SpeechHARETE HIPANGO (National): I rise to take this call and am humble and honoured to do so to speak in this special debate reflecting on and commemorating 150 years of the Native Affairs Committee—the Māori Affairs Committee. On 5 October 1871 the Native Affairs Committee was established. Today 11 November in 1918 on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the guns of World War I fell silent. We sit and I stand in this Chamber of commemoration and the commemoration is of those who gave their lives those who were wounded those who acted in honour duty and service—SPEAKER: Order! I apologise to the member. Please continue. Masks on and sitting down—the members should know that they shouldn't be meeting like that. Go outside if you need to have a discussion.HARETE HIPANGO: —those who fell and gave their lives in duty honour and service for our nation Aotearoa New Zealand. This Chamber every day we come into it is in memory and honour of them. I pause to reflect and to pay respect on Armistice Day and on 150 years in commemoration and celebration of the contribution of the Native Affairs Committee the Māori Affairs Committee to this Parliament and to our nation.I'm humbled because I am among many 340 to be precise members of Parliament who have served on the Māori Affairs Committee as it is known today. It is amongst that distinguished company—and I say distinguished because our people when we gather around the table at the select committee of Māori Affairs we are not there as any one individual. We carry the memory but also the responsibility of those who have gone before those here in our present and those who are to come. My colleague has spoken to the detailed information that has been provided for the benefit of all New Zealanders. It's a briefing report on the commemoration of the Māori Affairs Committee and the 150 years' service and duty that it's given. It names those individuals who have given service over the course of time since 1871 and I stand here as uri of Whanganui and also a list member of Parliament for the National Party. I've reflected and gone through and looked at the names of those who have gone before and all of us as Māori who come to give service in this Chamber in this Parliament are related to those who have served and that is a big part of why I'm humbled to stand here to speak because there are many who cannot because their time is due.One of those persons who has given service—and as I said I speak today as uri of Whanganui. This morning I telephoned and spoke to one of our kuia Dame Tariana Turia. She reflected by saying that she was but one of many and the special and unique nature of us when we gather around the table of that Māori Affairs Committee is that we come together. Despite the political affiliations that we have what draws and binds us is our whakapapa and that as Māori we have a duty and service of care to our nation and to our people.So if I may just briefly reflect on Dame Tariana's recollection. She says Those of us who come come with lived life experience not just of our time but as those who have gone before of our people. And always first and foremost the important message is always always put our people first not be driven so politically and not to forget why we are there—to serve." The briefing report details petitions and also significant inquiries and Tariana was the champion for Smokefree Aotearoa but she did not do that alone and she reiterated the importance that Hone Harawira drove that campaign as much as she did.It is interesting also—I talked about our whakapapa and our relationships the whakawhanaungatanga. On 13 October 1975 some 5000 Māori some 5000 people—New Zealanders—arrived at Parliament. That land march was led by Dame Whina Cooper and we know that Hone's mother was there as well—Titewhai—along with many. My father was one of those who marched. That's why I say "Those who have gone before." We may be here for the moment—but those who have gone before.Some 2000 petitions were put to the Māori Affairs Committee in the early days and that was the loading and the bulk of its work. I requested of the Parliamentary Library if they would please do some research in terms of my whakapapa and association to those who have served on the select committee. The research that came also happened to reveal—and I did not know this—that back in 1888 petition No. 276 was lodged by my great-grandfather Waata Wiremu Hipango. He was persistent like many Māori who came before the Native Affairs Committee at that time because it was a place to come to address Māori land confiscation grievances and many others particularly concern about the Native Land Court as it was at that time. So my great-grandfather again lodged petition No. 452 and then the final petition No. 228—bearing in mind it started in 1888 the last in 1914 signed off on 23 May 1916—was to pray that land be granted to the children of Hoani Wiremu Hipango deceased my great-great-grandfather and that owing to the death of the petitioner his son the petition was to be withdrawn. I was unaware of the personal petitioning by our tūpuna but we all have that personal association and reflection and thus the significance.There is much that can be addressed. Time does not give the benefit or the merit of that service in 10 minutes and I invite members of the public to go to the parliamentary website because information is there and it is available. This is a significant part of our history as a people and as a place.I opened by reflecting on this Chamber as one of commemoration. It is a place where there is a melting pot of diversity in our representation but also in the feelings the emotions that go with that. I finish off by acknowledging that on Armistice Day which didn't come to be celebrated with the contribution that was made by New Zealanders in the First World War—and Māori made a significant contribution. By the end of that war 2227 Māori had served in what was known as the Māori (Pioneer) Battalion. Of these 336 died in active service and 734 were wounded. In the scale of our population today that may not sound much but for the size of our population at that time it was significant as was the epidemic of influenza.The influenza epidemic—I reflect back 102 years and now here we are as a nation wrapped and caught up in a pandemic of COVID. History is repeating itself and what I do say is that with repetition of history those of us here to serve today do so knowing that we have a duty of care and service—but with the pandemic our nation is in; we have a duty of care and service to look after each other not just around the select committee. Mr Speaker it has been an honour. Thank you."