New Tukituki MP Lawrence Yule makes his maiden speech in House

With a host of new MPs entering Parliament for the first time, there is a lot of interest in how they start their parliamentary careers.

Yesterday the MP for Tukituki, Lawrence Yule, made his maiden speech in the House.

He told fellow MPs it was a "tremendous honour to speak for the first time at the beginning of the 52nd Parliament".

"It is a privilege to represent the people of Tukituki in this House and I thank them for voting and bringing me here."

He acknowledged and congratulated the Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, on his appointment. He also congratulated other presiding officers as well as former Hawke's Bay resident Hon Anne Tolley for her appointment as Deputy Speaker.

Mr Yule made reference to his "wonderful wife Kerryn who I love and who has been a tower of strength since we met and was a superstar in the campaign" and his "four wonderful adult children from a previous marriage who are doing incredibly well".

He also added that he has a "faith and stand by my Christian values of honesty, tolerance, love, and care for fellow human beings. To this end I am completely accepting of diversity, race, gender, culture and sexual orientation".

His mother was in the gallery.