Analysis: Rookie National Party MP James Meager delivered a stellar maiden speech, heralding the promising politician's entrance into Parliament, writes 1News political reporter Felix Desmarais.
Selection for the first two maiden speeches of the new Parliament is a badge of honour, selected by the prime minister.
This time, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon chose new Rangitata MP James Meager and Napier MP Katie Nimon.
The honour usually goes to two MPs with particular promise. Meager showed it in spades with his words, showing strong vulnerability and conviction in equal measure.
Maiden speeches are usually a 15-minute opportunity for an MP to discuss their upbringing, what brought them to Parliament and what they hoped to achieve there. A way to set the tone for their service as an MP, however long or short it may be. Like some MPs' tenures, not all maiden speeches are memorable nor particularly notable.
And the reverse is also true.
The rookie National MP impressed in the debating chamber with a speech about a poor upbringing and personal responsibility. (Source: 1News)
Meager's was a speech that held the room for the full 15 mins, and shortly afterwards had the phrase "future prime minister" floating back and forth across the press gallery above the Speaker's chair.
Meager acknowledged the new Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, saying he believed Brownlee, the former long-time Ilam MP, would "go down as one of the South Island's most important politicians we will have ever seen".
That elicited the joking response from Brownlee: "You will go far in politics", which drew laughter around the chamber.
Meager spoke of his upbringing with a Ngāi Tahu freezing worker dad, who until yesterday — Meager's swearing in at Parliament — had never stepped foot in the North Island.
"Dad's a hard worker, a bloody hard worker. You can't stand on your feet for hours on end on the chain and in the boning room for 40 years without knowing what hard work looks like.
"Dad wasn't around much growing up. That's put a strain on our relationship which has never healed, and which may never heal. But I don't blame him for that. We are products of our upbringing, we navigate through the world with the tools that we are given, and sometimes those tools just aren't fit for purpose.
"Forgiveness and redemption are words often overused, but they're words that are fit for this moment.
"We shouldn't judge people based on who they once were. We can only judge someone on who they are today compared to who they were yesterday.
"I know my Dad is making up for lost time. I'm so glad he's here today, and I love him dearly."
He said his parents split while he was at kindergarten, so his mother brought up him and his younger siblings alone, a single mum in a state house on the benefit.
"I know what it's like to be poor. I know what it's like to grow up sharing a bedroom with my brother until I was 18. I know what it's like to walk everywhere because we didn't have a car until I was nine. I know what it's like to see a father struggle to pay his bills and borrow money from his kid's school savings account.
"I know what it's like to see a solo mother juggle three kids, part-time work, correspondence school and all the other worries that a single parent living in South Timaru has.
"I know what it's like to have your very first memory be of the police trying to coax you to come out from under the bed, telling you that everything would be OK."
He said despite that he had a "great life" and never went without.
"My Mum has steel in her bones and grit in her soul."
He said his mum impressed on him the importance of education.
"That's what brought me here. It's why I'm in politics, in this place. Because I know that in New Zealand today, not every child will have the same opportunity I had 30 years ago.
"Not every child has a Mum like I had, someone who drove home the importance of education, of working hard, of being a decent person and living a decent life. Too many children will grow up in our country without that opportunity.
"That's why I'm here. That's the injustice. That's the flaw in the system that I want to change."
He said while as a "part Māori boy raised in a state house by a single parent on the benefit" he was to some a "walking contradiction" as a National Party MP in a rural electorate, there was no contradiction.
"Members opposite do not own Māori. Members opposite do not own the poor. Members opposite do not own the workers. No party and no ideology has a right to claim ownership over anything or anyone.
"It's not the state that saved my family, it was my Mum. She took responsibility for our situation."
He said the state safety net should be a last resort which then "gets out of the way when we're back on our feet and lets us get on with our lives".
Meager, while speaking, appeared assured and confident. Indeed, while a new MP, he is no stranger to Parliament, having worked as a staffer. He also has a background in communications, the law and public affairs consulting.
It wasn't just what he said, but how he said it. And often, that is the hallmark of not just great politicians but great leaders. John Key had it, David Lange had it, and so did Jacinda Ardern.
Former prime minister Chris Hipkins listened, engaged, throughout his speech, as did Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who also gave Meager a hug at its conclusion.
While Meager is a backbencher for now, it's unlikely to last for long, because perhaps — just perhaps — that hug was between two men whose images will one day hang on the hall in Parliament with portraits of past prime ministers.
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