Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
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Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill 
First Reading 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I move  
That the Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill be now read a first time. 
 E te Manu Korero rau rangatira ma tena koutou katoa. Tena hoki koutou nga kaitautoko koia nei taku pire tuatahi hei whakanui i a Matariki. No reira e nga mana e nga reo tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings 
to you Mr Assistant Speaker and the many chiefs greetings to you all. Greetings also to supporters. This is my first bill to celebrate Matariki. So to the powers and languages greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you all 
.] 
The stars have certainly been in alignment for this important bill to be read today. At the midpoint of Maori Language Week we are proposing the introduction of a significant occurrence within the Maori calendar: the celebration of Matariki the Maori new year. The theme for Maori Language Week this week is Te Reo i te Hapori Maori Language in the Community. There is no better expression of community passion than in the Matariki festivals and celebrations held around the country. 
The first reading of the Matariki Day Bill comes hot on the heels of an important report from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage called  
Cultural Indicators for New Zealand 2009. 
 The report sets a very clear direction ahead for what the ministry describes as a “distinctly ‘New Zealand’ cultural identity”. Three key themes underlie the concept: first New Zealanders identify their common culture and heritage as being distinctive to this nation; second expressions of our culture are valued because they link past present and future generations of New Zealanders; and third Maori culture is valued for the contribution it makes to New Zealand’s identity. 
The Matariki Day Bill therefore is an opportunity to embrace and welcome the chance to stand proud of our distinctly New Zealand cultural identity. The bill is an idea that has been waiting to happen. Over 15 years ago artists Diane Prince Iwa Holmes and others formed a trust to reintroduce Matariki celebrations. Jim Rahi a member of the trust named it Te Whakanui i a Matariki and in 1995 Pipitea Marae celebrated it in style. Nga mihi nui ki a koutou. 
Nowadays Matariki is an event that is almost universally celebrated around the motu. Matariki builds on a groundswell of support for a new indigenous event to celebrate the unique place in which we live and to pay our respects to the land the people and the history. Matariki is a positive occasion—literally the dawning of a new age. Matariki has traditionally been a time for planting and planning activities for the year ahead for valuing our past and for preparing for our future. All those activities are significant steps in nation-building. Matariki symbolises the optimum time for new harvests. In earlier times our people used to make offerings to the gods Rongo Uenuku and Whiro to protect our crops for the coming year. 
Matariki is a very special time of the year a time in which we pause and reflect on the year that was and the year that will be. On this unique indigenous occasion we seek to value our past and to preserve history knowledge culture and traditional practices while at the same time preparing for the future. I ask the House what other days in the year we are able to say we celebrate the indigenous peoples of the land. Some might say that Waitangi Day is such a day but Waitangi Day is about the birth of our nation the bringing together of two peoples and the signing of the sacred covenant Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Matariki is a festival in which we can truly commemorate the indigenous origins of Aotearoa by giving respect to the unique customs and culture of tangata whenua. 
What is exciting about the promotion of Matariki is that it also joins us in the special relationships we have with our brothers and sisters in Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa the peoples of the Pacific. In Samoa they refer to the time of year as Matali’i in Tahiti it is known as Matari’i in Hawaii it is known as Makali’i and in Rarotonga and Aotearoa it is known as Matariki. 
The glittering star cluster that signals Matariki was celebrated by our ancestors mai ra ano. In fact Dr Rawiri Taonui from Canterbury University suggests that the celebrations continued until after 1900 with the last traditional festival known in 1940. 
 The inspiration to mark Matariki as a day of national importance has emerged from the people with the drive for the revitalisation of te reo and the renaissance of Maori. It is a breath of fresh air into the journey for nationhood. For those with green passions the moment of Matariki rising connects to an interest in astronomy and our natural world. For historians Matariki is a time to treasure our past. For all New Zealanders Matariki offers us a unique opportunity to connect in a positive celebration that takes its origins from this land. 
Just over a month ago the Mayor of Waitakere Bob Harvey called for a new public holiday to mark Matariki. It is a call that has come from all corners. The Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand wrote to all of New Zealand’s mayors in May of this year and received responses from several who were already planning to host Matariki celebrations. At Christchurch’s Nga Hau e Wha national marae the Matariki event is for everyone as demonstrated by the range of multicultural communities taking part. In Te Arawa Anaru Rangiheuea supports the concept of Matariki as a national event as a way of what he suggests is “celebrating this special country we live in”. Over in Ngati Kahungunu territory Ngahiwi Tomoana called for making Matariki a public holiday concluding: “I believe that future generations of New Zealanders will embrace it with gusto.” Even in this House Green co-leader Metiria Turei has promoted the call of the people to make Matariki a public holiday. 
If we are ever going to move forward as a nation we need to find things that connect us. It was heartening to hear the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage the Hon Chris Finlayson stand in the Chamber today and proclaim that Maori culture and celebrations of that culture is part of New Zealand’s unique international brand. He went further recognising that the strength and vitality of Maori culture and celebrations of that culture help to set us apart on the international stage. That is all so true. We know that his voice is not a lone voice in the National caucus. Would it not be great to allow the public a voice to open the debate about whether New Zealanders would like an opportunity to celebrate our distinctive cultural identity by the introduction of a Matariki Day? 
What possible defence can there be for maintaining the “day after” holidays—the day after 1 January and the day after Christmas Day—or for maintaining events to commemorate a man who devised a gunpowder plot to blow up the English Parliament yet to flatly refuse— 
Hone Harawira 
: May I continue Mr Assistant Speaker? 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: You certainly may. 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 What possible defence can there be for maintaining the “day after” holidays—the day after 1 January and the day after Christmas Day—or for maintaining events that commemorate a man who devised a gunpowder plot to blow up the English Parliament yet to flatly refuse to engage in conversation about an indigenous-inspired event for Aotearoa? All we want is to let the people have a say. 
What does it tell us when the Prime Minister was asked in June 2009 about whether he would support Matariki Day and responded: “I can’t say I have given any great thought to the matter but it’s probably a no”? The Te Ra o Matariki Bill is the opportunity to give great thought to supporting an event that is celebrated by many nationalities throughout Aotearoa. It is an opportunity to embrace a celestial event a festival that is inclusive of this place and respectful of indigenous origins. It is an opportunity to listen to others to open the door and to have the conversation not to say no before the debate has even begun. 
Today Business New Zealand launched a set of proposals entitled  
Setting New Zealand Apart 
 which is a contribution to a national conversation about how we can perform better. We believe that the bill is the ideal means by which to improve New Zealand’s productivity while at the same time boosting cultural identity. A national celebration of our unique indigenous beginnings a day in the midst of winter when workers could be revitalised physically mentally and spiritually could well set Aotearoa apart as a nation that cares for its people workers families and communities. 
In closing I return to the wisdom of Dr Rawiri Taonui: “Some say that Matariki should become a public holiday. Good idea. The small constellation of glittering jewels reflects our journey as one nation two peoples and many cultures—a time for New Zealanders to shine as one.” Kia ora tatou. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: The member Rahui Katene is required by Standing Order 279(1) to indicate in her introductory speech the select committee to which the bill is intended to go. Could the member Hone Harawira indicate which committee the bill will go to if the House agrees to it. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: The Maori Affairs Committee. 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. Tena koutou e te Whare. I will start by acknowledging and congratulating Rahui Katene on what I am sure will always be a significant day if for no other reason than the Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill is her first member’s bill which is no small feat. I acknowledge her extended whanau who are here today no doubt to support her on this occasion. No one who has heard the member speak can doubt her sincerity her conviction and her integrity of purpose in bringing this bill to the House. I pay tribute to her and to the Maori Party for fleshing out this debate and for the work they have done in bringing to the fore issues to do with and concerning Maori in this Parliament. 
I have a growing respect for the members of the Maori Party and I hope it is a mutual thing. I have got to know Hone Harawira a little on the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee and Te Ururoa Flavell as a member who shares with me Tauranga Moana. I have got to know other members of the Maori Party as well. I respect Rahui Katene and the Maori Party and I respect what they are trying to achieve at least as I understand it in bringing this bill forward. They come to this seeking not just to ask for a holiday on Matariki Day but also to raise issues of Maori culture and tradition and to bring them to the fore in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is as I think the member said quite apt that we have this bill before the House this week Maori Language Week. As the member said it must have been in the stars. 
But even though I support the purpose if you like and integrity behind this bill in bringing Maori issues traditions and custom to the fore I do not support nor believe that the mechanics of this bill are necessary or even right in terms of fulfilling the purposes albeit laudable that Rahui Katene and the Maori Party have. In short my view is quite clear. We do not require a public holiday to mark Matariki or more broadly to raise awareness of Maori custom and tradition issues in our nation. 
The reality as I perceive it in Tauranga Moana and in other parts of this nation is that there is a great movement towards events and traditions like Matariki. Last year I was at a Matariki ball in Tauranga although this year through parliamentary commitments I could not make it. I am also aware of a number of other functions in my own electorate to mark this time of the year. My point is that I do not believe it is necessary to have a public holiday to mark Matariki in order to have respect for it and an awareness of Maori traditions—our traditions. It is simply not correct to say in principle that in order to celebrate something and to believe in something even passionately a holiday is required. If that was the case we would have holidays on many other occasions as well. 
I will not be supporting this bill and National members will not be supporting this bill notwithstanding our respect for Rahui Katene the Maori Party and the integrity with which they bring this bill to the House. I say to Opposition members that this party does not come here with this bill to play petty politics and neither should they. 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 A tena koe. Tenei e tu tautoko ana nga mihi ki a koe Rahui. Ko tenei to pire tuatahi e hari koa ana te ngakau kua whakaarohia e koe mo tenei kaupapa hei whakanui i a Matariki i roto i tenei Whare Paremata no reira tena koe tena koutou. E tu ana ki te whakamarama i nga whakaaro kei waenganui i a matou te Ropu Reipa me whakaaetia te haeretanga o tenei pire ki te komiti whakahaere kia ata whakaarohia kia ata wanangahia nga take katoa. 
Ana kua rongohia e tatou nga whakaaro o Nahinara e pa ana ki tenei. Ahua ohorere ahau ki ona whakaaro na te mea ko ona whanaunga kei waenganui i a Ngati Maniapoto e tino tautoko ana i tenei pire. Ahakoa te aha ko te mea nunui kua whakaaetia e matou kia haere tenei pire ki te komiti whakahaere ki te whakarongo ki nga korero katoa. Ka mutu tera ka whakatakoto kei waenganui i a matou me nga kaupapa e pa ana ki nga take o tenei pire tena koutou. Ahakoa kua tapa koe i tenei pire ko te pire o Matariki me kaua e warewaretia ko nga whetu katoa kei waenganui i raro i tera kaupapa a Waiiti Waita Ururangi Tupuanuku Tupuarangi Waipunarangi me te matamua a Matariki. No reira ka nui te mihi atu ki a koe. 
[ 
Greetings to you. I rise in support of the acknowledgments accorded you Rahui. This is your first bill and I am really pleased that you have thought to celebrate this with a bill on Matariki in this House of Parliament so greetings to you and your colleagues. I rise to explain that we in the Labour Party will support this bill going to a select committee so that all aspects of it are carefully considered and deliberated.  
Now we have heard the views from the National member. I am somewhat startled by his views because his relatives in Ngati Maniapoto really support this bill. Regardless of that the most important thing is that we have agreed that this bill should go to a select committee so that everything about it is heard. When that has been done then it will come back before us with all the relevant details. Congratulations. While you called this bill the Matariki bill we must never forget that it is not just about the elder sister Matariki but it is also about the younger sisters Waiti Waita Ururangi Tupuanuku Tupuarangi and Waipunarangi as well. But I commend you highly 
.] 
I certainly endorsed the comments directed towards Rahui Katene that commended her for putting forward this bill Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill for the House to consider. It is timely. It is just past the season of Matariki so it is timely that we consider this issue. 
The comments made by the previous speaker Simon Bridges were noted but it might be of some interest to him that many people in Ngati Maniapoto support this particular bill. It should get a fair and full hearing at a select committee. Labour will support this bill’s first reading and its going to a select committee which will hear all the debate on whether an extra holiday should be created and all the issues associated with it. 
I would suggest that celebrating Matariki is more relevant for many of today’s New Zealanders and future New Zealanders than perhaps celebrating Queen’s Birthday is but let us see. The debate should be had and in its full extent the bill should be reported back to the House for consideration. I know that members speaking after me will draw a comparison with and allude to other substantial issues such as the impact on the Holidays Act and working people and the idea of swapping Matariki as a public holiday for another public holiday. 
Perhaps of more interest to the Prime Minister is the extensive calendar of events that has been in operation for the last 5 years or so—and ramping up—amongst our communities to celebrate Matariki. Rahui alluded to some of those events in our rohe but I know that the New Zealand Maori Tourism Council will be absolutely thrilled at having the opportunity to give a focal point to a celebration that a number of other events in the Maori tourism calendar hinge on. I am sure that it will see fit also to offer some thoughts about how this event will bring a greater focus to the indigenous contribution to the tourism landscape and how it can add value to our profile in addition to our clean green image. So it is well done. 
Also finally Te Paki o Matariki is a cluster of stars that sit on a flag back in the Waikato-Tainui rohe—on the Kingitanga flag—for a deliberate purpose: Te Paki o Matariki in itself represents the ambition and aspiration of those who support the movement and the values of sustainability. 
It is timely also in a recession that we give mention to Matariki because it is about a sustainable way of being. That is the whole-world view that we bring in association with the values towards this particular star cluster. It is important because it recognises the heritage of our people as navigators as travellers as adventurers as people who looked beyond the horizon. But it is important also because we knew that we needed to be able to survive by our own efforts and our ability to look after ourselves. Just as much as we celebrate Matariki for the harvest yet to come and the harvest past it is an aspirational statement about our intention for this country that Matariki lead the way for a sustainable future for all New Zealanders so I certainly commend the member on that front as well. 
Finally can I mention that this bill is a great opportunity for the House to consider not just a national holiday but perhaps the framing of the future direction that our country may take. I hope the debate is not politicised to the extent that people diminish the argument by referring to Matariki as just another holiday because it is not just about another holiday; it is about framing the national identity of this country and firmly fixing our contribution as indigenous people to the framing of that debate. 
No reira ki a koe ano koutou i raro i te Pati Maori tino mihi rawa atu ki a koutou tatou katoa. 
[S 
o I really acknowledge you and those of the Maori Party once again and all of us as well 
.] 
Thank you. 
PAUL QUINN (National) 
: 
E te Mana Whakawa o te Whare me aku hoa mema Paremata aku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa i roto i te Wiki o te Reo Maori tena koutou. Kia ora huihui tatou katoa. 
[ 
Greetings to you the Assistant Speaker of the House and all fellow parliamentarians during Maori Language Week. Greetings to us all assembled here 
.] 
Firstly at the start of this speech I join with other speakers before me in commending and acknowledging Rahui Katene for bringing forward the Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill as her first member’s bill. I think the sincerity and deep-seated roots of her beliefs are shown in the fact that she has made this particular bill the one that she has brought before us. The reason I stand is really as a mark of respect and to share with members my views because I think it is important that we have the conversation on a kanohi ki te kanohi basis rather than not having it and letting members wonder where I sit on this bill. That is the reason that I stand in respect of this bill. 
I say at the outset that I fully support the concept of celebrating Matariki but unfortunately I do not support this bill and National does not support this bill for the reasons that I will explain shortly. I have three limbs to this conversation. The first is to ask why we have public holidays which is a fundamental question that we must ask ourselves. The term “public holidays” stems in fact from holy days. That is what public holidays were originally about—holy days. At the outset we had Christmas Day Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We have subsequently added other holidays. We have added Anzac Day which celebrates the fallen and the people who have defended this country—and they are recognised in the memorial plaques that surround this Chamber. We have also added Waitangi Day which is a day to celebrate our nationhood. 
Hone Harawira 
: The holiest of holies. 
PAUL QUINN 
: The holiest of holies. We have added New Year. I say to myself that OK there is not much of a holy day about that but I guess it is an Anglo-Saxonised version of celebrating the fact that it is 1 January. OK that might just scrape in. 
But then I ask why do we celebrate Boxing Day? Why do we celebrate the second day of January? Why do we celebrate Labour Day? The reason we celebrate Labour Day is that it represents the labour movement’s desire to have 8 hours’ work 8 hours’ rest and 8 hours’ recreation. On that basis why do we not have a business day or an entrepreneurial day? We could make the same argument for having such holidays. We celebrate the Queen’s birthday but the day on which we celebrate her birthday happens to be the birthday of her grandfather. Someone should tell me why we celebrate it on that day. We have provincial holidays. We have all those holidays. That tells us that the whole basis of public holidays has changed. That is the background as to why we have got into this situation. 
I now turn to the second limb of my argument. I think it is very important for a country to celebrate its culture and I am proud to stand here and say the greatest advance in this country in terms of celebrating our cultural heritage came under a National administration. I refer to the kohanga reo movement which was introduced and supported by a former National Government. 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker Barker. Tena koe Rahui and tena koe Nanaia who has just left the Chamber. I thank them for their contributions to this important discussion that we need to be having. 
Labour supports this bill Ta Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill going to a select committee because we think a conversation on whether there should be a uniquely indigenous holiday among New Zealand’s public holidays is one that we need to have. I congratulate Rahui Katene on having the bill drawn from the ballot and on bringing this matter to the attention of Parliament. 
However there are some other issues going on at the moment that I must bring to the attention of Parliament and the public. These are issues of workers’ rights for all New Zealanders—for workers for Maori workers for New Zealanders. While we consider this bill tonight the irony is that New Zealanders’ existing public holidays let alone new public holidays and their annual leave are under attack from this National Government. We have yet another so-called review of the Holidays Act going on as we speak. Although National has sought to offer soothing words about that review members will forgive me if I am somewhat cynical because we have been here before. There is no reason for cashing up the fourth week of leave other than to reduce the entitlement to leave. There is no other reason for poking around relevant daily pay which is in the review other than to reduce the pay that workers receive when they are sick. Although I support the conversation we are having I am concerned about what is happening in the background. 
To be fair National did signal those issues in its manifesto. But for good measure it has thrown in without warning another couple of things that were not in the manifesto. It seems to me that they are there only because some businesses have them on their black list; we hear that again and again. First there is the proposal to allow workers to transfer public holidays. I suppose they could transfer a Matariki public holiday. The example that is used is Ramadan. The idea came from the Employers and Manufacturers Association in submissions on a bill last year. I think my suspicions that this proposal is a National Government ploy to reduce entitlements to extra pay while working on a public holiday which Labour introduced are spot on. Interestingly enough this proposal has now become one of the 50 suggestions from Business New Zealand about how to improve New Zealand’s productivity—please for goodness’ sake—along with things like privatising accident compensation and scaling back workers’ rights. It really lacks imagination. 
Let us be clear about what National’s plan means. If workers agree to swap one of the existing public holidays such as Christmas Day for a day at the end of Ramadan or indeed Matariki and they work on Christmas Day which is the official public holiday they will get no extra pay for working on that day—no time and a half which Labour introduced in the last few years when it was in Government. The Government wants to dilute the right to public holidays across the board and it wants to force workers to work for no extra pay. That is what National wants to do and I think it is disgraceful. 
What has emerged out of the blue with no prior warning is the old Easter Sunday shop trading debate. We all have issues; we all have a different opinion about whether the shops should be open on Easter Sunday. This Parliament has tried over several years to find a measure whereby people can agree whether shops should be open on Easter Sunday. Each time it has been voted down in a conscience vote. I am one who has voted and will continue to vote against that sort of proposal because retail workers are adamantly opposed to it and why should they not be? After all we have only 3.5 days left in the whole calendar year when workers are not forced to work and when shops are not open. Why would this latest attempt to sort it out work when Parliament has failed to find a solution that we could all agree to? 
Although Labour supports this bill I think we should have the conversation and I welcome it I have to say the background stuff the noise that is going on with the Holidays Act— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I regret to advise the member that her time has expired. 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 Kia ora. Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I want to express the Green Party’s support for the Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill; our nine votes will support its referral to a select committee. I also stand in support of my Maori Party colleagues who brought this bill to the House. As I well know members’ bills are hard fought for rare and deserve a great deal of consideration certainly more than what I think the National Party has given to bills this evening. 
Firstly I say the Green Party particularly supports the concept of a holiday in the period between Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day. One of the issues we have with this bill and we would be happy to explore it in the select committee is the time period for this holiday because in the bill it is quite early. None the less we fully support there being an additional holiday for workers and their families particularly at this time when families are under a great deal more pressure and stress than they were under. The opportunity to spend more time with each other on days that workers can have off is a very good thing and the Green Party fully supports that. 
One issue that has not been raised sufficiently in the debate is that this bill is a means to recognise tikanga Maori in a legislative form—and it is a fairly minor form. This would be the first time that this has happened in legislation in any real way outside the colonial framework. This bill is about recognising a Maori approach to or a Maori world view of the nature of the cosmos and time periods. It is about recognising pre-colonial Maori legitimacy and there is no debate in this House about that. National is all talk. It is concerned only about industry. Earlier today we heard about National’s support for the fishing industry and that it is only interested in supporting employers. 
Debate interrupted.