Turei Metiria: Address to Her Excellency the Governor-General 
Turei Metiria: Address to Her Excellency the Governor-General 
[Volume:617;Page:13201] 
METIRIA TUREI (Green) 
: 
 Kia ora koutou katoa. Today I would have liked to see the elective representatives who are mana whenua women gay lesbian transgender or of ethnic minorities and the younger members of the House leave this House for this 150th birthday and go to talk with our communities—whose views are frequently unrecognised and often disrespected by this institution—about their concerns for the future governance of this country. This would then leave the House with quite a large grouping of white middle-aged men—thanks Mr Prebble! 
Perhaps we might all like to reflect on the history of this institution which despite the struggles of a few individuals continues to favour the wealthy the powerful and the patriarchy. For many people in this House today is an auspicious occasion and a celebration of tradition. I do not want to rain on their parade but we must be honest: it is not an entirely proud tradition. The Maori Prisoners Act of 1880 postponed and eventually dispensed with trials for accused Maori. The Chinese Immigrants Act of 1881 imposed a poll tax of £10 per person and restricted the number of Chinese immigrants to 1 person per 10 tons of ship cargo. Under the New Zealand Settlement Act of 1863 over 3 million acres of land were confiscated to pay for the war against the mana whenua. The Native Health Act of 1909 meant that Maori women could no longer breast feed nor use whangai systems to adopt children. The Public Safety Conservation Act of 1932 used 20 years later in 1951 made it unlawful to give food to the families of locked out waterfront workers. The Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act of 1982 stripped New Zealand citizenship from Samoans in this country. That is the history of where we come from. It is not fun. Let us make sure that we never return to it again. 
I am very proud that the Green Party comes to Parliament with a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te tiriti must form the basis of any future governance in this country. Constitutional change is an absolute necessity. This Parliament is a monocultural institution in a tiriti-based founded society and a multi-ethnic society. This Parliament reflects the values of its Westminster antecedents and not those of the mana whenua. As such its continuation relies heavily on the generosity and goodwill of the mana whenua and its reciprocal obligations are heavy and remain unmet. We must embrace and not deny the political implications embodied in te tiriti and find the way to give effect to the relationship respectfully and equitably in partnership with the tangata whenua. Until that happens this Parliament will remain irrelevant to tikanga Maori uninformed and unjust. 
So what might happen in the future for this Parliament? I wish that I knew. But it is undeniable that there are lots and lots of ideas in this country about how to bring about constitutional change to meet our aspirations for our people and to meet our te tiriti obligations. This afternoon while some will be celebrating the 150th birthday the Greens will be celebrating the democratic principle of freedom of speech by holding a public meeting in the Portrait Gallery in Bowen House to hear the different perspectives on the question: “Democracy: Is this as good as it gets?”. We are privileged to hear Moana Jackson give us a te tiriti analysis that challenges the Western paradigm that underlines this institution. We are privileged to hear other voices too: from the republican movement a feminist analysis an anarchist perspective on what participatory democracy may look like and of course a youth critique—all voices too often disaffected and marginalised but none the less intelligent and courageous in their resilience. 
The relevance of the future of this Parliament lies in our honest appraisal of our history and our courage as decision makers to embrace new sometimes frightening but exciting opportunities for constitutional change. May we be so courageous.