Flavell Te Ururoa: Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFlavell Te Ururoa: Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 09 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9551. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for Māori Development): Tēnā koe e Te Kaikōrero o Te Whare. E mōtini ana ahau Kia pānuitia Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori mō te wā tuarua. Hai tīmatanga kōrero māku me pēnei te kī “Tuia i runga tuia i raro tuia i waho tuia i roto tuia i te here tangata ka rongo te pō ka rongo te ao. Tuia i te muka tangata i takea mai i Hawaiki nui i Hawaiki roa i Hawaiki pāmamao. Te hono i wairua ki te whai ao ki te ao mārama. Koia rā e rongo whakairia ki runga tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tinā! Tinā! Hui-e i tāiki e!”I a tātau e kōrero nei mō te mana o Te Reo Māori me whai wāhi au ki te tuku kōrero ki te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi i ngā rā tata kua hipa ake. Kō tākuta Ranginui Walker tērā ko Tāhuna Mihinnick tērā ko Roger Aranui tērā arā noa atu wētahi. Ēngari me whai wāhi au anō hoki ki a Ērima Te Toihōu o Te Taura Whiri i te wā i a ia. Haere koutou ki tua o Paerau whakangaro atu rā! Ki a tātau te hunga ora tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora tātau katoa!I roto i tāna kauhau ki Te Whare Pāremata nō te marama o Hōngongoi te tau 2014 i te wā i mōtinihia ai te pānui tuatahi i te pire nā taku rangatira nā Hōnore Tā Pita Sharples arā ko Te Minita Whakawhanaketanga Māori i taua wā te kōrero mō Te Reo Māori me tana kī ake: “he taonga mā ngā iwi mā ngāi Māori hoki he āhuatanga whakahirahira o te ahurea o Niu Tīreni”. I kōrero ia mō te heke haere o te ora o Te Reo rau tau rua tekau. Mō te tau 1900 he tata ki te 100 ōrau te tokomaha o ngāi Māori i kōrero i tō rātau ake Reo. Hoi anō i ngā tau 70 ka whai i muri mai i tino heke iho tēnei ki te āhua 20 ōrau. I taua wā he kaumātua te nuinga o te hunga kōrero Māori ā i te tāmatemate haere rātau. I whakapaetia ka mate Te Reo Māori. I ohorere a ngāi Māori. Ēhara mō te āhua mamate o tō rātou Reo anake ēngari mō tō rātou āhua anō hoki me kī ko tō rātau tūranga ko rātau nōhanga tō rātou mana hoki i runga tonu i tō rātou ake whenua. Arā hoki te āhua o te mimiti haere ā haere ake nei māna ka mahia ētahi panonitanga nui whakaharara.Ko te puāwaitanga Māori te urupare i tīmata ai i taua wā ā ko pērā tonu tae noa mai ki nāianei. Ko te whakaora me te whakarauora i Te Reo Māori tētahi wāhanga whakahirahira o tēnei puāwaitanga nā Te Māori Language Act 1987 i whakamanatia ai e Te Karauna Te Reo Māori hei taonga mā ngā iwi mā ngāi Māori hoki i whakaū ai hoki Te Reo Māori hai Reo whaimana ā-ture mō Niu Tīreni. Kua kitea e tātau te whakatūnga te tipu hoki o ngā Kōhanga Reo o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Whare Kura i nāianei hoki o ngā wānanga kei te taumata mātauranga matua. Kua wātea ake te ako i Te Reo Māori i roto i ō tātau kura auraki i ō tātau whare wānanga me ngā kura mātauranga matua kē atu. Arā hoki ngā reo irirangi ā-iwi ngā reo irirangi Māori hoki ko Te Pouaka Whakaata Māori i whakatūria hei whakarato hei whakapāho hōtaka i Te Reo Māori.Hoi anō ahakoa wā tātou karawhiunga hei whakarauora ake i Te Reo he āhua tokoiti tonu te hunga e uru ana ki roto i ēnei kaupapa. He urupare te whakapuakitanga o tēnei pire i te tau 2014 ki te whakaaro he mea whakatīna Te Māori Language Act 1987hei tautoko i te whakarauoratanga o Te Reo. Ko te aronga o te pire i whakapuakina atu ai he whakaū i te mana o Te Reo hai taonga mā ngā iwi mā ngāi Māori hoki hai Reo whaimana ā-ture mō Niu Tīreni. Ka whakatū tēnei i a Te Mātāwai hei hinonga ā-ture motuhake kia tū hai kaiārahi mā ngā iwi mā ngāi Māori hoki i roto i tā rātou mahi hai kaitiaki mō Te Reo Māori.I nāinanei ka huri au ki te pire i whakahokia pūrongotia ai e Te Komiti Take Māori. He pēnei te kī kāore i tere mārika te rerenga o te pire mā te tukunga komiti kōwhiri ēngari arā noa ētahi tino take i pēnei ai. Tuatahi nō te marama o Hōngongoi tau 2014 i whakapuakina i tukuna atu hoki tēnei ki te komiti nō mua tata mai i te pōtitanga ā-motu i te tau 2014. Nō muri mai i te pōtitanga nō muri hoki i taku whai haepapatanga mō te pire i pīrangi au kia mārakerake anō taku titiro ki te pire. Nā tēnei i whakatū ai au i tētahi Rōpū Tohutohu Reo Māori ki te whakaaroaro mehemea me whakapai ake me pēhea rānei te whakapai ake i te pire. Kai konei wētahi e noho nei ki runga ake nei. Nā te tāpaetanga i tukuna mai mā te tukanga komiti kōwhiri rātau i whai pānga ai i roto i taua mahi. Inā rā i pīrangi au kia tūturu te kitea o te haepapatanga o Te Karauna ki te whakamarumaru ki te toko ake hoki i te whakarauoratanga o Te Reo Māori.I tuku pūrongo mai te rōpū tohutohu ki a au i te marama o Pipiri i tērā tau ā i mārohitia ai tētahi tauira hou. I takea mai i tētahi ngātahitanga ā-mahi i waenganui i Te Karauna me Te Iwi Māori. I tēnei wā me whai wāhi au ki te mihi ki taua rōpū otirā ki ngā kaimahi o Te Puni Kōkiri ā hei te pānuitanga tuatoru pea au whakawhānui atu i taku mihi ki a koutou. Kei aku rangatira koinei te mihi o te ngākau koinei te mihi o te ngākau ki a koutou katoa mō te papai o ngā mahi kua oti nei i a koutou i a tātau. I tūtohu tana pūrongo tā taku komiti tāku e kōrero nei kia āta whakamāramatia ngā mahi motuhake a Te Karauna a Te Iwi Māori hoki kia whāia ngātahitia ai he putanga pai ake mō Te Reo Māori. Nō te marama o Whiringa-a-nuku i whakaaetia e Te Rūnanga Kāwanatanga ngā whakahounga i takea mai i tēnei pūrongo ki te pire i whakaurua ēnei hei tūtohutanga ki Te Komiti Take Māori. Kai te harikoa ahau ki te kī atu kua taunakitia e Te Komiti Take Māori ngā panonitanga ki te pire ā he ngākau tapatahi tā rātau mō te whakauru i ngā whakahounga katoa. Ka mihi ki a koutou ka tika e hoa mā! Ki ngā mema o Te Komiti Tāke Māori mō tā rātau mahi tā koutou mahi i te roanga o te tau kua taha ake nei. E hoa mā ka nui te mihi.Ko te hua o tēnei kua whakakahangia te pire i whakahokia pūrongotia atu ai. Ka whakatau tēnei i te tāpaetanga me te ū tonu o Te Karauna ki Te Reo Māori. Mā tēnei Te Karauna ngā iwi a ngāi Māori hoki e herea ai ki te mahi ngātahi. He haepapatanga hoki tā tēnā tā tēnā mō Te Reo Māori. Hei tuatahitanga whaiwhai hītori kua whakahokia pūrongotia atu te pire nei hai pire reorua. Koinei te pire tuatahi ka whakamanatia i roto i Te Reo Māori i te reo Pākehā hoki ā ki te ara he tohe he raruraru rānei i waenganui i ngā whakaputanga e rua ko te whakaputanga Māori tērā ka tino whāia! He mahi tika ko Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori te pire tuatahi o tōna momo kia kawea pēnei i roto i tēnei Whare tae atu ki tōna whakaturetanga!Ka paku kōrero mō ngā whakapanonitanga. Tuatahi ka tū a Te Mātāwai hei rangatōpū ā-ture motuhake e mahi ana mā ngā iwi mā ngāi Māori hoki kia tū hai kaiārahi i roto i te mahi toko ake i te ora Te Reo me te mauri o Te Reo Māori mō ngā iwi mō ngāi Māori mō ngā hapori hoki. Hoianō mā te rerenga aronga kai roto i te pire e tohu kaha i tōna hononga ki Te Karauna. E tutuki ai tēnei mā te āta tohu ki ngā aronga hoki o Te Mātāwai he tautoko he whakamōhio atu he whakaaweawe hoki i ngā kaupapa Karauna hei whakamarumaru hei toko ake hei whakarauora ake i Te Reo Māori.Ka whakamana ā-ture te pire i ētahi rautaki Reo Māori hōu e rua. Nō Te Karauna te haepapatanga mō tētahi arā ko te Maihi Karauna e hāngai atu ai ki ngā tāke ā-motu. Nō ngā iwi nō ngāi Māori hoki te haepapatanga mā Te Mātāwai mō tērā atu arā ko Te Maihi Māori. Ka hāngai tērā ki ngā whāinga ki ngā kaupapa here whai pānga ki ngā iwi ki ngā hapū ki ngā whānau ki ngā hapori hoki. Ka tū tonu Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori me Te Māngai Pāho hei hinonga Karauna ēngari tokotoru ngā mema o ngā mema poari tokorima o ia hinonga ka tīkina mai i ngā tautapanga a Te Mātāwai.Kei te hari koa au e pā ana ki te pire i whakahokia pūrongotia ai. Kua whakaritea hoki tētahi pepa Ōta tāpiri mā Te Komiti o Te Whare katoa. Ko te whāinga o tērā ko te whakatika i ētahi āhuatanga rerekē i roto i ia whakaputanga reo o te ture. He take iti nei ēngari he whakahōunga he take mātanga hoki te āhua o aua whakahōunga. Hei whakakōpani i taku kōrero e Te Kaikōrero o Te Whare ka tāpae atu au i tēnei pire ki Te Whare Pāremata hai wetewete me te mihi anō rā ki tēnā ki tēnā o tātau i tēnei rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora tātau katoa.[Greetings Mr Assistant Speaker. I move That the Māori Language Bill be now read a second time. I preface my contribution with a traditional proverb: “Fasten above fasten below unify and bind join the connections of people departed and living. Weave together the threads of humanity woven over vast distance and time from ancient homelands. Bind us into this world of light let peace prevail let us be steadfast and resolute!”.As we are discussing the value of Māori language it is appropriate that I begin with acknowledging the recently departedwho leave with us cherished memories:in particular Dr Ranginui Walker as well as Tāhuna Minhinnick Roger Aranui and many others. Special mention should also be made to Ērima former chair of the Māori Language Commission. May you all join those who have already gathered beyond the distant horizon. And to us the living warm greetings one and all.In his speech to the House in July 2014 when moving the first reading of this bill my predecessor the Hon Sir Pita Sharples then Minister of Māori Affairs declared: “it is a treasure of both traditional tribes and Māoridom; it is an integral part of the cultural fabric of New Zealand.” He referred to the decline in the health of the Māori language over the past 120 years. In 1900 Māori was spoken by practically 100 percent of the Māori population. Within 70 years this had rapidly declined to approximately 20 percent most of whom were elderly themselves a declining population. It was predicted thattheMāori language would die out which caused alarm among Māori not just for the loss of the language but also at their own general situation including their position social status and authority within their own country. Such was the state of decline that it would continue without significant auspicious change.The response was the Māori renaissance which continues to this day. Māori language survival and revitalisation is a fundamental component of this renaissance. The Crown officially recognisedtheMāori language as a treasure of both traditional tribes and Māoridom through the Māori Language Act 1987 which also declared Māori a national language of New Zealand. We have seen the establishment and development of Māori language immersion preschools primary schools high schools and now tertiary level institutions. Study of Māori language is now available in mainstream schools in universities and in other tertiary settings. We now have tribal-based radio stations pan-tribal radio stations and Māori Television—all services established to broadcast programming in the Māori language.Despite our efforts for Māori language revitalisation there remains a low uptake of people entering these domains. The introduction of this bill in 2014 was a response to the view that the Māori Language Act 1987 had become less effective in fulfilling aspirations for Māori language revitalisation. The purpose of the bill as introduced was to affirm the status oftheMāori language as a treasure of both traditional tribes and Māoridom and as an official language of New Zealand. Accordingly Te Mātāwai would be established as an independent statutory entity to provide leadership for both traditional tribal groupings and Māoridom in their role as custodians of the Māori language.I now turn to the bill as reported back from the Māori Affairs Committee. It can be said that the bill has not had a swift passage through the select committee process. However this is due to a number of important factors. First it was introduced in August 2014 and sent to the select committee just before the 2014 general election. After the election having taken on responsibility for the bill I wanted to take a fresh look at it. Accordingly I established an independent Māori Language Advisory Group to consider whether the bill could be improved and if so how. Some of them are present here in the gallery. They benefited from the submissions received through the select committee process. I also wanted to emphasise the role and responsibility of the Crown to protect and support the revitalisation of the Māori language.The advisory group reported to me in June last year and proposed a new model based on a working partnership between the Crown and Māori. It is appropriate for me to acknowledge that group now as well as the Te Puni Kōkiri staff and perhaps at the third reading I will have the opportunity to expand on some of these acknowledgments. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to each of you for the substantialcontributions;indeed from each and every one of us. The advisory group report recommended clarifying the distinctive roles of the Crown and of Māori to collectively pursue improved Māori language outcomes. In October Cabinet approved amendments to the bill based on this report and these were included as recommendations for the Māori Affairs Committee. I am pleased to announce the Māori Affairs Committee has endorsed the changes to the bill and members have unanimously adopted all the amendments. It is only right that I acknowledge and thank the members of the Māori Affairs Committee for the significant undertaking throughout this past year. Members thank you.The result is that the bill as reported back has been strengthened. It recognises the contribution and ongoing commitment of the Crown to the Māori language. It requires both the Crown and Māori to work in partnership each with roles and responsibilities for the Māori language. For the first time in history a bill has been reported back as a dual language bill. This is the first bill to be enacted in both Te Reo Māori and English with the Māori text taking precedence in any inconsistency between the two versions. It is only appropriate that the Māori Language Bill is the first of this kind to proceed through the House to enactment.A few brief comments regarding the amendments. First Te Mātāwai will be an independent statutory entity acting on behalf of both traditional tribes and Māoridom to provide leadership in promoting the health and well-being of the Māori language at tribal at Māori and at community levels. However the purpose clause within the bill still strongly emphasises its relationship with the Crown which will be achieved through the focus of Te Mātāwai to support inform and enhance Crown initiatives to protect to promote and to revitalise the Māori language.The bill makes official two new Māori language strategies. The Crown has responsibility for one—namelythe Maihi Karauna focusing on national level issues. The other—namelythe Maihi Māori—is the responsibility of both traditional tribes and Māoridomrepresented through Te Mātāwai. It will focus on objectives and policies and related matters at tribal sub-tribal family and community levels. The Māori Language Commission and Te Māngai Pāho will remain Crown entities;howeverthree of the five board members of each entity will be Te Mātāwai nominations.I am pleased with the bill as reported back. A Supplementary Order Paper has also been prepared for the Committee of the whole House that seeks to address any drafting inconsistencies in the respective language versions of the bill. The amendments are minor and technical in nature. In concluding I commend this bill to the House and wish to thank once again everyone on this occasion. Greetings greetings one and all.]