Brownlee Gerry: Obituaries — Hon Parekura HoromiaText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBrownlee Gerry: Obituaries — Hon Parekura Horomia[Sitting date: 07 May 2013. Volume:689;Page:9604. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery): First to the family and the wider iwi of Parekura welcome to this place and thank you for dignifying this tribute to Parekura from us by your presence. Thank you also for the great generosity you showed us when we came to pay our tribute and respects to Parekura on the marae last week. It was one of those occasions that will live forever certainly in my memory and I think in the memories of the others who were part of that party. Your generosity was quite outstanding. I felt guilty when I had heard on the Wednesday night that you had so far consumed 400 crayfish at the tangi for thinking that if that was the case perhaps I had better be there.The truth is that I held Pare in the highest of regard and with the greatest of respect. I did not know him as many of you did as the father the grandfather the brother the family member and part of your closer iwi community. I only knew him for his time here in Parliament. During that time I think all of the comments that have been made about him and about his personality I would have to agree with. He was one of those very warm people who could articulate an argument in his favour without being in any way vindictive without any degree of vehemence but simply with a desire to stick to the issues and to respect individuals for their own beliefs.Many people have over the last few days talked about Pare’s particular style of speaking and his use of the language both Te Reo and English and I have to say we experienced that here quite a lot. His way of answering questions when he was a Minister was truly unique. You heard a little bit of that when the circumstances were repeated of his answering a question from the Rt Hon Winston Peters. The truth is that there were many times when he gave answers that no one could take a point of order on because no one had a clue what he had said. It was only for fear that you might be made to look foolish that you stayed quiet. So it was quite a successful tactic. He also spent most of his time here as a Minister—quite a unique thing as well.For many years I was sitting in one of those seats over there and he was over here. He had this habit of during the prayer holding his hands like so his head down with one eye shut and the other eye roving round the House. If you happened to see this activity he would send you a note to say: “I noticed you didn’t have your eyes closed during the prayer. That’s most disrespectful.”He had this wonderful way also of quite often sending notes across the House to me and Simon Power—we shared a bench on either side of the House for about 8 years. There was a particular occasion during the very heated debate around the foreshore and seabed. It was the second bill that we promoted when we came into Government. Pare was very passionate about those things and he had fought very hard for his party and for the position. No one could doubt his genuine belief in what he was committed to and he was obviously opposed to what we were doing. During the debate one of the colleagues on this side of the House gave an impassioned speech in which he said words to the effect that the almighty God had created the foreshore and seabed for the enjoyment of all New Zealanders. Pare saw Simon and me sitting here and sent us over a note very very quickly that said: “Gerry Simon tell that fool God’s a woman and she is giving it all to the Māori.”I think the other point I would just like to say is that when you spoke with Pare he was always a person who just made you feel very comfortable in his presence. That is an interesting thing. He did not have any airs and graces and he did not accept any airs and graces. I think that is what will be missed most about him from my perspective.I first met him when I was a brand new MP back in about 1997 I think at a select committee where he was presenting at a financial review as the person who was in charge of the Community Employment Group. Anyone who knows how that works—people come in and they sit at the end of the table they are generally invited to make a few opening comments and then there is a series of questions. Well Pare’s comments went on for quite some time. I had been warned before that this man was somewhat of a jargonaut. His speech and comments were filled with macros micros matrixes analyses synergies and paradigms. It was a wonderful story and beautifully articulated but it left you somewhat perplexed as to what exactly it was about. So I very boldly asked him. I said: “That’s very well Mr Horomia but what does it mean?”. And he said: “Oh well chief it means we’ve done a good job.” On that note can I simply say: Pare you have done a good job.