Korako Nuk; Borrows ChesterNUK KORAKO (National): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Huri noa i Te Whare nei ngā mihi nui ki te tau hou Pākehā nō reira e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. Huge greetings throughout this House in regard to the Pākehā New Year therefore my compliments to you all.]It is indeed my pleasure and I am very appreciative of the fact that I can stand here and really support the Prime Minister Wīremu Ingarihi" or the Rt Hon Bill English in his statement. In that statement is indeed an incredible overview—a plan—for 2017. What that is is actually about providing huge opportunity for all New Zealanders. My theme today is that within that statement the Prime Minister is also delivering—and I am confirming this for Māori. What I want to do is first of all just go through a few milestones from over the last sort of 80 years on how the National Party has actually delivered for Māori.If we go right back to 1936—let us go back to Apirana Ngata who was actually one of the first Māori MPs for the National Government then. What he did was to introduce first of all the beginnings of Māori land development. Then if you move to 1935 who set up the Māori Battalion under National? It was Ngata. If we go through to the 1950s the building process for the Rātana Pā was actually done under National.If we then go and move through to 1951 the Māori Women's Welfare League was set up under National. If we go to 1962 the New Zealand Māori Council and the Māori wardens were all set up under National. If we then go through to 1981 in 1981 there was the first Wānanga o Aotearoa. That was from Raukawa. If we go through to the next one the Māori Women's Development Fund was set up under National. If we keep going there was the Sealord fishery deal—that was set up under National. If we go to the Treaty process: again under National. If we keep going through the first hauora Māori health provider was actually done under our present Prime Minister when he was Minister of Health. If we go through then to the next part the Māori teachers initiative—that was first set up under National. And Māori Television. If we look at Te Reo Māori initiatives and even looking at kura kaupapa Māori which was actually put into law to protect it—all of those incredible milestones were under National.So let us have a look at the statement that is actually here today. Under that what we have done under this Government is Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori. And then the next one—the Treaty settlements process. As the Prime Minister said 56 settlements have been done already in the last 8 years; 41 enacted. Labour did 16 in 9 years. So this particular Government particularly over the last 8 years has actually been incredibly excellent for Māori. Finally—OK listen to this one; let us just listen to this one. This is from the media quoted about the Prime Minister: "Ask any Māori at the coalface of change and they know [English] cares deeply about how policy affects their families." This is from Fairfax: "English has done more to understand Māori … than any other finance Minister or Prime Minister." National in 2017 has a plan to continue to deliver opportunities to all New Zealanders and especially Māori.Over on that other side of the House to you the glass is always half empty; to us it is half full. It is half full and it will be completely full by the time we get there in September. There is no hesitation here but this plan here in the Prime Minister's statement that has actually been put to the House for 2017 will see true progress for Māori. Kia ora tātou katoa.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: A split call on behalf of the Green Party—Julie Anne Genter."