National MP and former senior minister Maurice Williamson began his farewell address noting that he'd had a stern warning about his speech from MFAT. He said that as he about to be come a consul he would be careful.
"I am going to be diplomatic. I'm going to try and make sure that instead of calling someone a 'wanker' I call them 'an owner-operator', because that's the diplomatic way to go these days."
Maurice Williamson thanks his wife in the gallery during his valedictory statement. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
In his valedictory statement Maurice Williamson spoke of successes like the creation of Pharmac, and the proud moment when he tabled the Mahon Report into the causes of the Erebus disaster.
He proudly recalled the introductions of various technologies he had championed, and of disappointments, like failing to convince his colleagues to sell TVNZ.
