Harawira Hone: Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
Harawira Hone: Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5703] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
Tena koe e te Mangai. Tena tatou katoa e te Whare. Hoi ano e te Mangai tera e ki nei waimaria matou o te Pati Maori i te mea i hara mai tenei pire ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Paremata i te wa o te reo Maori. Ae he waimaria pea engari tera pea ka kia he tino tikanga tenei mai i te wairua tupuna. Ki te whakaaro Maori e orite ana nga kaupapa e rua nei mo te reo mo Matariki ano hoki. He taonga tuku iho i nga atua ki o matou tupuna a tae noa mai ki a matou i enei ra. Ko te reo ko Matariki ano hoki he matauranga i ora ai o matou iwi mai i te wa i a ratou i Hawaiki tonu. Na Matariki me ona hoa whetu o matou tupuna i arahi mai i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ki Aotearoa. Na nga whetu ratou i mohio ai kei hea ratou ki hea ratou haere ai i nga wa katoa.  
Ko Matariki tetahi tohu nui mo te huringa o nga tau me te hokinga mai o nga rangi mahana o te koanga o te raumati. He tohu nui mo te whakatipu kai mo te hi ngohi mo te mahi manu me nga momo mahi e ora ai nga iwi i te ao kohatu. No reira he tohu mana a Matariki he tohu e kaingakautia ana e nga iwi o te motu. No reira e tika ana kia korerotia tenei pire mo Matariki me te mana o te reo Maori. Koi ano hoki tetahi tohu mana. 
Ko te kaupapa o tenei pire kia whakamana i te wa o Matariki i raro i te ture kia whai wahi ai nga iwi katoa o Aotearoa ki tenei tohu mana. Ma tenei pire e manaaki e whakanui e whakarangatira te Paremata i tenei koha a nga Maori ki o ratou hoa o Aotearoa. Ehara i te tikanga o tenei pire ki te akiaki i tetahi atu ki te whiu i tetahi atu ki te pehi i tetahi atu. Kao. Hei whakakotahi i nga iwi o te motu i runga ano i nga tikanga taketake o tenei whenua. Kua kite ke tatou i te ahuareka o nga iwi katoa e tautoko ana i nga kaupapa o Matariki. Ko te karanga a tenei pire ki te Paremata: tautokonatia manaakitia hapaitia tenei kaupapa ataahua! 
Me hoki atu o tatou whakaaro ki nga tau e toru tekau kua hipa atu ki te timatanga o te wa o te reo Maori. Ka pera tonu te whakaaro Maori kia manaakitia tenei taonga whakahirahira e nga iwi katoa o te ao hei taonga mo ratou katoa engari i tera wa o te kuware kihai i tutuki pai te whakaaro. Ka mataku wetahi kei whakakorerotia te reo e ratou hakoa ta ratou kore hiahia. Ki wetahi he kaupapa whakawehewehe i te iwi kotahi o te motu. Tena ka pau te toru tekau tau kua rata mai te nuinga ki te reo Maori ka kitea hei kaupapa whakakotahi i a tatou hei kaupapa whakaatu i te mana motuhake o Aotearoa ki iwi ke. Ko te tumanako ka pera ano a Matariki. Ma tenei pire tatou e whakakotahi i Aotearoa. Ma Matariki tatou e whakawhanaunga ki nga iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa e mohio ana nei ratou ki a Makali’i ki a Mataliki ki a Matari’i ranei. Otira he tohu e ki ana no Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa tatou katoa. E mohio ana tatou katoa ki to tatou whakapapa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to us all the House. Mr Assistant Speaker you might say that we in the Maori Party are lucky because this bill came before Parliament at the time of Maori Language Week. Yes we may be lucky but it could also be said that this is our destiny bequeathed by our ancestors. The Maori view is that these two issues the language and Matariki are very similar. They are treasures handed down from the gods to our ancestors and on to us today. The language and Matariki are part of the culture that have enabled our ancestors to survive since the time they were still living in Hawaiki. Matariki and other stars guided our ancestors across the Pacific the great ocean of Kiwa. The stars told them where they were and where they were to head to at all times.  
Matariki is also a great sign of changing seasons and the return of the warmer days of spring and summer. It was a great guide for planting crops for fishing fowling and activities like that to enable the people in the old days to survive. So Matariki is a powerful symbol valued by the tribes of the country and it is appropriate that we talk about the Matariki bill and the importance of the Maori language at the same time. That in itself is a powerful sign.  
The purpose of this bill is to empower the season of Matariki under the law so that all New Zealanders can contribute to this powerful symbol. Through this bill Parliament will respect acknowledge and glorify this gift from the Maori people to their fellow citizens. This bill is not intended to coerce anyone or force anyone or pressure anyone. Absolutely not! It is intended to unite the people of this nation on the basis of shared indigenous values. We have already seen the pleasure that people get from celebrating Matariki events. This bill invites the Parliament to support endorse and promote this wonderful philosophy.  
Let us cast our minds back 30 years to the beginnings of Maori Language Week. Maori thinking was just the same in that all people should share this cultural treasure as part of their own heritage but in those bad old days of ignorance the dream was not realised. Some people were afraid they would be forced to speak Maori against their will. Others saw it as an issue that divided the one people of Aotearoa. Well after 30 years most people have come round to te reo Maori. It is seen as a philosophy to unite us and to showcase New Zealand’s autonomy to other people. The hope is that Matariki will do the same. Through this bill we will unite New Zealand. Matariki will enhance our relationship with the people of the great ocean of Kiwa who know it as Makali’i Mataliki or Matari’i. Indeed it symbolises that we are all from the great ocean of Kiwa. We all know our origins 
.] 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member has 1 minute remaining. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: Ko taku korero i te reo Maori ko te rima meneti tera ko to whakapakehatanga ko te rima meneti ano. Ko te katoa e tekau meneti. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
My address in the Maori language is for 5 minutes and the interpretation is for 5 minutes as well. That makes the total 10 minutes 
]. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: We are taking that into account. When we have an interpretation the clock stops. You have 49 seconds left. We do take into account the interpretation and the clock stops. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: E kao. Kua kite au i te karaka i timata au i te rima karaka. I naianei kua rima meneti pahi. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
I beg to differ. I noted that it showed 5 on the clock. Now I see that 5 minutes have passed. 
] 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The clock started at 4.58 p.m. 
HONE HARAWIRA 
: Ka pai. E toru meneti e toe ana. 
Mena ka whakamanahia tenei pire hei ture ka mana hoki te tuatahi o nga ra whakamahara i tetahi kaupapa taketake. E tekau a tatou ra whakata a-motu me tetahi ra whakata a-rohe i tua atu ia tau a kahore tetahi mea kotahi na te tangata whenua. Ko te Ra o Waitangi he whakanui i te whakahoatanga o nga iwi taketake me tauiwi. 
Hei kupu whakamutunga maku kei te awangawanga wetahi kei noho nama nga kaipakihi mo te utu i tetahi ra whakata ano. Ko taku ki a tatou waiho tera mo tenei wa. Me wanangatia te kaupapa nui i te tuatahi katahi ka huri ai ki te utu. E whakapono ana ahau he kaupapa pai ke ake a Matariki i te ra whai muri i te Ra o te Tau Hou i te Ra Mekemeke ranei hei ra tapu. Hoi no ko taku whakahau ki te Whare kia tautoko kaha i tenei pire. Tena tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Good. Three minutes remain then. 
Should this bill be passed the first of such days commemorating an indigenous event will be recognised as well. We have 10 public holidays plus a provincial holiday each year and not a single one has indigenous roots. Waitangi Day celebrates the relationship between the indigenous people and non-Maori.  
In closing I say that some people are concerned about the cost to business of another paid holiday. I say to them: leave that for the moment. Let us discuss the main issue first and then address the cost. I personally believe that Matariki is a much better “holy day” than the day after New Year’s Day or Boxing Day. I urge the House to support this bill strongly. Greetings to us all 
.]