Maiden Statements

In accordance with a determination of the Business Committee, I call on Oriini Kaipara to make her maiden address to Parliament.

Kōrihi, kōrihi, kō

Iti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea

Kōrihi, kōrihi, kō

[Birdsong, birdcall, call

Though the bellbird is small, it can conquer a tall white pine

Birdsong, birdcall, call]

Tā Tumu, kei hea rā koe ka ngaro nei? Kua hauangiangi ngā pae o ngā iwi katoa. Ko ngā kāhu e rua nō runga mai o Takaparawhau ērā kua taka ki te pō.

E aku rangatira, Clay kōrua ko Pāpā Grant Hawke, haere aku rangatira, haere. Mokowhiti atu ki Taupiri-kūao, hine i pūāwai, e hine, haere, haere. Koutou e ngā mate o te wā, haere i te aukume, i te auroa, i te au tē hoki mai anō. Haere e ngā mate, haere. Kei ngā pou o tōku whare wairua, hoki wairua mai, hoki wairua mai.

Ki ngā pou o Te Aho Matua, Nanny Tuki, nāu te kōrero, “kia mau ki Te Aka Matua, te toihuarewa tipua”. Whaea Kāterina Te Heikōkō, nōu te ringa i whakairo i Te Aho Mātua me ōna wāhanga e ono, nāu i whakamahara i a mātou kia kimihia te mea ngaro.

Ki te pou o tōku reo Māori, Hōri Te Pou, grandad, nāu taku reo, nāu i Tūhoe ai taku arero, nāu i Tūhoe ai tōku ngākau, ā, i Tūhoe ai ahau.

Ki ōku pou o te ao haka, Koro Ngāpō kōrua ko Kui Pīmia, nā kōrua ngā rangi me ngā kupu i tito i mana anō ai te kōrero, “ki te wātea te hinengaro me te kaha rere o te wairua, ka taea ngā mea katoa”.

Kei ngā pou o tōku whare, o Ngā Tūmanako, Whaea Arapera, Whaea Hinerapa, Nanny June, Whaea Barbara, Ricky, koutou aku titi raukura me aku iti raukura kua riro ki te pō, e muramura tonu ana te ahi nā koutou i toutou i tō tātou pā. Anei, kua kaewa mai e mātou ki konei, ki tēnei Whare i tēnei rā.

Kāti, ki ngā pou tokomanawa o Te Pāti Māori, Whaea Tāriana kōrua tahi ko Takutaimoana: māreikura mārire, ngākau māhaki. E Kui Tari, nāu a Whānau Ora i ōhia ake i te kore ki te ao mārama. Takutai, e whāia e koe ngā mahi a Rarohenga kia whai pokohiwi pono ai ngā whānau o tō tāua rohe, o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko kōrua ka noho hei iho pūmanawa ki a au, otirā ki a mātou o Te Pāti Māori e apakura tonu nei. Nei ka mihi, nei ka tangi.

Kia whakatepehia ake i konei, he rārangi maunga, tū tonu, tū tonu; he rārangi tangata, ngaro noa, ngaro noa. Tauāraitia te pō, tītoko ki te ao mārama. E ngā urupā o rātou mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Whakakau ake te kauae kahika o Kiwa, te arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po, tū mai rā. Tū mai koe i runga i te ahurea tapu o tō pāpā, o tō kuia, o ō tīpuna kua riro ki te pō. Tū mai rā koe hei tapairu mō te reo Māori. Ā tēnā, kia whakatino-rangatiratangatia e au tō tāua reo ki konei, ki Pāremata, ā, ki te ao tōrangapū.

Ko te kuīni Māori hei whakamarumaru, ko te Kīngitanga hei whakaruruhau mō te mana Māori motuhake. Rire rire hau, pai mārire.

E te ariki hou o Tūwharetoa, Te Rangimāheu, e tū. Kia whitikina iho koe e te ihi o tō pāpā. Te mauri o te iwi, te hana o ngā waiariki, nau mai rā koe e te whatu o te whare o Te Heuheu. Rarau.

Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toarangatira, e ngā reo whakahei nō runga mai i ngā maunga whakahī o Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, tatū atu ki Muaupoko ki Ōtaki, tae atu ki Rangitāne ki te Wairarapa, tēnā koutou e ngā matamatahuānga, e ngā mana whenua o ēnei whenua.

Whakatau mai i taku iti, i taku rahi. Whakatau mai i a mātou, ngā waewae tapu. Whakatau mai i taku whānau, i taku hapori, tēnei kua tau mai. Mihia ā mātou mokopuna. Mihia ngā tamariki o Te Kōhanga Reo me te Kura Kaupapa Māori. Mihia ō rātou mātua, ō rātou pākeke. Mihia ngā toa o te reo Māori. Tae atu ki ngā pā kai ahi me ngā mana tiketike o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ehara, mihia te uru kahika o Tāmaki Makaurau, tēnei kua pae mai nei.

Mihia ōku pāpā i konei i ngā tau o mua, hei aha? Hei kauwaka, hei māngai mō ngā iwi Māori i mua. Mihia te matakīrea o te rangapū tuatahi o Te Pāti Māori kua auraki mai. Anei a Tā Pāpā Pita Sharples me āna apataki e tū tonu nei te whare o Hoani Waititi marae e tau nei, e mihi atu nei. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Ā kāti, whakatau mai i ahau, i te mema Pāremata hou o Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ko ahau ko Oriini Kaipara, ko te teina o Rāwinia rāua ko Te Raina, ko te tuahine o Hakaraia, ko te whakapākanga a Shirley Te Pou rāua ko Eruera Kaipara. Ko Gary Grey taku pāpā whakaangi. He mōkai ahau nā Hōri rāua ko Te Auta Te Pou. He mokopuna hoki ahau nā Wīkeepa rāua ko Kaira Te Maioha Kaipara. Ko au te māmā o Paetawhiti, o Te Aomihia, o Nikau, o Ngārongokahira. Ko au hoki te kuikui o Puaroa.

He uri ahau nō Hine-pūkohu-rangi, nō Te Kura-i-monoa, nō Wairaka, nō Hine-te-ariki, nō Hāhuru. Ko au te wawata o Te Ōkahurangi, te tūmanako o Rangitōwhare, te kauae o Parehuia. Ko au ko Ngāti Awa, ko au ko Tūwharetoa, ko Tūhoe, ko Ngāti Rangitihi, ko Ngā Pōtiki, ko Te Hapū Oneone.

E te Pīka, e te Whare, e aku mema hoahaere i tēnei Whare, ka puta i te motu whānui, koutou e ngā maunga whakahī o ngā tīpuna kei te pō, anei ahau e mihi atu nei ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā tātou.

[Sir Tumu, where have you gone? The leadership panels of all iwi have thinned. The two hawks from upon Bastion Point are those who have fallen into darkness.

My noble leaders, lay and Pāpā Grant Hawke, pass on my noble leaders, rest in peace. Leap onto Taupiri-kūao, the lady who flourished, my lady, rest in peace. To you, the recently departed, go on the drawing current, the persistent current, the current that will never return again. Pass on, our dearly departed, go. To the pillars of my spiritual hall, return in spirit, return in spirit.

To the pillars of Te Aho Matua, Nanny Tuki, it was you who said, “Hold fast to Te Aho Matua, the miraculous pinnacle”. Whaea Kāterina Te Heikōkō, it was your hand that carved Te Aho Matua and its six component parts; it was you who reminded us to seek the unseen.

To the pillar of my Māori language, Hōri Te Pou, Grandad, my knowledge of the language is due to you. It was you who made my tongue Tūhoe, it was you who made my heart Tūhoe, who made me Tūhoe.

To my pillars of the haka world, Koro Ngāpō and Kui Pīmia, it was the two of you who composed the arrangements and lyrics that confirmed the statement, “If the mind is clear and the soul is soaring, everything is possible”.

To the pillars of my house, Ngā Tūmanako, Whaea Arapera, Whaea Hinerapa, Nanny June, Whaea Barbara, Ricky, all of you my treasured plumes and humble affiliates that have gone into the darkness, the fire that you tended in our fortress burns on. Here, we have travelled here to this House today.

Well, to the central columns of the Māori Party, Whaea Tāriana and Takutaimoana: peaceful majesty, humble hearts. Kui Tari, it was you who brought Whānau Ora from nothing into the world of light. Takutai, you pursued the endeavours of Rarohenga so that the families of our region, of Auckland would have a strong shoulder to lean on. You both will remain role models to me, indeed to us, the Māori Party that continue to grieve. I thank you, and grieve for you.

To conclude here, mountain ranges endure, while humanity passes on. Let the night stand apart, as we move into the world of light. To the living memorials of those who have passed on, greetings and thanks to you all.

As the noble jaw of Kiwa comes into view, it is the monarch Queen Nga wai hono i te po, arise. Arise upon the sacred throne of your father, of your grandmother, of your ancestors who have passed into the night. Arise as sovereign for the Māori language. Indeed, let me ensure the sovereignty of our language here in Parliament, and in the political sphere.

As the Māori queen is shelter, so is the Kīngitanga a sanctuary for Māori authority. Peace and goodwill to all.

To the new supreme leader of Tūwharetoa, Te Rangimāheu, arise. May you be illuminated by the power of your father. The life force of the people, the radiance of the geothermal features, welcome, the rock of the house of Te Heuheu. Welcome.

Te Ātiawa, Tarana Whānui, Ngāti Toarangatira, the voices of welcome from upon the proud mountains of Wellington, including Muaupoko in Ōtaki, and also Rangitāne in Wairarapa, greetings to you my relatives, the authorities over these lands.

Welcome my humble and proud ones. Welcome us, those new to this place. Welcome my family, my community, we who have arrived here. Greet our grandchildren. Greet the children of the Kōhanga Reo and the Kura Kaupapa Māori. Greet their parents and their elders. Greet the champions of the Māori language. Including the sentinels and the exalted authority of Auckland. Indeed, greet the leadership group of Auckland that has arrived here.

Greet my uncles that were here in prior years, as what? As media and representatives for the Māori people before. Greet the advance guard of the founding group of the Māori Party who have returned. Here is Sir Pita Sharples and his retinue who maintain the hall of Hoani Waititi marae, who have arrived and greet you. Greetings and thanks to you all.

Oh well, welcome me, the new member of Parliament of Auckland.

I am Oriini Kaipara, younger sister of Rāwinia and Te Raina, sister of Hakaraia, youngest child of Shirley Te Pou and Eruera Kaipara. Gary Grey is my stepfather. I am a favourite of Hōri and Te Auta Te Pou. I am also a grandchild of Wīkeepa and Kaira Te Maioha Kaipara. I am the mother of Paetawhiti, Te Aomihia, Nikau and Ngārongokahira. I am also the grandmother of Puaroa.

I am a descendant of Hine-pūkohu-rangi, Te Kura-i-minoa, Wairaka, Hine-te-ariki and Hāhuru. I am the aspiration of Te Ōkahurangi, the hope of Rangitōwhare, and the pride of Parehuia. I am Ngāti Awa, I am Tūwharetoa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngā Pōtiki, and Te Hapū Oneone.

Mr Speaker, and the House, my fellow members of this House, and out to the nation, you, the proud mountains of the ancestors in the night, here I am offering thanks to you. Greetings and thanks to you, and all of us.]

I am Oriini Kaipara, member of Parliament for Tāmaki Makaurau. Greetings, everyone. I’m not going to stand here and tell you about the impacts of colonisation on whānau, hapū, iwi, and even on me. That story is well documented. One only has to turn to the Hansard to see in plain black and white how this Government and past Governments have perceived our people. Instead, I will speak of resilience; the resilience of Māori, the resilience that has carried us through generations of struggle and survival; the resilience that has shaped me into the woman, the mother, the grandmother, and now the member of Parliament who stands here before you today.

Te reo Māori, tikanga, kura kaupapa, kapa haka, the arts—heck, even Matariki. None of it survived by accident. E hē. It all survived because we fought for it, Māori and non-Māori alike. We’ve been fighting for a very long time for te reo to survive and thrive. In 1970, Ngā Tamatoa and Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo lobbied for the introduction of te reo Māori into all schools. Two years later, the Māori language petition, signed by over 30,000 New Zealanders, was carried to the very steps of this Parliament; ordinary people, extraordinary in their vision, stood up to say that the language of our tīpuna and of this whenua will not die.

In 1975, three historic events took place. Dame Whina Cooper and Te Rōpū Matakite led the biggest land march of its time, from the top of the North to those very same steps. The Waitangi Tribunal was established, and I acknowledge the taraipiunara, who are here commemorating their 50th anniversary. The third was Te Wiki o te reo Māori—it also began that year. Here we are, 50 years later, celebrating, but with eyes wide open to the realities both institutions face right now.

May I remind everyone in this House and out there that in 1975, just 5 percent of all Māori schoolchildren could speak and even understand their own mother tongue; 5 percent. Ruātoki stepped up first. They became the first bilingual school in the entire country in 1978. That was also the year of Takaparawhā Bastion Point. E kore rawa mātou e wareware.

[We will never ever forget.]

A year later, iwi and hapū gathered near here to plan strategies for the survival of te reo. Te Ataarangi was born. In 1980, Hoani Waititi Marae opened its doors for the very first time, becoming home to many West Aucklanders, including myself and my whānau. That same year, the kōhanga reo movement was born in Ngāruawāhia. In 1982, the first kōhanga reo, Pukeatua, was opened in Wainuiomata. Later, former politician and Māori broadcaster Derek Fox delivered the very first televised news bulletin entirely in te reo Māori. Te Karere was born—and so was I—in 1983. Still young! These acts of resilience, they were critical to our existence and our success, then and still now.

We created more than a movement; we built community. Community is what established the kura kaupapa Māori movement which is here in this House right now.

In 1985, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi opened. A dream once whispered became reality—a place where tamariki could grow as who they were born to be, unapologetically Māori. Anei ngā titi raukura o Hoani Waititi marae, anei ngā raukura o Te Aho Matua, ngā mokopuna a Rāwiri Wright, Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori kua tae mai. Anei te āpōpō, anei te tira hou kua tau.

[These are the valued affiliates of Hoani Waititi marae, these are the graduates of Te Aho Matua, the grandchildren of Rāwiri Wright, Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori who have arrived here. This is the future; this is the new crew that has landed.]

The fight for te reo didn’t end there. That same year, the Waitangi Tribunal heard the te reo Māori claim Wai 11. It confirmed what we always knew—that te reo Māori is a taonga guaranteed protection under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This led to the establishment of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori—the Māori Language Commission. What followed next was Te Māngai Pāho, Whakaata Māori, and many other Māori language revitalisation efforts that still stand today. Tēnei te reo Māori te toitū tonu nei.

[This is the Māori language that continues to endure.]

I honour our pakeke who did not speak Māori, all of you who know and who carry the ache of disconnection and ensured that my peers and I would never feel it. Just as they stood for me, so I now stand for our tamariki and our mokopuna. Thank you for the sacrifices you made. Thank you for the ridicule you faced and for the courage that you showed in your commitment to a better life for us.

When I stand in this House, I do so not as a survivor of colonisation who made it in the Pākehā system but as the product of Māori resilience. We are the culmination of dreams, of purpose, of hard work, and of intention. We are here by design. Every single one of us who walks our own reo journey is a beneficiary of the efforts of all those who held and still hold the line for all of us today. We embody everything they stood for, all that they dreamt of, and all that they hoped for.

I’ve broken barriers, but now I choose to break cycles. I’ve covered stories, and now I choose to change them. I’ve competed at the Olympics of haka and I’ve taken haka to the Olympics. I’ve introduced te reo Māori into every space I’ve walked in, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Some say te reo is another act of resistance. For many of us, it is our way of life—it just is. The Aotearoa hou I aspire to is free from racism, from discrimination, from trauma, and from unnecessary suffering. The Aotearoa hou I see is vibing and it’s thriving, growing and going forward, not backwards. “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua”—“I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed firmly on our past”.

I entered this Whare holding in my hand Te Aho Matua, the values and principles coined by the people who mentored and who shaped who I am today. They’re in this House; many of them are not.

I also enter on behalf of Takutai Tarsh Kemp, my predecessor, my tuakana. I hold firmly, in her honour and that of her whānau, all that she carried and all that she meant, not only for Tāmaki Makaurau, but for all her people who continue today to grieve for her loss.

I stand here proudly for Tāmaki Makaurau. To my own whānau, aunties, my uncles, my cousins, my nephews, my nieces, everyone—[Bell rung] I hear you; kei te pai—

💬 SPEAKER: I don’t think you do.

—thank you for being here with me. I know how unnatural this is for all of us, but trust. We’ve got this. I’ve got you, and you’ve got me.

I wonder what my mum would say if she were here right now. I know she’d be beaming and saying something like, “Go, my baby!” She’s here, I know, and I really do hope to do her proud, and all of our whakapapa proud.

To my hāpai ō, my pillars of support, kāore i ārikarika aku mihi ki a koutou [profuse thanks to you]. Jen, Faye, Rei, Mahanga, Ngira, Rukuwai, Donna, Rahera, Kelz, Maria, Parekura, Pāpā Rangi, our Te Kei o Te Waka whānau, tae atu ki a koutou, Kereama mā [our family from the Stern of the Canoe, and also including you, Kereama and others] in the U.S. of A. right now: thank you for having backs, guys, and for joining me on this journey. We made it. You did this. E kore te puna o mihi e mimiti.

[The fountain of thanks will never dry up.]

To the other members of this Whare—[Bell rung]—know this: we will debate, we will challenge each other—

💬 SPEAKER: This is not on.

—and we will disagree—and I will wrap it up, everybody.

I started and, now, I end my kauhau with the pao of the bellbird to remind us—especially now, during spring—that even the smallest of us can achieve greatness. Just like the bellbird dared to ascend the tallest kahikatea, we can, and we will.

Kōrihi, kōrihi, kō

Iti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea

Kōrihi, kōrihi, kō

[Birdsong, birdcall, call

Though the bellbird is small, it can conquer a tall white pine

Birdsong, birdcall, call]

Waiata—“Whakarongo”

[Disturbance in the public gallery]

No, not that—the guarantee was that that would not be taking place. The House is suspended.

Sitting suspended from 3.22 p.m. to 3.44 p.m.