Flavell Te Ururoa: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 25 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:3951. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora ano tatau katoa tenei rangi. Ki a matau o te Pati Maori he rangi whakaharahara tenei. E tautoko ake ana i te ahuatanga o te pire ki tona mutunga mai. He aha ta tatau ta te pakeke i tenei ao? E ai ki ta wetahi ko ta te pakeke he tiaki i te tamaiti i te mokopuna. No reira kare matau i te whakahe i tera ahuatanga katoa. Ki a matau he taonga te tamaiti he taonga te mokopuna. No reira me aro tonu tatau katoa ki nga painga ka puta ki wa tatau tamariki ahakoa kei hea ratau. Ko te mea nui kia tiakina paitia ratau e nga whanau. Ana kua puta te korero i te po nei mo te ahuatanga o te putanga o te tangata ata titiro ki nga tupapaku mo tenei mea mo te whanau me ona raruraru katoa. Koinei te tikanga o ta matau aronganui kia tiaki i wa tatau tamariki. 
Me manaaki i te tamaiti koinei te mea pai o tenei o nga pire hangai tonu ana ki tenei pire. Ara kia whakarahi ake kia roa ake te ahuatanga o te me ki te wa whakata o te mea tiaki i te pepi mai i te 14 o nga wiki ki te 26 o nga wiki. He mea pai tera. Me whai wahi ano ra nga matua mena i to ratau ake kotahi ki nga kuia koroua ki nga matua keke matua whaea ranei nga pakeke kia taea ai e ratau te whiriwhiri te huarahi e tika ana mo ratau. Kia kore ratau e herea i nga momo pire. E hia ke nei nga korero kua puta mo te ahuatanga o te nui o te moni. Kua raruraru katoa tenei pire na te ahuatanga o te moni. Heoi ano ko ta matau titiro ke ki te painga o te tamaiti o te mokopuna. Kaua ko te moni i tona kotahi. 
Na pirangi ana au ki te whakaara ake i tetahi korero e hangai tonu ana ki tetahi kupu i Te Reo Maori. Ko te kupu ko tenei kupu ko te “whangai”. He aha te whangai? Ko te whangai he mea tiakina e tetahi o te whakapapa o taua tamaiti. He rereke ki tera o te kupu “adoption” e ai ki ta te kupu Pakeha. Ko te whangai ano te whangai ko te adoption ano te adoption. He aha te rereketanga? Ko te whangai he tamaiti ka tiakina e tona whanau a-whakapapa. Engari ano te adoption ka taea e te tamaiti te noho nei i te taha o tetahi o waho ake o te whakapapa. No reira ko taku ko te whakaara ake i tenei take o te whangai i te mea ehara tera ahuatanga i roto i te ture i tenei wa. 
Na hei tauira ake. O roto i a au o roto o te Waiariki nonatatanei i tae mai tetahi wahine ki a au. Me ki mo tenei wa ko tona ingoa ko Hine. I a ia tetahi pepi whangai. I whiwhi a ia i te wa i whanau mai tenei pepi. I mua o te wa i whanau mai te pepi i tono ia kia whiwhi ai ia i tetahi putea hei awhina i a ia engari kare tera i whakaaetia. Ka haere ki te tono pira ara ki te pira engari ko te kupu whakamutunga i hoki mai ki a ia i Te Tari Mahi e kao. Kare i te whakaaetia. Anei tana korero i te reo Pakeha: “Whangai are adoptions in accordance with Maori custom and are not legally recognised until an application for adoption is lodged in accordance with the Adoption Act 1955.” No reira i raro i tera ahuatanga kua raruraru katoa a Hine. 
I roto i Te Ao Maori ko tenei mea ko te whangai he mea nui. He mea o nehe me ki i toia mai ki te whai ao ki te ao marama i tenei ao hou. Engari ka taea i roto i te ahuatanga o tenei kaupapa o te whangai kia tiakina. He aha te tikanga o tenei kupu o te “whangai”? E ai ki ta te Pakeha “to feed and nourish”. Koinei te tikanga o tera kupu. Ara ano etahi atu kupu. Ko te ata whai ko te tamaiti whangai. Engari ko ta matau ko te ki atu a he aha te he o te whakaae kia pera rawa te ahuatanga o Te Ao Maori ki tera o Te Ao Pakeha. Kia whai tonu tenei mea o te whangai ki tera o te adoption. Mena e taea ana e tetahi tangata te whiwhi putea mo te adoption he aha te rereketanga o tera o Te Ao Maori me ki o te whangai? Ko ta matau ko te ki atu karekau he paku rereketanga. 
E orite ana te tiaki o te tamaiti. Ara ano te oranga o te tamaiti kei mua i te aroaro. Engari he rereke te ao me ki te tirohanga o Te Ao Pakeha me Te Ao Maori. No reira kei te whakaara ake tenei kaupapa ki a koe otira ki a tatau kia whai wahi tenei kupu ko te “whangai” ki roto i tenei pire. Kei te tautoko ake i te pire tena koutou kia ora tatau katoa. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker. Greetings once again everyone today. This is an important day to the Maori Party. We endorse this bill until its completion. What is our role—the role of parents in this world? According to some it is up to parents to care for children or grandchildren. Therefore we do not reject that stance at all. In our view children and grandchildren are treasures. So we all need to focus on the benefits that emerge for our children no matter where they are. The main thing is that families take good care of them. There was a comment made this evening about the coroner’s report pertaining to a family’s plight. This is our focus: on caring for our children.  
We must look after children. That is the positive focus of this bill which will extend paid parental leave from 14 to 26 weeks. That is a good thing. Solo parents couples grandparents aunties and uncles should be able to make their own choice about the best avenue for them so they are not bound by various laws. There has been a lot said about the costs of the parental leave price tag which hinders this bill. However our focus is on the welfare of the child.  
I want to raise an issue that relates to a Maori term. That is the issue of whangai. What is a whangai? A whangai is a child who is cared for by one of their kin members. It is quite different from adoption. What is the difference? Whangai are cared for by their kin but adoption allows children to live with someone who is not related by blood. Therefore I wish to raise the issue of whangai because it is not recognised by law at this time.  
Allow me to provide an example. Recently a woman came to me in my electorate of Waiariki. We will call this woman Hine. Hine had a whangai baby which she has had since its birth. Before the baby was born she applied for paid parental leave and the application was denied. She then appealed and received a response from the Department of Labour that denied her appeal. It stated this in English: “Whangai are adoptions in accordance with Maori custom and are not legally recognised until an application for adoption is lodged in accordance with the Adoption Act 1955.” Hine was in a lot of trouble under that situation.  
Within Maori society whangai is a very important concept. It is an ancient practice that has been brought into the modern world. However with this bill that concept can be protected. The term “whangai” literally means “to feed and nourish”. What is wrong with bringing the Maori practice of whangai in line with the Pakeha practice of adoption? If one can receive financial assistance for adoption what is the difference from the Maori practice of whangai? We say there is no difference at all.  
The welfare of the child must be paramount. But there are differences between the Maori and Pakeha worlds. And so I raise this issue with you and I urge all of us to allow the term “whangai” to be included in this bill. I endorse the bill. Thank you. 
]