Flavell Te UruroaHon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker mō tētahi wāhi ki a au ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i ngā kōrero ki te hunga i haere ki tāwāhi mō te hunga i waimarie te hunga kāre i waimarie ā i tū ki te mura o te ahi ko ētahi i hinga ko ētahi i eke ka mihi rā ki a rātau katoa.I a au e kōrero ana mō tēnei o ngā kaupapa ka hoki ngā mahara ki a Amster Reedy. Koirā te tangata Te Māori i whakauru anō hoki i ngā tikanga o Te Ao Māori ki roto i tēnei o ngā tīma i tēnei o ngā tira. Ko te korowai tērā ko ngā pounamu tērā ā ko Amster tērā i hinga i ngā tau tata kua hipa ake ka tangi ake ki a ia.[Thank you Mr Speaker for this opportunity to endorse the acknowledgments and sentiments accorded to those who went offshore—those who were fortunate those who were not and those who stood to the fore in the field of competitiveness—some of whom fell by the wayside some of whom made it. I commend them all.As I speak about this matter my thoughts go back to Amster Reedy. He was the individual the Māori who injected customary Māoridom practices into this team this company of sportspeople. That was the cloak and the items of greenstone and that was Amster who passed away in recent years. I mourn him.]I join with other speakers in acknowledging all those sportsmen and sportswomen who did us proud overseas and I also acknowledge the contribution from one Amster Reedy who pretty much set the scene in respect of kaupapa Māori with the New Zealand Olympic team in years gone by; he passed away not long ago.This was not only a very successful Olympics for Aotearoa New Zealand—can I say that I am hugely proud of the part that Māori have played in this year's games—it was hugely successful for Māori as well. Some of New Zealand's leading musicians—Kirsten Te Rito and her husband James Illingworth created a song in Te Reo Māori to inspire our athletes and not too many people know about that.A quarter of our 200 athletes are Māori. The Australian Olympic team for goodness' sake also included some Māori but they are coming home soon—and they better get home. Māori visual artist Shane Hansen of Ngāti Māhanga and Ngāti Hine led the delegation in the New Zealand team's uniform in terms of the design of the uniform. Māori BMX sensation Sarah Walker from Te Whakatōhea and Ōpōtiki but who has previously been in Kawerau as well has been elected to the International Olympic Committee—the IOC—so that is pretty important for us.Hon Simon Bridges: Tauranga girl. She's a Tauranga girl I think.Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL: Oh no I do not think so. It is all us—Bay of Plenty. Lisa Carrington two-time Olympic gold medallist was flagbearer—a huge honour to be bestowed on an athlete and of course Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki I understand tōna whakapapa. You will know from previous speeches that I am not one to blow the trumpet of Waiariki but I have got to say that six of the athletes who won gold medals for New Zealand for Aotearoa—three of them were born and trained in the Waiariki electorate: Mahe Drysdale from Tauranga in rowing men's single sculls; Lisa Carrington from Ōhope in the canoeing women's K1 200; and Peter Burling from Tauranga Moana in sailing men's 49ers. So in the Bay of Plenty and the Waiariki electorate—as I say very humble—we both breed them and train them and nine of the 15 Olympic medals that New Zealand received at this year's Olympics came from Te Waiariki. I am just saying that is the contribution that we bring to the country.Can I ask us to spare a thought aside from all of those other athletes for one Portia Woodman. If there was ever a competition in that women's rugby sevens which I think many people were watching—just to see how she was so emotional in the outcome of that particular event. Because of her efforts I think that she actually should hold herself proud of being an example of the Olympic spirit by going hard through all those games but she says to find at the final hurdle—not quite good enough." So we wish her well and hope that she comes through for the next games. Ka nui te mihi kia ora tātou."