GEORGINA BEYER (Labour): I take this opportunity to pay my respects to Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, as it is my burden not to have been able to attend the tangi itself. I have to say that my wairua and aroha were certainly accompanying my iwi of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Mutunga, although that should not be an excuse, necessarily.

I have had the privilege on rare occasions to have engaged with Te Arikinui, and each time has been memorable. I have a lasting impression of her generosity, for which much rich oratory has been spoken over the past days, including today, and of her great virtues as a great lady. Included in the diversity within the people who called her their queen were people from the takatāpui area of life, and I feel inclined to state that, for the record. Our great Māori Queen, Te Arikinui, may well have been entertained by numbers within her rohe, let alone at the marae—Piripiri Munroe comes to mind—and a number of others may have entertained her at times, and also worked most diligently for Tainui, for her, and for the Kīngitanga, in many ways. Her tolerance was more than that, actually. I think it was more an acceptance of people—part of her unifying ability that had to be diverse.

I can recall my first times of meeting with her, at functions at Government House and such places, when I was Mayor of Carterton. She always greeted me with due respect and I, of course, was in absolute awe of her. That diminutive nature of hers beamed a mana far greater than all of ours, in many respects, and that quiet dignity commanded immediate respect and aroha. That is not an easy thing for people to be able to command by just their very being, but it denoted her lineage and from whence she came. All Māori and the tribes who have dealt with the issues that she represents know they are issues of unity—unity that has been sought over these past few weeks.

I was once granted a greater privilege than merely to be at the same function she may have been at. I had the privilege of being escorted with her into a Māori Women’s Welfare League conference when I, again as mayor, was granted the privilege of being a keynote address speaker. In itself that was a great privilege—to have been allowed to be with her in that regard. It was an expression of respect, certainly, for the position I held at the time, but for the person, too. That is something of value not passed up lightly, which goes beyond the mere individual, I would have to say.

I think the second and more significant time was when my then mayoral colleague Margaret Evans asked whether I would like to attend what were my first coronation celebrations, the celebrations for Te Arikinui. I thought we were going to join many other people and be part of the crowd, probably with due acknowledgment given to my being a mayor. I may have expected that but, no, it went further. I ended up sitting next to Te Arikinui on her marae with her—for hours and hours, I might add, and way into the cool night as the fog drifted in off the river. During that celebration many Māori from Australia were visiting, and their kapahaka groups were providing the entertainment. There was no way our queen was not going to sit there and watch all of them, or as many as she could before she felt she had to retire. Even then it was only for a brief cup of tea for about 15 minutes, and then it was back out there to the conclusion.

That was the commitment of such a lady, and the sort of example she set to me and to many, many other New Zealanders. I will always regard her in great awe and have great respect for her, and for the honour she bestowed upon all takatāpui in her non-judgmental acceptance of the excitement, exuberance, and diversity that that sector of our society offers. Haere atu rā e Te Arikinui.

I conclude by welcoming the new Māori King. His selection ushers in the potential and opportunity for a new era, a continuance of what has already been left by the predecessors of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. A great mantle falls upon this man, and he has the confidence, I expect, that Māoridom, if not New Zealand, are behind the purposes of his being.