Fifth Birthday Celebration: The Maori Party
Te Wananga o Raukawa, Otaki
Hon Tariana Turia; Co-leader of the Maori Party
13 June 2009

E kore au e ngaro, te kakano i ruia mai i Rangiatea

I shall never be lost, the seed which was sown from Rangiatea

Today is a celebration of survival; survival and revival.

We celebrate the dreams and aspirations of the seed sown from the soil of Rangiatea.

We honour the whakapapa that links us to Hawaiki; the connections that bind us together over generations and centuries.

He ora te whakapiri, he mate te whakatakiri.

We have survived by sticking together, by valuing our relationships. We have survived through the sustenance of whanaungatanga; and the collective peace of kotahitanga.

And so today is a day, to think and thank all of those who have believed in us.

Firstly I acknowledge our very own Dame Iritana (Tawhiwhirangi) who has had such a profound influence on Aotearoa, through the evolution and advancement of nga kohanga reo. We are very proud of you.

I want to acknowledge the commitment and tautoko of you all, in joining with us today in such a profound occasion.

I can not do so, without remembering the sacrifice and inspiration of those who are no longer with us.

It is one year exactly since Rereamoamo Monte Ohia passed away – the day after he had delivered the most impassioned and compelling call to revolution in the warmth of Rehua Marae.

I think of John Simpson – our incredible webmaster; Betty Manufui the dedicated Tainui Treasurer; Maurice Rogers, our loyal Palmerston North chair; Zena Falk from Foxton branch; the Ratana Minister Raiti Aperahama, who worked tirelessly over two elections; Claude Edwards of Whakatohe who lodged New Zealand's first claim under the seabed and foreshore law; and so many others, whose contribution to this movement has been overwhelming.

We remember them, and our memories of them keep driving us forward to honour their aspirations for our future.

It is entirely fitting that we are here, in the land of Raukawa, to celebrate our prosperity and our belief in a long term plan.

And I want to pay tribute to the Confederation - Te Atiawa, Ngati Toa and Raukawa, for the journey of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano – the 25 year plan to develop the iwi.

Embedded in the strength of the vision, was our beloved President, Whatarangi Winiata.

This day, then, is also an opportunity to celebrate his leadership; to admire the persistent courage he has shown in sticking fast to the collective dream of self-determination, economic independence and cultural revitalization.

Matua has always shown us the way to take care of the new generations, and we in turn, acknowledge him for the legendary imprint he had made on all of our lives. He is a champion of the people; a leader among leaders; and the Maori Party is as strong as we are because of his guidance from the kaupapa, at the helm.

It seems just yesterday, but in fact it was on 9 June 2004, that we provided evidence to the Electoral Commission that we had at least 500 current financial members and we intended to contest the General Election with a party list.

On 9 July 2004 the Commission announced the registration of the Maori Party as a political party, and the next day the Maori Party won 92% of the votes cast in the Te Tai Hauauru electorate.

It was an overwhelming statement from the electorate, that the time was right for a Maori Party.

Two weeks later, as I was sworn in as the first Maori Party Member of Parliament, I spoke in the foyer of the Beehive, Ko tenei te wa o te Ao Maori. It is time to look to ourselves.

These five years have been about that journey; to seek leadership from within, to find the inspiration that exists in our people.

Earlier this week, in my ministerial capacity, I announced I was establishing a taskforce to advance whanau ora.

When we came into a coalition arrangement with the National Party on 16 November 2008 we stated our commitment to, and I quote:

“seek significant outcomes in whanau ora, through eliminating poverty, advocating for social justice and advancing Maori social, cultural, economic and community development in the best interests of the nation”.

We had set out these intentions, in over ninety recommendations, contained in our policy manifesto, He aha te mea nui.

That policy document, in its entirety, is bound to our coalition agreement with the commitment that the National Party and the Maori Party will work together to progress these priorities, as and where agreement can be found.

It is an awesome opportunity and a momentus challenge to turn these words into actions.

You have seen over $120 million dollars worth of actions in the gains we achieved in this first Budget.

Today I am very proud to announce that the Government has agreed to establish a Taskforce to advance whanau ora – and in doing so, to create a new method of government interaction to meet the needs of whanau.

The Taskforce will be chaired by Professor Mason Durie, and includes the following members : Rob Cooper, Di Grennell; Nancy Tuiane; Linda Grennell; and Suzanne Snively.

The goal is to create opportunities which will strengthen whanau capabilities, through a new integrated approach to whanau wellbeing.

I personally believe that whanau ora is the pathway to our future. It is us, that should provide for ourselves – to be tangata whenua in our own land.

I have always believed that we must restore to ourselves, our own rangatiratanga, instead of being paralysed by the state-created dependency we have had in the past.

Survival is the treasured goal. To have steady employment that gives the whanau a reasonable standard of living; to speak our own language, to be adaptable, well educated and advance our entrepreneurial talents.

He mahi kai te taonga

This is about having knowledge of our own whakapapa, our history and taonga; to be confident in who we are.

It is about realising our aspirations; being free to be creative, to generate hope; to protect and love our tamariki to grow to their full potential.

Today we make the investment in ourselves. As Bob Marley said, ‘we’re the survivors, yes, the black survivors!’.

If we have whanau ora, we have everything that can provide for our needs, and collectively meet our responsibilities.

The Maori Party is destined to play a part in our long term plan.

There are other aspects in our relationship agreement that are about securing our future.

We have achieved what some pundits thought was the impossible – the bottom line that, and I cite it for the record “The National Party agrees it will not seek to remove the Maori seats without the consent of the Maori people”.

Early next year, both parties will be involved in the establishment of a group to consider constitutional issues, including Maori representation.

And perhaps the greatest biggest opportunity ahead of us in the next few years, is to make a significant investment in lifting the turnout of the Maori vote.

In the 2008 election the estimated turnout rate of those on the Maori roll was 52%, the lowest of any election since 1981. We must think creatively about how we can encourage our whanau to take up their democratic rights, to participate in the political landscape of Aotearoa.

I know we can do it. If it means knocking on every door we will do it.

We have had great pleasure in seeing the immediate action taken to review the application of the Foreshore and Seabed Act, and we will be eagerly awaiting the report to the Attorney-General, which will be completed in just a few weeks, by 30 June.

We welcome too, the long-awaited action in implementing the Goulter Report, to ensure Parliament provides the support to the very large Maori electorates that you, the constituency, are entitled to.

We will wait no longer to make decisions about our lives; to participate in all aspects of our world; and to open to the possibilities in front of us.

Ka ora pea i a koe; ka ora koe i ahau

Perhaps I survive because of you, and you survive because of me.

We are in this thing together. Each of us is essential to the survival of the others.

And so at this, our fifth birthday, I pay tribute to all those who have nurtured the dream to get us here.

The National Council and its conscientious, long-serving delegates; the ever so patient Electorate Chairs, the Electorate secretaries, treasurers; the Election Campaign organisation; those who manage the merchandise; those who manage memberships; those who host and care for us.

I think of the enthusiastic passion of people like Hakaraia Heke who transformed our website; the steadfast reliability of our Executive – our President; our much loved co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples; our national Treasurer, Parehuia Aratema; the people who take up leadership positions within the party – the Kahui Pukenga.

We have been able to achieve so much through the courage of people to stand up candidates; and the relentless energy of those who have become elected MPs.

This movement has come about from a lot of hard work from our kuia and koroua; and it has been driven by their belief that we can do for ourselves.

We have learnt from our critics – both outside and in – and we hope we will always be a party where the people’s voice prevails.

There are those who have invested in us financially – and we would love to see that number flourish!

But most of all, this celebration anniversary today, reflects the enthusiastic zeal of Maori and so many other New Zealanders who have stood up to make a difference.

We have stood up to proclaim the potential of kaupapa Maori as a pathway forward. We have stood up to protect the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as our foundation.

We have walked the talk; flown the flags; worn the tshirts; attended the hui; emailed our hopes and dreams; driven the miles; participated in long teleconferences, and managed on little sleep – knowing that there is nothing more important than he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

The people are why we are here.

It is about the mobilisation of 23,500 members of the Maori Party.

It is about the imagination of all those who will feel the benefit of whanau ora within their own.

It is about our destination, our renaissance, our transformation. That, surely, is something to celebrate.

ENDS

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