Harawira Hone: Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Harawira Hone: Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:671] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 My name is Hone Harawira and I am married to Hilda Halkyard-Harawira. Although I did not know it at the time I now know that our marriage was conducted under the Marriage Act of 1955 which was reinforced by the  
Quilter  
v 
 Attorney-General 
 Court of Appeal decision that confirmed that the Act and status of marriage is between a man and a woman. So that is my own personal situation. 
To clarify us as a party the Maori Party parliamentary caucus is 100 percent married under the terms of the Marriage Act of 1955. In fact one of our members so much believes in marriage that he has done it more than once. So I am hardly about to question the Act and the status of marriage within our own caucus. We are a man married to a woman a man married to a woman a man married to a woman and a woman married to a man. That is our position as party. 
From a Maori point of view I am obviously here because my tupuna pretty much have the same points of view. Ever since coming here from Hawaiki those relationships thankfully have continued right down to where we are today. The Civil Union Bill which caused a lot of angst when it was going through the House and out there in the boonies is what provides the framework and the mechanism for other relationships to be confirmed and given formal value. As Katherine Rich said overseas people may make the decisions that are appropriate for them as we have with the Marriage Act and the Civil Union Act. They are structures that validate the relationships that people wish to enjoy here but under the terms of the Marriage Act 1955 marriage is to be consummated only between a man and a woman. 
I am also a father. I am the father of seven children and the grandfather I am embarrassed to say of only two. I do not ask my children what their sexual orientation is going to be but whatever it is going to be it is not going to change in any way shape or form the love I have for them or for my grandchildren. The party does not think that bringing in another bill will make any difference whatsoever to the status I already have or to the status my children may wish to enjoy should they choose another lifestyle. That is important. 
We discussed this issue in caucus and we were not all of the same point of view. I said to my caucus that as a father I want my sons and my daughters to grow up to realise what a marriage is which is the relationship that I have with their mother. I want my grandchildren to grow up and have that same understanding. We have discussed it at depth. I am happy to say that I was considering tonight split-voting with my party on exactly what the position would be with us and I cleared it with my co-leader but I am more than happy to say that after discussing it with him and others I stand in support of the Maori Party position in opposition to this bill. We are who we are. We have an Act that confirms that validity of our relationships and we have a Civil Union Act that recognises those others.