Kerekere Elizabeth; Mallard TrevorDr ELIZABETH KEREKERE (Green): Tēnā rā koutou rau rangatira mā wāhine mā tāne mā takatāpui mā tipua mā. Haere mai rā haere mai rā whakatau mai rā.Tēnā koe e te Māngai. E tika ana kia tuku mihi ki ngā atua ngā kaitiaki me ngā tipua e karapoti nei i a tātou i tēnei wā. Tēnā koutou. Ki te hunga mate koutou kua riro atu koutou kua takahia nei i ngā tapuwae o ngā mātua tīpuna e moe. Te Ati Awa Ngāti Mutunga otirā Taranaki whānui tēnei te mihi ki a koutou katoa. E raungāiti nei i tēnei rohe ataahua. Nā koutou i rangatira ai tēnei kaupapa. Huri atu rā ki a koutou katoa ngā hoa mahi me ngā manuhiri tūārangi tēnā koutou. He mokopuna tēnei nō te uranga mai o te rā nō Te Tai Rāwhiti. Nōku te hōnore nui kua whai wāhi mai au ki te whakakanohi i ngā hapori huhua ki te tūranga i te Whare nei. [Greetings distinguished leaders women men LGBTIQ the supernatural. Welcome welcome welcome. Greetings Mr Speaker. It is only right that I acknowledge the deities the protectors and the supernatural beings that surround us at this time. Thank you. To those who have passed away those who have followed the footsteps of our ancestors rest in peace. Te Āti Awa Ngāti Mutunga Taranaki Whānui I would like to acknowledge you all who make up this beautiful area. Your presence honours this occasion. Turning to you all my colleagues the visitors from afar greetings. I am a descendant from the rising of the sun from the East Coast. It is an honour that I am able to represent the many communities in this position in this House.]To everyone here and your purple fabulousness—yea-ah! As we acknowledge the haukāinga of this rohe and the beauty of their home I acknowledge the pain and anger facing them. Shelly Bay and Mau Whenua may have replaced Ihumātao and SOUL in the headlines but the fact is that whānau hapū and iwi all over the country are fighting in some form to protect their whenua their awa and their moana. Fifty-two successive Governments and their agencies have failed to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi despite it being the contract that confers their right to govern. In this 53rd Parliament with the mandate given by Māori to Labour and again the return of the Māori Party and some kick-ass activists joining the Green caucus—shout-out to Teanau Tuiono and Ricardo Menéndez March—I hope that we will collectively create actual systemic change the constitutional transformation outlined in Matike Mai Aotearoa for example.I commit to working with Māori MPs across the House so we can collectively work for what Māori have identified that they need and not what our Government might think they should have or should settle for.I acknowledge the workers in this Whare—my colleagues and the staff we rely on to do our job. Shout-out to my cousins Al and RJ Smiler who have worked here for years. To the Speaker the Office of the Clerk and staff across Parliamentary Service you took a bunch of exhausted candidates and inducted us to the bright-eyed MPs you see before you today.To the class of 2020 I look forward to working with all of you. As we learn how things have always been let us aspire to how things could be.Te Whānau Kākāriki shout-out to our co-leaders—the Hon Marama Davidson the Hon James Shaw—our party co-convenors staff and the volunteer leadership across our provinces branches networks and campaign teams. To our membership who put me high on the list I will prove every day that your faith in me is justified.Thank you to all of those who voted to ensure we were the green foam on that red wave especially those who voted Green just to get me in. I am particularly grateful that I was able to tell my father-in-law Tuisavelalo Aiono that his vote got me elected before he passed away in December last year. He was a solid Labour voter for 70 years and for the first time he split his vote. When the Electoral Commission came to his home he told them he wanted to vote for the Kerekere Green Party". No rush we can talk about the name change later!So let's talk whakapapa. My father was Karauria Tarao Kerekere but everyone called him "Bison". He was born to my beloved nana Elizabeth "Betty" Kerekere and the man she was not allowed to marry but got pregnant to my koro Pani "Bunny" Ruru. As the eldest grandchild Dad was raised from birth by his grandparents Kahungunu and Barbara Kerekere in Gisborne where I was born and where I live. We whakapapa to Whānau-a-Kai Ngāti Oneone Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki Rongowhakaata me Ngai Tāmanuhiri. Through you Mr Speaker shout-out to my whanaunga in this Whare the Hon Meka Whaitiri Shanan Halbert and Arena Williams and to those who came from Gisborne and around the country to be here today.Dad passed away 15 years ago after dedicating the last years of his life carving our meeting house Te Poho o Hiraina at Pākōhai Marae. He was a hard man and a hard worker. He taught me that only those who do the work should have the say. It led to my own mantra that we must get to where the decisions are made but when we get there make sure we are qualified to sit at that table. So Dad for 40 years I have done the work and I am uniquely qualified to be here. My father is as responsible for me standing here today as he is for the years of counselling I had to have. True story. Shout-out to Ally Andersun and the Lower Hutt Women's Centre for that.When I was 12 years old my father would introduce me to his friends as the first Māori Prime Minister. So in the back of my mind I always thought that I would be here.I first spoke in Parliament as an 18-year-old as one of the rangatahi representatives to the Hui Taumata the Māori development conference of 1984. Although I've been asked to consider running over the years since it was only five years ago and after I received my moko kauae that I finally felt I could accept the title of "politician" and all the colonial baggage that comes with it. Shout-out to Maddy Drew who told me I should run in 2017 and to current and former Green MPs Jan Logie Metiria Turei Marama Davidson Denise Roche Mojo Mathers and Catherine Delahunty who modelled how to maintain their activist credentials in this place.When I did my swearing in I held a copy of the Tai Rāwhiti page from Te Tiriti o Waitangi known as Page Seven. It was a way of acknowledging that my ancestors signed the Treaty in good faith. It helped to resolve the dissonance I felt and a little bit of hypocrisy at having to swear allegiance to the Queen. That whole thing how the British Empire was built on the oppression of indigenous and black people just makes it really awkward. Shout-out to all of the people seeking freedom from white supremacy. From the Black Lives Matter movement to indigenous peoples across the world we stand in solidarity with you. Mr Speaker I recall that you used that same page when you did your swearing in. One day—maybe today—if I need more time to advocate for iwi of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti I may remind you of that.My mother is Erin Kerekere who joins me here today with her best friend and my godmother Susan and my Ryan whānau. Mum was raised in Dunedin by her parents our nana and grandad Lorna and Tom Ryan who lived into their nineties. We hail from County Clare and County Tipperary in Ireland. It wasn't until I visited Ireland several times over the last few years including with Mum that I began developing an Irish identity. I welcome the wisdom of my Irish ancestors now it is easier for them to guide me.Once I painted an artwork for my mother with the whakataukī "Nau i whatu te kākahu he tāniko tāku."—"You made the cloak I made the border." It means that she and my father made the cloak—the foundation of who I am—and I added the border the adornment which is everything I've done with the life that they gave me. From my father I gained strength and the confidence to meet high expectations: to lead to stand. From my mother I learnt organisation resilience and survival to plan to withstand. From my father I learnt to say what had to be said and never apologise for it especially when people did not want to hear it. From my mother I learnt that people have feelings and there are different ways to say the same thing. From them both and a special connection I have with the goddess Mahuika I have a drive a fire that keeps me going through tiredness pain and disability. And if we're talking adornment I'd like to think I bring a certain rainbow flair to the world—#PaintParliamentPurple.Shout-out to Anahera Alex and Curtis who made this tarapouahi—muka garment—especially for me to wear today. I acknowledge all the artists weavers and performers who express in myriad art forms and with their bodies what is often so hard to capture in words and to our poets and writers whose words bring us clarity solace inspiration and vision. If my parents created the foundation of that kākahu it was my siblings Desmond Lorna and Lynn who helped me stop it unravelling as we dealt with the rollercoaster that was our childhood and to be fair most of my life.It was my best friends so many of whom are here today and in spirit who told me I looked fabulous in that kākahu but who held me up when it grew heavy. And it was my mentors who made sure I wore that kākahu with purpose and clarity. I honour those who have passed: Eti Laufiso Marjorie Rau-Kupa Mina McKenzie Erihapeti Rehu Murchie and Jennifer Edwards. Of the many still with us I acknowledge Brenda Tahi and Christina Hurihia Wirihana. They smoothed some of my rough edges and they sharpened some others. I aspire to the powerful and graceful leadership the Mana Wāhine they exemplify and I strive for. It brings to mind the Māori women who signed away their birthright of moko kauae to join the franchise for women to vote in this country. Every Māori woman in this House shows their sacrifice was not in vain.E rikarika ana i te whakaaro ka whai mana anō ōku tīpuna i te kitenga atu o te moko Akauae te mataora ki te Whare Pāremata. Me te huhua anō hoki ki tēnei! Te Minita Nanaia Mahuta me ngā rangatira o Te Paati Māori Debbie Ngarewa-Packer rāua ko Rawiri Waititi.[It excites me to think that moko kauae—moko of the chin—and mataora—full facial moko—has a renewal of status here in Parliament. And the sheer number of them! The Minister Nanaia Mahuta the co-leaders of Te Paati Māori Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi.]My own moko kauae represents waewae pākura the footsteps of the pūkeko. This is not only an ancient term used in carving and weaving but also about holding space as I do in my work and as my artwork Mana Takatāpui has done hanging in the Rainbow Room here for many years.In 1992 one of the best things happened to me: I met my life partner Alofa Aiono. Shout-out to Val Little and Sue Rostron who I will forever thank for helping make that happen. I joined the Lauofo and Aiono families from Samoa. I acknowledge Alofa's mother the late Lina Malatina Lauofo from Luatuanu'u. Three of her beautiful sisters represent her here today: Aunty Otilia Aunty Carol and Aunty Sita. I acknowledge Alofa's father the late Tuisavelalo Aiono from Fasito'outa the last of his line. Tui and Lina were among the first families in Porirua and founding members of the PIC—Pacific Island Christ the King Church. Their baby daughter bringing me home was a little bit unexpected. Over many years I went from being Alofa's friend to her girlfriend to her partner to being their daughter-in-law to their daughter. In honour of Tui and Lina Aiono I commit to supporting the Pasifika MPs in this House and working for Pasifika peoples here and in the islands.Alofa and I had to wait 14 years to have a civil union. Shout-out to former Labour MP Tim Barnett for that mahi in this House. Through you Mr Speaker shout-out to Labour MP Louisa Wall for subsequently guiding marriage equality into law. Of course the trappings of monogamous legality are not the be-all or end-all of rainbow relationships but it is an option we should have. Alofa with you all things are possible. At our ceremony we unveiled our tattooed rings and vowed that our commitment to each other was "written in blood rising above challenge in this life and into the next." And so it is.My third whānau is Tīwhanawhana a national trust I founded 20 years ago this year to advocate for takatāpui to "tell our stories build our communities and leave a legacy." We believe that to uplift takatāpui—those Māori with diverse genders sexualities and sex characteristics—we must uplift our whānau and our rainbow communities. Shout-out to Tīwhanawhana who have my back today and every day especially my co-leader Kevin Haunui our board and our Kāhui Whakawāhine. Tīwhanawhana is the tūrangawaewae for all my work for our takatāpui Māori and rainbow people.Change happens at many levels but some change for takatāpui Māori and rainbow people can only happen here. Banning conversion therapy sooner rather than later and the long-awaited third reading of the Births Deaths Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill for example. This election we broke the world record for queer representation. With four of our 10 MPs being rainbow the Greens are certainly the proudest party in the proudest Parliament. However we are all cisgender meaning we all identify with the gender we were assigned at birth. It has been a very long time since 1999 when the legendary Georgina Beyer was the first transgender MP in the world. I mihi to you e kui particularly for your work in representing trans women whakawāhine and sex workers in this House.Historically Te Ao Māori accepted those with diverse genders and sexualities as a normal part of society. So long as you had your children and did your job and they acknowledged that those with diverse sex characteristics who we call intersex now were sent to teach us. I coined the term "mana tipua" to recognise this whakapapa. Colonisation however resulted in the suppression the criminalisation and the pathologising of those people and resulted in takatāpui and rainbow people often not being accepted today. That is why takatāpui rights is a Treaty issue and a Māori priority for the Greens.The Human Rights Act 1993 currently does not specifically acknowledge the intersectional discrimination and violence experienced by trans intersex and non-binary people. My first member's bill therefore adds two new grounds to the list of prohibited grounds in the aptly named—aptly rather than succinctly—Human Rights (Prohibition of Discrimination on Grounds of Gender Identity and Expression and Variations of Sex Characteristics) Amendment Bill. I hope this will make it easier for takatāpui and our rainbow whānau to take cases to the Human Rights Commission and that the mana of explicit human rights protections will help redress the historical trauma that has occurred. This amendment bill will go into the biscuit tin next week but I invite the Government to just introduce it you know at your leisure in association with the other legislation I might have mentioned.I used to worry that I would be forgotten. It was irrational when a simple online search will lead you to much of my life's work. But whakapapa is everything. Because of the gendered violence and abuse that far too many of us suffer as children and young people in this country I could not have children of my own. So I collect them. To well over 100 nieces nephews and greats especially those who have lived with us I hope you all feel how much the Aunties love you. To all the young people I have been privileged to work with and mentor in Māori takatāpui and rainbow communities you are never just the leaders of tomorrow; you are the leaders we need right now. Many of you I call my kids and you know who you are because I expect more of you than anyone else. I need your counsel now more than ever. So to all of the rangatahi here and watching you are my heart. You are my legacy.Finally as I like to say why do we get up in the morning if not to change the world? I have done that in every other part of my life and I intend to do it here. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora huihui mai tātou katoa.[Thank you thank you one and all.][Applause]WaiataSPEAKER: Can I now ask Dr Kerekere's guests to move on out because there's another group that needs to come in. Can I just have the attention of members please to indicate to you because there is a possibility that the next speech mightn't be finished by 6 o'clock. [Interruption] Yeah there is one after that as well. So what we are going to do is we're just going to run through until both those speeches are done notwithstanding the fact that there's slight technicalities around dinner time and at the end of the waiata for the second one the House will be suspended. It will come back at 7 o'clock and at that point the votes will occur for the Address in Reply debate. And I apologise to the Hon Peeni Henare who's sort of lost his speech through my lack of time control.Can we open the second door as well? Thank you. And all the doors up there—can they all be opened please? Can the people who are up there move around through the other door? Thank you. I call on Rachel Brooking to make her maiden statement."