It's fair to say that at the start of this year, it was not my expectation that I would be a member of Parliament. My campaign run was much shorter than others, and I must apologise to my parliamentary colleagues in that I joined the campaign much later in the piece. But I wish to acknowledge their hard work and I congratulate them on their election as members of this House. My arrival here is due in no small part to a fantastically well-organised party campaign under the leadership of our Labour leader and Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, and at a local level due to the sterling efforts of my Palmerston North - based team, many of whom are in the gallery tonight. Candidates are often never easy to manage, but particularly when you inherit a new one less than eight weeks before the scheduled general election. So to my campaign manager, Lorna Johnson, and the wider team, my gratitude and thanks to you all for making it a flawless transition and for the electoral success that the team delivered. 