Judy Kirk Speech
new-zealand-national-party
Mon Aug 03 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Judy Kirk Speech
Monday, 3 August 2009, 9:05 am
Speech: New Zealand National Party
NZ National Party
Judy Kirk
President
1 August 2009
Speech
Prime Minister, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Board, fellow delegates.
This is the last speech I will give as your President. For seven years it has been an honour to hold this office but the time is now right for me to move on. I do so in the certain knowledge that the National Party is in its strongest ever position.
When I took office in August 2002, the Party was in very poor shape. The centre-right had suffered its worst loss in almost a century and we had just 27 out of 120 seats in the Parliament.
Just look at us today!
I am delighted that at my seventh and final conference I am able to welcome a National Party Prime Minister and 58 National Members of Parliament.
It is very hard to even comprehend the significant changes. We are a party transformed.
The National Party did not adapt to MMP as quickly as it might have. So it took a number of years to get across the essential message that it's the party vote that determines the make-up of the Parliament.
You can all attest to the countless electorate, regional and national meetings I have spoken at over the last seven years where I have made no apology for hammering home the party vote message. And just to be sure you do have the message before I go… please remember that it's the party vote alone that counts. We forget it at our peril.
I have been privileged to serve with three great leaders. Each of whom played his part in getting the party to where it is today.
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In 2002, Hon Bill English started the rebuilding phase. Thanks to him, the constitutional conference was a great success. And he led a caucus which, though reduced in number, was a united and relentless opposition.
Don Brash almost took us over the line in 2005. Had we not achieved such success at that election, we could have been condemned to Opposition for many, many years. The political landscape could have fundamentally altered with one dominant political party surrounded by a constellation of smaller parties. Don put a stake in the ground and brought National voters home.
In 2008, John Key did take us over the line and what a great victory we had.
Now, you'd expect the President to naturally be full of praise for a leader who has taken a political party to such a fabulous win but when I talk about the contribution our new Prime Minister has made I speak from the heart.
From the day he entered Parliament, it was clear John was a person headed for the top. His friendly and outgoing nature had an immediate effect on the electorate who recognise him as a genuinely nice guy.
What you see is what you get - one can hardly imagine John brooding in his office in the depths of night working out how to destroy his political opponents with legislation like the Electoral Finance Act.
Someone told me the other day about a political scientist in the United States who once analysed Presidents in terms of whether they were active or passive and whether they were positive or negative.
So, not surprisingly, Richard Nixon was a negative, active personality. Some were negative passives. On rare occasions the best combination came together - that of active positives. FDR and Harry Truman were active positives. So is John Key. His bright and breezy disposition is matched by an active desire to improve the lot of all New Zealanders.
While one can never be complacent, I think the omens look good for a prolonged period of leadership under this genuine good guy.
Thank you John, for agreeing to enter politics, thank you for your inspirational leadership in the period leading up to the last election, thank you for the magnificent start to your premiership and, above all, thank you for what you are going to do in the future.
I've mentioned the party vote and leadership. There's another reason we did so well and I'm looking at them.
Each and every one of you made a significant contribution to our election success and, if we play our cards right, I think we can do even better next time. For example, in both the 1960s and 1990s, Wellington moved strongly towards the National Party in government. There is no reason why it cannot happen again.
This is the greatest volunteer organisation in New Zealand's history.
Everyone who works for the National Party does so because they believe in the party and what it stands for. All our labour is voluntary. We don't coerce anyone into working for us.
In these days of MMP, electorate chairs don't so much chair electorates as have responsibility for mini-regions. Just look at seats like Clutha-Southland, which takes in Gore, Balclutha, Queenstown and Dipton. To be an effective chair of that electorate requires huge commitment and a lot of time. There are other electorates I could name as well like Taranaki-King Country, Rangitikei, Wairarapa, West Coast-Tasman, Northland and many others. Your commitment is pivotal to the success of the National Party.
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of having good electorate teams. Membership really is the lifeblood of the party. We need members because we need that commitment and effort.
We must therefore always value our membership. And it's not just about members being wells you can tap time and time again for money. Members choose candidates – in fact we have the most democratic selection procedures of any political party. Our members also influence policy. Membership of the National Party is worth having and it’s worth promoting.
And let this point be a message: we must never forget the importance of the party organisation. We cannot win without the party; we cannot govern without the party.
On the subject of candidates, I have been particularly proud of the success of the Candidates' College. It has proved a useful way of introducing would-be candidates to the party, its belief and traditions. And it enables us to take a good look at potential candidates. It is my great hope that the Candidates' College continues to grow and develop.
And so it is that I come to the final words in my last ever speech to a National Party conference.
I would like to think that my Presidency has illustrated the importance of teamwork. The National Party is not about one person, no matter how good that person is or how experienced he or she is in politics.
The National Party is all about teamwork and a belief in one another. Where that teamwork is missing, where we stop believing in one another and in what we are trying to do, the party will fail. But where we believe in one another and work together, I think we are unstoppable.
And it's not just about holding power for power's sake. It's about serving this wonderful country that we all love so much.
Now that we are in government and implementing our policies, we must retain the mandate the country gave us and continue to deliver for New Zealand.
I urge you not to rest on your laurels.
There are many people who have supported me throughout my Presidency. No one more than my husband Roger. He has kept the home fires burning and allowed me to pour my heart and soul into the National Party. Thank you Roger for your rock solid support.
I also want to mention the contribution of our Campaign Chairman Steven Joyce. In Steven’s maiden speech he gave me much credit but today I acknowledge the vital part he has played. Working with Steven has been an important part of my Presidency. I personally want to thank him for his belief in me and his support. It needs to be recognised that his contribution helped change the National Party’s fortunes and I am sure history will record that. I certainly learnt a lot from Steven – particularly about R.O.M – Relentlessly On Message.
There are so many other members of caucus, members of the Board, senior party officials and individual members who have worked with me over the last seven years. It has been a great privilege to work with such a talented and dedicated team and a wonderful feeling, as I end my term, knowing how much we have all achieved together.
I am not going to name individuals for fear of leaving someone out. Suffice to say that you all know who you are and to each and every one of you, I simply say an enormous and heartfelt thank you and, please, let us keep in touch.
It has been a privilege to be your President. While I now relinquish that office, I remain, and will always remain, a proud member of the National Party.
I wish the Prime Minister, the new President of the National Party and all of you the very best for the future. Most importantly I wish the collective National Party the very best of success as it continues to write a strong and proud history. Thank you.
ENDS
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