MEDIA STATEMENT
Māori Party
22 June 2018
He Iti Kahurangi

Nau mai e noti i te kūnenga mai o te aroha. Ko te Pāti Māori e mihi nei, ko te motu tēnei e whakanui ana i tō putanga ki te ao tūroa nei.

The Māori Party today expressed their great joy at the birth of the first child of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford.

“In te ao Māori we sing oriori or whakaoriori to our babies, which embrace the whakapapa – the genealogy, stories and important whānau legacies which gently welcome the child into the new world, te ao hurihuri” said Māori Party President, Che Wilson. “For this little baby girl, we sing together as a nation, to celebrate the significant moment her birth represents – not just in demonstrating the love of her parents, but also the collective responsibility and commitment the Prime Minister has publicly declared for the notion of the village raising the child”.

“The Māori Party marks this moment as a wonderful expression of Whānau Ora” said co-vice-president, Kaapua Smith. “We hail the tupuna of childbirth, Hineteiwaiwa, who presides over the safety and wellness of the parents and the child, in representing the future heritage of the people. And in doing so, we congratulate Jacinda and Clarke for embracing so publicly a concept that is very much part of a Māori worldview – that children are seen as belonging to, and being the responsibility of the wider whānau and community”.

“Whānau Ora recognises that parents are not the only caregivers – the privilege and responsibility of raising a child is also the gift of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins – and in this case all New Zealanders” said co-vice-president,Te Ururoa Flavell. “The birth of a child symbolises the continuation of whakapapa or genealogical lines; the culmination of the dreams and aspirations of her parents, her extended family and all those who look to this mokopuna as with every mokopuna – as the realisation of our hopes for the future. We are so thrilled for Jacinda and Clarke, and wish them every joy as a whānau in the days and years ahead".

E tupu e hine, a, kia nui noa atu te ora ki runga ki a koe.

ends

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