Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill

I move, That the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill be now read a first time. Tēnā anō koe Mr Speaker. E Te Kaihautū o Te Whare, tēnei au ka mōtini kia pānuitia tuatahitia Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori. Ka whakaingoa hoki au i Te Komiti Whiriwhiri i ngā Take Māori māna hei tirotiro tēnei pire. Hai te wā rite ana, e mea ana au ki te mōtini i tērā me whakahoki mai taua komiti i tāna kōrero mō te pire ki tēnei Whare a te 20 o Poutū-te-Rangi, 2015, ā, kai taua komiti hoki te mana ki te hui i ngā wā e hui ana Te Whare hāunga i te wā mō ngā pātai ā-waha, i te pō rānei o te rā e noho nei Te Whare, ā, i te Paraire rānei o te wiki e hui ai Te Whare ahakoa ngā whakaritenga a Whakataunga Tūroa 188 me 191(1) (b) (c).

Hai tīmatanga kōrero, kōrerohia Te Reo. He tāonga Te Reo Māori nō ngā iwi o te motu me ngāi Māori nui tonu. He wāhanga nui hoki Te Reo nō te tuakiri ahurea o ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa. Hai Te Kaihautū. Kai te mōhiotia whānuitia ngā kōrero mō te tāheke o Te Reo Māori i te tau 20 kua hori nei. Ā, i te tīmatanga o tērā rau tau, e 100 percent te katoa o ngā Māori e kōrero Māori ana. Eke rawa atu ki ngā tau e 70, kua tāheke tēnei kaute mā te 20 percent ā, kua kaumātua noa te tokomaha o ērā tāngata. I poropititia e ōna ake tōhunga āhua reo pāpori teitei rawa, tērā ka mate Te Reo Māori i roto i te whakatipuranga kotahi. Ka tahuri ngā iwi ki te akiaki i te kāwanatanga i ngā tau e 70 kia whakaakona Te Reo Māori i ngā kura; kia whakaritea mai he wāhanga motuhake mō Te Reo Māori ki roto i Te Kaporeihana Pāho. Kāre i roa, ka whānau mai ko Te Ātaarangi hai kaupapa whakaako i te hunga pakeke ki Te Reo Māori.

[Thank you once again, Mr Speaker, I move that the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider this bill. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 20 March 2015, and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting, except during oral questions, during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House, and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House, despite Standing Orders 188 and 191(1)(b) and (c).

As an introduction, speak the language! The Māori language is a treasure of tribes and Māori people and an important part as well of the cultural identity of all New Zealanders. Mr Speaker, it is well documented that the health of the Māori language declined over the course of the 20th century. At the start of that century, 100 percent of our people spoke Māori. By the 1970s, this had declined to about 20 percent and these people were mainly the elderly. Its own leading sociolinguists predicted that the death of the Māori language would be within one generation. In response, tribes began to urge government in the 1970s to teach the Māori language in schools and to set aside a special Māori language unit within the Broadcasting Corporation. Before long, the Cuisenaire rods method of teaching the Māori language was born and used as a basis to teach the Māori language to adults].

💬 Te Ururoa Flavell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, he kaupapa nui tēnei mō te Minita o Te Reo Māori. Kai te hoihoi rawa ngā taha e rua nō reira, kai te īnoi atu māu rātau e whakatika kia āhua ngāwari te kōrero.

[Mr Speaker, this is an important matter for the Minister of the Māori language. Both sides are making just a little too much noise and so I am begging you to tell them to modify the volume of the discussions somewhat.]

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am going to uphold that point of order. Members need to show a little more decorum. I know that this is a time when members traditionally leave the House and organise the afternoon’s activities, but we do have a member introducing a bill, and I would just ask for decorum. Thank you.

💬 Tracey Martin: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Look, is this an extension of what I have just dealt with?

💬 Tracey Martin: I just want to alert you to the fact that there is no translation.

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. Right, I understand there are some difficulties with translation. It is coming through quite clearly in my headset and, yes, the Clerk has it as well, so I am not sure what that member’s problem is. [Interruption] Look, let me just say, irrespective of whether or not people have a translation, there is no reason for the disorder that is currently continuing.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Kāre i roa ka whānau mai ko Te Ātaarangi hei kaupapa whakaako i te hunga pakeke ki Te Reo Māori. Kātahi ka hua mai ko Te Kōhanga Reo i Te Wānanga Tū Tangata, nō muri mai ko Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, ko ngā Kura ā-Iwi, ā, ko ngā Wharekura, ko ngā Wānanga hoki. Tērā anō ngā piki me ngā heke o te kaupapa nei ēngari ia, kei wareware tātou ko te tino kaupapa o ngā mahi katoa nei, ko te tuku i Te Reo o ngā mātua tīpuna ki ngā mokopuna. Kāre i kō atu, kāre i kō mai.

Nō te tau 1987, ka whakaturetia Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori. Koia rā te whakaaetanga atu a Te Karauna he taonga Te Reo Māori nō ngā iwi me ngāi Māori. Ā, ko te whakature hoki tērā he reo whai mana ā-ture Te Reo Māori ki a Aotearoa nei. Nō ngā tau o nā tata nei, tērā ētahi arotake e rua o Te Rautaki Reo Māori: ko Te Reo Mauriora (2011) i whakaputahia e taku Paepae Motuhake, ā, Ko Aotearoa Tēnei (2011) te pūrongo a Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi mō Wai 262.

Nā runga i te āhua o ngā whakakitenga nei, ka tono au ki Te Uepu Minita kia whakaaetia aku kaupapa mō te whakahou i Te Rautaki Reo Māori. Nō te Hui-tanguru i tēnei tau, e whitu ngā hui mō Te Rautaki Reo Māori hou ka kawea ki ngā tōpitotanga o Aotearoa. I taki taetae mai hoki ngā tāpae ā-tuhituhi nei a te takitahi, a ngā rōpū reo Māori anō hoki. I tae ā-tinana ahau ki ngā hui e ono. Kei te āta whakapono au i rangona ngā reo o te hunga e hiahia ana ki te tuku kōrero mai, hei aha wā ētahi atu. I tātarihia ngā tāpaetanga katoa e Te Puni Kōkiri. Nō te Haratua o nā tata nei, ka whakaaetia Te Rautaki Reo Māori 2014. Ka riro mā tēnei pire e whiriwhiri nei tātou i tēnei rā, e whakatutuki ētahi wāhanga nui o Te Rautaki Reo Māori nei.

Nā, mō te pire nei, e rua ngā whāinga a te pire mō Te Reo Māori; ko te whakapiki i te whai mana tangata ā-ture o Te Reo Māori; ko te whakaū hoki i te rangatiratanga o ngā iwi me ngāi Māori nui tonu ki tō rātou Reo. Mō te rangatiratanga o ngā iwi me ngāi Māori, i tō rātou reo, ko Te Mātāwai tērā, arā, ko tētahi whakahaere motuhake ka whakatūria ki roto i te pire nei. Ka noho here a Te Mātāwai nei ki ngā iwi me ngāi Māori, ā, ka riro māna e whakatinana te kaitiakitanga o ngā iwi me ngāi Māori i tō rātou Reo. Ka riro anō mā Te Mātāwai e ārahi, e tohutohu a Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori, a Te Māngai Pāho. Ka mahi tahi ia i Te Minita Māori me Te Minita Pūtea ki te ārahi i Te Whakaata Māori. Ka tukuna te rangatiratanga o ēnei whakahaere katoa e Te Karauna ki ngā iwi me ngāi Māori nui tonu.

Heoi anō, māku e kī atu ki Te Whare nei, ēhara rawa i te mea, ka motua e Te Karauna ōna herenga, ōna kawenga ki te tautoko i Te Reo Māori. Ka mahi tahi kē te Karauna, arā, ko Te Minita Māori me Te Mātāwai. Ka tekau mā rua ngā mema o Te Mātāwai. Tokowhitu o rātou ka tohua e ngā kāhuinga iwi e whitu. Tokotoru ka tohua e ngā māngai o ngā rōpū whakahaere Reo Māori, ngā kaiako me ērā atu. Ka kīia tēnei rōpū ko Te Reo Tukutuku. Ā, tokorua ka tohua e Te Minita Māori mō Te Karauna. Kia oti te whakatū i a Te Mātāwai, me whāngai ki tētahi pūtea āwhina ka tīkina atu i Te Pōti Take Māori ā tōna wā e tika ana. Hai Te Kaihautū, tēnā koe.

Ka whakarerekē tēnei pire i te Māori Television Service Act 2003, arā, ka whakakorea Te Pūtahi Paoho. Ka whakawhitia katoatia āna mahi, kawenga, hua, taunaha ki a Te Mātāwai. Mā tēnei ka kotahi te waka mō ngā iwi me ngāi Māori nui tonu. Me mihi au ki ngā mema o Te Pūtahi Paoho mō tō rātou tautoko i Te Whakaata Māori i te tekau tau kua hori nei. Ka whakarerekē hoki tēnei pire i te ture mō ngā Hinonga Karauna 2004 mā te tango atu i Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori me Te Māngai Pāho i Wāhanga 2 o Te Āpiti 1 o tēnei Ture nō te mea, ka mutu te noho a ēnei whakahaere hei hinonga karauna. Ka mau tonu rāua ki ō rāua āhua o tēnei wā. Ka mau anō hoki ki ā rāua mahi, ā rāua whakahaere o te wā nei me ō rāua kawenga.

Ka noho mai ko ngā mema o ngā poari me ngā kaimahi katoa i runga i ngā kirimana me ngā whakahaere o tēnei wā ēngari ia, ka noho here a Te Taura Whiri me Te Māngai Pāho ki a Te Mātāwai. Mā konei, mā Te Mātāwai nei e noho here ai rāua ki ngā iwi me ngāi Māori nui tonu. Kua whakapakarihia e tēnei pire a Te Māngai Pāho. Ka whakapakari hoki i a Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo. Ka hikia te pūtea āwhina ki a rāua mō ngā reo irirangi, mō ngā kaupapa kei roto i te hapori Māori whānui hoki. Nā reira, kei te koa katoa ahau ki te kōkiri i tēnei pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire me te tuku i a ia ki Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Māori. Kei te pōuri ahau, kāre au i te noho mai kia tutuki rā anō ngā wānanga, ngā wāhanga katoa o te pire i roto i Te Whare nei ēngari ia, ko te kaupapa te mea nui, kaua ko te tangata kotahi. Me āwhina tātou i tō tātou Reo, ā, me whakapau kaha ki te tautoko i a ia i te ao, i te pō. Koirā au ka tono kia whakaaetia te mōtini, kia whakahokia mai ngā kōrero ki tēnei Whare a te komiti whiriwhiri mā te 20 o Poutū-te-Rangi 2015.

Hei kōrero whakamutunga, harikoa au ki te mau i ngā kōrero a ngā kaiārahi o ngā iwi e tautoko ana, me ngā kaiārahi o Aotearoa nei, ā, me te huinga o ngā iwi kaiārahi. Nā reira ahakoa he wā poto, ka mihi au ki a koutou katoa e kawe nei i Te Reo ahakoa ki whea, kōrerohia ki roto i ngā kāinga, ki hea rānei. Nā reira tēnā tātou, kai raro.

[Before long, the Cuisenaire Rods method of teaching the Māori language was born and used as a basis to teach the Māori language to adults. Language nurseries which sprung up from a Stand Tall Humans tertiary institution came next, and later Māori medium schools, Tribal schools, and later still Māori medium secondary schools and Māori medium tertiary institutions. This philosophy has had its ups and downs, but without a doubt we must never forget that the enduring commitment behind all these programmes is the transmission of our ancestral language to grandchildren. No more, no less.

The enactment of the Māori Language Act took place in 1987. That was the acknowledgment of the Crown that the Māori language is a treasure of tribes and Māori people. It enacts the Māori language as well as an official language of New Zealand. In recent years, there have been two reviews of the Māori Language Strategy: The Language and a Living Life Principle (2011) produced by an independent panel I commissioned; and This New Zealand (2011), the Waitangi Tribunal report for the Wai 262 claim.

After consideration of these findings, I sought Cabinet agreement to revise and modernise the Government Māori Language Strategy. In February 2014, seven regional consultation seminars were held across New Zealand. Written submissions were also received from individuals and groups. I attended six of the consultation seminars, and I am confident that interested New Zealanders had ample opportunity to have their say. All the oral and written submissions were assessed by the Ministry of Māori Development. In May of this year, Cabinet approved the Māori Language Strategy 2014. The legislation that we are considering today will give effect to some important elements of the Māori Language Strategy.

The bill itself, the Māori language bill, has two aims. It seeks to strengthen the recognition of the Māori language and the leadership roles of iwi and Māori. Te Mātāwai will be responsible for providing direction and oversight of the Māori Language Commission and the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency. It will undertake certain functions with regard to the Māori Television Service jointly with the Minister of Māori Affairs and the Minister of Finance. In short, the authority for these Māori language entities will be transferred from the Crown to tribes and Māori people.

However, I want to be clear in what I say in the House, that the Crown will not divest itself of its responsibilities and commitments for the Māori language. Rather, the Crown, through the Minister of Māori Affairs, will undertake its roles in conjunction with Te Mātāwai. It will consist of 12 members, seven of whom will be appointed by regional clusters of tribes, three members appointed by a Māori language stakeholder group, and two members appointed by the Minister of Māori Affairs on behalf of the Crown. When established, I anticipate that Te Mātāwai will require an operating budget which will be sourced from within Vote Māori Affairs at an appropriate time.

This bill amends the Māori Television Service Act 2003 in order to disestablish the Māori Television Electoral College and transfer all its functions, duties, assets and liabilities to Te Mātāwai. This will ensure that tribes and Māori people are represented by a single, coordinated entity. I acknowledge the contribution by members of the Māori Television Electoral College to the Māori Television Service over the past decade. This bill also amends the Crown Entities Act 2004 by removing the Māori Language Commission and the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency from Part 2, Schedule 1 of that Act as these two organisations will cease to be crown entities. They will retain their current functions and responsibilities and all board members including staff will be retained under existing employment terms and conditions.

The significant change is that the Māori Language Commission and the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency will be accountable to Te Mātāwai in the first instance. Through it they will ultimately be responsible and accountable to tribes and Māori people. This bill will strengthen the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency and the Māori Language Commission. Funding for both will increase for Māori radio and projects within the wider Māori community. And so I am totally pleased to advance the first reading of this bill and refer it to the Māori Affairs committee. I am disappointed that I won’t be remaining here until all deliberations, stages and readings of this bill through the House are completed. But the task is the most important thing not the individual. We must help our language and support it day and night. Hence I urge this motion to be agreed to and the bill reported back to the House by 20 March 2015.

In conclusion, I am delighted to take up the supporting discourse by tribal leaders as well as leading figures here in New Zealand and the tribal leaders’ group. Therefore, despite the time being brief, I acknowledge all of you who have taken up the language, and regardless where you use it, speak it in the homes or wherever. Thank you, I resume my seat.]

He mihi mahana, he mihi matariki ki a koutou katoa. Kua tau tēnei pire i mua i te aroaro o Te Pāremata. Ki taku mōhio ko te tino whāinga he whakatū i tētahi poari whakahaere hei ārahi i ngā rautaki, arā, ngā kaupapa e pa ana ki Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori, Te Māngai Pāho me Te Pouaka Whakaata Māori. Heoi anō, i tukua tēnei kaupapa ki mua i te aroaro o Te Taraipiunara me taua hiahia kia ora ia tō tātou Reo Māori. Ki a mātou nei o Reipa, he taonga Te Reo Māori mō ngāi Māori, arā, mō ngā tāngata katoa.

[A warm, be it small, acknowledgment to you all. This bill has alighted before Parliament. To my understanding its principal objective is to establish a governance body to drive strategies—namely, matters for discussion that relate to the Māori Language Commission, the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency and Māori Television. However, this matter was sent before the Waitangi Tribunal with that very desire that our Māori language remain a live one. To us of Labour the Māori language is a treasure for all Māori and for everyone.]

The first reading of the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill during Māori Language Week provides exactly the right context to assess its purpose and consequences for our indigenous language. First and foremost, Labour considers Te Reo Māori to be a taonga for Māori and for all New Zealanders. The recognition of Māori as an official language in 1987 gave licence to its use in Māori settings in addition to the freedom of expression and its use in public places, in schools, and on official occasions. That has resulted in greater acceptance and normalisation of Te Reo Māori.

This House is well attuned to the chequered history prior to the language revitalisation movement. Indeed, in my grandparents’ time they carried lucid memories of being forced to speak in English. This in turn had a consequent impact on the next generation, which may have had access to Māori in the home but not in the wider society they were engaging in. I count myself fortunate to have been a child on the cusp of the language revitalisation movement in the 1980s. Although bilingual education became a reality in my community in 1981, it gained momentum fully as a result of the Wai 11 claim and the subsequent Māori Language Act 1987. Those brave ambitions were championed by Māori leaders and language experts past and present, who understood the significance of language, culture, and identity for Māori to prosper and survive in our country. Our greatest respect is accorded to all those who led this charge. Minister Sharples, you are amongst that cohort. Tēnā koe.

I draw the attention of members to that point in history because the 1987 Act was not a creature of Government policy. It was a direct response to a Waitangi Tribunal claim where the rights of Māori and the responsibility of the Crown were juxtaposed on the status of Te Reo Māori. The bill we are considering today is a creature of Government policy. It should pass one simple hurdle, in my mind, to assure those champions of Te Reo Māori that its provisions are consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Inherent in this test is the ability of the Waitangi Tribunal to consider the extent of the Crown’s ongoing fiduciary obligation to protect Te Reo as a taonga for Māori.

At the completion of this first reading debate, I intend to move a motion to send the bill to the tribunal for that exact purpose and for no other reason. This is a matter of principle and not a question about who allocates resources or who sits on boards. This would allow the House to consider the full implications of transferring responsibility and oversight for Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Māngai Pāho from the Crown to Te Mātāwai.

Ki taku mōhio, pai kē te tuku i ngā mana whakahaere ki ngā iwi, kia kawe i te kaupapa mō tō tātou Reo ēngari, he mahi anō tā Te Karauna kia tiaki i tō tātou taonga hoki. Me āta whakaarohia, kia kaua Te Karauna e huri tuarā ki tōna tiakitanga mēnā ka noho te mana whakahaere ki ngā iwi.

[To my understanding, the governance structure would really be better placed with the tribes, being responsible for our language. But the Crown will have a role to play in terms of ensuring that our treasure is looked after as well. This has to be deliberated over very carefully to ensure that the Crown does not turn its back on its guardianship responsibilities, should the governance structure remain with the tribes.]

It appears to Labour that there is not a strong enough expression in the bill to make clear the nature and extent of the Crown’s ongoing obligation to protect Te Reo Māori in light of the transfer of responsibilities to Te Mātāwai. As far as I can make out from clause 7, the principles guiding a Government department are specified in the bill. The unintended consequence of this provision may well be a narrowing of how the public sector participates in its role to grow and sustain Te Reo Māori if the overarching obligation of the Crown is not clear. Minister, today in question time you pointed to clause 12(c) as another expression of what the Crown’s obligation might be. I might say simply that the responsibility sits with the Minister of Māori Affairs but one might ask the question why it is not the Minister of Education, when the education system is critically responsible for the way in which all our children have access to Te Reo Māori.

The bill also expresses that the Crown, iwi, and Māori responsibility for Te Reo is managed through a purchase agreement. This is a concern because purchase agreements are guided by Government policy, whereas the Crown’s obligation is to recognise Te Reo as a taonga and that it should be protected under the Treaty of Waitangi. The title to the Māori Language Act 1987 stated that “Whereas in the Treaty of Waitangi the Crown confirmed and guaranteed to the Māori people, among other things, all their taonga: And whereas the Māori language is one such taonga.” It seems to me that there was a clear intent in drafting the 1987 legislation that the Crown retained an ongoing obligation to protect our taonga. That description is no longer in the bill that we are considering today.

This bill is about the role and function of a governing body; it is not about Te Reo Māori. It is not about how the grassroots up have greater access to Te Reo. If it was, there would be more obligation on the Minister of Education to play a greater role in this process, because every Māori language strategy that exists amongst iwi is, critically, about their memoranda of understanding with the Ministry of Education. The bill does not recognise the important role that iwi and Māori play in revitalising Te Reo at a local level in our homes, amongst our whānau, hapū, and iwi, and the relationship that they want with the education institutions in their area.

It is not so clear from supporting documentation where fiscal responsibility for achieving these shared objectives rests—one might presume, equally between those iwi represented on Te Mātāwai, other stakeholder groups, and the Crown, but clearly it remains a question to be answered. There is a mechanism available to the Crown to appoint Crown advisers and statutory managers if Te Mātāwai struggles to achieve its objectives or if accountability and transparency reporting falls short of expectations. In some regards, this is not the full transfer of powers and responsibility that may have been anticipated—the devil is in the detail.

Labour remains vigilant about the way in which Te Reo Māori can grow and thrive as a working language for all New Zealanders. This requires iwi Māori and the Crown to share an obligation for its future—an ongoing obligation. As a country we have made significant gains in language revitalisation—kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa, wharekura, Te Ātaarangi, and Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo exemplify the extent of our progress that is recognised across indigenous communities around the world, yet we have so much to do. Labour does not want Te Reo Māori to be a political football based on who did what and when. This is not a lolly scramble for money or policy recognition. It matters to too many people for us to diminish the take like that.

How we in this House determine a way forward for the growth, promotion, and protection of our language is of the utmost importance. We hesitantly support the bill going to a select committee; however, we urge the Minister to consider the motion, which is an opportunity, at the very least, to allow the Waitangi Tribunal to assess the purpose of the bill against the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

My speech is devoid of any type of political posturing. My children go to te kōhanga reo. I want them to have a lifetime of opportunity learning their language and being well educated to participate in the global community that they are living in.

He maha ngā pātai i whakatō kia mārama pai ngā mema o Te Whare i ū tonu mātou, he taonga tō tatou Reo Māori mō ngā tāngata katoa, arā, mō ngā whakatipuranga. Ko te mea nunui me pēwhea e tiaki Te Reo, ka pēwhea te tuku haere i Te Reo, me pēwhea Te Karauna e hāpai, e tautoko i tēnei whāinga? Ko te take, kia ora ai Te Reo mō tātou katoa. Tēnā tātou.

[Many questions were conceived to ensure that members of the House are well informed that we were resolute in terms of our Māori language being a treasure for all people, and, indeed, for generations. The most significant thing is how the language should be looked after, how it should be offered about, how the Crown should take it up, and how it should support this objective. The issue is that the language be a living one for us all. Thanks to us.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora tātou katoa i tēnei rangi. Kātahi te rangi ātaahua ko tēnei! I te tuatahi, i tae mai a Ngāi Tūhoe, ā, i tutuki pai tērā kaupapa. Ko te mahi tuarua, ko tā Tāmaki-makau-rau. Kua tutuki pai tērā. I tēnei wā, ko Te Minita mō ngā take Māori e kōrero nei, e kōkiri nei i te pire mō Te Reo Māori mō ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro, ā, ka mutu ā kō ake nei, ka puta te kupu whakamutunga a ō mātou kaiārahi, a Tariana rāua ko Te Hōnore Pita Sharples. Nō reira, kātahi te rangi pai ko tēnei!

Tēnā, ko tēnei pire i hangaia mai ai e Te Minita mō ngā Take Māori, e whai nei i ngā huarahi e hia kē nei kua oti i a mātou Te Ao Māori te kōkiri i te take mō tō tātou Reo, arā, ko te tiaki i tō tātou Reo. Ēhara i te mea ka tāea e au te whakarārangi i ngā kōrero katoa ēngari, arā anō ngā petihana kua tae mai ki tēnei Whare Pāremata. Arā nō ngā hikoi. Ko au tētahi i ārahi nei i tētahi hīkoi i waho ake nei, ki Te Whare o Bowen i ngā tau kua hipa ake. He aha te take? Ko Te Reo Māori te take. He aha tā Te Ao Māori ki te whakapakari ake i tōna Reo? Ko Te Kōhanga Reo i ara ake, ā, nā wai, nā wai, ka puta ko Te Kura Kaupapa Māori. Arā nō tētahi rōpū pakupaku nei ēngari ā, he māia. Ko te hunga e kōrerohia ake nei, ko Ngā Tamatoa. Ā, ko tērā o ngā tuāhine, ko Hana Te Hēmara kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi. Ēngari nā rātou te huarahi o Te Reo Māori i kōkiri ki mua i te aroaro o Te Whare Pāremata, otirā, o te motu. Nō reira, anei tētahi kaupapa hōu, hei whaiwhai haere i waua kōrero rā.

Ka mutu, i a au e tū nei kei wareware au, ko te kōrero mō te Minita i ngā rā o mua ko Te Hōnore Tau Hēnare, ko ētahi, otirā, ko te nuinga o Te Ao Māori kāre i te tino mōhio, nāna te pūtea o Mā Te Reo i whakarite i ōna rā. Kāore te nui o Te Ao Māori i te mōhio ki tērā ēngari, me mihi rā ki a koe e bro. Ko koe tērā i kōkiri nei i tērā take. Kai te ora tonu a Mā Te Reo i tēnei rā. Nā te aha? Nā tōu angitu! Ko koe te mea i whakariterite i tērā pūtea. Kei reira tonu Te Puna, ā, kei te unumia Te Puna e Te Ao Māori, mō Te Reo te kaupapa. Ka mihi rā ki a koe i tēnei rā, kua tata ki te wā ka tō te rā ki runga i a koe tēnei Whare Pāremata ēngari, anā, kua tuhia ngā kōrero ki roto i Te Hansard.

Nō reira, kai te whai tēnei pire i aua kōrero anō hoki. Ko tāku, ko te tautoko ake i ngā kōrero a Te Hōnore Nanaia Mahuta. Āe, ko Te Reo Māori he taonga o tēnei ao. Kāore Te Reo Māori e kōrerohia ana i wāhi kē, kei konei, kei Aotearoa nei. Kei ētahi paku wāhanga o Te Arawa, paku wāhanga nei. Nō reira, i ngā rā tata kua hipa ake, kua rongo nei tātau ko te ngoikore o te hunga, o te iwi ki te haere ki te tono i wā rātou tamariki ki Te Kōhanga Reo. E pērā anō hoki ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori. Ko tāku e kī nei, mēnā ka whai tonu i tērā huarahi ka heke haere anō rā te āhuatanga o te hiahia o Te Ao Māori ki tōna Reo. Koinei te pūtake o tēnei take. Me titiro ki tētahi huarahi hōu. Ki te pērā anō hoki te āhua, ka pērā ōna hua, ko taua āhua anō. Nō reira, kei te mihi ki Te Minita, ā, māua tahi ko Te Pāti Māori e kaha tautoko nei i tēnei pire.

Nā, he aha kei te pūtake o te pire nei? Ā, kua oti kē i a ia te kī atu, ka whakaritea mai ai, ka hangāia mai ai i tētahi rōpū hou, kai i a rātou te mana o Te Reo, ko Te Mātāwai te ingoa. Ka whai wāhi ngā iwi katoa o te motu, ā-rohe nei ki taua rōpū. Ka mutu, me whakahē i te kōrero o etahi e mea ana, ā, kua turakinatia a Te Māngai Pāho. Kāo! Kātahi te rūkahu ko tērā! Ko ētahi kei te kī ka turakinatia a Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori. Kāo! Kei te hē tērā! Kātahi te rūkahu ko ērā kōrero! Ka whai wahi ngā iwi katoa ki Te Mātāwai ēngari e tika ana tā Te Minita, arā nō ngā wāhanga mō ngā mea e rua mā te kāwanatanga kia kore e whawhati ai te āhuatanga o te here o te kāwanatanga, me kī, ki te iwi Māori, me tōna i raro i te korowai o Te Tiriti o Waitangi e kōrerohia ake nei e Te Minita.

I kōkirihia tēnei take mō tō tātou Reo ki Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi i ōna rā, ā, ko tā Te Taraipiunara, āe, he wahi anō rā tō te kāwanatanga ki te tiaki i tō tātou Reo. Ko tā tēnei o ngā pire e mea ana, āe, kei reira tonu tērā here ēngari me whakahoki te mana o Te Reo Māori ki roto i ngā ringaringa o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi. He aha i pērā ai te whakaaro? Māmā noa iho tērā. Mā wai kē atu Te Reo Māori e tiaki? Kaua mā te kāwanatanga. Māku, mā Te Ao Māori! Nōku Te Reo, māku e tiaki! Koinā kei te pūtake o tēnei o ngā pire! Ā kāti, kua kōrero kē ia mō te hanga o tēnei o ngā rōpū. Whai wāhi anō rā ngā iwi, whai wahi anō rā ngā mea pēnei i Te Kōhanga Reo, Te Ataarangi, a wai ake, a wai ake. Mā rātou tērā e whiriwhiri, te hunga ka noho nei te poari, ka mutu ko te kāwanatanga.

Nā, mō te hunga whakahē, mō te hunga whakahē! Ko ētahi kai te kī atu ka kore pea ētahi iwi e whai wāhi ki runga i tēnei o ngā poari. Hoi anō, mā te iwi anō rā tērā e whakarite! Nā te iwi anō rā tērā e whakarite! Ka mutu, ko etahi kei te kī atu kāre he paku take o tēnei pire ki te whakarauora, ki te whakapakari ake i te āhuatanga o te kōrero o Te Reo Māori i Aotearoa nei. Kua oti kē i a au te kī atu, āe, ka pērā! Ko te tino pūtake o tēnei, kia huria, kia tangohia mai ai te mana o Te Reo mai i te ringa o te kāwanatanga, ē, ka whakahoki atu anō rā ki ngā iwi, mō ake nei te tūmanako. Ko ētahi ka kī atu, kāore i tino kōrerohia te take nei. Tērā rūkahu tērā! Tērā rūkahu tērā! I ngā tau e toru pea kua hipa ake, nā te Minita anō rā i whakakao mai tētahi rōpū. He mātanga anō rā i roto i te āhuatanga o Te Reo Māori. I haere rātou ki te mata o te whenua. I rongo nei rātou i ngā kōrero pai mai, kino mai, ā, ka mutu i tuhi pūrongo, ka whakahokia mai ki roto i ngā ringaringa o Te Minita. He aha tā Te Minita? He whakatakoto ki mua i te aroaro o te kāwanatanga. He aha tā te kāwanatanga? Karekau! Tae rā anō ki ngā rā tata kua hipa ake me tana whakaae atu, āe, e tika ana! Mā ngā iwi anō Te Reo Māori e tiaki, kaua mā te kāwanatanga!

Nō reira, ko ētahi kua rongo ake i te kōrero o Nanaia Mahuta e mea ana ka whakatakotohia tētahi mōtini ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata, kia tonoa tēnei pire ki Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi. Kāore he paku take o tērā! Ā kō ake nei ka pāhingia tēnei wāhanga, ka haere te take nei ki te mata o te whenua, mā ngā iwi anō rā e kōrero ēngari, i te wā i huri haere te ropu i te mata o te whenua, i rongo nei rātou i ngā take. Ā, tērā haerenga tērā, ka mutu, pēnei i tā Te Minita e kōrero nei, i haere ia ā-tinana nei ki ngā hui katoa i whakaritea mai ai, ki te rongo i ngā kōrero. Nō reira ko tāku ko te kī atu, mō te hunga i kī ana he poto noa iho te wā, kātahi te pōhēhē ko tērā!

Nā, e ai ki tā Reipa, nā Te Ao Māori te hē mō te heke haere o te hunga e matatau ana ki Te Reo. Kāo! Ko ētahi kai te kī, e kore e tāea e ngā iwi te tiaki i tō rātou Reo. Kātahi te hē ko tērā! Arā nō ngā wānanga o Raukawa kua tipu ake. Ko Te Reo o Taranaki tērā. Arā nō ngā kāinga, Arā nō te kaupapa a Te Wai Pounamu, a Kotahi Mano Kāika. Kua oti! Kua oti kē e te iwi te whakarite mā rātou anō e tiaki tō rātou Reo. Nō reira, tērā, tērā.

Ko Te Rōpū Internet kei te kī atu, kāore Te Rōpū Māori i te tautoko, te aroha nei, ki tō rātou Reo. Kātahi te pōhēhē, kātahi te pōrangi, kātahi te heahea rawa atu o tērā kōrero! Anei te tangata! Anei te tangata e tū atu nei! Nāna anō rā Te Kōhanga Reo i hanga i ōna rā me Te Kura Kaupapa Māori. Anei anō te tangata! Nō reira, āna! Pēnei i a au nei me te reo irirangi! Kua oti kē i a mātau te whakariterite i ngā kaupapa mō Te Reo. Ēngari ka pātai i te pātai tērā rōpū? E kī, e kī! Kai te whakahē i a mātou? Ēngari he aha tāu mō te ora o Te Reo, Kim Dotcom? He aha tāu mō Te Reo? Ko tāku, ko te kī atu, kāore he paku aha! Kāore he paku aha! E pōhēhē ana rātou he kaha ake tō rātou mōhio mō Te Kōhanga Reo i tērā? Arā, ko te hunga e noho nei! Tērā rūkahu, tērā! Nō reira kāti. E tautoko ana i ngā kōrero a Te Minita. Arā nō ngā kōrero kua tae mai ki a mātau e mea ana, āe, kei te tautoko ake ngā iwi i tēnei o ngā pire. Tukuna te pire kia haere i tana haere, kia haere ki te mata o te whenua, kia kōrerohia anōtia i roto i te hātepe a Te Komiti Whāiti. Kia riro mā ngā iwi anō rā e wetewete ki te hōhonutanga o tēnei o ngā pire. Kāore mātou i te mataku ki tērā. Me kōrero ka tika! Nō reira, kai te pai tērā. Kati ake!

Hei whakakōpani i te āhuatanga o taku kōrero, anei te kōrero a Tā Hemi Hēnare i te kerēme ki Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi. Ko tana kōrero e pēnei ana: “Ko Te Reo te mauri o Te Mana Māori”. Anei anō: “Ko Te Reo te mauri o Te Mana Māori”. Mēnā koinā te kōrero a tērā o ngā rangatira o Te Tai Tokerau, me titiro tēnei Whare Pāremata, otirā, Te Ao Māori ki ētahi atu huarahi, he huarahi hōu hei whakaora, hei whakamana i tō tātau Reo. Ko tēnei o ngā pire te rongoā mō tērā huarahi. Ko tāku ko te kī atu, anei Te Pāti Māori e noho pokohiwi nei, ki te pokohiwi i te taha o Te Minita e whakatakoto nei i tēnei pire hei painga mō Te Reo Māori, tukuna kia haere. Tēnā koutou, kia ora.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker, and salutations to us all today. What a great day this has been! First of all the tribe of Tūhoe arrived and that matter was dealt with well. The second task was that related to Auckland and it was completed well too. And now at this point in time it is the turn of the Minister of Māori Affairs speaking to and extolling the attributes of this bill about the Māori Language for the future and as well as that, the valedictory speeches later today by our Hon Tariana Tūria and the Hon Dr Pita Sharples. So what a wonderful day this is!

Now then, the Minister of Māori Affairs created this bill from goodness knows how many procedures completed by us of Māoridom to advance the matter relating to our language and to look after it. It is not possible for me to detail everything but other petitions, several of them in fact, have arrived here at this House of Parliament. And there were several marches too. I was one that led a march out there years ago to Bowen House. And what was the purpose? For the Māori language, that is what it was about! And what did Māoridom do to strengthen their language? The Language nest movement emerged and eventually over a period of time, Māori medium schools emerged too. There was another small but very bold movement called Brave Warriors and it included Hana Te Hēmara one of the sisters who has since passed on. But they thrust the procedure relating to the Māori language forward before Parliament House and, indeed, before the nation. So here is a new initiative to address that discourse.

Furthermore, while I am standing here before you all, in case I forget the former Minister of Māori Affairs the Hon Tau Hēnare, some, indeed in fact the majority of Māoridom, are not really aware that the funding for Mā Te Reo was his consideration in his day, but I acknowledge you bro, I really do. It was you indeed that thrust that matter forward. Mā Te Reo is still alive today. And why may you well ask? Because of your success! You were the one who considered that funding. The pool is still there and Māoridom is still drinking from it in regards to this language proposal! I salute you indeed today as the sun is about to set on your time here in this House of Parliament but the discourse will be etched into the Hansard for posterity.

And so, this bill follows that discourse as well. For me particularly, I support the sentiments expressed by the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Yes, the Māori language is indeed a treasure of this world. It is not used anywhere else, just here in New Zealand and in some small parts of the Te Arawa tribe, just a wee part of it. So recently we heard how some groups, some people have made feeble attempts to send their children to language nests. The situation is the same with Māori medium schools. My contention is that should we continue to follow that tendency then the desire by Māoridom for its own language will dissipate also. This indeed is the root of this matter. We must look for a new method. If that is how the situation is looking its outcomes will be the same as well. And so I and the Māori Party jointly commend the Minister and support this bill strongly.

So, what is at the source of this bill? He—the Minister—has already outlined, considered and created a new body called Te Mātāwai which will have effect over the language. All tribes of the nation and regions will be represented on that body. Furthermore, I reject the discourse by some stating that the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency has been disestablished. No! What a fabrication that is. Some are saying that the Māori Language Commission will suffer a similar fate. No! That is not correct! What utter fabrication! Every tribe will be represented on Te Mātāwai. However, the Minister is correct, government will have two seats on it. This is so that its obligation under the cloak of the Treaty of Waitangi to the Māori people, shall we say, is maintained as previously mentioned by the Minister.

This matter relating to our language was thrust forward before the Waitangi Tribunal in its day, and the response from the tribunal was yes, government had a part indeed to play in terms of looking after our language. This of the bills asserts that the obligation exists still but control over the language should be returned into the hands of that tribe, that tribe and that one. It may well be asked, what brought about that thinking? That is really quite simple! Who else should look after the Māori language? Not the government that is for sure! I will, Māoridom! The language is mine! I will look after it! And that really is at the source of this of the bills! Enough! The Minister has already spoken about the make-up of this of the groups. Iwi will have representation, so too will organisations like the Language Nursery movement, the Cuisenaire Rods method of learning the Māori language by adults and so on. Those groups will decide amongst themselves who will actually sit on this board alongside the two government representatives.

Now, with regard to those who hold opposing views, who are totally against it! Some are saying that this bill has absolutely no value in that it will not revitalise or strengthen the use of the Māori language here in New Zealand. I have already asserted, yes, that will happen. The real nub of this is to turn it around. Take control over the language away from government and return it once again into tribal hands, forever, hopefully. Some are saying that this matter was never discussed widely. That is really not true at all! That is an utter fabrication! In the past 3 years the Minister gathered together a panel of experts in terms of the Māori language. They travelled the length of the country and widely. They heard submissions, some positive and some negative. They compiled a report and put it back in the hands of the Minister. And what did the Minister do with it? He placed it before government! And what did government do with it? Nothing! Right up to the past recent days when the Minister eventually came out and endorsed the report, saying it was the right thing to do! It is for the tribes to look after the Māori language and not government!

Now, some have heard how Hon Nanaia Mahuta intends to put forward a motion in the House of Parliament to send this bill before the Waitangi Tribunal for consideration. That would be an absolute waste of time! Very shortly this part will be passed and will go before the country for tribes to once again discuss, but they heard the reasons when the panel moved around the country before. However, that was that journey, and in the end, like what the Minister stated here, he was present physically at all hearings that were considered for him where he listened to the discourse. And so I say unto those of you who assert that the time provided is far too short, that assertion is an absolute fabrication of the truth!

Now, according to Labour the trouble for the drop in numbers who are proficient in the language lies squarely at the feet of Māoridom. No! Not at all! Some maintain that tribes cannot look after our language. That is a fallacy! Take the Raukawa tertiaries, for example. They have grown! Other examples of growth are the language of Taranaki, languages in the homes and let us not forget Kotahi Mano Kāika, the language initiative of the South Island. It is being achieved. Tribes have already succeeded in how they will look after their language. Now that is that dealt with!

The Internet-Mana Party accuses the Māori Party of not supporting our language and having any empathy with it. How fanciful, crazy and idiotic talk that is! The man is here and standing right before you! He created the Language Nursery movement in his day and Māori medium schools! Here is the man again. So there you are! Just like me and radio! We have already determined the language proposals! And so that party poses the question about us? I say that’s being a bit rich! Is he finding fault with us? But what are going to do to ensure that the language survives, Kim Dotcom? What is yours for the language? I say to you, absolutely nothing! Not one morsel! They are of the mistaken view that their understanding of Language nursery is greater than that? There, that person sitting over there! What a sheer fabrication that is! And so enough! Not true. I am really endorsing the sentiments expressed by the Minister. We have received other feedback saying, yes, tribes are supporting this of the bills. Let the bill go forth on its journey for the nation to discuss in due course through the Māori Affairs Committee process. Let the people disseminate this of the bill to its depth. We do not fear that. It is only right and proper that it be canvassed thoroughly! So that is wonderful! Enough!

In concluding my address, here is Sir James Hēnare’s quote at the claim to the Waitangi Tribunal. It goes like this: “The language is the life principle of Māori status.” I repeat: “The language is the life principle of Māori status.” If that is the word of one of those leaders from the North then this House of Parliament, and indeed Māori, must examine other methods to achieve it, a new method to revitalise and give effect to our language. This of the bills is the remedy for that method. I say unto you, sir, the Māori Party remain here shoulder to shoulder beside the Minister who is introducing this bill for the well-being of the Māori language; allow it to run its course. Good wishes to you collectively, and thanks.]

Tēnā koe e Te Kaihautū. Ahakoa tēnei pire he pire Reo Māori te nuinga o aku kōrero ki roto i Te Reo Pākehā kia mōhiotia, whānuitia te motu i ōku moemoeā e pā ana ki tēnei o ngā reo. Ēngari tuatahi, tautokongia ana ahau i ngā kōrero i rongo ahau i roto i te Whare i te wā nei. Ki ngā kupu a Tā Hēmi Hēnare, ko Te Reo te mauri o te mana Māori, e tika ana kia kōrerohia, kia tautokongia wēnei kupu i te mea, me whakatikatikangia tēnei āhuatanga. Tēnei pire He oranga mō Te Reo Māori tēnei pire.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker. Although this bill is a Māori language one, most of my sentiments will be in English so that the breadth of the nation understands my aspirations for this of the languages. But firstly, I support the sentiments that I have heard to this point in time in the House. According to the words of Sir James Hēnare, the language is a vital essence of Māori status. Therefore it is right that it is spoken and that these utterances be supported, because this trait must be rectified. This bill is a lifesaver for the Māori language.]

I just wanted to say that what I have just heard from Te Ururoa Flavell is correct—that Sir James Hēnare said that Te Reo Māori, the Māori language, is the life-force of being Māori. It is important. I am glad he said that, because we need to make sure that the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill is correct, that it is right, and that it does what it is meant to do.

I also say that although this is a bill about Te Reo Māori, I am going to say most of my speech in English because I want people to hear about my dreams for Te Reo Māori. I have a dream that one day I will able to walk into any bank, service station, Pak ’N Save, post office, chemist, or store and conduct my transactions in Te Reo Māori if I should choose. I dream that Te Reo Māori and English become interchangeable languages so that they can be used confidently by Māori and non-Māori alike in the home, in the street, in shops, in service stations, and in supermarkets.

Māori were guaranteed all the rights and privileges of British subjects in the Treaty of Waitangi. Article 3 states “… Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand Her royal protection and imparts to them all the Right and Privileges of British Subjects.” That should include the right to read, write, and conduct business and transactions in Te Reo Māori, just as non-Māori can read, write, and conduct their business and transactions in the English language if they choose.

I am one of those lucky New Zealanders who could and would conduct my business and transactions in either language if I had the opportunity, but that opportunity does not exist because, despite Te Reo Māori being an official language of New Zealand, its true status or lack thereof means that the only way I can conduct my business or transactions in Te Reo Māori is if I am fortunate enough to stumble across a Māori speaker at any given supermarket, service station, bank, post office, or chemist. Te Reo Māori may have official status in the law books, but it has second-class status in reality out there in the community.

I would like to think that the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill will change all that. I would like to think that the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill will increase the numbers of New Zealanders who can speak Te Reo Māori, so that even if the majority of Māori cannot speak Te Reo, at the very least we have a critical mass of Te Reo Māori speakers. My fear is that the bill will create just another bureaucracy that makes plans, makes decisions, and distributes contracts, but that no measurable increase in the number of Te Reo speakers will occur.

Unless our people can apply Te Reo Māori in their daily business and lives, Te Reo will be learnt in isolation and be seen to be largely irrelevant in everyday life. Te Reo Māori is seen as a ceremonial language, used mainly on marae and in mostly exclusively Māori contexts, when language actually needs to be seen, heard, and woven throughout our lives, our communities, and our places of work and recreation as we go about our daily business. Daily use of Te Reo in all contexts will give the language relevance and encourage more people to speak it. We have to stop treating Te Reo Māori as a tapu thing and allow it to become common like it once was. It will always be our language and it will always be a taonga to us, but we need to bring others on board, and one way is to stop being so precious about our language.

The mere survival of Te Reo Māori is too low a target; we must strive for Te Reo Māori to flourish. We need all New Zealanders to buy into the belief that Te Reo Māori is a language for all New Zealanders. There will be those who say that Te Reo Māori is a waste of time, but let us forget about those critics. If more New Zealanders spoke Te Reo Māori, the world would not end, the sun would still rise in the east, the sky would not fall in, but maybe—just maybe—we would move a little bit closer to becoming a more culturally cohesive nation.

Māori can no longer rely solely on our traditional contexts for language transfer. We need to create non-traditional contexts that to many will feel pretty forced and unnatural, but without them the language will struggle. Amongst other things, we need to set up Māori-speaking happy hours, Māori writing clubs, Māori-immersion Trivial Pursuit evenings, and Māori-immersion sports teams. We need to support businesses that have Māori-speaking staff, write Māori letters to the editor in newspapers, and have Māori writing for newspapers. We need to make a plea to Television New Zealand that when it hires the next presenters for the Breakfast show, it hires at least one Māori who can engage with tangata whenua in our language, even just occasionally.

I have concerns about Te Mātāwai. If Te Mātāwai cannot make Te Reo a working language, a transactional language, and a language that New Zealanders of all backgrounds have opportunities to speak daily, then Te Mātāwai will be a waste of time—a bureaucratic organisation that fails to affect what is going on at a flax-roots level. The Minister of Māori Affairs said about Te Mātāwai that “The new strategy takes the spirit of Te Hui Whakatauira and frames it in a model that is proposed as Te Matawai: iwi/hapū and te reo Māori practitioners working in partnership to govern these entities. It also empowers these entities with stronger policy and evaluation roles and improves the legal status of te reo Maori.”

The claim that Te Mātāwai puts control of Te Reo back into the hands of iwi is laudable but possibly inaccurate, and I doubt Te Mātāwai will achieve the romantic notion that the Minister describes. I attended a hui in Ngāpuhi at Te Kotahitanga Marae. There was not overwhelming support for Te Mātāwai; in fact, there were a number of concerns about it. I question how Te Mātāwai and the chosen representatives will be able to represent such a diverse range of Te Reo Māori interests. For starters, there is one representative for all iwi from Tāmaki—that is Auckland through to Cape Reinga. Those iwi are listed in schedule 3 of the bill and they number 16 in total. One of those iwi is Ngāpuhi, which is our largest iwi. It has many fiercely independent hapū, some as large as other iwi listed. They proclaim that the Treaty of Waitangi was not signed by iwi but by hapū, and those hapū want to speak for themselves.

Before my return to Parliament I worked for the Ministry of Education with most of the iwi listed in schedule 3 on their education and Te Reo plans. Those iwi Reo plans were diverse, and I have difficulty in seeing how the Te Reo interests of all of those iwi will be recognised and uplifted. I fail to see how the individual hapū will have their voices heard. Take the Bay of Islands hapū of Te Kapotai in Waikare, which is in the valley over from where I come from. They have their own kōhanga reo, a special-character Māori immersion school, and their own plans for Te Reo Māori. My question is how a representative possibly based in the middle of Auckland will be able to represent the Te Reo interests of my whanaunga in Waikare, miles from the nearest town, or represent the interests of hapū in Whangaruru, or Mitimiti, or Waimamaku, or Te Hāpua, or Poutō, or of any of the other many hapū in villages around Te Tai Tokerau, for that matter, let alone the interests of the 16 iwi listed in schedule 3, so that Te Reo Māori can be read, heard, and spoken in the home and on the marae and, just as important, given relevance in daily life by making it a working, transactional, and business language.

I am concerned that establishing Te Mātāwai is a way for the Crown to distance itself from its obligations to protect Te Reo Māori. I would be very concerned if a Minister of Māori Affairs in the future said: “Look, Māori, iwi—you guys look after that. Use the Treaty settlement money to lift your Te Reo Māori plans and goals.” Māori need an assurance that in the future the Crown will continue its obligations to revive Te Reo Māori, and will not, for example, as I have said, tell iwi to prop up Te Mātāwai with Treaty settlement money.

The Labour Party supports this bill in its first reading. We really think it is important that hapū, iwi, and community members all have an opportunity to have their say around this bill. We have concerns. This is not to say that those concerns cannot be ironed out. Before I finish: E hiahia ana ki te tū i tēnei wā ki te mihi atu ki a koe e te Minita, e Pita. Tēnei taku wā mutunga kia mihi atu ki a koe, ki a koutou ko Tariana, ko Tau hoki. Nā koutou i whakapau ō koutou kaha ki te hāpai i a tātou te iwi Māori. Nā reira, ka nui ngā mihi atu. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora.

[At this point I want to make a stand in paying a tribute to you, Minister Pita. This is my final opportunity to acknowledge you, Tariana and Tau as well collectively. You collectively have expended your efforts to lift up our Māori people. And so I applaud you all immensely. Salutations, well done and thank you.]

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā waka, e rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou e Te Whare i Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

[Acknowledgments to you authorities, voices, canoes and esteemed ones, tributes and salutations to you all. In regards to the week of the Māori language, huge greetings to you, the House.]

It is right to be speaking on the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, I think, in Te Wiki o Te Reo, and also, I think, at the end of the month of Matariki, which is, of course, a time to reflect on the past and a time to plan for the future. So I salute the Minister of Māori Affairs, Pita Sharples, for his efforts in bringing this to the House today, so that Parliament can actually speak about Te Reo—the importance of Te Reo, and the legacy that we want our children to have in the future with having access to Te Reo.

We understand that the purpose of this bill is to implement the Government’s Te Reo Mauriora Māori language strategy. The bill proposes to replace the Māori Language Act 1987, to amend the Broadcasting Act 1989, and to amend the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act 2003. The bill establishes a new agency, Te Mātāwai, as an independent statutory entity to provide leadership on behalf of iwi and Māori in their role as kaitiaki of the Māori language, and for the roles of Te Taura Whiri, the Māori Language Commission, and Te Māngai Pāho, the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency, to continue under the leadership of Te Mātāwai. Te Pūtahi Paoho, the Māori Television Electoral College, is disestablished under this bill, and its functions are also transferred to Te Mātāwai. The membership of Te Mātāwai is proposed to be seven appointed people who are geographically determined across clusters of iwi, three by Māori language stakeholder Te Reo Tukutuku, and two by the Crown.

Although the bill’s aspirational objective of affirming and strengthening Te Reo Māori as a taonga, of which iwi and Māori are kaitiaki, is laudable, there are considerable concerns among iwi and Māori that the bill will fail to achieve this. I will outline those concerns in a moment, but I should be clear that the Green Party is opposing this bill. We are not convinced that the changes proposed will improve access to, or development of, Te Reo. I note that this concern is shared in other parts of the House too. There is very little evidence to show that a change in the leadership body is the answer to the real and serious concerns about the strength and development of Te Reo. We are compelled by the concerns that were raised from the Te Puni Kōkiri consultation process. The consultation process on the draft strategy that led to the bill was a small number of hui over 11 days in February and we consider that that was inadequate. I note the point that Te Ururoa Flavell made that by passing this bill through its first reading it will go to a select committee, but we believe in appropriate decision-making, and we believe there should have been fuller consultation before the bill came to the House.

A Waitangi Tribunal claim, Wai 2441, which is being brought by the New Zealand Māori Council, claims that it should have been consulted on the strategy but was not. We are also concerned that some iwi wish to assert their Tiriti relationship with Te Reo with the Crown directly, not through an agency such as Te Mātāwai, which is seen by many as a pan-tribal agency. I note the concerns that the speaker before me, Kelvin Davis, has outlined in terms of the hapū up north. We are also concerned that the appointment process to Te Mātāwai involves artificially clustered geographical groups of iwi, who, in some cases, will have considerable difficulty working together to appoint a member that is acceptable to all iwi in the cluster. We have said before, during the progress of the legislation for Treaty settlements, that we have had concerns about the fact that the Crown chooses whom it will negotiate with and whom it will not by clustering iwi and hapū together and choosing some who are in and some who are out, and that it is divisive. We have the same concerns with this bill.

We are further concerned about the funding for the promotion of Te Reo, which will be negotiated between Te Mātawai and the Crown, rather than provided on a basis of evidence. We are concerned that this means that the Crown will actually not base its judgments on evidence but base it on whatever it chooses as its criteria at the time. Using pūtea, using money, as a way to determine outcomes is another form of control.

We are also concerned at the loss of the independent Crown entity status for Te Taura Whiri and Te Māngai Pāho. This may make them more subject to political influence. We have already seen the politicisation of our Public Service; we do not want to see it happening to the agencies that are set up to save, protect, and promote Te Reo Māori.

So how, then, does this reorganisation resolve the core concerns about the promotion and the development of Te Reo? Where is the commitment to the resources and the prioritisation of the reo by Government, given that the Government will maintain financial control of this? We too look forward to a time when all our tamariki Māori are fluent in Te Reo Māori, when all New Zealanders can use at least some Te Reo, where we can arohatia Te Reo. It is the birthright of our children to have clean rivers and beaches to swim in, and it is their birthright to have the language of Aotearoa New Zealand accessible to them. We can have a smarter, cleaner, fairer New Zealand where Te Reo can thrive and flourish, and we agree that Parliament can be doing much more to facilitate that. But, unfortunately, this bill is not it.

Mea tuatahi, ki a koutou aku rangatira, tēnā koutou. E matua, Pita, nunui te mihi me taku aroha ki a koe me tō hoa a Tariana mō tō kōrero whakamutunga. Nō reira, nunui te mihi ki a koutou me ō koutou whānau.

[Firstly, acknowledgments to you, my esteemed ones. A huge tribute to you, father figure Pita, and my fond regards to you and you co-partner Tariana in terms of your valedictory speech. So a huge tribute to you and your family.]

This Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill formally recognises what most of us in the House have always known, and that is that the status of the language is a taonga, is a treasure. So what it really does is formalise that. In terms of control, in and of itself it is not going to create any more Māori speakers on 31 August or whenever. It does not do that, but what it does do is give the ability to Te Mātāwai to put a few things in their places so that there is a development of a strategy that not only keeps the language alive but goes from strength to strength. What was seen as a great day by Māori language enthusiasts 27 years ago was really a piece of legislation forced on the then Government. I think, looking back on it, that what the Government tried to do with the Māori Language Act 1987, the Broadcasting Act 1989, and even the Māori Television Service in 2003 was to push things along.

The percentage of people speaking the Māori language since that establishment 27 years ago has not actually increased a hell of a lot. It just has not. In fact, of the number of people who speak Māori, more of the people who are speaking Māori today have actually come from initiatives outside of those pieces of legislation, namely the kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori. If we need to turn to anybody with a hell of a history in the establishment of those two forms of language education, we need to turn our heads and mihi to Matua Pita for all of his work, and to all of the whānau who have been involved since those days.

With any organisation you have to keep up with technology. You have to keep up with the times. You cannot just sit there and expect that because it was a good idea in 1987 or a good idea in 1945 that it is going to be a good idea in the year 2014. We have seen that with the change of technology. I think that the new technology—and I have heard people talking about the use of technology—is just around the corner if we let it happen, if we get in behind it, and if we make it happen. I think Te Mātāwai is one of those bodies that will play a major part in enhancing new technology. It is also about taking TV and radio and going to the next level, not just a box in your living room or a wireless on the bench in the kitchen. We are talking about 4G. We are talking about the apps that are available to all of our young people out there.

Now I am going to deviate away from Government policy. It is my personal point of view that the only real way we are going to have what my whanaunga and colleague Kelvin Davis says that he wants is by having compulsory Māori language in schools. I know it is a thought that most New Zealanders do not wish to think about, but have a look at the success of the Welsh language. Have a look at the success of countries that are bilingual. I am not talking about from nought to whenever you leave. I am talking about nought to 16, which is exactly the way the Welsh do it. I am not talking about introducing it tomorrow. What I am saying is why do we not use this as a catalyst to come up with the plan so that in 10 years’ time, in 2024, we are ready to go. We have done all the work before. We have nutted out how many teachers we are going to need, what sorts of resources we are going to have, what we might need, and then in 2024, or whenever—but there has to be a date in the future to work to—we can introduce compulsory Māori language in schools.

It would do wonders for this nation’s belief that it is a bicultural nation. It would do wonders for race relations. It would do wonders for our ability to talk to people of other cultures. When you learn a second language or even a first language, it is easier to learn the next one and the next one. In my 15 years of being a politician, an MP, I have met children around the world who can speak six or seven languages. They are so comfortable with jumping from English to Arabic to French. It is just amazing. I firmly believe that this is where the nation should go.

The last point I want to make concerns the motion put forward by my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. I cannot support it, but what I can support is giving it to the select committee. The first submission that the select committee should hear is from the tribunal. In fact, you could actually eventually see the tribunal playing a bigger part in all legislation that goes before the Māori Affairs Committee, just as we ask the Office of the Auditor-General to give us a steer on the number of financials that come before us in the financial reviews. Let us not cut off the ability of the select committee to do its work. Call for the initial submission to be from the tribunal itself, and let that be part of the process of seeing this bill through—if it ever goes through. My major disappointment is that the Minister who has introduced the bill, the Minister of Māori Affairs, is not going to be here, and nor am I, to see the whole process work out. I think it is going to be a good one, and I think we should take it on board. We should not be scared. Let us really have a crack at this as a nation. Kia ora.

First of all, I want to apologise to Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia for not being able to hear, later on, their valedictory speeches. As a matter of respect I would have liked to be here but unfortunately we got caught up in a double-booking for a charitable fund-raiser and cannot get out of it, so our apologies.

On this bill, the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, let me say that over a long period I have watched the growth of Māori language education. I can recall when Rob Muldoon was in a meeting with a group of Māori men. They were too scared to confront him and got Whina Cooper, later on Dame Whina Cooper, to head the delegation to go and ask him for $1 million to support the launch of kōhanga reo financially. They got in the room and had hardly got going, when Muldoon said to them: “Yes.” It was a big shock to everybody concerned, because they did not know what to do. They never expected that reaction. They left the room. Then, Whina could not help herself. She put her head back in the door and said: “But Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, what would you have done if I had asked you for $2 million?”, to which he famously said: “But you didn’t, Whina.” It just goes to show you. That is going a long way back. It was in 1980—a long time back.

I just want to say that New Zealand First has serious reservations about the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill. We want to say, from the outset, where we stand. We support the Māori language. As other speakers have said, it is a national treasure. It is not, of course, unique to New Zealand because its origins are in the Cook Islands. But at this particular time it is here, and, as I say, there is a certain uniqueness to it. It is an intrinsic and vital part of our nation and our culture. It is something to be cherished and celebrated, and to those who have said that second and third languages are intellectual muscle builders, I say that for young children they seriously are. They have the greatest ability to be able to acquire knowledge of them and use them with great fluency.

We have every wish to see the Māori language thrive. The Māori language should not be a political plaything—an excuse to grandstand and posture, as some might wish to do. But we have serious reservations about this bill because it includes the following concerns. It is being rushed through without proper consultation with Te Reo experts, in the dying days of this National Government.

The bill gives greater control to iwi, and the concern here is the dilution of expertise and the growth of difference. Most Māori live in urban areas, and in that context resources should obviously be targeted towards young Māori in the cities. The bill is full of assertion, but where is the evidence? It is very similar to the report on Whānau Ora, which did not contain one empirical, analytical fact. It was all anecdotal. If that is what we are going to predicate public policy on, then the poor Māori are not going to make any advances as a consequence. There is just not the degree of rigour going into the policy making. You will recall that we have now got two flags. We have got a Māori flag, which was the result of 21 hui, financed by the taxpayer, to which fewer than 1,000 Māori turned up, nationwide. And now we have got a second flag—just like that. The party I lead does not like that sort of policy.

We are as pro the long-term interests of Māori and the fundamental things as any other party. That is why we stay on housing, health, education, and First World jobs and wages. That is what Māori want. But this bill is full of self-assertion and little evidence, and accountability for spending needs to be strengthened, not weakened. Revitalisation of Te Reo needs to be wider than just from iwi.

There are those who take the view that some iwi have to an extent allowed Te Reo to decline. There are many respected Māori who believe that had iwi done more to retain the language it would not be faced with the situation it is in now in terms of the number of speakers. Revitalisation of Te Reo does not stop and start with iwi. Many Māori who are well-versed in Te Reo have great reservations about this bill. They believe it will be a backward—not a forward—step. I am saying to young Māori out there that if you hear that somebody is not supporting the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill it is because they prefer as an alternative what is in place already rather than what we seem to perceive is serious experimentation.

The question has to be asked: what is the real agenda of the Minister of Māori Affairs? Do I expect to see him shortly heading up Te Mātāwai? It is quite possible. It is quite possible. [Interruption] Oh, yes—no, no, I am not casting aspersions here. But, you know, you have to be concerned, because I know this for a fact: Tariana Turia, his fellow former leader, is taking up a position as a trustee on her retirement. That is in Te Pou Matakana. The Minister will know what that trust is. It has just got a $1.3 million administration fee, a trust grant—the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment used to do that with amounts between $200,000 to $600,000—just like that. I would like the media to ask if that is the fact.

In addition, her Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment private secretary cum political adviser has been approached to work at the trust as well. And what are people saying as to this question? Did this go to tender? They are told: “Get on board. It is a done deal. Don’t question it. You’d better support it.” This is a fair series of questions to ask. When I see policies coming out of thin air I would like to know who is behind them and where the level of accountability is. Perhaps Mr Sharples can tell me. Is he heading out to be heading up Te Mātāwai?

💬 Hon Dr Pita Sharples: I head it now.

He heads it now; that is right. But he heads it under a different establishment. And if he looks at the Ministry of Maori Development Act 1991, every department is charged, including the Māori affairs department, with ensuring that the issues of Māori, be they health or language or education or employment, have to be responded to. For example, when you get an assurance that says “Oh, we are not affecting the Māori Language Commission or the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency,” well then, why are those two agencies coming out of schedule 1 of Part 2 of the Crown Entities Act? That would cause me to think they are not going to be there in the future if they are no longer included in the schedule of funding. It is axiomatic that something is dramatically changing here. I would like to know what it is. What is going on? Who actually stands to benefit—the Māori language or certain sectional interests?

Everyone acknowledges that there are real issues facing the Māori language, as there are for many indigenous languages in our rapidly changing world. The language, as you know, is either growing or it is declining. There is no cause for complacency. But whatever problems face Māori and the future of the Māori language, the question is whether this bill really addresses them and whether it has brought a greater actual—in terms of sound policy—chance of working than that which is there now. If you look at the education department right now—well, in fact there is only one political party that is saying that it will support teacher education and will resource teachers of Māori. Only one political party is saying that. Have a look at all the manifestos right now. So if people are paying serious attention and were genuine about this issue, why is that not one of the primary objectives to be looked at?

Whatever the problems are, we have concerns about this bill. We think it may be seriously counter-productive. It will not, in our view, lead to the revitalisation of Te Reo. I thought when I listened to the Labour members’ speeches that they were not too far away from thinking that as well. That is why they have come up with another idea; that is, let us go to the Waitangi Tribunal. Well, with respect to them, educationists are the best people to ask this of, and those in the Māori world, in particular. That is why we have serious reservations about this bill. Therefore, we cannot support it. Kia ora tātou.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Thank you. E ngā reo, e ngā mana, e ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. As a member of the Māori Affairs Committee I am very pleased to stand in support of this bill, the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill. I look forward to the work that the committee will be doing. I would like to commend the Hon Pita Sharples for his work and his leadership as the Minister of Māori Affairs over this last Parliament. I am very happy to stand in support of this bill. Thank you.

Ā, tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou e ngā rangatira i roto i tēnei Whare. E hari ana ahau ki te tū ki te kōrero mō tēnei pire. Mihi atu ki a koe e te Minita, e te rangatira, me ō mahi awhi mō tātou te iwi Māori. Huri rauna i Te Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker, and greetings to esteemed ones in this House. I am pleased to rise and address this bill. A tribute to you, Minister, esteemed one, in respect of your supportive actions for us the Māori people. Acknowledgments to you collectively throughout the House and to us all.]

I too am joining our colleagues on this side, in the Labour Party, to offer our support for this Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) bill at its first reading. But, in saying that, we do have many concerns and reservations around certain aspects of the bill. First and foremost, I do want to commend the Minister for his mahi in supporting and promoting this bill and the intent behind the bill. Affirming Māori as the kaitiaki of Te Reo Māori is a great achievement. I believe the intent is well made. I believe, though, that the execution within this bill fails to meet that goal, that lofty aspiration.

I am one of those Māori—and there are quite a few of us—who did not grow up with the reo in our home. I was around it a lot, particularly in church and at other ceremonial occasions, but I was of that generation that just missed out before the kōhanga reo took off. Various attempts have been made, and I am one of those ones who can sort of get by and get a basic conversation going and hold my own in certain settings, but, you know, I really want to take it upon myself to improve the quality of my reo, and I definitely will be working on that. So I get a real joy when I am at my children’s sports games—netball games, basketball—and I see the kura kaupapa teams that are playing and the parents who are supporting them. When you see these little tamariki all speaking the reo and cheering themselves along, it is really heart-warming, and I like to go over and get beside them and have a little bit of a kōrero myself. I think that that is what we want to see.

I do acknowledge my colleague Kelvin Davis and his dreams and aspirations. We all share those dreams and aspirations that te reo can be a transactional language that can be just used naturally in or interchanges in everyday life in Aotearoa. We do want to achieve those lofty goals, and this bill is a step in that direction. I would like to see, though, some improvements, which can be made.

As with any conversation, there are two parties, and the best way, I believe, to really up your reo is to converse with somebody in Te Reo. Likewise, with this bill there are two parties. There are Māori and the Crown, and that is the basis of the foundation of our country—Te Tiriti o Waitangi. So there are two parties to the transactions—two parties to a conversation.

My concern regarding this bill is that the Crown is abrogating its responsibilities to protect and uphold the reo. That duty, which is a legal and a Treaty responsibility, was hard fought for by those great rangatira, Huirangi Waikerepuru, and the like—those great kaumātua who fought those cases to get the reo recognised. But what we have through this bill is that the Crown is basically reducing its commitment to the reo under the guise of saying: “But we are installing Māori as a kaitiaki.” I will give an example. It is great to say that the reo is a taonga—yes, it is—but the Crown needs to put in black and white its commitment and its responsibilities to Te Reo, and that should be spelt out within this bill.

The bill talks about this Act binding the Crown, which is the law, but then what does it bind the Crown to? It does not bind the Crown to much. If we just look at some of the opening provisions in the bill, where it talks about the principles, those principles that will apply to Government departments are meaningless, in effect, because it just says “as far as practicable”—when it suits or when they are able to do it. There are no firm, hard and fast responsibilities that the Crown is owning up to in its role as the Treaty partner to protect and promote Te Reo Māori. So that is a major concern that I have about this bill, and I definitely believe that the Crown’s responsibilities need to be clearly articulated as to what it will do.

It is all very well and good to create a new governance body for Māori, but if it is not backed up and if all the Crown is becoming is a contracting partner through Te Puni Kōkiri to Te Mātāwai bodies and the entities that will sit underneath them, then that really is a huge reduction in what the Crown’s responsibilities are.

Let us remember that the renaissance in Te Reo Māori and the recognition through the 1987 Act are really only recent enactments. I am talking about the past 30 years, but we are talking about a Crown-Māori relationship that goes back for over 170 years. For a long period of that time the Crown showed no commitment. In fact, for over 100 years it was not really too fussed about what happened to the reo. So I believe that the Crown needs to be more specific in terms of what its responsibilities to Te Reo will be.

Briefly, I just want to go on to some other issues that I have. Although there is this 12-member body of Te Mātāwai, seven of whom will be drawn from all the iwi around the country—and that seems to be the model these days; they have it in fisheries and in other settings; we have these big electoral colleges—I do query how effective those bodies are. They are there to appoint a person, but there is really nothing spelt out in the bill in terms of the quality or the mixture or the gender balance or the skills and experience that will be the outcome of all of these separate elections that will form this Te Mātāwai body. So it is all well and good to put representatives of 11, 14, or 15 iwi into one room and get them to decide on one person, but how will that translate into a really effective, strong, and highly skilled governance body, which is what we really need? We have seen examples of poor governance. I need only refer to Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust and Te Pātaka Ōhanga, its subsidiary, and the issues around there. The fact is too that we remember that the Minister of Education tried to sort of say: “Oh, there’s no responsibility because it’s a contracted party. We can’t really look behind there.”

Those are the sorts of issues that you will get when you create these bodies that have no clear accountabilities but are ultimately funded through the public purse. So I think greater thought needs to be given in terms of making sure we get the best, most highly qualified, and experienced individuals that will come up through these election processes and ultimately be the governance body on Te Mātāwai.

There are many regional examples of grassroots iwi initiatives that have produced outstanding results. I need only to look to my relations up in Taranaki, and Te Reo o Taranaki, and what they have done up there to really strengthen their reo and hold on to their mita. I think those sorts of examples need to be embodied into Te Mātāwai, and those revitalisation—

I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. His time has expired.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. E rau rangatira mā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. I stand to take a very short call in supporting the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill in its first reading. My mokopuna, who goes to that great kōhanga reo, Little Wonders, in Timaru, said to his mother the other day: “Kei hea te lunch, Māmā? He kai, he kai!”. And I thought: “Good on you, my mokopuna. Tino pai.” So I just want to say to this House that I commend this bill to the House. I thank Minita Pita Sharples for the work that he has done. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. Ka noho ā-rangirua Te Rōpū Reipa ki Te Pire Reo Māori. Ka tū au ki te tautoko i ōku hoa. Nā Ngoi Pēwhairangi i tito o te waiata ā-ringa rongonui mō Te Reo Māori, arā, ko ‘Whakarongo’ te ingoa. Anei tētahi whiti, ‘Whiua ki te ao, whiua ki te rangi, whiua ki ngā iwi katoa. Kaua rawatia e tuku e, kia memeha e, whakarongo!’

[Greetings to us all. The Labour Party remains uncertain about the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill and I rise to support my colleagues. Ngoi Pēwhairangi composed a famous action song called Whakarongo. Listen; here is a verse from it: “Cast it to the world, cast it to the heavens, cast it to all the people. Never, ever allow it to wane, heed this, listen!”]

I stand with all members of the House to acknowledge the importance of revitalising Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa. Like members on this side of the House, particularly, we support this bill, the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, going to the select committee. As previous speakers have mentioned, we too have reservations on the intent of the bill. So let us look at what this bill is about. “The Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill seeks legislative changes to update and strengthen the Māori Language Act in relation to recognition of Māori language;”—no problem there—“the establishment roles, functions, powers and membership of a new independent statutory entity to be known as Te Mātāwai;”—we have some reservations there—“the roles, functions, powers, and membership of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Te Māngai Pāho, and the board of the Māori Television Service; the transferral of the roles, functions and powers of Te Pūtahi Pāoho to Te Mātāwai; the disestablishment of Te Pūtahi Pāoho; and consequential amendments to other enactments.”

So what does the bill do? The bill will make significant changes to the Māori Language Act 1987 to establish Te Mātāwai. The bill will replace the Māori Language Act 1987 and amend the Broadcasting Act 1987 and amend the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act 2003. The bill will also establish Te Mātāwai. The purpose of Te Mātāwai is to act on behalf of iwi and Māori. Te Mātāwai is charged with providing leadership through its oversight in direction of Te Taura Whiri and Te Māngai Pāho in conjunction with both the Minister of Māori Affairs and the Minister of Finance.

As I mentioned earlier, the Labour Party is committed to the revitalisation and building capacity of Te Reo teaching throughout Aotearoa. We too announced our Te Reo policy, where we put down the challenge of ensuring that we commit to building good-quality teachers of Te Reo and that we ensure that Te Reo becomes what we consider a working language—a language that everyone can embrace, ahakoa where you come from. The ability to speak Te Reo is, I believe, an opportunity for all New Zealanders to embrace not just our language but our culture as Māori tangata whenua. It is my pleasure to stand and acknowledge the importance of Te Reo in our nation, not just in its cultural context but definitely in its social, environmental, and its economic context as we forge relationships internationally with potential trading partners, many of whom have more than one language. So it is about relationships with people whom we deal with on a daily basis in overseas countries.

My contribution really was to support the contribution made by the Hon Nanaia Mahuta in that we too want to ensure that legislation as important as this is not being rushed, it has followed due process, it has been widely consulted on, and what comes out of the other end, be it a structural change, is going to meet the needs and aspirations of revitalising our reo. That is why we have made the suggestion that it should be sent to the Waitangi Tribunal so it can get a thorough examination of the intent of this bill. Twenty-one hui around the motu is what the Hon Pita Sharples mentioned. When I look at the legislation that will change under this one if it passes, I know many, many, many more hui have been held to get to that outcome. So I want to leave it there as a small contribution to this bill.

I want to take the remaining time that I have to acknowledge the Hon Pita Sharples. As a fellow kinswoman of the Hon Pita Sharples, I stand—because it may be the only time I get to do this—to acknowledge your contribution, Matua Pita, and the mahi, the years, and the commitment you have given not only to our reo but to our education. The way that you have conducted yourself both in the House and around the motu will be sorely missed, and I wish more than anything that I could spend more time sharing this House with you and learning from you as you go on to other deeds. Matua Pita, I feel quite sad that you depart in this way, but I did want to go on record acknowledging the contribution you have made to this nation. Nō reira e tōku pāpā, e Pita, anei ōu wiki whakamutunga, ā, ka tū te mihi poroporoaki ki a koe ā te pō nei ki te Whare Pāremata. Ka haere mai te tini me te mano o te hau kāinga, ō ngā hau e whā ki te whakanui i a koe me āu mahi. E kōrero ana tērā pāpā ōku a Ngāhiwi Tōmoana ki ahau, e Meka, he uri nō Kahungunu koe tua atu i tērā, he mema Pāremata. Ko taua pire tērā e Pita. Ka mihi hoki ahau mō āu mahi huhua mō Tamaki-makau-rau, mō te motu whānui. He mea harikoa tērā ki tō tātou Whare nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Therefore, my fatherly figure, Pita, with your final weeks at hand, a farewell tribute to the House will be held for you this afternoon. The very many and the infinitely very large number from back home and the four winds will come to honour you and your achievements. That fatherly figure of mine, Ngāhiwi Tōmoana, commented, Meka, you are a descendant of Kauhungunu and a member of Parliament furthermore. That’s a reference to that bill Pita. I recognise your many accomplishments for Auckland and the nation at large as well. That is an ecstatic thing to our House and so acknowledgments and accolades to you collectively and a thank you to us all.]

Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. Me whakanui e tātou Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. We must acknowledge Māori Language Week.]

I too support the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, and I also wish to pay my respects to Minister Sharples and Minister Turia as they take their leave of this House this afternoon. They have served this nation honourably and well, and we on this side of the House have enormous respect for them.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

I seek leave to amend the vote. We wish to call for a party vote.

No. Look, I have actually announced the result, and that is the end of the matter. The Clerk has declared the vote. I cannot go back and ask for a vote to be reconsidered.

I seek leave to move members’ notice of motion No. 14 in my name to refer the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill to the Waitangi Tribunal.

Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection to that course of action? There is objection.

I seek the leave of the House to amend the vote. New Zealand First wishes to vote against it.

No. I have already announced the result. The member will sit. I have already called for the votes, and no one objected to the votes. I have declared the result on the votes, and that is the end of the matter. The member was sitting there. He had the opportunity to cast a vote at the time, and that is the end. We are moving on to the next piece of legislation.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I understand that if a member requests the leave of the House, then that should be put to the House.

I will just seek some advice. I am advised we cannot change the vote, but what you can do is to seek leave that the Journals be amended. You have to seek leave for that purpose.

I seek leave for the Journals to be amended to show that New Zealand First voted against.

Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection?

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Does this not create a little bit of a difficulty, in so much as what you would be doing is asking the House to amend the Journals to report something that did not happen?

Seeking leave to amend the Journals is only recording that a party had a different view, and by seeking leave any member can object to that course of action. Leave has been denied for that purpose.

I seek leave to have the record amended, to show that the Green Party opposes the bill.

Is that opposed to the whole bill? So you want the Journals corrected, as well?

💬 Catherine Delahunty: Yes, thank you.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Well, we have actually passed the reading. We cannot do anything about that. Is it about the referral to the select committee?

💬 Catherine Delahunty: No.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): The whole bill?

💬 Catherine Delahunty: The bill.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Well, you need to seek leave for the Journals to be noted. Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is objection.