Katene Rahui: Adjournment 
Katene Rahui: Adjournment 
[Volume:676;Page:21848] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
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 E te Mana Korero tena koe. Ka huri ki a ratou nga rangatira kua ngaro ki aitua i tenei tau kaore au i te pirangi kia mahue atu tetahi. No reira ko taku ke he tautoko i nga poroporoaki ki nga rangatira i hinga i tenei tau. He tangi atu ki nga iwi kua pangia e aitua e te hunga kua ngaro atu i tenei tau haere atu ra. 
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Greetings to you Mr Speaker. I turn now to them the esteemed who passed away this year and I do not want to leave anyone out. But I do so endorse the farewell tributes accorded to the revered who fell during the year. I mourn the tribes who were affected by death and say to those who died this year farewell. 
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I start this adjournment debate speech by referring to the memories of our beloved leaders who have left our midst over the term of this Parliament. We are bereft of their existence but richer for the difference they made to our lives. We have always believed that the most important role for the Maori Party is to be the very best advocates we can. Our legitimacy comes from the voices of the people. Our influence is through the wisdom of their lived experience. As we come to the end of the forty-ninth Parliament we pay tribute to all those people who have gifted us with their ideas who gave feedback by Twitter or Facebook who attended policy hui who kept the ahi ka warm. They are the life and soul of our party and every email every phone call and every letter is appreciated. 
The relationship agreement we signed on 16 November 2008 has been upheld and we are proud that every milestone has been achieved. We believe that the Maori Party offers Aotearoa a better way forward. The party continues to show the nation that there is a reasoned path down which we all can walk and that Maori values will enhance and not detract from the aspirations we might hold as a nation. The poll results released just last Sunday provided a resounding confirmation of our decision to sit at the table of government and our determination to do the very best for our people. Over half of the 1000 people polled between 19 August and 20 September reported that the Maori Party has represented Maori well and accepted that compromise was worthwhile to ensure that they had a seat at the Cabinet table. This was a massive result which reiterates our political stance that we seek influence with integrity. We seek to be potential-driven to seize every opportunity to advance the aspirations of our people and to consistently represent the independent voice of Maori in politics. 
Our coalition agreement has brought with it a raft of significant policy gains that have brought resourcing directly into our communities. We achieved a historic reversal of the previous Government’s decision not to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and we have been proud to advance Maori activism within the Government and at the Cabinet table. 
The hallmark of our contribution to the nation over this last 3 years has of course been Whanau Ora. From the constitutional review and the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act our focus has always been to create policies that focus on who we are where we are heading and what we can do for ourselves not what we can expect from others. Whanau Ora is the ultimate reflection of that commitment to invest in our people and I am not talking just about the $164 million appropriated. We now have 25 provider collectives in place involving 158 health and social service providers nationwide that have been working collaboratively to deliver the innovative approach to engage with families. 
Most important of all we have sensed a new faith and confidence in the capacity of our whanau to be self-determining and that is incredibly rewarding. The constitutional review is a sign of a bold Government prepared to open itself up for debate about what constitutes our national identity. It will be revolutionary for this nation to really engage about what the promise of the Treaty holds for our generations and those to come. I am greatly looking forward to taking part in this debate in the next Parliament. 
The third major milestone achievement is the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act. I place on record our appreciation to Chris Finlayson for a sterling effort in getting this legislation on the book. I believe that the full extent of this legislation is yet to be realised but it is certainly hinted at in the preamble of that Act which says: “This Act takes account of the intrinsic inherited rights of iwi hapu and whanau derived in accordance with tikanga and based on their connection with the foreshore and seabed and on the principle of manaakitanga.” We have seen that same respect for tikanga for kaitiakitanga and for kaupapa influence many other aspects of the legislative agenda. I think in particular of the establishment of the new Environmental Protection Authority the work advanced across aquaculture and the ground-breaking reform introduced by my colleague Dr Pita Sharples in Te Paepae Motuhake the revitalisation of te reo. 
Tariana Turia often uses a catchphrase “culture counts” and it has been pleasing to see that expressed in the initiative of Tataiako cultural competencies for all teachers; the evolution of Whare Oranga Ake in the corrections system; and the $20 million allocated for health innovations. 
Of course this term has not been without its challenges. I will never to the end of my days forget the dramatic chaos and crisis that we have endured over this last year in particular. The disaster of the Pike River tragedy will for ever shake my memories as MP for Te Tai Tonga. The ongoing and tumultuous upheaval associated with the Otautahi earthquakes threatened our sense of security. It literally threw our world asunder. But out of the liquefaction arose a remarkable sense of resilience—a courage and community spirit that has moved us all. I acknowledge my co-leaders for enabling me to have the honour of this last address to bring with me the voices of the unsung heroes of Te Tai Tonga who have taught Aotearoa so much. 
The shared Maori sector strategy coordinated by Ngai Tahu has been inspirational in its breadth and I place on record my admiration for the way in which iwi throughout the motu came together to support the people. In many respects this is the whanau ora approach in action when our collective passion is galvanised for the greater good. We have as a party tried to encourage that spirit of collaboration to focus on our strengths. It can be the blueprint of how we can treat others and still retain our cultural integrity. 
We have applied that approach to the leadership Tariana Turia has demonstrated in tobacco reform by increasing tobacco excise banning tobacco displays confronting the Third World diseases of poverty such as rheumatic fever investing in bariatric surgery and insulating over 6000 homes in low-income areas. We have sought to put our best foot forward: to advance our economic development to invest over $100 million in Maori education and to showcase our talents on the Rugby World Cup stage. 
But perhaps one of the greatest strengths of the Maori Party during the term of this Government has been to neutralise and buffer the Government against the ACT Party. At every Cabinet and ministerial meeting and at every caucus the members of the Maori Party have provided the Government with the ability not to be held to ransom by an aggressive right-wing agenda. I am proud of the policy gains we have been able to achieve for Maori and for New Zealand and the issues we have placed on the table. My colleague Te Ururoa Flavell brought to the table the Public Works (Offer Back of and Compensation for Acquired Land) Amendment Bill living by our commitment that “not one acre more” will be taken. 
I am rapt that other parties have followed my lead in pioneering the call for GST to be removed from food and for a cross-party accord to eliminate child poverty and accelerate well-being. What we have not achieved now we will take up on our return. 
Finally I thank the amazing people who make our jobs here so easy from you Mr Speaker to our fabulous dedicated staff the library team the Hansard Office the Office of the Clerk the Table Office the security team the cleaning staff Copperfields the messengers the telephonists the people who keep the Beehive buzzing and of course our Prime Minister. And as all of us here know we would be nothing without our families. The Maori Party’s reason for being is to advance every opportunity and aspiration of our whanau. We can do that only because of the endless sacrifice and commitment of our partners our children and our mokopuna. Our last word is to them. Ki o matou taua poua tuakana tuahine tamariki mokopuna o matou whanau nei ra te mihi aroha te mihi mahana ki a koutou mo te awhi mo te tautoko i a matou te Pati Maori. 
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To our elderly men and womenfolk elder brothers and sisters children grandchildren and families our affectionate and warm acknowledgments for embracing and supporting us the Maori Party. 
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