Sharples Pita: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
Sharples Pita: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
[Volume:651;Page:1031] 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Last Saturday night we celebrated the Maori Sports Awards in Rotorua. A blond-haired young man took the stage and was awarded Disabled Maori Sportsperson of the Year. Eighteen-year-old Ngapuhi man Cameron Leslie stunned us all with his gold medal swim at the Beijing Paralympics a few months ago. Cameron has a quadruple limb deficiency—missing both legs below the knee—so he relies completely on his upper body strength to do the laps. But “impossible” is not a word in his vocabulary. In accepting his award Cameron said: “I may not look the most Maori here but if it wasn’t for the Maori in me I wouldn’t be the person I am today.” It was a wonderful moment. The skills the success and the whakapapa of this young paralympian made it truly a moment of pride for us all; pride that knowing who one is having the cultural strength of one’s identity is to be cherished as a foundation for our lives. 
It is the inspiration of stories like this that sustains us in this House giving us the determination to make a difference; to make a difference to the lives of New Zealanders so that they can achieve their aspirations so that they can experience the sweet taste of success and so that they can be assured that their hard work can reap rewards. The adjournment debate is a time to acknowledge the toil of those who take up the seats in this Chamber. 
I start by acknowledging you Mr Speaker the boy from Matakohe Primary School who has been elected by the House of Representatives as its highest officer. The role of Speaker is vital in progressing the programme of Parliament and implicit within that is the need to command the respect of the House. You have made a very good start this term and we look forward to your leadership in the debates to come. 
I acknowledge too the calibre of your deputy and assistant Speakers; the expertise of Mary Harris the Clerk of the House; the staff of the Office of the Clerk including those who assist us in the Chamber the Hansard service—tena korua to the two sitting there—and the Table Office; legislative counsel; the incredible team of librarians; and all the other staff who help to make our work in this House so efficient. 
The last month has meant an avalanche of work for those involved in relocating MPs and their staff to new offices—the furniture the phones the computers the photocopiers. We wish to thank them all for taking such good care of us and our treasures in the move. 
The Maori Party pays particular tribute to our interpreters who assist in bringing te reo rangatira to the floor of the House. Nga mihi ki a koutou. 
In fact we thank everybody involved in ensuring that we can do our job including the cleaners who daily come into our rooms. 
The year 2008 was the year in which we lost Rangitihi Rangiwaiata Tahuparae the first officially appointed Kaumatua o te Whare Parliament. We will greatly miss Tahu. His knowledge of whakapapa his mastery of spiritual cultural and historical dimensions and his capacity to provoke thought were legendary and contributed greatly to our reputation as a Parliament. Tahu used to say: “Never let anyone finish your words.” It is a statement that we could well remember in the debates in this House. 
We acknowledge our respect for all those who serve as members of Parliament including those who have not returned to this House. The sacrifice that each made on behalf of New Zealanders is enormous and we appreciate the dedication they gave to their role in this Chamber on select committees on reviews in ministerial offices and even on the rugby field as part of the parliamentary team. In particular we recognise the person whom we regarded as the elder statesman of the House Winston Peters who has been such an influential figure in politics for well over 30 years. 
We have a saying: “Mate atu he tete kura ara mai ra he tete kura—when one fern frond falls another rises.” The last fortnight of maiden speeches has stunned us all—I heard most of them from my room—with the vivacious energy of the youth the rich fabric of people nurtured in their culture and the impressive and diverse range of skills that have already been introduced into the  
Hansard 
 record. 
But there is one commonality that stood out for me in those speeches: the profound respect and gratitude that each member expressed for the enduring loyalty of their loved ones their partner their children their parents and those who have passed on but will forever provide a guiding light to the members of the House. We must always stay strong to our pledge to our families—that whanau ora remains uppermost in our actions for all New Zealanders including our own nearest and dearest. Whanau ora is the culmination of all that we would want for our families: to be living life to the fullest free of any form of violence educated for every challenge thriving not just surviving. 
It was the commitment to whanau ora to eliminating poverty to social justice and to advancing Maori social cultural economic and community development that gives Maori Party members every confidence in our relationship agreement with the National Government. We have signed up to a relationship in which we trust there will be every opportunity for the aspirations of our people to be heard. We acknowledge there will be challenges—this first fortnight has already brought some of these to the fore—but we also recognise and respect the leadership exhibited by the Prime Minister in inviting us to participate in the decision-making process. We are sure that there will be many opportunities for us to consider the “agree to disagree” provisions and we thank John Key for helping to make this happen. 
The ministerial pathway feels like a steep learning curve for us at this point but one that we are absolutely committed to in our passion to serve our people well in Maori affairs education health the community and voluntary sector justice and social development. 
I take a moment to acknowledge Tariana Turia Hone Harawira Te Ururoa Flavell and Rahui Katene for their constant dedication and sacrifice on behalf of the Maori Party. They in turn know that their strength is founded on the commitment from their staff here in Parliament their electorate staff and of course the 23500 workers of the Maori Party who this year gave so much for the kaupapa of a strong and independent Maori voice in Parliament. 
The Maori Party in Parliament appreciates each and every person who walks in through these rubber doors: the messengers; the security staff who watch out for us; the Copperfields and Bellamy’s staff who feed us; and the ministerial and Parliamentary Service staff who pay us. They keep us happy and meet our every need. 
Hei korero whakamutunga maku ka mihi ahau tuatahi ki a John Key me tona tima. Na koutou te tatau i huakina kia riro ki a matou te Pati Maori etahi turanga mahi Minita na reira tena koutou tena koe John. Atu ki tena ka mihi ahau ki a Helen Clark raua ko Michael Cullen. Kua oti pai a koutou mahi i nga tau kua pahure ake e Helen tena koe. Helen Clark you have done our country proud—thank you. Ki nga mema katoa o tenei Whare tenei taha o te Whare tera taha o te Whare ki nga mema katoa kei konei kei roto i te Whare kia pai a koutou ra Kirihimete. Ko te tumanako ka noho whanau koutou katoa i tenei Kirihimete tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
To end my address I acknowledge John Key and his team in the first instance. You opened the door to ministerial roles for us the Maori Party and we thank you for that John. Further to that I pay a tribute to Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. Your work in the past years has been completed well. Thank you for that Helen. To all members of this House on this side and that side to all members present may your Christmas Day be a good one. The hope is that your family remain as one at this Christmas; greetings to you and to us all 
.]