Davis KelvinHon KELVIN DAVIS (Deputy Leader—Labour): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. E tika ana i tēnei wā o ngā whaikōrero mutunga mō tēnei tau kia rongo ai ki Te Reo Māori kei roto i ēnei kōrero me ngā whakaaro Māori nā reira he mihi kau ana ki a koe he mihi kau ana ki tō tātou Pirimia. Ā huri rauna i tō tātou Whare tēnā tātou.[Greetings to the Speaker. It is right at this time of the final speeches for this year to hear the Māori language within the speeches and also Māori thoughts therefore greetings to you greetings to our Prime Minister. And all around our House greetings to all.]As we come to the end of this parliamentary year I want to take time to reflect on what I think is one of this Government's most significant achievements of 2018 and that is the establishment of the new Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti.On Monday night the Legislative Council Chamber was filled with representatives from the Crown and rangatira from Te Ao Māori who gathered together to officially launch the new agency. We heard inspirational speeches from Tāmati Kruger of Tūhoe from Tītewhai Harawira from Ngāpuhi and they spoke about the significance of this portfolio and the opportunity we now have to grow the relationships between Māori and the Crown and the hope that we all have for the future. Part of the agency launch included a small gathering at the new Arawhiti offices across the road with the staff who will be delivering on the promises we have made and the new path we are creating.I want to mention in particular a speech given by a Te Arawhiti staffer by the name of Tihema Baker. He spoke about what the establishment of this portfolio meant to him as a Māori and as a public servant. I think many members in this House will be able to relate to his words. He spoke about his past experiences being Māori and voicing a Māori world view in his day-to-day life in the Public Service. He talked about the times when he was talked over when he was dismissed where people rolled their eyes or openly laughed at his Māori perspective. He also talked about the struggles some Māori have from their own people when they work for the Crown and being called a kūpapa or a traitor by their own. He spoke of the weight many Māori feel the expectations they have to work for the Crown and to deliver for their people to uphold the mana of their tūpuna. He then said Te Arawhiti and its establishment was the validation he needed—it meant that the eye rolls and the laughter were not all for nothing. This agency this portfolio this kaupapa allow people like Tihema to be proud to hold his mana and to be unapologetically Māori. Te Arawhiti means the bridge" and the new agency is the bridge between Māori and the Crown. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the bridge between the Māori world and the Pākehā world. Since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi I think it would be fair to say that Māori are the ones who have crossed that bridge into the Pākehā world more than people moving the other way. Māori have learnt about the Pākehā world the language the culture and the customs. But it is 2018 and today I want to invite everybody in this House—those who have rarely or occasionally or never crossed the bridge into the Māori world—to take those first steps. In fact I'll be there and the team at Te Arawhiti will be there walking along beside you if you need our support.I'd just like to add my thanks to all the many people who do make this place tick and—as has been mentioned—we have the messengers the cleaners the travel office the security the select committee staff Parliamentary Library researchers IT staff the press gallery and I also want to make special mention to Māori media. Mr Speaker to your office I'd like to acknowledge you to the groundspeople and to you personally Mr Speaker and the deputy speakers. I'd like to thank you all for the way in which you have helped to conduct the business of this House. To my colleagues from across the House: I wish you and all your whānau a safe and very merry Christmas. Nā reira tātou mā huri rauna i tō tātou Whare tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. [Therefore all right around our House greetings greetings greetings to all.]"