Ko te reo Maori te tahuhu o tenei whare, no reira kuhukuhu mai ki te whare korero o Te Hui. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei, nau mai, tahuti mai ra. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. Coming up this morning ` He's the first Maori to be Labour deputy leader. Kelvin Davis joins us along with leader Jacinda Ardern. Pai. He honoretanga nui tenei maku, ko te iwi Maori e hoki. And we celebrate 30 years of te reo Maori being an official language of New Zealand. We speak to tamariki about what te reo and being Maori means to them. Pehea ta korua whakatuhi te aroha ki a korua? (KIDS GIGGLE) Karahuihui mai. Later in the show, we meet four fresh political faces vying for your vote this election, engari matua ra i tenei ata, for the first time in a century, the New Zealand Labour Party has appointed a Maori deputy leader. Ngati Manu's Kelvin Davis hails from Northland's Karetu, and he joins newly-appointed leader Jacinda Ardern. Together they'll lead Labour into battle at the upcoming election. The change has been warmly received, but comes during the party's lowest polling in 20 years and after 9 years on the opposition benches. So, with just 48 days to go, how do they plan to turn the Labour's fortunes around? Let's find out. Tena korua. Kia ora, Mihi. Kia ora. Big week for you both. I'm going to have to throw a question` Did something happen? (ALL LAUGH) I'm going to throw a question to Kelvin cos you've had lots of these questions, I know you've got three tamariki, but are you expecting mokopuna soon? (ALL LAUGH) Are you`? Oh, mokopuna. Oh, OK. Just stop it. So how far away are they? No, I'm not expecting mokopuna any time soon. Is that the first time you've been asked that question, Kelvin? I thought she was going to come in and say, 'Are you expecting a baby?' And I was gonna look down at my stomach and go, 'What are you trying to tell me?' No, the next look we're looking at. Good on you for evening up the score, Mihi. This week you were talking about you were recently grave-digging with your cousin, Creature, and you said that he was voting for Jacinda for the first time ever. What do you think has got him to engage with politics? The Jacinda effect. What is it? This is even before Jacinda was named leader. He was going, 'I'm voting for Jacinda. I'm voting for Jacinda.' I said, 'Jimmy, you live in Moerua. You're in the Tai Tokerau, not in Mt Albert.' But the thing is that` I guess the question is did Creature vote for Kelvin? I wouldn't have a clue. I don't know if he was engaged in politics before, but the thing is` He's your cousin! He's talking` Oh, Maori cousins. Probably got the great-great-great-great grandfather in common. (LAUGHS) But the fact is that he knew Jacinda before Jacinda was the leader, and that's what's been so amazing about this week, is that people have just swung in behind Jacinda, swung in behind both of us, swung in behind the party. Mm. OK. We're just so excited by it all. So, as I said in the intro, you've made some history this week, the first Maori co-leader` deputy leader, sorry, for 101 years, actually. Mm. While it's been celebrated, I guess, is this a travesty? Because Labour talks about the strong relationship with Maori, but yet haven't really had them in the top tier. Yeah, and when you say that, yeah, that is exceptional that it has taken us that long. It was an absolute no-brainer to have Kelvin in this position. The work that he's done in Parliament has been phenomenal. He's just an enormous advocate` Why do you think it's taken so long though? We haven't had a leadership change. I would've been done out of a job if he'd taken it in the last spot, but also, at the same time, I do wanna reflect that after this election, a quarter of our caucus will be Maori. And that is a reflection of the enormous talent and the enormous work that's been done out there across the country by our Maori candidates, and that should be celebrated. But you're right, this has taken too long. That's provided Maori get in behind the seven members and vote for them. You're asking some Maori who have supported the Maori Party, a party that has rangatiratanga, that is their own leaders, you're asking them to come in to a party that is a Pakeha party and a Maori party. How much mana will they have within your party? Well, Kelvin is a reflection of that mana within Labour. But so is every single one of our Maori MPs. The work that they do across the country, I'm constantly blown away by. The geography that they cover, the complex issues that they deal with, the advocacy and compassion and empathy they bring to the job. I hope that everyone who looks to vote for us will see that Maori hold a huge role within Labour. They are Labour, within our caucus. And it has been a game-changer. Look, people all around the country are just going, 'Oh, it's about time. Yeah, we're right in behind Kelvin. We've gotta swing in behind the Labour Party.' I'm just so humbled that people feel just a great sense of pride that I've been named the co` the deputy leader. You're going to hold on to Maori development if you become the next government. It means that Maori development will sit with the deputy leader. Probably never been that high up before. Does it mean more funds? More attention to that portfolio? I'd like to think so. You know, depends how well I can coerce my leader into breaking the purse loose. But you've got mana! Yeah, absolutely. Look, no, Maori expect that Maori development will be right up there, and as you say, I don't know if it's the first time the Maori development portfolio would be that high, but it is certainly significant, and we're just looking forward to doing what we` really making changes for our people. What are you going to do with Maori Land Bill? That's gone by` before lunchtime, actually. And so what will you do with it? Cos so much money's been spent on it, It's had like, I've actually lost the numbers now of how many changes and recommendations. Are you just going to throw it out? Would people say that was a waste of time? Our big concern is the Maori Land Services` Uh, sorry, the Maori Land Court is being dismantled as we speak, to transition into the Maori Land Service` So you will definitely` We really need to look at that. I mean, there's something like 300 years of institutional knowledge have just resigned because they're just sick of everything, so there is a real issue there that we do need to sort out. There's one other really big issue that's been happening over the last few years and that's the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. I'm going to ask you if you were to become the government, would you include a Treaty clause in there? It's a tricky` It is. It is a tricky one, but we've been really clear, the Kermadec Sanctuary is important to us. Absolutely, and we support the work that's been done around building that sanctuary, but we also wanted to make sure that we didn't remove the rights of iwi to access the courts. In the same way that we had to learn the lesson from foreshore and seabed, so that's been a critical balance for us to strike. So what is the balance then? What will it be? Will there be Treaty rights inside? Will those iwi be able to fish their quota? One of the things that the government could've done to avoid all the hassle around it is just sat down with iwi and had this discussion, because Maori, we're the greatest conservationists there are, and yet the government wanted to have the power` But conservation is different because, Maori, they're understanding of conservation is that they get to take and fish from within what they're conserving, so will Maori still be able to fish it? Which means abundance is important, so there is a balance to be struck there, but as I said, we didn't wanna see a bill that removed access to the courts, in order to pursue that right, and so that's where the balance had to be struck, As I say, we've got to learn the lessons from the past. And Labour's certainly done that. There's been a lot of talk recently with Winston Peters on the referendum for the Maori seats. I'm not going to ask you whether you're going to hold a referendum, but if Maori want to keep the seats, will you make them law? Entrench them? Yes. Then we need 75% of Parliament, I think the rules are. I'd love to see them entrenched. We've already got a member's bill, I think` Yeah, Rino. In Rino Tirikatene's name to entrench them into law. And that's actually about treating that provision of our electoral law the same way we do every other element of electoral law. Everything else is entrenched and then has a 75% vote. So you can say that if Labour becomes the next government that the Maori seats will be entrenched? We've already got a policy on that. OK, I want to ask you, cos you've talking with one of our Nga Morehu, Riwhi Toi Whenua` Yes. And you're in touch with him. Mm. You've been pushing for the inquiry into former wards of the state. Yup. How fast will that happen if you become the next government, and what could Riwhi Toi Whenua expect? I see that as a priority. You know, it was actually one of those things that very soon after, I found` We found ourselves in these exceptional circumstances, I saw a message come up from him, and it just reminded me that, actually, for everyone who's out there supporting us, there's is this huge weight of expectation and responsibility that we remember the things that are important to us in government. I consider giving those wards of the state, who have experienced abuse, be it historical or recent, the right to have their stories heard as an absolute priority. Nothing has changed for me. It was a priority before this job. It's a priority now. Would you see that in the first year? Yes. Why not? Why shouldn't we establish that quickly? And in part because if we want to move forward with the new Oranga Tamariki and learn those lessons of the past, then we must listen to those stories. And I'm worried that we're establishing an entirely new system without having done that. Ka pai. I just wanna leave something with you, Kelvin. Nga Puhi, largest and poorest iwi in the country. The last Labour government gave Kaikohe Ngawha, without putting any investment into the community. If you were to be become the government, would you invest in that community? Can you give them your word? Yeah, we have to. And if we can make a massive difference in Kaikohe, then we can take that blueprint out to the other struggling communities around the country. Kaikohe is` You know, we have to, but without being in government, we don't have the resources to do the things that need to be done. But you'll make a commitment. I'm making a commitment to Kaikohe, all right. Ka pai. Tena korua. Kia ora. Piri tonu mai ra e te iwi. After the break ` they're bright eyed and bushy tailed. We meet the aspiring MPs hoping to find a place in the lion's den. And we celebrate 30 years of te reo Maori Kei te matakitaki koutou i a Te Hui. While a number of retiring politicians are looking forward to saying 'e noho ra' to Parliament, a new crop are hoping to say kia ora! Our next four manuhiri are aspiring MPs, and they're all committed to uplifting our people, but hold a very different view on how best to achieve it. They are the Greens' Teanau Tuiono, Labour's Kiritapu Allan, for the Maori Party, Mei Reedy-Taare and National's Harete Hipango. Tena koutou katoa. ALL: Kia ora. Thank you. Nice to see you. I'm going to start with you, Harete. In 30 seconds, if you can, who you are, who you're representing, and what's the biggest issue in your rohe. Kia ora, Mihingarangi. Harete Hipango, Whanganui, and my background has been as a practicing lawyer for 30 years. Child welfare, family concerns, criminal law, mental health, aged care concern, so general practitioner for that time. Working in Whanganui. Uh, went home to have my three children, raise them, and the concerns in Whanganui, of course, the background that I come from, it's always people-based. But also in terms of nurturing, supporting people, it's about having a healthy economy and sustainability to do that. So my concerns are about people, so it's about caring and sharing and its about having the enterprise to sustain ourselves. Ka pai. Mei Reedy-Taare. Kia ora. Kia ora. Well, I am Mei Reedy-Taare. I'm a candidate for the Maori Party, and I'm standing in quite possibly I have a background in television journalism. Been in communications, worked in Washington DC for about 10 years, and most recently in local and central government and of course for our iwi, which I have to say has probably been the most challenging job of all, but also the most enjoyable. Stepping up into this role felt like a natural progression. Biggest issues? The biggest issues are actually the ones that trouble the entire New Zealand, which is the earthquake recovery effort that's going on, not just down in Christchurch and Kaikoura, but also Wellington. And all of our marae are actually working towards that resilience. They're fantastic. They are. Ka pai. Kiritapu Allan. Kia ora. Kia ora, Mihi. Kia ora koutou. My name's Kiritapu Allan. I hail from Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Rangi, Ngati Tuwharetoa, and I'm Labour's proud East Coast candidate. (LAUGHS) My background's in commercial and constitutional law. I also have a deep-seated passion in the primary industries, horticulture in particular. Done a lot of land development up the Coast in terms of kiwifruit orchards and trying to create jobs for our whanau up the Coast. Issues? Issues ` health, housing, education. Health, too long waits. Housing, not enough houses. And jobs, 10% unemployment rate up in Gisborne. There's not jobs for our whanau. Teanau? Kia ora, whanau. Teanau Tuiono. I'm standing for my home town in Manurewa with the Greens. I've got a background in social justice and environmental activism, so the Green Party's a good little intersection for me. People might know me from the guy that was trying to get the Tino Rangatiratanga flag on the harbour bridge for Waitangi Day. That happens. Very happy. Supported by all the parties here. The issues that we're facing in my community is poverty. We know tonight that over 20,000 people are either going to be crammed into motels, into garages or into cars or on the streets, and so that's the biggest issue that we're facing in my community. Ka pai. I'm going to start with Metiria Turei won't be seeking a ministerial position. That's been the news of this last week. Teanau, is that the right decision? Metiria has owned this decision. She knew that a price had to be paid, and she has taken that on board. For me, myself, personally, all of my heroes have always broken the rules. You know, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Eva Rickard. So for me, she's a strong person and her support is strong as well. Kiritapu, she said that there's always a price in politics, and she's paid it. Is it right that she's paid the price? Mm. You know, with Metiria, that was her decision to make, and that was the Green Party decision to make. I think in this last week of politics, it has been a unique one, to say the least. In terms of what's happened both within my party and the Greens, there's been some fundamental movement and shifts. It looked like, where we were heading in the polls, we weren't going to see the progressive government that we needed to bring about the fundamental change that we needed. So you think it's the right decision? I think that the entire left of the spectrum has done a really exceptional job in the past week. Mei, I looked up other MPs who had got themselves into trouble. There was Ruth Dyson charged with drink driving, now a spokesperson for women's affairs, there was Trevor Mallard, pled guilty to fighting in a public place, he's got some portfolios as well. What's the difference with Metiria Turei? Actually, the difference is is that the first rule of politics is to live with integrity. That's actually the fundamental rule. Now, I agree with what everyone's said here. It is her decision, her party's decision. So are you saying she hasn't been? I think what she did is she broke the law. There are currently more than 1000 women` Well, I'm presuming most of them will be women and most of them will be Maori women ` who are waiting to be prosecuted by the state for very similar benefit fraud. So we should be thinking, 'Are we sorry for them?' That's a really good point, because $30 million a year in benefit fraud, and that is harmful and hurtful to the economy, $1.2 billion there, Harete, in tax evaders. Are we going after tax evaders at the same rate as we are benefit fraud? My view around the situation with Metiria is that that's a decision that she's made as the co-leader of the party, and that the consequences will come when the people decide which way that they will vote, but also internally, from her party. National Party, we're focused on what we're doing for our nation. We're focused on supporting` providing the supports and the mechanisms for that to do so. And we're also about recognising Maori enterprise, all enterprise throughout as well. You'd have a better idea than most because you've been in the courts, so you must see people being charged and convicted, 67% in benefit fraud` Yes, I have. As opposed to 18% for tax evasion. Do you think the government at the moment is putting enough` the same pressure on tax evaders as benefit fraud? I'm not` I don't think so. I think the benefit system that we have is vicious and it's mean. The safety net needs to be mended. And so one of the things that we're putting forward is, hey, look, there are massive holes in the system, and people are falling through the gaps. One of the biggest barriers to education is that children show up to schools hungry, and so we've got to go about mending the safety net for our whanau. And think about it, Michael Joseph Savage would be absolutely turning in his grave right now if he could see the state the our social net has now become. The issue is that after nine years of National being in government, our people are struggling to survive. There's no food. There's no housing. There's no jobs. I wanna change the subject a wee bit, and let's talk about water. Why? Cos it's so important to us. 60% of monitored rivers are unswimmable. The current government's goal is to raise that to 90% by 2040. Good goal? Will it work for you? Cos on your Facebook page you've got, 'Ko te awa ko au, ko te au ko te awa.' And it's an achievable goal. It's a realistic measure. It's one that the National government has responsibly put in place, and in terms of recognition of the awa, if I could just turn that to what the National government has done by way or Treaty settlements, we've had the significant settlements back here in Whanganui. I'm just going to move on cos we've only got a few minutes to go. I wanna get your input. What's your idea on the way that, you know, siwmmable, 90% by 2040. Is that enough for the Maori Party? I think we actually need to work a heck of a lot harder. The issue is that, look, my river below my nanny's house is virtually gone. It's got weeds growing through it. It's almost non-existent. We need to work much much harder, at making our rivers not just swimmable, but, goodness, help us, could we make it drinkable at some point? I went on to the website to look at poor, excellent and what are our rivers doing, and in most of your rohe, they are poor or they are intermittent. Have you got an issue with the way that we're going to be monitoring? I don't think we can kick the can down the road. We've gotta deal with it now. On the issue of a water bottling companies, we would put a moratorium on all water bottling companies now, and put a 20c, 10c per litre export charge. Here's a question, who owns the water? For us, the ownership is with Maori. Who owns water with you, Kiri? For us, at the moment.. I mean, it's one of those niggly legal issues. You don't know? I think that all New Zealanders own the water and that Maori have a big part to play in the way they allocate it. Mei? Maori are the original kaitiaki of the water, and they should have, especially in their own rohe, they must have the right of governance, of management and decision making. Harete, who owns the water? In terms of ownership, I agree with Kiri in terms of the complexity and what's fraught around those issues. I think it's the case that New Zealanders, we are concerned about the fresh water, but may I just come back also around that issue of water` I can't let you cos we've got 20 seconds, and I want to give you some quick-fire. Harete, independent inquiry into state abuse, yes or no? Um, yes, that would be my personal view. Ka pai. Teanau, quotas for women in cabinet? Yeah, I'd be up to that. Kiritapu, Maori seat on local council? Yeah, absolutely. Decriminalise cannabis? Absolutely! Ka pai In fact, Ruatoria is the place where they've been growing it, so definitely we need to look at decriminalisation of it and wrapping services around that. Ka pai. Thank you so much for joining us. It's been fantastic meeting you all. Kia mau tonu mai ra. After the break, we celebrate 30 years of te reo Maori being an official language with a new generation of reo speakers Tahuti mai ano. Well, this week marks 30 years since te reo Maori became an official language of Aotearoa. The battle to enhance the status of te reo was partly motivated by a desire to save the next generation of Maori from the pain, shame and sense of inadequacy that comes with not being able to communicate in your mother tongue. Now that struggle is bearing fruit, in the form of a new generation of reo speakers. Anei te purongo a Raiha Paki. (UPBEAT MUSIC) It's been three decades since the Maori language was made an official language of Aotearoa. There's now a generation of tamariki who've only ever lived in a world with te reo Maori. So I've come back to my old school, Toku Mapihi Mauria, to talk to four sets of siblings about what it means to grow up in their world. He aha te reo pai ki a koe? Nga mea katoa. BOTH: Maori. He aha ai? Na te mea he maua. He mama ki te korero. Oh, reo Maori. Ne? Na te mea kaore te taea korero i the other language. Ka pai ahau ki te reo. He tino nui te reo, ki te mate. Na te mea no Aoteroa nei te reo Maori, ehara ano iwi ke. Na te Maori te reo Maori. Na te mea he rawa ake ki te korero te reo Pakeha. Engari, mena ko korero ki te reo pakeha, ka mate te whenua. Ko wai tetahi tangata pai ki te korero Maori? Stan Walker. Ne? (LAUGHS) Kingi Tawhiao. To whawha. Koro. He aha ai? Ka korero Maori ia ki a ratou maha nga wa. Toku nana. Ne? Nana died. Uh-oh. Me pehea te tiaki a te tuakana i te teina? Ma te oha te roa. Ma te... hoko rawa ahau? He` Me aroha... me whakaponokia ana mahi. Ae. Me tino whakaponokia ana mahi, nera? Ae. (GROANS) (LAUGHS) Me pai te tiaki ki to teina, kaua patu ia. awhi ia mean ki te tangi ia. Ka aha to whakaponokia ana mahi? Kao. (LAUGHS) Na runga tena, he tuakana pai koe? Ae. Kao! He taku teina, taku tungane. He pai te tiaki a to tuakana i a koe? Kao. Ne? Ko aha tera? (LAUGHS) Pai te tiaki a to tuakana i a koe? Kao. (LAUGHS) He aha kore ai? Ka amu ia ki au. (GASPS, LAUGHS) Ka whakahoha i au! He aha tenei mea te aroha? (GASPS) Um, te manaaki tangata. He mea pai. He mea whakawhanaungatanga, a te tai ki te tai. Mean ka pai ake tetahi tangata, ara, ka pai i ake ahau. He tauira, um, mena ki te mauiui to nana, ka taea te noho ki tona taha ki te ahua, whangaia, ki te a nga kaputi. Ka wera, nei? Me pehea ta korua whakatuhi te aroha ki a korua? (ALL LAUGH) He aha tenei mea te manaakitanga? Ko te manaakitanga, ko te, like, tiaki tetahi tangata mena kei te tangi ratou. Me manaaki e nga tangata. Mean ka taka tetahi, ta te kaue e katakata me te kore hikoi atu. Me manaaki nga rawa kore. Me pehea to manaaki nga rawa kore? Me te hoa atu i te rawa etahi kakahu mahana me i te kai. Mena he rawa kore tetahi, ka taea` taea, um, haere a ratou ki te a matou kainga ki te moe. Koia nei te patai whakamutunga. He aha o wawata mo te wa ka pakeke korua? He ka takaro poitukohu. Ka mahi au i tetahi mahi pena ki a koe. Ka pai tenei mahi! Haere ki te whare wananga ki te ako pewhea ki te mahia takuta. Whai mahi. He aha te momo mahi? Whakatika motoka. Ka pai. He kaiako ki tetahi kura. Kura Maori? Ae. Ka toku haere atu ki te Whare Wananga o Waikato ki atu he kaiako. Tera pea takaro i te poitukohu mo Aotearoa. Ki te mahi te mea roia ki a poha i au maha nga moni. (LAUGHS) Whakaaro pai tena. (ALL LAUGH) Manaakitangha, aroha, and caring for our most vulnerable. It's not just the language, but the values these tamariki are learning. Safe to say both our reo and our future are in good hands. Ae, he whakaaro rangatira. Thanks for joining us today, Hui Hoppers. We'll post links to the show on our Facebook page and on Twitter @thehuinz, and you'll find all our stories on the Newshub website. The Nation is next. Pai marire ki a taatou katoa. Captions by Tom Pedlar. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017