Harawira Hone: General Debate 
Harawira Hone: General Debate 
[Volume:656;Page:5255] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa e te Whare. A hoi ano me tu au i tenei wa e te Whare kia korero i oku whakaaro mo te kara Maori mo te kahu Maori mo te tohu e whakakotahi ai tatou hei iwi Maori. No reira tena tatou katoa. Mai i nohinohi ana kua rongo tatou i nga korero mai i wa tatou matua tupuna matua tumuaki o nga hahi rangatira o nga iwi kia whai atu i te kotahitanga mo tatou katoa hei iwi kotahi. Runga i wena whakaaro kua puta mai te korero kia hanga i te kahu kia rere hei tohu whakakotahi i a tatou mai i Te Hiku o te Ika tae atu ki roto o Murihiku me nga iwi katoa kei waenganui. A mai i wena korero kua tu mai to matou rangatira a Pita kia panui atu ki te ao i tona hiahia kia rere ai to tatou kara Maori runga i te piriti o Tamaki-makau-rau i te ra o Waitangi. A me te mihi ano hoki ki te Pirimia e whakaae nei kia pera mena kua whakaae tatou ki tetahi kahu kotahi tetahi kara kotahi. Mai i taua wa kua tae noa tatou ki tenei haere mai i Te Hiku i tenei wa katahi ano ka mutu te korero i roto o Turanga-nui-a-Kiwa inapo ra tae atu ki tona mutunga ki roto i Te Wai Pounamu e rua tekau o nga hui. Kia rongohia matou i nga korero ta tera tangata ta tera ropu ta tera hapu ta tera iwi me pehea wa tatou whakaaro katoa mo tenei mea te kara te kara Maori. 
Taku haerenga ki tawahi kua kite au i te ataahuaranga o nga kara o nga iwi taketake. Kite au i te whakaaro kotahi roto i te ngakau o nga iwi taketake puta noa te ao. Tera te tino hiahia o matou o te Pati Maori kia rere tetahi kara kia pera ano hoki tatou. Kia tu kotahi kia hikoi tahi kia waiata tahi kia wawata tahi. A runga i tera whakaaro me mihi au ki te Pati Maori e whakaae nei kia w’akahaere i tenei kaupapa. Me te mea ano e tika ana kia mohio mai i te timatanga o tenei haerenga nui atu i te rua mano nga tangata i haere mai ki nga hui i tukuna mai nga reta i waea mai ki a matou i korerohia i nga hui wa ratou whakaaro. Horekau he Maori kotahi e mea mai me kaua tatou e hanga i te kara mo te ao Maori. Kao. Teka ana au. E rua nga Maori ko Parekura tetahi ko Shane tetahi. Engari ko te katoa atu i a Shane raua ko Parekura i whakaaetia kia rerea te kara Maori. No reira mihi atu ki a tatou katoa o te ao Maori. 
Tika ana te korero hara te kara i te mea hei whangai i te tinana hei whakapakari i te tinana hei whai mahi mo te tangata. Engari mohio ana a Mita i tenei korero hara i te whangai i te tinana te mea anake i tenei ao. Atu i tera ko te whangai i te wairua ko te whangai i te hinengaro. Ko tera te tino kaupapa o te kara Maori. Kia whaingai i to matou wairua i te wa o te kino kia taea e matou te kite i te ataahuaranga o tetahi tohu kei roto i a ia nga whakaaro o te ao kohatu nga korero mo tenei wa me nga wawata mo nga ra kei te haere mai. Roto ano hoki i te kara kia kite ai tatou i te ataahua rawa o nga whakaairo o nga mea o te ao Maori.Kia kite ai matou i nga tae o te ao te Maori. Tera te tino hiahia a ta matou rangatira a Pita i tona korero i te timatanga o tenei tau. No reira tena koutou tena koutou huri atu huri noa kia ora tatoa katoa. 
[ 
Greetings Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all of the House. So to you the House I rise at this time to express my views about the Maori flag the symbol that will make us the Maori people one. Greetings to you all. From the time we were little we heard the talk from our parents grandparents church leaders and tribal leaders about seeking solidarity for us all. It was from those thoughts that talk about creating a flag emerged to unite us from the “Tail of the Fish” to Invercargill and all the tribes in between. Based on that talk our leader Pita announced his desire to the world that a flag for Maoridom should fly on the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day. I commend the Prime Minister as well who agreed to this if we were unanimous about a single flag. Since that announcement we have travelled the country beginning at the “Tail of the Fish” and just as recently as last night we held discussions in Gisborne. The journey will conclude in the South Island and that should cover 20 meetings. At these meetings we will hear the views of individuals groups subtribes and tribes as to how we would arrive at a flag for the Maori people.  
I saw the beauty of indigenous people having a flag when I went overseas. I witnessed the oneness of thought and heart amongst indigenous people throughout the world. That is the real desire of the Maori Party to see a flag flying so that we are like that as well: stand as one walk as one sing as one and yearn as one. Because of that I commend the Maori Party which agreed to facilitate this. Further to that I think it is timely that it should be made known that at the commencement of this journey more than 2000 people have come to the meetings to express their views. We have fielded letters and phone calls. Not one single Maori stated that we should not be creating a flag for Maori. Wrong! I am lying! Two Maori objected. One was Parekura the other one was Shane. But apart from these two everyone was in favour of a Maori flag being flown. So I acknowledge all of us for that.  
The statement that the flag will neither nourish nor strengthen the body nor will it provide employment is absolutely correct. But on the other hand and Mita is aware of this too feeding the body is not the only thing in this world. Beyond that there is the feeding of the spirit and mind as well. That is the very essence of the Maori flag—to nourish our spirits when times are bad to enable us to see the beauty of something symbolic of the past of the present and inspirations of the future. We should see the beautiful things of the Maori in the flag as well: the colours that are symbolic to us. Those are the things that our leader Pita really wanted when he spoke at the beginning of this year. So greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to us all throughout 
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