Harawira Hone: Third Readings — 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: Third Readings — 
[Sitting date: 27 February 2007. Volume:637;Page:7680. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Kia ora tatou te Whare. Over the weekend I and a couple of my mokopuna had the privilege of attending Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival 2007 in Palmerston North along with Pita Paraone and a number of other members of this House. In one word it was awesome. It was an excellent venue and it had beautiful weather friendly crowds heaps of stalls plenty of kai and the best kapahaka in the country. There was a memorable performance from the world’s most powerful distinguished long-serving competent and complete exponent of kapahaka the dangerous Dr Pita Sharples who is the nation’s sexiest politician and co-leader of the nation’s sexiest political party. 
Whangara Mai Tawhiti took out top honours in the crash-bang display of raw power on the main stage but it was Taikura that stole the hearts of the crowd. More than 300 kaumatua and kuia from different parts of the country took to the stage with their renditions of classic and treasured compositions to the delight of the thousands who saw them perform. Taikura was magic. 
It has an age limit. Performers have to be 55 to get in but many of them are actually in their 70s and 80s. A lot of them had not performed for more than 40 years and were challenged to clear the cobwebs and oil up the joints again for another stint on the world stage. They were hugely impressive—a reminder of a different time and a different style of sweet sound and gentle rhythm of dignity and grace and of long-lost musical giants like Ngoi Pewhairangi Canon Wi Huata and Sir Kingi Ihaka. 
Taikura embodies one of the messages I want to bring to this debate today which is that we limit our own potential as a society when we seek to limit the contribution of our elders. We hinder our own development when we reject the values of the past and we show immaturity by denying the experience of the mature. Taikura in fact highlights the futility of imposing arbitrary age-limits in fields where intellectual experience and firepower can never be replaced. 
The Maori Party has spoken of its support for lifting the retirement age for District Court judges Employment Court judges High Court judges Supreme Court judges Maori Land Court judges and even coroners but it seems that we may have all forgotten about the judges who live and work in our very own communities—our justices of the peace; our JPs. Apparently they are appointed by the Governor-General for life so most of them are already over 60 but the Act states they are no longer “fit and proper” for appointment after they turn 72. I raise this issue to highlight the inconsistency between the 70-year age-limit for judges and the 72-year age-limit for JPs and again to question the rationale behind the arbitrary age cut-off for roles that are actually enhanced by experience. Indeed even the Law Society suggests that the judicial retirement age should be raised from 70 to 72. 
The House knows well the Maori Party’s very strong views about the value of kaumatua and kuia—the insights vision experience and wisdom they give us as a sound foundation for our future. So when I checked the statistics I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were more than 600 kaumatua and kuia over 75 years of age in Tai Tokerau although undoubtedly not many as old as the father of our own member Mr Pita Paraone. I am sad of course that there are not a lot more but I am happy to know that we have as many as that and furthermore I would suggest that with the value we know older people can provide our society this data gives us 600 great reasons to support the lifting of the retirement age for judges. 
But it is that tinge of sadness that I need also to bring to the attention of the House because I know that increasing the retirement age for judges and coroners will not mean a hell of a lot of Maori as the statistics also tell us that Maori simply do not make old age in the same numbers per head of population as Pakeha. A history of poor health poor diet poor housing poor education and poor employment opportunities—and poor Governments as well—work against Maori reaching old age. The combination of those factors means frailty is also a major consideration. Older people are at risk of falls admission into rest homes and disability in key activities of daily life. And we know from the  
Social Policy Journal of New Zealand  
that many Maori who get into their 60s 70s and 80s have a number of problems to do with issues of frailty. Indeed the journal notes that frailty among 65 to 70-year-old Maori is the same as that for non-Maori in the 81 to 84-year-old age group—a difference of a full 10 to 15 years greater even than the 8-year difference in life expectancy between Maori and non-Maori. 
In supporting this bill the Maori Party highlights the value of our older citizens through the particular personage of a person of high calibre—in this case Judge Eddie Durie. But we also highlight the failure of policy dealing with the gaps in life expectancy quality of life and frailty because those gaps and those disparities—indeed those disadvantages—reduce the ability of Maori to be able to fully participate in society and we know from the  
Social Policy Journal 
 research that those disadvantages can be easily addressed through intelligent and innovative social policy change. 
So I close in acknowledging again the very real value we gain from our kaumatua and kuia in laying a foundation for our future. In an age where sustainability is the buzzword I think often of the inspiration and guidance that sustains me from one of my own kuia from Ngati Kuri my Auntie Saana Murray—who of course is one of the claimants in the Wai 262 claim to indigenous flora and fauna and cultural and intellectual heritage rights and obligations. Auntie Saana is an icon of the north; a woman who fought long and hard to block the mining of the silica sands in her precious Parengarenga Harbour because of the importance of the sand dunes to the surrounding ecosystem and the impact that the sea was having on Te Hapua as more and more of the sandspit was being lost to sand mining. Indeed I can even remember her giving me a thwack around the ears for not doing enough to stop the mining when I was working for Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board. Auntie Saana has been a fighter for our plants and our lands our kaimoana our harbours our beaches and our seas since way back before it was fashionable. Her commitment to that work and the knowledge that she has gained over her 80 years make her one of my most treasured mentors in all of Muriwhenua. 
When I think of Auntie Saana Judge Durie and all those kaumatua and kuia who would make spectacularly good judges through their simple but deep knowledge of life I have no problem in saying that the Maori Party supports this proposal to increase the judicial retirement age to 70. Kia ora.