8 May 2022

Goodbye Hello - two ends of the Parliament journey

From The House , 7:35 am on 8 May 2022

Valedictory speeches and maiden statements are an ideal opportunity for a member of parliament to reflect on their personal journey.

A chance to say who they are, and in the case of the maiden speech, map out what they hope to be their legacy, or in the case of the valedictory speech, give some first draft of their legacy.

National Party MP Simon Bridges gives his Valedictory Statement

National Party MP Simon Bridges gives his Valedictory Statement Photo: VNP / Phil Smith

This week Parliament heard one of each: beginning with the farewell speech of National’s Simon Bridges, the former opposition leader, who has resigned after almost 14 years in Parliament; and followed by a maiden speech from the new Labour List MP, Lemauga Lydia Sosene.

From Bridges, it was a humorous performance where he offered 14 points in a kind of manifesto for independent thinking and being politically bold, decrying what he called an "ever-growing tepidness" in parliamentary politics and the media environment that watches it.

Next, in her maiden speech, Lemauga reflected on her upbringing - the tale of a family whose parents came out from Samoa in the largest wave of Pasifika migrants in the early 1950s, when New Zealand employers needed migrant workers, and their long-standing service to their wider community - as well as insights from her stint as an elected local government member for over a decade.

Having been sworn in as an MP Lemaunga Lydia Sosene gets the ceremonial fist-bump  from Trevor Mallard

Having been sworn in as an MP Lemaunga Lydia Sosene gets the ceremonial fist-bump from Trevor Mallard Photo: VNP / Phil Smith

 


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