Flavell Te Ururoa: Address in ReplyText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFlavell Te Ururoa: Address in Reply[Sitting date: 21 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:37. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Leader—Māori Party):Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker Mallard. Firstly can I say congratulations on your appointment. Even if you have not made too many decisions yet I am threatening to recall the Speaker to give you something to think about and test out your facing the things that you used to put in front of the House. But I do join with others in congratulating you on your appointment and I think that you are going to do a fine job. I feel sorry for Mr Tau Henare who is no longer with us because actually I think you are a cut of the same cloth that brings a certain edge to the House. I wish you well. Ka nui te mihi.Sixteen days ago the Māori Party signed a historic relationship accord called Te Tatau ki te Paerangi implying a doorway to the horizons—a doorway that leads to development in cultural economic social and environmental terms to opportunities that every New Zealander should be entitled to but opportunities that unfortunately many do not actually see and are denied. The Māori Party has always been of the view that the most important goal for any public servant any political party is to kick in that door and to let the people come in. That is how we have always operated. Our single focus is the doorway to whānau well-being—the ultimate expression of tino rangatiratanga which is to be self-determining for yourself and for your whānau and that you can aspire to be all that you want to be.We as politicians are often influenced by our childhood memories and the things that happened when we were young. I think about my upbringing in Ngongotahā—and shame on those people who do not know where Ngongotahā is—in Rotorua watching my grandmother as a 90-year-old carrying her own firewood. She still cooked her own food. Life seemed so simple to her and I am sure to that generation. My job was to go and get her smokes and her milk and bread. What I learnt from her example was a number of things. It was to be feisty when the good of the whānau was at stake to provide for my children no matter what to be resourceful to love our land to love our language and to love our identity.So these are powerful drivers of motivation—motivation that the Māori Party has always located in the future prospects of whānau. It matters to us that one in seven people in Aotearoa is Māori. It matters to us that one-third of people of Māori descent are aged under 15 years. In sheer numbers 669000 New Zealanders—17.5 percent—whakapapa to a thriving living culture a culture infused with the value of kaupapa such as manaakitanga generosity of spirit of one person towards another; kotahitanga a sense of unity of purpose of togetherness; and kaitiakitanga careful regard for our environment and to be guardians of our planet. Māori matter to the greater well-being and prosperity of this nation.So when the Prime Minister invited the Māori Party into the relationship with the Government we jumped at it. I take this moment to mihi to him for the opportunity that is afforded the Māori Party. It was with the greatest humility that I accepted the role as the new Minister for Māori Development Minister for Whānau Ora and Associate Minister for Economic Development. In doing so I am forever mindful of the legacy that is left behind by those who went ahead of me the likes of whom I will always aspire to be—the likes of Sir Apirana Ngata Matiu Rata Iriaka Rātana Pita Sharples Tariana Turia the Rt Hon Winston Peters—now and again—Parekura Horomia and Tau Henare. They are honourable gentlemen and ladies who have graced this Parliament. I will endeavour to meet their standard if not to go higher.These are triple bottom lines that I have set myself in the future: Māori development running alongside a dedicated policy approach to supporting families through Whānau Ora while at the same time focusing on an economic platform. These things provide a strong base for moving through that doorway to our horizons.The Productivity Commission has just released an inquiry called Cut to the Chase which focuses on the challenge of moving and achieving more effective and efficient social services. Currently a large amount of public money—around $34 billion—goes into social services. So it is vital that we do well with it.Whānau Ora is premised on the expectation that with the appropriate support in place whānau can be self-managing and take responsibility for their own development. They can be the all-powerful drivers towards their own destiny. It is an admirable ideal and one that I am determined to do the utmost to uphold not just for better governance and for the most effective use of the taxpayer spend but most important of all for the security stability and success of all generations to come. As politicians we are the guardians of this time. We must take seriously our responsibility to build on the progress spearheaded by Tariana Turia in enabling whānau to achieve outcomes for themselves. We must work collaboratively to support those who are struggling to create a meaningful living wage and to enact the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty. I am delighted to be joined by my colleague Marama Fox who has enormous energy in making progress on poverty reduction and well-being. She is going to be a huge asset for the Māori Party and indeed to this Parliament. Nau mai e te tuahine. [Welcome sister colleague.]The formalities of the Commission Opening and the State Opening of Parliament have enforced the standing of tangata whenua and the status of the Treaty of Waitangi as central to New Zealand’s understanding of itself. The Māori Party is proud of two particular ceremonies that have been able to be added to the rich traditions that form the fabric of the modern Parliament. The karakia that we had yesterday morning which established the Tiriti o Waitangi as our foundation document again and supported that notion was attended by representatives of all parties of the Parliament and the formal mihi of course today expressed by my tuahine Nanaia Mahuta. It is a welcome sign that culture is evolving that the traditions made in this Parliament can truly be representative of our indigenous people and that unity of vision is possible across the political realm. I believe that this Parliament can be proud that 18 members across the House delivered their oaths in Te Reo Māori. Later this week I will be attending the Minister for Women’s blessing in her office. All of these events are an indication of goodwill which augurs well for this term.I have a clear vision for a Māori development agenda which is to cast the net wide in focusing on outcomes. The strategic imperative that we all face in investing in our long-term health and well-being is to actually ensure that we give robust consideration to families to whānau and in particular to our tamariki and mokopuna by bringing together a much tighter pipeline through to the role of innovation and economic development. I am determined to build on the leadership of Pita Sharples in making sure that He Kai Kei Aku Ringa makes substantial differences to our communities. I have a particular regard for regional economic development and the role that community hubs can play in accelerating opportunities both in Māori business and global markets. We must boost the productivity of Māori families of Māori assets and enterprises and of New Zealand through harnessing economic and employment opportunities in a way that will advance Māori development. While I will bring a strong focus on innovation to my ministerial work I am equally determined that we must always balance any changes with responsibilities that come from kaitiakitanga.A key priority for me will be determining our approach to the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill. I intend to reopen submissions on the legislation and to work constructively on consolidating our pathway forward. The capacity to be fluent in Te Reo Māori has a significant impact on a person’s mauri on their well-being and wairua. I am also very keen to develop greater priority for a cultural revitalisation strategy. As part of our new approach to Māori development we specifically negotiated a priority for a Māori engagement strategy as a part of our relationship accord. We look forward to working with the Prime Minister to achieve that.I want to work with Māori members of the Māori electorate seats the wider Parliament Māori organisations iwi leaders and chairs and businesses and corporations to create a more useful dialogue worthy of the Crown’s relationship with iwi hapū and whānau. I will be convening an annual ministerial summit on the Māori economy to advance the Māori economic strategy.I am also determined that we uphold the momentum and the priority of some key strategic statements established by my predecessors including a whole-of-Government approach towards addressing family violence—He Whare Āhuru He Ōranga Tāngata the Māori housing strategy and He Korowai Oranga the Māori health strategy. This year is going to be positive I am looking forward to working with you and other members of Parliament and I look forward to the many times that we will have interaction in the best interests of Te Ao Māori. Tēnā koe.