New National MP for Rangitata James Meager has stolen the show on day one of parliament, with his maiden speech turning heads.

Meager, who has Ngāi Tahu decent, began his 14-minute speech mixing Te Reo with English, weaving in and out of the two languages as he introduced himself and congratulated both the new speaker Gerry Brownlee and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

During his speech, the 36-year-old spoke of his experience growing up in a state house with a single parent on a benefit, calling himself a “walking contradiction” in the National Party.

“I know what it’s like to see a solo mother juggle three kids, part-time work, correspondence school and all the other worries that a single parent living in South Timaru has.

“I know what it’s like to have your very first memory be of the police trying to coax you to come out from under the bed, telling you that everything would be OK.”

Meager also revealed his strained relationship with his father, a father who had spent 40 years working at the freezing works and who had never set foot in the North Island until he arrived to watch his son give his maiden speech.

“Dad’s a hard worker, a bloody hard worker. You can’t stand on your feet for hours on end on the chain and in the boning room for 40 years without knowing what hard work looks like.

“Dad wasn’t around much growing up. That’s put a strain on our relationship which has never healed, and which may never heal. But I don’t blame him for that. We are products of our upbringing, we navigate through the world with the tools that we are given, and sometimes those tools just aren’t fit for purpose,” Meager said.

Meager went on to say the opposition did not own Māori or the poor. “No party and no ideology has a right to claim ownership over anything or anyone.”

His speech was met with a standing ovation from all sides of the house.

National MP for Napier Katie Nimon also gave her maiden speech to the house.