And my dad. He served with the New Zealand Defence Force in Malaya, and then worked in seasonal jobs, including at the freezing works in Whakatū. He learnt te reo Māori at the age of 35 and later trained as a teacher at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga. This is where I found my love of education. A devout Catholic, he brought me up to love unconditionally. He was generous. In October last year, dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. We were told it was most likely caused by an exposure to asbestos back in his freezing works days. Dad was my biggest supporter, and I dedicated my 2020 campaign to him and, in return, he promised he'd fight the cancer to be with me until election day. I last spoke to dad the night before the election and I was able to tell him again, "I love you, Dad". Mum called me the next morning with the sad news that he had passed away in the night, but he had kept that promise.