Goff Phil: Obituaries — Hon Parekura HoromiaText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoff Phil: Obituaries — Hon Parekura Horomia[Sitting date: 07 May 2013. Volume:689;Page:9603. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PHIL GOFF (Labour—Mt Roskill): E te iwi o Parekura e ngā hau e whā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. E Parekura haere haere haere atu rā.[To Parekura’s people and to the four winds greetings salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all.]This is our final farewell to a good friend to a person whose mana whose passion whose warmth and whose good humour we will greatly miss in this place. I extend my welcome to the whānau and the supporters who have come from all parts of the country and in particular those who have come from Ikaroa-Rāwhiti to farewell Parekura in this our place. Can I thank you the people of Hauiti Marae for the love and the respect with which you farewelled our friend last week. It was a hugely moving occasion and we thank you for your hospitality and we thank you for your inclusiveness. Parekura’s life on the marae was celebrated with tears and laughter and with stories. I thought as we shovelled the soil to cover his coffin that we had farewelled our friend with the respect and the honour that he so richly deserved.I first met Parekura when I was Minister of Labour back in the 1980s. Parekura was in charge of a group called the Group Employment Liaison Scheme. The first time he came in he said: “G’day chief.” I was momentarily impressed thinking my status in life had been recognised and then I realised that that was what he said to everybody. But I remember him as a person who was larger than life in that job. He was passionate about what he was doing. He was honest and that gave him his influence. He was a strong advocate for his people and he was a particularly strong advocate for those who had been dealt a rough hand in life.He not only impressed the Labour Ministers but also apparently impressed one of the people in this House who was the hardest to impress a guy called Bill Birch. Bill Birch was known to have called in the Ministry of Education and the Department of Labour people and for half an hour he grilled the Ministry of Education people. He gave them an incredibly hard time and then at the end of it he turned to Parekura and said: “All OK Parekura? Fine that’s OK then.” I think that speaks volumes for how he was regarded and the confidence that Ministers had in him.Parekura had a huge commitment to basic Labour principles of fairness and of equity. He hated disadvantage. He hated the injustice that was meted out to people. He was 100 percent loyal to Labour and its leadership.His networks around the country were amazing. I had the privilege of travelling with him extensively over the 3 years I was Leader of the Opposition. Kelvin Davisreminded me this morning of a story. We were up in Kaitāia. Parekura said: “Hey chief I need to get some money out of the money machine.” He hopped out and was getting his money out. There was a car driving by. It slammed on its brakes and went into reverse the window wound open and a voice from inside called out “Uncle Pare!”. That was the sort of thing that actually happened to Pare all over the country. He was respected by Māori royalty and iwi leaders but he was loved by the grassroots.He worked so hard. Every 28th Māori Battalion reunion he attended. Every Matatini he went to. In fact I found him there one time working in the ticket office. He said this was the best way to see everybody who came in. It was a good trick. We can all learn from that. Every koroneihana the Māori Women’s Welfare League he was always there. He was granted the honour—strange for a male—of being made a life member; he was probably the only male life member that the Māori Women’s Welfare League has ever had but that was deserved as well.Pare’s health was not great but he persevered. I remember the story he told me. He told me it a couple of times. He said: “Phil I was told by a doctor 12 years ago that if I didn’t lose weight I only had 6 months to live. Hey Phil you know that doctor? He’s dead.” he said triumphantly. In his final hours Parekura said to my colleague Shane: “That is it. Now it is time to rest.” So rest now Pare. Your work is done. Moe mai e te rangatira moe mai e te hoa. Haere haere haere atu rā.[Rest there the esteemed leader and friend slumber on. Depart leave alas goodbye.]