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| irn | 8054 |
| master_filename | 000930_MIX_elizabeth_kerekere_maiden_statement.wav |
| master_md5 | 5E0CD1B4CD6061C174FEAF8908B476DA |
| master_duration | 21:18 |
| master_sample_rate | 44.1 kHz |
| master_bit_depth | 16 bit |
| master_channels | 1 |
| media_reference | 000930 |
| media_source | Parliament TV |
| copyright_position | |
| copyright_ownership | |
| copyright_ownership_note | |
| submitted_to_nlnz | 28-10-2025 |
| public_url | https://www.pridenz.com/elizabeth_kerekere_maiden_statement_in_parliament.html |
| meta_url | https://www.pridenz.com/data/media/meta/8054.html |
| plain_text_url | https://www.pridenz.com/plaintext/elizabeth_kerekere_maiden_statement_in_parliament.txt |
| production_date | 10-02-2021 |
| production_day | 10 |
| production_month | 02 |
| production_year | 2021 |
| recording_type | Parliament |
| series | Rainbow Politicians |
| sub_series | |
| title | Elizabeth Kerekere maiden statement in Parliament |
| description | The maiden statement of MP Elizabeth Kerekere in Parliament, 10 February 2021. |
| summary_computer_generated | Elizabeth Kerekere’s maiden statement in Parliament, delivered on 10 February 2021, weaves together whakapapa, gratitude, and a bold political vision grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, mana wahine, and takatāpui pride. Speaking as a newly elected Green Party MP, Kerekere acknowledges her whānau, mentors, and community while setting out her commitment to systemic change, Indigenous rights, and rainbow inclusion within Aotearoa New Zealand’s Parliament. Opening in te reo Māori, Kerekere pays tribute to the haukainga of the Wellington region and honours those who have passed on. She situates her work within a context of Māori resistance to land and water exploitation and calls out the long failure of successive governments to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. She recognises the return of the Māori Party, Māori activists joining Parliament, and expresses hope for true constitutional transformation through initiatives such as Matike Mai Aotearoa. Turning to her own whakapapa, Kerekere speaks proudly of her father Karauria “Bison” Kerekere, her grandmother Elizabeth “Beti” Kerekere, and her whānau from Tairāwhiti, connecting to Whānau a Kai, Ngāti Oneone, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri. She recalls her father’s lessons about hard work and accountability, and how his belief that she could one day become Prime Minister inspired her. She reflects on receiving her moko kauae as a pivotal moment that allowed her to embrace being a politician and to carry her ancestors’ strength into Parliament. Kerekere also celebrates her mother, Erin Kerekere, and her Irish heritage from County Clare and County Tipperary. Using the whakataukī “Nau i whatu te kākahu, he tāne ko tāku,” she describes her parents as having woven the foundation of who she is, while her own life adorns that cloak. She credits her father with teaching courage and assertiveness, and her mother with empathy, resilience, and emotional awareness—qualities she combines with her own “fire,” drawn from the goddess Mahuika, and a self-described “rainbow flair.” The speech honours artists, poets, and mentors who have shaped her path, particularly leaders such as Nanaia Mahuta, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Rawiri Waititi, whose visible moko kauae and mataora affirm ancestral strength within Parliament. Kerekere’s own moko kauae, representing the “footsteps of the pūkeko,” signifies holding space—an idea central to her activism and her artwork Mana Takatāpui, displayed in the Parliament’s Rainbow Room. A central thread in her statement is love and partnership. She pays moving tribute to her wife, Alofa Aiono, and her Samoan in-laws, acknowledging both Māori and Pasifika ties. She recalls their 14-year wait for legal recognition, thanking MPs Tim Barnett and Louisa Wall for their roles in advancing civil unions and marriage equality. She affirms that while legal recognition is not the measure of all rainbow relationships, equality must always be an option. Kerekere highlights her founding of Tīwhanawhana Trust in 2001, a group advocating for takatāpui to share their stories, build community, and ensure legacy. She calls for legislative action to ban conversion therapy and to reform the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Bill. Noting that the Greens’ caucus had a record number of rainbow MPs, she urges inclusion for trans, intersex, and non-binary people, reminding the House that the last trans MP, Georgina Beyer, was elected over two decades earlier. Her first Members’ Bill sought to amend the Human Rights Act to explicitly protect gender identity, expression, and sex characteristics—an effort to redress historical trauma caused by colonisation, criminalisation, and discrimination. She describes these rights as a Treaty issue and a Māori priority. Kerekere closes by reflecting on legacy and mentorship. Though she could not have children, she speaks of the many rangatahi she has supported, mentored, and loved as whānau. She encourages young people to see themselves as leaders now, not just of the future. Her final line—“Why do we get up in the morning if not to change the world?”—captures the spirit of her life’s mahi: a fusion of activism, culture, art, and aroha. |
| interviewer | |
| voices | Elizabeth Kerekere |
| tags | cisgender; takatāpui; 2020s; Black Lives Matter (BLM); maiden speech; Member of Parliament; Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi; Parliament buildings; Rainbow Room; Aotearoa New Zealand; Gisborne; Wellington; Tīwhanawhana; Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021; Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill (2021); Alofa Aiono; Elizabeth Kerekere; Georgina Beyer; Kevin Haunui; Louisa Wall; Tim Barnett |
| tags_computer_generated | transgender; intersex; gender identity; sex; human rights; Dunedin; law; disability; relationships; Human Rights Commission; Samoa; marriage; identity; abuse; parents; violence; friends; legacy; volunteer; Jan Logie; Marriage Equality; discrimination; children; women; Green Party; representation; equality; counselling; Taranaki; trust; church; love; reading; Ireland; queer; Nanaia Mahuta; grandparents; confidence; government; mentor; hui; leadership; faith; colonisation; indigenous peoples; Mojo Mathers; Marama Davidson; whakapapa; class; gender; mana; oppression; ancestors; marae; hypocrisy; rainbow; freedom; hope; name change; rangatahi; mokopuna; anger; running; Porirua; change; Lower Hutt; kaupapa; rangatira; iwi; siblings; trans; binary; Val Little; survival; laughter; white supremacy; criminalisation; Waitangi; trauma; expectations; feelings; beauty; other; expression; honour; solidarity; conference; Te Aitanga a Mahaki; Whanau a Kai; Rongowhakaata; Ngai Tamanuhiri; carving; weaving; Tairawhiti; wisdom; Pasifika; strength; work; suppression; sex characteristics; vote; whakatauki; mana wahine; mahi; pain; blood; resilience; plan; normal; rainbow relationships; queen; whakawahine; Job; advocate; inspiration; Space; treaty; whenua; tupuna; Metiria Turei; People; wahine; James Shaw; board; legislation; time; Electoral Commission; whanaunga; Ihumatao; Jennifer Edwards; roller; fire; mantra; Rawiri Waititi; movement; kai; election; Atua; purple |
| location_name | Parliament buildings |
| location | 1 Molesworth Street |
| broader_location | Wellington |
| location_lat | -41.27788120419163 |
| location_long | 174.77684170134955 |
| precise_locality | true |