Point of Order Mr Speaker by Selwyn Katene

Author:Selwyn Katene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Huia (NZ) Ltd

2011 general election — a third term

The 2011 election was a real nail-biter. I won the Waitākere seat on the night, with my election-night majority only 349 votes. However, I lost it when the special votes were counted some ten days later, to Labour’s candidate, Carmel Sepuloni. Fortunately, after we put in for a judicial recount, I was eventually declared the winner, albeit by just nine votes.

I had worked so hard in Parliament in my first term, as a cabinet minister of a major portfolio, and then all of a sudden this scenario happened. I was devastated. I should have won it by more votes, there’s no two ways about it. My electorate was important to me. I’d worked so hard to win it. I like being an electorate MP. I like representing people and to have their mandate. So it was really hard to think that I might have lost it. And Labour, with all due respect, threw everything at it because they saw it as a marginal seat. In fact, they felt they shouldn’t have lost it to me in the first place, back in 2008. So they sent in Carmel Sepuloni, who worked incredibly hard.

This third term for me also brought about a number of challenges to consolidate my cabinet role, and ensure my electorate was serviced and well supported. Additionally, my seniority in the cabinet meant there were expectations I should maintain my high standards and continue to mentor others coming into Parliament. It was always important to me to give back to my junior colleagues and help other people as best I could. That meant I needed to make myself available to do a lot of work with the Party in general, not just my own electorate. So that was really important to me.

It was also important that we as a Party stayed in regular contact with our base, and ensured that as parliamentarians we were well connected and were doing what we said we’d do. That spirit helps drive me on a daily basis. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the National Party. It’s a huge part of my life. We, as a party, should be leaving our country better than we found it. That should always be our goal. That’s of central importance to me.

My husband, Alan, says it’s my religion and my culture – and it is. Alan was a truck driver when we first met, twenty-three years ago. He used to stop in at the diner where I was waitressing. Not too long ago we rekindled our friendship, and in April 2012 we were married in a private ceremony, and we celebrated the best way we could, with fish and chips and champagne at Piha beach. Alan brought his kids back from Australia, and now we are a family together.

I get along well with my colleagues. The engine room, more commonly referred to as the ‘kitchen cabinet’, was comprised of senior cabinet members constantly strategising. It was a well-organised tight group, with John Key, Bill English, Steven Joyce and Gerry Brownlee.

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