[Volume:628;Page:43]
Wednesday, 9 November 2005
Madam Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.
Prayers.
Obituaries
Rt Hon David Russell Lange ONZ, CH
John Finlay Luxton QSO
Hon John Howard Falloon CNZM
Rod David Donald
Madam SPEAKER: Members, I regret to inform the House of the death on 13 August 2005 of the Rt Hon David Russell Lange ONZ, CH, who represented the electorate of Mangere from 1977 to 1996, and was Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989.
I also regret to inform the House of the death on 29 August 2005 of John (Jack) Finlay Luxton QSO, who represented the electorate of Piako from 1966 to 1978, and that of Matamata from 1978 to 1987. He was a junior whip from 1976 to 1977, and Chairman of Committees and Deputy Speaker from 1978 to 1984.
I regret also to inform the House of the death on 4 October 2005 of the Hon John Howard Falloon CNZM, who represented the electorate of Pahiatua from 1977 to 1996. He was Postmaster-General from 1981 to 1982; Minister of Statistics, Minister in charge of the Inland Revenue Department, Minister in charge of Friendly Societies, and Associate Minister of Finance from 1981 to 1984; and Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Forestry, and Minister for Racing from 1990 to 1996.
I regret, too, to inform the House of the death on 6 November 2005 of Rod David Donald, who was first elected to this House in 1996. He became co-leader of the Green Party in Parliament in 1999.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) : I seek leave for Government notices of motion Nos 1 and 2 to be taken together for the purposes of debate.
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) : I move, That this House place on record its high sense of the devoted and distinguished services rendered to New Zealand by the late Right Honourable David Russell Lange, Member of the Order of New Zealand, a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, one of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Counsellors, a member of this House of Representatives representing Mangere from 1977 to 1996, and holding the portfolio of foreign affairs from 1984 to 1987, that of education from 1987 to 1989, and Attorney-General from 1989 to 1990, and Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989, who died on 13 August 2005, and respectfully tender to his family the assurance of its sincere sympathy with them in their bereavement.
I further move, That this House place on record its deep sense of loss and its sincere appreciation of the service to Parliament and the community by the late Rod David Donald, a member of this House first elected in 1996, co-leader of the Green Party from 1995, a committed advocate of electoral reform and for many environmental, human rights and other community issues, and convey to his family its profound sympathy in their bereavement.
It is a privilege for me to move these two motions: the first honouring the memory of the late Rt Hon David Lange, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the second honouring the late Rod Donald MP, co-leader of the Green Party. The House will today also observe a minute’s silence in memory of the Hon John Falloon, and of the former member of Parliament for Piako and Matamata, Jack Luxton. Each of these men made a significant contribution to this House and to public life. Theirs were lives of note.
David Lange’s life story is one familiar to many of us. All Prime Ministers live in a goldfish bowl, with their lives from birth onwards rather keenly scrutinised for insights into their personalities and characteristics. In David’s case he filled in any outstanding gaps on the public record by writing his autobiography, which was published only shortly before his death. The book gives one real insights into life in Ōtāhuhu in the 1940s and 1950s where David grew up, and where his father was the local doctor. It tells of David’s legal education and his entry into the law profession, and of his rite of passage on his OE through Australia and South-east Asia to India, and on to the United Kingdom. India, in particular, was a country he was to visit and revisit many times during his life, and one he greatly loved.
David came to Parliament in the unusual circumstances created by the Māngere by-election in 1977. His National opponent was the Hon Clem Simich, whose election as Deputy Speaker was unanimously supported by the House yesterday. Prior to that David had run for Labour in 1975 in the far north electorate of Hobson, where he had connections related to his father’s years as a rural doctor in the Hokianga. I was also a candidate that year in a seat held by National—held, as it happens, by the late Jack Luxton. Candidates in strongholds for another party seldom get much nationwide publicity. But I do recall Television New Zealand assembling four of us from each of Labour and National, placing us in a studio rigged up as a boxing ring, and leaving us all to slug it out. It should be said that in every respect in that contest, David Lange was the heavyweight.
I had previously met David in the course of the 1974 election for the Auckland City Council, when we were both on the Labour Party ticket with, among others, Cath Tizard, Jim Anderton, and Tītewhai Harawira, whose son Hone has just been elected to this House.
David’s election to Parliament came about 15 months after Labour’s loss in the 1975 election, when it was left with a rather small caucus. He was, from an early stage, singled out as a likely future leader of the party. David was a big man in every way, not only in stature but also in his ability to think broadly and to express his ideas brilliantly and extemporarily, and because he had a very big heart for his fellow human beings. David had an ethos of service to the public, which was strongly influenced by his family’s values, by his church—the Methodist Church—and by the legal firm he entered, led by Frank Haigh, which always had a reputation for acting for those with little means.
David’s entry to Parliament came at a time of considerable turmoil for Labour. It took 9 years for the party to return to Government, and as all of those who have experienced Opposition know, the years on those benches strain friendships and relationships to the limits. Factions develop that can last for years. David came through those years, not only to lead the Labour Party but also to lead it to victory and to become one of our most notable Prime Ministers.
David was an extraordinary New Zealander. He did put our country on the map. He made so many of us feel proud of being New Zealanders. Under his leadership our small country stood up for big ideas and for values critical to the survival of humankind. New Zealand’s nuclear-free status is his legacy.
I served under David in his second term as Prime Minister, by which time the differences within the Government were difficult to contain. I do not recall those years as being happy ones, and nor did he; but nor should they detract from his remarkable achievements of twice leading his party into Government and enhancing New Zealand’s reputation as a member of the family of nations.
Despite scaling our country’s political heights, David remained very much a man of the people, happiest at home in Manukau City and cherishing his old friendships across Auckland’s multicultural communities. David’s health was very poor for several years before his death and he underwent a good deal of difficult and traumatic treatment. Notwithstanding, he remained good humoured and generous spirited. In his last few weeks his ability to stay cheerful in the face of overwhelming odds was truly inspirational to all who saw him.
To his wife, Margaret, his children, and his extended family it is important to say that many New Zealanders took great pride in David’s achievements and believe that our country is a better place for his contribution. David Lange was a truly memorable Prime Minister and an outstanding New Zealander. We will not see his like again.
I now pay tribute to the late Rod Donald, whose untimely death a few days ago has shocked us all deeply. I offer my heartfelt condolences to Rod’s partner, Nicola Shirlaw; his three daughters, Holly, Emma, and Zoe; his extended family and friends; and his Green Party colleagues.
Rod Donald was a conviction politician with strong roots in his home community in Christchurch. From his mid-teens he was a campaigner, first for the environment and then for fair trade, the developing world, decent housing, human rights, and electoral reform. Rod became a household name nationally in the debate about electoral reform in the early 1990s. In the lead-up to the two referenda, which led to huge changes in our electoral system, our Parliament, and indeed to our Governments, he was a leading advocate for change. Rod was elected to the first MMP Parliament as a Green Party member within the Alliance. His maiden speech reflected his many interests, in a forthright way.
Over the past 6 years I have had many dealings with Rod Donald in his capacity as co-leader of the Green Party. He and Jeanette Fitzsimons have been regular visitors to my office, and their goodwill and constructive approach have been indispensable to me and to my Government. To me Rod Donald always was a very honourable person, a straightforward person, and a very likeable person. Of course we did not always agree; that is the nature of politics. But I felt we always understood why each of us took the positions we did. Rod was a constructive person, always looking for ways to resolve an issue—to nut it out. He held fast to his point of view, but he could work with those who did not share it, and I believe he was deeply democratic in his approach to political life. He was also unfailingly energetic and enthusiastic. Rod had a zest for life that few could match. It is hard to believe that he will not return to this place, but I know he will live on in our memory. He certainly will in mine.
I wish to conclude by also paying my respects to the memory of the two other former senior members of Parliament who passed away while the House was in recess. Both the Hon John Falloon and Jack Luxton were among Parliament’s true gentlemen, unfailingly courteous, pleasant, and decent people.
The Hon John Falloon came to Parliament in a by-election in 1977, shortly after David Lange. By the time I arrived here in 1981, he was already a Minister, although a very young man. He was a strong advocate for New Zealand’s rural communities and for our land-based industries. John was greatly respected by Labour members. The Hon Jim Sutton, who cannot be here today, described him as a good, generous, tolerant man who had no enemies in Parliament. I can only add that he was also a public-spirited and well-motivated human being who worked hard for his constituents in his community, and I offer my sincere condolences to his family.
I first met the late Jack Luxton in 1975 when I ran against him in his Piako stronghold. It said something of the size of the challenge that Piako’s was the last Labour candidacy to be filled. I volunteered. Jack was known as an outstanding farmer in the district and he had made his name in Federated Farmers and in dairy company administration before he came to this House. He was well regarded here as Deputy Speaker. It is said that he was prepared to stand up to the late Sir Robert Muldoon; an action that required considerable courage. After Jack retired I would occasionally see him and his wife, Margaret, at Waihī Beach, where they had a holiday home and where my parents have retired. I know that Jack cared for Margaret at home for a very considerable period of time. He was a very strong family man and a devoted husband.
To his son John, who is present in the House today—and also a former colleague; succeeding his dad—and to the whole Luxton family, I offer my sincere sympathies. Jack was a good and decent man.
May our four late colleagues rest in peace.
Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) : The National Party certainly supports the motions put before the House. I plan to talk mainly about David Lange. My colleague Gerry Brownlee will talk mainly about Rod Donald. But let me also say that, in my view, Rod Donald was a compassionate man, an intelligent man, and an enthusiastic politician who played the ball and not the person, and although he and I differed on many policy issues, I certainly held him in high regard.
Let me also pay a brief tribute to Jack Luxton and the Hon John Falloon. I did not know either of them as well as I knew David Lange, but they too, as the Prime Minister has said, made a very considerable contribution to this House. I pay tribute to them—indeed, John, to your father.
I first met David Lange very shortly after he was elected in the by-election in Mangere, when I was the chief executive of a small merchant bank in Auckland. Out of the blue he came to see me and asked whether I might be available to join the Labour Party policy council and be available for selection as a Labour Party candidate. I was enormously flattered, having never been a member of any political party at that point, and I actually gave the matter serious consideration for several days. I eventually rang him back and said that, notwithstanding the flattery, I would not accept his invitation. I said that in my view New Zealand was being held back by two important obstacles: one was the excessive dominance of the Government in the New Zealand economy, and the other was the rather archaic structure of the union movement as it then was, based on a British craft-union model. I said that in my mind the Labour Party was committed to a large Government, and was so institutionally bound up with the union movement that it would be difficult to change the union structure with Labour. I have never forgotten his response to my comments. He said: “I agree with you. Join the Labour Party and help me change it.” I did not believe that he could change the Labour Party, so I turned down the invitation.
Of course, as history would show, David Lange did make a huge impact on the New Zealand economy, and he even had some impact on the Labour Party itself. So while there will be speakers here today who will recall David Lange’s contribution to New Zealand in foreign policy—his arguments with the French over the Rainbow Warrior and with the Americans over nuclear-propelled ships—I would remind the House about his enormous influence, along with distinguished colleagues like David Caygill, Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble, Peter Neilson, and David Butcher, in reforming the New Zealand economy. All of us in this House owe David Lange a debt of gratitude for the enormous contribution he made to the reforms of the 1980s. No, the reforms were not flawless and they were not completed under his prime ministership, but he made great progress.
Although, of course, I was not a member of his Government, I worked with his Government in designing the goods and services tax, in reforming the taxation of the rural sector, in closing loopholes in the company tax structure that had made paying company tax almost a voluntary activity by the 1980s, and in reforming the taxation of superannuation and life insurance. David Lange was Prime Minister when the Government he led appointed me as Governor of the Reserve Bank, and I met him a number of times in that capacity. Yes, he made a very considerable contribution to the development of the New Zealand economy. He acknowledged, as I do, that government has a very important role to play in establishing the rules within which production and distribution occur. But he also believed, as I do, that the market economy is the most efficient way of producing goods and services for the people. Nobody is devoid of faults, and David Lange had his share of faults. But he was a great orator and had a great vision of what New Zealand could be. He found New Zealand organised like the proverbial Polish shipyard—a consequence of the policies followed by successive Governments over several decades—and left it approaching modernity.
David Lange was trained in the law and practised for a number of years as a lawyer before entering Parliament. Long after he left Parliament he retained a vital interest in seeing that justice was done. When Katherine Rich and I mounted a petition calling for a royal commission into the Peter Ellis case, he signed that petition without hesitation. Like me, he did not know whether Peter Ellis was innocent or guilty, but he was gravely concerned at the number of unanswered questions that surround the case. In the early 1990s, when still in Parliament, he provided substantial support to one of my own colleagues, Dr Nick Smith, who was being sued on an issue on which he felt very strongly. Not many members of Parliament of any party are willing to come to the aid of a political opponent in the way that David Lange did.
David Lange was a vigorous opponent of the party that I now lead. On behalf of the National Party, I nevertheless salute his memory. He was a great New Zealander.
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) : We in New Zealand First want to formally pass on our condolences to the Lange family. It is not easy, in such times, having to share one’s grief and suffering so publicly when one’s loved one is a figure so beloved of the public. It is difficult on such occasions to say something that has not been said already several times over. I am cognisant of the fact that on occasions such as these we are often lured into long-winded platitudes, and I am not intending to follow that path, but I wish to make some pertinent observations.
Some of us first encountered David Lange when he tutored torts at Auckland University law school. He was as witty and informed then as he proved to be in politics. At the end of each tutorial we did not know what we had learnt, but it certainly seemed fascinating while we were learning it.
He then went on to spend some time as a lawyer in both Auckland and Kaikohe, where his public claims that he was earning only $7,000 per year had some mean-spirited people in the legal profession arguing that he should be disbarred from the profession. But he was a star at the old Magistrate’s Court in Auckland, and no one who ever attended that court could forget him.
As the Prime Minister said, the north saw much more of David Lange when he contested the seat of Hobson in the 1975 election. Then, very soon after that, in a huge local contest, he won the seat of Māngere in very controversial circumstances—not as to his selection but as to the background.
Those of us who witnessed first-hand David Lange’s capacity as a parliamentary debater will know that, in his case, all the superlatives and accolades that have been used over the years to describe his performances are indeed deserved. It is also worth noting that the quality of his performance was not reserved simply for the big occasions when he was Prime Minister; he was equally passionate and articulate as a back-bencher in both Opposition and Government.
So many fundamental changes to the New Zealand way of life occurred during his tenure, and we could all debate the merits, or otherwise, of those. His contribution to our antinuclear legislation will probably be his defining legacy, in the public mind at least.
I cannot let this occasion pass without noting that David Lange was the Attorney-General and Minister of State outside Cabinet from 14 August 1989 to 2 November 1990. I mean, how novel, a senior ministerial post outside Cabinet! Who would have thought of that?
I conclude on this note. It is a tragedy when so many friends are lost during a political career—it is a fact that many of us will be aware of and have observed—only to return to their senses when those people are gone. David Lange deserves to be remembered in a better light than this. He was a uniquely gifted politician and a proud New Zealander, and he will have a permanent place in our political history. I imagine that history will be extraordinarily kind to him.
The difficulty with David Lange, of course, was in finding someone who actually knew him really well. I know that the Island people of the far-flung parts of the Pacific Ocean did; this was where he felt at home—a long way away from the prying media, and others—he felt totally comfortable, and they remember him.
Aristotle said that all virtue is summed up in dealing justly. In his legal and political career David Lange proved to be not just a great but also a just man.
I pay tribute to Rod Donald by passing on the condolences of my party and New Zealand First’s caucus to Rod’s family and the Green Party. Whatever our political differences, it is a cruel blow when a member of this House is struck down in such untimely circumstances. Democracy in New Zealand will be worse for his parting. I imagine that many of us have not recovered from the shock of learning that he had passed away.
It would be disingenuous of me to pretend that Rod Donald and New Zealand First were close; we were not. But the interesting thing about politics is that even our political opponents can engender respect. Rod Donald was certainly a man to be respected. He was a fine parliamentarian who understood both the customs and practices of this House and, more important, how to use them to his party’s advantage. In all my time I never saw anyone get on so well with the press gallery or the media—which is surely a tribute to his sense of tolerance, forgiveness, and intellectual benevolence.
For those of us who have been around some time, we were not sure how to handle the Green MPs when they arrived in Parliament, as part of the Alliance, in 1996. We had never experienced MPs of that sort of mould before. But Rod Donald quickly set about making his mark on the House, right from the beginning. He was a campaigner for MMP and electoral reform, and it is true to say that New Zealand First—although a first-past-the-post party—and the Greens have certainly enjoyed the benefits of this more representative style of politics.
There are some who believe that politics is the art form of what is possible. That is the mantra Rod Donald clearly believed, and for that alone, if not for the other great things he did for his party and his cause, he deserves to be remembered, and remembered well.
I say to John Luxton that it was very sad to hear of the passing of Jack, whom we all remember as a real gentleman. He was the kind of critical player in a party organisation that every good party needs—someone who has the experience and the ability to stand in and represent a key constituency and a key electorate in this country.
We all remember the Hon John Falloon as being, like Jack, a total gentleman. They were good, decent men who represented a different age, and many of their characteristics are now sadly lost. Many of us are lucky enough to have known them and served with them, and to remember that which was peculiarly enjoyable about their character and style. We often remember the Hon John Falloon more because he was younger and could play the piano! But Jack Luxton was a person whom I met on many occasions. He was lucky to have a wife who was one of the best political organisers I ever saw. My thoughts go out to the families.
JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) : Last week the Green caucus met and decided that, in the tributes to David Lange, our speaker would be Rod Donald. We never thought he meant to go and do it personally. He would have been honoured to be remembered in the same sitting of Parliament as David Lange.
I also want to pay tribute to a fine Prime Minister, and I want to do it in the words that Rod used on the day David Lange died, which was also the day of the Green Party campaign launch before the last election. He said that David Lange was a commanding figure in the House, throughout New Zealand, and around the world. He said that David Lange’s breath would have been uranium-free until the last, and that, like Norman Kirk, he made him proud to be a New Zealander. Keith Locke will talk more about David Lange later.
This week our kauri has fallen, and long before his time. I thank all the members who have sent tributes; those who have come and stood in his office with us, wept for him, and laughed with us; those who have sent emails, cards, and flowers; and those who have just given us hugs in the corridor. We feel surrounded by an aroha that is not usually part of this place, and it is good to see that that is possible.
It is fitting that we remember Rod here, because he was a particularly committed parliamentarian. He believed so strongly in this place being representative of the people that he believed that all main streams of political opinion should be represented here. He believed that it was not right that 35 percent of the people could elect a Government that had absolute power, so he fronted the MMP campaign. About half of us in the Chamber today would not be here without that. I thank him for that. He introduced a member’s bill to provide the option for local government to use the single transferable vote system—a more representative electoral system for local bodies—and some local authorities have taken up that option. He believed in such representation as a matter of principle, but also as a matter of pragmatism, because he knew that the ideas he particularly stood for were not going to be heard in this House unless there was an opportunity for minorities to be represented. It was a matter of some pride that when we entered Parliament together in 1996, he and I spoke about things that I think had never been spoken about here before.
I first met Rod around 30 years ago. We were both going to a conference in Auckland, and he turned up at my house—I had not met him before—suggesting we work together. He either was still at school or had just left school. I was a young mother with two preschoolers and no political experience. We decided to take on one of the world’s biggest transnationals that was proposing to abolish the returnable Coca-Cola bottle and replace it with bottles that had to be smashed. It was not exactly the most planet-threatening environmental issue, but it was about the connections between things. It was about the huge waste of energy, the huge waste of resources, and the huge waste of landfill space when there was a perfectly workable returnable bottle system in New Zealand. It is interesting that his latest campaign, which he was only part-way through, was to try to save the remaining returnable glass milk bottles in Christchurch that are now to be phased out. Of course, at that conference in Auckland we lost. But we learnt some valuable lessons.
His environmental work included cleaning up streams and the Heathcote River in his local area, when he was just a boy. It included running a recycling scheme for the Christchurch City Council, modelled on the one I had set up for Devonport. It included going over to the West Coast in the big battle for the West Coast forests, trespassing to plant beech trees in the middle of the logging road that the loggers had bulldozed through the forest, and being banned from that area. He was an on-the-ground activist, not a theoretician.
But his work ranged across the whole spectrum of Green issues. He was not corralled in a corner of policy; he saw the breadth and he saw the connections. He was an internationalist, and he was an internationalist because he had fierce loyalty to this place, to Aotearoa New Zealand—to its land, its natural environment, its people, its culture, its industries, and its workers. And because he had that fierce loyalty to this place, he could also reach out to the rest of the world and say that we have to be not a globalised community, which is homogenised so that nobody cares about anywhere, but an international community where nations work together to support both their own people and people of other countries.
It was in that internationalist role that he took part in the protests against the Springbok tour—not because he wanted a confrontation with the police but because he believed in justice for black people in South Africa. It was in that role that he stood, on his own, on the steps of this Parliament with the Tibetan flag when the Chinese delegation came, and that was an act of political courage. It was in that role that he publicised the plight of workers in Thai sweatshops and Chinese labour camps who make goods that are sold here with all the profits going to the middleman. It was in that role that he tried to get New Zealand to make a gesture of principle against playing sport with Zimbabwe because of what was happening to the people there.
Unlike what many people think about the Greens, Rod was a businessman. He ran several successful businesses. He started Piko Wholefoods in Christchurch. Again, that was not just any business but a business that was doing something ethical he believed in. He believed in quality food, he believed in organics, and he started a shop to sell them, and it did well. He became the manager of Trade Aid, and turned it from a pretty small organisation into a nationally significant one, because he believed that trade should be fair both to the poor of other countries and to the workers in this country.
That commitment led him to put forward his latest project of a Buy Kiwi Made campaign; not to compel anybody to do anything but to raise awareness in New Zealand that every time we spend a dollar it is a political act, that that dollar is supporting either processes and goods that are sustainable or ones that are not, that it is supporting either workers here or workers somewhere else, and that it is supporting either our economy or somebody else’s. He wanted people to have that choice by having those goods labelled—by having a campaign so that people could make their own decisions. That was recognised in the agreement between the Government and the Greens on the formation of the new Government, and we are absolutely committed to carrying on that work.
I want to tell members a little story that I was told by one of his friends, who has known him at least as long as I have. When he and Nicola were quite young, many years ago, there was a little prefab shed on the bank of the Heathcote River in which they ran a children’s library every Saturday morning. It was place where children could come and experience books. It was probably never really noted by the mainstream, but the kids used to come and they used to read, and there was a place for them to come and do that. It was every week; they used to take turns—Rod did it one week and Nicola did it the next.
Rod saw the big picture—that all these issues were interconnected. Some saw him as ambitious. Yes, he was, but he was ambitious for the issues, he was ambitious for justice, and he was ambitious for sustainability. He wanted some political power so that he could advance those causes, and he did not want it for himself or his own ego.
He lived in overdrive. He lived with a cellphone glued to his ear. I had to haul it off sometimes and say to him: “Rod, I want to talk to you.” But he lived what he believed in. He was never too busy to stop riding his bicycle around Christchurch when he could have taken a taxi at no cost to himself. He was never too busy to grow a vege garden, and his father used to help out with that, and I feel particularly for him. He was never too busy to turn up at Green events and at public meetings with his spiced apple cake, every ingredient of which had a political story behind it—and members will hear more of that later on. And he was never too busy, even at Parliament, if there was a significant occasion for one of his daughters, to whip back to Christchurch in order to be there. He was absolutely devoted to Holly, Emma, and Zoe, and they to him, and our hearts and our love go out to them now, and to Nicola, his partner. Sometimes I think, Nicola, you shared so much of him with us that we saw more of him than you did, and that must be very hard.
He had an enormous generosity of spirit. He was always ringing up one of us, saying: “Hey, here’s an idea you could use in your portfolio on this thing you’re working on.”, or “Have you thought about this way of communicating your message?”. If one of us had a success, he was as delighted about it as he was about his own. There is a story, which the green movement sometimes refers to, about the way geese fly in formation. When the one in front gets really tired, it slips back and another one takes its place until it has had a rest. Co-leadership was like that. During the campaign I got sick with a very bad cold and a badly infected wisdom tooth. I took things a little bit more slowly for a while, and Rod redoubled his efforts. He just zoomed all over the country. He seemed to pick up all the slack from whoever needed him at the time. We are so proud of him. No one can ever fill his shoes, but we will carry on the work that he was so passionate about.
I want to finish with two quotes from our blog site, where hundreds of people—and I mean hundreds of people—have joined in sending tributes to Rod: “Rod demonstrated by his life and work, that it is possible to deliberately step aside from the selfishness and self-centredness that defines our current version of ‘civilisation’. He demonstrated that an honest man can, by example, show us a better way to live, to care for the environment, and to look after each other. He showed us that here is a better way to live.”; and, more briefly: “There is an old saying that goes something like this … ‘politicians are like bananas, they start off straight and green and end up bent and yellow.’ After 10 or more years in politics, Rod Donald was an exception to this rule. He was straight and there was no question of his colour.”
Finally, in the words of Tom Scott, who had this wonderful cartoon in the Dominion Post yesterday: “Rod Donald: pragmatic idealist, friend of the planet, good man”. Go well, Rod.
- Waiata
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party) : It is my privilege to pay respects from the Māori Party to David Lange and to Rod Donald. I do so in the language of my mother and of the ancestors of this country.
Kai te Manu Kōrero o te Ata, tēnā koe. Ki a koe te Pirīmia, tēnā koe, tae atu ki a koe te kaiārahi o te Rōpū Nāhinara, Dr Brash tēnā koe. Ko koe tēnā Parekura tō mātou Minita, kai ngā rangatira, ngā mana, ngā reo o te Whare nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.
Tēnei ahau e tū ana ki te mihi ki ngā mate. He hōnore māku nā te mea, kua oti kē taku mōhio, kāore anō kia kōrero taku kōrero tuatahi, ā, ki te Whare nei. Nā reira, māku tēnei hōnore, kai te mihi atu.
Ko Rāwiri Lange tērā. Ahakoa i tipu ake ki te Pirīmia, he Pirīmia rongonui mō āna mahi katoa. Kua oti i ngā rangatira nei te kōrero mōna i ērā mahi kua oti i a ia, tae noa ki tōna tū kia kore ai ngā kaipuke nūkiriā e hara mai ki tēnei whenua.
Ahakoa he Pirīmia rongonui, kōrero ahau i tēnei rangi e pā ana ki te Rāwiri Rōngi i mōhiotia e au, i kite au i te wā ia e ora ana. Kōrero au mō tōna ngākau māhaki. I tipu ake ia i Māngere, e noho ana, e kuraina ana i reira. Ko tōna whānau he whānau Karaitiana, he whānau hāhi, kaha ki te manaaki tangata, rātau. I te wā ia e taitama ana, ka heke mai ngā tāngata o ngā moutere o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa ki Tāmaki-makau-rau, ki te noho. Ka tae rātau ngā Kuki Airini, ngā Niuē, ngā Hāmoa ki Tāmaki, ka neke atu ki Māngere noho ai. Tēnā, i tipu ngātahi atu a David me ēnei tangata nō ngā moutere. Kātahi ka mōhio a Rāwiri Rōngi ki te āhua o ēnei tangata hou, i ō rātau hiahia, i ō rātou wawata i Aotearoa nei.
I ētahi wā kī ana te whare o ngā Rōngi i ēnei tangata, i hara mai rātou ki te noho tahi, ki te kai tahi, ki te waiata. He whānau katoa rātou i roto i tēnā whare. Nā reira i kitea e au te tino ngākau māhaki o tēnei tangata, tōna kaha ki te manaaki, ki te atawhai, ki te tautoko ēnei tāngata. Ko te nuinga o ēnei tangata, he pōhara. Nui rawa o rātou raruraru i a rātau e ako ana ki te noho i roto i tetahi tāone nui pērā i a Tāmaki. I kitea e au tōna aroha ki a rātau, i tōna kōkiri hanga o te tūnga o tetahi whare mō ngā rōia mā rātau e mahi ana kore he utu mō ēnei momo tangata.
Ka hoki aku mahara ki tetahi rangi i noho tahi mātau ko Mick Brown, ko David Lange, ā, i kaputī te mahi, kōrero pahupahu ana i ngā raruraru katoa o te ao. I huri ā mātau kōrero ki tēnei Whare, ki ngā tāngata pēnā i a koutou ngā MPs e mahi ana i roto. Kōrero mātau mō ngā painga, me ngā kino o ngā tangata e mahi ana i roto i te Whare Paremata. Kī mai a Mick Brown, kai te pīrangi ia ki te uru atu ki rō Pāremata nei, kāre i te pīrangi kia noho tonu ki te mahi i te ture. Kī atu a Rāwiri ki a ia, kāre i te pīrangi hara mai ki konei ki tēnei Whare, i te pīrangi ia ki te mahi tonu i roto i te ture. Kua oti kē tā tātau mōhio, i hara mai a David Lange ki konei, tipu ake he Pirīmia, ka noho a Mick Brown ki waho, ā, ka piki ake ia he kaiwhakawā mō te motu.
I a ia e Pirīmia, kāre i te wareware i a mātau wana hoa e mahi tonu ana i roto i te iwi. I tērā wā i kaha mātau ki te whakatū i te kura kaupapa Māori tuatahi i Te Waipareira kia whāngaia te mātauranga i rō te reo o ngā tīpuna mātua. Ko te kura kaupapa Māori tēnei. Kaha mātou ki te whakatū, ka mutu, ka pānuitia te rā whakatuwheratanga ki te ao. Ka kite a David i tēnei pānui, ka waea mai ki a au, ko tōna pīrangi kia hara mai ki te marae, māna e whakapuare te kura. Kī atu ahau ki a ia: “Kāhore! Ehara māu te whakapuare tō tātau kura nā te mea, mā te kuia e whakapuare te kūaha, mā te puhi kōtiro uru tuatahi ki roto, mā te pīhopa e whakahaere karakia. Ko wai ia? He kuia, he pīhopa, he puhi rānei!” Ko tōna kōrero whakahoki ki a au: “Ko au te Pirīmia! Māku tō kura e whakapuare!”. Kua oti tēnā! He kōrero tēnei ki te ngākau māhaki i kite au i tēnei tangata i te wā e ora ana. Tōna manaaki ki te katoa ahakoa ko wai.
Tātau mā! Āpōpō kei te haere mātau, me ētahi o kōtōu, ki Ōtautahi ki te tangihanga mō Rod Donald, āpōpō. Ko te pai o tēnei tangata, i kaha ia ki te whai i ōna take ērangi, ēhara tēnei i te tangata ngau tuarā. Kāore tēnei tangata e takahi i te mana o tetahi atu tangata. Ko tetahi atu, ko tōna kaha ki te whai i ōna take, ahakoa he aha i mua i a ia, he kaha ki te whai i tōna whai tonu kia ea ia i tōna whāinga, pērā he rottweiler tēnei tangata.
Nā reira, tēnei ahau e tangi atu ki a rāua, me ngā tini mate o te wā, ko Tahu Asher tēnei i te mahi i roto i te Whare nei, kāore anō kia poroporoakihia e te Whare nei. Ko tetahi atu he rangatira nō Te Aupōuri, ā, ko Puti Murray tōna ingoa.
Nā reira kōtōu mā ko ngā mate, haere atu rā, haere! Takahia te huarahi kua whārikitia e te mana o te tini, haere! Haere me ngā tini kōrero kua ūhia kei runga i a kōtōu kia whakapaia ai tō kōtōu hīkoi i mua o te Kaihanga. Tēnei mātau e kawe atu ngā taonga mō kōtōu te mate, te hūpē, te roimata kia ringihia ki raro, kei runga i a kōtōu. Ērangi, kai ahau e tangi atu ki a kōtōu, kua oti kē taku mōhio e kore kōtōu e hoki mai i waenganui i a mātau. Nā reira ko te kōrero: kōtōu ki a kōtōu, haere! Nā reira tātau mā, o tātau te hunga ora ki a tātau, tēnā kōtou, tēnā tātau katoa.
- [An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
- [Greetings to you, Madam Speaker. Greetings as well to you, Prime Minister and to you, Dr Brash, leader of the National Party. I acknowledge your presence Parekura, our Minister of Māori Affairs, and representatives, authorities, and voices of this House. Greetings to you and indeed to all of us.
And so I stand here before you to pay tribute to the dead. It is a privilege indeed, as I have yet to deliver my maiden speech to this House. The honour indeed is mine, and I acknowledge it.
David Lange, even though he grew into the role of Prime Minister, became a famous Prime Minister because of all the things he did. The leaders who spoke before me have touched on the things he achieved, including the stand he took to ensure that nuclear ships would not visit this country.
Although he was a famous Prime Minister, today I want to address the things about Rāwiri Rōngi that I knew and saw in his lifetime. I refer to his easygoing nature. He grew up in Māngere, lived there, and was educated there. His family were Christian and church-going, and were terrific hosts. Indeed they were! At the time he was a young man, people from the Pacific Islands were coming to live in Auckland. People from the Cook Islands, Niue, and Samoa settled in at Tāmaki and moved to live at Māngere. That is how David and those people from the Islands grew up together, side by side. Rāwiri Rōngi got to know those new people, and their aspirations and hopes for this New Zealand.
There were times when the Rōngi household was full of these people. They came to share their company with each other, to eat and sing together. In that house they were all family. So I have seen the real, humble and mild side of this person, and his efforts to treat these people with kindness and care, and to support them. The majority of those people were poor. They encountered many problems as they learnt to live and cope in an area such as Tāmaki. I saw his compassion for them when he brokered the construction of a building for lawyers who were to serve those kinds of people free of charge.
I recall a day also when we, Mick Brown and David Lange, were sitting about, having a cuppa and talking about all the problems in the world. Our discussions turned to this House, to the people like the MPs working in here. We talked about the positives and negatives in relation to the people working here in Parliament House. Mick Brown related that he wanted to get into this Parliament. He didn’t want to stay in law forever. David said to him that he did not want to come to this House, and that he wanted to remain in the field of law. We know now that David Lange came here and eventually became Prime Minister. Mick Brown, on the other hand, remained outside of Parliament, to eventually become a high judge for this country.
Even while he was Prime Minister, David Lange never forgot us, his colleagues, who were still working in society. During that time, we were hard at work building the first Māori-medium school at Te Waipareira that would feed knowledge through the language of the ancestors. This then is te kura kaupapa Māori. We worked hard, completed it, and announced its opening to the world. David saw this notice, phoned me, and said that he really wanted to come to the marae and that he would open the kura. I said to him: “No! It is not your right to open our kura, because it is for the kuia to open the door, for the young virgin to go through it first, and for the bishop to conduct the prayers. Which one was he? A kuia, bishop, or young virgin?”! His response to me was: “ I am the Prime Minister! 1 will open your school!”. That was it! This eulogy is about the humble side of this person that I observed when he was alive—his care for all, regardless of who they were.
I say to us all: tomorrow we are going, including some who are here, to Christchurch to the mourning for Rod Donald. What was great about this man was that while he pursued issues of significance to him, he was never a spiteful person. He did not put people down. Another trait of his was his tenacity. Whatever was put up in front of him, he explored every avenue to overcome the barrier. He was like a rottweiler.
So here I stand at this point in time, mourning those two, and a host of others like Tahu Asher, who worked here in this House and has not yet been acknowledged by it; also a highly respected leading figure from Te Aupōuri: Puti Murray was her name.
Therefore to you the dead, farewell, depart! Depart with the many tributes that have been bestowed upon you to bless your journey to the Creator. Tread the pathway adorned by the integrity of the multitude who have gone before you, depart! Here we are bearing the treasures of tears and mucus for you the dead, to cast down upon you. On the other hand, and while I mourn you, I know full well that you will never come back to us. And so to the saying: you the dead, to yourselves, depart! And we the living, to ourselves; so greetings to you and to all of us.]
- Lament
Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) : I rise to support the motions that the Prime Minister has moved in respect of our four departed colleagues. I want to make some comments about each of them, because I have had the privilege of serving alongside each of them as a member of this House. I too acknowledge the presence of the Hon John Luxton.
When I came to Parliament in 1984 as a very new back-bencher, I was seated in a far corner of the House, about a row or two behind Jack, who was entering his final term. Although we were from different parties and there was a gulf of years between us, to those new Labour back-benchers in that corner of the House, during that term of Parliament, Jack quickly became a father figure. He advised us almost constantly on the Standing Orders and on what was going on, and we were struck by his gentlemanly, courteous, informed, and considerate approach. I discovered another side to him as we moved around some of the meetings around Parliament of various issue-based groups. I found that Jack was a frequent and very vigorous attender at many of those organisations, often completely beyond the ken, one might have thought, of a member of the National Party of that time. He was a man who has been acknowledged already for his gentlemanliness, his courtesy, and his wisdom. That was certainly the experience I had of him, and I want to place on record my tribute to him and his family.
The Hon John Falloon was another in the same category. He was a few years younger, admittedly, but very much of the same school. Over the years he served in this House he distinguished himself in many, many ways, and he continued that tradition of service in the years after he left. The tragic circumstances of his death also, I think, came as a great shock to those of us who knew him, and our thoughts are very much with his family at this time, as well.
Much has been said already about David Lange, and in the weeks since his death there has been a reconstructionist view, I guess, of his time in politics and of his leadership. It has been a very favourable and overdue reconstruction, because at the time David left this place the prevailing view was that he had walked away from it because it got too difficult, and that really we had been shown the frailty of a man whose reputation was built on a tremendous oratorical power, an ability with words and humour, and not much else. In fact, as Dr Brash has acknowledged, David was a man with a very deep view about New Zealand, its place in the world—not just in terms of the independence of our foreign policy but more in terms of our identity as a nation, our growth, and our future prospects—and an earnestness and a compassion to do more to make New Zealand one of the more progressive nations of the world. I believe that will be the mark of his prime ministership, and it will certainly be the mark of his Government, of which I was privileged to be a junior member.
Often, I think, the true test of leadership is when one can inspire a nation and a people to do things well beyond their capacity or their comprehension. David Lange, with his rare ability to inspire, enthuse, infuriate, and delight us—often all in the course of one speech—epitomised that capacity. I want to tell the House of one incident that sticks long in my memory and that made me feel extraordinarily proud to be a New Zealander.
I was a very junior back-bench member of Parliament on my way home to this country from the United States as David was on his way through to do the Oxford Union debate. Our paths coincided in Los Angeles at the recently demolished Ambassador Hotel, in the ballroom where Robert Kennedy had delivered his speech just before he was assassinated. The occasion was a luncheon put on by a New Zealand - American friendship group, attended by several hundred prominent but very sceptical American political, diplomatic, and business leaders. The back wall of the dining room on this occasion was lined with television cameras, all curious to see this man who had dared challenge American political defence orthodoxy and who was in danger of bringing Western civilisation to its knees. David Lange gave his speech, which was politely but sceptically received. There followed a lengthy period of questions and answers, again politely but sceptically received.
Finally, a very large gentleman—in fact, of a build similar to his, with a Mark Sainsbury - type moustache to match; the only thing missing was a cigar to be chomped—who was representing one of the channels, got up and said in a big drawling voice: “Prime Minister, you’re on your way to Oxford to debate the morality of nuclear weapons with Jerry Falwell. He will have the Bible in one hand and a cross in the other and will be arguing in favour of nuclear weapons. What can you possibly say in response to him?”. David Lange flashed that smile and said: “I will tell him that to err is human, but that I am prepared to forgive him.”, and he sat down to the most spontaneous standing ovation you could ever imagine.
I have to say that that was a day that this New Zealander, for one—and there were many others in the audience, as well—felt extraordinarily proud of the way our leader had put our country on the international map. That evening the local television channels led their news with Prime Minister Lange being in town. It was not “Prime Minister Lange from New Zealand, that country down by Australia”, but “Prime Minister Lange”, in the same way that our bulletins today talk of President Bush or Prime Minister Blair.
That, I believe, was David Lange’s lasting contribution to New Zealand. He lifted us above ourselves. He made us proud of some tenets that we held dear, and he gave us credibility and respect in the international environment. I hope his family, who will be suffering his loss, take some consolation from the tremendous awe that that man is still held in for the leadership he gave a country that was embittered, divided, and very introverted at the time. He gave us a glimpse of what we might be; I believe that is his lasting legacy.
My colleague Gordon Copeland will speak in more detail shortly about Rod Donald, but I want to make these few comments. Rod and I—as is no secret—shared many political differences, but what will not be known to many members of this House is that there were a number of issues we collaborated on. For many years, and as recently as earlier this year, we were a regular roadshow at Victoria University, with the two of us doing a presentation on electoral reform and the changes it introduced into this country from our own particular perspectives. They were always great occasions. I never cease to marvel at the way Rod clutched to him the report of the royal commission, which was by this time so tattered and dog-eared, because it had been so well-thumbed, that he did not need to actually refer to the pages. He could remember those by heart, but he would always hold this tatty volume in his hand, and he was invariably right.
His facts were extraordinary; his recall was great. He was humorous, he was cheery, and he was, as others have said, enthusiastic. His untimely death—I must say to the Dominion Post, which said that he was from a different generation of other political leaders that I am only 3 years older than he was—is an awful reminder to every single one of us about the transitory nature of our role here. It reminds us of the fact that there are other things in life to worry about—our families, our friends, and our communities—and the thing that none of us will ever say on our deathbed, if we get that privilege, is: “My goodness, I did not work hard enough in life. I should have worked harder.” We would all say it the other way around. To Rod’s family and his friends, who will be mourning the loss of a father, a partner, and just someone who was very good company, I extend my very deepest sympathy.
It is a rare occasion in the House when we come together to honour people’s contribution and their memory. It is one of those things that brings us together. It is perhaps a lesson about the things that really matter and the fact that all of the other divisions and arguments we have are transitory, even if they might be fun and they might be pursued with vigour. But, ultimately, it is an occasion like this that makes us take stock and remember who we all are, where our responsibilities lie, and what the future may hold for us.
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) : It is truly a sad day when we remember the lives of four men whom we have lost. But it is also a day on which we celebrate their huge achievements and the fact that those men packed so much in. I want to pass on the ACT party’s regards to John Luxton and his family for the loss of their father, who was a true gentleman, and also to the Hon John Falloon’s family, and for the contribution those two men made to this Parliament and to our country.
I now turn to the two motions. I think that each and every one of us, and indeed the entire country, was shocked on Sunday to learn of Rod Donald’s passing. I believe that if we had looked around this Parliament and thought about who was most likely to pass away suddenly, we would have had to say that Rod Donald would be on the bottom of anyone’s list, because I do not know of any MP who had more energy, vim, and vigour than Rod Donald. So his death was truly a shock for the country and, of course, the tragedy was in the timing. Here was a man who, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons and his party, had campaigned hard to make it to Parliament and to be here in Parliament, and the day before the swearing-in, he passed away. So it was a true shock.
But Rod Donald lives on in so many ways. Politically, people have acknowledged his huge contribution to the achievement of MMP, which is a huge legacy. Of course, that was not just Rod Donald’s achievement, but there is no doubt that he led the charge in terms of MMP. He shaped our Parliament and our politics by his enormous efforts, and he achieved that from outside Parliament. Here in Parliament he was, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons, the leading force for the Greens. So his legacy lives on with the Green Party, a party that he was instrumental in getting established in Parliament and on the electoral map.
I will always remember something about Rod Donald that quite astonished me at the time. I remember going on John Campbell’s show on TV3, 2 days before election day—and everyone had had quite a hard campaign—with Rod Donald. Rod Donald was making the point that ACT was finished, which everyone was making, but he added something. He said that it was sad that ACT would not be here in Parliament—which was quite something. I think that says a huge amount about Rod Donald. He recognised that what made MMP work was the diversity of views. He was a person who always spoke up for every party, not just for the views he agreed with. I, certainly, will remember Rod Donald for that.
I always used to see Rod Donald running in the morning. He would always tell me that I should join him, but I could never catch him up. He was also a man who lived according to his political principles, and he was remarkably inventive. He was the man who invented the Kiwi-made, hands-free phone kit for the bicycle, which was a remarkable affair. He used to wrap a bicycle tube around his head and slip his cellphone up, so he could be hands-free while talking on the phone. That was a remarkable invention, and remarkable to see.
It is still truly a shock. I do not think any of us have come to grips with the fact that Rod Donald is no longer with us. It is quite something that tomorrow we all go to Christchurch at the start of the new Parliament and join together to farewell Rod Donald. That is something that Rod Donald has achieved, too.
To his family and friends, who have lost a father, a partner, and a friend, I say that the ACT party’s sympathies are with them, as well as our thoughts and prayers. To his Green Party colleagues, who have lost a close colleague and a leader, I say that our thoughts, our condolences, and our prayers are with them. I say the same to Parliament and all New Zealanders, who have cruelly lost a political leader when he clearly had so much more to contribute.
I did not know David Lange when he was Prime Minister—I met him subsequently—but I felt as though I knew him. Also, like most New Zealanders, I loved him. He was the only politician I had ever written to. I wrote to him just to say what a great job he was doing and how proud to be a New Zealander he made me, and he took the trouble to write a lovely letter back.
What a difference David Lange made to all of us! I remember coming back to New Zealand—into the “Polish shipyard”, as David Lange called it—and it was so dark, dank, and controlled. In the last years of the Muldoon administration it was not a happy place. It was a place that was divided and that was going nowhere. Then a new Government swept to power. I actually voted for my parliamentary colleague across the way, Jim Anderton, so that he could be a part of it. In those days one only had one vote. The new Government swept to power, led by that most remarkable Prime Minister, who opened up New Zealand to the world and stood on the world stage as an equal to the world.
He spoke for all of us, even if we may have disagreed with him. How proud David Lange made us all feel! How optimistic he made us all feel about the future before us. In watching him, we felt that as New Zealanders we could do anything, because David Lange did.
Who could ever match his humour or his wit? No one. In Parliament—in life—I have never met anyone more intelligent than Richard Prebble. I have never met anyone who could assemble information and process it so fast, and come up with a unique way of looking at it. But Richard Prebble stood in awe of David Lange’s intelligence. Amongst all this, we know that David Lange—world leader and Prime Minister of New Zealand—had a place for each and every one of us.
When I was at Lincoln University we had a secretary there who was terribly obese. She was contemplating radical surgery of the type that David Lange had had, and she did not know what to do. She wrote to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and she got the most remarkable letter back, which she was so overjoyed to receive that she showed it to colleagues. It was a remarkable letter from the heart, full of his personal experience and encouraging her to have the operation, given what a difference it had made to him. We know that David Lange always had time to do that for everyone. Here was the Prime Minister of New Zealand, on the world stage and busy, getting a letter from what one would call in those un-PC days a fat secretary, who worked at a university and whom he did not know, and taking the trouble to write a very caring, thoughtful, and personal letter to her. That was David Lange.
Richard Prebble tells a story about David Lange’s great love of speed—we all know about that when he was Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will know that speeding did not get quite the attention then that it does now. But I think there used to be quite a lot of trouble in that Government with regard to Mr Lange’s speed. Before he became an MP he was caught speeding through some town—I think it was Kaikohe. He turned up to defend himself, and his defence was quite unique. The police said they had caught him going through the town at 70 miles per hour. David Lange explained to the court that there could be no law against that, and that if David Lange wanted to do 70 miles per hour and could do 70 miles per hour, he was perfectly free to do so. The judge took that on board, and said: “Good luck at the next Olympics, Mr Lange.”, because the police officer had neglected to mention that David Lange was in a car when he was doing 70 miles per hour.
We should remember David Lange as he was, and I want to read about the nuclear-free status of New Zealand, for which he will be remembered, and which has been remarked upon. The following passage is in his own words from his book, My Life: “I agreed with the prevailing opinion in the Labour Party about nuclear weapons; … But I found it hard to accept that the Labour Party’s policy required the exclusion of nuclear-powered ships. Given that nuclear energy exists, it is the intention behind its use which matters. The weapons are made to destroy and we have to learn to live without them. The rest may be useful, if properly managed.” That, too, says something about David Lange, who was always prepared to step outside ideology and to be a practical man.
We will not see David Lange’s like again; he made a huge contribution to New Zealand. We will not see the like of Rod Donald again; he made a huge contribution to New Zealand. Today our thoughts are with their achievements, and with their families and friends.
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Leader—Progressive) : There is a poignancy in the deaths of David Lange and Rod Donald since this House last met. I worked closely with both of them at various times and, of course, parted company in a variety of ways with both, as well. Both had a commitment to social justice. Both held leadership positions in this House. Both, of course, left things undone that they might have accomplished, if fate had chosen differently.
That David Lange possessed colossal talents is indisputable. I was sometimes thrilled by his talent and wit, as we all saw what he could do. But there were times, too, when he frustrated and disappointed, and when I and others felt he squandered the opportunity that New Zealand had handed him. I was president of the Labour Party when David Lange and his supporters attempted to replace Bill Rowling, in 1981. I continue to believe that had that leadership attempt not been made, New Zealand’s modern political and economic history would have been vastly different. Rob Muldoon’s disastrous period in Government probably would have been avoided. A Rowling Government would have begun to repair New Zealand in a caring and humane way. The deep social damage and economic failure of the 1980s need not have occurred. David Lange would still have become Prime Minister—there is no question in my mind about that—but perhaps not so soon. It would have been a wiser leader who had served with Bill Rowling, who could have shaped a far less divisive Government. I firmly believe he might then have joined Seddon, Savage, and Kirk in the first rank of revered leaders.
I was also the Labour Party president when David Lange became Prime Minister. I know David harboured pain for the social scars his Government inflicted. He entered politics in the first place because he was motivated by social justice. David Lange did care, though his awareness grew only slowly that the economic policies his Government followed could not be reconciled with social justice. Long after he left Parliament he seemed to be struggling still to reconcile the two. Knowing the history of the times as I do, it is incumbent on me—and Rodney Hide has mentioned it himself—to record the small irony that David Lange’s name is now forever linked to New Zealand’s nuclear policy. Although he was a lifelong critic of nuclear weapons, he never felt the same conviction towards visits by nuclear-powered ships—that is true. There were some dark policy debates within the Labour Party at the time on those matters. I have little doubt that when Mr Lange met the United States Secretary of State, George Shultz, immediately after the election, he indicated that in some way a compromise could be worked out. Bob Hawke certainly thought so. It might not have been explicit, but it was there, and that impression explains much of the difficult birth of the policy. As the room for compromise disappeared, David Lange became the public champion of the policy. There is some ironic justice in the fact that the policy remains perhaps the most important achievement of his Government.
In my view, however, David Lange should not be remembered primarily for policy, nor for politics. His gift of oratory was a treasure. He was a warm person to many, many New Zealanders and to those from other countries. His lashing wit, his formidable intelligence, and his sense of humour towered over his contemporaries. There was one story about him hosting a dinner at Vogel House for the Chinese leader Hu Yaobang, which was retold in the Dominion many years ago. As the current occupant of this fine State house I want to recall the story, even though David despised the drive in from Vogel House in the mornings and eventually left to set up home in Premier House. At the dinner for the Chinese guest, the lights went out. This was back in the days, of course, when the New Zealand Electricity Department ran things and had a higher tolerance for brown-outs, evidently. Mr Lange immediately asked all his guests to raise their hands. He told them: “Many hands make lights work.”The guests duly put up their hands and, immediately and miraculously, the lights came back on again. David Lange’s light flashed over New Zealand. It was unique, brilliant, and, like a lighthouse lamp, it flicked off as well as on. We can be grateful for the chance we had to experience his shining personality.
As with David Lange, I spent some time as a parliamentary colleague of Rod Donald before we went our separate ways. I was the Alliance leader when Rod Donald was first elected to Parliament. He arrived with a flowerpot to put on his desk—something that not many people in this Parliament had ever seen before. He wanted to wear his braces and no tie in the parliamentary debating chamber. He brought his possum fur rug to cover his seat. In a small way, those things represented his enthusiasm for bringing freshness to Parliament—a campaign that reached its zenith in his campaign for MMP. He was a tireless advocate of democracy, as his co-leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, has said. As a matter of fact, he was a tireless campaigner in everything he did. Rod always held his temper in the political arena. He was never a shouter or a whiner; he was a cheerful, confident advocate. In recent weeks, many people remarked that he displayed poise and character in what must have been a very difficult time for his own political ambitions and his ambitions for his own party.
Rod fought four elections as co-leader of the Greens—three of those when the Greens were outside of the Alliance. I must admit that I always thought—and I said it to Rod—that the decision to leave the Alliance might mean he never served in a Cabinet of New Zealand. I suspect that he too knew that in his own heart, and the opportunity to promote some of his passions was, to some extent at least, lost. It is often remarked, of course, that small parties like mine pay a high price for being part of a coalition Government. But it is also clear that small parties pay a high price for not being in a coalition Government, as well.
There were many issues that Rod and I did not agree on in the last few years, but we shared a belief that New Zealand should be a softer place. His Green Party colleagues and many supporters, who are grieving now, share that vision, too. If his legacy is a renewed commitment to making New Zealand a softer, caring society, and a fairer place, then his contribution deserves to be lasting and honoured.
Rod died very young, but he dedicated himself over decades to thinking about the future for New Zealand’s children, and the future they should inherit. Now he has been taken at a shockingly young age from his own family. My deepest sympathies go to his partner and children. We often overlook the heavy toll that Parliament and political life takes on families. Rod Donald’s family, as well as Rod himself, gave to New Zealand many years of toil on behalf of us all, and for that we owe them our deep gratitude. I put on record my respect for his political passion and commitment, and extend my deepest sympathies to his party colleagues, friends, supporters, and all who have lost a fine battler, companion, and friend.
I also pay a very brief tribute to Jack Luxton. He was a farmer. I do not know whether he ever thought that I would be Minister of Agriculture, but I doubt it. Jack was as straight a human being as a gun barrel. We could not have had a more upfront, straight-in-the-eye person than Jack Luxton. All who knew him well in this Parliament respected him deeply and honoured his friendship—and he was a friend, as far as I know, to everyone in this place.
The Hon John Falloon was an intelligent advocate of the rural communities of New Zealand—there is no question about that—but he was also a compassionate human being. I recall John’s willingness at the height of some of the freezing works closures, when he was Minister of Agriculture, to meet people from the Opposition who were concerned about constituents, and his willingness to go the extra mile, as a Minister of Agriculture in a National Party Government, to help freezing workers in a time of need. I have never forgotten that. He had a huge compassion and a huge heart, and he will be deeply missed. May they all rest in peace.
Hon MARK GOSCHE (Labour—Maungakiekie) : It is a great honour to be able to place on record my tribute to the Rt Hon David Lange. All of us counted him as a colleague, and I was very proud also to be able to call him a friend. I will say a few words about the other members, but I want to start with David. I will pick up on some of the words the Prime Minister said in terms of the fishbowl in which Prime Ministers live in this country. Very few of us will ever know about that. A number of people still living know about the scrutiny that Prime Ministers come under—equally, the families of Prime Ministers know about that.
Perhaps by way of explanation, I will say a little about the public ceremony we held for David in Auckland during the election campaign. It was a wonderful tribute to David that so many members of this House stopped campaigning in order to pay their respects to him. Why did we have the tribute in that manner? I know that there was some criticism from this part of the world as to the appropriateness of that ceremony, so I want to say a few words in explanation. It goes back to the fishbowl effect that the families of politicians, and the families of Prime Ministers in particular, have to live in.
The Lange family were extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to plan that function and the way it was held. For so many years, as the family of the Prime Minister, they were required to toe the line and behave in the way in which Prime Ministers’ families are supposed to behave. For once, they could organise a tribute to David that fitted with their wishes and, they also believed, with his desires. So it is very fitting that we also share the tribute to David with other former colleagues today. I am sure he would absolutely approve of the House doing it in this way.
I want to pay a tribute to Margaret and Edith, to Roy, Byron, and Emily, to his brother and sisters and many cousins who were close to him as family members, and to Naomi and the Mangere Labour Party people who supported David through his career. We should pay tribute to them as well, because without them we as New Zealanders would not have had the David Lange we so enjoyed as a leader and a friend.
David was from Ōtāhuhu, actually. Although he lived in and represented Māngere for such a long time, I remember him as the boy from Ōtāhuhu—a very big boy in my eyes because I was a bit younger than him—and I remember the Lange family well because I was brought into the world, as so many people were, by his father. There are Lange babies throughout the world who can all remember who delivered them. So Ōtāhuhu was a very special place for David, and I know that many of the people from that home town of his would also want, through me, to pay their tribute to him. David also encouraged me into this world—so his father brought me into the world as a baby, and David encouraged me into this place. I think I should thank him for that; I am not sure sometimes. He was an inspirational person to so many people in so many ways.
As Rodney Hide has said, we remember David Lange as a Prime Minister, but I want to talk a little about him as a person and as a man after he left politics. It was at that time that I got to know him much better. He was a person who, as others have said, was a great orator, but he was also a person who, coming from that family background, had an absolute sense of service to others. That is what I think so many people will remember him for in their own personal ways—particularly the people in the Indian community and the Pacific community to whom he was so close, but also all those people he represented firstly as a lawyer. Many of them still owe David Lange the fee they never paid. He could remember them and how much they owed, and loved telling those sorts of stories to anybody who would listen. David, as others have said, virtually worked for nothing in those times as a lawyer. He did it out of that sense of service passed on to him from those two very powerful parents of his.
I can remember, in the months leading up to his death, going to the school that was Ōtara Intermediate when David was there, which has since changed its name to Papatoetoe Intermediate. David could not then even walk up the steps, he was so ill. But he went there to unveil a plaque on the classroom he had spent some time in as a foundation pupil of Ōtara Intermediate. As only David could do, he regaled the children with a story of how he had broken the window of that classroom when he was a pupil. But he also remembered that he had never had to pay for it, so he thought the school might have given him the bill while he was there.
There are so many stories that so many people can share about David, but I am not even going to try. I think he was possibly the forerunner of the PC eradicator, for anybody who knew him heard him say things that none of us could get away with. They are not the sorts of things that I want to put down on the Hansard record.
David never stopped helping people until the very last. He described his role in his last years in Parliament as being the highest-paid social worker in New Zealand, but I do not think that many people in Māngere who received help from him would have thought of it in that way at all. After he left the official role of the highest-paid social worker in Māngere, he carried on helping people throughout New Zealand and, as Dr Brash has said, it was sometimes in ways that people would never have realised and certainly would never have heard about, in terms of the people to whom he would offer that friendship and help. Certainly, in my own situation of the last 3½ years, David was an amazing support to me and my family.
I want to say a few words, therefore, about Rod Donald’s passing. I am sure the Greens will be familiar with some of the wicked humour, as Winston Peters would have been, in terms of being the butt of David’s humour—as Winston Peters was in David’s valedictory speech—and the Greens will be familiar with some of the wicked things David said about them. I will not repeat them, but he would feel, I think, that it was totally apt to be sharing this occasion with our farewells for Rod.
Although David might give you a clip round the ear in the way that only David could in his sense of humour—in terms of slinging off at people, their beliefs, or whatever—it was never done with any venom, hatred, or dislike; it was done in such a wonderful, humorous way. Of course, David’s humour turned back on himself was probably some of the best. So he would feel, absolutely, that it was apt to be farewelling the other colleagues here today. As Roy, his son, said to me, David loved informality. He loved to ignore all the pomp and ceremony he was supposed to be part of as a Prime Minister, and I am sure that he would want to pay his tribute to Rod Donald and the Green Party as he would feel it appropriate to do.
So to Rod, his family, and to the Green colleagues who are here, I say that we all feel very deeply the loss of our friend Rod Donald. I came in here in 1996. We were the first intake of MMP politicians, and the place has never been the same. So we can say to Rod: “Well done.”, just for doing that alone.
I feel a great amount of grief for the loss that his family are suffering. I have some feeling of loss myself because of the age—48—at which Rod has passed away. It is the same age as my wife Carol’s.
I hope that the passing of these two wonderful men might help the public of this country to understand a little bit more about politicians, their sacrifices and lives, and the families who also sacrifice so much. We are honourable and worthy of respect when we are dead. It is funny that it takes as much effort as that. I wonder why we are not honourable and respected the day before we die.
I hope that the New Zealand public will take some notice of the passing of these two people who were men of principle, men we could respect. They and the others we have acknowledged here today were very strong believers in parliamentary democracy, and worked extraordinarily hard in their parliamentary careers to make this country a better place.
So in closing I want to say farewell to the four colleagues we are paying tribute to today, but particularly I say farewell to my very good friend David Lange. I miss him greatly.
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) : I did not have the opportunity to serve in Parliament with Jack Luxton or the Hon John Falloon, but I am very much moved by the tributes paid to them today by colleagues from other parties. The fine qualities they have recognised in those gentlemen are very much part of the heritage of the National Party. We deeply appreciate those comments, and on behalf of their families, thank you for them. I did not have the opportunity, either, to serve with the Rt Hon David Lange, but a couple of years ago I was invited by Bob Jones to say a few words on a tape that was being sent to David at a time when he was particularly unwell. I will not repeat those words now. I will simply say that the comments I made directly to him on that tape were heartfelt and genuinely meant. He was a great New Zealander, and his legacy will live long in this country.
I first met Rod Donald some 25 years ago, and we were friends. From his youngest days Rod was always a very colourful character. I can remember, when I was serving my time as a carpenter, one particular day taking a truckload of rubbish to the tip. I was accosted just inside the gate by Rod Donald, who was a similar age, asking me to stop and participate in a survey he was doing, trying to work out what on people’s trucks or trailers could be recycled. I thought he was a bit of a sad character, hanging around at a rubbish dump, looking very much, as he did, like a hippy. I participated with some reluctance, and when we got to the end of it, I duly drove the truck on and tipped the lot into the landfill. So although Rod and I were as different as chalk and cheese, I think it is fair that we all recognise that he had a great warmth towards people and an empathy for people.
We spent many occasions together over a number of years, and typical of that warmth, I think, was that Rod was delighted to be able to say to people that we had a family connection. The truth of it is that my best mate’s wife has a sister who is married to the brother of Rod’s partner, Nicola. For Rod, that was close enough for us to have a lot in common and for us to share many enjoyable occasions and conversations. Rod and I were on opposite sides of the barricades when this country endured the turmoil of the 1981 Springbok tour. We both took part in a television documentary that looked at people from either side and followed us around for about 4 days before the Christchurch test. On the Sunday morning after the test they got us in to do an interview. I had watched that test from the No. 4 stand; Rod invaded the pitch from the No. 5 stand. When we met the following day, I think the poignancy of the turmoil and trauma that that tour caused was made very real to us. There will be many friends in New Zealand who will understand just that same experience.
Jeanette Fitzsimons mentioned that Rod campaigned to save the trees on the West Coast. My family were sawmillers. We cut them down. So there were many, many differences. In 1996 we both entered Parliament. I came through a long series of selections in the National Party over a long number of years to finally get a seat that gave me a chance. Rod simply, as we all know, went out and changed the electoral system so he could simply walk in here! He was a guy who constantly looked to make a difference. If there were anything I could say to him now I would say: “Rod, we now sort our rubbish at home. I don’t want to see the county go through the turmoil of 1981 again, and my family no longer cuts down trees.”
It is always difficult in these circumstances to find words that adequately describe someone like Rod, but I would refer the House to the article written by Chris Trotter in today’s Independent. Although Mr Trotter is definitely not someone who has similar political views to my own, his expressions of Rod’s many qualities could not, I think, be more articulately described. Others have talked today about the changes Rod brought to New Zealand. I am sure that for any politician the accolade of being a change-maker is a good one. I know that Rod only ever took up his many crusades—and to call him a crusader from Canterbury is an accolade—because he wanted things to be better for people in their lives, as he saw it. We will miss him in Christchurch. We will miss him in this House. I will miss our all-too-infrequent discussions on what are important matters for this country.
I reflect on the last discussion I had with Rod. It was on the matter of seating in this House. Rod was concerned that New Zealand First members were wanting to sit where the Greens are now and wanted the Greens to sit roughly where United Future is now. Rod was not keen at all on that idea, and we indicated we would support him in whatever he chose to do by way of making a change there. His final comment to me was: “Oh, well, Gerry, this could be the start of a beautiful political friendship, as well.” I doubt it, Rod, but I am sorry that we will never find out.
His greatest pride was his family. He spoke of them often, and, as others have said, he had a great love for and commitment to them. So I offer to Nicola, Holly, Emma, and Zoe deepest sympathy from all of us in the National Party at your great loss.
Rod was also a guy who I know had a great sense of humour. So I am sure he will not mind my offering this particular reflection. As I said before, we were very different. He was very fit, and as for me—well, members can make up their own minds. But if I had been told on Sunday afternoon that a Christchurch MP in his late 40s with three kids had died overnight, I would have had to pinch myself to make sure it was not me. Rather when I heard it was Rod, I received that news with the deepest of sadness that will not easily pass. May he rest in peace.
KEITH LOCKE (Green) : Yesterday I spent some time in Christchurch with my dear friend Rod in his beautiful home, and spent some time with his lovely wife and his daughters. It was just so sad looking at Rod, so still and so at peace, and realising the tragedy that he and his family and us had so much more to do together, so many more good times ahead. There was so much that he wanted to do.
I will say a little more about Rod later, but at the moment I am hearing Rod in my ear, saying: “Don’t talk just about me, talk about David. He’s important too.” I think there are some similarities between the two people. It has been referred to already that their deaths have struck a chord in the New Zealand people. Both lacked the airs and graces that are commonly associated with politicians. They were very down-to-earth people and, as has been indicated, they both had a sense of humour. There was nobody quicker with a quip than David Lange. Both were seen as people politicians, down-to-earth, ordinary MPs, and in the case of David Lange, a Prime Minister. David Lange to me championed the underdog from the time he was a lawyer in Auckland. I really appreciated Pita Sharples’ speech about how David Lange could mix with everyone in society and help everyone in society. I think he always saw himself in that way, even through his period of being an MP and Prime Minister.
I was very fond of David Lange, although I got to know him only after he left Parliament and before I entered Parliament. He would come into the Trade Aid and One World Books shop that I was managing and have a little chat. He was always quite supportive of my political endeavours, even though I was not in Parliament at that stage, just as he was supportive in his later life of what we can call the broad left. He formed close associations with people, like a previously harsh critic, Bruce Jesson. They had a very close relationship, and he was proud to give the inaugural Bruce Jesson memorial lecture to The Bruce Jesson Foundation in the year 2000. He was not averse to giving friendly advice to people like me in the Green movement and on the left. Most recently he sent me an email giving me some very useful advice on the Ahmed Zaoui case.
I think David Lange was a very humble man. He went through an amazing journey, from being a people’s lawyer to being Prime Minister through tempestuous times, and he turned, in his last years, into a quiet thinker for the left, making a little contribution there. Some people blame David Lange for the role he played in the new right revolution in New Zealand, but I like to think of him as the man who did take a cup of tea and did stop things short, and who, in his later life, developed a critique of the new right revolution. I think it is instructive to read his Bruce Jesson lecture, given a few years ago.
I think that the thing the Green Party remembers most is the role David Lange played as Prime Minister in making our country nuclear free. That was not very easy because he was up against some very strong resistance from the foreign affairs mandarins. We saw that at the time when USS Buchanan was steaming towards New Zealand, and which way New Zealand would go was in the balance. He came down on the side of the people and established the basis for our nuclear-free legislation. The thing that impressed me, too, was that during that time he identified with the very large people’s movement in New Zealand, out on the streets, campaigning for a nuclear-free New Zealand.
When the Buchanan was steaming towards New Zealand, my sister Maire Leadbeater was instrumental in organising a big demonstration in Queen Street against it coming here. I was quite pleased to hear that shortly after that, after the decision had been made to reject the , David Lange sent my sister a note, thanking her for organising that protest. Of course, later on he had to resist further pressures from foreign affairs in terms of establishing the legislation. Foreign affairs did not want him to go overseas and deliver the Oxford Union lecture, which to me was very important not just in us being a nuclear-free country but in taking our nuclear-free campaign to the world. That is something we continue to do. It is very much a part of us becoming proud New Zealanders—a part of our journey towards real nationhood.
David Lange continued to do that in other ways, too. It is quite interesting that when Nicky Hager published his book Secret Power on Echelon and the satellite communications and interception station at Waihopai, David Lange volunteered to do the introduction. He was concerned as to whether that station was serving our national interest. He said that there were things he had not been told about regarding its real functions. That links up with Rod Donald a little because Rod Donald and I had, several times, been engaged in protests outside the spy station at Waihopai.
In fact, just a few days ago the group that organises those protests, the Anti-Bases Campaign, sent a little circular to Rod and myself, asking whether we would be coming back this January, when the group is having another protest. Murray Horton, who is the main figure in that campaign, added a cheeky little note in the communication to Rod Donald, asking: “If you had become a Cabinet Minister would you still have been coming to the protests?”, and last Friday Rod scrawled on the correspondence to be returned to Murray the words: “I sure as hell would have come.” I think that shows us that Rod was a very out-there politician. As has been noted by Jeanette Fitzsimons and others, he was a champion of peace and human rights around the world. He worked with me on a lot of those issues. He held the Tibetan flag on the steps of Parliament, and worked on many other issues during the campaign against sporting contacts with Zimbabwe. I could also mention Algeria, because he was so proud when I introduced him to Ahmed Zaoui in Mount Eden Prison, and he backed to the hilt the campaign for Ahmed Zaoui to be a refugee in New Zealand.
He has been described in some obituaries as the pragmatic person in the Green Party, and that can be a compliment, or not. It is a compliment if he was seen as practical and hands-on, which are all things that he was, but he was never pragmatic in the sense that he did anything contrary to his ideals or the ideals of the Green Party. He was always such a strength in supporting us, not pulling back on things we held dear and believed in. He was never, for example, for us pulling back on the issue of marijuana decriminalisation, because we believed in it, and we had to fight for it, even if it meant we might lose some votes in certain sectors of the community.
Those who used the term “pragmatic” possibly meant, I think, that he was, perhaps, bolder than the rest of us. He engaged flat out with all and sundry in the community. He would go around the country and all the small towns and he would be as bold as brass. He would go to the editor of a local newspaper and lecture him or her on the single transferable vote (STV) or the Buy Local initiative. Whatever the issue of the day—you name it—one would find a few days later that his picture would appear in the paper with a story. He was great in his boldness and ability to communicate to bring people in. Similarly, he got the mayors on board in some of those campaigns—STV, etc. He would just bowl up to their offices.
There were a lot of things about Rod Donald, beyond his being just a parliamentarian, that others may not have seen, such as the work he did building our party on the ground. He went all over the country helping people, not only organising the campaigns but everything through the 3-year cycle. Jeanette Fitzsimons mentioned that he was always on his cellphone. He was constantly at work encouraging and helping people. One of the hardest things, I have found, is the fact that I will not get another call from Rod. I cannot believe I will not get another cheery call with a bright idea, a suggestion, a bit of encouragement, or a bit of a plaudit for something I might have done that had a bit of an effect. That is the Rod I will remember—an energetic, out-there person.
So farewell, my dear friend. We will miss you terribly, but you will be in the hearts of all of us in the Green Party and you will be an inspiration to the Green movement in New Zealand forever, and also to the Green parties around the world, which miss you, as well.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) : It gives me some degree of honour to be able to speak in this debate. I am one of the last of the MPs around here who actually sat with all four of the people we are remembering today. Jack Luxton was known as “Gentleman Jack”, because that is what he was. He was a man whom I suspected had considerable private differences with at least the style of his leader at the time, but he was always an absolutely faithful National Party loyalist, never showing those differences in any shape or form publicly. I am one of those who, like the late Keith Holyoake, value large amounts of loyalty, at times, within this political system.
The Hon John Falloon was one of those people with a great deal more depth and ability than they are sometimes given credit for. Because he had such an easy elegance, an easy handsomeness, and an easy facility at sport, everything seemed to be almost too straightforward for him. In fact, he was a serious thinker about politics. One of the sad things about John’s life was that much of it was spent caring for his wife. She suffered a great deal of pain in her time and John always had to spare time to look after her.
I turn now to Rod Donald, and I want particularly to express my sympathy to Nicola. Nicola has had more than her fair share of tragedy in her life. Her father, Brian, died when she was very young—when she was only about 2 or 3. He was actually my chemistry teacher. I was one of his few failures in life, I think, in that regard. He was under 30 when he died. He also was a very fit man. He was a keen tennis player and a teacher of enormous ability and promise. His life was cut off at a very, very young age indeed. Then for Nicola to lose her partner at only age 48 really does seem rather too much to suffer during one lifetime.
Rod was a great parliamentarian—a virtue often underestimated in this place. There are people who come through Parliament, some of them spending a long time here, who never at any point really are parliamentarians. They may be good at policy, at holding electorate clinics, and at speaking outside Parliament, but they never show any great sympathy for, or understanding of, how Parliament works. Rod, from the moment he came here, showed an enormous ability to understand how this place operated and how it was going to change under the impact of the electoral system that he was largely responsible for—and on that point I will bestow the charity of my silence in respect of my own personal feelings about the virtues of MMP.
What I do have to say in terms of Rod’s contribution is that one of the great ironies—but it is also a tribute to him in the last few weeks of his life—was, in essence, that this last election ended up with an extraordinarily finely balanced result under MMP. It was one that just excluded his party from a real position in terms of power. And Rod at last could use that suit for the purpose it was designed and made for, although he had lost so much weight in recent times. I am not quite sure whether it had been made to measure when he was a bit chubbier or, in his more recent guise, when he was really looking splendidly fit, I have to say, in recent months. He showed no bitterness about that. He actually understood the consequences of the electoral decision made this year and how the Green Party had to position itself to work within that decision and continue to work towards the future for the principles the party held. It takes, I think, a great deal of self-awareness and an awareness about the nature of politics to be able to do that. A surprising number of people—it often seems to me an overwhelming majority of the House—seemed to spend the immediate post-election mode in a state of grieving, whereas Rod, I think, was ready to get on with the next stage of how to build more of the constituency for the issues he stood for.
Someone said that David Lange was rather similar. In my view he was, in fact, a very different man in many, many ways. We tend to think of David as actually being very old, because it was so long ago that he was Prime Minister. He ceased to be Prime Minister in 1989, and I think at that point he was still slightly younger than Rod was when he died. Of course, David was Prime Minister at a very young age, and just for some 5 years.
David Lange’s autobiography is very interesting. Most politicians when they write an autobiography—and whether one regards some of those works as fiction or otherwise is, I think, always a matter of judgment for future historians—spend most of their time on the period they were in office. A great deal of David’s book is about the time before he entered Parliament. and certainly before he became Prime Minister. Not a little bit of it is about the time after he ceased to be Prime Minister. In the early part of the book one gets a very clear picture of what made David such an extraordinarily complex person At times he was a quite difficult person to work with and, because of his complexity, was a difficult person to understand. His relationship with his mother came through in many pages as not being exactly an easy one, if I could put it in that particular way, and his feeling of hurt about the insults he suffered as a boy because he was a large, fat boy—in New Zealand young boys were supposed to be athletic and slim, and so on, until they turned into prop forwards, then it was all right to be somewhat more squarish in shape—was a very difficult thing for him to live with. These clearly left deep scars on David for the rest of his life and were some of the things that occasionally made him, I think, overly prone to wounding people and to sometimes being less charitable towards people than perhaps he might have been.
In fact, David spent much of the last year or so of his life trying to make peace with a number of people around the place. He summoned me to what was actually his deathbed to apologise for something he said in 1986 or 1987. I could not remember what the hell it was, but I am sure I thought it was funny at the time anyway, whatever it was. He could sometimes say some awful things about people. His love-hate relationship with the Labour Women’s Council was a wonder to behold and gave some of us with similar mixed non-PC feelings a great deal of pleasure and joy over a number of years. Of course, one would not care to say that too often, at least when the Prime Minister is present. But I notice she is absent, so I will get away with it for this particular moment.
What came through, I think, in terms of David’s time in power was that he came to power from a background of having had to learn to be very quick-witted. He had an enormously facile mind. He had an enormous ability to master issues in a space of time that left most of us breathless, and he wanted to move on to the next issue while the rest of us were trying to catch up, which is why people sometimes thought he had a short attention span. It was not that; it was that the rest of us had a very long attention span in order to grasp the point. Whereas David had got there and was wanting to get on with it, the rest of us were at the stage of still trying to understand what was being talked about. But I think that because of that background he also lacked some clear, firm foundations in terms of some of his principles and attitudes. So in office I think he found it hard to cope with his role as the leader of a radical reform programme, much of which was necessary but about which he always felt some sense of unease in terms of the direction it was moving in and where it was going to take New Zealand, given his deep sympathy with the genuine underdog—not the kinds of people who sometimes appear in front of the Employment Relations Authority, but the genuine underdogs within New Zealand society who actually do not have very much at all and who need other people to stand up for them and to work for them on their behalf.
In the end David had to precipitate a struggle within the Labour Party in order to settle its future, and, of course, in the result, he won that struggle. The outcome was the one he was actually seeking in that regard. So he could be more at peace with himself in subsequent times, despite the fact that he perhaps might almost have felt that things had come to a sticky end when he had to leave the office of Prime Minister in 1989.
David’s life was a complex one, just as many of us have complex lives. It was almost surreal to visit him on his deathbed and to arrive with Margaret sitting by the bed. As we chatted away, Naomi came in and Margaret left, and I thought: “I have a funny feeling that when I’m on my deathbed this isn’t quite going to happen, in that same arrangement that way around.” But that, I think, was a way in which David had again managed to come to a position of peace with his own life and with the people he had worked with throughout that life.
David will be remembered for enormous achievements in politics but, like all great politicians, he also needs to be remembered as being a very complex person and not as a simple one-dimensional nuclear-free New Zealand person, or whatever kind of dimension politicians sometimes find themselves locked into by people who do not grasp the greatness of politics. And David was one of our few great politicians. This is often set off by other characteristics, as well. We will remember him.
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) : I knew Rod Donald only as a parliamentarian. During the term of the last Parliament we worked together on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, the Business Committee, and the Standing Orders Committee. Rod was a pleasure to work with. He was always well prepared, constructive, passionate, and open-minded.
We actually agreed on a few things. For example, during the Finance and Expenditure Committee’s exchange visit to Canberra last year, Rod took us all to the Buy Australian Made headquarters for discussions. The Buy Kiwi Made initiative, which was so near and dear to Rod’s heart, has my support. Rod was unquestionably a patriot. He was proud to be a Kiwi.
Of course, we also had policy differences. I will remember for a long time that during the same visit to Canberra, when all of us went along to a select committee meeting to discuss Australia’s recently concluded free-trade agreement with USA, as soon as we entered the room Rod was out of the blocks like a shot and way down the track, pointing out to our Australian friends all the negatives and drawbacks of the agreement. Finally, one of the Australians looked across to our side of the table and asked in a plaintive tone: “Are there any other views over there?”, to which—to his visible relief—the rest of us chorused: “Yes, there are.”
As members of the Finance and Expenditure Committee Rod and I even plotted together a couple of times. I made my way up to his office late one night to find him surrounded by piles of handwritten notes, with his tie off, shoes off, and socks off, working like a Kiwi battler—and indeed he was a Kiwi battler.
I was fond of Rod and I will miss him. I do not know his partner, Nicola, or his children, but they have been in my thoughts and prayers over the last few days as we come to terms with the shock of his untimely death early on Sunday morning. I will always remember what I was doing on Sunday afternoon when I heard the news of Rod’s death from the Hon Peter Dunne, who had just been informed by cellphone. I extend to Rod’s family my heartfelt condolences.
Parliament will miss the presence of Rod Donald. May he rest in peace.
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) : I begin by acknowledging the deaths of both Jack Luxton and the Hon John Falloon. I recognise the contribution they made to New Zealand politics and send my personal sympathy to their families. I want to begin my tributes today with my tribute to David Lange. I knew David for over 20 years. During his time as Prime Minister, I was the president of the Labour Party—a position I contested for against Jim Anderton. It was interesting listening to Jim Anderton’s perspective on that period of time, but that is what happens in politics: we all have our own particular view of the facts of the time and that is why the history books are so interesting to read and reflect on.
It is a real privilege to be able to pay tribute to David as a member of Parliament. I saw him in times of utter despair and in times of absolute joy, and I have certainly reflected on those times over the last few months since his death. I remember David most of all for his huge generosity. Mark Gosche mentioned in his contribution the many unpaid legal fees David had owing to him right up to the day he died. Not only did he never pursue many of the legitimate fees that were owing to him but he also gave hugely of his own time and expertise as well as money. Indeed he gave to the point of housing people in his own home when they needed it.
David had a huge and healthy disrespect for pomp and ceremony. In fact he would probably be quite uncomfortable if he were here during this debate, other than being able to add many interjections and probably liven it up considerably. For someone who was such a great orator, he also had a great dislike for small talk. He was very uncomfortable in one-to-one conversations unless they were about a subject that actually engaged him, and not many engaged him for very long. As Michael Cullen described, he was very quick to move on to the next subject, having taken everything he could from the conversation. He had a huge sense of humour and wit, and it was often at his own expense. But most of all I remember David for his enthusiasm for life, his deep sense of pride in New Zealand, particularly in New Zealand as a Pacific nation. He presided over an extraordinary period of change in the New Zealand economy when he led the 1984 Government, change which, when it accelerated, became unacceptable to him, and change which, in the end, ended his time in politics many years before his full contribution had been made. Much will be written about those particular times, some by historians who are already rewriting them. Of course, as with any political activity, others will reflect on how things could have been done better. People who think that usually add that it could have been done better by them.
In my view, David could not have done more for our nation. He revived us after the Muldoon era. He gave us an enthusiasm for ourselves and for our nation, and he gave us courage to stand on our own feet. He had an extraordinary memory, particularly for names of people, some of whom he had met only once, and he had an inability to sit still for long. I well remember the days of the New Zealand Labour Party council 2-day meetings that David attended. I am sure it was an excruciating experience for him, and he only survived the 2 days by constantly moving in and out of the room—often in and out of the building. I well remember the day the Diplomatic Protection Squad was in near meltdown when they lost the Prime Minister they were meant to be protecting. I am sure he brought the squad along because he was going to a meeting of the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party. During the Lange-Douglas days he frequently did need some level of protection. We actually found him some time later. He was having a cup of tea with the Labour Party staff in their tearoom, happy and relaxed, perhaps more so knowing that he had caused such a search.
David the politician was a public figure owned by every New Zealander. That public ownership does take a large part of one’s life, and although he gave it willingly it made his future time out of Parliament so much more important. I treasure memories of dinners with David and Margaret in the little Viet Namese restaurant in south Auckland where David could be a husband and father and just himself, and I will treasure memories of the joy that David had in his post-political life. That life was taken too early. David endured his significant poor heath with his usual courage and humour. We have all gained immensely from his contribution, and my love and thoughts are with his family in their huge loss.
The death this week of Rod Donald is a massive loss to the Green Party and to New Zealand politics. I have lost a friend and a colleague, but the huge political loss and my loss is nothing compared with that of Nicola, Emma, Zoe, and Holly, Rod’s parents, and Nicola’s family.
I got to know Rod well in the 1990s when I became a candidate for the then Lyttelton electorate, and since 1996 Rod and I have stood as candidates for Banks Peninsula. He always encouraged people to vote for me and to vote for the Green Party, and I always told him he had it half right. Rod had an immense passion and energy for politics, and a totally genuine desire to make the world a better place and to use every piece of energy he had to contribute to that end. His drive for electoral reform was never one that I shared with him. I opposed the change to MMP, and I am very pleased that recently I told Rod that I thought I was wrong. Even though there are some huge flaws in MMP, I still think that our Parliament is a better place and our policy-making processes are better because of it. I am really pleased I admitted to him that I had been wrong for all that time.
His campaign for buying New Zealand goods will be carried out in our commitment, as it was of course before the election. Rod was a passionate Cantab. I remember seeing him with Jeanette, being pursued by a large bunch of media as they were going across to Bowen House during the post-election discussions. One of the media asked Rod: “What do you think the outcome will be?”, and Rod asked me as I was walking past: “What do you think?”. I said: “Like you—Canterbury will win.” He knew that I would respond about the rugby, because we had shared a lot of time watching Canterbury beat many other people.
Just a month ago Rod and I were at the Opawa School fair. Rod, as usual, had his home-baked spiced apple cake for sale. I bought it, much to his pleasure and amusement, but I also know that the price was rapidly escalated when he found out that I was prepared to purchase it. So Opawa School was the winner in that particular deal. Rod was wearing his tyre tube headband with his cellphone tucked into it. He talked constantly all the way around the fair as he bought things, had conversations with other people, then phoned someone else. I remember his huge chuckle at the fair as Holly told him about the amount of furniture that Emma had purchased earlier. She had gone to the fair early because she knew that Rod would see her otherwise. She had purchased a large lot of furniture and Holly had explained where she was taking it, because there was clearly no more room at home for more of Emma’s purchases. He rang Nicola and told her, and I can just so clearly remember the laughter as they discussed their greatly adored daughter’s antics.
Tragically, integrity is not a word that is often used to describe a politician, but in the case of Rod it is a very appropriate word—as is principled; as is loyal. But Rod was also fun. He was fun to work with and fun to campaign both against and with. For a man with such a passion and commitment to make our world better, a man with such energy and ability, to be taken from us is something that has stunned us all and, in my case, has actually made me very angry. So I celebrate the contribution that Rod has made; a contribution larger than few make in twice as many years. I give my commitment to continuing to pursue the establishment of the marine reserve in Akaroa, in Rod’s memory. I mourn the loss of a great political leader who has put many issues on the agenda in New Zealand that may have been ignored had it not been for him. On Sunday evening Holly expressed surprise that Rod’s death was the lead item on the TV news. That surprise really reinforced for me how unpretentious Rod was in his life, despite his significant political contribution. So to Nicola, Holly, Emma, and Zoe—you have given so much of Rod and his time to our nation. It has been one of the best gifts we could have received. My love and thoughts are with you.
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH (National—Rodney) : As I have served with each of the four late colleagues we honour today, it is a real privilege to say a few words in tribute.
Much has been written and spoken of David Lange, a remarkable former Prime Minister, including the courageous economic reforms his Government undertook, his famed pause for a cuppa that brought to a grinding halt those economic reforms, and, of course, his antinuclear legacy. Less often mentioned, though, is his contribution as Minister of Education when Labour was re-elected in 1987. I think David Lange recognised that economic reform alone would not make for a successful future for New Zealand, and that if people were to be able to make the most of a freer and more prosperous future, they had to have an education that equipped them to do that. What is more, I am sure he foresaw that in a more competitive world New Zealand needed to have a more skilled and highly educated population.
So, as the returning Prime Minister, he took on the role of Minister of Education himself. I will never forget the day in 1987 when the phone went and it was Jim Bolger. He asked me whether I would be prepared to be the spokesperson on education for National, which meant I would have to oppose David Lange in this Chamber. I do not know what bad things I had done to deserve that, but trying to oppose David Lange in this place was like trying to stop the Titanic by using only the tip of the iceberg to do it. His legacy in education lives on. He dismantled a hidebound school administration system and proposed the concept of the self-managing school. His reform was called Tomorrow’s Schools, and they remain today’s schools.
But I think it was his oratory and formidable wit that one remembers so much with David. His famous quotes are often repeated, but it is the smaller gestures that are so often just as memorable to us who remember them. I will never forget the day we replaced Sir Robert Muldoon as leader of the National Party. Of course, he and David Lange were old sparring partners. The bell rang for the House to reassemble that day. David Lange came down to the Chamber and took his place in the Prime Minister’s seat and sat there, flamboyantly peering through a pair of binoculars, to poke a bit more borax at Sir Robert Muldoon, his old foe. He did it not in too mean a way, but in quite a good-natured way, as Sir Robert took his seat towards the back corner of this Chamber.
Nor will I forget the time in 1988 when I came into the House with most of the skin missing from my face. I had tripped while jumping over a gate on the farm and literally landed flat on my face. Just as things went quiet for the Speaker to come into the House, that booming voice rolled across the Chamber: “Aha! He’s been visiting kindergartens again!”. David Lange was an extraordinary man, and he made extraordinary times.
Also part of those times were my former colleagues Jack Luxton and the Hon John Falloon. Jack Luxton served 21 years as MP for Piako and Matamata, and he was Deputy Speaker for some time. In my 21 years in this Parliament, I have never known a more principled politician than Jack Luxton. He fought in the 1970s for the kinds of market policies that, paradoxically, saw the light of day with the Lange Government of the 1980s and, of course, the Bolger and Shipley administrations of the 1990s. I have never forgotten the day in caucus in the mid-1980s when some colleagues were railing against the Lange-Douglas economic reforms, and Jack Luxton got to his feet and said, “Look, if this is socialism, let’s have more of it.” As an economic thinker, Jack was far ahead of his times. But through his son John—who was here in the Chamber this afternoon—who succeeded him and shared his values, Jack’s vision finally did strike the right times, in the 1990s, and it has influenced our country very much for the better.
My former colleague the Hon John Falloon served almost exactly the same years as David Lange, from 1979 to 1996. They would have had the odd sparring match, as the Hon John Falloon was Associate Minister of Finance under Rob Muldoon when David Lange became Leader of the Opposition. Like Jack Luxton, whom the Hon John Falloon sometimes described as a mentor, the Hon John Falloon also argued very much from principle. He believed in the benefits to be gained from freeing people from the shackles of bureaucracy and excessive regulation. He was a tireless and very effective advocate for New Zealand agriculture, both here and overseas. It was a privilege to follow and carry on his work after his almost 6 years as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Forestry. the Hon John Falloon was respected and liked by both sides of this House. Those of us left who served with him will never forget his gentlemanliness, his good humour, and his extraordinary skill on the piano. Parliamentary parties were never the same again after John went.
I also acknowledge the shocking and untimely loss of Rod Donald, to whom my colleague Gerry Brownlee has paid tribute this afternoon.
Our late colleagues are not forgotten. Today we honour them; tomorrow we work on, strengthened by their legacies.
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Minister for Transport Safety) : This has been a rare and an unusually sad beginning to our Parliament, and I extend my and my wife’s sympathy to the families of the four MPs who have left us. I did not know Jack Luxton personally, but I know of the esteem he is held in by this Parliament. My great mentor, the late Ron Barclay MP, mentioned him on several occasions. But I did know the Hon John Falloon personally, and he was very supportive of me when I—together with some other MPs, perhaps—had a small mishap during the citizenship debate of a year or two ago. The two people I would most like to speak about are, of course, the Rt Hon David Lange, who was Prime Minister when I was first contemplating a political career, and Rod Donald.
I knew David Lange from 1978, when I met him for the first time at a conference, and then in 1984 he came to New Plymouth during the very brief run-up to the 1984 snap election. He peered out the back window of the Labour Party rooms in Vivian Street and looked at my Porsche, which was quite flash-looking but quite beaten up under the skin, and made a bit of a quip about it to a friend of mine, who was standing there in a suit. Naturally, David thought that as he was wearing a suit the Porsche out there must belong to him, but in fact the car belonged to the slightly scruffy schoolteacher in the T-shirt and jeans. Lange thought that was a real hoot.
David was a very inspirational leader of this country, and when I was a new candidate in 1986 he again came to New Plymouth. Being someone who did not like formality much, he arranged for us to have a cup of tea and a meeting before we set out on the road. We were there for the spudding-in of the McKee project. David asked me about New Plymouth, and then asked me whether I had any questions. I said yes, got out the manifesto of the time, and asked: “What does this sentence mean?”. He grinned and said: “Well, whatever the reader would like it to mean, actually.” I thought that was a very pragmatic approach.
We then set off for the McKee project. I had given a warning that I thought the timetable was much too tight and that we should have been using one of the helicopters from the oil company that was doing the job at the time. But we set off in the LTD, and we were late not only because the travelling distance had been greatly underestimated but also because the LTD got stuck and had to dragged out of the well site. On the way back, although we had a single police car behind us, as was the case in those days, David said to the driver: “Hughie, floor it, mate.”—and he did! David often asked about the health of Hugh, whom he regarded as the best and fastest ministerial driver around.
Strangely enough, even though I was the youngest and one of the newest MPs at the time, I got on well with David. I was one of the group that worked hard to try to keep David in his position as Prime Minister. I was pretty energetic and new, and full of all sorts of interesting ideas. Some of the older MPs will know that I promoted a few things quite extensively, particularly the idea of having an alternative ship to the Anzac frigates and a new concept for the Navy, together with a servicing base for the fishing fleet that was then operating at New Plymouth, and an extended runway for the international flights we need in order to shift fishing crews back to their homes overseas, etc, etc. I prepared lots of briefing papers and things, which David was kind enough, sometimes at short notice, to have delivered to his home. On one occasion he invited me up to talk with him about the issue—or agreed to let me come up after I pestered him. He was gazing out the window, as he was wont to do. Without a break in the delivery of my brilliant ideas to him, I said: “And you are not listening to a blind bit of this, are you?”. He then proceeded to repeat the last five sentences verbatim. I learnt a valuable lesson that day. David was a marvellous and an inspirational leader, and I am delighted to have come in as an MP in the time when he was Prime Minister.
Strangely enough, we kept in touch because David’s younger daughter, Edith, was born at around the same time as my youngest daughter, Anny. He thought that that was a real hoot. We kept in touch, and one day just before the end of his life, I phoned him and he told me that he expected to be in hospital that afternoon. And so it was. He said he realised that he was becoming too difficult for Margaret to manage. He was then moved into hospital and, of course, the end was inevitable.
David was very supportive of me at the time of the citizenship debacle. We had a number of interests in common, not the least of which was motor sport. During my time as an MP, David had taken some relaxation time and had been racing in the Nissan Mobil 500 support races in Wellington, driving a Nissan Pulsar. The following year, when that race was on again, I was invited to be one of the lesser celebrities in it. David’s office rang me and said: “Please do not do this, because we do not want David to do it, and we have been trying to convince him for the sake of his health that he shouldn’t.” Damn! I would really like to do that race, but I did not.
We certainly had a visionary leader at the time. David was much criticised, greatly admired, and greatly loved. As has been mentioned before, I do not think anyone in New Zealand was not proud of his Oxford debate. In my view, that debate put New Zealand on the map, internationally.
I wish, of course, to extend my sympathy, and the sympathy of all those who knew David, to Naomi and his children. I was particularly impressed with the way in which Roy conducted himself at the funeral, and with Byron and Emily, and Margaret and Edith, who are probably listening today. They can all be very proud of the man whom they knew and loved.
Rod Donald and I have known each other for a very long time—probably for 30 years, or close to it. We share a few things politically, too, which surprised me. The first political meeting I attended was also a Values Party meeting, back in the early 1970s. But I decided that the Labour Party had more chance of getting progressive policies into place, and so it has been, particularly in the last 6 years, under the leadership of Helen Clark. When I first met Rod, he was the boss of an outfit called Piko Wholefoods Co-operative. It was a little brick shop on the corner of a street in Christchurch, and I visited him there on one occasion. We actually met through Trade Aid, which we were both involved in. Later, Rod became the general manager of the importing and distribution arm of that organisation.
It is marvellous that we can have friendships across party lines. During the 1996 campaign, before he became an MP, Rod came to New Plymouth. He was looking after the two things that were of prime importance in his life at that time: Trade Aid and the Green Party. He came to New Plymouth, and I happened to bump into him. He said that he would love to come around and see Margaret. So he had a meal with us, which is a pretty remarkable thing for a politician from another party to do.
It has been a privilege and a pleasure to know Rod. I was always impressed with his energy and his commitment to the issues he was involved in. Nicola, Holly, Emma, and Zoe can be very, very proud of the man they knew and loved, and they can be very proud of the things he achieved in his time in Parliament. We did not always agree, but we agreed on the vast majority of things, and it was a privilege to work with Rod.
An interesting thing about that first election in 1996—or it might have been the next one in 1999—was that Rodney Hide, Rod, and I found ourselves having a beer one night. That was an odd thing to happen, but it occurred. Rod quipped: “You know, we might all be in the same Cabinet one day.” Sadly, for a variety of reasons, each of us has not made it, but it was marvellous to see that that could have occurred. I pointed out to them that the Dutch Government had exactly that sort of coalition, very successfully, for several years. Sometimes we come from very differing viewpoints, politically. I think Rod described me as the “greenest” of the Labour MPs when the Green Party came into Parliament.
This has been quite a remarkable few days, and I think the tributes to our former MPs—particularly to Rod, on this very poignant and sad beginning to Parliament—show that there is goodwill between all parliamentarians. It does come to the fore on an occasion like this. I hope that the legacy that is left is that such goodwill will be extended more often in future. I know that Rod worked very, very hard on the MMP campaign, particularly with the Electoral Reform Coalition, which he saw as being a way for the future. I joined in that work. Many of my colleagues were not as impressed with proportional representation as I was, but I thought it was the way ahead. I have always thought so since I visited Germany in the early 1980s and saw that it handled a very controversial issue vastly better than New Zealand had the year before, in 1981. Rod and I were both involved in that, as well.
This has been a very unusual and sad way to begin a Parliament, but let us hope that the legacy left by these great leaders remains.
RON MARK (NZ First) : I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to endorse the motions of the Prime Minister. I say at the outset that it is indeed a sad day when we as parliamentary colleagues in this House are here to remember three former members of Parliament and the untimely death of Rod Donald.
The Hon John Falloon of Pahiatua, where I am from, was always regarded back in the Wairarapa as being a gentleman. In fact, most of us in Pahiatua who grew up under the mantle of the Rt Hon Keith Jacka Holyoake always felt and believed that the Hon John Falloon was the ideal man to carry on in that position, for he demonstrated the principles, values, and views of Keith Jacka Holyoake.
I never had the honour or privilege of meeting Jack Luxton, but I did have the privilege of serving in a coalition Government alongside the Hon John Luxton, who clearly is a chip off the old block. If the words I have heard today about the man whom members in this Chamber knew are true, then all I can say, after my time working alongside John Luxton, is that this House has indeed been doubly blessed by the presence of those two gentlemen. Our condolences and sympathies go to the families of the Hon John Falloon and Jack Luxton.
I want to speak briefly on David Lange. It is interesting that I never actually served alongside David Lange. It is true that David was one of New Zealand’s most notable Prime Ministers. In reflecting back, I remember that as a young soldier I thought Robert Muldoon was just the bee’s knees. I voted consistently for Robert Muldoon and kept the fact secret from my wife, who was a Labour Party member at the time. But in 1984, as an officer in the army, I changed my vote and voted for David Lange. I saw something in that man that I believed in. Of course, I also learnt quickly—and I had an opportunity to recount this to David when we had finished giving an interview down in Christchurch a year or so ago—how, when one is an officer in the army, it is not really a smart thing, firstly, to vote Labour, and, secondly, to admit to it.
Of course, I had no idea at that time that a vote for Labour would lead to the sell-off of State assets—something I vigorously opposed—the banning of nuclear-propelled vessels from entering our waters, and the subsequent collapse of the ANZUS agreement. As an officer in the New Zealand Army, and latterly as a contract officer working in the sultanate of Oman, where there also happened to be a lot of ex - New Zealand Army officers, I always felt that the officers held me personally responsible for David Lange’s having declared New Zealand a nuclear-free zone and, specifically, for the collapse of the ANZUS agreement. I actually told David that, when we were standing outside Newstalk ZB’s offices down in Christchurch, at which he laughed and made some rather derogatory comments about old army officers of that era—I do not intend to repeat those comments here.
I take this opportunity, though, to say that whatever the nation’s view of the former Prime Minister Lange’s tenure, there is no doubt at all that he was one of New Zealand’s most notable Prime Ministers. He was a courageous, compassionate, and principled man—a man whose life we as a nation can forever take strength from. I ask members to reflect on how reluctant we are, these days, to celebrate and commemorate great New Zealanders. In fact, these days it seems that we will fall over ourselves to erect somewhat meaningless works of art, such as the two out the back of Parliament—one that looks like a concrete banana, and the other a concrete carrot half buried in the ground—but we will not, it seems, move so swiftly to commemorate and remember great men such as Norman Kirk or, indeed, David Lange by erecting a statue in their memory. I just leave the House to ponder that.
Rod Donald was a fellow classmate from 1996. There is a heck of a lot that Rod Donald and Ron Mark certainly did not have in common—and members will probably know more about that than about what we did have in common. It is no secret that New Zealand First and the Greens clash in many areas, and that we do not see eye to eye on a number of issues. But in a number of areas, Rod and I always shared the same view. One was electoral reform—Rod supported the proportional representation systems. He was well known for leading the campaign and for being the front man of the Electoral Reform Coalition, which was successful in bringing us MMP. Despite the rantings of some people around this country who yearn for the days of old, I still believe that the work Rod Donald did in bringing us MMP was one of the best things that has happened to this country.
He was a great advocate for the single transferable vote system; in actual fact, that was the voting system I voted for. I know that dairy farmers all over the country agree with my vote, because that is the system they selected for electing their board of directors at Fonterra. It is quite amazing sometimes that those very same people rubbish and condemn MMP. I sometimes wonder who the confused people are in our communities.
Rod Donald was a front man for the campaign for electoral reform. He worked with a very good friend of mine—indeed, a gentleman who was my campaign manager in 1993 when I stood for Labour, Mr Tony Day, now Dr Tony Day, who lives in Tucson, Arizona. Like New Zealand First, Rod Donald pursued fair trade as opposed to free trade, and, in particular, campaigned against a free-trade agreement with China. He opposed the sale of State assets, and was committed to social justice. His views on the strengths and weaknesses of the New Zealand economy had me on occasion during the election campaign absolutely convinced that he was reading one of Winston Peters’ speeches.
He sought and campaigned for the rights of the elderly. He sought and campaigned for better wages for low-income workers, and for an increase in the minimum wage. Again, those are policies and issues that are dear to the heart of New Zealand First and, in particular, to myself. He sought, as we did, more funding for the carers of elderly people. I believe he was embarrassed that due to the coalition agreement with Labour in 1999, he was unable to support Peter Brown’s amendments to the Employment Relations Act, which would have given greater protection and greater recognition to casual workers. Indeed, I know from many discussions I had with Rod that that is one area about which we always believed there was more work to be done.
I remember his quiet support in the background to me when I was fighting to get the activities of the “goon squad” laid bare for all of New Zealand to see, his support of me and of New Zealand First policy in our stance on the invasion of Iraq by the United States, his love of rugby and, of course, his undying support for the Canterbury Crusaders. I will probably never agree with some of those descriptions he meted out to my leader, the Rt Hon Winston Peters—comments such as “snake-oil merchant” come to mind, comments such as “fascist” and “racist”—but I guess that it is a mark of Rod Donald’s unique ability to woo the media that leads us today to have people like Mark Sainsbury saying on television that he never played the man; he always played the ball.
It is funny how things turn out, is it not? I remember when I was whip, and a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission, how frustrating it was to have discussions on highly sensitive issues, only to have them leaked to the media. But that was Rod—Rod always pursued the things that he believed were right, and he always campaigned on the issues he believed in. I will always remember with great pride how he sought me out and congratulated me on an article I had had published in the Christchurch Press, outlining New Zealand First’s and my views on the impending United States invasion of Iraq, and why we could not support such an invasion.
Of course, as I am a former army officer and a person who served in the Middle East for 6 years, I know that it was clearly the view of most people that Ron Mark and New Zealand First would support such an invasion. I will always remember and appreciate the comments of Rod Donald in the week that that article was published, and the quiet support and respect he gave me for it.
I conclude by reading out an email copied to me today. It is from a New Zealander, known to many people in this House and specifically to the Labour Party, a man known to Gerry Brownlee because I think he campaigned for Labour as a candidate in Ilam on numerous occasions and, as I have already said, he was my campaign manager for my bid for Parliament in 1993 in the seat of Selwyn against Ruth Richardson.
This email is from Dr W Anthony Day, a research associate of the Arizona Research Laboratories at the department of neuroscience in the University of Arizona, Tucson. It reads: “I was shocked to hear of Rod’s sudden death. I enjoyed my time with the ERC, from the first Christchurch meeting to beyond the first MMP election. I particularly enjoyed working with Rod. His dedication, constant good humour, and enthusiasm were inspirational. The US Democratic Party needs a Rod. My thoughts go out to the ERC, the Greens, and particularly to Nicola, Emma, Holly, and Zoe. Regards, Tony Day.” I could not have said it better myself.
SUE BRADFORD (Green) : I had no idea that the first time I would be addressing the House in this new term of Parliament it would be to say just a few words in honour of my dear friend, colleague, and leader, Rod Donald. How could I or anyone else imagine that Rod would be taken from us so unexpectedly and so soon, when he was so full of life, love, energy, and hope? Not just the Green party caucus but the entire membership of our party are currently still in a state of shock and disbelief, and of deep sadness. Above all, our hearts go out to his partner, Nicola, and to their daughters, who I hope will find at least a little consolation in the knowledge that so many people from so many walks of life and from all over New Zealand—and, actually, from all over the world—are thinking of them and of Rod right now.
It is terrible that until someone dies in his prime like this, so often none of us really discern the breadth and depth of his contribution to the world. As the days have gone by since Sunday morning, it has been amazing to hear of all the things that Rod has achieved in his life, and it is so sad to think of what might have been if he had been granted a longer time with us. Rod did really want to be a Cabinet Minister; he hoped so much for the opportunity to work alongside Jeanette Fitzsimons—and, ultimately, alongside other Green MPs, as well—to be part of implementing green programmes for environmental sustainability, and for economic and social justice in this country. He would have been a great Cabinet Minister. I would have loved to see his passion, drive, and exuberance harnessed to ministries where he could make a real difference.
Even though the Greens remain outside Government this time round, Rod did get awfully close to his dream of implementing a Buy Kiwi Made programme on behalf of the New Zealand Government. I am glad now that he at least had the opportunity of a few weeks of planning that exciting, new, next phase of his political life, and I know that I and all my fellow Green MPs are committed to doing everything we can to continuing work on Rod’s vision for achieving much greater local sustainability for New Zealand’s economy.
Just a couple of weeks ago Rod stood beside me as I spoke to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions biennial conference here in Wellington about our hopes for the next 3 years, and of our ongoing commitment to the interests of children, of low-income workers, of beneficiaries, and of all the others who have been left behind by the casual brutality of the market. I am glad that that conference was one of our last times together in political life. There are some people on the left who sometimes criticised Rod because of his overtures to, and friendships with, some parts of the business community. But I know that underneath that smile and those braces Rod maintained a lifetime commitment to those at the bottom of the economic heap, and a healthy disrespect for those who make gross fortunes out of the most exploited forms of labour.
As some members know, it was Rod who invited me back into the Green Party in early 1998, years after I had sworn off ever trying to enter parliamentary politics again. His genuine respect for the work my comrades and I were doing in the unemployed and beneficiary groups in Auckland and elsewhere led me to believe that perhaps there was a place in Parliament and in the Green Party for a somewhat rugged unemployed street activist.
Rod embodied the dual kaupapa of the Green Party of Aotearoa / New Zealand: caring for Earth and caring for people. We know we cannot do one without the other, and Rod, throughout his life, surely embodied doing that. He was as radical as any of us in his commitment and passion for a safer, fairer, greener world.
Finally, those members who are experienced MPs understand as well as I do the peculiarly close relationships that develop between members of parties here in the strange environment of Parliament. When one is from one of the smaller parties, this is intensified even more. Since December 1999 when five of us joined Rod and Jeanette here, we have been an incredibly close team. Rod was not only one of our leaders but also one of us. Losing him like this is like losing a family member in many ways. I ask members to please be patient with us for a little while, amidst the hurly-burly of this place, even just for a few days.
I would like to thank so much all those members who have offered their words, prayers, hugs of sympathy and support, and tears with us today and over the last few days. It has meant so much to us. Rod’s spirit will be with us all for a long time to come. Farewell, Rod. Farewell, dear friend.
TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Labour—Mangere) : This afternoon we, and no doubt New Zealanders, have heard eloquent tributes to members of Parliament, and particularly to the Rt Hon David Lange. I consider it a privilege to rise and pay tribute, to honour the memory of David Lange on behalf of the people of the electorate of Mangere, and to say that David Lange will go down in history as one of this country’s greatest Prime Ministers.
I want to focus a little bit on the fact that he was loved and respected as the member of Parliament for Mangere. We have heard about his enormous achievements and also about his commitment to social justice. He was seen locally as a big man with a big voice and a big heart, and as one with a very sharp wit, as we have heard, with uniquely brilliant oratory ability, and with an identity and an affinity with the diversity of ethnicity that made Mangere such a vibrant and colourful electorate to represent. The Prime Minister mentioned in her tribute his love for India and for the people of the Indian community, but he had a close relationship with all people and with different ethnic communities, not only in the Mangere electorate but in Auckland and throughout New Zealand.
I know that Pacific people loved David Lange. He was close to Cook Island people, and I know he loved his holidays in the Cook Islands, particularly in Aitutaki, a very favourite spot. I recall an occasion when he and I sat with a few others on a small boat, as young boys dived into the Aitutaki Lagoon, and we spent a few hours eating fresh, raw clams out of the lagoon. That is one of my more pleasurable memories of David. I know that Tongan people will not forget how he helped with land to establish one of the biggest Tongan Methodist churches in Auckland, in Orly Avenue in Mangere. I know that the Niuean people remember him fondly for the relationship they had with him. I know that the Samoan people honoured him by bestowing a matai title of Tagaloa. I believe that because he stood for the less fortunate in our communities, and truly had a heart for the people, they bestowed honours on him.
David Lange will be fondly remembered for his humanity, his service, and his commitment to social justice, not only for the people of Mangere in South Auckland but for the rest of New Zealand. He is and will be missed, but I believe that his memory and legacy will live on in people’s hearts and in the history of this land. I extend my condolences to his family, to his children, and to his extended family.
I want to conclude with reference to a Samoan proverb, which is similar to the Māori proverb about a fallen totara, and that proverb goes like this: "Ua Pauu toa ua maimau ai Aupega o le taua" Ia Soifua lau Afioga Tagaloa - David Lange.
The proverb refers to a great warrior who has fallen, and there is reference to effective arsenals of battle being wasted.
I believe that we can be proud of David Lange’s legacy. We know that he came into power at a crossroads in the history of this country, which, I think, in the end turned New Zealand in the direction that we now enjoy, with social and economic benefits for our population in New Zealand.
I also wish to pay tribute and to pay my last respects to Rod Donald after his sad and sudden death. He was an outstanding, committed member of Parliament, and I saw a little bit of that commitment out in the Pacific. I cannot remember other members of Parliament on a delegation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, the Hon Don McKinnon, when we visited some Pacific countries. I recall clearly learning that as some of the members of Parliament were just getting out of bed and heading for breakfast one morning, Rod Donald had already been out and about, preaching to the local natives about the importance of saving the Earth, and perhaps of saving the whales, and expounding on other important causes he was pushing at the time. During that whole delegation he continued at every opportunity, apart from fulfilling the requirements of the delegation, to determine his own schedule—to visit organisations, non-governmental organisations, and other groups who were sympathetic to the environmental message and the message of the importance of the level of carbon dioxide emissions on the Pacific Ocean and the environments of the Pacific countries we visited. So I honour him this afternoon for his achievements, as have been eloquently explained by tributes given by members this afternoon. I want to extend my deepest and sincere sympathies and condolences to Rod’s partner, children, and family.
Previous speakers have also acknowledged the passing of two former senior members of this House. I want to acknowledge that the Hon John Luxton was here this afternoon, and I extend to him sympathies and condolences on the passing of his father, the former member Jack Luxton. I was fortunate to meet the Hon John Falloon in the first few years of my coming into this House. I found him to be very friendly, very capable, and a person who I felt deserved the level of respect he received from other members of Parliament. So to those families I extend my sympathies and condolences.
I want to say briefly that in this debate we are confronting something that is very difficult for all of us, when we suffer the loss of loved ones in our families and when we know the pain of that loss and sorrow. I guess that one of the things we can be sure of in life is death. Sooner or later each one of us has to confront it ourselves. But I do feel for those who are suffering a sad loss. I want also to extend sympathies to our colleagues in the Green Party for the emotions and the loss they feel during this time of sorrow. Kia ora tātou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ia manuia le tatou faamoemoe.
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) : I would like to extend my gratitude, as Sue Bradford and others have, to every member of this House, and in particular to the Māori Party, for extending its support and condolences at this terrible time for us. It has meant so much.
A few years ago Rod and I were being lobbied by a group of officials from a large corporation. At one point in the meeting I felt that they were trying to steer us into politically tricky territory, so I gave Rod a gentle kick under the table. He quickly got the message, we changed tack, and the rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly. It was only after the meeting that it occurred to me: I wonder how many back-bench MPs in this Parliament could kick their leader under the table during a meeting, certainly without being kicked out of their caucus? But that symbolised the sort of leader he was and the sort of relationship we had with him.
He was, as others have said, utterly unpretentious. He treated us as his equals and as his friends. As others have mentioned, he would ring us up with suggestions and ideas, and with words of encouragement, and I wonder, too, how many MPs in Parliament would be genuinely delighted, as I certainly always was, to get calls from their leader at all times of the day and night. I wonder, too, how many MPs could say that their leader was not only a mentor, an inspiration, and a cheerleader—for Rod was all of those things to us—but also someone whom we deeply, deeply respected and loved.
Rod was tremendous fun to be around. He was always bubbling with great infectious enthusiasm, and he was so refreshing in his approach, in his dress, in his politics—in everything that he did. In some ways he seemed to be about a generation and a half younger than most other parliamentarians. A few weeks ago a large group of suited officials who came to brief Rod at about 7 o’clock at night may have been startled when he wandered into the briefing wearing the clothes that he always wore when he was working in his office at Parliament at night: running shorts and shoes, and a slightly tatty T-shirt. But that was Rod.
Along with his refreshing youthfulness, as others have pointed out, he was an incredibly effective politician, and he was as comfortable with horse-trading and buttering up the media—which he was so brilliant at—as he was with taking a stand on his principles. And he worked incredibly hard—far too hard—but somehow he always made time for the little things in life, whether it was cooking, ironing his own shirts, or ringing his family and friends, not just the media, for a chat.
Meetings in his electorate were always held in his home and he baked his famous organic spiced apple cake for each meeting. This is the same cake that Ruth Dyson bought the other day. Actually this cake became somewhat famous. Rod would take all the ingredients along to a public meeting and make the cake at the meeting while reading little homilies about all the ingredients. One was 125 grams of melted butter, with the comment: “One of New Zealand’s chief commodities, our butter, is valued worldwide, because it is seen to be a product of animals raised in a clean, green environment. We should capitalise on that image and push for a completely organic nation by 2020. Instead, free trade means that we actually imported $1.6 million worth of butter last year.” He finished that by saying: “Share your cake with your friends, your family, and your neighbours. There is no point in making it if a few people get fat and the rest are forced to fight over the crumbs.” It is up on our website.
When Rod picked me up from the airport at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning during the campaign, I guess a month or so ago, he had already been up since 7 o’clock that morning. He had baked a quiche for the lunch that we were about to have at the meeting we were going to, and also he had painted the spare room that Nicola had asked him to do.
But I think the silent vigil on the steps of Parliament with Rod holding the Tibetan flag to protest the visit of one of China’s leading politicians probably best encapsulates his greatest qualities: his boldness, his courage, and the way he always stood up for what he believed in. It was an incredibly impulsive act. Rod found himself unexpectedly in Wellington when a meeting in another town was cancelled. Then he remembered that a senior Chinese politician was visiting Parliament that day. We were having an early morning meeting, and someone said that the Friends of Tibet were planning a little demonstration at Parliament. I said that I had a Tibetan flag in my office in Parliament that he could borrow if he wanted to, and the rest, as they say, is history. Rod’s simple, brave, and potent protest resulted in the leader of the largest nation on earth having to scurry ignominiously into Parliament through a rear entrance.
An email we got today from a Chinese journalist who lives in New Zealand summed up the impact of this solitary and potent protest: “The image of his standing tall alone bravely against a Chinese delegation in front of the Beehive will be forever in our minds.” Chris Trotter also singled it out in his column: “My abiding memory of this remarkable man—my friend—Rod Donald, will be of him standing alone at the foot of the parliamentary steps, his face a mixture of sadness and defiance, holding up the forbidden Tibetan flag. It was a noble protest, and all the more effective for being conducted … by a senior Member of Parliament and party leader, dressed proudly and patriotically in his best, New Zealand-made, suit.”
My thoughts are with Nicola, Zoe, Holly, Emma, Rod’s parents, and, of course, all of our grieving Green Party. Rod’s children and Nicola sacrificed so much for this wonderful man whom I keep expecting to turn round from his seat here with a great big grin on his face. Rod did not believe in the afterlife, but as Margaret Wilson said today when she came over with a group of Labour MPs to pay tribute to him in our office, which we so greatly appreciated: “Those of us from the Celtic tradition know that he is still with us.” I can feel his bright spirit in the Chamber today.
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Māori Affairs) : E tika ake anō i te mihi ki ngā mate ō rātou, ō rāua a Jack te pāpā o John tētahi o ngā Minita Māori e mahi ake anō tōna mahi i roto i te Whare Miēre. Me tērā tangata o te Wairarapa, a John Fallon mō tō rātou rere haere. Mihi ake anō ki a John mō tōna kaha ki te manaaki ake anō ngā iwi me te hapū i Wairarapa.
E nui ake anō ngā kōrero mō te pīki whara rā a te Kaiwhakahaere a David Lange. Kua tono ake anō te tangi o tātou katoa ngā kanohi Māori a te tuakana a Pita engari, e tika ake anō I tū mihi ake anō ki a ia. Mai i tōna tae i Te Taitokerau i te manaaki ake anō ngā korokē i reira me tōna hokinga ki Tāmaki-makau-rau, i te tautokotia ake anō rātou kore he mahi, kore he kāinga rātou o te tangata whenua, e tika ake anō ki te mihi kau anō ki a Rāwiri. I roto i a ia i tōna kaha i te manaaki ake anō rātau o tātou, te tangata whenua i tae ake anō i rō whare o te whare herehere, e whai kaha ake anō a Rāwiri i te haere ake anō i ngā kōti i te tautoko ake anō rātou kore he moni, kore he āhua i te tautokotia ake anō i tōna mahi. Nā te pai o tōna ngākau, te hūmāria i roto i te tangata nei, kua kōrero ake anō te tangata i roto i te Whare nei, e mihi kau ana ki tōna rere haere.
I a koutou o Te Rōpū Kākāriki e mihi kau ana, e tangi hoki te ngākau i a koutou a Jeanette mā, koutou katoa, tēnā koutou. He nui ake anō ngā whakaaro mō te tangata nei a Rod. Mai i tōku tūtakitanga tuatahi ki a ia, e mau rite ake anō a ia tōna kaha i te mahi ake anō i ngā mahi e kōrerotia ake anō e tātau. He rite ake anō i a Rāwiri i te whawhai mō ngā taputapu pakopako i te manaaki ake anō i te pakanga. Kāre e whakaae, kāre te nui o tātau o te tangata whenua e whakaae, e whawhai takahi ake anō rāua, nō reira mihi ake anō i a Rod mō tērā.
E rongo ake anō ki te tino waiata o tātau e mahi pērā i a Tari mā i wērā rā te nui o te rawakore, ‘Ka Tū te Kahikatea’, e tangi hoki te ngākau i te rongo ake anō ki tērā waiata paku. Te nui o ngā rōpū e mau kaha mō tērā tito.
Mō rātau mā, tātau e mahi tahi pērā i a Margaret Crozier, a Pete Vink, a Gary Moore, ngā tangata o ōku hoa mahi o wērā tau, a Wally Stone, i roto i āku te nui o ōku whakaaro mō tō tātau whawhai tahi mō ngā take e rite ake anō i a Rod.
E mihi ake anō i a Rod i tōku tae i konei, i tae ake anō a Rod ki tōku wāhi e kōrero ake anō mō te mau neketai. E pīrangi ake anō a Rod e haere a muri i a ia, i te whawhai ake anō ki te Whare nei mō te mau neketai. I tētahi rā i kōrero ake anō a Rod ki a wau, e tae tahi ake anō tāua i konei, kore he neketai. I tae au i konei, whakapanga ake anō te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare ahau i waho rā, kāre i taea a Rod.
Tēnā anō te whakaaro i roto i ahau mō Rod. He tino hoa tātau wētahi o tātau. Kāre mō te noho i roto i te Whare Miēre anake. Mō ngā tau e oti ake anō. Kua rere ake anō wētahi o ngā tino tangata e whawhai tonu ake anō mō ngā take pērā i a Rod. Nō reira, tangi hoki te ngākau i a koutou te Kaiwhakahaere, tēnā koutou mō tērā.
Mō ngā mate i roto i a tātau, a te koroua rā a Tahu Asher, e tangi hoki te ngākau. Mō tōna kaha o tērā tino pakeke o tātau e rere haere ake anō. Nā rātau pērā i a Puti Murray, te whāea o Te Tai Tokerau, e tangi hoki te ngākau. Mō tōku pāpā koroua o te kāinga a Hiki Te Kani, e tangi hoki te ngākau. E haere tahi ake anō rāua a Darkie Downes mā i te taha o Rod i tērā wāhi e mōhio ake anō tātou kei te mau mahana ngā tipuna. Ahakoa te taumaha, kī pēnei ake anō ki a koutou, kia kaha ki te manaaki ake anō te rere haere o Rod.
- [An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[It is appropriate that I acknowledge those losses, in particular of Jack, the father of John, a former Minister of Māori Affairs, and what he did in Parliament. I also acknowledge the death of that man from the Wairarapa, the Hon John Falloon, and his efforts among his local people to look after them, be it iwi or hapū.
There have been many tributes to that big man, former Prime Minister David Lange. While elder brother Pita has already expressed the grief of all Māori present, it is apt that I, too, should rise to pay a tribute to David. Throughout the time he spent in the north and helped the people up there, until his return to Auckland, he really supported the unemployed and homeless among the local people. It is fitting that Rāwiri should be acknowledged. He had the strength within him to care for those less fortunate among Māori who ended up in the prison system. His energy was boundless as he visited courts to assist those needing help with money, even dipping into his own personal resources. Because of the sort of person he was, and his humility, which others in this House have alluded to, I too acknowledge his passing.
To you of the Green Party, Jeanette and others, my heartfelt condolences to you all. Greetings. I have many memories of Rod. From the first time that I met him, he worked with the same boundless energy on the things we are recounting today. He shared the same views as Rāwiri about nuclear warfare. He did not agree with it. We, the majority of Māoridom, did not, either. They fought against it. And so I really acknowledge Rod for that.
To hear that really lovely song of ours, “Ka Tū te Kahikatea”, by Tari and most of the others, certainly touched the emotions. There are many groups who hold fast to that song.
I bring to mind others of us like Margaret Crozier, Pete Vink, and Gary Moore, colleagues of mine of former years; and Wally Stone, who fought for issues similar to ones that mattered to Rod. I hold fond memories of those times when we jointly fought for issues.
I acknowledge Rod in another way as well, by recalling the time when he fronted up to my office when I first arrived in Parliament, to discuss the wearing of neckties. Rod sought my support to ban the wearing of ties in this House. One day, Rod raised the matter again with me, and between the two of us we decided that we would turn up in the House without a tie on. Well, I turned up first without a tie on, and got ordered out of the House by the Speaker, but Rod did not turn up at all.
That is how I felt about Rod. Some of us become very close to each other—not just as colleagues in Parliament, but long afterwards. Some really great people who fought for the issues that Rod took up have passed away as well. So like the others, I, too, grieve within. I give my thanks to all.
In respect of the deaths upon us, specifically of the elder Tahu Asher, I mourn for him as well. The efforts for us of that elder of ours who has passed away is acknowledged. Similarly, I grieve the death of the grandmother figure of the north, Puti Murray. I grieve the passing of my grandfather as well, Hiki Te Kani, from home. He and Darkie Downes are going together with Rod to that place that we know warms the ancestors. Despite the weight of it all, let me say this to you, be strong and caring with this loss of Rod.]
- Waiata
Ki a koe Mētīria, te kanohi Māori i roto i te rōpū rā, kia kaha ki te mau hoki ake anō i ngā mea katoa i roto i a koe. Tēnā koutou katoa.
- [And to you Mētīria, the face of Māoridom in your political party, be strong in your endeavours to hold on to everything within you. Greetings to you all.]
METIRIA TUREI (Green) : Kia ora koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.
- [Greetings to you all. A big greeting to you all.]
First, I send my sincerest regards to the friends and family of Mr Luxton, Mr Falloon, and, of course, David Lange. They too have suffered personal losses this year, and we can understand just a little the grief and pain they will still be feeling from their losses. So on behalf of the Green Party, I send them our sincerest regards.
I also recognise the passing of Tahu Asher, who was here for such a long time. He was here the whole time I was in Parliament. He translated my maiden speech, which included what has to be the funniest moment of my entire life—I cannot imagine anything ever beating it. He translated my singing of the te reo version of the Blam Blam Blam song “There is No Depression in New Zealand”, sung to the tune of the national anthem. He did it with such class. I think the words came as a real surprise to him, and I will forever remember him for that really amazing experience.
I also thank all the members of Parliament, staff, Māori Party members, and Labour Party people who came to our offices to pay tribute to Rod. I especially thank Marian, Tim, Darren, and the Speaker for their support for the Greens over this last week. It has been a difficult parliamentary process for us all, and I want to say how much I appreciate their support, and the support of all members, in helping the whole Parliament through these last few days.
But really, all of my aroha, awhi, and manaaki goes to Nicola, Holly, Emma, and Zoe. It is very difficult for us, and must be near impossible for them. We look forward to seeing them tomorrow to express that to them. My heart is with them, and will be there for some time.
One of the funny things about this place is that we express so many emotions here. Sometimes there is so much anger and frustration, and not quite so much funny bantering between members. There has been the occasional moment when I thought someone was going to get up and punch somebody else. There is a lot of laughter too—real, genuine laughter. We do not often get the chance to be truly sad here, and I think it is very important that today, at least, on days such as this, we can express our deepest sorrow and feel free about our tears, our hūpē, and our pain.
Rod spoke about David Lange at the Green Party campaign opening. I too am sorry about David Lange’s death. In that speech Rod described Mr Lange as a flawed hero. I think he was making an allusion to Lange’s humanness—that there are no superhumans or superheros. Rod too was just an ordinary person. He was able to show us how people can behave extraordinarily, and how they can do extraordinary things while just being ordinary people.
Rod had his wiggles and his nigglies; he could be really infuriating sometimes. He set very high standards, some of which were impossible for anyone to meet, including himself. I am really frustrated that I never got to argue with him about, for example, anarchism, which is something I always wanted to do. He did piss me off sometimes, and I pissed him off sometimes. But those moments could be fun for us, because although he took himself quite seriously, at least he knew that he did that and made allowances for it. When I was bad he always forgave me with a big hug and a huge smile.
Despite Rod’s ordinary humanness, he was committed to making sure he did everything he could for the people around him. He was dedicated to the service of his people—in the very old-fashioned, traditional sense of the word “service”. He never did anything for ego, for money, or for power, and his death reminds us that we know hundreds of people in our communities who are not famous, who do not get huge rewards, and who also have that sense of community service. Perhaps we need to make sure that we remember them, thank them for their service and contribution, and do not let their passing go by without acknowledging that, because it is so incredibly special to us all.
I do not remember the first day I met Rod, although I really wish I did. However, I do remember that I first campaigned with him at the Ōtara shopping centre. I think it was my first real function with him, and I was so impressed by him. We were told that the kids’ enclosed, lockable playground in the Ōtara shopping centre had been built by pokie-machine owners and operators right outside their front doors, for very obvious reasons. Rod was horrified. We had our photo taken, and I was so pleased that he understood just how awful it was that that sort of thing could happen in Ōtara. It made me feel really close to him that he understood the situation instinctively, that he was there, and that he was prepared to work really hard to make it public.
Rod was very well loved in Dunedin, where I am now living with my family. I moved to Dunedin just a couple of years ago. I have stolen his office, his people, and his electorate campaign team that he worked so hard to build up. He was really loved there. He did such things as visit and support McKinlay’s Footwear Ltd, who make shoes, and Emerson’s, who make great beer. He had a fantastic relationship with members of the media in Dunedin, such as Dene MacKenzie of the Otago Daily Times, and the radio station 4XO. They had organised a fundraiser for the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Salvation Army, and Rod spent the night in a cardboard box outside the Dunedin Countdown supermarket. He promoted the Taieri Gorge Railway, and tried to save it. He supported the single transferable vote (STV) campaign in Dunedin. He supported the Green Party people and all those in the community who were so in favour of STV. STV is used in Dunedin, which is really fantastic.
One of my lasting memories of Rod involves last year’s Buy Local for Christmas fair that was organised at the Octagon. I made Rod a Christmas Santa outfit. It was green and white and made of a quite clingy material. I had actually used a pattern similar to that used for outfits worn by exotic dancers. I sent it to him, and he had it with him in Christchurch. He wore it on the plane. When he arrived I said to him: “Oh mate, you didn’t have to wear it on the plane.”. He replied: “Oh, but you made it for me, so I thought I would wear it all the way down here. Nicola didn’t think it was a very good idea, but I wore it anyway.” I am sure he wore it just because it was actually quite sexy. But that was the thing—I had made it, so he wore it, and he was prepared to go out there even though it showed all of his best assets, I think.
I will be eternally grateful to Rod in relation to the hīkoi to Parliament over the foreshore and seabed issue. I met the hīkoi at Te Papa and walked up here with it. I skirted around the back so that I could see it coming in, and when I got here I found that Rod had asked the Speaker’s permission and organised for us to have our banner out on the front steps. The Green Party MPs were holding the banner when the hīkoi arrived. He did not tell me he was going to do it, but that is what he was like. He would just do these things because they were great ideas, they were supportive, they were helpful, and they were part of letting everybody know that this was important to us, as well. When I got to Parliament he was there with that huge banner. We were all there, and it gave us a real chance, as parliamentarians, to support what was happening with the hīkoi. It was his initiative and his drive to do it.
I love Rod like a brother, and I think that says a lot about him as a mentor and a leader. He was always there to tell us when we did a good job. Even if one of us had an interview at 6 o’clock in the morning, he would ring at 6.05 a.m. and say it was fantastic. He always had advice, and he always let us argue with him about whatever was happening. He would stand fast to what he thought was right, but we could turn him if we did it the right way and had the right argument. I liked to call him “my esteemed leader”, and when I did he would say: “What are you greasing me up for?”. Most of the time I was not greasing him up for anything, but it was good to remind him that, as much as it was a joke, I held him in real esteem. He really was a leader in the best sense of the word for me—although I did call him my boss whenever I was angry at him.
Rod was an excellent member of Parliament, and I will remember him by doing my best to be, in his image, the best possible member of Parliament, as much as possible. He really had an enormous amount yet to teach us, especially some of us new ones. I deeply regret that he is not here to continue that. Rod was an example of a good man. He was a role model for men. He would come up to me, with his arms open, and say “Metiria!”, and want a great big hug. It was just the way he did things. He was not afraid of himself.
I think it is important to recognise Rod in the context of the whole activist movement. The social justice and environmental movements have lost a number of very good men this year, and I just want to remember them: Owen Wilkes, who died in May this year, was a dedicated peace researcher, former editor of Peacelink, and involved with Peace Movement Aotearoa/New Zealand; David Wakim, who died in October of this year, was a pharmacist, an active member of Pax Christi, a Palestinian Human Rights Campaign member, and a founder of the Council of Christians and Muslims in New Zealand; and Kevin Smith, who died in August this year, was a senior adviser to the Minister of Conservation, Chris Carter, a former conservation director of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, and instrumental in ending the logging of native forests on the West Coast. And now we have had the death of our darling Rod. Our country is bereft for the loss of these men, who showed themselves to be good role models for what it can be to be active, passionate, emotional, and kind. We are very sorry that they are not here with us, and all our love goes to their friends and family.
I wish I could remember every moment and every word I ever shared with Rod. I will remember him by being the best MP I can be, by doing beach clean-ups, and by buying local for this Christmas, the one after, and every Christmas to come. By drinking Dunedin-made beers, I will remember him. Whenever I am nude in public, I will remember Rod. When I make my special chocolates, I will remember Rod. On occasion, I will remember him especially by doing something that I know would really piss him off. I miss Rod Donald very, very much.
- Waiata
- Motions agreed to.
- Honourable members stood as a mark of respect.