Horomia Parekura: Maori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Maori) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Horomia Parekura: Maori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Maori) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8795. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 Te Kaiwhakahaere tena koe. Ki a koe e te Minita Maori e Pita ka nui te mihi. Te pai hoki o te haere kaha o te Pouaka Whakaata Maori kei te ora hoki. Me whakahoki oku whakaaro ki te timata. He nui atu te wehewehe i roto i te mahunga o wetahi o te Whare nei. Takariri atu wetahi mo te puta a tenei taputapu e mau pai atu. Te mea pai i te wa nei e kite atu tatau te kaha rawa te pouri e manaaki atu nga kanohi Maori mai i te motu. Kore hoki atu mo nga kanohi Maori anake. E nui atu ratau o tera piri e mau whatu ki te ahua nei. No reira tena ano taku whakaaro na te mea hoki e tae atu e kite atu tatau te kaha i roto i a ratau hei tu hei manaaki atu te ahua o nga ra o nga hoia te ra o Waitangi Matatini—tera tino mahi hakahaka nga take katoa pera tonu e haere atu i runga i te motu e kite atu te nui o nga kura nga kohanga e manaaki atu e mau ana nga kupu me nga whana o te Pouaka Whakaata Maori. 
He tino rekareka atu te kite atu te oratiatanga i roto i a ratau nga kaiwhakahaere pera i a Jim ma e manaaki e tautokotia atu tenei tino take. E tautokotia atu au i nga whakaaro e pohehe haere nga teihana etahi me TV3. E wero atu toku tuakana a Shane mo ratau na te mea i roto i aku kei te tu pakari atu tenei teihana. No reira tera ano te mea i roto i a tatau. E pai ana e ora ana. 
Kite atu au i Wisconsin i Montreal nga teihana penei tonu e mahi atu te mahi penei tonu. Na te pai hoki he taputapu he pouaka whakaata he mahi paoho a tatau o te tangata whenua. Tera ano te pai no reira ki a koe kia kaha kia maia. Kaua koe e manaaki atu ratau e pirangi tangohia atu te whakaaea te kore whakaaea o te pouaka whakaata i roto to ratau tari. Kei runga ano wetahi o nga mahi nanakia e tika atu e waihotia atu i te tari o te Minita Maori. 
No reira i roto i a wera whakaaro e mihi kau ana ki te Pouaka Whakaata Maori e mihi kau ana ki nga kaimahi e mau tuturu atu to tatau Reo to tatau ahua Maori i runga nga—ahakoa nga piki nga heke. I reira ke ratau e whawhai tonu atu mo te ora o to tatau Reo hei mau kite atu nga whatu mo ratau e kore e tae ki Waitangi ki te ra o nga hoia ki Matatini nga hui nui pera tonu. Kare hoki atu mo nga hui kaita anake. He nui atu nga huihuinga me nga take e pa ana ki te pai o tatau o Aotearoa engari mo te tangata whenua tera ano te timata. Tena koe e te Kaiwhakahaere. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Speaker. A huge one to you Pita Minister of Maori Affairs. The Maori Television Service is really going strong. It is alive as well. Let me take my thoughts back to the beginning. There was much division in the minds of some in this House. Some were irate over the delivery of this service and the benefits it had to offer. The great thing we see at the moment is the extreme disappointment at the support accorded to Maori audiences out in the country. But it was not just them alone. There are many of them in that situation who wanted to see this service. However that is my perception because we were there and witnessed how resolute they were as they stood and supported what the army days Waitangi Day and Matatini were about—that great cultural arts festival and everything like that going out to the nation being seen by the many schools and many Maori preschool language nests that in turn support and hang on every word and action by the Maori Television Service.  
It is an absolute pleasure to see how well they the operators like Jim and others are caring and supporting this great initiative. I endorse the growing doubts that some channels and TV3 have. My senior colleague Shane has a challenge for them because there is a feeling within me and us that this station is well established. It is well and it is alive.  
I note in Wisconsin and Montreal channels very much like these are operating in the same manner. It is great as well as it is a facility a television service and we the Maori of the country are into the field of broadcasting. And that is the great thing about it. That aside one has to be strong and confident. Do not support those who want to take away the ability to approve or not approve a television service as part of the functions of their departments. The Maori Minister’s department must take some responsibility for some of the strange decisions made about what should be taken out and what should be left in.  
So within the parameters of those thoughts I really acknowledge the Maori Television Service and staff who have held firm to our language and our Maori perspective despite the circumstances and the ups and downs. Actually that is where they were really fighting on for the survival of our language being a face for those who could not make it to Waitangi the army days Matatini and significant gatherings like those. But they were not just there for the major ones. There were several other gatherings and related events about what we of New Zealand are good at but for us the Maori of the country that was just the beginning. Thank you Mr Speaker 
.]