Harawira Hone: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Sitting date: 29 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7523. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker and a happy New Year to you too. The year 2013 looks like being an exciting year for Mana as we look to build on successful initiatives from 2012 and focus on being part of an effective Opposition to National this year. I want to begin by expressing my gratitude for the broad support for Mana’s Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill or the “Feed the Kids Bill” as it has become known including from the Child Poverty Action Group Every Child Counts Unicef New Zealand Save the Children IHC Poverty Action Waikato the Methodist and Anglican Churches (Methodist Public Issues and Anglican Action) Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko i te Ora (Maori Women’s Welfare League) the Post Primary Teachers Association the New Zealand Principals Federation the Council of Trade Unions Runanga the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Maori Medical Practitioners Association.  
During election 2011 one of Mana’s main pledges was to fight for Government-funded meals in poor schools and in 2012 we drafted the bill to honour that pledge. That was immediately followed by the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty recommending the introduction of a Government-funded food programme in low-decile schools and a major policy speech last year from the Leader of the Opposition calling on the Government to provide free meals to children in low-decile schools. At this time I want to thank those political parties that have already indicated their support for the bill including Labour the Greens the Maori Party and the newly independent Brendan Horan who has given me his assurance that if the bill passes he will refrain from singing to the House. I am not sure exactly when the bill comes before the House but I am hopeful that there will be enough support for it to get to a select committee. 
During election 2011 Mana also made a commitment to a programme of building 20000 houses in 2 years. That kaupapa was picked up in 2012 by Labour with its commitment to build 100000 houses in 10 years and enhanced by the Greens’ own housing proposals announced last week. In 2013 I expect Mana to continue to provide leadership in the fight for better housing for New Zealanders especially those in dire need right now. We want to see an end to policies that make it harder for poor families to access affordable housing. We want to see a rebuilding of the State housing stock. We call on the new Minister of Housing to take a fresh approach to this problem and to talk to and listen to those people being hurt badly by current policies—people who are being forced out of State houses in communities like Glen Innes Maraenui and Porirua people in rural areas like the far north being forced to live in unacceptable conditions with no hope of any help and homeless people in Christchurch Auckland and elsewhere as well as those church and community groups working with the homeless and families on low incomes. And on another housing-related matter I wish to invite all my parliamentary colleagues to the court case arising from my arrest at a housing action at Glen Innes last year. The case has been set down for hearing on 19 March but may have to be moved to another date to accommodate the growing list of witnesses who have offered to speak in my defence. I fully intend defending the case myself with the assistance of a number of lawyers who have offered their help at no cost. It should be a good show. 
The third plank in Mana’s election 2011 campaign has yet to be picked up by anyone else here though I expect it to be adopted a lot sooner than people might have thought some 15 months ago. That is of course the “Hone Heke tax” or the financial transactions tax as it is known elsewhere in the world a proposal that had most political parties and political commentators sniggering during campaign 2011 but which is quickly becoming recognised in other OECD countries as the only sane way to increase Government revenue without stealing it from the poor by making the banks pay for the financial crisis that they have created. A few days ago the European Commission approved a proposal to implement exactly such a tax on all transactions between financial institutions within those 11 member States of the European Union that have approved it without it affecting citizens or businesses—a tax that would raise a minimum of €57 billion a year. The “Hone Heke tax” is clearly an idea whose time has come. I look forward to Opposition parties coming out more openly in support of it over the next 12 months. 
On behalf of Mana and the people of New Zealand I would like to thank the New Zealand Maori Council for its efforts to stop National’s plans to sell off our State assets by instigating a court action over the Maori interests in water. In particular I would like to thank the Mana president Annette Sykes who was a critical player in the tribunal hearings last year and who remains a key player in the High Court hearings due to start later this week. The efforts of the council and those hapu and iwi that have supported its case have forced the Government to delay its asset sales programme giving the rest of the country time to push for the petition for a referendum on asset sales. The challenge now is to complete the petition and for all parties and organisations opposed to the sale of State assets to pressure the Government to hold a referendum on asset sales to test its argument that that is what New Zealanders want. It is not of course and Mana stands ready to do its bit to help put an end to the madness of selling our kitchen to somebody else and then having to rent it back for the rest of our lives. 
As we move towards the end of the Treaty settlement cycle I wish to remind the House that the Treaty lives for ever and that anyone thinking that the Treaty will become null and void after Treaty settlements have ended is sadly mistaken. The Treaty is a taonga to Maori and the foundation of all constitutional arrangements in this country and all attempts to write it out of legislation will be resisted mightily. 
Much has been made of the Maori Party capturing the headlines with a messy leadership challenge in these last few weeks and calls from Maori Party members for me to come back and take over the leadership of the party so let me make this clear: I have no aspirations to lead the Maori Party. Those calls have come from Maori Party members themselves. I am comfortable and proud to lead Mana a vibrant and active political force with a clearly identified constituency known as te pani me te rawa kore—the poor and the dispossessed—and policies aimed specifically at addressing their needs first because people matter more than profit. But as I did right after election 2011 I want to again extend the hand of friendship and whanaungatanga to my colleagues in the Maori Party and remind them that there has to be a link between the fact that their membership has gone from 24000 when I was there to just 600 last year and their continued commitment to a Government and its policies that have destroyed Maori families and Maori hopes and aspirations. I call on the Maori Party to walk away from that relationship and return to its roots and I stand willing to take up the offer made by the Ratana movement to host any discussions that might lead to unity in a Mana - Maori Party alliance. Mana clearly has the vibrant and energetic membership and the strong and positive leadership; the only question is whether the Maori Party is open to unity. 
As we begin the new year it is fitting that we farewell those who have passed away in the year gone by and send our best wishes to those in hospital today. To my whanaunga Raumati Para and Whaea Ko Ko may you soon be free of that which ails you and I look forward to seeing you both in the near future. And although it is a rare occurrence for me to send best wishes to a policeman I suspect there are many around the country who join with me in wishing Paddy Whiu all the best at this time. Paddy has become the face of Maori policing and iwi liaison—the gentle caring and smiling face of a police force that is often mistrusted and sometimes reviled in Maori communities. At times when tensions are high and people’s emotions are on edge Paddy has that unique ability to lower the heat through his simple good nature kind words and warm humour. Kia kaha my friend we are all praying for you. Ka hoki nga mahara ki a ratou kua ngaro. Ko Jacqui Te Kani tera ko Timi te Heuheu ko Hone Kaa ko Pita Tapsell ko Rau Kapa ko Mama Tere me wera atu me wera atu. E nga mate haere. Tatou ano ra e te kanohi ora tena koutou tena koutou kia ora tatou katoa. 
[Thoughts go back to those who have gone namely Jacqui Te Kani Timi te Heuheu Hone Kaa Pita Tapsell Rau Kapa Mama Tere and others. To those who have passed on depart. To us once again the living salutations acknowledgments and greetings to us all.]