Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga - National Network of Stopping Violence

I want to thank Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga - the National Network of Stopping Violence Services - for your work and your commitment to enable all people in Aotearoa to live free of all forms of violence, abuse and oppression.

Your work is vital to the heart and soul of a healthy community and I want to thank all of the individuals and groups who give so much of themselves, in the pursuit of peace. Many of you have devoted your life to the cause of justice, and I want to really acknowledge the hard yards you have done, to believe that change is possible.

I am really proud to be here with you all tonight, as we celebrate the hope of Puanga, the magic of Matariki, the vision of a brighter day.

We honour Matariki at home in Whanganui, with the celebration of Puanga. 

Puanga features in the sky just prior to Matariki. It is the time when the pua (blossoms) become hua (fruit) : ka hua ai nga pua.

And so Puanga is the time in which we give thanks for the abundance of food; it is the time when we are mindful of the ways in which we are blessed, and it is a time to be planning for the days ahead.

What better time then, to be celebrating a vision of a violence-free Aotearoa.

As I prepared for tonight, I must admit I sighed our collective sigh, about the heavy and persistent toll taken by our whanau, in the onslaught of power-plays, abuse of control, intimidation, physical assault; drug and alcohol misuse; torture; emotional trauma; sexual violence; psychological manipulation; economic poverty; the faces of racism; the bashings; the put-downs; the weapons; the threats.

Any one aspect of that list can bring a person down - combined the effects are devastating.

I have to admit, that sometime when I look at some of the various initiatives put forward for awareness campaigns, I wonder how they relate to the cold, cruel face of violence that we all seek to put a stop to.

I only have to think of the life my mother endured, to feel that chill in my heart, that shudder in my spine, which reminds me why I am so utterly serious about violence having no place in our world.

As unpalatable as it is, we must never forget the ugly reality of violence in our drive to make it stop today.

But as the hope of Puanga reminds us, we must also have a vision in sight that we can touch, taste, smell, believe in, to motivate us in our journey towards peace.

As I thought about the search for a brighter day, the faces of three people came to mind.

The first, my mokopuna, Piata, who every day reminds me that whanau ora is within our reach.

Every morning when my moko steps into the shower, she cries, as the water against her eczema-irritated skin causes her pain. But her tears are momentary; and it is not long before I hear her chirpy little voice singing the rooftops down. She always finds a reason for joy, and her enthusiasm for life blows me away.

I want our home to be a place of safety and love for her; I want her to know that healthy relationships are the norm; I want her to be proud, to be strong; and to know who she is. 

She epitomises the brighter day - the words of the second woman I mihi to tonight.

Tonight we will be ending on a high note, literally, with the waiata to be launched at this event, called simply "Brighter Day".

And I want to say to our new star, Horiana Patea, how moved I was to read your story, and listen to your heart as it is expressed in this waiata.

The story you have shared, Horiana, of the violence meted out by your step-father; two of your partners; and then your own reaction; is a story that we know too well - but far too many women are scared to speak out loud.

You have shown amazing courage in coming forward into the light; to be able to reflect on the experiences you and your sisters endured, and then to come to the realisation, "life wasn't supposed to be easy - but never give up, never give in".

You are a powerful advocate for peace, in knowing a brighter day is possible; that you can be seriously strong; that you can trust in yourself and most of all, that life is too precious to throw away.

I mihi to you for your strength and determination - and I understand the depth of feeling you have for the women at Te Puna Oranga who believed in you, and gave you the support you need to not only endure the struggle against the storm; but to also dance in the rain.

And when we think about dancing in the rain, there is no better person to dance with, than the third woman I am thinking of tonight, our beloved and inspirational kuia, Aunty Kiwa (Hutchen).

I look at this gentle kuia in front of us, who lights up our world with her smile; and yet as we know only too well, she can also bring a room to silence, with one simple question.

She has asked the same question, year in, year out - how are we loving our tamariki to grow to their full potential?

Through her years with Matua Whangai, with Women's Refuge, with Te Puna Oranga; as a kaumatua for so many organisations right throughout Aotearoa; Aunty Kiwa has kept that one question uppermost.

And so I turn to the challenge of confronting family violence, surrounded by the strength and the wisdom of my mokopuna, Piata; our bright star, Horiana; and our beautiful kuia, Aunty Kiwa.

We will find these three special people- our own special people - within our whanau. We will each have the heroes and the sheroes from across the generations, who compel us to take responsibility and to act.

And that is the brighter day I wish for all of us.

If it is to change, it must begin with us. We must look to ourselves to generate our own solutions to violence. We know that those solutions are found within the kaupapa and the tikanga, the values and the principles that run deep through our own families.

We know too, that we need to be innovative and to look to our successes for a foundation to build on.

I have asked questions of many of the key organisations across the violence sector, seeking certainty around whether we are clear about the outcomes we want. 

Sometimes I get a sense of a revolving door, with a plethora of programmes going on - and I ask, like Judge Boshier did earlier this year, whether this is as good as it gets - is all this activity making the difference?

I have spoken out against the arbitrary separation of programmes into mens, womens and children - my challenge to funders is to think more widely and more holistically about the greater needs of whanau.

Our whanau include those with disabilities, children; elders; people from other cultures and other backgrounds - and so we must ensure that any strategies we have address the diversity of interests.

I will continue to ask the hard questions - and I will continue to speak out against family violence - until I am confident that every family knows there is a better way, a brighter day in sight.

It is time to focus on action.

We can not continue to talk-up our commitment to non-violence without seeing prevention, early intervention and sustainable change occurring throughout our homes and communities.

Ultimately, I am and always will be, inspired by the incredible power within our whanau. 

That power, which can be so destructive when violence takes over; is also a power for collective good. We must never give up, never give in until we can truly see whanau ora in all its dimensions.

As Horiana tells us, "no matter what they say, what they do, it won't deter me' - but together we will find that brighter day.