And so I stand here today, fulfilling my part of that agreement, but I want to be very clear that this was not entirely my choice. I have been a member of the Service and Food Workers Union—now E tū—since 1986, and I joined the Avondale branch of the Labour Party on 4 March 1998. At the time, Avondale was part of the Mt Albert LEC, supporting its MP: the Rt Hon Helen Clark. I want to thank Helen and the LEC, particularly Joan Caulfield, for their support in having the confidence to begin my path to Parliament. It is that confidence that was acknowledged by then - party president Moira Coatsworth when I became Manurewa's Labour candidate. Coincidentally, it was exactly 10 years later, on 4 March 2008, that I was first sworn into this House, when Ann Hartley retired. I have enjoyed the privilege of being a member of this House since March 2008 for a period of eight months, and then from 2011 as the proud representative of Manurewa.