The transcript of Judge Alana Thomas' swearing in speech.
To the people, to the voices of this land, greetings to you all.
While contemplating and considering what a good structure would be for this address today, the idea promptly came to me that there is no point in waiting or leaving it to the end of the speech for me to express my foremost acknowledgements, the thoughts that are paramount in my mind.
It is appropriate then that I firstly acknowledge my immediate family, my children Maioha and Te Aiorangi, my mother and father, my brothers and older sister, my grandparents and finally, my husband who have, over the many years, been my strongest supporters. This has meant supporting me, this often irrational woman, this sometimes unreasonable woman, a woman who actively contrives being buried in work – for as long as I can remember you have all supported me in the various initiatives I take on board. No matter what type of activity it is, whether it had a law focus, be language-based, an iwi, hapū or whānau initiative, no matter the kaupapa, you have always been there lending an ear to my problems and complaints about how hard everything has been, about how exhausting the lawyer life can be, about the tiresome nature of people generally, about the ins and outs of the Declaration and te Tiriti o Waitangi (yes, I am a true progeny of the North), and despite all of those tedious traits I may have, you never once turned away from me. You never rolled your eyes at my requests for help, you continued to listen, you continued to provide advice, you continued to offer words of encouragement and wisdom, and here we are, enjoying the fruits of your labour and the endless and all-embracing support you have shown me, with the knowledge that success is not the work of an individual but work of the many. To my mother and father, today is also the result of your desire to ensure our upbringing had Māori foundations, of your desire to ensure that we always knew we had control over our own destiny and what we want to achieve. To my family, I am so fortunate to have you by my side.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work and those hands ensure preparations for an occasion of this nature and this size are successful, and consequently there are many people that assisted with the arrangements for this occasion to ensure we arrived at this day. There are those that came and assisted with their ideas, those that then had thoughts different to others, those with their own opinions on how to enhance the day, and those with their suggestions on how to make it even better. Others who came with their OCD tendencies to ensure everything was immaculate and others who made sure our principles of manaakitanga were at the forefront, along with taking care of the mauri of our occasion. The dilemma I have with naming everyone is that, undoubtedly, I will miss some people out. So, this is a general acknowledgement to everyone that has assisted with preparations in order for this day to come to fruition, those from within my own hapū and iwi, my friends and colleagues, and those that helped from within the Court - especially to Amiria, descendant of the Whanganui River - my acknowledgements and thanks to you all.
That is perhaps a good place to end my expressions of gratitude to my family and the part of this kōrero that had the potential of making me cry, but alas it shall not be. No tears have been shed and my cheeks remain dry, very good. Well then, there seems to be just one more thing left for me to say at this time, one more acknowledgement, a tribute perhaps that has been sitting with me for a while, and it is only right that I express that today while I sit in the heart of my ancestral house, of Te Rangatiratanga.
To my Māori language, I thank you, I thank you for your fortitude and perseverance.
According to our history, in the years of the 1970s, you were close to your demise. Only 17% of Māori knew how to speak te reo, only 5% of our children in schools could speak te reo, and furthermore, there were people of that time who declared there was no benefit in teaching te reo and no benefit in the continued survival of te reo Māori. Over and over again, dialogue belittling and insulting our language was disseminated, and a narrative perpetuated that te reo Māori should become extinct. Yes undeniably, our Māori language has continually been struck by the waves of belligerence, by the tides of criticism and ridicule but despite that subjugation and oppression, the Māori language did not perish, and I say today, never will.
Let us turn our minds back to those years and to the champions of that generation who also showed the same fortitude and perseverance. These were the years of the revolution, of the nation of contention, the people of protest, the crowd of combat who fought tirelessly for the survival of te iwi Māori. Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo Māori was one of those collectives who presented the Māori language petition to Parliament, voicing their aspiration to see the Māori language being taught in all schools throughout New Zealand, voicing their belief that the Māori language is an unfailing spring of water, and that it will be the Māori language that ensures the survival of the Māori nation.
They displayed and utilised the many aspects of the Māori language and te ao Māori in order to bring together the people and to plant the seeds of hope and promise within the heart of the Māori nation. They were determined to never again see te iwi Māori and their culture at the precipice of an abyss. Despite these groups being challenged by the Crown, and by those who opposed their vision, they continued to fight in the hope that the Māori nation would forever live on.
To all of those who persevered, to my Māori language, I thank you. I thank you for your patience and tolerance, and for the length of time that you have been waiting for te iwi Māori to once again, return to you.
From the time when all te iwi Māori were fluent in their language up to the present moment, you have seen the struggles we have faced to return the Māori language back to our families. As you can see, some have advanced well, others have not been as prosperous. But the reality remains that the majority of te iwi Māori still do not know, nor do they understand, the whole world that lays beyond the individual word, the whole world that is waiting for them, what a sad situation that is.
Yes, te iwi Māori have repeatedly felt the heaviness that goes hand-in-hand with reclaiming our language. I sympathise and agree, it is a disheartening position for us all to be in. But we have come to a time now where we must all take action; we must continue with the efforts for the survival of our language. Perhaps it is the case that those of us who are gathered here in this house today are the fortunate ones, the ones who are unyielding in the pursuit of the sustenance provided by the word. Yet we know that a large number of te iwi Māori have yet to discover their own language. I turn once again to my language, please bear with us for a while longer, continue to be patient as I truly believe in those that are nurturing our language within the hearts of our people, those that will ensure that the mauri of te reo lives on within each and every one of us. It is only right we pay tribute to those few, to our reo champions who give everything they have to show the beauty of our indigenous language to those that have not yet been fortunate enough to experience it themselves. The challenge is for all of us to be doing the same.
To my Māori language, I thank you. I thank you for the breath of life you provide and for fastening the ties of kinship that link us all who have gathered here today in this ancestral house.
It was because of you that I became involved in the initiative of Te Kura Rōia and formed close bonds with colleagues that shared similar visions, and who have come here today. To you my friends, the carers of the language, despite having many irons in the fire with your numerous kaupapa, you still remain committed to, and promote, this project that we started together, Te Kura Rōia. You do this while continuing to support the promotion of te reo with Māori lawyers generally and you have shown unwavering support to me, I will forever consider you family. Thank you all for your united and unwavering pursuit to ensure our reo is recognised within the law, I thank you.
To my Māori language, it is because of you I was able to experience the many initiatives that I now hold close to my heart, those being Te Taumata, Te Kura Reo o Whirinaki, the many Kura Reo that are held throughout the land, Te Tohu Paerua o te Reo Kairangi. To all the cohorts of these ventures, those whose commitment is unrivalled, whose efforts are unparalleled, to my Harry Hardout Reo friends, thank you all for gathering today beneath the shelter of our ancestral house.
To my Māori language, it is because of you that I had the courage to step out from the norm, to start my own company alongside my very good friends who have come here today. We named the company Kaupare and te reo Māori was the pillar of the firm. “Divert from the well-travelled Pākehā pathway and follow that which is Māori”. To my Kaupare friends, my formiddable team who show strength in solidarity, here I stand with you, united always, your friend, thank you.
To my Māori language, if I am to be completely honest, it was not only my law degree or the experiences I gained in my legal career that led me here today, it was because of you that I now have a position amongst the Māori Land Court judiciary. I would also like to take the opportunity at this point to acknowledge our Acting Chief Judge who sits by my side today, over these past months and in fact, years, when an issue has arisen, a question, a complication, it has been our ACJ that has turned to offer me support and guidance, she has continued to advocate for the use of te reo Māori within her Courts – and so to our Acting Chief Judge, a heroine in my eyes, one who is skilled in patient observation, Judge Fox, I thank you.
To my Māori language, it is because of you that my heart is connected to the hearts of my children, of my family, of my hapū, of my iwi and to the hearts of my ancestors. It is because of you that the doors of the Māori world were opened to me, it is because of you that I understand the depth and beauty of my Māori culture. It is only right we acknowledge our Māori language, our Māori world.
Well then, I will leave my tributes to my language, to our language, there, knowing that words will never be able to fully express my appreciation for our language. So then, I turn to my final words, I say to you, to the justice system, I implore you to listen closely. You have heard of the countless benefits that emerge from the freedom of the spoken language, from the use of the language, from the survival of the language within the hearts of mankind. There is not one detriment that arises from a person knowing their indigenous language, yet there are a multitude of benefits. I say to you, do not resign my language to ever be silent again, do not repress my language, but rather allow the language to live and be normalised within all Courts of Aotearoa.
I cast my memory back to a hui of the Māori Law Society that was held not far from here, in Waitangi in 2015, when Sir Justice Joe Williams posed the question to the Society, Can you see the island? He was speaking of an island in which he dreamed there to be a justice system in which Pākehā law and tikanga Māori would sit side-by-side, and his challenge to the Society at that time was to be steadfast and resolute in our pursuit to reach that island, as in his opinion we were not there yet. Eight years have now passed, and that question has continued to be at the forefront of my efforts to help our people, and while I support the vision in its entirety and, yes, I can see the island, the question that has continued to challenge me is what else is on the island that I can see?
Yes, unquestionably it is the equal recognition of Pākehā law and tikanga Māori in our justice system, a justice system that truly recognises and upholds te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Declaration of Independence, but, what else is on my island? On that island I see the true survival of mana Māori Motuhake, what else is on my island? I see the true survival of tino rangatiratanga, what else is on my island? I see the true survival of the Māori language and tikanga Māori, what else is on my island? On that island I see te iwi Māori walking proudly within their own Māori world and over their own land.
So, I suggest to you now, if your vision of an island is similar to mine, we must grasp an oar and get on board this waka we share so that we can row together towards that island. An island that is being dreamed about by Justice Williams, that was imagined by our ancestors and that we aspire to reach in our lifetime. To the justice system, a few of our dear friends have already joined our waka and are holding steadfastly their oars, it is time you joined them. Our friends such as Te Kohanga Reo, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Te Whare Wānanga, Māori Television, the Māori iwi radio stations and the many more initiatives that seek to revitalize the Māori language are waiting for you.
My friends, I think that is a good place to stop. Despite the trials and tribulations of this world, let us all be courageous in our pursuit of our language. If we collectively believe in those hands that hold so dearly to the handle of the oars that row our waka, it will never capsize, it will never sink.
And so ends my words of encouragement to all branches of our justice system, to search for the pathway that is best suited for your Court. Let us not be the reason for the efforts of those who formed the crowd of combat, the nation of contention, the realm of revitalisation, of those who had fortitude, who preserved, who were patient and tolerant, those who gave us a breath of life, let us not be the reason for their efforts to be swept away like dust. My final comments, my assurance to my people, the true expression of my gratitude and affection for te reo Māori, for te iwi Māori will be shown in my efforts to implement the challenges heard today.
I thank you all.