Obituaries — Rangi Te Puru Sydney (Sonny) Sewell

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Kia ora tātou. I seek leave to move without notice and without debate a motion in my name with regard to the deaths of two eminent New Zealanders.

💬 Madam SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course being followed? There is no objection.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I am most reluctant to raise this objection, but I want to say that a number of us have had very senior members of the party die over the last year and previous years, and very eminent people in Māoridom at that—Pita Paraone’s father, for example, who was one of the last survivors of the Māori Battalion, recently died. But we would not think it appropriate to stop the business of the House with such frequency to debase the currency of the reason we do that for some people associated with Parliament in the past, or for people of the stature of Sir Edmund Hillary.

All I am saying to my colleague over here is that despite his approaching New Zealand First and being told that, he has sought to put this before the House today. I hope it is not to cause some embarrassment to my party in respect of these people, for whom we have the utmost time. We are very sympathetic for their families, but it is the way this institution is being sought to be used here that New Zealand First deems inappropriate. That is the reason why we did not come to this Parliament to do that following the deaths of people such as the Hon Bert Walker—a longstanding member of Parliament—Edwin Perry’s father, or Pita Paraone’s father. I put it to my colleague that this is an unfair use of Parliament, and to seek to embarrass us in this light is most unfortunate.

I thank the member for his contribution. As the member said, the only course of action is to object to leave being given. However, I am sure that members have noted what has been said and, presumably, if the practice continues members will take the course of action that is available to them.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I move, That this House acknowledge the passing of Monte Rereamoamo Ōhia of Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Te Arawa, a nationally and internationally respected educational leader who advanced developments in wānanga, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the Ministry and Department of Education, polytechnics, and universities for over three decades; acknowledge also the passing of respected Tuhourangi kaumātua Rangi Te Puru Sydney (Sonny) Sewell, one of Te Arawa’s last members of the 28th Māori Battalion; and agree that this House express our sincere sympathies to the whānau and friends of these two men, who have made such a significant contribution to our nation.

Motion agreed to.