Roche Denise: Obituaries — Hon Parekura HoromiaText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoche Denise: Obituaries — Hon Parekura Horomia[Sitting date: 07 May 2013. Volume:689;Page:9606. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DENISE ROCHE (Green): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Ki te Whare tēnā koutou katoa. Ki ngā iwi rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. He hōnore he korōria ki Te Atua he maungarongo ki te whenua he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa.[Greetings to you Mr Speaker and to you all across the House. To the tribes there I acknowledge and extend greetings and salutations to each and every one of you collectively. Honour and glory to God peace upon the nation and goodwill to all mankind.]I rise to add my condolences and my aroha to the kōrero about this rangatira Parekura Horomia. Firstly I acknowledge the loss that matua Parekura’s passing has to his whānau to his hapū to his iwi to his constituents—his people throughout Ikaroa-Rāwhiti—and to his Labour Party colleagues as well. His loss is felt also across the country. In the days while he was lying at Hauiti I was travelling around the countrydoing meetings. At every single meeting his death was acknowledged and he was mourned for the loss of the contribution that he had made to this Parliament and to Aotearoa.I have the industrial relations portfolio and the last time I spent with matua Parekura was in Whakatāne at a hui there a few weeks back for the Rūnanga Kaimahi—the Council of Trade Unions. He was really really respected. He did not look very well and he was cared for but he was hugely respected for the support that he has given to Māori and to Māori workers throughout his long decades of work himself in every area that he has worked in and particularly as a parliamentarian. He was well known for supporting workers and particularly Māori workers to have a collective voice through their unions. So it was appropriate for me that when I came to Hauiti for his tangi last week with my colleague Catherine we came on with those workers from the Rūnanga Kaimahi—the Council of Trade Unions.Parekura was extremely well known for the work that he did in promoting Māori into education and into good strong jobs—decent jobs. His support was unfailing. He was also an incredibly strong supporter of the third sector especially in employment development—things like social enterprises through his work with the Community Employment Group. I hold the portfolios also for the community and voluntary sector and for gambling issues and matua Parekura was very well known for his strong support for reform for the gambling sector because he knew too well the damage that pokies have done in his electorate and he wanted to reduce that harm to his people.My experience of Parekura was that he was very kind and generous and he never ever spoke down to anybody. But listening to the Prime Minister and also to David Shearer I understand that he never spoke up to anybody either. He was very encouraging. He came up to me in the House one day after I had delivered a speech that I was feeling quite shaky about on one of the Treaty bills. He just came up to me he patted me on the shoulder and he said: “You did all right girl.” It was really comforting and then it was afterwards that I realised: “Woo nobody’s called me ‘girl’ for ages.”In the days and the weeks and the years ahead we will continue to feel his loss and for his family for his whānau I join with the many others who have thanked you for loaning your father your grandfather your husband your uncle to the public service of this country. He devoted his life to that service and your sacrifice is to be acknowledged. Moe mai e te rangatira. Haere rā haere rā haere atu rā.[Sleep on the leader. Depart journey on farewell.]