I believe I'm the fourth person of Croatian descent and the first Croatian woman to sit in this Parliament. I also acknowledge Dorothy Jelicich, who brought the first Croatian name to this House in 1972. I want to take this opportunity to honour the Dalmatian women who came to New Zealand to make it their home. Many left all they had ever known, knowing they would never see their families again, and for a life of hard physical labour in the gum fields or the land. These women kept their culture strong and their families strong, despite their marginalisation in the Anglo-Saxon community. More recently, families from my ancestral homeland repeated this journey, coming to New Zealand to escape the terrible conflict of the former Yugoslavia. So for all the mothers, the tetas, the babas, and prababas, my presence here is also for you. 