Harawira Hone: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
Harawira Hone: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:3815] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Speaker. Tena tatou katoa e te Whare. Ahua rangirua ana au ki tenei kaupapa e te whanaunga Dover. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker. Greetings to us all in the House. I am somewhat uncertain about this topic I say to Dover the relative. 
]  
I feel a bit in two minds over this one on the one hand because as a party we are bound to support the right of Maori to independent and autonomous development although on the other hand I also have a view that in terms of local authorities Maori should not necessarily push for wards particularly in rural areas. Instead we should simply refuse to pay our rates until such time as local authorities are willing to deal with the iwi authorities in their particular areas on issues concerning resource management and a whole lot of other areas. 
The issue is not about tokenism—and I agree with the previous speaker Jackie Blue. Maori do not want this because of an act of tokenism. We want our right to independent and autonomous development as a Treaty right. And it is a Treaty right. The issue is not about race; it is about the Treaty. Regardless of how many people may say it is about race and they will do away with the Treaty I ask members to believe me when I say Maori will never forget about the Treaty. The fact that Treaty claims are being foisted upon Maori people and Treaty settlements are being signed off at less than 3 percent of their value will not make this issue go away. 
It is important if we are to flourish and go forward as a positive nation that we do so on the basis that a contract is a contract is a contract and that a treaty is a treaty is a treaty. To sign a treaty and then assume it does not need to be honoured afterwards simply gets up the noses of those whom it was signed with—in this case Maori people. We will not accept suggestions that those things should be forgotten. 
I heard Dr Jackie Blue talking about the importance of having a specific Maori focus in health. I can raise the same point in terms of education—that because of how far behind the gain line Maori are there should be a specific focus for Maori in that area—and in terms of housing justice and a whole lot of the areas that this Government is working to push Maori out of when it tries to make all people one people. We are not one people. I am Maori. I was born Maori and I will die Maori. Unless there is genuine recognition of the right of Maori to be Maori there will never ever be one true nation in this country. When I hear the korero about whether we are Maori or whether we are assimilated I point out that we are not assimilated and we will never be assimilated. The fact that kohanga reo has given the opportunity for young Maori people to become more productive citizens because of their ability to be comfortable in both their own language and lifestyle as well as in those of Pakeha is reason enough why we should support independent Maori initiatives. 
In terms of our status as tangata whenua that status is guaranteed by the fact that we are the first nation of Aotearoa. We will not accept that Maori can simply be written off whether it be through the tokenism—and I believe it to be tokenism—of the establishment of Maori wards or through other means. Although people may laugh I have recommended—and I will continue to recommend this in my home area—that Maori people consider not paying their rates to the local authority but pay them to the local iwi authority so that the council will be required to negotiate with it on all issues in terms of water resource management the foreshore and seabed roading sewerage and everything. By doing so we will then be able to create in my view a genuine partnership that is the basis of the partnership that I would like to see happen in this House and in all other aspects of management and leadership in this country. 
Koi nano taku korero mo tenei po; tena koutou kia ora tatou katoa. 
[ 
And that is my address for this evening; greetings to you and good health to us all. 
]