Turia Tariana: General Debate 
Turia Tariana: General Debate 
[Volume:632;Page:3778] 
TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Last October Darrin Haimona the chief executive of Waikato-based Ngati Haua Healthcare told a domestic violence conference in Auckland that prior to European settlement the role of women and children in Te Ao Maori was one of “divinity and sanctity”. The concepts of divinity and sanctity are ones that I have been again considering in the aftermath of the latest tragedies that add further to our national shame. 
The answers lie within ourselves. Researchers historians and analysts have revealed that in traditional life abuse by Maori against women and children was regarded as a whanau concern—whanau who would inevitably take action to restore the balance. Indeed Stephanie Milroy has noted that “the community intervened to prevent and punish violence against one’s partner in a very straightforward way”. The strategy in those times of recognising the central importance of whanau empowerment and liberation as a way of addressing violence is just as applicable today as it was then. 
So how did we get to a situation where our divine nation is ranked as the third worst among 27 OECD nations for child deaths behind Mexico and the United States? How did we get to a situation where Child Youth and Family reports that 30 new cases of abuse are confirmed each day? These are real questions and they are questions that all members in this House must ask themselves. But they are also questions that every member of every family in this nation must consider as we step up to the challenge of addressing abuse and violence within our families. 
Child Abuse Prevention Services chief executive officer Tau Huirama has risen to that challenge saying that the best way to stop these tragedies from occurring is speaking out. He says that too many people are closing their eyes and looking the other way. Well maybe he has a point. It is time to stop the useless hand-wringing the desperate blaming game and the knee-jerk judgments that being Maori being a teen parent or being a single parent is the cause of this nation’s woeful record. The Maori Party has consistently spoken of our desire to ensure that all people realise their potential that the gifts and special qualities of every New Zealander are supported and that our families are treasured as the collective cultural capital of Aotearoa. Gasping in horror or pointing the finger of blame will not achieve anything. We need as a nation to commit as a nation to protecting all our vulnerable innocent tamariki through building a strong family network around them. And we can start that new beginning here today in this Parliament. 
I was reflecting back on a time some 6 years ago after another similar child tragedy had gripped the nation. Maori members of Parliament from Labour National New Zealand First the Alliance and ACT met together in a wonderful demonstration of kotahitanga the principle of unity of purpose and direction. We were all sickened by the very thought of losing another child and shared together our various histories and strategies that could be useful in making a difference. As it turned out the politics power-game prevented the good ideas of that cross-party parliamentary team from ever taking life but the very experience of working together for a common goal showed to me that it was definitely possible. It happened then; it could happen again. 
My colleague Hone Harawira yesterday shared some of the exciting initiatives occurring in the north with the Amokura project and spoke of the Ngati Kahungunu violence-free iwi approach. There are many other good ideas that we could call on. Te Korowai Aroha has much that they could share about Project Mauriora which has produced teams of whanau practitioners who take practical steps to dispel the illusion that violence is acceptable. The Family First Lobby believes that we could reduce the prevalence of child abuse by providing relationship marriage and parenting education and early intervention support so that families have optimal chances for success. There is the Family Start programme instituted by the Government which I believe has a huge opportunity to make a difference. 
There will be many other ideas right across this House and right throughout Aotearoa that we could call on to help restore our nation to a world where children are truly cherished as symbols of divinity and sanctity. The Maori Party calls for that transformation to begin today with this Parliament working across Parliament to find solutions to what is truly a tragic situation.