KAREN CHHOUR (ACT): I stand here today to speak on 150 years of a committee that was formed to bring a stronger voice to our people. I didn't know much about the Māori Affairs Committee, so I myself wrote to the library and asked them to do a bit of research into how this committee was formed and why it was formed, and I was quite surprised that there was actually no reason given to why this committee was formed and there were a few assumptions as to why that happened. I'd like to think it was because more Māori were showing an interest in having a voice in the way that their people were being represented. Petitions were being presented and voices were being heard, and I think that's huge progress. 