Samuels Dover: Valedictory Statements 
Samuels Dover: Valedictory Statements 
[Volume:650;Page:19197] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Labour) 
: 
 Tihei mauri ora. Te mea tuatahi Madam Speaker kei te mihi atu ki a koe te Kaiwhakahaere o nga kawa o te Whare kei te mihi atu ki a koe. E nga iwi e nga reo e nga matawaka o nga hau e wha haere mai piki mai kake mai. Haere mai ki te whakarongo ki nga korero poroporoaki o nga mema kei te wehe atu i te ana o nga raiona. Me mihi atu hoki ki o tatou karangaranga maha ki o tatou tini mate e hinga mai ra e hinga atu nei e hinga mai ra e hinga atu nei. Ko tenei tetahi o tatou ko Brian Donnelly kua haere atu ki te tutaki i a ratou i muri i te arai no reira e nga tini mate haere koutou haere koutou haere koutou. E nga ropu me nga mema katoa o te Whare Paremata kei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Ka mai ki ahau i tenei aha na wai tenei tono maku e ki atu ki a koe ko ahau tenei e korero atu nei. Ka ki mai koe he aha te mea nui o tenei ao maku e ki atu ki a koe he tangata he tangata he tangata e. 
[ 
Behold the sneeze of life. The first thing for me Madam Speaker is to acknowledge you as adjudicator of House procedure: greetings to you. To the people languages ethnic groups of the four winds welcome draw near draw close. Come and listen to the valedictory speeches by departing members from the lair of the lions. I acknowledge our many callings and the multitude of our deaths that have fallen there here far and near. I acknowledge the passing of Brian Donnelly as one of our own beyond the veil where he will meet up with them. So to you the many who have died: depart farewell go forth. To all the political parties and members I acknowledge you all. You might well ask who is that talking and I will respond: it is I. If you ask me what is the greatest thing in this world I will reply: it is people it is people it is people indeed. 
] 
Madam Speaker this is an acknowledgment of your role as the big chief in this House and the keeper of the rules of this House and also a call of welcome to those who have come from afar from different canoes and from the four winds and an acknowledgment of all parties and all parliamentary colleagues in this House. We remember those ancestors friends and loved ones who have passed away and of course lately our friend and colleague the late Brian Donnelly. If you were to ask me what the greatest thing on this earth is I would reply: “It is our people it is our people it is our people.” 
I have been listening to the ringing of the bells and watching the clock controlling my life since I entered Parliament in 1996 and I certainly was moved by the departure of Nandor Tanczos the Green member who in his valedictory speech took out his watch and proceeded to demolish it with a vengeance. For the very same reason I intend to follow his example. I look at my watch; it has been a buddy of mine for a long time since I was knee-high to a grasshopper diving for crayfish. I remember that Nandor Tanczos’ watch came from the Warehouse. This one is a Rolex Submariner worth something like $5000. My good friend and capitalist Maori colleague Shane Jones said to me: “Forget it. It is worth too much money.” Madam Speaker I have changed my mind and I make no apologies. 
I know that Michael is wondering what I might do with his hammer which I have with me. I listen to the bells and I look at the clock and I remember the song by Engelbert Humperdinck I think his name was and it went something like this: “Please release me let me go.” and of course the Everly Brothers sang “If I Had a Hammer”. 
My maiden speech—it is interesting that if I said that here in the House with different connotations people would say I was not PC: “He is a Maori a male and he is getting up and making a maiden speech.” and some of my kaumatua would wonder whether I had had an operation—was based on a poem by Banjo Paterson. He was an Australian bush poet and I think he wrote the poem “The Man From Snowy River”. However what I will talk about now is the thread of his poem in terms of my maiden speech. 
Banjo Paterson talked in another poem about the Maori wool. He talked about a Maori chief from Rooti-iti-au—I think he was a tipuna of Mita Ririnui. At that time many Maori tribes sold their wool to the bank manager. In those days they were getting ripped off by being paid tuppence for a pound—I think John Carter remembers this—and then the wool was shipped to London where it sold for five shillings a pound. Behold when the bales of wool were unloaded in London they were full of bloody big boulders. If that is not innovation for Maori then what is? We are still pulling the wool over their eyes and the bank manager is still looking for the chief from Rooti-iti-au. 
Perhaps that is symbolic of Maori process and procedures and of our being innovative. But we have become so politically correct and culturally correct that we now have Black Power filing a Treaty claim on the grounds that colonisation is inherently responsible for their criminal whakapapa. Next we will see the Mongrel Mob filing a claim for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. I think it was Sir Howard Morrison God bless him who sang the song “When will you ever learn; when will you ever learn.” 
One will always reflect upon the time served in this House and it has indeed been a privilege to serve my region and my constituents—Maori Pakeha Hainamana Chinese Indian Pacific Islander or any other citizens. I have always made it my commitment not to turn anybody away. 
Colleagues who have had the privilege to serve in this House will always take away some memories of special events. They can be humorous they can be good they can be bad they can be very bad and they can be bloody ugly. 
The humorous memory for me was a very humorous one and the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt was responsible for it. When I came into this House he said: “That member is contravening the Standing Orders. He is not allowed to wear his potae.” I looked at the honourable Speaker and said: “Taihoa. Point of order Mr Speaker. There is another member on the other side of the House from ACT and her name is Donna Awatere Huata. She is wearing a Zulu turban.”—and very colourful it was. I said: “If it is good enough for her to wear her turban in the House then it must be good enough for me to wear my potae.” I think I won the argument because I told him that in my culture Ngapuhi males who become chiefs and rangatira attend special events and they wear their potae but they were very very suspicious of the Speaker wearing a wig. Madam Speaker and Jonathan I know that you remember those events very very vividly. 
When members of parties in the House put forward policies and legislation that is good and beneficial for all our people rational debate takes place conducted with integrity and respect and that is good. But it is not so good when members resort to personal abuse and degrading comments and extend their comments to the wives families and partners of members of Parliament in order just to gain some cheap political points at the expense of people who cannot defend themselves. It is little wonder that people out there in the community have no respect for politicians or the democratic process. They hold us in contempt and regard us as being lower than real estate agents car dealers or journalists especially the ones in the press gallery. Just look at the thousands who do not enrol to vote. Surely that must tell us that we should be looking at the underlying reasons why. 
Of course those who are unelected those “members” who sit in the press gallery accountable to no one expect their big bosses and those further up the pecking order do not stand for election and they can attack any member of this House because they will not let the truth and the facts get in the way of a good story. They invent headlines all under the guise of the pretence of freedom of speech. I have never before seen the media in such a feeding frenzy and the two major newspapers and television networks so insatiable as they have been in their attack on the Rt Hon Winston Peters. 
Maoridom is asking why. Why does the media not run the ruler over every party and leader in this House and scrutinise them in the same way? They are the not the ones who are hiding maybe $100000 or $25000; they are the ones who are hiding millions. But they have experts to put their house in order so that nobody not even the newspapers can see the footprints or smell the fingerprints. This is the challenge for the media. If they want to run the ruler of morality over members of this House then they should run it over everybody beginning with the cockatoo in the House who is not here tonight. Maoridom is asking for this. 
I tell them that if they keep putting Winston Peters on the front page of the paper then they will guarantee he will get back into Parliament. That may be the strategy! 
You see we are not all dumb. The Maori nation is intelligent. Maori can read between the lines. They understand what the secret agenda is. They understand that there is an agenda here to politically execute one of our rangatiras from Ngati Wai and it is not going to work. They have tried it before; I know about that personally. New Zealand and New Zealanders deserve better than that. Madam Speaker perhaps it is time for this Parliament to define what freedom of speech actually means and also to define the responsibilities and the accountabilities that go with it. Parekura I am not going to wreck your table brother. 
Finally I thank my whanau and my friends. Some of them have come a long way to share a few words and if the Speaker allows it to sing a farewell song. To my family to Jacqui to Reece and Cadence my children we have weathered the storm of sewage politics together and we have emerged stronger and more determined. Kia kaha waku tamariki kei te aroha atu ki a korua. I love you all. 
To my long-time geriatric friends Gugi Walker Rim De Paul Janine and Audrey veteran members of the days of the Maori showbands the Quin Tikis the Maori Hi Fives the Maori Volcanics—thanks for the memories and for sharing some of the old-time favourites with us later. All of you here are all invited to my party even the bloody media. We will see what they say about that tomorrow. 
To our big chief Helen: nga mihi ki a koe te wahine toa o te motu. You will surely go down in the history of this nation as one of the greatest Prime Ministers that this country has ever had. People will look back in time to come put all the puhaehae—the discrimination—aside and will realise that we did really have one of the best Prime Ministers this nation has ever had. 
To Michael Cullen I say that he is as sharp as a bloody tack. And on Treaty settlements as General MacArthur said “Like hell I am retreating I am just advancing in a different direction.” 
To Jim Anderton who is my good friend and to Carole I thank them for their friendship over many years. To all my mates over here in the red and brown corner I say that it has been an honour and a privilege to be working with them. To my flatmate Damien O’Connor I say that I am sorry buddy but you are going to have to get somebody else to do your laundry. 
To my friends and colleagues in the blue corner to my whanaunga Clem Simich over there for his kind words and to Georgina kei te mihi atu. To Shane David Sandra John Georgina Tau Eric Phil Heatley and all the blokes and sheilas whom I was on the select committee with kei te mihi atu. I thank them for their humour and for their consideration and friendship when we participated in some of the harder questions on the select committees. 
But right now I acknowledge the real workers of this Parliament. If it was not for them the engine room in Parliament would collapse. My thanks go to the messengers security staff the Hansard staff to Paora and Nicole and to all the staff at Bellamy’s and Copperfields—I thank them for their service and support but I suggest they change the menu. To the drivers of VIP for Jimmy Twisl kei te mihi atu ki a korua. I thank them for their service friendship their good humour and sometimes their hard-case jokes. 
Sometimes wisdom and friendship transcends the adversarial nature of politics in this House. But I will share a few words with the member from Helensville: never count your chickens before they hatch keep it clean and may the best woman win. And so long it has been good to know you. No reira huri ana i to tatou Whare kei te mihi whanui atu ki a koutou katoa. 
[ 
So I acknowledge you all widely throughout our House 
.] 
This is part of my culture and I claim customary exemption Madam Speaker. I am going to finish off with a waiata—sorry Timoti! 
Pokarekare ana 
Nga wai o Matauri 
Whiti atu koe e hine 
Marino ana e. 
E hine e 
Hoki mai ra 
Ka mate ahau 
I te aroha e. 
[ 
The agitated  
Waters of Matauri  
Become calm 
When you cross over them lass. 
Oh dear lass 
Return to me 
For I shall die 
Of the love for you. 
] 
One people on the water 
One people on the land  
And we’re working all together 
And we’re working hand in hand. 
Sailing away  
sailing away 
New Zealand can do it  
sailing away. 
E hine e  
Hoki mai ra 
Ka mate ahau 
I te aroha e.  
Kia ora tatou farewell. God bless you all.