Parliamentary debates: Thursday, 26 June 2025

E te Atua kaha rawa, ka tuku whakamoemiti atu mātou, mō ngā karakia kua waihotia mai ki runga i a mātou. Ka waiho i ō mātou pānga whaiaro katoa ki te taha. Ka mihi mātou ki te Kīngi, me te inoi atu mō te ārahitanga i roto i ō mātou whakaaroarohanga, kia mōhio ai, kia whakaiti ai tā mātou whakahaere i ngā take o te Whare nei, mō te oranga, te maungārongo, me te aroha o Aotearoa. Āmene.

[Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on us. Laying aside all personal interests, we acknowledge the King and pray for guidance in our deliberations that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom and humility, for the welfare, peace, and compassion of New Zealand. Amen.]

Members, it’s my sad duty to inform the House of the death of our colleague Takutai Tarsh Kemp ONZM. Takutai represented the electorate of Tāmaki Makaurau as a member of Te Pāti Māori. During her time in Parliament, quite apart from constituency obligations, she served on the Social Services and Community Committee.

I extend my sympathy and prayers to her whānau and acknowledge her contribution to public life in New Zealand. I also extend my sympathy to Te Pāti Māori members, who are today supporting her whānau in Tāmaki-makau-rau.

I move, That the House express its condolences and send its aroha to the whānau of Takutai Tarsh Kemp and that the House do now adjourn.

Takutai Tarsh Kemp, haere oti atu rā. Oti atu ki te pō, ki tūātinitini, ki tūāmanomano, ki te tuaiwi roa o te motu nei, tō tāua iwi roa pae maunga o Ruahine, kia haere atu koe ki Te Reinga. Koirā hoki ngā wāhi whakawawāhi wairua o ō tātou mātua tūpuna.

He uri koe nā Te Ahikāroa o Te Puku-o-te-ika, tae atu ki te tū kūrae o Taranaki, ā, he māreikura nā ngā kāwai tapairu a Te Hika-a-Kahukare, a Te Aitanga-a-Rongomaitara, a Ngāti Tamakōpiri. Koia hoki ngā uri i mārena atu, i moe tahi atu ki ngā iwi taketake o Te Puku-o-te-ka, ā, ko Ngāti Hotu, ko Ngāti Whatumamoa, o Nuku-te-āio, ko Hau-moe-tahanga, me ngā iwi o tērā wāhi, o Mōkai Pātea. Tae atu ki ōku ake o Takirau, haere koe ki te takitini.

Tae atu ki a tātou ngā uri whakatupu, ngā uki whakatupu o ngā whenua e takatakahi Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, tae atu ki Ōruamatua, Kaimanawa, ki Rangipō, Waiū, ki Te Riu-o-Puanga, ērā o ngā wāhi o ō tātou mātua tūpuna.

E taku kāhu tātara ariki tauaroa, pōrua mai tō mata rarama ki tēnei ao. Inanahi i konei koe; i tēnei rā, kei whea koe? Ko ngā putiputi e whakatinana, me te haki o Te Pāti Māori e whakamākona i tō tūru. Haere, haere, ngunguru atu te pō, ngunguru atu te pō, ki ō tāua tūpuna, ki te pō.

Kua kite hoki kua whakarārangi mai tō mātou Heamana, Māngai hoki i ētehi o ngā takatakahitanga i whāia e koe. Ko koe te kaiwhakahaere o te kahui kanikani, te rangatira o ngā rangatahi. I roto i ō mahi ki Manurewa, tae atu ki ngā mahi ki tērā wahine kanikani rongonui o Aotearoa i kanikani atu i te taha o Justin Bieber, ko koe kei tōna taha.

Engari ko ngā mahi a Te Ahikāroa i kawe atu koe ki Manurewa, kia kā hoki te ahi ki te tai tonga o Tāmaki Makaurau, me mihi ka tika. Me mihi ka tika i ēnei tini āhuatanga kua pā atu ki a koe.

I kī mai tō kōrero i roto i tō tauākī tuatahi, te whai mai i ngā kōrero a tōu teina mō ēnei āhuatanga o te whakataunga Tiriti mō Mōkai Pātea, “Whakahokia mai tōku whenua, tōku whakapapa kia whakapikia ai tōku whānau me tōku wairua.” E kīia ana ngā kōrero hoki e whakakenakena nei, e whakawehi nei i te hinengaro o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi o Mōkai Pātea. Ko koe te whakatinana o te kerēme nui. Kei te tārewa tonu te wā. Ko tāku ki a Metekōura, kia tere e hoa.

Engari Takutai e whaiwhai nei i tō ingoa, te manaaki i te moana ki te manaaki i te whenua. Nā reira koia hoki ka kīia mai te kōrero, ki te manaaki koe i te whenua, ka manaaki te whenua i a koe.

Nā reira tēnā koe me ōu tūpuna, me ngā piringa whakapapa i waenga i a tāua, arā ngā uri o Ihakara Te Raro me Te Pae-o-te-rangi. Koia ko Shanan Halbert kua haere ki tāwāhi ki tētehi paku hararei; tō tāua kōkōrangi, tohunga a Che Wilson; tae atu ki taku auwahine, ki taku tuahine, a Sky; e mihi ana ki a koe, Peeni. Me tō tāua whanaunga Pākehā nei, a Willie Jackson, te uri a Batley nei.

Nā reira ko koe hoki, ki a au nei, te rau rangimārie o Te Pāti Māori. Whakamākona i te ngākau, engari i tēnei wā, whakaroimata i te karu, whakapōuri hoki i te hinengaro whakaaro.

Kī mai te kōrero a tō tātou kīngi a Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, “Aamohia ake te ora o te iwi kia puta tātou ki te whai ao, ki te ao Mārama.” Nāu anō i hiki i tērā kīanga kōrero, engari i hiki hoki i tēnei mate e kōhuru nei i te iwi Māori. Tērā hoki tōna whakaaro me Māori i ia wā, i ia rā; he iwi motuhake, he iwi taurikura, e kore tātou e ngaro.

I whai hoki koe i tērā takahitanga a Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, me ō tāua ake o te kāhui mōrehu ki Ranana. I whaiwhai hoki koe, me kī, i ngā mahi a ngā Anahera Pono, tae atu ki te Māngai āianei, āke nei, āe.

Nā reira kāre au i te whakatoroa i ngā kōrero, engari te tū hei waha kōrero mō tēnei, te pāti kahurangi ki te tuku roimata ki a koe, engari ki te karapinepine mai hei whānau kotahi i tēnei Whare Pāremata. Tātou, tātou e karapinepine mai nei, e awhiawhi mai nei i te rau me te haki o Te Pāti Māori i tēnei wā.

Ka whai ia i tēnei wā, he wā o te kairuri i te tau tawhito, te kaihuaki i te tau hou. Koia ko Puanga e tere mai nei, ko Matariki e pīata mai nei ki te whakakīkī i te kupenga a Taramainuku. Ka 12 marama mātou e tangi mōu, ā, tae noa ki te wā ka haoa mai tō mate, ngā mate o te tau te tū nei, kia tae atu ki tua o Pōhutukawa.

Kei taku Pōhutukawa, kei taku tuahine, kei taku tuahine tapairu o ngā iwi o te puku o te whenua, Te Puku-o-te-ika, te tai tonga o Taranaki, te rahi hoki o Tāmaki Makaurau, pō, pō, pōrua mai tō mata rarama ki tēnei ao.

[Takutai Tarsh Kemp, take your final journey. The final journey into the darkness, to the multitude, to the innumerable, to the expansive spine of this nation, the long spine of our Ruahine mountain range, so that you may journey to Cape Reinga. Those are the places of departure for the spirits of our forebears and ancestors.

You are a descendant of Te Ahikāroa of the central North Island, and also the promontory of Taranaki, an esteemed friend from the noble heritage of Te Hika-a-Kahukare, Te Aitanga-a-Rongomaitara, and Ngāti Tamakōpiri. Those are also the descendants that were betrothed and married into the original peoples of the central North Island, Ngāti Hotu, Ngāti Whatumamoa, Nuku-te-āio, Hau-moe-tahanga, and the peoples of that particular place, of Mōkai Pātea, including my own people of Takirau—journey on to the many departed.

And also us, the next generation, and the archaic generation of the lands that are walked by the New Zealand Defence Force, including Ōruamatua, Kaimanawa, to Rangipō, Waiū, to Te Riu-o-Puanga, those particular places of our ancestors and forebears.

My supreme and paramount leader, your radiant face has been twice darkened in this world. Yesterday you were here; today, where are you? The flowers will embody you, and the Māori Party flag will be of consolation to your seat. Journey, journey on as the night rumbles, as the night growls, to our ancestors, to the darkness.

It has also been seen that our Chair and Speaker has listed some of the endeavours that you pursued. You were the director of the dance troupe, and leader of young people, within your undertakings in Manurewa and including your work with the famous female dancer of New Zealand who danced alongside Justin Bieber; you were at her side.

But the work of Te Ahikāroa that you carried out in Manurewa so that the fires could burn in south Auckland, this should be acknowledged. It is appropriate to acknowledge the many things that influenced you.

As you said in your maiden speech, pursuant to the statements of your younger sister regarding the circumstances of the Treaty settlement for Mōkai Pātea, “Return to me my land and my identity so that my family and my soul may be raised up.” It is said that these statements rouse and inspire the mind of each and every iwi of Mōkai Pātea. You are the embodiment of this great claim. But in time, the matter is unresolved. I would say to Minister Goldsmith, get a move on, my friend.

However, Takutai, you did as your name suggests, caring for the ocean and caring for the land. Therefore, it is also said that should you care for the land, the land will in turn care for you.

And so I acknowledge you and your ancestors, and the kinship relationships between you and—i.e., as descendants of Ihakara Te Raro and te Pae-o-te-rangi. So is Shanan Halbert, who has travelled overseas for a wee holiday; our traditional astronomer and tohunga, Che Wilson; and including my sister-in-law, my sister Sky; I acknowledge you, Peeni. And also our Pākehā relative here, Willie Jackson, the descendant of Batley.

And so you are, to me, the peaceful petal of the Māori Party. Placating the heart, but right now, bringing tears to our eyes, and sorrow to the considerate mind.

As our King Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII once said, “Bear the wellbeing of the people so that we may all emerge into the world of light.” Who were the one to bear that quote, but you also bore the disease that so badly afflicts the Māori people. It was also his idea that we should be Māori all the time, every day; we are a unique, productive people; we will never be lost.

You also followed the path of Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, and our people of the adherents of the Rātana faith to London. You also followed, it should be said, the actions of the True Angels, and also the Holy Mouthpiece, now and for ever, amen.

And so I will not prolong my statements, but will merely stand as a spokesperson for this, the blue party, to shed tears for you, but to come together here as one family in this House of Parliament, we who assemble here and embrace the petals and the flag of the Māori Party at this time.

This time has a rhythm, a time of the one who farewells the previous year, and the one that opens the new year. That is Puanga that flows forth, and Matariki that sparkles to fill the net of Taramainuku. For 12 months, we will grieve you, until the time when your passing is gathered, those that pass in the year before us, and you venture beyond the star, Pōhutukawa.

To my Pōhutukawa star, my sister, my noble sister from the peoples of the centre of the nation, Te Puku-o-te-ika, south Taranaki, and the many peoples of Auckland, darkness, darkness, your radiant face has been twice darkened in this world.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. If you’ll indulge me to allow me to sing my lament, and I ask those who do know the words, however, to remain seated in the House.

E pā tō hau he wini raro,

He hōmai aroha

Kia tangi atu au i konei

He aroha ki te iwi

Ka momotu ki tawhiti ki Paerau

Ko wai e kite atu?

Kei whea aku hoa i mua rā,

I te tōnuitanga?

Ka haramai tēnei ka tauwehe,

Ka raungaiti au, i.

[Your breath touches me, a north wind,

Bringing sorrowful memories,

So that I mourn again

In sorrow for my kin,

Lost to me in the world of spirits.

Where are they now?

Where are those friends of former days who once lived in prosperity?

The time of separation has come,

Leaving me desolate.]

Kua papā te kakau o te hoe ki te hīpapa o te waka tīwaiwai kua whakakīngia nei ki te roimata, ki te hūpē, kia hoe atu rā koe ki Hawaiki-nui, Hawaiki-roa, Hawaiki-pāmaomao. Kia whakapiki atu rā koe ki te whakamaunga kekete e kekete mai ai te kekete, e ara mai ai te ara.

Kua kōrerohia e tō whanaunga, tō tūngāne tō aranga ki Pōhutukawa, ki te pō, ki te rangi. Kua tuku atu tēnei uri o Te Taitokerau i a koe ki a Rehua-i-te-pō, ki a Rehua-ki-te-rangi, kia takahi atu rā koe i te ara wairua i takahia ai e ōku mātua, e ōku tūpuna.

Nō reira e te tuahine, e Takutai, kua ngaru nui mai ki roto i tēnei Whare, i ngaru roa tō aroha ki te motu whānui, ki runga anō hoki i tō tāua kāinga o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ka kore ō tapuwae e mōnenehu i te pō. Ō tapuwae roa ka kitea mō āke, āke, āke.

Ka whai whakaaro ake ahau ki ō tamariki, ki ō mokopuna. I te noho tahi māua ki roto i te hui o Matariki ki runga o Takaparawhau. I karangahia e tāua, e te tuahine, ngā ingoa o ngā mate kua tahuri atu ki te pō. Nā i te rā nei ko tō tūngāne e kī atu ana haere, haere, haere.

Ka tautoko atu ahau i ngā kōrero a tōku tuakana, a Tama Potaka i te rā nei, me te mōhio anō hoki ko tēnei kapua pōuri kua tau mai ki runga i tōna ake whare. Nō reira e te tuakana, e meangia ana te kōrero o ōku mātua tūpuna: tukuna. Tukuna ō roimata, tukuna te hūpē kia rere kia māmā ake ai te mamae e ngau kino nei i a koe, otirā i a tātou.

Nō reira e te whānau pani, nā, kua kōrero mai nā te āhua ki a koe e tōku tuakana, e Tama Potaka, tōku tuakana ki a Shanan Halbert, anā tahuri atu ki tōku hoa rangatira. Kāti ko ngā mana nui me ngā tapu nui o Muaūpoko e tangi nei, e auē nei. Tēnei ka tangi.

Ka tahuri mai ngā kōrero ki a tātou, te hunga ora, tihewa mauri ora.

Ka kore au e takaroa i te āhuatanga o ēnei kōrero. Ko tāku atu ki a ia, ā, taihoa tō haere. Ka tau te Whare Pāremata ki runga i a koe, ka rongo mātou i tō kiri. Ka tau iho anō hoki ngā roimata ki runga i tō waka tīwaiwai kia tere atu rā koe ki te wāhi i whakataukītia e ō tātou mātua, e ō tātou tūpuna i te pō.

E te Māngai o te Whare, ka nui tēnei māku. Ka waiho atu, ka whakairihia aku kōrero ki te pātū o tō tātou Whare. Ka tīkina atu rā ki runga i ngā marae ka tau tō tātou tuahine, a Takutai. Tēnei koutou, kia ora tātou.

[The handle of the paddle resounds on the deck of your rocking canoe that has been filled with tears and mucus, so that you may sail to Hawaiki-the-great, Hawaiki-the-eternal, distant Hawaiki; so that you may ascend to the pinnacle where your songs will be sung, and your path revealed.

Your relative, your cousin has spoken of your ascendence to Pōhutukawa, to the darkness, to the heavens. The relative of yours from Northland has sent you on to Rehua-in-the-darkness, to Rehua-in-the-sky, so that you may tread the path of souls that was walked by my forebears and ancestors.

And so, sister, Takutai, the great wave has swelled within this House, and the long wave of your compassion for the wider nation, and our home of Auckland. Your footsteps will never be diminished in the darkness. Your eternal footsteps will be seen for ever and ever.

I consider your children and grandchildren. We sat together in the Matariki ceremony at Bastion Point. You and I, sister, called the names of our dearly departed who have turned to the darkness. And now, today it is your brother that is saying to you, go, rest in peace.

I support the statements of my senior, Tama Potaka, today, in the knowledge that this dark cloud has also settled upon his own house. And so, to my senior, as my forebears and ancestors say: let go. Let your tears and mucus flow so that the anguish that so adversely affects you, indeed all of us, is eased.

And so to the grieving family, now, the issues relating to you, my senior, Tama Potaka, have been addressed, and my senior Shanan Halbert, and I now turn to my partner. Well, it is the great powers and great sanctity of Muaupoko that is grieving and wailing. And so I grieve.

My statements now turn to us, the living: vitality to us all.

I will not prolong the nature of these comments. What I would say to her is don’t go just yet. Parliament House will attend you, and we will feel your essence. Our tears will also land on your rocking canoe so that they may sail on to the place that was storied by our forebears and ancestors in the darkness.

Mr Speaker, that is enough from me. I will leave it here, and suspend my statements from the walls of our House. They will be brought forth on the marae that our sister, Takutai, will settle on. Greetings and thanks to us all.]

This is a split call.

Te manu ka rere, te manu ka tau, te manu ka rewa. Tēnei e whakaaro ake, i a au e kite ana i a Takutai Tarsh Kemp i runga i ngā tiriti o Manurewa, auē te aroha, auē te mamae.

E te tuahine, haere, haere atu rā. Haere atu rā ki ō tūpuna. Haere atu rā ki ngā uma o rātou mā e whakanui ana i ngā kōrero e ngākaunui ana koe ki roto i tēnei ao, te ara i takahi ai koe i tō ao. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

Te hoki atu ngā mahara i a koe ki tēnei Whare, ngā kaupapa i whakanuia e koe kia hao anō te rangatahi. “Ka pū te ruha, ka hao anō te rangatahi”, ko koe tērā ki roto i ō mahi. Nō reira ko rātou anō kei te katoa o ngā tiriti kei Tāmaki ki te tonga e whai atu ana i tō tapuwae. Haere, haere, haere.

Mō ngā iwi huhua o te wā, Te Puku-o-te-ika, Taranaki ki te Tonga, te rahi ki Tāmaki, tēnei o ngā Kākāriki e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa. Koutou anō kua panihia i tēnei wā, ko mātou anō i panihia i tēnei wā, ko tātou katoa.

Nō reira ērā o ngā mema Pāremata me ngā tātai whakapapa ki a ia, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou. Tama, Shanan, koutou katoa, kei a mātou mea te whakaaro nui, otirā ki a koutou katoa.

Kei ō tātou nei whānau, Te Pāti Māori, e tere ana tā rātou nei haere ki Tāmaki ki te noho tahi me tō rātou nei taonga, tō rātou nei tuahine, tō rātou nei hoa. Anei anō ngā Kākāriki e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa.

E mihi ana i roto i ngā āhuatanga i kaha koe ki te manaaki ki roto i tō wā, i tō ao.

Ehara tēnei i te hiahia ki te kume roa i ngā kōrero, hoi kei te tuku atu mātou i ngā mihi a Marama Davidson i tēnei wā. Kei Tāmaki ia i tēnei wā, kei te whai ia kia noho tahi ki tōna marae, ōna rahinga marae, kia tukuna tēnei mea te ringa āwhina, te ringa manaaki ki a ia.

Nō reira e te Whare, anei anō ngā Kākāriki e mihi ana, e tautoko ana i te mōtini i takatū ai a Tama Potaka i tēnei wā kia whai whakaaro tātou ki ngā kaupapa nui, ngā kaupapa e ngākau nui ana a Takutai i tēnei wā.

Nō reira e te tuahine, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Nō reira ka tukuna te rākau ki a Chlöe Swarbrick kia tukuna ōna whakaaro mā mātou, ngā Kākāriki.

[That bird that flies, that bird that lands, the bird that soars. I consider now when I observed Takutai Tarsh Kemp on the streets of Manurewa—such sorrow, such anguish.

My sister, rest in peace. Go on to your ancestors. Go on to the bosom of those who celebrate the stories that you cherished in this world, the path that you followed throughout your life. Go on, rest in peace.

My memories return to when you were in this House, the initiatives that you celebrated so that the young may flourish. “As the old net becomes worn, the new net is cast”—that is you within your endeavours. Therefore, they are on all of the streets of South Auckland, following in your footsteps. Rest in peace.

To the many peoples of this time, the central North Island, south Taranaki, wider Auckland, this member of the Greens acknowledges all of you. You have been bereft at this time, us who have been bereft at this time, all of us.

And so to those members of Parliament that have genealogical relationships with her, I acknowledge you. Tama, Shanan, all of you, you are in our thoughts; indeed, all of you.

To our family members, the Māori Party, they are making their way to Auckland to be with their cherished one, their sister, their colleague. Here we are, the Greens, acknowledging all of you.

I acknowledge you in the circumstances within which you cared for others in your time, in your life.

This does not constitute a desire to prolong the speeches; however, we offer Marama Davidson’s condolences at this time. She is currently in Auckland, as she endeavours to be with those on her marae, her many marae, to extend a helping hand, a caring hand to her.

Therefore, to the House, we, the Greens, appreciate and support the motion prepared by Tama Potaka at this time so that we may consider the great works, the initiatives that Takutai cherished at this time.

There, my sister, go on, rest in peace. Therefore, I pass it over to Chlöe Swarbrick so that she may offer her thoughts on behalf of us, the Greens.]

That smile and sense of humour and the warmth of Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp will never leave us. She was a thoughtful, kind person who lived her values through her service. Before arriving in the trenches here—as our bench mates in Te Pāti Māori always say—she spent two decades in health, primarily Māori health and youth development, and led notably as the tumuaki of Manurewa Marae. She also loved a kanikani, as others have acknowledged, directing Dziah Dance Academy, the first Aotearoa hip-hop dance crew to represent at the world hip-hop champs in the USA. In her own words, “Ko ngā rangatahi, ngā rangatira o nāianei.”—“Our youth are the leaders of today.” She knew where she came from and she knew where she was going. But, more than that, she knew who would come after, and she actively nourished their creativity and their compassion.

People often ask how those of us inside of these halls of power stay sane in here, and I often tell them that, actually, it’s what is on the outside that counts. Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp knew who she was, where she came from, and what she was fighting for: he tangata, he tangata, he tangata—the people, the people, the people.

I remember seeing her smile for the first time in a while at the beginning of last year, across crowds of people at Ponsonby Pride parade, just after she had returned from quite a period of treatment. And we talked there about how, upon her return, we would be collaborating on enhancing the health and the wellbeing of the Waitematā Tīkapa Moana, our Hauraki Gulf, and fighting to house and to feed our people. I want to acknowledge, in the loss and the grief that we hold today, that Takutai’s light and work continues to shine on.

As was just acknowledged, Marama Davidson is in Tāmaki Makaurau, in South Auckland today, and is doing everything that she can to get to her whānau and to bring our aroha to them. We want to send all of our aroha to her whānau, our friends in Te Pāti Māori, and the broader community across South Auckland, across Tāmaki Makaurau, and all of Aotearoa.

In moments like this, I think that we are all gravely reminded of how fragile life is but how the great stabiliser can indeed be love and integrity. Moe mai rā e te tuahine.

[Rest in peace, sister.]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and it’s with great sadness that I’d like to acknowledge the passing of our parliamentary colleague Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Takutai came to Parliament because she was devoted to improving the lives of Māori, particularly tamariki, and giving them greater voice through the vessel of this House. Her background, spanning 20 years in the health sector before she became elected as an MP for Tāmaki Makaurau in 2023, allowed her to come here with a strong focus on social wellbeing and youth mental health. She was also a figurehead in New Zealand’s highly regarded hip-hop dance community. She was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to youth and to dance.

She was a true representative, and in her brief time in Parliament she made a firm impression. She left no doubt about what she was here to do and who she was here to serve, and she did that even while facing and battling a chronic illness.

New Zealand is a small place—sometimes smaller than people might realise—and I acknowledge one of her whanaunga who works in my office and was truly saddened, and I wanted to put Tangi’s loss on record. Finally, I want to acknowledge the loss that Te Pāti Māori will be feeling today, having lost a dear colleague and, no doubt, a dear friend.

All members of this House—including all members of my party, ACT—extend our sympathies to you. The Government’s deepest sympathies are of course with Takutai’s whānau. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them as they go through in the coming hours, days, months, and years the difficult process of mourning, grieving, reflecting, and, ultimately, celebrating a life well lived. She’s gone far too soon, and to her we say farewell. May she rest in peace.

Tērā te uira e hiko i te rangi

E wāhirua ana rārunga Ruapehu, rārunga Taranaki

Kahore ia nei ko te tohu o te mate

Unuhia e, Takutai, ko te ata o te whenua

Ka ngaro, ka riro wareware ko te hoa i ahau

Tākiri whakarere ko te pū i tōu ringa.

[The lightning flashes in the sky

Splitting it open above Ruapehu, above Taranaki

Indeed it is the sign of your passing

Remove, Takutai, the shadow of the land

My colleague is lost to me, relinquished to lost memory

Lay down the gun in your hand.]

Kei te tuahine, kei Takutai, tēnei anō te kapua pōuri kua pōkia ki runga ki te Whare Pāremata mōu kua whakawahangūtia, mōu ka huri tuarā mai ki a mātou, ō hoa, ō piri i whakaae ai kia uru mai ai ki roto i tēnei Whare, rapu ai me pēhea rānei te painga mō tō tātou motu, a Aotearoa, e whakaranea ai. Kua rite te wā mōu hoki ai ki ōu tūpuna, ki ō tātou wheinga, ki te hunga kua whetūrangitia.

Tērā te waka kei te rangi. Nō te mahutatanga mai o Matariki kua rite tēnā waka hei huihuinga mō te hunga ka ngaro. I tēnei rangi ko tō ingoa ko tētahi o rātou ka kuhuna ki roto ki te takere o tēnā waka.

Nā reira, e te tuahine, whakangaro atu rā. Waiho mā tō whānau, mā te marea whanui ngā mahi nāhau i kōkiri e kōrero; ngā hua kua oti mai i a koe te whakatutuki e wānanga, e waiata.

Kei te tuahine, haere, haere, haere oti atu e.

[To my sister, to Takutai, once again the cloud of sadness darkens above the House of Parliament for you who has been silenced, for you who has turned away from us, your colleagues, your loyal adherents that agreed to enter into this House in search of the how the benefits of our nation, of Aotearoa, might be increased. The time has come for you to return to your ancestors, to our relatives, to those who have become astral memorials.

There is the canoe in the heavens. Since the rise of Matariki, that canoe has been prepared as an assembly for those who have gone on. Today, your name is one of those who will board the hull of that canoe.

And so, my sister, pass on. Leave endeavours that you progressed to your family, to the general public to address; the benefits that you accomplished to discuss, and to sing of.

My sister, pass on, rest in peace.]

Takutai Tarsh Kemp, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, rest in peace. We have the great privilege of representing our parties and representing New Zealanders in this, the highest court of the land. Takutai was such a profound name, highly regarded throughout the tribes of our country. She has left us today. Sadly, she is not the only member of our ranks to have disappeared during the life of this Parliament. As other speakers have said, she has gone far too young.

Yes, politics is a contest, but at the base of politics is the pursuit of humanity, and today we respect the contribution that this woman has made to our nation in the various pathways her life has taken her down. Perhaps, as reflective of her personality, I can say nothing better than what is outlined in Romans: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.” Farewell, Takutai.

I want to start by acknowledging and endorsing all of the words spoken today by colleagues across the House. I particularly want to acknowledge the words of our colleague and orator and friend Peeni Henare. I want to recognise the connection that Takutai Tarsh Kemp and Peeni formed in some trying circumstances and the dignified way in which that relationship was upheld. On that note, I also recognise our wider Māori caucus for whom this loss is more personal and more deeply felt.

Just over a year ago we stood here in this House in shock, grieving the loss of our Samoan brother Fa‘anānā Efeso Collins. It is hard to fathom that we are here again but this time grieving the loss of our Te Pāti Māori tuāhine Takutai Natasha Moana Kemp. To the whānau of our colleagues and our friends, we mourn with you and send you all of our alofa.

On behalf of our leader Chris Hipkins, the Labour caucus, and the Labour Party, I want to recognise that Takutai Tarsh Kemp leaves a legacy of service that goes back much further than her time in Parliament. She served whānau, rangatahi, South Auckland, Māori, and non-Māori. I will never forget the first time I met Tarsh. It was at Manurewa Marae. She was a ball of energy, so grounded, so clear on the kaupapa, running the marae and the services they provide to the community like a fine-tuned machine.

We all know the deal. So many leave the community front line for politics to try and make systemic change, with the hope that by making that systemic change the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff would be made redundant. The sadness that we all feel today for the loss of this wonderful woman is paired with a regret that given the health challenges she faced and the short time she served in this House, she didn’t have the opportunity to do all we know she had the potential to do here. But we acknowledge that this fighter, this staunch mana wahine, over the course of her lifetime, got a lot done out there.

I know my colleague the Hon Willie Jackson will have more to say on Tarsh’s contribution, having worked closely alongside her and others as urban Māori leaders. Across all political parties the sense of loss will be genuinely felt today but will not compare to that of Te Pāti Māori. Takutai Tarsh’s extended whānau: Rawiri, Debbie, Mariameno, Tākuta, Hana, the president John Tamihere, the executive, and all of your members, arohanui ki a koutou.

Finally, we send our respect, condolences, and love to Tarsh’s blood whānau. No matter what anyone says or how this job may feel at times, being a politician doesn’t even come a close second to being a daughter, a niece, a sister, a partner, a mother, an auntie, and a grandmother.

Moe mai rā, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, moe mai rā.

Politics is a funny game. We can be so terrible to each other in the House; I’m probably one of the worst at it—

Āe!

—you agreed with that, did you?—but then we can come together for occasions and kaupapa like this. A sudden death can do that. It makes us sort of reassess where we are, our priorities in life, and where we’re going, and the reality is that if we can’t come together for this type of kaupapa, well, we can’t come together for anything, can we? So I want to congratulate all of the speakers—all the speakers whom we have a bit of a disagreement with every now and again—but I think everyone’s done well in terms of this kotahitanga, and these are special moments. They’re special moments for the House.

You know, Tarsh was a wonderful person. She was a beautiful soul, and this is such a taumaha time. I heard about the dancing. I always used to challenge her to a dance, you know, but we never ever quite got there. She was just a vivacious, beautiful person. She was a big part of our movement in South Auckland, which was the urban Māori movement. She led Manurewa Marae and Papakura Marae; our marae, Ngā Whare Waatea; Te Puea Memorial Marae in Māngere. She was just an inspiration, because she came from that background of working for our people, and her priorities were supporting, uplifting, and empowering Māori. As Carmel Sepuloni said, a mana wahine—just such a great example, and an absolute powerhouse in terms of the Manurewa Marae.

As a CEO, she was at the forefront of Whānau Ora, rangatahi development, Māori language development, community development—you name it, and Tarsh was doing it. Before that, as I said, she was a—I don’t know if she was quite the dancer. She sort of made out she was the dancer, but I think she was a bit like me—more the manager—in the hip-hop world. I’d say to her, “I never quite got to where you were actually in that hip-hop world, Tarsh.”, but she was directing and organising some of the best dancers this country has ever seen. Just magnificent—just magnificent—and in the area of mental health, and particularly in the area of youth suicide, she just did some fantastic work.

She was such a vivacious, passionate woman. I was listening to Tama Potaka. In that last select committee we did, Tama, in terms of where Tama was fronting it and we were all giving it to Tama Potaka at the select committee—she had the last kōrero, didn’t she, and oh my goodness! It was very, very clear what she felt about her relation Tama in the National Government, and Audrey Young put that in the New Zealand Herald this morning. I thought that was fabulous.

I thought that was fabulous because, in many ways, as the Minister knows, that sort of sums up Māori politics. We just can go to war sometimes. Tama can be terrible to myself and Peeni Henare, you know—terrible—and Shane Jones, and particularly Winston Peters. You know, we can destroy each other. We can destroy each other, and then, you wouldn’t think it was the same people—we’ll be having a cup of tea and a kai out the back at the marae. It’s the nature of Māori politics.

When I look at Manurewa and I look at my brother Peeni Henare over here, who has almost been traumatised by this, you would not have believed that a war went on in South Auckland for that Tāmaki-makau-rau seat. You would not believe how tough it was—the different sides—how passionate people were, and people would have thought that they would have been enemies for ever. But their whanaungatanga ties them for ever and a day.

I think that’s the difference with Māori politics. We will always be tied by our toto, by our whakapapa, and by our identity, and Peeni Henare and Tarsh Kemp couldn’t have been any closer. He’s shed a few tears for Tarsh today. We all have shed a few tears for Tarsh—a passionate, vivacious, magnificent woman—and it’s only right that we honour her today.

So I thank the House. Thank you, everyone, for your memories of her. He wahine toa. Nō reira e te tuahine, e kore mātou e wareware ki tō kaha ki te kōkiri i ngā kaupapa Māori i ngā wā katoa, ki te kōkiri i tō tātou ahurea. E kore mātou e wareware.

E te tuahine, moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā.

[A powerful woman. And so, sister, we will not forget your determination in promoting Māori issues at all times, and in promoting our culture. We will not forget.

Sister, rest in peace.]

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

I ask members to stand and join with a waiata for the late member. Now, this is where you get to show your talent, Willie. If you could start us off, that’d be good.

Waiata—“Whakaaria Mai”

Members stood as a mark of respect.

The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 July 2025.

The House adjourned at 2.39 p.m.