Flavell Te Ururoa: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:660;Page:8741] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
A tena tatou e te Whare. Kua puta te mahere rautaki o Nahinara mo te tau e heke mai nei engari ara ano tetahi korero kaore ano kia korerohia. He take tera e hangai tonu ana ki te noho o te Pati Maori me te hoa haere a Nahinara. Me penei ke taku whakamarama no te Ra o Waitangi e penei ana tetahi patai a te Pirimia: “Why can’t this be the generation of New Zealanders who open the next chapter of our 
history?”. 
Koi nei ta te Pirimia. Ka pa tuturu tenei patai ki tetahi tautohenga torangapu nui rawa atu o Aotearoa ara mo te hanganga ture takutai moana.  
E tekau ma tahi marama ki muri i panui atu te roia matua o te Karauna i te whainga matua o tetahi ropu arotake i te ture me ona tangata na runga ano i te kawenata tautoko a te Pati Maori me te Ropu Nahinara. E rua nga kaupapa nui o te arotaketanga tuatahi kia kitea mehemea e whakapumau ana e whakanui ana te ture i te mana whenua tuarua ki te whakapumau i nga tikanga tupuna i nga tikanga hoki a te marea i roto i te pire takutai moana. Mai ra ano e mea ana te Ropu Maori me taurite tenei tikanga te whakapuakitanga o te mana o tena iwi o tena hapu otira kia whai wahi ano te tokomaha mo ake tonu atu. Koi ra pea te putake o te patai a te Pirimia ki a tatau. Koi nei te reanga ka whakawatea i te huarahi ki te paerangi i nga ra kei mua i te aroaro kia tau katoa i runga i te pumau me te marama nga take e pa ana ki te takutai moana. Engari i konei pea o maua huarahi ka tihoi. Hei ta te kauhau a te Pirimia i Waitangi me anga whakamua tatau kia kaua e waiho ake ma nga raruraru o nehe i te taenga 
mai o tauiwi e whakakotiti e whakaporearea o tatou whakaaro i tenei wa. 
Kei te rongo au i etahi e mea ana kaore rawa i pena te ngawari. Kaore e kore ko te ture o te tau 2004 te mea taumaha rawa atu o te rau tau kua hipa. Ki a au nei me anga whakamua tatou engari kei wareware a muri. No muri tata nei ae engari kei te pupu tonu ake te ahuatanga o te riri me te mamae i waenganui i te tangata whenua. E kore e wareware ki nga tangata e 25000 i hikoi ngatahi ki te Paremata i runga i te whakaaro kotahi—me pana te ture ki tua o tawauwau. Kua takahia to tatou mana i te ao whanui na nga whakatau maha a te Whakakotahitanga o nga Whenua o te Ao i a ratou e mea ana he ture takahi i te Maori i te mea he ture whakakore tera i o tatou tikanga whenua na te paku kore whakaae atu a karekau he paku aha hei utu i a tatou matou me ki o te ao Maori. Kua whakaruhi to tatou mana hei Paremata ki te korero mo te tika me te pono na to tatou kore aha ki te whai i te tika me te pono i mua i nga kooti hei whaiwhai haere i te whakataunga mo Ngati Apa. 
I te tau 2003 koi nei te wa i noho a Ngati Apa me te Roia Matua o te Karauna i te kooti he wa whakahirahira mo te hanganga kaupapa mo tenei motu. Ko te tikanga ko taua whakatau o te kooti he mea panui ma tena ma tena o nga mema Paremata katoa ma nga tauira a-whare wananga nei ma te hunga whai nei i nga korero tupuna me nga mahi torangapu tae atu ki te hunga whai i te ture. Anei ta Ahorangi Jane Kelsey mo te whakataunga o Ngati Apa. E ai ki tana he whakataunga auaha “because judges in the Maori Land Court and the Court of Appeal were prepared to take the risk and challenge the prevailing precedents.” 
No reira kei te hoki mai au ki te wero a te Pirimia kia whakawatea tenei whakatipuranga i te huarahi whakamua. Ko ta tenei whakatupuranga he poipoi he ako he tautoko he waitohu he awhina i nga reanga kia tipu kia pakari. Ki ta te Ao Maori he totara wahi rua he kai na te toki 
. 
 Me aro ake te kaitorangapu ki nga whakaaro o te nuinga ae engari ko te mahi a te rangatira ko te maia a-ngakau a-wairua ki te whakakotahi i a tatou ahakoa tukia e te ua e te hau. 
No reira ka piki taku wairua i nga kupu a Sonny Raniera Tau i te hui a te runanga manukura—ara iwi leaders’ forum. Ko taua runanga he whakakotahitanga i nga iwi e rima tekau ma whitu ko ta ratou he kokiri i nga take o nga iwi hapu katoa e pa ana ki o ratou ake rohe moana. I tautoko a Raniera i te runanga hei reo pai mo te tangata whenua ki te Karauna na te mea kua kowhiria nga mema katoa o te runanga e o ratou ake iwi. He aha hoki te tikanga o tenei korero? E penei ana pea. E kore rawa e tatu noa nga whiringa korero mo te takutai moana mei kore nga iwi nga hapu e noho tahi me te Karauna. No reira me ata whakarongo nga mangai ki o ratou ake iwi hapu ranei me pumau me pono ki o ratou whakaaro. 
Ko ta matou ki taurangi a-Ropu Maori ki te hunga tautoko i a matou ka whakapau wera ka whakapau matou i te kaha ki te whakakore i te ture a he whainga nui tera mo matou. Engari kei te titiro matou ki mua me te ngakau rorotu. E hiahia ana matou o te Pati Maori he reo mana motuhake mo te iwi Maori i roto i te Whare Paremata nei kia whai wahi ai nga iwi nga hapu i roto i nga whakahaerenga katoa o te takutai moana. Kua akiaki matou kia whakatinanahia o ratou tikanga ka mutu ko ta matau hoki ko te ki atu me whai mana nga iwi me nga hapu kaore i ko atu kaore i ko mai. Ma te wa ka kitea mai ai nga hua o wa matou mahi. No reira waiho tera korero ki reira. 
I tenei wa mo te wa poto me korero au mo tetahi atu take nui whakaharahara ara ko tera i timata mai ai i nanahi a anei ahau e rongo nei i ona hua. Tera tetahi tohu nui whakahirahira e hiki ai te wairua o te iwi Maori ara ko te timatanga mai o te tukutahi i te reo Maori me te reo Pakeha i tenei Whare. Kua roa ke tenei ra e taria ana. No te tau 1987 ka whakamanatia te reo Maori i raro i te Ture o te Reo Maori. He hurihanga nui mo tenei motu a e 23 tau ki muri anei tatou e whakanui ana i te tikanga o taua ture. 
E penei ana te whakapapa. Ka noho tonu te mahi tukutahi o nga reo i roto i a Maui Tikitiki a Taranga ara te wahi e whiriwhiria ana nga take Maori mai i te 24 o Hui-tanguru 2000. Kua whakapakehatia nga korero Maori a nga mema Paremata ma nga manuhiri korero Maori nei a ka rere tika tonu ki nga mema Paremata. I taua wa i puta te korero a te Kaitiriwa o te Whare—ara te Karaka nei—a Ailsa Salt mena ka eke te mahi ki te taumata e tika ana ka kokirihia kia tae mai ki tenei Whare. Mai ra ano i te tau 1999 i konei tetahi kaiwhakamaori mo te Whare Paremata e mahi ana na runga i nga whakapae a nga mema Maori i nga tau 1996 ki te 1999 mo nga uauatanga o te korero Maori i te Whare. No reira me mihi ki nga mema huri noa i te Whare mai i nga Kawanatanga maha o era wa no ratou te whakaaro nui ki te kokiri i tenei take kia korerohia te reo Maori hei reo tuturu o te motu kia tere tonu te rongo a era atu mema Paremata i nga korero e rere haere nei. 
Hoi ano ko ta matou ko te ki atu ko a matou whakatauki pepeha era mea katoa kei te putake mai i te Maoritanga he mea kinaki mo enei korero he whakaputanga matauranga he mea arahi i a tatou i enei ra. Hoi ano na enei matauranga enei maramatanga e mohio ai tatou ara noa atu nga huarahi e watea ana ki wa tatou tamariki mokopuna i enei rangi a he huarahi i takahia ai e o ratou tipuna e o ratou matua. Kia ora. 
[ 
Greetings to us the House. National has provided a statement regarding the year ahead but there was one topic that was not really discussed. That matter has some relevance to the agreement between the Maori Party and National. Let me explain. On Waitangi Day the Prime Minister asked the following question: “Why can’t this be the generation of New Zealanders who open the next chapter in our history?”. It is a question of the utmost relevance to one of the most significant political debates to have impacted upon Aotearoa the foreshore and seabed legislation.  
It has been just under 11 months since the Attorney-General announced the terms of reference and members of the Government’s ministerial panel to review the Foreshore and Seabed Act as provided for in the confidence and supply agreement between the National Government and the Maori Party. There were two key components to the review: to ascertain whether the Act adequately maintains and enhances land ownership and to ensure that both customary and public interest in the coastal marine area are recognised and provided for. It is a balance that the Maori Party has consistently advocated for—the need to respect the mana that every iwi and hapu express over their coastal marine areas while at the same time promoting the concept of enduring public access. That then is perhaps at the heart of the question that the Prime Minister put. This generation must the one to open the next chapter of history by providing certainty and clarity around interests in the foreshore and seabed. But this is where we differ in some respects from the approach taken by Mr Key. Mr Key’s Waitangi Day proclamation was that we should move on and accept that the history of colonisation and injustice cannot be allowed to dominate decision making.  
I can hear some of our people saying that is easier said than done. There would be little dispute that the 2004 Act has been the most pivotal piece of policy served upon Maori for at least the last century. To me we must face the future being absolutely informed by our past—a recent past admittedly but one that continues to engender hostility and anguish from amongst the indigenous people of this land. We will never forget the memory of 25000 people marching on Parliament to universally reject the Act. Our international reputation has been damaged by consistent findings from the United Nations that the Act discriminated against Maori because it extinguished property rights without consent or compensation. And our capacity as a Parliament to talk about matters of justice is severely compromised by the complete disregard for the concept of due access to the courts as spelt out in the Ngati Apa decision.  
That period of time in 2003 during the Attorney-General v Ngati Apa case is a very significant period in the building up of our nation. Indeed I would hope the Ngati Apa decision would be compulsory reading for all members of Parliament all students of history and politics all those with intentions to enter the halls of law. This is what Professor Jane Kelsey said about the Ngati Apa decision. She described it as creative occurring only “because judges in the Maori Land Court and the Court of Appeal were prepared to take the risk and challenge the prevailing precedents.”  
S 
o again I come back to Mr Key’s question challenging this generation to open the next chapter of history. The critical responsibility for our generation is that we are able to provide the insights the knowledge the direction and the support that will help all future generations to grow and develop. Maoridom considers that we cannot advance if we ignore or deny the conflicts that have rendered us asunder. Opinion polls focus groups and political commentators all have their place but ultimately the true test of leadership lies in the courage to work with policy differences.  
In this respect I was heartened by the words of Sonny Raniera Tau in his analysis of the iwi leaders’ forum. That forum consists of representation of all 57 iwi and is a powerful advocate for the recognition and mana of iwi and hapu over their coastal waters. Mr Tau spoke in support of the forum as the best group to represent Maori in negotiations given that all members are elected members of their own iwi. What does this really mean? Quite simply the foreshore and seabed approach that we consider and conclude in upcoming months can be effective only if there is meaningful engagement between the Crown and iwi/hapu. It is expected that those representatives communicate well with iwi and hapu to be accountable to be transparent and to be faithful to the views of their people. 
The key commitment that we gave to our constituency is that we would do everything in our power to repeal the Act—and that has been a priority for us. But we also face the future with optimism wanting to ensure that the Maori Party as the strong and independent voice for Maori can ensure that all aspects of the management of the marine environment and marine resources enable effective input of iwi and hapu. We have advocated for iwi and hapu involvement in decisions that bear the influence of tikanga; and we have spoken out consistently for the recognition of the mana of iwi and hapu. Time will demonstrate the fruits of our efforts. So let us leave that matter there.  
Now let me turn to another important matter which arose yesterday and here I am profiting from that. There is one thing that would inspire hope for the success our people seek; that is the significance of yesterday a day in which finally simultaneous interpretation has been welcomed into this Chamber. This has been a day long in coming. In 1987 the Maori Language Act declared te reo Maori an official language of New Zealand.  
That was a key event in the history of this nation and it is somewhat sobering to think that Parliament some 23 years later is finally honouring the intention of that Act.  
The whakapapa goes like this. On 24 February 2000 a simultaneous English-Maori translation service was installed in the Maori Affairs Committee room so that direct English translations of members of Parliament or visitors speaking in te reo can be made. At the time then Deputy Clerk of the House Ailsa Salt said that if the service was a success it could be introduced into the House. We have also had an interpreter in the House since 1999 after Maori members of Parliament expressed concerns during the 1996-99 Parliament about the barriers to speaking Maori in the House. So I want to recognise the efforts made right across the House in successive terms of Parliament for the right to be able to speak Maori and for it to be given the status of an official language with the capacity for other members to benefit from an immediate understanding of the concepts and statements expressed.  
Indeed we advocate that our whakatauki pepeha and korero tawhito are cultural assets and capital of tangata whenua as being the essential core of Maoritanga. They embellish our talk demonstrate the unique knowledge and wisdom of Maori frameworks and provide contemporary guidance based on historical precedents. Indeed it is through such learning and leadership that we are confident our future generations can open many new chapters in the history of our nation—chapters that are stronger for the foundation they emerge from. Thank you 
.]