Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): It's a real privilege to rise today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Māori Affairs Committee which was formed on 5 October 1871. At that time it was called the Native Affairs Committee and later became known as the Māori Affairs Committee and was created by the House of Representatives. It's a real honour to be here in the House of Representatives this afternoon commemorating it on what is also the day the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War on 11 November 2018. I heard from my colleague Simon Bridges as well and I join him in congratulating Ngāti Maniapoto and Minister Little on signing a deed of settlement today—that's a great momentous occasion as well. I listened with great pleasure actually to Willie Jackson as he told his stories about the Māori Affairs Committee in his time. We haven't had anything nowhere near that entertaining but there is one commonality that flows through though and it's a spirit of cooperation between the different political parties because although we have our different ideas about how we should do things and what's the best approach we all have a common focus on what's best for Māori and how to achieve that. And that creates a real spirit of whanaungatanga I think in the Māori Affairs Committee which has been there for it seems a very long time and continues and I hope will continue for the next 150 years.It brings me to think of the whakataukī:Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.I walk backwards into the future with my eyes firmly fixed on the past.This whakataukī or proverb speaks to Māori perspectives of time where the past the present and the future are viewed as intertwined. This conceptualisation of time does not leave the past behind rather the past is carried into the future. And I really feel that resonate here in the House of Representatives this afternoon.In the 19th and early 20th centuries the committee acted as a check on both judicial and executive decision making ensuring a degree of parliamentary accountability and oversight of two powerful and dominating actors in the area of 19th century land alienation and governance: the Native Land Court and the Government itself. All select committees have an important accountability and scrutiny function. What makes the Māori Affairs Committee special is what Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Justice Matthew Palmer describes as the historic role of the Māori land ombudsman". For a large part of its existence petitions drove the bulk of the committee's work. This responsiveness to petitioners defined the committee's constitutional role as a check on the actions of the Crown in relation to Māori land at the very least ensuring that grievances were formally communicated to responsible officials as well as compelling some level of explanation from the Land Court and Government.I also wanted to take a moment to remember and commemorate all of those who have served on the Māori Affairs Committee over time both past and present and for all of the hard work that has gone into bringing us to where we are today. I note that it also has maybe a somewhat unique record in that 16 former members of the Māori Affairs Committee served as Premier or Prime Minister of New Zealand. In the brief time available to me I'll quickly list them: William Fox Frederick Whitaker Harry Atkinson George Grey Robert Stout John Balance Richard Seddon Joseph Ward Joseph Coates George Forbes Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser Keith Holyoake Norman Kirk David Lange and Jim Bolger. Quite a list of people who have led New Zealand and also played their role among others in the Māori Affairs Committee.I would also like to just note that the very first Māori chair of the Māori Affairs Committee was the National Party member Sir Apirana Ngata often described as the foremost Māori politician to have ever served in Parliament and known for his work in promoting and protecting Māori culture and heritage and setting up land development schemes to encourage Māori to develop their land and played a very important role. I would also like to give particular note to Jim Bolger—a past Prime Minister who chaired the committee between 1976 and 1978. He was chair during the Māori Affairs Committee's consideration of Dame Whina Cooper's petition calling for the end of the alienation of Māori land. The committee after two years of listening and deliberations recommended to the Government that an inquiry be held. As Prime Minister he oversaw major Treaty of Waitangi settlements including the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu claims in 1995. Reconciling the historic injustice that Māori have suffered and supporting a brighter more aspirational future for Māori has always been important to National and it will continue to be as it is to all members in this House. Thank you Madam Speaker."