Flavell Te Ururoa: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 18 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3631. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa e hoa ma i roto i te Whare Paremata. A te wiki e tu mai nei ka whakanuia ko te ahuatanga o Te Reo Maori Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori. I putatera i roto i te tohe i nga tau kuahipaake ko nga Maori kua eke atu ki roto i ngakooti o te whenua o tawahiraanomo Te Reo Maori te take. No reira nei au e tuake ki te aki i a tatau ki te whakariterite i a tatauanoramo te wiki e tu mai nei. Kia kaha tatau ki te atatitiro ki te atakorero i te ahuatanga o Te Reo Maori ki tona taumata.  
Me te mohioano hoki ko te nuinga o koutou o tenei Whare kare i te tino mohio ki te ahuatanga o Te Reo Maori. Ko takuinoike kia paku aro ki Te Reo Maori. Mena kai te mohio koe ki nga kupu e rua a te wiki e tu mai nei me whakamomonaake kia wha. Mena kai te mohio koe ki te mihi atu ki te tangata kai te pai teraengari me patai a kai te pehea koe? Kia whakamomonaake kia whakarahiake ko te ahuatanga o totatou reo.  
No reira ahakoateneikorerokuahuri ki te reo Pakehamo te wa kia taeaai e au te aki te wero i a tatau katoa o tenei Whare Paremata otira o Poneke ka mutu o te motu kia aro nui ki tenei o nga kaupapa na te aha? Narunga i te mea i putatenei wiki. Ko te tumanako he watonakua tangata whenua totatau reo i teneikainga o tatau ka mutu kai te mohiotonu araanongauauatanga kai mua i te aroaro.  
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker and acknowledgments to all of us colleagues in the House of Parliament. Next week the state of the Maori language and Maori Language Week will be celebrated. It emerged through a protest in years past through Maori making an issue of the Maori language in the courts of the land and away overseas as well. I rise therefore to encourage and ready us for the week ahead. We must be robust as we carefully examine and comment on the state of the Maori language at its highest level.  
I am aware as well that the majority of you in this House really do not understand the plight of the Maori language. My real plea is for a tiny piece of consideration towards the Maori language. If you know a couple of Maori words next week make it grow into four. If you know how to acknowledge a person that is great but then ask how they are. Make it grow; extend the state of our language.  
Despite this remark I would turn therefore to English for a period so I am able to urge and challenge all of us of this House of Parliament of Wellington particularly and of the nation to give this matter the greatest attention and for what reason? It is because this week has become a reality. The expectation is that there will come a time in the future when this language of ours will become localised in this homeland of ours but I am equally aware of the great number of difficulties ahead of us. 
] 
This year marks 25 years since the Maori Language Act 1987 was first enacted to give effect to Te Reo Maori as an official language of Aotearoa. In doing so Parliament recognised the significance of Te Reo Maori as a taonga guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi. Te Reo Maori as we know I hope and accept as a precious part of the heritage of Aotearoa is something a right that the children of this country must inherit. It is a vital investment in our future and we need to do all we can to protect and preserve the language as a foundation of our identity as Maori and as a country.  
This year’s theme “Arohatia te Reo” challenges us to cherish the language as the unique voice of this country of ours Aotearoa. We have an urgent imperative to strengthen Te Reo Maori because less than 25 percent of homes where Maori children reside have access to a Maori language speaker. To increase the number of Maori language speakers in the community all of us need to sign up to a mission of Maori language that is both living and an ordinary means of communication.  
In my opportunity this afternoon I say that although we might focus for only 5 days on Te Reo Maori and we have our opportunity to celebrate the Samoan language as well it would be good that we reflect on this in 1 week’s time when we come back next Tuesday and that we take extra care on the pronunciation of Maori words. I am sure there will be a karakia in Maori and I am hoping that members of Parliament all of our workers here—all of the staff—and indeed the people of Poneke and the country embrace Maori language as something that we can all own and be a part of.  
It has been a bit of a concern for me as I get on to the plane some mornings that we have of course many mispronunciations of words like Rotorua and so on. I will not go on because that is in the negative; we have to keep it positive. I am asking not only parliamentarians but the whole country whether you be air hostesses bus drivers or workers around Parliament—or wherever you might be. I suppose for all parliamentarians the challenge is next week. Let us give it heaps with regard to celebrating Te Reo Maori but hopefully it does not just end at the end of the week but in fact carries on in the weeks to come. That is the challenge as we intend to save this language from extinction. We are in a good space at the moment but we should not be complacent. There is so much to do and all of us—all of us—can contribute to that korero. No reira kia kaha tatau ki te korero i Te Reo Maori a te wiki e tu mai nei arohia Te Reo kia mau kia ita kia ora tatau. 
[ 
Therefore let us make an effort to talk in Maori next week; pay attention to the language to ensure it is retained and secured so we survive. 
]