Henare Peeni: New Zealand Flag Referendums Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHenare Peeni: New Zealand Flag Referendums Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 28 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5358. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PEENI HENARE (Labour—Tāmaki Makaurau):Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare otirā tēnā tātau katoa ki roto i tēnei tūāhuatanga arā ko Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori kei te pātaitia e tēnei Whare te mana o te tangata ki tētahi haki. Koinā tāku e mea atu ana koia rā tērā ko te pai o Te Reo Māori. Anā he aha nei nakena ngā haki tūturu o te whenua nei? Ko Te Reo tēnā i tupu mai i te whenua koinā tāku e kōrero atu ana ahau ki a tātau tēnā tātau katoa.Ka tīkina ake ahau ngā kōrero a te mema ki tērā taha o te Whare Alfred Ngaro e kōrero ana mō te ture Kāwanatanga constitution. Anā i tīmataria ai e tēnei Kāwanatanga te mahi kia whiwhi ai i ngā whakaaro o te motu whānui mō tēnei mea te ture Kāwanatanga. Anā i roto i ngā whakaputanga o taua Rōpū Whiriwhiri Take e pā ana ki te ture Kāwanatanga kīhei rātou i mea atu me tīni te haki nei. Koinā tāku e mea atu ana kei te whai tēnei Kāwanatanga i tō rātou ake whiore. Koinā te take kei te kūiti tēnei Kāwanatanga i te motu whānui. E kūiti ana tēnei Kāwanatanga i roto i tētahi kūititanga ki te mea atu mehemea e hiahia ana koutou ki te tīnihia i te haki tēnā anei hoki ko ngā whiriwhiringa kei mua i a koutou. Ēngari ko tā mātou e mea atu ana me tukuna te pātai tika i te tuatahi. He aha nei nakena ki te pātai tika anā. Mehemea e hiahia ana te motu whānui kia tīnihia te haki koinā hoki ko te pātai tuatahi ki a au nei.Ka whakaaro ake ahau ki wētahi o ngā kōrero ka puta mai i te rangi nei e pā ana ki te taha pūtea. E mōhio ana tātou katoa ko te tini o te pūtea ka whakapauhia ki runga i tēnei take. He mea moumou. Nui ake ngā take kei mua i te aroaro o tēnei motu whānui arā te pōharatanga te mātauranga he tini. Koinei tāku atu ki te Kāwanatanga i tēnei tāima. Mehemea e ngākaunui ana ngā hunga nei ki ngā RSAs tēnā hoatu te pūtea ki ngā RSAs tā te mea mōhio ana tātou kei te hinga haere te rahi o te pūtea ki aua wāhi rā—he wāhi maumaharatanga mō ngā hōia. Kāti!Ka whakaaro ake ahau ki ngā kōrero o te mema o tērā taha o te Whare Alfred Ngaro. Hei tāna ko te mana o te hōia ki roto i ngā pakanga kua pahure ake nei. Ka whakaaro ake ahau mō tōku tupuna a Te Hāringi Te Hāringi Rīwhi. I whawhai te kaumātua rā ki roto i Te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao ki roto hoki i Te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao. I te ata ka āra mai a Te Hāringi ki raro i te maru o tō tātou haki. I te mutunga o te rā kīhai a Te Hāringi i hoki mai ki te kāinga. Anā ka mate ki raro tonu i te maru o taua haki. Ko te mate kē kīhai ōna hoa hōia i kimi i tōna tūpāpaku. Nō reira ka takoto ake a Hāri ki roto o wāhi kē. Ēngari i te mutunga o te rā ka tuohu te mātenga o ōna hoa hōia ki te haki e hāwhe kake nei ki runga i te pou haki. Nō reira koia rā wētahi o tāku e mea atu ana i whawhai ngā mātua ngā tūpuna mō te haki te take. E mea atu ana ā e kāhore! Ko Te Kīngi ko te whenua o te mana motuhake. Ēngari e mea atu ana ahau i haere rātou ki raro i te maru o te haki i hoki anō mai rātou i raro i taua haki.Nō reira kāti! Ka whakaaro ake ahau mō ētahi atu o ngā take ko te take nui ahakoa te aha mōhio ana tātou ko te whakapautanga o te pūtea mō te kore take noa iho. Tukuna te pātai tika i te tuatahi mai i te tīmatanga o tēnei kaupapa ā kāti ka tahuri atu ahau ki roto i te reo tuarua hei whakakapi ake i tōku kōrero i te rā nei.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker and at the same time I extend my greetings to us all in the circumstances of this Māori Language Week. This House questions the integrity of an individual against that of a flag and that is the reason why I have said to you collectively that the Māori language is so appealing. Now then what is there about the flags of this country that is so indigenous? On the other hand the Māori language evolved from the land and that is the real reason why I am addressing us in Māori so hello there to us all.I take up the sentiments of the member on that side of the House Alfred Ngaro about the Government’s action relating to the constitution. Now then this Government instigated a process to obtain the views of the nation at large about it. Now that Constitutional Advisory Panel never stated in its releases that the flag of this nation must be changed. And that is why I am saying to you: this Government is chasing its own tail. That is the reason this Government is putting a squeeze on the nation at large.It is narrowing the confinement and saying: well then here are the options as well in front of you. But we are saying to Government release the proper question first. But what indeed is the proper question? That is it! Now if the nation desires a change that in fact to me is the first question.I ponder over some of the comments relating to funding that emerged today. We are all aware that an enormous amount of funding will be spent on this matter. It is sheer waste of funding. There are so many other issues confronting the nation like poverty education—myriads. At this very moment this is mine to Government. If these ones in Government are committed to RSAs well then give the funding to RSAs because we are all aware that funding in places like those—memorial places for armed forces.Enough! I reflect on the sentiments of the member on that side of the House Alfred Ngaro. To that member the status of the soldier in battle has passed. I reflect on my ancestor Te Hāringi Te Hāringi Rīwhi that elderly one who fought in the First World War and in the Second World War as well. In the morning Te Hāringi woke up from under the shelter of our flag. At day’s end Te Hāringi did not come home. He died there under the shelter of the flag. The real misfortune was that his comrades did not look for his body. So Hāri was interred somewhere else. But at day’s end his fellow soldiers bowed their heads to the flag flying at half mast on the flag pole. So those are some of my reflections that I am alluding to about parents and ancestors fighting for the flag. It is asserting: no! It was for the King and independence of the country. But I do assert that they went under the shelter of the flag and they returned as well under that flag.And so enough. I can think of other matters but the most significant one above all else is our awareness that funding is being spent for no reason at all. Release the proper question first from the outset of this proposal. Well now to conclude my address today I turn to the second language.]In conclusion it seems pretty set from the Government that this change is going to happen despite the call of this nation that now is not the right time. So if it is going to happen it seems that the only way that this flag will rise up the flagpole and also continue to blow proudly in the sky is on the hot air coming from the other side of the House. Kia ora tātou.