Fox Marama: New Zealand Flag Referendums Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFox Marama: New Zealand Flag Referendums Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 13 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5827. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):I rise to take a call on this very important discussion. I think it is an important discussion because I absolutely agree with a lot of the objections about why we are doing this. But actually I absolutely agree that I would like to see a change in the flag because I would like to see something that does symbolise our duality of nationhood. Should we be spending this amount of money on doing it? I would like to think not. Should we have put a constitutional change in first before we put a flag change in? I absolutely agree with that. I would love to see us talk about the constitution in very real ways which is why the Māori Party wanted to have the constitutional review—and that is what has happened—based on the Treaty of Waitangi. A constitution that sees us into our young adulthood as a nation that brings us forward into our future with a symbol of our new nationhood our independence our forward-thinking nation built on a constitution of partnership with the Treaty at its base—I think that would be amazing.But we do not have that opportunity. Right now we have this big debate about how much it costs about whether we are disrespecting our fallen soldiers about all of those things and really we are missing the opportunity to talk about this symbol that encapsulates who we are as a nation. Should it have been round the other way? I absolutely agree. It should have been. But I do not worry about what other people’s agendas are. I want to know what our people think. If we get caught up in talking about everything else we will miss the opportunity to pick a symbol to choose something that truly represents us.I have listened to Mr O’Rourke’s comments about our fallen warriors and the flag and what it represents. I actually disagree. I do not think that our soldiers fought for a flag. They fought under a flag yes they did but they fought for each other and they fought for their families and they fought for the right to be free and to express our freedoms. Our warriors our Māori Battalion our Hokowhitu-a-Tū went to that same war those same battles and gave their lives under a flag that actually at the time did not recognise their right to be free people. Under that flag they came home and were not treated in the same way. They were not given land. They were not given an allowance. They were disrespected under that flag. When they went to war they were not even given a weapon. So actually I say: they fought for what? For the price of citizenship under a flag that did not recognise their greatness. We do now—we do now.So let us move forward. Let us move forward as a nation and take the opportunity to have the discussion because if we get caught up in the discussion that is only about the money and all of those things then we will miss the opportunity.Hon Trevor Mallard: Who’s disrespecting them now?MARAMA FOX: I do not think it is disrespecting them. You can still fly the Union Jack this flag that is proudly represented on the benches over here. You can still fly that flag if you want to but I think it is time to move us forward into a new generation that represents the duality of our nationhood where I can proudly see myself as a Māori citizen of this country. My ancestors fought for the right just to speak their own language in this country. My ancestors fought for the right to live on their own land to practise their own culture and I want to see a flag that represents their struggle. I do not see that in this flag right now. I would like to take the opportunity for our people to come together to have that discussion and really think about what the symbol is that encapsulates our desire as a nation to stand together and be united recognising our duality of nationhood our united history our Māori history and our non-Māori history—whatever culture that is—and have it reflected in a flag as a symbol of unity for our country.I quite like the red black and white flag with the fern but I would not mind seeing the Matariki stars on it. We talk about navigation. There are a few stars that are missing. That is why we are going to support this referendum and I proudly do so. Kia ora.