Tuesday, 22 August 2006

Tuesday, 22 August 2006

Tuesday, 22 August 2006

Madam Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

Prayers.

Responses

David Ruth—Statements made by Ron Mark MP

Madam SPEAKER: I hereby present a response under Standing Orders 160 to 163 on the application of Mr David Ruth relating to statements made by Ron Mark MP on Tuesday, 14 March 2006.

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House): I move, That that paper be published.

Motion agreed to.

Obituaries

Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu

Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister): I move, That this House notes with sadness the death of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Member of the Order of New Zealand, Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; conveys its deepest sympathy to Dame Te Ata’s family, the Kīngitanga, and all Māori people; and as a mark of respect to Dame Te Ata’s memory, this House do now adjourn. Over the past week many fine tributes have been paid to the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Dame Te Ata passed away 8 days ago, only a few short weeks after the celebrations for her 40th anniversary as Māori Queen, and then of her 75th birthday. Dame Te Ata, as is well known, had been ill for some time, and it took great courage for her to be present at those two celebrations.

Dame Te Ata was known to us as a humble and unassuming woman who, over 40 years as Te Arikinui, made her presence felt in countless ways. She has been a source of continuity, a force for stability, and a voice of moderation throughout that time. Dame Te Ata represented links to the past and to the origins of Kīngitanga, but she was also one of the very significant creators of a new future for Māoridom. Dame Te Ata lent her mana and support to initiatives right across Māoridom. She was patron of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, and, in turn, the league was a tremendously important support system for her throughout New Zealand. Similarly, Dame Te Ata was a strong supporter of the revival of te reo Māori and all initiatives associated with that from the establishment of kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa through to Māori television.

In the world of arts and culture she gave strong backing to kapahaka across New Zealand, and those great kapahaka festivals on the banks of the Waikato, with her presence, will remain in our memories forever. She could also be seen at the local arts festival in Huntly and she occasionally popped up at the opera and the ballet in Auckland’s Aotea Centre. I think what was remarkable about Dame Te Ata was that not only did she move widely within Māoridom, she was to be found at many events right through our society.

She was a lover of sport and a promoter of physical activity for young people. She was especially known for her support for rugby league, and I remember in the late 1990s when Tainui purchased a corporate box at the Ericsson Stadium. She was a proud host of the box on those occasions and loved following the Warriors and the Kiwi league team. She was a great supporter of the art of the waka and could often be found at other major sporting events.

Wherever anything held opportunity for Māoridom, Dame Te Ata was to be found in support. It is significant that it was in Dame Te Ata’s own rohe, Waikato Tainui, that the first major Treaty settlement with the Crown in modern times was made. That took courage, because to be first is to lead. In this case, it was to set benchmarks for others, which would be very carefully scrutinised. Not all were supportive, but Waikato Tainui’s settlement, with Dame Te Ata’s backing, paved the way for a new era for Māoridom.

I believe this was consistent with Dame Te Ata’s quests throughout her life for reconciliation between Māori and Pākehā. She did indeed see us as two peoples within one nation. She wanted New Zealand to work for all of us, and she knew that righting the wrongs of the past would help us to build a better future together—as it has. So Dame Te Ata was a force for unity in diversity in our country. I believe our country is the stronger for her contribution.

In recent days I have also highlighted the extraordinary representational role that Dame Te Ata fulfilled for New Zealand. At home, at Tūrangawaewae, she was a gracious host to many dignitaries. Royalty, heads of State, heads of Government, foreign Ministers, diplomats, and other dignitaries beat a path to her door. She also travelled widely on behalf of New Zealand and Māoridom—to Europe, Asia, the Americas, and particularly to the Pacific, where she built strong links. She was a tremendous supporter of the Pacific Arts Festival and was with the Kiwi delegation that went up to Palau in only the last couple of years. Yesterday, and in the previous days, our Pacific neighbours have been well represented in the ceremonies at Tūrangawaewae in recognition of the time, effort, and care Dame Te Ata took with relationships in the Pacific.

Over the past week, countless thousands of people have flowed to Tūrangawaewae to pay their respects to Te Arikinui, and the tears have flowed for her and for the whānau pani. Waikato Tainui have been quite outstanding hosts to these countless thousands of people. Organisation of a tangi on this scale for one so widely revered is a massive undertaking, and it has been undertaken with great skill and enormous dignity. I feel privileged to have been there, as I know my colleagues do.

More broadly, I believe this week’s events have drawn us together as a nation, because respect for Dame Te Ata flowed right across our communities. She brought us together at the time of her passing as she did throughout her life. As a young person growing up in the Waikato in 1966, I still recall the vivid black and white images in the paper of the time of King Korokī’s passing and of the last journey he made up the sacred mountain of Taupiri. Yesterday it was Dame Te Ata’s turn to be carried up Taupiri, to make that journey for one last time. The image that will forever stay with me of yesterday is of that hillside erupting spontaneously with song, chanting, and haka as her casket was carried forward. Dame Te Ata will be greatly missed for her friendship to all, her dignity, her warmth, and her wise counsel to so many.

To the new king, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, I am sure this Parliament wishes him well in his responsibilities in the leadership of Kīngitanga. I believe the new Arikinui brings the qualities of his mother to the job—natural dignity, warmth, and a willingness to listen—and that he, like Dame Te Ata before him, will become a force to be reckoned with in Māoridom and a voice to be listened to throughout the land.

Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition): On behalf of the National Party, I warmly endorse the Prime Minister’s comments about Dame Te Ata, and I appreciate this opportunity to pay a tribute to her. She was a most remarkable person. She was the Māori monarch for over four decades; longer than any of her predecessors. She was the first woman to be the Māori monarch. She was the active patron of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, an organisation that has done an enormous amount of good work over a great many years. She was an active patron of the kōhanga reo movement also, and encouraged the use of the Māori language. She was the first Māori to be made a dame, in 1970. She was one of the first people to become a member of the Order of New Zealand, in 1987. She played a very substantial role as an ambassador for New Zealand and an ambassador for the Māori people overseas. She played a very constructive role in seeing the first major Treaty settlement signed between the Government and Māori in 1995.

I had the privilege of meeting Dame Te Ata on a number of occasions over the last 15 years and I was always enormously impressed by her manner, her grace, her dignity, and her mana. She was a most worthy representative of Tainui, a most worthy representative of the Kīngitanga movement, and a most worthy representative of all Māori. She was in every respect a fine New Zealander. In paying tribute to Dame Te Ata, we also wish her son and successor every best wish in his role. He has very big shoes to fill.

PITA PARAONE (NZ First): E te Kaiwhakawā o te Whare, ngā kaiārahi o ia rōpū tōrangapū o tēnei wāhi, tātou hoki ngā mema, tēnā koutou. Tainui waka, Tainui tangata, kei te tū tēnei iti nei i roto i te whakakotahi i ā mātou i roto i ngā mihi i mihia e ngā rangatira o te Whare nei. Mai mātou o Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, ngā uri o te Endeavour, mai i te Rōpū nei i a Aotearoa Tuatahi, he reo mihi tēnei ki te “Whare Kāhui” nā te mea, kei runga i a koutou puta noa i te motu te kākahu taratara e tarea. Kei te tū mokemoke, noho hoki i roto i te pōuritanga i a mātou o te Rōpū nei, tātou te ao Māori, arā, tātou o te motu nei, i roto o te pakeketanga o te wā ki te ngarotanga o tātou Arikinui. Kua ngaro ki a tātou Te Arikinui, te pouhere tangata o te ao Māori, ko te Kuini Māori, te Pairu Te Atairangikaahu o te motu nei. E kore taea ngā kōrero mōna, ahakoa kei te mihi tonu te motu ki tōna wehenga ki te wahi ngaro, ki te hui o ngā kahurangi. E kore mimiti te puna kōrero mōna. E ai ki te kōrero e ngaro atu i a ia ki wīwī, ki wāwā ki te pūtahitanga o Rehua, te huinga o ngā kahurangi, oti atu ki te ao wairua. Nō reira e taku Arikinui, te uri o ngā kāwai rangatira o te ao Māori, haere, haere, haere atu rā.

E tika ana kia pātai te pātai, ko wai tēnei e iti nei ki te whakauru mai i roto ēnei kōrero o te Whare. Ahakoa kei te āhua mataku mō tēnei tū i whiwhi ki a au, kei te maumahara te āhuatanga o tēnei Arikinui. He wahine tū kaha, he wahine hūmārie, he wahine tino kaha ki te whakapono ki tōna Matua nui i te Rangi. He wahine manaaki tangata, he wahine ngākau nui ki ngā tāngata katoa, te iti me te rahi. Nā, i roto i tēnā tū momo āhuatanga, kāhore kau kē e tēnei, e mataku tonu.

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

[To you, the Speaker of the House, leaders of each political party, and members, greetings to you all. Tainui canoe and Tainui tribe: I stand before you in humility as I join the other leaders in this House who have spoken. Condolences from us of Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, descendants of the Endeavour, and from this party of New Zealand First, to the “House of Chiefs”, because indeed upon the rest of us hangs the tattered cloth of death. We of this party, along with Māori and indeed the rest of New Zealand, are left bereft and sad at this difficult time with the loss of our great chieftainess. Our great chieftainess, the pillar that binds Māoridom together, the Māori Queen, the Sovereign Te Atairangikaahu of this land, is lost to us. There are not enough words to acknowledge her, although the country continues to speak of her departure to the hidden place, to the meeting-place of the distinguished. The pool of tributes about her will never run out. In keeping with the proverb, she is lost to here and everywhere, at the congruence of Antares—the gathering-place of the highborn—and forever to the spiritual world. So my great chieftainess, the descendant of the chiefs of the Māori world, depart, farewell, depart.

It is right to ask why this lowly one should be participating in these tributes by the House. Even though I am somewhat anxious about my right to stand at this point in the proceedings, the characteristics of this chieftainess will remain with me; she was a woman who was resolute, modest, and had great faith in the Almighty Above. She was a chiefly woman who cared for people from all walks of life. Because of those attributes of hers, I am no longer anxious.]

New Zealand First joins all parties in this House in expressing our condolences to the family of Dame Te Ata, the Tainui people, and, indeed, the wider Māori and New Zealand populations as we reflect on her passing last week. New Zealand First is a party that respects tradition, and Dame Te Ata embodied all that was good about the traditions of Māoridom. In many ways she was a bridge between the traditions of the past and their manifestations in contemporary life.

She was a woman of grace and dignity. Indeed, she shaped her life to give it a quality and distinction all of its own. Hers is a legacy of humble service, resilience, and a determined will to see her people succeed. Such were her status and her feeling of duty to Māori and the people of New Zealand that world leaders often made it their practice to call upon her, and she was always a gracious host. Having been in her company, such people left thinking better of Māori and, indeed, New Zealand. In this sense she was a genuine national treasure.

Her ascension to the mantle of Māori Queen came at a time when few women held positions of power. In many ways she was a trailblazer for both women and Māori. Her tenure was a time of great renaissance among Māori as their language and culture flourished and became distinctive features of New Zealand’s identity.

Perhaps the crowning moment of her career—and there were many—was the signing of Tainui’s Treaty claim, signifying her people’s desire to move on and embrace a bright future. It was a time of healing, of looking forward with hope, and of unifying the peoples of this nation. Dame Te Ata had a central role to play in that process.

If there was any question as to her stature, it was made crystal clear by many tens of thousands attending her tangi—Māori, Pākehā, visitors from every corner of the globe, all coming to say their farewell to this great woman. Her influence permeated far beyond these shores, and her deeds will forever be remembered among her people.

Māoridom has chosen a new king, and New Zealand First welcomes the ascension of Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki. He is a humble man who has inherited the quiet dignity of his mother. His challenge is indeed a large one, but so too is his capacity to rise to that challenge.

So while we mourn the passing of a great leader and a unifying force, we also reflect and celebrate all that she achieved. It is occasions like this, which add to our sense of nationhood, that highlight the ties that bind us. Dame Te Ata, we bid you farewell.

Waiata

I roto i ngā kōrero whakamutunga, ka āpiti hono, tātai hono, koutou e rere atu ki tua o Paerau, moe, moe mai i te roto Te Ariki. Tātou ngā mahuetanga, ngā maramara o te hunga kua moe, tātou e mahue ki te kawe i te kaupapa i whārikihia i a rātou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

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

[And in conclusion, to you traversing over Paerau, bound as we are to each other in life and death, sleep on with the Lord. To us the remnants and the ones left behind to carry out what they who have passed on left us to do, greetings, greetings, and greetings to us all.]

JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green): It is a privilege to rise on behalf of the Green Party to honour the life and the memory of the late Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, and to send our condolences to her whānau, her hapū, and her iwi, and our very best wishes to her son and successor, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki.

It was also a great privilege yesterday to stand on the marae at Tūrangawaewae and to be part of the pageantry, the ritual, and the superb organisation of the end of the tangi, the coronation, the funeral, and the burial. We Pākehā can learn a lot from the way Māori take time to recognise moments of great historical significance. I think it is appropriate that we are taking time today, also. Yesterday was an occasion that comes only rarely in a lifetime. It was an occasion that rallied the Māori nation from across the motu, and it was the plainest manifestation I have ever seen of that Māori nation within our nation. There were relatively few Pākehā faces there yesterday, but we never felt less than very welcome.

Dame Te Ata was part of a new generation of Māori women leaders after the war: Te Pūea, Dame Whina, Eva Rickard, and many others. With them and others, Dame Te Ata led Māori out of a culture of colonisation and into an era of cultural and economic assertiveness. It was a mark of her very different kind of leadership that she was rarely speaking on TV or in the news headlines, or making statements, or being quoted. But the widespread, intense grief at her passing showed that her 40 years of leadership as service—leadership from among the people rather than in front of them—unifying, inspiring, and healing conflict, was a very powerful form of leadership.

Dame Te Ata’s involvement in the kōhanga reo movement showed an understanding of the importance of raising children in their culture and language, if they are to grow up knowing whom they are. Her patronage of Māori performing arts showed an understanding that without culture and heritage, people are lost. I never had the privilege of meeting Dame Te Ata. Yet after hearing so many people talk about her quiet, unassuming leadership, her strength, her compassion, and her grace, I feel as though I know her a little.

Kīngitanga grew out of the struggle for land and for the economic and cultural recognition of Māori. Progress has been made, and Dame Te Ata has been part of that. But the issues have not gone away.

As I watched her coffin being carried on to the waka, flanked by other magnificent waka, being floated down the Waikato River, and being carried up Taupiri mountain, I thought there could be no greater demonstration of the central place of that river and that mountain to Tainui—as, in fact, there is of land, sea, rivers, and mountains to iwi throughout this country.

We wish King Tuheitia Paki courage and strength in his role in strengthening the Māori voice in the affairs of this country, and working for resolution of those issues that remain from the original kaupapa of the Kīngitanga. We note the very positive intention to hold conversations at Pūkawa about a united Māori voice, and we look forward to the role that that will play in the evolution of our nation.

Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa i te Whare nei. He hōnore māku ki te kōrero ki tō tātou Ariki kua ngaro atu. Engari, tuatahi kai te mihi au ki a koutou ngā mema Pāremata i tae atu ki tērā tangihanga, i whakaeke i runga i te marae ātea o Tūrangawaewae, ā, i noho tahi me te whānau, te hapū me ngā iwi o Tainui. Kai te mihi au ki te Pirimia, ahakoa kua whakamanahia e Tainui, i noho whakaiti ia mai i te tīmatatanga tae noa ki te whakamutunga. Kai te mihi hoki au ki te kaiārahi o te Pāti Nāhinara nāna i noho tika i te pae tapu.

I tērā wiki i tū te hui wānanga i konei i tēnei Whare mō ngā mema Pāremata o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Nā te Kaiwhakahaere o tō tātou Whare, a Margaret Wilson, i whakahaere me ōna hoa kaikōrero o te Whare nei. I tēnei hui i tae mai ngā mema Pāremata mai i Ahitereiria, i Whīti, Vanatu, i Hāmoa, i Tonga, i Tūvalu, me ērā atu o ngā moutere o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. I tū katoa mai rātou ki te poroporoaki i te Kuini Māori, puta mai ō rātou whakaaro, ō rātou pōuritanga. Nā te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare nei hoki i whakatū tētahi wā whakangū, wā hoihoi kia tangi atu tātou ki tō tātou Ariki.

“Ūā papaki ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Waikato, ngarungaru te wai o te awa o Waikato. Rū ana, rū ana te whenua, ka paoro, ka paoro te whenua. Ka haruru te whenua i te takahanga o ngā iwi i tae atu ki a koe kai Te Ariki. E i pupuhi mai te hau o te tonga, pupuhi mai te hau makariri, pupuhi mai te hau e kawe nei te Ringa Kaha o Aituā.”

Nā reira, kai Te Ariki, nōhou rā te reo, nōhau rā te reo i whakahuihuitia ai mātou. Nōhou rā te karanga, kotahi anake te reo i rongohia e mātou. Nōhou rā, tēnā i tatū atu. I tae atu mātou ki te hui, ki te kawe atu i ngā taonga whakamirimiri ō ngā tīpuna mātua, he waihotanga ō rātou ki a mātou. Kua mimiti te tai, kua hāroa te tai, i timu te tai. Maroke ana te takutai moana i a koe, kai Te Ariki. Nā reira, kai Te Ariki, haere, haere me ngā tini kōrero, ngā taonga kua ūhia kei runga i a koe, haere. I tae atu mātou ki te kawe atu ngā taonga hihira mō koutou ngā mate, mōhou rā. Ko te tino taonga nō mātou, ko te hūpe me te roimata kia ringihia kei runga i a koe. Nā reira, kai Te Ariki, takoto, takoto, takoto. Kai te hāhae te tau o taku ate, ngā mōteatea, ngā whakaaro kei roto i a au. Nā reira, haere, haere, haere. Nō reira, ko te kōrero, koutou ki a koutou, mātou ki a mātou, kai Te Ariki, haere.

Ka tipu te whakatauākī: “Ara mai rā he tētē kura, hinga mai rā he tētē kura.” Nā reira, kai Te Ariki Tuheitia, nau mai, haere mai rā. Ahakoa kua mihia koe e ahau i runga i te marae i Tūrangawaewae, tēnei au e tū atu i roto i te “Whare Raiana” i tēnei rangi. Nā reira, kei te tautoko mātou o Ngāti Kahungungu ki a koe, otirā, ngā tāngata i tēnei Whare, kai te rangatira, tēnā koe, tēnā koutou.

Ko te tūmanako, nā te mahi a te pouaka whakaata, a te reo irirangi, a ngā niupepa, kua kitea e Aotearoa te ātaahua o tātou te Māori. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kei raro.

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

[Greetings to you, Madam Speaker, and to all of us in this House. It is an honour for me to pay a tribute to our lady who has passed away. But first I want to acknowledge you, the members of Parliament who got there to that mourning, who went on to the courtyard of Tūrangawawae and who mingled as one with the family, the subtribe, and the people of Tainui. I acknowledge the Prime Minister’s humility in remaining in the background from the beginning to the end, even though her presence was acknowledged formally by Tainui. I acknowledge the leader of the National Party as well, who treated his position on the sacred speaking perch with dignity.

Last week a conference for Parliaments of the Pacific Islands was held here in this House. The Speaker of our House, Margaret Wilson, officiated, with her presiding officers. At this conference were parliamentary representatives from Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, and other Pacific Ocean Islands. They all stood up to farewell and pay tribute to the Māori Queen and to express their thoughts and sadness. Madam Speaker called for a moment of silence, and we stood to observe that and paid respects to our lady.

“Behold the sound of the tides crashing at the mouth of the Waikato River, and the waves that resulted from this. Behold the lightning in the heavens, the flashes of sheet lightning—alas, it lights up the sky. The land rumbles, the crescendo mounts. Hark, the land resounds as the people descend upon you, Te Ariki. Woe is me—the southerly blows and brings with it coldness and the great hand of death.”

So Te Ariki, it was your voice that gathered us. The call was yours and it was the only one that we could hear and respond to. That is the reason they descended upon you. We arrived to bring you the comforting treasures of the ancestors that they left for us. The tide has ebbed; it is at its lowest. You have left the foreshore dry, Te Ariki.

So to you, The Lady, I say farewell, depart with the many, many tributes and treasures draped over you—farewell. We arrived there to bring the most treasured of all gifts for the dead, and in particular for you. That priceless gift of ours, indeed, is tears to be cast over you. So, my lady, lie there, lie there, lie there. I am cut up inside poetically and emotionally. The source of my emotions is lacerated. So depart, leave, farewell. The saying goes: to you, the dead, and to we, the living, farewell, The Lady.

The proverb comes to bear: “A fern frond rises as another falls.” So, welcome, King Tuheitia, welcome. Although I acknowledged you on the courtyard of Tūrangawaewae, I stand before you today in the “Lions’ Den”. We of Ngāti Kahungunu support you, as indeed do the people in this House. Greetings to you, the chief, and greetings to you all as well.

Because of the coverage by media, television, radio, and newspapers alike, I hope that we Māori endeared ourselves to New Zealand.]

Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future): E Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, te mokopuna o te motu, te whāea o te whenua, moe mai i te poho o te tipuna whare, Mahinaarangi, i te whakaharahara o tō marae rongonui a Tūrangawaewae. Moe mai i raro i te mauri o tō maunga tapu o Taupiri.

Queen Te Atairangikaahu, the Grandchild of the Region, the Mother of the Land, rest in peace in the bosom of your ancestral home, Mahinaarangi, in the magnificence of your well-known marae, Tūrangawaewae; rest in peace in the spirit of your sacred mountain, Taupiri.

United Future joins with other members who have spoken in this debate to express our condolences to the whānau of the late Dame Te Ata, to the people of Tainui, and to the Māori nation on the loss of Te Arikinui, and to reflect on her outstanding contribution to the life of this country over the previous 40 years.

She came from an extraordinarily proud heritage: from Pōtatau through Tāwhiao, Māhuta, Tārata, and her father, Korokī. But, in many senses, the reign that has just ended was the most significant for the Māori people and for the people of New Zealand as a whole. During her time, as others have made reference to already, the cultural, economic, and social renaissance of the Māori people did much to build this nation. Dame Te Ata’s ever-present smile, her quiet dignity, her wisdom, and her determination were a significant part of that contribution.

Now, through her son Tuheitia Paki, the challenge is for that role to continue. I believe we stand on the verge of one of the significant turning points in our history. The huge outpouring of grief, sentiment, and reverence of the last week, and the willingness of many tribes previously not associated with the Kīngitanga to come to Tūrangawaewae and be involved in the decisions about the future direction of the movement and the future participation they all might have within that organisation, bode well for a strong reign to come and bode well for a strong and united nation.

And while the mantle now rests with Tuheitia Paki to build on and deliver those achievements, I have little doubt that the inspiration behind them, the driving force for their attainment being seen as a possibility, was, and will remain, Dame Te Ata. This woman, who was referred to in reverential terms as The Lady, has left a mark on the history of this nation that far belies her diminutive size and gentle appearance. She was a true leader. We will miss her greatly. We will miss her inspiration and her leadership. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, haere rā, haere rā, haere rā.

RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT): It is a great privilege to rise on behalf of the ACT party and endorse the Prime Minister’s statement and the sentiments of this House.

We have lost a great lady, a lady so great that, as my colleague Mr Peter Dunne has just noted, she was known throughout New Zealand as The Lady, and everyone in this country knew to whom that title referred. It is hard to add anything to what has already been said, but perhaps I can make a personal reflection, because I think it is hard for people who did not know Dame Te Ata to understand the outpouring and the feelings people have had for that lady. Sure, there is respect for the position, but there is also huge respect for The Lady.

I remember—and maybe this explains, a little bit, other people’s responses—my first meeting with Dame Te Ata, and it went like this. We had a very new and fledgling political party called ACT in 1994, and someone suggested—I am not sure who—that we should perhaps go and see the Māori Queen. I did not know why the Māori Queen would want to see us, and I did not think anything would happen, so I undertook to approach the Māori Queen and arrange a meeting. Somewhat to my surprise—and, I have to say, my consternation—it was readily agreed that we could go and pay a visit.

I think that that is the first thing that could be said about Dame Te Ata—she always had time. She had time for people she actually did not know—a political party that had no representation and possibly no prospects—and she took the time to meet with us. It was with considerable trepidation that I travelled down to meet with the Māori Queen, wondering quite what was in store for us. Then I learnt something else about that wonderful lady; it was the total graciousness with which she met people and handled herself. One could not meet a better hostess, or be more welcomed anywhere, ever, than in what Dame Te Ata did for us. The generosity with which she gave of her time to us, and the generosity she gave of her people to us, that night, is etched on my mind forever. I realise that that generosity was repeated hundreds—thousands—of times, because she always had time for people.

I remember the mana with which that lady moved amongst her people. We knew that that was something more than a title; it was the way she carried the title and went about her tasks. I remember, too, the intelligence with which she listened to our ideas—to our ideas for New Zealand, to discussion of MMP—all the while listening so intently but never passing an opinion, which again was something she was so very, very good at. Yet we knew that nothing was being missed.

I remember the warmth of her eyes. This wonderful woman had such beautiful, warm eyes, and such a beautiful, warm smile. I think to meet her just once—and I was lucky enough to meet her several times—is to understand the outpouring we have seen in New Zealand, and to understand the great loss we all face with her passing. Against all her achievements—as great as they are—she remained a humble, warm person, with time for everyone, great and small. She was, truly, a wonderful, wonderful woman. May she rest in peace.

Hon JIM ANDERTON (Leader—Progressive): My fellow party leaders have paid full tribute to one of the most respected leaders in Māoridom and, indeed, in New Zealand. Much has already been said about her mana, her dignity, and, more broadly, what the Kīngitanga movement represents in this country. Many have also sent good wishes to her successor, as I do, as well. I join in the goodwill of these sentiments expressed in the House and in support of the Prime Minister’s motion. But, rather than repeat anything that has been said, I take the opportunity to reflect a little more widely about what I think has been particularly evident over these last few days.

On display at Tūrangawaewae has been something unique to our identity as a nation. Death, of course, is a time for mourning and remembrance. But the stature of Dame Te Atairangikaahu has brought quite a remarkable number of people to her tangi—from across Māoridom, from the international community, and, of course, from across all of New Zealand.

However, many other New Zealanders shared in this tangi through the media—television, in particular. This is probably the first time that an occasion of this kind has been witnessed by so many New Zealanders at the same time through that powerful medium. On display has been an intimate view of Māoridom. Many New Zealanders are seeing, for the first time, what that is like. They are seeing the uniqueness of Māori tangi: the people directing traffic; the people cooking, eating, and singing—not many New Zealanders go to funerals where people sing and tell jokes so spontaneously—the welcoming; the challenging; and the celebrating. On display has been mana, status, cloaks, Pacific mats, and a wonderful parade of the people of this country and, of course, of the Pacific itself. On display has been the warmth of a Māori welcome to all. It has been a week of dignity, love, aroha, a very deep sense of the community of New Zealand, all embracing—and a very powerful symbol at that.

The death of Dame Te Atairangikaahu has saddened us all, of course, but her funeral has been one of those unique events that has enriched us all. It has brought us closer together as a nation. She would have been pleased by that. Hopefully, this has made each of us more respectful of, and more grateful for, the strength and dignity of Māori culture and its contribution to what makes this country unique.

TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa o te Whare. E kī ana te kōrero: “Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha.” Tainui waka e tangi, e tangi, e tangi. Ko te āhuatanga ki te hunga mate, waiho tērā kōrero ki reira. Me huri ināianei ki te Kīngi hōu Tuheitia Paki, uri o ngā mātua o ngā tūpuna.

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

[Greetings to you, Madam Speaker, and to all of us in the House. The proverb says this: “Waikato of a hundred chiefs, at every bend there is a chief.” To you, the canoe of Tainui, weep, mourn, grieve. In respect of the dead, I leave that matter there. Let us turn now to the new King Tuheitia Paki, a descendant of the ancestors.]

Tēnā koe. I stand today to follow on the number of comments made already, but, in particular, to honour the new king, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, and in doing so I mihi to a long line of leaders, a whakapapa of chiefs and chieftainship. We have heard a whakataukī frequently cited over this last week: mate atu he tētē kura, ara mai rā he tētē kura—as one fern frond falls over, another is uncoiling to replace it. When we welcome Te Arikinui Tuheitia we acknowledge, too, the fern fronds that have fallen away to make way for the new king.

Our tributes to the new king recognise the historic events in 1857 at Pūkawa, on the south-eastern shores of Taupō, when Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was elected as king. Apparently he was a big man. The records show that he stood over 6 foot tall. He was an eloquent orator, a tribal historian, an academic, a scholar, a leader, and a warrior. Upon his untimely death some 2 years later, his son Matutaera Tāwhiao took on the mantle of responsibility. Tāwhiao established a proud history that would give expression to the King movement. Notably, he established the Māori Parliament, Te Kauhanganui.

In his time, Tāwhiao led a deputation to England to petition Queen Victoria. He sought an independent Māori Parliament and an independent commission of inquiry into land confiscations. I want to refer back to the petition of Tāwhiao, Wīremu Te Wheoro, Pātara Te Tuhi, Tōpia Tūroa, and Hōri Ropihana, as it provides this House with a strong basis to understand the heritage—the lineage from whence the new king emerges. The petition of 1884 stated: “We, the Maori chiefs of New Zealand, have come to this distant land into your presence, on account of the great disaster which has overtaken your Maori race, which is beloved by the Queen and the people of England.

Accordingly we have now swum the ocean of Kiwa, which lies between us, and have reached England in safety, the source and fountain of authority, to the place where the Queen lives, that she may redress the ills of the Maori race inflicted on them by the government of New Zealand who have not directed their attention to right those wrongs up to the present time, and those wrongs are still being committed … because there was a tender regard displayed by the Queen to her Maori race, as shown in the Treaty of Waitangi, therefore it is well that those contracts and those ills should be brought before you for your consideration.”

This is the history of the Kīngitanga, but this is also our history—our foundation as a nation. I understand that in 1882, 2 years before the delegation led by King Tāwhiao, northern chiefs had also petitioned Queen Victoria to investigate the colonial Government and establish a Māori Parliament. Indeed, through the archives of Hansard, we see that Hone Heke Ngāhua, member of Parliament for Northern Māori, of Ngāti Rāhiri and Ngāpuhi, referred to this precedent in a debate in 1894 on the Native Rights Bill. He said: “The Natives had in many instances raised the question of the Treaty of Waitangi, and asked that the provisions of that Treaty to be maintained by the different Governments of New Zealand, but without avail. … several petitions signed by prominent chiefs of the Native race, were sent to England, making enquiries whether the Treaty of Waitangi was repealed as stated. The answer to a number of the petitioners was to the effect that this Treaty, signed in 1840, was as good now as it was then.”

Representatives of my own people similarly petitioned Queen Victoria in August 1891. King Te Rata followed in 1914, and 10 years later, in 1924, Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana travelled to the seat of the British Empire, taking his petition for the Treaty of Waitangi to the Queen. This is the new king’s whakapapa. This is the new king’s training. This is the future for Aotearoa. It is a history that was referred to by Ruia Āperahama on Sunday when he pledged the ongoing support of the Rātana movement for the Kīngitanga.

In 1894 King Tāwhiao was succeeded by his son Māhuta. Māhuta became a member of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council of Parliament, thus involving the Kīngitanga in mainstream politics. From 1912 Māhuta’s son Te Rata continued the legacy left to him by seeking redress for the grievances, seeking to redress the ills transferred from Government to Government.

From Te Rata came his son, King Korokī, who during his 33 years of leadership was greatly assisted by his auntie Te Pūea Hērangi. Te Pūea herself is legendary for the stand she took on behalf of the people. A pacifist, she opened her farm at Māngatawhiri to operate as a refuge for all of those who chose not to enlist. She worked tirelessly to make the best use of Waikato land to build the economic and social position of the people. Following the savage assault of the 1918 influenza epidemic, she gathered up 100 orphaned children and founded Tūrangawaewae. It was Te Pūea also who founded the annual circuit of poukai to feed the hungry and dispossessed, and to nurture the soul of the people. She realised that the greatest resource lay in the people, and she set about an energetic, relentless pursuit of economic and educational prosperity for her people. Her outstanding leadership and her untiring selfless devotion to the interests of her people were demonstrated in the negotiation of settlements for the confiscation of Waikato land, but also were strengthened in her alliance with major figures such as Sir Apirana Ngata.

When King Korokī died, his daughter Te Atairangikaahu became the Kīngitanga’s first woman leader. Kei Te Arikinui, wahine pūrotu, wahine rangatira, wahine hūmārie, haere atu rā ki ngā matua, ki ngā tupuna.

[To Arikinui, beautiful woman, chiefly and modest, go to the forefathers and the ancestors.]

Throughout many of the speeches delivered over the last week we have heard the phrase “āpiti hōno, tātai hōno”, which literally means that that which is joined together becomes an unbroken line. This expression affirms the joining of the living with those departed ancestors. In a spiritual sense, it is understood that the living are guided by those who have gone before us. So when we welcome and formally recognise the new king, the seventh leader of the Kīngitanga, we should remember also all of those leaders who have left their legacy since that time in 1857 at Pūkawa.

We know too that the kiwi feather cloak of King Tāwhiao that was wrapped around the new king yesterday brought with it traditions, rituals, and protocols that King Tuheitia has been immersed in from birth. He was at the side of his grandfather King Korokī when his mother Te Atairangikaahu was ordained, just as his eldest son stood proudly at his side yesterday. But our new king has also been trained in the scholarship of mātauranga Māori through his education at Rākaumanga school. He has also been a performer with the Taniwharau Cultural Group. He brings to the role his contemporary experience of management and business experience acquired in his work at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Perhaps I can be forgiven for saving the very best for last. He has the supreme honour—indeed, the rare privilege—of having been schooled at one of the finest schooling institutions in the land: the great St Stephen’s School—Tīpene. So this welcome to the new king also comes with the blessing of an exclusive community represented in this House by the esteemed company of the member from the north Mr Hone Harawira, Mr Mahara Okeroa, Shane Jones, and myself—all old boys of St Stephen’s School.

I have taken time to traverse the background of Te Arikinui King Tuheitia so that we can all prepare the path ahead to welcome our new monarch. It is a path, however, that is walked not only by the king. I pay my respects to his wife, Te Atawhai, who was yesterday similarly crowned with the responsibility of being married to the monarch; to their children; as well as to Whatumoana Paki, who stood by Te Atairangikaahu throughout her reign over the 40 years. As her beloved husband he dedicated himself to supporting her, to support the nation.

Finally, I draw the attention of this House to the two beautiful girls draped in blankets at the foot of the new king. I think of Whatumoana, Korotangi, and Naumai, the king’s three children, and the obligations they will now uphold, their duty to serve, and their responsibilities to Tainui, to tangata whenua, to Aotearoa, and to the world.

We, the people, will always remember Te Arikinui. We will hold dear to her memory, we will honour her legacy, and we welcome the new king, Tuheitia. Kia ora tātou.

Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Māori Affairs): He tika ake au i runga i te tū nei i te mihi kau ana ki te whare o Te Arikinui a Te Atairangikaahu. Tika ake anō i te mihi ake anō ki ngā tūpuna e tukua ake anō te āhua nei o te Kīngitanga. E mihi ake anō ki ōna tamariki me tana tāne a Whatumoana. Mihi kau ana ki te mana o te teitei o tōna wāhi rā a Taupiri. E mihi kau ana ki tana awa a Waikato, e mihi hoki ake anō i te marae a Mahinaarangi. E mihi kau ana ki a tātou katoa ngā kanohi Māori i konei i tae kaha ake anō ki te mau ake anō te roimata i te marae i te taha o wētahi o tātou hoa mahi. Koutou e Pita o Te Tai Tokerau, i a koe e Pita me te wāhi o Kahungunu i a koe te hoa o Te Arawa, e mihi kau ana i a koutou.

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

[It is fitting that I stand to acknowledge the household of Te Arikinui Te Atarangikaahu. It is fitting, too, that I acknowledge the ancestors who handed down the Kīngitanga legacy, and also her children, and husband Whatumoana. I acknowledge the uniqueness of her mountain Taupiri, her river Waikato, and the courtyard of Mahinaarangi. Acknowledgments to all of us Māori here, and some of our colleagues, for our strong presence at the marae: namely, Pita of Te Tai Tokerau, Pita of Ngāti Kāhungunu, and the colleague from Te Arawa. My acknowledgments to you.]

I would like to join in and thank all the leaders and all the members who came, the Prime Minister for her effort, and all of the efforts put in at the tangi.

Kīngitanga, or the Māori King movement, made itself widely known over the past week. A blend of Māori tradition, historical mystery, and pervasive modern media combined to create a funeral event of unparalleled size. Of course, the word “funeral” does not fully capture the meaning of a tangi. “Tangi” as a verb means to weep. As a noun, however, it is an all-consuming Māori traditional gathering to farewell the dead, where emotions see-saw between grief and laughter. This woman was widely known throughout the Pacific, amongst all the Māori tribes, and by all political parties. She eschewed the loud, clamorous approach to leadership and preferred a quiet, reserved style.

It is extraordinary that this institution has survived for 148 years. How many of us, and our families, can speak about our own history in a manner that parallels the story as we have heard it today of the Waikato-based Kīngitanga movement? It is an extraordinary story. On the marae at Tūrangawaewae there were two major streams of interest. The first was displays of oratory eulogising the departed monarch and comments of anticipation about the monarch to be. Since we learnt of the passing a week ago of this dearly revered leader, we have all witnessed an outpouring of respect and loyalty, the likes of which we may probably never experience again in our lifetimes. What was significant for our country was that all New Zealanders were able to partake in the experience of Te Atairangikaahu’s tangi, because even if one was unable to be physically present at the tangi, the extensive media coverage throughout the week in English and te reo Māori enabled us to all attend. Even though it may be a rare occasion, I want to commend the press for that effort.

So surely this is a sign of a maturing country. If we are serious about nationhood, then this gives us a window of opportunity to become more serious about practising it. As I speak I can still see the many expressions of respect demonstrated for Te Atairangikaahu, the woman who supported and stood steadfastly as the core of te kōhanga reo movement, of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, of the rugby league organisations, and of a host of other organisations around the country.

What were the sights? Thousands of people gathered upon the sacred Taupiri maunga and performed in unison the ancient chants of our people as Te Atairangikaahu made her final ascent. It was a truly moving experience to witness. Pakeke and rangatahi alike lined the pathway to the summit of Taupiri maunga, and with their combined strength and unified cooperation, they ensured the safe arrival of their queen to her final resting place after she travelled from her marae at Tūrangawaewae in the waka Tūmanako along her beloved Waikato River.

There was a significantly strong presence of dignitaries and leaders from the Pacific Islands throughout the duration of the tangi, as delegations of royalty and chiefly and Government representatives from Tonga, the Cook Islands, Hawaii, Samoa, Niue, and Fiji came to pay their respects. A steady stream of many New Zealanders quietly filed past Te Ata’s casket when Waikato Tainui opened the marae and suspended protocol for hours to allow the general public an opportunity to pay their respects. Such generosity of spirit to accommodate visitors on to the marae was characteristic of Waikato Tainui, and visibly in keeping with the nature and lifetime example of the queen.

I was also moved by the acts of ordinary and extraordinary New Zealanders from across the motu as they too expressed their respect for Te Ata. The All Black captain’s first post-match words after Saturday’s test against the Wallabies were of condolences for Tainui and Te Atairangikaahu’s whānau—and she would have been happy, let me assure you, that the All Blacks won. Simon Dallow’s eloquent mihi ahead of the start of the mainstream 6 o’clock television news coverage every evening; the full coverage simulcast on mainstream and Māori television of yesterday’s succession and funeral; the special train from Auckland put on by the workers and the companies, with its special fare, for those wanting to attend the funeral—these are only a few examples, but they lead me to believe that we are maturing as a nation in a way that enables Māori and Pākehā to coexist respectively alongside each other—ahakoa ngā piki, ngā heke, even though we have ups and downs.

Te Ata’s passing has left me profoundly aware of the impact her life had on the nation as a whole—on Māori, on Pākehā, on Pacific, on all peoples who live in this motu. The sixth and longest-serving monarch from the House of Pōtatau, Te Ata was born on 23 July 1931 as Piki Māhuta, the only child of King Korokī and Te Atairangikaahu. Dame Te Ata—The Lady, as she was known—was later joined by whāngai, adopted siblings, including her much-beloved brother and trusted adviser, the late Sir Robert Māhuta, and I want to remember him today.

Dame Te Ata was born into a modest world. She was raised at Waahi, Huntly, and attended Rākaumanga native school. Later she attended the Waikato Diocesan School For Girls. When her father, King Korokī, became ill, her aunt, the great Te Pūea Hērangi, took her across the country to represent the Kīngitanga at numerous ceremonies and functions, as she has done with the present King Tuheitia. She warmly embraced everyone she came into contact with, regardless of ethnicity, politics, religion, or Māori. She was as comfortable hosting international dignitaries, politicians, and royalty as she was chatting with the cooks at Mahinaarangi. She put at ease all those she met with her beaming and wonderful smile and quiet manner. So many stories have emerged over the last week that testify to this. Her long and illustrious reign will be remembered for all times as one that unifies us. In fact, it unified all people. When we think of her from now on we will recall her humility, her wisdom, and the legacy she has left behind.

Tuheitia, Te Arikinui, te king, he has all of those things. He has the steel, the quickness, the courage, the passion, and enough intelligence to steer his people. The crowning of the new monarch was a rare glimpse of an ancient ceremony that combined the use of a historic Bible, pre-European incantations, and modern media. Tribes from the four winds arrived, and we have heard that talk here today. At Pūkawa in November 1856 one of my ancestors, along with a whole lot of Māori ancestors in here, hīkoi-ed there to talk about the kaupapa—the philosophy, not a structure—and that is where I believe the king will take his people, maintaining what they have been confident in for a long, long time. We can be confident that after a lifetime of grooming for his ascension to the Kīngitanga throne, and with the loving guidance of his mother from on high, Tuheitia Paki’s leadership will be through service and for the love of his Māori people and country.

We will forever remember Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, yet we also look forward to the new ariki’s reign. That Māoridom has more than performed in sending their great queen off, and has rallied around to serve the new king, is something that we in this House should remember. Kia ora.

Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore): With humility, courage, and leadership, and not through boastful achievements but through quiet dignity, she led her people. As we have heard, she succeeded to the Kīngitanga some 40 years ago, but perhaps came to national prominence really in the last 15 years. She has truly been part of the Māori renaissance that this country has witnessed—and, I might say, to its benefit. During this period she has had to show courage in particular, and leadership. I well recall the tremendous efforts that she and her brother Sir Robert Māhuta had to make in the settlement of 1995. It was a hugely significant time for our nation. It was the first settlement. It came after the fiscal envelope and the demonstrations. One can imagine the sense of confidence in the future they had to have to take their people forward at that time in our nation’s history. I believe that the whole country has benefited from that particular decision. It was brave, indeed. My wife well recalls a particular time when President Mandela visited Tūrangawaewae. And there we had true leadership—two people who had led their peoples to a renaissance. Surely that is the mark of leadership.

I want to speak very briefly, just to record today my appreciation of being able to be present, yesterday in particular, to witness the tens of thousands of people who were there from right across this nation, not just Māori, but Pākehā, Pacific Islanders, and people from literally all races and backgrounds. They were demonstrating by that act, which was not imposed by a Government—it was their own decision to be present—a celebration of our nationhood and a sense for the future. For Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, he does have big shoes to fill; that is known. But I know that he has had the training, the experience, and, in fact, the lessons of his mother, to know what it takes to lead the people. This is not a kingship that is vested with any legal powers. Its power is entirely moral. It is one given by the people freely to embody the leadership of the people of Tainui and, to a wider extent, to the motu as a whole.

I wish him well. I know he has great opportunities to fill for the future, but I am confident that he can do that. To the family, I offer my humble respects on this day.

TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Labour—Mangere): E Muamua na ave le viiga ma le fa’afetai i le Atua i le soifuaga ma le ola o Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. O se tamaitai tupu o Mauli o tagata whenua o Aotearoa.

“Ua pa’u toa, ua ma’imau ai aupega o le taua.”

E iai le fa’amoemoe e avatu se manatu ma se upu e fai ma sui o tagata Pasifika totonu Niu Sila, fa’apea fo’i le Pasifika atoa. E avatu ai se agaga fa’anoanoa i le Ali’i o tamaita’i Tupu ia Fatumoana ma le Aiga Tupu, o tagata o Mauli nei.

I rise because I think it is appropriate, as a fellow Polynesian and a fellow Pacific person, that something should be said in this House to acknowledge and to extend our respect as a Pacific people in New Zealand and throughout the Pacific region to the Māori people of New Zealand, and in particular to the family of the Māori Queen, Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. The word “arikinui” is not unique to New Zealand. The word “ariki” is common throughout the Pacific, and particularly Polynesia. The word means high chief or paramount chief, ali’i—ariki. Tupu is referred to also in terms of kingship. There are other words that describe the way of the kingship that is known in the Polynesian families throughout the Pacific, and they are faatupu ma le faatamalii, which mean a way of peace and humility and aroha. Members have spoken this afternoon about those qualities of Dame Te Ata—truly a way of the tupu; a way of the king.

I want to mention just a few personal experiences with Dame Te Ata over the years, because I know that she had a great fondness for the Pacific. She understood her heritage, her ancestry, and her links to the various parts of Polynesia. I know that she visited Aitutaki in the Cook Islands because the Tainui waka came through Aitutaki on its way to Aotearoa. Princess Te Pūea accompanied her there, as a young princess. I know that Dame Te Ata was very fond of those early years of contact with the Pacific, and of the need to extend the special relationship between Māoridom and other Pacific people.

I also remember a time when two major devastating cyclones hit the islands of Samoa, and the fact that the New Zealand public raised $2 million towards the restoration and the rebuilding of the damage caused in those islands. That was back in 1990, and Dame Te Ata did not hesitate to volunteer her services to chair the committee that determined the distribution of that $2 million. I was part of that committee, and I grew to know her personally and to know the qualities we have been talking about this afternoon.

I am sure most members will know that Dame Te Ata travelled extensively and made very valuable links and friendships throughout the Pacific, particularly with the other royal houses of Polynesia, and other parts of the Pacific, of Melanesia and Micronesia, that are important for New Zealand as one of the major countries in the region. The representation at the tangi from the different nations of the Pacific was of the highest level, and that was an indication of the respect they have for Dame Te Ata.

So to the Māori people, and to the King movement of Māoridom, we extend to you our condolences and our best wishes that the movement will continue in terms of the legacy that Dame Te Ata established in the last 40 years. We look forward also to the reign of the new Māori King to carry on that legacy, not only in promoting the unity of the people of New Zealand but also in the unity of the people of the Pacific. With that, I say haere ra. Ia manuia le fa’amoemoe mo tagata whenua nei o Aotearoa. Ia manuia le fa’amoemoe mo le lumana’i o le atunu’u, auā i le fuafuāga lelei o se Tupu Mauli. E le gata i le Tupu ua te’a a o le Tupu ua tu mai. Ia manuia, ma ia soifua.

PANSY WONG (National): Great sadness is felt throughout the Asian communities on the passing of the Māori Queen, the late Dame Te Ata. This sad loss was reported by the Asian media, and she was remembered at the Auckland Indian Association’s celebration of India’s Independence Day. It would be fair to say that many Asian New Zealanders would have learnt of Dame Te Ata for maybe the first time. Where could they have learnt of her as a person, and her achievements? Indeed, how could the public have come to know her better when in her lifetime there was so little coverage of her activities and her works? In the last week, many people have suddenly learnt more of her personality and achievements than in her 40 years as Māori Queen. I hope her successor, King Tuheitia, will receive the media attention befitting a person in that position.

It was obvious throughout the tangi that people from all walks of life were paying their respects and were saddened by Dame Te Ata’s death. That, in itself, is a tremendous tribute to this gentle lady, who conducted herself with grace and ritual towards everyone. I was fortunate to meet Dame Te Ata on several occasions, and I remember her for her wisdom, strength of character, and humanity. I felt very welcome while in her presence, and I believe our country is poorer for her loss. When we met, she never asked me where I came from; our conversations would naturally centre on the people and the events that we were involved in. Her acceptance of individuals in their own right, beyond ethnicity, was refreshing.

Dame Te Ata was a chosen queen who had earned respect by her hard work and her positive and inclusive personality. One of the many legacies she will leave, I hope, is for our media and others to treat individual New Zealanders as people in their own right, not just as a convenient label based on their ethnicities for the convenience of reporting. The late queen made an overwhelming contribution to our country, and her work has helped us all to move forward as New Zealanders. I say farewell to the queen.

Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First): E ngā reo, e ngā mana, e ngā mema o te Whare nei, kei te tautoko ngā mihi ki Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.

[To the languages, authorities, and members of this House, I endorse the tributes paid to Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.]

From the outset I apologise for the state of my voice but I will not allow this affliction to deny me the opportunity to pay tribute to Dame Te Ata. The last week has seen a huge outpouring of grief across the nation as a result of the death of Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. Some of this grief has justifiably stemmed from the loss of the Māori Queen—someone who had filled that role for more than 40 years with majesty, grace, and wisdom. Hers was a unifying role—a fountainhead of pride not only for all Māori but also for all New Zealanders. So at the loss of someone who had so superbly represented both Tainui and Kīngitanga, we as a nation mourn.

But there is another reason for the depth and extent of the mourning for Dame Te Ata, and that is who she was as a person. My earliest memories of her are somewhat less as a queen than as a strong supporter of rugby league. When a TV reporter claimed, the night before her funeral, that she would be carried up Taupiri mountain by members of her beloved rugby clubs, I felt like saying: “Wash your mouth out!”. It was, of course, members of Taniwharau and Tūrangawaewae rugby league clubs who carried her on her final journey.

I have eaten the mud of Davies Park on many occasions—probably since the age of 12. I played rugby league for both Auckland University and New Zealand Universities alongside her adopted brother, who later became Sir Robert Māhuta but was then simply known as Bob. It is in that context that I first met her. She was simply a wonderful person. She always made people feel equal, yet her demeanour was dominated by regal grace. She always made people feel at ease, and she captivated them with that magical smile. My colleague Pita Paraone talked of her quiet dignity, and that is a perfect description. She was a fierce supporter of her local league clubs, of Waikato rugby league, the Kiwis, and, in particular, New Zealand Māori rugby league. Anyone who misinterpreted her pleasant nature and warm personality for a lack of steel did so at his or her peril. Yet her humility was engaging.

Her influence also extended into the Pacific, as the previous speaker, Taito Phillip Field, has mentioned. She was honoured and respected by leaders across Pacific nations. It was an honour recently to be in attendance at Hopuhopu, where Pacific leaders honoured Dame Te Ata on her 40-year reign. What was even more fulfilling for myself was that the occasion was dominated by a huge contingent from Takitumu, which included so many of my friends and ex-students from my time in the Cook Islands.

At her funeral yesterday I was talking to an old Tainui friend about the enormous undertaking by Tainui Waikato to feed the thousands of visitors wishing to show their grief. He told me that all the hapū had cooperated as if they were one. He said that the rest of the time, before this occasion, they used to squabble like mad but this time they came together as one. So even in her death Dame Te Ata is a unifying force. I wish, however, to thank the hapū of Tainui Waikato for their labours, to enable tribes from across New Zealand and all New Zealanders to pay their respects. I wrote last week in the condolences book that New Zealand had lost a precious jewel. I meant it. The life of Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu enriched all of us, and her passing is indeed a loss to all of us. Farewell, Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu; farewell, Piki. Before I finish I wish to acknowledge the new king Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki. He has huge shoes to fill, but it is the belief of New Zealand First that he has all the necessary attributes to fill those shoes. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Hon MITA RIRINUI (Minister of State): Otirā kei te Kaihautū, me pēhea rā te kōrero māku. Ā, kua tūtū mai ngā rangatira o te Whare nei ki te whakatakoto whakaaro ki tō tātou kuini tapairu kua ngaro atu ki tua o te ārai. Otirā, tāku nei nā, e tū ana ki te tautoko. Nō reira e te mokopuna o te motu, e tika ana tā te kōrero, “hinga ana te tētē kura”, ā, ko koe tērā. Otirā, ko tō tamaiti a Tuheitia kua tū ake koia nā “te tētē kura”. Nā runga i tēnā kōrero, māku e ki atu ki te kāhui ariki nui tonu, kia tino manaakihia mai tō tātou kīngi nei. Nō reira, huri atu au ki a koe kai te mokopuna o te motu. Kei te hoki taku mahara ki te wā i a au e tamariki ana, tekau mā toru, tekau mā whā taku pakeke ka tūtaki atu au i a koe. Koi nā tāku mahara. Tūtaki atu au i a koe ki te pā o Rātana, i te wā i tō hoa a Te Reo Hura e ora ana. Ko ia kē te tumuaki o te hāhi Rātana. I te maumahara tonu au te whakawhanaungatanga mai i a kōrua, i waenganui i a kōrua.

Nō reira, e tika ana ngā kōrero o te Whare nei, he ariki humārie, he ariki whakamahana i te tangata ahakoa ko wai, ko wai, ko wai. Nāu tonu nā i whakatīnanahia ngā moemoea o ō tūpuna mai rā i te kingi tuatahi a Pōtatau Te Wherowhero heke nei ki a koe. Anā, ko tā te wero kei runga i tō tamaiti kia whakatutukihia ēnā wawata, ēnā hiahia. Nō reira, e te kuini tapairu, moe mai, moe mai, haere atu rā.

[Indeed, Madam Speaker, what is there for me to talk about? The chiefs of this House have made tributes to our sovereign queen who has passed beyond the veil. All that is left for me to do is to stand and support what has been expressed. So to you the grandchild of the land, the saying “when a fern frond falls” is fitting in your case, because you are that fern frond. Indeed, your child Tuheitia, who has risen in your place, is “the fern frond that rises”. Because of that proverb, my advice to the kahui ariki at large is that they must take real care of this king of ours. So I direct my remarks to you now, the grandchild of the land. I recall a moment when I was a youngster of 13 or 14 years and saw you for the first time. That is what I recall at Rātana Pā. Te Reo Hura was the president of the Rātana Church at that time. I remember the friendship that developed between you two. It was lasting and close.

The tributes of this House, therefore, are apt about a modest lady, a lady who could relate to people regardless of who they were. You indeed embodied the dreams of your ancestors from the first king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, and down to you. The challenge for your child is to meet those dreams and aspirations. And so, sovereign lady, sleep there, sleep there, depart.]

It is indeed a privilege to be able to stand in this House and acknowledge one of Māoridom’s finest leaders. I endorse everything that has been said about her and her reign. I actually find myself short of words when it comes to talking about her achievements, because they have been iterated and reiterated in this House today—indeed, over the 6 days at Tūrangawaewae Marae. So I am trying to find the place for myself in this conversation.

I can recall the time when I first met this great leader. I was about 13 or 14 years of age, and it was at the annual Rātana celebrations. She and her entourage always came, and they were a sight to see. In fact, they were intimidating, because the mana and authority were so strong. I recall a friendship she had with the then Rātana leader—the late Te Reo Hura. It was a bond between two women that had a significant impact on the development of our people. One was known as the Ture Tangata; the other was known as the Ture Wairua. It is said that the Ture Wairua had an easy job, because she had to serve God, but the Ture Tangata, or the Kuini Tapairu, had to serve the people, which was not so easy. But she made the decisions, with the support of her people. She brought the people out of a history that was full of grievance and into a future that was full of promise.

Her successor still has a lot to do, but he has been well prepared. There is a saying that goes: Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha.

[Waikato of a hundred chiefs, at every bend there is a chief.]

It refers to the Waikato of a hundred chiefs, so Tuheitia has a lot of support.

As my colleague Phillip Field mentioned earlier, Dame Te Ata hosted a lot of Pacific Island relations. I recall a very special person whom she hosted some time ago. He is probably the greatest freedom fighter the world has seen—none other than Nelson Mandela. I was fortunate enough to be there when he arrived at Tūrangawaewae Marae. Do members recall his statements about the importance of reconciliation? Tainui had just been through that process. I recall his statements about moving forward—Tainui were in the process of doing that. In fact, Tainui were in the process of doing a lot of things that he mentioned. This great man and this great leader were, together, talking about the future.

Another great leader of Māoridom, although his reign was short, was also there at the time. That person’s name was Rāniera Te Aohou Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana, the late president of the Rātana movement. He also had much to share with Nelson Mandela. Together, representatives of Rātana and the Kīngitanga told of a special journey undertaken by the founder of the Rātana movement, Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana, to South Africa in the 1920s, and of the sadness he felt when he arrived in Durban and met a group of indigenous peoples who were slave labour on the waterfront. Rātana said a very simple phrase from the Scriptures: “Te wā kei te haramai, ka neke atu koe ki a Ihowa. Koi nā ka puta ka ora.” It meant: “The time will come when you become closer to your Creator, and you will be led by a great man, and from that time all your days will receive great blessings.”

So that is my recollection of this great lady. I am sure that her successor, Tuheitia, will carry on this great journey. He has inherited a great legacy, but at the same time will have many challenges. As I said, Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha.

[Waikato of a hundred chiefs, at every bend there is a chief.]

Kia ora tātou.

SHANE JONES (Labour): Kei te Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Tēnei anō ka tū ake ki te tāpiri atu he kupu torutoru ki runga i ngā mihi rangatira kua horahia ki waenganui i a tātou, i raro i te tuanui o tō tātou whare tūpua e tū nei, kua whakaritea hei kōrerotanga mā tātou mō ngā take pēnei rawa te rarahi. Kia ahatia e Te Ariki. Atu i te poho o tō whare i Mahinaarangi, rā runga i te au kukume i te awa o ō mātua, o ō wheinga i Waikato, ngā wai e heke ana me he tōmairangi i te wāhi ngaro, ngā wai e heke mai ana i te hukapapa mai i ngā kāhui maunga a Tongariro me āna hoa. Tērā koe ka riro i runga i a ia, ko tō tīnana ka puehutia ki te tihi o Taupiri maunga.

Otirā, ko to wairua, e Te Ariki kahore, kua riro tērā ki tua o Rēao, ki tua o Paerau. I runga i Te Oneroa ā Tōhē, i te puke whakairinga kōrero i Rēhia ki Te Rerenga Wairua. Whakangaro atu i muri Ānuku, whakatika mai i Ōhau i runga i a Manawatāwhi. Tirohia o mata ki te haukāinga ka whakarerea nei e koe. Otirā, hei tō upoko ko te rimurapa, whiua ki te taha ki Te Tai Tamatāne. Whiua ki te taha ki Te Tai Tamawahine ngā tai papaki rua rurerure mai tētahi, eke eke mai tētahi. Rā runga i te tai te aua whitireia koe ka ngaro, ki Tawhiti Nui, ki Tawhiti Roa, ki Tawhiti Pāmamao.

Nā reira, e Te Ariki, tēnei koe ka okioki i runga i a whakamoe Ariki, ko mātou te whānau, te iwi nui tonu, ā, ka mahue nei. Me tuku ko nuku apiapi, ko nuku Māhorahora hei ārahi i a mātou ngā waihotanga iho. E Te Ariki, e moe, e okioki, haere oti atu e.

Maranga e te kīngi. Whakaminea tō iwi rau tāngata, mai runga, mai raro, mai ngā parirau o Te Ika a Māui kia whiwhi tuarā ai koe. Kia rangona tō reo i roto i ngā motu noho nohonga tāngata i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, i runga nōki ki ngā marae maha o te ao Māori, i roto tonu i ngā kāinga o ō tātou hoa Pākehā i Aotearoa nei. Nā reira e te Kīngi, e Tuheitia, kia riro ko ngā manaakitanga o Te Runga Rawa, ko te tautoko o te iwi, hei āwhina atu i a koe. E tū. E tū. E tū.

[Greetings to you, and to us all in the House. So I rise to add my few words to the fine tributes that have been made in our midst beneath the roof of this demon house of ours in relation to this significant topic. What will come of all that, Te Ariki? From the bosom of your house Mahinaarangi, the whirling waters of the Waikato, the river of your forefathers and old people, the waters that descend as if it were dew from the hidden place, the waters that descend from the snow of the cluster of mountains made up of Tongariro and its fellow mountains; Tongariro, from whom you will leave us while your body remains on the summit of Taupiri mountain to eventually turn to dust.

But your spirit, Te Ariki, will not—that has gone beyond Rēao and Paerau. It soared over Te Oneroa ā Tōhe, over the hill at Rēhia upon which the kōrero is hung up, and soared onwards to Te Rerenga Wairua. From here, your spirit begins to fade from sight behind Ānuku, corrects its flight at Ōhau above Manawatāwhi. Here you look back homewards, at what you have left behind you. Indeed, your head is at the bull kelp, and to enter it, casts the bull kelp aside to the Sea of Tamatāne on the left and to the Sea of Tamawahine on the right, at the point where these two seas meet and brandish and toss about against each other. It is at this point that your wairua launches itself to the “Great Distance”, the”Long Distance” and the “Far Distance”.

So it is here, Te Ariki, that you will rest with all the other ariki, while we the family and the people at large are left behind to be guided by the not so enlightened, and the enlightened, as we deal with what you have left us. Te Ariki, sleep, rest, farewell.

Rise up, the king. Gather your iwi of a hundredfold together from the north, the south, and from both wings of the North Island to be at your back. Let your voice be heard throughout the Pacific, on the many courtyards of Māoridom, and in the homes as well of our Pākehā friends here in New Zealand. So, King Tuheitia, may the Almighty Above take you in his care, and the people assist you.]

Fellow members of the House, I stand very briefly to endorse remarks made about the passing of Te Atairangikaahu, she who was named for her mother’s name: “the falcon that soars high in the face of the early morning sun”. She leaves us; her earthly remains turn to dust on the summit of Taupiri maunga. Her gaze will forever be upon the beloved waters of her Waikato River. She leaves a legacy that all tribes will debate, and we of our younger generation shall memorialise her in song, speech, and chant. Farewell, Te Arikinui. Go to the ancestors. Go to the pūtahitanga a Rēhua, Hawaiki Nui, Hawaiki Roa, Hawaiki Pāmamao.

[Rehua’s meeting-place at Great Hawaiki, Long Hawaiki, and Distant Hawaiki.]

To the new king, Tuheitia, follow the footsteps of your illustrious forebears around the marae of Aotearoa and across the Pacific to our relations, and broadcast goodwill and understanding in the homes of all New Zealanders, Pākehā and Māori. May the blessings of God and the support of all people enable you to achieve the tasks and dreams the people lay before you. Kia ora tātou.

MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West): As a Waikato member of Parliament, I take this opportunity to add to the many fine words that have been spoken here today. Frankly, I cannot match those words, but I take this opportunity to convey some personal reflections. Also, as a Waikato regional member of Parliament I would like to convey to this Parliament the deep respect in which Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was held in our region. I also convey to Parliament, by dint of my public office, the tributes that have been paid, from the mayors of our region, the leader of our regional council, the many people in local government, the educational institutions, to the many community groups who came to Tūrangawaewae to convey their affection for The Lady, as she came to be known.

It was my huge pleasure as a member of Parliament and also as a former deputy mayor in Hamilton to meet with Dame Te Ata on a number of occasions and to enjoy her very gracious hospitality. Our last meeting was at a reception on the 40th anniversary of her coronation. She was a lady with a wonderful sense of warmth and sense of humour. At the fine age of 54, which is the age I am now, I pointed out to her that at the time of the passing of the late King Korokī and her subsequent coronation, I was a small pupil in form 3 at Hamilton Boys High School. Of course, that was when she commenced being the queen in terms of Kīngitanga. She thought that was quite funny. I tried to make that point because to me she was timeless; she was always there, and she was always part of my individual frame of reference. Little did I know that that would be my last meeting with her, and that, sadly, within a very short space of time she would have left us all.

I also want to make some reflections about attending the funeral and paying my respects with the Prime Minister, other members of Parliament, and many thousands of people last Friday. One abiding memory I have of that day—and also of Monday, as well—was the many fine young people who also came with their parents and families. Many of those young people were wearing school uniforms from around the country. They were fine young people, and one reflects that they are indeed our future leaders—not just in terms of the Kīngitanga movement and Māoridom but in terms of our country as a whole. One had a sense of the timelessness and of the absolute continuity that those young people will carry on.

At a personal level I want to thank Tainui for the graciousness with which they received me and the many other thousands who visited the marae, both in terms of when we paid our respects on Friday and for the manner in which we were received on Monday. I want to convey my deep sense of honour and privilege for being able to be present at the coronation of the new king, not just as a member of Parliament representing Hamilton West and as a Waikato member of Parliament—whose privilege it is to represent the many Tainui people who are on the general roll in my electorate—but also as a Waikato person.

I also joined the many thousands as we went by bus to Taupiri mountain. I, of course, stayed on the road, on State Highway 1, and looked up with those people at the sacred mountain. As the Prime Minister and others have noted, the Queen’s coffin being taken up the mountain was a never-to-be-forgotten sight. It is a memory I will hold dear. Again, I say that it was a personal privilege to be there with the thousands of people. It reminded me that in this country, as relatively young as we all are, there is a sense of timelessness and continuity. Indeed, I believe that that is one of the contributions that Kīngitanga makes to all of us; it gives us a sense of who we are—of our identity.

Along with all members of this House, I pay a tribute to a great and wonderful lady, and to a very, very humble and approachable leader, whose legacy will live on for many, many years to come. She will indeed be sorely missed by us all. Haere atu rā, haere atu rā, haere atu rā.

RON MARK (NZ First): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Ngā mema Pāremata, tātou e hui nei tēnā koutou. Tātou e mihi nei ki Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. Ka tū ahau ki te tautoko ngā mihi.

[Greetings to you Madam Speaker. Greetings as well to members of Parliament assembled here. I rise in support of the tributes being made by us to Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.]

It is with humility that I rise on behalf of my party, New Zealand First, with the support of my iwi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, and in particular with the support of the people from my marae in Papawai, the marae that was the seat of the Kotahitanga movement and the former Māori Parliament. One hundred and two years ago, King Te Rata Māhuta, Dame Te Ata’s tipuna, passed away. He had attended the Kotahitanga meetings at Papawai, and was actively engaged in working with the tribes that supported the movement and in finding ways of enabling Māori iwi to work together. When he passed away, Tūnuiārangi, Major Brown, my tipuna, represented the Kotahitanga movement, and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, in extending their condolences to Tainui and the Kīngi movement at that time.

Today, I am honoured, and humbled, to stand and pass on the condolences and aroha of my whanaunga, the Ngāti Kahunungu ki Wairarapa people. I start by paying our respects to Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, to her family, and to the people of Tainui. We acknowledge their loss, and we say to them: “Your loss is our loss; your grief is our grief. Our hearts are with you, and shall always be with you, as you move forward to face the future without the support of Dame Te Ata.”

I also congratulate the people of Tainui on their grace, their hospitality, and the magnificent way in which they discharged their duties in organising, managing, and conducting such a royal tangi that was truly befitting of Dame Te Ata, and for the way in which they received all of us who visited to pay our respects. As a former logistician in the military, I had cause to stand momentarily on the roadside outside the marae, and marvel at the logistics, the organisation, and the tasks, and the way in which Tainui had taken up and performed those tasks and had lent dignity and mana to their people and to Māori as a whole. To Tainui, we simply say: “Congratulations; well done. Your mana has been greatly increased by the way in which you have handled this tangi.”

I also congratulate the members of Parliament who cancelled appointments and reshuffled their diaries—changed their personal diaries, given that it was an adjournment—to make the time to go to Tūrangawaewae to pay their respects. To all members of Parliament across the House go our congratulations and our thanks for the honour they did Tainui and Dame Te Ata.

I also congratulate—and it may seem strange—the New Zealand media. We would say that the future of this country rests fairly and squarely on the way in which we, as two peoples in one nation, are able to better understand each other—better understand what motivates us, what drives us, and what is of importance and of value to us. I say to the New Zealand media in television, radio, and print that they have all collectively enhanced that understanding by the way in which they have portrayed and shown that royal tangi, for Dame Te Ata and the Tainui people. I also congratulate all the children who took part.

For those in Tainui who might despair at the loss of such a great person, I say that I too have been reflecting on Māori proverbs. I came across the proverb “Ka tō he rā, ka rere he rā; a sun sets, a day is born.”, which is another way of saying: “As one leader falls, another rises to take up the challenge.” Fear not, Tainui; fear not, Māoridom—the lessons that have been given us by such a great lady have been learnt, have been well understood, will continue to be studied, and will continue to be learnt. The challenge, for those who follow, is to demonstrate leadership with the same sense of quiet dignity and humility that Dame Te Ata has shown throughout her lifetime.

In closing, I am reminded of the time that Te Ata’s auntie, Te Pūea, passed away. A great statesman, Apirana Ngata—another one of my tipuna from my Ngāti Porou side, from my mother—said of her that, firstly, she was a woman of dignity and mana; secondly, she was a Pōtatau; and, thirdly, she was for all Māori. The same will now be said of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Sleep, sleep, sleep in peace, our Māori Queen. Your work is done.

DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): It is with great sadness that the National Party also sends its condolences to the Tainui people. We had a number of our MPs there, and we were very grateful for the welcome and for the way we were treated during that process. Something that a lot of us in the wider community have come to accept over the last couple of days is that New Zealand is a very small country, and that we have more in unity and in common than we have in difference.

Dame Te Ata was someone whom I, as a new MP, had known for only a very short period of time. She was someone who always welcomed me on to the marae and into the Tainui community. As a local Hamilton MP, I congratulate Martin Gallagher on his words about the role of Tainui in the Waikato. I bring those words from the Waikato MPs of the National Party, as well.

It has been a tough time for Tainui. There was a settlement that showed great promise, and there have been tough times since then. But Tainui are now a very strong force in our region—as they should be—and they will provide much of the commercial and political impetus in our region in the future. That is something we should celebrate and support. Over this weekend the wider community of the Waikato has mourned. They have supported Tainui, and they will support Tainui in the future, because our futures are inextricably linked.

With that, I bring the support of the Waikato National MPs to the words that have been spoken in this House. We thank Tainui sincerely for the respect, gratitude, and welcome they showed us, and wish them the best for the future with their new king. We thank them for the memories they have given us.

Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Women's Affairs): Ko tēnei te poroporoaki ki a Te Arikinui Kahurangi Te Atairangikaahu. Me whakamaumahara tātou i a koe, he wahine toa, he wahine humārie, he mana wahine. E moe, e moe, e moe .

This is a farewell to Te Arikinui Dame Te Ata. We will all remember her. She had all the qualities of a leader. She was a woman of strength, humility, and mana. Rest in peace.

I speak very briefly as Minister of Women’s Affairs, because Dame Te Ata, as the patron of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, was connected with my role. The league is one of the partners I work with as Minister, alongside the National Council of Women and alongside Pasifika. The Maori Women’s Welfare League is a forum in which Māori women can air their concerns to the policy makers of today, because it is well respected by all as an important contributor to issues affecting Māori women.

Dame Te Ata will be an enormous loss to the nation, but will be forever remembered as an international icon for Aotearoa and a humble leader within our nation. Truly, she was a Māori woman leader, he mana wahine. On behalf of all New Zealand women, I say farewell.

NANDOR TANCZOS (Green): To Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, I ask that she may be at peace and rest in honour with her ancestors. To the new arikinui Tuheitia Paki, I pay honour and respect for the responsibility that now lies on his shoulders. To the whānau pani, I send our condolences and commiseration for the sad loss. Also, to the hapū and iwi, I acknowledge the responsibility they all now shoulder, moving forward.

I speak not to represent the Green Party, because my co-leader has already done that, but as a Pākehā in Aotearoa, as tangata tiriti, as an African-Hungarian descendant, and as a Rastafarian who lives in this land, Aotearoa. As one who lives in the Waikato and who shelters under the mantle of Tainui, I stand simply to pay my respects and also to thank the people of Tūrangawaewae for the great hospitality and manaakitanga they showed over this weekend. It was an enormous honour and a privilege to be there to witness and participate in this tangi—this momentous historical moment in the life of our nation. So I give thanks for that manaakitanga.

Also, I thank Parliament for taking the time to commemorate the life of this amazing woman and the important historical moment of the passing of the mantle of the Kīngitanga. We are here, of course, to honour and acknowledge the loss of the Māori Queen, both as a person—and there have been many tributes to her wonderful characteristics as a human being—and in recognition of her mana as the arikinui of the Kīngitanga. This Parliament is not always a place that recognises the mana of Māori leadership, so I am thankful we have done that today. I pay my respects to all of us here, but, most of all, to the departed and to the new leadership of the Kīngitanga. Kia ora tātou.

JUDY TURNER (Deputy Leader—United Future): During this week, as we have mourned as a nation, I have been reminded of what I would consider a defining moment around our Māori Queen that happened for me back in the 1980s. I was attending a week-long inter-church youth workers’ conference in the Waikato. There were a number of keynote speakers, both international and from within New Zealand. At some stage in the early organisation of the conference, somebody had wondered whether there could be an opportunity for the keynote speakers, particularly our international speakers, to meet with the Māori Queen. She agreed at very much, I think, the eleventh hour. The speakers reported on the wonderful and gracious reception they received from her.

At the time, one of the American speakers extended to her a very belated invitation to come, at any stage, to the conference we were attending—there were probably 500 or 600 youth workers at this conference. Nothing much else was thought of it. About halfway through the week, during one of those awful early afternoon sessions when one has eaten too much lunch, is trying to keep awake, and is not concentrating very much on what is being said, there was a bit of a rustle and a kerfuffle, and people rushed forward. The speaker on the platform stopped, and somebody jumped up and said that it had just been discovered that our Māori Queen had arrived and was sitting in the back row with her friends. We were apologetic for the lack of acknowledgment. We cleared some seats at the front and asked her to come forward, and those at the conference were asked to welcome her in the usual way.

So the usual round of applause began. Then something happened that I can only describe as absolute magic, as 500 to 600 youth workers and young people spontaneously rose to their feet and gave the most amazing and eternal standing ovation I have ever witnessed in my life. At the end of that ovation most of us had tears pouring down our face, while looking at each other and asking: “What just happened?”. What happened was that our Māori Queen came amongst us, and her humble presence, as she and her entourage moved forward to the seats that had been reserved for them very quickly and belatedly, gave a message to our hearts that nobody else could have covered in any great oratory for the rest of that conference. Somehow there was a buy-in and a sense of who we were as a nation that for our young people was very hard to quantify. I will never forget that—it was life-defining for me, and all this week I have remembered it and replayed it in my mind.

I pass on my condolences to Tainui, to Dame Te Ata’s family, and to her son who now shoulders that wonderful responsibility. I wish him and all of Māoridom well as they embrace all that will happen out of this amazing week. I wish Dame Te Ata Godspeed and wish her son all God’s blessings in this momentous week.

GEORGINA BEYER (Labour): I take this opportunity to pay my respects to Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, as it is my burden not to have been able to attend the tangi itself. I have to say that my wairua and aroha were certainly accompanying my iwi of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Mutunga, although that should not be an excuse, necessarily.

I have had the privilege on rare occasions to have engaged with Te Arikinui, and each time has been memorable. I have a lasting impression of her generosity, for which much rich oratory has been spoken over the past days, including today, and of her great virtues as a great lady. Included in the diversity within the people who called her their queen were people from the takatāpui area of life, and I feel inclined to state that, for the record. Our great Māori Queen, Te Arikinui, may well have been entertained by numbers within her rohe, let alone at the marae—Piripiri Munroe comes to mind—and a number of others may have entertained her at times, and also worked most diligently for Tainui, for her, and for the Kīngitanga, in many ways. Her tolerance was more than that, actually. I think it was more an acceptance of people—part of her unifying ability that had to be diverse.

I can recall my first times of meeting with her, at functions at Government House and such places, when I was Mayor of Carterton. She always greeted me with due respect and I, of course, was in absolute awe of her. That diminutive nature of hers beamed a mana far greater than all of ours, in many respects, and that quiet dignity commanded immediate respect and aroha. That is not an easy thing for people to be able to command by just their very being, but it denoted her lineage and from whence she came. All Māori and the tribes who have dealt with the issues that she represents know they are issues of unity—unity that has been sought over these past few weeks.

I was once granted a greater privilege than merely to be at the same function she may have been at. I had the privilege of being escorted with her into a Maori Women’s Welfare League conference when I, again as mayor, was granted the privilege of being a keynote address speaker. In itself that was a great privilege—to have been allowed to be with her in that regard. It was an expression of respect, certainly, for the position I held at the time, but for the person, too. That is something of value not passed up lightly, which goes beyond the mere individual, I would have to say.

I think the second and more significant time was when my then mayoral colleague Margaret Evans asked whether I would like to attend what were my first coronation celebrations, the celebrations for Te Arikinui. I thought we were going to join many other people and be part of the crowd, probably with due acknowledgment given to my being a mayor. I may have expected that but, no, it went further. I ended up sitting next to Te Arikinui on her marae with her—for hours and hours, I might add, and way into the cool night as the fog drifted in off the river. During that celebration many Māori from Australia were visiting, and their kapahaka groups were providing the entertainment. There was no way our queen was not going to sit there and watch all of them, or as many as she could before she felt she had to retire. Even then it was only for a brief cup of tea for about 15 minutes, and then it was back out there to the conclusion.

That was the commitment of such a lady, and the sort of example she set to me and to many, many other New Zealanders. I will always regard her in great awe and have great respect for her, and for the honour she bestowed upon all takatāpui in her non-judgmental acceptance of the excitement, exuberance, and diversity that that sector of our society offers. Haere atu rā e Te Arikinui.

I conclude by welcoming the new Māori King. His selection ushers in the potential and opportunity for a new era, a continuance of what has already been left by the predecessors of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. A great mantle falls upon this man, and he has the confidence, I expect, that Māoridom, if not New Zealand, are behind the purposes of his being.

JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa): I rise on behalf of the people in my electorate in the Wairarapa first of all to thank them for the privilege of being able to attend events at Ngāruawāhia yesterday. As I looked through the crowd yesterday it struck me just what a demonstration of unity it was. There were young people, older people, Māori, Pākehā, and even two Sikhs with large yellow turbans. There were many New Zealanders yesterday at that occasion. I do not claim to have known Dame Te Atairangikaahu well at all, but I was privileged to have crossed her path on a couple of occasions.

Another path I crossed yesterday was that of a diminutive figure in the crowd—one Donna Awatere Huata, who, in a previous incarnation, taught me something about Māori and about how to behave on a marae. I was to draw on that knowledge some years later when I had to take Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu from Papua New Guinea on to the marae and introduce him to the Māori Queen. My knees knocked all night as I was thinking about how I was to do that in Māori and not make a fool of myself. It turned out the next day that Rabbie was equally nervous because he had never spoken on a marae in New Zealand before. He asked: “How am I going to speak at the end of this?”. So I said: “Just use your place talk.”

The interesting thing I recall about the occasion was that Dame Te Atairangikaahu’s manner was such that it put everybody at ease when they felt quite tense. The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea spoke his place talk. Not one person in his delegation of 12, nor anybody else on the marae, understood a word he said because he comes from Rabaul. There was no one else from Rabaul in his delegation there, so all of us were left in the dark. But Dame Te Atairangikaahu was really welcoming, and I particularly remember that.

On another occasion we were trying to make peace on the Bougainville issue between the Government and Bougainvilleans. That degenerated into a problem of dealing with Bougainvillean politicians, each of whom wanted to be the top dog after a long scrap. I thought about how to deal with this situation, and talked to various psychologists and lots and lots of people, and nobody actually had any bright ideas. When one talks to multinational companies, everybody paddles their canoe in a particular direction by spending a lot of money and taking a lot of time. The thought occurred to me that if we could put those people into a marae setting, then maybe we could use Māori cultural practice to encourage those people to start speaking to each other. So we left all the little people behind and brought only the chiefs down.

The first day we spent in Hopa Hopa and, to my surprise, who was at the front of the audience but Dame Te Atairangikaahu. There we learnt about Tainui’s history. As is Dame Te Atairangikaahu’s custom, she did not speak, but she had a lot of people there speaking and we could see she was orchestrating much of what was said.

The thing I particularly recall on that occasion was the story of King Tāwhiao, who—those members who understand a little of Tainui’s history will remember—was the chief who encouraged his people to throw the guns in the river. There were some Bougainvilleans who were a real damn nuisance, because they would not throw their guns down. There was no point my telling them, as a Pākehā, but coming from the people of Tainui, represented there by their queen, who was giving full authority to what was being said, the Bougainvillean leaders’ eyes were out on stalks and they talked about it for the next 2 weeks. They did not throw their guns in the sea, but they certainly put them into steel containers.

As I said, yesterday was a demonstration of huge national support for a national icon. I convey my deepest respects to the people of Tainui on behalf of all the people in my electorate, and I would just like to thank Tainui. I watched them quietly putting all their arrangements in place for the wonderful display of a royal tangi. Everything just happened with calm efficiency, and they did a fantastic job.

Haere e hoa ki te whāea, ki te Papa, haere atu rā.

[Depart to mother Earth, friend, farewell indeed.]

God speed.

Motion agreed to.

Honourable members stood as a mark of respect.

The House adjourned at 4.16 p.m.