Delahunty Catherine: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDelahunty Catherine: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 09 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8791. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green): Tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare Pāremata. I would like to address the Prime Minister’s speech on the theme of leadership but before I do that I would like to acknowledge the loss of two extremely visionary leaders in our region over this summer: Gordon Stephenson an extraordinary man who developed the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust and also the Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust; and also Barry Brickell whom the previous speaker Scott Simpson mentioned who was a friend of mine for 42 years. He was a unique master craftsman and conservationist who had fought very hard for the conservation values of our area.But back to the Prime Minister’s speech and the issue of leadership. Leadership is critical at all levels and leadership is not about going to the rugby when things get tough. The Prime Minister’s leadership has actually raised eyebrows and questions in this last week and after Rātana I think there are some important issues that the Prime Minister did not want to hear about but should listen to.When we went to Rātana on the paepae there was a very clear message to the Government. The message was that it has failed to listen to the concerns and failed to engage with Te Tiriti relationship seriously. It could not have been laid down more clearly by people such as Rāhui Papa—and I acknowledge his family’s recent loss as well. Respects to his whanau but also respects to him for the kōrero and the kōrero of others on that paepae who made it crystal clear that they could not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreementwhen it had been imposed on them in this abusive way—let alone the content of it which my colleague Marama Davidson will address shortly.Rātana was the beginning and the Prime Minister did not like it. It was obvious that he did not like it. So when he was challenged by Te Tii Marae about the TPP agreement instead of saying “I will support the kawa of the marae.” he threw his toys and said: “No I’m not coming.” I have been to Waitangi every year for 15 years and so far no one has thrown a squeaky sex toy or replica phallus at me yet for undermining sovereignty—but there is still time! Who knows? However if they do I will still be coming back because actually we are there to listen. Whakarongo ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi [Listen to the Treaty of Waitangi] and the people who hold it in their hearts in Tai Tokerau.It was very disappointing to see the Prime Minister refusing to acknowledge protocol. A protocol was offered to him: to not politicise the pōwhiri and to speak elsewhere. He could not abide by that so he went to the rugby and had a sulk. That is not leadership. We need visionary leadership in this country that will face up to the challenges and if we put out challenges that others disagree with we should face those challenges.Politicians—we have protocols here that all the citizens who come to Parliament have to abide by. Metiria Turei made this excellent point that when Ngāpuhi or any other tangata whenua iwi come to Parliament they have to abide by our protocols. When we go to marae it is our responsibility as politicians as well as citizens to abide by the kawa of those marae. What is more particularly at Waitangi on Waitangi Day our job is to whakarongo—to listen.So the Greens actually went to Waitangi to listen. We had a warm welcome at Te Tii Marae. We stuck to the kawa. We did not politicise the pōwhiri. We went to the political tent and we listened in the political tent where we heard about the TPP agreement. We heard about indigenous voices from COP-21. We heard about water and the importance of protecting water by not pretending no one owns it. We listened and contributed; that is what leadership is about.Leadership is not about being in the club internationally imposing your will upon a country and then turning round and saying: “I’m not going to engage because I want to set the rules.” That is not Te Tiriti o Waitangi it is not respectful and it is not the way in which leadership takes place. I am proud to be a Green member because I think we demonstrated leadership at Waitangi and we received the benefit of others’ leadership. I honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kia ora tātou katoa.