Flavell Te Ururoa: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 27 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:9035. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Chair. Ka nui te mihi ki a koe i whakaaetia mai ai kia tu ake au i tenei po. Ka mihi ra ki a tatau katoa i tenei po e hoa ma. He pai nga korero. Ahakoa i te ahua matakitaki au i taku ruma i te ahuatanga o nga korero he rawe katoa kia rongo ake i nga rerenga korero ka puta whakahe mai whakaae mai. Ka tautoko au me ki i te mea kare te Pati Maori i tino noho nei ki konei ki te whakatakoto i ona korero. Kua tae mai au ki konei kia kore tetahi e noho i te rangirua ko te Pati Maori katoa—tahi rua toru—kei te whakaae atu ki tenei pire mai i ona timatanga korero tae ra ano ki tenei wa ki tona mutunga ka tahi. 
Ka rua ka mihi ra ki taku tuahine ki a Louisa Wall mo tona maia ki te kawe i tenei kaupapa. Kaore e kore kua rongo ia i te whiu o te kupu i nga kupu whakahahani nei nga kupu whakawhiu nei i te mea ko ia te kanohi o tenei o nga kaupapa pera i taku rangatira e noho nei a Kevin Hague ano hoki kua rongo ia i te whiu o te kupu. No reira ka mihi ra ki a raua ki a ratau katoa i kawe nei i tenei o nga kaupapa. 
Ka mihi ra ki te komiti whaiti i te mea i te panuitanga tuarua i rongo au i etahi korero tino pai rawa atu me taku whakapono i wetewetengia i whakatewhatewhahia te whanuitanga o nga korero i puta i roto i te komiti whaiti. No reira he pai tera. Ka mutu ka mihi ra ki taku tuahine e noho nei i te tepu i tenei po a Moana Mackey mo te papai o tana korero i mua tonu ina tatanei i a ia e korero nei mo te ahuatanga o nga whakahe a wetahi. He marama tonu tana whakatakoto i nga korero i tana karo i etahi o nga wero mo tenei o nga kaupapa. No reira koira tetahi timatanga korero. 
Ko ta matau me te ki ehara i te mea kei te pirangi ki te whakatuarua tuatoru i nga korero engari ko ki kia kaua e takatakahi i te mana o te tangata. Ahakoa tona taera ahakoa tona wahinetanga tona tanetanga he ira tangata. Ko ta matau ko te ki kia kaua e pera ki te tangata. Ko tenei pire kare ona hiahia kia pera rawa i te tangata. No reira mama noa iho ta matau tautoko i te mea nei. 
Ko tetahi kaupapa e whakahono nei i te tangata ara ko tera kupu ko te “hononga” o te tangata. Ara ano etahi kupu ko te piringa o tetahi ki tetahi ka tuituia tetahi ki te tetahi enei ahuatanga katoa. Ko te hononga o te tangata tetahi mea kai te putake o te kaupapa o te Pati Maori. Kua tuhia kua korerohia i roto i nga korero o nga matua tupuna nga whakatauki. Ma whero ma pango ka oti te mahi. Naku te raurau nau te raurau ka ora te iwi. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari ko taku toa he toa takitini. He kakano i ruia i Rangiatea. Enei korero katoa e whakamarama ana i te ahuatanga o te piringa o te tangata ki te tangata. No reira ko te mate ke o enei whakatauki korero kare tetahi i te korero mo tenei mea mo te marena—mo te marena. 
No reira kua korerohia te ahuatanga ki te hahi ko te wahi ki a au he korero paku nei mo te ahuatanga o Te Ao Maori. I Te Ao Maori ko te marena ka whai mai i te mahi ka whai mai. I roto i Te Ao Maori ko te kupu e tika ana kia moe tetahi ki tetahi. Te tumanako kai te rongo koutou i te tikanga o tera korero. Ko te moe a tetahi ki tetahi. Ka moe tetahi ki tetahi kua mutu. Koina. I enei ra ko te marena ka whai mai. He tiwhikete he pepa e ki ana ae ae i mahia tera mahi. No reira tera tera whakamarama mo te ahuatanga o Te Ao Maori. 
Ko ta matau ko te ki ko tenei mea ko te hononga o te tangata tetahi ki tetahi he mea hei whakakotahi nei i te whakapapa o tetahi ki tetahi. He hononga ki te whenua he hononga e korerohia ana i roto i nga korero o Te Ao Maori he whakahono i te tangata i roto i nga waiata haka hitori. I tona mutunga mai koinei te ahuatanga o Te Ao Maori no reira ehara i te mea ma te tiwhikete tetahi ki tetahi e whakakotahi nei i a raua kao. Na runga i te mea ko te whakapapa tetahi kaupapa kai te putake ano hoki o tenei mea o te whanau ko tetahi kaupapa i te putake o tenei mea te hononga o te tangata ki te tangata ana ko tenei mea ko te whanau. Ko te whanau. Mena ka hiahia tetahi ki te moe ki te marena ranei ki tetahi atu ehara i te mea ko te mea kotahi ki te mea kotahi kao. Ko te mea kotahi ki te marea. Ki te whanau ki te iwi ano hoki ko te maha. No reira tera tera korero. Ehara i te mea ma te tiwhikete ano ra tera e whakatau. 
Ko ta matau ko te Pati Maori kei te ki atu ko te whanau kei te putake o te ao ka mutu ehara i te mea ko te whanau he mea aukati i te tangata—kao. Ko te whanau he mea whakakotahi nei i te tangata. No reira ehara i te mea ma te tiwhikete ano hoki tera kao me te ki ano hoki ko te hononga o te tangata ki te tangata hakoa tona wahinetanga tanetanga ranei te hononga ranei o tetahi ki tetahi ko te manaakitanga ara koinei kei te putake o tenei kaupapa. Ko te manaaki a tetahi ki tetahi. Kai te korero tatau mo tenei mea mo te whakawhanaungatanga te whanaungatanga a tetahi ki tetahi. Kai roto i nga korero katoa nga hitori o nga matua o nga tupuna. 
A kua puta tetahi korero mo te ahuatanga o te tiaki i nga tamariki. E kare he raruraru ki tenei momo hunga. Ko ratau te hunga tino tiaki i nga tamariki ki taku titiro i nga tau kua hipa ake. No reira ko ta matau ko te ki atu a tukuna te pire kia haere ki tona taumata. 
Ko te ahuatanga o te referendum e korerohia ake nei kare matau i te whakaae atu ki tera. Ko te mate ke o te referendum ko te tokoiti ka hinga i nga wa katoa. Mena ka korerohia te ahuatanga o Te Ao Maori i Aotearoa ka hinga te tokoiti mena ko te referendum te kaupapa kawe i tera ahuatanga. 
I korerohia te ahuatanga o nga hahi ana na Moana tera i kokiri i karo. I wetewetengia tera i roto i te select committee no reira ki a matau kare he raruraru. Waiho te korero i runga i te pire kia tau. Waiho tera ki reira ehara i te mea me rawekeweke kia whakapakari ake. Kua tiaki mai i te ahuatanga ki nga hahi kei te pai kare he raruraru ki to matau titiro. 
No reira koinei etahi paku korero me te ki atu ki a koutou ki a tatau e whakarongo nei ki tenei o nga kaupapa kia kore tetahi e noho i te rangirua ko ta matau ko te Pati Maori he tautoko i tenei pire. Tukuna ki tona whakatinanatanga tukuna ki tona taumata he painga ka puta. He ra tona ka hoki mai ki roto i to tatau Whare me te patai a—he aha te raruraru? Tekau tau kai mua i te aroaro ka patai te patai—he aha te raruraru? Ai ka hoki nga mahara ki te wa i korero mai a John Key mo te ahuatanga o te haki tino rangatiratanga. Ko tana i tera wa kei te pai whakairia te haki o te tino rangatiratanga 2 tau 3 tau ka pataia te patai—he aha te raruraru? Ana kua puawai i tenei wa. No reira e tautoko ana i te pire. Kia kaha kia toa kia manawa nui. Kia ora tatau katoa. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Chair for allowing me to speak this evening. I appreciate that greatly. Indeed I acknowledge us all tonight colleagues. The contributions were wonderful. Even though I watched the trend of the debate in a somewhat casual manner from my office I endorse the flow of the addresses whether in support or against. It was just great to hear everything because the Maori Party did not remain behind to present its views. I have come here so that no one is left in any doubt that all of the Maori Party—one two three members—are in favour of this bill when it was first debated and will continue until its conclusion. That is one.  
Two I commend my sister colleague Louisa Wall for her courage in sponsoring this matter. Without a doubt she has felt the lashing disparaging and ill-founded remarks because she is the face of this policy like this esteemed colleague of mine Kevin Hague another who has also experienced the flogging. Therefore I salute those two indeed and all of them who bear this policy.  
I acknowledge the select committee indeed because I heard some outstanding contributions during the second reading and believe the wide-ranging views expressed at committee hearings were carefully considered and examined by the select committee. So that was good. Furthermore I acknowledge my sister colleague seated at the table tonight Moana Mackey for her fine contribution just a moment ago with respect to the objections by some. She set out her reasons clearly and effectively turned aside challenges to this policy. So there is an introductory statement.  
Let us say that without wishing to relitigate a second or third time what has already been stated we believe that the integrity of a person must not be trampled on. Regardless of one’s sexuality female male it is a human element. We advocate that a human must never be treated like that. This bill has no desire to treat a human in that manner. So supporting this sort of thing is an easy matter for us.  
Another matter that unites a person is that word “marriage” of the person. There are other words relationship of one to another bonding of one to another—all these situations. One thing that is the bottom line of the Maori Party is the relationship of a person. It has been recorded and quoted in the aphorisms of the forefathers and ancestors. With red and black the work will be completed. With my food basket and your food basket the tribe will be sustained. My strength is not that of the individual but of the masses. It is a seed sown in Rangiatea. All these wise sayings elucidate the aspect of the relationship of the person to another. However the unfortunate thing about these proverbs is that there is no mention in them about marriage about hooking up.  
On the other hand the situation relating to the church has been mentioned; I have a small contribution to make about it from a Maori way of looking at things. According to Maoridom marriage follows consummation. Marriage comes after. To put it more aptly as a Maori sleep with the other. I hope you collectively heard and got the gist of that—it is sleeping with the other. Once the act of sleeping with the other has taken place it is done. They are married. In these times it is the other way round. Yes a certificate it is called a document fulfils the marriage requirement. So that is that explanation from a Maori perspective.  
We say that this thing about a union of an individual to another is a thing that unites the genealogy of one partner to the genealogy of another. It is a connection to the land one that is referred to in the traditional chants and posture dances and the traditional stories of the Maori society. At the end of it all this is the situation in the world of the Maori so it is not the certificate that unites those two to each other—no not at all because genealogy is this family thing. A basis of a relationship by an individual to an individual is a family. If one wants to sleep with or marry someone else it is not as an individual to an individual not at all. To the public it is. To the family and tribe it is greater than that. So that is that conversation. It is not for the certificate alone to determine.  
We the Maori Party are saying that the family has an integral part to play in the universe and furthermore a family does not exclude a human being—far from it. It is the family that unites a human being. Thus it is not the certificate on its own that does that not at all. We are saying at the same time as well that the marriage of a human to another human regardless of his or her sexuality or another person to another person it is the support that is at the basis of this matter. We are talking about this thing called building relationships the relationship of one to the other. It is contained in all the traditional stories and history of our forefathers and ancestors.  
A comment has emerged about the way the children are looked after. This is not a problem with this type of people. From what I have seen over the years they are the ones who really look after children. Therefore we say let the bill go on to its ultimate conclusion.  
As far as the referendum being spoken about is concerned we do not agree to it. The problem with a referendum is that the minority loses all the time. If a situation relating to Maoridom becomes a point of discussion and a referendum is conducted the minority perspective will lose.  
The situation about churches was discussed and so Moana addressed and found a way around it. That situation was examined in the select committee and so we have no problem with it. Leave that part in the bill as it is. It is not as though that part needs to be fiddled about to strengthen it. The part about churches is being catered for and it is fine. From our perspective there are no problems.  
These then are some brief points. And to you and to us all collectively as well as all those listening in to this address and so that no one is left in any doubt we the Maori Party support this bill. Let it go so that it can manifest itself and peak. Nothing but good will emerge. There will come a time in the future when it will return inside our House and we will ask what the problem was. Ten years ago the question was posed—what was the problem? Oh gosh. My thoughts go back to the time when John Key talked about the self-determination flag. He said at the time that it was fine raise the self-determination flag. In 2 or 3 years’ time the question will be asked—what was the problem? And so the question has come around once more. Therefore we support the bill. Be strong be courageous and be stout of heart. Compliments to us all. 
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