KATRINA SHANKS (National) Link to this
My journey to arrive in Parliament today has been slightly longer and, one might say, more convoluted than most. It actually began in 1975, at the age of 6, when my father, then 37, stood for Parliament for Social Credit against the Rt Hon Sir Keith Holyoake in the Pahiatua electorate. My dad believed he could make a difference to society and sought to make that difference by standing for Parliament and the values he believed in. He never actually stood a chance in the National stronghold of Wairarapa and he did not become an MP, but for me his experience was a valuable lesson. If one believes one can make a difference and wants to seek to make that difference, then one should be prepared to speak up.
I did exactly that in 2005 when, at the age of 36, with a successful accountancy career, a wonderful, supportive husband, and three beautiful, healthy children behind me, I sought and won the National Party candidacy for the Ohariu-Belmont electorate. Even though my dad and I sit miles apart on the political spectrum, we wanted the same things. Broadly, we wanted a better country for our family, our friends, and all New Zealanders.
In a further parallel with my father, I stood in another safe seat for an Opposition party. That was a challenging task, but I aimed with the knowledge that the situations of the people in the families of the Ohariu-Belmont electorate mirrored my own situation—they were hard-working, educated, family oriented, involved in the community, and striving to provide a safe, caring, and nurturing environment for their children to grow up in and prosper. My team and I campaigned hard, determined to get the best result for the National Party. I believe that the values I share with the people of Ohariu-Belmont enabled me to connect with the voters in that electorate, and, importantly, connect those voters with the National Party. Even though I did not win, I am proud to say that National’s share of the party vote was almost doubled.
But my dream of making it to Parliament was not quite over. Under MMP I had a second chance, and, following the 2005 election, I was actually elected to Parliament on the National Party list. However, in a cruel twist of fate this avenue of entering Parliament was not to be, either. Once the special votes were counted, National lost a seat—mine! My short 2-week stint as an MP came to a end, but those 2 weeks gave me a taste of what being an MP was all about and confirmed to me that I definitely had unfinished business. So when Dr Brash made the decision to resign late last year and the new leader, John Key, phoned to ask me whether I would be interested in taking up his place in Parliament, it seemed that fate had intervened again. This time it was in my favour, and I did not have to think twice. My long journey to Parliament was over.
I am delighted and very proud to be standing before you today as a National member of Parliament. It is both an honour and a privilege to be here. I would like to acknowledge Dr Brash for the outstanding role he played in rebuilding the National Party and thank him for essentially giving me the opportunity to now play my part in shaping the future of the party and, ultimately, my country.
I would also like to acknowledge some very special people who have played pivotal roles in helping me to reach this point and without whom I would simply never have made it to the start line back in 2005. First and foremost, I acknowledge my husband, Bill. We met, fell in love, travelled the world, and returned to New Zealand to have our own family and to raise our children amongst our family and friends. Bill is my rock, and I thank him for his unwavering love and support. I thank my mother, Annette, my sister, Jill, and my parents-in-law, Maureen and John, who are also in the gallery, for the support they have given me and my family throughout my journey here today. I thank my party president, Judy Kirk, my leader, John Key, and my regional chair, Patricia Morrison, for believing in me and in my ability to add value to their very talented team. Their support and counsel are most appreciated. The last thanks goes to the team in the Ohariu-Belmont electorate—in particular to the two Tonys, Mike, Fleur, and John, and also to the rest of the team, who fought a tireless campaign and kept the electorate organisation humming. I also make mention of my children, Sam, Annabelle, and Lachlan, who are three bright lights in my life. Lastly, I say a great big hello to friends who are listening to me via the radio waves. I will do my utmost to live up to their expectations of me as a member of Parliament.
I am very pleased to now join my fellow National MPs Mark Blumsky and Chris Finlayson in representing the good people of Wellington. I was born and raised in Dannevirke. I came to Wellington at the age of 22, after completing my Bachelor of Business Studies at Massey University, to take up my first professional role with Audit New Zealand. Apart from the times when Bill and I have travelled, I have lived here ever since and have raised my family here. I now consider myself very much to be a Wellingtonian. I have seen a lot of the world’s great cities, but I truly believe that Wellington outshines them all. Nothing compares to the first glimpse of Wellington when one rounds the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge. It is just sensational, especially on one of our famous good days, and especially when one has been away for a while. When we see that cityscape, we know we are home.
I am looking forward to working with Mark Blumsky and Chris Finlayson, and, indeed, the region’s other MPs, to represent the people of Wellington and their issues in Parliament. All in all, I am very fortunate to have become a part of National’s diverse parliamentary team, led by John Key and Bill English, both of whom have great vision and an even greater determination to succeed in implementing that vision. All my colleagues are talented, vibrant, energetic, passionate New Zealanders. They do not believe in old slogans but rather they believe that actions speak louder than words. They are not sitting back waiting to get into Government in order to make a difference to people’s lives; they are out there making a difference now.
I sought to join this team because its values are my values. These values are letting people take the ultimate responsibility for themselves, allowing people the freedom to make informed choices, ensuring that people enjoy equal opportunities, encouraging competitive enterprise, rewarding achievement, placing great emphasis on strong families and caring communities, and promoting sustainable environmental development. I regard our values to be the best way towards achieving a better New Zealand for all New Zealanders. To that end, these values would underpin a successful, caring, and safe society.
I believe that our values will ensure first-class education and globally recognised qualifications for all New Zealand children, which will stand them in good stead for successful careers in whatever they choose to do. These values will also ensure quality teachers and will enable parents to have the choice of where they send their children to schools, regardless of what neighbourhood they live in. I believe that our values will create the first-rate, reliable health system we all deserve—namely, a structure where funding goes to where it is most needed—so that people receive the services and care they need in a timely manner. Most Kiwi families will have had some experience in the education and health systems over the last few years; too many of those families have had unfortunate experiences to share. This must change.
I believe that our values will establish the right economic conditions for our great, innovative country to grow and prosper into a country where taxes are low, enabling people to keep, save, and invest more of their own money, where businesses can thrive thanks to low compliance costs and more investment, and where sought-after jobs with internationally competitive salaries are in abundance, so that our children will stay on our own shores. I believe that our values will put us on the track towards once again being a nation where our loved ones can walk safely to school or to the shops and can sleep soundly in their beds without the fear of an attack or invasion. Our values will mean that all New Zealanders in need are provided with a safety net, enabling them to have a good quality of life and to live their dreams. These same values will mean that those who choose welfare as a way of life, rather than as a helping hand when it is needed most, will not be rewarded for that lifestyle choice.
Our values will recognise the true worth of volunteers, who are the unsung heroes of our communities, whether volunteering for an organisation, acting as parent helpers at school or in kindy, providing Meals on Wheels, organising Neighbourhood Watch, or coaching the hockey team—the mere tip of the iceberg. Volunteers are our society’s lifeline. Quite simply, we could not operate without them, and we need to look after them.
Our values will mean we have a clean, green New Zealand, which will be preserved for the next generation—a generation that can swim in the sea, drink water from a river, and walk in the bush. Certainly, I know that I am looking forward to walking on a pristine beach with my grandchildren in years to come.
I am very lucky to finally be standing here, delivering my maiden statement today. I am a firm believer that, to a certain degree, a person makes his or her own luck. In fact, our late Nobel Laureate Alan MacDiarmid said that he was indeed a very lucky man, and that the harder he worked, the luckier he got. I will work tirelessly during my time here to strive towards accomplishing the things that I believe will enhance our country for present and future generations. In this respect—and just like Alan MacDiarmid—hopefully, the harder I work, the luckier I will get. Thank you.