Jackson WillieHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment): Kia ora Madam Chair. Kia ora koutou. Well in terms of Supplementary Order Paper 287 from Jenny Marcroft I'm a person who would never support a referendum process but I have never been so confused in terms of a bill in my life. I'm so confused that I'm still confused. I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to vote. I thought I was sure just before I came into the Chamber but I've heard such good submissions from both sides that it's the toughest vote that I've ever had. I hear the calls in terms of the tyranny of the majority because the tyranny of the majority would never have put through the homosexual law reform never have put through civil unions and never have put through same-sex marriage. If we put the Māori seats up for debate that'd get thrown out too. So there are so many worries with this and that's why I'm very clear that I'm not very clear. Hon Carmel Sepuloni: This is the clearest you've ever been right? Hon WILLIE JACKSON: That's right and I know where I'm going with the marijuana bill. I ain't voting for legalisation. I'm not voting for legalisation. I know where I'm going with abortion. I believe in women's rights in terms of abortion. I know where I'm going with those issues and those kaupapa. I know what's happening in my community but my community is split on this and Māori and Pasifika are split on this. I hear my good friend Harete Hipango over there and I love some of her kōrero because I know how much commitment she's made and I acknowledge how strong Māori are in opposition. But I can give you a hundred Māori who support this bill you know including my wife who said You'd better vote for it—you'd better vote for it." Then of course as you would have heard in the first reading I talked about my mother and that's something I haven't—you know I don't talk about that too often. I found myself talking about it on National Radio and then in the House. Mum's dying. She was meant to have died last year. About a week or two after I spoke on the bill here we prepared for her death. She was haemorrhaging she went into a coma about a week after I first spoke on the bill and then guess what? Mum came back. It made me think again—it made me think again. You know you go through it all and so as a whānau we're debating this euthanasia kaupapa. We've got a mother who was meant to have died. She's come back. Mum's doing OK. Mum's—Hon Maggie Barry: She wants to stay. Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Well I hear Maggie Barry. I hear what you're saying Maggie. It challenges you. This kaupapa challenges you and it challenges all of us. So I mihi to everyone in the committee for your contributions and for the lobbying and the work done by Ruth Dyson over here and by Maggie Barry over there. I know how much you feel about this but it's not an easy position and there's no one view amongst our people. We're driven by our personal experiences and my personal experience is going from here to here to here. The family is debating this and I look at Mum and Mum's not the same. Mum's not the same but Mum's still there. Mum still has her good moments and I'm thinking "Jeez if I vote for this euthanasia bill what the heck am I voting for?" and yet I hear the cries of people who have been through the pain. I've seen pain at first hand with whānau who have died. I have no doubt we've all seen it. We've all seen it but this is the hardest vote that I've ever had to make and right now I'm not quite sure how I'm voting. I thought I was but I'm still debating it in my mind in terms of this referendum. Referendums don't treat minorities well. Our people have traditionally and historically missed out. That's why I hear what my whanaunga sister over here Louisa Wall is saying. I hear her and I understand her history. They have not treated us well so I'm tending to go now towards voting against this because of what has happened in the past. At the same time I don't want to be the one vote that stops it all. So it's quite a dilemma and I'm sure I'll be able to work it out one would hope over the next hour or so. Kia ora tātou."