Harawira Hone: General Debate 
Harawira Hone: General Debate 
[Volume:662;Page:10762] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa. On Saturday a friend of mine turned 50; Tau Henare wanted to say “Skunk Happy Birthday!”. I thought I would dedicate this slot to recognising a son of Ngati Amaru a committed supporter of the Kingitanga and a longstanding member of Black Power. 
Martin Cooper was just a kid when Black Power was born here in Aotearoa. It was the voice of alienated and freshly urbanised Maori youth revelling in being outsiders and rejecting a mainstream society that was determined to crush the hopes of marginalised Maori youth. Like many other young Maori coping with adolescence he was a handful. He was whangaied out when he was young eventually finding unconditional acceptance only with the Black Power whanau during tough and dangerous times when he often ran foul of the law. 
As he matured his leadership qualities became increasingly apparent and he soon began to respond to the inner voice that told him that he was Maori and that the Black Power in Aotearoa was something that had to draw its values and beliefs from the teachings of his ancestors. Influenced by leaders like him the often aimless and destructive gang runs were replaced by marae-based alcohol-free and drug-free wananga which led to Black Power taking a firm line against the then all-too-common practice of gang rape. That took courageous leadership from people like Martin. He has also been a driving force in the movement to stop the manufacture distribution and use of methamphetamine which was the fulfilment of a promise made at the graveside of a much loved lost brother Hone Day. 
His growth saw him move to Hamilton in pursuit of his reo and he talks fondly of the whanau that took him in to teach him his mother tongue under the kaupapa of Te Ataarangi. The commitment and the dedication that had marked his time with the brotherhood showed results as he grew into his role as the speaker for his whanau. Martin’s involvement with waka huia is also one of long standing enabling him to bring the discipline and power of kapahaka to the Black Power brotherhood. Again he worked at it with the dedication and the passion that he gave to everything he did promoting wananga all around the motu and dedicating his efforts to Ngapo and Pimia Wehi whom today he proudly calls his mentors. 
He has worked hard demonstrating the value of hard slog and of earning a legitimate income eventually taking up a job with the Group Employment Liaison Scheme and the Community Employment Group scheme where he mentored me into my one and only Government job and where he gave his all because the kaupapa of his work was giving back to the communities from which he came. This employment within the belly of the beast raised his consciousness about where the real decisions were being made and about how if he really wanted to influence the health and wealth of his people he needed to be a policy maker and not just a policy statistic. That knowledge led to his undertaking and being successful at tertiary study which reminds us all that the pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong obligation and puts out the challenge again to the brotherhood that to learn is to grow. 
In recent years Martin’s new-found knowledge his growth and his commitment to Maori development led to his getting involved with the Maori Party where he quickly became a critical leader of Pita Sharples’ A-team helping Pete to win in 2005 and taking up a formal role after the 2005 election—a position he still holds today. Again he has demonstrated another route for young Maori warriors and another set of possibilities created by his work ethic and his commitment to a kaupapa. His loyalty to his Kingitanga is something he carries without much fuss. It is a role he accepts as part of his leadership within his whanau and his hapu a commitment that is lifelong and a belief that he carries in his heart wherever he goes. A proud son of Tainui Martin is a fine ambassador for his people. 
Today I acknowledge a brother of the Maori nation who has shown by his efforts that commitment dedication loyalty and passion are talents that can take anyone to where they want to be. Martin Cooper is a leader in all that he has done and a role model for others to follow. Kia ora tatou katoa.