INDEPENDENT NEWS

Maori Party congratulates Honours recipients

Published: Mon 2 Jun 2008 12:58 AM
Maori Party congratulates Queen’s Birthday Honours recipients
EMBARGOED TO 6.00am Monday 2 June 2008
Maori Party Co-leader Dr Pita Sharples today congratulated all recipients for their achievements, successes, and the track record of unstinting service to others that is recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
“Anyone who gets to see a brief summary of what these amazing people have done, finds it is quite a humbling document to read – hundreds of pages of quiet achievement, dogged determination, outstanding generosity and personal sacrifice.
“The CVs of many of these individuals span broad swathes of public life – people who are involved in sports AND arts AND community organisations AND health – you realise how many of us owe so much to so few,” he said.
“It seems unfair to single out the few and not mention the many – but I do specially want to congratulate my whanaunga from Ngati Kahungunu, the father and daughter team of Mike and Hinewehi Mohi. I saw Derek Lardelli’s name there, in fact Gisborne and te Tai Rawhiti are well represented, with Wynton Rufer, Molly Pardoe, Cass Tangaere and a number of others,” said Dr Sharples.
Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell is especially pleased to see descendants of Mataatua and Te Arawa waka recognised for their leadership in tribal and community affairs.
“Wira Gardiner fully deserves to become a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He has played such a key role facilitating progress between the iwi of this rohe and the Crown. Anaru Rangiheuea is another, the former chair of the Arawa Trust Board and iwi negotiator, and Pem Bird, the principal over at Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o Tawhiuau in Murupara,” said Mr Flavell.
“To me what is really special about the honours is to see people in small towns being nationally recognised for their local community work,” he said. “Without them, life could be a struggle for so many others.”
“I want to pay a special tribute to the grass-roots leaders, the helping hands and willing supporters whom we all know in our lives. They go year in and year out without any special recognition. Many of them are women, and it’s so good to see them on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
“They are often recognised for services to Maori, which I think is not quite the right way to put it, because the whole community benefits from the work they do, and there’s certainly nothing selective in the way they give their time, said Mr Flavell.
“No reira, koutou katoa nga rangatira o tënei ra: e möhio ana tatou, e kore te kumara e korero i töna reka. Heoi ano, ko nga tohu nei, hei mihi nui na to matou mangai, na te Kuini o te motu, ki a koutou i o koutou wa kainga huri noa. Kei te tautoko mätou i tana whakahönore i a koutou.”
ends

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