Personal Explanations — Hon Meka Whaitiri

Point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

💬 SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.

Mr Speaker, ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri. Ko te tūturutanga mahi pono o te Māori mana motuhake. He mangōpare amohia o te waka Takitimu. Tihei mauri ora.

Ki a koe e te tuahine, mō tō karakia whakatuwhera, tēnā koe. Ki ngā mema o tēnei Whare e huihui mai nei nā runga i te karanga o te rā, tēnā koutou. Otirā koutou mā, taku hāpai ō, taku whānau, aku hoa, ngā kaitautoko o tēnei tūru, o tēnei kaupapa, koutou kua tae mai ā-tinana nei mai i ngā pito katoa o te motu, koutou mā e mātakitaki ana, ka nui taku aroha ki a koutou katoa e whakamana nei i tēnei rā whakahirahira.

Nei rā te mokopuna a Hineahuone, a Tānenuiarangi, a Hinehau, a Epiha e tū whakaiti nei, tihei mauri ora ki te Whare.

[Mr Speaker, the leader to the fore, the supporters follow. The honest realisation of the unique authority of the Māori people. The elevated hammerhead shark of the Takitimu canoe. The breath of life.

To you, sister, for your opening karakia, greetings and thanks. To the members of this House that have gathered here in answer to the call of the day, greetings. Indeed, to you, my supporters, my family, my friends, the supporters of this seat and this occasion, you who came here in person from all corners of the country, you who are watching, my love is enormous for you that are endorsing this important day.

Here is a grandchild of Hineahuone, Tānuiarangi, Hinehau, and Epiha that humbly stands here. Vitality and wellbeing to this House.]

The decision to cross the floor to join Te Paati Māori was not an easy decision. But, for my whānau and I, it was the right decision. It is time to put our whakapapa first, to return to our people, to serve and work for our people—the calling that comes deep from within my puku.

I come from a long line of pukumahi whānau—hard workers, boots on the ground, salt of the earth whānau. I was raised in the shearing sheds of Te Tairāwhiti and shaped at the freezing works of Whakatū, Hawke’s Bay, where everyone worked hard and played hard. In fact, they called Whakatū the university of life. I was, however, fortunate to go to university—the second in my whānau. My late grandmother instilled in me the teachings of Sir Apirana Ngata: e tipu e rea—to learn the tools of the Pākehā—or, in my case, how Wellington worked so one day I could return home and—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume her seat. Giving a personal explanation to the House is about something in the House; it’s not a general debate. Ehara tēnei i te wā kia tū ake ki te tuku atu i te reo mihimihi ki ngā mea katoa, kia whakamārama kē he aha te take [This is not the time to stand to acknowledge everyone, but instead to explain the rationale], and I haven’t heard it. I’ll give the member another chance to explain exactly what it is that she is explaining to the House. It’s not about giving a speech.

Mr Speaker, thank you for your guidance. This is my opportunity to explain the decision I’ve made. My decision to return back to the people was based on whakapapa and the calling home—

💬 SPEAKER: Thank you.

—and I am very pleased to stand in this House to say I have joined a party that enables the voice of wāhine Māori to be heard and not censured in this House. So I stand in support of what we are doing here. It is my opportunity to say that this House and those in this House, when we talk about a 50:50 gender—I want my voice to be heard.

But now we’re getting into a whole other debate.