Flavell Te Ururoa: General Debate 
Flavell Te Ururoa: General Debate 
[Volume:668;Page:15177] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa me huri te kei o te waka ki wahi ke. Kua waimarie te Pati Maori i enei marama. Tuatahi na matou te take o te kai hikareti i kokiri ki mua i te Komiti Take Maori a katahi ano taua purongo ka puta. Kua oti i a Tariana Turia te whai ake i etahi wahanga o tera purongo hei whakatinana i ona korero. Koi ra te pai o te noho turanga a-Minita nei. 
Nonatatanei i puta te purongo o te Komihana a-Ture mo te waipiro. Ara no ona korero mo te tau e tika ana kia taea ai e te hunga taiohi te hoko waipiro unu ranei i te waipiro ko te rahui tonu i etahi inu i te tirohanga kanohi era take katoa. 
Ko te mea tuatoru ko te pire whakakore mihini a-petipeti i raro i toku ingoa. He mea tenei i puta na runga i te tokomaha o te iwi Maori e whai ana i tenei momo ahuatanga. I toku kainga tonu i Rotorua i a au e haere ana ki te taunga waka rererangi ki te haere mai ki Poneke nei ma te waka kawe i kaha korero mai nga kaitaraiwa mo o ratou kitenga ko te ahuatanga o te hunga whakapau moni na nga mahi petipeti. Kua kite tonu au i te kino kua puta mai mo tetahi whanau na tenei mahi kino. No reira e tika ana kia whai te Pati Maori i enei take. 
Ko tona tikanga ka tae taku pire gambling harm reduction ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Paremata a nga ra tata kei mua i te aroaro. Ko te ahua nei ka aro mai etahi o te Whare ki te tikanga o tenei pire. Penei i a au nei kua kite tatou i te kino o nga mihini nei. Ehara i te mea kei te ki au karekau he painga e puta mai ana na nga mihini kao! Kei te mohio tonu tatou he moni te painga. He moni e tukuna atu ai ki nga ropu nga tima hakinakina hei awhina i a ratou pea ki te hoko kakahu. He moni awhina i nga marae he aha atu he aha atu. Ko ta matou ki e penei ana he kino ake te kino i te pai. 
Koi nei te mea ohorere ki a au ko nga ropu penei i a Problem Gambling Poverty Action Waikato Salvation Army Family First. Ko Len Brown tonu te tumuaki hou o Tamaki-makau-rau kua kaha tautoko mai i te wairua o tenei pire. Ko etahi o nga mema o te Ropu Nahinara tonu kua ki mai ki a au kei te tautoko ratou i te tikanga o tenei pire. He poti a-wairua tenei me ki he conscience vote 
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Ara ma te wairua o te mema ia e tohu ae ranei me tautoko kare ranei. Ko te mate ke ko te ahua nei kei te herea te kaki o nga mema o te Nahinara o ACT tonu a ka whai ratou ko te korero o to ratou wepu. He aha i penei ai mena kei te mohio tonu te nuinga o te Whare he take kei konei? He take ki te hunga pohara ki nga Maori me Ngati Pasifika he take e pa ana ki te hunga hoko mihini ki nga papara kauta e tuku koha mena ka whakawatea mai nga kaihoko waipiro i nga kuaha ki wa ratou mihini. He take kei konei i te mea ko te moni ka puta mai i Rotorua ka whakapauhia ketia ki wahi ke. He take kei konei i te mea ko etahi o nga moni o nga mihini ka haere ki nga karapu whakaomaoma hoiho hei moni tuku. Ko enei korero katoa kaore e kore ka puta hei te panuitanga tuatahi a ko ake nei engari ko taku ke he aki i nga ropu katoa kia kaua e here i wa ratou mema mo tenei take. He poti a-wairua tenei waiho ma te wairua o tena o tena e tohu.  
Koi nei nga akoranga o te noho i te Whare Paremata. Tuatahi mena kei a koe te minitatanga ka taea te whakatinana i nga kaupapa here o to ropu. Tuarua ahakoa pehea ahakoa ko te wawata me te ngakaunui me whai hoa koe to ropu ranei kia eke ki te ono tekau ma rua o nga poti ara kia toa to poti. Ki te kore he moumou taima te korero. Ka toru me noho hei Kawanatanga. Ki te kore e noho hei Kawanatanga ko tau he painaina i te ra he moemoea te mahi he whiuwhiu kohatu te mahi. Koinei te ahuatanga o Reipa i tenei wa e kore e taea te aha. He korero noa iho te mahi a karekau he whiwhinga. 
Koinei te ahua o nga korero e rere haere nei i tenei wa i te Ao Maori ara mo te pire hou mo te takutai moana. I ki ake te Pati Maori ka ukuia katoatia te pire takutai moana na te mea he mea muru taua pire. Ka rua ka whakatuwherahia nga kuaha ki nga huarahi katoa kua mutu? Aroha mai. No reira kua ea te wahi ki a matou o te Pati Maori. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker. Greetings one and all. Allow me to set the stern of the canoe in another direction. The Maori Party has been fortunate in recent months. Firstly we brought the issue of cigarette smoking before the Maori Affairs Committee which has just released its report. Tariana Turia has begun implementing some aspects of the report. That is one of the good things about being a Minister of the Crown. 
The Law Commission recently released its review on alcohol. Among other things it recommends a minimum purchase and consumption age for youths and a total ban on some drinks. 
Thirdly there is the Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill under my name. It emerged because of the large number of Maori people involved in this sort of thing. It is very prevalent in my town of Rotorua. When I have been on my way to the airport to catch a flight to Wellington taxi drivers have spoken at length about what they have seen and how people spend their money on gambling. I have seen for myself the terrible effects that some families experience as a consequence of this terrible addiction to gambling. So it is only right that the Maori Party address issues like these. 
According to procedure my Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill should come before the House soon. Interest in the purpose of this bill is apparent from some members of the House. They like me see the evil side of these gambling machines. It is not as though I am saying that these machines have no benefits at all. Far from it! We are absolutely sure that revenue accrues. Organisations receive grants sports teams get assistance to purchase uniforms marae receive financial help and so on and so on. But what we are saying is that negatives far outweigh positives. 
Organisations like Problem Gambling Poverty Action Waikato the Salvation Army and Family First New Zealand are a surprise to me. The new mayor for all of Auckland Len Brown is a strong supporter of the spirit of this bill. Some National members have told me they support the purpose of this bill. This is a spiritual or conscience vote. The conscience of each member will determine whether they vote yes or no. The problem is that it seems that members of both National and ACT are tied by the neck to follow what their whip demands. Why did it come to this if most members of this House realise that there is an issue here? It is an issue for those on lower incomes for Maori and Pasifika people. There is an issue here that relates to those who sell gambling machines to pubs and who make donations if alcohol vendors make their gambling machines available at the door. There is an issue here because some of the revenue that comes from Rotorua is being spent somewhere else; some of the money from the machines is going to the horse racing industry as grants. All of these points will no doubt soon emerge at the first reading but I really urge all parties not to force their members to vote along party lines. This is a conscience vote. Let each member make up their own mind.  
This is what one learns by being a member of Parliament. Firstly if one has a portfolio one is better placed to implement party policies. Secondly regardless of personal desire and commitment a member must have an alliance or their side must receive 62 of the votes to ensure their vote finishes at the top. If this is not achieved talking becomes a waste of time. Thirdly one must be in Government to be effective here otherwise all one can do is lie in the sun dream on and cast stones about. That is Labour’s current position: merely talking and getting no rewards. 
This is the current situation in Maoridom with all the commentary flying about over the new foreshore and seabed bill. The Maori Party stated that it would repeal the foreshore and seabed Act totally because it is confiscating legislation. Secondly the new legislation opens up doors to every avenue. Is that it for me? I am sorry. So that is it from us the Maori Party 
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