprisonment and financial penalties have gone from $50,000 to $100,000 for individuals and from $250,000 to $500,000 for body corporates.
- Ill treatment offending has gone from 6 months imprisonment to 12 months and financial penalties have gone from $25,000 to $50,000 for individuals and from $125,000 to 250,000 for body corporates.
- Neglect offending has increased in exactly the same way as ill treatment offending.

As I say, penalties have gone up across the entire spectrum of possible offending.

In addition, an entirely new offence of reckless ill-treatment of animals has been created to sit in the spectrum between wilful-ill treatment offending and the lesser ill-treatment and neglect offending.

This means offending which may not be proved to be wilful but is nevertheless very serious is adequately criminalised and penalised. Formerly it has inadequately been dealt with as simple ill-treatment.

Significantly, wilful-ill treatment of animals as an offence has been simplified and expanded so in effect it is easier to prove. Instead of having to prove the animal was permanently disabled, died, or had to be destroyed to prevent suffering, the threshold is now serious injury or impairment.

Finally, the provisions relating to disqualification from animal ownership and forfeiture of animals have been bolstered and improved significantly.

Conclusion

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, it has been a pleasure to be here this morning with people who do so much for animals.

This year the Government is also doing something great for animals and against animal cruelty.

I wish you a wonderful Conference today.

Key Note Speech: The Fuji Xerox Conference 2010

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:32:00 +1200

The Fuji Xerox Conference 2010
Key note address
Simon Bridges MP

Good morning

It is a great pleasure and privilege to speak at The Fuji Xerox Conference 2010.

Just as I come up against all sorts of preconceptions – some times right and some times wrong – about what kind of person becomes an MP and what being an MP involves, I am sure you as professionals working for Fuji Xerox do also.

I am equally sure the following clip we are about to watch bears no resemblance to your day to day activities:

Used wisely technology is a powerful tool but it also has its perils!

If you remember nothing else from my address take this pearl of wisdom with you to your grave.

Today I want to talk to you about where the National Government sees our country going and what we are doing to get it there.

I am confident that you professionals in the audience will understand what the Government is seeking to do more than most because in a sense the project we are embarking on is the same as the one you throw yourselves into each and every day.

As a corporation, Fuji Xerox is about helping other businesses come up with innovative solutions to their problems that maximise efficiency and drive out cost and better deliver significant and sustainable economic growth.

You are constantly seeking new and better and cheaper ways of doing things – that don’t often I am sure involve backsides on copiers – and in doing this you don’t mind doing what is innovative, and perhaps even unconventional, all in an ongoing effort to help other businesses problem solve efficiently and cost effectively.

The National Government in a way is seeking to do exactly what you do so well for individual businesses, across the economy.

I want to explain just how we are going about doing that – but firstly let me mention why we are seeking to do this and the base point from which we do so.

We don’t want the country to be more innovative, more efficient and more cost effective simply for the sake of a few numbers, or so that OECD reports and the like start pushing us higher up their charts and schedules.

We don’t seek a GDP rise in this country as part of some academic or ideological exercise.

We seek it because a stronger economy with higher GDP figures mean less unemployed and better standards of living – across the board.

People with jobs that pay more live on the whole better, longer, more fulfilling lives.

You don’t need me to tell you that for many last year wasn’t a bed of roses economically.

As a Government, we came into office inheriting an economy deep in recession and with the world’s financial system experiencing its worst crisis since the great depression.

By necessity, our first year was focused on getting New Zealand through the global crisis in as good a shape as possible, while at the same time fulfilling our election commitments and maintaining our international credit ratings.

The worst of the global crisis has now passed and the economy has begun to grow again.

New Zealand has weathered the storm better than many other developed economies.

The depth of the recession in New Zealand, and resulting unemployment, have been relatively modest compared with most western nations. Unlike a number of countries, our banking system has not suffered major stress, nor are we facing an impending fiscal crisis.

To help sustain economic activity and support jobs, the Government significantly increased its borrowing, absorbing much of the shock of recession on its own balance sheet.

Temporary measures helped increase liquidity and assist banks to raise funds offshore. The Reserve Bank sharply lowered the Official Cash Rate.

This year, having got through a tough time, the Government’s focus is going to be squarely on significantly and sustainably increasing economic growth.

How you ask are we going to do that?

At a broad level, by changing the incentives so resources go towards productive investment, savings and exports and away from the unsustainable consumption, borrowing and government spending increases of the past decade.

That's what we will start doing this year and continue in the years to come.

I believe it would be futile to launch a one-off package of big-bang reforms that pleases a few commentators, but sparks an overwhelming public backlash.

We've seen this happen in New Zealand before. History shows this approach has been followed by extended periods of economic policy inertia and - most damaging of all - economic underperformance.

This Government does not want that for New Zealand. Instead, we're embarking on a consistent programme of considered, broad-based reform, year after year. This is what Australia has done over many years.
Six main policy drivers are at the heart of the Government's programme:

- a growth-enhancing tax system;
- better public services;
- support for science, innovation and trade;
- better regulation;
- investment in productive infrastructure;
- and improved education and skills.

The common thread is better use of our resources; directing our energies into areas New Zealand is good at; and allowing New Zealand firms and families to get ahead.

I believe with this programme the future is very exciting.

The years ahead may be very good for New Zealand indeed.

For as we have a better tax system, use public money better, invest in science and innovation, and reduce red tape and compliance costs, we also move into a time in the world when we have some unique advantages – both geographically and in terms of what we do best.

In terms of geography we are fortunate to be located in the most dynamic region with the best future prospects in the world, the Asia Pacific region.

The region is changing fast, and so are the trade flows and ways that our companies are doing business.
Asia’s economic growth over the past 50 years has been phenomenal and is projected to continue this strong upward trajectory over the next few decades.

Asia with New Zealand in it will be a strong engine of growth for the global economy.

Couple with this economic growth and the increasing middle classes in the Asia Pacific another strong trend.
The world’s population is growing.

It is estimated that the world’s food production will have to rise by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet increasing demand.

These numbers again are not of mere academic interest.

They represent food needed for real people – in only twenty years time.

Where is New Zealand’s competitive advantage? Food – we make the best in the world and we do so as I have said in the Asia Pacific Region.

New Zealand has already begun benefiting from our horticultural and agricultural expertise.

Free Trade Agreements we have throughout Asia are, excuse the pun, bearing fruit.

Take just one big example. Our increased trade with China following our Free Trade Agreement with them recently.

This FTA has brought about a surge in trade and in the last couple of weeks official statistics showed China overtaking the USA as our second largest trading partner, having already edged out Japan as our third biggest.

A few years ago not many would have thought this was realistic.

Yet as of today New Zealand has already captured more than a billion extra dollars of export revenue following the China trade deal.

And there is potential for much, much more in China but also as we in time complete negotiations and FTAs with countries such as Korea and it is hoped the billion plus people of India who increasingly grow their middle classes and seek the protein and other food we produce to a world beating standard.

There are then many other potential opportunities for our country in the years ahead.

It has been unfashionable in recent years in Government circles to ‘pick winners’ but we believe there are areas other than just food that have great potential worth investigating and potentially tapping into.

I could list a number but let me just as examples mention the petroleum and minerals sector and aquaculture as exciting areas to talk about.

In relation to petroleum and minerals, this sector could make a much bigger contribution to growth than it currently does.

Having said that it is worth realising what relatively few people do. The oil and gas sector has already been an excellent performer for New Zealand in the last few years.

We’ve seen a number of exciting projects come on-stream such as the Tui and Maari oil fields and the new gas fields at Kupe and Pohokura.

In 2008 oil was New Zealand’s third biggest export earner at $2.8 billion.

More exploration has been done since then and it is credible to say that this sector could deliver an economic step change for our country. Work is ongoing in this area to hopefully deliver results.

In regard to minerals we are also a lucky country. A conservative estimate of our onshore minerals is $180 billion.

I accept digging up minerals is an emotive issue – but the benefits are very real.

Therefore the Government is proposing to open up small additional areas for mining with actual mining likely to occur on an area totalling the size of an average sheep or beef farm.

Any mining will be subject to strict environmental tests. We will act responsibly and carefully, and the higher the conservation value of land, the stricter the test.

Modern mining is totally different from its image of the past. Companies must rehabilitate the land and mitigate the effects of their mining.

A small increase in responsible mining could contribute to our goal of significant and sustainable economic growth.

Aquaculture even more so than petroleum and minerals is an untapped resource for our nation.

The potential for economic growth is considerable with the industry keen to grow sales to $1 billion annually by 2025.

This Government has funded aquaculture innovations already and will reform the law in the area in order to help industry reach their ambitious goals.

Fuji Xerox and the National Government are embarking on substantially similar projects.

Delivering through various tools in our tool belts significant and sustainable growth – Fuji Xerox for individual businesses and the Government across a national economy.

None of this is merely academic but is about ensuring less unemployed and better standards of living across the board.

Last year was economically speaking no bed of roses for many but now the focus is squarely on going for growth.

We will achieve this through a specific set of policy drivers but also through a sense of optimism as a nation that the years ahead look from our current vantage point to be exciting ones.

We are in a dynamic geographic region of growth, where the demand for what we do to the highest standards will get stronger and stronger internationally. A burgeoning middle class will want our food produce and we will make it better and more efficiently as the years move on.

In addition there are various other relatively untapped areas that hold promise. Petroleum and minerals can be extracted responsibly and carefully and aquaculture can be developed into a significant contributor to our economy.

And just as the Asia Pacific region will continue to strongly demand what we do and produce, so will all businesses in New Zealand and further afield continue to want the skills you at Fuji Xerox have.

As you continue to explore ways to enhance your already winning formula, I wish you well for the rest of your 2010 conference.

University of Waikato in Tauranga Graduation Address

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:40:40 +1200

University of Waikato in Tauranga Graduation Address
9 April 2010
Holy Trinity Tauranga

Simon Bridges MP

Good afternoon distinguished academics, guests, mums and dads and family and most of all graduates!

Today is a very special day for you.

A day you will remember for the rest of your life because after a huge amount of persistence over not weeks or even months but years you have made it.

And because unlike virtually everything else you could possible do in your life whether it be the making of a million dollars or any other goal you like to think of this is the kind of achievement that can never be taken from you.

You can proudly take your qualification to the grave – hopefully for most of you in a very very long time.

Through your late nights studying, your working part time to pay for it, your sweat and your tears you have earned your qualification and no one will be able to take it away from you no matter what.

Congratulations.

You deserve today.

You deserve to remember it for the rest of your life.

What though will you take from today and from the qualification you have obtained?

I’m sure you’ve learnt some particular skills that will serve you well as scientists, engineers, lawyers, educationalists, managers and the like.

But can I leave you with a few thoughts of things I specifically hope all of you will take from your University experience into the world of paid employment.

Firstly, persistence.

I know to get your degrees you’ve learnt the hard way what this word means.

It doesn’t mean learning by osmosis resting your head gently on a pile of books in the library because you cant find a pillow to snooze on and hoping that as you sleep knowledge will somehow enter your opened mouth and travel its way up into your brain as if it were a dream.

It means night and night, week after week opening those books rather than resting your head on them and learning what they are saying, forming opinions about what they are arguing and ultimately critiquing them in essays and exams.

You know all this but what you may not know is that as you enter the workforce proudly with degree in your hand persistence takes on renewed and new meaning.

Let me appraise you of a little secret I learned not long after I’d qualified with an Arts and a law degree with honours.

No one was going to pay me $100,000 as a new grad.

They are not going to pay you $100,000 either.

For most of you the reality is that in your first years in the workforce your employers will be of much more importance to you than you will be to them.

It is only once you have demonstrated persistence that the tables will turn to a point sometime in where you, having learnt from those much more experienced than you, are in a position to earn what you think your worth.

Be persistent.

Learn all you can out of university, and turn that knowledge in the long run to your advantage.

Secondly, retain the reverence for knowledge and learning that I am sure you have obtained here at the University of Waikato in Tauranga.

Don’t let knowledge and learning end because you no longer need to hand in an essay or to sit an exam.

Cherish knowledge and learning and make them life long companions.

Doing so isn’t always the easiest route – but if you wanted the easiest route you wouldn’t have studied at the University of Waikato.

Choose instead of a life that stagnates, one where you never settle, you stay interested and therefore interesting.

Continue to wonder and read and have views about the academic debates you have been up on through your University studies.

Continue to cherish knowledge and learning.

Next, don’t just do things for money.

I have already said to you that if you are persistent in the field you’ve trained in the money will come over time.

It is also true I believe that if you do what you enjoy to the best of your ability then money will again come over time.

But really my point is life’s too short to act only on the basis of who pays the most.

Believe it or not, if I was concerned only with money I’d still be a lawyer not an MP but I get much more out of giving than receiving and you will too.

People are ultimately what matter not what you’ve accumulated in the bank.

As a highly educated person there will always be people who need your help.

Use your skills to do so and you’ll never regret it.

Finally, can I put in a plug for this great city we are all in today, Tauranga.

Its story is unbelievable.

From a few thousand people to about 50,000 in 1980 to 120,000 today.

Even on reasonably conservative figures we will hit quarter of a million in our lifetimes, and I believe the challenge for us is not just to grow but to do so, so that we become one of if not the best city not just in New Zealand but in the Southern Hemisphere.

I travel around our country every month.

Our lifestyle here through our climate and natural environment is unbeatable.

But in choosing where you live long term I accept you’ll want an income to match the lifestyle.

We here are increasingly in a global battle for talent – your talent. We fight not against you moving to Napier, New Plymouth or Nelson but increasingly to Perth, Pennsylvania or Paris.

Luckily, every day there are more options here for you.

Interesting and significant jobs through Zespri, The Port, INTERCOAST, The Bay of Plenty Clinical School and more.

There are also amazing things to do whether that be enjoying time at the Art Gallery, the Jazz Festival last weekend, or at the Cycle trail that I hope will be built later this year.

Stay here.

Become part of the vision for this great city.

Move it forward so we can call it one of the best cities in the Southern Hemisphere.

I know we can do that with our combined persistence, knowledge, and community spirit.

But graduates let me finish where I began.

Today is a very special day that can never be taken away from you.

Enjoy it, savour it, remember it.

You deserve it.

University of Waikato in Tauranga Graduation Address

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:15:48 +1200

University of Waikato in Tauranga Graduation Address
9 April 2010
Holy Trinity Tauranga

Simon Bridges MP

Good afternoon distinguished academics, guests, mums and dads and family and most of all graduates!

Today is a very special day for you.

A day you will remember for the rest of your life because after a huge amount of persistence over not weeks or even months but years you have made it.

You can proudly take your qualification to the grave – hopefully for most of you in a very very long time.

Through your late nights studying, your working part time to pay for it, your sweat and your tears you have earned your qualification and no one will be able to take it away from you no matter what.

Congratulations.

You deserve today.

You deserve to remember it for the rest of your life.

What though will you take from today and from the qualification you have obtained?

I’m sure you’ve learnt some particular skills that will serve you well as scientists, engineers, lawyers, educationalists, managers and the like.

But can I leave you with a few thoughts of things I specifically hope all of you will take from your University experience into the world of paid employment.

Firstly, persistence.

I know to get your degrees you’ve learnt the hard way what this word means.

You know all this but what you may not know is that as you enter the workforce proudly with degree in your hand persistence takes on renewed and new meaning.

Let me appraise you of a little secret I learned not long after I’d qualified with an Arts and a law degree with honours.

No one was going to pay me $100,000 as a new grad.

They are not going to pay you $100,000 either.

For most of you the reality is that in your first years in the workforce your employers will be of much more importance to you than you will be to them.

Be persistent.

Learn all you can out of university, and turn that knowledge in the long run to your advantage.

Secondly, retain the reverence for knowledge and learning that I am sure you have obtained here at the University of Waikato in Tauranga.

Don’t let knowledge and learning end because you no longer need to hand in an essay or to sit an exam.

Cherish knowledge and learning and make them life long companions.

Doing so isn’t always the easiest route – but if you wanted the easiest route you wouldn’t have studied at the University of Waikato.

Choose instead of a life that stagnates, one where you never settle, you stay interested and therefore interesting.

Continue to wonder and read and have views about the academic debates you have been up on through your University studies.

Continue to cherish knowledge and learning.

Next, don’t just do things for money.

I have already said to you that if you are persistent in the field you’ve trained in the money will come over time.

It is also true I believe that if you do what you enjoy to the best of your ability then money will again come over time.

But really my point is life’s too short to act only on the basis of who pays the most.

Believe it or not, if I was concerned only with money I’d still be a lawyer not an MP but I get much more out of giving than receiving and you will too.

People are ultimately what matter not what you’ve accumulated in the bank.

As a highly educated person there will always be people who need your help.

Use your skills to do so and you’ll never regret it.

Finally, can I put in a plug for this great city we are all in today, Tauranga.

Its story is unbelievable.

From a few thousand people to about 50,000 in 1980 to 120,000 today.

I travel around our country every month.

Our lifestyle here through our climate and natural environment is unbeatable.

But in choosing where you live long term I accept you’ll want an income to match the lifestyle.

We here are increasingly in a global battle for talent – your talent. We fight not against you moving to Napier, New Plymouth or Nelson but increasingly to Perth, Pennsylvania or Paris.

Luckily, every day there are more options here for you.

Interesting and significant jobs through Zespri, The Port, INTERCOAST, The Bay of Plenty Clinical School and more.

There are also amazing things to do whether that be enjoying time at the Art Gallery, the Jazz Festival last weekend, or at the Cycle trail that I hope will be built later this year.

Stay here.

Become part of the vision for this great city.

Move it forward so we can call it one of the best cities in the Southern Hemisphere.

I know we can do that with our combined persistence, knowledge, and community spirit.

But graduates let me finish where I began.

Today is a very special day that can never be taken away from you.

Enjoy it, savour it, remember it.

You deserve it.

Animal Welfare Amendment Bill 2010, Simon Bridges MP for Tauranga

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:37:07 +1300

First reading speech, Thursday 18 February 2010

Mr Speaker

There are many reasons why the penalties for offending against animals must go up.

First and foremost is that sentences currently being handed down in courts are far too light.

Despite us having a major problem in New Zealand, so far under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 less than 3% of prosecutions have resulted in imprisonment. The most common penalty is the lowest possible, a fine.

We can state this even more starkly. In the history of this nation less than ten people have been sentenced to prison for animal welfare offending.

When you consider the frequency and the cruel and sadistic nature of some of this offending, involving mutilation and torture, less than 3% or less than ten people in total is derisory.

In 2009 the SPCA, as it does every year, had no difficulty publishing its annual list of shame - the 50 worst cases of animal cruelty in a year.

I warn the House, and those listening, that if you are of a sensitive disposition you should tune out now.

Cases in the last twelve month period have included a dog beaten with a metal pole before being strangled to death so a South Auckland man could prove a point to his fiancée;

A cat killed by a Manukau man by cross bow for eating chicken in the kitchen;

A Mastiff-Labrador in Waitakere which had its mouth and legs tied together by tape and rope suffering terrible swelling to its mouth and deep scars to the legs. Its tongue had to be removed and it was eventually put down;

A Labrador-Pit dragged 50 metres behind a 4wd through Napier so that one leg was ground to bone and the rest of its body was a bloody mess;

A Jack Russell partially strangled with chains, then force fed petrol before being killed with a spade to the head in Dunedin; and

A tabby killed in Christchurch when at least fourteen nails were hammered into its body and head.

Included in the SPCA list were several cases from my home city, Tauranga, including one where a mutilated cat was found hanging by a piece of string from a street sign. A nail had been rammed into its head. Its tail and three paws had been severed.

And another case in the same month in my suburb of Mount Maunganui where three ten-week old puppies were found dead, tied-up in a plastic bag on the beach.

These cases are not unusual or uncommon.

Last week I was at the Gisborne SPCA and saw a cat which had had its ears snipped off. Disgusting I thought, yet such a case would barely rate a mention in the SPCA’s annual list of worst cases.

Animal cruelty occurs all around the country, all year long, every year.

Animal cruelty deserves serious punishment because it is wrong in and of itself and because of what it is linked to.

Through this law change we as a Parliament on behalf of the communities we represent tell Judges to toughen up in this area.

We instruct the Courts to treat animal offending as truly criminal.

Animals are sentient beings vulnerable to harm from humans.

And animal cruelty is clearly linked to human violence and cruelty.

An ever increasing body of research proves that this offending is linked to family and other violence and to the worst psychopathic offending.

By treating animal cruelty seriously we also help ensure further serious offending is prevented.

Indeed, while this bill does respond to ever increasing public condemnation and a hardening against the evil of animal cruelty it is about more than that.

This bill is not required only because of a recent spate of horrific cases – as I have said, these cases occur all around the country, all year long, every year.

And while this bill will ensure tougher sentences it is also about more than simply that.

By putting penalties for animal offending up we provide judges with more tools to protect more animals and to ensure offenders are, yes, treated more seriously, but also get the attention and treatment from agencies that they require so that further serious offending is prevented.

This bill which started life as my member’s bill is now a Government bill.

That means it has come to Parliament in a timely fashion but it also means much more than that.

It means a substantially strengthened law that simplifies and rationalises offences, increases offence penalties across the board, and does more to protect the welfare of animals.

There was if I am frank the possibility that my bill would have had more symbolic than real affect. Our Government bill will certainly do more than that, improving the law across the board.

The reasons for this bill in the first place, and now as a substantially strengthened Government bill, deserve mention.

Last year following a week in Parliament I was at the Wellington Airport going home. Anita Killeen, a lawyer very involved in the Auckland SPCA, approached me about law change and I undertook to look into the issues involved. It is amazing to me that we live in the kind of country where a person can approach an MP and only a few months later a Government and indeed a Parliament of 123 MPs is acting decisively. My thanks go out to Anita.

Anita then put me in contact with Bob Kerridge of Auckland SPCA. He gave me invaluable support and advice, as have others in SPCAs around our nation including national CEO Robyn Kippenberger, and so I thank Bob, Robyn and all in the SPCA who work for animals every day.

As the bill gained publicity I was inundated and touched by the supportive letters and emails I received from ordinary kiwis. These people have given me a broader understanding about the issues involved in this area and the deeply affectionate relationship between humans and our animal companions.

In mentioning ordinary kiwis I cannot go past Amanda Jacqueline Colmore-Williams in Dunedin who because of her belief in this issue set up a group of supporters of my member’s bill on Facebook. She and the over 4,000 supporters online have my sincere appreciation for giving me constant food for thought and encouragement, and for in each of their communities pushing for increased penalties for offending against animals.

From the moment I decided I wanted change in this area of law, Minister of Agriculture David Carter has been unfailingly supportive, and he has, since our Prime Minister saw fit to make this change for animals a priority, ensured the initial bill has been substantially strengthened and prioritized.

I thank the Prime Minister and David Carter for their leadership.

Finally I recognise this is not just a Government acting but an entire Parliament sending a message.

Today we show Kiwis Parliament at it’s best.

We send a message that this sort of offending is abhorrent to society.

We tell Judges to get serious and toughen up this area.

We provide Judges with the tools to protect more animals and we help ensure that further serious offending is prevented.

I commend this bill to the House.

The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill - First Reading, 18 February 2010

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:22:00 +1300

Simon Bridges, Maiden Statements 16 December 2008

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:37:52 +1200

Nearly every maiden speech that I have read has begun with the member congratulating Mr Speaker on his appointment to high office, and I congratulate you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and also Mr Speaker, the Hon Lockwood Smith. I congratulate the Hon Lockwood Smith not only as a matter of professional courtesy but because of our personal friendship, going back to a beer we shared at Auckland University’s Shadows bar when he was getting a hard time as education Minister and I was a pimply young Nat.

Indeed, I joined the National Party at a young age, not because of any longstanding family connection to the greatest political party in the history of our nation but because then, as now, I believed in less not more government, in individuals doing as much for themselves as possible, and in reward for hard work and enterprise. Then, as now, I was generally economically dry and socially conservative, but never unthinkingly or uncaringly so. We need to do what works, not what sounds good in theory. In human affairs matters are often shades of grey, and not simply black or white. In economic times like these, rigid adherence to orthodoxies may not solve things for ordinary Kiwis. World-class health and education systems are essential. New Zealanders clearly understand this, and voted on 8 November for a John Key - led Government and the fresh approach to our nation’s challenges that it brings; they voted to move away from a slavish adherence to ideology, towards a new style of politics that is inclusive, dignified, and decent, and that believes that politics can be noble and deliver greater justice.

Can I today in this hallowed hall acknowledge my wonderful family and my amazing wife. My mother is from Waihi dairy-farming stock and my father from Frankton in Hamilton. Like so many in this nation, my mother’s ancestors came from England, while my father’s mother, Naku Joseph, was Ngati Maniapoto and came from rural Oparure, near Te Kuiti. She remained in an unhappy relationship with her hard-living husband, Alf Bridges, because in those days early last century she thought that marriage to a Pakeha man was bettering herself and her children’s prospects. She continually told my father that she wanted her children and grandchildren to have letters behind their names, without really understanding what that meant. The dysfunction my father grew up with, and the sacrificial example he saw from his mother, played large roles in his becoming a Baptist minister and dedicating his life to service in many parts of New Zealand.

All my childhood and teenage years were in Te Atatu North. Just as my father has lived a life of service, so has my mother—bringing up six children of whom I am the youngest by some way. All six of us children, despite a lack of material wealth, have gone on to higher education, the surest path from poverty to prosperity that I know of.

In relation to my amazing wife Natalie, I acknowledge my debt of gratitude to her. She has sacrificed a lot because of my journey to Parliament. She is the daughter of a Welshman and a Polish woman, and she and I met in England while both of us were studying at Oxford University. She is here in New Zealand because she married a Kiwi. New Zealand must develop a fuller policy for stemming the brain drain than intermarriage; a John Key - led Government will.

My story is that I am the product of the wonderful family and world-class health and education systems with which I grew up. I am grateful to all hues of Government for the provision of health and education systems of such a standard. Following on from degrees at Auckland and Oxford universities, I have worked as a litigation lawyer and a Crown prosecutor, prosecuting over a hundred jury trials in the last several years in my electorate, Tauranga. These trials have included trials for the city’s worst murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and violent offenders.

Martin Luther King Jnr once said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and in many jury trials I have seen injustices—indeed, manifest indignities—performed on the weakest in our society as court rules worked against them. We need to make law that redraws the balance between victim and community on the one hand and criminal accused on the other. Victims and the community deserve better than the so-called justice I have seen served up to them on occasion, and although there has been tinkering previously, more reform is needed to make the jury trial a more just institution. In short, juries need to be trusted with more information, and victims need to be treated more evenly when compared with accused.

Just as constant vigilance and scrutiny are required in relation to the ancient tradition of the jury trial, so is diligence necessary regarding our rules for elections and our constitutional arrangements. Nothing is ever perfect; there is always a better way.

My already-mentioned ancestry or whakapapa, of course, makes me who I am. In reference to it again, let us remember what another MP for Tauranga, the Rt Hon Winston Peters, said in his maiden speech to this House, which is equally apposite for myself: “I am a New Zealander, I am a Maori, and I am also a lawyer. New Zealand is not a monotonous garden where every flower is the same; it is a garden where the diversity of the blooms enriches the view.” The diversity of my ancestry enriches my outlook, and deepens my empathy for all New Zealanders, no matter their race or background.

Can I at this point acknowledge Winston Peters, whom I stood against in Tauranga. As I said on the evening of the election, Winston Peters, I respect you, and I acknowledge that I learnt a lot from you while we jousted on the campaign. You have been amongst the very longest-serving members in this House, and now you are no longer here. You will nevertheless be long remembered, and I wish you well in the future. Can I also acknowledge another colourful Tauranga politician—we seem to have had a few of them—Bob Clarkson. Bob, you have been a great servant of Tauranga, inside and out of Parliament, and you put National back on the map in Tauranga. I know that your high level of service will continue, and I also wish you well in the future.

Tauranga has attracted politicians of colour because it is a place of singular loveliness. Its beaches, weather, and people are special, and renowned throughout our nation. Tauranga is a jewel in the crown that is our nation. And no longer is it the sleepy little seaside village of yesteryear. Since the early 1980s it has grown exponentially from approximately 50,000 people to become a vibrant city of the future with a population of over 110,000. School rolls have burgeoned as young families have flooded in. A baby boom has occurred in our city. In years to come, and perhaps even while I am still privileged to represent it, Greater Tauranga is, on some estimates, set to rival both Hamilton and Wellington in population terms. Accordingly, National Ministers can be assured I will fiercely advocate my city’s cause on the back of a strong case based on growth in numbers, now and going forward.

As a student in Te Atatu North and then at Auckland and Oxford universities, and later as a professional in Auckland and then in Tauranga, I have always kept the fire of my politics alight. Indeed, since 1992 I have continuously held office in the National Party, at nearly all levels.

Although to many this is not a selling point, I say to this House that I have long dreamt of standing here and delivering my maiden speech. Just as in some quarters it is no longer de rigueur to believe in jury trials, so in others Parliament is a place out of fashion. Nevertheless I believe in it, and want to do all I can to uphold its integrity and central position in our society. As I have said, I have long dreamt of standing here and delivering my maiden speech. I have wanted to, for my ancestors and family and for my future family and people. I have wanted to, as a pimply young Nat and now as a man in his 30s, because then and now I have realised that Parliament is a place that matters. This is still the place that makes a difference to the Naku Josephs of yesteryear, and to the Simon Bridgeses of tomorrow. This is still the place that can deliver world-class health and education systems, and can ensure that individuals get ahead regardless of their race or background.

Although it is perhaps unusual to quote from a valedictory speech in a maiden speech, let us remember former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s final words to the House of Commons last year: “to all my colleagues from different political parties. Some may belittle politics but we who are engaged in it know that it is where people stand tall. Although I know it has many harsh contentions, it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. If it is, on occasions, the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes.” My prayer in this House is to always pursue noble causes and greater justice on behalf of all who need it in Tauranga and further afield; to be in the service of those ends and no other master.

Can I end by once again congratulating you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and Mr Speaker, the Hon Lockwood Smith, and by thanking my wonderful family, my amazing wife, my multitude of terrific Tauranga supporters, and my God for getting me here.