Sio William: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSio William: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 18 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4603. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Su’a WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere): I think that members of the Pacific Islands listening in to this debate will have a very strong difficulty accepting or believing the comments about this Government being committed to the Pacific. They have heard it often—too often—and particularly in the last campaign and it has all come to naught. It means nothing. Words are quite cheap. They have learnt to understand and accept that this Government will say anything to try to bring people around to its thinking but at the end of the day they are just simply words.I want to firstly acknowledge the leaders and the people of the community of the Cook Islands who are listening in—kia orana tatou katoatoa. I also want to acknowledge the leaders and people who are listening in from Niue that place that we affectionately call “the Rock”—fakalofa lahi atu. I also want to acknowledge the leaders and people of Tokelau who are prayerfully listening to this debate as well as prayerfully waiting for one of their former Ulus who is sick in America the honourable Toloa. I acknowledge them because I am aware they have been listening in to the debate as this piece of legislation goes through its passage in this House.May I begin by saying that I want to share a Samoan saying: “O e e lavea’i ia te a’u i taimi o puapuaga o ivi o toto o aano.” If I translated that it would mean: “They who come to my hour of need are my family. They are blood bones and flesh.” I say that at the outset because when it comes to dealing with the Pacific you are dealing with people and relationships are paramount in our ongoing dealings with the Pacific.I have got just a few points that I want to raise. Firstly I want to acknowledge Poto Williams Carmel Sepuloni and members of New Zealand First and the Green Party. We have stood united in acknowledging the fact that yes we support this bill but we believe that New Zealanders should be treated equally regardless of where they are based and we support the removal of the 5-year resident and present status. I will tell you why. New Zealand prides itself on saying that we have this constitutional arrangement between New Zealand and members of the Realm countries: the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau. Because we do not have a written constitution we rely on the words of past and present Prime Ministers past and present Ministers of Foreign Affairs and past and present Governors-General.For me the Governor-General who enforced how important that was was Sir Anand Satyanand who everywhere he lived walked and spoke would always acknowledge the languages of the Realm of New Zealand: Māori English sign language Cook Islands Niuean and Tokelauan. That says it all—that that Governor-General acknowledged this uniquely special relationship. What does it mean? Time and time again Murray McCully and the Prime Minister John Key always say this phrase: “We New Zealanders have a special relationship with the Pacific.” But in their hour of need when the leaders of those countries present themselves at the select committee what do we give them? We give them half a pie but we hold on to the other half. What for?That reminds me of another Samoan saying: “E u’u le afa ae togi le moa. E togi le moa ae u’u le afa.” It is a trap. We will give you a little bit now but we will hold on to this other part for later on. If the relationship is important the Government should recognise that these leaders come armed with the prayers and with the endorsement of the people of those countries. They are New Zealand citizens. Why does this Government continue to treat them as second-class citizens? Why is that? That is what it is doing. That is exactly what it is doing.We had the Premier of Niue the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and some significant individuals from these countries come to make submissions. I want to read something out that is important to me: “The unique and special relationship has seen many New Zealand citizens move from the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau to work in New Zealand and contribute economically socially and culturally to [the] fabric of New Zealand society.” That side of the House—that Government—makes out as if we are giving them a handout. That is what it believes. Here we have the Government of the Cook Islands saying it is not a one-way street. Yes they receive aid from New Zealand. They have to. It is a constitutional obligation.But by the same token the people of the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau come here and work they go to school here and they pay taxes here—they contribute. The Hon Nandi Glassie lived in Māngere and worked in Manukau in local government until he was about—oh I do not know; he looks older now—I think around his 40s. He left here and is now a Minister in the Cook Islands Government. So what do we tell him? When he retires he will not be eligible—he will not be eligible because he has to be present here in the land of Aotearoa New Zealand. But the land of Aotearoa New Zealand should also include the Cook Islands—the soil the land of the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau.I agree with what my colleagues here on this side of the House have said. This Government’s members are just being mean. They say words to the effect that the relationship is real and genuine but in reality these actions speak louder than the words they continue to roll out.Only yesterday Adrian Rurawhe Kris Faafoi Jenny Salesa and I attended Jerry Collins’ funeral in Porirua. This is important. Peseta was there and we helped him get into the row we were sitting in because he did not want to sit next to Ken Douglas. We were there. Prior to the funeral we made a brief presentation to the family of Jerry Collins in accordance with Samoan protocol and culture to pay our respects to convey our alofas to them. The essence of all the testimonies and tributes made at that funeral was that Jerry Collins never forgot where he came from. Jerry Collins never forgot his tupuaga—the people who supported him to the role that he played. Jerry Collins never forgot his si’osi’omaga—his environment what made him the person he was. He was constantly working to give something back to “P-Town” or to the people who made him the person he was and helped him along to become a star All Black. It was an amazing funeral and it was an amazing atmosphere—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order!Su’a WILLIAM SIO: —with all the tributes. I am getting to the point. The point I am making and this is with reference to the chairman of the Social Services Committee Alfred Ngaro is that I want to appeal to him. When we were campaigning last year he went out to the community and made promise after promise after promise in the likeness of John Key to the people of the Pacific that if National came into Government things would happen—things would happen. I want to say to him that the sign of a Government that has become arrogant and drunk with its own mightiness is that it refuses to listen to the people. I want to appeal to you Alfred. You need to listen to the people who helped you arrive at where you are now. This is important.Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This member has been here long enough to know that he is getting well away—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): No no. No I am the judge of these matters and I am calling Su’a William Sio.Su’a WILLIAM SIO: I am appealing to the chair of the Social Services Committee who heard the submissions who heard the pleas from the Cook Islands Prime Minister from the Premier of Tokelau and from the elders of those communities—the community that he belongs to. I am appealing to you: listen to the people. Do not live up to the meaning of your name and forget who brought you to where you are.Alfred Ngaro: I raise a point of order Mr Assistant Speaker. That member knows that there is an offence culturally to actually start to use a person’s name which we would never do. So I take offence actually at the use of that comment.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): All right thank you. The member has taken offence and I ask the member who is speaking to withdraw that comment.Su’a WILLIAM SIO: I withdraw. I appeal again to the chairman Mr Alfred Ngaro. Do not forget your tupuaga—the people who supported you who covered you who enabled you to sit at the head of the table. Listen to the pleas that they have given you because I am afraid that if you have not listened to their appeals and to their submission to be flexible in your stance on this particular issue then it means that you are selling your soul. You are selling your soul and that is a bad thing because there are so many of us—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Sorry to interrupt the honourable member. The member’s time has expired.