Parata Hekia: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — Recommittal In CommitteeCWH Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParata Hekia: Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Bill — Recommittal In CommitteeCWH Third Reading[Sitting date: 14 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10616. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakahaere otirā tātau huri noa i tō tātau Whare i tēnei ahiahi. Ko Hikurangi me Aorangi aku maunga ko Waiapu me Waitaki aku awa. Ko Porourangi me Tahu Pōtiki me tō rāua wahine a Hamoterangi aku tīpuna tēnei au he uri whakaheke o rātau mā e mihi ki a tātau i tēnei ahiahi tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa!Ā kei te tika ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia e pā ana ki tēnei pire he taonga Te Reo! He taonga te reo me ngā tikanga e pā ana ki tō tātau Reo kāo! Me ngā tikanga e pā ana ki ō tātau Reo. Kei tēnā kei tēnā kei tēnā o ngā iwi katoa ngā rerekētanga ngā ātaahuatanga ngā mita o ngā iwi katoa o Aotearoa nei. E tautoko ana ngā mihi ki a koe e Te Minita nāhau tēnei mahi e hari e kawe e waha mō tēnei wā roa; kōrua ko tō rangatira i tō taha ki a koe hoki Mārama! Ko kōrua ngā kanohi o Te Pāti Māori i tēnei wā ā me Tā Pita me Kahurangi Tariana hoki i ō rāua wā! Hoi anō ki ngā kaikawe katoa ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!I ahau e tipu ana i te kāinga ki te wā kāinga o Ruātōrea ko Te Reo anake ki taku mōhio e rere ana i ahau e tipu ana ko Te Reo o Ngāti Porou. Kāre ko Te Reo Māori ko Te Reo o Ngāti Porou ā me Te Reo o tēnā hapū o tēnā hapū o tēnā hapū o tēnā whānau hoki. Nā reira ka ako ahau i Te Reo i mua i taku haerenga ki te kura ahakoa ngā kōrero mō te whakakorehia Te Reo e Te Kāwanatanga o tērā wā. I waenganui i ngā kāinga ko taku kōkā tētahi i tērā whakatipuranga.Ko taku pāpā i hara mai mai i Te Wai Pounamu. Kāre Te Reo o Ngāi Tahu i taea a ia te kōrero ēngari ko tōna whakahīhī mō tōna taha Ngāi Tahu i waenganui o Ngāti Porou. Nā ka rongo ahau i Te Reo ēngari ka ako ahau i Te Reo i ahau e haere ana ki te kura. Kei konei ētahi o ōku kōkā ētahi o aku pāpā e whakarongo ana ki ēnei kōrero i tēnei ahiahi. Nā i haere ahau ki te Kāreti o Ngata tērā kāreti whakamaumahara mō Tā Apirana i reira i ako ahau i roto i Te Reo.Ā ka haere au ki Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato i reira katoa ko ngā kaiako nō Tūhoe nō Waikato hoki. Ā kei a rātau ō rātau reo ātaahua hoki! I ahau i reira ka tuhituhi ahau i taku kōrero roa mō te tohu Masters i roto i Te Reo o Te Whare Wānanga. I tēnei wā ka pānui ahau aku tuhituhi kāre rawa atu ahau ka mōhio he aha te tikanga o ēnei kōrero! Ēngari i tērā wā ko taku tino hiahia kia whakaatu atu ki Te Ao āe he mana tō Te Reo Māori. Nā reira ahau ka tuhituhi i roto i Te Reo! Āhakoa kei te rongo tonu tātau ka tapepe taku kōrero ka hauā i ētahi wā hoi anō koirā te tino wero ki a tātau! Kāre ko tēnei pire ēngari me kōrero tātau i Te Reo! Ahakoa piki ahakoa heke ahakoa pai ahakoa he aha! Ēngari me kōrero tātau i Te Reo! Mehemea kāre e taea tērā ka mataku katoa tātau ki te kōrero i tēnei Reo ahakoa kua whakamanahia e te ture nē? Koirā te tino wero ki a tātau katoa!Me tāku e kī ana hoki mō te ture kāre tēnei Reo o tātau e whai mana i roto i Te Ture. He mana anō tō Te Reo ēngari he ture mō roto i tēnei Whare mō te hapori whānui. Ka noho āwangawanga ahau mō tēnei āhuatanga te kōkiri ā kia whai mana ngā tikanga ngā mana whakahaere o ō tātau tikanga Te Reo i roto i ngā ture nei! Ka noho āwangawanga ahau mō tērā! Nō te mea kei waho i tēnei Whare ka rongo tātau katoa: “Oh ko te mahi o Te Kāwanatanga o Te Karauna! Ka patu i a tātau i ngā tau kua pahure ake nei ēngari ka hara mai anō tātau ki roto i tēnei Whare te whai haere i tēnei ture kia whakamanahia ō tātau tikanga!”. Hoi anō rā kei te pai tērā. He ao hōu mō tātau katoa.Nā mō tēnei āhuatanga ki Te Reo. Kua kōrerohia kēngia e te mema a Nanaia te pātai pea: he Reo tēnei mō tātau anake? Ngā iwi Te Iwi Māori? Mō tātau katoa rānei? Mehemea ka tino whakapono tātau he reo taketake o Tēnei Ao nō konei katoa tātau ahakoa Māori mā ahakoa Pākehā? Ēhara te iwi Pākehā nō tētahi atu whenua! Nō konei tonu nē? Mehemea ko te tino hiahia kia rongo tātau i tō tātau Reo ō tātau Reo kei te taha o ngā mahi tākaro kei roto i ngā kura kei roto i ngā wāhi mahi kei whea ake rānei ko tāku ki a tātau me kōrero katoa tātau i tēnei Reo kia pakari ai i roto i tēnei whenua kia pakari hoki ai te whakapāoho atu ki te ao whānui. Koirā tētahi o ngā tino wero ki a tātau!Nā mōku i roto i tēnei tūranga Te Minitatanga mō Te Mātauranga anei! Āe tino tautoko ahau kia akonatia tēnei Reo ki roto i ngā kura katoa o Aotearoa; me ngā rawa hei whakapakari i Te Reo ēngari anō ko te wero ki a tātau ka taea e ngā kaiako katoa te noho ki roto i ngā kura? He uaua te mahi he uaua te mahi! I tēnei wā ka mihi ahau ki ngā Kōhanga. Kei roto i ngā Kōhanga te pūtake o te ako i Te Reo mā ō tātau kōhungahunga ō tātau pēpi. Ka tonoa atu aku pēpi ki ngā kōhanga. Ka tīmata au i tōku ake kōhanga nō te mea ki a au he tino kaupapa tēnei. Ka īnoi atu ki taku kōkā me taku tipuna kia hara mai mā rāua aku tamariki e ako e whakatō ki roto i aku tamariki te tino aroha mō Te Reo nei.Nā reira kua tangi te pere! Me mihi au ki Te Kōhanga ki ngā kura ngā kura kaupapa Māori ngā kura ā-iwi ngā kura auraki e kawe nei Te Reo. Ka mihi hoki ahau ki ngā Wānanga ko rātau e kawe ana hoki i tēnei Reo. Ēngari mehemea kāre e puta atu ki te rāngai mātauranga ki waenganui i a tātau katoa he Reo mō te mātauranga kāre mō tātau katoa. Nā reira anei anō tāku me akiaki me whakahau tātau kia kōrerohia tēnei Reo ahakoa he aha. Nā ahakoa ka wareware Te Minita ki te paku mihi ki tēnei rōpū tōrangapū e tautoko ana i ngā mahi kia whai mana ai tēnei pire. Kei te tautoko hoki Te Pāti Nāhinara tēnei mahi nā reira ka taea ki roto i tēnei Whare. Nō reira huri noa ki a koutou katoa e mahitahi ana mō tēnei kaupapa ātaahua. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora tātau katoa![Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker but at the same time acknowledgments to us throughout our House this afternoon. Hikurangi and Aorangi are my mountains. Waiapu and Waitaki are my rivers Porourangi and Tahu Pōtiki who married Hamoterangi are my ancestors and I am a descendant of theirs; greetings salutations and welcome to you all!The sentiments expressed about the Māori language in regard to this bill are correct. The language and its protocols are a treasure—correction—the protocols that relate to our Māori languages. Each and all of our Māori tribes here in New Zealand have their own variations attractive aspectsand dialects;the different languages of all peoples here in New Zealand. I endorse the tributes accorded to you the Minister for Māori Development. This responsibility was borne by you for this lengthy period; by you two and your co-leader and you as well Mārama! You two are the faces of the Māori Party at this point in time and Sir Pita and Dame Tariana in their time. And so to all of you who bore this responsibility my huge compliments to you all.When I was growing up back home back in Ruātōrea Māori was the only language that flowed as I was growing up. And to my understanding it was the Māori of Ngāti Porou. It was not the Māori language; it was the Māori language of Ngāti Porou; and the Māori language of that hapū that hapū and that whānau as well. So I learnt Māori before I went to school despite statements made that Māori was banned by the Government of that era and amongst the homes was my mother of that generation.My father came from the South Island. He was not able to speak the Ngāi Tahu Māori but he was very proud of his Ngāi Tahu side in the midst of Ngāti Porou. Consequently I heard Māori while I was at school. Some of my aunties and uncles are here this afternoon listening to these contributions. So I went to Ngata College that college which commemorates Sir Apirana Ngata; it was there I was educated in the Māori language.I then went on to Waikato University. All the tutors there were from Tūhoe and also from Waikato—each of them showcasing the beauty of their dialects! While I was there I wrote my thesis for my Masters in University Māori. When I read my writings now I have absolutely no idea what these statements are saying. But at that time I really wanted to show the world that by crikey yes the Māori language has a status. That is why I wrote it in Māori! Even though we—us here—continue to hear that my delivery in Māori is not too flash or inarticulate at times so what; that is my challenge to us.It is not about this bill but rather that we must speak Māori. Regardless of the ups the downs or whatever it is imperative that we speak this language. If we do not do that it will not happen! We will continue to be afraid to speak this Māori language even though it has been enacted by law—right? That is the real challenge for us all.In regard to the bill as well I will say it will not enact this language of ours. The Māori language has its own place in the bill but it is a must-have in this House and in the wider community. I remain uneasy about the speed at which our protocols and the Māori language are being enacted into these laws. I am concerned about that because outside of this House we are all hearing: “Oh the Government and the Crown are doing it! They punished us in past years but we come back into this House once again tofollow up on this bill and to enact our protocols!”. However that is fine. This is a new world for all of us.Now in regard to the Māori language perhaps the member Nanaia addressed the question: is this a language for us only for tribes for Māoridom or is it for all of us? If we truly believe Te Reo is the indigenous language of this country we are all from here be it Māori or Pākehā who are from another country—they belong here do they not? If you genuinely want to hear our language and theirs as well alongside our sport in our schools and in our workplaces or wherever I say to us all let us speak this language all of us to strengthen it in this country and broadcast it worldwide. That to me is going to be one of the biggest challenges for us.Now in regard to this role of mine in the Ministry of Education. Yes I am very much in favour of the Māori language being taught in all New Zealand schools with the resources to strengthen the language—but the challenge once again for us is whether all teachers will remain in the schools? It is a hard one to work through; it is really difficult. At this point I pay tribute to the Māori language nurseries. Learning the Māori language by our wee ones our babies is the root of what goes on in Māori language nurseries. I sent my babies to kōhanga by starting my own one because I considered this a matter worth pursuing. I begged my aunt and grandfather to come. I got those two to teach and instil into my children a real empathy for this Māori language.And there goes the bell! I salute the Māori language nurseries the primary and secondary Māori-medium schools the tribal and the mainstream schools teaching the Māori language. I also acknowledge Māori and mainstream universities and those teaching the Māori language too. But if it does not extend beyond the education sector and reach us all it will become a language for academics and not for all of us. Therefore I must reiterate we must encourage and exhort ourselves to speak the Māori language regardless of the consequences. Despite the fact that the Minister overlooked a small acknowledgment to this political party it endorses the actions taken to enact this bill. The National Party supports this and consequently makes it possible in this House. Therefore to all of you throughout who worked together on this beautiful initiative well done and congratulations to you collectively. My appreciation to us all.]