Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill

I move, That the Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill be now read a first time. E te Manu Kōrero, rau rangatira mā tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnā hoki koutou ngā kaitautoko, koia nei taku pire tuatahi hei whakanui i a Matariki. Nō reira, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]

[Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and the many chiefs, greetings to you all. Greetings also to supporters. This is my first bill to celebrate Matariki. So to the powers and languages, greetings to you, greetings to you, and greetings to you all.]

The stars have certainly been in alignment for this important bill to be read today. At the midpoint of Māori Language Week we are proposing the introduction of a significant occurrence within the Māori calendar: the celebration of Matariki, the Māori new year. The theme for Māori Language Week this week is Te Reo i te Hapori, Māori Language in the Community. There is no better expression of community passion than in the Matariki festivals and celebrations held around the country.

The first reading of the Matariki Day Bill comes hot on the heels of an important report from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, called Cultural Indicators for New Zealand 2009. The report sets a very clear direction ahead for what the ministry describes as a “distinctly ‘New Zealand’ cultural identity”. Three key themes underlie the concept: first, New Zealanders identify their common culture and heritage as being distinctive to this nation; second, expressions of our culture are valued because they link past, present, and future generations of New Zealanders; and, third, Māori culture is valued for the contribution it makes to New Zealand’s identity.

The Matariki Day Bill, therefore, is an opportunity to embrace and welcome the chance to stand proud of our distinctly New Zealand cultural identity. The bill is an idea that has been waiting to happen. Over 15 years ago artists Diane Prince, Iwa Holmes, and others formed a trust to reintroduce Matariki celebrations. Jim Rahi, a member of the trust, named it Te Whakanui i a Matariki, and in 1995 Pipitea Marae celebrated it in style. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Nowadays Matariki is an event that is almost universally celebrated around the motu. Matariki builds on a groundswell of support for a new indigenous event to celebrate the unique place in which we live, and to pay our respects to the land, the people, and the history. Matariki is a positive occasion—literally, the dawning of a new age. Matariki has traditionally been a time for planting and planning activities for the year ahead, for valuing our past, and for preparing for our future. All those activities are significant steps in nation-building. Matariki symbolises the optimum time for new harvests. In earlier times our people used to make offerings to the gods Rongo, Uenuku, and Whiro to protect our crops for the coming year.

Matariki is a very special time of the year, a time in which we pause and reflect on the year that was and the year that will be. On this unique indigenous occasion we seek to value our past and to preserve history, knowledge, culture, and traditional practices, while at the same time preparing for the future. I ask the House what other days in the year we are able to say we celebrate the indigenous peoples of the land. Some might say that Waitangi Day is such a day, but Waitangi Day is about the birth of our nation, the bringing together of two peoples, and the signing of the sacred covenant Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Matariki is a festival in which we can truly commemorate the indigenous origins of Aotearoa by giving respect to the unique customs and culture of tangata whenua.

What is exciting about the promotion of Matariki is that it also joins us in the special relationships we have with our brothers and sisters in Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the peoples of the Pacific. In Samoa they refer to the time of year as Matali’i, in Tahiti it is known as Matari’i, in Hawaii it is known as Makali’i, and in Rarotonga and Aotearoa it is known as Matariki.

The glittering star cluster that signals Matariki was celebrated by our ancestors mai rā anō. In fact, Dr Rāwiri Taonui from Canterbury University suggests that the celebrations continued until after 1900, with the last traditional festival known in 1940.

The inspiration to mark Matariki as a day of national importance has emerged from the people with the drive for the revitalisation of te reo and the renaissance of Māori. It is a breath of fresh air into the journey for nationhood. For those with green passions, the moment of Matariki rising connects to an interest in astronomy and our natural world. For historians, Matariki is a time to treasure our past. For all New Zealanders, Matariki offers us a unique opportunity to connect in a positive celebration that takes its origins from this land.

Just over a month ago the Mayor of Waitakere, Bob Harvey, called for a new public holiday to mark Matariki. It is a call that has come from all corners. The Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand wrote to all of New Zealand’s mayors in May of this year, and received responses from several who were already planning to host Matariki celebrations. At Christchurch’s Ngā Hau e Whā national marae the Matariki event is for everyone, as demonstrated by the range of multicultural communities taking part. In Te Arawa, Ānaru Rangiheuea supports the concept of Matariki as a national event as a way of what he suggests is “celebrating this special country we live in”. Over in Ngāti Kahungunu territory, Ngāhiwi Tomoana called for making Matariki a public holiday, concluding: “I believe that future generations of New Zealanders will embrace it with gusto.” Even in this House, Green co-leader Metiria Turei has promoted the call of the people to make Matariki a public holiday.

If we are ever going to move forward as a nation, we need to find things that connect us. It was heartening to hear the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, the Hon Chris Finlayson, stand in the Chamber today and proclaim that Māori culture, and celebrations of that culture, is part of New Zealand’s unique international brand. He went further, recognising that the strength and vitality of Māori culture, and celebrations of that culture, help to set us apart on the international stage. That is all so true. We know that his voice is not a lone voice in the National caucus. Would it not be great to allow the public a voice to open the debate about whether New Zealanders would like an opportunity to celebrate our distinctive cultural identity by the introduction of a Matariki Day?

What possible defence can there be for maintaining the “day after” holidays—the day after 1 January and the day after Christmas Day—or for maintaining events to commemorate a man who devised a gunpowder plot to blow up the English Parliament, yet to flatly refuse—

💬 Hone Harawira: May I continue, Mr Assistant Speaker?

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker): You certainly may.

What possible defence can there be for maintaining the “day after” holidays—the day after 1 January and the day after Christmas Day—or for maintaining events that commemorate a man who devised a gunpowder plot to blow up the English Parliament, yet to flatly refuse to engage in conversation about an indigenous-inspired event for Aotearoa? All we want is to let the people have a say.

What does it tell us when the Prime Minister was asked in June 2009 about whether he would support Matariki Day and responded: “I can’t say I have given any great thought to the matter but it’s probably a no,”? The Te Rā o Matariki Bill is the opportunity to give great thought to supporting an event that is celebrated by many nationalities throughout Aotearoa. It is an opportunity to embrace a celestial event, a festival that is inclusive of this place and respectful of indigenous origins. It is an opportunity to listen to others, to open the door, and to have the conversation, not to say no before the debate has even begun.

Today Business New Zealand launched a set of proposals entitled Setting New Zealand Apart, which is a contribution to a national conversation about how we can perform better. We believe that the bill is the ideal means by which to improve New Zealand’s productivity, while at the same time boosting cultural identity. A national celebration of our unique indigenous beginnings, a day in the midst of winter, when workers could be revitalised physically, mentally, and spiritually, could well set Aotearoa apart as a nation that cares for its people, workers, families, and communities.

In closing, I return to the wisdom of Dr Rāwiri Taonui: “Some say that Matariki should become a public holiday. Good idea. The small constellation of glittering jewels reflects our journey as one nation, two peoples and many cultures—a time for New Zealanders to shine as one.” Kia ora tātou.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker): The member Rahui Katene is required by Standing Order 279(1) to indicate in her introductory speech the select committee to which the bill is intended to go. Could the member Hone Harawira indicate which committee the bill will go to if the House agrees to it.

The Māori Affairs Committee.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. I will start by acknowledging and congratulating Rahui Katene on what I am sure will always be a significant day, if for no other reason than the Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill is her first member’s bill, which is no small feat. I acknowledge her extended whānau, who are here today, no doubt to support her on this occasion. No one who has heard the member speak can doubt her sincerity, her conviction, and her integrity of purpose in bringing this bill to the House. I pay tribute to her and to the Māori Party for fleshing out this debate, and for the work they have done in bringing to the fore issues to do with and concerning Māori in this Parliament.

I have a growing respect for the members of the Māori Party, and I hope it is a mutual thing. I have got to know Hone Harawira a little on the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee, and Te Ururoa Flavell as a member who shares with me Tauranga Moana. I have got to know other members of the Māori Party, as well. I respect Rahui Katene and the Māori Party, and I respect what they are trying to achieve, at least as I understand it, in bringing this bill forward. They come to this seeking not just to ask for a holiday on Matariki Day but also to raise issues of Māori culture and tradition and to bring them to the fore in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is, as I think the member said, quite apt that we have this bill before the House this week, Māori Language Week. As the member said, it must have been in the stars.

But even though I support the purpose, if you like, and integrity behind this bill in bringing Māori issues, traditions, and custom to the fore, I do not support nor believe that the mechanics of this bill are necessary or even right in terms of fulfilling the purposes, albeit laudable, that Rahui Katene and the Māori Party have. In short, my view is quite clear. We do not require a public holiday to mark Matariki, or, more broadly, to raise awareness of Māori custom and tradition issues in our nation.

The reality, as I perceive it, in Tauranga Moana and in other parts of this nation, is that there is a great movement towards events and traditions like Matariki. Last year I was at a Matariki ball in Tauranga, although this year, through parliamentary commitments, I could not make it. I am also aware of a number of other functions in my own electorate to mark this time of the year. My point is that I do not believe it is necessary to have a public holiday to mark Matariki in order to have respect for it and an awareness of Māori traditions—our traditions. It is simply not correct to say, in principle, that in order to celebrate something and to believe in something, even passionately, a holiday is required. If that was the case, we would have holidays on many other occasions as well.

I will not be supporting this bill and National members will not be supporting this bill, notwithstanding our respect for Rahui Katene, the Māori Party, and the integrity with which they bring this bill to the House. I say to Opposition members that this party does not come here with this bill to play petty politics, and neither should they.

Ā, tēnā koe. Tēnei e tū tautoko ana ngā mihi ki a koe, Rāhui. Ko tēnei tō pire tuatahi e hari koa ana te ngākau kua whakaarohia e koe mō tēnei kaupapa hei whakanui i a Matariki i roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata, nō reira, tēnā koe, tēnā koutou. E tū ana ki te whakamārama i ngā whakaaro kei waenganui i a mātou te Rōpū Reipa me whakaaetia te haeretanga o tēnei pire ki te komiti whakahaere kia āta whakaarohia, kia āta wānangahia ngā take katoa.

Anā, kua rongohia e tātou ngā whakaaro o Nāhinara e pā ana ki tēnei. Āhua ohorere ahau ki ōna whakaaro nā te mea ko ōna whanaunga kei waenganui i a Ngāti Maniapoto, e tino tautoko ana i tēnei pire. Ahakoa te aha, ko te mea nunui kua whakaaetia e mātou kia haere tēnei pire ki te komiti whakahaere ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero katoa. Ka mutu tērā, ka whakatakoto kei waenganui i a mātou me ngā kaupapa e pā ana ki ngā take o tēnei pire, tēnā koutou. Ahakoa kua tapa koe i tēnei pire, ko te pire o Matariki me kaua e warewaretia, ko ngā whetū katoa kei waenganui i raro i tērā kaupapa, a Waiiti, Waitā, Ururangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi me te mātāmua a Matariki. Nō reira, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koe.

[Greetings to you. I rise in support of the acknowledgments accorded you, Rāhui. This is your first bill and I am really pleased that you have thought to celebrate this with a bill on Matariki in this House of Parliament, so greetings to you and your colleagues. I rise to explain that we in the Labour Party will support this bill going to a select committee so that all aspects of it are carefully considered and deliberated.

Now we have heard the views from the National member. I am somewhat startled by his views, because his relatives in Ngāti Māniapoto really support this bill. Regardless of that, the most important thing is that we have agreed that this bill should go to a select committee so that everything about it is heard. When that has been done, then it will come back before us with all the relevant details. Congratulations. While you called this bill the Matariki bill, we must never forget that it is not just about the elder sister, Matariki, but it is also about the younger sisters, Waiti, Waitā, Ururangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, and Waipunarangi, as well. But I commend you highly.]

I certainly endorsed the comments directed towards Rahui Katene that commended her for putting forward this bill, Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill, for the House to consider. It is timely. It is just past the season of Matariki, so it is timely that we consider this issue.

The comments made by the previous speaker, Simon Bridges, were noted, but it might be of some interest to him that many people in Ngāti Maniapoto support this particular bill. It should get a fair and full hearing at a select committee. Labour will support this bill’s first reading and its going to a select committee, which will hear all the debate on whether an extra holiday should be created and all the issues associated with it.

I would suggest that celebrating Matariki is more relevant for many of today’s New Zealanders and future New Zealanders than, perhaps, celebrating Queen’s Birthday is, but let us see. The debate should be had, and, in its full extent, the bill should be reported back to the House for consideration. I know that members speaking after me will draw a comparison with, and allude to, other substantial issues such as the impact on the Holidays Act and working people, and the idea of swapping Matariki as a public holiday for another public holiday.

Perhaps of more interest to the Prime Minister is the extensive calendar of events that has been in operation for the last 5 years or so—and ramping up—amongst our communities to celebrate Matariki. Rahui alluded to some of those events in our rohe, but I know that the New Zealand Māori Tourism Council will be absolutely thrilled at having the opportunity to give a focal point to a celebration that a number of other events in the Māori tourism calendar hinge on. I am sure that it will see fit also to offer some thoughts about how this event will bring a greater focus to the indigenous contribution to the tourism landscape, and how it can add value to our profile in addition to our clean, green image. So it is well done.

Also, finally, Te Paki o Matariki is a cluster of stars that sit on a flag back in the Waikato-Tainui rohe—on the Kīngitanga flag—for a deliberate purpose: Te Paki o Matariki in itself represents the ambition and aspiration of those who support the movement, and the values of sustainability.

It is timely also in a recession that we give mention to Matariki, because it is about a sustainable way of being. That is the whole-world view that we bring in association with the values, towards this particular star cluster. It is important because it recognises the heritage of our people as navigators, as travellers, as adventurers, as people who looked beyond the horizon. But it is important also because we knew that we needed to be able to survive by our own efforts and our ability to look after ourselves. Just as much as we celebrate Matariki for the harvest yet to come and the harvest past, it is an aspirational statement about our intention for this country that Matariki lead the way for a sustainable future for all New Zealanders, so I certainly commend the member on that front, as well.

Finally, can I mention that this bill is a great opportunity for the House to consider not just a national holiday but perhaps the framing of the future direction that our country may take. I hope the debate is not politicised to the extent that people diminish the argument by referring to Matariki as just another holiday, because it is not just about another holiday; it is about framing the national identity of this country, and firmly fixing our contribution as indigenous people to the framing of that debate.

Nō reira, ki a koe anō, koutou i raro i te Pāti Māori, tino mihi rawa atu ki a koutou, tātou katoa.

[So I really acknowledge you and those of the Māori Party once again, and all of us as well.]

Thank you.

E te Mana Whakawā o te Whare me aku hoa mema Pāremata aku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa i roto i te Wiki o te Reo Māori, tēnā koutou. Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

[Greetings to you, the Assistant Speaker of the House and all fellow parliamentarians during Māori Language Week. Greetings to us all assembled here.]

Firstly, at the start of this speech I join with other speakers before me in commending and acknowledging Rahui Katene for bringing forward the Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill as her first member’s bill. I think the sincerity and deep-seated roots of her beliefs are shown in the fact that she has made this particular bill the one that she has brought before us. The reason I stand is really as a mark of respect and to share with members my views, because I think it is important that we have the conversation on a kanohi ki te kanohi basis, rather than not having it and letting members wonder where I sit on this bill. That is the reason that I stand in respect of this bill.

I say at the outset that I fully support the concept of celebrating Matariki, but unfortunately I do not support this bill, and National does not support this bill, for the reasons that I will explain shortly. I have three limbs to this conversation. The first is to ask why we have public holidays, which is a fundamental question that we must ask ourselves. The term “public holidays” stems, in fact, from holy days. That is what public holidays were originally about—holy days. At the outset we had Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. We have subsequently added other holidays. We have added Anzac Day, which celebrates the fallen and the people who have defended this country—and they are recognised in the memorial plaques that surround this Chamber. We have also added Waitangi Day, which is a day to celebrate our nationhood.

💬 Hone Harawira: The holiest of holies.

The holiest of holies. We have added New Year. I say to myself that, OK, there is not much of a holy day about that, but I guess it is an Anglo-Saxonised version of celebrating the fact that it is 1 January. OK, that might just scrape in.

But then I ask, why do we celebrate Boxing Day? Why do we celebrate the second day of January? Why do we celebrate Labour Day? The reason we celebrate Labour Day is that it represents the labour movement’s desire to have 8 hours’ work, 8 hours’ rest, and 8 hours’ recreation. On that basis, why do we not have a business day, or an entrepreneurial day? We could make the same argument for having such holidays. We celebrate the Queen’s birthday, but the day on which we celebrate her birthday happens to be the birthday of her grandfather. Someone should tell me why we celebrate it on that day. We have provincial holidays. We have all those holidays. That tells us that the whole basis of public holidays has changed. That is the background as to why we have got into this situation.

I now turn to the second limb of my argument. I think it is very important for a country to celebrate its culture, and I am proud to stand here and say the greatest advance in this country in terms of celebrating our cultural heritage came under a National administration. I refer to the kōhanga reo movement, which was introduced and supported by a former National Government.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker Barker. Tēnā koe, Rahui, and tēnā koe, Nanaia, who has just left the Chamber. I thank them for their contributions to this important discussion that we need to be having.

Labour supports this bill, Ta Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill, going to a select committee, because we think a conversation on whether there should be a uniquely indigenous holiday among New Zealand’s public holidays is one that we need to have. I congratulate Rahui Katene on having the bill drawn from the ballot, and on bringing this matter to the attention of Parliament.

However, there are some other issues going on at the moment that I must bring to the attention of Parliament and the public. These are issues of workers’ rights for all New Zealanders—for workers, for Māori workers, for New Zealanders. While we consider this bill tonight, the irony is that New Zealanders’ existing public holidays, let alone new public holidays, and their annual leave are under attack from this National Government. We have yet another so-called review of the Holidays Act going on, as we speak. Although National has sought to offer soothing words about that review, members will forgive me if I am somewhat cynical, because we have been here before. There is no reason for cashing up the fourth week of leave, other than to reduce the entitlement to leave. There is no other reason for poking around relevant daily pay, which is in the review, other than to reduce the pay that workers receive when they are sick. Although I support the conversation we are having, I am concerned about what is happening in the background.

To be fair, National did signal those issues in its manifesto. But for good measure it has thrown in, without warning, another couple of things that were not in the manifesto. It seems to me that they are there only because some businesses have them on their black list; we hear that again and again. First there is the proposal to allow workers to transfer public holidays. I suppose they could transfer a Matariki public holiday. The example that is used is Ramadan. The idea came from the Employers and Manufacturers Association in submissions on a bill last year. I think my suspicions that this proposal is a National Government ploy to reduce entitlements to extra pay while working on a public holiday, which Labour introduced, are spot on. Interestingly enough, this proposal has now become one of the 50 suggestions from Business New Zealand about how to improve New Zealand’s productivity—please, for goodness’ sake—along with things like privatising accident compensation and scaling back workers’ rights. It really lacks imagination.

Let us be clear about what National’s plan means. If workers agree to swap one of the existing public holidays, such as Christmas Day, for a day at the end of Ramadan or, indeed, Matariki, and they work on Christmas Day, which is the official public holiday, they will get no extra pay for working on that day—no time and a half, which Labour introduced in the last few years when it was in Government. The Government wants to dilute the right to public holidays across the board, and it wants to force workers to work for no extra pay. That is what National wants to do, and I think it is disgraceful.

What has emerged out of the blue, with no prior warning, is the old Easter Sunday shop trading debate. We all have issues; we all have a different opinion about whether the shops should be open on Easter Sunday. This Parliament has tried over several years to find a measure whereby people can agree whether shops should be open on Easter Sunday. Each time it has been voted down in a conscience vote. I am one who has voted and will continue to vote against that sort of proposal, because retail workers are adamantly opposed to it, and why should they not be? After all, we have only 3.5 days left in the whole calendar year when workers are not forced to work and when shops are not open. Why would this latest attempt to sort it out work when Parliament has failed to find a solution that we could all agree to?

Although Labour supports this bill, I think we should have the conversation, and I welcome it, I have to say the background stuff, the noise that is going on with the Holidays Act—

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker): I regret to advise the member that her time has expired.

Kia ora. Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. I want to express the Green Party’s support for the Te Rā o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill; our nine votes will support its referral to a select committee. I also stand in support of my Māori Party colleagues who brought this bill to the House. As I well know, members’ bills are hard fought for, rare, and deserve a great deal of consideration, certainly more than what I think the National Party has given to bills this evening.

Firstly, I say the Green Party particularly supports the concept of a holiday in the period between Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day. One of the issues we have with this bill, and we would be happy to explore it in the select committee, is the time period for this holiday, because in the bill it is quite early. None the less, we fully support there being an additional holiday for workers and their families, particularly at this time when families are under a great deal more pressure and stress than they were under. The opportunity to spend more time with each other on days that workers can have off is a very good thing, and the Green Party fully supports that.

One issue that has not been raised sufficiently in the debate is that this bill is a means to recognise tikanga Māori in a legislative form—and it is a fairly minor form. This would be the first time that this has happened in legislation in any real way outside the colonial framework. This bill is about recognising a Māori approach to or a Māori world view of the nature of the cosmos and time periods. It is about recognising pre-colonial Māori legitimacy, and there is no debate in this House about that. National is all talk. It is concerned only about industry. Earlier today we heard about National’s support for the fishing industry and that it is only interested in supporting employers.

Debate interrupted.

The House adjourned at 10 p.m.