Thanks for inviting me here today for the opening of the upgraded Hanson Court apartments.

The Wellington City Council has done a superb job on this upgrade. I congratulate them on that and for their commitment to providing quality, affordable housing for vulnerable Wellingtonians.

Wellington City Council Housing Upgrade Project

Ka rere atu nga mihi ki te hau kainga, te tangata whenua, Ngati Rahiri, Ngati Kawa, Ngati Hine, Ngapuhi whanui, tena koutou katoa.

Ki Te Matapihi He Tirohanga mo te Iwi – tena ra koutou.

Ki aku hoa, aku whanaunga, ki a koe e Phil, tae noa ki a koutou katoa kua tae mai i nga kokona e wha o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Talofa lava, tena koutou katoa,

There is a whakatauki, a proverb that we use as Maori – ma tou rourou, ma taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi. With your food basket, and mine the iwi will thrive.

This proverb speaks to the power of working together. It tells us that our tupuna valued the small contributions that each member of the community made towards ensuring that the wellbeing of the wider community was catered for.