Ricardo Menéndez March maiden statement

Ricardo Menéndez March’s maiden statement in Parliament, delivered on 8 December 2020, is a deeply personal and political reflection on migration, identity, inequality and collective action. Speaking as a Green Party MP, he grounds his speech in gratitude to his whānau, community and those who helped him reach this milestone. He opens by acknowledging mana whenua, the iwi and hapū of Aotearoa New Zealand, and honours those who paved the way before him. Switching between te reo Māori, English and Spanish, he connects his story as a Mexican migrant to the broader struggles for justice, dignity and environmental sustainability.

Ricardo pays tribute to everyone who has had to “lie to Work and Income to survive,” referencing the marginalisation of people forced to navigate systems not designed for them. He invokes the queer slogan “be gay, do crime” as a call to resist unjust rules that criminalise survival, whether for queer people, migrants, or sole parents. His statement powerfully links survival and love, framing transgression as an act of care and resistance against economic systems that benefit the wealthy few while oppressing vulnerable communities.

He traces his whakapapa to the Isthmus of Veracruz in Mexico and describes his journey of reconciling complex layers of identity shaped by colonialism, nationalism and caste systems. In Spanish, he quotes the writer Yasnaya Aguilar, explaining that the concept of “mestizo” identity was a state project to sustain hegemony and erase Indigenous heritage. He reflects on rediscovering his family history and position within the Mexican state, while drawing strength from collective movements across Mexico and Aotearoa that demand justice, dignity and ecological harmony.

Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Ricardo recalls the daily violence of cartel wars, displacement and poverty. He describes growing up amid constant danger—discussing kidnapping contingencies, witnessing bodies hanging from bridges and losing classmates to violence—but also surrounded by profound love. His grandmother Carmen, who fled an abusive marriage, becomes a symbol of courage and defiance against patriarchy, teaching him that love and resistance are intertwined.

Ricardo recounts arriving in Aotearoa in 2006 as an international student. The cost of study quickly became unmanageable, and after his mother’s death by suicide, he found himself broke and unemployed. He credits his survival to the radical love of friends and colleagues at the Capitol Cinema, where he worked for eight years as an attendant and projectionist. That experience taught him humility, solidarity and the impact of automation—when digital projectors replaced skilled labour and wages stagnated. His awareness of exploitation deepened as politicians dismissed workers like him as “low-skilled,” sparking his entry into politics.

Watching the 2011 election from behind the cinema counter, he was angered by rhetoric scapegoating migrants for inequality and housing shortages, while billionaires could buy residency. This hypocrisy drove him to challenge the systems of capitalism and colonialism that divide and exploit. He emphasises that low wages, migrant rights, welfare, housing and climate change are not abstract policy issues—they are matters of survival for the communities he represents. He condemns corporate welfare and the double standards that grant trust to the wealthy while subjecting the poor to scrutiny and shame.

Ricardo reflects on his time with Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP), learning welfare advocacy from mentors such as Kathleen Paraha, Pat Henley and Fred Anaru. He champions “radical love” as both a political philosophy and a daily practice—a discipline that fuels resistance to injustice and strengthens communities. Love, he says, gives the courage to persevere, the humility to listen and the patience to have difficult conversations for the sake of future generations.

He acknowledges his Green Party colleagues and members, honouring a lineage of social justice advocates including Sue Bradford, Metiria Turei, Jan Logie and Marama Davidson. He commits to continuing their work linking workers’ rights, climate justice and Indigenous sovereignty, rejecting the false divide between social and environmental issues. For him, addressing inequality and protecting the planet are inseparable struggles.

Closing with words of affection to his family across the Pacific, Ricardo thanks them for their love, guidance and humour—often delivered through social media—and promises to honour that love through his service. His maiden speech weaves together migration, queerness, decolonisation, class struggle and environmental care into a singular message: that radical love, collective action and justice are inseparable forces shaping a more equitable Aotearoa New Zealand.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Ricardo Menendez March

2020s, aotearoa new zealand, green party, member of parliament, mexico, parliament buildings, ricardo menendez march, spanish, the capitol cinema, tijuana

access, advocacy, aliens, anger, biodiversity, blood, bridges, capital, capitalism, change, children, cinema, clicking, climate change, collective, colonialism, community, courage, crime, dignity, divorce, drugs, economy, election, elizabeth kerekere, exploitation, face, family, film, food, freedom, friends, frustration, funding, future, gay, government, growing up, guidance, housing, housing crisis, identity, immigration, inequality, injustice, iwi, jan logie, job, journey, justice, knowledge, love, maiden speech, mana, mana whenua, marama davidson, media, metiria turei, migrants, minimum wage, movement, nationalism, normal, opportunity, pacific, pandemic, parents, patience, people, politics, power, privilege, queer, radical love, sea, security, shame, social, social media, space, spaces, speech, strength, struggle, stuff, sue bradford, suicide, support, survival, tika, time, trade, transgressive, trust, truth, unemployment, university, violence, visa, waitangi, water, whakapapa, whenua, winston peters, work