congratulations to you again, and I wish you the best. I look forward to working with you. Thank you.
RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori): E te Speaker, tēnā koe, e te Whare, tēnā tātou. Tēnā koe kua uru mai ki roto i tēnei mahi. Mā te Whare koe e whakatūngia, arā, ka tiki ake au i ngā whakataukī a ngā mātua tīpuna: “Mā ngā raho, ka tū te ure.” Nō reira e hika, tēnei rā te mihi atu rā ki a koe i a koe e noho rangatira nei i roto i te tūru me ngā whakahaere i roto i ngā mahi a te Pāremata, a te Kāwanatanga hoki.
[To the Speaker, greetings; to the House, greetings. Congratulations to you for taking on this role. The House elected you so I articulate a proverb from the ancestors: “Cooperation is vital for good working relations.” My friend, we congratulate you on the role of leadership that you now occupy here in Parliament and within Government.]
I take heed of your call, Mr Speaker-Elect, when you said that we have the opportunity to hold this Government to account; also, that you will ensure that minority parties have the same opportunities as those of larger parties and that the protection of minority rights and the rights of tangata whenua in this House are upheld and not the tyranny. And so on behalf of Te Paati Māori, we congratulate you. Tēnā anō hoki tātou, kia ora tātou.
[Thank you, one and all.]
SPEAKER-ELECT: Can I thank all members for their comments. I think it’s fair to say that many of them were generous, and not all quotations were quite accurate, but it is the first day and I expect that standards will develop from this time on. Members, the House stands adjourned until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 26 November 2020.
The House adjourned at 12.38 p.m.
