Rich leaves Parliament with a few words of wisdom

ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post

HER WAY: Katherine Rich delivers her valedictory speech.

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Katherine Rich has left Parliament her way quoting British punk rocker Sid Vicious.

The three-term former front-bench National MP delivered her valedictory speech late yesterday to a public gallery packed with friends, family, public servants and former politicians.

"Mr Speaker, looking back on many valedictories delivered in this chamber, I find a popular choice for retiring MPs is to quote Frank Sinatra's My Way," Rich said. "I've always preferred the Sid Vicious version."

Rich, at the liberal end of National's caucus, attracted accolades from across the political divide when she announced in February her decision to retire.

She told Parliament yesterday that despite her reputation for challenging her own party on issues such as the child-discipline legislation and the social welfare policy of former leader Don Brash, she had never crossed the floor.

"Commentators who have questioned my place in the National Party fail to understand our party's history," Rich said. "Liberal conservatives have always had a role in tempering the harder edges of conservative politics and encouraging change, but also acting as a cautionary voice in times of upheaval.

"One of my colleagues calls me the `Um, hang on a minute' person because of my propensity to bring up the possibility of less charitable interpretations by the news media of some of our ideas."

Rich said one of her most satisfying political memories was supporting Sue Bradford's bill outlawing the defence of reasonable force in hitting children.

She admitted it was not an easy time. "For months you'd think the sky was falling in, given the bleating of some opposed to losing the right to hit children.

"Some said parenting would become illegal, Child, Youth and Family would steal our children and that good parents would end up in jail. It hasn't happened."

Rich said she regretted not being able to convince the Government to reopen the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre case and not being able to implement her welfare strategy. "Compassionate and practical welfare provision will always get better results than condemnation."

She also issued a plea for Parliament to boost support for New Zealand music.

"Kiwi music brings us together as one of the glues to our society. The market will never support local music sufficiently, given the size of our country," she said.

Rich said her "annus horribilis" was 2005, when her disagreement over Brash's views on welfare led to her sacking as welfare spokeswoman and her temporary demotion from the front bench. "Demotion clearly wasn't a career highlight but it was preferable than trying to explain why I, a well-paid mother with all the supports in the world, intended telling a DPB (domestic purposes benefit) mum to leave her baby in childcare to net less than half the minimum wage," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News