Field Taito Phillip: Obituaries — Rt Hon David Russell Lange ONZ CH John Finlay Luxton QSO Hon John Howard Falloon CNZM Rod David Donald 
Field Taito Phillip: Obituaries — Rt Hon David Russell Lange ONZ CH John Finlay Luxton QSO Hon John Howard Falloon CNZM Rod David Donald 
[Volume:628;Page:78] 
TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Labour—Mangere) 
: 
 This afternoon we and no doubt New Zealanders have heard eloquent tributes to members of Parliament and particularly to the Rt Hon David Lange. I consider it a privilege to rise and pay tribute to honour the memory of David Lange on behalf of the people of the electorate of Mangere and to say that David Lange will go down in history as one of this country’s greatest Prime Ministers. 
I want to focus a little bit on the fact that he was loved and respected as the member of Parliament for Mangere. We have heard about his enormous achievements and also about his commitment to social justice. He was seen locally as a big man with a big voice and a big heart and as one with a very sharp wit as we have heard with uniquely brilliant oratory ability and with an identity and an affinity with the diversity of ethnicity that made Mangere such a vibrant and colourful electorate to represent. The Prime Minister mentioned in her tribute his love for India and for the people of the Indian community but he had a close relationship with all people and with different ethnic communities not only in the Mangere electorate but in Auckland and throughout New Zealand. 
I know that Pacific people loved David Lange. He was close to Cook Island people and I know he loved his holidays in the Cook Islands particularly in Aitutaki a very favourite spot. I recall an occasion when he and I sat with a few others on a small boat as young boys dived into the Aitutaki Lagoon and we spent a few hours eating fresh raw clams out of the lagoon. That is one of my more pleasurable memories of David. I know that Tongan people will not forget how he helped with land to establish one of the biggest Tongan Methodist churches in Auckland in Orly Avenue in Mangere. I know that the Niuean people remember him fondly for the relationship they had with him. I know that the Samoan people honoured him by bestowing a matai title of Tagaloa. I believe that because he stood for the less fortunate in our communities and truly had a heart for the people they bestowed honours on him. 
David Lange will be fondly remembered for his humanity his service and his commitment to social justice not only for the people of Mangere in South Auckland but for the rest of New Zealand. He is and will be missed but I believe that his memory and legacy will live on in people’s hearts and in the history of this land. I extend my condolences to his family to his children and to his extended family. 
I want to conclude with reference to a Samoan proverb which is similar to the Maori proverb about a fallen totara and that proverb goes like this: Ua Pauu toa ua maimau ai Aupega o le taua" Ia Soifua lau Afioga Tagaloa - David Lange. 
The proverb refers to a great warrior who has fallen and there is reference to effective arsenals of battle being wasted. 
I believe that we can be proud of David Lange’s legacy. We know that he came into power at a crossroads in the history of this country which I think in the end turned New Zealand in the direction that we now enjoy with social and economic benefits for our population in New Zealand. 
I also wish to pay tribute and to pay my last respects to Rod Donald after his sad and sudden death. He was an outstanding committed member of Parliament and I saw a little bit of that commitment out in the Pacific. I cannot remember other members of Parliament on a delegation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time the Hon Don McKinnon when we visited some Pacific countries. I recall clearly learning that as some of the members of Parliament were just getting out of bed and heading for breakfast one morning Rod Donald had already been out and about preaching to the local natives about the importance of saving the Earth and perhaps of saving the whales and expounding on other important causes he was pushing at the time. During that whole delegation he continued at every opportunity apart from fulfilling the requirements of the delegation to determine his own schedule—to visit organisations non-governmental organisations and other groups who were sympathetic to the environmental message and the message of the importance of the level of carbon dioxide emissions on the Pacific Ocean and the environments of the Pacific countries we visited. So I honour him this afternoon for his achievements as have been eloquently explained by tributes given by members this afternoon. I want to extend my deepest and sincere sympathies and condolences to Rod’s partner children and family. 
Previous speakers have also acknowledged the passing of two former senior members of this House. I want to acknowledge that the Hon John Luxton was here this afternoon and I extend to him sympathies and condolences on the passing of his father the former member Jack Luxton. I was fortunate to meet the Hon John Falloon in the first few years of my coming into this House. I found him to be very friendly very capable and a person who I felt deserved the level of respect he received from other members of Parliament. So to those families I extend my sympathies and condolences. 
I want to say briefly that in this debate we are confronting something that is very difficult for all of us when we suffer the loss of loved ones in our families and when we know the pain of that loss and sorrow. I guess that one of the things we can be sure of in life is death. Sooner or later each one of us has to confront it ourselves. But I do feel for those who are suffering a sad loss. I want also to extend sympathies to our colleagues in the Green Party for the emotions and the loss they feel during this time of sorrow. Kia ora tatou. Tena koutou tena koutou katoa. Ia manuia le tatou faamoemoe. 
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