Jackson WillieHon WILLIE JACKSON (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. Obviously I oppose this Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill. I'm in obvious opposition. I want to say to that previous member James Meager I find that type of kōrero sad because nobody on this side questions that member's whakapapa at all—at all. What we question Mr Meager is your commitment to kaupapa Māori. There is a quite a difference. But there is no doubt about this member's whakapapa. He is Māori and from what I gather proudly Māori and so please don't run those sorts of lines with us Mr Meager because our challenge will always be on kaupapa and policy particularly with Māori members on the other side of the House who we have worked with—I know I have worked with—on and off for many many years. When I first came into the House I was working with people like Georgina te heuheu and obviously Wira Gardiner. So it's not unusual for us to work with National Party members and I wouldn't have a problem with working with Mr Meager if the kaupapa was right but to sort of hit us and criticise us in terms of giving a view that he's not Māori or whatever it's just nonsense. No we do not support the National Party view on this kaupapa. That's where the criticism is coming from Mr Meager. I do agree with others in this House that it's a shameful day. Obviously from this side that's been the whakaaro that's been the view. I want to congratulate our leader Chris Hipkins in particular and Kieran McAnulty who last week was very clear because it's important that we have Pākehā advocates who understand our kaupapa particularly from mainstream parties. Today you heard a great speech from our leader Chris Hipkins who talked about racism who talked about prejudices who talked about double standards in terms of Māori and Pākehā and who talked about 52 mayors who are supporting this type of legislation. So I want to congratulate him. I think it's great for the House when you get a Labour Party leader going down that track; Kieran McAnulty who's gone down that track. And of course we mihi to Nanaia Mahuta who brought this forward who actually initiated this.Our leader is sick and tired and we as the Labour Party are sick and tired of all the attacks on Māori. That's been very plainly put forward today by members on this side of the House whether it's been the Greens Te Pāti Māori or ourselves. This on top of the attacks in terms of the Treaty is—well it's sickening. We've got the Treaty being questioned right across legislation. Then last Friday we had the shocking revelation that again the Government is attacking Māori in terms of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 and overturning the Court of Appeal decision—overturning a Court of Appeal decision. It hasn't had a lot of publicity in the last few days; I can assure you couple this with the rejection of Māori seats and with the rejection of te reo Māori—this is turning te ao Māori upside down. We hear it all the time from both sides of the House—can I make this clear to Mr Meager—from National Party Māori members too. So many National Party members reject this type of legislation. It's not just this side of the House. Shanan Halbert: Hinurewa te Hau.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: We've got Hinurewa. We've heard Hinurewa. We've heard two Williams. We've heard other National Party members—Hekia Parata. Shanan Halbert: Raewyn Kapa.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Yes these are all National Party members who also whakapapa Māori who are very proudly Māori who are ashamed and embarrassed by this type of legislation. Let me be clear about what the Māori wards represent anyway. They actually represent more democratic infrastructure. You would think that this Government would want to invest in infrastructure but all they want to do is privatise it. What's wrong with building up a democratic infrastructure? Having more voices at the table when making decisions for the community strengthens their decision. It makes it stronger. This lot are allowing their arguments of standing up for democracy to mask the petty bigotry that they are really peddling. By shutting down Māori wards the Government are allowing their race-baiting rhetoric to cause harm to the Crown relationship with Māori. Allowing the indigenous people of the land a voice in the decision making makes those decisions stronger. It builds unity. It includes Māori as per the Treaty and as per the Treaty principles. There's nothing radical going on here. No stealing of democracy. In fact we're strengthening democracy by allowing participation with local Māori of the community. That's what Māori wards are: they allow people—I gave some examples the other day. Hilda Harawira for example is a wonderful candidate in the north who would not have got through on general wards. Toi Iti Tama Iti's son would not have got through on general wards. Penetaui Shane Jones' son—well you know he's a Māori ward councillor. Would he have got through on the general wards? Oh definitely our Penetaui but these people are examples of people who wo have benefited from a really important structure a real democratic infrastructure like we used to have like universal union membership and student unions: democratic infrastructure that we need more of not less.I think in terms of this it's an insult for right wing politicians to claim they want to decentralise power when they're robbing councils of their right to have a Māori ward. Decentralising power only seems to be a problem for National ACT and New Zealand First when their power is going to Māori. In terms of this one person one vote carry-on it's a strange one. We're getting lectured on the sanctity of one person one vote when so many of the National Party and ACT Party colleagues and friends can vote multiple times in multiple elections if they own multiple properties. But we're lectured on the sanctity of one person one vote. Having a Māori voice in decision making strengthens our community. Our former Wellington mayor Andy Foster must know that. Attacking Māori wards behind the veneer of democratic values is hollow and shallow.So I say today because I hear the kōrero and I heard the Minister earlier talking about one person one vote and I heard the former Wellington mayor talking about it—I ask him and I ask the House today: democracy is not just about the tyranny of the majority surely? It's not just about the majority winning. There seems to be a constant denial of this.Andy Foster: Didn't say that. Didn't say that at all. Hon WILLIE JACKSON: No but we keep hearing that. I've said what I've said in the past and it's been brought up today: that we're part of a contemporary democracy. It's not the tyranny of the majority anymore. There's no better example of that than this rotten Government. I mean here you've got three groups you've got the three-headed monster. They're an example of a new type of democracy. Our Government—for example we were a Government with 37 percent of the vote when we were in Government. That's a different type of democracy today. First past the post was quite different. [Interruption] I'm just having problems understanding why the other side are finding this so hard to understand. The new democracy is about understanding the diversity in this country and understanding how the Treaty of Waitangi fits in terms of a modern democracy. Surely that's a challenge for the other side to try and grasp—that it's not just about one person one vote. Hekia Parata said it: it's about treaties; it's about relationships; it's about diversities. It's about how we balance and work with the Treaty of Waitangi today. This is what we're talking about. It's about Māori getting the opportunity to vote. That's what the Māori wards gave us Mr Meager and that's why we're so disappointed with your Government today.We all know that if you strengthen Māori and if you work with Māori when Māori flourish the whole country flourishes. But Māori want the opportunity not just to do mihis not just to do the haka but to participate fully in this country. We want that opportunity and the only way we're going to get that opportunity again is if you vote for a Labour Government in 2026. That's the aim. And if you vote for us we'll bring this kaupapa back. Kia ora tātou.