Ririnui Mita: Address in Reply 
Ririnui Mita: Address in Reply 
[Volume:628;Page:285] 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Minister of State) 
: 
 Otira kia ora huihui tatau! Kia ora huihui tatau kua tatu mai i raro i te tuanui o tenei Whare. A kei te Kaihautu tena koe ko koe ra te kaiarahi o nga ahuatanga katoa e pa ana ki tenei Whare. Otira i a au e tu nei e tika ana kia mihi ake ki tena o a tatau rangatira o tena ropu torangapu kua hinga atu kua huri ki tua o te arai ko Rod Donald tena. I ki ai o tatau tupuna kua hinga ra te totara nui o te wao nui o Tane. A kei te haruru tonu te whenua mo ake mo ake mo ake tonu atu. No reira e tika ana kia mihi ake ki a ia. 
Me tera o wa tatau rangatira i hinga atu i tera marama. Me ki ra ko Ngai Te Rangi ko Ngati Ranginui ko Ngati Pukenga ko Ngati Tuwharetoa. Tena ra kua hinga atu kua ngaro atu ki tua o te arai taku whanaunga taku rangatira taku kaumatua a Tahu. He tangata e noho wahangu i roto i tenei Whare no reira me ki ra kua ngaro kua ngaro atu. No reira kai taku rangatira haere haere haere korua haere oti atu. 
Maku ano e whakamarama taku korero. 
No reira e te Pirimia otira ki nga rangatira o nga ropu torangapu katoa tena koutou. Koutou ra e tu tuatahi ai i roto i te Whare kia kaha ra otira kia tau te rangimarie. No reira koia nei nga mihi atu ki a koutou. 
[ 
To us gathered here greetings! Greetings to us assembled here under the roof of this House and to you as well Madam Speaker. You lead us in every aspect that relates to this House. Indeed as I stand here it is fitting that I should pay a tribute to that chief of ours of one of our political parties Rod Donald who has fallen and crossed over the divide. Our ancestors have a saying that goes like this: the mighty totara of the great forest of Tane has fallen. The land resounds still and will go on forever. It is appropriate therefore that I pay a tribute to him. 
Indeed I should also acknowledge that chief of ours who passed away last month. Let us say that it is a loss to Ngai Te Rangi Ngati Pukenga and Ngati Tuwharetoa as well. Alas he has fallen he has been lost beyond the divide. Oh my relative my chief my kaumatua Tahu I lament your passing. You sat quietly in this House and now you are lost from sight forever. So my rangatira go farewell depart. Farewell you two on the journey of no return.  
I will interpret my own address. 
And so greetings to you Prime Minister indeed to representatives of all parties. To those of you standing for the first time in the House be strong but be peaceful. These then are my acknowledgments to us 
.] 
It is a pleasure to participate in this debate. First Madam Speaker I acknowledge your reappointment as Speaker of the House. I also acknowledge the appointment of your assistant the Hon Clem Simich somebody who is well respected by all parties in this House. 
It is a good opportunity to reflect on a person who is no longer with us and I am speaking about the co-leader of the Green Party Rod Donald. I would like to share with this House a little of my experience with him. I recall that in 2002 I introduced to this House what was then and still is a most controversial piece of legislation. That legislation was titled the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Bill. It was vehemently opposed by Rod Donald but I am talking here about the integrity of the man. I made it my business to speak to their caucus and with my very persuasive manner I managed to win the majority in support. But Rod Donald had other views. In fact he supported the single transferable vote (STV). I told Rod Donald that nowhere in the world had STV been proven to be beneficial in terms of indigenous representation and I would not like to see and I would not support that type of approach being tested on Maori. But he still opposed it and through the parliamentary process—and I am talking in the first instance about the first reading—vehemently opposed it. He took part in the select committee process and he vehemently opposed it. The bill came back to the House for its second reading and he vehemently opposed it. Through the Committee stage with the help of Mr Ron Mark he vehemently opposed it as he did with the third reading. 
The interesting thing was that as soon as the votes were taken for the third reading and the bill was passed he was the first person to cross the floor to shake my hand and say congratulations well done. Now I am talking about the integrity of a person who is worth remembering. And I do remember him for that special experience I had with him. 
But I also acknowledge a person who sat quietly in this House in the 6 years I have been here who has also passed away and that was the interpreter who was my relation my whanaunga my kaumatua Tahu Asher. Madam Speaker you and I both attended his funeral in Taupo with his people of Ngati Tuwharetoa. But Tahu Asher’s roots were predominantly with all the iwi of Tauranga Moana and for weeks in this House particularly led by the Opposition parties there was debate about the Papamoa Hills. He sat in the House quietly and did not say a word. Unbeknown to members Tahu Asher and his whanau at one time owned most of the Papamoa Hills. His family has gifted most of that land to the people of New Zealand and they wanted it to remain that way for public use. But there were the usual developers as Bob Clarkson will know in the area who had other plans for the area. Well it did not happen because Tahu Asher’s family still plays a major role in the retention of that area of land the Papamoa Hills for the use of all the people of Aotearoa. Tahu Asher was another man with integrity. 
I congratulate all those members who have taken part in the Address in Reply debate and who have made their maiden speeches. In 2000 I had the honour of moving the motion for the Address in Reply debate and it is an incredible experience for a new member of Parliament. I can imagine how Shane Jones feels. I can imagine how the new members feel having made their maiden speeches. I listened to what a lot of them had to say. There is no doubt that there is a diverse range of people in this House. I listened to people talk about their experience in the public service people who come from farming backgrounds shearers lawyers accountants experts in finance and experts in economic issues. I heard them talk about their visions for the future. I have also heard speeches from people who want to dwell on the past. I have also heard people who want to relive the Stone Age. As a Maori I wish not to return to the Stone Age; however I value the past and I look forward to the future. 
I also acknowledge the presence in the House today of the Maori Party and congratulate Te Ururoa Flavell on his success in the electorate of Waiariki. I say to him: “Te Ururoa you won the battle but I won the war.” If that was not the case he would be over here and he knows that. [ 
Interruption 
] 
I want to say another thing about a person across the House who is continually interjecting. I heard a statement the other day by a previous colleague of mine John Tamihere about a member of this House. He described the member as a person who had more positions than the Kama Sutra. That sounds pretty kinky. I also know a person in this House who has been a member of more political parties than I care to name. I know he used to be a supporter of the Labour Party but he was discovered by New Zealand First and then undiscovered. He formed his own party Mauri Pacific. He had a couple of glasses of wine and that was the end of that. Now he has been reinvented. [ 
Interruption 
] I do not know who found him but I think that that person will regret it. 
I have a lot of respect for this member because when he was the Minister of Maori Affairs he did not carry his beliefs in his back pocket. He did carry himself quite well and I want to acknowledge him for that. But he came back as a member of the National Party and I wonder whether I still respect him in the same way. 
I want to acknowledge the Hon Parekura Horomia the previous and current Minister of Maori Affairs. I also want to congratulate Nanaia Mahuta on her election to Cabinet. It is a very very important role to play. She is the face and the voice not just of Tainui—and I am sure Tau Henare would also appreciate this—but also of the Kingitanga. One has to acknowledge that. 
I also want to congratulate the Hon Dover Samuels who has returned to all his portfolios and I want to congratulate the Hon Mahara Okeroa. We have had a long history together in the public service and now we are sitting here on the same side of the House and living up to the expectations of our people. I also want to congratulate Shane Jones who is considered to be a future leader of Maoridom. Goodness knows we need them; some of the ones we have now are a big disappointment. I also want to congratulate Dave Hereora the chairman of the Maori Affairs Committee. I am sure that he will fulfil all the requirements of the position. Kia ora tatou.