Flavell Te Ururoa: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — Recommittal In CommitteeCWH Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFlavell Te Ururoa: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — Recommittal In CommitteeCWH Third Reading[Sitting date: 14 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10610. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for Māori Development):Kia ora tātau katoa! I move That the Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill be now read a third time. E hoa mā kātahi te rangi ātaahua ko tēnei. Kātahi te rangi whakahirahira ko tēnei! I puta te kōrero inā tatanei i te ata nei mō Ngāti Ranginui Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāti Pūkenga Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa ka mutu kua tukuna te kōrero mō Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill. Anei tātau i tēnei ahiahi ko Te Reo Māori te kaupapa. Nō reira ka nui te mihi ki a tātau e hoa mā. Hara mai ki Te Whare Pāremata.He rā nui tēnei mō Te Reo Māori. Koinei te wā tuatahi kua eke mai tētahi pire i roto i Te Reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ēngari ko Te Reo Māori te reo ka whai mana i roto i ngā nekeneke o te wā. He mea nui tērā kia taea ai e tātau o Te Whare Pāremata te kōrero i Te Reo Māori me te mōhio anō hoki ko Te Reo Māori te reo matua i roto i ngā ture i ngā āhuatanga katoa. Tuarua ko Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori e kī ana te kōrero he reo whai mana i roto i ngā nekeneke ō roto i te ture ēngari ō roto i ngā āhuatanga katoa Ao Māori Ao Pākehā.Mēnā ka hoki tāua ki te tau 1987 i tae mai tētahi Minita ko Koro Wētere tana īngoa ko Te Minita mō ngā Take Māori i taua wā. I tae mai ia ki konei me tana kī atu he hiahia nōna ki te whakatakoto i tētahi Reo Māori ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata. Tīmata ia i tana mihi ki te pērā ēngari ā wā poto ka tū mai tētahi ki te whakahē i tērā āhuatanga. I tū mai tētahi ki te kī atu ki a koe Mr Speaker anei tana kōrero: “I wonder whether you as distinct from the rest of us know what he is saying. Do you have a translation before you so that you can rule on the content of his speech?”. Mēnā ka rongo i tērā kōrero ka rongo tonu te āhuatanga o te kawa o wētahi ki tēnei mea o te kōrero i Te Reo Māori ēngari ko te mea pai ē nō ngā tau kua hipa tērā āhuatanga! Te tikanga te tikanga! Ko te tau 1986! Kua rerekē tērā āhuatanga i tēnei wā.Nō reira nei au e tū ki te whakaiti i te mea kua riro māku tēnei kaupapa e kōkiri ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā. He nui te mahi! He nui te mahi i te roanga o ngā tau. He nui ngā kōrero i kōrerohia i roto i ngā wānanga i ngā hui. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki tētahi hui mō Te Reo Māori i Pōneke nei. Ko Tā Tāmati Reedy ko Te Koingo Reedy i roto i tērā hui. I pātai rātau i te pātai mō te oranga o tō tātau Reo. Me pēhea hoki! Ā ka mutu ka puta te kōrero titiro ki te ture mō Te Reo Māori. Whakahōungia whakaora anō rā mō tēnei wā tonu nei. Kōrua tahi anei te whakatinanatanga.Nō reira he aha ngā painga ō roto o tēnei pire? Tuatahi ko ngā reo e rua pēnei i tāku e kōrero nei tuarua ko Te Reo Māori te reo whai mana te reo matua. Ka toru ko te mana o Te Reo ka whakairia ki roto i tēnei o ngā pire he reo taketake o Aotearoa he taonga o Te Iwi me Te Māori he reo e ngākaunuitia ana e te marea e Te Motu whānui tonu. Ka whā he reo whai mana i tēnei whenua. E hāngai ana tērā ko te āhuatanga o Te Whare o Te Reo Mauri Ora he rite ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi.He wāhi ki Te Karauna he wāhi ki Te Iwi Māori. Nō reira koinei taku harikoa! Ko ōna maihi ki te taha ki Te Ao Māori Maihi Māori! Ka riro māna anō rā e kōrero. Ko Te Maihi Karauna māna anō rā mā Te Karauna tonu e kōrero. Ēngari ko te mahitahi ē nā runga i te āhuatanga o te nohotahi o Te Karauna me Te Iwi Māori arā ko Te Mātāwai tērā i te tēpū kotahi ko Te Rūnanga Reo tērā māna anō rā e whakatau i ngā āhuatanga katoa mō Te Reo Māori. Ko te tūmanako mō te painga kaua mō Te Reo Māori ēngari mō ngā tamariki mokopuna e hiahia nei ki te kōrero i tō tātau Reo. Nō reira kai te harikoa ka taea e Te Maihi Māori te hanga i tōna ake rautaki. Waiho ake mā Te Karauna anō rā tōna taha e whakatika.Nā kia whai wāhi ki te kōrero mō Te Mātāwai. Ko Te Mātāwai 13 pea ngā tāngata ka noho nā i tērā o ngā kaunihera. Ko tāku īnoi ki Te Ao Māori āta titiro ki te hunga ka noho nei i Te Mātāwai. Kaua e haere tika tonu atu ki tētahi e kōrero Māori ana. Āe he painga o te kōrero Māori te matatau ki te kōrero Māori ēngari arā anō ētahi rangatahi tonu ētahi. E mōhio nei ki te whakariterite i ētahi rautaki mō Te Reo ā-iwi ā-hapori ā-marae. Nō reira kia kaua tātau e hereherea ki tētahi reanga i tōna kotahi ka mutu ki te tāne i tōna kotahi. Me whai wāhi anō rā wā tātau wāhine otirā wētahi o wā tātau rangatahi e matatau nei ki ēnei āhuatanga i roto i Te Mātāwai.Ko tētahi wāhanga i kōrerohia whānuitia i roto i te pire nei ko tētahi kupu whakaū o Te Karauna ki Te Reo Māori. Ko ētahi ka kī mai ē me tuku i tētahi kupu whakapāha. I rongo ake au i te wairua o tērā hiahia ēngari nā runga i tāku kawe i tēnei kaupapa ā kua hāngai tonu taku kōrero ki te kī atu me te whakaae mai o te katoa o Te Whare ā me tuku i tētahi kupu whakaū āe i hapa Te Karauna i hē Te Karauna i ngā tau kua hipa ake nā reira ka tau mai ngā uauatanga ki te hunga kōrero Māori. I puta te kōrero i wepua ētahi ē kua whakaaetia mai e Te Karauna ki tērā kaua ki tērā momo āhuatanga ēngari e te ture anō hoki e tika ana tāu ēngari ko tā Te Karauna e kī ana āe āe! Nāku tērā hē ā he hiahia nōku ki te whakatikatika i ngā huarahi katoa kia taea ai e te hunga taiohi otirā te hunga hiakai mō Te Reo Māori te whai i tērā huarahi. Nō reira kei te harikoa nā runga i tērā āhuatanga.Mēnā ka hoki au ki te ōrokohanga mai o tēnei o ngā pire me mihi rā ki taku tuakana ki a Pita. Ē tērā i noho nā i taku tūru i ngā tau kua hipa ake anā kua eke hei Tā ko Tā Pita Sharples tērā i kōkiri i tēnei kaupapa. Kai taku rangatira ahakoa kāre koe i konei ko koe tērā i ārahi nei i tēnei kaupapa ko tāku ko te whaiwhai haere i ō tapuwae. Kia whai wāhi au ki ētahi o ngā mema o Te Paepae Motuhake. Ko rātau te hunga i noho nei hei taringa hei mea takawaenga me kī mai i Te Minita ki te hapori. Nā i haere rātau ki Te Mata o Te Whenua. Ko Tā Tāmati Reedy tērā ko Pānia Papa Hana O’Regan Cathy Dewes Rāhora Shortland Toni Waho Pem Bird te uri o Ngāti Manawa ā tae atu ki a Te Kahautū Maxwell. Kai aku rangatira koinei te mihi o te ngākau ko koutou tērā i whakatakoto i tētahi huarahi hei whāinga mā wētahi atu.Taku ekenga hai Minita i puta te whakaaro ā kāti me toro atu au i taku ringa ki ētahi ki te āwhina i a au ki te whakatika i ētahi panonitanga i ētahi paku hapa i roto i te pire i tēnei wā. Nōku te waimarie i whakaae mai e Rāwinia Higgins kei taku tuahine ka nui te mihi ki a koe. Ko koe tērā i noho tata nei noho piri nei ki tēnei pire ka nui te mihi ki a koe Te Wharehuia ko taku pāpā kai tāwāhi koe me aro mai ō taringa ki tēnei kōrero. Ka nui te aroha ki a koe kia kaua tētahi āhuatanga māuiui nei e pā ki a koe i tāwāhi ēngari ko koe tērā e noho nei hei koroua mō tēnei rōpū. Kai te tuahine Charisma kai te kite atu i a koe i runga ake nei. Tiare ko taku taokete anō hoki a Ruakere ka nui te mihi ki a koe.I te wā poto me mihi anō rā ki te hunga whakamāori i tēnei o ngā kaupapa. E hoa mā kei te mōhio tātau arā anō ngā uauatanga ēngari i eke. Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou otirā ki te Parliamentary Counsel Office ē ka nui te mihi ki te wahine i kaha nei ki te whaiwhai haere i tēnei kaupapa ki tōna taumata. Kai te tuahine tēnā koe tēnā koutou otirā ngā mea o te tari o Te Speaker. Ki ngā mema o Te Komiti Māori ka nui te mihi. I noho tata nei koutou ki tēnei kaupapa ahakoa ōna uauatanga i te tīmatanga mai i aro mai koutou i kōrero tahi tātau mō ngā painga o tō tātau pire ka nui te mihi ki a koutou otirā ki a koe Cath Nesus ko ia tētahi o ngā āpiha i kawe nei i tēnei kaupapa kua tata Cath! Kua tata! Taihoa ake nei 15 o ngā kaikōrero ā kua eke!Taku kupu whakamutunga ko te hunga e noho nei ko ētahi o rātau me kī i te tīmatanga mai o te orangatonutanga o tō tātau reo. Kai te kite atu i a Kahurangi Iritana e noho nei otirā ā ko ētahi kāre e pai kia whakahua īngoa kai mahue ake tētahi. Ēngari ko tāku ko te kī atu mei i kore koutou i kōrero Māori mei i kore ngā Reo Irirangi Māori mei i kore a Whakaata Māori ē kua āhua ngoikore te whaiwhai haere ake i tō tātau Reo. Nō reira nei te mihi o te ngākau ki a koutou otirā te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi. Kai te kōrero au mō ngā mea pēnei i a Ngoi Pēwhairangi mā Te Ātaarangi Te Heikōkō mā kua ngaro rātau! Ka tangi ake i te mea kua kore rātau e kite i tēnei pire ēngari ko ngā tamariki ko ngā mokopuna kai konei! Koinei te mihi o te ngākau e hoa mā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora tātau katoa.[Acknowledgments to us all! Friends what a beautiful day this is. What an important and significant day this is! This morning the debate pertaining to Ngāti Ranginui Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāti Pūkenga and Ngātikahu ki Whangaroa took place along with the introduction of Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill. And here we are this afternoon speaking about the Māori language. And so I salute you all my friends. Welcome to Parliament.This is an important occasion for the Māori language. This is the first time a bill has been presented in boththe Māori and English languagesbutthe Māori language will take precedence. And crucially it enables members of Parliament to speak Māori with the understanding that Te Reo Māori is the primary language in all law and in all aspects of life. Secondly Te Pire mō te Reo Māori asserts that the Māori language has legitimacy in the law whether in Māori or Pākehā society.If we go back to the year 1986 Koro Wētere the Minister of Māori Affairs arrived here and stated his desire to speak Māori in Paliament. And so he began his greetings in Māori but another member quickly objected. That member rose to speak to you Mr Speaker and this is what he said: “I wonder whether you as distinct from the rest of us know what he is saying.Do you haveatranslation before you sothatyou can rule on the content of his speech?”. If you could hear those comments you would hear the distaste that some people had about the Māori language. But fortunately that was the situation in the past. It should be in the past—in 1987. It is different now.So I stand humbly because I am advancing this bill in the House today. There has been much work over many years. Much was discussed in conferences and other meetings. I remember a conference about the Māori language here in Wellington. Sir Tāmati Reedy and Lady Te Koingo Reedy were present at that conference and they posed a question regarding the survival of our language. What can be done? Furthermore a determination to consider amended legislation for the Māori language was voiced. To the two of you here is the fruition of those discussions.So what are the gains in this bill? Firstly it is in two languages one of which I am speaking. Secondly it provides primacy to the Māori language. Thirdly the mana of the language will be enshrined in law as an indigenous language of New Zealand a treasure of tribes and of the Māori people and a language that the entire country is committed to. Fourthly it provides legitimacy to the language and likens it to the house of an everlasting language similar to the Treaty of Waitangi.There is a part for the Crown and a part for Māori. So that is why I am delighted. It has two maihi strategies one the Maihi Māori pertaining to the Māori language—that is the responsibility of Māori. The Maihi Karauna is the responsibility of the Crown. However it enables cooperation between the Crown and Māori through Te Mātāwai which operates in both strategies. Hopefully it is beneficial not only for the Māori language but for children who want to speak our language. Hence the reason I am elated that the Maihi Māori can formulate its own plan. Leave the Crown to address its own side.Now I will speak about Te Mātāwai. There will be 13 members on the board of Te Mātāwai. I urge the Māori people to carefully consider the appointment of members to that board. Do not appoint someone just because they can speak Māori. There are benefits to being a fluent Māori speaker but there are others to consider such as our youth. They know how to organise strategies around the language with regard to the iwi the community and the marae. So we must not confine the appointments to only one generation or only to males. Our knowledgable women and youngsters must also be appointed to Te Mātāwai.One particular part of the bill that has been debated extensively is the Crown acknowledgment of the Māori language. Some have stated that there should be an apology. I felt the spirit of that desire. However because I am responsible for this bill I am adamant—with the consensus of the House—that an acknowledgment is delivered. Yes the Crown made mistakes and committed wrongdoings in the past that suppressed Māori language speakers. It has been said that they suffered corporal punishment. The Crown accepts that is what happened—andyes you are correct: it will be recognised in law. The Crown also accepts responsibility for its wrongdoing and has stated its intention to provide improved pathways for the youth and students of the language to pursue. And so I am delighted at that development.If I may return to the genesis of the bill I must salute my elder Sir Pita Sharples who was the previous Minister of Māori Affairsandwho was the initial sponsor of the bill. To my leader even though you are not here you lead this matter. I am only following in your footsteps. I would like to acknowledge the members of Te Paepae Motuhake advisory panel. They travelled around the country and heard submissions and served as intermediaries between the Minister and the community. Sir Tāmati Reedy Pānia Papa Hana O’Regan Cathy Dewes Rāhora Shortland Toni Waho Pem Bird of Ngāti Manawa and Te Kahautū Maxwell were some of the members of the panel. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the esteemed panel members who provided a pathway for others to follow.When I became Minister I reached out for support to make amendments and slight corrections to the bill. To my good fortune they agreed to help. I want to thank my sister Rāwinia. You have worked closely with the bill and left your imprint. Thank you very much. My uncle Te Wharehuia is overseas and I urge him to listen to this speech. I have much empathy for you and wish you good health while you are overseas. You sat on the panel as its elder. To Charisma I can see you up in the gallery along with Charlie and my brother-in-law Ruakere. Thank you very much.I would like to take a brief moment to acknowledge the teamwhotranslated the bill. My friends we understood there were many difficulties but you accomplished the work. Thank you very much. I also want to thank the female representative of the Parliamentary Counsel Office whose efforts ensured the success of the bill. I thank you and your team. To the officials of the Speaker’s office and members of the Māori Affairs Committee much appreciation to you. You worked closely on the bill despite the difficulties encountered at the beginning you remained focused and we spoke together about the benefits of our bill. I thank you hugely for that. But now to you Cath Nesus one of the officials who bore the brunt of this policy—almost there Cath! It is close! It will not be long! There are 15 speakers to go and it is done!My final comment goes to those seated before us some of whom should I venture were at the forefront of efforts to save our language. I see Kahurangi Iritana along with others even though I know it is not polite to mention names in case someone is left out. But I do want to say to them that had you not spoken Māori had it not been for Māori radio and Māori television addressing our language would have been somewhat powerless. And so a heartfelt acknowledgment to you collectively but at the same time to those lost from view in particular Ngoi Pēwhairangi Te Ātaarangi Te Heikōkō and others. They have gone! I lament because they will not see this bill. But the children and grandchildren are here! This then is an appreciation from the bottom of the heart fellow colleagues so well done and my thanks to us all.]