Flavell Te Ururoa: Imprest Supply Debate — Third Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Imprest Supply Debate — Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:488] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Madam Speaker tena koe. Kia mohio mai koe kua pa mai te ahuatanga o te mate ki a au tonu o Ngati Rangiwewehi kua tae ano tona ringa ki a Ngati Manawa ka Ngati Tuwharetoa ki etahi ano hoki o te rohe o Te Waiariki i te wiki kua hipa ake nei. No reira tukua ahau kia tangi i aku tangi. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
Madam Speaker greetings. I bring to your attention the bereavements that are upon me of Ngati Rangiwewehi specifically as well as those who have been touched by the hand of death at Ngati Manawa Ngati Tuwharetoa and other parts of the Waiariki constituency in the week just past. Therefore I seek your indulgence to allow me to lament my grief 
.] 
E Niho Hohepa Te Whakapumautanga moe mai ra! 
E-te hu-nga kua moe takoto mai ra ee – eeei 
I-te moenga roa i-te moenga ma-kariri ee – eeei; 
Kei-te hotu-hotu ra ko-te ngau o-te mamae ee – eeei 
Mo ko-uto-u te hu-nga ma-te kua nga-ro ra ee – eeei 
Nei ra te maioha nei hoki te aro-ha ee –eeei. 
Na ko-uto-u au i awhina i nga tau ee – eeei 
Kia eke-mai Te To-ranga-pu Maori ki-nga paki-tara o-te Whare nei ee – eeei. 
Ki tona tahu iri ake wa tatou korero ee – eeei. 
Kua e-ke panuku kua eke Tanga-roa ee – eeei  
Kua e-ke ki te tau-mata e kui ma e koro ma i te po-o ee – eeei!  
[ 
I say to you Niho Hohepa and Te Whakapumautanga slumber on!  
Those of you who have passed on lie upon the altar of the departed 
Sleep the long sleep the sleep that knows not the cold; 
We weep as the pain of your passing gnaws deep 
For you the departed lost to us forever 
Here is the farewell made with affection. 
You who for years have supported me 
So that the voice of the Maori Party will reverberate from the walls of this House. 
Words which will resound from its ridgepole. 
You have made your journey; 
You have reached the ultimate of life which is death itself! 
] 
My family and my tribe of Ngati Rangiwewehi have just these last few days buried one of our identities the people of Ngati Manawa in Murupara last week buried one of their key speakers and before that Ngati Tuwharetoa farewelled one of the key speakers of the house of te Heuheu. I bring them and the other mate o Waiariki to this House to join with those who have been mourned by us these last few weeks and in particular Tahu Asher David Lange and Rod Donald. Haere koutou ki tua o te pae o maumahara. 
[ 
To you collectively depart beyond the horizon of remembrance 
.] 
Te whai i te korero means “to follow the talk”. It is acknowledged that once the speech has opened the job of the last speaker is to ensure that the mauri of the pae the essence of the speech-making returns to the tangata whenua. I note that Shane Jones son of the north opened the debate and I have great pleasure in closing. 
I am pleased that the movement on tikanga Maori in this House is taking place planned or otherwise. Tena tatou katoa. I acknowledge the appointment of the Hon Margaret Wilson as Speaker that of Clem Simich as Deputy Speaker and that of course of yourself Madam Assistant Speaker. I wish you luck; I am sure that we in the Maori Party will do our best with humour and respect to make your job easier. Where there are issues of tikanga Maori we will be more than willing to offer you some advice in a spirit of good will and a willingness to share as well as in recognition of the role tangata whenua can make in shaping how we can behave in this House. Tangata whenua do have a place in this country just as Pakeha tauiwi have. The challenge of this House is to acknowledge the tangata whenua presence rather than to refer to that as being too PC—or as some might say “Pakeha-Centred”. 
Today I welcomed members of the tribes of the Waiariki the electorate I was chosen to represent. These tribes include my own Ngati Rangiwewehi and the confederation of Te Arawa as well as the people of  
Mataatua 
  
Takitimu 
 and  
Tainui 
 waka who reside within the Bay of Plenty. Just getting here to Parliament was a huge effort on their part and I thank them all for their efforts on my behalf. This is their day not mine. 
Waiariki is a land of many hapu and marae. These hapu and iwi are associated with places such as Te Kaha Æpotiki Te Uruwera Murupara Whakatane Te Teko Te Waimana Taupo Tauranga Rotorua and Maketu. The people of these tribes maintain a long and proud history that carries with it treasures of tradition customs values and beliefs. 
Large numbers of my electorate give generously and freely to community service. Few groups can compare with the hours these people collectively give to maintaining their marae their lands their sacred places their customs and traditions their wananga kura kaupapa Maori and kohanga reo their tribal authorities land trusts and incorporations. This collective effort results in the maintenance of bonds of kinship. They give not for themselves but for their people. It is with humility that I pledge myself to work for them in this House. Ko au tonu tenei. 
[ 
This then is me 
.] 
My wife and children are here as well. Should I return to Rotorua having failed to persuade this House that I have been right on points of order or having observed the delicate sidestep as a Minister fudges a response to my well-thought-out and researched questions I am sure they will share my frustration but also offer unconditional support. Ka nui taku aroha ki a koutou tae ra ano ki a koe Moeahu. 
[ 
My affection for all of you including you Moeahu is immense 
.] 
There are many people I want to acknowledge but I will not compromise my tikanga by naming them for fear that I will offend those who are not named and who themselves have made sacrifices to ensure my presence in this House. You know who you are; I know who you are; we all know who you are. 
I come here mindful of a huge responsibility our people have placed on me and the Maori Party. I feel inspired that I am a part of a movement of people who are keen and enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead of this party. I feel proud to sit in this team small as it is at present—but stunningly good-looking and sharp too! Katahi te hunga huatau! 
[ 
What a stunningly good-looking lot! 
] 
Mokomoko o Te Whakatohea made a statement before being hanged for a crime he did not commit. He has since been pardoned. Mokomoko said: “Tangohia te taura i taku kaki kia waiata au i taku waiata.”—“Take the rope from my throat so that I may sing my song.” This I believe was a reference to his desire to let the world know the truth about his conviction. I feel like that today. Here we are the Maori Party freely able to sing our song without concern for being told to get in behind or be quiet. We are here proud of our role defending Maori rights and advancing the aspirations of our people for the betterment of the whole country. As a party we seek to give voice to the voiceless in a Parliament in which the voices of the tangata whenua are listened to and heard. 
It is a special honour to serve as a representative for Waiariki when for the first time in over 100 years Maori have a party in this House that is an independent voice for the Maori people. I follow in the footsteps of others from my rohe who have served in this House: Paraone Reweti Sir Peter Tapsell the Hon Tuariki Delamere and the two current members the Hon Georgina te Heuheu of the Manunui family and Mita Ririnui. In mentioning them I acknowledge their families and the generations that preceded them. Tena korua. 
I cannot say that I have ever aspired to be a parliamentarian. Who would have known when I was elected bell-ringer at Ngongotaha Primary School that that was my apprenticeship for election to Parliament! 
I have been guided by the following mentors who have all passed on: Hiko Hohepa Irirangi Tiakiawa Hohua Tutengaehe John Tapiata Tuaiwa Rickard Te Hiko and Mona Riini my uncle Pakake and my mother. I cannot recall too many conversations with any of them about Te Ao Maori without a reference to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its importance to us as Maori in affirming our rights here in Aotearoa. These lessons have stuck with me. Then there are the others who inspire me. They are my Maori Party colleagues whom I sit with in this House. I am in extraordinary company. 
Coming to grips with parliamentary life has been rather eventful. I realised I had actually made it when a few weeks back I was donged on the head by a film crew’s sound man as it was chasing me down the corridor. I remain in absolute awe of Matangireia where Ta Apirana Ngati Ta Maui Pomare Te Rangi Hiroa Buck Timi Kara Eruera Tirikatene and Matiu Rata watch over us. These men and their achievements are celebrated in waiata and haka and were so in my old school of St Stephen’s at Te Aute College and in their tribal areas. They are legends. To be here tracing the footsteps of the Young Maori Party as it was is truly an honour. 
It is worth noting that Shane Jones Hone Harawira Mahara Okeroa Pita Sharples and myself are products of Maori boarding schools. What better endorsement! These schools have struggled in the current environment. I am convinced that their ongoing potential to produce leaders of tomorrow remains and they should be given the support they need to survive and even be resurrected. 
 I have often wondered what parliamentary life might have been like for those early Maori MPs. Every story I have ever heard is that they were honourable politicians steeped in tikanga and matauranga Maori as well as equipped in te ao Pakeha. Yet they would have been in an environment that may well have been hostile to and intolerant of a Maori world view. That is perhaps why our people over the years have referred to Parliament as te ana o te raiona the den of the lion; te mura o te ahi a reference to the flash of fire that comes from the battlefield; and te waha o te taniwha the mouth of the taniwha. These references imply battle fighting conflict and struggle. 
I am here inspired by those within the Maori activist and protest movement who dared to challenge. Their call to honour the Treaty resonates in this House today. I am here also with Hone Heke Te Kooti a Rikirangi Te Whiti o Rongomai Tohu Kakahi Titokowaru Tahupotiki Ratana Te Puea Whina Cooper and Apirana Ngata. I am here because our people have used the law in every other possible avenue to express our reality and live as Maori. Our tipuna have died in the defence of what was theirs. The blood soaks the land. 
I have sought to promote revolution by education and along with others have been involved in teaching workshops on Te Tiriti o Waitangi decolonisation and the country’s history. If we were to educate our people—indeed the nation—about our history and the rights inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi about why things are as they are then perhaps we could start making positive changes for all of us. I never considered being a parliamentarian because as a long-time teacher about Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Aotearoa history I have punished myself for years teaching about laws made against our people over time. And here I am now part of that lawmaking machine. I have always wondered why any Maori would want to come here to this place which screams “nationhood” yet bleats like Shrek when part of that nationhood includes us tangata whenua. 
Do people know what it is like to face the people of Parihaka and talk about the 1880 Maori Prisoners Act when over 200 Taranaki people were placed in prison without trial? The people of Parihaka still talk about the soldiers coming into their village while the children played on the road and the women took food to the soldiers as a gesture of manaakitanga. They also talk about their people being taken away and the villages being burnt to the ground. They remember those events through sayings like “E tu tamawahine i te wa o te kore.”—a reference to encourage women to stand and speak because all of the men had been taken away to prison—and in song like “Piki mai Pungarehu ka Tangi mai te Piukura” 
[“ 
Rise up Pungarehu at the Sound of the Bugle 
”] 
which refers to the bugle call at the army camp at Pungarehu. It signals the final stage in the process of loss. 
Do people know what it is like to talk to the Tuhoe people about confiscation? A line has been placed on the current road to mark the confiscated area. That place is called manemanerau. And people wonder why Maori vent their anger and shed tears. 
If members believe that these are the sorts of stories that are from way back in the dim dark ages the process used over the seabed and foreshore legislation tells us that those colonial attitudes are still with us now. Know that our people hurt. They hurt then; they hurt now. Know and understand that the foreshore and seabed legislation driven by the Labour Government and supported by others will live in the hearts of future generations of Maori. 
I am a fair-minded person as I believe most thinking New Zealanders are. It is because of this that I struggle to understand how injustices that are right in front of our eyes seem to go unnoticed. Fact: the Maori language is an official language of this country. One would think then that having simultaneous translation of that language to assist members in this House was a given. Fact: I ask my colleagues of this House to consider that one Maori electorate MP covers an area that is filled with possibly up to 10 general seats—same resources and money. It certainly makes it difficult for Maori to participate in the democratic process. Some 10 years ago I led a protest at one of the many hui where the National Government was told where it could put its plan to settle all compensation claims for $1 billion. It was told that around 12 times and still it did not get it. Worse that fiscal envelope remains in place now. 
Consider also one of the most important matters affecting Maori today including most of my electorate. The tribes are engaged in a process of rebuilding their tribal institutions in ways that are consistent with their tikanga in order to meet Crown requirements for the settlement of Treaty claims. But the State currently sets and controls the process by which iwi representatives are selected to settle the claims and to establish the governing bodies. The State has a paternalistic hands-on involvement in deciding who speaks for the tribe in negotiations with the State itself. It appoints the person who will conduct the selection process whether or not the tribe has a structure or a process of its own in place. Iwi were not involved in designing the process. The record shows that it has not been debated in any committee of this House nor in the House as a whole. As it is not provided for by any Act of this Parliament the integrity of the process cannot be tested in the courts. 
I come to this House committed to two goals. The first is to advance the progress of Maori cosmology—our own values of love respect dignity kinship and integrity. Those values are enduring. The second but not the least is to advance the interests of all New Zealanders in building a society in which we can all live in harmony not in spite of the Maori presence but because of it. Time has proven that Maori must have a truly independent voice in this House if the issues that affect us are to be raised and our rights are to be respected. It is still the case that those rights are frequently overlooked and that some old colonial attitudes continue to constrain Maori in the management and development of our own affairs. We believe that our connections across and between the distinctive cultural communities of Aotearoa are what binds us together. Those rights are not hard to identify. They are set out in the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Pivotal to this declaration is article 3 where indigenous peoples have the right to determination. 
I close by saying that having listened to a number of the maiden speeches in this House over the last week or so I am inspired by many. Maybe we do have that chance to build a future that does respect me Maori. I live in hope. I sense the passion and honesty. I sense that all of us Maori and Pakeha want similar things: our children to be well-educated and healthy citizens of the world speaking both English and Maori. Maori now have a party that can raise those issues without fear of compromising their party loyalty and their people. I will ensure that the issues of justice and fair play are exposed and debated freely and openly by all of us. I believe that it is only in that way that we will develop that true understanding of our respective traditions and values that will enable us to move forward as a united people sharing common goals. 
David Lange said in his maiden speech in 1977: “I see Parliament as a talking shop where ideas are bandied about where the Executive is held to account for its actions; I see it as a place where the nation can be inspired where lofty ideals can be generated and disseminated. I see Parliament as the place that leads the country and moulds the country so that it goes on to better times.” That is where I want to be! Tena koutou katoa. 
Dirge