Flavell Te Ururoa: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 July 2009. Volume:656;Page:5193. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker tatau katoa kua hui mai i roto i te Whare kia ora tatau katoa. Tatau ma mo era o tatau kei te rapa haere i tetahi kaupapa kia taea ai e ratau te poti mo tenei pire ko taku ki a ratau me korero ratau ki nga morehu ara ko era kua noho a-kiri mate kua noho a-whanau pani ranei na te pakutanga o te mata ko era ka noho i raro i te kakahu o mauiui o mamae mo te wa roa kia tae atu ki te ora ko era ahakoa kei te ora he rahi nga mate taumaha a-kikokiko a-hinengaro hoki kei runga i a ratau. I te tau 2007 na te Ropu Haua o te Ao i tohu na te pakutanga o nga mata whakawhaiti e 13306 nga tangata i mate kia hemo. E hoa ma katahi nei te kino mai o enei momo pahu. Ka pakaru mai nga kongakonga maitai ka werohia ko te tinana o te tangata nga ringaringa nga waewae nga whatu ina te kino o te weriweri. Ka ngaro te kaimahi o te whanau. Ka noho ngoikore te hapori i te mea e kore taea e te hunga whara te whai wahi ki te mahi i tana mahi i mua. Na i tua atu i tena ka pirau haere te whenua te wai hoki na enei momo mate. Na ko nga pahu kare ano kia paku mai ka noho huna i te akau a ka kitea e te tamariki. Ko tona mutu mai ko mate. 
Ko ta Te Pati Maori he titiro he wananga he aha te pai te kino ranei ka tau ki runga i a tatau te tangata. Koinei te take i puta ta matau tono kia whakaiti nga whenua katoa i o ratau utunga a-putea nei mo nga mahi hoia. Ko tetahi o nga tohu whakahe pakanga i mau ki runga i nga kakahu he kupu na Lyndon Johnson. Katahi te tangata nei. Koia tera ko te Perihitini i Amerika i te wa i piki haere te kaute o te hunga i haere ki Whitinamu. 
A kati ka hangai te titiro o tenei pire ki te tohu takanga he o te tangata o tenei whakatipuranga. Me ki ko ta tatau i nga whainga ki te Convention on Cluster Munitions i tohungia ai i tera Tihema. E 94 nga motu i haina i taua tiriti. Ko ta nga whenua ka kore ratau e awhina i tetahi ake hai whakapaku enei momo pahu ko ta ratau ko te akiaki kia kore ai tetahi e tuku kia pahu ai enei pahu. I roto i tera kahui ko Tiamana ko Wiwi ko Hapani a me Afghanistan. He mea miharo tonu tenei. Na David Miliband te hekeretari o te Manatu Aorere o Ingarangi i whakatakoto he kaupapa hou ao whanui mo te tiriti. E hoa ma he tino aria tenei. Ko te pai i tenei wa ko te tautoko a Niu Tireni i tenei kaupapa hou mo te ao whanui. 
Ka maumahara tatau ki te marama o Hepetema i te tau 2007. I taua wa e 137 nga whenua o te ao i haina i te whakapuakitanga o nga iwi taketake o te ao. Mai i taua wa he nui noa atu nga whenua kua whakatinana i taua kaupapa. Kua hanga hanganga ture wetahi. E tumanako ana matau kei te haere mai te wa ka whai kaha a Niu Tireni te haina i taua Whakapuakitanga kia Orite ki te Nuinga o nga Whenua o te Ao kia tutuki hoki nga whakaritenga mo te ao. Ko ta matau o te Pati Maori kia kaua e herehere i te mea nei tukua kia haere. Kei te whakaae ake matau kia korero tahi nga hoa haere o te Tiriti o Waitangi mo nga o te whakapuakitanga. A tena koinei tetahi o nga kaupapa o te whakapuakitanga. Me tika te whakapuakitanga i roto i te ahuatanga o nga matapono o te tika o te manapori o te mana taurite o te pono o te mana kawanatanga o te whakaiti me te rangatiratanga mo nga ritena o te tangata. Koinei te ahuatanga o nga ritenga o te ao. He taumata tenei e whakaaea ai tatau katoa o te ao. Kua whakaae mai nga whenua nei kia mutu katoa te whakamahi i nga taonga patu tangata nei. 
He mea whakahihi ki a matau ko Aotearoa tetahi i para te ara kia puawai tenei kawenata. Ko taku noa he whakanui i nga mahi i timatahia ki Aotearoa nei i te hui i tu ki Poneke i tera Hui-tanguru ki te wananga i tenei take. Neke atu i te 120 nga whenua i tae mai a 137 nga ropu a-iwi hoki i tae mai. E ai ki nga korero he pekanga tino whai tikanga te hui ra he painga i roto mo nga whakahaerenga mo te Tiriti o Waitangi. I whakanuia nga mahi a John Vernon Head i te hui ra koia tetahi i kokiri i te kaupapa nei. I mate a John i te marama o Pepuere i te tau 2007. I whakarewahia e John Head te kauhanga kore-pahu tona kaha ki te akiaki kia kore ai nga Motu o te Moana Nui a Kiwa e whakaae ki aua pahu whenua. Nana ano i whakahau ki te whakakore i te mata pahu whakawhaiti. Na ka haere a Deborah Morris-Travers raua ko Thomas Nash ki te akiaki i te Minita o te Manatu Aorere. I muri mai i tera i korero raua i mua i te komiti Manatu Aorere me te komiti o te Manatu Kaupapa waonga i whakarite i etahi hui mo te motu kia korero te tohunga a John Rodsted. He tangata matatau a John ki te kaupapa nei. I te tau 2007 ka whakaturia te ropu e karangahia nei ko te Ropu Whakawhaiti Pahu mata hei tautoko i te karanga o te ao ki te whakakore i aua mea weriweri rawa atu i patu nei i te tangata. 
A kati e te Whare kua roa tonu nei taku whakamarama i te ara i takahia ki Oslo kia mohio mai tatau na nga mahi na nga kokiritanga o Aotearoa kua kitea ai na tatau na Aotearoa nga wawata i whakatinana. Mai rano matau o te Pati Maori e whakahihi ana mo te tu o Aotearoa ina a Aotearoa Karihi-Kau. Kei te kite matau ka whai mana tenei Kawenata a kia panuihia ko ta tatau he kokiri kia aio te noho i tenei ao. Engari i tua atu i tera he whakahihi no matou anei a Aotearoa e ki nei kua whakamanahia e ratau te kaupapa hou mo te ao whanui. Na i muri mai kia mutu motuhake nga mamae o enei mata pahu taonga weriweri. Nga mamae ka noho ki runga tangata i te wa ka maringi mai i te rangi ka whakarerea ranei ka noho huna i ro i runga whenua i mua o te pahutanga hei patu tangata. Ahakoa kare a matau mata whakawhaiti kai te hari koa matau ki te whakapuaki i o matau whakaaro. No reira e te Whare koinei te tautoko o te Pati Maori ki tenei o nga pire. Tena koutou kia ora tatou. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all gathered here in the House. Greetings to us all. I say to those of us searching for a reason to vote for this bill talk to those who survived cluster munitions incidents—those who remain victims of skin ailments who have lost a loved one due to mine explosions those destined to a life of long-term treatment and rehabilitation and who live with severe physical injury and psychological trauma. In 2007 Handicap International confirmed 13306 deaths and injuries due to cluster munitions. The devastation created by the cluster bomblets was lethal. Fragments of jagged steel released were impaled in the body of the person and caused injuries to hands feet and eyes with the outcome being severe disabilities and families deprived of their breadwinner. Communities become vulnerable as surviving victims are unable to play the role they formerly played. If that is not enough farmland and water sources can deteriorate due to submunition contamination. Unexploded bomblets become hidden killers submerged around coastlines just waiting for innocent children to discover. Death is the outcome in the end.  
The Maori Party’s role is to examine and debate what good or evil tidings will come upon us as people. This in essence was the rationale behind our call for nations to decrease their expenditure of GDP on military activity. One of the anti-war badges that seems to say it all highlights a quote from Lyndon Johnson: “The guns and the bombs the rockets and the warships are all symbols of human frailty.” Lyndon Johnson of course was speaking from a position of authority. It was during his watch as US President that the numbers of Americans enlisted in the Vietnam War escalated.  
This bill then seeks to target the latest symbol of human failure in implementing New Zealand’s obligations to the Convention on Cluster Munitions signed last December. Ninety-four countries signed that treaty and vowed not to assist others to use cluster munitions but rather to discourage their use. In that cluster of countries were Germany France Japan and Afghanistan. That indeed is quite remarkable. At its signing the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband set the treaty a new global norm. This is a great concept made better this time by New Zealand stepping up to support a new global norm.  
We well remember another time in September 2007 when 137 countries agreed to set a global norm to advance the human rights of indigenous peoples. Since that time many Governments around the world have engaged with indigenous peoples to bring the vision to life. Some countries have gone as far as to introduce legislation. We are hopeful however that the time is approaching when New Zealand can rightfully step up to the mark and sign up to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to meet the global norm. We of the Maori Party urge that this signing will be without caveat without qualification. Of course we accept that discussions between the partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi will be required about many aspects of the declaration. Fortunately the declaration itself anticipates this process. Every provision must be interpreted in accordance with the principles of justice democracy respect for human rights equality non-discrimination good governance and good faith. Global norms are exactly that. This is an acceptable benchmark for global norms. These countries have agreed to a prohibition on the use of cluster munitions which cause unacceptable humanitarian harm.  
We are proud that New Zealand has played such a key role in the work relating to cluster munitions. I want to particularly acknowledge the work spearheaded here in Aotearoa particularly the conference on cluster munitions that took place here in Wellington last February. That conference attracted delegates from more than 120 countries and 137 civil society representatives. The conference was described as a critical crossroads in getting through the treaty process as the draft text was the basis for discussion. During the conference the legacy of long-time disarmament campaigner John Vernon Head who had passed away in February 2007 was honoured. John Head had founded the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines. He lobbied tirelessly for the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty to be accepted across the Pacific region. And significantly he initiated the campaign for cluster munitions to be banned. The campaign convenor former MP Deborah Morris-Travers and Cluster Munitions Coalition coordinator Thomas Nash then went on to lobby the disarmament Minister . Their next step was to appear before the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee and to organise a speaking tour of a cluster munitions expert John Rodsted. The Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition a group of New Zealand non-governmental organisations was subsequently established in 2007 in support of the international call to stop cluster munitions from harming civilians. 
And so to the House I have taken some time to outline the steps that led to Oslo because I think it is so important that we take time to celebrate the difference that Aotearoa is making on the international stage. The Maori Party has always been proud of the distinctive position we have taken globally in being proud to be a nuclear-free Aotearoa. We see this latest legislation in ratifying the convention as promoting a peacekeeping role for New Zealand defence personnel in the world. But most important we are proud that Aotearoa is able to meet a global norm to put an end for all time to the suffering caused by cluster munitions. And although we ourselves do not hold stocks of cluster munitions we are proud that we have been active in the debate. And so to the House this is the Maori Party’s support of this bill. Greetings and thank you. 
]