Fox Marama: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFox Marama: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 07 April 2016. Volume:712;Page:10329. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Ā tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. E tika me mihi tuatahi ki tērā o ngā matua i hinga ā i tēnei wā e takoto tonu nei a Matiu Dickson. I tēnei ata kai te haere a Te Ururoa ki tōna tangihanga he hoa nōna. He hoa tōna ā he tangata matatau i roto i te ao mātauranga ko ia tēnā e whakahaere ana i te ao o ngā rōia i roto i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. Ko ia anō te tiamana o Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa nā reira e tika me tuku whakaaro ki a ia ki taua whanaunga i tēnei wā.Ā nā reira ka hoki anō ki ngā kōrero o te pō ki Te Pire Reo Māori. Te ātaahua te whakarongo ki a tātau e kōrero Māori ana i roto i Te Whare. Koirā te take kai te whakahoungia tēnei pire he pire whai mana tō tāua Reo.Inapō rā i tīmata au te kōrero e pā ana ki tētahi o ngā poropiti o te kāinga ko Paora Pōtangaroa tērā. Ko ia tēnā i roto i tana ōhākī e kī nei: “Ka ngaro Te Reo o Wairarapa.” I ahau e tiro atu ana ki aku whanaunga i te kāinga kotahi noa iho te koroua e kōrero tūturu ana i tō tāua Reo. Hipa atu i te 80 tau te pakeke o tēnei o ngā kaumātua. Atu i a ia ko te reanga e mōhio nei ki Te Reo Māori e 50 tau te pakeke. Te nuinga ō tātau kaumātua kāre i mōhio ki Te Reo Māori i runga i te hē o Te Kāwanatanga. Nā reira e tika me whai wāhanga i roto i te pire nei hei tuku whakaaro ki aua mahi hē i ngā tau kua hipa atu. Ko Te Ture o Native Schools tēnā i whakakorengia tō tāua Reo. Ko ngā ture e whaiwhai nei i tēnā i whakakorengia ngā tikanga kai roto i ngā karaehe kai roto i ngā kura kai roto i te ao.Nā reira e mōhio pai mātau ka whai ngā tikanga i Te Reo Māori ka whai ngā hītori o te rohe i Te Reo Māori. I te kāinga i a mātau e āwangawanga ana mō ngā tamariki mokopuna i tipu ake i te kāingā i runga i te whakamā o tō rātau whanaunga e patu i ngā tamariki i te kāinga. E whakaaro ana mātau me pēhea e whakahokia te mana o te tamaiti kia whai oranga te tamaiti. Ā ko Te Reo tēnā ko te hītori tēnā. Ko te mōhiotanga o tō rātau whakapapa tēnā e whakahokia nei tō rātau whakahīhī e tū kaha nei i roto i Te Wairarapa. Nā reira e tika rā te kōrero o tērā o ngā poropiti a Paora Pōtangaroa. Ko te mutunga o tana kōrero e kī nei: “Mā ngā tamariki Te Reo e whakahokia mai.” Nā reira kai te whakaae kaha nei au ki tēnei pire.Ētahi e kī nei. Te Mātāwai! Ko wai ka hua kia noho ki runga i Te Mātāwai? Ki a au nei e tika ana taua korero. Waiho mā te ao rangatahi! Ā kai reira ngā kaumātua hei tohutohu i a rātau ēngari ko rātau ngā mea kai te kōrero āpōpō ngā tau kei te heke mai ki ō rātau tamariki i te kāinga. I kite atu mātau i tēnā i te kāinga ko ngā tamariki rangatahi kai te kōrero Māori. Ko rātau kei te tū ki runga i ngā marae ki te taha o ō rātau ankara. Ko rātau kei te tū ki te wero i a mātau o te kāinga me pēhea te rautaki Reo Māori i te kāinga. Nā reira e tika taua whakaaro ki a au hoi anō rā e mōhio pai ana au ki te rohe o Kahungunu ā kai roto Te Reo i te ringa o te rangatahi. Ko wai atu i a rātau kia tū mō tātau?Anō nā ki ngā wahine! E kī nei ētahi me whai me whakaaro ki te hunga wahine kia tū hei māngai i runga i Te Mātāwai. Pai ana au ki tēnā nō te mea ko ngā wahine tēnā e whakahaere ana i ngā Kōhanga Reo. Ko ngā wahine ēnā ngā kuia ēnā e whakatō ana mai i Te Reo i ngā kāinga. I tipu i tīmata Te kōhanga reo o Wairarapa i ngā whare o ngā kuia. Kai roto i ō rātau whare waka tū ai Te Kōhanga Reo kai reira rātau e whakahaere ana i Te Reo. Ēngari mehemea ka tiro atu ki ngā tangata ngā kura Reo e whakahaere nei i tō tāua Reo ā kei reira hoki ngā wahine. Kāre au i te āwangawanga mehemea ka whai tūranga te wahine i runga i Te Mātāwai. Kua tū kaha nei rātau ki roto i tō tāua Reo. Ko Rāwinia Higgins tēnā ko Pānia Papa tēnā ko rātau i roto i ngā Kura Reo o Te Motu. Kua kite mātau i te kaha o te hunga wahine ka whakahuatia ana tō tāua Reo nā reira kāre au i te āwangawanga mō tēnā! E tika me whai tūru ēngari kāre au e āwangawanga mēnā ka waiho mā te pōti o ia rohe kia kore tētahi wahine e ahu mai.Hoi anō rā tēnei pire kua kite mātau i roto i tō mātau komiti ngā piki me ngā heke kia whai huarahi ki mua. Te katoa o tātau i roto i te komiti i tautoko nei atu i tō tāua hoa i tēnei wā! Ēngari i roto i te komiti e tautoko kaha nei i te nekehanga o tēnei pire.Āe e rua ngā taha ā ko tētahi mō Te Kāwanatanga. Me whai rautaki i te taha o Te Kāwanatanga hai ārahi i a tātau ki te kōrero Māori i roto i tēnei Whare i ngā kōti me ngā whare Kāwanatanga katoa ko te hauora tēnā ko te mātauranga tēnā ā ko ngā wāhanga katoa o Te Kāwanatanga. Koinei Te Reo tūturu o te whenua nei! Koinei te taonga ēhara mā te Māori noa iho ēngari mā Aotearoa!Ki a au nei mehemea ka kōrero Māori tātau katoa ā ka whai haere te tikanga ka whai anō nā te hītori! Mehemea ka kōrero Māori tātau katoa i roto i te whenua ka whakakorengia taua mea institutional racism. He aha ai? Nō te mea te nuinga o tātau tamariki Māori tamariki Pākehā tamariki aha atu kāre e mōhio ki te hītori o tēnei whenua. Mehemea ka kōrero Māori ka whai te hītori i Te Reo! Mehemea ka kōrero Māori ka whai ngā tikanga iTe Reo! Ka nohotahi tātau i roto i Te Reo Tūturu o Te Whenua nā runga i tēnā ka puāwai pai nei ka whai oranga pai nei tātau katoa i Aotearoa.Kāre au e hiahia ki te whakatōroa i ngā kōrero. Heoi anō e tika anō te kōrero i nanahi i tīmata ai au i tēnei kōrero tā Te Ururoa tēnei i whakahua mai: “Ko Te Reo Māori te matapihi ki Te Ao Māori.” I roto i Te Reo ka mārama tātau ki Te Ao Māori ka mārama tātau ki a tātau anō i runga i te whenua. Kai te mōhio kaha au ki te taha Pākehā nei kua tupu ake tātau katoa i te ao Pākehā. Kai te mōhio au ki tō koutou reo kai te mōhio au ki ō koutou tikanga. Nōku anō aua reo me aua tikanga! Ēngari anō e hia o te ao Pākehā e mōhio ana ki tō tāua Reo ki tō tāua tikanga ki tō tāua hītori? Me whakatikahia taua “balance”—kāre e au e paku mōhio ki te kupu mō tēnā ēngari me whakatikahia; kia ora “taurite”—kia tipu pai ai tātau katoa i runga i te whenua. Koinei noa iho taku kōrero i tēnei wā tautoko mārika au i tēnei pire ā tēnā tātau.[Thank you Mr Chairman. It is fitting that I accord a tribute to Matiu Dickson first that esteemed Māori academic who has passed away and is lying in state. Te Ururoa Flavell is going to the mourning this morning. He was Associate Dean Māori in the Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato and chairman of Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa Charitable Trust so it is appropriate that my thoughts go to him to that kin at this point in time.And so I return once again to our discussion last night in regard to the Māori Language Bill. How wonderful it is to hear us speaking Māori in the Chamber and it is the reason why this bill is being amended. This legislation is giving added mana to our languageyours and mine.I began my address yesterday by referring to one of the prophets from back home Paora Pōtangaroa. He stated in his dying speech: “The Māori language of Wairarapa will disappear.” As I looked at the situation among my relations back home I realised that there is only one elder who is speaking our language fluently; this elder is over 80 years old. Apart from him the generationthatknowsthe Māori language is 50 years old. The majority of our elders lost the Māori language because the Government erred. Therefore it is right that this bill should have a provision in it to acknowledge those past injustices imposed by legislation like the Native Schools Act that banned the language that belonged to you and me. Subsequent legislation banned Māori lore in classes in schools and in the natural world.We knew well that lore follows the Māori language as does regional history. At home we were concerned about our children growing up without the Māori language as their elders were shamed and punished at school for using it. We considered ways ofrestoring its integrity and well-being.Knowing that language history and their genealogy would restore their pride and confidence to be staunch in the Wairarapa. And so the dying speech of that prophet Paora Pōtangaroa was right. He ended it by saying this: “The children will bring the language back.” And so I strongly support this bill.Some are saying who will be named to sit on Te Mātāwai? To me that statement is a fair one. Leave it for the younger generation. The elders are there to advise them but the younger generation will be the speakers tomorrow and in years to come and they will speak to their children back home. We see that back home the young ones are talking in Māori standing and speaking on the marae with their uncles. They are the ones challenging us at home about Māori language strategy. That view is fine with me because it is a situation that is going well in the Kahungunu region where the language is in the hands of the young people. Who else but them will represent us? They are the best option to represent us.It is similarfor women as well. Some are saying that women should be sought out and considered as representatives on Te Mātāwai. I am fine with that because women are running thekōhangareo. It is the women and the elderly ones who are teaching the language in the homes. The kōhanga reo movement in Wairarapa sprung up and emerged in the homes of the elderly women. Thekōhangareowere held in their garages; the Māori language was run there. But if you check out the people and Māori-medium schools running that language of ours women are there as well. I am not concerned if women are not represented on Te Mātāwai. They have been powerful performers in running our language. Rāwinia Higgins and Pānia Papa are examples of that in Māori language institutions at the highest level in the country. We have seen the capability of women whenever our language is mentioned. Therefore it is not a concern for me at all. It is proper that there is a representation through a postal vote by each region if a female candidate does not emerge.However as far as this bill is concerned the Māori Affairs Committee has witnessed the ups and downs of finding a way forward. It is proper that a representative is therebut I am not concerned as to whether that comesaboutbecause all of us on the select committee supported this initiative apart from one—but that colleague supports moving this bill forward vigorously.Yes there are two parts to the bill. One is for the Government to produce a strategy to guide us to speak Māori here in Parliament in courts and in all Government departments such as health and education—all departments. This is the indigenous languageof this land. It is a treasurenot just for Māori but for all New Zealandtoo. To me if all of us speak Māori the customs and history also should follow. If we all spoke Māori in this country that thing called institutional racism would be nullified. Why? Because the majority of our Māori Pākehā and other children are unaware of the history of this country. If they speak Māori the history must follow the language. If they speak Māori the traditions must follow the language. If we lived under the indigenous language of this country as a consequence all of us in New Zealand would thrive and our well-being would be improved.I do not wantto prolong the contributions.However the statement once again is correct. I began this address yesterday and Te Ururoa Flavell stated: “The Māori language is the window into Māoridom.” Through the language we will get an understanding of the Māori perspective. I am well acquainted with the Pākehā perpective. We all grew up in the Pākehā world. I know your language and understand your ways.They aremy language and ways as well. However how many in Pākehādom know this language of yours and minethose customs and that history of ours? We mustcorrect that balance so that we can all develop nicely in this country. This is all for now of my address; I fully support this bill and thanks to us all.]