He Whakautu Korero ki te Pirimia

Kua puta te mahere rautaki o Nahinara mo te tau e heke mai nei, engari ara ano tëtahi korero kaore i tino korerohia. He take tera e hängai tonu ana ki te noho o Te Paati Maori me te hoa haere a Nahinara.

Me pënei ke täku whakamärama. No te ra o Waitangi, e pënei ana tëtahi pätai a te Pirimia:
“Why can't this be the generation of New Zealanders who open the next chapter in our history?”.

Ka pa tuturu tenei patai ki tetahi tautohenga torangapu nui rawa atu o Aotearoa, ara, mo te Ture Takutai Moana.

Tekau ma tahi marama ki muri, i pänui atu te Roia Matua o te Karauna i te whäinga matua o tetahi ropu arotake i te ture, me ona tangata, na runga ano i te Kawenata Tautoko a te Ropu Maori me te Ropu Nahinara.

E rua kaupapa nui o te arotaketanga:

· Kia kite mehemea e whakapumau ana, e whakanui ana te ture i te mana whenua, a,

· Ki te whakapumau i nga tikanga tupuna, i nga tikanga hoki a te marea i roto i te pire takutai moana.

Mai ra ano, e mea ana te Ropu Maori me taurite enei tikanga – te whakapuakitanga o te mana o tena iwi, o tena hapu, otira kia whai wahi ano te tokomaha, mo ake tonu atu.

Koia ra pea i te pütake o te patai a te Pirimia ki a tatou. Koia nei te reanga ka whakawatea i te huarahi ki te paerangi, ki nga ra kei mua i te aroaro, kia tau katoa i runga i te pümau me te märama nga take e pa ana ki te takutai moana.

Engari i konei pea o maua huarahi ka tihoi. Hei ta te kauhau a te Pirimia i Waitangi, me anga whakamua tatou, kia kaua e waiho ake ma nga raruraru o nehe i te taenga mai o tauiwi e whakakotiti, e whakaporearea i o tatou whakaaro i tenei wa.

Kei te rongo au i te whakatauki e mea ana: Korokoro hohonu, uaua papaku!

Kaore e kore, ko te Ture o te tau rua mano ma wha te mea taumaha rawa atu o te rau tau nei.

Ki a au nei, me anga whakamua tatou, engari kei wareware a muri. No muri tata nei, ae, engari kei te pupu tonu ake te riri me te mamae i waenganui i te tangata whenua.

E kore e wareware te rua tekau ma rima mano tangata e hikoi ngatahi ana ki te Paremata i runga i te whakaaro kotahi – me pana te ture ki tua o tawauwau!

Kua takahia to tatou mana i te ao whanui, na nga whakatau maha a te Whakakotahitanga o nga Whenua o te Ao i a ratou e mea ana, he ture takahi i te Maori, i te mea he ture whakakore tera i o tatou tikanga whenua, na te kore paku whakaae atu, a, karekau he paku aha hei utu ki a tatou.

Kua whakaruhi to tatou mana hei Paremata ki te korero mo te tika me te pono, na to tatou kore aha ki te whai i te tika me te pono i mua i nga kooti, hei whai haere I te whakatau mo Ngati Apa.

I te tau rua mano ma toru, koia nei te wa i noho a Ngati Apa me te Roia Matua o te Karauna i te kooti, he wa whakahirahira mo te hanganga kaupapa mo tenei motu. Ko te tikanga, ko taua whakatau o te kooti he mea pänui ma tena ma tena o nga mema Paremata katoa, ma nga tauira a whare wänanga nei, ma te hunga whai nei i nga korero tupuna me nga mahi torangapu, tae atu ki te hunga whai i te ture.

Anei ta Ahorangi Jane Kelsey mo te whakatau o Ngati Apa. E ai ki tana, he whakatau hanga hou, “because judges in the Maori Land Court and the Court of Appeal were prepared to take the risk and challenge the prevailing precedents”.

No reira kei te hoki mai au ki te wero a te Pirimia, kia whakawatea tenei whakatipuranga i te huarahi whakamua.

Ko ta tenei whakatupuranga, he poipoi, he ako, he tautoko, he waitohu, he awhina i nga reanga kia tipu kia pakari.

Ki ta te ao Maori:

He totara wahi rua, he kai na te toki. Me aro ake te kaitorangapu ki nga whakaaro o te nuinga ae, engari ko te mahi a te rangatira, ko te mäia a ngäkau a wairua, ki te whakakotahi i a tatou, ahakoa tukia e te ua e te hau.

No reira, ka piki taku wairua i nga kupu o Sonny Raniera Tau ki te hui a te Runanga Manukura (Iwi Leaders’ Forum).

Ko taua runanga, he whakakotahitanga o nga iwi rima tekau ma whitu, ko ta ratou, he kokiri i nga take o nga iwi, hapu katoa e pa ana ki o ratou ake rohe moana. I tautoko a Raniera i te runanga hei reo pai mo te tangata whenua ki te karauna, na te mea kua kowhiria nga mema katoa o te runanga e o ratou ake iwi.

He aha hoki te tikanga o tenei korero?

E pënei ana pea. E kore rawa e tatu noa nga whiringa korero mo te takutai moana, mei kore nga iwi, nga hapu e noho tahi me te Karauna. No reira me ata whakarongo nga mangai ki o ratou ake iwi, hapu ranei, me pumau, me pono ki o ratou whakaaro.

Ko ta matou kii taurangi a te Ropu Maori ki te hunga tautoko i a matou, ka whakapau kaha matou ki te whakakore i te ture, a, he whainga nui tera mo matou.

Engari, kei te titiro matou ki mua me te ngakau rorotu. E hiahia ana matou o te Paati Maori, he reo mana motuhake mo te iwi Maori i roto i te Whare Paremata, kia whai wahi ai nga iwi, nga hapu, I roto i nga whakahaerenga katoa o te takutai moana. Kua akiaki matou kia whakatinanahia o ratou tikanga, ka mutu ko ta matau hoki ko te kii atu, me whai mana nga iwi me nga hapü, kaore i koo atu kaore i koo mai.

Ma te wa ka kitea nga hua o a matou mahi. Waiho tera korero ki reira.

I tenei wa me korero au mo tëtahi atu take nui whakaharahara, ara ko tera i tïmata mai inanahi nei, a, anei ahau e rongo nei i ona hua. Tera tetahi tohu nui whakahirahira, e hiki ai te wairua o te iwi Maori, ara ko te timatanga mai o te tukutahi i te reo Maori me te reo Pakeha i tenei whare.

Kua roa ke tenei ra e taria ana.

No te tau kotahi mano, iwa rau, waru tekau ma whitu, ka whakamanatia te reo Maori i raro i te Ture o te Reo Maori. He hurihanga nui mo tenei motu, a, rua tekau ma toru tau ki muri, anei tatou e whakanui ana i te tikanga o taua ture.

E pënei ana te whakapapa:

Kua noho tonu ko te mahi tukutahi o nga reo i roto i a Maui tikitiki a Taranga, ara te wähi e whiriwhiri ana nga take Maori mai i te 24 o Huitanguru 2000. Kua whakapakehatia nga korero Maori a nga Mema Paremata me nga manuhiri korero Maori nei, a, ka rere tika tonu ki nga Mema Paremata. I taua wa, i puta te korero a te Kaitiriwa o te Whare (a karaka nei) ara a Ailsa Salt, mënä ka eke te mahi ki te taumata e tika ana, ka kokirihia kia tae mai ki roto i tenei whare.

Mai ra ano i te tau 1999, i konei tëtahi Kaiwhakamaori ma te Whare Paremata e mahi ana, na runga i nga whakapae a nga Mema Maori i nga tau 1996 ki te 1999, mo nga uauatanga o te korero Maori i roto i te Whare.

No reira me mihi ki nga mema, huri noa i te whare, mai i nga kawanatanga maha o era wa, na ratou i kökiri te take nei kia korerotia te reo, hei reo tuturu o te motu, a, kia tere tonu ai te rongo a era Mema Paremata i nga korero e rere ana.

Ko a matou whakatauaki, pepeha, korero tupuna, he taonga na te tangata whenua, kei te putake o te Maoritanga. He mea kinaki ënei mo te korero, he whakaputanga matauranga, hei mea arahi i a tatou i enei ra.

Heoi, na enei matauranga, ënei maramatanga, e mohio ai tatou, ara noa atu nga huarahi e wätea ana ki a tatou tamariki mokopuna i ënei rangi, a, he huarahi i takahia ai e o ratou tipuna.

Kia ora.

RESPONSE TO PM’s STATEMENT
Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki

Wednesday 10 February 2010

National have provided a statement regarding the year ahead but there was one topic that was not really discussed. That matter has some relevance to the agreement between the Maori Party and National.

Let me explain. On Waitangi Day the Prime Minister offered the following question:

“Why can't this be the generation of New Zealanders who open the next chapter in our history?”.

It is a question of the utmost relevance to one of the most significant political debates to have impacted upon Aotearoa, the Foreshore and Seabed legislation.

It has been just under eleven months ago since the Attorney General announced the terms of reference and members of the Government’s ministerial panel to review the Foreshore and Seabed Act as provided for in the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the National government and the Maori Party.

There were two key components to the review:

· to ascertain whether the Act adequately maintains and enhances mana whenua; and

· to ensure both customary and public interest in the coastal marine area are recognised and provided for.

It is a balance which the Maori Party has consistently advocated for – the need to respect the mana that every iwi and hapu express over their rohe moana; while at the same time promoting the concept of enduring public access.

That then is perhaps at the heart of the question that the Prime Minister asks. This generation must the ones to open the next chapter of history by providing certainty and clarity around interests in the foreshore and seabed.

But this is where we differ in some respects from the approach taken by Mr Key. Mr Key’s Waitangi Day proclamation was that we should move on and acknowledge that the history of colonisation and injustice can’t be allowed to dominate decision making.

I can hear some of our people saying, easier said than done.

There would be little dispute that the 2004 Act has been the most pivotal piece of policy to have been served upon Maori for at least the last century.

We must face the future, being absolutely informed by our past.

A recent past, admittedly, but one that still continues to engender hostility and anguish from amongst the people of this land, tangata whenua.

We will never forget the memory of 25,000 people marching on Parliament to universally reject the Act.

Our international reputation has been damaged by consistent findings from the United Nations that the Act discriminated against Maori because it extinguished property rights without consent or compensation.

And our capacity, as a Parliament, to talk about matters of justice is severly compromised by the complete disregard for the concept of due access to the Courts, as spelt out in the Ngati Apa decision.

That period of time in 2003, during the Attorney General versus Ngati Apa, is a very significant period in the building up of our nation. Indeed I would hope the Ngati Apa decision would be compulsory reading for all Members of Parliament, all students of history and politics, all those with intentions to enter the halls of law.

This is what Professor Jane Kelsey said about the Ngati Apa decision. She said described the Ngati Apa decision as creative, occurring only “because judges in the Maori Land Court and the Court of Appeal were prepared to take the risk and challenge the prevailing precedents”.

And so again I come back to Mr Key’s question challenging this generation to open the next chapter of history.

The critical responsibility for our generation is that we are able to provide the insights, the knowledge, the direction and the support that will help all future generations to grow and develop.

We can not advance if we ignore or deny the conflicts that have rendered us asunder. Opinion polls, focus groups and political commentators all have their place, but ultimately the true test of leadership lies in the courage to work with policy differences.

In this respect, I was heartened by the words of Sonny Raniera Tau in his analysis of the iwi leaders forum.

That forum consists of representation of all 57 iwi and is a powerful advocate for the recognition and mana of iwi and hapu over their rohe moana. Mr Tau spoke in support of the forum as the best group to represent Maori in negotiations, given that every member is an elected member of their own iwi.

Why is this so important?

Well quite simply, the foreshore and seabed approach that we consider and conclude in upcoming months, can only be effective if there is meaningful engagement between the Crown and iwi/hapü. It is expected that those representatives communicate well with iwi and hapu, to be accountable, to be transparent; to be faithful to the views of their people.

The key commitment that we gave to our constituency is that we would do everything in our powers to repeal the Act – and that has been a priority for us.

But we also face the future with optimism, wanting to ensure that the Maori Party, as the strong and independent voice for Maori, can ensure that all aspects of the management of the marine environment and marine resources enable effective input of iwi and hapu. We have advocated for iwi and hapu involvement in decisions which bear the influence of tikanga; and we have spoken out consistently for the recognition of the mana of iwi and hapu.

Time will demonstrate the fruits of our efforts.

Now let me turn to another important matter which arose yesterday and here I am profiting from that. There is one thing that would inspire hope for the success our people seek, and that is the significance of yesterday, a day in which finally simultaneous interpretation has been welcomed into this chamber.

This has been a day long coming.

In 1987, the Maori Language Act declared te reo Mäori an official language of New Zealand. That was a key event in the history of this nation, and it is somewhat sobering to think that Parliament, some 23 years later, is finally honouring the intention of that Act.
Here is the whakapapa behind this distinctive initiative.
On 24 February 2000 a simultaneous English-Maori translation service was installed in the Maori Affairs select committee room so that direct English translations of Members of Parliament or visitors speaking in te reo can be made. At the time then Deputy Clerk of the House, Ailsa Salt, said that if the service was a success it could be introduced into the House.
We have also had a full time interpreter in the House since 1999, after Maori Members of Parliament expressed concerns during the 1996-1999 Parliament about the barriers to speaking Maori in the House.
So I want to recognise the efforts made right across the House, in successive terms of Parliament, for the right to be able to speak Maori to be given the status of an official language, with the capacity for other Members to benefit from an immediate understanding of the concepts and statements made.

Our whakatauaki, pepeha, korero tawhiti – the cultural assets and capital of tangata whenua – are the essential heart of Maoritanga. They embellish our korero; they demonstrate the unique knowledge and wisdom of Maori frameworks; they provide contemporary guidance based on historical precedents.

Indeed it is through such learning and such leadership that we are confident our future generations can open many new chapters in the history of our nation – chapters which are stronger for the foundation they emerge from.