Address to the Maori Party AGM, Whakatane

te-pati-maori

Wed Jul 17 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Address to the Maori Party AGM, Whakatane

Wednesday, 17 July 2013, 11:35 am
Speech: The Maori Party

Saturday 13 July 2013; 11am

Te Ururoa Flavell; Co-leader of the Maori Party

Tēnā tātou katoa. Let me first acknowledge Pem for all of the work he has done for our party. He has been a fantastic President following on from the lead offered by Whatarangi Winiata. He has had to deal with many difficult issues and for that I join in thanking him, Wai, his whanau, his kura and Ngati Manawa. Ka nui nga mihi e te hoa.

Congratulations to Naida. As the new President, I look forward to working with you and Tariana. I promise to say "kia ora" to you every day I see you and acknowledge Ngati Whatua ki Kaipara in every speech I do!!

To our rangatahi rep Bayden Barber. What a fantastic korero you delivered today. He may be from Ngati Kahungunu but I taught him at Tauhara College in Taupo. I am so proud of the person you are. We need the leadership like you involved in this party.

To you George, despite not taking up the position of President, I thought your speech was inspiring, with creative ideas that this party must utilize. I am so pleased that you will stay with us on the journey and contribute to our korero. You have much to offer.

Thank you for your confidence in me to lead, with Tariana and Pita, our Party to the next election.

I am very humbled and proud to follow Pita as co leader of our Party. I have been hugely privileged to have worked with them both. I hope to follow in the pathways set by you both.

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Fifty years ago or thereabouts, I would be snuggled in bed into my dad's back to keep him warm at night as he listened to Parliament. Little did both of us know that one day this day would come.

I want to say, that I am really excited about this opportunity. I have been lucky to have been in many leadership positions in my past, as a Principal, Head of Department, CEO of a Wananga, a Chairman and so on. I have been one of many Captains of St. Stephens School that took Te Aute (and others) apart back in the day. So I know what leadership is all about and what it looks like.

I don't know it all, I listen, I look to advice and I believe I work hard. I want you to know that I am up for this and will give my all.

I think you will all recognize that there are times in your life when you "get in the zone", when you know in yourself, you can take on anything because of that inner confidence that you are ready.

Well, I am there, I feel like I am in the zone. I want to get to work.

I want to thank the many people who are here today who have supported me and had faith in me since we started the Māori Party here in Waiariki. Ka nui te aroha ki a koutou.

I know Erana and my tamariki are all very proud today as is my wider whānau. It is not every day that your relation becomes a co-leader of a political movement.

Having said all of that, today really is not about me.

It is about all the people who are not here. I immediately think of Koro Waru, Te Aotuhirangi, Merle, Geoff Manahi, Theo Tait and the many others in the first instance.

It is about all the people for whom we can make a difference, if we keep trying. That's why our team went to Parliament in the first place. To make a difference.

I take seriously the history of our people who have been to Parliament over the many years.

I take seriously that part we the Maori Party have played in reshaping Parliament and government relationships.

And I take seriously the struggles of our people in trying to re-establish our space in this land.

The Māori Battalion was part of that struggle - they talked about the price of citizenship.

Bastion Point was a part of that struggle. The discussion was, "not one more acre".

Kingitanga has been a part of that struggle. Kotahitanga was the call.

Eva Rickard, Matiu Rata, Sir Apirana Ngata, Maui Pomare all of them have been in the struggle. Tame Iti is a part of that struggle

The Māori Party is a part of that history and that struggle.

From when we first entered Parliament, the Māori Party stated our position.

We would defend Māori rights and advance Māori interests for the betterment of this country.

Under Pita and Tariana's leadership I know we have never deviated from that.

Our kaupapa has guided us and tested us on that journey.

Their combined leadership over these eight-nine years has been significant. Both will forever be a part of the history of this country. The real blessing is, we have had the privilege to know them! So we are all a part of that history. Let's not forget that.

But we are not done yet, in fact the struggle will continue. There is work to do to maintain that legacy.

Today marks our Matariki, a new milestone for the Mighty Māori Party, the next stage of our development and I say, bring it on!!

None of us here have any illusions about how difficult it is to make a difference in politics.

Everywhere we look there are barriers and difficulties and challenges. There are insults, cynicism and apathy.

But the Maori Party specializes in overcoming barriers and difficulties and challenges, because we have something no other party has: we have kaupapa tuku iho.

It is the wisdom of our tupuna that means we can confidently face the challenges of the future. Our kaupapa got us here, kaupapa keep us grounded.

It is the spirit of resilience that comes from surviving colonisation.

It is the collective strength of whanau and hapu and iwi that drives us forward, determined to be successful on our own terms.

We are motivated not by hate or despair, but by generosity and hope. By tika and pono, by honesty and truth

The Maori Party is about giving to all the people of Aotearoa, the unique genius of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga.

These are ideas that can transform the lives of everybody.

Whatarangi and Tariana and Pita and Pem have led us this far on the journey. It is their wisdom, and their spirit, and their strength that has seen the Maori Party begin to transform the politics of this country.

And we are fortunate that they will continue to walk with us - guiding us with their hard-won knowledge and experience - on the next part of the journey.

I have a simple approach to the role of being a co-leader.

I am your servant.

I am here to serve our people, with all my strength and all my spirit.

I am here to serve you, and to serve all those people who are not here.

We have about 12-16 months to the next election. Having given me your trust as Co-Leader, my entire focus will be on making sure the Maori Party is ready to deliver a campaign that will capture the imagination of all New Zealanders.

We are very fortunate that Tariana and Pita are committed to carrying on the hard work of being Ministers. That means I will be able to devote all my effort to helping the Party get ready for the campaign. All I ask is that we work together. Kia kotahi te whakaaro, kia kotahi te ngakau te wairua, kia kotahi te hoe o te waka ki te paerangi.

But I would like very much to become a Minister in the Government that is formed after the 2014 election, as part of a much larger group of Maori Party MPs.

A larger group of Maori Party MPs, so that we can achieve more policy gains that will make even more difference for more people.

Because, whether that Government is National-led or Labour-led, we need to be there to keep hauling them back to policies drawn from kaupapa tuku iho.

Whether that Government is National-led or Labour-led, we need policies that understand that the real health of an economy is simply measured by 'more, better jobs'.

More, better jobs is the way that we work our way out of inequality and out of dependency. More better jobs is how whanau take real control of their own lives. More and better jobs, more warm housing, more secure futures for our tamariki in education, more of us speaking Māori, more positive health outcomes

Whether that Government is National-led or Labour-led, we need policies that promote more fun and less harm. Language and culture and sport and healthy kai, rather than gambling and drugs and fast fatty foods. We need to hold to account those industries that target social and economic deprivation to make profit from misery.

We need to embed the most radical policy of our generation: Whanau Ora. Radical, because it finally fully recognizes the linkages between poor health and poor education and poor housing and cultural deprivation. Radical, because it gives real power to real people to solve their own problems. Radical because it makes Government the servant and not the master.

And running through all of these policies - running through every policy - is our determination to always uphold the mana of Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding promise for this country.

A promise that should join us, not divide us.

A promise that we can all live in this place together, with respect and generosity and fairness.

A promise that we will treasure each others' treasures.

A promise that we will look after this place together, so that we can take pride in what we pass on together to our mokopuna.

There is so much to be done if we are going to be able to deliver policies like these to all the people who need them.

Importantly too we must make space for our rangatahi to come through and contribute. If we are to talking about succession planning then we must take their involvement seriously.

We are past learning lessons from elections, we have been in the game, it is time to deliver.

Just because we have done great things in the past it does not mean that people will support us. We must maintain their trust.

As our Padre Harry Taylor used to say at Tipene when Hone and I were at school together, "The greatest compliment anyone can give you is to trust you". I remember that lesson!!

We need to strengthen the branches, raise money, recruit great candidates, polish our manifesto, shout out our achievements. We need to stand up to the bullies with a better vision of a better future.

So much to do, and not much time to do it.

From here we need to return to our branches focused on the very simple, very brutal equation of politics: more Maori Party MPs means we can make more of a difference.

That is what we must focus on.

That is what I will focus on. E kii ana te kōrero, "kei mate wheke, me mate ururoa". That's me.

ends

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