‘I’m sorry’
Retiring MP Dr Nick Smith says he was wrong to vote against same-sex marriage, fulfilling a commitment to his gay son, writes Cherie Sivignon.
Retiring long-time National politician Dr Nick Smith has used his valedictory speech to apologise to the LGBTQ+ community for having voted against samesex marriage – honouring a commitment to his son.
Signing off in Parliament yesterday from a political career of more than 30 years,
Smith said his decision in 2013 to vote against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment
Bill was ‘‘an issue I got wrong’’.
‘‘The error is all the more personal with my 20-year-old son being gay,’’ said the politician, who spent most of his career as the Nelson electorate MP. Smith stood for a photograph with his son, Logan, on Ta¯ hunanui Beach at Nelson before heading to Wellington for the speech 10 days after announcing his retirement, in a move that appeared to have come as a surprise to many.
He told Stuff he had a ‘‘very conservative’’ view at the time on the topic of same-sex marriage.
‘‘I was wrong,’’ he said. ‘‘I made a commitment to my son that before I left Parliament I would apologise and set the record straight.’’
Despite Smith and 43 other MPs voting ‘‘no’’ during the bill’s third and final reading, 77 voted ‘‘aye’’ and the bill became law. During his valedictory statement, Smith paid tribute to fellow past and present MPs Louisa Wall, Fran Wilde and Amy Adams for their leadership on the matter, which ‘‘has improved the lives of my son and thousands of other New Zealanders’’. Smith’s greatest thank you was for his wife, Linley, whom Smith described as his ‘‘rock, soul mate and best friend’’. He also acknowledged his first wife, Cyndy, and he and Linley’s blended family, of Hazel, Logan, Samantha and Alex.
‘‘I thank them as
sometimes this job has had negative impacts on them.’’
Smith did not apologise for remaining an ‘‘arch-conservative’’ on drugs and alcohol.
‘‘Substance abuse and addiction is at the heart of so much crime, hurt and tragedy,’’ he said. ‘‘I do not buy the line that going soft and being more permissive will see less use and less harm.’’
Smith spent a large chunk of his farewell speech outlining the highlights of his long political career, saying it had mostly been a ‘‘blast and enormous privilege’’.
The senior politicians of the day were former prime ministers David Lange (Labour) and Rob Muldoon (National). Smith recalled the sharp-tongued Sir Robert saying: ‘‘So you’re a doctor. Are you one of the ones that makes you well or one of the ones that make you sick?’’
With a first-class honours degree in civil engineering and a PhD in landslides, Smith was the latter.
‘‘Sir Robert would be much happier with our deputy, Dr Shane [Reti],’’ Smith said.
During his three decades in politics, Smith said he introduced 50 bills to Parliament, of which 45 had passed. The Royal Society of New Zealand Act and the Chartered Professional Engineers Act were two member’s bills of which he was particularly proud.
Of more than a dozen ministerial portfolios, conservation minister – a job he held twice – was the role closest to his heart.
Smith told Parliament that in his maiden speech, he talked of a nation that had lost its confidence and way.
‘‘Our economy was a basket case with high unemployment, rampant inflation and high debt. Our best and brightest were leaving in droves,’’ he said. ‘‘I do not wish to diminish the current challenges, but we are a much better country today.’’