Stephen Joyce

Wellington, Dec 12 NZPA - Steven Joyce, who was appointed to cabinet a week after being elected as a list MP, told Parliament today how he was going to go about his responsibilities as a minister.

"I believe in doing the hard yards, grinding it out, nothing too flashy," he said in his maiden speech.

Mr Joyce, a radio network tycoon, was National's campaign and general manager before coming to Parliament.

He said he had been in business for the last 20 years and understood the concerns and frustrations of the business sector.

Getting a straight answer from central and local government was a complaint he heard often, he said.

* His colleague Hekia Parata, also a list MP, described herself as a fully committed bi-cultural citizen.

She also said she knew about business and the slog of compliance regimes.

Ms Parata said businesses had to be liberated so they could create wealth and jobs.

"I have come to Parliament with a high expectation of what is possible," she said.

* Amy Adams, a Canterbury sheep farmer who won the Selwyn seat for National, said she came from a family of self-starters and talked about the need to look after agriculture.

"We need to treasure our rural communities, not trash them," she said.

Ms Adams said politicians had put infrastructure development in the too hard basket for too long.

"We have to start thinking as a nation for the greater good," she said.

"New Zealand has been heading down a dead-end street for most of the last decade."

* Todd McClay, who took Rotorua from Labour, said violent criminals and drug dealers should be put away for longer.

He spoke about "horrific" recent cases of child abuse and said New Zealand as a nation had to say that violence of any sort was unacceptable.

Mr McClay also made a plea for Rotorua's shops to be allowed to open during Easter.

He said it was the tourism capital of New Zealand and the message being sent out was "don't come to Rotorua at Easter, it's closed".

* Phil Twyford, a new Labour list MP, said it was his aspiration to make New Zealand the best place it could be.

"We know we are capable of great things," he said.

"First we must unleash the talents of all our citizens through great health and education systems."

Mr Twyford said it had to be recognised that some things were achieved more efficiently and fairly together than privately.

* Iain Lees-Galloway, who won the safe Labour seat of Palmerston North, said he believed in decent pay for good work, individual choice, personal responsibility and empowering people.

He spoke about the need for New Zealand to maintain its clean, green image which he said was essential for tourism and exports.

"The marketing is perfect, reality doesn't quite match the hype," he said.

* Kennedy Graham, a new Green Party MP and brother of former cabinet minister Sir Douglas Graham, dealt with environmental sustainability.

"We are drawing down on Earth's natural resources, borrowing forward on the human heritage, irretrievably encroaching on our children's right to inherit the Earth in a natural and sustainable state," he said.

"It is the uniquely dubious fate of our generation to have broken the eternal promise of inter-generational justice."

Dr Graham said a change in mindset was needed.

"That requires a new world-view, a transformational change in individual lifestyle, a refashioned approach to governmental management.

"It is time we measured national success not through mindless material growth but through genuine progress in human well-being."

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