"He wā whakahirahira tēnei mā ngā wāhine katoa o tō tātou whenua. He wahine te Minita Whanaketanga Māori, he tuatahitanga tērā. Kei te hāpai tō tātou Pirimia, a Jacinda Ardern i te reo Māori i ngā hui nui o te motu, arā, ki Rātana me te rā o Waitangi," tana kī.

I tēnei rā, ka whakarewaina te kaupapa o Whakatū Wāhine (Suffrage 125) e te Minitatanga mō ngā Wāhine. Ko te huringa o te tau 125 mai i te rā i whakamanahia te pōti a te wahine, arā, ko Suffrage Day i te 19 o Mahuru.

"Ka hoki ngā whakaaro ki te kaupapa o te Mana Pōti Wāhine, ka whakahī ō tātou ngākau. Ka tika hoki, he mea nui kia whakanuia ngā wāhine me ngā tāne i kōkiri i te kaupapa. Me whakaaroaro hoki tātou mō te whanaketanga mai o te kaupapa mai i taua wā."

Kei te akiaki a Di i ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa ki te whakanui i ngā kaikōkiri rongonui o te mana pōti wāhine pērā i a Kate Sheppard, waihoki, ko ngā mahi a ngā wāhine Māori i te ao tōrangapū i taua wā, pērā i a Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, nō Te Rarawa.

"Ko Meri te wahine tuatahi ki te kōrero ki te whare o raro o te Pāremata o Te Kotahitanga i te tau 1893. Nāna te tono kia whai pōti ngā wāhine Māori. Ka tono hoki ia kia tū he mema wahine ki roto i te pāremata Māori. Kei tua atu tēnā i te whāinga a ngā kaikōkiri Pākehā o te mana pōti wāhine i taua wā."

Hei tā Di, hāunga ngā mahi whakanui, me kaha tonu tātou ki te kōkiri i ngā kaupapa e tino whaihua ai te oranga o ngā wāhine o Aotearoa.

"Kei te kōkiritia tonutia te kaupapa mana ōrite ā-ira. He take nui tēnei ki ngā wāhine kāore anō kia āta rangona ō rātou reo."

"Kei a tātou ngā pūmanawa tōtika ki te hāpai i ngā whakatutukinga o te hunga i para i te huarahi kia tū kaha ai a Aotearoa" tana kī. "Me mahi ngātahi tonu tātou ki te whakapakari ake i aua āhuatanga."

KUA MUTU

Kaimahi Pāpāho
Nicky Birch, Tumu Whakahaere Puni Pāpāho, Te Puni Kōkiri
bircn@tpk.govt.nz
027 762 7293 or 04 819 6299