Davis KelvinGENERAL DEBATEHon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Crown/Māori Relations): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business.Tēnā koe e Te Māngai Te Whare. Tuatahi māku hei tīmata taku kōrero e tika ana kei roto i tō tātou reo rangatira kia poroporoaki i ō tātou tini mate. I reira au inanahi rā i te ātaahua o Waikare arā kei waenga i te hapū o Te Kapotai. I reira e tangihia ana e poroporoaki ana i te pāpā o tō tātou hoa mahi arā a Willow-Jean Prime; arā ko Barry tōna ingoa. Nā reira e tika ana kia tuku kupu maioha ki a ia i te rā nei kua tukuna atu ia ki te kōpū o te whenua kia takoto ki te taha o tōna whaea. Nō reira e te whanaunga e te hoa Barry haere haere. Ka tae atu koe ki te okiokinga. Nā reira rātou ki a rātou te hunga wairua; ka hoki mai ki a tātou huri rauna i tēnei Whare ki te hunga ora. E harikoa ana ahau kia rongo ai Te Reo Māori e kōrerohia ana kei roto i tēnei Whare; ko tēnei Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Nā reira he mea tika kia kōrero ai tātou i Te Reo kia rongo ai te hōhonutanga te whānuitanga o ngā take e wānangahia ai i roto i Te Reo Māori. He mea pai tēnā. Engari ko tōku pōuritanga ko Te Reo o—ko te wiki kotahi noa iho te wā ka rongohia e te nuinga o te Whare. Ko mātou e mōhio ana ki Te Reo Māori he mea pai rawa atu kia kōrero ā i ngā wā katoa e taea ana horekau mō te wiki kotahi. Nā reira ko te Whare nei e taea ana kia whakapakari ai ō tātou pūkenga i roto i Te Reo Māori kia rongo ai i ngā wā katoa. Engari ka kite ahau ētahi wahanga. Ka rongo hoki ahau ētahi o ngā kōhumuhumu nō tērā taha ngā kōrero whakahāwea whakaparahako whakaiti i a mātou e kōrero ana. Tāku e mea atu ana ehara tēnā tika ana i te mea ko Te Reo Māori Te Reo tuatahi o tēnei motu. I te ūnga mai o ngā waka tupuna ki konei ki roto o Aotearoa ko Te Reo tuatahi muri atu i Te Reo o ngā manu me ngā tātarakihi ko Te Reo Māori. Horekau Te Reo Māori Te Reo tuarua o tēnei Whare o tēnei motu. Nā reira ko ngā whakapae o tērā taha ka huri mātou ki Te Reo Māori hei karo atu i ngā pātai hei karo atu i ngā kōrero o te Whare—ehara tēnā e tika ana he mea whakaiti tērā kia pā atu i te hiahia ki te kōrero i Te Reo Māori kei roto i tēnei Whare. E pai ana mā rātou kia whakahē i te kiko o ngā kōrero engari horekau e tika ana kia whakahē i te mahitanga o Te Reo Māori kei roto tēnei Whare. Ko pōuri ahau kia rongo ai tētahi kōrero o tētahi Minita o mua mō ngā take Tiriti e whakahāwea ana ko te roa o te wā e mahi ana ahau i te Crown/Māori relations tērā kaupapa nōku. Hei tāna e rima miniti noa iho tāna hei tuhituhingia i te i taua take. Nā reira ko ia tētahi tauira o te whakaparahako o a tērā taha ki ngā take Māori. E tika ana māku hei puta noa ki te motu whānui kia rongo ai ngā hiahia ngā moemoeā o te ao Māori e pā ana ki tēnei take. Nā reira kia rongo ai tētahi Minita mō o mua mō ngā take Tiriti e mea ana ka taea e ia te mahi taua mahi a mahi i roto i te rima miniti he mea whakaiti tēnā i te ao Māori. Nā reira kāore tēnei Kāwanatanga i te hiahia kia mahi anō aua hē o tērā taha. Ko tō mātou hiahia kia whakahōnoretia ngā tāngata whenua kia mahi tahi i a rātou kia mōhio ai tātou kia ea ai mātou ngā raruraru e pāngia nei ki te ao Māori. E mōhio ana tātou kei raro iho te ao Māori i ngā tatauranga o Te Kāwanatanga nō reira tō mātou hiahia kia mahi kia hāpaitia te ao Māori kia ōrite te mana kei roto i ngā take o te motu ki tō te mana kei tō te oranga o te ao Pākehā. Nā reira e tika ana tātou kia kōrero ai Te Reo i tēnei wiki engari me pēhea te wiki whai muri ake i tēnei me pēhea te wiki muri atu i tērā wiki? He mea tika mā tātou kia kōrerotia i Te Reo Māori i ngā wā katoa kia rongo ai te hōhonutanga te whānuitanga te ātaahuatanga o tō tātou taonga Te Reo Māori. Kia ora.[Greetings Mr Speaker and to the House. Firstly to begin my speech it is only right to be in our esteemed language to farewell our many deceased. I was there yesterday in the beautiful valley of Waikare namely amidst the subtribe of Te Kapotai. There the father of our colleague Willow-Jean Prime was being mourned and farewelled; his name was Barry. Thus it is appropriate to address respectful words to him today he who has been returned to the womb of the earth to lie beside his mother. So my kinsman my friend Barry rest in peace. You will arrive at the resting place. Consequently the spirits remain with the spirits; returning now to us right around this House to the living. I am happy to hear the Māori language being spoken in this House; this is Māori Language Week. Thus it is apt that we speak in the Māori language to hear the depth and the breadth of the issues we are debating in the Māori language. That is a good thing. However my sadness is the language of—the week there is only one time it is heard by most of the House. Those of us who know the Māori language it is a great thing to speak and at all possible opportunities not just for one week. Therefore this House is able to strengthen our skills in the Māori language so it can be heard at all times. However I see some burdens. I also hear some of the gossip from the Opposition saying things which are derogatory condescending and belittling towards those of us who are speaking. What I have to say is that is not right because the Māori language is the first language of this country. On the arrival of the ancestral canoes to New Zealand the first language other than that of the birds and the cicadas was the Māori language. The Māori language is not the second language of this House of this country. Therefore the accusations of the Opposition that we turn to the Māori language to avoid the questions to avoid the discussions of the House—that is not correct and it is belittling to apply that to the desire to speak in the Māori language in this House. It is fine for them to object to the substance of what is said but it is not right to object to the use of the Māori language within this House. I am sad to hear an account from a certain past Minister of Treaty matters criticising the amount of time I am spending on my Crown/Māori relations work that responsibility of mine. According to him he would need only five minutes to write about that topic. Thus he is an example of the disparagement by the Opposition towards Māori issues. It is only right for me to travel around the country at large to hear the needs and aspirations of the Māori world pertaining to this topic. That's why to hear a previous Minister for Treaty matters saying that he could do that work and do it in five minutes that is belittling to the Māori world. Accordingly this Government does not wish to repeat those mistakes of the Opposition. Our desire is that the indigenous people be honoured to work together with them to understand to resolve the problems affecting the Māori world. We know that the Māori world is down and under in Government statistics therefore our desire is to work to elevate the Māori world to gain the same status in issues of national consequence as the status the well-being of the Pākehā world.Consequently we are right to speak the language this week but what about the following week what about the week after that week? It is the right thing for us to do: to speak the Māori language at all times; to hear the depth the breadth the beauty of our treasure the Māori language. Thank you.]