Act MP Mark Cameron delivers emotional speech in Parliament after son’s death

Act Party MP Mark Cameron has described his life as a “godawful mess” following the death of his son and urged politicians to listen to “rural folk” in an emotional speech in Parliament today.

Cameron lost his son Brody in May this year to what the MP called the “scourge of suicide”. He said the 22-year-old had been a contractor, farmer and “an everyday Kiwi bloke”.

“This will be hard for me,” Cameron said at the start of his speech in the House.

“It is about rural mental health. You all know why I came to this building. It was for the farmers, that somehow, we could all celebrate rural New Zealand, that I might be able to shed some light on what it meant to be a farmer for farming folk.”

Act MP Mark Cameron said in his speech that although his son had died, the MP's words and work "might save someone else” and he hoped he “might be able to help rural people preserve their way of life". Photo / Mark Mitchell

Cameron, who was first elected to Parliament 2020, said he wanted to “bring an authentic voice” to the halls of power and “to keep it bloody real”.

Tuesday was World Suicide Prevention Day and Cameron said it was “hard for some, bloody hard for me”.

“I buried my boy and he is gone,” Cameron said.

The MP said he addressed MPs as “a shadow of the man that boy would have become”.

“A shadow, but I am here because I must. I am a father to a lost son, a parent to a lost child, but I turn up everyday in this House because I believe in rural New Zealand. I believe in this man and I believe in my team.”

Cameron pointed to Act leader David Seymour – who had left the House earlier in the proceedings but returned briefly to sit alongside Cameron – and other Act MPs seated around him. Some were visibly emotional during Cameron’s speech.

He said, “in this godawful mess that is my life I am in this House every day because I absolutely believe in rural people”.

The MP said that although his son had died, “I might save someone else”.

“I might be able to help rural people preserve their way of life. There is a novel idea.”

He said that meant listening to those in the rural community and asking whether policy would help or hinder their lives.

“We don’t need any more vacuous sermons on what we should be doing in rural New Zealand. We need people who actually listen to us, and on this side of the House, we are invested in that.”

Among Cameron’s latest moves at Parliament has been to lodge a member’s bill restoring provisions to the Resource Management Act that would prohibit councils from considering climate change as a factor in their plans.

“It’s not feasible to have regional councils trying to save the world’s climate. In fact, it’s hopeless, because emissions are already managed nationally under the Emissions Trading Scheme,” he said in July.

“If one council cracks down on emissions, it just pushes carbon-intensive activity someplace else. And councils aren’t equipped to consider carbon offsets that businesses might have in other parts of the country.”

That proposed legislation attracted some criticism, such as from Greater Wellington Regional councillor and Green Party member Thomas Nash, who was reported by RNZ as saying it was “completely irresponsible”.

“We need every tool we can get to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including local decision-making to incentivise the transition away from fossil fuels and disincentivise further investment in fossil fuel use.”

After the death of his son, a number of politicians sent their condolences to the Act MP. They included Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who said the thoughts of the whole of Parliament would be with him.

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION

Where to get help:

• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)

• Youth services: (06) 3555 906• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234

• What’s Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)

• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)

• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.