On the 29th of January 2014, newly elected Member of Parliament for Christchurch East, the Honourable Munokoa Poto Williams, daughter of Nahora and Maryan Williams (nee Masters) stood up in Parliament delivering her maiden speech. By Thomas Wynne

She said – “My parents came to this country in the 1950s to give their family a better life, and we had a happy childhood amongst our wider whānau and the children of other immigrant families”, as they lived in England Street, Ponsonby Auckland with so many other Cook Islands and Pacific families in a bustling central Auckland, providing labour, like so many of our Cook Islands families, for a bustling New Zealand 1950s economy.

Going to school at Beresford Primary and then on to Auckland Girls Grammar, she said “We did not have a lot, but dad always had a job, we owned our home, and we always had food, but times changed in New Zealand, and by the time I started working in the social services sector, I realised that some families did not have it so good.” Post dawn Raids, and Rogernomics, so many Pacific peoples had not found the land of promised milk and Honey, and it would be the tragic death of a young child on the 4th of April 1999, that would forever shape Poto’s life, community service and political career.

In her maiden speech Hon Poto said “Riri-o-te-Rangi James Whakaruru died from injuries sustained from severe and prolonged beatings from his mother’s partner - his story, like no others before it, left me, with a deep sadness of the lives many of our children live.”  

This deep sadness, she would turn to action as she went on to reflect that her tenure as a Member of Parliament would be shaped by his tragic death saying, “I return to him often to honour his short and tragic life and to reaffirm my commitment to our children.”  

There is an image she said, of James where he holds his face in the palms of his hands—a boy with a sunny disposition who in his darkest hours must have thought “What have I done to deserve this treatment?”.

And what would be our response to him if he asked us why?

A decent, respectful society she continued, is one that shows the highest level of care for its most vulnerable and marginalised citizens, and it enhances the mana of us all if, when at their lowest ebb, we show them the deepest of our love and care.

Hon Poto clearly understood and demonstrated in her own words that “There is a direct correlation between the level of inequality in a society, the haves and the have-nots, and the level of social harm experienced by that society”.

She understood that mental unwellness, teenage pregnancy, suicide rates, dependency issues, poverty, and poor health outcomes occur to a greater degree when as she so clearly stated “that gap widens”.

And that it was the sacred responsibility of every member of Government—to care for its people. Something she demonstrated not only for those in Aotearoa but also those in the Cook Islands.

In 2015, despite Hon Poto and her Labour opposition colleagues, and then Prime Minister Hon Henry Puna, the Hon Nandi Glassie, and Premier Talagi from Niue’s efforts to plead for change to the pension portability requirements under the National government, they would not budge on the requirement to return to Aotearoa after the age of 50 for five years to qualify.

In June 2015 in Parliament she said, “So I say to all of those people—and there will be one or two who are watching the third reading of this—that we did try. We tried really hard. We did our best, but it has not come to fruition as you would have hoped, as the proposed change lost by one vote in the House.

Fortunately, in 2019, this would be remedied, and under the Labour government this provision was finally removed, and pension portability fully restored to our people to remain and to return home with their New Zealand pension without having to return to Aotearoa.

It is Hon Poto’s cousin Caren Rangi, who says it best after Hon Poto’s final speech this week – “"Te vahine nei no te paeroa , te patitititi e te pa horohoro e te tutakitaki vananga" - last night we celebrated cousin Munokoa Poto Williams at her valedictory speech- one of the best speeches I have ever heard.”

We thank you for your leadership, for your service and for your aro'a for all people.

And we are relieved that you are leaving an environment that has been hard and not always kind, but also that you leave with so much to be proud of- and we are proud of you. Enjoy some rest then your next journey, wherever that takes you.