Henare Tau: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHenare Tau: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 17 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9490. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TAU HENARE (National): I will be splitting my call with the Hon Nikki Kaye. I did have a speech prepared but that speech from Winston Peters shot it to bits. Here are the bona fides on the New Zealand First referendum of the 1990s. The National Party said no to a bill. That is why we went to a referendum and when we went to a referendum 82 percent of the country said: “No Winston. We don’t believe in you any more.” That is what it said. It never went through caucus. It never went through caucus. And that speech that I heard tonight was the biggest shyster speech I have ever heard—the biggest shyster speech I have ever heard.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You heard what the member said. He must be looking in the mirror. But he must apologise.Mr SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Are you saying such an expression is parliamentary?Mr SPEAKER: Sorry?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Are you saying that the expression he used is parliamentary?Mr SPEAKER: I am certainly not ruling it out as unparliamentary.Hon TAU HENARE: So it is OK for New Zealand First to have bills in the ballot. That is democracy. But when Louisa Wall puts one in the ballot that has to go to a referendum! How the hell is any country in the world supposed to operate in a system like that? Who decides whether or not there should be a referendum? Him? I hope not. I hope not because we would still be in the 1880s.I feel sad that I was a member and even a deputy leader under that man. I used to look up to him. But I tell you what: that speech tonight is nothing more than pandering to the 10 percent on either side of this argument. It is nothing more than pandering to those racist rednecked people who just love to get on the email.I want to say that I have been appalled with some of the behaviour of those for the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill and of those against it because I for one do not think that those who are against the bill are homophobic just because they are voting against it. It is their right to vote against it and I will back my colleagues who vote against it all the way; I just do not agree with them. And they are going to lose tonight.However to quickly run through what I was going to say it is time. The sky did not and will not fall in. How does it affect me or anyone else in this House and in this country? It does not. It just does not. Think about it for a minute. If the institution of marriage is so sacrosanct then why the hell are so many people getting a divorce? I do not say that in a facetious manner. If it does belong to the Church as I have been told by so many people on the email then why do we have legislation outlining who can and who cannot? If there was no legislation I would back the Church 100 percent. But it is not the Church’s. It actually belongs to the Government. It actually belongs to this Parliament. It is a creature now of Parliament. It is not a creature any more of either the Bible or the Church.Lastly I want to say that it is actually about the equality of opportunity. All we are doing—we are not forcing anybody to do anything in any way shape or form. What we are doing is offering people the opportunity of equality and either they take it or they do not. That is up to them. It is not up to me. It is not up to any one of us in this House.I want to thank my cousin Kath who unfortunately died some months ago. She would have been here yelling from the rooftops and I seriously mean that she would have been yelling from the rooftops because that is what she was like. I hope she is finally proud of her cousin and I am sure she was in other ways.Finally a message to all LGBTI—and I finally got that out. My message to you all is welcome to the mainstream. Do well. Kia ora.