Shane Jones Maiden Speech To Parliament
Maiden Speech To Parliament
Shane Jones MP
Address In Reply Debate
Tuesday 15 November 2005
Madam Speaker, I begin my maiden speech by offering congratulations on your re-election to the Chair. I also acknowledge the late Green Party co-leader Rod Donald. As we say in Te reo Mäori: Kua hinga te totara o te wao nui a Täne.
In preparing for this maiden speech I sought counsel from Members of this House, both former and current. I pestered others, observers who have endured the speeches of their representatives.
The clearest advice was to strive for authenticity. This of course suggests a time for reflection - a time when a new parliamentarian lays down a touchstone that one returns to from time to time, or is dragged back to by disappointed supporters, cackling opposition members or foraging journalists!
Authenticity begins with an account of who you are, what you believe, and whether it has any relevance to our future, an indivisible nationality, a legitimate state and a plurality of cultures. I am a product of our history, a proud descendant of the Dalmatian gum digger, the Päkehä pioneer and Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Ngäti Kahu tangata whenua women. Northland or Tai Tokerau is where call home. It is a place where the currents of ancestry have commingled and I am proud to claim all three streams as my heritage. Downstream, upstream, full on mainstream!
To this end I acknowledge with affection the presence of my parents this afternoon, Peter and Ruth Jones: one a farmer still milking cows and going on 73, the other a school teacher, who at the age of 66, is still at the chalk face. My wife Ngareta, from the Hokianga Harbour, who after the ebb and flow of many a tide remains staunch and straightforward. Such simplicity is needed in the Jones whänau given our seven children, Keryn and Taimania on the proverbial OE (out of equity), Tohe in the army, getting the discipline his Papa never fully delivered on, and Penetaui, Hoera, and my two sweet peas Haukura and Te Aumihi.
I enjoyed the experience of standing for Labour in the seat of Northland and I acknowledge the successful candidate, the sitting member Mr John Carter. Millie Srhoj is the grand old man of the Labour Party in the Far North and I was privileged to be nominated by him. Our shared Dalmatian ancestry reminded me of our gumdigging forebears who fled the hardship of the Austrian Empire for freedom and opportunity in a new land. I look forward to working constructively with other Northland based MPs to improve the region's roads, essential services, schools and other infrastructure.
Northland enjoys iconic status in our historical sweep. Te Rerenga Wairua, Cape Reinga, the meeting of the Tasman Sea and Eastern Pacific currents and the mythical point where the spirits of our ancestors journeyed back to Hawaiki. There's Waipoua forest, where the lonely sentinel Täne Mahuta, the 2,000 year old kauri tree, has kept watch over the landscape for longer than humans have walked these islands.
There is Pewhairangi, the Bay of Islands; the site where our nation's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was originally signed. This document, some would say, has grown legs in the last 20 years. Where is it taking us, or where are we taking it? Is it to a destination we don't want to move to, or to a place it was never designed to be?
The place and role of the Treaty is one of our most searching issues. The debate however is not about the literal words of this document, rather it is about relationships. How do we honour the sentiments underlying this founding document? According to the Court of Appeal it is a living document, although some members of this House are prone to dismiss it as a colonial artefact.
My own thoughts have changed over the years. The emphatic Treaty activist of the 1980's became a Mäori economic advocate in the 1990's. This decade however, we must move on beyond historical angst. The future summons us to a relationship, which transcends both Crown and tribe. To this end it is pleasing to see that all parliamentarians are committed to the resolution of historical grievances. I favour expeditiousness, to clear the path so our aspirations are not twisted by protracted disputes over acre, rood and perch.
Päkehä and Mäori do have a shared heritage. Indigeneity is both claimed and expressed by embracing Mäori symbol and dance. When the haka rings out at Twickenham we all swell with pride. This is the enduring image we should accentuate. The focus must be on confidence, pride, ingenuity and independence. If we take this route now, future generations, our mokopuna, will reflect it in deed, hue, and spirit.
In the grand narrative of our nation's story, addressing historical grievances is but one chapter. Other chapters are materializing around us. Our communities are becoming more diverse. As the pace gathers by dint of birth rate, immigration and international influences, the ethic of inclusiveness must be carefully tended. Tangata Pasifika and Asian arrivals remind us that our islands are part of the Pacific and nearer to Asia than Europe or the United States of America. Although the variety of faces and the babble of languages may confound us, all immigrants come looking for opportunity. Material comfort and security drives their numbers.
The right to our citizenship however, carries the duty to uphold our traditions. Our democratic traditions rest on deep abiding qualities that are the inheritance of all of us. We rise to the challenge, perhaps because of our historical isolation. We are adventurous, inventive, and adaptable we pride ourselves on self-reliance, whilst at the same time being fair-minded. A love of the whenua, the land, the mountains, the pohutukawa and the surrounding seas is nationally enjoyed. The outstretched hand offers assistance at the end of the day, but we do expect the recipient to have made every possible endeavour to stand on their own two feet first. That is the Kiwi spirit I want to strengthen and see continue.
Madam Speaker, I come to this House with respect for pragmatism. I have had the privilege of chairing the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission, an eleven-member board debating how to split up $1 billion worth of assets amongst 50 plus tribes. Furthermore, I had the role of chairing the Sealords fishing company, a multimillion-dollar enterprise, owned by the Mäori tribes and a Japanese multinational company, Nippon Suisan. This enterprise is a testament to our adaptability. Mäori were able to safeguard their assets and attract foreign capital to expand a NZ resource base.
The importance of economic growth is a given for me. When we talk of productivity we must go beyond mere tax calculations. We know the range of international views on economic growth. But as an isolated trading nation with a modest domestic base, we need to derive our own solutions. We cannot in some cavalier fashion, adopt and transplant holus bolus from either Europe, Asia or the Chicago School of Economics. However, borrowing those components that are relevant to the Kiwi way and adapting them with our ingenuity will accelerate growth and build exports.
We should encourage enterprises that invest in value added propositions. Nothing has more lasting value than human capital. As the famous Mäori proverb says: he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. The uniqueness of the product and the competitiveness of the service all come back to the quality of the hands and minds that deliver the goods.
This quality has seen our primary industries grow, but more needs to be done. As more of our families are reared in the metropolitan locations, we must remain vigilant and not overlook the interests of regions. Milking the cows, setting the net and milling the timber is a long way from this Chamber. Before we quaff at the Green Parrot or sip nectar at the Hummingbird, spare a thought for those who toil at sea and on land generating our foreign exchange earnings.
The key point for me as a new parliamentarian is that we have a system worth celebrating. It prizes openness, it relentlessly tests the legitimacy of authority, and it is a bulwark against corruption. I come to this role, along with every other Member, anxious to make a mark and contribute to the wealth and health of our society. Members will invariably not agree, but as my mentor Rev Mäori Marsden told me and the new member for Te Tai Tokerau in our youth, Tä te rangatira kai, he körero, speechmaking and debate - a chiefly pursuit indeed. Once debated, settle the dispute and move on.
Madam Speaker, in coming to this parliamentary role I arrive as the beneficiary of a fine education. It was gifted to me by the generosity of others, including a group of elderly Anglican parishioners from the Warkworth pastorate, who saved their pennies to send a small boy from Awanui, the backblocks of the Far North, to St Stephens School. There was also the Mäori and Polynesian scholarship which assisted me through Auckland and Victoria Universities, and the Harkness Fellowship which took me to Harvard University.
Without this educational background, I would never have had the opportunity to achieve in private enterprise as well as serve in the Ministry for the Environment, the Prime Minister's Department and Te Ohu Kaimoana. Such an experience has been a precursor to my embarking on this career today.
Not surprisingly, it is my fervent desire that every child in the nation, no matter how humble or disadvantaged their individual status, should have the opportunity to find their way to the forefront of our society, in their chosen field, through access to quality education. To know the value of learning is a lifelong mission. I look forward to promoting the importance of encouraging parents to elevate the ambitions of their children.
Ignorance imperils our values. Learning is not simply an institutional matter, left to others during the working day. Education knows no generational barrier; it also respects no ethnic or cultural boundaries. To become an educated people we must learn about each other, and we must ensure that our children have broad minds capable of opening the doors to the rest of the world. Given that we have to earn our keep amidst a diverse and crowded world market, learning will be a cradle to grave duty. This will reduce insecurity and tensions between sectors of our communities and draw us together as one people, but many faces.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that I have moved the motion for the Address in Reply debate. The programme outlined in the Speech from the Throne focuses heavily on the values and aspirations which have drawn me to this vocation.
Reverence for the natural environment, a zeal for economic growth and trade, an awareness and acceptance through knowledge of our shared heritage are the values that will lead to a safe community, a diverse society, a united and proud Aotearoa.