Sio Hon Aupito William; Mallard TrevorHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): E rere te karoro e rere ki te ao e topa ana ki runga i ngā ngaru whatiwhati haruru mai nei. Mai i Aotearoa ki te Moananui-a-Kiwa tae atu ki runga o Wihanga ka tau te manu ki ō rekereke. E moe i te āhuru mōwai o te whare ariki. E te makau o Kuini Irihapeti okioki atu rā e.[We send the sacred messenger bird the karoro from Aotearoa across the great ocean of the Pacific soaring above the multitudes of waves of emotion from the many islands of the Realm to you at Windsor the sacred house the royal house that provides sanctity. The dearest heart of Queen Elizabeth rest return be at peace.]That farewell reaffirms what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Pacific diplomatic corps and I feel about the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince died at age 99 sending many around the world into mourning.Prince Philip the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch made numerous trips to New Zealand and other parts of the Commonwealth before his retirement in 2017 including the Pacific region. People in the Pacific were able to recognise Prince Philip's love for the region highly respected by Pacific countries. They also respected the Duke as a leader a man who would fit into the Pacific world of chiefs and kings reminding us constantly also that no leader is perfect in their roles. He was an inveterate traveller. He visited Tonga Samoa and Fiji in 1953. In 1974 he visited the New Hebrides Condominium that would soon become the independent nation of Vanuatu. I can remember seeing him in films in the 1950s on the wharf in Samoa. I can remember he was in shirtsleeves and seemed really relaxed laughing generally enjoying the songs the dances le FaaSamoa.Of course there was another corner of the Pacific that had a special meaning for the Prince. On the Vanuatu island of Tanna they worshipped him and are now mourning his passing. In the misty mountain village of Tanna the Yaohnanen tribe believed he was descended from a spirit ancestor. There is another great story about the Duke of Edinburgh that I recently read from a grandson of Ned Marsters who lived on the Palmerston atoll in the Cook Islands. The Duke visited there on the royal yacht the Britannia. I understand he looked at the itinerary and asked for a change of plan. He said We are only here for six hours in Palmerston." and he would like everybody on the island to go on to his royal Britannia yacht "And leave me on Palmerston." So all the family went on board the royal Britannia yacht and were treated like kings and queens while His Highness Prince Philip stayed on Palmerston with a young man called Armstrong Marsters who showed Prince Philip around the island. They went for a swim and to this day that spot on the atoll is called the Duke's Pool.Through Prince Philip's life in service he was able to demonstrate I think our foreign policy principles including manaaki and whanaunga kindness and connectedness. Prince Philip's contribution to the Commonwealth is highly valued by New Zealand. The Commonwealth with a combined population of 2.2 billion includes almost a third of the world's population and provides a useful platform for Pacific countries to advocate on issues that are important to them including climate change and sea-level rise. Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth are powerful symbols.I want to relay to this House a poem by Selina Tusitala Marsh. This poem was commissioned by the royal household about unity. This reflects to their Highnesses how we in the Pacific feel:Let's talk about unity Here in London's Westminster Abbeydid you know there's a London in Kiribati? Ocean Island: South Pacific Sea. We're connected by currents of humanityalliances allegiances historiesfor the salt in the sea like the salt in our bloodlike the dust of our bones our final return to mudmeans while 53 flags fly for our countriesthey're stitched from the fabric of our unityit's called the "va" in Samoan philosophywhat you do affects mewhat we do affects the sealand wildlife – take the honeybeenature's model of unitypollinating from flower to seedbees thrive in hives keeping their queenunity keeps them alive keeps them buzzingthey're key to our fruit and veggie suppliesbut parasitic attacks and pesticides threaten the bee then you then meit's all connected – that's unity.There's a 'U' and an 'I' in unitycosts the earth and yet it's free. My grandad's from Tuvalu and to be specificit's plop bang in the middle of the South Pacificthe smallest of our 53 Commonwealth nationsthe largest in terms of reading vast constellations my ancestors navigated by sky and sea trailsway before Columbus even hoisted his sails!What we leave behind matters to those who go beforewe face the future with our backs sailing shore to shorefor we're earning and saving for our common wealtha common strong body a common good healthfor the salt in the sea like the salt in our bloodlike the dust of our bones our final return to mudmeans saving the ocean saving the beemeans London's UK seeing London in the South Seasand sharing our thoughts over a cup of tea.There's a 'U' and an 'I' in unitycosts the earth and yet it's free.Tulouna le lagi!Tulouna le lagi! Tulouna le lagi! Tulouna le lagi! Tulou!WaiataMotion agreed to.SPEAKER: I now ask members to stand with me and observe a period of silence as a mark of respect to the memory of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh.Members observed a period of silence.SPEAKER: Thank you members. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.The House adjourned at 2.40 p.m."