I support the aspiration of the late Huirangi Waikerepuru, who said, "Kei te hiahia au kia tū angitu te katoa o Aotearoa ki te kōrero i te reo Māori, i te reo Pākehā hoki kia kounga te rere o ngā reo e rua." ["I would like to see all of New Zealand succeed in being able to speak Māori as well as we speak English so that we may be competent bilinguists."] He wanted everyone in New Zealand to have the same advantage he had of speaking Māori and English equally well. I cannot say that I speak the two languages equally well, but to do so remains my aspiration. 